July, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breeders’ Cup A Possibility For Bolshoi Ballet, Santa Barbara

The luck of the Irish was present at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. on Saturday when Irish-breds Santa Barbara and Bolshoi Ballet captured their respective 10-furlong first legs of the Turf Triple series for champion trainer Aidan O'Brien and Coolmore partners Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg.

Santa Barbara won the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational after some anxious moments around the far turn and into the stretch. Expertly piloted by jockey Ryan Moore, Santa Barbara saved ground between horses down the backstretch, but lacked racing room at the top of the stretch. Approaching the furlong marker, she angled into the clear and displayed a devastating turn-of-foot going from seventh to first in the final two points of call. The half-length victory garnered a 90 Beyer Speed Figure.

Two races later, the all navy blue Coolmore colors found prosperity once more when Bolshoi Ballet backed up his heavy favoritism in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby. The beaten favorite last out in the Group 1 Epsom Derby on June 5 saw redemption by making a wide, sweeping move at the top of the stretch under Moore to win by 1 ¼ lengths.

Bolshoi Ballet and Santa Barbara will head back to Ballydoyle Training Center in Ireland on Sunday evening, where further plans will be evaluated.

“They both ate up well last night and left nothing. They walked this morning and are a hundred percent,” said O'Brien's traveling assistant T.J. Comerford. “They'll head home tonight, but they're in good shape after running.”

Comerford said that a start in the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships on November 6 at Del Mar is possibly in play for both horses.

Santa Barbara would likely target the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, while Bolshoi Ballet would be a candidate for the $4 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf – which O'Brien has won six times.

“That's the plan for them both,” Comerford said. “Wherever they go next is another thing, but now that they had a bit of practice coming over here, it will be easier the next time.”

The second legs of the Turf Triple for sophomores are the $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 7 and the $700,000 Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 8. Comerford said while both races have not been ruled out for either horse, they would be more likely to campaign in Europe before heading back to the United States for the Breeders' Cup.

“It's probably an option, but now that they have it done, maybe we'll find some other horses to come to Saratoga with,” Comerford said. “I'm sure we'll have something – maybe not these two – but Aidan will decide.”

Comerford said both Santa Barbara and Bolshoi Ballet have been highly regarded horses for O'Brien from the get-go.

“He brought two very good horses this time,” Comerford said. “The filly was favored in the Guineas and finished third. The colt was favored in the Derby, he just didn't get to running. The ground didn't come up the way we had hoped, but he took his chance. He did get galloped well into behind, but he came out of it very well.”

Santa Barbara, a daughter of 2012 Epsom and Irish Derby winner Camelot, arrived at the Belmont Oaks off three straight starts at Group 1 caliber, the most recent of which was a narrow defeat to older filly Thundering Nights in the Group 1 Pretty Polly at the Curragh, just 13 days before the Belmont Oaks. A similar route was taken with 2018 Belmont Oaks victress Athena, who won off six days rest when third in that year's Pretty Polly.

Prior to the Pretty Polly, she was a respective fourth and fifth in the British 1000 Guineas on May 2 at Newmarket and the Epsom Oaks on June 4 at Epsom Downs.

“In fairness to her, her last three races were top class Group 1 races so she had plenty of experience,” said Comerford. “She showed in the Oaks that she had a good turn of foot, even though they were going steady. Ryan never hit her. Even after the race, he said it was the easiest winner he's ridden.”

Breeders' Cup victories have been a family tradition for Santa Barbara, whose half-siblings Order of Australia and Iridessa captured the 2020 Breeders' Cup Mile and 2019 Filly and Mare Turf, respectively. Santa Barbara's grand dam, Starine, won the 2002 Filly and Mare Turf for late Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel.

“She's starting to progress like him [Order of Australia] and Iridessa,” Comerford said. “She's starting to go along the same lines as them. She's just getting better. The next time she'll be a lot more streetwise again. It was only her fifth start.”

Prior to the Epsom Derby, Bolshoi Ballet registered two Group 3 victories at Leopardstown going the Belmont Derby distance. Comerford said a mile and a half is easily within the athletic colt's ability.

“If it were a mile and a half yesterday, he would have won further,” Comerford said. “He wants a mile and a quarter, but a mile and a half isn't a problem to him either.”

A victory in the Belmont Derby came on the same day as the passing of Bolshoi Ballet's internationally acclaimed sire Galileo, who captured the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and King George & Queen Elizabeth Diamond, all Group 1, in 2001.

“There are going to be other Galileo horses that come along, but we were fortunate to win yesterday,” Comerford said. “He's proven to be a decent horse and we've always thought a lot of him.”

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Five Stakes Highlight State Breds On Stars Of Texas Day At Lone Star

Five stakes were carded Saturday at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas on Stars of Texas Day. The first of the five was Race 7, the $75,000 Valor Farm Stakes for Accredited Texas-bred fillies & mares, 3-yr-olds & up.

Ima Discreet Lady and Shes Our Fastest dueled for the early lead in the six-furlong sprint on the main track. Ima Discreet Lady got the edge and carried the winner and favorite wide, Shes Our Fastest (2.60). The winner drew clear late to win under a drive.

Final time was 1:10.96 on a fast track. Fractions were :22.98; :45.72, and :58.13. Natalies Joy made a mild late rally to get up for third and Samborita finished last. Boerne and Gee She Sparkles were scratched from the race.

Scott Gelner was the winning trainer for owners Mark Norman and Norman Stables LLC. Winning rider was Stewart Elliott.

Saturday also saw the $75,000 Fiesta Mile for Accredited Texas-bred fillies & mares 3-yr-olds & up contested on the turf course which was labeled firm.

Favorite Boerne vied for the early lead on the inside, made an inside move leaving the turn to draw clear in the final furlong. It was a good effort, but she was caught late by the winner, Miss Perfecta (8.60). Miss Perfecta angled out for racing room leaving the turn and was set down to get up late driving. Corluna moved into contention out of the turn, but lacked needed effort and got up for the show. Zarelda was fourth followed by Herbs Love, Discreet Smile, Kitty's Queen, and Set the Pace completing the order of finish.

Final time for the mile on grass was 1:35.20. Winning owners were Tyree J. Wolesensky and Jose Silva, Jr. Miss Perfecta is trained by Hall of Fame trainer, Steve Asmussen. Jockey Stewart Elliot was aboard.

The $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Futurity, Filly Division produced longshot winner, Streak of Silver (36.00), for owner Carl R. Moore Management LLC. Second place finisher, Expect the Boss was crushed on both sides leaving the gate, recovering to get into contention with the winner, but flattened out late. Favorite, Red Hot Moon dueled early, but weakened on the drive, but was better than the others for the show.

The final time for the five and one half furlong futurity was 1:05.91 on a fast track. Fractions were :22.63, :46.49, and :59.22.

Karen Jacks was the winning trainer and Iram Diego was the winning jockey.

Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch's Tengo Mis Pepeles (3.80), trained by Bret Calhoun, impressed again today winning the $100,000 Colt & Gelding Division of the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity. The victorious grey colt by My Golden Song won his debut here on June 13 in the Texas Stallion Stakes by nine and three-quarters lengths. Today's win margin wasn't as far as that effort, but the one and one half length win today showed the 2-yr-old's confidence and professionalism. Reylu Gutierrez was the winning rider.

Final time for the five and one half furlongs was 1:50.02 behind fractions of :22.14, :45.56, and :58.42.

Sparky Hale took aim on the winner out of the turn and was gaining and held on to second over third-place finisher Stan's Miracle Man who was gaining fast.

Fourth-place finisher was Simply Wicked, followed by Ghost Cowboy, Hedaresthedevil, Dare to Fail, Linc's Boy, On My List, Pickingupstrangers, Timed Event, and Royal Tap.

The final stake on the card was the $75,000 Assault Stakes at one mile on the turf for Accredited Texas-bred horses, three years olds and up.

Winner, Kenai Bob (11.50) was off first, but allowed second-placed Mr Money Bags to set the pace shortly thereafter, settling in behind him through ultra slow early fractions. Kenai Bob made a bid in the stretch, slowly edging clear late to win by three-quarters of a length. Mr Money Bags was the leader throughout most of the race, but was out-finished to get second. Favorite Sunlit Song was well placed, but was boxed in and was slowly gaining late only to get third. Moojab, Jr. ran fourth with Men of Kyle, Gold Pilot, Direct Dial, and Gottherightonebaby completing the order of finish. There were three late scratches, Gunnerscelesticman, He's a Sailor, and Quarterback Dak.

Final time for the Assault was 1:36.12 over a firm turf course. Fractions were :24.64, :49.62, 1:12.83, and 1:24.51.

Kenai Bob is owned by Michael Grossman, trained by Francisco Bravo, and was ridden by Luis Quinonez.

Tomorrow, Sunday, July 11 is the final day of the meeting. First race post time is at 2:05 p.m. There are 11 races on the final card.

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The Week in Review: What the Larry Saumell Case Might Mean for Baffert

It was another week when the Bob Baffert-NYRA saga again dominated the headlines, with both sides killing a lot of trees with their voluminous and seemingly never ending legal filings. At times it was mind numbing, and the laymen among us are having a hard time discerning what is important, what is not, whether or not there are any precedents to consider and which side appears to be winning a fight that grows more acrimonious by the day.

After Medina Spirit (Protonico) tested positive for betamethasone in the GI Kentucky Derby, NYRA decided to ban Baffert. He is not allowed to stable at or run at the NYRA tracks. With Saratoga upon us, that could not have come at a worse time for the Hall of Fame trainer. He has already lost a number of horses to other trainers, their owners not willing to pass on the chance to run at the Saratoga meet. Some of the many questions surrounding the ban may be answered Monday when both sides will appear at the U.S. District courthouse in Brooklyn, where it will be decided whether or not Baffert will be granted a restraining order that would allow him to run in New York…at least temporarily.

The Baffert team will argue that his due process rights have been violated and that NYRA does not have the authority to suspend Baffert's license under New York law. Only the New York Gaming Commission can do that, they will claim. And the Gaming Commission has taken no action to date against the trainer. Both points are important. Can NYRA, at its discretion, just throw someone out? And can it do so without offering the individual a hearing beforehand?

The right of a racetrack to exclude someone has been argued back and forth over the years and the result has not been a clear-cut, definitive answer. The question grows even more complicated when NYRA is involved because of its status as a “quasi” state agency. The courts have consistently ruled that privately owned racetracks have the right to bar someone. That's probably why Baffert has, so far, taken no action against Churchill Downs to have its ban overturned.

It will be up to Judge Carol Bagley Amon to decide whether or not NYRA has the legal right to exclude someone. No doubt, Baffert's team will steer her toward the 40-year-old story of a jockey, Larry Saumell, who was run out of the New York tracks by NYRA after he was allegedly caught carrying a battery. While there have been other cases over the years that dealt with NYRA's rights when it comes to excluding someone, the Saumell case would seem to be the most relevant to the Baffert case.

On July 13,1981, Saumell was denied access to Belmont Park, Aqueduct and Saratoga after a NYRA investigation determined that the jockey was in possession of a battery before the start of a June 22 race. NYRA took the infraction so seriously that it turned the case over to the Nassau County District Attorney's office.

“You work all your life to do something, and bang–in three seconds it can be taken away from you,” Saumell, who never argued that he was not in possession of a battery, told Newsday in 1981.

“We have a separate responsibility to do what we have to do, to protect the integrity of racing,” NYRA's head of security John Keenan told Newsday, sounding very much like his counterparts 40 years later. “It's our responsibility to do what we have to do to protect the integrity of racing.”

Saumell, his career in jeopardy, hired firebrand lawyer Joseph Faraldo, and fought back. Ten days after he was banned, Saumell won an appeal, a state court vacating a stay that had been obtained by NYRA against Saumell. He was immediately reinstated. The court ruled that while NYRA had a responsibility to protect the betting public only the New York State Racing and Wagering Board (the precursor to the Gaming Commission) could revoke a license. In making the decision, the court ruled that “…any further attempt by NYRA to exclude the petitioner (Larry Saumell) would infringe on the Board's authority to license horsemen.”

The case went back and forth in the courts while Saumell continued to ride. On Feb. 23, 1981, the jockey received the news he had been waiting for–an appeals court ruled firmly in his favor. NYRA's quest to keep him out was all but over.

This time the basis for the ruling was that NYRA had violated Saumell's civil rights by not granting him a hearing and, therefore, it had to reinstate him.

The ruling read: “The common-law right of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) to exclude persons from its premises includes the right when there is reasonable cause to believe a jockey licensed by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board (the Board) guilty of misconduct to deny him access. In doing so, however, NYRA must conform to the requirements of due process.”

Baffert's lawyers have made the same argument as he has yet to have a hearing before NYRA stewards or officials.

“First, Baffert was not afforded any due process before he was summarily suspended by NYRA,” Baffert's team wrote in a filing last week. “He was given no notice of any charges against him and no opportunity to be heard. Instead, he received a letter stating that he was immediately suspended and would not be permitted to race any horses in New York.”

With NYRA rebuffed, Saumell continued to ride throughout the legal proceedings. It's hard to say how the affair affected his career. He was only 22 at the time and was winning races on the New York circuit, but his career leveled off. He never became a star and instead finished out his career riding, not in New York, but in New Jersey, Maryland, Florida and Kentucky. He last rode in 1999 and, after he retired, he became a representative for the Jockeys' Guild. His biggest win came in the GII Pennsylvania Derby in 1988 and he had 2,098 total winners. Just 54, he died in 2011, his obituary in the Daily Racing Form not even mentioning his ban 30 years earlier.

When asked about the Saumell case, Baffert's lawyer Craig Robertson replied via text, saying: “That case has been referenced in the legal papers filed with the court. It is an important precedent and supports the contention that NYRA can't do what they're doing to Bob.”

Does the Saumell case mean that Baffert will win and the courts will rule that NYRA must reinstate him? That's hard to say. But 40 years ago NYRA tried to rule off a participant after a serious allegation, that he used a battery. And it didn't work.

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Mares and Foals Join Racehorses at Fasig-Tipton Monday

Fasig-Tipton's July Horses of Racing Age Sale returns to Newtown Paddocks Monday for the ninth straight year. It will be preceded for the first time by the Fasig-Tipton July Breeding Stock Sale, which gets underway at 2 p.m.

The Horses of Racing Age Sale is comprised of 175 racehorses, 11 of which were supplements added late last week. Some of the standouts in this year's catalogue are recent Iowa Derby victor Stilleto Boy (Shackleford); GSW Fearless (Ghostzapper); GIII Bashford Manor S. runner-up Vodka N Water (Fed Biz); Wicked Bisou (Wicked Strong), a half-sister to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute); and last weekend's Iowa Distaff heroine Josie (Race Day).

“I think it's a really good group,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “The composition and the mix of horses of racing age can change from year to year. I think it will offer a broad appeal. We have some older, proven horses at the highest level. We also have some young horses that look like they have a ton of potential. I think we truly have something for everyone no matter where you're competing. Whether you're at Saratoga or Del Mar or at a more local, regional venue, there is something here for you.”

He continued, “I think we've seen a very vibrant 2-year-old market so far in 2021. There has also been lots of activity in the private marketplace and the claim box. We feel fortunate that we think we have a really good group of horses of racing age. A lot of horses have come out of this sale and achieved significant success, so we're ready to roll on Monday.”

Some notable graduated of this auction include GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington); GIII Westchester S. victor Nicodemus (Candy Ride {Arg}); and GSW & MGISP Ivy Bell (Archarcharch).

Last year's Horses of Racing Age Sale was held amidst the COVID-19 pandemic despite the fact the Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale, traditionally held the next day, was canceled. A total of 81 horses changed hands for a gross of $5.072 million last term. The average was $62,617 and the median was $30,000.

“For a while, we had to recruit heavily because it was a new concept seven or eight years ago,” Browning said. “Now, there are certainly owners that point for this sale in terms of adjusting their inventory and figuring out what makes sense. We are continuing to recruit horses that might have run well as recently as yesterday. There is certainly an opportunity for liquidity in the marketplace with a sale of this type, so there are some interesting opportunities to both buy and sell horses.”

The July Breeding Stock Sale debuts with 55 broodmares, several of which sell with 2021 foals at their sides. Seventeen of those mares belong to the Far From Over/Fountain of Youth Dispersal, which is being handled by Stuart Morris.

“We've done some things in the past similar to this with Ms. Alexander, and with the Heiligbrodt and Melnyk dispersals, so it's not the first time that we have offered some mares with foals or breeding stock in July,” Browning said. “We've had inquiries from people who would like to sell a mare. Some people really like selling the three-in-one package, the mares in foal and the foals at their sides, so we decided to give it a try and see what the market thinks. I think we've attracted some really interesting horses. Based on the overall strength of the market, we think that they will be well received here.”

If all goes well Monday, the July Breeding Stock Sale could return to Newtown Paddocks next year.

“The marketplace often answers the question whether the concept has merit or not,” Browning said. “I think these horses will bring fair market value. It's something you hope you might have something to build on in the future. But as we do with all of our sales, we will evaluate the results after the fact. Our emphasis right now is to deliver the best results for the men and women that are going to be selling with us [Monday].”

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