August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sidewinder Gait Bears Startling Similarity To Its Namesake

Named for the venomous snake, older horses afflicted with sidewinder syndrome have hindquarters that list to one side when they walk. This condition can be challenging to diagnose as there isn't a lot of research available on the abnormality, says New Bolton Center's Dr. Amy Johnson. The movement is considered a syndrome because it is a symptom and not a disease in itself and has different potential causes.

Johnson sees sidewinder gait come on suddenly in horses that are in their late teens and older. The affected horse's hind legs move so significantly to the side that the horse travels on three tracks. If the horse is drifting to the left, the left hind foot will be away from the body and the right hind will be in line with the left front when walking.

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When standing still, the affected horse often weights one hind leg more than the other – often the one that is closest to the body. Some sidewinder horses will spin in a circle when they walk or lean against a wall or fence to support their weak side.

Some causes of sidewinder gait include EPM, arthritis, or fractures. It's important to complete tests to determine if the cause is neurologic or musculoskeletal. Some horses have an acute onset of the gait abnormality, but may recover and go back to normal; the gait may or may not return. If it does come back, the hind end doesn't always track to the same side as before. Johnson hypothesizes that these cases may be caused by degenerative, age-related changes that create intermittent muscle spasms. Weather may also play a role, as Johnson sees more sidewinder gait in colder months. She believes this may be caused by aggravated arthritis or horses that are slipping on bad footing.

Often the older horses that develop sidewinder gait are euthanized, and even in necropsies it isn't always apparent what caused the gait abnormality.

Prognosis for complete recovery is poor. Some horses improve with exercise, while others need stall rest to avoid exacerbating the condition. Steroid use can cause issues in older horses that are already prone to endocrine issues and laminitis.

EPM is the only disease associated with sidewinder gait that can be treated. For horses with an inconclusive reason for the abnormal gait, it's difficult to predict which will improve and whether improvement will be permanent.

Tex Sutton Unlikely To Have Plane In Time For Breeders’ Cup; FedEx Charter Possible Alternative

Tex Sutton, the dominant equine air-transport company in the U.S., has not had a dedicated aircraft since it's lease on “Air Horse One” expired on May 8, 2021. According to bloodhorse.com, it does not appear as if the company will have an aircraft in place in time for the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6.

Tex Sutton has been acting as an authorized agent and chartering flights for horses via FedEx, but the horses are often required to be shipped alongside other cargo, and the barn's grooms are not allowed on the flights with the horses. For these reasons, and the large number of horses expected to need to be shipped from the East Coast, the Breeders' Cup is considering alternatives.

“We are definitely looking at developing a Plan B at this point, getting a little nervous,” Dora Delgado, Breeders' Cup executive vice president and chief racing officer, told bloodhorse.com. “I did have information that we could charter a complete Fed Ex flight, put about 30 horses on it. But if we do that, it is the added inconvenience of all of the horses having to get to either Tennessee or Indianapolis, as that is both of their hubs.

“We're keeping our options open. We're using Mersant International to handle all of our international shipping. They're very familiar with flights and loads and finding aircraft. So if our last resort is creating a charter of our own to bring the New York horses out to California, then that's what we'll do.”

Breeders’ Cup, ABR Launch Spanish Stream for Challenge Series

Breeders' Cup and America's Best Racing launched “Breeders' Cup En Vivo,” a series of six live digital handicapping shows in Spanish covering 13 of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races.

Co-hosted by Emanuel Aguilar, Annise Montplaisir, Roberto Rodriguez, Claudia Spadaro, and Darwin Vizcaya, the six shows will be streamed live across both America's Best Racing and Breeders' Cup's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels. The following tracks and races will be covered by Breeders' Cup En Vivo:

Aug. 28 – Del Mar: GII Pat O'Brien S.
Sept. 11 – Kentucky Downs: GIII FanDuel Turf Sprint and Calumet Turf Cup
Sept. 19 – Woodbine: GI Natalma S. and GI Summer S.
Oct. 1 – Santa Anita: GI American Pharoah S., GII Chandelier S. and Speakeasy S.
Oct. 9 – Keeneland: GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, GI Keeneland Turf Mile and GII Thoroughbred Club of America S.
Oct. 10 – Keeneland: GII Bourbon S. and GI Juddmonte Spinster S.

The first episode, which will air Aug. 28, can be viewed here. Start time for the Pat O'Brien S. show will be announced later this week. Viewers can set a reminder to watch and will be notified once Breeders' Cup En Vivo is streaming live.

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‘Extra Special For Our Whole Family’: Foley Chasing First Grade 1 Win With Sconsin

Trainer Greg Foley has no doubt that Lloyd Madison Farms' homebred Sconsin, who is named for the owners' home state of Wisconsin, is ready for her close-up. What he's not so sure about is how the 4-year-old filly will appreciate the Saratoga setting.

When Sconsin lines up in the gate for the $500,000, Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina, which is a “Win and You're In” event for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, against six other top-flight filly and mare sprinters it will be her first race at Saratoga.

“Some horses like it and some don't. That's my main worry of any,” said Foley. “But she's doing great, and she looks really, really good. Whether she handles the track is the main concern. That's what you hear about all the time, whether a horse will handle the racetrack or not. Hopefully, she'll like it.”

Another concern is the presence of Gamine, the reigning champion Female Sprinter, 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner, and four-time Grade 1 winner who's only defeat in nine starts came in last year's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. The winner of the Grade 1 Longines Test here last year is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.

“This is definitely a tough race, especially with the champion in there,” Foley said in referring to Gamine.

Gamine is blessed with blistering speed, which she uses to her full advantage. Foley expects nothing less in the Ballerina.

“I see one with a lot of pace, and that's Gamine. Other than her I don't see any pace. She's definitely the speed. I was hoping to see a little more speed entered in here to go with her early. I don't know that there is,” he explained. “We're not going to change our game plan too much. We're going to sit and finish, and if we can't get to her, we can't. We're not going to send her away from there trying to go with Gamine. That would be ridiculous on our part. We're sure not going to get anything that way. Hopefully, somebody else can go with her and help us out. We'll see what happens.”

Sconsin, by Include out of the Tiznow mare Sconnie, performs best when rating off the pace. She employed that running style when second to Gamine in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs in May and when second to the Grade 1 winning Bell's the One in the Roxelana Stakes on that same track in her last out in June. Sconsin, the winner of the Grade 2 Eight Belles last year, also at Churchill Downs, was fourth in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

“She's a good filly. She's run with the best and run well with them. We beat Bell's the One [winner of the Grade 2 Honorable Miss at the Spa July 28] in a prior race at Churchill and she came back and beat us, and that filly is an awful good filly and she showed you all here that last month,” said Foley. “She's been training great, and really, she could not be doing any better. She looks great and she is ready to go. I'd be surprised if she doesn't run a good race. It will take a good race [against this group] but I think she's sitting on one.”

Sconsin signaled her readiness on August 21 when she fired a bullet four furlongs breeze in :47 flat at Ellis Park in Kentucky. The work was the fleetest of 62 horses going the same distance that morning.

“I've had her at Ellis, just kind of baby-sitting her down there this summer with this race in mind the whole time. I'm trying to win a Grade 1 with her. She's won a Grade 2 and she deserves this chance,” said Foley.

Not only would a Ballerina victory be the first top level score for Sconsin, it would be the first as well for Foley, who has made 8,730 starts for 1,446 wins through August 26, according to Equibase. Moreover, winning a Grade 1 race at a NYRA track would neutralize some sibling rivalry as his sister, Vickie Foley, won the lone Grade 1 race of her long career with Hog Creek Hustle in the 2019 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park.

“Winning a Grade 1 at Saratoga, wouldn't that be something?” said Foley, who is especially close with Vickie and shares barns with her at the Kentucky tracks. “It would definitely be something extra special for our whole family.”

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