September, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Irish Genius’ Vincent O’Brien Inducted Into British Champions Series Hall Of Fame

Legendary trainer Vincent O'Brien, together with three titans of the turf from the 1970s, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and Nijinsky, have been named as the next four stars to be inducted into the QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame, which can be found online at Horseracinghof.com.

Launched to mark the 10th anniversary of QIPCO's sponsorship of the British Champions Series, the first official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing sets out to immortalize the Modern Greats of the sport, both human and equine, from 1970 onwards.

On the basis of their undisputed status and achievements within the sport, the quartet will join inaugural inductees Frankel and Lester Piggott in the Hall of Fame, with O'Brien becoming the first trainer to gain membership.

Broadcaster Brough Scott, who undertook his first broadcast for ITV Racing in 1971, the year in which Brigadier Gerard completed his incredible unbeaten 3-year-old season, was part of the independent panel of horseracing experts who agreed on the inductees.

He said: “No racing decade ever had a start like the 1970s. Nijinsky, Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard – three horses of the century only a year apart. No Derby winner more majestic than Nijinsky, no Arc winner more of a mould-breaker than Mill Reef, no miler more complete than Brigadier Gerard.

“Irish genius Vincent O'Brien added to the magic of that era, setting a standard most could only dream of matching. He changed the racing and training landscape, and his legacy lives on at Ballydoyle and Coolmore – which remain two of the world's greatest racing operations to this day.

“They individually and collectively deserve these places within the Hall of Fame and the panel and I offer our heartfelt congratulations to their connections.”

Trainer O'Brien, who registered a total of 141 Group One wins, with 67 in the UK, died 12 years ago but his influence on the sport will go on forevermore. As well as training six Derby winners and a host of other British Classics, he also landed three consecutive Grand Nationals in the 1950s, making him one of few trainers to succeed in both disciplines at the highest level. He also created the superb training facilities at Ballydoyle and played a pivotal role in the development of Coolmore Stud – two of Ireland's, if not the world's, most illustrious racing operations. Tellingly, the winning machine that Vincent O'Brien helped create and develop continues to flourish to this day.

Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef and Nijinsky – the last-named trained by O'Brien – all lit up the sport during the early 1970s. Between the three, they won an incredible 40 of their 45 races.

The mighty Brigadier Gerard, ridden by the late Joe Mercer, won 17 of his 18 races and is remembered as one of the greatest milers there has been, although he also shone over further. His record in 1971 was phenomenal, winning all six of his races, and his final resumé contained a British Classic in the 2000 Guineas, two Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and two Champion Stakes victories.

The Ian Balding-trained Mill Reef had to play second fiddle to Brigadier Gerard in the 2000 Guineas of 1971 but, upped in distance, he would never be beaten again. His exploits included outstanding victories in the Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Meanwhile, the majestic Nijinsky, ridden by inaugural Hall of Famer Lester Piggott, made history in 1970 by scooping the Triple Crown. No horse has since achieved this milestone of winning the 2000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger in the same year. Nijinsky went on to become a hugely successful stallion and, to this day, remains the only sire to have a winner of the Derby (Epsom) and the Kentucky Derby in the same year.

Connections of these four stars will receive a specially commissioned medal, designed by Asprey and unique within British racing, to mark their achievement. The four medals will be displayed at Doncaster's Cazoo St Leger day (Saturday 11th September) as part of a QIPCO British Champions Series Hall of Fame exhibition. The exhibition can be found within the racecourse's grandstand in the Grandstand Enclosure.

Achieving a place in the Hall of Fame has become one of the highest accolades within British Flat racing, reflecting extraordinary achievements and contributions to the sport. Launched to mark the start of this year's QIPCO British Champions Series, a number of additional inductions will be announced in the build-up to QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot (Saturday Oct. 16), including one horse chosen by the public (vote here) which is open until Sept. 24.

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Mangini Gets 18 Months in Prison

Even up until the final tense moments before a federal judge handed down Scott Mangini's sentence Friday for his role as a licensed pharmacist who created custom drugs for racehorses in an alleged international doping conspiracy, the defense and prosecution sparred over two main issues: 1) How many of those drugs were actually “performance-enhancing,” and 2) What should Mangini's sentencing be relative to that of Scott Robinson, who got 18 months in prison for marketing and selling those same pharmaceuticals?

Saying that he wanted to “send a message” that would be as much of a deterrent to others as a specific punishment for Mangini's pleading guilty to one felony count of conspiring to distribute adulterated and misbranded drugs, United States District Judge J. Paul Oetken sentenced the 56-year-old to the same term as Robinson-18 months in prison.

“At the end of the day, I find that resolving how much of it was performance-enhancing, or had one of the potential uses of enhancing the performances of animals, including horses, is not essential to my sentencing decision,” Oetken said Sept. 10 in U.S. District Court (Southern District of New York).

“The drugs were not tested or approved by the [Food and Drug Administration]. They were not properly labelled and distributed pursuant to prescriptions. And, in fact, [the business was] organized to avoid detection by the FDA and other regulators, including the use of false prescriptions and false return addresses,” Oetken said.

The maximum sentence that Mangini faced under federal guidelines was five years imprisonment, which is what prosecutors had recommended. Defense attorneys had lobbied for a period of home confinement.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors also demanded a forfeiture order from Mangini in the amount of $8,108,141.

In pre-sentencing court documents, Mangini's attorneys had argued that amount was “far more than he has earned in his lifetime,” and that “the forfeiture is plainly disproportionate for Mr. Mangini as it guarantees he will remain forever impoverished.”

Just prior to the 18-month sentence being handed down, Mangini was granted the opportunity to address the court. He began speaking slowly, in a level, pensive voice. But by the time he finished what he wanted to say, his diction had cracked under the strain of emotion.

“When I got into the business, I had the idea that I could help all kinds of horses and make it affordable for owners and trainers,” Mangini said. “I started selling cheaper versions of animal drugs and supplements. I really didn't know it was illegal. I had an obligation to follow the rules and I failed to do so. Now when I look back, I destroyed my life. And I have no one to blame but myself…

“I have lost my career as a pharmacist. And I can't work with horses again,” Mangini continued. “What is especially hard is how I [inaudible] my wife and my stepson. They are totally dependent upon me financially. I tried to protect them. Because of this crime, they will suffer. And it is my fault. This has haunted me since my arrest…

“Even though I may be absent from their daily lives, they know that I am financially ruined. My wife cries [inaudible] and I don't know what to say to her. I know I am to blame for doing this to them…

“My parents, in their 70s, they moved to [where Mangini lives in] Florida so that I could help them as they grow old, so I could be there for them. I have let them down as well,” Mangini said. “Since my arrest, I have tried to do better. I admitted that I violated the FDA rules. I met with the government every time that they wanted. I told them the truth. I admitted that I broke the law. Now I am filled with regret and remorse, and I'm sorry.”

On March 9, 2020, Mangini was arrested as part of the nationwide sweep that netted 27 others alleged to be involved all through the supply chain of an international doping ring. He was charged with two counts of participating in conspiracies related to his distribution in interstate commerce of adulterated and misbranded drugs with the intent to defraud and mislead.

The charges were based on Mangini supplying custom-made drugs to resellers (such as Robinson) and, later, to customers directly through several businesses and websites dedicated to the marketing and sale of performance-enhancing drugs to those in the horse racing industry.

The prosecution had alleged that Mangini often obscured his involvement by “hiding behind other people” and that he “sold a wide variety of drugs, including blood builders, used to increase red blood cell counts and/or oxygenation to stimulate a horse's race performance and recovery; analgesics, designed to block pain, which can mask physical injuries; and red acid, similarly used to reduce inflammation in joints and reduce pain.”

On April 23, 2021, weeks before he was to stand trial, Mangini pled guilty after negotiating a plea agreement that charged him with just a single, encompassing count of participating in a drug adulteration and misbranding conspiracy.

“In some cases the drugs were manufactured in facilities that were not as sanitary as they should have been, under circumstances where they created increased risk of harm to the animals that they were intended for,” Oetken said prior to the sentencing. “The defendant was a licensed pharmacist, and in that role he knew what he was doing, and he knew that he was acting to evade the law and regulatory authorities.”

Oetken also noted that before his arrest, authorities had already once restricted Mangini's pharmacist's license and had suspended the business license of the pharmaceuticals firm he was involved with.

“So he was aware several years ago that authorities were taking a closer look at the business, and for at least some period of time he went back to operating it,” Oetken said.

The judge then noted that Mangini has no prior criminal history, and that he had provided numerous character-reference letters that Oetken took into consideration.

But then Oetken said, “Balancing those positive considerations with the nature of the crime, this is a sufficiently serious crime that punishment is warranted. Among the purposes of sentencing that must be considered-and I think [what] is relevant here is promoting respect for the law and also deterrence, particularly general deterrence-those are important considerations given that the business scheme here was designed to evade the law.

“I also treated similarly situated defendants with comparable punishment as a necessary consideration,” Oetken continued. “Mr. Robinson was sentenced to 18 months. I found that significantly below [mandatory sentencing guidelines] was appropriate. I think the fact of imprisonment is more important than a lengthy imprisonment. I don't think it's likely that the defendant needs to be [incarcerated] because he's a danger or something like that. But I do think that sending a message that this form of crime will be taken seriously is important.”

Six of 28 defendants named in the original indictment have now pled guilty to charges in the federal government's prosecution of an alleged “corrupt scheme” to manufacture, mislabel, rebrand, distribute, and administer PEDs to racehorses all across America and in international races.

Robinson was the first to be sentenced in March 2021. In addition to his 18 months in prison, he had to forfeit $3.8 million in profits.

In June, Sarah Izhaki was sentenced to time already served plus three years of supervised release for selling misbranded versions of Epogen.

Michael Kegley, Jr., an independent contractor for the Kentucky-based company MediVet Equine, pled guilty July 23 to one count of drug adulteration and misbranding. He is to be sentenced Nov. 22.

Kristian Rhein, a suspended veterinarian formerly based at Belmont Park, on Aug. 3 pled guilty to one count of drug adulteration and misbranding for use in the covert doping of Thoroughbreds. As part of a plea bargain, Rhein has agreed forfeit $1.02 million in profits directly traceable to his offense, plus pay $729,716 in restitution. He is to be sentenced Dec. 2.

The barred trainer Jorge Navarro cut a deal with federal prosecutors Aug. 11 in which he pled guilty to one count of conspiring with others to administer non-FDA-approved, misbranded and adulterated drugs, including PEDs that Navarro believed would be untestable and undetectable. In exchange, a similar second count against him was dropped.

Navarro faces a maximum prison term of five years when he gets sentenced Dec. 17. Navarro's plea deal also stipulates that he pay $25.8 million to a list of victims that has not yet been made public.

A number of others still have their cases winding through the federal court system. Among them are the barred trainer Jason Servis, whom the feds allegedly recorded in wiretapped phone conversations discussing the doping of Maximum Security, the former $16,000 maiden-claimer who crossed the wire first in the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby but was disqualified for interference.

Oetken told Mangini to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons (specific location to be determined) Oct. 25.

His attorney, however, requested that the judge set a January surrender date, “so Mr. Mangini can have the holidays” with his family.

Oetken concurred, and reset Mangini's prison reporting date to Jan. 10, 2022.

The post Mangini Gets 18 Months in Prison appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Destination Lexington: Pepper Distillery Revives Historic Past

Over the past decade, one of the true rising stars of the Lexington social scene has been the Lexington Distillery District, located on Manchester Street just minutes from downtown. The 25-acre property is undoubtedly one of the most historic in the area, having been home to one of the state's oldest distilleries, James E. Pepper Distillery, which began to produce whiskey in the late 1800s. After sitting vacant for almost 50 years after the distillery was shuttered in 1967, the property fell into the hands of a team of local entrepreneurs in 2008. They have revitalized the area and turned it into a local hotspot, one that can't be missed by visitors to Lexington for the fall yearling sales and races.

The Distillery District features a pair of working whiskey distilleries-James E. Pepper and Barrel House Distillery, with its associated Elkhorn Tavern. The popular Goodfellas Pizzeria and eclectic The Break Room bar boast full bars and expansive patios that run alongside the Town Branch Creek. Ethereal and Fusion Brewing and Wise Bird Cider Co. brew beer and cider on site, and like the distilleries offer tours. Crank & Boom Ice Cream Lounge makes everything for its sweet treats in house and sourced from local ingredients. The Burl Bar and Arcade makes use of a 1926-built and restored train depot, while Brevede Coffee Co. provides the pick-me-up you need amidst inspecting yearlings.

The aforementioned James E. Pepper Distillery, of course, pays the greatest homage to the region's history. The Old Pepper whiskey brand is synonymous with the establishment of not only with the Distillery District, but of the bourbon industry and revolutionizing distilling practices in Kentucky and indeed, everywhere.

The Pepper brand began in 1780 with James E. Pepper's grandfather Elijah Pepper, who began making whiskey in Virginia during the American Revolution. In 1812, Elijah established a distillery on a tract of land in present-day Versailles, Kentucky, that is today home to the famed Woodford Reserve distillery. It is believed by some that Old Pepper whiskey was the first whiskey distilled in Kentucky.

Old Pepper whiskey was produced on the Woodford County property until 1877, and in the interim period Elijah's son, Oscar Pepper, made his own mark on the family brand; alongside distiller James C. Crow, Oscar Pepper perfected the sour mash method of distilling, which allowed consistency to be maintained across batches of whiskey and is widely used in distilling to this day.

Oscar Pepper died in 1865, leaving the family business in the hands of his 15-year-old son James E. Pepper. Pepper was assisted by his guardian and mentor Colonel Edmund H. Taylor and began an ambitious expansion of the Pepper distillery. But as Pepper struggled to pay back a loan to Taylor, Taylor took over the distillery in 1877 and soon sold it to Woodford Reserve proprietors Labrot and Graham.

That setback did little to temper James E. Pepper's enthusiasm, and just a year later, in 1879, he secured enough capital from investors to purchase the land that is the present-day distillery district, and began building what was then the country's largest-ever distillery.

For 20 years, Old Pepper whiskey enjoyed an incredible run of popularity across the U.S. and indeed, the world, relying on the recipes perfected by Pepper's grandfather Elijah. Meanwhile, Pepper-who embarked on an illustrious lifestyle of promoting his brands and is credited with creating the famed Old Fashioned cocktail–also made his mark on the Thoroughbred industry on both sides of the Atlantic. He won the Kentucky Oaks twice and also the 1900 Doncaster Cup with King's Courier.

James E. Pepper passed prematurely in 1906, but the brand popularity he was instrumental in establishing meant that the Old Pepper brand carried on. Prohibition in the 1920s brought challenges of its own, with the distillery ceasing production but selling the whiskey already bottled for medicinal purposes. Not even a fire that burned down the original distillery in 1933, the year before prohibition was repealed in Kentucky, could put paid to Old Pepper; the distillery was rebuilt on the same site and in 1934 began making whiskey again, now under the ownership of Schenley Distillers Corporation. The Old Pepper brand continued to thrive for some 30 more years, but when overproduction saw the Kentucky bourbon industry meet with hard times in the late 1960s, Schenley-which also owned distilleries in nearby Louisville and Lawrenceburg, deemed James E. Pepper as surplus to its needs and closed down and abandoned both the brand and its building.

James E. Pepper bourbon was lost until the early 2000s, when it came on the radar of bourbon entrepreneur and enthusiast Amir Peay. Peay embarked an extensive quest to gather historic artifacts related to the bourbon, from memorabilia, advertisements and documents, to floor plans and mechanical drawings for the distillery and its still systems, preserved bottles from various stages of the brand's development, and even historic recipes and production methods, many of which can be viewed in James E. Pepper's shop and museum. As Peay prepared to breathe life back into the distillery, he brought seasoned distiller Aaron Schorsch on board.

“I came here in 2016 and there was plywood up on all the windows and everything needed to be redone,” Schorsch recalled. “They gutted everything, put new windows in and new concrete floors, and then myself and Amir got with some local contractors and refitted everything. The only thing here that is old and rustic is the building; all the infrastructure is brand new–the piping, the tanks and all the equipment. But we still have the rustic atmosphere from the old buildings.”

On Dec. 31, 2017, Peay, Schorsch, and the team at the revitalized James E. Pepper distillery filled its first barrel with whiskey derived from the same recipe used before the distillery was shut down some 50 years earlier. As whiskey typically needs four to five years to age in the barrel, that initial batch will soon be ready for release, with just one barrel thus far opened.

“We have maintained a couple of the recipes that Amir sourced,” Schorsch explained. “We have very similar products to the 1776 rye and bourbon that we're producing ourselves, but we've also resurrected an older bourbon mash build that we found they were making years and years ago in the original version of this distillery. That is one of our flagship brands that we're producing, that and 100% rye. We're also making several different bourbons with different combinations of small grains in them that we can use either for blending or as standalone products.

“They're all starting to come up on the age where we can start to release them, we just didn't want to push anything to market that wasn't quite right. We're coming up on our fourth year of aging so hopefully we'll start to release that in a limited fashion, but I'd like to see some of that stuff go a little bit older too, because everybody does like a little bit of age especially on some of those bourbons.”

In the meantime, James E. Pepper is sourcing whiskey from other distilleries-a common practice for start-up distilleries while their debut batches age-and currently offers four core products: its 1776 Rye and Bourbon, as well as its Old Pepper Distillery Single Barrel Rye and Old Henry Clay Straight Rye Whiskey.

Describing the single barrel rye, Schorsch said, “you're going to get all of the traditional things you would get out of rye. A lot of people talk about the spiciness, but it's not so much spice as it is heat. It's more of an herbal grain. So you're picking up a lot of different flavors in there. When we get what I consider a really good barrel, I even get a bubble gum and a candy-like sweetness in there in the background as well, behind all the notes you get from the wood, the vanilla and the caramel and things like that.

“We also offer our 1776 bourbon and rye. They're both 100 proof blended products. This is a single barrel product and there is going to be a lot more to come too as our bourbons and other products we are making come of age. We have done seasonal products too. Our Kentucky Finest Oak is a secondary aged rye product that we usually release in the spring and fall. That should be coming out soon, and it's in high demand. It leaves the shelf pretty quickly.”

As Schorsch describes the long and arduous process of perfecting a barrel of whiskey, one can't help but draw links to the lifecycle of a Thoroughbred.

“There is a lot of time and work that goes into making whiskey,” he said. “You're waiting years and years to get back your investment, and hopefully it turns out like you want it to. Whenever we get into the stuff that we've got aging, it's always a hard thing. You want to rush it, because you can taste how good it is already, but with whiskey you have to be patient and make sure that it hits its peak or as close to the peak as you can get. I feel like a lot of our whiskeys are getting really close, but there are some that I would like to see go just a little bit further to make sure that they are at that peak, that they're not underachieving.”

While Kentucky's main distilleries today are situated outside of Lexington, Schorsch said the city is embracing having its own distilleries, even if they are producing on a much smaller scale.

“There are a couple smaller distilleries here with us in town,” he said. “I think the people in this area have latched on really quickly and are proud to have a distillery in their backyard. We get a lot of out of town visitors, too that come for conventions and games and also the horse racing industry. We get a wide array of visitors, and I think we've been received well.”

As the James E. Pepper Distillery and other area attractions continue to draw visitors back to the historic Distillery District, Schorsch said he is excited about what the future holds for the brand.

“I've been in the industry since I was a young man,” he said. “I was 19 years old when I started. So I'm very confident in what we're making that we'll be able to carry on the tradition of what this brand means and what the history of this family has meant to the distilling world.”

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Stradivarius Makes It Look Easy In Doncaster Cup

It was the simplest of assignments for a modern day great on Town Moor, as John Gosden's star stayer made light of the Doncaster Cup field.

Stradivarius backed up his hard-fought victory at York with another win, although today he barely had to break into 4th gear.

He began the day a heavy-favorite, with Trueshan, his archrival in the staying division, declared a non-runner with the rain coming too late for him to take his chance. The short odds were justified as he turned the Group 2 into a procession.

The Grand Visir took them round at a medium gallop, with Frankie Dettori happy to sit in fourth off the lead for much of the first circuit. The field content to maintain their positions for much of the way round turning into the straight.

With the leader beginning to tire, all eyes were on Frankie and Stradivarius, the former motionless as he bided his time. Jamie Spencer loomed to his right, looking to cover any potential move. Bute still Dettori waited.

As they came to three furlongs out, there was a casual look around from the pilot for dangers, before he engaging his mount for a challenge. Stradivarius then sauntered to the lead and when Frankie said go, the response was instant.

Stradivarius utilized his trademark turn of foot and in a matter of strides the race was won. He glided across the Doncaster turf to the joy of the crowd. All was left to take care of was Dettori's customary flying dismount and more cheers ensued. The simplest of wins.

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