Winter is just around the corner in North America, and for fans of top-class Thoroughbred racing that means it’s time to think like a vacationer and direct attention to South Florida. Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach kicks off its Championship Meet Friday, Dec. 3, and the best horses on the East Coast will race under generally perfect weather for the next four months until the meet ends on Sunday, April 3.
Month: November 2021
Robin Goodfellow’s Racing Tips: Best bets for Tuesday, November 30
Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Tuesday's meetings at Southwell, Lingfield and Newcastle.
‘There Hasn’t Even Been Any Talk About Another Trainer’: Juvenile Winner Corniche Will Return To Baffert After WinStar Vacation
Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche will return to the barn of embattled trainer Bob Baffert after a freshening at WinStar, according to a report in the Daily Racing Form, despite the ban imposed on Baffert by Churchill Downs.
That action has made Baffert trainees ineligible for the next two editions of the Kentucky Derby, and also prevents horses trained by Baffert from accumulating any points toward the Run for the Roses.
Owned by Peter Fluor's Speedway Stable, Corniche is undefeated in three career starts, including the G1 American Pharoah Stakes. The son of Quality Road was a $1,500,000 purchase at the OBS April sale, selected by Marette Farrell.
“Peter wants to be loyal,” Farrell told DRF. “Corniche won the Breeders' Cup, and he's a possible 2-year-old champion. No decisions have been made — there hasn't even been any talk about another trainer, or who he'd go to if he needs to go to another trainer. If the time comes that a decision needs to be made, if it needs to be that way, we'll put our heads together and make a decision.”
Read more at the Daily Racing Form.
The post ‘There Hasn’t Even Been Any Talk About Another Trainer’: Juvenile Winner Corniche Will Return To Baffert After WinStar Vacation appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
‘They Give You Their All’: OTTBs Becoming More Common In Western Disciplines
Off-track Thoroughbreds have developed increasing visibility across Western disciplines, according to horseandrider.com, thanks in part to the increasing popularity of the Thoroughbred Makeover which includes competition in ranch work, barrel racing, and competitive trail.
Dale Simanton of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, explained that a fair number of ranchers have been riding their dual-purpose racehorses during winter ranch work for decades.
“Thoroughbreds probably have more natural cow in them than any Quarter Horse I've ever ridden,” Simanton told horseandrider.com. “If you get one that's about half scared of cattle, but still has the natural aggressiveness toward cattle that most horses have, then he'll never lose focus when working cows because he wants to know where that cow is at all times.”
Similarly, Richard Weber III of Ridgway, Colorado, likes Thoroughbreds for both ranch work and winter skijoring competitions—an event where a horse pulls a skier through obstacles.
“To say there's any task an OTTB can't do is crazy in my opinion,” said Weber. “Especially working up in the mountains, roping 50 calves in a day, and working a branding, that's where they shine. Thoroughbreds are like the Energizer Bunny, and I love that they have that marathon aspect to them.
“For me, to have a horse whose heart won't stop means everything. They don't quit you—they give you their all.”
Read more at horseandrider.com.
The post ‘They Give You Their All’: OTTBs Becoming More Common In Western Disciplines appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
