Month: November 2021

BC Classic Winner Knicks Go Returns To Churchill Downs Tuesday

Saturday's $6 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic champion Knicks Go is set to return to Churchill Downs on Tuesday evening along with several other of his stablemates from the Brad Cox barn.

Owned by Korea Racing Authority, Knicks Go is scheduled to fly from Los Angeles to Indianapolis before vanning two hours south to Churchill Downs. The flight is scheduled to land in Indianapolis at 6:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) and should arrive to Cox's Churchill Downs Barn 22 at approximately 9 p.m.

“He ran an extraordinary effort in the Classic,” Cox said. “We're very proud of him and his campaign this year. Things really worked out the way we planned. It means a lot to our team and his owners to win this race.”

Joining Knicks Go on Tuesday's flight is Classic third-place finisher Essential Quality along with Bubble Rock, Juju's Map, Ready to Purrform, and Turnerloose.

The Breeders' Cup World Championships have been held at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., twice and the Classic has been won each time by a locally based horse: Knicks Go and Gun Runner in 2017.

Local trainers Steve Asmussen and Wayne Catalano also enjoyed success at this year's Breeders' Cup. Asmussen's 2-year-old filly Echo Zulu romped in Friday's $2 million G1 Juvenile Fillies while Catalano's Aloha West defeated Dr. Shivel in Saturday's $2 million G1 Sprint by a scant nose.

“This victory was the pinnacle of my career,” Catalano said following the race.

The 65-year-old trainer has trained fewer horses recently and his usual full barn at Churchill Downs has only four horses. Catalano also keeps a string of horses at Keeneland where Aloha West is scheduled to return Wednesday. Aloha West's victory in the Sprint was Catalano's 2,931th as a trainer. He sports a trio of other Breeders' Cup victories with Stephanie's Kitten (2011 Juvenile Turf), She Be Wild (2009 Juvenile Fillies), and Dreaming of Anna (2006 Juvenile Fillies).

Echo Zulu was Asmussen's eighth Breeders' Cup victory. He previously won with Mitole (2019 Sprint), Gun Runner (2017 Classic), Untapable (2014 Distaff), Tapizar (2012 Dirt Mile), Regally Ready (2011 Turf Sprint), My Miss Aurelia (2011 Juvenile Fillies), and Curlin (2007 Classic).

The North American all-time leading conditioner now has a career-best mark in purse earnings of $27,807,020 – about $400,000 more than he had in 2019. He trails fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher by about $46 million to become the all-time leader in purse earnings.

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Cotai Glory Filly Strikes in Rome

Purciaretta landed her first black-type win in the Listed Premio Divino Amore Livermore and became her first-season sire's second stakes scorer at Campannelle. A winner at first asking back in May, she won a Rome affair four starts later going 1000 metres on Sept. 24. She then took a conditions race there on Oct. 15 and was narrowly favoured on Sunday.

Breaking from the rail, the filly raced one off the fence and just behind a rival in second. Purciaretta spent the middle part of the race with her head angled toward the grandstand, but straightened out and took over by the 200-metre mark. Fellow filly Stay Kitten was second.

The fifth foal out of the winning Sharqawiyah, Purciaretta is a half-sister to the Acclamation (GB) filly Abby Hatcher (Ire), successful in the GIII Chicago S. Her dam's latest two foals are fillies-a yearling by Mastercraftsman (Ire) and a weanling by Phoenix of Spain (Ire). This is the extended family of dual Group 1 winner Poet's Word (Ire) (Poet's Voice {GB}). Video.

PREMIO DIVINO AMORE LIVERMORE-Listed, €38,500, Rome, 11-7, 2yo, 1000mT, :56.90.
1–PURCIARETTA (IRE), 118, f, 2, by Cotai Glory (GB)
                1st Dam: Sharqawiyah (GB), by Dubawi (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Pompey Girl (GB), by Rainbow Quest
                3rd Dam: Inchiri (GB), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€3,200 Wlg '19 TATNOV; £3,000 Ylg
'20 GOFOCT). O-Razza Latina SAS. B-Glacken View (Ire). T-E. C.
Racing Stable SRL. €14,875. Lifetime Record: 7-4-0-0,
€31,955. *1/2 to Abby Hatcher (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}),
GSW-US, $97,820
2–Stay Kitten (Ity), 118, f, 2, Smokem Kitten–Stay Tuned (Ity),
by Blu Air Force (Ire). (€15,000 Ylg '20 SGASEP). O-GFT SRL.
B-Luciani Stefano (Ity). T-Sebastiano Guerrieri. €6,545.
3–Fighting King (GB), 121, c, 2, Bobby's Kitten–Noble Cause
(GB), by Showcasing (GB). O-Blue Castle Stable SRL.
B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB). T-Affe' Agostino. €3,570.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1, NK. Odds: 3.80, 7.81, 5.40.
Also Ran: Azul Bahia (Ire), Lollipop Girl (Ire), Sopran Marjorie (Ire), Regina di Roma (Ire), Lurna (Fr), Boracay (Ire), Chiaroscuro (Ire).

The post Cotai Glory Filly Strikes in Rome appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Economic Indicators For October: Field Sizes, Race Days Down While Wagering, Purses Up

Equibase, North America's horse racing's official database, has released its economic indicators for October 2021. These indicators include field size, wagering, number of race days, and other information distributed monthly alongside year-to-date, 2019, and 2020 data. The database shares 2020 and 2021 statistics and includes 2019's data for comparison to pre-pandemic numbers.

October's economic indicators show a decrease in the number of race days, number of races, and the average field size, while total wagering on American races, amount of purses awarded, and average wagering per race day have increased from October 2020. The number of race days decreased by 3.53%, with 12 fewer race days in October 2021 than in 2020. Fewer race days meant fewer races run, a 3.65% decrease over last year, and fewer starts for American horses, down 7.41% from 2020. The average field size decreased as well, from 7.86 in October 2020 to 7.55 in October 2021. These numbers reflect a continued trend from pre-pandemic October 2019, with the largest decrease in the total number of starts.

While the number of race days and races decreased from 2020, the total amount of money wagered and the amount wagered per race day increased, as did average purses awarded per race day and total purses awarded. Wagering totals from October 2020 were buoyed by the $51.2 million wagered on the Preakness, which was moved from its usual spot on the calendar in May due to the pandemic.

The largest increase was in average purses awarded per race day in October 2021, which was 22.97% higher than 2020. The total amount of purse money awarded in the United States grew similarly, up 18.63% from October 2020. These numbers are similar to those from October 2019.

Though the total wagered on races in the United States only grew by 2.32%, the average wagering per race day was up 6.06%, reversing a trend from September where wagering had decreased. These totals are up from 2019 as well, showing a 22.49% and 24.73% increase respectively from pre-pandemic numbers. Even with a decrease in the number of races, race days, and average field size, the amount wagered per day and over the course of the month continues to show double-digit growth. Year-to-date comparisons from 2019 to 2021 show similar trends.

Overall, while the number of races and race days has decreased, the amount of purse money awarded, the amount of money wagered on an average day, and the amount wagered in total has increased.

October 2021 vs. October 2020
Indicator October 2021 October 2020 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $950,624,087 $929,063,211 +2.32%
U.S. Purses $107,844,038 $90,904,717 +18.63%
U.S. Race Days 328 340 -3.53%
U.S. Races 2,748 2,852 -3.65%
U.S. Starts 20,750 22,410 -7.41%
Average Field Size 7.55 7.86 -3.90%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $2,898,244 $2,732,539 +6.06%
Average Purses Per Race Day $328,793 $267,367 +22.97%

 

YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2020
Indicator YTD 2021 YTD 2020 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $10,448,766,933 $9,275,606,633 +12.65%
U.S. Purses $988,391,517 $720,140,966 +37.25%
U.S. Race Days 3,530 2,849 +23.90%
U.S. Races 28,976 23,747 +22.02%
U.S. Starts 211,377 186,886 +13.10%
Average Field Size 7.29 7.87 -7.31%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $2,959,991 $3,255,741 -9.08%
Average Purses Per Race Day $279,998 $252,770 +10.77%

 

2019 Comparisons:

October 2021 vs. October 2019
Indicator October 2021 October 2019 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $950,624,087 $776,071,164 +22.49%
U.S. Purses $107,844,038 $91,981,753 +17.25%
U.S. Race Days 328 334 -1.80%
U.S. Races 2,748 2,754 -0.22%
U.S. Starts 20,750 22,176 -6.43%
Average Field Size 7.55 8.05 -6.23%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $2,898,244 $2,323,566 +24.73%
Average Purses Per Race Day $328,793 $275,394 +19.39%

 

YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2019
Indicator YTD 2021 YTD 2019 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $10,448,766,933 $9,370,253,183 +11.51%
U.S. Purses $988,391,517 $985,848,771 +0.26%
U.S. Race Days 3,530 3,849 -8.29%
U.S. Races 28,976 31,308 -7.45%
U.S. Starts 211,377 233,153 -9.34%
Average Field Size 7.29 7.45 -2.04%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $2,959,991 $2,434,464 +21.59%
Average Purses Per Race Day $279,998 $256,131 +9.32%

* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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Jockey Baird Fined $5,000 For Whip Use In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

Stewards in California issued a ruling on Nov. 6 against jockey E.T. Baird for violation of the state's rules regarding whip use. The ruling states that Baird used his whip more than six times during the sixth race on Nov. 5, which was the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Baird was aboard One Timer in that race, where he sat off early leader and eventual winner Twilight Gleaming before being overcome by closers in the stretch.

The offense is the first for Baird under California rules in the past 60 days, according to the stewards' ruling.

Baird is not typically based in California and has spent most of this racing season in Illinois. According to Equibase, he has been riding since 1985 and has amassed 2,482 wins from 18,761 starts.

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