Month: January 2022

Champion Jockey Irad Ortiz Set To Return Thursday At Gulfstream Park

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Gulfstream Park's record-setting leading rider the past three years, is entered to make his 2021-2022 Championship Meet debut Thursday.

Ortiz is named in six of 10 races starting with Macedonian in Race 2 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who leads the Championship Meet with 21 wins through the first 23 days including Unsociable ($6.80) and Novo Sol ($23.80) Wednesday. Ortiz also has mounts in nine of Friday's 10 races.

Last winter, Ortiz set a Championship Meet record with 140 wins, breaking the mark of 137 set by Luis Saez in 2017-2018. Ortiz reached the milestone by riding Known Agenda to victory in the Curlin Florida Derby (Grade one) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Only Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who did it a record five times between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016, has won as many as four consecutive Championship Meet titles. Ortiz spotted his competition a sizeable head start while serving a 30-day suspension for careless riding aboard Gran Casique Dec. 3 at Aqueduct.

Ortiz has not ridden since notching three victories on the Dec. 5 Clasico Internacional del Caribe program at Camarero Racetrack in Puerto Rico. He also finished second in the Copa Invitacional de Importados (G1) with Luna Fortis.

Saez, Gulfstream's leading rider in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, led the Championship Meet with 40 wins, 145 mounts and more than $1.4 million in purse earnings through Wednesday's card.

                        Thursday's Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $1.2 Million

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1.2 million for Thursday's 10-race program at Gulfstream Park.

Multiple tickets with all six winners were sold Wednesday, each worth $3,635.62. The popular multi-race wager was last solved for a $407,067.66 jackpot payout Dec. 11, a span of 16 racing days.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Thursday's Rainbow 6 sequence begins in Race 5, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds scheduled for one mile where the narrow 3-1 program favorite is Fiery Heart. West Point Thoroughbreds, St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable's Fiery Heart, purchased for $475,000 last Mach as a 2-year-old in training, will be racing with Lasix for the first time after finishing third in his Dec. 4 debut Dec. 4 on the Aqueduct turf for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Race 7 is a maiden special weight for Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies sprinting 5 ½

The post Champion Jockey Irad Ortiz Set To Return Thursday At Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Pin Oak Stud’s Abercrombie Passes at 95

Lifelong horsewoman Josephine Abercrombie died peacefully at her home on Pin Oak Stud in Woodford County, Kentucky Jan. 5. She was 95. Abercrombie is survived by two sons, George Anderson Robinson IV and Jamie Abercrombie Robinson, as well as grandchildren George Anderson Robinson V and Blair Abercrombie Robinson.

Abercrombie, the only child of Texas oilman and Cameron Iron Works founder J. S. “Mr. Jim” Abercrombie and Lillie Frank Abercrombie, was born Jan. 15, 1926, in Kingston, Jamaica. Growing up in Texas, her love of horses begun at a young age, evolving into a passion of American Saddle Horses, which led to her winning a 17 of 20 classes–the most blue ribbons during a single season–at Madison Square Garden. She was also one of only a handful of amateurs to show a World Grand Champion. Her passion for the sport, combined with her strong desire to support civic projects, led her to join her father in creating the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in the mid-1940's, which supported the Texas Children's Hospital. Abercrombie's success on the horse show circuit eventually led her to major competitions in Kentucky, where she fell in love with the land and the horses.

Turning her energies toward Thoroughbred breeding and racing in the 1950's, she and her father purchased 4,000-acre Pin Oak, in Woodford County, Kentucky, and after 35 years on the original Pin Oak tract–where they raised cattle and grew tabacco–Abercrombie decided to move to a smaller 750-acre farm–named Pin Oak Stud–just down the road to focus solely on Thoroughbreds. A hands-on owner, she was present at many of the births of her Thoroughbreds and was active in the early schooling of young racehorses. Pin Oak hombreds were campaigned in her blue and gray racing silks, the school colors of her alma mater Rice University.

Pin Oak Stud has nearly 70 stakes winners–bred or raced-to its credit, including Classic winners in America and England and Grade I/Group 1 stakes winners in three countries. Among Pin Oak's homebreds are 1990 champion grass mare Laugh and Be Merry (Erins Isle {Ire}) and GISW Confessional (Holy Bull) in addition to top colts who went on to become successful stallions, including 1995 Canadian Horse of the Year and champion sophomore Peaks and Valleys (Mt. Livermore) and MGSW and GISP Broken Vow (Unbridled).

A total of 23 mares and foals were offered at Fasig-Tipton in a dispersal of Pin Oak Stud's stock this past September. Headlining the dispersal with a $650,000 finial bid was MGSW Don't Leave Me (Lemon Drop Kid), who was in foal to Authentic.

Recognized as the National Breeder of the Year, she also has been honored by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders with the Hardboot Award as well as the William T. Young Humanitarian Award. Additionally, Abercrombie was inducted into the Texas Horseracing Hall of Fame. In 2018, she was the Honor Guest of the Thoroughbred Club of America in appreciation for her “enduring sportsmanship, acumen and vision, and her devotion to the loftiest principles established by earlier leaders on the Turf.”

With a strong sense of responsibility to future generations, Abercrombie provided generous philanthropic support of civic, educational, and Thoroughbred industry projects, including support of her alma mater Rice University and the founding of The Lexington School.

Funeral arrangements are private. Contributions in Abercrombie's memory can be made to The Lexington School, attention Una McCarthy, 1050 Lane Allen Road, Lexington, KY 40504; Woodford Humane Society, attention Katie Hoffman, P.O. Box 44, Versailles, KY; or the Thoroughbred Charities of America, attention Erin Crady, P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, KY 40591.

The post Pin Oak Stud’s Abercrombie Passes at 95 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Under The Stars Chasing Oaks Points In Saturday’s Santa Ynez Stakes

An impressive maiden winner in her most recent start, Bob Baffert's Under the Stars heads a field of six sophomore fillies going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade one, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita.

Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte, a close second in a one mile turf stakes on Nov. 27, rates a big look as does California-bred stakes winner Big Switch and recent turf maiden winner Miss Mattie B.

A respectable third, beaten three quarters of a length by the well regarded Tonito's in the 6 ½ furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes two starts back on Nov. 13, Under the Stars came back earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 when registering an impressive three length maiden win at Los Alamitos going six furlongs on Dec. 11.

Bet down to the 2-5 favorite in a field of 12, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, out of the Storm Cat mare Untouched Talent drew away from her competition like a filly of considerable promise for owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, in what was her third career start.

A $320,000 March 2-year-old in training sale purchase, Awake At Midnyte pressed the pace and came away a game neck first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Oct. 31 here at Santa Anita and then stretched out to a mile on turf in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 27.  A close second early, she wrested control a sixteenth of a mile out but lost a desperate photo by a nose in a huge effort.  By Nyquist out of the Union Rags mare Midnight Union, Awake at Midnyte should be forwardly placed under regular rider Mario Gutierrez.

A California-bred by hot sire Mr. Big, John Sadler's Big Switch, a first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 20, followed that up with a 2 ¾ length win going seven furlongs in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5, earning an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.  In what will be her first try in open company, she'll get the services of John Velazquez.  Owned by her breeder, George Krikorian, Big Switch is out of the Malibu Moon mare Two Faced Moon.

Trained by Bob Hess, Jr., Miss Mattie B rallied from far back to break her maiden going one mile on turf Nov. 27 and will hope to have a similar late kick as she switched back to dirt and shortens up a furlong.  Owned by Westlake Racing, Stable, Miss Mattie B, who will be ridden back by Mike Smith, is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Tonalist out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Traffic Blimp.

Trainer Jonathan Wong's speedy Mimajoon also rates a look, as she comes off a gate to wire score on synthetic Tapeta in the Golden Gate Debutante Stakes Nov. 26.  A front-running maiden winner going five furlongs on turf Nov. 13, Mimajoon, a Florida-bred by Fed Biz, out of the Indian Charlie mare Sister Charlie, is owned by her breeder, Scott Herbertson and will be ridden for the first time by Kyle Frey.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA YNEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9  Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

  1. Under the Stars—Flavien Prat—120
  2. Big Shamrock—Abel Cedillo—120
  3. Big Switch—John Velazquez–122
  4. Mimajoon—Kyle Frey—122
  5. Awake At Midnyte—Mario Gutierrez–120
  6. Miss Mattie B—Mike Smith—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m.  Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

The post Under The Stars Chasing Oaks Points In Saturday’s Santa Ynez Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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NTRA Conference To Focus On Racing, Training and Event Surfaces

The NTRA Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be held Sunday through Tuesday, Mar. 6-8, at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

An opening reception Mar. 6 will be followed by a day and a half of discussions and demonstrations. The full agenda for the conference will be released later this month, but confirmed speakers and topics include:

  • Dennis Moore, Racetrack Consultant and Superintendent, will demonstrate the use of lasers for grade measurements and how to check grades on horse racing and arena surfaces;
  • The Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance, a group of university and industry professionals developing education and research for the equine sports turfgrass industry, will host a session on the development of testing methods for surface testing of cross-country courses in British and North American Eventing;
  • Glen Kozak, Senior Vice President of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), will lead a panel that discusses the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Surfaces Regulations and the process for implementation and reporting;
  • Oliver Hoberg, Footing Expert for the Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports, and Lars Roepstorff from the Swedish University of Agriculture, a veterinarian and equine surgeon and one of the world's leading experts on equine footing surfaces, will discuss the use of FEI criteria and practical implications for FEI 5* events and Olympic equestrian facilities;
  • Kaleb Dempsey, Materials Engineer at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL), will demonstrate the integrated track tester which can measure moisture and cushion depth on dirt tracks as well as monitor the condition of turf tracks; and
  • Mackenzie Rockefeller, Manager at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, will demonstrate the new Maintenance Quality System (MQS) database developed by The Jockey Club which will allow reporting for the HISA data to be produced automatically.

The Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be offered free of charge to all registered attendees. For additional information and to register for the event, contact Danae Fryman at dfryman@NTRA.com.

The post NTRA Conference To Focus On Racing, Training and Event Surfaces appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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