January, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Back Nine With Laura King

A horse for 2022: With a touch of recency bias can I say Life Is Good? He's so… good!

First season or proven: Proven

Speed or stamina: Stamina – I'd rather win a Derby than a dash

Eat out or home cooking: Professional chefs cook way better than I do!

Friday brunch or Sunday Roast: Friday brunch

Super Saturday or World Cup night: Nothing tops DWC

Ascot or Longchamp: Ascot

Bright young thing to follow: Marco Ghiani should go far; he's rides well and seems grounded

Wise owl to look up to: Lydia Hislop is my broadcasting idol – she's superb at interviewing and never seems to make a mistake

The post The Back Nine With Laura King appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Kodiac (GB) (Danehill) has long been a sought-after source of precocity, and as he has risen toward the upper echelon of proven stallions, the hunt is now on for his heir. Or heirs, as the case may be, because just as Kodiac's winners are legion, his sons' foals are starting to display that same vaunted quick-maturing zest for racing: a quartet of group-winning sons of Kodiac retired to stud in 2017-Kodi Bear (Ire), Adaay (Ire), Coulsty (Ire) and Prince of Lir (Ire)–and all have sired group winners with only two crops of racing age.

The 21-year-old Kodiac has every chance of establishing a sire line under his name, as he is the younger half-brother to Group 1 winner and Irish National Stud kingpin Invincible Spirit (Ire), himself a noted sire-of-sires globally, Kingman (GB) and I Am Invincible (Aus) being just two examples. Although he did not win a stakes race, Kodiac did place second in the G3 Hackwood S. before embarking on a stallion career at Tally-Ho Stud in 2007 at a fee of €5,000. He is priced at €65,000 for 2022-his fourth year at that level-and his sons are now stepping into the limelight.

It was the Rathbarry Stud stallion Kodi Bear, a winner of the G2 Celebration Mile and G3 Sovereign S. and also runner-up in the G1 Dewhurst S., who led the intake at €10,000. Kodi Bear's grandsire Danehill was famed for the versatility of his progeny, and it appears Kodi Bear could be headed that direction.

By the end of 2021, Kodi Bear had sired five black-type winners total, his three 2020 black-type scorers joined by another two in 2021. Across both crops he has thus far come up with 10 black-type horses. The smart filly Mystery Angel (Ire) won the Listed Pretty Polly S., and outstayed her pedigree when finishing second in Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn})'s runaway G1 Cazoo Oaks. The dual stakes winner Measure of Magic (Ire) also earned a Group 1 placing with a third at the other end of the distance spectrum in the G1 Commonwealth Cup.

Kodi Bear's trio of Group 1 horses-tops for his stallion intake barring Tally-Ho's rising star Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})-was rounded out by G2 Railway S. hero Go Bears Go (Ire). Besides placing in the G2 Norfolk S. at the Royal meeting, the colt from Kodi Bear's second crop ran third in the G1 Phoenix S., fourth in the G1 Middle Park S. and bounced back with a close second in the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Kodi Bear is from the family of three-time Group 1 winner Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), and his 2022 fee has risen to €15,000.

Fellow Irish-based stallion Coulsty has already ticked the Group 1-winning box with his progeny, as has 2021 first-season sire Ardad (Ire), who stands at Overbury Stud. Although his opportunities have been more limited, Coulsty–the G3 Prix de Meautry hero–is advertised at €4,000 this year at Rathasker Stud in Ireland. Also runner-up in the G2 Hungerford S., Coulsty's quartet of black-type winners is led by last autumn's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine Shantisara (Ire) in the States and Santosha (Ire), who struck in the G3 Princess Margaret S. His seven black-type horses match another 2022 third-crop sire-Adaay, who started his career at Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Relocated to Allevamento di Besnate in Italy this term at €4,500, the dual group-winning Adaay sired four black-type horses in 2020 led by G3 Premio Primi Passi third Doctor Strange (GB). Last year marked his first group winner, with G3 Prix de Cabourg victress Have A Good Day (Ire) and second-crop listed winner Honey Sweet (Ire).

Similar to Coulsty, Prince of Lir's 2022 fee at Ballyhane Stud is €4,000. Represented by fellow Norfolk S. hero The Lir Jet (Ire), the 8-year-old's star progeny also ran second in the G1 Phoenix S.

But, it appears Kodiac isn't done consolidating his tail-male impact in pedigrees, as the aforementioned Ardad was the 2021 leading first-season sire in Britain and third in his class in Europe.

Through Jan. 30, the 8-year-old has sired 23 first-crop winners, his crowning glory the dual Group 1 winner Perfect Power (Ire), winner of both the G1 Prix Morny and the G1 Middle Park S. In between those victories was the G3 Sirenia S. tally of Eve Lodge (GB). Vintage Clarets (GB) also completed the trifecta in Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry S. Out of a half-sister to the dam of G1 Prix de l'Abbaye victor Maarek (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), Ardad commanded an opening fee of £6,500 in 2018, and Overbury has bumped him up to £12,500 for 2022.

Next in Line

Kessaar (Ire), a G2 Mill Reef S. and G3 Sirenia S. hero, is next to see if he can make a similar mark with his first 2-year-olds this year. Located at the sire-making Tally-Ho Stud, the 6-year-old has 77 juveniles in his first crop bred at €8,000 and they averaged £33,919/€40,575 for 37 sold of 41 offered at the yearling sales. His fee is currently €5,000.

The most accomplished son of Kodiac on the racecourse is new Gestut Lunzen resident Best Solution (Ire). A triple Group 1 winner in Germany and Down Under, the Australian champion stayer and top older horse in Germany relished trips well beyond the reach for the majority of his sire's stock. That is no doubt as a result of his staying female line: Best Solution's third dam Eva Luna produced the group-winning stayers Brian Boru (GB) and Sea Moon (GB). Starting out at Gestut Auenquelle at €6,500, the former Godolphin colourbearer and G1 Caulfield Cup victor's first foals are yearlings of 2022. His fee remains unchanged. It would also be no surprise to see his full-brother El Bodegon (Ire) enter the stallion ranks at some stage after winning last season's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud for James Ferguson to become Kodiac's first Group 1-winning juvenile colt.

Hello Youmzain (Fr) captured the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte as a juvenile and built on that early promise with wins in the G2 Sandy Lane S., a third in the G1 Commonwealth Cup and a tally in Haydock's G1 Betfair Sprint Cup in October of 2019. Haras d'Etreham's bay marked 2020 with a victory in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot and a second in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest. He commanded €25,000 in 2021 and, his fee is unchanged for his second season, while the group-placed Flash Gordon (Ire) took up stud duties at Meelin Stud last year.

The intriguingly bred Nando Parrado (GB) will begin covering mares at the Irish National Stud for €6,000 in 2022. The son of Argentinean Group 3 victress and Group 1-placed Chibola (Arg) (Roy) broke his maiden by a length in the G2 Coventry S. in 2020. He promptly ran second in a pair of Group 1s-the Prix Morny to future G1 Commonwealth Cup heroine Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and to subsequent G1 Champion S. victor Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

The 2020 G2 Flying Childers S. hero Ubettabelieveit (Ire) calls Mickley Stud home and stands for £5,000. Also third in the 2020 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, he landed the Listed National S. earlier in his juvenile campaign.

Kodiac's most accomplished and best-bred sons are yet to be represented by their progeny on the racecourse-none of the first four to retire to stud were out of black-type mares. The future, therefore, looks bright for Kodiac and his heirs aplenty.

The post The Heirs of Kodiac appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Harrison Crowned NHC Champ; Kinchen DQd

David Harrison, a real estate appraiser and collateral analyst from Webster, New York, northeast of Buffalo and near the southern shore of Lake Ontario, took home the $725,000 first prize and an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year ad the 23rd annual National Horseplayers' Championship at Bally's Las Vegas Jan. 30.

The 63-year-old amassed a total of $342 over the course of the three-day tournament from 53 mythical $2 win/place bets–18 each during the qualifying rounds Friday and Saturday, 10 in Sunday morning's semi-final round and seven at the Final Table, intended to mimic the final stages of high-stakes poker events. When all was said and done, Harrison had a margin of $17.20 on Ryan Patrick Scully of Montgomery, IL ($200,000), while A. J. Benton of Manchester, NH, finished third another $3.80 behind.

Harrison entered the final race of Sunday's event–the Baffle S. at Santa Anita–with a $16.60 lead over Benton and $17.20 over Scully. He landed on Don't Swear Dave, who ran home for second behind odds-on Maglev, allowing Harrison to stand up in the saddle, figuratively speaking, before the race had crossed the wire.

“The guys in second and third only had a few options,” Harrison said. “Don't Swear Dave went up to 4-1 and I thought, 'If I don't have that horse they could nip me. And my name's Dave! I can't let that horse beat me.'”

Harrison was in 14th position to begin the day, but advanced steadily through the semi-final round.

“My goal was to creep up and I hit my first couple of races,” he said. “Then the one that really got my confidence up was the horse at Laurel–Let Me Finish. Every time I get into a discussion with my wife she's always telling me that–let me finish. That was one of my hunch plays and that's probably the reason I won.

He added, “This is an absolute life-changing score,” Harrison said. “I'm a middle-class, middle-income, hard-working guy. This is going to help me hopefully retire a little bit earlier than I'd planned. I'm totally overwhelmed and don't even know what else to say.”

Harrison said he has been handicapping since the late 1970s, when he would frequent Belmont Park, and credits the late New York Racing Association broadcaster and handicapper Harvey Pack for teaching him how to handicap. After the trophy presentation, Harrison tossed his Daily Racing Form in the air in tribute to Pack, who died last July at the age of 94.

Dale Day, the track announcer at Remington Park, finished 10th, good for a $50,000 payday and the proverbial icing on the cake, after his beloved Cincinnati Bengals outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs to secure a spot in the Super Bowl.

Kinchen DQd at NHC…

Jonathon Kinchen, winner of the 2015 NHC and widely recognized from duties at NYRA and FOX television, was disqualified from the NHC Saturday after it was learned that he was not in Las Vegas in person for the competition, as required by rule. Ron Flatter, reporting for Horse Racing Nation, was first to break the news.

According to Flatter, Kinchen was present at Gulfstream Park Saturday for the Pegasus program and employed an intermediary to run his bets, strictly prohibited as laid out in the rules for the NHC which read, “All wagers must be placed personally, and in person, by the contest player. To avoid being disqualified, no person shall, directly or indirectly, act as an intermediary, transmitter or agent in placing wagers for the contest player, unless prior authorization is given by NHC officials.”

According to Flatter, one of Kinchen's two NHC entries was in contention for the semi-final round.

Kinchen tweeted several times from Las Vegas in the days leading up to the contest, including a photo of an older gentleman with the Twitter handle @MarvBetRunner, but once news broke of the disqualification, took a decidedly defiant and sarcastic approach. On Jan. 30 at 1:01 p.m., he tweeted a photo, drink in hand, from what appears to be an outdoor venue in his typically eclectic garb with verbiage that read: “It was worth it…Also, I'm done being nice…” At 2:11 Sunday afternoon, Kinchen tweeted, “Yes @ronflatter, I got a statement…”

Monday morning, the NTRA issued a statement of its own regarding the situation, while not mentioning Kinchen by name. That statement reads: “The NTRA disqualified a player from the 2022 NHC for violating the official rules. One of the violated rules states, “All wagers must be placed personally, and in-person, by the Contest Player.” The disqualified player was not present at Bally's during the NHC tournament and his contest wagers were being submitted on-site by an intermediary without authorization. No authorization was given to the player to leave Bally's or the State; he violated both. The rules of the NHC are clearly outlined and all participants are required to sign them prior to the tournament.”

NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said, “The rules are clear that participants must be onsite to participate in the NHC. The NHC is the world's most prestigious handicapping tournament. The integrity of the event is of paramount importance–not just to us but to the thousands of men and women who attempt to qualify and play each and every year. The NTRA will staunchly and steadfastly follow the rules and defend the integrity of this prestigious event and it's participants.”

Kinchen tweeted Sunday at 2:58 p.m. that “'I got a statement” too…'” and suggested that he would address the issue in an upcoming podcast with his “partner in crime” Peter Fornatale.

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NTRA Issues Statement On Player Disqualification At National Horseplayers Championship

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) issued the following statement on Monday after its first ever disqualification during the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) which took place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nev.

“The NTRA disqualified a player from the 2022 NHC for violating the official rules. One of the violated rules states, “All wagers must be placed personally, and in-person, by the Contest Player.” The disqualified player was not present at Bally's during the NHC tournament and his contest wagers were being submitted on-site by an intermediary without authorization. No authorization was given to the player to leave Bally's or the State; he violated both. The rules of the NHC are clearly outlined and all participants are required to sign them prior to the tournament.”

According to a report in HorseRacingNation.com, the disqualified player was Jonathan Kinchen, the Fox Sports racing analyst and a tournament regular who won the NHC Tour title in 2015. Kinchen reportedly left Las Vegas to attend Saturday's Pegasus World Cup day races at Gulfstream Park in Florida and had his tournament bets made in Las Vegas by an associate.

Kinchen indicated on Twitter he would make a statement in an upcoming podcast.

NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney said, “The rules are clear that participants must be onsite to participate in the NHC. The NHC is the world's most prestigious handicapping tournament. The integrity of the event is of paramount importance—not just to us but to the thousands of men and women who attempt to qualify and play each and every year. The NTRA will staunchly and steadfastly follow the rules and defend the integrity of this prestigious event and its participants.”

The post NTRA Issues Statement On Player Disqualification At National Horseplayers Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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