January, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sir Winston Looks To Repeat History In Pegasus World Cup

Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston is on course for a start in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park 2 1/2 years after achieving his career highlight with a 14-1 upset victory in the 2019 Belmont Stakes.

Among the son of Awesome Again's victims in the third leg of the 2019 Triple Crown was War of Will, his more celebrated stablemate in the barn of Hall of Famer Mark Casse who was coming off a victory in the Preakness Stakes (G1) three weeks prior.

“I told people before the Belmont, 'I think you're missing somebody.' I said, 'It wouldn't shock me if he won.' He was doing really well,” Casse said. “I kind of feel the same way now. I think he's really back to himself and doing really well.”

Since prevailing in the Belmont, Sir Winston, who is scheduled to take on likely 2021 Horse of the Year and defending champion Knicks Go and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good in a star-studded Pegasus World Cup field, has experienced some rough moments. None proved more costly than a futile trip to Dubai, where the 2020 Dubai World Cup was cancelled less than a week before the race due to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic.

“We took him to Dubai. We were a few days from running and they cancelled the Dubai World Cup. We brought him back and it really knocked him on his rear,” Casse said. “He just didn't come back the same horse. We ran him a few times and he didn't run great. We just sent him home to Tracy's farm and gave him a long time off. He's come back and has gotten better and better.”

Sir Winston was out of action for just shy of a year but returned to the races a happier and healthier horse for a four-race campaign at Woodbine. The Kentucky homebred won an Aug. 19 allowance impressively, before finishing a close second in both the Grade 3 Durham Cup and the G2 Autumn. He capped off his very successful season with a victory in the 1 1/2-mile G3 Valedictory Dec. 5.

“He got a little unlucky in a couple spots. For him to win at a mile and sixteenth, he needs to have a pretty good pace. He needs things to go his way,” Casse said. “He could have easily won a couple more last year.”

Sir Winston, who has produced a solid series of five workouts at Palm Meadows Training Center in preparation of the Pegasus World Cup, has impressed Casse with his enthusiasm during his comeback.

“It's funny but I think he enjoys his job now more than before,” Casse said. “He's very professional. He always has been, but he trains better, acts better. This is going to be a heck of a race. Hopefully, we can get a piece of the pie.”

Sir Winston, who has always run his best races at distances longer than 1 1/16 miles, figures to race off the early pace in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, well behind Knicks Go and Life Is Good, the front-running winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

“It looks like there will be some serious pace. Obviously, he needs a lot of things to go his way,” Casse said. “He's feeling really well, and we believe he deserves a chance.”

Sir Winston broke his maiden Sept. 12, 2018 in his third career start following off-the-board finishes in a Churchill Downs dirt sprint and a two-turn turf race at Woodbine, scoring in a dead-heat in a mile-and-70-yard maiden special weight race over Woodbine's all-weather surface. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a victory in the Display Stakes at Woodbine, encouraging Casse to try him on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Following out-of-the-money finishes in the G3 Withers at Aqueduct, G2 Tampa Bay Derby and G2 Blue Grass at Keeneland, Sir Winston didn't merit a start in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, but he did earn a start in the Belmont Stakes with a second-place finish in the G3 Peter Pan at Belmont.

Although War of Will faltered in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont to finish ninth, Sir Winston stepped up to put Casse in the winner's circle, closing from off the pace to win by a length over favored Tacitus.

Casse is hopeful that Sir Winston will be able to pull off his second big upset 2 1/2 years later in the Pegasus World Cup.

The post Sir Winston Looks To Repeat History In Pegasus World Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Andry Muinos Dies At 83

Andry Muinos, the owner, with her husband Max, of Ela-Mana-Mou (GB) and To-Agori-Mou (Ire), has died at the age of 83.

A Greek Cypriot, Muinos met her Spanish-born husband in London and the couple owned a string of restaurants before venturing into racehorse ownership in the late 1970s. Ela-Mana-Mou was bought on their behalf by trainer Guy Harwood for 4,500gns and won the Vintage S., Royal Lodge S., and King Edward VII S. in their colours before being sold to Simon Weinstock for £500,000. At four, he won the Prince of Wales's S., Eclipse S., and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. of 1980 before retiring to Airlie Stud.

By that stage Max and Andry Muinos had already purchased To-Agori-Mou, who won the Solario S. and finished runner-up in the Dewhurst, making him the top-rated 2-year-old in Britain in 1980. Greater days were to come in his 3-year-old season when To-Agori-Mou won the 2000 Guineas, St James's Palace S., and Queen Elizabeth II S.

Muinos was only recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died on Saturday night in Marbella, Spain. She is survived by her husband Max, son Antonio and daughter-in-law Katie, and grandchildren Sophia and Max.

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Mistrial Declared For Giannelli In Horse Doping Trial Due To COVID-19 Positive

COVID-19 temporarily upended Jan. 24 the horse doping trial of Dr. Seth Fishman and Lisa Giannelli — who are among the 27 race horse professionals, including prominent trainers, charged in the case.

As the trial's second week began, testimony was delayed after it was revealed that Giannelli's trial attorney had tested positive for the disease before the trial was to resume Monday.

Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil then declared a mistrial on Giannelli's behalf because her attorney Louis Fasulo wouldn't be able to return to court for at least ten days.

“I can't have a jury on ice for ten days,” she said.

Fishman's attorneys also requested a mistrial but Vyskocil didn't rule on their motion right away. She said she was considering resuming the trial with Fishman as the only defendant.

The judge said in any event there would be no testimony in the case Monday.

The trial opened Jan. 19 with jury selection followed by two days of opening statements and testimony from three witnesses. Prosecutor Anden Chow told the jury Fishman and Giannelli had for two decades operated a “black market drug business” that peddled to horse trainers around the country performance enhancing drugs that were administered to horses on race days and that couldn't be detected by horse racing commissions in post-race testing.

Most of the testimony the jury has heard came from the government's first witness, a 34-year-old woman named Courtney Adams who worked at Fishman's South Florida business for five years until 2017. She said Fishman was fixated on creating drugs that were untestable.

FIshman attorney Maurice Sercarz told the jury his client's actions were in accordance with his veterinary oath to protect the safety and welfare of animals. Fasulo said Giannelli didn't believe she was doing anything wrong while working for Fishman.

Giannelli is facing one count of misbranding conspiracy, and Fishman is charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit drug adulteration and misbranding. Prosecutors say the 11 trainers charged in the case acted to win lucrative purses without regard to the health of their horses.

Both Fishman and Giannelli are out on bail and were in court Monday.

The U.S. District Court in New York has implemented numerous COVID-19 protocols to avoid outbreaks. The witness stand has been outfitted with a HEPA-filtered plexiglass box. There's also a HEPA-filtered plexiglass box for lawyers to use when they question witnesses. Masks are required of everyone in the courtroom, including the judge, but witnesses and lawyers can remove them if they are using those boxes.

Over the weekend courthouse officials implemented a new protocol, requiring that lawyers and witnesses needed to take a rapid PCR test if they intended to remove their masks while using the boxes.

It was when Fasulo took the test in accordance with the new protocol that he learned of the positive result.

He showed up the courtroom briefly and then left. He spoke to the judge via an audio hookup.

His symptoms appeared mild. He told Vyskocil he had a “tickle in his throat.”

“I don't know what we're going to do. I feel terrible,” Fasulo said before consenting to the mistrial.

Giannelli's new trial date hasn't been set.

Fishman attorney Marc Fernich said a mistrial was warranted for his client given the positive COVID test. He said the trial's start had revealed differences between Fishman and Giannelli regarding their defense strategies.

“The defense has a right to have a trial with a clean slate,” Fernich said.

Still awaiting trial is Jason Servis whose horse Maximum Security finished first in the 2019 Kentucky Derby only to be taken down for interfering with another horse. Prosecutors have accused Servis of doping dozens of horses in his barn, including Maximum Security.

The Thoroughbred industry's leading publications are working together to cover this key trial.

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National Stud Undergoes Management Change

The National Stud in Newmarket has undergone a management restructure ahead of the 2022 breeding season, with Tim Lane leaving his role as manager and Anna Kerr assuming the day-to-day running of the stud. Lord 'Teddy' Grimthorpe, who was announced as the new chairman in November, will become executive chairman for the forthcoming season, and former manager Joe Grimwade has returned as head of stud operations.

Outlining the changes on Monday, a statement from the Jockey Club, which owns the National Stud, clarified Grimthorpe's role for the 2022 breeding season as leading the management team and acting in a senior executive capacity for clients and stakeholders. Joe Grimwade, who was also the former manager of The Royal Studs at Sandringham, will in turn “until further notice, support the management of The National Stud and acting as a key point of contact for clients”. The stud's board plans to confirm permanent appointments “at a future date”.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to express our thanks and support to Anna Kerr and Joe Grimwade,” said Lord Grimthorpe. “Anna is an instrumental member of the senior team who has helped The National Stud to navigate well through the challenging pandemic period and contributed to the reputation it has developed over recent years. Joe brings exceptional skills and experience for our clients and his colleagues and we are delighted he has come onboard. I am pleased to accept the invitation to switch from a non-executive to an executive role for this breeding season. Our stallions, boarding, sales and education have all been proving very popular and I'm sure we can build on that progress in the time ahead.”

Tim Lane succeeded Brian O'Rourke as manager of the National Stud in January 2017. Later that year the stud bought Time Test (GB) from Juddmonte. The son of Dubawi (Ire) has risen to become one of the most sought-after young stallions in Britain following some promising results from his first crop of runners in 2021. This season it has welcomed a new recruit to the stallion wing in Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who represents a partnership between Coolmore, Whitsbury Manor Stud, Nick Bradley and the National Stud.

Anna Kerr was appointed as chief operating officer of the National Stud in January 2020. Ten days ago it was announced that Lord Grimthorpe, the former longstanding racing manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah, would take up the same role for Imad Al Sagar's Blue Diamond Stud. He is also deputy senior steward of the Jockey Club and sits on the board of York Racecourse.

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