February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Updated: Cross Country Pick 5 Features Stakes From Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring graded-stakes action from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Saturday's sequence kicks off at 1:42 p.m. Eastern in Race 4 at Tampa Bay Downs, a one-mile turf allowance for older horses. The Chad Brown-trained Soft Power has been installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite after winning on debut at Belmont Park in June, defeating next-out winner Ranger Fox by a nose for owner Klaravich Stables.

The sequence will continue in Race 6 at Tampa Bay Downs at 2:42 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 3, $175,000 Endeavour, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares led by Grade 1-winner Lady Speightspeare.

Trained by Hall of Famer Roger Attfield, the regally-bred Lady Speightspeare is by Speightstown and out of the multiple graded stakes winning Theatrical mare Lady Shakespeare, who is a full sister to Grade 1-winner Shakespeare and half-sister to Grade 1-winner Perfect Shirl.

The 4-year-old Lady Speightspeare, who has won 4-of-5 starts, won both of her graded stakes at Woodbine Racetrack, capturing the Grade 1 Natalma at one-mile on turf as a juvenile and the Grade 2 Bessarabian at seven furlongs on Tapeta in November. The Charles Fipke homebred will make her seasonal debut out of a third-place finish in the Tropical Park Oaks at 1 1/16-miles on December 26 on the Gulfstream Park turf. Steep opposition will be provided by In Italian, who has won 2-of-3 starts and will be making her stakes debut for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

The action continues in Race 8 at Tampa Bay Downs [3:46 p.m.] with the Grade 3, $175,000 Tampa Bay, a 1 1/16-mile turf test featuring an overflow field of 13 older horses. Shirl's Speight, a 5-year-old son of Speightstown out of the aforementioned Perfect Shirl, will tackle a solid group of fellow graded stakes winners, including English Bee, Eons, Get Smokin, Clear Vision, and Devamani.

The action switches to the Big A for the final two legs, beginning with an open one-turn mile allowance in Race 7 [3:55 p.m.] featuring New York-bred stakes winner Chowda and maiden winners Castle Chaos and Southern District.

A field of 11 sophomores will battle nine furlongs in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers, offering 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, to close out the sequence in Race 8 at 4:25 p.m.

Courvoisier, winner of the one-turn mile Jerome last out for trainer Kelly Breen, will face returning rivals Smarten Up, Cooke Creek, Unbridled Bomber and Mr Jefferson. An emerging group of Derby hopefuls includes maiden winners Constitutionlawyer and Early Voting.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, which features a low 15 percent takeout, will continue each Saturday throughout the year.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, February 5:

Leg A: Tampa – Race 4, allowance (1:42 p.m.)

Leg B: Tampa – Race 6, G3 Endeavour (2:42 p.m.)

Leg C: Tampa – Race 8, G3 Tampa Bay (3:46 p.m.)

Leg D: Aqueduct – Race 7, allowance (3:55 p.m.)

Leg E: Aqueduct – Race 8, G3 Withers (4:25 p.m.)

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Lieblong, Asmussen Maiden Winners Impress at Oaklawn

Represented by a pair of flashy 3-year-old maiden winners at Oaklawn Park, owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong have been on quite a nice run at their hometown track the past two weekends.

Favorite Outlaw (c, 3, Maclean's Music–Coco Belle, by Storm Boot) earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure–the highest rating of any sophomore so far this season–after airing at second asking by 3 1/2 lengths for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen going six furlongs Jan. 29 (video).

“We're very pleased,” said Alex Lieblong, who heads his own investment firm in Little Rock and is also chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission. “That's what you want to see.”

Chasing from second through a sharp opening quarter in :21.81, Favorite Outlaw turned up the heat on the far turn and blasted for home once switching over in the stretch to win with authority while stopping the timer in 1:10.68. The 4-year-old Bob's Edge (Competitive Edge) covered the same distance in 1:10.50 three races later on the card while capturing the King Cotton S. Favorite Outlaw previously just got nipped by a nose after leading in the stretch on debut from the tricky one post at the same distance in Hot Springs Dec. 31.

“One thing I've learned about Steve, it doesn't take him long to decide if one is a sprinter or a router,” Lieblong said. “He wanted to nominate him for the Triple Crown and I said, 'OK, go ahead. If you think you could get him around two turns, it's going to get interesting.'”

Lieblong continued, “If you look at him, the thing that gets me, he's still such a baby. You think he'd be muscled up a little bit more, but he's not yet. He's a nice nice-looking horse, just not as defined as you would've thought by now, which is fine. Steve is doing a good job not pushing on him and just letting him do his thing. After we bought him, he spent part of the summer back down in Ocala at Bo Hunt's just to let him grow up a little bit.”

Favorite Outlaw brought $350,000 from the Lieblongs at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale [breezed an eighth in :10], the fourth-most expensive of 24 juveniles to change hands by Maclean's Music in the ring last year. In addition to training the exceptionally fast Maclean's Music during his abbreviated racing career, Asmussen also campaigns the Hill 'n' Dale stallion's three-time Grade I winner Jackie's Warrior.

“Of course, it wasn't hard to talk Steve into a Maclean's Music,” Lieblong said with a laugh. “If you watch his [breeze] video, he didn't go in a straight line and bear down and he still had a quick time. If he ran straight, it would've been a lot quicker.”

Bred in Kentucky by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc, Favorite Outlaw, an Apr. 26 foal, previously brought $12,000 as a KEENOV weanling and also RNA'd for $14,000 as a KEESEP yearling. Produced by the speedy Storm Boot mare Coco Belle, a three-time stakes winner and graded stakes-placed all around one turn, Favorite Outlaw is a half-brother to SW Cofactor (The Factor) and SP Coco Tiger (Twirling Candy). He is bred on a similar cross as Maclean's Music's GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint S. winner Classic Rock. Coco Belle brought a mere $11,000 from Gary and Mary West advisor Ben Glass at the 2020 KEENOV sale.

“If you look at his pedigree, I guess you'd say it leans toward the sprinting side,” said Lieblong, who has campaigned GISWs such as Embellish the Lace, The Big Beast and Wicked Whisper. “But that's what they said about Cigar and grass, too, so you just don't know.”

Hot and Sultry (f, 3, Speightster–Hot Water, by Medaglia d'Oro) also carried the Lieblongs blue-and-white silks to a razor sharp victory at second asking for Asmussen, swatting away pressure and graduating in front-running fashion by 3 3/4 lengths with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure going six furlongs at Oaklawn Jan. 23 (video). Like the aforementioned Favorite Outlaw, Hot and Sultry was a strong second on debut after drawing the dreaded one hole in the Oaklawn mud Dec. 18.

Bred in Kentucky by Cobalt Investments, LLC, the $475,000 KEESEP yearling purchase was the most expensive of 43 yearlings sold from the second crop of Speightster, who was relocated to Ontario for the 2022 breeding season. Out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare Hot Water, Hot and Sultry is a half-sister to SW & GSP Tracksmith (Street Sense) and SP Tortuga (Bodemeister). Hot and Sultry's third dam is GISW and champion 3-year-old filly Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat).

“She's just a gorgeous filly,” Lieblong said. “It was hard to hide her at the sale. Paying that much for a Speightster was probably not advisable, but just on her appearance and coming from a good consignor [Bluewater Sales], that marked all the boxes for us. We have always thought a lot of her.”

Looking ahead with his pair of promising 3-year-olds, Lieblong concluded, “Those two races [for Favorite Outlaw and Hot and Sultry] were pretty similar in a lot of ways. They both did it the way you want to and both came out of it good. We're tickled pink.”

The post Lieblong, Asmussen Maiden Winners Impress at Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The Back Nine With Johnny Murtagh

A horse for 2022: Sonnyboyliston (Ire) (Power {GB}). He's my best horse, and he's ready for Saudi.

First season or proven stallion: Whatever I can afford! The market dictates, but I've had luck with first-season sires.

Speed or stamina: It depends on the clients, but I would prefer a horse that stays a bit, with size and scope.

Kildare or Meath: My heart is in Meath, but all my kids are playing for Kildare!

Best current jockey: I've the best young jockey in Ben Coen.

Favourite horse you rode: Sinndar (Ire) (Grand Lodge), you always remember your first Epsom Derby winner.

Best horse you rode: It wouldn't be fair for me to pick. I rode world champion stayers and sprinters, so it wouldn't be fair on all those brilliant horses.

The Curragh or Ascot: I live on The Curragh, and it's very close to my heart. But as a jockey I loved riding winners at Royal Ascot.

Best piece of advice you've ever received: Hard work never killed anyone.

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

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: Wintertime Hoof Care

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock.

Question: What, if any, special considerations should owners have for wintertime hoof care?

Dr. Craig Lesser, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital: Winter in Kentucky, aka mud season, can have some challenges when it comes to your horse's feet. Feet tend to start growing slower and are often saturated in mud without a chance to dry out. This can result in a variety of issues that you should keep an eye out for.

White line disease is a mixed anaerobic bacterial infection that occurs within the hoof wall. Mild infections can be picked up by your farrier and can be treated without much change in your horse's work. However. in more severe cases radiographs and large resections may be necessary to open the infected area up to oxygen and allow for debridement and treatment of the infection.

Bruises and subsolar abscesses are also very common in the winter due to the changes in weather and temperature. The hard to soft ground can soften feet and make them more prone to concussion-related injuries, and this constant swelling and contracting can open areas for infections to fester. Horses with abscesses present acutely lame and once drainage is established, they return to soundness quickly. However, it is very important to protect the abscess tract from filling back up with mud or your horse may re-abscess.

Retracted soles are often a problem with thin-soled feet. They result when mud builds up in the sole and eventually builds enough pressure to force the cornified sole up into the soft tissue structures of the sole of the foot. This can lead to seroma or abscess formation and if not treated properly they often lead to severe complications.

While we don't usually get much snow in Kentucky, horses in more northern regions can have issues with snow and ice building up in their shoes. The formation of large balls of ice on the bottom of a horse's foot can make it difficult for horses to walk. Many farriers will add snow pads to help with this, but nothing is as helpful as ensuring you pick out your horse's feet daily.

Horses with softened feet that are turned out in the mud are also more prone to losing shoes. An increase in the number of lost shoes as well as the decreased growth can make a farrier's job more difficult this time of year.

It is vital that you check your horse's feet daily and make sure to pick them out so they have a chance to dry and recover. If not, it could lead to some much scarier conditions such as canker, septic pedal osteitis, or even quittor.

Dr. Craig Lesser, CF graduated from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. Following the completion of an internship at Anoka Equine, he moved to Lexington to complete a podiatry fellowship at RREH and has continued there as an associate. As an extension of podiatry, Dr. Lesser has an interest in lameness and imaging.

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