February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Just A Runner’: Dual Stakes Winner Happy Soul Will Try Two Turns In Ashland

A two-time stakes winner in her four career starts thus far, sophomore filly Happy Soul will be stretched out to two turns for Keeneland's Grade 1 Ashland Stakes on April 8, reports the Daily Racing Form.

The daughter of Runhappy, trained by Wesley Ward, has won three races by a combined 26 1/4 lengths. Most recently, Happy Soul made her 3-year-old debut under John Velazquez in Oaklawn's $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes, posting a three-length victory in the six-furlong contest.

“She's just a runner,” Ward told DRF. “It's one of those intangibles.”

The Ashland, a 100-point prep on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, will be Happy Soul's first start around two turns. Keeneland is her home track, however, and both Ward and Velazquez believe she'll have no issues with the distance.

Bred in Kentucky by Harris Training Center, Happy Soul is out of the placed Stephen Got Even mare Cowgirl Lucky. The mare is the dam of two other six-figure earners: Grade 3 winner Calgary Caper (El Corredor) and six-time winner Legend of Lorelei (Girolamo).

Owner Gayla Rankin procured Happy Soul for $50,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale. The filly's three-for-four record boasts earnings of $238,500.

NYRA Administrative Hearing To Suspend Vitali Delayed Until April

The New York Racing Association's hearing process regarding embattled trainer Marcus Vitali has been delayed. A hearing was originally slated to begin March 1 before a hearing officer, but will now be pushed back.

“The administrative hearing to consider the NYRA statement of charges against Marcus Vitali that was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 1 has been rescheduled to begin on Monday, April 4 at 10 a.m.,” said Patrick McKenna, vice president of communications for NYRA. “Former New York State Court of Appeals Judge Robert Smith is serving as hearing officer in this matter.”

NYRA had announced it would seek to suspend Vitali from its facilities around the same time it announced it would begin an administrative hearing process for Bob Baffert. Baffert's hearing took place in late January, and NYRA has not yet announced the results of that administrative hearing.

NYRA initially chose to refuse entries and stalls to Baffert in the wake of his announcement that Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone following the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Baffert challenged the move in federal court, and a judge agreed with the trainer that the racetrack could not exclude him without some form of due process. NYRA subsequently created a series of guidelines for a process to present a statement of charges, hold an administrative hearing, and eventually submit a hearing officer's report to a panel for final decision.

Vitali made headlines most recently for getting a one-year suspension and $10,000 fine in Pennsylvania after one of his runners there tested positive for d-methamphetamine. He has appealed that ruling.

Vitali has a lengthy history of run-ins with regulators over drug and other issues. He relinquished his training license in Florida in 2016 after racking up seven drug violations in a four-month span, temporarily evading suspension. He left for the Mid-Atlantic, where he accumulated another positive, and eventually went back to Florida in an attempt to reacquire his license. Before he was relicensed, a Paulick Report investigation revealed he was regularly entering the Gulfstream Park backstretch on a visitor's pass and appeared to be training horses, although his attorney denied that he was training without a license. Vitali was later barred from properties owned by The Stronach Group and from Tampa Bay Downs for alleged paper training. In 2019, he was given a one-year suspension in Delaware after officials said he interfered with a search of an employee's dorm room and absconded with a vial of an unknown substance which was never recovered. In 2020, Vitali was implicated by officials at the Maryland Jockey Club in a scheme to have fellow trainer Wayne Potts serve as paper trainer for Vitali-trained horses entered at Stronach-owned Laurel Park.

The post NYRA Administrative Hearing To Suspend Vitali Delayed Until April appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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CDI to Abandon Online Sports Betting

Bill Carstanjen, the chief executive officer of Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), said during a quarterly conference call with investors Feb. 24 that after only a brief foray into online sports betting, the gaming corporation plans to phase out operating in that sector by mid-2022.

“When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting in May of 2018, we had high hopes for the potential to build a profitable business in this space,” Carstanjen said. “Our initial strategy was to leverage a variable cost technology model and be disciplined in our marketing spend with a focus on bottom-line profitability as states legalized online sports wagering and iGaming.

“We have profitable retail sports books in four of our casinos,” Carstanjen said. “However, the online sports betting and online casino space is highly competitive with an ever-increasing number of participants that the states have licensed. Many are pursuing maximum market share in every state with limited regard for short-term or potentially even long-term profitability.

“Because we do not see for us a path in which this business model delivers predictable and acceptable margins for at least several years, if ever, we have decided to exit the business-to-customer online sports betting and iGaming space over the next six months…

“We are always committed to building long-term value for our shareholders. And consistent with this commitment, when we see that an investment is not progressing as we had planned, we will redeploy the resources and capital to other growth projects or return the capital to our shareholders,” Carstanjen said. “We have proven with our past decisions that we are willing to walk away from businesses where we do not see a secure enough path to consistent profitable growth with an acceptable return for our shareholders.”

The Thoroughbred industry is painfully aware of the gaming corporation's previous decisions to abandon aspects of its business. Under CDI's stewardship, horse racing has ceased over the past decade at Hollywood Park in California and Calder Race Course in Florida. A sale is in currently the works to turn historic Arlington International Racecourse near Chicago into a football stadium.

CDI currently owns four active Thoroughbred tracks (Churchill Downs, Turfway Park, Fair Grounds and Presque Isle Downs). Because of its recent history of shuttering racetracks, an announcement by CDI earlier this week that it intended to acquire Colonial Downs and its Virginia gaming properties drew widespread social media chatter among racing industry participants and fans, with skepticism and concerns for Colonial's future far outnumbering comments that considered the deal to be a positive one for the sport.

“This isn't the result we wanted when we started [online sports betting] back in late 2018, but it is the prudent next step forward for our company,” Carstanjen said. “We remain absolutely committed and excited about TwinSpires Horse Racing as its top line, bottom line, and margins continue to demonstrate that this is a special online business with a sustainable, scalable and unique business model that delivers profitable growth today just as it has since we started the business well over a decade ago.”

At a later point in the call when investment analysis were permitted to ask questions, Carstanjen responded this way to one query about the decision to exit online sports betting:

“[G]ambling ultimately is a margin-driven business, and you have to set up your teams and you have to set up your processes to guarantee that you can drive margins. We can do that with TwinSpires Horse Racing, but we just don't see that for us in the broader online segment. So, we'll keep watching that business over time. We'll watch the others that are in it. And we'll see where the future takes that space.”

The post CDI to Abandon Online Sports Betting appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Family Affair For ‘Royal’ in Dubai Millennium

It was a Godolphin exacta in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan on Friday as Royal Fleet (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), a paternal grandson of the race's namesake, defeated last year's winner Star Safari (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) by a short head.

Away without incident, which could not be said for the slow-starting Lucius Tiberius (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), the Charlie Appleby trainee was aggressive as the field left the short chute and found an ideal position in a pressing second as Marie's Diamond (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) cut out the early running. In a good rhythm, Royal Fleet stayed just off the flank of the pacesetter as the field tackled the bend and, once given an inch of rein from pilot James Doyle, surged up to apply some pressure to Marie's Diamond. The latter was noticeably lathered, and Royal Fleet stuck his head in front at the quarter-mile pole as the well-fancied Star Safari came with his run from farther back.

Confronted by his stablemate 200 metres from home, Royal Fleet proved dour and although headed, fought on with his rival appearing to have his measure. A few jumps from the line, he edged back in front to claim the victory. Castlebar (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who'd had to alter course for racing room when making his bid, ran on to take third 2 1/4 lengths back.

A winner of his first three starts including the July 10 Mile H. at Newmarket, the Godolphin colourbearer lost his unbeaten record with a fifth in the Skybet Mile H. at York later that summer, but rebounded to take a Doncaster handicap by a half-length on Sept. 11. Gelded shortly thereafter, he ran with credit to be second in both the Jan. 21 G2 Al Rashidiya and the Feb. 11 G2 Singspiel S., prior to Friday's victory.

Pedigree Notes

Royal Fleet is the 222nd black-type winner and 145th group winner for his Darley sire Dubawi, who counts 48 Group 1 winners among them. Bred on the same cross as G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Nezwaah (GB), the winner is the third foal and third winner out of G3 Prix de Lieurey heroine Zibelina. Royal Fleet is followed by his winning 3-year-old full-brother Noble Order (Ire) and a yearling colt by Blue Point (Ire).

Also a winner of the Listed Valiant S., Zibelina is a half-sister to black-type winner Floristy (GB) (Fasliyev), the dam of three-time group winner Lazuli (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and stakes winner Inspiriter (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Third dam Talented was just that, striking in the Sun Chariot S. when it was still a Group 2 and also placing in the G3 Lancashire Oaks, G2 Ribblesdale S. and G3 Prix de la Nonette. At stud, she threw Epsom Derby third Carlton House (Street Cry {Ire}), who raced in the colours of Her Majesty The Queen to wins in the G2 Dante S. and G3 Brigadier Gerard S. besides another trio of Group 1 placings in the UK and Down Under.

Friday, Meydan, Middle East
DUBAI MILLENNIUM S. (PRESENTED BY LINCOLN)-G3, $150,000, Meydan, 2-25, NH4yo/up & SH4yo/up, 2000mT, 2:01.61, gd.
1–ROYAL FLEET (GB), 129, g, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Zibelina (Ire) (GSW-Fr, SW-Eng, $105,891),
                                by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Zaeema (GB), by Zafonic
3rd Dam: Talented (GB), by Bustino (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin (GB);
T-Charlie Appleby; J-James Doyle. $90,000. Lifetime Record:
8-5-2-0, $231,855. *1/2 to Royal Crusade (GB) (Shamardal),
GSP-Eng, GSW-Fr, SP-UAE, $143,240. Werk Nick Rating: A+++.
   *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Star Safari (GB), 130, g, 6, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Intimhir (Ire),
by Muhtathir (GB). (€200,000 Ylg '17 BBASEP). O-Godolphin;
B-Gestut Brummerhof (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. $30,000.
3–Castlebar (Ire), 129, g, 4, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Aimhirgin Lass
(Ire), by Pivotal (GB). 1ST BLACK-TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK-
   TYPE. (€460,000 Ylg '19 GOFOCT). O-Fahad Mohammed
Aloraini; B-Irish National Stud (IRE); T-Helal Alalawi. $15,000.
Margins: SHD, 2 1/4, 1HF.
Also Ran: Burgas (Tur), Marie's Diamond (Ire), Integrant (Fr), Lucius Tiberius (Ire), Iron Butterfly (Swe), Volcanic Sky (GB), Al Maysan (GB), Pensiero d'Amore (Ire), Big Team.
Click for the Racing Post chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video.

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