February, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Medina Spirit Disqualified From 2021 Kentucky Derby Win, Baffert Given 90-Day Suspension

On Feb. 21, 2022, some 296 days after the 2021 Kentucky Derby, Medina Spirit has been disqualified from his win by Kentucky Horse Racing Commission stewards.

The ruling was published roughly a week after attorneys for Medina Spirit trainer Bob Baffert said they appeared at a stewards' hearing to discuss the horse's positive test for betamethasone after that race.

“After a formal hearing before the board of stewards, Robert A. Baffert is hereby suspended 90 days, March 8, 2022 through June 5, 2022 (inclusive) and fined seven thousand five hundred dollars,” the ruling read. “Medina Spirit is disqualified and all purse money forfeited. Pari-mutuel wagering is not affected by this ruling.”

The ruling indicated that the overage was Baffert's fourth medication violation in 365 days in any racing jurisdiction, which could have influenced the stewards' choice of penalties dealt to him.

Suspensions are typically delayed, or “stayed” if a licensee is in the appeals process.

Medina Spirit's betamethasone overage has been a constant source of discussion and speculation since Baffert announced the week after the race that he had been notified the horse had tested positive for the corticosteroid. That test result would later be confirmed via a split sample test. In the weeks and months that followed, attorneys for Baffert fenced with the KHRC regarding their right to conduct further testing on the remainder of the biological samples leftover from the primary and split sample testing process in an effort to find the source of the substance. In December, Baffert's legal team announced that additional testing conducted by Dr. George Maylin, head of New York's Equine Drug Testing Program, suggested the betamethasone did not come from the injectable version of the drug but from a topical application of the skin ointment Otomax.

Otomax is a topical drug formulated to assist with ear infections in dogs. Baffert asserts his team was using the ointment to combat a skin infection on the horse's hindquarters in the weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby.

Medina Spirit, owned by Zedan Racing, finished third in the Preakness, then went on to win the Shared Belief Stakes and the G1 Awesome Again. He was second in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic. In early December, Medina Spirit collapsed and died after completing a workout at Santa Anita Park. A necropsy report released on Feb. 11 indicated a conclusive cause of death could not be determined, though veterinary experts said it was possible the horse died due to a cardiac event.

This is a breaking news story and more information will be added as it becomes available.

The post Medina Spirit Disqualified From 2021 Kentucky Derby Win, Baffert Given 90-Day Suspension appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Cazenovia College Expands Equine Breeding Program

Cazenovia College announced that Rascal Cat (Pulpit–Razzi Cat, by Storm Cat) has relocated to stand at their Equine Education Center for use in the Thoroughbred breeding program. Formerly part of a similar course at Arkansas State University, the stallion has 21% winners from 33 foals of racing age and was Arkansas' leading first crop sire in 2018. Out of Razzi Cat (Storm Cat), he's a half to a pair of multiple G1SWs in Argentina, Rocking Trick (Arg) (Phone Trick) and Randy Cat (Arg) (Roy) as well as stakes placed Song Cat (Unbridled's Song) in the States. He will stand for $1,000 in 2022.

“Rascal Cat has an ideal temperament to teach students live cover breeding and the pedigree to be appealing to breeders,” stated Dr. McGuire, who taught in the breeding program at ASU and now teaches at Cazenovia. “He will be valuable for helping train our students and interest young professionals in the breeding industry.”

Cazenovia College is located in Central New York, and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of America's best colleges for eighteen consecutive years. Founded in 1824, it is the eighth oldest private, independent college in the state and the 28th oldest independent college/university in the country.

The post Cazenovia College Expands Equine Breeding Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

La Crete Undergoes Successful Surgery

Stonestreet homebred La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro), pulled up and out of Saturday's GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton, underwent successful surgery Sunday to repair a condylar fracture in her right front leg.

The farm tweeted: “La Crete had a successful surgery at LSU (Louisiana State University Sunday) to repair a condyle fracture. She is doing very well this morning. She will return to the farm once she is cleared to travel. Thank you to everyone who has taken care of our girl.”

Ian Brennan, who trains the Stonestreet horses at their Florida farm, told Daily Racing Form that Dr. John Madison of Ocala Equine in Florida was flown in to perform the procedure.

A daughter of treble Grade I-winning 'TDN Rising Star' Cavorting (Bernardini), La Crete is a half-sister to last year's GI Cotillion S. and Rachel Alexandra S. winner Clairiere (Curlin) and was a 2 1/4-length debut winner at Churchill Downs Nov. 20 before taking the Silverbulletday S. at the Fair Grounds Jan. 22. She made the running in Saturday's race beneath Joel Rosario, but took an apparent bad step with about five furlongs to race, was eased and was vanned off. Stonestreet tweeted the nature of the injury late Saturday.

The post La Crete Undergoes Successful Surgery appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Times Union Investigation Reveals Conflicting Reports About NYRA’s Profitability

According to a recent investigation conducted by the Times Union, the New York government has granted the state's horse racing industry over $2.9 billion since 2008, both in taxpayer dollars and government-directed benefits.

One year ago, a study commissioned by the state indicated that eight tracks in the state would likely be forced to close without those subsidies. The only remaining tracks would be those operated by the New York Racing Association, though the racing would be “diminished” and breeding would be “devastated.”

NYRA statements examined by forensic accountant Radha Radhakrishna indicate that via GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) the non-profit organization posted an operating deficit of $55 million in 2020 prior to considering the government support funds and benefits.

Between 2016 and 2019, those statements indicated that NYRA produced operating losses between $76 and $81 million each year.

NYRA spokesman Patrick McKenna said the non-profit uses non-GAAP standards in its accounting, which showed an operating loss of $3.1 million in 2020 and an income of $4.3 million and $3.6 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively.

“NYRA's racing operations have been profitable every year since 2014 apart from 2020, when NYRA faced an unprecedented business interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” McKenna said. “It should be noted that (the prominent accounting firm) KPMG has issued 'clean' and unqualified audit opinions in each of those years.”

However, New York comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's audits in 2016 and 2018 show that NYRA actually produced multimillion-dollar deficits each year, adding that the non-GAAP accounting methods should not be used to report profits or losses to the public.

“Reporting such numbers to the general public and to the NYRA board in this way is not a fair presentation of the profitability of NYRA's racing operations, and can leave decision-makers with the false impression that no actions are required,” wrote Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.