March, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Go For Gin Dies at 31

Go For Gin (Cormorant–Never Knock, by Stage Door Johnny), who was the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner, passed away Tuesday due to heart failure at the Kentucky Horse Park, where he had lived since retiring from stud duty in June 2011. The 31-year-old won the 1994 Kentucky Derby and was second behind Tabasco Cat in both that year's GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S.

“We're honored that Go For Gin was an ambassador of the park for nearly 12 years,” said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Lee Carter. “As a visitor favorite, Go For Gin brought visitors from around the world to the Bluegrass and introduced new fans to the sport of Thoroughbred racing. He will be greatly missed by all of us at the Kentucky Horse Park.”

Go for Gin was bred in Kentucky by Pamela Darmstadt duPont, owned by William J. Condren and Joseph Cornacchia, and trained by Nick Zito. In addition to his Derby win with Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, Go for Gin also won the 1993 GII Remsen S. He won 14 out of his 19 races and earned $1,380,866.

Go for Gin took up stud duty at Claiborne Farm and was later sold to Bonita Farm in Maryland, where stood from 2004 until his retirement. His progeny have earned more than $16.5 million and include Albert the Great, winner of the 2000 GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and more than $3 million.

“It saddens me to learn about Go For Gin,” said McCarron. “My memories of him giving me a second Kentucky Derby victory will remain indelible in my heart for as long as I live. Rest in peace, my old pal.”

Go for Gin will be buried at the Memorial Walk of Champions alongside past Thoroughbred residents Forego, Bold Forbes, John Henry, Alysheba, and Da Hoss.

A public memorial service will be held for Go For Gin at a future date.

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Careless Riding: Jockey Paco Lopez Suspended 14 Days For Fountain Of Youth Ride

Gulfstream Park stewards announced Wednesday that jockey Paco Lopez has been suspended 14 race days for careless riding in Saturday's Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) and has been placed on probation through the remainder of the Championship Meet.

Lopez was aboard In Due Time in the Fountain of Youth, and appeared to be the cause of a two-horse spill.

High Oak, ridden by Junior Alvarado, clipped heels when it appeared that Lopez shifted his mount In Due Time to the outside on the far turn, forcing A.P.'s Secret and jockey Tyler Gaffalione to alter course toward High Oak. Galt dislodged rider Joel Rosario when that horse tried to avoid the fallen High Oak.

Both High Oaks and Galt, each trained by Bill Moot, did not suffer obvious injuries and walked back to their stables.

Alvarado returned to the jockeys room complaining of ankle soreness, but was not seriously injured. Alvarado took off his mounts Sunday and Wednesday.

Rosario returned to the jockeys room on his own power but took off the final race complaining of a sore back.

Stewards conducted an inquiry immediately after the race, but allowed the original results to stand.

Associate Steward Stephen DiMauro added details were being worked out as to when Lopez would begin serving his days.

Furthermore, to better serve the stewards and customers, Gulfstream Park officials announced Wednesday that additional cameras would be added and installed in the near future to provide better views of each race on dirt, turf and Tapeta.

The post Careless Riding: Jockey Paco Lopez Suspended 14 Days For Fountain Of Youth Ride appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Venerable 7-Year-Old Gelding Say The Word Heads Saturday’s San Luis Rey

A formidable team on turf, trainer Phil D'Amato and jockey Flavien Prat will combine forces on Saturday with the venerable 7-year-old gelding Say the Word, as he heads a field of nine older horses going a marathon 1 1/2 miles on turf in the Grade 3, $125,000 San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

An Ontario, Canadian-bred by More Than Ready, Say the Word, second in last year's San Luis Rey, comes off a third place finish going 1 1/4 miles on turf in the G2 San Marcos Stakes Jan. 30 and gets back to a distance he relishes, evidenced by his 6-3-2-1 record, dating back to August of 2018 at Woodbine.

A Grade 1 winner at Woodbine at age five, Say the Word is a three-time graded stakes winner that is best suited as a deep closer. Last ridden by Prat to a second-place finish in the G1 Shoemaker Mile five starts back on May 31, 2021, Say the Word rallied from far back under Kent Desormeaux two starts back to win the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles on Nov. 26.

Owned by Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm, Say the Word earned $353,500 last year and enters the San Luis Rey with career earnings of $849,792 from an overall mark of 34-7-4-6.

A horse who has flourished in the care of veteran trainer David Hofmans, Award Winner, a close fourth, beaten 1 ½ lengths by Say the Word in the Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar Nov. 26, rates a huge chance with Juan Hernandez back aboard Saturday.

A 6-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper, Award Winner, who had been based in the east, made his first start for Hofmans eight starts back on Jan. 8, 2021 and has been competitive throughout, including a win in the G2 Charles Whittingham Stakes five starts back on May 29 of last year.

Owned by Amerman Racing, LLC and bred in Kentucky by Mrs. Jerry Amerman, Award Winner earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure in his fourth place finish Nov. 26 and figures to be tracking the speedy Acclimate early on Saturday.

Lightly raced and on the improve, the Leonard Powell-trained Dicey Mo Chara looms dangerous as he comes off solid second condition allowance win going 1 1/8 miles on turf here Feb. 4. Ridden by Prat in his allowance score, he was attentive to the pace and should be in a forward position again as he tries the deep waters of a mile and one half for the first time with Drayden Van Dyke.

A 4-year-old English-bred gelding, Dicey Mo Chara, who posted a career-top 89 Beyer on Feb. 4, is 9-3-2-1 overall with earnings of $175,277.

In what looms a turf certainty, look for the iconic California-bred gelding Acclimate to be out winging on the lead with regular rider Ricky Gonzalez. Fourth in last year's San Luis Rey, this 8-year-old son of Acclamation is winless in five tries at the San Luis Rey distance, but he was second, beaten a length at 1 1/2 miles by Say the Word two starts back in the G2 Hollywood Turf Cup and therefore must be respected, especially with a hillside turf start in play.

Owned by The Ellwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing, LLC, et al, Acclimate has been very much at home on the Santa Anita turf, as he's earned $411,836 from a 19-5-4-3 mark. With overall earnings of $688,372, Acclimate, who was bred in-part by the Johnston family's Old English Rancho, has compiled and overall mark of 30-7-6-5.

THE GRADE 3 SAN LUIS REY WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 9 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Say the Word—Flavien Prat—124
Red King—Umberto Rispoli—120
Airman—Ryan Curatolo—120
Dicey Mo Chara—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Current—Christopher Emigh—120
Acclimate—Ricardo Gonzalez—122
Award Winner—Juan Hernandez—122
Henley's Joy—Mike Smith—120
Offlee Naughty—John Velazquez–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is 12:30 p.m. with admission gates opening at 10:30 a.m.

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Fishman Wants Court to Merge Two Convictions

Thirty-four days after being found guilty by jury trial on two felony counts of conspiring to violate adulteration and misbranding laws in the nationwide racehorse doping case, the Florida-based veterinarian Seth Fishman made a motion in federal court asking for the first of those counts to be dismissed on the basis that it is allegedly “multiplicitous of” (already contained within) the second, much broader conspiracy.

Fishman's Mar. 8 filing in United States District Court (Southern District of New York) is likely the first of several legal steps leading to a formal appeal of his convictions. He faces 20 years in prison upon sentencing May 5.

“As relevant here, a multiplicitous indictment 'charges the same crime in two counts,'” Fishman's letter motion stated, “when 'only one crime has been committed' in 'law and fact.'”

Fishman's filing–almost two years to the date of his Mar. 9, 2020, arrest–argued that the dual counts could lead to “multiple sentences for the same offense,” and that the two counts might have “improperly prejudice[d] a jury by suggesting that a defendant has committed not one but several crimes.”

Fishman, along with six other veterinarians, 11 trainers, and nine others, was charged with being a key figure in an international network of purported performance-enhancing drug (PED) suppliers who allegedly conspired to dope racehorses in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and the United Arab Emirates.

“The indictment in this case accused Dr. Fishman of participating in overlapping but ostensibly independent conspiracies to illegally distribute a variety of customized PEDs–untestable, adulterated and misbranded–to racehorse owners and trainers in America and abroad,” Fishman's motion stated.

“Count Two alleged a broad, 18-year conspiracy–lasting from 2002 through 2020–with Lisa Giannelli, Jordan Fishman, Rick Dane Jr. and unnamed others. Count One alleged a subsidiary, four-year conspiracy–lasting from 2016 through 2020–with Jorge Navarro, Erica Garcia, Marcos Zulueta, Michael Tannuzzo, Christopher Oakes and unnamed others…

“Yet throughout the trial–from the start of the prosecutor's opening to summation–the government framed the case as one involving 'a single, ongoing conspiratorial' agreement: namely, an encompassing 18-year arrangement among Dr. Fishman, his employees, suppliers and customers to manufacture, buy and sell the same menu of adulterated and misbranded PEDs through Dr. Fishman's company, Equestology LLC, rather than 'two separate schemes operating independently…'

“The government thus presented an integrated, 'overall' agreement with one primary object–trafficking in prohibited substances designed to boost racehorse performance and avoid regulatory detection–that violated a 'single statute' over a lengthy period.”

The filing continued: “Perhaps most significant, the government's summations graphically confirmed its mixing and matching the charged conspiracies–its blending their vague contours, blurring their fuzzy boundaries and otherwise presenting the two as an interwoven, indivisible whole…

“Even more striking, the prosecutors opted to address the charges in 'reverse,' starting with the sprawling conspiracy alleged in Count Two [before finally getting around to] Count One…

“On this record–even when construed most favorably to the government and drawing all inferences in its favor–the only plausible conclusion is that the lesser conspiracy charged in Count One was 'simply a species' or subset of the greater one alleged in Count Two.”

Fishman's multiplicity motion suggested a remedy of merging his two convictions so that only a single sentence will be imposed.

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