March, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cardinal Conditions S. Offers KY Points at Chelmsford on Thursday

Chelmsford City Racecourse, closed since sustaining damage from Storm Eunice in mid-February, opens its gates on Thursday highlighted by the £100,000 Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions S., which offers points (30-12-6-3) on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby on May 7. A total of £155,996 in prizemoney will be offered throughout the eight-race card, which begins at 3:30 p.m. local time. Held over one-mile on the all-weather, the Cardinal has attracted a field of six 3-year-olds.

Leading the sextet is Godolphin's Blue Trail (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who already holds 20 points, as he triumphed in Kempton Park's 'Road To The Kentucky Derby' Conditions S. on Mar. 2. Second and third that day were Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir) and Prince Faisal's Find (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

Charlie Appleby said, “It's great that Chelmsford are doing a good job in staging a race of this value at this point of the season. I am glad it's being supported: it might not be big numbers but I am a big believer that you don't need numbers to make a good race if you get good horses, and I think they've done that.

He added “We've come out of the [Kempton] race well. What we've done this time is that we are going to remove the hood in the hope that it might just sharpen him up a little. But the preparations have gone well and obviously Harrow and Find are entitled to come forward a bit for their runs, but we are all going

there with good experience under our belts and may the best horse win.”

The field also includes the listed-winning Mr Professor (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}), who is trained by Alice Haynes for Amo Racing Limited. He will run in cheek pieces for the first time.

“We've got a good draw and the French style of racing didn't

really suit him,” she said. “I think he's better with an end-to-end gallop and Chelmsford is much more of a speed track. It is a very valuable race for this time of year. It was an obvious decision to run in it.”

Dark Moon Rising (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) from the Kevin Ryan yard and the maiden Atheby (GB) (Gutaifan {Ire}) from Jane Chapple-Hyam will also line up.

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Repairs To Infield Arenas Force Cancellation Of Memorial Day Fair Hill Races

Facing necessary repairs to the three new infield arenas, members of the Board of Directors of the Fair Hill Foundation have made the decision to cancel the 86th running of the Fair Hill Races in Spring 2022.

“Of course, we are disappointed the Races won't be run this Memorial Day weekend,” Fair Hill Foundation President Charles C. Fenwick, Jr. said. “Major work is required in the infield show arenas this summer in order to ensure they will be ready for the second annual Maryland 5 Star in October, and it is thought that construction should begin before Memorial Day.”

The new turf track, finished in summer 2019, has been realigned to feature a sophisticated irrigation and rail system and banked, wider turns for the safety of the horses. “Hopefully both flat and steeplechase racing can resume in 2023,” Fenwick continued.

“Ensuring the facilities are safe and secure for the Maryland 5 Star in October will require trucks to cross the track, making it impossible to race while that work is taking place. Safety for our horses and riders is our paramount concern, and we appreciate the patience of our owners, trainers and fans as we deal with these not-uncommon issues in new construction,” he concluded.

The Fair Hill Races continue a grand tradition dating from 1934 when William du Pont, Jr. envisioned a place to give American horses the experience they would need to compete in the English Grand National at Aintree – considered the international pinnacle of steeplechasing.

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NSA: Leslie Young Scores Triple, Cheltenham Runner Impresses In Local Debut

The National Steeplechase Association Spring season got underway this past weekend with a combined eight-race doubleheader at Aiken and Cheshire, with many familiar names from the 2021 leaderboard signaling their readiness for even bigger things ahead in 2022.

Trainer Leslie Young, who finished two behind Jack Fisher in victories last season, sent out three winners, two at Aiken in South Carolina and another at Unionville, Pa. Young struck first on the flat with Maranto Manor's Duckett's Grove, a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred son of turf star Point of Entry.

Young made it back-to-back wins with Tom Rice and Van Cushny's Bee Major, a 5-year-old by English Channel, who settled in striking distance of the leaders for most of the going, rallied on the inside over the last fence, then drew clear of stablemate Cause for Pardon in the final strides of the $25,000 maiden special weights hurdle contested at 2 ⅛ miles, the same distance as all of the jump races at the new course. It was Bee Major's first career win after 21 tries on the flat and one effort over jumps. The winning margin was a length and a quarter. Visiting Englishman Harry Beswick had the ride.

Neil Morris, who made a run at the training title last year, uncorked NRQ Racing's Criticize in the $15,000 maiden claiming hurdle. Like Bee Major, it was the first career win for Criticize, but it didn't come easy. Criticize, with champion jockey Graham Watters in the saddle, sat back while Taking the Lead Stable's Seville Barber and Kathy Neilson's Big City Dreams battled it out. Criticize rallied on the far turn and drew even with the determined Seville Barber, who had taken command at the final fence. From there, the duo raced in tandem to the wire, with Criticize digging in for a half-length tally.

The featured race on the card, the $30,000 Imperial Cup, belonged to newcomer Boulette, a 4-year-old Irish-bred owned by Paul and Molly Willis, also NSA newcomers, who achieved success last season with Historic Heart, who runs in the colors of Willis' US-UK syndicate Atlantic Friends Racing. With apprentice rider Parker Hendriks aboard and getting break in the weights of seven to 18 pounds. Boulette took the lead at the start and controlled the pace throughout. At the wire, Boulette was an easy 6 ¼-length winner over William Russell's Animal Kingston.

Keri Brion took over Boulette's training duties after the JCB Finesse Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham in late January. Boulette led to the bottom of the hill and ended up fifth to Pied Piper, who made his next start in the prestigious Cheltenham Festival earlier this month, finishing third in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

Probably the most hard-fought win of the day came in the $20,000 handicap for horses rated at 110 or less. Coming off a layoff of 577 days, Petticoats Loose Farm's Gaye Breeze earned his first trip to the winner's circle since breaking his maiden over jumps at Fair Hill in 2019. His previous start came at Saratoga on Aug. 26, 2020. Under the tutelage of trainer-jockey Sean McDermott, the nine-year-old made his move on the final turn, hooking the leaders after the last fence, and holding off Potter Group USA's Don't Shout by a half length.

And at the Cheshire Hunt Races

Nearly 700 miles from Aiken, a trio of three-mile, $10,000 timber races showcasing amateur and apprentice riders highlighted a full day of action and family fun in Pennsylvania on Sunday.

In the featured Louis A. Paddy Neilson III Memorial, an allowance event, Boudinot Farms' Elusive Exclusive gave Leslie Young her third triumph of the weekend. With Virginia Korrell in the irons, the 9-year-old veteran won for the second time in three starts since coming over from Ireland last season, where he raced 26 times without a victory. For most of the race, Elusive Exclusive tracked pacesetter Renegade River. He took a narrow lead two fences from home, and got up in the final strides to edge Holwood Stable's Road to Oz by a length. It was a solid performance by the runnerup, who closed out 2021 with an allowance win at the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup Races.

Nancy Reed's Awesome Adrian, who finished second in a division of the 2021 Neilson, was the winner of the Cheshire Bowl open timber contest for jockey Parker Hendriks and trainer Kathy Neilson. The 9-year-old Maryland-bred, a veteran of 36 trips to the post, settled at the rear of the field of four, then unleashed a strong rally to assume the lead just before the final fence. Hendriks persevered through the stretch to hold off Ballybristol Farm's Mercoeur, who courageously continued to give chase despite setting the pace from the start.

Star-timber-Jockey-turned-trainer Mark Beecher took the Buttonwood Farm maiden with South Branch Equine's Master Seville. The lightly raced 6-year-old Pennsylvania-bred, who prior to Sunday's race had made only four career starts – three of which were DNFs – settled in mid-pack, rallied and led over the final two fences, and held gamely under jockey Brett Owings, who was riding the horse for the first time. Black and Blue Stable's Fletched, under Elizabeth Scully, raced close to the lead throughout, and stayed on strongly to hold second, beaten by a length.

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Eugene Melnyk Passes Away at 62

Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and a prominent horse owner and breeder who was a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, has passed away at age 62. His death was announced Monday by the Senators, which posted a statement from Melnyk's family on its website, which noted that he died “after an illness he faced with determination and courage.” The team did not disclose the exact cause of death. He underwent a liver transplant in 2015.

A native of Toronto, Melnyk won his first Queen's Plate in 1998 with Archers Bay (Silver Deputy), a horse he purchased at the Keeneland September sale for $120,000.

“It's everyone's dream,” he said of winning the Queen's Plate. “You can't imagine what it's like to come here and win the Queen's Plate. I've owned claiming horses and I've run Standardbreds at small tracks. But to have one that can win the Queen's Plate is something one can only dream. This [Woodbine] is my old stomping grounds. I used to come here every weekend.”

Over the next several years, Melnyk would invest heavily in the sport and at one point his racing and breeding stock included 500 horses. Teaming up with trainer Todd Pletcher, he won an Eclipse Award for the top sprinter Speightstown (Gone West), the winner of the 2004 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. The Eclipse champion sprinter that season, Speightstown has gone on to a stellar stallion career standing at WinStar Farm.

For Melnyk, Pletcher developed another star in Flower Alley in 2005. The son of Distorted Humor won the GI Travers S. and three other graded stakes before being retired in 2006. Flower Alley sired 2012 GI Kentucky Derby and Preakness S. winner I'll Have Another.

Melnyk's other Grade I winners include Harmony Lodge (Hennessy), Lukes Alley (Flower Alley), Host (Chi) (Hussonet), Pool Land (Silver Deputy), Bishop Court Hill (Holy Bull), Marley Vale (Forty Niner) and Tweedside (Thunder Gulch).

Melnyk moved to Barbados, in 1991, naming nearly all of his horses for Barbadian towns and sectors, but stayed heavily involved in Canadian racing. He campaigned 12 Sovereign Award winners and was named Canada's outstanding owner in 2007 and outstanding owner and breeder in 2009. In 2017, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. His Canadian-bred stars include Sealy Hill, who swept the Canadian Filly Triple Crown in 2007 and went on to finish runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf the following season.

“Eugene Melnyk was a true Canadian sportsman, one of our leading owners, and a dear friend of Woodbine and the horse racing industry here in Ontario. His contributions to the sport were significant and he was recognized with many accomplishments and awards along the way, highlighted by Sovereign Awards, an Eclipse Award, and ultimately being enshrined in the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. On behalf of Woodbine Entertainment, we send our deep condolences to his family and friends,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment.

In 2013, Melnyk cut back substantially on his racing and breeding operation, offering several of his top horses through Taylor Made at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, where Pool Land attracted a sales-topping $900,000 from Live Oak Plantation. Sealy Hill made $590,000 from Regis Farms at the same event and would go on to become the dam of $1.25-million Keeneland September purchase GISW Cambier Parc (Medaglia d'Oro). A further sale of Melnyk racemares and weanlings was held at Fasig-Tipton in the summer of 2014, where Mahogany Lane (A.P. Indy), a daughter of Marley Vale, topped the offerings on a bid of $315,000 from Calumet Farm. According to Equibase, Melnyk made just 22 starts in 2015, eight in 2016 and ran his last horse in 2017. In addition to Pletcher, Melnyk employed the services of trainers Josie Carroll, Mark Casse and Tom Albertrani.

“I've already won a Breeders' Cup,” he said. “I've won each leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, both female and male. I've won Eclipse Awards. At one point, you've reached the peak and you've done it all and you've won it all.” He was also quoted as saying, “I bred the best to the best and some worked out, but 98% don't work out.”

Melnyk is a former trustee of the New York Racing Association, a co-recipient of the National Turf Writers Association's Joe Palmer Award and was also named Owner of the Year in 2005 by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

According to Wikipedia, Melnyk was the founder, chairman, and CEO of Biovail Corporation, once Canada's largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company with more than C$1-billion in annual revenue. He sold almost all of his holdings of the company by 2010. Canadian Business magazine ranked Melnyk 79th on its 2017 list of Canada's 100 wealthiest people, with a net worth of $1.21 billion.

In 2003, Melnyk purchased the Senators along with their arena, then known as the Corel Centre, for US$92 million. The Senators played in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2007, losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.

“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “The words 'passion' and 'commitment' define the man who has owned the Ottawa Senators since 2003. While successful in business, it was our game and his Senators that he was most passionate about. Eugene was often outspoken, but he maintained an unwavering commitment to the game and his roots and he loved nothing more than donning a Senators sweater and cheering on his beloved team. On behalf of the entire National Hockey League, I extend my deepest sympathies to Eugene's daughters, Anna and Olivia, his extended family, and all those who benefited from his generosity.”

Melnyk was also known for his philanthropy and concentrated his efforts on charities that helped children and the elderly. According to Wikipedia, Melnyk donated $1 million to the Belmont Child Care Association for the construction of the child care center now known as Anna House. The facility was named after his daughter.

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