Punchestown Festival: Robbie Power to retire after Friday’s Champion Hurdle
Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning jockey Robbie Power says he will retire after Friday's Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.
Month: April 2022
Notable US-Breds in Japan: May 1, 2022
In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. We have one horse to focus on over the coming weekend at Hanshin Racecourse. The weekend's main event takes place Sunday at Tokyo with the running of the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over a metric two miles:
Sunday, May 1, 2022
5th-HSN, ¥14,250,000 ($109k), Allowance, 3yo, 1400mT
MOZU GOLD BARREL (f, 3, Optimizer–Sweeter Still {Ire}, by Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) validated 1-2 favoritism in winning her maiden cozily on debut over 1400 meters at Chukyo in late December (see below, SC 1) and drops precipitously in class and is back in trip off a pair of competitive efforts at Group 3 level over a mile in her last two starts. Breeder Timothy Thompson acquired this filly's Grade III-winning dam for $1,500 at Keeneland November in 2018 and saw the mare's value begin to skyrocket when her foal of 2017, a Kitten's Joy colt named Kameko, won the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at the tail end of 2019. Kameko would go on to add the 2020 G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Mozu Gold Barrel fetched $190K at KEESEP that fall. A half-sister to G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Kingsbarns (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Group 3 winner Belle Artiste (Ire) (Namid {GB}), Sweeter Still has foaled fillies by Kitten's Joy in each of the last two seasons. B-Timothy Lesley Thompson (KY)
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Corniche Nearing Return
He has yet to run this year, which has turned GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche (Quality Road) into the forgotten horse in the 3-year-old male division. That, however, may be about to change. Corniche has had two recent works at WinStar Farm and, according to Marette Farrel, an advisor to owners K.C. Weiner and Peter Fluor, the colt will return to the racetrack within a couple of weeks.
“His last work at WinStar [four furlongs in :48.94 last Saturday], they said that it was an 'A' work,” Farrel said. “He couldn't have been more impressive.”
Corniche, a $1.5-million purchase at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale, debuted Sept. 4 for trainer Bob Baffert, breaking his maiden by 4 1/4 lengths. Up next was a 3 1/4-length win in the GI American Pharoah and then a 1 3/4-length victory in the Breeders' Cup. Named 2-year-old male champion, Corniche was the early favorite for the GI Kentucky Derby and his connections began to plot a course to get him to Churchill Downs. But there was a problem. Corniche was not flourishing.
“He really only got 30 days off,” Farrel said. “He didn't come to WinStar until the beginning of December. The first week of January, he started jogging and then he started galloping. It was then that he didn't bloom like he should have.”
Farrel said there were rumors that Corniche had suffered some kind of physical setback, but says that was never the case. But he wasn't showing the connections what they wanted to see. With the calendar entering mid-March and with Corniche still not having had a workout, a decision had to be made. Press on for the Derby or come up with an alternate plan?
“He was a little slow to come around physically and he was still holding on to his winter coat,” Farrel said. “Peter and K.C. had a choice to make in March. Do you push the horse and rush him to the Derby or do you let the horse come back naturally in his own time and in his own way? They are very successful businessmen and they understand big picture things. They said, 'We want to do right by the horse.' Let him tell us what he wants to do and when he wants to do it. I applaud Peter and K.C. for taking what is, in my opinion, the right road.”
But that meant giving up on any chance to win the Kentucky Derby.
“There hasn't been any frustration,” Farrel said. “They took the horsemen's path and did the right thing by the horse. They weren't shortsighted and said, 'Let's go for it, let's take a chance.' If they did that they might not have had any horse left after running him in the Derby.”
Corniche's first published workout of the year came on Apr. 15 when he breezed three furlongs in :36.80 at WinStar. It was exactly what his team had been looking for, a sign that he was finally coming around. After one or two more works at WinStar, the next step for Corniche will be to return to the track and continue to work toward his first start of the year. The problem with that is that his return will come while Baffert is serving a 90-day suspension for the betamethasone positive he was hit with in last year's Kentucky Derby. That opens up the possibility that Corniche will be turned over to a new trainer. Farrel said the owners have yet to reach a decision concerning who will get the horse.
Farrel said the main goals will be the GI Haskell S. and the GI Travers S. and she is confident Corniche will be ready by then and will return to top form. The Derby and the entire Triple Crown may be out, but Corniche may still make something out of what so far has been a lost year.
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Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings, Apr. 19-25
Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.
Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.
California
Track: Santa Anita
Date: 04/20/2022
Licensee: Ed Moger, trainer
Penalty: $500 fine
Violation: Out of competition medication violation
Explainer: Trainer Ed Moger, who worked the horse Squalotoro for removal from the Veterinarian's List on March 10, 2022, at Santa Anita Park, is fined $500.00 pursuant to California Horse Racing Board Rules #1887(a) (Trainer or Owner to Insure Condition of Horse) for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1866(h) (Veterinarian's List), #1843(a)(b)(d) (Medication, Drugs and Other Substances) and Rule #1843.1(a) (Prohibited Drug Substances – Phenylbutazone – Class 4).
Track: Santa Anita
Date: 04/20/2022
Licensee: Bob Hess, trainer
Penalty: $500 fine
Violation: Out of competition medication violation
Explainer: Trainer Robert Hess, who worked the horse Rantanen for removal from the Veterinarian's List on February 14, 2022, at Santa Anita Park, is fined $500.00 pursuant to California Horse Racing Board Rules #1887 (Trainer or Owner to Insure Condition of Horse) for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1866(h) (Veterinarian's List), #1843(a)(b)(d) (Medication, Drugs and Other Substances), Rule 1844(d)(1) (Authorized Medication) and Rule #1843.1 (Prohibited Drug Substances – 5-Hydroxy Dantrolene [Class 4]).
Track: Santa Anita
Date: 04/20/2022
Licensee: Diego Herrera, jockey
Penalty: $1,000 fine
Violation: Excessive use of the whip
Explainer: Apprentice Jockey Diego Herrera is fined $1,000.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1688(b)(8)(d) (Use of Riding Crop – more than six times – third offense in the past sixty days) during the eighth race at Santa Anita Park on April 17, 2022.
Kentucky
The following ruling was not posted in time for inclusion last week.
Track: Keeneland
Date: 04/10/2022
Licensee: Brian Hernandez, Jr., jockey
Penalty: $500 fine
Violation: Excessive use of the whip
Explainer: After waiving his right to a hearing before the Board of Stewards, Brian J. Hernandez, Jr., who rode Cilla in the seventh race at Keeneland on April 9, 2022, was found to have violated the crop regulation. This being his first offense, Mr. Hernandez was given the option and chose to pay a fine. Brian Hernandez, Jr. is hereby fined $500.00 for his improper use of the riding crop by exceeding the allowable use in the overhand manner. Upon receipt of this ruling, it is required within 30 days to pay any and all fines imposed to the Kentucky horse Racing Commission. Failure to do so will subject the licensee to summary suspension of license pursuant to 810 KAR 3:020 Section 15 (cc).
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