Month: June 2022

The Ridler Earns Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Berth With Controversial Norfolk Victory

Steve Bradley's The Ridler (GB) confounded the betting market to pull off a surprise victory in the 5-furlong Norfolk Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds at odds of 50-1 and earned a guaranteed start in the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 4-5.

Just two weeks ago Paul Hanagan, the two-time champion jockey, revealed he would no longer ride as first jockey for trainer Richard Fahey with whom he has a 24-year association. Oisin Orr has since been appointed stable number one.

But Fahey's decision to keep Hanagan on The Ridler paid off when the son of Brazen Beau (AUS) denied the favorite Walbank (IRE), following up the same trainer-jockey triumph with Perfect Power (IRE) in the 2021 Norfolk Stakes.

The connections had to survive a stewards' inquiry as The Ridler, who after challenging widest of the 10 runners in the field, had veered left, impeding Crispy Cat (GB), Brave Nation (IRE) and crossing Walbank on the way to recording a victory by a margin of 1 ¾ lengths. The stewards were satisfied the interference had not improved the winner's placing as Walbank was confirmed runner-up by a neck from Crispy Cat, with Brave Nation finishing fourth.

The Ridler completed the 5 furlongs in 1:05.05 on a course rated good to firm. He also became the highest-priced winner in the history of the Norfolk Stakes.

“It's a worry when you hear the stewards' inquiry klaxon [announcement bell] go but I thought he won so well and pulling up the other lads said I was well clear,” said Hanagan. “When you hit the front there is a lot for a horse to look at here.

“There has been a lot going on but I am just going to enjoy the moment. I've had a few setbacks with injuries and whatsoever but I am here again in the winners' enclosure at Royal Ascot.

“I have to say this is a bit of a surprise,” said winning trainer Fahey. “I would have been happy with a place. He's a good hardy horse and you need a good 6 furlong horse to win this. It was a good performance. It's great for Paul.”

Of the new stable riding arrangements, he added: “It wasn't really a change around, it was about bringing a young guy in and Paul would still ride for us, which he has today.”

The Ridler is named after the Batman supervillain, the Riddler, because he has a birthmark in the shape of a reversed question mark on his face.

“As soon as he was born it was a no-brainer,” said Bradley. “Weatherbys [racing administrators] didn't like the name with two 'ds', I think for copyright reasons, so we settled for one. The fact we bred him as well, you can't describe what this is like. He wasn't hard-pressed to win that and there are loads of other races to come.

“The normal progression, if you look at Perfect Power last year, is to go from here to Goodwood, maybe something in France. I would like to go to the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) at York (Aug. 19) and yes, the Breeders' Cup has got to figure highly in it absolutely.”

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for The Ridler to start in the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which will be run at 5 ½ furlongs. Breeders' Cup also will provide a US$40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.

The post The Ridler Earns Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Berth With Controversial Norfolk Victory appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Weight Breaks for California Jockeys in Pipeline

Following through on a discussion started at last month's meeting, California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) advanced Thursday a rule amendment designed to provide jockeys with weight breaks that are more in line with 21st Century human physiology.

By unanimous vote, the CHRB proposed Thoroughbred rule changes that would raise the minimum weight for established riders from 112 pounds to 114 pounds in overnight races (subject to apprentice allowances) and from 103 to 105 pounds in handicap and stakes races.

The board also advanced a separate amendment that would reduce the amount of overweight a Thoroughbred jockey can carry from seven pounds to five.

According to a staff analysis published in the CHRB's meeting packet, the overweight reduction change “is being done in conjunction with raising the weight minimums for jockeys by two pounds based on discussions with the Jockeys' Guild and racing secretaries.

“Both of these groups agreed that two pounds will help riders' health but not force the racing secretaries to change their average assigned weight too much. Therefore, if we are raising the minimum jockey weight two pounds, we need to drop the maximum allowable overweight two pounds so that we are not adding weight to horses which could introduce animal welfare concerns.”

For Quarter Horse races, “the minimum weight to be carried shall be 120 pounds, regardless of any otherwise permitted allowance,” according to the version of the amendment provided in the meeting packet.

A different rule change also discussed a month ago by the CHRB that would start apprentice allowances at seven pounds (instead of the current 10) is also in the pipeline.

Scott Chaney, the CHRB's executive director, said making amendments to that existing rule are “a lot more extensive” and will be brought before the board at a later date.

There was only minimal commissioner discussion and no members of the public commented on the weight issues. A final vote will take place at a future meeting after another opportunity for commenting.

Opening day sellout looms

In light of management-imposed attendance limitations for the first day of the season July 22, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) president Josh Rubinstein told the CHRB that, “We expect opening day to sell out later this week.”

Rubinstein said that Del Mar will be “significantly reducing general admission ticketing” for opening day only without mentioning a specific attendance cap number.

“Based on the feedback we received in 2021, especially when we hosted the Breeders' Cup, [we have] limited capacity for opening day this summer, which is traditionally our biggest day,” Rubinstein said. “We will continue to sell every box, every table, every seat. But we want to ensure [that] our core customers, the people that are with us week in and week out, have a quality experience. So we are capping opening day.”

Cal Expo back in action

The Thoroughbred meet at Cal Expo (aka Sacramento), which got cancelled the past two years along with the annual summer state fair there, will be back in action July 15-31, with racing on a Friday-through-Sunday basis.

In 2020 and '21, the fairgrounds property got turned into a COVID-19 testing and vaccination facility. Although night harness racing eventually restarted, with the most recent meet concluding in May, the Thoroughbred meets got moved to Pleasanton.

Larry Swartzlander, the executive director of the California Authority of Racing Fairs and the director of racing at Cal Expo, said the track is in “excellent shape,” with 300 horses already stabled on the grounds.

“It's been two years to finally get back to racing over there,” Swartzlander said. “The [California] Governor's Cup will be back–a $75,000 guaranteed race. The overnight purses are being raised approximately $200,000. We don't call it Ship & Win like Del Mar, but we've always had an out-of-state incentive to owners and trainers.”

The state fair operators used the downtime from not hosting a summer fair or Thoroughbred racing over the past two years to make some $18 million in improvements.

Although many of the infrastructural upgrades will not be noticeable (like miles of new underground gas lines, the drilling of a new well, new roofing on buildings), they are the types of long-term facility investments that will enable Cal Expo to conduct future race meets.
Horse people are, however, likely to notice a new restaurant that got built near the stabling area.

The post Weight Breaks for California Jockeys in Pipeline appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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