Month: June 2022

Another Great Navigator, Another Star?

The minute owner Vincent Annarella of Holly Crest Farm named a New Jersey-bred he owned and bred Great Navigator (Sea Wizard), the colt had a lot to live up to. The name was borrowed from the first Great Navigator (Gulch), who was trained by a longtime Monmouth Park stalwart, the late John Mazza, and won the 1992 GI Hopeful S. at Saratoga. Could this one be as good? It's not out of the question.

Running in an open-company maiden special weight race on the June 4 card at Monmouth, Great Navigator won by 5 3/4 lengths, covering the 4 1/2 furlongs in 52.34 seconds.

“I don't know how good he is,” winning trainer Eddie Owens, Jr. said. “I know he's a nice horse. How far will he go? I don't know. He's going to grow and is only going to get bigger. After he passed those horses, the jockey pretty much eased up on him. He might be a lot better than I think he is.”

The first Great Navigator was owned by Ron and Rosemary Shockley. He was bred in Kentucky and was bought for $70,000 at a Fasig-Tipton 2-year-old sale. After breaking his maiden at Monmouth by eight lengths, he finished second in the Tyro S. and third in the GII Sapling S. before registering the upset in the Hopeful at 24-1. He would go on to win three more stakes and finish second in the GII Fountain of Youth. He had to be euthanized after breaking down in the 1993 Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup at Atlantic City. He was later buried in the Monmouth Park infield.

Mazza passed away in May of 2020 at the age of 82. In what was one of the final chapters to his training career, he trained New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year Horologist (Gemologist) through the first part of her career and won the GIII Monmouth Oaks with her in 2019. He also trained Sea Wizard (Uncle Mo) during his brief career.

Though Annarella did not own the first Great Navigator, he was closely connected to Mazza throughout his long training career, as Mazza served as the private trainer for Holly Crest for about 50 years. To name a horse in honor of the best horse Mazza ever trained was a fitting way to remember a person who was beloved on the Monmouth backstretch. When Mazza passed away, Owens, his former assistant, took over as Holly Crest's trainer.

“John was a good friend of mine” said Owens, a Long Branch, NJ, resident. “I was the assistant to Joe Orseno for 17, 18 years. We were in the barn next to John's and then in the same barn. He was the nicest guy. We talked almost every day and he always asked me to come to work for him. When Joe didn't send any horses to New Jersey in 2019, I took John up on his offer.”

Owens said he would have preferred to run Great Navigator first time out in a Jersey-bred race, but there weren't any scheduled for 2-year-old maidens until the last week of June. Knowing his horse was ready to run, he opted for the open- company maiden.

With Jairo Rendon aboard, Great Navigator, sent off at 17-1, settled into third early. He started rolling coming out of the far turn and rushed past the pacesetters in mid-stretch to win easily.

“I wouldn't have ran him in that race if I didn't think he could compete against those horses.” Owens said. “I thought he would run well and I wasn't surprised that he did run well. I was surprised that he finished so strong. I was wondering if I had him tight enough. I guess I did.”

It was a big day not only for Great Navigator, but also for his sire. Sea Wizard was picked out by Mazza at the 2015 OBS March 2-Year-Old Sale, where he sold for $190,000. For Mazza and owner Mac Nichol, he finished second in his debut in an Oct. 11, 2015 race at Belmont before winning a March 27, 2016 maiden at Gulfstream by three lengths. Mazza had big plans for the colt but he was injured and never ran again after the maiden win. He never got a chance to show what he could do on the racetrack.

Sea Wizard stands at stud at Sam Fieramosca's Colonial Farms in Colts Neck, New Jersey, for a stud fee of $1,500. On the same day that Great Navigator won so impressively, Owens and Holly Crest sent out another first-time starter by the sire, the 2-year-old Jersey-bred filly Carats Forever (Sea Wizard). Also facing open company, she flashed some early speed before finishing third, 3 1/4 lengths behind the winner.

“I knew she would run well,” Owens said. “What surprised me with her was that she was on the front end battling. I was hoping she would relax a little more.”

Great Navigator and Carats Forever were the first two horses by Sea Wizard to make a start. It's early, but Sea Wizard showed a lot of promise during his brief career and his first two foals ran beyond expectations in their debuts. He is an interesting sire.

Owens isn't sure what is next for Great Navigator and said he will look for a stakes race for him. With few options available in the early summer months for 2-year-olds that have broken their maidens, Great Navigator's next race could come in the July 16 GIII Sanford S. at Saratoga. The Sanford, of course, is a prep for the Hopeful, run this year on Sept. 5, 30 years and six days after the original Great Navigator won the race.

“How good is this horse?” Owens said. “We're going to find out.”

 

The post Another Great Navigator, Another Star? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Heat Advisory Forces Racing Cancellations At Churchill, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Belterra

Thursday's eight-race program at Churchill Downs has been cancelled because of excessive heat in the Louisville area.

Racing at Churchill Downs is scheduled to resume Friday at 12:45 p.m. ET, although track officials will continue to monitor the forecast. Any decision about cancellations in extreme weather conditions is made through consultation with CDI's Equine Medical Director, track management and regulatory officials. Many factors, including temperature, humidity and wind speeds, are evaluated to ensure the safety and well-being of human and equine athletes.

Guests may exchange pre-purchased tickets for another comparable race day this year. Ticket exchanges can be made at any Churchill Downs box office location throughout the live racing season. Guests who ordered tickets through Ticketmaster online may visit help.ticketmaster.com for existing order support.

This marks the 23rd cancellation in track history and second in as many days. Wednesday's eight-race card also was cancelled because of excessive heat.

Due to high forecasted temperatures in Central Indiana, the racing programs for Tuesday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 15, at Horseshoe Indianapolis have been canceled.

Oak Grove Racing, the harness track in Southern Kentucky, will also cancel its planned cards for Monday and Tuesday, according to a post on the Kentucky Harness Horsemen's Facebook page.

On Sunday, Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, cancelled its scheduled afternoon program due to oppressive heat that has gripped the Southwest. Its next scheduled live racing day is on Thursday, June 16.

The Ohio HBPA alerted horsemen on Monday: “Belterra Park management has decided to cancel racing tomorrow, Tuesday, June 14, due to extreme heat. The card will be made up as drawn on Friday, June 17. Any horsemen wishing to scratch due to scheduling conflicts can do so without penalty.”

The post Heat Advisory Forces Racing Cancellations At Churchill, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Belterra appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Northern California Trainer Jonathan Wong Records 1,000th Career Win

Trainer Jonathan Wong recorded the 1,000th victory of his career on June 11 at Golden Gate Fields when Evin Roman guided first-time starter Opening Buzz to a seven-length score in a maiden special weight race for 3-year-old fillies run over the Albany, Calif., track's Tapeta surface.

The California-bred daughter of Stanford was bred and owned by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds.

Wong, 33, a San Francisco native, took out his trainer's license late in 2014, winning his first race with his eighth starter, Pressure Time, on Feb. 6, 2015. He won his first training title at Golden Gate Fields in 2018, edging perennial leader Jerry Hollendorfer, and has dominated the Bay Area track's trainer standings ever since with a stable upwards of 100 horses.

He won the title for Golden Gate's 2022 meet that ended June 12 with 71 wins from 349 starts. Isidro Tamayo was second with 47 wins from 238 starts.

Wong maintains a smaller string in Southern California, where he won his first Grade 1 race in 2020, the Gamely Stakes with Keeper Of the Stars, who the previous year gave Wong his first graded stakes win in the G3 Autumn Miss Stakes.

“I watched the Gamely on the couch at home with my family,” said Wong, who was unable to go to Santa Anita because of COVID restrictions put in place after a serious outbreak at Golden Gate.

Keeper Ofthe Stars winning the Gamely at Santa Anita

Wong was attracted to racing after a family friend invited him to the track as a child. “I was hooked,” he said. He would later decide to try and make a career of it, going to work for a number of trainers, including Lonny Arterburn, John Martin, Kristin Mulhall, and Art Sherman, before going out on his own.

“Never did I think it would get to this,” Wong said.

Wong recognizes owners Tommy Town, Michael Nentwig, Scott Herbertson, Gary Madden, Johnny Tabowada, among others, but said his wife, Meagan, “has been my biggest supporter.” The couple has two boys, one girl and another girl due to arrive in October.

Wong's horses are easy to spot in races as they all wear a black and white breaking strap around their neck. “The majority of my owners don't come out for the races, so they can spot their horses on TV a lot easier than if they didn't have it,” he said. “The white is electrical tape we wrap around the strap.”

Wong is coming off his best year from a races won standpoint, having won 236 races from 1,005 starts. His career totals through June 1: 1,001 victories from 4,128 starts, a 24 percent win percentage, and earnings of $18,004,672.

The post Northern California Trainer Jonathan Wong Records 1,000th Career Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Can Churchill Downs Music Video Attract New Race Fans?

Jack Harlow, one of the most popular up-and-coming rappers in America, was in the spotlight at Churchill Downs when the 24-year-old delivered the 'Riders Up' call for this year's Kentucky Derby. The Louisville native made his visit to the races an all-day event by filming a music video for his new song entitled 'Churchill Downs.'

Named a top new artist at last year's Billboard Music Awards, Harlow's popularity has skyrocketed this year after the release of his album Come Home The Kids Miss You, which includes his No. 1 hit 'First Class.'

The 'Churchill Downs' music video was released on June 1 and instantly became a viral sensation. Performing from a glass enclosure in the infield, Harlow is joined by fellow rapper and pop culture figure Drake, who is featured in the song.

Racing fans will recognize several key moments from Derby Day throughout the video: the turn into the stretch in the GI La Troienne S. with Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) flying on the outside, Jack Christopher (Munnings) taking the lead in the GII Pat Day Mile S., and of course Rich Strike (Keen Ice) squeezing past horses in the GI Kentucky Derby.

Now less than two weeks after its release, the video has over 10.5 million views and is currently one of the top 10 trending music videos on YouTube.

Samantha Bussanich is the co-founder of Nexus Racing Club, a current Godolphin Flying Start trainee, and a big Jack Harlow fan. She has been anticipating the release of this music video since Harlow hinted at its filming during his interview with NBC Sports at the Kentucky Derby.

“In our generation, Jack Harlow is really the next big thing,” she said. “Especially with him being from Kentucky, it's a really big deal to have a superstar like that. All my friends that I went to school with were asking how they can go to the races and maybe see Jack Harlow.”

Bussanich took to social media to share her excitement, but received a surprising stream of backlash from many who disagreed with her belief that a social influencer like Jack Harlow can be positive marketing for racing.

One common argument was that people in their early to mid-20's should not be racing's target market because young people don't have the time and, more importantly, the money to contribute to the industry in a meaningful way.

Busssanich, who recently spent a stint in Australia during her Godolphin Flying Start training, explained that the Australian racing industry is an example of effective marketing that targets an array of race-goer demographics.

“If you're involved in racing at any level, you know that Australian racing is doing it the best,” she said. “Owners, bettors and young people all have a good time. A lot of people get defensive about who is racing's target market. I think that there are multiple target markets and everyone is vital to the success of the industry.”

She pointed out a club in New Zealand called Boy's Get Paid, which was founded 10 years ago by a dozen young men in their mid-20's. According to their website, they were founded as “a group of lads who loved to back a winner.” Their numbers grew over time and today, Boy's Get Paid has over 18,500 members. At the 2020 Karaka Million, their group of 450 people bet $250,000.

“People on social media talk about how the college kid betting $15 or $20 isn't that important, but if you multiply that by 50 or 100, they become vital for the game,” Bussanich explained. “With Jack Harlow's video, even though it might not seem like the biggest deal, it's still getting exposure for the racing industry. If you connect it with something like the Boy's Get Paid club, maybe young people here in the U.S. could become interested in racing and form a club. Those 10 kids could turn into 100 and maybe someday they could buy a horse. It's really about long-term gain.”

Another argument Bussanich encountered was that Harlow's time at Churchill Downs is not the first instance of a famous person stopping by the track. What makes Harlow's Kentucky Derby visit any different?

Bussanich explained that while racing can easily get high-profile names on big race days, the industry often falls short in taking the next step.

“We can't just have a music video and expect people to fall in love with the sport,” she admitted. “We need racetracks and the industry to educate people. The next part of that is about how we grasp people and educate them further from beyond thinking that the track is a fun place to get a drink.”

Again, Bussanich referenced Australian racing as a model worth following.

“In Australia, every trainer has a way for people to get involved,” she said. “If you look on [Hall of Fame Australian trainer] Chris Waller's website, it shows different ways to own horses. There's education there.”

So, can Jack Harlow's music video, and future headlines of pop culture figures at the racetrack, help attract fans who will stick around after the social influencers have come and gone? According to Bussanich, it all depends on how the industry responds.

“Not every day is Kentucky Derby Day, but there are some really awesome events at tracks across the U.S. where young people are bound to have a good time,” she said. “If we can get them to the track and grasp their attention, we need to figure out where to go from there. The education part needs a lot of work. What do we do after we get them to the races? This music video is really great exposure for horse racing and it looks at the highs of the sport in video concept, but now it's about taking that video and seeing what can come from it.”

The post Can Churchill Downs Music Video Attract New Race Fans? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights