June, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Tyler Conner Upsets Penn Mile En Route To Jockey Of The Week Title

Local leading rider, Tyler Conner, put his familiarity with the Penn National main track and turf course to very good use on Friday, winning three of the six stakes including an upset win in the Grade 2 Penn Mile. A panel of racing experts voted Conner Jockey of the Week for May 31 through June 5. The award honors jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.

Conner's stakes wins began in the third race on Friday riding for trainer Erin McClellan on Maldives Model in the $100,000 Lyphard Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. Breaking alertly from post position two in the field of eight, Maldives Model made every pole a winning one to take the 1 1/16-mile turf test by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:48.40.

Trainer James Lawrence II gave a leg up to Conner on Wow Whata Summer in the $400,000, Grade 2 Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on the turf, the flagship event at Penn National. Off as the seventh choice in the eight-horse field with the turf rated as soft, Conner and Wow Whata Summer raced in second along the rail before overtaking pace setter Uncaptured Spirit turning into the stretch. The duo went on the post a 1 1/4-length win in 1:42.39 for the shocking 83-1 upset over the prohibitive favorite, Annapolis. The win was the biggest career score for Conner.

Conner was next aboard Nimitz Class for trainer Bruce Kravits in the $100,000 Danzig Stakes for 3-year-old Pennsylvania-breds. Settling early in the six-furlong main track event, Nimitz Class went three wide on the turn, overcame traffic trouble in the stretch to post a 1 3/4-length win in 1:09.82 over nine rivals as the second favorite.

Born in Lancaster, Pa., near Penn National, the 28-year-old Conner has been riding since 2014 but being a jockey was not his first career. He competed in motocross motorcycle racing as a youngster and thought he could make a living. After serious injuries, however, he looked for an alternative career choice. Being from a racing family with a father who was a trainer and his mother who was a jockey and a steward, Conner thought with that background and his competitive nature, the transition to riding was a natural. Penn National has been his home base with occasional trips to mid-Atlantic tracks as well as a year riding in California. With 986 wins through June 4, Conner is close to recording his 1,000th career win.

Conner's statistics for the week were 18-6-4-5 and total purse earnings of $453,916. Conner led all jockeys in stakes earnings with $378,400.

Conner outpolled fellows jockeys Tyler Gaffalione with two stakes and nine total wins, Alex M. Cruz who also won nine races, Julien Leparoux with a graded stakes win and also recorded his 1,000th Churchill Downs career win, and Luis Saez who won his 3,000th career race.

The post Tyler Conner Upsets Penn Mile En Route To Jockey Of The Week Title appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Catalog For Fasig-Tipton July Sale Now Online

Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 302 selected yearlings for The July Sale, to be held on Tuesday, July 12, at the company's Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Ky. The sale will begin at 10 a.m.

“We look forward to leading off yearling sales season with another strong July catalog of precocious, athletic yearlings,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “The sale will begin with the Freshman Sire Showcase – a tremendous success last year following its reintroduction – and then transition into the more proven sire-laden segment of the catalog. We have very strong representation from leading general sires this year.”

According to statistics recently released by The BloodHorse Marketwatch, Fasig-Tipton July is the top-ranked major North American yearling sales by percentage of stakes winners, winners, and two-year-old winners. It is ranked second by percentage of graded stakes winners and earners of $150,000 or more, only trailing Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Sale in these categories. The sale is ranked third by percentage of Grade 1 winners.

This year's catalog cover features recent graduates of both the July Sale and 2020 Selected Yearlings Showcase, Fasig-Tipton's only selected yearling sale in Kentucky that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Featured on the front cover are Grade 1 winners Kalypso, Cyberknife, Grace Adler, and Jack Christopher. The back cover features another 15 graded stakes winners, including Bell's the One, Forbidden Kingdom, Lone Rock, Smile Happy, Special Reserve, and Tiz the Bomb.

“July is the sale to find athletes and the stats bear that out,” noted Browning. “Moreover, one only needs to look at this year's catalog cover to see the strength of graduates generated from Fasig-Tipton's yearling selection process.”

Nominations are also now open for Fasig-Tipton's July Selected Horses of All Ages Sale, which will be held the day prior to The July Sale, on Monday, July 11. Traditionally the sale offered just horses of racing age, but this year has been expanded to include breeding stock. Fasig-Tipton will accept nominations up until sale time; however, to make the initial catalog release, entries should be finalized by June 17.

The July Sale catalog may now be viewed online and will also be available via the Equineline catalogue app. Print catalogs will be available by June 17.

The post Catalog For Fasig-Tipton July Sale Now Online appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Britain’s Riding A Dream Academy Secures Three-Year Funding From Racing Foundation

The Riding A Dream Academy which supports young riders aged 14-18 from diverse ethnic backgrounds, under-represented communities and urban equestrian centers has been awarded three years' seed funding by the Racing Foundation to expand its programs following a hugely successful pilot year.

The Academy currently runs the year-long Khadijah Mellah Scholarship for talented riders and a rider-based Residential Week which acts as an introduction to British horse racing. Moving forward, it will also add a non-rider Residential Week to cater for the large numbers of young people who have applied to the Academy but lacked access to horses and sufficient riding experience, and Regional Weeks to take the Academy out to local communities. All programs will be delivered by the hugely talented team at the British Racing School.

Rob Hezel, Chief Executive of the Racing Foundation said: “The Racing Foundation would like to congratulate Naomi Lawson and Oli Bell, two individuals with a genuine desire to drive change in the racing industry, on launching the next stage of the Riding a Dream Academy. We are delighted to fund the Academy as it builds on the success of its pilot year and delivers tangible, life-enhancing opportunities for young people passionate about racing.”

Co-founder Naomi Lawson, who will move from Great British Racing to lead the Academy said: “Being able to provide amazing opportunities to talented riders and young people with an interest in horse racing from a wide range of communities is at the heart of the Academy and we are excited to be able to expand our programs and reach many more individuals thanks to the Racing Foundation's funding. The pilot has demonstrated the impact that the Academy can have in making racing more diverse and inclusive with our students already working in the industry, applying for the Foundation course and taking up other opportunities within the sport.”

ITV Racing's Oli Bell, co-founder of the Academy, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Racing Foundation for their enduring support of the Riding A Dream Academy and for sharing our vision of a more diverse and inclusive sport. The Foundation have been with us from the start when they helped to fund the original Riding A Dream documentary which followed Khadijah Mellah's incredible story, through to our pilot year. For us to be in the position to support many other young people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds through their funding is a fitting legacy to all that Khadijah achieved and will help racing identify and support diverse talent from across the country.”

A parent of one of the current Academy students said: “My daughter is part of the Riding A Dream Academy and the positive impact it has had on her life has been immeasurable. Her lifelong dream of training as a jockey has been made possible by this opportunity and I hope she can continue to work towards her goals now that this door has opened. It has literally changed her life in ways I could not have made possible – I am forever grateful.”

The Academy was set up as a legacy to the achievements of Khadijah Mellah who became the first British Muslim woman to win a horse race in the UK when landing the Magnolia Cup at Goodwood in 2019 and aims to increase diversity and inclusion in British horse racing.

To date, 60 percent of the Academy's applicants have been from a diverse ethnic background, with 73 percent of students in the pilot year coming from a diverse ethnic background. This compares to just 2 percent of jockeys from a diverse ethnic background and between 3-5 percent of individuals who currently go on the industry's entry level Foundation Course.

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Fasig-Tipton’s July Sale Catalogue Released

The catalogue for The July Sale at Fasig-Tipton will feature 302 selected yearlings and has been published online. The July Sale will be held Tuesday, July 12 at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, beginning at 10 a.m.

“We look forward to leading off yearling sales season with another strong July catalogue of precocious, athletic yearlings,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “The sale will begin with the Freshman Sire Showcase–a tremendous success last year following its reintroduction–and then transition into the more proven sire-laden segment of the catalogue. We have very strong representation from leading general sires this year.”

The catalogue cover for the sale features recent graduates of both the July Sale and 2020 Selected Yearlings Showcase, Fasig-Tipton's only selected yearling sale in Kentucky that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fasig graduates and GISWs Kalypso (Brody's Cause), Cyberknife (Gun Runner), Grace Adler (Curlin), and Jack Christopher (Munnings) are prominently displayed on the front cover.

“July is the sale to find athletes and the stats bear that out,” said Browning. “Moreover, one only needs to look at this year's catalogue cover to see the strength of graduates generated from Fasig-Tipton's yearling selection process.”

In addition to The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton will also host the July Selected Horses of All Ages Sale Monday, July 11. The sale was recently rebranded to include breeding stock. Nominations are accepted up until sale time.

As well as online at Fasig-Tipton's site, The July Sale catalogue may also be viewed via the Equineline catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available by June 17.

The post Fasig-Tipton’s July Sale Catalogue Released appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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