Month: June 2022

Derby Winner Rich Strike Has His First Gallop at Belmont

Rich Strike (Keen Ice), upset winner of the GI Kentucky Derby, got his first look at the Belmont Park main track on Thursday, galloping 1 1/2 miles over the sloppy going with regular exercise rider Gabriel Lagunes in the irons. The chestnut arrived at Belmont early Wednesday morning to prepare for the GI Belmont S. on June 11.

“It seems like he's done everything a little bit better than I thought he would,” said trainer Eric Reed. “We actually took him out yesterday and we were going to give him one turn–the rider said he wanted to give him another, so he went twice on the [training] track and got used to the pony and made a friend there. Today, we took him to the main track. It was a little wet, so we just went one time around and we kind of made him go at our pace. He didn't care for that. His ears were back and he was wanting to go. So, tomorrow he'll get a chance to go out and train like normal.”

Lagunes added, “He's happy. I think he likes this track. He was pretty fresh and was pulling a little, but he's more relaxed here than at Churchill Downs. There [at Churchill], there are a lot of horses and a lot of traffic and he gets a little stressed. But not here.”

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Harness Trainer Allard Avoids Trial by Pleading Guilty

Harness trainer Rene Allard, who was third in North America in both wins and purse earnings in the year before he was arrested and indicted in the March 2020 international doping conspiracy investigation, on Thursday changed his plea to “guilty” on one felony count of misbranding and altering drugs.

Allard faces up to five years in prison when he gets sentenced Sept. 13.

As part of a June 2 plea agreement in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, Allard also agreed to pay a $628,553 money judgment, which represents the value of the forfeited drugs.

During its investigation of Allard prior to the nationwide sweep two years ago, the FBI intercepted a phone conversation in which two other alleged conspirators in the harness racing industry discussed the deaths of horses trained by Allard after they had been given illegal drugs. One reference caught on wiretap callously described the trainer's operation as the “Allard death camp.”

According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation deposition, a raid of Allard's barn later produced multiple empty syringes, the drug Glycopyrrolate, epinephrine and vials labeled “Thymosine Beta” and “for researching purposes only.”

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First Winner For Massaat

Mickley Stud's first-season sire Massaat (Ire) (by Teofilo {Ire}) had his first winner on Thursday as the Australian Bloodstock acquisition Mascapone (GB) prevailed at Chelmsford. Not seen since finishing fourth in Doncaster's Brocklesby Mar. 26, the 7-4 favourite was anchored in rear early by Jamie Spencer in the opening six-furlong maiden. Delivered to the front with 150 yards remaining, the David Simcock-trained bay asserted to score by 1 1/4 lengths from Lady Lavina (GB) (The Last Lion {Ire}).

Australian Bloodstock's Jamie Lovett, who purchased Mascarpone privately, told TDN Europe, “He comes out of a terrific form race [Brocklesby S.] first time out. My partner, Luke Murrell, rated the race as one of the highest 2-year-old races in some time, and we feel he will be best when he gets out to a mile and could be quite smart with time. He's certainly in great hands in Simcock and Spencer.” The winner is currently the last known foal out of a granddaughter of the distinguished Lunda (Ire) (Soviet Star). She is therefore linked to the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane heroine Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), the G2 Richmond S. and G2 July S.-winning sire Mehmas (Ire) and, topically, the dual G1 Coronation Cup hero Warrsan (Ire).

https://twitter.com/GoffsUK/status/1532420140402352128?s=20&t=Y91wsCaba8kodGccjC249w

1st-Chelmsford City, £8,099, Mdn, 6-2, 2yo, 6f (AWT), 1:14.21, st.
MASCAPONE (GB) (c, 2, Massaat {Ire}–Capelita {GB}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) Sales history: €12,000 Wlg '20 GOFNOV; £4,500 Ylg '21 GOFFUK. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $6,412. O-Australian Bloodstock; B-Mickley Stud & Richard Hunt (GB); T-David Simcock.

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