July, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trainer Joseph O’Brien Will Have String At Saratoga This Summer

Trainer and former jockey Joseph O'Brien, the son of Ballydoyle master Aidan O'Brien, has plans in the works to have a small string at Saratoga this summer, according to bloodhorse.com. The 29-year-old has been granted six stalls in Saratoga Springs.

“It's obviously very competitive action over there so it'll be interesting to see how we get on in our first year (doing this),” O'Brien told bloodhorse.com. “The prize money is very good and we have some owners who would like to be there. They're keen to compete there and so are we. My team will be there, and I'll be over there a bit myself.”

Among the possible runners O'Brien plans to bring to the Spa is Agartha, who runs in this Saturday's Grade 1 Belmont Turf Invitational. The dual Melbourne Cup-winning trainer has also targeted several 2-year-olds for Saratoga, along with a few others.

O'Brien has saddled a dozen flat runners in the United States, with three winners thus far. Among those are Iridessa, winner of the 2019 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and Baron Samedi, winner of the 2021 Belmont Gold Cup.

Japan’s Yoshito Yahagi Will Try To Add July Cup To Burgeoning International Resume

Japanese trainer Yoshito Yahagi admits it would be an “honor” if King Hermes can turn a dream that first materialized 32 years ago into reality and continue what has been a whirlwind 12 months by securing victory in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday (9th July), day three of the Moët & Chandon July Festival.

The Lord Kanaloa colt will bid to become the second Japanese-trained runner to win the prestigious Group One prize, which has a published value of a record £600,000 this year, 22 years after Agnes World provided the country with victory in the prestigious sprint back in 2000.

King Hermes continued his preparation for his next assignment under big race rider Ryusei Sakai this morning when taking part in a five-furlong gallop in front of Yahagi at the July Course.

Victory in the Darley July Cup would be particularly special for Yahagi, who admits his affection for Newmarket started back in 1990 during a stint with the late July Cup-winning trainer Geoff Wragg.

Yahagi said: “I specifically love the July Cup and the July Course. It would be an honour (to win it) and I would be very pleased if that fortunate thing could happen.

“I would like to bring more horses to run in the UK as I spent three months working in the UK with Geoff Wragg 32 years ago under a scholarship to see how things happen with the horses here.

“I've always dreamed of having a winner of the July Cup. That is how much I like the race and the racecourse that is why I'm looking forward to it.”

With only five starts to his name King Hermes, who will be the fourth Japanese horse this century behind Agnes World and Seeking The Dia (12th, 2004) and Keeneland Swan (12th in 2005) to contest the race, is one of the least experienced runners in the field.

However, Yahagi has plenty of confidence that both King Hermes and Sakai, for whom this will be a first ride in Britain, can give a good account of themselves after watching the pair in action today.

Yahagi, who last had a runner in Britain when Deep Brillante was eighth in the 2012 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot, said: “I was a bit conscious that the horse lost his speed in the last furlong, but maybe that was because of the hill. This work will make the horse understand how to run on the day.

“I was worried about (the lack of experience he might have) but after seeing the horse today I'm quite confident he will manage the July Cup.

“It is the first time the jockey has ridden in the UK. Because of visa issues, it is his first time here. He has experience riding in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Australia and France so I'm not worried about that.”

Since becoming the first trainer from Japan to secure a winner at the Breeders' Cup with Loves Only You in the Breeders' Cup Filly And Mare Turf in November last year, Yahagi has subsequently enjoyed a number of notable foreign big-race successes.

After adding a second Breeders' Cup win to his name with Marche Lorraine in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, Yahagi has landed the Hong Kong Cup with Loves Only You plus a treble on Dubai World Cup night at Meydan courtesy of wins for Panthalassa, in the Dubai Turf, Stay Foolish in the Dubai Gold Cup and Bathrat Leon in the Godolphin Mile.

Having raced over a mile on his last two starts King Hermes will have to prove he can cope with reverting back to six furlongs for the first time in more than a year if he is to add his name to that list. However, Yahagi believes the drop back in trip will be no issue.

Yahagi added: “My idea for the ideal distance for the horse is seven furlongs but since you have the incline, maybe the six furlongs will be good for the horse.

“After Dubai, maybe in April, we identified the July Cup as a target.

“It is really difficult to compare him to Agnes World as he was a very nice sprinter. This horse is young and inexperienced so we are just looking forward to what is going to happen on July Cup day.”

The post Japan’s Yoshito Yahagi Will Try To Add July Cup To Burgeoning International Resume appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Stanley Cup Champion Erik Johnson Joins Writers’ Room

As far back as he can remember, and that includes 15 long years and over 900 career games in the NHL, defenseman Erik Johnson of the Colorado Avalanche has been chasing the ultimate dream of winning the Stanley Cup. A week and a half ago, Johnson, who also owns ERJ Racing over in our corner of the world, realized that dream, as his Avalanche took out the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Stanley Cup Final. Still glowing from that triumph, Johnson joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday as the Green Group Guest of the Week to describe the whirlwind he and his teammates have been on since last Sunday night, his plans to take the Stanley Cup to Del Mar for Pacific Classic day, his thoughts on the vastly improved safety of California racing and more.

Asked to compare his Cup victory to potentially reaching the mountaintop in racing, winning a race like the Kentucky Derby with ERJ, Johnson didn't mince words, saying, “I've never won the Derby, but I imagine this feels 1,000 times better. Because when you're an owner in the Derby, you're a spectator and you have no impact on what happens. When you're part of a team that wins the Stanley Cup, and you're actually out there doing it with your teammates, and it's something that you've put your whole life into since you were a kid, you can't top this feeling. It's just amazing, and I'm lucky because not a lot of people get to experience this. I've played with a lot of great players who never won.”

Southern California racing, mired in so many negative headlines during the rash of breakdowns at Santa Anita in 2019, has made–unfortunately–smaller headlines for a drastically improved safety record in the two years since. Johnson, who primarily races in California, was asked about the work California racing has done to correct such a dire problem.

“I think they've done a great job,” he said. “No matter what, you're not going to escape the negativity. There's always going to be someone that's upset. But seeing the statistics that have come out recently, there probably was a need for some reform and the leadership has done a really good job throughout the state. I think what's really helped is those pre-race checks. Every horse gets checked out, and I'm sure it makes some owners upset because some of their horses won't run after you've paid 30, 60 days worth of bills getting your horse ready to run, then they pull it out. But for the betterment and longevity of the game, those are things that needed to happen and steps that needed to be taken. So overall I think [California officials] should be commended. They've done awesome, and the game is now in a much better place than it was just a couple of years ago.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to a weekend full of huge performances on the racetrack and Terence Collier's letter to the editor criticizing Bill Finley's argument for fewer stakes races. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Stanley Cup Champion Erik Johnson Joins Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Respiratory Illness Update: Strangles Most Common In Older Horses

A voluntary biosurveillance program has allowed for the study of 10,296 horses with respiratory tract infections over the last 13 years in the United States.

Researchers discovered that the bacterial or viral cause of illness was only able to be determined in 23.8 percent of horses suffering from acute onset of fever and upper respiratory tract issues. The cause of issues in the remaining 76.2 percent of horses was never determined.

Respiratory diseases are one of the most prevalent issues in young performance horses and often cause horses to miss training and competitions. Veterinarians often struggle to determine whether respiratory infections are viral or bacterial; this is an important distinction because the treatment for each type of infection differs.

Lead researcher Dr. Nicola Pusterla noted that unknown viruses could have been responsible for respiratory disease in some of the inconclusive cases, but added that there is a need to investigate the nature of novel viruses and their association with clinical disease.

It's not uncommon for horses to travel around the world for competition and sport, increasing the risk of pathogen transmission, as evidenced by recent EHV outbreaks. Determining the factors for upper respiratory tract disease and the factors for each pathogen can not only help to determine the nature of infection, but also how to control its spread.

The researchers used molecular-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing to determine whether equine influenza virus (6.8 percent), equine herpesvirus-1 (0.7 percent), equine herpesvirus-4 (6.6 percent), equine rhinitis A and B viruses (2.3 percent), or S. equi (4.7 percent), which causes strangles, were present.

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The team learned that most of the respiratory infections were found in colder months; viral infections were found in younger performance horses (4 years old and younger) and strangles was most often found in older pleasure horses (5 years old and older).

Clinical signs included fever (73 percent), nasal discharge (67.8 percent), lethargy (65.3 percent), poor appetite (53.8 percent), and coughing (43.5 percent). Coughing was most common with equine flu.

Nearly one-third of all cases were vaccinated against equine flu and/or equine herpesvirus-1 and 4, though vaccination against S. equi was uncommon.

Study results do not offer conclusive data to determine whether an illness was caused by a virus or bacterium. Diagnostic testing is still necessary.

Read the study here.