September, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Brown Secures Saratoga Training Title As Emaraaty Goes Wire To Wire In Bernard Baruch

Trainer Chad Brown clinched his fifth H. Allen Jerkens Award for leading trainer at Saratoga Race Course and secured his 12th stakes triumph of the summer meet when saddling Emaraaty to his first graded win in $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap (G3) on closing day at the upstate New York track.

“I'm just so proud of my team and my horses,” Brown said. “So many hard-working co-workers and teammates. I'm so proud of them – they were so consistent with all of their tasks coming off a big Belmont meet. It appeared to me that we had really ran a lot of our ammunition so to speak at Belmont, but they were able to keep these horses in good form.”

Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael J. Caruso, Emaraaty has found the winner's circle four times since moving to the United States, all of which have taken place at Saratoga. The 7-year-old Dubawi gelding joined Brown's barn in the summer of 2019 and made a winning debut that July before finishing fourth in that year's Bernard Baruch – his lone loss at the Spa. He entered Monday's test from a one-mile allowance optional claiming win on August 4 over the inner turf, defeating graded stakes placed runners Floriform and Atone.

Breaking from the outermost post 6 under Flavien Prat, Emaraaty quickly joined sharp-breaking Winters Back and garnered command into the first turn to lead the strung out field through an opening quarter mile in :23.44 and a half-mile in 47.35 over the firm going.

Emaraaty registered the three-quarters in 1:11.21 around the far turn with Luis Saez in an all-out drive aboard Winters Back in second and Forbidden Apple (G3) winner City Man trying to make up ground from third. Never seriously challenged in the stretch, Emaraaty strolled home a 3 1/2-length winner in a final time of 1:41.36 for the 1 1/16 miles.

Late-charging City Man finished another 2 1/2 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Winters Back. Ocala Dream, Dynadrive and the Brown-trained Mouillage, the odds-on favorite, rounded out the order of finish.

“He's a horse that can be aggressive,” said Prat, who earned his fourth stakes victory of the meet. “Today, it didn't feel like there was a whole lot of speed, so I let him run out of there and let him run all the way to the first turn. From that point, he relaxed well and kicked home well. I think the soft ground was a good thing for him as well, so it worked out well for us.”

Brown noted the difference in Emaraaty since being gelded in December.

“This ownership group had bought him privately [from Shadwell Stud] at the end of last year and we decided to geld the horse even though he was an older horse – it's a little late to be gelding him, but we tried it,” Brown said. “He was a bit of an aggressive horse, still a bit keen as you saw, but I'll tell you, he's been a different horse since we gelded him and gave him some time.”

Brown admitted some concern over the fast fractions set by Emaraaty.

“Of course, I had another horse in the race, Mouillage. I was peeking back at him and saying, 'Well, one way or another maybe this horse will kick, and Mouillage didn't care for the turf today it looked like – he didn't kick in today,” Brown said. “I was very impressed and proud of Emaraaty that after posting those fractions, when he posted the three-quarters in 1:11, that he was able to re-break again. It was impressive.”

Bred in Great Britain by Meon Valley Stud from the Zafonic mare Zee Zee Top, Emaraaty returned $14.60 and increased his lifetime earnings to $386,443 after banking $110,000 in victory. His record now stands at 6-3-1 from 18 starts.

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Homeless Songs “The Most Important One” For Moyglare On ICW

Slap bang in its 60th year, Moyglare Stud has come up trumps with Homeless Songs, one of the most impressive Irish 1,000 Guineas winners of the modern era, who is on course to run in Saturday's G1 Coolmore America “Justify” Matron S. at Leopardstown.

The stud also has Irish St Leger hotpot Kyprios (Ire) Galileo (Ire), Blandford S. hope Trevaunance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) and Boomerang Mile contender Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) to look forward to on Irish Champions Weekend but, according to Moyglare's Fiona Craig, Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) is the one that matters most.

“Homeless Songs is the most important one and we're keeping our fingers crossed that there's enough rain so that she can run on Saturday,” Craig said on Monday. “She looks like a Dubawi (Ire)–she's quite heavy-topped and does herself very well. She is quite short-legged and, the thing is, we want her to race on next year.”

Homeless Songs has not run since that memorable Irish Guineas triumph in May with connections opting then to sidestep Royal Ascot with the Classic winner due to what they felt was unsuitably quick going.

The prolonged dry period has been labelled as hugely frustrating by Craig, however, spirits were lifted when Dermot Weld's star filly worked well after racing at the Curragh last weekend.

The forecast has also been kind to those in the Homeless Songs camp. Leopardstown was hit with 66mm of rain over the weekend, with the ground on Monday described as yielding, good to yielding to places.

There is further rain forecast for the week and, provided it arrives, Craig expects Homeless Songs, a warm order at 6-4 favouritism for the Matron, to make her eagerly anticipated return at Ireland's flagship Flat meeting.

“She'd run her heart out on firm ground, she'd try like hell, but the question would be, what would we have left at the end? She's too important to do that. We have been praying for rain all summer and it's just been frustrating.”

Craig added, “She worked after racing at the Curragh last weekend. She worked seven furlongs and that went fine. Chris Hayes rode her and he was very happy. She had a bit of a blow but she hasn't run since the Irish Guineas.

“Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) will be a hell of a tough filly to try and beat but Homeless Songs likes Leopardstown and has won twice around there before. If she's in as good of form as she was in when she won the Irish Guineas, she will give everything a run.”

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Kyprios, the outstanding stayer in Europe this season, is expected to go off at prohibitively short odds in Sunday's Irish St Leger.

Craig said, “It would be brilliant if he could win on Sunday but, don't get me wrong, a filly is always going to be more important for us, which is why Homeless Songs is the one. But Eva [Maria Bucher-Haefner] couldn't be at Ascot or at Goodwood so it would be nice if she could be there to see him win.”

Kyprios has gone from strength to strength this season, winning the Gold Cup at Ascot followed by the Goodwood Cup, cementing a relatively new relationship between Moyglare and Coolmore Stud, who are joint-owners of the 4-year-old stallion prospect.

Moyglare can also call on Jessica Harrington, Ger Lyons and Paddy Twomey on its training roster and, while Weld remains the number one, Craig revealed the new approach to be one that's working well.

She explained, “We're feeling our way with it. Dermot is still the main trainer but he seemed to have lots of other owners so it seemed to be a good idea to have horses elsewhere.

“The ones with Aidan are foal shares with Coolmore so Kyprios, Thoughts Of June (Ire) (Galileo) and Kiss You Later (Ire) (Galileo) are all owned 50-50. The other ones are out of newer mares and obviously it has got off to a great start.”

Not only will the stud celebrate 60 years of success this weekend, but Sunday marks the 40-year anniversary of the G1 Moyglare S., in which the operation will be represented by Harrington's Eternal Silence (War Front).

Speaking on running plans for the rest of the team, Craig said, “It looks as though Eternal Silence will run, although we'll know for sure on Tuesday. The plan had been for Trevaunance to run in France; she will now run in the G2 Blandford S. on Sunday. Just Beautiful will run in the Boomerang on Saturday.”

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Saratoga WarHorse Foundation: Thoroughbreds Helping Veterans To Leave Trauma Behind

There's a special charge that Steve Houghton in his position as program advisor for the Saratoga WarHorse Foundation experiences most every time he meets a fellow veteran enrolled in the organization's intensive three-day connection process.

It's not when Houghton goes to the airport to picks up the veteran or service member, many of whom are living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and struggling to transition back to civilian life. Nor it is in the midst of the sessions in which veterans work with off-track thoroughbreds (OTTBs).

What resonates with Houghton is when he delivers the veteran back to the airport for their flight home and he can sense what he calls the beginning of their “transformation.” That's when he can see the veterans starting to reestablish the trust that comes from working with horses – the kind this innovative rehabilitation organization has pioneered to help vets reclaim their lives.

One reason that Houghton can see the progress is because he's a Saratoga WarHorse graduate himself. The retired U.S. Army Sergeant First Class served 20 years, 11 of which he was stationed in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. Surviving nine attacks and losing an eye from explosive devices during his military service, he returned to civilian life and just wanted to withdraw.

Houghton said his lingering physical and psychological wounds at times, “seemed insurmountable.” For a time, he was homeless, living out of his truck in Georgia. And though he attended treatment and support groups, nothing seemed to work. Finally, a military buddy who Houghton met in group therapy suggested that he attend the Saratoga WarHorse program.

So in March 2017, he did. Entering the round pen with the retired racehorse Party Favor was, “my miracle,” Houghton said. “I felt totally relieved right away. I literally felt I didn't have anything to worry about. It was so powerful. I overcame my PTSD and was able to pull myself out of homelessness.”

Houghton is hardly alone. Since 2013, Saratoga WarHorse has worked with nearly 1,500 veterans who suffer from nightmares, depression, anger, withdrawal and other issues caused by trauma. Saratoga WarHorse operates at a Saratoga-area farm; and at satellite locations in Aiken, South Carolina and Baltimore County Maryland.

The Saratoga WarHorse program evolves over three days with an average of five participants. The program is available to veterans and service members from all branches of the military, regardless of when or for how long they served. There is no cost for veterans to participate; travel, lodging, meals and expenses are covered.

Saratoga WarHorse isn't traditional therapy. It's a therapeutic experience designed to help participants get past the physiological symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress. It begins with classroom instruction, followed by the veteran entering a pen to meet the OTTB. The goal is to connect, to touch and make contact. By utilizing the silent language of the horse, a mutual trust and profound bond is established that goes beyond verbal communication.

Allison Cherkosly, executive director and CEO of Saratoga WarHorse, who also served in Afghanistan, said that process, which can take between five and 45 minutes, creates a profound personal connection between the veteran and horse, “unlocking” a part of the veteran that has been closed off for years. Though the duration of the connection process varies, it is for the most part, predictable, sequential and repeatable, she added.

“When I first started with Saratoga WarHorse, I almost couldn't believe it,” Cherkosly said. “But the process triggers a relaxation response that happens when the horse is willing to connect with the veteran.”

Cherkosly stressed that the experience can be beneficial as well for the horses, all of whom are OTTBs. “Like the veterans we serve, these retired racehorses are going through a transition period,” she said, “and the Saratoga WarHorse program helps them successfully adjust to life off the track and find purpose in their new lives.”

“It's an authentic process,” Cherkosly said. “When they go in the round pen, the veteran is giving off nervous energy. The horses, prey animals, are intuitive and can smell the adrenaline rush. They'll stay as far away as they can. The veterans have to work their way through the reaction.”

That's what happened to Saratoga WarHorse graduate John.

“I had never handled a horse before,” he said. “It was a challenge that I was excited to take on. I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of trust and worth being trusted. My horse companion for the day, Done Done Done, was an athlete in his racing days. He and I were able to find common ground and mutual understanding. We both agreed that what we each needed during our time in the ring was each other.”

For Houghton, the benefits continue. After going through the Saratoga WarHorse program, he joined the organization to help other vets and continue to heal himself. Today, he and his girlfriend Abby, also a “WarHorse” graduate, live on a farm in Wagener, South Carolina with five OTTBs and a donkey. Houghton is also pursuing a bachelor's degree.

“Saratoga WarHorse is something that is so therapeutic,” Houghton said. “I want every veteran to experience it. It works.”

To learn more about Saratoga War Horse, click here.

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Labor Day Salute: Clocker Celebrates 50 Years Of Timing Workouts At Monmouth Park

For all of the considerable changes at Monmouth Park during the past 50 years, there remains one constant over that time: Gatha 'Gate' Artis is still in the clocker's stand at 5:10 a.m. every day during the live meet keeping a watchful eye on horses working.

This summer is his 50^th year as a clocker at Monmouth Park, and for a guy who makes his living marking time he still can't believe how fast that half century has gone.

“It seems like I just started yesterday,” Artis said. “I guess when you love your job that's how it is.”

The 70-year-old Artis first showed up at Monmouth Park for the 1972 meet, shortly after graduating Penn State with a business degree. He tried working as an accountant but found the lure of the racetrack too strong to resist.

He's considered one of the best in the business now.

“I don't know of a horse that has gotten by him,” said Monmouth Park General Manager Bill Anderson. “He knows the markings of horses. He's the best clocker I know.”

Artis hasn't simply adapted to changes in the business, he was the innovator behind moving workouts and identifying markings to a computer in the early 1980s.

“I learned a little bit about computers in college and, to be honest, I got tired of writing everything down in a notepad,” he said. “So I came up with a way to have everything transferred to a computer. Now everyone does that. But it was something no one was doing when I first started.”

The key to identifying horses during workouts, Artis said, starts with the heels. There is no advance notice of which horses will be working, or how many, on a given day, so being able to identify horses on looks alone is a fundamental part of the job.

“That's where you have to look first – the heels,” he said. “On the coronet of the feet, sometimes they have white, sometimes they have nothing, but every horse's foot is different and you have to recognize that. After you look at the feet you work your way up to the body and the horse's head. But if you don't start with the feet you'll get thrown off. They all have different feet.”

Artis, who started clocking with his cousin at now-defunct Green Mountain Racetrack in Vermont as a teenager, also serves an adviser during horse sales “scouting horses like I do the workouts.”

“I consider myself pretty good at watching a horse move and picking out horses,” he said.

The biggest change Artis has seen from his vantage point is the way trainers work horses. Thirty or so years ago, trainers would work horses at a mile or six furlongs. These days, he said, it's all three-eighths of a mile or a half-mile. That and the reluctance of modern trainers to work horses in the slop are the biggest differences Artis has seen.

He has also changed with the times, moving from a hand-held stopwatch he started with and used for many years to a more high-tech device that now records workouts in one-hundredths of a second.

And Artis remains one of the best at the job.

“The Monmouth Park clocking crew through the years is consistently the best, most accurate and the most reliable out there,” said Brad Thomas, Monmouth Park's handicapper and morning line odds maker.

Artis said three horses stand out above all the ones he has watched work through the years: Holy Bull, Skip Away, and a mare named Red Cross, who won 13 of her 19 career starts in the mid-70s.

“Skip Away was probably my favorite horse to watch,” he said. “He was an iron horse. He never missed a day at the racetrack. He was out there every day, all of the time, either working or galloping.”

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