September, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Chris Bosley: Laurel Park Surface ‘Heading In The Right Direction’

The Maryland Jockey Club track maintenance crew has been adding some clay to portions of the Laurel Park dirt surface—mainly from the half-mile pole to the 1/8 pole—to make the composition consistent with the rest of the surface heading into the cold-weather months.

MJC Track Superintendent Chris Bosley said the goal is to have 2% clay content across the surface. But based on test results, the area in question had clay content of 1% to 1.5%, he said.

“The Laurel Park surface is heading in the right direction,” Bosley said. “We concentrated on that area because the clay percentage was a little too low, and we want it to match the rest of the track. After Maryland Million (on Oct. 22), we'll start putting clean sand down to winterize the track, and we'll be doing it slowly. We'll make sure to get word out to horsemen about the day we are going start it.”

Bosley noted that the clay that is being added is very sandy clay similar to that used at New York Racing Association tracks. He said it's more sand than clay but more clay than silt—those are the three materials that make up the dirt surface. The sand is added to help combat freeze-thaw conditions in the winter months.

“The surface is definitely much, much improved than it was this time last year,” Bosley said. “The pad is much better than it was and is gaining structural integrity, but we still check it every day.”

Logan Freeman, who oversees the turf courses for the MJC, provided an update to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Board of Directors as well during its Sept. 29 meeting.

“Right now, we have a super-strong turf team—they are very dedicated,” he said. “The drainage at Laurel has not improved 100% but we are learning what the problem is and how to address it.”

The turf crew continued to fertilize, aerate and deep-tine the course when racing moved to the Maryland State Fair at Timonium and Pimlico Race Course for about six weeks. Freeman said the root structure of the grass is continuing to improve, and that the turf team, MJC officials and jockeys will regularly discuss the condition of course through the fall meet.

“If the (surface) is safe, we are going to race on it,” he said.

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Longtime Racetrack Veterinarian Randall Brandon Passes At Age 80

Randall Gatlin Brandon, a longtime racetrack veterinarian in the Mid-Atlantic region, died Aug. 15 in his hometown of Camden, S.C. He was 80.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m. at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Timonium, Md.

Brandon graduated from Washington State University and followed with an internship at Auburn University. After completing his internship, he was a member of the Teigland Vet Group in South Florida, where he attended to Thoroughbred racehorses at tracks in the area. The following year, he moved to Maryland, where he established his own vet practice serving owners and trainers at tracks including Laurel Park, Bowie Race Course, Pimlico Race Course and Delaware Park.

Brandon's equine clientele not only included the bread-and-butter horses but also stakes winners and classic contenders. He was very old-school when it came to giving veterinary advice to his clients as he chose good horsemanship and not unnecessary procedures and medications.

After 30 years on the racetrack, Brandon sold his practice and returned to South Carolina. The focus of his vet practice turned to assisting his clients in their pre-purchase needs at Thoroughbred auctions throughout the country. Though the horse auction schedule kept him busy and on the road for weeks on end, he and his wife, Kirsty May, enjoyed planning matings for their small broodmare operation which awarded them many bonuses from their New York-bred foals. The Brandons' mares would foal in New York, be bred back in Kentucky, and the foals raised to be sales yearlings at their Dixie Farm in Camden.

“Dr. Brandon was an integral and highly-valued member of the St. Elias Stables' team and even more importantly, a dear friend,” said Rory Babich, Chief Executive Officer of St. Elias Stables. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kirsty, his children, grandchildren and other members of his family during this difficult time. He will be sorely missed by his many friends, family, clients and his devoted pack of dogs.”

Brandon was the son of the late Gatlin Randall and Frances Johns Brandon. He is survived by Kirsty May; daughters Julie Carter (Andrew) and Lisa Boyle, both of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren Katie and Emma Carter; and brothers Dr. Jeff Brandon (Nancy) of Palm Coast, Fla., and Kyle Brandon of El Paso, Texas.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, 261 State Farm Road No. 8200, Rembert, S.C., 29128; or to New Vocations, 719 Dolan Lane, Lexington, Ky., 40511.

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Determination, Hard Work Fueling Trainer Jorge Delgado’s American Dream

When Jorge Delgado saddles CSLR Racing Partners' Awesome Strong for a bid to complete a sweep in the 2022 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the up-and-coming trainer will be living the American dream that has driven his early success since arriving in South Florida from Venezuela.

“It's been a dream for me since I came to this country to have horses to compete in these races. To sweep the series would be the biggest thing to happen to me so far in my career,” said the 32-year-old trainer, who ventured to the U.S. in 2013 and saddled his first horse in 2017.

Undefeated Awesome Strong has been installed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite to complete a FSS sweep in the $400,000 In Reality, the 1 1/16-mile finale for juvenile colts and geldings that will co-headline Saturday's Gulfstream program with the $400,000 My Dear Girl, in which Lynx will also attempt to sweep the FSS juvenile fillies division series.

Awesome Strong, a son of Awesome Slew who debuted with a six-length victory May 6, has dominated his rivals in the first two legs of the FSS series, the $100,000 Dr. Fager Aug. 6 and the $200,000 Affirmed Sept. 3 to have a chance to become the 10th horse to sweep the lucrative series for juvenile colts and geldings sired by accredited Florida stallions.

A FSS series sweep by Awesome Strong would be yet another highlight for Delgado during a most successful 2022 season, in which he is scoring at a 24-percent strike rate and has saddled his first two graded-stakes winners, Lightening Larry (Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico) and Willie Boi (Grade 3 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park). Delgado is pointing Willie Boi, who finished third behind Jackie's Warrior in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga last time out, to the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.

Training horses has always been in the future of the nephew of Venezuelan training legend Gustavo Delgado, but he never saddled a horse in his homeland.

“You have to go to the school there to get your license. I went to school and graduated but never trained. My plan was always to come here,” he said.

Delgado followed his uncle to South Florida to chase his American Dream.

While working for his uncle, Delgado learned that they had a lot in common.

“What I saw was his determination and his work ethic. He was a winner. No matter how many races he won the day before, he'd be there early the next day. He was always hungry to win races and to be successful,” Delgado said. “His determination I really love and I got it from him.”

He also learned how to train horses up to important races from his uncle, who saddled 2019 Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Bodexpress for a victory in the 2020 Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs and Paola Queen for a triumph in the 2016 Test (G1) at Saratoga. His uncle saddled three Triple Crown champions in Venezuela.

“When he focuses on one horse for one big race, he is hard to beat if he has the horse. He can condition a horse for one big race,” said Delgado, who also worked for another prominent Venezuelan trainer Juan Rodriguez before going out on his own. “This time with Awesome Strong, I go back to those days with him.”

While learning his training lessons from his uncle, Delgado made it a priority to teach himself to speak English.

“I learned English mostly by listening to music and watching TV shows and hanging around with a lot of people I've met here. I've been lucky to make good friends and they correct me when they need to,” Delgado said. “Every time I have to choose a language on an APP on the phone or on the TV, I always choose English. I always push myself.”

His ability to communicate with owners and prospective clients has helped to fuel his growing success during his six-year training career, in which he has saddled 207 winners from 947 starters while winning at a 21-percent rate.

“I've always wanted to be a trainer. I learned to speak English because I wanted to be a successful horse trainer,” Delgado said. “Every time, I was in the gym or driving my car, in my mind, I was always thinking how to get to the big leagues. I have always been dreaming big. I've been preparing for this. People who know me, they know how hard I've been working to win.”

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Can Veterinary Social Workers Help Alleviate Workplace Stress?

The suicide rate among veterinarians is nearly four times greater than the suicide rate among the general population, according to the National Library of Medicine. Many factors contribute to veterinarian's feelings of hopelessness, including financial burdens, lack of a work-life balance, shortages of adequate staff, and client relationship pressures, among others.

Small animal medicine has recently begun incorporating veterinary social work, a newer field that addresses human needs in veterinary medicine, into the vet-health arsenal. This up-and-coming field is designed to assist pet owners feeling stress or grief during a pet's illness or death; pets are often viewed as part of the family, making their passing feel like the loss of a family member.

Veterinary social work offers compassion, empathy, understanding, validation, and compassion to pet owners suffering a loss, says Kathleen Dunbar, a veterinary social worker with Carnegy Animal Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The veterinary social worker role is also designed to support vets and veterinary staff who are experiencing workplace stress and burnout, which is often exacerbated by staffing shortages. Dunbar is hopeful that the support she provides to veterinarians will alleviate some of the stress of their job.

The impact of veterinary social work on the veterinarians could be profound, mitigating stress and providing coping mechanisms that will hopefully translate into declining veterinarian suicides.