October, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘I May Never Come Across A Horse Like Him Ever Again’: Jockey Jim Crowley Talks Baaeed Ahead Of Champion’s Swansong

Everyone associated with the brilliant Baaeed will be feeling under a degree of pressure when his unbeaten record is put on the line for an eleventh and final time in this Saturday's Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes. It's the race in which Frankel ended a similarly flawless career so memorably ten years ago, but luckily the man in the saddle doesn't get nervous.

Jim Crowley does not underestimate the responsibility he has to the horse, or indeed the task ahead, but he is looking forward to it and plans to enjoy the ride, just as he did when Baaeed confirmed himself champion miler as a three-year-old in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) – one of Crowley's three winners from four rides on last year's card.

Crowley, who has ridden Baaeed for William Haggas and Sheikha Hissa on all but the first two of his ten starts and has already enjoyed six Group 1 wins on him, said: “I don't really get nervous. I'll get excited before the race, which is only natural, but once you are on him and away you just forget about everything.

“Riding Baaeed is a great feeling, but it brings with it a lot of responsibility. I'm looking forward to it, but nothing in racing is given and it's going to be a tough race for him. There are some good horses running and it's probably going to be his most important race.”

Saturday's race marks the return to the top level of last year's Cazoo Derby and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes winner Adayar, who if back to his best will be Baaeed's most formidable rival yet, but Baaeed was overwhelmingly superior when beating Mishriff by six and a half lengths on stepping up to a mile and a quarter in York's Juddmonte International Stakes last time, so Crowley's confidence in him could not be higher.

He said: “I've been fortunate to ride some good horses, but Baaeed does give that feeling of something completely different to any I've ever come across before – not only on the racecourse, but in his whole demeanor. He's just such a professional and has such a great character. I may never come across a horse like him ever again.

“The Juddmonte was a very important race going into it. He had a point to prove, going up in distance, and he was taking on some really tough horses in the likes of Mishriff. It was just an amazing race to ride in. He just went through the race so easily and when I pressed the button he put the race to bed in a matter of strides. It was a great feeling to ride him and to show people what he was capable of.”

He concluded: “It's going to be a strange feeling going to Ascot. The most important thing for me is to get the job done and win, so hopefully he'll finish his career unbeaten. Maybe I'll enjoy the ride when it's over, because riding him also comes with a lot of pressure. Hopefully he'll win on QIPCO British Champions Day and we can look back with some fond memories.”

The Charlie Appleby-trained Adayar has more to prove than Baaeed, having won just a conditions race at Doncaster since ending his three-year-old campaign with a disappointing fifth to Sealiway in last year's QIPCO Champion Stakes, but both the trainer and champion jockey-elect William Buick are confident he is back to his best.

Buick said: “Getting Adayar back for the QIPCO Champion Stakes is one of the highlights of my year. He's got a huge task, but he's probably as exciting a horse as I've ridden all season. Doncaster was perfect for a comeback run. He really enjoyed himself and he did everything right. He's a bit of a forgotten horse this season but he was very good last year.”

He added: “It's a tough ask, but he's a Derby and King George winner who ran well in the Arc on ground he didn't like and when things didn't really go his way, then obviously the Champion Stakes came a bit soon after that.

“He's probably the best horse Baaeed has met, and it's going to make a great race either way. We'll sit down and make a plan when we know the field, but obviously Baaeed looks very straightforward and he's done it from every which way and at both a mile and a mile and a quarter.”

The ten confirmations also include two more from the Haggas stable in last year's runner-up Dubai Honour and smart three-year-old My Prospero, as well as Bay Bridge from the Sir Michael Stoute stable, which was successful in the corresponding race with Pilsudski and Kalanisi before it was moved to Ascot.

Bay Bridge has not been seen since he was only fifth in the Coral-Eclipse, when his reputation was such that he started favorite to beat rivals of the calibre of Vadeni and Mishriff, but he has been pleasing in the build up.

Stoute said: “It's a tough race against a world beater and last year's Derby winner but it's the Champion Stakes, so it's entitled to be, and he's an intended runner. After Sandown we had to stop him with a foot problem, but we've got him back now and we've been pleased with his preparation. We are looking forward to it.”

Possibles from Ireland include last year's Irish 2000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney, fellow Group 1 winner Helvic Dream, and Aidan O'Brien's one-time Derby favourite Stone Age. The Roger Varian-trained Royal Champion makes up the field.

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OTTBs Go To College: Unique University Class An Intriguing Model For Aftercare Solutions

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls has taken a promising step forward in support of Thoroughbred and Standardbred aftercare. In partnership with Racehorse Reimagined, the university launched a class called the Racehorse Retraining Program – students work with an off-track racehorse for 90 days, and the horse is auctioned off at the end of the semester.

The class launched with three students in the fall of 2021; each of the three horses found a new home at the end of the semester. This fall, 12 students signed up.

UWRF already had a similar program in place for reining-bred Quarter Horses, a colt-starting class which runs each spring semester.

Dr. Michelle DeBoer, a UWRF professor of nutrition, conceived of the idea to launch a similar class with off-track racehorses. DeBoer approached UWRF alum Rachel Walker to lead it.

“I've had a passion for Thoroughbreds for a long time,” Walker said. “I've retrained horses off the track privately for years, so Dr. DeBoer said it would be a perfect fit because I already do it for myself!”

The pair was initially waylaid by logistical concerns: of primary concern was how to find and afford the purchase of former racehorses for the program.

It was a connection with Nancy Turner, founder of the 501(c)(3) This Old Horse, which helped solve that issue. Turner's nonprofit joined forces with a host of Minnesota-based organizations to form the Racehorse Reimagined collaborative, their goal to ensure “the commitment and resources to support our equine partners to the finish line and beyond.”

Turner offered to provide the horses for the class through Racehorse Reimagined, giving the program its final push forward into reality.

“It takes a team effort to get a program like this off the ground,” Walker said. “We just needed someone to say yes and let us go for it!”

While it was a bit of a last-minute rush to get the class underway in 2021, the program has evolved into a stronger version in 2022.

Joe Scurto, executive director of the Minnesota Racehorse Engagement Project, met with the students early this semester on the backside of Canterbury Park, located about an hour away from the university.

“He hooked us up with a couple trainers to watch morning workouts, and they answered questions about how the horses are trained and what kind of behaviors the students can expect,” said Walker. “It helped to bridge the gap between different training philosophies.”

Back at the university, each student was assigned a horse to work with. There are two lab sessions each week, in which the students work with their horses as a group under Walker's direct supervision. The students keep a training journal and are expected to work with their assigned horse five times each week (can be ridden or on the ground), and the students also develop their own feeding and chore schedule for the horses' daily care.

The 2022 group consists of one Standardbred and 11 Thoroughbreds; three of the horses had never been ridden. By the fifth class, each student was mounted on their horse.

“The students, especially two of them that had done the colt class in the spring, were very surprised to get on their horse and find that it was rideable,” Walker explained. “It's a strange concept because the horse feels rideable but it's not a finished horse; it doesn't know what rein or leg cues mean. These aren't throwaways or rescue horses. They were well-trained to do their job at the track, and now we're learning how to teach them new things and finesse.

“I also talk about how to be fair to your horse. There are some things you can't expect right away. We have one mare, for example, who just doesn't want to stop. I tell the student,' Just direct her feet, she doesn't want to go faster than a walk, so she'll figure it out.'”

There is also an in-class lecture component.

“I don't want to just tell the students what to do,” said Walker. “I love the college age, because you can ask them questions and they'll engage and try to find an answer. I don't have all the answers so what I say for this horse might not be right for that horse.

“For example, groundwork. I made a video and explained what I was doing, because I needed the students to understand what we're aiming for and how to get there. It's a bit of a challenge, because it's an educational post-secondary class, but it's not about something black-and-white.

Among the other topics covered in the lecture sessions are – the differences between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, both what those responses look like and what they horse is conveying with that response; different training methods, including how to apply them both in hand or on the horse's back; and reading a horse's emotions, among others.

“I want them to understand the horse's mental state when they're doing these things,” Walker said, “so that the students can bring the horses through this process while keeping them happy and engaged.”

The students also learn about marketing their charges. They have already completed initial introductory videos, which were posted to the public Facebook page, and will learn how to improve the quality of the videos and how the horses are presented. Those lessons will be implemented in both a mid-semester video and final sales video.

At the end of the semester, the horses will be showcased in a pair of events which bookend an online auction. The showcases are set for Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, from noon to 2 p.m., with the auction ending on the 17th at 5 p.m.

“That way, it gives people a chance to think about the horse, and then come back to see them again,” Walker said. “The buyers will all sign an adoption contract with Racehorse Reimagined, and the funds raised will go back into the program to help make it self-sustaining.”

Turner, Walker, and Scurto are hoping that the program becomes a model for other universities to follow so that more former racehorses can find new homes and new careers.

“Not only do the students learn new, useful skills, but the horses get a better chance at a great life after the track,” Walker summarized. “Nobody's done anything quite like this before, so we hope to be able to make it sustainable and to share the model with others.”

You can follow along with the students' and horses' progress at the program's Facebook page.

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Bahrain International Trophy Attracts 43 Entries

A total of 43 entries have stood their ground for the £600,000 G3 Bahrain International Trophy on Friday, Nov. 18. Several nations are represented with entries: Britain (16), Ireland (6), France (5), UAE (7), Bahrain (3), Germany (3), Norway (1), Turkey (1), and Sweden (1). The race allows a maximum of 14 entries.

Shadwell's G3 Strensall S. hero Alflaila (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) has earned an automatic berth in the race for trainer Owen Burrows, and he returned to take Saturday's G3 Darley S. at Newmarket. Other entries of note include the Group 1 winners Sisfahan (Fr) (Isfahan {Ger}), who won the German Derby for Henk Grewe and GI Belmont Derby hero Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is one of three for the Aidan O'Brien/Coolmore partners axis. William Haggas has a pair set to start, including G2 Prix Eugene Adam victor My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}).

Shaikh Salman bin Rashed al Khalifa, Executive Director of the Bahrain Turf Club, said, “We are very happy with the quality of horses entered for this year's renewal of the G3 Bahrain International Trophy. Some of the best trainers from around the world have once again supported the race.

“Last year was the first time the race was run with Group 3 status, and it saw three high-class horses fight out the finish. With the race now a key date in the international racing calendar, we firmly believe that the race will continue to progress through the grades with our ultimate goal to have Bahrain host its first international Group 1 race.”

For the full list of entries, please go to the Bahrain Turf Club website.

The post Bahrain International Trophy Attracts 43 Entries appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Maryland Jockey Danny Wright To Be Inducted Into Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame

Jockey Danny Wright's riding career coincided with one of the finest periods in Maryland racing, one that produced Hall of Famers Chris Antley, Kent Desormeaux, Chris McCarron, and Edgar Prado.

Also sharing the room during that time were local stars like Mark Johnston and Donnie Miller Jr., who between them won 19 meet titles at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course. Between 1974 and 1990, seven Maryland-based jockeys won the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice – McCarron, Ronnie Franklin, Alberto Delgado, Allen Stacy, Desormeaux, Mike Luzzi and Johnston.

Competing right alongside them all from 1976 to 1993 was Wright, held in high regard by colleagues, horsemen and fans alike for his honesty and dedication. His success over more than five decades in racing, both as a jockey and in later years as a steward, has earned Wright a spot in the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame.

“I was proud to be a part of the colony,” Wright said. “That was when, in my opinion, riding was at its best.”

Wright, who turns 76 Dec. 7, will be inducted in the 31st annual ceremony Wednesday night in Annapolis. Joining him in the Class of 2022 are retired major league pitcher Gavin Floyd, Cornell All-American wrestler Mack Lewnes and former Chesapeake High softball coach Dennis Thiele.

“I am definitely excited. I'm just tickled pink they're not presenting it to me posthumously,” Wright said. “All kidding aside, it's certainly something I didn't expect. I never felt I was a standout by any stretch of the imagination, but by the same token it's a great honor.”

A native of Brooklyn Park, Md., where he was county champion in the 95-pound weight class as a varsity wrestler, Wright made his professional debut Jan. 1, 1976 at Laurel and won his first race later that day aboard Titanic Red.

Laurel is also where Wright won his last race aboard Wilder Now Dec. 15, 1992 and rode for the last time, finishing second on No Peer March 20, 1993. Over his career, Wright won 1,424 races, a dozen graded-stakes and nearly $14 million in purse earnings.

Wright won four graded-stakes on Caesar's Wish, who was named champion Maryland-bred filly in each of her two racing seasons. They teamed up to win the Villager (G3) and Demoiselle (G2) as a 2-year-old in 1977 and the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and Mother Goose (G1) as a 3-year-old in 1978. In 2018, she was inducted into the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.

“Of course, Caesar's Wish was a fantastic opportunity. The people that own her were so good to me,” Wright said. “We won a lot of races with her.”

Wright also enjoyed success on Cormorant winning the Bay Shore (G3), Gotham (G2) and Jersey Derby (G1) in 1977, and finishing fourth behind Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew in the Preakness Stakes (G1).

“Cormorant put me on the map. He was second choice to win the [Kentucky] Derby that year, and a week before the Derby – we had actually shipped down there to work him – and as it turned out he got sick before the Derby and couldn't run,” Wright said. “Then two weeks later, my horse was healthy and they ran him in the Preakness with me on him.

“The neat thing about that, going down the backside I'm in front, actually at that time the first horse to have been in front of Seattle Slew. I just got to thinking, 'Man, small-town boy makes it big, right?'” he added. “[Jockey Jean] Cruguet comes up on the outside of me with a double nelson and says, 'Where do you think you're going, jock?' and just blew by me. Two weeks later we won the Jersey Derby and the rest is history.”

Other graded-stakes wins for Wright came in the 1986 Cotillion (G3) and Anne Arundel County (G3) with Toes Knows; 1983 Riggs Handicap (G3) with Sun and Shine; 1977 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G3) with Mt. Airy Queen and 1976 Patriot (G3) with In a Trace. Wright won more in purses on trainer Jim Simpson's homebred Toes Knows, $311,892, than any other horse.

Wright went on to become a steward following his riding career, though not initially by design.

“I went to the Stewardship Accreditation Program sponsored by the University of Louisville. The very day that I passed all the tests I got a call from an executive secretary in New Jersey,” Wright said. “I had sent out resumes and he said, 'Mr. Wright, we looked at your resume and I understand you passed all the requirements. You're going to be our summertime steward in Atlantic City this year.' I said, 'Thank you, it sounds like an honor. When do I start?' He said, 'Tomorrow morning.'

“I had no intentions of retiring at that time. The gentleman I was working for and was first call for 17 years, J.P. Simpson, he strongly suggested that I pursue it and I did. I passed the test and this opportunity came up,” he added. “I shared it with him the next day. I told Mr. Simpson and he said, 'Danny, take advantage of it. Don't worry about it. When you come back, if you still want to ride, you can start back right where you left off.'”

Wright never did go back to riding races, instead enjoying a fulfilling second career as a steward, admired and respected for the same traits that made him a success on the track. He retired in December 2020 after a long stretch as chief steward at Charles Town.

“So I went to Atlantic City. I was a three-month stay during the summer meet. I worked with some great stewards down there. When I came back, I went down the shedrow with every intention of starting back riding,” Wright said. “Mr. Simpson said, 'Danny, I've heard some good reports on you. I've been checking up on you, and you're fired.' I was like, 'What?' He said he had talked with the racing secretary and they were going to put me on part-time. He said, 'It's time for you to move on.' That's how it started.”

But before he judged horses, Wright rode them, and that will always be a great source of pride, particularly now as a Hall of Famer.

“I loved being a jock,” he said. “It just let this little man talk tall for a lot of years, and I got no complaints.”

The Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place from 6-9 p.m. at the Double Tree Hotel in Annapolis. Tickets are $50 per person with proceeds to benefit Anne Arundel County youth sports.

Tickets will not be sold at the door. To purchase tickets, contact Chris Smith at 240-508-3568 or csmith@kellyhvac.com

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