November, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Winning Time Holds Off 81-1 Longshot In Pennsylvania Nursery

Pewter Stable homebred Winning Time, coming off an 11-length debut win at Parx Racing for trainer Kathleen Demasi on Nov. 7, held off 81-1 longshot Veeson by three-quarters of a length in Tuesday's $200,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes for 2-year-old state-breds at the Bensalem, Pa., track.

Ridden by Silvestre Gonzalez, Winning Time ran the seven-furlong distance in 1:26.48 on a fast track and paid $7.80 to win as the third betting choice in the field of 11 Pennsylvania-bred juvenile colts and geldings.

Veeson, who came into the race as a maiden after four starts, finished second under Jeremy Laprida. Gordian Knot, the 2-1 favorite, was 1 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up in third while ridden by Mychel Sanchez, followed by Ninetyprcentmaddie, Keithsendshelloooo, All Eyes On You, Respirator, Strawberry Treat, Picture This, Bejuco, and Paynted Warrior.

Winning Time is a 2-year-old colt by the stakes-winning Tapit stallion Winchill, the latter trained for much of his career by Demasi. The Pennsylvania Nursery winner was produced from the Fusaichi Pegasus mare, Merry's Pegasus, who also was trained by Demasi. Second dam Merry Princess, a multiple stakes winner by Polish Numbers, was also conditioned by Demasi.

Winning Time broke from the outside post position and quickly engaged All Eyes On You for the early lead through an opening quarter mile in :22.36 and a half in :45.55. Gordian Knot, who was unbeaten in three starts for Guadalupe Preciado, broke slowly and steadied at the start, then ranged into contention with a strong middle move on the turn. The latter looked to have the runner-up position secured in midstretch, with six furlongs clocked in 1:12.06, but Veeson, last early, saved ground while gaining on the leaders on the turn, swung out at the top of the stretch, and finished fastest to make it close at the end.

The post Winning Time Holds Off 81-1 Longshot In Pennsylvania Nursery appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Wagering Up at Horseshoe Indianapolis

While waiting on final information from some non-commingled locations, Horseshoe Indianapolis estimated that its total all-sources handle for the track's 2022 combined Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse meet will be nearly $235 million, showing an increase of 5.2% over figures in 2021. The increase is despite running 27 fewer races than in 2021, which resulted in a per race increase of over 9%.

“Despite difficult weather conditions with rain in most of May and a string of 100-plus heat index days that forced us to either cancel or move post times away from the heat in June, we ended up showing a solid season of business in 2022,” said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager. “We have to thank the horsemen's organizations and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission for their partnership in achieving these numbers over last season, which was strong to begin with. It's definitely a group effort in moving the business levels forward in racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis.”

Included in the all-sources handle was a 6.2% increase in on-track wagering. A total of 1,192 races were held with an average field size of 8.06 horses per race, which was a marked improvement over 2021 when the average starters per race was 7.35.

The 21st season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis is expected to resume Tuesday, Apr. 18 for a 123-day meet. The Indiana Horse Racing Commission is set to review the proposal for 2023 at its next meeting Thursday, Dec. 1 at Harrah's Hoosier Park.

The post Wagering Up at Horseshoe Indianapolis appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Paulick: Luis Saez Has Put Reputation For Careless Riding In His Past

Kiaran McLaughlin doesn't believe Luis Saez deserved to be tagged with the reputation of a reckless rider, but he admits it was there. When McLaughlin shocked the racing world in March 2020 with an announcement that he was disbanding his successful stable to become agent for Saez, he sat down with the Panamanian rider and said he wanted him to forget about the past and focus on the future.

The previous year, Saez rode Maximum Security to an apparent victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, only to be disqualified for interfering with several rivals at the top of the stretch when he drifted out several paths while racing on the lead. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Saez, who became the first jockey in history to have his mount disqualified from a Derby win for fouling his rivals.

Saez was suspended 15 days for his actions, one of six suspensions he received for careless riding in 2019 in Florida, Kentucky, and New York. Saez appealed the Derby suspension and was still fighting it in 2020 when McLaughlin became his agent.

“Let's put that behind us,” McLaughlin told Saez.

Without hesitation, the rider told his new agent, “I agree.”

The appeal was dropped and Saez served his days.

“He had hired a lawyer and it was getting very expensive to fight it,” McLaughlin said.

This was McLaughlin's second go-round as an agent, having handled the book of the late Chris Antley in 1992-'93 after working as an assistant trainer for nearly a decade. The Lexington, Ky., native opened a public stable in 1995 and over the next 25 years won 1,577 races in North America, 41 of them Grade 1, including the 2006 Belmont Stakes with Jazil and the 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic with Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Invasor.

In 2019, McLaughlin was one of several trainers in New York sanctioned for violating labor laws.

That same year, Richard DePass, who had been agent for Saez, told McLaughlin he was retiring.

“He asked me if I would be interested in taking over,” McLaughlin remembered. “I had a stable full of nice horses, but with all the issues with the state, the fines, the workers' compensation costs, I told him, 'Yes, I would be interested.' We talked back and forth for a while. He didn't believe me and I didn't believe him, but we got together with Luis and his wife (Andrea) in January 2020 and started a few months later.”

“Luis is very humble and very appreciative,” McLaughlin said. “He's got a great wife and three daughters. He stays home, doesn't go out and about. He's a very good person and it's a real pleasure to work with him. And he's a hard worker.”

McLaughlin keeps his rider busy. While his productivity was down slightly in 2020 after missing some time due to previous suspensions, Saez bounced back in 2021 to ride 1,635 races, winning 293 and compiling a career best $26,194,654 in mount earnings. No jockey rode more races that year.

He also officially won his first Triple Crown race in 2021 when Essential Quality took the Belmont Stakes. That same horse gave Saez his initial Breeders' Cup winner the previous year by winning the Grade 1 Juvenile. In 2022, Saez rode Secret Oath to victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks for McLaughlin's old boss, trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

“The one thing that has helped us a lot is the support of so many top trainers with top horses,” McLaughlin said. “Brad Cox letting us ride Essential Quality was just fabulous.”

Saez has ridden other Grade 1 winners in recent years for Hall of Famers Lukas, Bill Mott, Roger Attfield, and Todd Pletcher, among others.

Saez, who turned 30 years old on May 19, has won riding titles at prestigious meets in Florida, Kentucky and New York. This year, he and McLaughlin opted to stay in Kentucky after the Keeneland fall meet, ride the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and the Churchill Downs meet that ended last Sunday, Nov. 27.

Saez finished the Churchill meet with a flourish, winning six races on Saturday and building up a big enough lead to hold off Tyler Gaffalione by two wins, 23-21, to secure the title. Gaffalione bagged four wins on closing day, with Saez finishing second four times.

Normally, after the Keeneland meet, he would have returned to New York, where three-time Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. rules the roost.

“The decision to go to Kentucky wasn't easy,” McLaughlin said. “He's got a house in New York, but in Kentucky we are first or second choice by just about everybody, so it makes it a little easier. In New York, Irad has so much business, it's tough.”

Looking ahead, after Saez rides Cigar Mile day at Aqueduct on Saturday, he'll head down to Florida and Gulfstream Park for the winter. Saez will go to Keeneland in the spring, then he and McLaughlin will have a decision to make about summer. McLaughlin is leaning toward Churchill Downs and Saratoga though the Belmont Park spring-summer meet remains a possibility. “We've had a lot of success in Kentucky,” McLaughlin said, “and the turf course being back at Churchill Downs would help.”

With the Maximum Security disqualification and other careless riding suspensions now years in his past, conversations about Saez center on how good he is riding, not how recklessly.

“It's a shame he had that reputation, even though I don't think he deserved it,” McLaughlin said. “Maybe I've helped him some with certain things. I've told him to please be careful out there, that suspensions really hurt our momentum.

“Luis has always been a really good person and is a very talented rider who rides correctly,” McLaughlin said. “He is always looking forward, focusing on the future instead of the past. I'm very proud of him.“

The post Paulick: Luis Saez Has Put Reputation For Careless Riding In His Past appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Reduce Cooler-Weather Colic Risk With Careful Management

Cooler weather can increase the risk of colic in horses, at least anecdotally, reports The Horse. However, it's not the weather that's increasing the risk of colic; it's the management and behavior changes the shift in weather causes that increase the risk of impaction colic.

Horses that shift from pasture to a more hay-based diet experience a decrease in water consumption. If a horse's diet is changed rapidly, he may not increase his water consumption enough to make up for the shift in diet. This could increase the risk for impaction colic. The shift from grass to hay should occur gradually.

Horses that generally spend the majority of their time on pasture that are brought into stalls don't move their bodies in the same way they do as when they're outside. Movement is important for many things, including gut motility, so reducing the horse's ability to move may also lead to an increased risk of impaction. Riding, lunging, hand walking, or turnout is beneficial no matter how cold the weather is.

Cooler weather can cause water in buckets and troughs to freeze; limited access to unfrozen water can negatively impact a horse's water consumption, which will also increase the risk of impaction colic. Care should be taken when using heated buckets or trough heaters to ensure the horse doesn't get shocked, which would negatively affect his inclination to drink.

Adequate salt consumption will also encourage a horse to drink and further reduce the likelihood of impaction colic. While horses can lick and ingest salt from a salt block, adding it directly to the horse's feed can ensure that he's receiving adequate sodium.