The New York Racing Association on Saturday announced the successful installation of a Tapeta Footings synthetic surface at the Belmont Park Pony Track. The renovation of the pony track is an element of the ongoing campaign to modernize the Belmont Park facility.
Located just to the northeast of the Belmont Training Track, the quarter-mile pony track is primarily utilized for jogging horses. Beginning Tuesday, the pony track will be open seven days a week from 5:30-10:30 a.m. (ET).
In addition to providing horsemen with another all-weather training option, the new Belmont Park pony track will yield important information on how a synthetic surface performs in the wide range of weather conditions encountered at Belmont throughout the year. The data and knowledge gained through daily maintenance of the new pony track will inform a variety of decisions should NYRA proceed with construction of a synthetic track as the fourth Belmont Park racing surface.
Prior to installing the synthetic surface, NYRA crews removed the dirt surface and added an asphalt base layer specifically designed to promote maximum drainage. From there, the track was widened and leveled throughout, which reduced the angles on all turns. The new pony track features a rider protection system to replace the inner rail, as well as LED lighting throughout the circumference of the track. To accommodate the expected increase in its use, the apron and track access road have been widened and rebuilt.
“Modern synthetic surfaces have a wide range of applications for horsemen and track operators alike, and we look forward to working with the product every day and in all seasons at Belmont Park,” said Glen Kozak, NYRA Senior Vice President, Operations and Capital Projects.
Beyond the new pony track, the project to construct vehicular and pedestrian tunnels to the 45-acre Belmont Park infield is on-schedule. When complete, the tunnels will serve as a conduit to the infield for commercial vehicles allowing NYRA to reconstruct the Belmont main track and its two turf courses. The pedestrian tunnels will eventually provide infield access to fans and the broader community.
Substantial work on the existing racetracks will commence following the completion of the 2023 Belmont Park spring/summer meet.
Developed as an alternative to dirt by former jockey and current trainer Michael Dickinson, Tapeta is a synthetic racing and training surface comprised of a mixture of silica sand, wax, and fibers. Tapeta has been extensively tested at racing and training facilities throughout the world and remains extremely consistent in both cold conditions and heavy rain.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell is seeking a legislative fix to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, which last month was ruled unconstitutional, Reuters reports while citing an unnamed source with knowledge of negotiations.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana ruled Nov. 18 that HISA is “facially unconstitutional,” on the grounds that it delegates “unsupervised government power to a private entity”, reversing an earlier ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Proposed changes to HISA would provide greater federal oversight of the board via the Federal Trade Commission and be included in an omnibus spending bill that could pass later this month, according to the source who Reuters reports spoke directly to McConnell.
If changes to HISA are adopted as part of the spending bill, there should be no interruption to implementation of HISA rules, including the Jan. 1, 2023, launch of its anti-doping and medication control program.
The source spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could speak freely, Reuters reports. McConnell's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters on Saturday.
It was quite a day and quite a finish for Mike Gillum of Indianapolis in the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Qualifier Saturday, Dec. 3, at Horseshoe Indianapolis. In an unprecedented finish, all three of Gillum's entries finished first, second and fourth with Gillum earning $7,000 worth of prize money and a seat at the NHC Final March 10-12, 2023, at Horseshoe in Las Vegas.
Gillum started off the day hitting a 6-1 winner at Gulfstream that placed him near the top of the leaderboard early and grew that tally slowly throughout the six-hour contest. Heading into the final contest race at Del Mar, Gillum was leading the field of 118 entries and decided to let his first place spot sit to see how it played out for the overall standings.
Several entrants still had live wagers heading into the final race, including Gillum's other two entries. Everyone tried hard to overtake Gillum, but it ended up being Gillum who overtook them all.
“Heading into the last contest race, I decided to let the entry that was in first place sit,” explained Gillum, who operates a Produce Company in Central Indiana. “I went all in on my other two entries to try and overtake my top entry. And they did. Those two were the ones that finished first and second in the final standings. The original entry I had in first ended up in fourth place.”
Gillum keyed in on a few horses at Del Mar with a $10 Superfecta and $10 Trifecta. Both tickets ended up returning $8,000-plus which catapulted him to the top with tallies of $8,804 and $8,315. Jay Lietzau of Shakopee, Minn., finished third with a tally of $4,928.50 and took home $2,000 in prize money. Because only one seat could be granted to the top three individuals, fifth-place finisher David Sellner of Hoffman Estates, Ill., advances to the NHC Final. Sellner had a tally of $3,444.10, just $12 behind Gillum's fourth place finishing entry which had $3,456.55.
“This is only the third time I've placed in a live tournament,” said Gillum. “I generally play in tournaments online. I qualified for the NHC here in 2019 (Gillum finished fourth to advance). That's my only time playing in the NHC final. I missed last year's local contest due to a prior commitment.”
Gillum, Lietzau, and Sellner will represent Team Horseshoe Indianapolis in the $3.5 million NHC Finals. In addition to trophies and prize money for the top two, all three will get contest and hotel fees paid by Horseshoe Indianapolis along with a $500 travel voucher for airfare.
“It was just one of those days where everything clicked,” added Gillum. “All three tickets connected. I'm excited to be heading to Vegas for the finals.”
The 21st season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing resumes Tuesday, April 18, and concludes Friday, Nov. 17. Racing will be held during the week beginning at 2:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday with Thursday post times set at 2:10 p.m. Saturday racing will be offered on 16 dates in 2023 with six of those dates reserved for all-Quarter Horse action.
There's something to be said for a person who can not only recognize when they are making poor choices, but who can also step up and make the necessary changes to get back on track.
Especially when that person goes it alone.
Trainer Jeff Hiles' brighter path continues to pay dividends as he celebrated a win for the second year in a row in the $108,433 Claiming Crown Iron Horse Starter Stakes. This year, it was the $8,000 claim Time For Trouble who delivered a 3 ¼-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile contest.
The Churchill Downs winner's circle is a far cry from where Hiles found himself after returning from a five-year stint with the Marine Corps. He isn't proud of the decisions he made during the ensuing years, and at age 35 he found himself in a rut both personally and professionally.
“I was full of bad decisions when I got home,” Hiles said. “But I felt that I was capable of achieving so much more. I just started taking small steps, and I decided I wanted to follow my dreams of becoming a horse trainer like my father.”
That's Rick Hiles, veteran trainer of over 650 winners and longtime president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.
Jeff Hiles certainly inherited his father's passion for the horses, and he recalls many late nights at the barn when he was a teenager.
“Once you get involved with them, it just becomes a part of you,” Hiles said. “I was kind of a troubled teen, so at night I would go out to the barn there at Churchill and just sit in the barn there with the horses. It was relaxing for my anxiety; they've always been kind of a relief for me.”
With that new goal and his equine passion at the front of his mind, Hiles moved back to Kentucky and took a job at a car dealership in Lexington. Though he made good money, it was a call from trainer Kenny McPeek that allowed Hiles to quickly transition back to the racetrack.
“All the horses were coming in from Florida, so I quit my job and started making almost nothing as a hotwalker,” said Hiles. “I thought I needed to work my way through the ranks. I worked my tail off to begin my career with Kenny. I sort of did anything we needed around the barn – clean stalls, groom, push feed carts and hot walk. If you want something bad enough, you'll do anything.”
The hardest part wasn't the work; it was overcoming the lack of support as he made the transition.
“Everybody told me to do the opposite of what I was doing – I can't think of one person who said, 'Follow your dreams,'” Hiles recalled. “But I think you can achieve anything you want as long as you work hard. If you have dreams, you have to take a chance and follow them because if you don't, one day you're going to regret it. I don't want to lay on my deathbed and think, 'I wish I had done this.'
“Horse racing is a lot of work but well worth it in the long run. I love this sport and my country. I'm glad I was able to serve in the Marines, then return to the industry I love.”
Hiles progressed quickly, moving up to the position as McPeek's Churchill Downs-based assistant trainer.
After a few years, Hiles' best friend Mickey Bailew started encouraging him to go out on his own.
“He's 25 years older than I am, but he's my best friend,” Hiles said. “He really pushed me, and he claimed my first horse for me in 2018 with Silver Time Racing. Honestly, I struggled my ass off for the first 2 1/2 years. I hauled horses on the side so that I could keep supporting my family.
“Mickey helped me a lot, and I never gave up. I don't know what it is. I just felt like this was what I was meant to do.”
Bailew passed away in 2020, just before Hiles' career started to take off.
“I know he'd be proud of me,” Hiles said.
It was in the spring of 2021 that Hiles was hired by former trainer Billy Denzik, now the racing manager for Louisville, Ky., businessman Brook Smith's Rocket Ship Racing.
“I don't know if the universe shifted or what,” Hiles quipped. “I travel with all my horses, and I haul them myself. I've run at a bunch of different places and I'm always there, so a lot of the clients that I've picked up, and my big client, Brook Smith, they noticed that. You know, attention to details. It's just worked out. Everything has worked out for me. Been lucky.”
Hiles improved his record from seven wins in 2020 to 15 wins in 2021, and this year the 42-year-old trainer has won 20 races and is closing in on $1 million in earnings.
His Claiming Crown winner, Time For Trouble, who Hiles owns in partnership with Paul Parker, is responsible for four of those wins in 2022.
Time For Trouble wins the Claiming Crown – The Iron Horse – Kent Stirling Memorial
The 5-year-old son of English Channel was an $8,000 claim at Churchill Downs on June 18, 2021.
“When I saw him I didn't think much of him; he's little bitty,” Hiles said. “The biggest thing with claiming one, though, is getting one that's sound. You'd think with big horses, they would go further, but it's actually the opposite. I'm 6'4”, and when I used to run in the Marines I got passed all the time by the little guys!
“It's because it takes me so much more energy to complete a stride than it does someone smaller; the same is true in horses.”
Time For Trouble hadn't run in especially long races over his career up to that point, and Hiles believed both his breeding and size would be beneficial for those longer spots.
The gelding won at first asking in a starter allowance at Belterra Park, then rebounded with a big second-place finish in a 1 ½-mile starter allowance at the lucrative Kentucky Downs meet. Time For Trouble ran poorly in his next start, so Hiles gave him the winter off and didn't run the gelding again until July of 2022.
That patience was rewarded with a three-race win streak: two starter allowances at Belterra and one at Kentucky Downs were added to the gelding's resume. In his final prep for the Claiming Crown, Time For Trouble ran second in a starter allowance at Keeneland.
Walking into the Churchill paddock with Time For Trouble on Claiming Crown day, Nov. 12, Hiles was confident.
“I thought he had as good a shot as anybody else,” Hiles said. “I was a little concerned about the distance (1 1/16 miles), that it might be too short. We were gonna enter him in the grass race (Emerald, 1 1/16 miles on turf), but fortunately we didn't because it came off the grass anyway (due to wet conditions). He's got a small foot and so I thought he'd handle the mud.”
Entering the winner's circle, Hiles quietly took the victory in stride.
“It felt like we made the right move and it paid off,” he said. “It's good to win a race at any track, and it was exciting for me because I won the race last year with Blue Steel. “All the guys were excited, and Paul's kids were excited, so I was more happy for them than I was for myself. I just felt like I did my job.”
Trainer Jeff Hiles, center in ball cap, celebrates with the connections of Time For Trouble after his victory in the Claiming Crown – The Iron Horse – Kent Stirling Memorial
