December, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘A Whole Generation Of Kids Was Failed By The Racing Authorities’: Australian Report Details ‘Historical Inaction’ Against Sexual, Physical Abuse

In March of 2022, Australian horse racing authority Racing Victoria announced a historical review into how the industry handled complaints of abuse. Beginning in July under the purview of Victoria's racing integrity commissioner Sean Carroll, the review has thus far included the testimony of 88 survivors of physical and sexual abuse.

Former jockey and trackwork rider Dennis Green told The Age he was subjected to sexual abuse and initiation practices while working for Geoff Murphy's stable in the 1970s. His reports of the abuse weren't investigated until the early 2000s.

“I think a whole generation of kids was failed by the racing authorities,” Green told The Age. “They've just been silent for too long.”

“Numerous victim survivors have also talked about the historical inaction of racing authorities in response to their complaints of sexual and physical abuse and expressed their dismay at what they perceive as 'cover-ups' and complaints being 'swept under the carpet',” Carroll wrote in his report. “For some, the threat of retribution is palpable. Many have spoken about not being offered guidance on what to do or where to complain, and simply tolerated ongoing mistreatment as a result.”

An earlier expose in The Age detailed the story of former jockey Ron Lockett, who was “accidentally” set on fire as an apprentice in the 1970s, as well as the stories of four other jockeys who were tortured (some of whom later attempted suicide).

Green is hopeful his testimony will allow other victims to come forward; the review is set to conclude in March, and a final report will be released by June.

“The review is an historic opportunity to ensure that what happens away from the track is as important to the integrity of racing as what occurs on the track,” Carroll told The Age.

Daughter Of Diamondsandrubies On Deck At Dundalk

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a Justify filly out of G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Diamondsandrubies (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

17.45 Dundalk, Cond, €17,500, 2yo, 8f (AWT)
Roisin Henry's unraced DIAMONDSAREFOREVER (IRE) (Justify) is a daughter of G1 Pretty Polly S. victrix Diamondsandrubies (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and thus a half-sister to GIII Ontario Colleen S. third and GI Natalma S. fourth Diamond Sparkles (War Front). Seamus Heffernan takes the mount aboard the Willie Browne trainee, who encounters one dozen rivals in this unveiling.

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Japan: Daughter Of Champion Mare Gentildonna Takes On Fans’ Top Choices In Arima Kinen

Sunday, Dec. 25 is the date for the 67th running of the Grade 1 Arima Kinen (The Grand Prix). Staged at Nakayama Racecourse, the Arima Kinen boasts Japan's top purse, which ties the Japan Cup with its first-place bounty of JPY400 million.

Like the Takarazuka Kinen, the Arima Kinen solicits fans to vote for the horses they most want to see run. This year, the 16 nominees boast six runners from the fans' top choices, including Titleholder, Efforia and Equinox. Those three, along with the Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner Geraldina, are expected to also be the most popular in the lineup. It is a highly competitive field, as the Arima Kinen always is.

Post time will be 15:25 local time, earlier than usual for a Grade 1 event. The Arima Kinen is the 11th race on the Sunday, Dec. 25 card of 12 at Nakayama.

Horses aged 4-year-old & up will carry 57kg, while 3-year-olds carry 55kg. Fillies and mares are given a 2-kg allowance.

Here is a look at the expected top picks:

Titleholder: Though the No. 1 pick of the fans for the Arima Kinen lineup, Titleholder has made only three appearances at home this year. He aced them all, starting with the Grade 2 Nikkei Sho over the Nakayama 2,500 meters. He followed that up with a win in the Grade 1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3,200 meters at Hanshin and, at the end of June, he aced the 2,200-meter Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen. Titleholder then went overseas to take on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Wearing himself out with a forward attack over grueling heavy going, he finished 11th of 20. Back on familiar turf, good things are expected of the son of Duramente. Regular rider Kazuo Yokoyama is expected to have the ride.

Equinox: The son of 2017 Arima Kinen winner Kitasan Black, Equinox heads into the Arima Kinen with a stupendous record of three wins and two seconds from his five career starts. Unlike his seven-time Grade 1 winning sire, Equinox has traveled a somewhat different path to the Arima Kinen. He was a close second in both the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), despite having drawn the far outside gate in both races. He then passed on the Kikuka Sho (Japanese St. Leger) and went straight to the Tenno Sho (Autumn), where he notched his first Grade 1 win with only four starts behind him. If Equinox can win on Sunday, he will upstage his sire once again.

Vela Azul: The 5-year-old Eishin Flash-sired Vela Azul is fresh off a victory in the Japan Cup. An incredible and outstanding feat, it would have not have been imaginable less than a year ago, when Vela Azul already had 16 starts in his career and still seeking his third win. When the trainer Kunihiko Watanabe switched him from dirt to turf, however, Vela Azul was as if transformed. He made the Top 3 in his next five starts (including three wins) before taking on his first Grade 1 and bagging a JPY400 million. The Japan Cup was ridden by Ryan Moore, but jockey Kohei Matsuyama is expected to be in the saddle for the Arima Kinen. Matsuyama was first paired with Vela Azul in the Grade 2 Kyoto Daishoten, which he won. Vela Azul finished third over the Nakayama 2,500 meters in April on his second start after switching to turf. If he can win, he will become the first horse since Deep Impact in 2006 to win the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen in the same year.

Geraldina: Being a blue-blooded daughter of six-time Grade 1 winner Maurice and a seven-time Grade 1 champion mare Gentildonna, Geraldina began to shine later in her career. After finishing seventh in the 2020 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, she remained in the lower levels until late 2021, when three wins in a row took her to her first graded stakes test. She started to show her talent when she ran second in the Grade 3 Naruo Kinen over 2,000 meters at Chukyo this year. In late September, she finally captured the Grade 2 Sankei Sho All Comers over 2,200 meters at Nakayama, which was her first win in a graded race. Then she triumphed the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup over 2,200 meters at Hanshin riding on the momentum, where she easily caught and passed the rivals, Daring Tact, Stunning Rose, Namur, and Win Marilyn who went on to win the Hong Kong Vase. Her partner in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup was Cristian Demuro, and is expected up on this Sunday as well.

Efforia: Efforia won the Satsuki Sho over 2,000 meters at Nakayama last year and extended his winning streak to four, as he topped Titleholder by three lengths. He relinquished the Japanese Derby to Shahryar by a nose, but then topped 2020 Triple Crown champion Contrail in the 2021 Tenno Sho (Autumn) by a length. With one amazing performance after the other, just two months later he cruised to victory in the Arima Kinen, catching and topping Deep Bond by 3/4 length. Though The Epiphaneia-sired Efforia seemed invincible, this year not only the winner's circle but also the top spots have eluded him. This year he has had only two starts and disappointed with lackluster results – a ninth in the Osaka Hai 0.7 seconds off the winner and a sixth in the Takarazuka Kinen 0.9 seconds back. He is going to the Arima Kinen unprepped, for his first race in six months. If he can come through with a return to his favorite venue, he'll become only the fifth horse in the race's history to notch back-to-back wins. Regular rider Takeshi Yokoyama is expected to have the ride.

Deep Bond: Also returning from the Arc is last year's runnerup Deep Bond, a 5-year-old by Kizuna. Though he has run in nine Grade 1s, he has yet to win one, but the experienced stayer still has ample chance. Last year, he went from a 14th in the Arc to a second in the Arima Kinen. This year he finished 18th in the Arc's field of 20. Second in this year's of the Tenno Sho (Spring), and fourth in the Takarazuka Kinen, Deep Bond is not one to overlook, especially as Japan's current leading jockey Yuga Kawada will be partnered with him again.

Boldog Hos: A name that hasn't been heard much is Boldog Hos. The son of 2008 Japan Cup winner Screen Hero, the 3-year-old colt lost the Kikuka Sho by a nose in his first Grade 1 bid. It was an impressive run, even more so given the race was clinched in record time. He has yet to win a graded stakes race, but Boldog Hos has come close, with two thirds at the Grade 2 level. A consistent runner who has raced solely over 10 furlongs and up, he has only missed the Top 3 in two of his nine outings. Slow at the break, he races from the rear, but can unleash an excellent late kick. Though it's not a racing style particularly conducive to winning at Nakayama, Boldog Hos is looking to prove a popular darkhorse. Expected in the saddle is Yuichi Fukunaga, who has just passed his trainer's test and announced his retirement. Fukunaga, who just hit the 100-win mark for the year, and has captured 17 of JRA's Grade 1 races, many of them numerous times, has yet to win the Arima Kinen.

Others to watch:

2021 Hopeful Stakes runnerup Justin Palace was unable to come close in the first two races of the Triple Crown this year, but managed a third in the Kikuka Sho last out. The Deep Impact colt will be up against older horses for his first time, but will enjoy the weight allowance allowed him in the Arima Kinen, 2kg less than he carried in the Kikuka Sho. The 4-year-old Breakup captured his first graded stakes race in the Grade 2 Copa Republica Argentina over 2,500 meters at Tokyo in early November. Two starts earlier, he had finished second to Japan Cup winner Vela Azul in the June Stakes, a 3-win-class race over 2,400 meters at Tokyo. His second in the Sunshine Stakes over the Nakayama 2,500 meters in late January also is a mark in his favor. Jockey Keita Tosaki will have the ride on Sunday.

The post Japan: Daughter Of Champion Mare Gentildonna Takes On Fans’ Top Choices In Arima Kinen appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Springboard Mile Winner Wildatlanticstorm Voted Remington’s Horse Of The Meet

Wildatlanticstorm, a two-time stakes winner and victor in the richest race for 2-year-olds at Remington Park, the $400,000 Springboard Mile, has been voted the Horse of the Meet for the recently completed 2022 Thoroughbred season.

The strapping chestnut, who crossed the scales at 1,235 pounds prior to his Springboard triumph, is owned by Jim Jorgensen of Thornton, Iowa. The colt by Stormy Atlantic from the Big Brown mare Imsortaspecial was bred in Iowa by his owner. Wildatlanticstorm is trained by Ray Ashford, Jr.

Wildatlanticstorm won three of four starts this season including wins in the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes on Oct. 28 and an allowance score on Sept. 8, in addition to his Springboard victory. He was ridden by David Cabrera in all of his races except the Springboard. In the marquee race for 2-year-olds, Leandro Goncalves had the mount and put a beautiful ride on the colt to maximize his opportunity to succeed.

Wildatlanticstorm earned $335,298 over his four starts at Remington Park. He has accumulated $366,568 overall from six career starts with four wins and two second-place efforts.

Here's a look at the Parade of Stars, the champions from the 2022 Thoroughbred Season, as voted on by media and racing management.

Wildatlanticstorm – Champion 2-Year-Old Male

Wildatlanticstorm would have earned 10 points in the 2023 Kentucky Derby standings by winning the $400,000 Springboard Mile for 2-year-olds at Remington Park on closing night, but he raced on Lasix. That precluded him receiving any points in those standings, but that was trainer Ray Ashford's plan all along.

“We were going to see how he did in this race and if he showed he was good enough, we will have to take him off (Lasix) down the road in other Kentucky Derby point races,” said Ashford.

The 2-year-old colt was the first Iowa-bred to win the Springboard Mile in its 22-year history. The big red colt was almost undefeated at Remington Park this meet, winning the Springboard, the $100,000 Clever Trevor Stakes and an optional claiming $75,000/allowance race. His only loss was a runner-up finish in the $75,000 Kip Deville Stakes when he lost by 1 3/4 lengths to Campfire Creed.

Olivia Twist – Champion 2-Year-Old Female

Olivia Twist's victory in the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes kept the 2-year-old filly undefeated after three starts for trainer Todd Fincher and solidified her vote in this category. She is a 2-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Mshawish (Medaglia d'Oro), out of the War Chant mare Twinkling, and she handled the step up in class to stakes company with ease, winning the Trapeze, her first stakes race ever. The meet's top jockey Cristian Torres scored by two full lengths in that race after beating a field of allowance juvenile fillies by 15 lengths in her previous race. Owned by G. Chris Coleman of Farmington, N.M., she started her career with a maiden win at Remington Park on Oct. 19, sprinting five furlongs in :58.66, winning by 2 1/2 lengths.

Olivia Twist earned $60,000 from the Trapeze purse and improved to three wins in three tries for a bankroll of $100,149.

Rattle N Roll – Champion 3-Year-Old Male

Trainer Ken McPeek loved watching his 3-year-old colt win the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park. Mike Mackin of Louisville, Ky., owns Lucky Seven Stable in conjunction with his three brothers and sister and they own Rattle N Roll. The stable is named for Mackin's parents and five siblings. Rattle N Roll made a strong run down the stretch, digging deep to hold off the late charge of Steve Asmussen-trained King Ottoman. Rattle N Roll finished 1 1/2 lengths in front of King Ottoman. In the Derby, jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr., won aboard Rattle N Roll, a 3-year-old colt by Connect (Curlin), out of the Johannesburg mare Jazz Tune. It was the colt's only race at Remington Park this year. Rattle N Roll earned $240,000 for the victory.

Hits Pricey Legacy – Champion 3-Year-Old Female and Champion Oklahoma-bred

This filly pulled off the biggest upset of the day on Oklahoma Derby Day in the Grade 3, $210,000 Remington Park Oaks, taking down Grade 1 winner Juju's Map. She cemented her place in these categories with a follow-up victory in the Useeit Stakes, versus Oklahoma-breds, on the Springboard Mile undercard. Juju's Map, who won the Grade 1, $400,000 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland as a 2-year-old and then ran second to Echo Zulu in the Grade 1, $1.76 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar, could do no better than run third to Hits Pricey Legacy, a multiple stakes winner at Remington Park. Owner-breeder-trainer C.R. Trout's barn centered around this filly the whole meet. The 3-year-old daughter of Oklahoma sire Den's Legacy (Medaglia D'Oro), out of the Concord Point mare High Price Hit, won three of four starts this meet, losing only in the Oklahoma Classics Distaff to another local champ, the older mare She's All Wolfe.

Trout of Edmond, Okla., said: “This filly means so much to us. Remington Park has always been my favorite track and it always will be.”

Hits Pricey Legacy improved her record to 10 starts, five wins, two seconds and two thirds for a total bankroll of $339,935 for the homebred. The filly has won $327,435 of that at Remington Park.

Rated R Superstar – Champion Older Male

Rated R Superstar won the $102,000 Jeffrey Hawk Memorial Stakes, the final stakes race of the season for older horses at Remington Park on the Springboard undercard, to secure the older male honor. The 9-year-old gelding races for Remington Park's all-time winningest owner Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla. The son of Kodiak Kowboy (Posse), out of the Gold Case mare Wicked Wish, beat heavily favored shipper from trainer Brad Cox's barn, Caddo River (4-5). Rated R Superstar loves the Remington Park main track, winning for the third time here in only four tries. The Hawk Memorial was added to his Governor's Cup triumph on the first night of the season in August. It was the second consecutive Governor's Cup for Rated R Superstar. His record overall is now 65 starts, 13 wins, 10 seconds and eight thirds for $1,781,280. On Remington Park's dirt surface he is now 4-3-1-0 for $278,000.

She's All Wolfe – Champion Older Female

It wasn't known at the time, but racing fans would see She's All Wolfe win for the last time at Remington Park in the Oklahoma Classics Distaff on Oct. 21. Trainer Donnie Von Hemel sent his mare out to win the $128,000 Distaff for the third year in a row. She was retired from racing in the days leading up to the Remington Park season ending. She gave Von Hemel his 30^th Classics victory, the all-time lead for trainers in the series. She's All Wolfe finished one victory short of her dam (mother) She's All In in the Oklahoma Classics Distaff. Her mama won this race four times. Both mares are owned by Dr. Robert Zoellner of Tulsa, Okla. He has won the Classics Distaff nine times. Richard Eramia was She's All Wolfe's regular rider this season as she won both of her Remington Park attempts. She was triumphant in allowance company against Oklahoma-breds a month before the Classics. The 5-year-old daughter of Magna Graduate (Honor Grades), out of the Include aforementioned mare She's All In, finishes her career with a record of 29 starts, 10 wins, six seconds and three thirds for $755,260 in earnings.

Flash of Mischief – Champion Sprinter

This 5-year-old colt by Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday), out of the Political Force mare Flashy Campaign, won this category by winning the toughest open-company sprint stakes of the meet – the $150,000 David M. Vance Stakes. It was impressive enough for the top trainer of the meet, Karl Broberg, to send him to the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., in November. Flash of Mischief ran second in his only other start of the meet, but he ran second to another Champion this meet, Rated R Superstar in the $175,000 Governor's Cup in August. The colt then broke through by 6 1/4 lengths in the Vance Stakes, on the Oklahoma Derby undercard on Sept. 25. Flash of Mischief is owned and was bred in Kentucky by Jerry Namy of Ft. Worth, Texas, and his record is now 23 starts, nine wins, five seconds and two thirds for $774,901.

Price Talk – Champion Turf Performer

Price Talk earned the award for his win in the richest open-company turf event of the season, the $100,000 Remington Green, on the Oklahoma Derby undercard Sept. 25. Owned by Gaining Ground Racing of Edina, Minn., Price Talk is trained by Brad Cox and was ridden to victory in the Green by Florent Geroux. The Green was the only start of the season at Remington Park for the 5-year-old gelding by Kitten's Joy from the War Chant mare Mayakoba. He has a record of 16 starts, six wins, two second and one third for total career earnings of $342,824.

Ernie Banker – Champion Claimer

Ernie Banker was successful and popular between two top barns this season at Remington Park. He started his local run on Sept. 1, finishing ninth over a sloppy track for owner End Zone Athletics and trainer Karl Broberg. He then won his next attempt on Sept. 23 and was claimed for $15,000 by owner Danny Caldwell, who sent him to victory six days later on Sept. 29 when Broberg claimed him back for End Zone Athletics at a price of $20,000. The 5-year-old gelding then won a starter allowance event on Oct. 12 and an allowance on Nov. 7 out of the Broberg barn to finish the season with four consecutive wins from five starts.

A son of Central Banker from the Prime Timber mare Tall Timbercowgirl, Ernie Banker was bred in New York by Andy Beadnell. He has a career mark of 25 starts with nine wins, three second and four thirds for total earnings of $258,542.

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