January, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Grade 1 Winner On Turf, Shirl’s Speight Will Fly To Japan For Group 1 February Stakes On Dirt

Shirl's Speight, winner of the 2022 Maker's Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland, will aim to become the first foreign horse to compete in Japan's Group 1 February Stakes on Feb. 19, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. The Tokyo showpiece is contested over a mile on the dirt course.

Owner/breeder Charlies Fipke is one of a small number of North American owners who are licensed to race in Japan, according to advisor Sid Fernando. Fipke also breeds a few mares in Japan each year, and even won a couple races there last year with Kana Tape. In fact, Fipke's racing investments have extended to multiple international venues, including South Africa, Australia, and Dubai.

“On top of all of that, he'd like to also try to win a Grade 1 race on dirt with Shirl's Speight,” Fernando told TDN. “With his Japanese contacts and everything, it's showcasing that horse over there as a potential stallion prospect, not that he plans on selling the horse or anything. For Japanese breeders, it's exposure.”

Shirl's Speight's latest start was a strong second to Modern Games in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile on turf, but his most recent dirt start, the G3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park on June 18, 2022, resulted in a third-place finish beaten more than 11 lengths by Mind Control.

The 5-year-old son of Speightstown is out of Fipke's millionaire 2011 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul), and is conditioned by Roger Attfield. He'll be ridden in the February Stakes by Joao Moreira, a four-time champion rider in Hong Kong with experience in Japan.

Plans after the February Stakes call for Shirl's Speight to ship to Dubai for the Group 1 Dubai Turf over nine furlongs at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on Mar. 25.

“It's a very complex logistical thing with quarantine, flights, etc.,” Fernando told TDN. “I have to give a shout out to [Fipke's] administrative assistant Fawn Seminoff, who has really done an incredible job organizing all of the moving parts.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Grade 1 Winner On Turf, Shirl’s Speight Will Fly To Japan For Group 1 February Stakes On Dirt appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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CHRB: Catastrophic Injuries In California Down 10 Percent In 2022; Golden Gate, Humboldt Fair Remain At Stalemate

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a meeting on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at Cal Expo. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by Vice Chair Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Brenda Washington Davis, Thomas Hudnut, and Wendy Mitchell.

The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:

Executive Director Scott Chaney (ED) reported that “in 2021, there were 71 total catastrophic injuries at California regulated facilities. In 2022, that number was 64 for a decrease of 10 percent. Since calendar-year 2019, total catastrophic injuries have decreased 50 percent. To put 2022 in context, of the 64, less than half, 30, were musculo-skeletal injuries, the rest being sickness, accidents, and sudden deaths. For further context, there are approximately 30,000 runners (starts) each year in California and 70,000 workouts. On any given day, there are approximately 4,000 horses at CHRB regulated facilities and around 8,000 to 10,000 unique horses at our facilities in any given year. I believe California to have the best safety record in the country. Of course, there is still work to be done, and several more regulations that the Board has passed will go into effect this year.”
Dr. Jeff Blea, the CHRB equine medical director (EMD), elaborated on racing safety in his report to the Board. “The Inclement Weather Policy ( found on the CHRB Website) is used when nature changes course,” he explained. “Cancelations at Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields, Los Alamitos, and Cal Expo have occurred this month due to the heavy amount of rainfall – with safety of horses and riders paramount. Credit to track management, track maintenance superintendents and their crews, and horsemen for their diligent efforts to focus on safety during the inclement weather.” He also credited the Board for implementing the policy. “If you look back 20 years ago,” Dr. Blea continued, “you ran on mud, you ran on slop, but now, when you see those weather forecasts, the safety of horses and riders comes first.”
After hearing the ED and EMD reports, Commissioner Davis commented, “We have really turned the corner…with everyone going in the right direction.”
Northern California stakeholders reported that despite continuing discussions, they remain at a stalemate over a disputed week of racing involving the Humboldt County Fair and Golden Gate Fields. The Board already has allocated dates for the rest of the northern racing calendar. A motion to deal with the impasse failed for lack of a majority (four votes required). The matter will come back to the Board at the March 16 meeting in Arcadia. (The full schedule for 2023 Board meetings is posted on the CHRB website.)
The Board approved changes to the retirement plan for licensed California jockeys in order to comply with new federal regulations.
The Board renewed the license for Sammy's in Lake Forest to continue accepting wagers as a minisatellite wagering facility.
The Board authorized the Executive Director to perform certain administrative actions on behalf of the Board, including approving requests by racetracks to cancel a scheduled racing program (usually due to inclement weather) and to run that program on a different, previously unscheduled day.

The post CHRB: Catastrophic Injuries In California Down 10 Percent In 2022; Golden Gate, Humboldt Fair Remain At Stalemate appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘Everything Seems To Be In Good Order’: White Abarrio, O’Connor Wrap Up Major Preparations For Pegasus

C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio and Fernando Vine Ode and Michael and Jules Iavarone's O'Connor, two-thirds of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s scheduled starters in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park Jan. 28, turned in final breezes Friday morning.

The winner of the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) last season and the Chilean Group 1 winner are among the 12 top older horses in North America scheduled to compete in the 7th running of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup, which will be featured on a 13-race program with the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf (G1), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for older horses, and the $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for older fillies and mares.

White Abarrio geared up for the Pegasus during a half-mile workout in 47.90 seconds at Gulfstream Park under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. The 4-year-old son of Race Day produced the third fastest clocking of 45 recorded at the distance.

“He started off easy and finished his last quarter in 23 [seconds] flat,” Joseph said. “Tyler was very happy with him. We were also happy, visually.”

Friday's breeze was the sixth in a series of workouts at Gulfstream, where White Abarrio is undefeated in four starts, including the Florida Derby and Holy Bull (G3) last season.

O'Connor breezed five furlongs in 1:00.61 at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano.

“O'Connor worked in company. He sat off a workmate and finished up nicely. He galloped out strong,” Joseph said. “Everything seems to be in good order. His last quarter was in 23-and-3 [seconds]. It was a good solid work.”

White Abarrio, who most recently finished a close third in the Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct, and O'Connor, who captured his U.S. debut before disappointing in the Dec. 31 Harlan's Holiday (G3), are expected to be joined in the Pegasus starting gate by stablemate Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking, last year's third-place finisher in the Belmont Stakes (G1) who won the Harlan's Holiday (G3). The Joseph-trained Skippylongstocking is scheduled to breeze at Palm Meadows,

The post ‘Everything Seems To Be In Good Order’: White Abarrio, O’Connor Wrap Up Major Preparations For Pegasus appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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First Foals For Lope Y Fernandez

European champion Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), was represented by his first reported foals when the Kingman (GB) mare Sempre (GB) produced a filly and Shaiydana (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) foaled a colt earlier this month.

The former arrived at John Bourke's Hyde Park Stud in Ireland, who said, “On Saturday, Jan. 14 we had a gorgeous foal with great quality and physique by Lope Y Hernandez–she was the first foal out of a beautifully bred Kingman mare Sempre. I will be sending two mares back to the stallion again this season, especially on the back of the first foal we have had. When I saw Lope Y Fernandez at The National Stud in December 2021, I thought he was a fantastic stamp of a horse with the best walk you could find.”

Of the second arrival, breeder Nick Bradley said, “I'm delighted with this colt–he is a cracking first foal out of the mare. He has great bone and quality like his sire and was exactly the type of foal I was hoping for, and more, when I bred to Lope Y Fernandez.”

Lope Y Fernandez won the G3 Round Tower S. at The Curragh as a juvenile and placed in five Group/Grade 1 events over his career, including the 2020 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile and 2021 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot. He stands at The National Stud for a fee of £8,500.

The post First Foals For Lope Y Fernandez appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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