January, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cyberknife Turns In Strong Work At Fair Grounds For Pegasus World Cup

Trainer Brad Cox is tightening the screws with Gold Square LLC's Cyberknife in preparation for concluding the 4-year-old colt's racing career in the $3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

Second in a photo finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in his most recent start, Cyberknife is the anticipated favorite for the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus for 4-year-olds and up on Jan. 28. Gulfstream's showcase program that day includes the $1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for older horses, and the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G3), a 1 1/16-mile stakes for older fillies and mares on turf.

The 4-year-old Cyberknife was recorded working five-eighths of a mile in a sparkling minute flat in company with the talented mare Astute on Sunday morning at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans. Fair Grounds clocker Billy Pettingill caught Cyberknife galloping out six furlongs in in a powerful 1:11.74 under exercise rider Edvin Vargas.

The minute matched the fastest of 34 works at the distance. Regular rider Florent Geroux will be aboard for the Pegasus, Cyberknife's last start before joining Spendthrift Farm's stallion roster in Lexington.

“A really good move,” Cox said by phone. “Our horse is doing very, very well. It's really amazing that he's continued to get better with the long campaign he had. He had a brief break after the Breeders' Cup. He went over and showed (for prospective breeders) at Spendthrift for around a week, came back and looked great. Since then we've made this march toward the Pegasus. This will be his last run. It will be bittersweet. Hopefully he goes out a winner.”

Cyberknife finished second by a head to the older Cody's Wish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland.

“It was a big effort,” Cox said. “I was very proud of the race. He never quit. He was fighting back at the end. He ran a great race. It was a great finish. Obviously I wish we were on the other end of it. But look, he came out of the race great and hopefully we can get one last win with him before he goes off to stud.”

Cyberknife has had five works since the Breeders' Cup. On Jan. 1, he also worked five furlongs, but the move was recorded as a half-mile in :49 seconds because of fog.

“Last week he had a good solid move,” Cox said. “This week he obviously picked up the pace with a big gallop-out. We've got two works left. We'll ship the week of the race and see how things go.”

Cyberknife's record of 5-4-1 and $2,087,520 in 12 starts includes victories in Oaklawn Park's Arkansas Derby (G1) and Monmouth Park's Haskell (G1), along with a second in Saratoga's Travers (G1) and third in Parx's Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

Cox is hoping Cyberknife can conclude his career in the same fashion as his sire, 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, who captured the 2018 Pegasus World Cup. This will be Cox's third straight appearance in America's most lucrative dirt race for older horses outside the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). He won the Pegasus World Cup in 2021 with another Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile runner-up, Knicks Go. That horse went on to capture the Breeders' Cup Classic to be voted 2021 Horse of the Year but finished second in the 2022 Pegasus behind Life Is Good.

Cox said Cyberknife will be his only entrant in the Pegasus World Cup stakes. Set Piece, an invitee to the Pegasus Turf, is getting his usual winter break and won't run, he said.

The post Cyberknife Turns In Strong Work At Fair Grounds For Pegasus World Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Spendthrift’s Senior Prank Stylish Debut Winner After Overcoming Physical Issue, Maiden Winner Aniston To Seek KY Oaks Points In Busanda

Spendthrift Farm's homebred sophomore filly Senior Prank graduated at first asking on Saturday, registering a 62 Beyer Speed Figure for a half-length triumph over the Aqueduct main track.

The Chad Brown-trained Senior Prank held command through every point of call, racing with close company in between horses down the backstretch, and fended off a late rally from Spelterini to cover the six furlongs in 1:12.79 under Manny Franco.

The bay daughter of perennial leading North American sire Into Mischief is the first progeny out of the multiple graded stakes-placed Sky Mesa mare Thundering Sky, who was acquired by Spendthrift at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale for $500,000.

Spendthrift Farm General Manager Ned Toffey expressed a sense of gratification in the first-out win and said the road to the racetrack was not an easy one for Senior Prank, who was withdrawn from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“The vast majority of our yearling crop goes through the ring and gets offered at the sale. But not long before the sale, she developed some hind-end issues. We brought her home, gave her a lot of time, turned her out at the farm and had her broken locally,” Toffey said. “We gave her time, started the breaking process and she put all of that behind her. We got her going to where we were more than comfortable to send her on. Chad has done a good job handling her, so I'm thrilled to start off the year with a nice win with a 3-year-old homebred by Into Mischief. We'll keep our fingers crossed.”

The whereabouts of Senior Prank's next start will be left up to Brown according to Toffey, who credited the four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer's patience with his horses.

“I think Chad will do right by her and bring her along slowly,” Toffey said. “We haven't really talked about plans since the race yesterday, so we'll see how she comes out. We generally put our horses with trainers who we feel good about their opinions and don't try to micromanage. If Chad wants to go the allowance route, great. If he thinks she's ready for a bigger jump forward than that, it's his people in the barn every day. His people are better to make those judgements than we are.

“She certainly showed the right kind of tools and it'll be interesting to see how she stretches out,” Toffey added. “She has a little more stamina on the bottom side and Into Mischief has shown he can get any kind. That's always the question – do they want two turns? We'll sort that out as we go.”

Toffey said Thundering Sky was initially purchased to be bred to Into Mischief, who stands at Spendthrift Farm for an advertised fee of $250,000.

“Usually when we're buying mares at that level, that's kind of the way we typically go,” Toffey said. “We actually bred her back to Medaglia d'Oro through a deal with Darley. We traded some seasons and we bred a group over there and they bred a group here, primarily to Into Mischief. That was the thought at the time we bought her and now we have a really nice filly. This is one of those ones where maybe our bad luck at the time turned out to be good luck.”

Thundering Sky did most of her running on turf, including NYRA circuit stakes triumphs in the 2016 Pebbles at Belmont Park and the 2017 Fasig-Tipton De La Rose at Saratoga Race Course.

“We're not opposed to that,” said Toffey when asked if turf could be in Senior Prank's future. “We are a stallion operation and most of what we do feeds into that one way or another through the broodmare band or stallion prospect colts themselves. With the commercial still being dominated by dirt, that's our first preference. But if we find that she makes more sense on the turf and she shows us that, we have no problem going that way.”

Spendthrift's silks could visit the Big A winner's circle on Saturday with another sophomore filly in Aniston, who will target the $100,000 Busanda. The nine-furlong test offers 20-8-6-4-2 points towards the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 5 at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Aniston displayed a 4 3/4-length victory going nine furlongs on November 25 at the Big A. The chestnut daughter of elite sire Curlin made her two-turn debut a winning one and registered a 55 Beyer Speed Figure for the score, which came two months following a distant seventh-place finish on debut going a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A.

“She's taken some time to come to hand and she's more stamina than speed and precocity,” Toffey said. “But I know he [Pletcher] feels that she's a solid filly. Her last race going two turns is what we've been waiting for.”

Aniston, bred b y Newtownanner Stud, was bought for $550,000 from the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services. She is out of the unraced Indian Charlie mare Kateri, making her a full sister to graded stakes winner and Grade 1-placed Souper Sensational.

Spendthrift Farm's homebred graded stakes winner Following Sea has not raced since finishing a close second to fellow Pletcher trainee Americanrevolution in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile in December 2021. The 5-year-old son of Runhappy captured that year's Grade 2 Vosburgh en route to a late-closing third-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint.

“He's just had some really hard luck. After 2021, we were excited about the year he might have last year. We had to do some minor cleanup of some things on him and ran into some complications coming out of that,” Toffey said. “He's had a couple of other health setbacks that have kept us from getting him back to the track. We'd like to have another year of racing with him. He was in Ocala with Todd's father, J.J. Pletcher, but he left there and is now with Todd at Palm Beach Downs. It hasn't been a smooth road back for him. We're hoping to get him back for 2023 and have a good 5-year-old year with him.”

The post Spendthrift’s Senior Prank Stylish Debut Winner After Overcoming Physical Issue, Maiden Winner Aniston To Seek KY Oaks Points In Busanda appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Preventing Unwanted Equine Behaviors

Unwanted behaviors, often called vices, are repetitive, purposeless behaviors that take up a large portion of a horse's time. Common examples include cribbing, chewing, and weaving. Vices can stem from environments that limit a horse's natural feeding or social behavior.

Horses have a strong instinct to forage, move, and socialize. They have evolved to eat small, frequent, forage-based meals throughout the day. When allowed to graze, horses will forage for over 14.5 hours daily while moving around the pasture. Additionally, as herd animals, social interaction is key to horse welfare. However, providing this ideal environment for horses is often not practical.

Many of today's horses spend a lot of time in stalls or dry lots, receive two large meals per day, and have a limited chance to forage. While some horses adapt well to a highly controlled environment, others may become stressed and find relief through an unwanted behavior. Once a horse develops an unwanted behavior, they may never stop. There are some steps you can take to help manage or prevent unwanted behaviors in your horse.

Reduce the amount of time your horse spends indoors

Allowing your horse turnout and exercise can provide your horse an opportunity to satisfy their instinct to move. When given the choice of being in a paddock or stall, horses will often choose a paddock, even in poor weather. Additionally, routine turnout can help prevent boredom and allow for socializing with other horses.

[Story Continues Below]

If your horse must be kept in a stall for a long period of time (e.g., stall rest), try to keep them entertained.

Spend time with them outside their stall, for example hand walking around the arena or grooming in the barn aisle.
Provide hay in slow feed nets to prolong the time your horse spends eating. Mature hay (high in NDF) can be fed to keep your horse busy between meals.
Make sure your horse is not alone in the barn. Stalling another horse within sight of your horse can help reduce their stress.
Provide toys that your horse can play with or chew on while in their stall. Treat toys require the horse to work or chew on the toy to receive a treat. Remember, you should only provide treats in moderation. Always select toys that are approved and safe for horses.

Keep your horse in a herd

Horses have a strong desire for social interaction, which can be met while kept in a herd. In these social groups, horses communicate through touch, smell and changes in body posture and facial expression. A herd size of four to 10 horses of the same sex works best with the exception of stallions. Try to limit changes in the herd, which can be stressful.

If your horse must be kept outside a herd, try introducing your horse to another animal, such as a goat, donkey or sheep. If you keep your horse with any of these species, check with your veterinarian to see if you need to adjust your horse's vaccination or health plan.

Provide a forage-based diet

Keep your horse on a high forage diet and ensure it meets their nutritional needs. You should feed your horse based on their age, body weight, physiological state, and activity level. Limited access to long-stemmed forage can cause horses to develop alternative chewing habits such as cribbing or wood chewing. Little forage or large amounts of grain can also increase the risk of colic.

Prolonging the amount of time a horse spends eating forage better mimics natural feeding behavior. When grazing isn't an option there are a couple management practices you can try. Consider feeding horses three to four small meals throughout the day. Alternatively, you could use restrictive hay feeders, such as slow feed hay nets. When feeding horses a single hay meal (1 percent body weight in hay), horses spent 6.5 hours eating hay from a slow feed net compared to 3.2 hours when eating off the floor.

Use positive training methods

When training a horse, choose a training method that uses positive reinforcement away from abuse or force. Many horse training methods are available. It is your responsibility to choose a method that meets the best interest of you and your horse. Training methods that use negative reinforcement can lead to poor behavior such as bolting and rearing.

The post Preventing Unwanted Equine Behaviors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Top Reasons to Play Texas Holdem Poker

It is easier to play Texas Holdem then some of the other poker games because everyone is using the same cards with the exception of their hole cards to make the best hand. Seeing the cards lined up on the table allows you a better perspective on the cards then if they were in your hand.

Texas Holdem makes bluffing much harder by placing all the cards you can use to make your winning hand in a communal pile for everyone to use. The only thing you have to make a different hand from everyone else’s is 2 hole cards dealt at the beginning of the hand. The game is harder to bluff because you are able to watch the eyes of the other players as the communal cards are exposed. Without lots of practice you can watch and get a feel fro who has what cards by watching them look at the cards. Even if their faces do not give their hands away their eyes will. Someone will tend to focus on cards they may be able to use. You can also tell what they have by their lack of reactions to other cards, if a player dismisses a card immediately you can determine what kind of hand he may be holding.

Because of the way the betting is structured in Texas Holdem Poker it is easy for the pots to grow very large and you can eliminate other players and win big money in a short period of time. The game is broken down into 4 rounds and after each round is the opportunity to bet again, this is how the pots grow large very fast especially in a no limit Texas Holdem Poker game.

Many people may think that playing the most popular poker game may not be cool and that the true poker fans play draw or Caribbean Stud Poker but they would be wrong in my opinion. The advantage about playing the most popular game is that it is easier to find people who play that game and you will have a bigger selection of players to choose from to find good players. Playing against people who play at your skill level or better makes the game more of a challenge and therefore more exciting.

I can not even begin to tell you why Texas Holdem is so popular, but I can explain its continued popularity and growth. It is simple really, the more people who play the more interest in the game grows. Now we have many Texas Holdem based TV shows spreading the game to many people who would never have otherwise learned the game. Texas Holdem has more professional players then any other casino game played today. Some pro’s even get very lucrative sponsorship deals when earn them millions of dollars every year just for having a sponsors name on his shirt while they play the game.

The longer Texas Holdem poker is the most popular poker game the more people that are going to start playing it, making its popularity and its number of players infinite. This means that Texas Holdem is going to be around for a long time.