January, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

12 Questions: Sebastien Desmontils

First job in the Thoroughbred industry?

Summer job as a stud groom at Highland Farm in Paris, Kentucky, that was managed by Peter Kirwan in 1999. Everything looked big and new at the time especially the Clydesdales that were kept on the farm not far from the Thoroughbreds!

Biggest influence on your career?

My friends Benoit Jeffroy and Gabriel Leenders. Unlike me the two of them are born and raised in this game and they have been keen to share their knowledge and experience with me since I decided to move full time in the Thoroughbred business as well as many other people that I have met or worked with along the road.

Favorite racehorse of all time, and why?

Has to be the unbeaten champion filly Zarkava. Only thing small about her was her size. Big trainer, big owner, big jockey, big heart… massive turn of foot. Even her legacy will be big with her son Zarak that appears to be a serious improver at stud.

Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023?

If I knew I should be leading this game but if I have to guess I would say Invincible Army as I thought his yearlings that I have seen were eye catching looking sharp and ready to go with substance.

Greatest race in the world?

L'Arc de Triomphe.

If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why?

Willie Mullins for his ability to operate his business at the top of this game, selecting, training top-class horses year after year and always appearing as a proper gentleman that loves his sport.

Emerging talent in the industry (human)?

Christopher Head has all the ingredients to become one of Chantilly's leading trainers in the years to come.

Name a horse TDN should have made a Rising Star, and didn't?

Went through Thursday's edition and would strongly agree on the fact that Rajapour should have been one!

Under-the-radar stallion?

Zelzal covered a big crop of 189 mares in 2022 at €15 000 LF and has done really well so far with very limited crops and average quality mares.

Friday night treat?

Sharing a good dinner with my wife and friends at home testing nice wines talking about racing and breeding.

Guilty pleasure outside racing?

Hunting, Shooting and Fishing

Race I wish I'd been there for…

Arcangues's win in the 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic at 133-1 in which my dad had bought a small share following his syndication by Agent Frederic Sauque at the time. I have watched the replay so many times…. A lot more than my dad who never had much interest in horse racing and did not realize the performance that this was to win this race for a horse trained in Europe.

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Aqueduct’s Saturday Card Features $24K Pick 6 Carryover

Saturday's 10-race program will be bolstered by a Pick 6 carryover of $24,924 after the multi-race wager went unsolved on Friday's nine-race card.

The $1 Pick 6 returned $377.50 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 horses correctly.

The sequence began in Race 4 with jockey Manny Franco posting the second of his six wins on the card, guiding Quick Chaos [No. 7, $12.20] to victory in a state-bred maiden special weight for conditioner Jorge Abreu.

Franco then guided Vallarand [No. 4, $4.70*] to score a $25,000 claiming victory in Race 5 for trainer Rob Atras before another win in Race 6 aboard Baron's Legacy [No. 6, $18.80] to provide trainer Horacio De Paz with a state-bred maiden claiming win.

Race 7 saw Six Percent [No. 8, $16.20] pounce to victory under Dylan Davis for conditioner Jeremiah Englehart in a state-bred allowance optional claimer.

Franco returned to the winner's circle again in Race 8 aboard Kant Hurry Love [No. 3, $6.60] for trainer Christophe Clement before earning his sixth win on the card in Race 9 aboard the Antonio Arriaga-trained Bourbon Calling [No. 10, $13.40] to trigger the carryover.

Saturday's Pick 6 sequence will begin in Race 5 [1:47 p.m. Eastern] and will feature the $150,000 Jerome in Race 8 and the $150,000 Queens County in Race 9. First post is 11:50 a.m.

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Baffert On Sham Contenders: National Treasure ‘Maturing,’ Newgate ‘Better Than What He’s Shown’

The Road to the Kentucky Derby officially kicks off Sunday at Santa Anita with the Grade 3, $100,000 Sham Stakes going a flat mile. Six sophomore colts are set to go postward, which includes a quartet for Bob Baffert led by 2-1 morning-line favorite National Treasure.

Baffert, an eight-time Sham winner and a six-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, provided insight on all four of his starters on Friday.

National Treasure won his debut sprinting at Del Mar in September and returned to finish second behind stablemate Cave Rock when stretched to 1 1/16 miles in the Grade 1 American Pharoah. The Quality Road colt, who was a $500,000 auction purchase as a 2-year-old, was subsequently sent to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and finished third, beaten about 3 ¾ lengths by Forte, the de-facto 2-year-old male champion of 2022 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Since the Breeders' Cup, National Treasure has signaled his readiness for the Sham with several fast works that includes a bullet six-furlong work in 1:11.6 on Monday.

“This is the time of year you see them mature, and this horse is maturing,” Baffert said. “I think he ran a big race in the Breeders' Cup and he's continued to work that way.”

National Treasure will break from post 2 on Sunday with John Velazquez returning to the irons.

Newgate will be back around two turns following a second-place finish behind stablemate Havnameltdown in the Grade 3 Bob Hope going seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 20. Prior to that effort, the Into Mischief colt was sent to Keeneland for his two-turn debut in the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at 1 1/16 miles. Dispatched at 11-1, Newgate showed speed for a half mile before fading to fifth, 7 ¼ lengths adrift of winner Forte.

“I think he's better than what he's shown,” Baffert said of Newgate. “He's kind of a slower-maturing type physically and mentally. We're trying to figure him out and that's what these races are for.”

Newgate, who was an $850,000 auction purchase as a yearling, will break from the rail in the Sham with new rider Frankie Dettori in the irons.
Speed Boat Beach returns to dirt following a pair of stakes wins on grass, which includes the Grade III Cecil B. DeMille most recently when stretched to a mile at Del Mar on Dec. 4. Last week, the son of Bayern was scratched from the Eddie Logan Stakes on turf.

“He's a horse we've been thinking about sending to the Saudi Derby and Dubai, so I wanted to give him a prep on dirt,” Baffert said.

Speed Boat Beach could be the pacesetter on Sunday under Flavien Prat.

“He's extremely fast, definitely the quickest of the group,” Baffert said.

Rounding out Baffert's Sham starters is Reincarnate, a front-running maiden winner when going a mile at Del Mar on Nov. 25. The Good Magic colt, who commanded $775,000 at auction, has four works since including a six-furlong drill in 1:13 last Friday.

“He's a big, strong horse,” Baffert said. “He's not as quick as those other horses, but he can jump up if the pace is quick. He wants to go a mile and a quarter. Distance is going to be his friend.”

Baffert's eight Sham Stakes scores include the last three, with Newgrange (2022), Life Is Good (2021) and Authentic, who would go on to also win the Kentucky Derby in 2020.

The field: 1. Newgate, Frankie Dettori (6-1); National Treasure, John Velazquez (2-1); Speed Boat Beach, Flavien Prat (5-2); Reincarnate, Juan Hernandez (8-1); Packs a Wahlop, Ramon Vazquez (6-1); Spun Intended, Mike Smith (5-2).

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After Year Of Opening Doors, Apprentice Kylee Jordan Hopes For Eclipse Nod

Jockey Kylee Jordan is named on four horses Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn. She's in another type of race, too, one that will be decided hours before her first scheduled mount.

After a breakout 2022, highlighted by riding titles at Will Rogers Downs and Prairie Meadows, Jordan will learn Saturday morning if her resume was strong enough to be named one of three finalists for an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding apprentice jockey.

Jordan's father, trainer Todd Jordan, didn't have a vote, but he does have an opinion.

“Think so,” he said.

Kylee Jordan, 20, won eight races at the 2021-2022 Oaklawn meeting, with seven coming in 2022 after returning from a shoulder injury. Her career took off last spring when she rode at Will Rogers Downs on Oaklawn's dark days. Jordan rode four winners opening day (March 21) and finished with 44 victories, including her first career stakes score, at the northeast Oklahoma venue.

Normally, Jordan would make the 4 ½-hour drive to Will Rogers following Sunday's races at Oaklawn. She would ride Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Will Rogers and return to Hot Springs Wednesday night.

“I get on a lot of horses over there in the morning,” Jordan said. “Like I was taking 15 horses out in the morning. But I just made a lot of good connections over there and they were all willing to give me the opportunity to ride their horse, so it worked out.”

Jordan rode that momentum to Prairie Meadows in her native Iowa, where she topped the standings in victories (81) and purse earnings ($2,087,351). She lost her 5-pound apprentice weight allowance about two weeks before the meeting ended Oct. 2.

Five of Jordan's victories at Prairie Meadows, including four stakes, came aboard Tyler's Tribe, the 2-year-old Iowa-bred sensation for co-owner/trainer Tim Martin of Hot Springs.

“I've known her and her family, her dad, Todd, forever, from Prairie Meadows,” Martin said. “I've been there 20 years. I think she's a good little rider. At the time she had the bug, she only got to use it one time with Tyler's Tribe in a race because all the others were stakes races. She was doing great, so she hooked up with this horse. She gets along with babies real good. She's really good about calming them down and relaxing them. She's kind of laid back. I put her on him and left her on. I plan to keep her there.”

Tyler's Tribe provided Jordan with her biggest racing moment to date when she rode the gelding in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) Nov. 4 at Keeneland.

“That horse opened a lot of doors for me,” Jordan said.

According to Daily Racing Form statistics, Jordan had 621 mounts as an apprentice in 2022. She rode 116 winners, with her mounts generating $2,505,635 in purse earnings. Jordan's final day as an apprentice was Sept. 16.

“I've watched her on horses, galloping and everything,” said Todd Jordan, who has a small string this season at Oaklawn. “I guess I knew she kind of had it. But I think after the first five wins, I suppose, was when I knew it. She's done good.”

Kylee Jordan recorded her first career Oaklawn riding double Dec. 9, opening day of the 2022-2023 meeting. One of the victories was aboard Wesleyan ($63.80) for Martin.

Eclipse Awards finalists, three in each human and horse category, will be revealed at 10:30 a.m. (Central) Saturday during a live broadcast by FanDuel TV. The 52nd annual Eclipse Awards Dinner is Jan. 26 in Palm Beach, Fla. The three Horse of the Year finalists will be announced earlier during the ceremony.

Eclipse Awards honor horses and individuals whose achievements in North America earned them championship titles in their respective categories. Voting is conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel), National Turf Writers and Broadcasters and Daily Racing Form.

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