February, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Early Triple Crown Nominees Number 369

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's divisional champion and 'TDN Rising Star' Forte (Violence) leads a total of 369 3-year-olds eligible to compete in this year's Triple Crown series after the early nomination phase closed Saturday, Jan. 28. Each of the 369 sophomores, which are comprised of 367 colts and two fillies (Hoosier Philly [Into Mischief] and Julia Shining [Curlin]), were made eligible through a $600 payment and may compete in any leg of the Triple Crown series, pending other eligibility requirements.

The early nominations included 57 more horses (18.2%) than last year's total of 312. Any additional horses can still be nominated via a late payment of $6,000 through Monday, Mar. 27.

A total of 125 individual trainers nominated runners, with Brad Cox leading all trainers by nominations with 38, followed by Todd Pletcher at 36, and a tie between Steve Asmussen and Kenny McPeek with 13 apiece. Chad Brown and Hideyuki Mori follow with 12 each. The latter is based in Japan as part of a 37-horse contingent nominated from that country, which is 16 more than last year's previous record of 21.

Spendthrift Farm leads owners with 19 horses nominated, either as sole owners or as part of a partnership. Spendthrift's Into Mischief has sired 17 of the nominees, followed by Curlin at 15, Curlin's son Good Magic at 14, and Triple Crown winner Justify at 14.

A total of 285 of the nominees were bred in Kentucky with other states represented being Florida (19), New York (19), California (5), Maryland (3), Pennsylvania (3), Oklahoma (2), and Texas (1). Japan contributes 24 of the nominees, with Ireland at four, Canada at three, and Great Britain at one.

Horses not currently assigned a trainer or horses under the care of any trainer suspended from competing in the 2023 Kentucky Derby have their trainer listed as “TBD.” For the Kentucky Derby, horses under the care of any suspended trainer or affiliates may be transferred to a non-suspended trainer and become eligible for earning Road to the Kentucky Derby points in future races if the transfer is complete by Feb. 28.

The 2023 Triple Crown opens May 6 with the 149th running of the GI Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, is followed by the 148th GI Preakness S. May 20 at Pimlico Race Course, and finishes with the 155th running of the GI Belmont S. June 10 at Belmont Park.

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Grade 3 Winner Mo Mosa Sold To Stand In Jamaica

Grade 3 winner Mo Mosa will begin his stallion career at Paradise Farms at Spring Village in Jamaica after selling for $50,000 late during Tuesday's session at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale.

The 6-year-old son of Uncle Mo was cataloged as a racing or stallion prospect, but he was later switched to being offered strictly as a potential stallion. This caught the attention of bloodstock agent Chad Schumer, who signed the ticket on behalf of Paradise Farms.

Schumer was one of the agents responsible for brokering the deal that sent Grade 2 winner Bern Identity to stand in Jamaica, and the horse has become one of the country's perennial top stallions.

“We've been looking for a long time for another stallion,” Schumer said. “We actually bought a replacement in November, but we were offered a massive profit and ended up selling. I was actually looking at him as a racehorse when I went back to the barn, but when they said they were offering him as a stallion prospect only, I said, 'Oh, perfect.'”

Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned Mo Mosa, as agent.

Racing as a homebred for Perry Martin and his late wife Denise, Mo Mosa won four of 22 starts for earnings of $482,235.

Mo Mosa broke his maiden in his third career start in February of his 3-year-old season at Turfway Park, then after an unsuccessful try at the Kentucky Derby trail, trainer Mike Maker got the horse his first graded black type with a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby.

His strongest season came at age four, where after starting the year in the Oaklawn Park allowance ranks, he shipped to Fonner Park to win the track's signature Bosselman Pump and Pantry/Gus Fonner Stakes by a front-running 1 1/2 lengths. Mo Mosa then carried that momentum over a sloppy track at Lone Star Park, and won the G3 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths at odds of 23-1.

Mo Mosa is out of the unraced Eskendereya mare Roughing, who is the dam of two winners from four foals to race. His second dam, the stakes winner Playcaller, is the pivot point for runners including Grade 1 winners Diplomat Lady and Hunter O'Riley, as well as Grade/Group 2 winners Dream Play and Zulu Land.

Schumer has worked with Paradise Farms for about seven years, and he said the Jamaican racing program is contested primarily over dirt. This made Mo Mosa's on-track credentials and the main track success of his sire Uncle Mo made for a logical fit when shopping for stallions.

“Uncle Mo is an absolute sensation as a sire of sires,” Schumer said. “He's a graded stakes winner from a nice family, and he's beautiful. I'm delighted to have him.

“It's a regional program, but there's enough of an industry there to make sense of it,” Schumer continued. “Bern Identity's been absolutely dominant of late, so it's good to have another one to join him.”

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Letter To The Editor: Building Trust With Customers Through HISA Could Lead To ‘Super’ Things

To The Editor:

This Sunday is the biggest day in American sports – Super Bowl LVII. While I enjoy this annual ritual, I much prefer the first Saturday in May – or really any Saturday where there is great Thoroughbred competition to watch.

I grew up a bettor, then became a marketer and ultimately an owner in the sport. And all three of these experiences I've enjoyed immensely. And for the benefit for each, I applauded the efforts to finally, finally, finally bring Thoroughbred racing under the long-overdue establishment of uniform safety and integrity rules through the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act.

I hate to say it, but I fully expected some corners of the industry to fight this. And they have. And they are only slowing down a train that badly needs to roll on to ensure the present and the future of our sport.

As a bettor I want a level playing field, as an investor I want to be protected – and as a marketer, my lifelong profession, I want a product I can proudly and honestly promote.

With the establishment of HISA to set and enforce rules for our sport and its participants, all three of those boxes could be checked.

To consumers under 40, the most important trait a brand can possess is “Trustworthiness.” It is at the core of building a relationship with a consumer. I would venture to say racing would score near the bottom of the sporting world with this next generation of owners and bettors.

No amount of advertising dollars can cure the damage caused when a brand cannot be trusted.

Competition for the entertainment dollar has never been more difficult. While I applaud some innovation in our fight for that dollar, if we continue to be seen – by our current customers, much less potential new ones – as a sport lacking fundamental safety and integrity, the clock will continue to run down on Thoroughbred racing.

The ongoing growth and acceptance of sports betting is a major opportunity for racing. And the more our brand is seen as doing everything we can to regulate and ensure integrity, the better our chances at getting a bigger piece of the sports wagering pie.

We have our best chance to change with the implementation and full industry support of HISA.

Uniting different interests and regulating any sport is never easy. And there will be bumps along the way that come with any effort of this magnitude. But they can and will be addressed.

Watching the Chiefs versus Eagles on Sunday should remind us – that uniformity and proper regulation can truly lead to “Super” things. The NFL is certainly not perfect, but their journey to becoming the dominant sport in America can be traced partially to their willingness to unite and better regulate their game.

I urge anyone who desires a better future for our sport to support the efforts of HISA.

— Kip Cornett

Chairman Emeritus, CORNETT

Lexington, Kentucky

If you'd like to submit a letter to the editor, please send it to info @ paulickreport.com along with your name, home state, and relationship to horse racing (owner, fan, horseplayer, etc). Letters are subject to editing for accuracy or clarity.

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‘She May Be One Of The Best Horses I’ve Ever Trained’: Wonder Wheel Preparing For 2023 Debut

Breeders' Cup winner and juvenile filly champion Wonder Wheel will make her 2023 debut this Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, her dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse told the Thoroughbred Daily News on Tuesday. The 3-year-old daughter of Into Mischief will start in the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes, which offers the first five finishers points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (20-8-6-4-2).

Wonder Wheel has been training at Casse's Ocala training center, and is coming into the Suncoast with four recorded workouts at the facility.

“She's training super,” Casse told TDN. “She's a tall filly. She's almost 17 hands. I think she has filled out a little bit. When you give a horse time off like we did, it takes them a little while to kind of get back in the groove. But she's in the groove.”

Winner of four of her five career starts, Wonder Wheel was a $275,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September sale. The filly was bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms and Three Chimneys, and is out of the multiple Grade 1-placed Wonder Gal (Tiz Wonderful).

After the Suncoast, Casse expects to send Wonder Wheel north for the G1 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland as her final prep before the Kentucky Oaks.

“She may be one of the best horses I've ever trained,” Casse added. “But I don't want to get too far ahead. Let's see how she does going from two to three. We're going to let her do the talking.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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