March, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Will A Neurologic Mare Have A Neurologic Foal? Not Necessarily

If a neurologic mare has a foal, will the foal mimic her behavior that is affected by disease? Dr. Rodney Belgrave, Director of Internal Medicine at the Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center, revealed that foals don't often mimic neurologic ways of their dam unless the foal is also affected by the disease, reports EQUUS magazine.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is one of the more-common neurologic diseases mares may be experiencing when they foal. Belgrave reports that the foals seen in his clinic do not display the same neurologic deficits the dams have.

However, he notes, foals can be born with an EPM infection. Neospora hughesi, one of the organisms that can cause EPM, can be transferred through the placenta to the fetus. Infected foals did not show neurologic deficits until they were three months old.

Equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1), which is highly contagious, can also be transmitted to the fetus. Foals can be born with EHV-1 in their bloodstream and in their organs (like the liver, lungs and thymus), but most show no neurological signs.

Foals that appear neurologic are more likely to be suffering from neonatal encephalopathy than a neurologic disease like EHV-1 or EPM. This happens when the fetus is deprived of oxygen in the womb because the placenta isn't functioning correctly, often due to a bacterial disease. These foals are often uncoordinated and lack a suckle reflex.

Foals can also be deprived of oxygen during the birthing process. These foals often don't develop neurologic signs until 18 to 24 hours after birth.

In both cases, lack of oxygen leads to fluid in the brain tissue; it can also damage other organs like the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. If foals are treated early and appropriately, their prognosis is very good.

Half-Brother To Wild Illusion And Yibir On Deck For Newcastle Debut

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. Thursday's Observations features a pair of Godolphin bluebloods.

14.35 Newcastle, Mdn, £10,000, 3yo/up, 10f 42y (AWT)
Godolphin's THROUGH THE AGES (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) is a gelded son of the stakes-winning Rumh (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}) and thus kin to a quintet of black-type performers headed by three-time top-level victrix Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and GI Breeders' Cup Turf hero Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay undertakes the long trek north to face five opponents in this debut.

17.15 Chelmsford, Nov, £8,050, 3yo/up, f/m, 8f (AWT)
SITHCHEAN (IRE) (Dark Angel {Ire}), another notable Godolphin debutante, is a half-sister to five stakes performers out of G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches second Firth Of Lorne (Ire) (Danehill). They include G1 2000 Guineas runner-up Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and G1 St James's Palace S. second Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}). Her nine rivals include Two Fools Collide (GB) (Mukhadram {GB}), who is a William Jarvis-trained half-sister to G1 Prix de l'Opera third Hadaatha (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

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Equibase Analysis: General Jim Poised To Defeat Forte In Fountain Of Youth

This Saturday's Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes features the return of Forte, last year's two-year-old male Eclipse Award winner based on his winning the G1 Breeders' Futurity and G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Stakes. Likely to be the heavy betting favorite, Forte has not run since that race during the first week of November and faces nine others trying to make their mark in the division as well as earn important “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points.

Leading the charge to try to defeat Forte are two recent stakes winners at Gulfstream in the form of Rocket Can and General Jim. Rocket Can won the G3 Holy Bull Stakes four weeks ago at the distance of the Fountain of Youth while General Jim won the G3 Swale Stakes on the same day but at the distance of seven furlongs. Holy Bull runner-up Shadow Dragon as well as fourth and fifth place finishers Legacy Isle and Il Miracolo, respectively, hope to improve. Cyclone Mischief, sent to post as the heavy favorite in the Holy Bull, hopes to make amends off his poor seventh place effort. Blazing Sevens finished fourth of 10 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile behind Forte and also returns off the same four month layoff. Dangerous Ride steps up in class off a win in allowance level races over the track and Mage stakes a bigger step up in class of a win as he just broke his maiden.

Analysis and Main win contenders:

Before discussing the horses I think have the highest probability to win this year's Fountain of Youth, I want to talk about the likely favorite, Forte, who I don't believe is one of the top three contenders to win although the public at large undoubtedly will. So far this year in Kentucky Derby prep races, three horses returning for their first starts of 2023 failed at low odds – Giant Mischief (Rebel), Dubyuhnell (Sam F. Davis), and Arctic Arrogance (Withers). All were bet heavily and as if their most recent race was just a month or so before the current race as opposed to two to three months back. Horses are athletes, and in particular newly turned 3-year-olds often need a race following a layoff before running well enough to win when compared to horses of similar caliber which have run in the past month or so.

History bears this out as well, because only one top Breeders' Cup Juvenile top finisher has returned to win the Fountain of Youth, and that was in 2011 when Union Rags won this race after a runner-up effort four months earlier. One other horse won this race in his sophomore debut off a long layoff and that was Promises Fulfilled in 2018, who had won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes the previous fall. Most if not all of the other editions of the Fountain of Youth Stakes have seen horse returning from three to four months off fare poorly. What that tells me is Forte will have his work cut out in order to pick up where he left off with an effort good enough to repeat his career-best 105 Equibase® Speed Figure, although he certainly could be in the top three to fill out the exacta or trifecta.

Therefore, General Jim is by far the horse with the highest probability to win this year's Fountain of Youth Stakes in my opinion. As with a number of top 3-year-olds over the past few years, General Jim ran on turf as a 2-year-old, winning his first start around two turns in the second start of his career last September. Coming right back to win a highly rated two-turn turf race in October, General Jim earned a career best 99 Equibase® Speed Figure which is the second highest figure earned by any horse in this field except Forte. After a third place effort in the Central Park Stakes on turf in November, General Jim shortened up to a one-turn mile for a fourth place finish in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes, which he arguably might have won as the two to one betting favorite if he hadn't been blocked for most of the stretch run. Trainer McGaughey tried blinkers for the colt's next start, four weeks ago in the Swale Stakes over the track and the result was a strong win in ridden-out fashion with a 92 figure.

Jockey Luis Saez has been in the saddle for all three of the colt's wins and rides back, with the ground saving rail and with a pedigree (Into Mischief out of a Curlin Mare) which suggests the colt will love this distance (and longer) on dirt. There's also history in favor of General Jim moving from that seven furlong stakes to winning the Fountain of Youth because at one time the seven furlong Hutcheson Stakes was a prep for this race as the Swale is now, and in 2014 Wildcat Red used the Hutcheson as a prep to winning this race.

Trainer Bill Mott has a pair of top contenders in the form of Rocket Can and Shadow Dragon, the one-two finishers in the Holy Bull Stakes four weeks ago on the same day General Jim won the Swale. Historically, Holy Bull runners have had a big impact in the Fountain of Youth. Gunnevera (2018), Ete Indien (2020), Scat Daddy (2007) and last year's winner Simplification all prepped in the Holy Bull before emerging victorious in this race. Both Rocket Can and Shadow Dragon are making their second starts off layoffs and can be expected to improve, and Mott has had a lot of success in Derby prep races with 3-year-olds making their second starts of the year, with three wins and three runner-up finishers from eight starters the past few years. Although Rocket Can earned an 89 figure compared to 88 for Shadow Dragon, both much lower than the career best 99 figure General Jim has earned, both colts deserve the same amount of respect in this race if for no other reason that their Hall of Fame trainer has enough confidence to enter both in this situation.

The rest of the field, most who have the ability to compete effectively in this race, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Blazing Sevens (98), Cyclone Mischief (101), Dangerous Ride (82), Il Miracolo (81), Legacy Isle (82) and Mage (88).

Win Contenders, in preference order:
General Jim
Rocket Can
Shadow Dragon

Fountain of Youth Stakes – Grade 2
Race 14 at Gulfstream Park
Saturday, March 4 – Post Time 5:43 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Sixteenth
Three Year Olds
Purse: $400,000

The post Equibase Analysis: General Jim Poised To Defeat Forte In Fountain Of Youth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘Light On Experience’ Scoobie Quando Headlines Full Field Chasing Derby Points In John Battaglia

Andrew and Rania Warren's Scoobie Quando, a debut winner in the $125,000 Turfway Preview Stakes, will attempt to add his name to the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard as the headliner in an over-subscribed field of 14 3-year-olds that entered Saturday night's 41st running of the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial (Listed).

The John Battaglia Memorial will go as Race 8 of 9 with a post time of 9:25 p.m. (all times Eastern). First post is 5:55 p.m.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the John Battaglia Memorial is the final race in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Prep Season. The top 5 finishers will be awarded qualifying points on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale for a spot in the starting gate for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve on Saturday, May 6. Turfway's Saturday program also features the $150,000 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.

Trained by Ben Colebrook, Scoobie Quando debuted on Jan. 7 in the Turfway Preview where he gamely dug in to defeat Retained by a neck under jockey Luan Machado. In his last start, Scoobie Quando finished second best to Wadsworth in a first-level allowance event at Turfway.

“Timing wise, the Turfway Preview worked out well for us to run him first out,” Colebrook said. “He's always trained like a good horse in the mornings and been the best of the company I worked him in. I'm not one to let a horse draw off on their company so I think in the (Turfway Preview) he ran to how he worked but wasn't going to let the runner-up by him. He's light on experience so we opted to run him in the allowance race where Luan (Machado) said once he sort of got to the outside he was able to make a better run but was just second best that day.”

Machado will be back aboard Scoobie Quando in the John Battaglia Memorial and break from post No. 4.

Chief among his rivals in the John Battaglia Memorial is SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan's $100,000 El Camino Real Derby runner-up Gilmore. Now under the care of Brendan Walsh, Gilmore was previously conditioned by Bob Baffert in California. The gray son of Twirling Candy was the 9-5 post time favorite in the El Camino Real Derby where he finished 1 ½ lengths behind Chase the Chaos. Previously, Gilmore was bet down to odds of 1-5 in a maiden special weight contest at Los Alamitos where he easily defeated eight rivals by four lengths. Gilmore will be ridden in the John Battaglia Memorial by Joe Ramos from post 3.

Other top prospects that entered the John Battaglia Memorial include: Gary and Mary West's undefeated Aristocracy; OXO Equine's local allowance winner Bromley; Tami Bobo and Lugamo Racing Stable's $150,000 Laurel Futurity winner Congruent and M Racing Group's Gulfstream Park allowance winner Eyes On the King

Here is the complete field for the John Battaglia Memorial from the rail out (with jockey and trainer): Good Heart (Jane Elliott, Walsh); Aristocracy (Fernando De La Cruz, Brad Cox); Gilmore (Ramos, Brendan Walsh); Scoobie Quando (Machado, Colebrook); Accident (Orlando Mojica, Tommy Short); American Speed (Chris Landeros, Brad Cox); Eyes On the King (Brian Hernandez Jr., Mark Casse); Miranda Rights (Rafael Hernandez, Mark Casse); Freezing Point (Gerard Melancon, Joe Lejzerowicz); Bromley (Gerardo Corrales, Paulo Lobo); Moon Landing (Walter Rodriguez, Kevin Attard); Congruent (Sonny Leon, Antonio Sano). Also Eligibles: Ironsides (Declan Cannon, Victoria Oliver); Clear the Air (Jack Gilligan, Will Walden).

Fans can watch and wager on the John Battaglia Memorial on www.TwinSpires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated and the Kentucky Derby.

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