May, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mage Draws Post Three as 8-5 Preakness Favorite

GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) drew post three in the field of eight set to go in the $1.65-million GI Preakness S., to be held Saturday, May 20, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The second jewel of the Triple Crown drew only one starter from the Kentucky Derby, but it was the one who won the Derby and the only one with a chance for a Triple Crown. Mage was installed as the 8-5 favorite.

Gustavo Delgado, Jr., assistant to his father, Mage's trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr., indicated before the draw that an outside post would be the team's ideal choice. Mage won the 18-horse Derby from post eight after lingering far back early and tipping about seven wide into the lane. Bred by Grandview Equine and owned by OGMA Investments, LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC, and CMNWLTH, Mage sports a 4-2-1-0 record and comes into the Preakness with earnings of $2,107,200. A $235,000 KEESEP yearling and $290,000 EASMAY 2-year-old, Mage first turned heads with a front-running sprint debut at Gulfstream Jan. 28 and qualified for the Derby by pushing champion Forte (Violence) within a length in the GI Curlin Florida Derby.

Mage will face seven new shooters in the 148th Preakness with Brad Cox's 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense) second choice at 5-2. Cox, whose best finish in the May 6 Derby from his four starters was a fifth with Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), seeks his first Preakness win, but has a Derby to his name after Mandaloun (Into Mischief) was promoted to first in the 2021 edition. He also won the 2021 GI Belmont S. with Essential Quality (Tapit).

Other storylines of note to watch this year in the 1 3/16-mile Classic include Hall of Famer Bob Baffert's first Triple Crown starter–4-1 third choice National Treasure (Quality Road)–since Medina Spirit (Protonico)'s third in 2021. Baffert has a co-leading seven Preakness wins and seeks a record-breaking eighth. In addition, Chad Brown–who won last year with Early Voting (Gun Runner)–and Steve Asmussen both seek their third Preakness win. And finally, sophomore sire Good Magic has three of the starters in the eight-horse field. The Preakness is scheduled for 7:01 p.m. EDT as race 13 Saturday.

The entire field, from the rail out, with trainers, jockey assignments, and early odds is as follows:

#1 National Treasure (Quality Road) (Bob Baffert, John Velazquez, 4-1)

#2 Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) (Ed Moger, Jr., Sheldon Russell, 50-1)

#3 Mage (Good Magic) (Gustavo Delgado, Sr., Javier Castellano, 8-5)

#4 Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) (John Salzman, Jr., Jaime Rodriguez, 20-1)

#5 Red Route One (Gun Runner) (Steve Asmussen, Joel Rosario, 10-1)

#6 Perform (Good Magic) (Shug McGaughey, Feargal Lynch, 15-1)

#7 Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) (Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 6-1)

#8 First Mission (Street Sense) (Brad Cox, Luis Saez, 5-2)

The post Mage Draws Post Three as 8-5 Preakness Favorite appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Mage Faces Seven New Shooters From Post Three In 2023 Preakness Stakes

Mage will be the only Kentucky Derby runner to contest the second jewel of the 2023 Triple Crown, coming up this Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The 3-year-old son of Good Magic and jockey Javier Castellano will face seven new shooters in the 1 3/16-mile contest, and will have to work out a trip from post three as the 8-5 morning line favorite. That is perhaps slightly further inside than his connections would have preferred; assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado, Jr., told media just before the draw he was hoping for an outside post.

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, Mage is owned by OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, CMNWLTH and Sterling Racing LLC. The colt rallied from 16th in a field of 18 under a masterful ride by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano to register a length victory in the May 6 Derby while making only his fourth career start. His connections waited until Friday to commit Mage to the Preakness Stakes.

The second choice on the morning line at 5-2 will be First Mission, a Godolphin homebred son of Street Sense who won the G3 Lexington Stakes in just his third lifetime start. Trained by Brad Cox and to be ridden by Luis Saez, First Mission will break from the outside post in the field of eight. First Mission worked five-eighths of a mile Saturday in a lively 59.20 seconds in preparation for the Preakness; he and Cox's other horses headed to Baltimore for Preakness Weekend stakes were scheduled to leave Churchill Downs at 9 a.m. Monday.

Third choice on the morning line at 4-1 is Bob Baffert trainee National Treasure, most recently fourth in the G1 Santa Anita Derby. The son of Quality Road will add blinkers for the Preakness Stakes, and be piloted from the inside post by jockey John Velazquez.

Trainer Chad Brown will be seeking his third Preakness victory with a similar pattern: a horse that qualified for the Kentucky Derby, but skipped the first Saturday in May in order to contest the Preakness Stakes instead. This year, it's 6-1 chance Blazing Sevens who will leave the starting gate from post position seven under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Blazing Sevens last raced April 8 when he finished third in the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland. That came after an eighth-place finish in the Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park in his seasonal debut. In the Blue Grass, Brown equipped Blazing Sevens with blinkers for the first time.

“I liked him with the blinkers,” Brown said. “They are going to stay on him. He grabbed the bridle a little better and was more consistent (in the Blue Grass).”

The full field is as follows:

National Treasure* (John Velazquez, Bob Baffert) 4-1
Chase The Chaos (Sheldon Russell, Ed Moger, Jr.) 50-1
Mage (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado) 8-5
Coffeewithchris (Jamie Rodriguez, John Salzman, Jr.) 20-1
Red Route One (Joel Rosario, Steve Asmussen) 10-1
Perform (Feargal Lynch, Shug McGaughey) 15-1
Blazing Sevens (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Chad Brown) 6-1
First Mission (Luis Saez, Brad Cox) 5-2

*blinkers on

The post Mage Faces Seven New Shooters From Post Three In 2023 Preakness Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Opinion: Hall Of Fame Jockey Believes Safety Vests Result In ‘More Serious Head, Neck, And Back Injuries’

Jockey Shane Dye, a member of the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, shared his opinion about what he feels is a lack of safety in the safety vests jockeys wear during races with punters.com.au.

“The vest comes up and hits your head, resulting in more head injuries, and it prevents a jockey from rolling, the most important reaction in a fall,” Dye said. “I've got no doubt in my mind that the vest causes more serious head, neck, and back injuries because you can't roll.”

Dye cited a 2014 study into the safety vests which examined insurance claim data prior to and following the introduction of the vests.

The report indicates “a significant increase in neck fracture percentages during the post-vest period” and “a significant increase in back fracture percentages during the post-vest period,” and that “the vests are neither comfortable nor have they been universally accepted as being worthwhile.”

The winner of over 100 Group 1 races also pointed to a research paper written in 2019 by Lisa Giusti Gestri, which concludes: “the current vests are failing in providing sufficient protection.”

Editor's Note: The aforementioned opinion is that of jockey Shane Dye, an expert in race riding but perhaps not in safety data. The 2014 study's key findings are printed in full below, and a link to the full study is available here:

“Despite an apparent growing acceptance of the vests, most riders felt the protective capabilities of the vests and the vest comfort levels should be improved. While a reduction in sprain and strain injuries in the chest and back were identified (suggesting a vest meeting current standards may be reducing these lesser injuries), an increase in neck and spinal fractures was also identified. There was no evidence that the increase in neck and spinal fractures was related to wearing the vests (as suggested by some riders). Instead a review of raceday footage carried out by a biomechanical engineer showed that most of these injuries are “indirect injuries” and a result of a rider taking a forward dive into the track. This theory was supported by the identification of a significant increase in head and facial fractures during the same period of study. Several vests were tested as part of this work, with the widely used Tipperary Ride Lite vest failing testing requirements. As a result of the project the ARB immediately began further investigations into the Tipperary vest and subsequently ruled to suspend the use by licensed jockeys, track riders and stable hands of the Tipperary Ride Lite vest. The ARB is continuing to work with the manufacture of the Tipperary Ride Lite vest to address safety concerns. That action alone is a significant outcome of this project.”

The post Opinion: Hall Of Fame Jockey Believes Safety Vests Result In ‘More Serious Head, Neck, And Back Injuries’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Full Belly: A Surgical Complication For Horses?

People about to undergo anesthesia are required to refrain from eating or drinking for 8 to 12 hours beforehand to reduce their risk of aspiration pneumonia. A study from Oakridge Equine Hospital in Edmond, Okla., has shown that similar precautions may not be necessary in equines, reports EQUUS magazine.

Researchers studied the records of horses that went under general anesthesia between 2012 and 2014. They focused their study on horses that were over 2 years old that underwent non-emergency, non-abdominal surgeries. None of the horses were fasted.

Because horses don't vomit, aspiration pneumonia is not considered a primary postsurgical complication. The more realistic risk, the researchers discovered, was post-surgical colic.

The scientists found that only 2.5 percent of the horses that had not been fasted prior to the surgery colicked. No correlation was found between risk of postoperative colic and the horse's age, procedure, or length of anesthesia.

The researchers concluded that allowing a horse to eat before it undergoes surgery that doesn't involve the digestive tract may help maintain gut motility and decrease post-operative colic risk.