Month: June 2023

McPeek Duo Looms Large in Stephen Foster

Kenny McPeek has managed to keep Lucky Seven Stable's talented pair Smile Happy (Runhappy) and Rattle N Roll (Connect) away from the same starting gate until now, but on Saturday the stablemates will meet for the first time in the GI Stephen Foster S. Set to run this year at Ellis Park, the mile-and-an-eighth contest drew a field of eight and is a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders Cup Classic.

Smile Happy and Rattle N Roll share more than a few similarities, but the main parallel is that the 4-year-olds are both on skyrocketing career trajectories with the potential for big summer campaigns ahead.

A 'TDN Rising Star' and the winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at two, Smile Happy was a contender leading up to the Kentucky Derby last year, but he settled for eighth on the first Saturday in May. After a long layoff, the son of Runhappy returned a winner at Oaklawn in March and finished third in the GII Oaklawn Mile S. before his breakout performance in the GII Alysheba S., where he earned a 110 Beyer Speed Figure.

“This is a fantastic, talented horse,” said Kenny McPeek. “As a 2-year-old he didn't win a Grade I, but the Kentucky Jockey Club showed he had such raw talent. He needed an extended vacation after the Derby last year. He had a slight case of distal bone bruising, which is difficult to get a horse to rebound from quickly. We gave him a lot of time and he's come back a better horse. The race in the Alysheba showed how freaky talented he is.”

Allowing Smile Happy the time off to improve physically has been one key to his success this year, but another factor has been figuring the colt out mentally. McPeek explained that this trainee can be quirky, noting that the colt doesn't respond well to disruptions in his routine and requires some extra attention on race day.

“During the post parade, he wants to back up and then not come back to the gate,” McPeek shared. “So we learned a little trick to get him back to the gate. The race at Oaklawn [Oaklawn Mile] was a little bit short for him, but then we spaced off that and came into the Alysheba and now we've got the gate trick worked out. He tests you, this horse, but my goodness he's so talented. Figuring him out in the mornings has been tricky because at Oaklawn he didn't want to train, at Fair Grounds he trained well, and then we've figured out his number at Churchill. I don't see this horse training anywhere but Churchill probably for the rest of his career. When it's open, he'll be there.”

Rattle N Roll gets a pre-race mint and pep talk from his groom, Peter Soria | Sara Gordon

Fellow Lucky Seven Stables colorbearer Rattle N Roll also showed potential as a juvenile when he claimed the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, but he struggled to find the winner's circle early in his 3-year-old season. While he did not make the Kentucky Derby, he later claimed a trio of summer derbies including the GIII Oklahoma Derby.

After a brief layoff over the winter, Rattle N Roll returned this spring to run fourth in the GII New Orleans Classic S. at Fair Grounds and then launch a winning tear over the course of six weeks, claiming the GIII Ben Ali S., GIII Pimlico Special S. and GIII Blame S.

“He's been a good horse from the beginning,” McPeek said. “When he won a Grade I at Keeneland, we knew we had our hands on a really good one. He's a get-the-job-done type of horse. When Flavien Prat rode him in the Pimlico Special, he nailed it right on time. Then when he came back in the Blame at Churchill, once again, he got the job done. He had a really troubled trip in that race and won anyway. He's a very workmanlike, easy horse to be around.”

Never one to adhere to a training rule book, McPeek 'wowed' the crowd at Churchill Downs when Rattle N Roll won the Blame S. just two weeks after he got the nose at Pimlico. McPeek explained the reasoning behind the quick return to the races.

“I think today, especially with the no Lasix in a lot of these graded races, if you've got a horse and it's sturdy enough and they're eating well and they're doing well, I don't see any reason why they can't run or shouldn't run,” he said. “I'm not one that subscribes to, 'They have to be spaced six weeks in between races to run their best race.' I do believe that people buy their horses to race them as opposed to watching them train and then running sparingly. I suppose I'm going to be criticized by some by doing that and that's fine as long as we run well and we win.”

Some might even scratch their head at McPeek's choice to enter this duo in the same Grade I contest, but the veteran trainer said that he believes the race is the best spot for each colt as individuals.

“I think it was obvious that the race for Smile Happy was the Stephen Foster and we've been plotting for this one for a couple of months,” he shared. “We'd like to go Stephen Foster to Whitney. With Rattle N Roll and the series of wins he's had, the options for him were I could have taken him to the [Prairie Meadows] Cornhusker H., which would have been another Grade III, or I could have taken him to the Suburban S. in New York, which is a Grade II. It's a lovely race, but it's not two turns so I was a little bit concerned about changing his routine from two turns to one turn.  With a clear mind, it was the right spot for both horses.”

Rattle N Roll and Smile Happy were part of the first crop of yearlings that McPeek bought for the Mackin family's Lucky Seven Stable in 2020. Rattle N Roll was a $210,000 Keeneland September purchase for McPeek and Smile Happy was a $185,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings buy for Lucky Seven.

The Mackins have had success in the sport both individually and as a family over several decades, but campaigning a pair of top-level older dirt colts ranks near the top of their accomplishments.

“The Mackin family has been in the game for 30 or 40 years,” McPeek shared. “They love racing, between Mike, Craig, Jeff, Jay and their sister Kim. Their mother and father made seven, but both have passed away. I'm sure that their mother and father would be really thrilled to know the kind of success they're having and we're going to try to keep it going for them. They're wonderful people and really deserve this kind of success.”

Smile Happy looks to get his first Grade I win in Saturday's GI Stephen Foster S. | Sara Gordon

McPeek will be looking to earn his first Stephen Foster victory on Saturday.

Rattle N Roll drew the fourth position and will team up with his regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. Alongside him in the five hole, Smile Happy will be ridden by Corey Lanerie, who was aboard for the colt's sophomore campaign last year.

The field also includes GII Oaklawn H. one-two-three finishers of Godolphin's Proxy (Tapit), Last Samurai (Malibu Moon)–who subsequently ran fourth in the Alysheba–and California-based Stilleto Boy (Shackleford). Ron Moquett's Speed Bias (Uncle Mo), who came close to besting Rattle N Roll in the GIII Pimlico Special, dominant GII New Orleans Classic winner West Will Power (Bernardini), and Lothenbach Stables' Happy American (Runhappy) round out the race.

Also on Saturday at Ellis Park, McPeek will be represented in the GII Wise Dan by Camp Hope (Summer Front). The 5-year-old Walking L Thoroughbreds representative was winless in his first four starts this year, but he scored in an allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs in June.

“He's been really solid,” McPeek reported. “He won the Bryan Station S. at Keeneland as a 3-year-old. He didn't have a great 4-year-old year, but he seems to be coming back to form as a 5-year-old and his last race was superb. Brian [Hernandez Jr.] has figured him out and really rides him well.”

Camp Hope will have to take on Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who is defending his Wise Dan title from 2021 and comes in off a win in the GIII Arlington S. on June 3. The 7-year-old Juddmonte homebred is trained by Brad Cox, who has won three of the last four editions of the turf contest.

GIII Arlington S. runner-up Get Smokin (Get Stormy) and third-place finisher Harlan Estate (Kantharos) will also vie for contention in the 10-horse field.

Rounding out the graded stakes action at Ellis on Saturday, the GII Fleur de Lis S. drew seven fillies and mares headlined by Grade I winners Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) and A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo).

The McPeek-Mackin partnership will be represented by one last stakes contender over the weekend and it's one that McPeek is more than happy to discuss.

V V's Dream was Mitole's first North American winner when she dominated in her juvenile debut on May 19 at Churchill Downs. Completing five furlongs in :57.91, her 6 1/4-length score earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

“V V's Dream is any kind of horse,” said McPeek. “I mean, that filly is really high-level talented.”

The $190,000 Keeneland September purchase is owned by Mike Mackin's MJM Racing and she will return to the starting gate on Sunday for the Debutante S.

The post McPeek Duo Looms Large in Stephen Foster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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ARCI: 2022 Drug Testing Results Reveal 99.59 Percent Compliance Across U.S. Racing Jurisdictions

The Chair of the Association of Racing Commissioners International's Drug Testing Standards and Practices Committee, Duncan Patterson of Delaware, informed the ARCI Board this week that the overall results of equine drug testing across the United States in 2022 indicate a significant compliance with the rules and the overall program remains comparable to those governed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The 2022 program was conducted entirely by individual State Racing Commissions.  In 2023, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority is responsible for most Thoroughbred testing that occurs after May 22, 2023.

Patterson's report aggregates official programmatic data from individual States to report the results of horse racing's drug regulation programs for 2022, reflecting Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and Standardbred contests.

The report shows data from all States except Texas, Maine, Montana, and North Dakota.

In 2022, US state racing commissions sent over 206,498 biological samples to a network of independent testing laboratories.  These samples included 23,116 samples taken out of competition and 183,382 post-race.

“11.2 percent of horses tested nationwide were out of competition, although only seventeen states had an out of competition testing program,” said RCI President Ed Martin, who noted that an expansion of out of competition testing in Thoroughbred racing is an anticipated result of HISA's Anti Doping and Medication Control program.

“There were 842 adverse analytical findings indicating the presence of a substance that should not be in the sample and a likely violation of the rules,” Patterson said. “The overwhelming majority of samples tested – 99.59 percent – were found to be compliant with the rules which were substantially consistent, but not totally uniform, across the jurisdictions.”

As a result of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, all Thoroughbred races now have uniform rules.  State rules governing Standardbred and Quarter Horse racing are substantially similar but not totally uniform as there are minor variations.

Consistent with prior years, the majority of substances detected are indicative of a therapeutic overage (at least 59.2 percent). Instances that can be clearly described as doping reflect 16 percent of the substances found, or just 0.02 percent of all samples tested.

Individual substances are categorized pursuant to the ARCI's Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances on a scale of one to five as to the seriousness of a finding in terms of appropriateness to be present in a horse and the ability to affect performance.

The categories of substances detected in 2022 were as follows:

Classification Number Percentage  
1 37 4.39 Doping
2 98 11.64 Doping
3 200 23.75 (Depends on substance)
4 468 55.58 Therapeutic Overage
5 29 3.44 Therapeutic Overage

Patterson reported that horseracing's program with a 0.41 adverse finding rate is comparable to Olympic sport.

“The testing done for the Olympics and other sports covered by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have shown similar results with 99.35 percent of samples having no issue,” he said.

The following “Total Samples Analyzed” chart from WADA's 2021 Report summarizes the results of all the samples WADA-accredited Laboratories analyzed and reported into WADA's Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS):

  Samples Analyzed AAFs %
Olympic Sports 207008 1,013 0.49
Non-Olympic Sports 34422 547 1.59%
TOTAL 241430 1560 0.65%

Patterson noted the magnitude of the drug testing programs in U.S. horse racing.

“Worldwide tests for WADA totaled 241,430 in 2021; in 2022, US state racing commissions conducted over 206,498 tests, not including four states that did not report,” he said.

The following chart shows a state by state comparison for the 2022 program:

Agency Total Tests Total AAFs AAF% Clear %
Arizona Dept. of Gaming; Racing Div. 3,630 18 0.005 99.995
Arkansas Racing & Gaming Comm. (flat) 2,524 5 0.002 99.998
California Horse Racing Board 30,210 114 0.004 99.996
Colorado 747 23 0.031 99.969
Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Comm. 2,080 5 0.240 99.760
Florida Dept. of Pari Mutuel Wagering 8,904 71 0.008 99.992
Idaho State Racing Comm. 320 15 0.047 99.953
Illinois Racing Board 4,171 6 0.001 99.999
Indiana Horse Racing Comm. 8,590 23 0.003 99.997
Iowa Racing Comm. 3,151 10 0.003 99.997
Kentucky Horse Racing Comm. 4,875 11 0.002 99.998
Louisiana State Racing Comm. 7,940 159 0.020 99.980
Maine State Harness Racing Commission DNR      
Maryland Racing Comm. 9,543 31 0.003 99.997
Michigan Gaming Control Board 1,343 2 0.001 99.999
Minnesota Racing Comm. 4,537 9 0.002 99.998
Montana Board of Horse Racing DNR      
N Dakota Racing Comm. DNR      
Nebraska Racing Comm. 1,116 0 0.000 100.000
New Jersey 14,601 30 0.002 99.998
New Mexico Racing Commission 8,619 71 0.008 99.992
New York State Gaming Comm. 30,725 34 0.001 99.999
Ohio St. RC 18,719 82 0.004 99.996
Oklahoma HRC 7,932 55 0.007 99.993
Oregon Racing Comm. 188 3 0.016 99.984
Pennsylvania Racing Commission 22,818 91 0.004 99.996
S Dakota 52 0 0.000 100.000
Texas Racing Comm. DNR      
Virginia Racing Comm. 1,609 10 0.006 99.994
Washington Horse Racing Comm. 985 14 0.014 99.986
West Virginia Racing Commission 5,723 22 0.004 99.996
Wyoming Pari-Mutuel Comm. 861 12 0.014 99.986

The post ARCI: 2022 Drug Testing Results Reveal 99.59 Percent Compliance Across U.S. Racing Jurisdictions appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Sunday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Action From Belmont, Monmouth

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Sunday, featuring action from Belmont Park and Monmouth Park.

The Cross Country Pick 5 requires bettors to pick the winner of five select races from tracks across the country. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country with each week featuring a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, boasting a low 15 percent takeout, offers sequences with races from Belmont Park and partner tracks across the country.

Sunday's sequence kicks off in Race 5 at 2:29 p.m. Eastern from Monmouth Park with the $100,000 Boiling Springs, a one-mile and 70-yard route for sophomore fillies led by the Chad Brown-trained Shidabhuti.

The Practical Joke bay won her first three career starts, culminating in a victory in the one-mile Busher Invitational in March at Aqueduct Racetrack. She was last seen finishing third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Gazelle on April 8 at the Big A. She will be challenged by the lightly-raced Seduction, who graduated at second asking last out on February 12 at Gulfstream Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; and the Kentucky-bred Miss New York, who enters from a third-place finish in the Lady's Secret on June 10 at Monmouth.

The second leg will see a full field of 3-year-olds and up sprint 5 1/2-furlongs in a Monmouth turf allowance [Race 7, 3:27 p.m.] featuring the grass debut of New York-bred Etnico for conditioner Jorge Delgado.

The Practical Joke sophomore graduated at second asking in March at Gulfstream Park, but was off-the-board last out in the Mike Lee, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-breds on May 29 at Belmont. The win-shy Just Jeremy, who sports a record of 20-1-3-4 for conditioner William Hogan, Jr., earned a field-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure for a runner-up effort at this distance and course on May 28; while Patriarch Artie boasts a consistent record of 6-1-2-2 over turf for trainer Steven Krebs.

The next two legs shift to Belmont, beginning with a nine-furlong allowance for New York-breds 3-years-old and up over the inner turf [Race 6, 3:42 p.m.] that will see the seasonal debut of Whistler's Honor for conditioner Jorge Abreu.

The 4-year-old Tonalist colt was last seen earning a third-out graduation on July 15 traveling 1 1/16-miles against fellow state-breds over the Saratoga turf. A wide-open affair includes the Christophe Clement-trained Clear Conscience, who closed into a slow pace to finish second last out in a 1 1/16-mile state-bred allowance; and Blame It On Daddy, who stretches out after rallying to finish a close fifth last out in a seven-furlong state-bred sprint on June 9 in his turf debut for trainer Tom Albertrani.

The penultimate leg [Race 7, 4:16 p.m.] will see an open field of fillies and mares contest 1 1/16-miles over the Widener turf for a $50,000 tag as Bernt Again steps up to face winners for the first time after a ninth-out graduation on May 28 at Belmont.

Trained by Dominick Schettino, the Honorable Dillion sophomore earned a 66 Beyer for a 1 1/2-length score over Orange Freeze, who exited that effort to graduate last Friday here. Caironi drops in for a tag as she looks to secure her first win since her October 2021 debut for trainer Mike Miceli; and the late-running Sister Nell will be hoping for a swift pace to chase for conditioner Jose Jimenez.

The sequence closes out at Monmouth Park [Race 9, 4:24 p.m.] with a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up featuring the consistent Biz Biz Buzz for trainer Michael Trombetta.

The 4-year-old Fed Biz gelding boasts a record of 13-2-4-3 and enters from a runner-up effort in a similar turf sprint on June 11 at Monmouth. First-time gelding Detroit City makes his first appearance since an off-the-board effort in a Keeneland turf allowance in April for trainer Jack Sisterson. The 4-year-old Dialed In chestnut earned a field-best 92 Beyer in his seasonal debut when capturing a five-furlong synthetic sprint on January 21 at Gulfstream Park.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-wagers.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Sunday, July 2

Leg A: Monmouth Park, Race 5 – Boiling Springs (2:29 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Monmouth Park, Race 7 – Allowance (3:27 p.m.)

Leg C: Belmont Park, Race 6 – Allowance (3:42 p.m.)

Leg D: Belmont Park, Race 7 – Claiming (4:16 p.m.)

Leg E: Monmouth Park, Race 9 – Allowance (4:24 p.m.)

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Dubawi’s Al Husn Registers Hoppings Triumph, Nashwa Collared Late

Last term's G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Nassau S. heroine Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) attempted to make all in Friday evening's G3 JenningsBet In Shiremoor Hoppings Fillies' S. at Newcastle, but was collared by Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}–Hadaatha {Ire}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) nearing the line in the extended 10-furlong distaffers' test.

Shadwell's homebred Roger Varian trainee settled into a smooth rhythm behind Nashwa's moderate tempo and tracked the leaders in fourth until slipping one spot on the home turn. Urged closer with three furlongs remaining, the 3-1 chance went second entering the final furlong and kept on relentlessly under continued urging to deny the faltering odds-on favourite by a half-length in the dying strides. Al Husn has won six of her last seven outings and backed up a second in the Rowley Mile's May 7 G2 Dahlia S. on seasonal return with a breakthrough success in Ayr's May 24 Listed Rothesay S. when last seen.

“She looked so well in herself tonight and is clearly thriving,” said winning rider Jim Crowley. “I was concerned by the nine draw, but she felt in great form and I was able to get a really nice position. It was a bit of a rush when we turned for home, but she picked up nicely and hit the line well. She's improving all the time and, off that run, you crack on and aim a little bit higher. There's no reason why she can't progress. She's not big, but she's a little terrier and I think she has earned a a crack at the [G1] Nassau. I'll speak to Roger [Varian] and connections, but she'd have nothing to lose running in a race like that and everything to gain. Touch wood she'll progress again.”

Racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe admitted Nashwa's effort fell below expectations and said, “I thought it was disappointing. We expected a really a good run for her, as she needed the race in France, but she's been straightforward at home since. Hollie [Doyle] was really happy apart from the last bit, so we obviously have a little bit of thinking to do to see what the best plan might be. In France I knew we were in a bit more trouble, but here I was pretty confident. We'll still think about the [G1] Nassau [at Goodwood], but we have to give it some good consideration.”

Pedigree Notes
Al Husn is the fourth of six foals and one of two scorers produced by stakes-winning G1 Prix de l'Opera third Hadaatha (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), herself a daughter of stakes-winning G1 1000 Guineas third Hathrah (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}). Hathrah is one of seven black-type performers out of the multiple stakes-placed Zivania (Ire) (Shernazar {Ire}), headed by MG1SP sire Ivan Luis (Fr) (Lycius) and G3 UAE 2000 Guineas-winning sire Stagelight (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). The April-foaled homebred bay is kin to a yearling filly by Siyouni (Fr).

Friday, Newcastle, Britain
JENNINGSBET IN SHIREMOOR HOPPINGS FILLIES' S.-G3, £60,000, Newcastle, 6-30, 3yo/up, f, 10f 42y (AWT), 2:09.23, st/sl.
1–AL HUSN (IRE), 133, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Hadaatha (Ire) (SW-Eng & G1SP-Fr, $109,194), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Hathrah (Ire), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Zivania (Ire), by Shernazar (Ire)
1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Roger Varian; J-Jim Crowley. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 9-6-1-0, $170,543. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nashwa (GB), 133, f, 4, Frankel (GB)–Princess Loulou (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Imad Alsagar; B-Blue Diamond Stud Farm (UK) Ltd (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £12,900.
3–One For Bobby (Ire), 133, f, 4, Frankel (GB)–One Spirit (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). O-Miss A H Marshall; B-F Dunne (IRE); T-Hugh Morrison. £6,456.
Margins: HF, 2 3/4, 1HF. Odds: 3.00, 0.73, 12.00.
Also Ran: Misty Dancer (GB), Heavenly Breath (GB), Star Fortress (Ire), Belt Buckle (GB), Rousay (Ire), Bright Diamond (Ire).

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