July, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series Jockey Panel Focuses On Preparation For Race Day

The sixth panel of the OwnerView Virtual Thoroughbred Owner Conference held Tuesday, July 11, featured jockeys Katie Davis, Sophie Doyle, Tyler Gaffalione, and Chris McCarron discussing how they prepare mentally and physically for race day. The panel was moderated by OwnerView's project manager, Gary Falter.

The conference is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and sponsored by Bessemer Trust, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and The Green Group. This panel was sponsored by MyRacehorse and Walmac.

Attendees were able to ask questions through Zoom's Q&A feature, sponsored by West Point Thoroughbreds.

The panel started with videos created by America's Best Racing of Doyle riding in the 2019 Breeders' Cup and Gaffalione in the 2019 Louisiana Derby followed by a discussion on the dedication and lifestyle of a professional jockey, fitness requirements, nutrition, preparing for a race, and coming back after injury.

“It requires a lot of dedication,” Doyle said. “I've found throughout my career that it was one of those careers that you have to literally put it before everything else.”

“Staying on top of working out is super important, even if that's 20 or 30 minutes a day on top of working horses in the morning and getting out there and getting on as many as possible helps a lot,” Davis said. “It's a lifestyle. It's not for everybody.”

“We obviously have to maintain our weight, eat the right foods, fuel our bodies. It's just finding that balance that works for you,” Gaffalione said. “Personally, I can't lift too many weights because I gain too much muscle and muscle is heavy so I try to find other ways to keep my body loose and to kind of keep me sharp.”

McCarron summed up what it takes to get back to riding after an injury.

“The one thing you have to be careful about as a jockey post injury is that you maintain yourself on a regimen of a good diet,” he said. When you are in the position of going through a healing process, your body really needs as much nutrition as you can give it, so you've got to find the balance between the proper nutrition to aid in the healing process without putting on any weight.”

A replay of the jockey panel and previous panels can be viewed here: bit.ly/OVVideos.

There are five more Thoroughbred Owner Conference virtual panels scheduled for 2023, with the next session, Buying at Public Auctions, to be held August 8 at 2 p.m. ET. A full schedule can be found here: bit.ly/OVSchedule.

There is no registration fee for the virtual conference series, but registration is required. For more information about the owner conference, please visit ownerview.com/event/conference or contact Gary Falter at 859.224.2803 or gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

The post Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series Jockey Panel Focuses On Preparation For Race Day appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Ward Trainees Eye Witness, No Nay Hudson Likely To Be Running Late In Sunday’s Quick Call

Trainer Wesley Ward will have two chances in Eye Witness and No Nay Hudson to earn his second score in Sunday's Grade 3, $175,000 Quick Call presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at Saratoga Race Course.

Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael B. Tabor's dual stakes-winner Eye Witness [post 3, Jose Ortiz] has won 3-of-4 starts and enters the 5 1/2-furong Mellon turf sprint for sophomores from wins in the six-furlong Animal Kingdom in March at Turfway Park and the seven-furlong Paradise Creek on May 20 over yielding turf at Belmont Park.

Last out, he settled in fifth position under Jose Ortiz, making an early move for the lead late in the turn and staved off the late charge of Inflation Nation to win by a head. That effort came in contrast to his previous efforts earned in more prominent fashion.

“I left that up to Jose,” said Ward, who captured this event in 2021 with that year's eventual Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint-winner Golden Pal. “He's a very patient rider and when it comes to these kind of horses, I usually go to him or Joel Rosario. I try to fit the riding style to the horse and both of them do well for me with those type of horses.

“He rode a really good race,” added Ward. “He said he moved a little sooner than he wanted to in the race which cost him at the end, but he still held on and won so I was happy.”

The $650,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, a half-brother to stakes-winner More Mischief, is out of the Mr. Greeley mare Gracilia, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner and sire Sharp Humor.

Andrew Farm and For the People Racing Stable's No Nay Hudson [post 1, James Graham] also demonstrated new dimensions last out, closing from seventh to win the 5 1/2-furlong William Walker on May 13 at Churchill Downs with James Graham aboard for the first time.

The No Nay Never colt was piloted through five of his first six starts by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, posting prominent efforts when second in the Skidmore in August at Saratoga and third in the Indian Summer in October at Keeneland.

Ward said he wanted to try something new last out and engaged the veteran Graham, who will be in search of his first Spa score.

“I wanted to change the horse's style,” Ward said. “So, I told him, 'rider, you may not understand this one, but I want an Eddie D.' That's an old term from California where Eddie Delahoussaye used to come from way back and come with a run. So, I said to him, 'I'll give you one you do know – give me a Joel Rosario.'”

Graham did not disappoint, rating the talented bay off the pace before unleashing a wide run down the lane to secure a 1 1/2-length win and garner a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He rode a beautiful race. He eased him back there like he did and then eased him out and away he went,” Ward said.

The win resonated with Graham and on May 26 he found himself aboard Surveillance taking on the Ward-trained Bound for Nowhere with Rosario up.

“I brought Joel out to ride my old horse Bound For Nowhere at Churchill and James was on another horse in the race and he was laughing at us, pointing at Joel and then pointing at himself and pointing back at Joel like, 'I can do it!'” said Ward, with a laugh.

Neither Surveillance nor Bound for Nowhere hit the board that day, but the improving No Nay Hudson is in with a shout Sunday here and Ward said the colt has trained well, including a half-mile breeze in 48.40 on June 28 over the Keeneland dirt.

“He's one we're just trying to get to settle. My main exercise rider, Julio Garcia, has got the horse to relax,” Ward said. “We're doing some nice, easy slow works and he's got a couple races in him now. Fitness isn't an issue. It's just trying to get his mind to where we can get him to settle. He's at Saratoga now and ready to go.”

The $190,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase is out of the graded-stakes winning Malibu Moon mare Raw Silk.

Paradise Farms Corp., David Staudacher, Skychai Racing and Angelo Carlesimo's graded-stakes placed Gaslight Dancer [post 10, Tyler Gaffalione] finished third as the mutuel favorite in the William Walker.

Trained by Mike Maker, the City of Light bay was a close second to Nagirroc in the Grade 3 Futurity in October at Belmont at the Big A. He followed with a sixth-place finish in the one-mile Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Keeneland when defeated just 3 3/4-lengths by the victorious Victoria Road.

He entered the William Walker from a 1 1/2-length score in the Palisades on April 16 traveling 5 1/2-furlongs over good Keeneland turf.

The $260,000 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training purchase is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Raindrops Droptops, who is a half-sister to graded-stakes winner Summer Raven.

Trainer Larry Rivelli will send out Patricia's Hope's stakes-winner Uncashed [post 9, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for his turf debut.

The Florida-bred Uncaptured bay sports a record of 5-4-1-0 led by a last-out romp in the six-furlong Golden Circle at Prairie Meadows. He was purchased privately from a winning debut in September at Louisiana Downs for breeder Nicksar Farms. Uncashed drifted to finish second on debut for current connections in October at Hawthorne, but returned to win his first two starts this year over the same course.

Rounding out a competitive field are dirt graded-stakes placed Two of a Kind [post 5, Julien Leparoux], who finished second in both the Palisades and William Walker for trainer Brian Lynch; multiple stakes-placed Dr Oseran [post 4, Flavien Prat] for conditioner Christophe Clement; allowance winner Briterdayzahead [post 7, Luis Saez] for trainer Joe Sharp; and maiden winners Charging [post 6, Manny Franco] for trainer Brad Cox, Son of a Birch [post 8, Javier Castellano] for conditioner Tom Morley and the Phil Bauer-trained Kigali [post 2, Florent Geroux]. Acoustic Ave and Joey Freshwater are entered for the main-track only.

The Quick Call is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

The post Ward Trainees Eye Witness, No Nay Hudson Likely To Be Running Late In Sunday’s Quick Call appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Standardbred Trainer Carol Voyer Fined $11,000, Suspended Three Years Over Suspicious Death Of Racehorse

In order to protect the integrity of horse racing in Ontario and prioritize the wellbeing and safety of racehorses, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued monetary penalties totaling $11,000 and a three-year suspension to a Standardbred trainer.

Following an AGCO inspection into the suspicious death of racehorse Cams Lucky Sam, trained by Carol Voyer of Puslinch Ontario, there are reasonable grounds to believe Voyer has violated multiple Rules of Standardbred Racing. The violations include committing an act of neglect, providing misleading information regarding the whereabouts of the horse, engaging in conduct not in the best interest of racing, and failing to report the death of the racehorse to the AGCO.

In addition to the monetary penalties, Voyer has been fully suspended for three years, from July 19, 2023 to July 18, 2026.

A licensed horse racing participant issued a Ruling under the Rules of Racing has the right to appeal the AGCO's action to the Horse Racing Appeal Panel (HRAP) which is an independent adjudicative body mandated to hear appeals of decisions.

“The AGCO will continue to hold those who fail to follow regulations accountable for their actions, especially when it involves the well-being of racehorses,” said Tom Mungham, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the AGCO. “The AGCO's paramount interest lies in safeguarding the health and welfare of racehorses, protecting the safety of individuals, and maintaining the integrity of racing as a whole.”

Rule Violations

The AGCO has taken these regulatory actions for violations of the following rules:

Rules of Standardbred Racing
Rule 6.27
Rules 6.47.01(a) and 6.47.07(a)(b)
Rules 6.20(a)(b)(c) and 6.22

The Role of the AGCO

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) acts in the public interest to govern, direct, control and regulate horse racing in all its forms in Ontario, the operation of racetracks and the licensing of racetracks and racing participants.

What We Do: Horse Racing

Horse Racing Appeal Panel (HRAP)

The post Standardbred Trainer Carol Voyer Fined $11,000, Suspended Three Years Over Suspicious Death Of Racehorse appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Friday Show Presented By The Jockey Club: Addressing HISA’s Growing Pains

Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, is back on the Friday Show for another round of questions from Ray Paulick and bloodstock editor Joe Nevills.

The last time Lazarus appeared, HISA's Anti-Doping and Medication Control program was just getting under way and the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit – HISA's testing and enforcement affiliate – had yet to issue any rulings or suspensions.

Now, with nearly two dozen alleged violations posted on the HIWU website, with five of them already resolved, Lazarus explains how those unresolved cases will move forward, and why some trainers received provisional suspensions while others haven't. She also talks about one of HISA's missteps – not enforcing the penalty clause against trainers for breezing horses within seven days of an intra-articular injection. While the injected horses were provisionally suspended for 30 days, a number of them slipped through the cracks and mistakenly were permitted to race.

One element of the federal law that created HISA that may not be widely understood is the statutory arm's length relationship between HISA and the enforcement agency, HIWU. This, Lazarus said, keeps HISA personnel – including her – from knowing which covered persons are about to be notified of alleged violations by HIWU, thus keeping anyone from HISA from potentially influencing whether or not a charge should be filed.

Watch this week's episode of The Friday Show below:

The post The Friday Show Presented By The Jockey Club: Addressing HISA’s Growing Pains appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post