August, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Open Letter to Arizona Horsemen: “Horse Racing in Our State is Not Dead”

In an open letter from AZHBPA President Lloyd Yother to Arizona horsemen released on Monday, he vowed to “fight like hell” to ensure racing in the state is not dead.

Yother's letter is in response to Turf Paradise officials announcing last week that the track won't open as usual in November as the sale of the property is imminent.

“I have had a few days to evaluate Turf Paradise and Arizona Downs' announced decisions to not hold race meets in 2023 or 2024,” Yother wrote. “However, I am here to make sure everyone in Arizona is well aware that horse racing in our state is not dead, and I plan to fight like hell to make sure of that!

Yother highlighted that the decision to close Turf Paradise not only affects the horsemen, but also the entire equine industry within Arizona.

“The horsemen and horsewomen throughout Arizona will especially be negatively impacted, but also all who earn their living through the equine industry here in our great state,” Yother wrote. “Owners, trainers, grooms, hot-walkers, our breeding farms and staff, veterinarians, farriers, feed and tack stores, hay straw and alfalfa producers will experience a substantial negative economic impact.”

Yother also gave a glimpse of hope and indicated there were ongoing discussions with some as-of-yet unnamed organizations in an effort to keep racing going in The Grand Canyon State.

“While some discussions cannot be made public yet, I can tell you there are several entities interested in negotiating with Arizona horsemen to establish a race meet at an existing track or even possibly building a new facility,” he said. “There are still many avenues to consider that will save Arizona horse racing. There are even options that include the possibility of running a late race meet in 2023 or possibly early in 2024. If these don't pan out, our board will continue to exhaust every means available to bring horse racing back to Arizona in the very near future.”

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Finley Elected to The Jockey Club Board of Stewards; Highet Reelected

West Point Thoroughbreds President and Chief Executive Terry Finley has been elected to the board of stewards of The Jockey Club, it was announced Monday. He fills the expired position of Vinnie Viola. Ian D. Highet, a steward of The Jockey Club, was reelected to the board.

Finley, who has been a member of The Jockey Club since 2019, at the helm of West Point campaigned either solely or in partnership Horse of the Year Flightline (Tapit), GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), and a number of other Grade I winners. Finley also serves as chairman of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, the board of directors for the Thoroughbred Charities of America and New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and the board of trustees for the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

The other members of the Jockey Club Board of Stewards are Barbara Banke, Dr. Larry Bramlage, Louis A. Cella, William S. Farish Jr., Stuart S. Janney III (chair), William M. Lear Jr., and R. Alex Rankin.

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Daniel Cooper To Succeed Kirkland Tellwright At Haydock

Daniel Cooper will succeed Kirkland Tellwright as Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Haydock Park Racecourse.

Cooper will continue in his current role as Clerk of the Course at both Exeter and Wincanton until the end of the year, when he will begin a handover process with Tellwright, who retires in March after 23 years in the role at the Newton-le-Willows racecourse.

Cooper joined The Jockey Club in 2013 after completing the British Horseracing Authority's Graduate Development Programme and has been Clerk of the Course at Exeter and Wincanton since 2019.

He first became a fully accredited Clerk having been appointed as The Jockey Club's Trainee Clerk of the Course in 2017. Prior to that he worked as an event manager for The Jockey Club's London Region – incorporating Epsom Downs, Sandown Park and Kempton Park – including three Derby Festivals. He has also helped to deliver a range of projects for the Group, including fleet management, equine welfare and group health and safety.

Haydock Park is one of the UK's busiest racecourses and hosts racing under both codes on 32 days each year. Next month it stages its best race of the Flat season, the Group One Betfair Sprint Cup, with its leading Jump contest, the Grade One Betfair Chase, taking place in November.

No stranger to Flat racing, Cooper has supported Clerking at multiple Flat fixtures at Sandown Park and Epsom Downs, as well as support roles at the Cheltenham and Grand National festivals. He also previously trained alongside Kirkland Tellwright at Haydock Park for two years from 2017, before moving to Exeter and Wincanton.

Cooper said, “I am delighted to return to Haydock Park, a course I know well from my training and one which has a rich history and heritage and can be proud of its race programme.

“Haydock Park regularly hosts top class racing throughout the calendar and has been graced by so many great horses over the years, so it is a great honour to be taking over Clerking duties at such a special venue.

“I'm also very much looking forward to sharing the role with Kirkland during the upcoming handover. I've got to know him well over the years and the opportunity to tap into his wealth of experience at Haydock Park will be invaluable as I prepare to take over early next year.”

Before moving north Cooper will be overseeing his fifth Haldon Gold Cup and Badger Beers Chase in November.

He added, “I've absolutely loved my time at Exeter and Wincanton and will always be incredibly proud of the hard work the teams have put in to developing and improving the tracks and facilities at both courses.

“I'm especially pleased to have played a part in creating the West Country Weekend by positioning the Haldon Gold Cup and the Badger Beers Chase as back-to-back race days and look forward to both fixtures later this year.”

In his new role Cooper will work closely with Haydock Park's General Manager, Molly Dingwall, and Dickon White, the North West Regional Director for The Jockey Club.

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Outstanding Book 1 Tattersalls October Sale Catalogue Released

An array of outstanding yearlings have been cataloged for Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The sale takes place from October 3 to October 5 and features yearlings by some of the world's best stallions, including Dubawi (Ire), Frankel (GB), Sea The Stars (Ire), Kingman (GB), Lope De Vega (Ire), Siyouni (Fr) and Wootton Bassett (GB).

The sale numbers 532 lots, all of which are eligible for the lucrative Tattersalls October Book 1 Bonus scheme, which is set to increase in value from £20,000 to £25,000 in 2024 and has paid out over £7,500,000 in bonus prize money to 329 individual winners to date.

The final yearling by the late Galileo (Ire) also features in the line-up in the shape of lot 310, the Glenvale Stud-drafted half-sister to Rose Bowl S. winner Method (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).

Commenting on the catalogue, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony said, “Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale annually showcases so many of the finest yearlings to be found anywhere in the world and this year's catalogue has all the quality that buyers have come to expect from Europe's premier yearling sale.

“Europe's leading yearling consignors consistently send their elite yearlings to Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale confident that so many of the world's leading owners hold the sale in the highest esteem and the 532 yearlings catalogued for this year's sale are the cream of the European crop.”

He added, “Not only does the sale feature an extraordinary number of yearlings by all of the very best stallions currently standing in Europe, it also continues to reward owners with the hugely popular Book 1 Bonuses which have been increased to £25,000 this year.

“More than £7.5 million in Book 1 Bonus prize money has already been paid directly to owners and our commitment to the scheme ensures that the best European yearlings continue to earn the best prize money.”

Among the “cream of the crop” are 59 siblings to Classic and Group 1 winners, including Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Blue Point (Ire), Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}), Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), Mishriff (Ire), Persian King (Ire), Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), Sea The Moon (Ger), Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}), The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and Uni (GB) (More Than Ready).

Beautifully-bred fillies who have had significant recent pedigree updates include the Siyouni half-sister to the Group 1 Nassau S. winner Al Husn (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the Pinatubo (Ire) half-sister to the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby winner Program Trading (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

Others to catch the eye include the Camelot (GB) own-sister to Group 1 Irish Champion S. winner Luxembourg (Ire) and the Lope De Vega half-sister to four time Group 1 winner Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), who sold for 5,400,000 gns at last year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

Catalogues are online now at www.tattersalls.com and will be available from Tattersalls and Tattersalls representatives from Monday, August 14.

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