August, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pletcher Facing Third Medication Suspension From 2022 After Mind Control DQed From Parx Dirt Mile Victory

It took seven minutes for Todd Pletcher-trained Mind Control to be elevated by the stewards from second place to victory in the 2022 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes and 11 months for the Stay Thirsty colt to be disqualified from the win for a positive drug test.

Second under the wire, beaten a neck at 3-5 odds by 12-1 longshot Far Mo Power in the $200,000 race last Sept. 24, Mind Control was awarded the win after stewards disqualified the first-place finisher for interference in the stretch. Officials denied Far Mo Power's connections – trainer Louis Linder Jr. and owner Joseph E. Sutton – an opportunity to appeal the decision, but they ultimately wound up getting the win after Mind Control tested positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide at the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission's official laboratory. A split sample confirmed the presence of the drug in plasma.

According to an article from the University of California-Davis school of veterinary medicine, hydrochlorothiazide can be used as a treatment for hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) by reducing the amount of potassium in the blood. The Association of Racing Commissioners International lists it as a Class 4 drug with a Class B penalty.

A hearing at Parx Racing before the board of stewards was conducted 45 weeks after the race, on Aug. 9, 2023, with Pletcher appearing by telephone and his attorney, Karen Murphy, in person

After considering all the testimony and evidence, stewards ruled on Aug. 18 that Mind Control be disqualified and placed last, with Pletcher suspended 15 days and fined $500. Mind Control's owners, Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stable, will be required to forfeit the first-place purse of $114,000, with Far Mo Power now declared the winner, Dontmesawithme, second, and New Commission third.

The disqualification does not affect pari-mutuel results.

The case preceded the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and its Anti-Doping and Medication Control program as the national oversight agency for medication issues.

Pletcher said an appeal has been filed in the case. The ruling called for his suspension to run from Aug. 30-Sept. 13 but it is expected he will receive a stay.

The Hall of Fame horseman is now facing three separate suspensions from 2022: 14 days for a July 30 positive test for phenylbutazone in the horse Capensis at Saratoga, and 10 days for a Sept. 5 positive test for meloxicam in Forte, winner of the G1 Hopeful at Saratoga. Those violations are also being appealed and Pletcher has received a stay of the suspensions.

Mind Control, a Grade 1 winner of the Hopeful at 2, the H. Allen Jerkens at 3, and the Cigar Mile at 6, was retired at the end of 2022 and is standing at stud in New York.

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‘I Couldn’t Give Up On Him’: After Battle With EPM, OTTB Is En Route To The Makeover With A Junior Rider

One of the worst acronyms a horse owner can hear their veterinarian utter is EPM – Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis. The neurological condition has stumped veterinary professionals for years, with symptoms that can wax and wane, and sometimes mimic those of other illnesses.

When Erica Brown acquired 6-year-old That Dude (fondly known as Ace) off the track from Louisiana in late 2022, she became suspicious that something was wrong.

“Upon arrival to our farm, he was noticeably wobbly in his rear,” Brown remembered. “My gut was telling me it was EPM, but my head was hoping it was something much less permanent. This was supposed to be my RRP [Retired Racehorse Project] eventing prospect, so my heart was hurting.

“The vet was contacted but could not come immediately due to timing and being booked for farm visits (we live in a very rural area with limited resources). Almost overnight since Ace's arrival, he became paralyzed and recumbent. He continued to eat and drink and the fire in his eyes never left. The vet immediately made time in his schedule and arrived upon hearing of his status and recommended euthanasia due to his extreme condition. I refused to believe he was finished because he never took his eyes off me.

“I couldn't give up on him. He was fighting.”

Part of the challenge of EPM is that more than 50 percent of horses in the United States have been exposed to the organism that causes the disease, and testing can easily throw false positives. The parasite S. neurona isn't transmitted between horses, but rather is carried through the feces of opossums that horses encounter in contaminated hay, grass, feed, or drinking water sources. Often, it becomes a diagnosis of exclusion – something veterinarians land on when they've ruled out everything else.

In Ace's case, Brown and her veterinary team were confident his positive tests for EPM and classic symptoms were a sign he was battling the disease. They immediately began what she calls an approach of “throwing the kitchen sink” at the gelding, combining a variety of anti-protozoals, anti-parasitics, and anti-inflammatories together with supplements aimed at reducing symptoms, including vitamin E and omega fatty acids.

“I stayed in the barn with him constantly, day and night,” said Brown. “With the help of several specialists we met through our local veterinarian crew, he began to turn around.”

Brown is a veteran of the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover event, and had bought Ace in hopes he could take her to the competition again. The week-long show held each October in Lexington, Ky., is aimed at showcasing the versatility of off-track Thoroughbreds in new careers. Horses may only compete once, though riders may take different horses and compete multiple years in a wide range of disciplines. Brown has been competing at the Makeover since 2019 and has taken Thoroughbreds to competitive trail, ranch work, eventing, and show jumping.

With his setback, Brown knew Ace wouldn't have time to physically prepare for the rigors of eventing by October, so she has shifted focus and will take him to the competitive trail division. Competitive trail presents horses with a series of obstacles like gates, ramps, bridges, and water, similar to what they would find on a long trail ride over varying terrain. They're judged on the precision and speed with which they make their way around the course. For many competitors, it's a good option for a horse with a calm temperament who may have had a physical limitation or setback, because much of the course can be completed at a walk or trot.

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Now, after one more EPM flare-up earlier this year, Brown says Ace is thriving. The two have a targeted exercise program that includes lots of walking, trail rides, and trot sets in resistance bands that help strengthen his back and maintain balance. He completed his first obstacle field day at a nearby farm in July and never batted an eye.

“I don't care if we even get to show – as long as this horse unloads safely at the Kentucky Horse Park, my heart will runneth over with joy,” said Brown.

And, Ace's post-Makeover plans are already settled. While some trainers bring horses to the competition with the hopes of selling them afterwards, Ace has already been adopted. Early in his recovery from his first EPM flare, a teenaged girl began taking lessons at the barn where Brown keeps Ace and fell in love with the gelding. After consulting with her parents, Brown agreed to let the family adopt him, and his now-14-year-old girl was aboard for his first obstacle course last month.

Brown will be aboard Ace at the Makeover and serves as his primary trainer, but he will have a full cheering section in Kentucky.

“His junior rider will be attending, along with her entire family, as his biggest cheerleader and groom,” she said. “This team has broken all odds and continues to grow together. I couldn't be prouder of them, and to have Ace by my side as we compete at RRP in October is a true honor. He will always be my 'heart horse' that belongs to another heart.”

The post ‘I Couldn’t Give Up On Him’: After Battle With EPM, OTTB Is En Route To The Makeover With A Junior Rider appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Louisiana Commission Investigating After Owner Appears To Admit Program Training

It started with a Facebook post.

The Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association made a post on Aug. 18 congratulating the connections of M CR Pilotos, who won the seventh race at Delta Downs the previous night. According to Equibase, M CR Pilotos is owned by A and J Running Horses (James A. Copeland) and conditioned by Dale Keith. In the original version of the post, however, the organization praised Larry Keith as the trainer, prompting a response from a small-time Quarter Horse breeder and owner mocking the error.

According to screenshots provided to the Paulick Report, Copeland messaged the owner, asking “What's your problem with me[?] And my trainer[.] I'm just a small time person really nothing.”

The owner responded, asking Copeland who his trainer was.

“Lanny Keith,” Copeland replied.

He later unsent the message, but not before the owner took a screenshot of it.

Lanny and Larry Keith (Lanny's father) are both licensed trainers in Louisiana, but according to Equibase, have not saddled any horses this year. In 2022, both were handed suspensions after they each had four horses test positive for zilpaterol in the midst of a rash of positives for the substance in the Louisiana Quarter Horse world. Lanny, who had been training since 2012 and is a multiple graded stakes winner, was given a two-year suspension with another two years of probation, and is due to be suspended into 2024. (Stewards initially gave him six months for each positive, but referred the case to the full commission and the commission increased the total penalty.)

Lanny Keith's prior regulatory record also included a 2017 ruling in which he was found to be in possession of an electrical device on the grounds at Delta Downs; in May of that year, he was suspended by the stewards through the remainder of the meet plus an additional 10 days, but the commission removed the suspension in September, put him on a year's probation, and fined him $1,000.

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Lanny last saddled a horse on Feb. 2, 2022. On Feb. 18, Larry applied to have his assistant trainer's license withdrawn and applied for a trainer's license and, according to testimony he'd later give before the commission, took over the training of his son Lanny's horses.

“Basically what we did was change jobs,” Larry Keith told the commission in October 2022. “I take care of the horses at home. He trains the horses at the track. He was no longer going to be able to train at the track, so I came from home to here to train them. I've been licensed in four states. This training is nothing new to me. I've been a trainer for 57 years.”

In May, three months after he took over for Lanny, Larry Keith had four horses test positive for zilpaterol, and told the commission that all four had come from Lanny (although none of them were the four Lanny had positive tests with). Larry said he had held the horses back 30 days, believing the drug would clear their systems by then but later learned it could linger for much longer.

Lanny Keith had admitted to the commission the likely source of the zilpaterol was a supplement he had been giving to horses called Muscle Mass, which is not marketed to horse owners but is designed for cattle. According to Lanny, its labeling didn't indicate it had zilpaterol in it.

Zilpaterol is a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in cattle heading to slaughter in order to increase body fat and muscle. Louisiana saw a rash of zilpaterol positives from Quarter Horse trainers in 2022 after the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association board got a tip that trainers were using a new synthetic performance-enhancing medication on horses and began collaborating with the commission on additional testing of post-race samples. They didn't find a new synthetic substance but did find zilpaterol, which prompted the state to begin including the drug on its normal battery of post-race tests.

The commission gave Larry a six-month suspension to cover all four of his positives, which was set to run from Oct. 26, 2022, to April 25, 2023, with a probationary period running April 26 to Oct. 25 of this year.

The commission has since launched an investigation into allegations of program training based on the messages.

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The Paulick Report was unable to find contact information for any of the three Keiths or for Copeland at the time of this publication to seek further clarification about the Facebook messages or their status on the track.

Paper training or program training has been around for decades as trainers have sought to keep operating despite a commission's lengthy suspension or ban. The question of whether a trainer is “papering” for another is often the subject of racetrack rumor, but there is rarely an enforcement action.

Read our previous reporting on paper training from 2020 here.

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New York Thunder Takes Perfect Record To GI Jerkens

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Unbeaten and hardly challenged so far through four starts, New York Thunder (Nyquist) will not be an unknown Saturday in his second visit this summer to Saratoga Race Course.

New York Thunder made a grand entry on the big stage at the Spa on July 28 with a resounding victory in the GII Amsterdam S. Sent off at 11-2 in his first race on dirt, he rolled to a 7 1/2-length score under jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Though he was eased up in the stretch when the outcome was no longer in doubt, New York Thunder completed the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:14.65. His six-furlong split of 1:07.77 was faster than the 1:07.92 track record set in 2019 by Imperial Hint (Imperialism) in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 110.

In the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, New York Thunder will step into Grade I competition for the first time. He drew Post 5 in the field of six and will be flanked by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's runners, Fort Bragg (Tapit) and Arabian Lion (Justify). Both of the Baffert horses are coming off wins at Belmont Park. Arabian Lion prevailed in GI Woody Stephens S. on June 10 Belmont Stakes program. Fort Bragg stumbled at the start of the GIII Dwyer on July 1, recovered and won by a nose over Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming).

If trainer Jorge Delgado had his way, New York Thunder would be a low-profile outsider in the Jerkens. He understands that it is not a likely scenario with a horse that has won his races by a combined 23 1/4 lengths and is now proven on dirt.

“Hopefully, we can stay under the radar and let the horse do the talking for me,” Delgado said. “I would not like too many expectations and just approach the race like we did last time. We didn't have any pressure from the outside.”

“When we were approaching the Amsterdam, no one was actually paying attention to him. When I was in the walking ring, I saw that they were interviewing a couple of other trainers on camera with other horses. With the way he won, I know he's going to be in the spotlight. People are going to be watching him and a couple of other horses. I'm sure people are going to be looking forward to see what he can do.”

Delgado, 33, is the nephew of trainer Gustavo Delgado, whose GI Kentucky Derby winning colt, Mage (Good Magic), will run in the GI Travers S. three races after the Jerkens. Jorge Delgado worked for his uncle in Venezuela and the U.S. before opening his own stable in 2017.

For Jorge Delgado, New York Thunder has been an exciting adventure. Though the colt with a dirt pedigree was bred in Kentucky and was purchased for $130,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Sale, he was prepared for the races in Europe. New York Thunder arrived in Delgado's care last year from the training center with a reputation of being very fast.

“In the very beginning with him we really didn't know what direction to go as far as the surface,” Delgado said, “since he was training in (Europe) and they don't have a main track there to train on. They have grass, and run on synthetic and grass.”

New York Thunder connections | Sarah Andrew

Brazilian-born former jockey Robson Aquiar, was on the team that selected New York Thunder at Keeneland for Kai Joorabchian's AMO Racing USA and did the pre-training.

“Robson told me that he was excellent on both but he liked the synthetic more,” Delgado said. “That was the reason, since I was in Gulfstream in the winter, it makes sense to put him on the Tapeta.”

Delgado was right. New York Thunder debuted on Nov. 27 and scored in a five-furlong race by 6 1/2 lengths.

“He was like 70 to 80% ready for racing and when he wins the way he did it, you think he's a Tapeta horse or a grass horse,” Delgado said. “That's the first thought that comes to your mind.”

One month later, New York Thunder picked up his first level-allowance victory, taking a five furlong turf race by 1 3/4 lengths.

“He won but he wasn't as excellent like he was on the other surface,” Delgado said. “So I spoke to the owner and said, 'let's keep going the Tapeta direction.'”

Joorabchian, 52, is an Iranian-born entrepreneur, who has a long involvement in soccer in Europe and South America. He has been a horse owner in Europe for two decades and has had a North American AMO division since 2021. AMO's first U.S. graded stakes winner was Affirmative Lady (Arrogate), who earned that victory for trainer Graham Motion in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks on April 1. She finished 11th in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Affirmative Lady and New York Thunder came to AMO out of the 2021 Keeneland sale, as did King of Steel (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who has emerged as a top 3-year-old in England with a narrow second in the GI Epsom Derby and a win in the GII King Edward II S. at Royal Ascot.

New York Thunder scratched out of the $250,000 Animal Kingdom S. on March 25 at Turfway Park and made his stakes debut on April 30 at Woodbine in the six-furlong Woodstock. He romped by 7 1/2 lengths.

“We won the race at Woodbine and right away, we were targeting a race on dirt,” Delgado said. “The owner was insisting he wants to run back in a graded stakes race.”

Jorge Delgado | Sarah Andrew

Drawing the rail in the Woody Stephens, he was scratched with a foot bruise before Delgado shipped him up from his summertime base at Monmouth Park for the Amsterdam.

“That for some people didn't make any sense,” Delgado said. “To switch the horse's surface in a graded stakes race is not like the best idea always. But it turned out to be something really good. Now the horse has a name. Most people in the country know him. We have received a few offers for the horse and the owner is actually not a big seller, but at least we were sitting in that spot.”

Speedy Ryvit (Competitive Edge) stumbled leaving the gate and New York Thunder was alone on the lead. He ran the first quarter mile in :21.48 seconds and followed that with a 22.08 to reach the half-mile in 43.46. Even-money favorite Drew's Gold (Violence) moved up alongside on the turn, but New York Thunder and jockey Tyler Gaffalione responded quickly to the threat and were gone.

Delgado said that since the Amsterdam and the Jerkens are only 29 days apart, he has been very careful with New York Thunder in the interim. The two breezes have been slow by the colt's standards: four furlongs in :52. Delgado said New York Thunder is showing him that he is ready for another big outing.

“This horse hasn't said no once,” Delgado said. “He hasn't said, 'I'm not eating' or 'I'm not feeling well,' or 'I don't have energy.' He hasn't given any of those signals. He hasn't communicated any of that.

“Actually, he's been the opposite. Since the day he came back, the day after the Amsterdam, he was proud, he was moving around in his stall, he was looking around.

I know it's very tough to repeat the same performance, to repeat the same number, but he's really going to need that and more to win the race. But I believe in the horse, I believe in his heart and I believe in what we do.”

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