October, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Weekend Lineup Presented By Sky Racing World: Keeneland, Far Hills Among Highlights

The highlight of this weekend's stateside racing action is the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on Saturday, featuring 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs over the main track. Runaway Prioress winner Alva Starr is the favorite, though recent G3 winners Lady Radler and Vahva will also be well-backed at the windows.

On Friday, Aqueduct' G3 Knickerbocker will be held off the turf, and has scratched down to a field of three runners. Later Friday, eight stakes races comprise the Oklahoma Classics at Remington Park, led by a closely-matched field of 11 for the OKC Turf in race 10.

On Saturday, the British flat racing season comes to its conclusion with two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In races featured as part of a spectacular British Champions Day card. The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO) (G1) gives the winner an automatic starting position for the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) and the winner of the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) earns an invitation to the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1).

Also Saturday, the G1 Grand National will be held for steeplechasers at Far Hills, and the Florida Sire Series Susan's Girl and Affirmed will be held at Gulfstream Park, while the G3 Ontario Derby is the feature at Woodbine.

Sunday's headliner is the G3 Dowager at Keeneland, featuring nine fillies and mares to go 1 1/2 miles on the turf.

Saturday

5:16 p.m. – Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland

Alva Starr, runaway winner of the Prioress (G2) at Saratoga in her most recent start, headlines a field of nine 3-year-old fillies entered in the $350,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2). A winner of three of five races for trainer and co-breeder Brett Brinkman, Alva Starr made her graded stakes debut in the six-furlong Prioress and led all the way in posting an 8¾-length victory. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Alva Starr for the seven-furlong Raven Run and will exit post position 7.

Ladner and trainer and co-breeder Brett Brinkman have been down this road before. Two years ago, they came to Keeneland for the Raven Run with a filly they co-bred named Cilla, who had just posted a breakthrough Grade 2 victory in the Prioress.

Also in the field for the Lexus Raven Run are recent Grade 3 winners Lady Radler and Vahva.

Lady Radler posted a 23-1 upset in the seven-furlong Dogwood (G3) at Churchill Downs on Sept. 23 for trainer Michael Campbell. Jesus Castanon has the mount for the Lexus Raven Run and will break from post position 8.

Vahva won the seven-furlong Charles Town Oaks (G3) as the favorite in her most recent start for trainer Cherie DeVaux. Vahva will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post position 4.

Raven Run Entries

5:41 p.m. – Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine

OLG Canadian Triple Crown jewel winners Velocitor and Touch'n Ride are set to compete in the $150,000 Ontario Derby, which drew a field of 10 3-year-olds to go 1 1/8 miles on the Tapeta.

Kevin Attard trainee Velocitor will make his return to the track after winning the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie Race Track on September 12. Velocitor has a record of 4-1-1 from 10 starts. The son of Mor Spirit won the Coronation Futurity last November and ran fourth in The King's Plate ahead of his Prince of Wales win.

Twin City, Cool Kiss, Stanley House and Twowaycrossing join Velocitor and Touch'n Ride as horses racing in Saturday's Grade 3 Ontario Derby that competed in a leg of the OLG Canadian Triple Crown. All six horses raced in two of the three legs of the Triple Crown.

Layne Giliforte trainee Touch'n Ride won the mile and a half Breeders' Stakes over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course on October 1. Twowaycrossing is the only other starter in Saturday's Ontario Derby that ran in the Breeders'.

Ontario Derby Entries

Sunday

4:12 p.m. – Grade 3 Dowager Stakes at Keeneland

Vergara and Transient (GB), who ran 1-2 in the Aristocrat Ladies Marathon (G3) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 9, headline a field of nine fillies and mares entered for the $300,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) to be run at 1½ miles on the grass.

Trained by Graham Motion, who has won the Dowager three times, Vergara prevailed by three-quarters of a length at Kentucky Downs to earn her first victory of 2023 from four races. Joel Rosario, who was aboard that day, retains the mount and will exit post position 3.

Motion will have a second starter in Team Valor International's Romagna Mia (GB). A Group 2 winner last year in Italy, Romagna Mia was third in the Beverly D. (G1) in her U.S. debut at Colonial Downs on Aug. 12. John Velazquez has the mount and will exit post 6.

Saffie Joseph Jr. trains Transient, who is three times graded-stakes placed in 2023. Tyler Gaffalione retains the mount and will break from post position 9.

Dowager Entries

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Son Of Goken Tops Friday’s Arqana Session

The first session of Part 3 of the Arqana October Yearling Sale was topped by a son of Goken (Fr) (lot 580) who went for €60,000 to MAB Agency on Friday.

Consigned by Haras de la Haie Neuve, the bay is a grandson of G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Thakafaat (Ire) (Unfuwain). Dual Group 1 winner and sire Power (GB) is under the third dam, as is GI E. P. Taylor S. victress Curvy (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). The colt was bred by Haras des Pyrenees.

It is worth noting that Goken, who stands alongside his sire Kendargent (Fr) at Haras de Colleville, has eight stakes winners to his credit, and his Zorken (Fr), who won a listed race earlier in the year, doubled up at that level in Thursday's Criterium de Vitesse at Deauville.

Friday's leading buyer Marc Antoine Berghgracht's MAB Agency also signed for a €17,000 son of Romanised (Ire) (lot 546) from the draft of Haras de Bourgeauville earlier in the day.

From a consignor's standpoint, Haras de la Haie Neuve was on top with five sold for a total of €135,000 and an average of €27,000.

Just behind lot 580 on the buyers' sheets was a filly (lot 627) by Toronado (Ire), who sold for €55,000 to Broadhurst Agency/Capucines Bloodstock. That sire had topped Thursday's session with a €130,000 colt (lot 434). Part of the Haras des Sablonnets draft, the bay is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Best Win (Fr) (Red Dubawi {Ire}).

Friday's session boasted a healthy clearance rate, as 80 sold of 93 offered (86%). The gross was €1,277,500, while the average was €15,969 and the median was €13,500.

The fifth and final session of the sale begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday with 93 yearlings catalogued.

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Woodbine: Patches O’Houlihan Looks To Keep Perfect Season Alive In Overskate

Patches O'Houlihan will put his perfect three-year-old record on the line in Sunday's $100,000 Overskate Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack.

A deep group of eight Ontario sired three-year-olds and up will race 7 ½ furlongs over Woodbine's bet365 Inner Turf for the Overskate.

The Robert Tiller trained Patches O'Houlihan is a perfect six for six this season and holds a career record of seven wins from eight starts. The son of Reload is coming in off victories in the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes (September 16) and the Grade 3 Bold Venture (August 20).

Patches O'Houlihan will be making his second turf appearance of the season after winning the Lake Huron Stakes on July 8. The Tiller trainee's only loss was a troubled journey sixth in last year's Bull Page Stakes over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

The 7 ½ furlong distance will be the longest of Patches O'Houlihan's career. The Tiller trainee has been forced to show his determination in his last two starts to fend off rivals for the victory.

Daisuke Fukumoto will ride Patches O'Houlihan for owner/breeder Frank Di Giulio, Jr.

The rivals looking to knock off 'Patches' include last year's Sovereign Award winning two-year-old mare Philip My Dear and 2021 Ricoh Woodbine Mile winner Town Cruise.

The Kevin Attard trainee Philip My Dear last raced in the mile and a half Breeders' Stakes on October 1, finishing up well for fourth. The son of Silent Name was making his first turf appearance of the season after winning three of four last season on the grass.

The eight-year-old Town Cruise will look to capitalize on facing Ontario sired foes and find his first stakes win since the 2021 Ricoh Woodbine Mile. The Brandon Greer trainee picked up his first win since that September 2021 afternoon in an Allowance Optional Claiming event on July 30 over the Inner Turf. He then ran sixth in the Grade 3 Singspiel on September 9 before finishing fourth in his most recent race on September 30.

The $100,000 Overskate Stakes is carded as Race 6 (4:01 p.m.) on Sunday.

The $100,000 Eternal Search Stakes for Ontario sired fillies and mares, three-year-olds and up, will also be held Saturday. A field of 11 will square off in the 7 ½ furlong bet365 Inner Turf contest.

Kevin Attard is the lone trainer with multiple entrants in the Eternal Search, sending out Fashionably Fab and Strega.

The four-year-old Strega has made just two starts this season, winning her most recent in a mile and an eighth Allowance Optional Claimer back on August 20. The four-time winner has finished in the top-three in 11 of 15 career starts and won last year's Ashbridges Bay Stakes, while also running second in the 2022 Bison City Stakes.

Kazushi Kimura will ride for owner Lanni Bloodstock.

The Eternal Search Stakes will go as Race 8 (5:08 p.m.) on Sunday.

First post is at 1:15 p.m. Fans can watch and wager on all the action through HPIbet.com, bet365, and the Dark Horse Bets app.

Field for the Overskate Stakes
Post-Horse-Jockey-Trainer

1 – Patches O'Houlihan – Daisuke Fukumoto – Robert Tiller

2 – Dun Drum – Ryan Munger – Ian Black

3 – Lac Macaza – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Julia Carey

4 – Mason's Gamble – Sahin Civaci – Josie Carroll

5 – Town Cruise – Keveh Nicholls – Brandon Greer

6 – Perfect Crime – Kazushi Kimura – Patrick Dixon

7 – Banff – Rafael Hernandez – Martin Drexler

8 – Philip My Dear – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

Field for the Eternal Search Stakes
Post-Horse-Jockey-Trainer

1 – Breathing Fire – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Sid Attard

2 – Gamble's Silver – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

3 – Fashionably Fab – Patrick Husbands – Kevin Attard

4 – Pleasure's Gold – Rafael Hernandez – Tino Attard

5 – Hello Friends – Juan Crawford – John LeBlanc, Jr

6 – Miss Speedy – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse

7 – Trading Bay – Eswan Flores – Darren Glennon

8 – My Girl Sky – Christopher Husbands – Katerina Vassilieva

9 – Taquanyah – Leo Salles – Saul McHugh

10 – Talk to Ya Later – Ryan Munger – Ian Black

11 – Strega – Kazushi Kimura – Kevin Attard

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Dave Johnson Sues Netflix, Charges That His Voice Was Used On ‘The Crown’ Without His Consent

Retired race-caller Dave Johnson has filed suit against streaming giant Netflix and some of its subsidiaries, alleging his voice and persona were used on an episode of the popular Netflix program 'The Crown' without his permission.

Johnson is seeking compensatory and exemplary damages as well as equitable relief. The suit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York.

The allegations revolve around a show that aired on Nov. 9, 2022, which was the eighth episode of Season Five of 'The Crown'. The episode includes the storyline of how and when Queen Elizabeth II became interested in horse racing. On the show, she is shown watching races broadcast on satellite television. According to the lawsuit, the broadcast of the races includes Johnson's voice and his call of the 1995 GI Travers S. as well as other examples where Johnson's voice is used.

“Dave Johnson's actual voice, which is synonymous with horse racing in the United States at that period of time, is being used and is clearly audible and immediately recognizable,” the suit charges.

“Mr. Johnson is very proud of his body of work as the voice of American horse racing and as such has an interest in the unauthorized use of same without his permission,” said Johnson's lawyer, Drew Mollica. “His historic call of the 1995 Travers played an important role in Episode 8 of 'The Crown' during Season 5 and was used without his permission and he seeks compensation. The complaint speaks for itself.”

Johnson has been careful to protect his brand and has sued others who have used his catchphrase “And Down the Stretch They Come,” which he has trademarked, without his authorization. In all cases, whenever Johnson has prevailed in a lawsuit he has donated his compensation to a racing related charity. Beneficiaries of Johnson's donations have included New York's Backstretch Employee Service Team, Churchill Downs' Backside Learning Center and various scholarships including the University of Arizona's Racetrack Industry Program and Southern Illinois University, as well as donations he has made to benefit disabled jockeys.

According to Netflix's own numbers. 'The Crown's' “fifth season was viewed for 107.39 million hours following its premier” and Episode Eight had a production cost of approximately $13 million. According to the complaint, in 2022 Netflix Entities garnered a total revenue from its video streaming platform that amounted to approximately $31.6 billion and that “a substantial portion of that revenue is attributable to the sale, rental, and streaming success of 'The Crown', including Season Five, Episode Eight.”

“As a proximate result of All Defendants acts and/or omissions, All Defendants, individually, collectively and acting on concert, have invaded Dave Johnson's statutory right to privacy, misappropriated his persona and voice, and have profited at Dave Johnson's expense…” the lawsuit charges.

Johnson called the GI Kentucky Derby for ABC Sports from 1978 to 1980 and from 1987 to 2000. He called the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S. from 1987 to 2000. He also served as the head announcer at, among others, the NYRA tracks, the Meadowlands, Santa Anita Park and Hialeah Park. He is currently the co-host of the “Down the Stretch” show on Sirius XM radio.

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