November, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Horses And Hope To Celebrate 15 Years Of Breast Cancer Education And Screening

Horses and Hope will celebrate 15 years of cancer education and screening and honor breast cancer survivors with a special day of racing at Churchill Downs on Sunday, Nov. 19. Race day festivities will include remarks by Former First Lady Jane Beshear, founder of Horses and Hope, Governor Andy Beshear, a performance by D'Corey Johnson, 2023 America's Got Talent participant and emcee Heather French Henry, Miss America 2000 at 1 p.m.

Horses and Hope℠ began in 2008 to increase breast cancer awareness, education, screening and treatment referral among Kentucky's horse industry workers and other special populations. The program has hosted screenings and events honoring cancer survivors across the state in collaboration with the Horses and Hope/UofL Health Brown Cancer Center Screening Van and the Horses and Hope Pink Ford Mustang. Former First Lady Jane Beshear and the Kentucky Cancer Program at the University of Louisville were instrumental in the program's launch, along with the Pink Stable, a committee of Kentucky horse owners, riders, trainers, farm owners, jockeys and others.

Operated by the UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center, the Horses and Hope van launched in 2016 has screened more than 17,000 women for breast cancer. Through breast cancer race days at Kentucky racetracks, Horses and Hope has reached more than a million racing fans.

Today, Horses and Hope has been expanded to offer cancer prevention and early detection programs along with screening and treatment referrals for many different cancers through the mobile van. Special events are held throughout the state to honor breast cancer survivors and to raise funds for Horses and Hope, including events at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Ellis Park, the North American Championship Rodeo and others.

For more information, contact the Kentucky Cancer Program 1-877-326-1134 or email Horses and Hope.

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With Five Wins In 2023, Itzforever Named Horse Of The Year At Horseshoe Indianapolis

As the 2023 season comes to a close, Horseshoe Indianapolis honors the top performers of the 123-day meet. Itzforever from the Tony Granitz Stable was crowned 2023 Leading Thoroughbred Horse of the Year with five wins and a total of $244,150 in earnings.

A 3-year-old daughter of Forever d'Oro, Itzforever has been with the Granitz Stable from the beginning. She was a $60,000 purchase from the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale in 2021 by David Walters, who has been an owner with Tony Granitz for more than 20 years. Now a resident of Nashville, Tenn., Walters had the best season of his career with Itzforever.

“This filly (Itzforever) was a second foal from a mare Tom Dorris used to race and she made quite a bit of money, so I liked her breeding,” said Granitz. “We knew there was a $10,000 reserve on her, but we had to go all the way to $60,000 to get her. This is the best horse David has ever owned and she gave him his two biggest stakes wins of his career.”

Itzforever won the $100,000 ITOBA Stallion Fillies and returned on Indiana Champions Day for a win in the $200,000 Lady Fog Horn, a race that means a lot to Granitz.

“We were so thrilled to win the Lady Fog Horn with her since we used to train Lady Fog Horn,” added Granitz. “That is a special win for us and one of the highlights of the meet.”

Itzforever and members of the Granitz Stable were presented with a blanket for the honor as Leading Thoroughbred Horse of the Year. Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager made the presentation along with Rachel McLaughlin, Racing Broadcast Production Manager at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“This filly has really come around this year,” added Granitz. “She didn't show a lot as a two-year-old, but she came back strong this year. The first time Marcelino (Pedroza Jr.) rode her, he said she was waiting on horses and needed blinkers. As soon as we did that, she won four straight. She ended the year with five straight races on the dirt. Our team, including exercise rider Caleb (Longworth), groom Jaime (Conche), and Juan (Gongora), my assistant, have worked hard with her all year.”

The 22nd season of live Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing begins with a special Monday, April 8 racing program at 12 p.m. for the Total Solar Eclipse Day in the area. Racing extends through Thursday, Nov. 14. For more information on live racing at Horseshoe Indianapolis, visit www.caesars.com/horseshoe-indianapolis.

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Hall Of Fame Jockey Bobby Ussery Dies At Age 88

Hall of Fame and Kentucky Derby (G1) winning jockey Bobby Ussery, ranked fifth all-time in earnings when he retired in 1974, has passed away in South Florida.

Ussery, a native of Vian, Oklahoma, was 88.

Ussery won the 1967 Kentucky Derby aboard 30-1 longshot Proud Clarion. It was a mount Ussery picked up after his original Derby mount, Reflected Glory, couldn't make the race due to sore shins. He won the 1960 Preakness (G1) with Florida Derby (G1) winner Bally Ache.

Sports Illustrated called Ussery's ride aboard Proud Clarion “one of the best in Derby history.” Ussery thought he might have a good weekend in Louisville.

“I might have won it with Bally Ache in 1960, but we finished second,” he said. “Then I thought I'd win it this year with Reflected Glory. When that didn't work out, I still figured – just a hunch, I guess – that it was my year, no matter what horse I rode. I had a real hunch.”

Ussery's riding career started with a win aboard his first mount, Reticule, in the 1951 Thanksgiving Day Handicap at Fair Grounds. In 1959 he rode a record 215 winners. In 1960 he rode juvenile champion Hail to Reason and won the Preakness, Flamingo and Florida Derby on Bally Ache. He also crossed the finish line first in the 1968 Derby, but his mount, Dancer's Image, was later disqualified.

Other notable wins for Ussery came in the Whitney, Alabama, Travers, Hopeful, Mother Goose, Canadian International and Queen's Plate, and the Wood Memorial twice.

Arrangements are pending.

Expressions of sympathy may be made in Ussery's memory to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund at pdjf.org.

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Del Mar: Select Stakes Will Whet Bettors’ Appetites For Holiday Action

With a bit of a lull ahead of next week's holiday, this weekend's graded stakes action is highlighted by the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Aqueduct. The contest showcases 10 sophomores (including one also-eligible) going nine furlongs over the turf course; morning-line choice is Integration is the last-out winner of the G3 Virginia Derby for trainer Shug McGaughey.

At Churchill Downs, Saturday's card features the G3 Chilukki, in which Hidden Connection will try to end a losing streak for trainer Bret Calhoun.

Out West, Del Mar will conduct a stakes doubleheader Saturday featuring a pair of $100,000 offerings – one for older Cal-bred sprinters and the other for 2-year-old fillies.

The “older” race is the Cary Grant Stakes, a seven-furlong spin for 3-year-olds and up that has drawn a field of nine homegrown sprinters. It is topped – and seriously topped – by the multiple-stakes winner The Chosen Vron, who takes not a class drop but a plunge from Grade 1 company to the state-bred ranks and is listed at 4-5 in the morning line.

The filly affair – the Desi Arnaz Stakes — has five entered and also gets a 4-5 morning line favorite in the Kentucky shipper Royal Slipper, who was sent west by trainer Wesley Ward, a man who specializes in developing young horses.

Fair Grounds begins its winter meet on Friday, and offers three Louisiana-bred stakes on opening day as well as on Saturday.

Saturday

1:48 p.m. – Grade 2 Hill Prince Stakes at Aqueduct

Integration will look to notch back-to-back graded victories in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Hill Prince, a nine-furlong inner turf test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, the son of Quality Road was last seen scoring an off-the-pace triumph in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Virginia Derby on September 9 at Colonial Downs in his first start against winners. There, he rated 6 1/2 lengths off the pace under returning rider Kendrick Carmouche and unleashed a strong turn of foot down the stretch to sweep past his rivals and prevail by 1 1/4 lengths over Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational-winner Program Trading. The effort was awarded a 96 Beyer Speed Figure.

Freedom Trail [post 1, Jose Ortiz] looks to break through at the graded level for trainer John Terranova after a strong optional claiming performance against elders on September 21 at Belmont at the Big A. The son of Collected finished a game second to Exact Estimate, who was runner-up next out in the Artie Schiller, in a nine-furlong turf tilt when rallying from 6 1/2 lengths back and came up just a neck shy, earning a career-best 93 Beyer.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will have three chances to win his fourth Hill Prince with I'm Very Busy [post 8, Manny Franco], Equitize [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Faraday [post 5, Javier Castellano].

Hill Prince Entries

5:12 p.m. – Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine

Sprint star Patches O'Houlihan will face nine rivals in Saturday's $175,000 Kennedy Road Stakes (G2) at Woodbine.

A 3-year-old son of Reload-Maythefourthbwithu, Patches O'Houlihan arrives at the six-furlong main track race for 3-year-olds and up riding a six-race win streak after securing a gritty nose victory in the Vigil Stakes (G3) on September 16.

Bred and owned by Frank Di Giuilio, Jr. and trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Robert Tiller, Patches O'Houlihan sports a 7-0-0 career mark from eight starts.

Other starters include multiple graded stakes winner War Bomber (IRE), graded stakes winners Dream Shake and Ironstone, multiple graded stakes placed Ice Chocolat (BRZ), graded stakes placed Rockcrest, and stakes winner Sky's Not Falling.

Kennedy Road Entries

5:35 p.m. – Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs

She Can't Sing will attempt to defend her victory in last year's Chilukki Stakes (G3) when she meets eight fillies and mares entered for this year's edition of the $300,000 one-mile race next Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Chris Block, She Can't Sing is an eight-time winner from 38 starts. The 6-year-old daughter of Bernardini has won four of those races at Churchill Downs, including her 3¾-length triumph in last year's Chilukki.

Block also has entered Richard Perkin's 14-time winner Oeuvre, who's set to make her first start against graded stakes company. The 4-year-old Illinois-bred daughter of Shackleford is on a three-race win streak with victories in the Jean Elizabeth Handicap at Hawthorne and consecutive allowance wins at Kentucky Downs and Keeneland. Jockey Jareth Loveberry will be in the irons from post 4.

Trainer Bill Mott, a two-time Chilukki winner, aims for his third victory in the race with 2022 Gazelle (G3) winner Nostalgic. Ridden by Florent Geroux from the rail, Godolphin's homebred Nostalgic finished 10th in the 2022 Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), just ahead of fellow Chilukki rival Hidden Connection, who finished 12th. Nostalgic, a Medaglia d'Oro filly, began her 4-year-old season in mid-July, finishing second to Sixtythreecaliber in a third-level allowance contest. Four weeks later she defeated five rivals in allowance company and would go on to finish third to Randomized and A Mo Reay six weeks later in the Beldame (G2).

Chilukki Entries

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