News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bodhicitta, Prat Nose Out Tonahutu In Yellow Ribbon At Del Mar

Calvin Nguyen's Bodhicitta, a filly on the rise, came running late to get up by a whisker and take honors in the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar Saturday afternoon.

The British-bred daughter of Showcasing packed 120 pounds and got a picture-perfect ride from Flavien Prat and caught DRJ Racing, Kenney or Strauss' Tonahutu just in the shadow of the wire. Finishing third was Agave Racing Stable's Harmless.

Race favorite Beau Recall put in only a mild late bid and finished fifth beaten just under two lengths in the seven-horse lineup.

The tally was the eighth stakes score in just 12 racing days for rider Prat, who now has 21 firsts at the session, second best among all riders to Umberto Rispoli, who won four races on the afternoon to forge to the top with 22 scores.

“I had a good post (#2) today, so I was able to get right on the fence and save ground,” said Prat. “I knew they were going slow, but my filly has a good turn of foot and we got it done.”

The 4-year-old Bodhicitta paid $11.20, $5.40 and $4.00 across the board and earned a winner's share of $90,000 from the Yellow Ribbon purse of $151,000. She now has amassed $265,808 in winnings with her fourth stateside score and initial stakes victory.

This was the 68th edition of the Yellow Ribbon for fillies and mares, aged 3 and up, and the winner covered the mile and one-sixteenth distance on the Del Mar turf course in 1:42.83.

“The race went about like I thought it would, I didn't see much speed in the race,” said Baltas. “She has more tactical speed than some of the horses, like Beau Recall and others who come from the back. He (Flavien Prat) saved a lot of ground and we needed all of it. When he won with her awhile back, he said 'This is my next (multiple-stakes winner) Vasilika'. It means a lot because he's ridden a lot of good horses. We may go here in the Mabee ($150,000, Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes, September 5).”

The post Bodhicitta, Prat Nose Out Tonahutu In Yellow Ribbon At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Laurel Runs First Lasix-Free Races For 2-Year-Olds

Hope H. Jones' Tiz Ferguson put her speed on display in Maryland's first race for 2-year-old fillies of 2020, blazing to a popular front-running five-length score over first-time starter Miss Marley in Saturday's opener at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Lauralea Glaser for trainer Cal Lynch, Tiz Ferguson ($5) completed five furlongs over a fast main track in 57 seconds – more than a second faster than the gelding Ain't Da Beer Cold ran (58.11) in winning Maryland's first race for 2-year-olds Friday.

It was Glaser's fourth win this summer in her first 12 tries for Lynch, to go along with three seconds and two thirds.

“Very pleased. [Tiz Ferguson] did everything right today and Lauralea got the job done again,” Lynch said. “She started galloping for us a few months back and she gets along with a lot of these fillies that are a little quirky. She's got a good set of hands and she's very teachable, but luck is everything. I'd rather be lucky than good.”

Tiz Ferguson, a bay daughter of Tiznow out of the Limehouse mare Amy Limehouse, was lucky to avoid trouble right out of the starting gate when Who's Your Daddy, breaking two stalls to her right, broke inwardly squeezing back Proper Attire and bumping Tiz Ferguson. Glaser quickly righted the filly and sent her to the front, where she led through a quarter-mile in 22.36 seconds and a half in 45.58.

Proper Attire recovered to press Tiz Ferguson for the opening quarter before Miss Marley and Betcha by Golly took up stalking spots around the turn. Tiz Ferguson straightened for home with a 3 ½-length lead and steadily expanded it through the lane as Miss Marley kept 2 ¾ lengths between her and show finisher Betcha by Golly.

Proper Attire, My Dream Girl, Runaway Monet, Honor Your Mother, Who's Your Daddy, Kens Lady and Nine Mast completed the order of finish.

Purchased for $90,000 as a yearling last fall at Keeneland, Tiz Ferguson was making her second career start Saturday. She finished a gutsy second in her July 4 debut at Monmouth Park, getting up by a neck for the place, two lengths behind winner My Beautiful Belle in the 4 ½-length maiden special weight sprint.

“With babies, you'd rather run them home like this out of their own stall. I thought she was very professional and did everything right that day,” Lynch said. “We were very proud of the way she handled the ship and everything up there. She ran a very game second. She probably doesn't want to go 4 ½, she wants to go further, and she'll want to go further than five.”

As the boys did Friday, all 10 fillies ran Saturday without having the medication Lasix administered within 48 hours of post time. Tiz Ferguson did run on Lasix in her debut.

“We scope everything after they work and after they breeze, but we don't like to give an advantage away and I feel Lasix is definitely an advantage to run with than not. If everybody else is running on it, it's probably a disadvantage to yourself,” Lynch said. “But I don't think it's a big deal for her.”

Notes: Jockey Tais Lyapustina was unseated during Saturday's second race when her mount, 3-year-old filly My Lila, broke down in mid-stretch while on the lead and drifted inside, avoiding other horses but catapulting the rider over the inner rail. Lyapustina was taken to a local hospital for observation. My Lila was euthanized.

The post Laurel Runs First Lasix-Free Races For 2-Year-Olds appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Art Collector Jockey Hernandez Helping Put Spotlight On Second Stride Aftercare Program

Three-year-olds are horse racing's glamour division, and taking center stage on Sunday's 10-race program at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky., is the $200,000 Runhappy Ellis Park Derby and its leading Kentucky Derby contender Art Collector.

But during that 1 1/8-mile race, Art Collector jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. will be bringing attention to horses far from the limelight: retired racehorses and industry efforts toward rehoming them after they're through at the track. In that regard, Hernandez will be wearing the name Second Stride on his white riding pants in the Ellis Park Derby, the first and pending another pandemic the only Kentucky Derby qualifying race ever to be held at the western Kentucky track.

Trainer Tommy Drury, who is 3 for 3 since receiving Art Collector early this year from owner Bruce Lunsford, is on the advisory board for Second Stride, the accredited thoroughbred rescue and aftercare facility in Prospect and Pleasureville outside of Louisville. Drury, Lunsford and Hernandez hope to gain recognition for Second Stride and the concerted effort by horse racing to find safe homes for its retirees, including retraining many for second careers.

For every Art Collector, there are thousands of horses who don't have a future breeding career. Founded by horsewoman Kim Smith, Second Stride is among 160 facilities across North America accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance to offer adoption, rehab and equine-assisted programs as well has sanctuary. There are nine TAA accredited programs in Kentucky, all but Second Stride located close to Lexington. Indiana is home to one accredited organization, Friends of Ferdinand in Indianapolis.

“It's such a good program and a much-needed program,” Drury said. “As trainer, we'd be lost without Second Stride. They find these horses good homes. Kim and her staff do such a great job. This is just kind of saying thanks for everything they've done for us.”

Staff by volunteers, Second Stride provides professional rehabilitation, retraining and placement of retired thoroughbred racehorses, adopting out an average of 100 horses a year, including 83 the first seven months of 2020. The program specializes in giving retired thoroughbreds the training they need to succeed in a second and sometimes third profession, such as with horses no longer being bred. The organization is one of the few aftercare facilities that will take male horses that haven't been gelded.

“We transition them to whatever each individual horse wants to do,” said Smith while watching Art Collector train earlier in the week at the Skylight training center in Oldham County. “As Tommy tries to get into their brain when they're here, we try to get into their brain and figure out what their next mission is going to be. We've placed horses in everything from polo, jumping, dressage to family horses. It's amazing to find out what these horses can do, the thoroughbred, and how versatile they are. Barrel horses, we've had some police work — especially a mounted unit that likes the big black horses.”

To have Hernandez displaying Second Stride on his leg, Smith said, “For us, it's just humbling that they would consider us. It's mind-blowing the national coverage just to get aftercare out there, and all the horsemen are doing for the horses. Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance has been life-changing for our program and for the horses, with the sponsorship we get and also the mentoring and the education they provide our program in how to exceed. To have these hometown heroes being at Ellis is just going to be amazing. Tommy helped us set the foundation of the program and Brian Hernandez and his family come to our events and support us. So it's awesome. We're just proud of Tommy and Brian and the horse. It's super exciting.”

The post Art Collector Jockey Hernandez Helping Put Spotlight On Second Stride Aftercare Program appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

$1.4 Million Jackpot For Saratoga’s Empire 6; Mandatory Payout On Sunday

The Sunday, August 9, card at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $1,393,463 heading into the 10-race card at the Spa.

Live coverage of all the races in the sequence will be available with Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the Saratoga Live broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

Sunday's Empire 6 sequence kicks off in Race 5 at 3:28 p.m. Eastern with a maiden special weight at 1 1/16-miles on the inner turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. The field of nine includes L'Indiscret, trained by Runhappy Travers-winning conditioner Barclay Tagg, who is listed at 4-1 on the morning-line as she tries to break through in her third career start.

In Race 6 [4:07 p.m.], a field of 10 filly and mare sprinters battle over 6 ½-furlongs on the main track with Timely Tradition, trained by Ray Handal, looking to extend her three-race winning streak.

The third race of the sequence [Race 7, 4:43 p.m.] is a vexing maiden claiming sprint on the Mellon turf featuring a field of 10 fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. In Race 8 [5:17 p.m.], a classy field of nine turf routers will contest nine furlongs on the inner turf, featuring the graded-stakes placed Our Country and Shamrocket for leading trainer Christophe Clement.

In the penultimate leg [Race 9, 5:50 p.m. Eastern], Bodexpress will look to break through against stakes company in the $85,000 Alydar at nine furlongs on the main track. Endorsed, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, will look for his first stakes win and is listed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite.

A field of 10 maiden claiming sprinters will line up to conclude the Empire 6 in Race 10 at 6:22 p.m. with Brunate, trained by H. James Bond, listed at 5-2 as he looks to break through in his eighth career start.

The Empire 6 requires the bettor to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. On non-mandatory payout days, if one unique ticket exists, then 100 percent of the net pool, plus the jackpot carryover if applicable, will be paid to the winner. If there is no unique wager selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, then 75 percent of the day's net pool will be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races. The remainder will be added into the jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

For more information on the Empire 6, please visit http://www.nyrabets.com.

The post $1.4 Million Jackpot For Saratoga’s Empire 6; Mandatory Payout On Sunday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post