News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Racing Community Rallies In Support Of Injured Jockey Montanez

In a testament to the close-knit community of Thoroughbred racing, a GoFundMe account to benefit injured Laurel Park jockey Rosario Montanez had already surpassed its initial goal less than 24 hours after being created.

Montanez, 28, suffered multiple fractures to his back in a first-race spill at Laurel July 17, and underwent successful surgery the following morning at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Agent Joe Rocco Sr. said Montanez also injured his neck in the accident.

Laurel trainer Brittany Russell launched the fundraiser the same day, with a goal of $20,000 to help with medical and general living expenses for Montanez and his fiancé, Chloe LaBarre, who works in Russell's barn and is the sister of apprentice rider Rebecca LaBarre.

By 1 p.m. Sunday, the fundraiser total stood at $20,750 and climbing, with 145 donations from horsemen throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

“It's incredible, right? It's so cool. The racing community, everybody is amazing,” Russell said. “You know when these guys get hurt, between the medical bills and just the living expenses, they're going to be out for a while and something like that can help.”

Montanez, a San Diego native who was a finalist for the 2011 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice, was unseated when his mount, 4-year-old filly Hendaya, clipped heels and fell leaving the backstretch of a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for filly and mare claimers 3 and up. Jockey Angel Cruz, aboard Annie Boo Boo, jumped to avoid the fallen horse and rider while Hendaya was able to get up and jog off the turf course.

A career winner of 609 races and more than $18.8 million in purse earnings since 2010, Montanez missed 20 months after suffering a concussion, fractured rib and pelvis, and head lacerations that required a plate to be surgically inserted in his face after a July 2014 spill at Saratoga, returning to the irons in March 2016.

Montanez was hurt again last August and didn't ride back until getting single mounts March 14 and 15 at Laurel. Following the March 15 program, live racing was paused in Maryland for 2 ½ months amid the coronavirus pandemic, resuming May 30.

“It's so sad. He's taken some hard hits. You're just gutted for him,” Russell said. “He was ready to come back and then the coronavirus hit. He was out there working every day, trying to hustle, and we [weren't] even racing. We get back to racing and then this happens. It's brutal.”

Riding primarily in Maryland, Montanez had seven wins from 77 mounts in 2020. A multiple stakes-winning jockey, he was also aboard Happy Lantern for Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury's 6,500^th career victory Sept. 22, 2018 at Laurel.

“He's a good person. A lot of people like him,” Russell said. “You don't ever want to see these things happen ever, regardless of who it is. The last thing they need to be worrying about is expenses. They have enough on their plate right now.”

The day before Montanez was hurt, Russell's husband Sheldon, a multiple meet champion in Maryland who was leading Laurel's current summer stand in wins and purse earnings, broke his wrist in a starting gate mishap at Delaware Park and is expected to be out four to six weeks.

“It's been a rough couple days,” Russell said. “Sheldon's OK. It sucks and it's never a good time to get hurt, but looking at what happened to Rosario, it's a risk that's always there. Sheldon has a great attitude. It's racing. Things happen. It's dangerous.”

To donate to the Montanez GoFundMe fundraiser, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rosario-montanez

The post Racing Community Rallies In Support Of Injured Jockey Montanez appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Hello Beautiful Breezes At Laurel With Eye On Saratoga’s Test

Multiple stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Hello Beautiful continued preparations for a possible start in next month's Test (G1) at Saratoga with a strong five-furlong breeze over Laurel Park's main track Sunday morning in Laurel, Md.

With jockey Jevian Toledo subbing for injured regular rider and work partner Sheldon Russell, Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stable and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful covered the distance in 1:01.20, the fastest of six horses.

It was the second work for Hello Beautiful since her front-running 8 1/4-length allowance romp June 20 at Laurel that improved her record to four wins, two seconds and a third with $199,360 in purse earnings from eight career starts.

“Toledo has worked some good ones and prepped for some big races, so he knows how to work a good horse,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “Toledo worked her beautifully, and she went excellent. She's just doing great.”

The connections have yet to settle on a next start for Hello Beautiful but are giving strong consideration to the Test, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies Aug. 8 on the undercard of the Travers (G1).

Wherever she runs next, Hello Beautiful will need a new rider. Sheldon Russell, the trainer's husband, is expected to miss four to six weeks after breaking his right wrist in a starting gate mishap July 16 at Delaware Park. He has been aboard for all of Hello Beautiful's races.

Due to the track's health and safety protocols, out-of-town jockeys are currently not allowed to ride at Saratoga this summer. Brittany Russell said two-time defending Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. would likely get the call if Hello Beautiful runs in the Test.

“It depends on where we decide to go,” she said. “but I think we're going to go with Irad if we go to New York.”

Though he couldn't be aboard, Sheldon Russell was at Laurel to see Hello Beautiful work, bringing along the couple's 11-month-old daughter, Edy.

“He did show up to watch. He wanted to supervise. He showed up with Edy. I don't know how he managed that with one arm,” Brittany Russell said. “He called me and said, 'I'm on my way.' I'm like, 'How are you on your way?' He got here with Edy and they watched her work, so that was great that he came out.”

Hello Beautiful has raced exclusively in Maryland since her unveiling last May at Pimlico Race Course. She captured the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship last fall at Laurel by a combined 15 ½ lengths.

The combination of a planned break and a 2 ½-month pause in live racing from mid-March to late May amid the coronavirus pandemic pushed Hello Beautiful's sophomore debut to a June 1 sprint over Laurel's world-class turf course, where she faded to seventh, her only time off the board. She rebounded impressively 19 days later on a sloppy and sealed main track.

The post Hello Beautiful Breezes At Laurel With Eye On Saratoga’s Test appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Clement-Rosario Strike Again With Speaktomeofsummer In Lake Placid Stakes

Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer answered the question about handling increased distance, finding a seam in the stretch to split competitors and gamely digging in with Stunning Sky to her inside, fending off her challenger in the final jumps for a victory by a head in Sunday's Grade 2, $150,000 Lake Placid Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

After making her first four starts at a mile, the Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer was stretched out to 1 1/8 miles but utilized a patient trip under jockey Joel Rosario. The Summer Front filly sat in sixth position as Blame Debbie led the eight-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.01 seconds and the half in 49.03 on the inner turf coursed labeled firm.

Coming out of the clubhouse turn, Speaktomeofsummer lost some ground in a tightly bunched field, but Rosario quickly recovered and kept her to the inside. Approaching the far turn, she picked off a pair of rivals before surging when straightening for home.

In the stretch, she overtook Blame Debbie, who Jose Ortiz tried to prevent from lugging out, before linking up with Stunning Sky, positioned by Irad Ortiz, Jr. near the rail, for an exciting final furlong that saw the winner stop the clock in a 1:49.44 final time.

“I was really happy with the trip. I thought I would be a little closer, like Christophe told me, but everybody had the same idea to be up there,” said Rosario, who teamed with Clement to win a Grade 2 at the Spa for a second consecutive day after Decorated Invader captured Saturday's National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame. “It looked like the first part was fast but they all got into their position, so I thought I'd let her be happy there and hopefully have a good run at the end.

“She was moving beautifully but when I passed the leader, she waited a little bit and the other horse came back again,” he added. “But she came on again and I was able to hold them off.”

After running fourth last out with blinkers on for the first time in the Grade 3 Wonder Again on June 20 at Belmont, Clement ran Speaktomeofsummer without blinkers. The equipment change, along with a change in venue in her Saratoga debut, resulted in her third win in five career starts.

“I put the blinkers on [last time] because I thought she was a little lazy in her work in the morning before her last race. That's what happens when trainers start to think too much,” said Clement, who notched his third career Lake Placid win, joining Spotlight and Naissance Royale [the respective 2004 and 2005 victors].

“She had a great trip. Thank you, Joel. He's riding great at the moment. The filly has trained well since the last race at Belmont. She's by Summer Front which is a big deal for us as we trained him plus he's a young sire at the moment. He belongs to Mr. [Tom] Moore, who also owned Summer Front so it is even more meaningful.

“She had a great trip. It was a pretty game last eighth of a mile,” he continued. “I'm delighted. She can do a mile to a mile an eighth for sure, but any further I don't know. I would have to think about it.”

Clement recorded three wins Sunday and totaled five on the weekend.

“The last two days have been good. Let's keep it going,” he said.

Off at 9-2, Speaktomeofsummer returned $11.60 on a $2 win wager. She nearly doubled her career earnings to $175,500. She is a possibility for the 1 3/16-mile $500,000 Saratoga Oaks on August 16.

“I would need to think about it because of the timing,” Clement said. “We will keep it open. Instead of me, we'll let her tell us and see what happens.”

Stunning Sky, trained by Mike Maker, was 1 ½ lengths the better of Queens Embrace for second, marking her best stakes finish in five attempts.

“She showed up and ran her race. She just needed to be a head better today,” said Maker assistant Nolan Ramsey. “At the sixteenth pole, I thought the other horse was going to run right by her, but she was game. No complaints. She ran a great race.”

Key Biscayne, 2-1 favorite Cat's Pajamas, Lashara, Blame Debbie and Mirabell Mei completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes Wednesday with a 10-race card showcasing the $85,000 Lubash for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up in Race 3 at 1:54 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m. and features the summer meet's first steeplechase race in the $55,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice.

The post Clement-Rosario Strike Again With Speaktomeofsummer In Lake Placid Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Tiz The Law, Gamine Favored In Latest Kentucky Derby, Oaks Future Wagers

Seven weeks in advance of the rescheduled $3 million Kentucky Derby (Grade 1), bettors reaffirmed Belmont Stakes (Grade 1) winner Tiz the Law as the horse to beat when he closed as the 5-2 favorite Sunday in Pool 6 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Honor A. P. and unbeaten Los Alamitos Derby (G3) winner Uncle Chuck both closed at odds of 6-1. Blue Grass (G2) winner Art Collector was the 8-1 fourth betting choice and was followed by Haskell (G1) winner Authentic at 9-1.

Horses in order of favoritism in the three-day July 17-19 KDFW Pool 6 (Final Odds and $2 Win Will Pays): #21 Tiz the Law (5-2, $7.20); #8 Honor A. P. (6-1, $14); #22 Uncle Chuck (6-1, $15.80); #1 Art Collector (8-1, $19); #3 Authentic (9-1, $21.40); #24 “All Other 3-Year-Old Males” (14-1, $31.60); #4 Cezanne (18-1, $39); #14 Ny Traffic (19-1, $40.20); #6 Dr Post (24-1, $51.80); #11 Max Player (25-1, $52.80); #9 King Guillermo (25-1, $53.20); #5 Dean Martini (37-1, $76.60); #7 Enforceable (38-1, $78.60); #17 Shared Sense (42-1, $86); #13 Mystic Guide (50-1, $103); #23 “All 3-Year-Old Fillies” (52-1, $107.80); #20 Thousand Words (65-1, $132.20); #15 Pneumatic (87-1, $176.80); #19 Storm the Court (88-1, $179.20); #10 Major Fed (90-1, $182.40); #12 Modernist (96-1, $194.80); #2 Attachment Rate (105-1, $212.40); #18 South Bend (106-1, $215.60); and #16 Rushie (141-1, $285.40).

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, offered for a 22nd consecutive year, enables bettors to wager on possible Kentucky Derby contenders in advance of America's greatest race at odds that could be more attractive than those available on the day of the race.

On March 17, Churchill Downs Incorporated announced the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby, the 1 1/4-mile classic for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds, would be rescheduled from Saturday, May 2, to Saturday, Sept. 5, amid public health concerns in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Pool 2 of the Kentucky Oaks Future Wager, which was conducted concurrently with the KDFW, 18-length Acorn (G1) winner Gamine closed as the 2-1 favorite over Road to the Kentucky Oaks points leader and Blue Grass (G2) runner-up Swiss Skydiver, who was 9-2. Ashland (G1) winner Speech was the 10-1 third choice.

The final odds for the Oaks Future Wager: #8 Gamine (2-1, $6.20); #19 Swiss Skydiver (9-2, $11.20); #17 Speech (10-1, $23.80); #12 Paris Lights (14-1, $31); #4 Donna Veloce (14-1, $31.40); #1 Altaf (17-1, $37); #21 Tonalist's Shape (19-1, $40); #16 Shedaresthedevil (19-1, $40.40); #18 Spice is Nice (21-1, $45); #24 “All Other 3-Year-Old Fillies” (22-1, $46.60); #7 Finite (24-1, $51); #9 Harvey's Lil Goil (24-1, $51); #22 Venetian Harbor (27-1, $56); #3 Bonny South (27-1, $56.60); #11 Mundaye Call (37-1, $77); #6 Envoutante (72-1, $147.20); #13 Pleasant Orb (78-1, $158); #2 Bayerness (91-1, $185.20); #5 Dream Marie (92-1, $186.20); #14 Project Whiskey (97-1, $197.60); #23 Water White (106-1), $215.60; #15 Queen of God (126-1, $255.60); #10 Impeccable Style (159-1, $320.80); and #20 Tempers Rising (175-1, $353.80).

The 146th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), the nation's most lucrative race for 3-year-old fillies, will be run over 1 1/8 miles on Friday, Sept. 4.

All told, $305,488 was bet in future wagers over the three-day period. Total handle for Pool 6 of the KDFW was $191,346 ($126,026 in the Win pool and $65,320 in Exactas). Betting on the Oaks Future Wager totaled $54,897 ($35,383 in the Win pool and $19,514 in Exactas). The Oaks/Derby Future Double, which requires fans to correctly select the winners of both races, handled $59,245.

Pool 7 of the KDFW – the final future wager opportunity in advance of the races – is scheduled for Aug. 7-9.

Visit www.KentuckyDerby.com/FutureWager for more information.

The post Tiz The Law, Gamine Favored In Latest Kentucky Derby, Oaks Future Wagers appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post