Author: News
Two Indiana Grand Jockeys Transported to Hospital After Spill
Three jockeys, Agustin Gomez, Albin Jimenez and Joe Ramos, were involved in a racing incident just after the start of the fourth race at Indiana Grand Wednesday, June 17. As a result, Jimenez and Gomez were each transported to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis with non-life-threatening injuries for further evaluation. Ramos walked back to the jockey’s quarters following inspection by on-track medical personnel.
Lichita, ridden by Agustin Gomez, fell after clipping heels along the inside rail, unseating Gomez. The incident caused a chain reaction with Ramos being unseated from Five Pics Please and Jimenez being unseated aboard Prettyhappy. Both Five Pics Please and Prettyhappy galloped out. Lichita walked onto the horse transport and was taken to the receiving barn for further care and inspection by track veterinarians.
The Indiana Horse Racing Commission Board of Stewards will continue to review the incident.
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Clement Pair Top Eclectic Cast For ‘Win And You’re In’ Jaipur
An eclectic field of eight turf sprinters has lined up for the Grade 1, $250,000 Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, which features a pair from the barn of Christophe Clement, a quartet of West Coast invaders and the star-crossed Hidden Scroll.
The Jaipur presented by America's Best Racing, a “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland, is carded as Race 9 at 4:53 p.m. Eastern on the 12-race slate, with the Belmont Stakes going off at 5:42 p.m. NBC will have live coverage starting at 2:45 p.m.
One of the octet will be crowned a Grade 1 winner for the first time in their respective careers in the 37th running of the Jaipur – contested at six furlongs over Belmont's inner turf course – which achieved Grade 1 status last year and will serve as a prelude to the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.
“He's an older horse and this is his first race back but he's been working very well over the turf,” Clement said of Pure Sensation. “We know he's a fast horse and we're excited to see how he runs. We know he loves Parx but they're not racing yet, so there's really no choice as to where to bring him back. We're based in New York, we train in New York, so we'll run in New York.”
Pure Sensation drew post 4 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.
The other half of the uncoupled Clement entry is horse-for-course White Flag, who is 4-for-5 sprinting over the Belmont lawn, with his lone blemish coming in June 2018 when he missed by a half-length as the runner up in a high-end optional claimer. Owned by Robert S. Evans, the 6-year-old son of War Front last raced on September 7 at Kentucky Downs when he finished a well-beaten eighth in the Grade 3 Turf Sprint.
“White Flag just had two good works on the Belmont turf and we know he likes this course,” Clement said. “He struggled last year but he's been doing very well, he's been quiet, so we'll see.”
Junior Alvarado picks up the mount on White Flag, who drew post 7 for his 2020 bow.
Leading the California contingent is the late-running Stubbins, trained by Doug O'Neill for McShane Racing. Stubbins progressed steadily throughout his sophomore season, which culminated in a win against older horses in the Grade 2 Woodford at Keeneland in the fall before he ended his year with a tough-luck fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. His fortunes didn't improve any in his 4-year-old debut, when he encountered a good deal of trouble in the Grade 3 Daytona on May 23 at Santa Anita Park but still finished third, missing by just a half-length.
Breaking from post 5, Stubbins will enlist the services of Luis Saez.
With a style very similar to Stubbins', the 6-year-old mare Oleksandra will hope to mow them all down in the stretch for trainer Neil Drysdale and Team Valor International. An Australian-bred daughter of Animal Kingdom, Oleksandra took on the boys successfully over the Belmont turf on June 28 of last year going six furlongs, showing an impressive turn of foot to overcome a soft early pace.
That race proved to be a breakout victory for her, as she followed with a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Royal North at Woodbine before adding a win in the Smart N Fancy at Saratoga Race Course, a third in the Grade 3 Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs and a win in the Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County at Keeneland to close 2019. Though she wasn't victorious in her seasonal unveiling in the Grade 2, 5 ½-furlong Monrovia on May 25 at Santa Anita, she still earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort after running out of ground late and missing by a half-length.
Joel Rosario will again be aboard Oleksandra and the duo will depart from post 2.
Rounding out the West Coast shippers are Texas Wedge and Kanthaka, who go out for trainers Peter Miller and Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, respectively. Miller, who has sent out the runner-up in the Jaipur the past two years, will saddle Texas Wedge off a career-best 100 Beyer in the Grade 3 Daytona, in which he finished fourth, a half-length behind Stubbins. Kanthaka, meanwhile, hasn't raced since the 2019 edition of the Daytona, which marked his first start on turf after showing some ability early in his career as a dirt sprinter.
Texas Wedge will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 3, while Kanthaka will break from the rail with Jose Ortiz in the irons.
The highly regarded Hidden Scroll adds even more intrigue to an already fascinating puzzle in the Jaipur. A 14-length debut winner in January of 2019 at Gulfstream, Hidden Scroll seemed destined to be the next big thing in racing but had a disappointing end to his abridged 2019 campaign. But the Juddmonte Farms homebred returned to the races in style with a 12 ½-length romp at Gulfstream on March 1 but finished out of the money next-out in the Grade 3 Count Fleet at Oaklawn Park. He added yet another chapter to his growing saga in his most recent start on June 3 at Belmont when he stumbled and lost his jockey at the start.
Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride Hidden Scroll from post 6.
The field is completed by the longshot Lonhtwist, who wheels back quickly for trainer Keith O'Brien off a 10th-place finish in the First Defence on June 7 at Belmont. He will break from outermost post 8 with Eric Cancel aboard.
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Godolphin Cadets on Parade at Headquarters
Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Thursday’s Insights features a full-sister to MG1SW Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
1.30 Newmarket, Mdn, £6,400, 2yo, 7fT
YIBIR (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), due postward in a first-time hood for this debut, is kin to three stakes performers headed by full-sister Wild Illusion (GB), who annexed the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, G1 Nassau S. and G1 Prix de l’Opera for Charlie Appleby. Opening up for the same trainer here, he is joined by stablemate and fellow Godolphin homebred Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who is half to a quartet of black-type performers including the stakes-winning G1 St James’s Palace S. runner-up Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}), another former Appleby trainee. Opposition also includes Teme Valley 2’s hitherto unraced Legion of Honour (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is a Roger Varian-trained £280,000 Goffs UK Premier yearling from the family of G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest-winning millionaire Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).
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