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Watson Runner Withdrawn After Staff Failed Temperature Check

Jam And Mam (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was prevented from running at Doncaster on Sunday after one of the members of staff travelling with the horse failed a temperature check. Strict protocols in place on racecourses since the resumption of racing in Britain in June 1 mean all individuals attending a fixture must pass a temperature check, with a threshold of 37.8C. The Archie Watson-trained 3-year-old had been due to run in division one of the Read Andrew Balding On Betway Insider H.

A spokesperson for the British Horseracing Authority said, “Following arrival at the course, one of the members of staff travelling with Jam And Mam failed to meet the screening requirements to enter. In order to ensure that behind closed doors racing is as safe and secure an environment as possible for all attendees and minimise any risk of spreading Covid-19, those travelling with the horse were not able to enter the racecourse and as such the horse was declared a non-runner.

“This is in accordance with the protocols developed with organisations from across the racing industry, which are designed to safeguard the health of all those attending.”

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Tiz The Law Completes Preparations For 152nd Belmont Stakes

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, bred in New York by Twin Creeks Farm, breezed a half-mile Sunday on Big Sandy in his final preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, to be held without spectators, on Saturday, June 20 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Jockey Manny Franco was aboard Tiz the Law who visited the Belmont main track at 5:30 a.m. The Constitution bay, working solo from the half-mile pole, breezed through splits of 26.50, 50.42 and out in 1:03.12.

Trainer Barclay Tagg said he was pleased with the colt's final prep.

“He went well. We weren't looking for anything special today,” said Tagg, who ponied Tiz the Law to and from the work.

Tiz the Law, who worked five-eighths in 1:00.53 on Monday on the Belmont main, was eager to work once released from the pony.

“When Barclay turned me loose, he got strong a little bit, but when we passed the seven-eighths to the three-quarters he settled down a little bit and he did it nice,” said Franco. “He did it really well and really easy, so I'm very happy with the work.”

A winner at first asking in August at Saratoga Race Course, Tiz the Law followed up with a four-length score in the Grade 1 Champagne in October at Belmont. He completed his juvenile campaign with a close third in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club, contested on a sloppy strip at Churchill Downs.

Tiz the Law prepared for his sophomore season at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., which began at Gulfstream Park with a convincing three-length score in the Grade 3 Holy Bull in February which garnered a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Last out, he romped the nine-furlong Grade 1 Florida Derby by 4 ¼-lengths on March 28.

Tiz the Law will travel the same distance on Saturday in the Belmont Stakes, which will be run at 1 1/8-miles around one turn as the opening leg of the Triple Crown for the first time in history.

Franco said Tiz the Law provides him with options to navigate the trip.

“He makes my work a lot easier,” said Franco. “He's a versatile horse. He can be there on the pace or sit off, so I can do whatever I want.

“He's run here before and won and I think he likes the track,” added Franco. “So, that's to our advantage.”

The probable field for the Belmont Stakes currently stands at eight horses, including Dr Post (Todd Pletcher, Irad Ortiz, Jr.), Farmington Road (Pletcher, Javier Castellano), Jungle Runner (Steve Asmussen, Reylu Gutierrez), Max Player (Linda Rice, Joel Rosario), Pneumatic (Asmussen, Ricardo Santana, Jr.), Sole Volante (Patrick Biancone, Luca Panici), Tap It to Win (Mark Casse, John Velazquez) and Tiz the Law (Barclay Tagg, Manny Franco). Modernist, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, is on the bubble.

Tagg said he would prefer to receive an outside post for Tiz the Law at Wednesday's post position draw.

“I'd like to be in 5, 6 or 7. I'd like him to be outside,” said Tagg.

The Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, rescheduled from May 2 to September 5, will go as the second leg of the Classic series, with the Preakness Stakes, originally slated for May 16, to close out the Triple Crown on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

As the exclusive broadcast partner of the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown, NBC Sports will present live coverage from Belmont Park on Belmont Stakes Day beginning at 2:45 p.m. Eastern.

Belmont Stakes Day June 20 will feature six graded races including four Grade 1 events led by the historic Belmont Stakes, which will offer 150-60-30-15 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Rounding out the Grade 1 entertainment on Belmont Stakes Day are the $300,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies going one mile; the $250,000 Woody Stephens presented by Claiborne Farm, a seven-furlong sprint over Big Sandy for 3-year-olds; and the $250,000 Jaipur, presented by America's Best Racing, for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf, which offers a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. A pair of one-mile turf races for sophomores, previously contested at nine furlongs, completes a stakes-laden card with the Grade 2, $150,000 Pennine Ridge and the Grade 3, $150,000 Wonder Again for fillies.

NYRA Bets is the official online wagering site for the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes, and the best way to bet the 2020 Belmont Park spring/summer meet. Available to customers across the United States, NYRA Bets allows horseplayers to watch and wager on racing from tracks around the world at any time. The NYRA Bets app is available for download for iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For more information, please visit www.BelmontStakes.com.

The post Tiz The Law Completes Preparations For 152nd Belmont Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Quality Of Frozen Semen Affected By Stallion Age And Breed

A study out of Australia has found that semen from Arabian stallions withstands the freezing and thawing cycle used in artificial insemination (AI) better than semen from Icelandic, Quarter Horse or Warmblood breeds.

Drs. Jörg Aurich, Juliane Kuhl, Alexander Tichy and Christine Aurich, from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, examined the semen quality of 1,012 frozen and thawed samples from 134 stallions of five different breeds. They calculated the acceptable percentage of ejaculates for AI as well as the doses available.

The researchers found that the most important variable was sperm motility before freezing: The higher this number, the more likely quality post-thaw semen would be found. Thawed semen is considered acceptable for insemination when the sperm's ability to swim in a straight line or in large circles is 35 percent or higher.

The age of the stallion was also an important parameter; there was a marked decrease in acceptable ejaculates in stallions over 9. The researchers suggest that stallions with high breeding values used in competitions should be collected while they are younger and not after they have retired from the competition ring.

While Arabian stallions had above-average acceptable ejaculates, Icelandic and Quarter Horse stallions had below-average ejaculates. Warmblood and Lipizzaner stallions had average numbers. The researchers note that this suggests a genetic basis for semen cryotolerance.

Total sperm count was the most important variable determining the number of doses of semen obtained. Stallions with good semen quality are more likely to yield acceptable semen after thawing, but good sperm motility in raw semen doesn't always correlate to post-thaw semen quality.

The scientists concluded that there are individual stallions that have semen that does not freeze well, though their raw semen is high quality.

Half to Sioux Nation Debuts at Fairyhouse

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. Monday’s Insights features a half-brother to Group 1 winner Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy).

1.00 Fairyhouse, Mdn, €24,000, 2yo, 6fT
GIORGIO VASARI (IRE) (Air Force Blue) is a half-brother to Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy), who captured the G1 Phoenix S and G2 Norfolk S. as a juvenile and now stands at Coolmore. Aidan O’Brien saddles the unraced January-foaled bay in the first of the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maidens which also features the Fozzy Stack-trained newcomer My Boy Charles (Air Force Blue) Andrew Farm and For the People Partnership’s $280,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga August Yearling Sale graduate who is a half-brother to the GIII Dixiana Bourbon S. winner Peace Achieved (Declaration of War).

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