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Undefeated Glengarry Could Target Springboard Mile: ‘We Have To See Whether He Can Go That Far’

The undefeated and stakes-winning 2-year-old gray colt Glengarry is expected to make his next start in the $300,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park. The track's marquee stakes event for 2-year-olds takes place on the final night of the season, Friday, Dec. 15.

The Springboard Mile is the cornerstone race for 2-year-olds at this meeting where juveniles can earn Kentucky Derby qualifying points for finishing first through fifth. The winner gets 10 Kentucky Derby points with the progression going five points for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth.

Robert Yates, who does barn notes for Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., spoke to Glengarry's trainer, 68-year-old Doug Anderson, and he confirmed Remington Park was a strong possibility for the colt's next stop. Glengarry recorded a bullet workout Saturday, Nov. 25 at Oaklawn, covering five furlongs, breezing in 1:00.10, the fastest of 29 horses that went that distance that morning.

Glengarry, a juvenile son of Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief), out of the Tizway mare L.A. Way, is three-for-three to start his career, including two stakes wins.

“We have to see whether he can go that far (one mile) or not,” Anderson said. “I think that's a good spot (Remington Park).”

Glengarry, a $150,000 private purchase by an ownership group that includes Anderson, and Iowa residents Aaron Kennedy and Toby Joseph, broke his maiden by 5-3/4 lengths at first asking on Aug. 28 at Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa. The gray colt was bred in Iowa by Highpoint Bloodstock. Glengarry followed up the first race with an even more impressive victory by 12-3/4 lengths on Sept. 30 in the $100,000 Iowa Cradle Stakes.

Jockey Ken Tohill was in the saddle for the first two wins. His third trip to the winner's circle was only by a half-length but may have been his most impressive thus far. It came at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., against open company in the $200,000 Bowman Mill Stakes with jockey Luis Saez taking over for Tohill. In three starts, Glengarry has earned $177,501. All three of the colt's wins have come at six furlongs. He went gate-to-wire in his first two tries and then sat second off the early pace in the Bowman Mill. Glengarry went off as the prohibitive favorite in his career debut at 1-5 and then was 7-5 in his second effort, his first stakes win. When he moved to Keeneland he was sent off at 5-2 odds, the second favorite.

Anderson and Kennedy have joined forces in the past with another stellar horse – Sugar Shock, a Candy Ride (ARG) filly that won the Grade 3, 2014 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn.

As far as pedigree goes, there is evidence that Glengarry may indeed like a move around two turns. His sire, Maximus Mischief, won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in New York at 1-1/8th miles by 2-1/4 lengths in 2018. Maximus Mischief, a son of prominent sire Into Mischief, raced just four times but he won three of those for $225,700 in earnings.

Even though Glengarry's dam (mother), L.A. Way, only raced twice in her career with two fourth-place finishes, her sire, Tizway, was well-versed at a route of ground. Tizway, a son of two-time Horse of the Year Tiznow, won two Grade 1 races to conclude his career – the $750,000 Whitney Invitational Handicap at Saratoga in upstate New York in 2011 at 1-1/8th miles and the Met Mile Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., that same year.

Anderson, a Hot Springs resident, began training in 1991 and is considering retirement. He has made 3,158 starts in his career, winning 475 races, running second 437 times and another 435 thirds for horses' earnings of more than $13.5 million.

The official nominations for the Springboard Mile close tonight and are expected to be released on Friday, Dec. 1.

The Springboard headlines a stakes-laden final program of the season on Dec. 14, also including the $75,000 Tapeze Stakes, the $75,000 She's All In Stakes, the $75,000 Jeffrey Hawk Memorial and a pair of races for Oklahoma-bred 3-year-olds, the $50,000 Jim Thorpe Stakes and the $50,000 Useeit Stakes.

Remington Park has provided more than $337 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park is home to the Springboard Mile, a Kentucky Derby points-qualifying race, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Remington Park presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Parking and admission are always free. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing or enter the casino gaming floor. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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After Being Pulled from Keeneland November Sale, Rich Strike Will Be Pointed to Racing

Owner Rick Dawson has changed his mind a few times regarding the career of his GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice). One day he's coming back to the races, another day he's to be sold as a stallion prospect, the next day it's back to trying to get him back to the races.

It's not that Dawson is indecisive, it's more a matter of him reacting to what is a constantly changing situation.

“A few weeks before the sale we had made plans to ship him to Gulfstream Park to Bill Mott to prepare for racing,” Dawson said. “We decided to have him examined one more time at Rood and Riddle and have an ultrasound to play it safe. The previous ultrasound had been really good so we were confident. This ultrasound showed he had regressed in his healing of the suspensory ligament. We had almost replaced all the scar tissue and it seemed to be repaired. We canceled transportation the next morning to Florida.”

So they entered him in the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age sale as a stallion prospect. But Dawson was able to read the room. With Rich Strike coming off dismal performances in the GI Clark S. and in the GII Alysheba, his value as a sire prospect had never been lower.

“Throughout the process and up until a couple days before the sale, the gut feeling I had so far as Rich Strike becoming a stallion at this point in his career was that I was not going to get what I was hoping for,” Dawson said.

So it was on to Plan C., try to get him back to the races after all.

Under the advice of Dr. Larry Bramlage, Rich Strike has been, since exiting the sale, undergoing stem cell treatments aimed at healing the problems he's been having all along with the suspensory ligaments in his two front legs.

“After the sale I was thinking 'what am I going to do now?'” Dawson said. “I started checking options. I started further researching other options. We visited with Dr. Bramlage at Rood and Riddle and we talked about stem cell treatment. We were so close to getting him back before. If stem cells could bring anything to the party it could really make a difference. He's not terribly injured. He just has this on-going nagging-type issue and so we thought if we could get him healed he could race again and do so at a high level and win. That would make his stallion value a lot better. It's not a matter of dollars to me. I just want to get him into a situation where he has access to really good mares and therefore get him to a level playing field to produce great offspring. If you're covering mediocre or less-than-mediocre mares your stallion career is going to be pretty short.”

So the hope is that they can get Rich Strike over his problems and then turn him over to one of the best in the business in Bill Mott.

Rich Strike | Coady

“Bill Mott believes that if we can get him back to 100%, he can return to a similar level as his Derby race, his Travers, the Lukas Classic, races where he did really well,” Dawson said. “Bill doesn't think there's anything that can prevent him from doing that and I tend to agree.

“With the stem cell treatments, I talked to one trainer and owner and they'll tell you they had little or no success with stem cell treatments. Then others tell you they had a lot of success. If I can't get him healed and back to a point where he can withstand training and racing and being safe doing so then I will retire him. As long as I feel like we're improving his health, taking our time and giving him every opportunity to heal I'm all in favor for it. We have no time clock.”

Rich Strike remains at Margaux Farm, where all he is doing is walking and is not yet back under tack. Dawson is aiming for him to join Mott in April and begin serious training. Of course, that plan could go up in smoke if the vets don't like what they see from future ultrasounds. Dawson understands this plan is no sure thing, but believes it's the best possible route to take.

“All this means is that we're going to have a year off and haven't gotten beaten up,” the owner said. “In his age group, every time I look I see that someone else has been retired. The older class just gets smaller and smaller. My hope is that when he turns five, he'll be back in great condition and he'll be in great position. He can be older, bigger and better. I feel like if we get him back well and he could win a race or two will that will not only further his resume as a race horse, but it's also going to increase his value as a stallion. The risk is worth taking.”

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Ramsey Seeks to Add to his Record 16 Claiming Crown Wins

Edited Press Release

Ken Ramsey is back at the Claiming Crown. If he has only three horses (in two races) running in the program designed to showcase American horse racing's blue-collar horses, it's not for a lack of effort.

The 88-year-old Ramsey is the winningest owner in the history of the Claiming Crown, which will be staged for the 25th time this Saturday at the historic Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. But his last starter came with Peru (GB) (Motivator {GB}), whose victory in the 2018 Claiming Crown Tiara at Gulfstream Park extended Ramsey's record in the program to 16.

“I'm trying to pad my resume,” quipped Ramsey, who significantly downsized his once-massive racing operation in recent years. “… I was trying to get a horse for each [Claiming Crown] race. I started looking when they finished up last year. I decided, hey, I'm going to get back in the game. I'd downsized and I had a few health issues and I've not been as active. But I enjoyed it so much and missed it so much that I started claiming some. I probably claimed 20 horses this year–and got out-shook for probably three times that many.

“… I just turned 88. I'm kind of an old fossil. It's like my last hurrah. I'm probably getting pretty close to the finish line, so I'd like to go out with a blaze of glory.”

The Claiming Crown, conceived to be a Breeders' Cup-style event for claiming horses, was created in 1999 by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA). The program gives Thoroughbred racing's workhorses, their owners and trainers a day in the spotlight in recognition of their importance to filling out race cards across the nation.

Though he and his late wife, Sarah, became major players internationally–earning four Eclipse Awards as outstanding owner and two as outstanding breeder, as well as four Breeders' Cup victories and the Dubai World Cup–Ramsey burst on the scene as a Pick Six bettor and by claiming lots of horses and winning lots of races. Extremely goal-oriented, Ramsey put his mind to setting records for meet titles at wins at Churchill Downs, Keeneland and Kentucky Downs–in the process becoming the winningest owner in Kentucky history.

The Claiming Crown became a major goal as well, one now off hiatus.

In King's Ovation (Not This Time), Ramsey has one of the favorites for the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at 1 1/8 miles for horses that have competed for a claiming price of $35,000 in 2023. Ramsey claimed King's Ovation for $62,500 at Keeneland–a race he won impressively–in his last start. The owner also has Shimmer Me Timbers (Eddington) and Cotton (Twirling Candy) in the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf for horses that have raced for a $25,000 claiming price or less in 2022-2023. All three were claimed out of their last start specifically for the Claiming Crown, he said.

“It gives the little guy a chance to strike a home run,” Ramsey said of the Claiming Crown. “The purses are good and the competition is good. They spread it around. It's been at about four or five different tracks. I used to never miss, would have three, four or five running in it all the time. But I'm back to feeling good. I'm looking forward to Saturday so I can try to add another one.”

King's Ovation and Shimmer Me Timbers are trained by Robertino Diodoro, while Saffie Joseph, Jr. trains Cotton.

Diodoro began training for Ramsey this past spring.

“I'd have loved to have seen this guy when he was about 45 years old,” the trainer said of Ramsey. “I give him a lot of credit. He's full of a lot of energy and I love his attitude. He loves the game–and loves winning.”

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‘Sensei’ Hideyuki Mori Looks For Another International Crown In Hong Kong

Over the past few years, Japanese horses have dominated many of the major international race meetings, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the number of Japanese runners gets larger and larger especially in recent years.

In 2023, 20 Japanese horses ran in Saudi Arabia in February, 27 horses competed in Dubai in March, two horses ran in Australia in April, four horses raced in Hong Kong in April, two horses ventured to the United States of America in May, four horses travelled to Korea in September, one horse ran in France in October, three more horses went to Australia in October and November, nine horses ran in the United States of America in November – and 14 more horses are making the trip over for the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on 10 December at Sha Tin.

This year, trainer Hideyuki Mori is making his first trip to Hong Kong since 1996.

In Japan, trainers are known as “Sensei”, a title of respect for their considerable achievements. “Mori Sensei” is a very international-minded trainer whose first overseas challenge was the Hong Kong International Cup in 1994, sending Fujiyama Kenzan, who finished fourth. Mori sent the seven-year-old horse back to the race in the following year and won the race for his first international winning achievement.

The 64-year-old Mori started his training yard at the Japan Racing Association in 1993. In his training career of 30 years, Mori has sent many of his trainees to the global stages. He made history in 1998 when he saddled Seeking The Pearl to victory in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest (1300m) at Deauville. He is a pioneer and continues to send his horses abroad year after year. His third triumph on the international stage was the G1 Prix de'l Abbaye de Longchamp (1000m) in 1999 with the American-bred Agnes World.

Mori is currently in charge of approximately 60 horses under his wing and his stable has more foreign-bred horses than Japanese-bred. Mori is well known for a world traveller not only as a trainer but also as an agent, as he joins the thoroughbred auctions in America every year.

“Japan is too expensive to purchase. I am able to get horses of similar quality for more affordable price with shipping cost,” said Mori.

He is a regular buyer at Keeneland and OBS, and since 2022 he has participated in Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale in August.

“I do not particular focus on a certain pedigree. I do not want to have a stereotype. I look for conformation of racehorse,” he said.

Mori's four-year-old Jasper Krone has received an invitation for the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m). Purchased at the 2021 OBS March Sale for US$90,000 (approx. HK$701,761), Jasper Krone made his debut and won a newcomer race over 1200m at Niigata in August 2021.

This term, after he won the two lower-class races, he showed little in the G3 Hakodate Sprint Stakes (1200m) in June, however the colt showed dramatic changes and won the two following Group races in summer before finishing fourth in the G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in October. Jasper Krone traveled to America for running the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (1000m) but finished 12th last month.

“I and the owner have been thinking to send him to Hong Kong since this summer. After the Breeders' Cup, he did not have any problem with his condition, and that was the reason I decided to send him over to Hong Kong,” Mori said.

“The level of horse racing in Hong Kong has been progressing a lot and the Hong Kong-trained horses run well overseas.”

Mori Sensei's overseas challenge keeps going forward and looks for his second title in Hong Kong on Sunday, 10 December at the HK$118 million LONGINES Hong Kong International Races.

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