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Shimmering Allure: ‘Versatile’ Juvenile Filly Chasing Oaks Points In Demoiselle

Walking L Thoroughbreds' Shimmering Allure will try to make the grade in Saturday's Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong route for juvenile fillies, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The Demoiselle, slated as Race 7, offers 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers and is part of a stacked card headlined by the Grade 2, $500,000 Cigar Mile Handicap in Race 10. Saturday's 10-race program also features the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand in Race 8 and the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen in Race 9, offering 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

Shimmering Allure sports a consistent record of 6-2-2-0 and purse earnings of $189,095 for trainer Kenny McPeek. The Enticed dark bay, a $40,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase, made her first three starts in maiden sprints restricted to horses who sold or RNA'd for less than $50,000 before stretching out to one mile in September at Churchill Downs and driving clear to a 2 1/4-length score in similar restricted company.

She dove into deeper waters next out in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades in October at Keeneland, overcoming a slow start to finish fourth when 6 3/4-lengths back of the victorious Candied, who was subsequently third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies in November at Santa Anita Park.

Out of the stakes-placed Wild Again mare Shimmering Tale, Shimmering Allure followed by shipping to the Big A for the one-turn mile Tempted on November 5 and rallied stoutly down the lane to score by three lengths over returning rival Vino Rouge. The impressive effort on the cut back to one-turn garnered a career-best 77 Beyer Speed Figure.

Shimmering Allure has remained in New York with McPeek's Belmont Park division, posting a half-mile breeze Sunday in 49.50 seconds over the dirt training track.

“She has been breezing at Belmont, and she's in a nice routine,” McPeek said. “I like the way her last one set up. She's been pretty versatile at this point. She's run shorter, longer and handled two turns. She's handled just about everything we've thrown at her. The Demoiselle, at a mile and an eighth, the pace of the race will be interesting, but she's clicking away and doing well.”

Junior Alvarado has the call from post 7.

Repole Stable's Life Talk [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] garnered a 74 Beyer for her second-out graduation in August traveling one-mile out of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the Gun Runner bay followed in October with a third-place effort in the Grade 1 Frizette contested over a sloppy and sealed Big A main track. Last out, the $335,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase was an even fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 3 at Santa Anita Park.

Life Talk is out of the Bernardini mare Touchy Feely, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-winner Indian Firewater.

Peter Callahan and James Reiley McDonald's Ringy Dingy [post 8, Katie Davis] arrives from a 6 1/4-length score on October 13 in the one-mile White Clay Creek traveling two turns at Delaware Park.

Trained by Danny Gargan, the Dialed In chestnut was away slowly but advanced along the rail from last-of-6 down the backstretch under Katie Davis. Ringy Dingy continued to save ground through the final turn while waiting for racing room and surged to the lead once straightened away to notch a commanding win.

“Going down the backside she was really last and I thought this was not going to end well,” Gargan said. “But she kicked it in and came home really nicely. I don't know how much she beat that day, but she looked like she'd run all day.”

The $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale purchase was a distant fifth in her July debut at the Spa after breaking poorly and rushing into contention. She graduated at second asking in September traveling 6 1/2-furlongs at Belmont at the Big A with Davis aboard for the first time.

Gargan credited Davis with metering out Ringy Dingy's strong burst of energy by utilizing a stalking trip in her maiden score.

“She has a turn of foot when you ask her. She'll accelerate fast. The key is not using it early,” Gargan said. “She's really bred to stretch and you have to sit and wait on that. If you ask her early, she'll go but she won't finish. We're hoping she'll break well and get a decent trip.”

Out of the multiple stakes-placed Touch Gold mare Wind Caper, Ringy Dingy is a full-sister to dual Grade 1-winner Defunded.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle Alpha Delta Stables' New York-homebred Dolomite [post 2, Manny Franco].

Dolomite has made both of her starts sprinting against fellow state-breds, closing to finish second after a troubled trip in her September debut traveling six furlongs at the Spa. The Unified bay returned with an impressive score going seven furlongs in October here, drawing clear by 6 1/4-lengths over next-out winner Munny Grab.

“She's doing fine. I think two turns is really going to suit that horse,” Brown said.

Dolomite is out of the New York-bred Algorithms mare Sunset Ridge, who won the 2017 Fleet Indian for Brown.

Godolphin's regally-bred Most of All [post 4, Jose Ortiz] steps into stakes company for the first time after a 10 1/4-length graduation at third asking here for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The Quality Road bay is out of the graded stakes-winning Bernardini mare Indulgent, who is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning multimillionaire Frosted. Most of All was far back in her first two outings at Saratoga, finishing ninth in a main-track sprint and 10th in a turf route before running away from a compact field in an off-the-turf one-turn mile on October 20 here over sloppy and sealed going.

Rounding out a talented field are New York-bred stakes winner Caldwell Luvs Gold [post 9, Luis Saez] for trainer Brad Cox; the stakes-placed Vino Rouge [post 5, Dylan Davis], who add blinkers for conditioner Tony Dutrow; along with maiden winners Cozee Rags [post 1, Jose Gomez] for trainer Brian Michael, and the George Weaver-trained Caress [post 6, Javier Castellano].

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Todd Pletcher: Juvenile Third Locked ‘Ran Deceivingly Well In The Breeders’ Cup’

As the nation's premiere winter racing destination, Gulfstream Park annually attracts some of the best 3-year-olds in training as they prepare and compete with the Triple Crown series in mind.

No trainer has done it better in South Florida than Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, whose unparalleled success includes a record number of wins in both the Florida Derby (G1), Gulfstream's signature race, and its prep, the Fountain of Youth (G2).

Since 2007 Pletcher has won the $1 million Florida Derby, a 1 1/8-mile test that has produced a remarkable 59 Triple Crown race winners, seven times including back-to-back in 2014-15 and 2017-18 as well as this spring with 2022 champion 2-year-old male Forte.

Forte also gave Pletcher his record fourth victory in the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth, the first dating back to Scat Daddy in 2007. The 78th Fountain of Youth will be run March 2, 2024, four weeks before the Florida Derby is contested for the 73rd time, March 31.

“Gulfstream has always been a good program for us, for our later-developing 2-year-olds slash 3-year-olds,” Pletcher said. “It obviously has a very good Triple Crown prep program, and we've been fortunate to have some success over the years.”

Pletcher's primary winter base is in South Florida, with strings at both Palm Beach Downs and Gulfstream, where he won 18 consecutive Championship Meet training titles starting in 2004. The 2023-2024 Championship Meet will kick off Dec. 1.

Gulfstream's series of stakes for 3-year-olds begins New Year's Day with the one-mile Mucho Macho Man, a race Pletcher has won twice. He has also taken the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull (G3) twice including 2018 with Audible, who would go on to win the Florida Derby. The 35th Holy Bull is scheduled for Feb. 3.

Two of Pletcher's current young stars are Fierceness and Locked, both of whom figure to be in the mix for champion 2-year-old male of 2023. Repole Stable homebred Fierceness rebounded from a poor showing in the Oct. 7 Champagne (G1) with aplomb, powering to a 6 ¼-length upset at odds of 16-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. It was just his third start, having graduated in his debut Aug. 25 at Saratoga.

“He ran super,” Pletcher said. “We were kind of perplexed by his Champagne after his successful debut and just kind of had to check him over and make sure everything was OK. Eventually he breezed so well we decided to draw a line through the Champagne and try again and thankfully he delivered the type of performance that he's capable of. We're obviously very excited about that.”

Fierceness finished as the third individual betting interest (29-1) in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager that concluded just before the Breeders' Cup. He wound up favored among 38 individual betting interests in the second future wager over Thanksgiving weekend (8-1).

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's Locked began and ended Pool 1 of the Derby future wager as the top individual betting interest, and finished Pool 2 second to Fierceness, both times at 14-1. He broke his maiden at second asking Sept. 1 at Saratoga before winning the Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 7 at Keeneland and finishing third as the favorite in the Juvenile.

“I thought he ran deceivingly well in the Breeders' Cup. He was one of the few horses that was making up ground from off the pace,” Pletcher said. “Unfortunately, he just got shuffled back a little too far and climbed a little bit from the kickback. Once he finally got out in the clear, he was finishing up very strongly and a couple strides away from getting up for second. We think he's a very talented colt that will appreciate the added distance and we're excited about his 3-year-old year.”

Pletcher also ran ninth in the Juvenile with Mike Repole's Noted, who has been first or second in four of five starts with a win in the Aug. 26 Sapling on the dirt at Monmouth Park. He was beaten a nose by Can Group in the Oct. 8 Bourbon (G2) on the Keeneland turf; Can Group is trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, whose winter base is Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

Among other Pletcher 2-year-olds turning 3 are Agate Road, winner of the Oct. 4 Pilgrim (G2) on the grass at Aqueduct and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1); Be You, third in the Oct. 7 American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita; Oct 29 Street Sense (G3) runner-up Moonlight; and Private Desire, fourth in the Nov. 5 Nashua (G3) at Aqueduct. Nomos, fourth in the Aug. 31 With Anticipation (G3) on the turf at Saratoga, was eighth in his main track debut in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) Nov. 25.

“It's always an exciting time of the year, to kind of see where you are with your 2-year-olds turning 3 and hopefully have some other ones that haven't started yet that can step up,” Pletcher said. “We always look forward to the Gulfstream meet. It's always been a good for our program with the young horses starting to come around.”

Pletcher isn't the only South Florida-based horseman with promising 2-year-olds that may be seen at Gulfstream over the winter. Jose D'Angelo trains Bentornato, undefeated in four starts being pointed to a potential sweep of the Florida Sire Series in the $300,000 In Reality Dec. 2 at Gulfstream following victories in the Dr. Fager Sept. 9 and Affirmed Oct. 21. Bentornato also won Gulfstream's Proud Man in August.

Saffie Joseph Jr., who recently claimed his eighth consecutive training title at Gulfstream including back-to-back Championship Meet crowns, unveiled Peter Blum's homebred Mastery colt Merit, a popular 10 ¼-length maiden special weight winner sprinting seven furlongs Nov. 4.

Also exiting the Kentucky Jockey Club are Stretch Ride, who lost for the first time in his third start when third for 2018 Fountain of Youth-winning trainer Dale Romans, and Dancing Groom. Trained by Antonio Sano, winner of the Fountain of Youth in 2017 with Gunnevera and 2022 with Simplification, Dancing Groom broke his maiden at Saratoga and was third in the Champagne and sixth in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, winner of the 2023 Holy Bull with Rocket Can, has Billal, who ran third in the Nashua; Parchment Party, unbeaten in two starts; and Knightsbridge, a 10 ½-length debut winner Nov 4. Trainer Danny Gargan's Dornoch, a full brother to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, was runner-up in the Sapling as a maiden, graduating Oct. 14 at Keeneland.

The Wine Steward is trained by Mike Maker, third in wins at last year's Championship Meet. Bred in New York, The Wine Steward won his first three races including the July 2 Bashford Manor at Ellis Park and Aug. 27 Funny Cide against state-breds at Saratoga before finishing second in the Breeders' Futurity.

Trainer Chad Brown has prospects in Champagne runner-up General Partner, sixth in the Juvenile; Domestic Product, a maiden winner second time out Oct. 27 at Aqueduct; and Sierra Leone, an Aqueduct debut winner Nov. 4.

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HISA Releases Report On Spring Fatalities At Laurel; No Single Cause Identified, But A Few Abnormalities

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority has released its report on a high-profile cluster of equine fatalities that took place in the spring of this year. As is typical in cases of fatal injuries, the investigators did not identify any single cause for the cluster.

In total, there were 13 equine fatalities at Laurel Park from Jan. 1 to the end of the track's winter/spring meet on May 7. One was a horse who suffered a sudden death in the barn area, one had an accident in the barn area, and another was a horse who was euthanized due to aggressive cellulitis and concerns about laminitis. The other 10 were musculoskeletal injuries that took place in racing or training. Three horses died in either racing or training between March 5 and March 25, and two suffered fatal injuries on the morning of April 8, prompting the track to cancel racing and evaluate the surface.

Racing resumed on April 13, and three more fatalities followed between April 18 and April 20. The track again cancelled racing and invited additional track experts to review the surface. After their evaluations, training resumed April 27 and racing resumed April 29. The final week of the meet had no fatal breakdowns.

Three experts reviewed the surface — Dr. Patrick Erbland, chief scientist at the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory; Dennis Moore, who represented track management; and John Passero, who was brought in at the request of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.

According to HISA's report, Erbland used ground-penetrating radar and additional technology to test the surface. Moore, who oversees the racing surface at Santa Anita for the Stronach Group that also owns Laurel, performed a battery of tests, the results of which were “all within industry norms.” The Racing Surfaces Testing Lab noted that an area around the half-mile pole had lower density than other places in the track, and Moore ordered heavy harrowing of the area.

Passero determined parts of the track were “lacking sufficient cushion” and suggested the track slow down tractors while harrowing, implement triple harrowing on track breaks, use drag harrows instead of rollers, and change watering procedures.

A review of the demographics of the fatally-injured horses found a few commonalities within the group. Eight of the ten horses with fatal fractures had not raced as 2-year-olds, and one didn't make its first start until the age of four. The report notes that analysis by the Equine Injury Database has previously found that later age of first start is correlated with increased risk of fatal injury.

Five of the ten musculoskeletal injuries came to horses who had acquired new trainers in the three months prior to their injuries. The EID has indicated that horses are at increased risk for fatal injury when they first arrive in a new barn, and the risk is reduced over time.

One of the horses was on the veterinarian's list as unsound at the time of the injury.

An examination of the necropsy reports from the Laurel horses found a lack of the typical signs of pre-existing lesions which are common on examination of horses suffering fatal fracture. Some peer-reviewed studies from California racehorses have found the vast majority of fracture-related fatalities show signs of damage in either the broken bone, or the same spot on the corresponding opposite limb. Vale also noted that there were five comminuted pastern fractures in the group, which was “very unusual” at Laurel. Comminuted fractures are those where the bone is broken into more than three separate pieces, which complicates or totally prevents recovery or surgical repair.

“Existing literature supports the idea that P1 fractures were over-represented at Laurel Park during the period of this review,” the report read.

An analysis of the horses' workout and race histories also found that the injured horses had more races per year and a greater time gap between their last race or high-speed work and their injury compared with other, uninjured cohorts. The report notes this was also found in a review of the fatalities at Churchill Downs this spring.

The report also cited numerous instances of rule violations or procedural deficiencies by racing officials, but noted that HISA's investigation did not find wrongdoing by any covered persons.

“Although there was not strict compliance with the rules discussed below, many of the steps taken by various Covered Persons were consistent with the spirit of the rules…” the report read in part.

Cited rule or procedural deficiencies included:

-A lack of meetings by the racetrack's safety and welfare committee, which is mandated by HISA so a group of local experts can review any equine fatalities

-A lack of timely injury/fatality reporting by the Maryland Racing Commission to HISA

-Inconsistent or total lack of submission by veterinarians of treatment records for covered horses

-A delay or lack of registration of horses as Covered Horses with HISA. This is supposed to take place within 30 days of the horse's first recorded work or first race. Three of the 13 horses who died at Laurel were not registered with HISA within that 30-day window, and two had raced without being registered.

The conclusion of the report refers readers to HISA's strategic response to address fatalities, which includes the formation of a designated group to oversee information-gathering about track surfaces during fatality spikes. That strategic plan, which was released in September, can be found here.

The complete Laurel report is available here.

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