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Iowa: Third-Party Veterinarian Fined For Late Administration, Fudging Lasix Paperwork

Veterinarian Dr. Rozann Stay has been fined a total of $1,500 for “failure to conduct her business in a proper manner” at Prairie Meadows Racetrack in Altoona, Ia., according to a pair of rulings from the Board of Stewards.

Stay is a third-party veterinarian responsible for administering Lasix to horses entered to race on the diuretic medication. On July 15, 2023, Stay did not give Lasix to “Let's Rock N Roll,” entered in that day's 10th race, in time, before the four-hour deadline prior to post time. The horse did receive the medication, but it was too late for Let's Rock N Roll to be allowed to run, so the horse was scratched by the stewards.

Let's Rock N Roll is trained by breeder and co-owner Dalton Dieter.

Stay was fined $500 for the late administration of Lasix, and another $1,000 for turning paperwork in to the commission which incorrectly identified Let's Rock N Roll as a “no-Lasix” horse. Stay later turned in paperwork stating Let's Rock N Roll had been given Lasix in a timely manner, but admitted to the stewards that the horse had been given the medication after the deadline.

The second ruling concludes: “The board notes that this is Rozann Stay, DVM's second violation during the 2023 Prairie Meadows season and any other similar violation may result in revocation of her IRGC license.”

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Maker: United Nations Winner Therapist, Third Red Knight Will Point To ‘Win And You’re In’ Kentucky Turf Cup

Therapist, the 8-year-old winner of Saturday's Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth Park, will be pointed for Kentucky Downs' $1.7 million, Grade 2 FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup, trainer Mike Maker said. So will his 9-year-old stablemate Red Knight, the United Nations third-place finisher who won the Kentucky Turf Cup last year.

U.N. runner-up Catnip is likely for Kentucky Downs' $2 million Mint Millions (G3) at a mile, trainer Michael Stidham said.

Money talks, and Maker long has been fluent in Kentucky Downs, which offers among the most lucrative purses in the world. Last year he won a record 12 races while his record 66 starters ran out more than $2.3 million in purses en route to a record seventh meet title.

Maker said Monday that he's targeting the 1 1/2-mile FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup — a race the trainer has won a record five times since 2015 — for both Therapist and Red Knight.

“He finished strong, and I loved his gallop-out,” Maker said of Therapist. “Red Knight would appreciate a faster pace, and he had a pretty wide trip as well. But both horses ran very well.”

A significant chunk of Kentucky Downs' stakes purses comes from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) restricted to registered Kentucky-breds. Therapist and Red Knight were both born in New York. Maker doesn't look at the money left on the table by racing a non-Kentucky-bred at Kentucky Downs. Rather, he looks at the money left on the table by not running a horse at Kentucky Downs, with the track's base stakes purses by themselves among the highest in the world.

The FanDuel Kentucky Turf Cup's $1.7 million pot includes $400,000 in KTDF. Even so, the stakes' $1.3 million base purse forms the most lucrative stakes for which any turf horse in America can run outside the Breeders' Cup. A Kentucky-bred winner will earn more than $1 million; a non-Kentucky-bred winner will earn about $800,000.

On top of it, the winner gets a fees-paid spot in the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf Nov. 4 at Santa Anita as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series program.

Besides Red Knight winning last year's Kentucky Turf Cup, Maker's huge 2022 meet included another New York-bred, Somelikeithotbrown, winning the Mint Million Mile. That Grade 3 stakes has been renamed The Mint Millions, reflecting its new $2 million purse that features a $1 million base purse and $1 million in KTDF.

Therapist, the 12-1 fifth choice ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano in the 1 3/8-mile United Nations' field of nine, closed from seventh to wear down the forwardly placed Catnip to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths. Red Knight, who two races earlier won Belmont's Grade 1 Man o' War, also closed well to finish another three-quarters of a length back in third.

Maker claimed Therapist for $50,000 in January for prominent New York owner Michael Dubb. The gelded son of the New York stallion Freud had raced farther than 1 1/16 miles only once in 37 prior starts, finishing fourth in a 1 1/8-mile New York-bred stakes in 2019.

“This is Mike Maker's sweet spot,” Dubb said, referring to distance racing. “When we got him, the horse hadn't been racing this long, and I asked Mike why he wanted to go this long. He said, 'I see it in the breeding.'”

Maker has made a career out of claiming horses and turning them into stakes-winners. Therapist is his seventh former claiming horse to win a Grade 1 race; his first was $35,000 claim Furthest Land, who a year later won the 2009 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over what was then Santa Anita's synthetic surface. Therapist is Maker's 16th individual horse to win a Grade 1.

Therapist, now a 13-time winner, ran at Kentucky Downs last year, finishing fourth in an allowance race.

Stidham said the logical objective for Catnip is Kentucky Downs' $2 million Mint Millions at a mile. Catnip had the lead in mid-stretch of the United Nations but couldn't hold off Therapist.

“We felt that probably the mile and a half over that course might be a little too far based on Saturday,” Stidham said Sunday. “We thought he ran well, but with the course configuration at Kentucky Downs and a mile and a half, that might be a little outside of his best distance.”

With the Mint Millions being Kentucky Downs' richest of 11 stakes worth at least $1 million for Kentucky-breds, “I like everything about it,” Stidham said cheerfully, adding, “now we've just got to win.”

While Catnip also is nominated to the 1 1/4-mile Arlington Million (G1) at Colonial Downs on Aug. 12, “right now, if you put a gun to my head, I'd say we'd be running at Kentucky Downs,” the trainer said.

The Kentucky-bred Catnip is a half-brother to Princess Grace, who won the 2021 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf (G3) and was a narrow second in the stakes last year. Like Catnip, Stidham trained Princess Grace and their mother, Masquerade, for owners Susan and John Moore. Catnip is a son of Kitten's Joy, while Princess Grace was sired by Japanese-bred Karakontie, the 2014 Breeders' Cup Mile winner.

“The part Catnip reminds me of Princess Grace is just like Masquerade, the mother,” Stidham said. “They all just have a really big heart. They go out there and run hard every time.”

John O'Meara's Roses for Debra, winner of Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 Caress Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf for older fillies and mares at Saratoga, could run in Kentucky Downs $1 million, Grade 2 AGS Ladies Sprint on Sept. 9.

Trainer Christophe Clement, who is 3 for 3 with Roses for Debra, listed the 6 1/2-furlong Kentucky Downs stakes among the options for the 4-year-old filly's next start. By the Kentucky stallion Liam's Map but foaled in Pennsylvania, Roses for Debra would race for the Ladies Sprint's $600,000 base purse, still far more than the other options Clement mentioned to the Saratoga media team. Those are the $150,000 Start N Fancy at 5 1/2 furlongs on Aug. 25 at Saratoga and the Grade 2, $300,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters at 6 1/2 furlongs Sept. 18. The filly is 4 for 4 at six or 6 1/2 furlongs on synthetic and turf.

“We've got a lot of options,” said Clement, who won the 2017 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint with Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider's Lull.

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Streaking Sophomore Sprinter Ryvit Faces Challenge From Grade 1-Placed Drew’s Gold In Amsterdam

William and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Ryvit brings a five-race win streak into Friday's Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomores at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the Competitive Edge colt needed four starts to graduate, overpowering a restricted maiden special weight field in March at Oaklawn Park. But the $70,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling and HORA Sale graduate hasn't lost since, taking the Bachelor in April at Oaklawn, the Grade 3 Chick Lang in May at Pimlico and the Maxfield last out on July 2 over a sloppy and sealed main track at Ellis Park.

Asmussen said Ryvit, who has won his last three outings in frontrunning fashion, has overcome issues with the starting gate to develop into a win machine.

“We started him early last year and he had a weird incident at the gate where it didn't come open smoothly, and that caused quite a bit of an issue with him. It took him three more races to get that out of his head,” Asmussen said.

Asmussen has won the Amsterdam a record six times, scoring for the Heiligbrodts with Bwana Charlie [2004] and Yaupon [2020] as well as with Santana Strings [2005], Holy Boss [2015], Jackie's Warrior [2021] and Gunite [2022].

“Ryvit just wins,” Asmussen said. “The Amsterdam has been good to us and hopefully it continues to be.”

Ricardo Santana, Jr. has the call from post 5 aboard Ryvit, who is assigned a co-field high 124 pounds.

Drew's Gold won his first four career starts before finishing a prominent second last out to Arabian Lion in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 10 at Belmont Park.

Trained and co-owned by James Chapman with Stuart Tsujimoto, the Violence ridgling has outrun his $25,000 purchase price at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, banking $302,620 led by wins in the Jimmy Winkfield in February at Aqueduct Racetrack and the Gold Fever in May at Belmont Park. The latter effort garnered a 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Chapman said he was confident that Drew's Gold would step up and perform in the Woody Stephens and the dark bay, despite lunging at the break, responded with a strong effort when second at every point of call to earn a career-best 106 Beyer.

“I told everyone coming out of his win that he was going to jump again and that's what he did. Who would have thought you could run a 106 Beyer and get beat,” Chapman said. “It was his first time seven-eighths and it was his first time in a graded race out of open races and that horse came back from running long at Pimlico and ran a good race. He got beat, but to me he didn't get beat. He ran his best race and did what he was supposed to do – he just didn't get the money.”

Jose Ortiz, who guided Drew's Gold [122 pounds] through a half-mile breeze in 47.88 seconds over the Spa main track Thursday, picks up the mount from the inside post.

AMO Racing USA's undefeated New York Thunder [post 6, Tyler Gaffalione, 122 pounds] will make his dirt and graded-stakes debut for trainer Jorge Delgado.

The Nyquist colt made his first two starts sprinting five furlongs at Gulfstream Park, graduating by 6 1/2-lengths in November over synthetic ahead of a 1 3/4-length score in December over turf.

The $130,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase enters from a gate-to-wire 7 1/2-length romp on April 30 in the Woodstock, traveling six-furlongs over the Woodbine Tapeta.

New York Thunder is out of the Midshipman mare Start Over, who is a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Degree of Risk. His third dam, Surf Club, produced 2012 Grade 1 Forego-winner Emcee.

SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan's multiple graded-stakes placed Gilmore [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 118 pounds] will look to make the grade for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The Twirling Candy bay closed to finish third last out in the Woody Stephens, finishing 2 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Arabian Lion while earning a career-best 104 Beyer.

“He ran great,” said Walsh of the Woody Stephens effort. “This is a cutback for him, but he is sharper. I thought he ran a lot sharper in the Woody Stephens – he was a lot closer to the pace than he had been. He was running at the end.”

By Twirling Candy and out of the Henny Hughes mare My Surfer Girl, the $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase finished second in the nine-furlong El Camino Real Derby in February over the Golden Gate synthetic when in the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Gilmore has made his last four starts for Walsh, including a runner-up effort in the seven-furlong Grade 3 Bay Shore in April at Aqueduct and a rallying effort to finish third in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Walsh said Gilmore has continued to develop and, like his fellow Amsterdam contenders, will be hopeful of using this race as a springboard to the Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 26 at the Spa.

“He seems like he's improving,” Walsh said. “It's a nice race for him and if nothing else, it's a good race to take him to the Allen Jerkens if you look at the big picture.”

Rounding out the field are Grade 3 Bay Shore-winner Joey Freshwater [post 2, Jose Lezcano, 124 pounds], who adds blinkers for trainer Linda Rice; and the graded stakes-placed Deer District [post 3, Martin Garcia, 118 pounds] for trainer Dale Romans.

The Amsterdam is slated as Race 10 on Friday's 11-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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Daisycutter: Nine Turf Sprinters Line Up Friday At Del Mar

Nine turf sprinters – older female type — will match up Friday at Del Mar in the annual renewal of the Daisycutter Handicap, an overnight test carrying a $100,000 purse at five furlongs on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course.

Eleven fillies and mares have entered the dash, but only nine can run at any one time on the turf course due to safety concerns.

Possible favorite in the grass gas could be Stonestreet Stables' Twilight Gleaming, a now 4-year-old daughter of the British sire National Defense. The quick lassie sped to a half-length victory in this same race last year, outrunning five rivals under top rider Juan Hernandez. That rider has another commitment in this year's edition of the turfer, so Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith steps in to take over the controls.

Here's the full field for the Daisycutter from the rail out with riders:

Twilight Gleaming;
Tom's Regret (Kyle Frey);
Sassy Nature (Edwin Maldonado);
Unbridled Mary (Hector Berrios);
Amy C (Umberto Rispoli);
Xmas Surprise (Joe Bravo);
Wide West (Juan Hernandez);
Tony Ann (Kent Desormeaux), and
Princess Adaleigh (Ramon Vazquez).

On the also-eligible list are Secrets Told (Antonio Fresu) and Kitty Kitana (Giovanni Franco).

Wide West, a 3-year-old filly by European super sire Frankel, enters the dash off a pair of turf sprint victories at Gulfstream Park in Florida this spring. She's been training steadily for veteran conditioner Thomas Proctor and draws California's top rider. She definitely bears watching.

The Daisycutter is Race 7 on an eight-race program. First post Friday will be 4 p.m.

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