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Chad Brown To Saddle Five Of Ten Starters In Friday’s Lake George At Saratoga

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown brings five chances to claim his seventh victory in Friday's Grade 3, $175,000 Lake George, a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.

The Brown-trained contenders are led by graded stakes-winner Liguria [post 4, Flavien Prat], who enters from a strong three-quarter-length triumph over stablemate Tax Implications [post 3, Manny Franco] in the one-mile Wild Applause on June 24 at Belmont Park. There, she pounced from four lengths off the pace under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to cross the wire first in a final time of 1:35.01 and earn a career-high 87 Beyer Speed Figure.

The daughter of War Front, owned by Alpha Delta Stables, won the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante in December at Del Mar before a five-month respite that ended with a close fifth-place effort in the Grade 2 Edgewood in May at Churchill Downs where she was defeated 1 1/2 lengths by the victorious Heavenly Sunday.

Brown spoke highly of Liguria and said the bay filly ranks among the top of her division.

“She's in top form right now,” Brown said. “She's training outstanding. She's a nice prospect – one of the better 3-year-old turf fillies I think. She's found her form back in the second start of the year and she looks pretty good coming into this race.”

Tax Implications tracked close to Liguria throughout the Wild Applause to duel with her down the lane and come up just shy of victory, garnering an 86 Beyer. Owned by Klaravich Stables, Tax Implications graduated by 6 3/4 lengths on debut going one mile in September at Monmouth Park and closed out her juvenile campaign with a runner-up effort stablemate Implicated in the Chelsey Flower in October at Belmont at the Big A.

“It was her first race off the layoff and she'll improve,” said Brown. “They both ran very well.”

Wise Racing's Revalita [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione] has posted three consecutive strong performances at the graded level for Brown, including a last-out third in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Wonder Again on June 11 at Belmont. The Recoletos French-bred was nine lengths behind the pace through the first quarter-mile, but made up ground throughout under Jose Ortiz to finish just 1 1/4 lengths back of her victorious stablemate Prerequisite.

Revalita, who moved stateside in March after beginning her career in her native France with trainer Joel Boisnard, is in search of her first win since a seven-furlong allowance coup in September over soft turf at Le Lion D'angers in France. She finished fourth, beaten three-quarters of a length, in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride for her American debut in March ahead of a close runner-up effort by the same margin in the Grade 2 Edgewood.

“She's a stakes-level horse that's been knocking on the door,” said Brown. “Cutting back to a mile, we'll have to see if it proves maybe just a tick short for her. She's got a nice turn of foot and she's doing well.”

Rounding out the Brown-trained contingent are a pair of winners for Klaravich Stables in Utilization Rate [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and Surge Capacity [post 2, Joel Rosario]. The former arrives from a five-length victory at third asking in a May 27 maiden going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont while the latter garnered an 80 Beyer for a 1 1/2-length debut score in a June 10 maiden tilt going the same distance at Monmouth.

“They're only maiden winners, but both of them won impressively by many lengths and I've always thought a lot of them,” said Brown. “I don't see an allowance race that fits them anywhere or any other stake that I really want to take them to, so those two are entered from limited opportunities. I really do think they're graded stakes-level fillies. I don't know off maiden wins, but it wouldn't surprise me either.”

Siena Farm, Michael Kisber, Peter Deutsch and the Elkstone Group's Queen Picasso looks to double up on graded scores after taking the Grade 3 Soaring Softly on May 27 at Belmont.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the Kingman bay, who is undefeated in two starts, tracked a half-length off the pace in second through first half-mile of the seven-furlong sprint before pouncing with a well-timed cue from Jose Ortiz to kick clear at the top of the stretch and win by two lengths.

Queen Picasso is out of the Danroad mare Aris – a half-sister to multiple group stakes-winner Again – and is a half-sister to multiple group stakes-winner and sire Aclaim.

Ortiz retains the mount from post 1.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle Donald R. Dizney's stakes-winner Princess Bettina [post 9, Dylan Davis] for her second start since moving east from the barn of Peter Eurton this spring. The Will Take Charge filly broke her maiden at third asking in October at Santa Anita and won the Arcadia oval's one-mile China Doll in March for her first triumph against winners.

Princess Bettina made her first outing for Pletcher in the one-mile Penn Oaks on June 2 at Penn National where she tracked in fifth through the first two points of call and improved to third when racing two-wide at the quarter pole, but failed to kick clear down the lane and settled for show honors.

“She's doing well. We didn't exactly get the trip we wanted at Penn,” said Pletcher. “We'll probably employ some different tactics here. She came in to us in excellent condition and she's a pretty easy filly to train. She's enthusiastic without overdoing it and she's been pretty straightforward.”

Completing the field are two-time winners Tryinmyheartout [post 8, John Velazquez] for trainer Jose Camejo and Secret Money [post 10, Javier Castellano] for trainer Brendan Walsh; and the stakes-placed Lil Miss Moonlight [post 6, Luis Saez] for conditioner Timothy Hamm.

The Lake George is slated as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race card, which co-features the $135,000 Curlin in Race 4. 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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Grade 1 Placed Wicked Halo Leads Female Sprinters In Sunday’s Twin Bridges

Winchell Thoroughbreds' multiple Grade 2 winner Wicked Halo headlines a field of seven filly and mare sprinters that entered Sunday's first running of the $125,000 Twin Bridges Stakes at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming.

The six-furlong Twin Bridges was carded as the sixth race on the nine-race card. First post is 11:45 a.m. (all times Central) and the Twin Bridges will go to post at 2:18 p.m.

The ultra-consistent Wicked Halo has won seven of her 14 lifetime starts including victories in the Prioress Stakes (G2) and Raven Run (G2). Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Wicked Halo won her seasonal debut at Oaklawn in the Matron Stakes then was a game runner-up to Matareya in the Derby City Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs. Wicked Halo will be ridden by Cristian Torres out of post No. 7.

Another accomplished filly that entered the Twin Bridges was Monarch Stables' five-time stakes winner Last Leaf. Trained by Eddie Kenneally, Last Leaf has yet to find the winner's circle in 2023 but sports a narrow runner-up effort to Frank's Rockette in the Roxelana Stakes and a third-place finish to Echo Zulu in the Winning Colors (G3). As a 3-year-old, Last Leaf was victorious at the “Pea Patch” in the Audubon Stakes over fellow Twin Bridges rival Gunning. Jockey Corey Lanerie has the call on Last Leaf from post 3.

Here is the complete field for the Twin Bridges from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Tap Dance Fever (Francisco Arrieta, Bret Calhoun)

2. Gunning (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek)

3. Last Leaf (Lanerie, Kenneally)

4. Speedometer (Keith Asmussen, Steve Asmussen)

5. Dealing Justice (Martin Garcia, Riley Mott)

6. Non Violence (Rey Gutierrez, Bret Calhoun)

7. Wicked Halo (Torres, Asmussen)

The Twin Bridges Stakes is named in honor of the iconic two bridges adjacent to Ellis Park that connect Henderson and Evansville, Ind. over the Ohio River. The construction of the bridges was completed during the Great Depression in 1932 and has undergone several name changes over the last nine decades. So, locals simply call them the “Twin Bridges.”

When the project was nearing completion there were many suggestions on what the name should be including, “The Dade Park Bridges.”

In a 1931 article published by Owensboro, Ky.'s Messenger and Inquirer they stated, “It has been officially decreed that when you approach the Dade Park Bridge over the Ohio River from the south that it will be the 'Henderson-Evansville Bridge' and when approaching from the north it will be labeled the 'Evansville-Henderson Bridge.' Can it be possible that Henderson and Evansville are jealous of Dade Park?”

If fans are heading over the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges (aka the Twin Bridges) to Ellis Park Racing & Gaming Sunday they will be able to enjoy Dollar Days sponsored by the Kentucky HBPA. The day will feature several discounted food and beverage items including $1 hot dogs, chips, ice cream, soft drinks and $2 beer. For more information, visit www.ellisparkracing.com.

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Kentucky Derby Alumn O Besos Returns From Nine-Month Layoff In Ellis’ Jeff Hall Memorial

Trainer Greg Foley will attempt to keep his stakes hot streak intact when Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds and Terry Stephens' O Besos makes his 5-year-old debut in Saturday's $125,000 Jeff Hall Memorial at Ellis Park Racing & Gaming in Henderson, Ky.

The 6 ½-furlong Jeff Hall Memorial is slated as Race 8 of 9 with a post time of 3:22 p.m. (all times Central) First post is 11:45 a.m.

O Besos is a multiple graded stakes-placed son of Orb and an alumni of Kentucky Derby 148 where he crossed the wire fifth. The four-time winner finished fifth in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and has been on the sidelines since. As a 3-year-old, O Besos finished third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and second in the Matt Winn (G3). Jockey Corey Lanerie will have the mount from post No. 2.

Last year's Jeff Hall Memorial winner Necker Island will defend his title for his owners The Scherr Boys and trainer Chris Hartman. The eight-time winning son of Hard Spun defeated two rivals last time out in the $225,000 Mighty Beau at Ellis Park, his first victory since last year's Jeff Hall Memorial. In last year's event, Necker Island overcame a tough start and edged clear late of Tut's Revenge for a neck victory. Jockey Mitchell Murrill will be back aboard from post 3.

Another accomplished horse that entered the Jeff Hall Memorial is Here Mi Song. Owned by Nathan Hayden and trained by Billy Stinson Jr., Here Mi Song pulled an 11-1 upset victory in the Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. The 5-year-old gelded son of Cross Traffic sports a solid record of 20-5-7-1 with purse earnings of $599,193. Regular rider Alex Achard will be in the irons from post 9.

Here is the complete field from the rail out (with jockey and trainer):

1. Chasing Time (Cristian Torres, Steve Asmussen)

2. O Besos (Lanerie, Foley)

3. Necker Island (Murrill, Hartman)

4. Droppin G's (Luan Machado, Jerry Antonuik)

5. Solidify (Yoel Navas, Juan Cano)

6. Go West (Rey Gutierrez, Bret Calhoun)

7. Classier (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kieron Magee)

8. Tut's Revenge (Francisco Arrieta, Shea Stuart)

9. Here Mi Song (Achard, Stinson)

The Jeff Hall Memorial is named in honor of the longtime Director of Racing Operations at Ellis Park who died last year at age 75. Ellis Park recently unveiled the new name for the winner's circle, “The Jeff Hall Winner's Circle.”

For more information about racing and gaming from Ellis Park, visit www.ellisparkracing.com.

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Veterinarians Respond To Findings Of Large-Scale Study Into Radiograph Findings At Thoroughbred Auctions

Earlier this year, the first results were published from a massive study of sale radiographs that began in 2016. Commercial consignors (and their veterinarians) have long complained that it's difficult for buyers at public Thoroughbred auctions to know how much weight to give to certain common findings on pre-sale radiographs. The popularization of consignor-furnished radiograph reports at the barn has made this particularly challenging.

Read our previous reporting on the difficulties – and liabilities — of consignor-furnished radiograph reports.

In 2016 and 2017, a group led by researchers at Colorado State University examined the sale radiographs of horses at yearling and 2-year-old sales to establish how common certain types of radiographic findings were, whether the same horses' findings changed from one year to the next, and how much of an impact those findings had on a horse's likelihood to make it to the races. The team looked at repository images for 2,508 yearlings at Keeneland September in 2016 and 436 2-year-olds at multiple juvenile auctions the following year, rating images for the presence of subchondral lucencies in stifles and sesamoiditis.

The results of that study were released earlier this year and showed that the majority of findings made no significant difference in a horse's likelihood to race. Even horses with subchondral stifle lucencies rated as Grade 3 lesions (Grade 0 being the absence of findings, and Grade 1 being the most mild findings) were not statistically less likely to race than those with Grade 0 ratings. When looking at sesamoid findings, only horses with Grade 3 sesamoid lesions saw any significant impact on performance; lower grades fared no differently than horses with zero findings in their likelihood of racing. Some 72 percent of Grade 1 vascular channel changes in yearling sesamoids had disappeared by the time the horses went to sale as 2-year-olds.

Read our previous reporting on the results of the radiograph research.

Last week, the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association hosted a presentation at Fasig-Tipton reviewing the results of the research, followed by a veterinary panel to discuss the impact the research will have on their work.

Below are a few takeaways from the panel discussion.

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–The researchers had to construct a Grade 0 to Grade 3 scale to describe the presence or severity of sesamoiditis findings in yearling radiographs because there wasn't previously a universally-embraced system for describing this particular set of findings. Veterinarians have instead used words like “mild,” “slight,” or “moderate” when describing what they see, which may be used or received differently by vets and clients. Dr. Scott Pierce, veterinarian and shareholder at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, said the scale alone will make his job easier if it's adopted broadly.

“It adds a lot of clarity to what we do,” said Pierce. “We all know that sesamoiditis is way over-diagnosed. If we can have clarity, which we seem to have in this, it's easier for us to be able to describe the actual lesion and the actual disease and be able to give a prognosis for those in racing.”

Pierce noted the study found that 85 percent of horses were normal, but he sees more than 15 percent of radiograph reports suggesting a given horse may have indications of sesamoiditis, which contributes to his belief that it's over-diagnosed.

Equine Medical Associates' Dr. Jeff Berk, who moderated the panel, suggested that the usefulness of a more commonly-used scale to describe sesamoiditis was less about language choice for the radiograph report kept by the consignor in the shed row at auction and more about uniformity in the language a vet may use with a buyer when presenting their opinion of a set of images.

–Dr. Scott Hay of Teigland Franklin and Brokken said the study mostly aligned with his viewpoints that more minor sesamoid findings aren't likely to be an issue, but more serious lesions that would be considered a Grade 3 under this system should be approached with caution.

Hay looks forward to an additional release of data which is expected later and will look at ultrasound scans of the suspensory ligaments alongside the radiographic sesamoid findings.

“I can tell you that I've had horses that although they improved radiographically, still had suspensory sesamoid issues as 2-year-olds, so that's a little scary,” Hay said.

–Pierce expressed surprise about one finding from the study, which indicated the average age of first start for horses with Grade 3 sesamoiditis was still in the 2-year-old year, and only a few weeks later than horses with less severe findings.

“I basically go in with those and say they'll be 3-year-olds, so I was a little surprised about that,” he said.

–Dr. Nathan Mitts of Peterson & Smith wondered whether veterinarians and managers tend to handle horses with sesamoid findings too conservatively in hopes of safeguarding the bone, and is hopeful that the study data can encourage a reconsideration of that approach.

“I think I've seen too many horses have exercise restrictions because of moderate sesamoiditis that, if we can continue to follow that up, maybe that's not a significant risk factor,” said Mitts.

“I find with my clients that with horses we felt were in the stall for more days than some of their pasturemates, that's probably a risk factor as much as anything, because the soft tissue isn't allowed to develop and the bone density doesn't develop. So then, when we go to train on them in Ocala, they don't hold up for one reason or another. It may have nothing to do with the sesamoid we're looking at.”

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–Regarding the stifle portion of the study, Pierce found it encouraging that few horses saw stifle lesions worsen from their yearling sale to their appearance in 2-year-old sales, and that none with Grade 1 lesions ended up with Grade 3 lesions later.

“I think the biggest takeaway of all in this study for me was the Grade 3 stifles,” said Dr. Michael Hore of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. “We were always kind of taught that a big medial condyle cyst was big and bad and just stay away from it. Now we can see here that the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Some of these horses are maybe at 5 to 10 percent increased risk of not making a start but those horses are getting devalued by 90 percent or 100 percent; they're just getting given away. So I think the big message from this is that it's ok if you're willing to take a little more risk to buy these horses with these cysts.”

Hore said he's seen success with horses who have undergone surgery for some cysts and gone on to racing success.

See a replay of the full presentation of the research and the veterinary panel here:

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