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Lucky Score’s Late Rally Secures Highlander Surprise

Lucky Score, trained by dual hall of famer Mark Casse, scored top prize in Saturday's $200,000 Highlander Stakes (G2), at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

It was a cavalry charge for the lead in the six-furlong turf sprint for 4-year-olds and up contested over a firm E.P. Taylor Course, with Cadamosto, Outlaw Kid and mutuel choice One Timer tussling for top spot. Cadamosto emerged with a short advantage through an opening quarter in :22.01 as Outlaw Kid, in the middle, and One Timer, to the outside, continued to apply pressure after a half in :44.24.

Rounding the turn for home, One Timer emerged with the lead and attempted to draw from his rivals, but graded stakes-placed Oceanic and graded stakes winner Lucky Score soon came calling, and began their own battle to the wire, with the latter prevailing by a half-length in a time of 1:07.86. One Timer, who arrived on a two-race win streak, was third, and Old Chestnut finished fourth.

“He's a horse that comes off the pace,” said Sahin Civaci, who one race earlier piloted Casse trainee Solo Album to victory in the $150,000 Selene Stakes (G3). “It takes him a while to get rolling and luckily there was a lot of speed up front today so that helped a lot. It was just about finding the right position and a clear path getting to the wire before they get there.”

It was the sixth career victory in 15 starts for the 5-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky–Miss Matzo, owned by Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Pantofel Stable LLC.

“I had a lot of horse,” noted Civaci. “I just needed to get after him a little bit and I saw that the six (Oceanic) was fighting back. He kicked on and he fought good, so we got up front.”

Bred in Ontario by James Everatt, Janeane Everatt and Arika Everatt-Meeuse, Lucky Score won his first race since last September when the bay gelding rallied to take the Vigil (G3) over the Woodbine Tapeta.

Souper Dormy, Outlaw Kid, Masseto (GB), Striker, and Cadomosto (IRE) rounded out the order of finish. Silent Poet was scratched.

Lucky Score paid $30.60.

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Foggy Night Surprises At 14-1 In Delaware Oaks

Pine Brook Farm's Foggy Night notched her first career stakes victory in the $300,00 Delaware Oaks (G3) Saturday at Delaware Park.

With Paco Lopez aboard, the daughter of Khozan won by 1 -lengths. Opus Forty Two, with Daniel Centeno, finished second a nose in front of Miracle, with Trevor McCarthy, in third. The 4-to-5 favorite in the field of eight, Fireline with Dylan Davis, finished fourth. Foggy Night paid $30.40 as the fourth choice.

The Florida-bred trained by Robert 'Butch' Reid, Jr. covered 1/16 miles in 1:45.07 over a fast main track after stalking early fractions set by Opus Forty Two of :47.98 for the half mile and 1:12.14 for the three-quarters mile. Foggy Night raised her record to three wins from eight starts with earnings of $278,550.

Reid said he had always been confident with her ability and talent.

“She showed it as 2-year-old and the key is she can run a long way,” said Reid, who also won the Delaware Oaks in 2020 with Project Whiskey. “We gave her a nice freshening over the winter. She got a little stale toward the end of the year, so we gave her a nice freshening and measured her right up to this race. After the layoff we got a couple of nice seven-eighth races in her and this was her first time going a mile and a sixteenth. It worked out.”

Reid is not sure where he will run Foggy Night next.

“I really have not thought much past this race,” Reid said. “We did take some stalls at Saratoga, so that is a possibility. Of course, the Monmouth Oaks is another possibility. But we will design the rest of the summer after this.”

Foggy Night, who is out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Settling Seas, was bred by Brent and Crystal Fernung. Their Journeyman Bloodstock Services sold her to Pine Brook Farm for $20,000 at the 2022 OBS Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale. The chestnut filly improved her lifetime purse earnings to $278,550.

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Study Suggests Sedation Could Mask Lameness In Horses

Though sedating a fractious horse could make a lameness exam safer for both horse and handler, a study from Germany indicates that sedation can affect how a horse moves, thus making pinpointing the lameness more difficult.

While sedation can make horses more cooperative, it can also make them more sluggish. Dr. Matthias Rettig, with the Free University of Berlin, created a study to determine whether a sedative affected the biomechanical parameters vets use to diagnose lameness.

Scientists attached inertial sensors to 44 horses that were divided into two groups. Baseline lameness exams were given to each horse, then 22 of the horses received a low dose of the sedative xylazine. The other 22 horses received saline to act as controls. The lameness exams were repeated 20 and 60 minutes after the injection.

The inertial sensors recorded limb, head, and pelvic movement throughout each of the exams.

The researchers found that sedation had no significant effect on pelvic movement in horses with hind-end lameness. Sedation also didn't initially affect the movement of horses with forelimb lameness, but 60 minutes after sedation, it decreased the head movement in some of these horses.

Though the reason for the delayed effect isn't clear, Rettig suggests that horses become used to the trotting up and back routine for the lameness exam or that xylazine acts as a pain reliever and not just a sedative.

Though the change in head movement from the xylazine was not statistically significant, Rettig suggests that practitioners keep it in mind when sedating a horse for a lameness exam, specifically if the exam takes more than an hour.

Maryland Owner Richard Meyer Passes; Supported Initiatives To Benefit Backstretch Workers

Richard J. Meyer, a Thoroughbred owner and advocate for horsemen and backstretch workers in Maryland, passed away at Anne Arundel Medical Center June 20 after a brief illness. He was 81.

Meyer, who was raised in St. Louis, Mo., where he played soccer, basketball and football as a student, graduated from St. Louis University in 1963 and then moved to Maryland to work for the federal National Security Agency as a mathematician. His technical and management skills led him to the top echelons of the NSA.

Meyer, who accepted a leadership role, received the NSA Exceptional Civilian Service Award. After 30 years of service, he retired from the agency to work for Raytheon, a defense contractor. Five years later, he returned to the NSA for a few more years before going to work for Federal Data Systems, a position he held until his death.

A fan of Thoroughbred racing, Meyer in 1984 partnered with his first group of associates to purchase three racehorses. He discovered a new passion in researching bloodlines to aid in the purchase of horses at auction. He created a partnership called M. O. M. Stables, with Josephine Owens and then Timothy Keefe as his trainers.

“Richard was not only a friend I trained for, but a business partner,” Keefe said. “We owned horses together for many years, and he was a wonderful friend and a father figure. As far as the racing business, he let me know I could do what I needed to do. It was always about being in the best interest of the horse, be it racing them or deciding when to retire a horse.

“He loved pedigrees and nicks. We would go to sales and he would let me select horses but would always want me to look for a certain pedigree. He was also a breeder but on a small scale; we had two 3-year-olds that we bred (in partnership) and a couple of other horses. He enjoyed it.”

Meyer was a member of the MTHA Board of Directors and served as President before Keefe was elected in 2014. He was a force in establishing the MTHA Backstretch Pension Plan, which currently contributes $1 million a year to support those who work with horses on a daily basis, and facilitated on-site health fairs for the backstretch community.

Meyer also served as President of the Maryland Horsemen's Assistance Foundation, which provides financial assistance to those in need.

“Richard did most of his work on the benevolence side,” Keefe said. “He was very much involved in that. Not many people know about his influence in that regard. He would serve meals at the backstretch kitchen on Thanksgiving, and he would regularly watch his horses race from the backstretch. He loved that part of the business.”

Meyer is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mary Meyer; son Douglas Meyer; daughter Karen Schemmel; son-in-law Michael Schemmel; grandchildren Gregory Meyer, Abigail Schemmel, and William Schemmel; and sister Rosemary Sampson.

A celebration of life will be held Friday, July 7, from 4-7 p.m. at Barranco Severna Park Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 495 Ritchie Hwy in Severna Park, Md. A memorial mass will be held Saturday, July 8, at 10 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 689 Ritchie Hwy. in Severna Park. In lieu of flowers, consider a memorial contribution to Feeding America or the ASPCA.

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