Horse Racing News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Oisin Murphy Crowned Britain’s Champion Jockey For Second Straight Year

Oisin Murphy signed off his British racing campaign with a double at Southwell Racecourse on Tuesday, Nov. 3 and it has proved enough to win him a second jockey's title.

The 25-year-old Irishman finishes the season on 142 winners, maintaining a healthy lead over his closest challenger William Buick until the very end.

On winning a second successive Champion Flat Jockey title, Murphy said: “I'm incredibly proud to have won a second Champion Jockey title and I'm extremely thankful for the team around me that have enabled me to do so – my agent, manager, driver, form-man, and family.

“It's huge to win two jockeys' championships in two years and beyond my wildest dreams. I tried my absolute best to do so and thank you to everyone who has helped along the way.

“I'm particularly proud of my strike rate for Andrew Balding. Sheikh Fahad allowed me to go wherever I wanted to and for that I must thank him and all the team at Qatar Racing too.”

Amongst his 142 wins, Oisin Murphy claimed his maiden Classic success when securing the QIPCO 2000 Guineas with Kameko in a scintillating performance.

In total, Murphy claimed seven UK Group wins this season and earned over £2.2 million in prize money. His top performing racecourse has been Kempton Park where he has enjoyed 16 wins.

Amongst the personal milestones achieved by jockeys this season, Murphy claimed his 1000th British winner Perfect Sign at Southwell Racecourse.

The post Oisin Murphy Crowned Britain’s Champion Jockey For Second Straight Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mike And Penny Lauer Named Top Indiana Breeder For Fifth Year

For the fifth year in a row, Michael and Penny Lauer have been named the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program's Breeder of the Year, an award based solely on Indiana Breeder's Awards payments.

The couple bred 16 horses in the Indiana program that raced in 2019, earning them a total of $183,243 in Breeder's Awards alone. The two most notable 2019 starters include Drinkatthecreek (Itsmyluckyday – Mizzen My Momma) and Twobirdsonestone (Birdstone – Dreamin Big).

Working as a team, the Lauers have been breeding and training horses for more than 40 years, and have participated in the Indiana program since its inception. Michael has more than 1,100 training wins and more than $9.1 million in earnings throughout his career, with his main stable based at Indiana Grand Racing and Casino and Churchill Downs. He is Indiana Grand's all-time learning stakes-winning trainer with more than 35 stakes wins.

A retired teacher, Penny manages the bookkeeping and daily operations of the breeding and racing side of Michael Lauer Stables. Penny is among Indiana Grand's all-time top five leading owners in wins and leads with more than $5 million in earnings, the most of any other owner in Indiana Grand history. The couple's three daughters, Elizabeth, Sara and Abby, pitch in around the farm.

While their farm is based in Finchville, Ky., the Lauers work closely with breeding farms in Indiana such as Springcliff Farm, Ledgerwood Farm, Nicks Farm and Swifty Farm.

“We've always thought the Indiana program was a good one,” says Penny. “We breed a lot, but we're not the top of the heap. We try to keep some decent mares, breed to decent stallions and go from there.

“I'd love for some of our Indiana breds to win some big races outside of the state, because I want to show that Indiana breds can win anywhere,” she continued. “I don't feel we get a lot of respect outside of the state and I hope we can help with that with our horses.”

The Lauers recently started standing the stallion Ready's Image in Indiana, who will stand at Swifty Farm for his third year in the program for 2021.

“We started standing Ready's Image in Indiana the last few years because we like him and we're trying to help the program in Indiana more with his quality bloodlines,” says Penny. “He's done pretty well these last couple of years and we look forward to seeing his Indiana babies on the track soon.”

Over the past seven years, the Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development Program has distributed more than $23 million to Indiana breeders. Horses produced out of the Indiana bred program have gone on to win multiple graded stakes races and even competed internationally in the Breeders' Cup and at the Royal Ascot meet. Currently, breeders are awarded up to 20 percent of the purse in awards for winners.

The 2019 Indiana Thoroughbred Breed Development and Indiana Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association award winners were recognized during the first ever Indiana Breeders Day held at Indiana Grand on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The post Mike And Penny Lauer Named Top Indiana Breeder For Fifth Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

After Distaff Disappointment, ‘Shining Light’ Swiss Skydiver To Race Again In 2021

Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver will run as a 4-year-old next year, owner Peter Callahan told Horse Racing Nation after the filly finished a disappointing seventh in the weekend's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

The daughter of Daredevil stumbled at the start of the race and never recovered, but she had a stellar 2020 campaign that included wins in the Preakness over males, G1 Alabama, G2 Santa Anita Oaks, G3 Fantasy, and G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. Swiss Skydiver's record stands at six wins from 12 starts for earnings of $1,812,980; not bad for a filly that cost $35,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September saale.

“I'm OK finishing where we finished at the back of the pack, because there is a life lesson to be learned,” Callahan told Horse Racing Nation. “In this day and age everybody gets a trophy, and that's nonsense. You've got to learn to lose. You've got to take disappointment and rejection.”

Swiss Skydiver emerged from the Distaff with a few nicks and bruises, and will head to Magdalena Farm for some down time before a 2021 campaign is mapped out. The Pegasus at Gulfstream on Jan. 23 is too soon and is not on the radar for the filly.

“It's been an amazing year. She's just been real special to be around,” added trainer Kenny McPeek. “Through all the pandemic and everything, she's just been a real shining light.”

Racehorse Lotto Christmas Raffle to Benefit Racing Welfare

A Flat filly by Territories (Ire) out of Newbury Super Sprint runner-up Satsuma (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) will be raffled off at £10 a ticket as the Racehorse Lotto Christmas Raffle. Of the money raised from ticket sales, 20% will go toward Racing Welfare. The half-sister to G3 Cornwallis S. winner Good Vibes (GB) (Due Diligence) will turn two in 2021, and will be ridden by Haley Turner and trained by James Ferguson. The winning entrant will be able to visit the horse on a regular basis at Ferguson’s yard in Newmarket, while naming rights and selecting their own racing silks are also included in the ticket. In addition, all training fees are covered by Racehorse Lotto. Entries close at 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 25 with the winner to be called on Christmas Day.

“We have spent all summer looking for the right horse to wrap up as our Christmas Raffle prize and I think we’ve found a cracker,” said Hugh O’Donnell, Founder and CEO of Furlong Gaming, the parent company of Racehorse Lotto. “I’m delighted to have Hayley and James on board as they are both so enthusiastic about giving their all for the horse. For just £10 a ticket there is a potentially life-changing gift up for grabs and with enough entries we can make a significant contribution to Racing Welfare.”

The post Racehorse Lotto Christmas Raffle to Benefit Racing Welfare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post