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Constitution Colt Stephen Wins Coronation Futurity At Woodbine

Al and Bill Ulwelling's 2-year-old colt Stephen tracked down the front-runners for a breakthrough victory in the 117th edition of the $250,000 Coronation Futurity on Sunday at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Justin Stein earned star of the card honors as he notched his fifth win of the day aboard the Kevin Attard trainee, who defeated Tio Magico by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:52.46 to break his maiden in the featured 11/8-mile stakes race for Canadian-foaled 2-year-olds.

Tio Magico led the field of eight through fractions of :24.87, :49.20 and 1:13.15, with the favored Cup and Saucer Stakes winner Master Spy pressing the pace.

Meanwhile, Stephen, who followed second-to-last early on after an awkward start, was hustled into fifth-place on the final turn and tipped off the rail to run down Tio Magico in the stretch.

“He broke a little bit funny,” noted Stein, chalking the start up to the blustery weather conditions or the colt's inexperience, “but we recovered quick and I was happy with the trip we were getting and he just ran a good race.

“I had to make sure that he knew what was going on. I had to make him run a little more. He put his mind to the task when he got some daylight and took aim at the horse in front of him, he ran by him professionally.”

Giant Waters finished 2 1/2 lengths behind Tio Magico in third, with Master Spy, British Royalty, One Flint, Threefiftyseven and Flex completing the order of finish.

Stephen returned $6.30 to win as the 2-1 second choice in this third career start.

Attard said his trainee had always shown signs of talent and took a shot in the $250,000 restricted Simcoe Stakes for his August 30 debut over 6 1/2 furlongs on the main track. Although running eighth there, he gained valuable racing experience.

The bay colt entered the Coronation Futurity off a strong second-place effort, finishing just a half-length behind the Sam-Son Farm homebred Tio Magico in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on October 4.

“Obviously, in the second race, I thought he ran great,” said Attard. “He showed a tremendous turn of foot, was coming to the winner and just ran out of real estate. He's trained well in the interim and he was coming into this race in great shape, so we were pretty high on our chances.”

Bred in Ontario by Trackwest Racing Inc., the colt by Constitution (named for former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper) was a $170,000 purchase from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2-year-olds in training spring sale.

With a gifted youngster taking what is considered a significant 2-year-old race on the road to next year's Queen's Plate, Attard dismissed the myths of the “Coronation Futurity curse” with a laugh. (The last horse to complete the Coronation Futurity-Queen's Plate double was Norcliffe, who won this race in 1975).

“Streaks are made to be broken,” said Attard, hoping stars will align in the 162nd running of the Plate. “I was born in 1975 so the plan is to break this curse next year.”

Speaking of young talent, the Ulwellings' homebred 2-year-old Haddassah debuted a winner in the race prior for the same connections.

Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine Racetrack on Thursday with an eight-race program set to kick off at 2:15 p.m. Please note that the upcoming Friday and Saturday cards will have special post times of 4:45 p.m. and 12:25 p.m., respectively.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Stomach Cancer Can’t Keep Melen Down

“This isn't a sad cancer story,” warned Steve Melen, part-owner of Horologist ahead of the filly's upcoming engagement in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. “It's about five different stories in one that started with the purchase of a racehorse.”

The trajectory of Melen's life first shifted when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 stomach cancer in his late 30s. Melen went from having everything he'd wanted in life—a great job, a house on a hill, a newborn daughter, and a beautiful wife—to undergoing surgery to remove his stomach, spleen, and half of his pancreas, followed by chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

Melen became addicted to the painkillers during his recovery. He required two stints in rehab to get back on track, but the multiple health issues eventually led to the breakdown of his first marriage. There were days Melen wasn't sure where to turn.

He desperately needed something to be excited about again.

In 2011, two years after his initial diagnosis, Melen took a leap of faith and reached out to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to inquire about racehorse ownership. Melen had traveled to the Kentucky Derby in 2006 with a friend who was a co-owner in the Hollendorfer-trained Derby contender Cause to Believe.

“I was kind of, well, not kind of down, I was really down,” Melen explained. “Racing was such an exciting, motivational thing, I just felt like I needed to be a part of it.”

A few weeks later, Melen got the call and agreed to purchase part of filly named Killer Graces. She broke her maiden in a stakes race in her second career start, and she wound up winning the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet in December of her juvenile season.

Through Killer Graces and subsequent racehorses, Melen reconnected with his childhood sweetheart and later married her. The long-time financial advisor was able to step out of the office and work for his own clients from home, and he felt like his life really started to get back on track.

“Being a financial advisor was not a motivating factor for me to stay alive,” Melen admitted. “I used to have fun out drinking with friends, now I've been sober for 7 years so I'm not the party guy anymore. But these horses, these are exciting, and we all need that sort of exciting.”

Melen kept horses with Hollendorfer for seven years and expanded out to other ownership groups. He later hooked up with several other partners, including Bing Bush's Abbondanza Racing for horses like the multiple graded stakes-placed Excellent Sunset and Motion Emotion.

“It's expensive but I want to be part of it, and I still get excitement when I own 10 percent,” Melen said. “I'm really into it for the excitement, not for any financial return.”

Several years into his racing journey, Melen decided to write a book about the way the sport has impacted his life. Titled Killer Graces: My Path From Pain To Power And Breakthrough Living, the book is described as “a story of both weakness and strength as Steve navigates a world of pain, drugs, alcohol, marital problems, and anxiety, all rooted in his earliest days as a child of adoption. Join Steve on his journey of self-discovery as he shares that it took a life-threatening illness to bring these issues to light so the true healing process could begin.”

The book has only been out for a month but has already sold about 500 copies, and has been exclusively rated “5 stars” on Amazon.

“I wrote the book because I wanted to spread the positive energy,” Melen explained. “Horses sure sparked a lot of really good things in my life. Something about what I'm doing, the energy and the support, the horse racing and everything has given me life that is super unique, and I've got a very happy, awesome, loving situation.”

Of course, life without a stomach isn't easy. He must give himself B12 shots once a month, since that vitamin is absorbed in the stomach, and meals are eaten in much smaller portions. Melen's esophagus has significant scarring, and he was in the hospital as recently as last Friday to have it stretched so that he can breathe more easily.

His weight has also been difficult to maintain: Melen is 6'1”, but weighs just 135 lbs.

“My friends all call me a unicorn,” Melen said, laughing good-naturedly. “I should have been dead twice, maybe three times. I had a 12 to 14 percent chance of living, but here I am. I really believe that following the races has a lot to do with that.”

Over the past several months, Melen has been especially thrilled to follow the progress of Horologist. He leapt at the chance to buy into the graded stakes winner via Abbondanza in late 2019, and the 4-year-old daughter of Gemologist has added wins in the G3 Molly Pitcher and G2 Beldame to her resume this season. Now trained by Bill Mott, the filly also ran third in the G1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs two starts back.

Up next, Horologist will start in the Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7. It will be Melen's first starter in the Breeders' Cup, and despite the challenges of COVID-19, the owner won't miss the opportunity to watch the race live.

“The journey won't be easy, but I'm not gonna miss out,” said Melen. “You think the COVID is gonna stop me from going to the Breeders' Cup? I've cheated death already, so I'm going to the Breeders' Cup this year!”

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Australia: Melbourne Cup, The Race That Restarts A Nation

The Melbourne Cup, one of the great horse races on the planet – and probably the greatest cultural event in global racing – will be staged this Monday night (Post Time: 11:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. PT). Long referred to as “the race that stops a nation,” the Cup has famously brought sessions of parliament to a halt. However, as its host city emerges from one of the world's strictest lockdowns, this year's renewal might be more accurately referred to as “the race that restarts a nation.”

Melbourne has been the country's coronavirus hotspot, with a stringent lockdown of almost four months being eased just in the past week. While still unable to attend the races, the public is simply rejoicing in the newly found freedom to visit a pub or enter a TAB (the vast network of off-track wagering facilities, many of which are now contained within pubs – allowing the confluence of two great Aussie pastimes!).

While Flemington Racecourse won't play host to fans, it will welcome eight European horses as part of the 24-strong field competing for an $8 million purse. In a wide-open betting market – even by Melbourne Cup standards – wagering is headed by a trio of Euros. When rain delivered his preferred soft going, Irish import Sir Dragonet landed a betting plunge (12-1 into 6-1) winning the W.S. Cox Plate in his Australian debut. The Cox Plate is a highly prestigious weight-for-age race at 1 1/4 miles, in stark contrast to the two-mile Melbourne Cup under handicap conditions. Jockey Glen Boss, who became part of Melbourne Cup folklore aboard the race's only three-time winner, Makybe Diva, declared that Sir Dragonet (9-1) can capture the Cox Plate – Melbourne Cup double (last achieved, coincidentally, by Makybe Diva in 2005). However, Monday night's firmer footing might be a bigger issue than the race's conditions.

The other Europeans vying for favoritism share two impressive common denominators: the blood of Galileo and the conditioning of Aiden O'Brien. Tiger Moth (8-1) was narrowly beaten in this year's Irish Derby and will be making just his fifth career start. The race's 129-pound highweight is Anthony Van Dyck (7-1), who won the 2019 English Derby and finished third in the Breeders' Cup Turf. Anthony Van Dyck was an excellent second in his Australian debut and could provide a first Melbourne Cup win for Hugh Bowman, regular rider of the great Winx. Similarly, the Cup has eluded Winx's trainer, Chris Waller. Another mare would become Waller's second most famous horse, if Verry Elleegant (12-1) can replicate her victory over Anthony Van Dyck in the traditional prep race, the Caulfield Cup. Waller is also represented by a son of Frankel named Finche (17-1), who has performed consistently at the highest level in Australia since being imported two years ago. Finche has finished on the heels of the placegetters in the past two Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

As racing has become globalized, Australian horses have struggled to withstand the avalanche of international runners. Vow and Declare bucked the trend last year, becoming the first Aussie winner since 2009. Vow and Declare has lost form and is a 60-1 shot to repeat, but last year's winning rider, Craig Williams, has partnered with another Australian horse in Surprise Baby – whose sire happens to be that 2009 Australian-bred winner, Shocking. Surprise Baby was fifth in last year's Melbourne Cup, beaten just a length in a blanket finish, and has strong claims again at 9-1. While Vow and Declare is unlikely to repeat, his trainer Danny O'Brien also has Russian Camelot (12-1) coming off a third-place finish in the Cox Plate (he and Cox Plate winner, Sir Dragonet, are both sired by 2012 English and Irish Derby winner, Camelot).

Three jockeys – Glen Boss (Sir Dragonet), Kerrin McEvoy (Tiger Moth) and Damien Oliver (Russian Camelot) – have three wins in the great race and would equal the all-time record with one more triumph. Also of interest in the riding ranks is Jamie Kah, who currently leads the Melbourne jockey standings. Kah will have her first mount in the Cup and first ride on Prince of Arran (11-1). Her Melbourne Cup inexperience is balanced by the hardy 8-year-old gelding, who has finished second and thirdin the past two Melbourne Cups. Kah seeks to emulate Michelle Payne, who rode through the gender barrier in 2015 on 100-1 winner Prince of Penzance. Longshots abound throughout Melbourne Cup history and the strike rate of favorites is a meager 21%, so play your fancy and enjoy the spectacular spectacle.

The Flemington card will be broadcast on TVG this Monday night (First Post: 6:45 p.m. ET / 3:45 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Randwick, Doomben and Ascot. All races will also be live-streamed in HD with past performances available for free at skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms. The new Pick 7 wager is available on the Flemington (AUS-A) card across races 4-10. Wagering is available via all the major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, AmWager, and BetAmerica.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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Brown Wins Ninth Belmont Fall Meet Training Title; Jose Ortiz, Klaravich Top Jockey, Owner

Chad Brown posted 22 wins to earn the status as top trainer for the Belmont Park fall meet for the ninth consecutive year, while Jose Ortiz registered 40 victories to lead all riders for the 27-day meet that commenced Sept. 18 and concluded on Sunday, Nov. 1.

Klaravich Stables campaigned 13 winners, six more than the second-closest competitor in Repole Stables, to pace all owners.

Brown continued his dominance at the Belmont fall meet, compiling a 22-14-18record with 96 starters and earnings of more than $1.5 million. The four-time Eclipse Award-winner for Outstanding Trainer has won at least a share of the Belmont fall meet every year since 2012. The soon-to-be 42-year-old extended his streak by saddling six more winners than Christophe Clement in second place and Todd Pletcher in third with 15 wins.

NYRA's year-ending leading trainer five years running, Brown tallied five graded stakes wins, sending out Devamani [Knickerbocker], Tamahere [Sands Point] and Complexity [Kelso Handicap] to Grade 2 triumphs, while Viadera [Noble Damsel] and Tapit Today [Athenia] earned Grade 3 honors. Brown ended the meet with another stakes win, as Ingrassia captured Sunday's Chelsey Flower for juvenile fillies.

Ortiz earned his first career Belmont fall meet title, posting a 40-29-28 record in 173 mounts for earnings of more than $2.3 million. After finishing one win shy of brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. for top honors at the Saratoga summer meet, the older Ortiz bested runner-up jockey Jose Lezcano [28] wins by a dozen. Ortiz, NYRA's 2016 year-end leading rider, partnered with Brown to win the Kelso and Athenia and also piloted Plum Ali to victory in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo and Wet Your Whistle in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational.

“I'm just happy I can go out there and do what I love the most and be successful. I work very hard for it and I'm happy to be getting good opportunities,” Ortiz said. “It means a lot. Belmont is a great place to race and I think it's the best jockey colony in the United States right now. It's very tough. We have Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers and it's hard to compete against them. They all can ride, they're all talented and they all want to win, so to be in the position I'm in, I feel blessed I can go out there and compete at the highest level for those guys.

“I appreciate the opportunities the owners and trainers gave to me and my agent [Jimmy Riccio, Jr.] is doing a great job,” he added. “It's hard now because we don't work horses as much. It's been hard with the pandemic, but thankfully the owners and trainers have supported me.”

Klaravich Stables, the year-ending leading owner on the NYRA circuit in 2019, was the top owner at the Belmont fall meet for the fourth straight time, continuing its dominance started in 2017. Headed by Seth Klarman, Klaravich Stables completed the meet-leading troika when the Brown-trained and Ortiz-ridden Complexity won the Kelso by 2 1/4 lengths on October 3.

Thoroughbred action moves to Aqueduct Racetrack for the 18-day fall meet, which will open on Friday, November 6 and run through Sunday, December 6. The Aqueduct fall meet will be highlighted by 29 stakes, including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 million in purse money.

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