Sarah Coleman Named Executive Director Of Kentucky Horse Council

The Kentucky Horse Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Coleman as the new Executive Director of the Lexington-based organization; Coleman will begin her role Sept. 29.

An avid equestrian, Coleman grew up in northeastern Ohio and graduated from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in Athens, OH. Coleman moved to the Bluegrass in 2004 to work with multiple equine and agriculture- related publications based in the area. She shifted to equine-oriented roles at Lexington Catholic High School and Georgetown College before transitioning to her most recent role as Community and Public Relations Director for New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program. In that role, Coleman oversaw the construction of New Vocations at Mereworth Farm and established the New Vocations All-Thoroughbred Charity Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park among other endeavors.

In addition, Coleman holds roles on multiple equine boards and committees, including being secretary and treasurer of the Kentucky Hunter Jumper Association, a member of the University of Kentucky's Saddle Up Safely program and a member of the Kentucky Horse Breeders Incentive Fund Non-Race Committee, among others.

“I am excited to step into this role with the Kentucky Horse Council,” Coleman says “Katy [Ross] did an incredible job; I look forward to capitalizing on the momentum she has built to grow the membership, develop relationships and resources, and awareness of the organization and its mission and programs within the Kentucky I have invested my life into the education of equine enthusiasts and equine welfare, and I am looking forward to seeing what can be accomplished in this new role.”

“We are delighted to have Sarah join the Kentucky Horse Council as Executive Director,” said Ryan Watson, President of the Kentucky Horse Council, “with Sarah's experience as well as expertise in the non-profit sector, I feel very confident that she can continue moving the KHC forward.”

ABOUT THE KENTUCKY HORSE COUNCIL – The Kentucky Horse Council is a non-profit organization dedicated, through education and leadership, to the protection and development of the Kentucky equine community. The Kentucky Horse Council provides educational programs and information, outreach and communication to Kentucky horse owners and enthusiasts, equine professional networking opportunities through the Kentucky Equine Networking Association (KENA), trail riding advocacy, health and welfare programs,personal liability insurance and other membership benefits. The specialty Kentucky Horse Council license plate, featuring a foal lying in the grass, provides the primary source of revenue for KHC programs.

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Maximum Security Faces Stablemate Improbable, Shirreffs-Trained Midcourt In Awesome Again

Unbeaten in two starts for Bob Baffert, Gary and Mary West's homebred Maximum Security, roundly regarded as the best in training today, heads a field of field of five 3-year-olds and up going a mile and one eighth in Saturday's Grade I, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita.

A two-time stakes winner at Del Mar this past summer, Maximum Security comes off a huge three length win in the Grade I Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 and will once again be a prohibitive favorite in what will be his 13th career start.

Baffert's Improbable, a Grade I winner of the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Aug. 1, earned a career-best Beyer Speed figure of 106 and will be bidding for his third consecutive win.

The John Shirreffs-trained Midcourt, who was beaten a nose by Maximum Security two starts back in the San Diego Handicap, was a well beaten third behind “Max” in the Pacific Classic and will be facing him for the third consecutive time on Saturday.

The Awesome Again, named for the 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic winner that was bred in Ontario, Canada by Frank Stronach and owned by his Stronach Stables, is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, with the winner earning a fees-paid berth into the Grade I, $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

MAXIMUM SECURITY

Owner: Gary & Mary West, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor & Derrick Smith

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Immensely talented but star-crossed, this 4-year-old colt by New Year's Day appears to be thriving in Baffert's care. Ridden in his two Del Mar starts by Abel Cedillo, he'll be reunited with eastern-based Luis Saez, who has finished first on him in six out of seven starts, most recently in Saudi Arabia, where he took the $20 million Saudi Cup by three quarters of a length. Although the Saudi Cup results remain official, Maximum Security's purse earnings remain on-hold as an investigation into his original trainer Jason Servis continues. Adding to his hard-luck resume is the fact he became the only Kentucky Derby winner to ever be disqualified for a racing infraction in the 2019 Derby, a race he won by 1 ¾ lengths with Saez aboard. An official winner of 10 out of his 12 starts, Maximum Security has banked $12.1 million and will be making his first-ever start at Santa Anita.

IMPROBABLE

Owner: WinStar Farm, LLC, China Horse Club Intl., Ltd and SF Racing, LLC

Trainer: Bob Baffert

The 4-1 post time favorite in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, he finished fifth, beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Maximum Security. A winner two starts back of the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup, run at Santa Anita on June 6, he'll be reunited with Drayden Van Dyke, who did not ride him at Saratoga. Van Dyke has won aboard Improbable in five out their seven pairings, including his Gold Cup win. A winner of six out of his 13 starts, Improbable, a 4-year-old colt by City Zip, has earnings of $1.5 million.

MIDCOURT

Owner: C R K Stable, LLC

Trainer: John Shirreffs

Although narrowly beaten two starts back in the San Diego Handicap, this 5-year-old gelding by Midnight Lute was no match for Maximum Security in the Pacific Classic when third. A shining testament to Shirreffs' horsemanship, Midcourt has been able to overcome his idiosyncrasies, including bad manners in post parade. If his mind is right, he rates an upset chance over a track on which he is 8-3-1-2.

THE GRADE I AWESOME AGAIN STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 10 of 11 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

  1. Take the One O One—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—122
  2. Improbable—Drayden Van Dyke—126
  3. Sleepy Eyes Todd—Umberto Rispoli—124
  4. Midcourt—Victor Espinoza—124
  5. Maximum Security—Luis Saez—126

First post time for an 11-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. With no public admittance, fans are encouraged to follow Santa Anita's live video stream at santaanita.com.

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Million-Dollar Spielberg Looms Large In American Pharoah Stakes

A gutty runner-up in two summertime starts, Bob Baffert's highly regarded Spielberg looms the horse to beat in Saturday's Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes at Santa Anita. For 2-year-olds at a mile and one sixteenth, the American Pharoah has attracted a field of eight.

Most recently second, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in the Grade I Del Mar Futurity going seven furlongs on Sept. 7, Spielberg, a $1 million Keeneland September Yearling, will try two turns for the first time and be ridden for the first time by eastern-based Luis Saez.

Third in the Del Mar Futurity, trainer Ryan Hanson's Weston, a Grade II winner going six furlongs in his second start, retains the services of Drayden Van Dyke, while trainer Rafael Becerra's Touchdown Brown, who owns the best last-out Beyer Speed figure in the field, is a California-bred facing open company for the first time.

The American Pharoah, named for Baffert's 2015 Triple Crown winner, is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland.

SPIELBERG

Owner: SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, et al

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Second twice to Del Mar Futurity winner Dr. Schivel, Spielberg dug in gamely late while clearly second best. In what will be his third start, he'll try to provide Baffert with his record 10th American Pharoah victory.

WESTON

Owner: Chris Drakos & Ryan Hanson

Trainer: Ryan Hanson

Ridden in all three of his starts by Drayden Van Dyke, this bargain $7,000 Keeneland September Yearling showed brilliant speed in his June 21 debut here, winning by 1 ¼ lengths going 4 ½ furlongs. From there, he fought gamely to prevail by a neck in the Grade II Best Pal Stakes going six furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 8 and was subsequently third, beaten 5 ½ lengths in the Del Mar Futurity after vying head and head for the early lead. Trained and co-owned by Ryan Hanson, who is married to Santa Anita simulcast television personality Michelle Yu, Weston is battle-tested and retains the services of Van Dyke.

TOUCHDOWN BROWN

Owner: Edward Brown, Jr., Alan Klein & Phillip Lebherz

Trainer: Rafael Becerra

The lone California-bred in the lineup, this colt by Cairo Prince was ultra impressive in his 4 ½ furlong debut on June 19, winning by 5 ½ lengths as the 3-2 favorite. Away awkwardly in the 5 ½ furlong Graduation Stakes on Aug. 2, he never got untracked and finished last, beaten 5 ½ lengths in a field of seven. Ridden for the first time by upstart Juan Hernandez in the six furlong I'm Smokin Stakes Sept. 4, Touchdown Brown was second, beaten a half length in a resolute effort that provided him with a lofty 75 Beyer Speed figure. With Hernandez back aboard, he looms dangerous going two turns in his fourth career start.

THE GRADE I AMERICAN PHAROAH STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 11 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

  1. Touchdown Brown—Juan Hernandez—122
  2. Rombauer—Mike Smith—122
  3. Dyn O Mite—Victor Espinoza—122
  4. Notable Exception—Abel Cedillo—122
  5. Spielberg—Luis Saez—122
  6. Get Her Number—Flavien Prat—122
  7. Weston—Drayden Van Dyke—122
  8. Waspirant—Umberto Rispoli—122

First post time for an 11-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. Although there is no public admittance, Santa Anita's livestream video is free of charge at santaanita.com.

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Envoutante Tops Field Of Eight In Sunday’s Remington Park Oaks

Trainer Kenny McPeek has three of the eight horses entered for the Grade 3, $100,000 Remington Park Oaks on Sunday, including the heavy 7-5 morning-line favorite Envoutante.

The Remington Park Oaks tops the undercard on Oklahoma Derby Day this Sunday. The oaks is slated as race four with an approximate post time of 4:24pm.

McPeek is looking for his second victory in this race, having won the 2013 edition with Montana Native. His other two entrants also certainly have a shot Sunday with Jeweled Princess at 4-1 and Curls and Bows at 6-1. That gives him three of the top four favorites in this field.

The top trainer in the country by money earned this year with more than $14 million banked, Steve Asmussen, has won this race four times, including the last two. Asmussen, a Hall of Famer nationally and in Oklahoma, won last year with Lady Apple and in 2018 with She's a Julie. He has made two more trips to the winner's circle with More Than Promised in 2005 and Carlitta in 1999. Asmussen entered Seattle Slang this year and she was made 8-1 in the morning line.

Here's a look from the rail out on the eight fillies going to the gate in the 31st Remington Park Oaks at 1-1/16 miles:

1 – Trixie Racer, 10-1

Owner: Speed Racing 2018 of Cibolo, Texas

Trainer: Danny Pish

Jockey: Danny Sorenson

This Kentucky-bred filly by Orb, out of the Giant's Causeway mare Venetian Causeway, will carry the hometown flag as all three of her wins have come at Remington Park. She has won three-of-four tries in Oklahoma City, including a win in the $50,000 E.L. Gaylord Memorial Stakes, sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs on Sept. 29, 2019. She broke her maiden the race before that at Remington and returned to her favorite track with a win in her 2020 fall debut against conditioned allowance fillies and mares just eight days before the oaks, on Saturday, Sept. 19. Her only loss over this main track came in the $100,000 Trapeze last year, finishing fourth. She has three wins in eight starts for earnings of $101,283. Career mark of 8 starts-3 wins-2 seconds-0 thirds.

2 – Seattle Slang, 8-1

Owner: Phoenix Thoroughbred III LTD of Lexington, Ky.

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Stewart Elliott

This Kentucky-bred filly by Tapit, out of the Quiet American mare Seattle Smooth, is making her first career stakes start after winning a maiden race at Fair Grounds in New Orleans on March 14. She also won her last race, an allowance for non-winners of two races lifetime at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. on July 25. She hasn't raced since then, but has had a series of works over Remington Park's main surface, including a bullet move at five furlongs on Sept. 14. She was the fastest at that distance of 15 horses that worked that morning. Earnings of $77,050. Career mark of 7-2-0-2.

3 – Curls and Bows, 6-1

Owner: Lucky Seven Stable (Mike Mackin) of Louisville, Ky.

Trainer: Kenneth McPeek

Jockey: Ramon Vazquez

This Kentucky-bred daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, out of the Peteski mare Trickski, has only won twice in her career, but the victories have come in her last two starts in Kentucky. She broke her maiden at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., two races back on July 12, sprinting six furlongs. McPeek stretched her out to a mile in her last race at Ellis Park in a first-level allowance race on Aug. 21 and she just got up at the wire to win. Unraced since, she has taken to the track at Churchill Downs in Louisville to prep for this, her first stakes try. Career mark of 8-2-0-0 for $56,603 in earnings.

4 – Envoutante, 7-5

Owner: Walking L Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm

Trainer: Kenneth McPeek

Jockey: David Cabrera

Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo has top money earnings in the field with $155,748. This filly, out of the Bluegrass Cat mare Enchante, has won two-of-seven starts lifetime. She won against maidens at the oaks distance at Gulfstream Park, romping by an open six lengths in wire-to-wire fashion. She then beat first-level allowance fillies easily at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., coming home by 2-1/4 lengths. Her connections thought enough of her following that race to try her against two of the top fillies in training, Swiss Skydiver and Speech, in the Grade 1, $400,000 Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in July, and the Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga in upstate New York in August. She finished a respectable third and fourth, respectively, in those Grade 1 races. Career mark of 7-2-1-2.

5 – Darlene Strong, 20-1

Owner: Probable Cause Racing Stable of Luther, Okla.

Trainer: Travis Murphy

Jockey: Lindey Wade

Another filly that gets into this race on a two-win streak. She won a six-furlong sprint at Prairie Meadows in Iowa on Aug. 13 against an allowance field of non-winners of two lifetime and then an allowance-optional claiming race for $30,000 fillies last time out in Iowa, stretching out to a mile. She won both races by daylight – 4-3/4 lengths and 4-1/2 lengths. She has run first or second in seven of her nine starts lifetime and will be making her stakes debut in this spot. Career mark of 9-3-4-1 with earnings of $70,393.

6 – Paige Anne, 9-2

Owner: Elie and Lori Feghali, and Kimberly and Mark Mathiesen

Trainer: Simon Callaghan

Jockey: Sophie Doyle

A Kentucky-bred filly by Take Charge Indy, out of the Milwaukee Brew mare Forbidden Brew, is third choice on the morning line at 9-2 odds and has hit the board in seven of nine tries. She is stakes-experienced, running in that kind of company in her last three starts while earning a paycheck in all three attempts. She finished fourth in the Grade 3, $100,000 Saint Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., at 1-1/16th miles on March 8, third in the $75,000 Cal Oaks in Northern California at Golden Gate on May 31, and third in the Grade 3, $100,000 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar near San Diego on Aug. 22. Her career mark is 9-2-1-4 for $94,540 in her bankroll.

7 – Hotasapistol, 10-1

Owner: Gary and Brenda Bergsrud of Rolla, N.D.

Trainer: Clinton Stuart

Jockey: Lane Luzzi

Stuart, a mainstay at Remington Park throughout the track's history, enters this filly by Flat Out from the Dayjur mare Alacazar while seeking his second victory in the Remington Park Oaks. He saddled standout War Thief to win the 1995 oaks, when it was contested at 1-1/16 miles over the turf. Hotasapistol has made eight starts in her career, three as a juvenile and five this summer, all in Minnesota-bred company at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. The winner of the $100,000 Minnesota Oaks on Aug. 19, Hotasapistol put in her first local work for the Remington Park Oaks on Monday, Sept. 21. She went a half-mile in :49.72, handily, on a fast track. Her career mark is 8-3-1-1 for $123,985 in earnings.

8 – Jeweled Princess, 4-1

Owner: Walking L Thoroughbreds of The Woodlands, Texas

Trainer: Kenneth McPeek

Jockey: Orlando Mojica

Jeweled Princess rides into the Remington Park Oaks on a three-race win streak, at three different tracks. Her first win in the streak came at Keeneland on a sloppy track, going 1-1/16th miles against maiden, $50,000 claimers, winning by 1-1/2 lengths on July 9. She followed that with a one-length victory at Ellis Park in the mud against allowance-optional $25,000 claimers on July 31, and then took a little time off before winning on Sept. 4 at Churchill Downs against conditional allowance-optional claiming $62,500 horses. She has not won or raced in stakes-company yet. Her career mark is 10-2-3-2 for $112,888 in earnings.

Remington Park racing continues this week through Sunday, with a first post Thursday-Saturday of 7:07pm. On Sunday afternoon, a special 11-race Oklahoma Derby card is presented with the first event at 3pm. All times are Central.

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