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Hurricane Aftermath: Commission Orders Fair Grounds Open To Evacuees, Churchill Goes To Court

Last Thursday evening marked the second time this year that the Louisiana State Racing Commission has issued an emergency order related to stabling, reports nola.com. After a request from the Louisiana Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, the commission ordered both the Fair Grounds in New Orleans and Louisiana Downs in Bossier City to take in Thoroughbreds from Evangeline Downs (Opelousas).

Hurricane Laura's path of destruction left Delta Downs, in Vinton, La., in bad shape, and though an evacuation order was in place for the area, as many as 500 Quarter Horses and their caretakers had nowhere else to go. All managed to survive the hurricane, but now many are in temporary stabling locations with nowhere to train.

Evangeline Downs ended its Thoroughbred meet this weekend, and the horses at the Opelousas track would normally shift to Delta Downs for the next Thoroughbred race meet, while Delta's Quarter Horse population would shift to Evangeline. Since Delta is not in any condition to host racing, there simply aren't enough stalls to accommodate both populations at the same time.

The commission's decision would send Evangeline's Thoroughbreds to the Fair Grounds, while the Quarter Horses would be able to take up residence at Evangeline. However, Churchill Downs, Inc., the Fair Grounds' parent company, has said that the New Orleans track is not prepared to take on horses at this time. The track is in the midst of preventative maintenance, New Orleans has been a hotspot for Covid-19, and hurricane season is not yet ended.

“We would love to help,” Fair Grounds attorney David Waguespack said during Thursday's commission meeting, according to crescentcitysports.com. “We're just not able to do what the Commission wants us to do.”

The commission's order included that both Fair Grounds and Louisiana Downs provide: stabling for the horses, “customary accommodations” for their caretakers, training hours, and the necessary security and maintenance staff.

On Friday, Churchill's lawyers lodged a legal challenge asking an Orleans Parish judge to halt the order. A hearing is scheduled for this Friday, Sept. 11.

The post Hurricane Aftermath: Commission Orders Fair Grounds Open To Evacuees, Churchill Goes To Court appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Horses Can Hide Signs Of Pain; A New Phone App Is Here To Help You Detect Them

Horses have evolved as prey animals, and that means some of them are resistant to showing outward signs of pain. For many, the subtle signs that a horse may be dealing with discomfort are especially difficult to spot.

According to The Horse, Dutch researchers recently completed a project to make it easier for owners to objectively assess whether a horse is in pain. Dr. Thijas van loon, faculty of Veterinary Medicine Utrecht University, and his colleagues engineered a smartphone app for processing facial expressions ad body language, instructing an owner on what to look for and how to measure the signs they see.

The Equine Pain and Welfare App works for both horses and donkeys, and provides guidance for both facial and body expressions of discomfort. Users are instructed to observe facial expressions for two minutes and body language for five, making note of behaviors or expressions as they occur during that time. Ear position, head position, and eye appearance are all elements in a horse's pain score.

App users are advised to consult a veterinarian for horses scoring over a five on a scale of 0 to 18. It will also store information, allowing users to pinpoint changes to a horse's comfort level over time.

Practical Joke Yearlings Hit Market at Opportune Moment

Champion sire Into Mischief has had a lot of good weekends. But this year’s Kentucky Derby weekend had to be near the top of the list.

On Friday, his son Owendale ran second in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs only to be defeated by By My Standards, sired by none other than Into Mischief’s leading son Goldencents.

Then the next day at Saratoga, Into Mischief’s daughter Frank’s Rockette became a Grade II winner in the Prioress S. while at Gulfstream, Cool Arrow won the GIII Smile Sprint S. To wrap up the day, the speedy Baffert-trained Authentic became Into Mischief’s first Kentucky Derby winner in a historic Run for the Roses.

On the same day four years ago, another son of Into Mischief made headlines when Practical Joke took the second of five wins in New York in the GI Hopeful S.

“The professionalism that he showed in only his second start, to make a start like that so quickly and go to the lead to win with authority, really impressed me,” recalled Coolmore’s Adrian Wallace. “He stamped his class and his speed, and also the fact that he could take that speed around a turn and go seven furlongs.”

Campaigned by Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence, the Chad Brown trainee was undefeated in his first three starts as a juvenile, taking his division in New York by storm.

“He was, without a doubt, the top New York 2-year-old of his division,” Wallace said. “Anytime you have a horse that wins GI Hopeful S. and then the GI Champagne S., you have a serious sire prospect on your hands.”

Practical Joke continued his domination of New York in his second season, winning the GIII Dwyer S. followed by the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. He retired with close to two million dollars in earnings and took up stud duty at Ashford Stud in 2018.

Coming off a big weekend from Into Mischief and his son Goldencents, the first yearlings from Practical Joke are hitting the market at a highly opportune time.

The young sire averaged $102,028 at the weanling and short yearling sales with 35 of 46 sold and a top price of $320,000.

McMahon and Hill Bloodstock’s Mike McMahon said he knew from the start that he wanted to get his hands on a Practical Joke weanling.

“You had to use Practical Joke in your pinhook strategy,” he said. “He was a successful 2-year-old, he was fast and he’s by Into Mischief. You had to be thinking about him. We went after a couple early, but Larry Best got them.”

Best’s OXO Equine purchased a colt out of Promisedyouheaven (Unbridled’s Song) for $240,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, and then a second colt out of Bailzee (Grand Slam) days later at Keeneland for $260,000.

After missing out on a few other Practical Joke offspring, McMahon said he remembers meandering the sales ground and stopping by the Bedouin Bloodstock consignment. There he stumbled upon a colt by Practical Joke out of four-time stakes producer Miss Mary Pat (Service Stripe).

“That colt came out and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe I missed this horse.’ He was the best Practical Joke I had seen,” he recalled.

Practical Joke colt out of Miss Mary Pat | Mike McMahon

The colt is now slated for the first day of the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase as Hip 252 with the Gainesway consignment.

“This colt has a lot of quality,” McMahon said. “He’s a beautiful horse- a big hip, lovely top and he’s correct. He’s been very straightforward. I wish they were all so easy.”

Another 19 Practical Joke yearlings are catalogued for the Fasig-Tipton sale, and an additional 76 will go through the ring at the Keeneland September Sale.

“The thing that impresses me most about the Practical Jokes are their physiques,” said Wallace. “They’re big, very masculine-type horses. They cover a lot of ground and are good movers. They’ve got good shoulders and hips on them.”

One yearling that Wallace will have an eye on at Keeneland is Hip 1539, a colt out of the stakes-winning Rock Hard Ten mare Rock and Glory.

“He’s a very masculine, powerful horse,” he said. “He’s going to tick a lot of boxes and should be very popular at the sale.”

Wallace said he believes Practical Joke’s yearlings will attract a wide range of buyers in the coming weeks.

“Certainly people will remember him as a precocious 2-year-old, and that will encourage the 2-year-old [pinhookers] to take a chance on him. But I also think people will remember his longevity as a racehorse. I think people will remember his brilliance at Saratoga, remember the fact that he conquered Belmont and want to be a part of Practical Joke’s legacy.”

He also added that he thinks Practical Joke’s racing achievements are an indication of the success the horse will soon have at stud.

“There’s always exceptions, but horses that show brilliance at two and then can carry that on at three, they’re the ones that make the best sires,” he said. “They’re the ones breeders want to breed to and the ones the sales market wants. Practical Joke embodies that, and the fact that he’s a son of Into Mischief is a huge feather in any horses cap.”

The post Practical Joke Yearlings Hit Market at Opportune Moment appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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TDN Q & A With Nicolas de Watrigant

With the yearling sales now in full swing TDN quizzes industry figures on past purchases, life during lockdown and gets their perspective on the sales for the next few weeks. Nicolas de Watrigant answers our questions today.

TDN: What was your best yearling purchase over the last few years? And your favourite?

NDW: From the 2014 Arqana August sale, Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was definitely one of the very best horses I have purchased. Winning both the Prix Rothschild G1 at Deauville and the G1 Coronation S. during Royal Ascot, in front of Her Majesty The Queen, is one of my fondest racing memories and it was an amazing moment for H.E Sheikh Joaan Al Thani and all of the filly’s connections.

TDN: Is there any positive you have taken from how the sales have been conducted this year?

NDW: Absolutely, I think the different sales companies in the world have managed to adapt really well to the problem, whether with re-arranging sales dates and locations, but also giving more information to the buyers online and the opportunity to buy online. This is a great step for the future. The sales companies who have combined their efforts and worked together, have in my opinion, shown true intelligence in a difficult moment.

TDN: How has your business adapted?

NDW: As we couldn’t move from home during lockdown, it gave me the opportunity to spend time with my family while I was getting news on the phone from the different trainers that we’re working with. It enabled me to continue reporting to our clients. As soon as lockdown was over we got back to a nearly normal life, on mornings going to the various training centers in France to check clients’ horses and sourcing new horses for others clients. We realized that, in France, we were lucky that racing resumed shortly after, even though we weren’t able to attend racing.

TDN: In general what are your thoughts on the 2020 yearling catalogues? And what progeny of new stallions are you most looking forward to?

NDW: The 2020 Arqana Select Sale catalogue appears to be a very good vintage with the offspring of many proven stallions such as Galileo (Ire), Dubawi (Ire), Sea the Stars (Ire), Frankel (GB), Kingman (GB), Lope de Vega (Ire), Invincible Spirit (Ire), Le Havre (Ire), Siyouni (Fr), Kodiac (GB), Wootton Bassett (GB), Dark Angel (Ire), etc. I believe that it really is a year of opportunities, and the chance for owner/breeders to get into big European families from England, Ireland, Germany and Italy at more reasoned prices.

The Arqana Select Sale has proved over the years that it is a great source of top class horses, more recently with G1 horses like Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) who won the French Derby for Peter Brandt, or with Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) who is a Breeders’ Cup Mile & triple Grade I winner in the USA, which I was lucky to purchase in association with Bradley Weisbord for Madaket and their partners.

As for the new stallions, I am naturally looking forward to see the first yearlings of Al Wukair (Ire), whom I purchased as a yearling for Al Shaqab Racing. Al Wukair won the G1 Jacques le Marois as a 3-year-old just like Kingman and Dubawi, and was a close third in the G1 2000 Guineas to another young and talented horse, Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

TDN: Did you develop any new interests or hobbies during lockdown?

NDW: I think my wife, Meryl, was hoping for me to improve my cooking skills during that time, but it didn’t happen. I love gardening, during lockdown it was a great excuse for me to exercise this passion with my kids.

TDN: Who’s the most interesting person you know?

NDW: Without hesitation I would say Mrs. Tsui, the owner of Sea The Stars, who I am lucky to work with. I have a lot of admiration for what she has achieved in her life. Mrs. Tsui won the Arc twice with both the incredible mare Urban Sea (Miswaki) and her son Sea The Stars, nearly three times with Sea Of Class (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) beaten a nose by Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}). She is a women who is very knowledgeable in many sectors of many industries.

TDN: What’s one mistake (if any) you made in your career, and what did you learn from it?

NDW: I am always following my instinct to make the right decision but not listening to my wife was my mistake in the past, as she is great adviser. I now make sure I listen to her.

The post TDN Q & A With Nicolas de Watrigant appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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