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Vargas Hoping Haskell Day Success Propels Him To Big Summer At Monmouth Park

It took a little longer than jockey Jorge A. Vargas Jr. wanted it to or hoped it would, but the 25-year-old finally made the impact at Monmouth Park he expected when he moved his tack from the Maryland circuit this summer.

His timing couldn't have been better.

After an 0-for-17 start to the meet Vargas broke through with a victory aboard the Stanley Hough-trained Global Campaign in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on TVG.com Haskell Day last Saturday. On the same card he was second with 40-1 Our Super Freak in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher after just missing the first Grade 1 score of his career when Paret could not hold off the late-running Aquaphobia in the United Nations, finishing second by a length.

“It was a little frustrating for me early in the meet,” said Vargas, who has two mounts on Monmouth Park's six-race twilight card when live racing resumes on Friday at 5 p.m. “When you're not winning the way you think you should you are always asking `what am I doing wrong?' You start to feel pressure because you're riding good horses you think you should win with and you're just short.

“I had a second early in the meet (aboard Gravitas) and the horse that beat me was 73-1. I'm like `I can't catch a break.' Finally, it seems to be turning around.”

Despite being winless early, Vargas kept coming close – adding to the frustration for the native of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Overall from his 23 mounts at the Monmouth Park meet he has two wins, seven seconds and four thirds.

“Whenever you win it's good. When you get that first one of the meet in a graded stakes it's even better,” he said. “Once you get that monkey off your back you feel free and confident again and you can just be yourself without the pressure.

“I got some good feedback from last Saturday. It gives me confidence. I feel like I'm very close (to a breakout streak).”

Since starting his riding career in 2013 Vargas has found solid success. In 2018 he was Maryland's leading jockey with 110 wins, capturing the Laurel winter-spring riding title that year.

His decision to ride at Monmouth Park full-time this summer was paired with an opportunity that agent Jimmy Riccio set up for him to ride Aqueduct in the winter first.

“COVID-19 kind of messed up those plans,” said Vargas, who attended Puerto Rico's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica school for jockeys and counts Manny Franco, Victor Carrasco and Jevian Toledo among his classmates. “But I'm happy to be doing the second half of our plan now.

“I just wanted to try something different. I like to challenge myself. A good opportunity came up with Jimmy Riccio and it was time for a change.”

A multiple graded stakes winner, Vargas says he is “still trying to achieve more.”

“I've been pretty successful to this point,” he said. It's pretty amazing when I think about it. But I know I can do even more. Hopefully, I have a little momentum now.”

The post Vargas Hoping Haskell Day Success Propels Him To Big Summer At Monmouth Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Wanamaker’s July Catalogue Now Live

After a successful first online auction, Wanamaker’s has released its second catalogue, headed by the entry of Fiya (Friesan Fire), a 3-year-old gelding who is two-for-two on the year and posted a 98 Beyer Speed Figure and a 9 on the Ragozin Sheets in winning a Laurel allowance July 17. Fiya’s 98 Beyer is the second fastest by a 3-year-old on the turf this year.

The catalogue, found on wanamakers.com, also contains yearlings, a 2-year-old racing prospect, racing/broodmare prospects, and broodmares. Prospective buyers may browse the catalogue to view pictures and videos and schedule in-person inspections with sellers. Racehorse entries also contain DRF past performances, Ragozin Sheets, and race replays. Buyers must register for an account to be able to bid.

Live bidding will open at 8:00 a.m. ET July 30 and the first listing will close at 5:00 p.m. ET with subsequent listings ending in three-minute increments. Detailed buying information can be found at wanamakers.com/buy.

“Our sellers deserve a tremendous amount of credit for helping us to build a quality and diverse catalogue,” said Wanamaker’s co-founder Jack Carlino. “I feel that this catalogue displays the advantages afforded by online auctions, whether that be the timing or ability to maximize exposure with significantly less risk financially and to the horse.”

Learn more at wanamakers.com.

The post Wanamaker’s July Catalogue Now Live appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Starspangledbanner’s Millisle Back To Winning Ways In the Ballyogan

Carrying a five-pound penalty for her G1 Cheveley Park S. win in 2019, Stonethorn Stud Farms Limited’s Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) made light of that burden to return to the winner’s enclosure in style in Wednesday’s G3 Yeomanstown Stud Ballyogan S. at Naas. On the front foot from the outset under Shane Foley, the 9-4 second favourite who was no match for Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the course-and-distance G3 Lacken S. last time took control passing halfway and drew away to score by four lengths from Pronouncement (Declaration of War), with Lady Penelope (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) 2 1/2 lengths back in third.

Successful in the five-furlong Listed Curragh S. in August and runner-up in the G3 Dick Poole Fillies’ S. over an extra furlong at Salisbury early the next month, the bay had arrived at Newmarket in late September a 16-1 shot but belied those odds to put Raffle Prize (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}) in her place in the Cheveley Park. Taking in the G1 1000 Guineas back there on her seasonal bow June 7, she was seventh tackling a mile before reverting to this trip to be fifth in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot 12 days later. Forced to race against the burgeoning sprinting star Art Power on level weights due to her group 1 penalty, she beat everything else senseless in the July 4 Lacken only to find herself on the receiving end of a 2 1/2-length defeat. That race was run in 1:13.10 on yielding-to-soft and she was possibly more at home on this drier ground aided by a lead to halfway by the 13-8 favourite Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead). Finishing off strongly at the line, she recorded a time of 1:10.85 in this contest and showed she retains all her ability.

“She’s a very good filly and was beaten by a very good horse last time,” her rider commented. “In fairness to her, we were training her all Spring to see if she would get a mile and trying to settle and relax her and get her to switch off. The Guineas was a non-event, but she showed today that she is a comfortable high cruiser back to what she is best at. She travelled and did everything like a good sprinter should and put the race to bed quickly. She’s not really a five-furlong filly and Jessie [Harrington] has said that there is a race in France for her. There are all the travel restrictions, but if she has to go she has to go.”

Harrington added, “She’s back on track. She was very good there and Shane said she’s only really learning to sprint now. She was probably a bit ring-rusty the last two times having been trained for a mile earlier on. She got rolling, enjoyed it and quickened up well. We’ll probably go to the Curragh now for the Phoenix Sprint, another group 3 and then we could go to France for the [G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville]. It’s just hard enough to find races for her. There are very few fillies races, that’s the trouble, and she’s probably not hardened enough to take on the elder sprinters yet. I think she will be in time, as I think she’s a proper sprinter. I’d love to look at a group 1 towards the end of the season. She seems to go on any ground, it doesn’t seem to worry her at all. Her dam went back in foal this year to Starspangledbanner aged 23. She had been retired, but they brought her back in out of the field.”

Millisle’s dam Green Castle (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) has produced nine winners and four black-type performers headed by the Listed Braveheart S. winner Ithoughtitwasover (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}). Another was the listed-placed Greenisland (Ire) (Fasliyev), who is herself the dam of the Listed Prix Valleee d’Auge scorer Shamshon (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the Listed Feilden S. third Boerhan (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), while Glenmayne (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) was third in the 14-furlong Listed Stanerra S.
The second dam is the listed winner Green Lucia (Green Dancer), who was also placed in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Irish Oaks and is a half-sister to the dual Derby-winning sire Old Vic (GB). Her descendants include the G3 Matron S. winner and stakes producer Tadwiga (GB) (Fairy King), while the family also features the G1 2000 Guineas hero and leading sire High Top (Ire) and the talented Irish pattern-race sprinters Downforce (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) and Moon Unit (Ire) (Intikhab).

Wednesday, Naas, Ireland
YEOMANSTOWN STUD BALLYOGAN S.-G3, €50,000, Naas, 7-22, 3yo/up, f, 6fT, 1:10.85, gd.
1–MILLISLE (IRE), 131, f, 3, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
1st Dam: Green Castle (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
2nd Dam: Green Lucia, by Green Dancer
3rd Dam: Cockade (GB), by Derring-Do (GB)
O/B-Stonethorn Stud Farms Ltd (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington; J-Shane Foley. €30,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, 9-4-3-0, $304,903. *1/2 to Ithoughtitwasover (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), SW-Eng, $121,297; Greenisland (Ire) (Fasliyev), MSP-Eng & SP-Ger; and Glenmayne (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), SP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pronouncement, 126, f, 3, Declaration of War–Terrific Tiffany, by Strong Hope. ($60,000 RNA Wlg ’17 KEENOV; $115,000 Ylg ’18 KEESEP). O-Anthony Paul Smurfit; B-William Humphries (KY); T-Johnny Murtagh. €10,000.
3–Lady Penelope (Ire), 126, f, 3, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Step Sequence (GB), by Nayef. (€27,000 RNA Wlg ’17 GOFNOV; £32,000 Ylg ’18 GOUKPR; €45,000 RNA 2yo ’19 ARQMA). O-Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd; B-Kiltown Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph O’Brien. €5,000.
Margins: 4, 2HF, HD. Odds: 2.25, 8.50, 7.50.
Also Ran: Precious Moments (Ire), Unforgetable (Ire), Back To Brussels (Ire), Forever In Dreams (Ire), Laurel Wreath (GB), Sunday Sweet (Ire), Lynn Britt Cabin (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Does Suture Material Affect Surgery Speed?

Gelding operations are among the most-performed surgical procedures in the equine veterinary world. Though this surgery has been performed for many years, there is always room for potential improvement.

Drs. Ditte Marie Top Adler, Stine Østergaard, Elin Jørgensen and Stine Jacobsen, of the University of Copenhagen, wanted to compare a new, barbed suture martial to traditional suture material that requires the surgeon to make multiple knots to keep the stitches in place. The barbed suture material has tiny barbs on the surface that lock the material in place, eliminating the need for knots. Manufacturers claim the barbs make the material more secure and increase the speed at which the castration can be performed.

The research team used 45 horses that were brought to The Large Animal Teaching Hospital at the University of Copenhagen for inguinal castrations; 24 of the horses were sutured with smooth material and 21 were sutured with the barbed material. The scientists then evaluated any complications while the horse was in and out of the hospital. They also compared how long it took the veterinarian to close the surgical wounds.

There were minor short-term complications; swelling was noted in 29 percent of the stallions that had the barbed suture material and in 33 percent of the horses that had the smooth suture material. Three horses required follow-up care for castration complications. One had scrotal swelling (barbed suture material had been used); one had a weeping wound (smooth suture material had been used); and one had the wound reopen (smooth suture material had been used).

Veterinarians using the barbed suture material were able to close the wound six minutes faster than using smooth suture material.

Though the cost of barbed suture material is higher, it reduced surgery time by 40 percent and it did not result in increased post-op complications.

Read the full article here.