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‘It Just Gives Me Goosebumps’: Co-Owner Of Vekoma Recounts Big Win

Owner Randy Hill was still on cloud nine Sunday morning, the day after Vekoma went gate-to-wire in the Grade 1, $500,000 Runhappy Met Mile at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

“What a horse,” an emphatic Hill said. “I'll never own another horse like this. I've watched the race about 20 times and it just gives me goosebumps. I really wish I could have been there, but I'd rather win than be there and lose them.”

Owned by Hill in partnership with Gatsas Stables, Vekoma's win earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure. Vekoma controlled the pace before being confronted around the far turn. He shook off his competition when asked by Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano and drew off to a 1 1/4-length score, keeping his record as a 4-year-old unblemished in three starts for trainer George Weaver.

Prior to the Runhappy Met Mile, Vekoma won the Sir Shackleton at Gulfstream Park in his 2020 debut before an impressive 7 1/4-length win in the Grade 1 Runhappy Carter on June 6 at Belmont Park, netting a 110 Beyer.

The Grade 1, $300,000 Forego presented by America's Best Racing on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course could be the next start for Vekoma, Hill said.

Hill also mentioned the possibility of Vekoma training up to the Breeders' Cup World Championships on November 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course.

Vekoma has earned an automatic entry into both the Breeders' Cup Sprint and the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile when taking the Runhappy Carter and Runhappy Met Mile, which are both Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” events.

“I think he's the best older horse in the country,” Hill said. “George is thinking about the Forego or training right up to the Breeders' Cup and we leave all of that up to him. The horse will tell us. He's such a warrior.”

Blair Golen, who oversees Weaver's Belmont string, reported that the Runhappy Met Mile hero emerged from Saturday's triumph in good shape.

“He came out of it in good order,” Golen said. “What impressed me last time and this time was that he wasn't that tired. When he ran here at seven furlongs, he recovered fast and was really on the muscle, and it was the same again this time too.”

Bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables, Vekoma is by multiple-champion producing stallion Candy Ride out of the Speightstown broodmare Mona de Momma who, like Vekoma, also was a Grade 1-winner going seven furlongs.

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Brown Stable Showing No Signs Of Slowing Down After Four-Win Day At Belmont

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown enjoyed a tremendous day at the races on Saturday's Runhappy Met Mile Day card by notching four wins, highlighted by a one-two finish in the Grade 1, $400,000 Manhattan with Instilled Regard and Rockemperor.

Brown leads all trainers at the Belmont spring/summer meet with 22 wins heading into Sunday's card; a tally boosted Saturday by allowances scores with Tribhuvan and Fortin Hill, as well as a visually-appealing maiden score by Publication.

OXO Equine's Instilled Regard, piloted by Belmont's leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., demonstrated a tremendous turn of foot to weave between rivals and collar stablemate Rockemperor in the final jump of the 1 ¼-mile inner turf test. The 5-year-old Arch bay, bred in Kentucky by KatieRich Farms, matched the 102 Beyer Speed Figure from his prior score in the Grade 2 Fort Marcy at Belmont.

“The horse really deserved to win a Grade 1. He ran a great race yesterday,” said Brown. “He had been knocking on the door of winning a big race. I'm really proud of the horse. He's improved a lot.”

Instilled Regard launched his career on dirt for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, finishing third in the 2017 Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity and fourth in the 2018 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

Brown has transformed the talented dark bay into a top-flight turf runner posting solid Grade 1 efforts when third in the 2018 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar and third again in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park to kick off his 2020 campaign.

Brown said Ortiz, Jr, who has earned the last two Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Jockey, is instrumental in the success of Instilled Regard as well as other barn stars such as Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile runner-up Network Effect.

“He's a really important part of the team. He keeps improving and he's a super talented rider,” said Brown. “He showed that yesterday with several of his rides on our horses. He got the best out of Network Effect in the Met Mile. With Instilled Regard, after getting shuffled on the turn, he was able to get him to rebreak for him again and find his way through traffic to get there. That was a super, super ride.”

Ortiz, Jr. tops the Belmont rider tables with 34 wins heading into Sunday's card, seven more than his brother, Jose.

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber and Bethlehem Stables' Rockemperor earned a career-best 102 Beyer for his Manhattan effort under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.

The 4-year-old Holy Roman Emperor colt arrived at the Manhattan off a similar narrow defeat in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham in May at Santa Anita when second by nose to United before being placed third via disqualification.

Brown said Rockemperor, bred in Ireland by Haras du Mezeray, has a top-flight win in his future.

“You'd think so,” said Brown. “He was unlucky to lose yesterday. He probably never saw that horse coming. He ran a super race but he just got nailed on the wire.”

Klaravich Stables' Network Effect saved ground in third position under Ortiz, Jr. in the Runhappy Met Mile. With no room to bid inside of Vekoma as the field straightened away, Ortiz, Jr. tipped Network Effect out and rallied inside of Warrior's Charge before outbattling Code of Honor for second by a neck. The effort marked the third occasion where Network Effect ran second to Vekoma including the last out Grade 1 Runhappy Carter at Belmont and the 2018 Grade 2 Nashua at the Big A.

Brown said the 4-year-old Mark Valeski chestnut is likely to make his next start in the Grade 1, $300,000 Forego, presented by America's Best Racing, a seven-furlong sprint for 4-year-olds and up on August 29 at Saratoga.

“I think the Forego would be on his radar,” said Brown.

Brown sent a number of his stable stars to breeze on the Belmont turf on Sunday including Peter M. Brant's Sistercharlie who worked five furlongs in 1:02.55 in company with Etoile.

Sistercharlie, a 6-year-old Myboycharlie bay, earned Champion Turf Female honors in 2018 after winning 4-of-5 starts, including Grade 1 wins in the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland, the Diana at Saratoga, the Beverly D. at Arlington Park and the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Churchill Downs.

She won 3-of-4 starts last season while defending her titles in the Diana and Beverly D. and adding the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational to her ledger. She last raced in November at Santa Anita when third in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

Etoile, previously trained by Aidan O'Brien for Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith, posted her third breeze for Brown. The Kentucky-bred War Front bay won the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Sprint in May 2019 on debut at Naas in Ireland. She was off-the-board in her next two starts when eighth in the Group 1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park at Newmarket and last out in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Santa Anita.

Brown said Sistercharlie will make her seasonal debut in the Grade 2, $200,000 Ballston Spa, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for older fillies and mares slated for July 25 at the Spa.

“She's going to go to the Ballston Spa. She's training very well,” said Brown regarding Sistercharlie.

The Brant-owned Raging Bull breezed four furlongs in 50.33 in tandem with John D. Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock's Without Parole.

Raging Bull, a 5-year-old son of Dark Angel, hit the board in three Grade 1s to close out his 2019 campaign when third in the Manhattan at Belmont, second in the Fourstardave at Saratoga and elevated to third in the Woodbine Mile.

He returned in May with a five-wide rally to capture the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mike at Santa Anita.

Without Parole, still in search of his first win for Brown after three starts, was third in the Shoemaker Mile. The 5-year-old Frankel bay won the Group 1 Qatar Sussex in 2018 at Goodwood for former trainer John Gosden.

Both Raging Bull and Without Parole are headed to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile on July 10.

“It was their final small piece of work just a few days out from their race at Keeneland. I thought it went perfect,” said Brown. “As long they come out of the work good tomorrow they'll fly out to Keeneland.”

They will be joined on the flight by e Five Racing's Rushing Fall, a four-time Grade 1-winner, who will look to defend her title in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes on July 11 at Keeneland.

Also breezing on the turf Sunday through four furlongs in 49.38 for Brown were Klaravich Stables' Grade 2-winner Digital Age and Shadwell Stable's Mutakatif, a last-out allowance winner at Gulfstream Park in February.

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Mott: Maturity, Blinkers Contribute To Improvement By Suburban Winner Tacitus

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott enjoyed a successful Saturday afternoon in taking two of the five graded stakes carded for Runhappy Met Mile Day at Belmont Park.

Mott sent out Frank's Rockette and now three-time graded stakes winning multimillionaire Tacitus to respective victories in the Grade 3 Victory Ride and Grade 2 Suburban. He reported that both of his graded stakes heroes exited their triumphs in good order.

“They both ran really well and really hard, but the good thing is they look great this morning,” Mott said.

Owned by Juddmonte Farms, Tacitus registered a 100 Beyer Speed Figure for the 8 3/4-length victory under Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez, which ended a seven-race slump for the 4-year-old Tapit gray. During his sophomore campaign last year, Tacitus won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs and Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct en route to placings in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes.

Mott made an equipment change with Tacitus for the Suburban, adding blinkers.

“It seemed to help quite a bit. The maturity and the blinkers all kind of seemed to come together,” Mott said.

Mott said Tacitus would target “one or the other” between the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney at nine furlongs on August 1 or the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward at ten furlongs at Saratoga on Sept. 5.

Named after an ancient Roman senator, the Kentucky homebred Tacitus is out of 2014 Champion Older Filly Close Hatches and is a direct descendant of 1982 Broodmare of the Year Best In Show.

Mott reported that the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test on August 8 at Saratoga is an option for Frank's Rockette.

“We had talked about that as a plan, it will be based on how she comes out of this. It will take two or three days,” said owner Frank Fletcher. “She had been training really well and was at the top of her game and that's always the Test. She'll face some of these same horses again and more.”

Fletcher knew that Saturday's race would be no easy task for his Into Mischief filly.

“I have a lot of respect for the other horses in the race. I knew it was going to be tough, but she had to fight,” Fletcher said. “She came out of the gate a little slow for her, and she was not on the lead, had to fight to get her head in front and it appeared to be that she was in constant pressure the whole way. That's what I was scared of and worried about. There was never a chance for her or the other horses to catch a breath. She was running her heart out from the time she stepped out of the gate.”

Fletcher watched the Victory Ride from his home in Little Rock, Ark., alongside his family as well as his 5-year-old longhaired German Shepherd Rocket, who is the namesake behind all of Fletcher's horses.

“He was in there with us when we were watching. He goes crazy when we all go crazy. He was barking a lot,” Fletcher said. “We were like 5-year-old children running around hugging each other. We had a steak dinner to celebrate. We wish we could have been there.”

Frank's Rockette, a Kentucky homebred, is out of the graded stakes winning Indian Charlie broodmare Rocket Twentyone, who won the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Lassie in 2011.

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Monmouth is Open, but the Virus is Never Far Away

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Marty Kuczynski didn’t mind that he had to have his temperature taken before being allowed to get into Monmouth Park Sunday or that he was required to wear a mask. Kuczynski had missed Monmouth Park and he was glad to be back.

“We wanted to get out of the house,” said Kuczynski, who was accompanied by five family members. “We wanted to do something. We’ve been quarantining in and trying to keep as safe as we could. Monmouth Park is such a beautiful place and we love coming down here. The only problem is every time I go there, I give them all my money.”

That the popular Jersey Shore track was back was welcome news, not just for the racing industry and horsemen, but also for Monmouth’s loyal fans.

But it was clear from the moment you walked into the building that this was a very different Monmouth Park. Patrons were required to wear masks. No owners were allowed in the paddock or the winner’s circle. Fans were not allowed to bring in outside food or drink, which meant there was no way to have a picnic in the very popular picnic area. Only a handful of concession stands were open and tellers and bettors were separated by plexiglass.

With the many protocols in place and the limits on the number of people who can attend the races, all signs showed that COVID-19 is still a force that horse racing can fight but cannot conquer.

One quick look around the grandstand told the story. The crowd was sparse, a lot smaller than what would have been a normal attendance on a summer Sunday afternoon. And there was a distinct lack of energy in the building. That may have something to do with the types of fans who showed up. They skewed a little bit older and were there for the horse racing. With no outside food or drink allowed in the building, the party crowd was nowhere to be found.

Just a few days ago, Monmouth was hopeful that as many as 15,000 people would be allowed to attend a card. That all changed Friday when the office of Governor Phil Murphy told track officials there would be strict limitations on the size of the crowd. Though the dos and don’ts were complicated, Monmouth estimated that they would only be allowed to let somewhere between 2,100 to 3,000 people into the track.

It’s impossible to say how many people were there Sunday. There was no admission fee and, therefore, no way to tell what the crowd was. If the crowd is supposed to be 3,000 or less and it was actually 3,001 or even 5,000, who would know the difference?

Monmouth officials must have estimated the crowd was below the state’s restrictions as no late arrivals were being turned away. For now, that’s not a big problem, but it may be on Haskell day.

It was also clear that some of the state’s guidelines were impossible to enforce. The state wanted to limit attendance to the main grandstand to 500. But how do you keep count and how can you stop some from going into the grandstand and not others? When the races were being run, the crowd in the grandstand appeared to be more than 500.

A bigger problem for Monmouth may be the masks. Employees, horsemen and jockeys were all adhering to the rules. But there were many patrons walking around without them, particularly in the areas of the track that were more remote, and the problem seemed to get worse as the afternoon went on. At one point in the day, there were 25 people total settled in among three adjoining sections of seats in the grandstand and only two were wearing masks. There didn’t appear to be anyone making an attempt to enforce the mask rule.

Should pictures of Monmouth fans walking around without masks land on Murphy’s desk that could mean the end of the meet.

The next big test for Monmouth will come July 18, the day of the GI Haskell S. The Haskell drew 60,000 people in 2015 when American Pharoah showed up and, in a more normal year, the crowd is about 35,000. It’s highly unlikely that 35,000 people will want to attend the race this year, but it’s also likely that the demand for admission and seats will be more than 3,000. If the demand for entrance into the track is higher than the supply, what will Monmouth do?

You can put everything down as a work in progress, a track trying to figure out what it can and can’t do during these most unusual times. Monmouth is back, but try as they might, nothing is normal.

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