Leslie And Pierre Amestoy Join The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Owners Leslie and Pierre Amestoy have been involved with a bunch of good horses, some of them stakes-winning Quarter Horses, but never anything like Practical Move (Practical Joke). The winner of the GII San Felipe S. and the GI Santa Anita Derby so far this year, he will be among the favorites in the upcoming GI Kentucky Derby.

The TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland caught up with the Amestoys this week to find out more about their operation, their background and their thoughts on Practical Move. They were the Green Group Guests of the Week.

Their trainer Tim Yakteen, has been a big part of the story.  While he has deputized for Bob Baffert the last two years with his potential Derby starters, he's not normally someone who you think of when it comes to having Derby starters. But the Amestoys believe he has been a perfect fit when it comes to Practical Move.

“One of my old racing partners, Mike Abraham, knew Tim,” Pierre said. “And then another friend of mine, Jaime Gomez from Los Alamitos, knew Tim. I told them that I wanted to go to a nice barn, but I don't want to be with one of those barns that has 300, 400 horses. I want a more on-hands trainer. They both recommended Tim.

“We didn't meet him Tim till last year's Del Mar meet, when Practical Move was running his first race was. He was just as nice as could be. And we could see the operation in the barn. Leslie trained for ten or 15 years. So we knew what we wanted and Tim was what we wanted. He had a great set up and a good operation.”

The Amestoys, who own Practical Move in partnership with Roger Beasley, bought the horse at last year's OBS April sale. They said he was their number one pick among all the horses in the sale, but almost didn't get him. They budgeted $175,000 for the purchase and wound up paying $230,000. They liked the horse enough that they kept bidding until they got him.

“He was our number one pick, which we never get when we got to sales,” Leslie said. “We always pick the number one and can't buy him. We got him and we had no buyer's remorse ever. Oh, we loved him from the start.”

And that's why they named him Practical Move, because, in the end they thought it was a practical move to buy the colt.

As far as the Derby goes, the Amestoys are already thinking strategy.

“I think he's tactical enough,” Pierre said. “Ramon (Vasquez) can put him where he wants him. I would hope we can get a good enough break that we hit the first turn and we have two thirds of them behind us. We want to be up in the first tier or right behind the first tier of horses. This horse has a really good, really strong, high cruising speed so we can get a good spot and then cruise on the backside and set ourselves up. So if we get our trip, I think coming out of the turn, we're going to be close to the leader and then they're going to have to come get us. If his horse switches leads like he's supposed to I think he'll finish strong.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, 1/ST Racing, WinStar Farm, and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley took a look back at the problems with the track surface at Laurel, the positive results coming out of Hawthorne since that track cut the takeout on win, place and show bets to 12% and the newest additions to the Hall of Fame. Not to be missed, the trio also discussed Proxy (Tapit)'s win in the GII Oaklawn H., and the decision by Jimmy Jerkens, who has been struggling to find the winner's circle the last few years, to start training in Saudi Arabia.

Click here to listen to the audio version of this podcast or click here to watch the video version.

The post Leslie And Pierre Amestoy Join The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Maryland Racetrack Authority Bill Passes House, Heads to Governor’s Desk

Legislation which will create the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority (MTROA) was passed by the state's House of Representatives by a vote of 132-2 on Apr. 10, the last day of the state's 2023 General Assembly session. Previously Senate Bill 720 , which is designed to participate in the development of racing and training facilities in the state and operate in the best interests of Thoroughbred racing, passed the state Senate by a 47-0 vote Apr. 6.

The bill also states that, “If necessary, the authority will manage and oversee day-to-day racing operations and live racing days and, in coordination with the Maryland Economic Development Corp., acquire property for operations; enter into any agreements, leases, partnerships or contracts needed for pari-mutuel wagering and compliance with rules and regulations.”

The bill also would, “prop up a new ownership group for racing and training,” should the The Stronach Group (1/ST Racing), the owner/operator of the Maryland Jockey Club's Laurel Race Course and Pimlico, exits racing in the state.

Five members of the MTROA will be appointed by the governor–one of two nominated by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA), one of two nominated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA), and three other members who possess relevant industry, business or government experience, including one in real estate or finance. Other members are the Chair or Executive Director of the both the Maryland State Archives (MSA) and the Maryland Economic Division (MEDCO), one who is not an elected official appointed by the Senate President and one who is not an elected official appointed by the Speaker of the House. Additionally, three non-voting ex-officio members will be appointed by the governor–one who resides near Laurel, one who resides near Pimlico, and one who resides near the old Bowie Training Center, which is being given to the city of Bowie and University of Bowie. The other non-voting ex-officio member will come from the Maryland Racing Commission.

The MTROA will be in place for four years and one month but could be extended through statutory changes if necessary. The bill, which is set to take effect on Jun. 1, now heads to the desk of Governor Wes More, who is expected to sign it.

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TAA Drive Returns To Florida Derby Day

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) will be present Apr. 1 once again for Florida Derby Day at Gulfstream Park, which includes the GI Curlin Florida Derby, they said in a release on Thursday.

Partnering with 1/ST Racing, the TAA will be recognized with a named race on the day's undercard and a presentation to the winning connections will include a branded blanket and swag bag. Additionally, the organization will take part in the Best Turned Out Horse Awards, and jockeys will have the opportunity to pledge their mount fee.

The TAA will be a co-beneficiary for the Florida Derby Charity Golf Tournament alongside the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. The charity golf tournament, hosted by 1/ST Racing, will be held on Monday, Mar. 27, at the Pembroke Lakes Golf & Country Club. Teams in the top three placings will receive gift bags from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

Interested participants can contact Stacy Nicks at Gulfstream Park for more information by email.

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New Positions For Egan at Santa Anita; Hammerle at 1/ST

Veteran horseman and racing official Jason Egan was promoted as the Director of Racing and Racing Secretary for Santa Anita Park beginning Jan. 27. He served as the track's Racing Coordinator since 2020, and he was named to his new post after Chris Merz announced his desire to take a more expansive operational role in the racing industry.

Additionally, Rick Hammerle will join 1/ST Racing as a consultant. After stops in California, New Jersey and Florida, he was most recently the Racing Coordinator at Oaklawn Park and Director of Racing Operations at Kentucky Downs.

Like Hammerle, Egan is a graduate of the University of Arizona's Racetrack Industry Program. While there, Egan interned with trainer Michael Dickinson and went on to work for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

The post New Positions For Egan at Santa Anita; Hammerle at 1/ST appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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