aqueduct | Horse Racing Free Tips

Sunday Insights: Juveniles Kick Off Card in Ozone Park

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

1st-BAQ, $95k, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 1:00 p.m. ET
A well-bred bunch of 2-year-old males gets the Sunday program off to a competitive beginning at Aqueduct. BIG WICKS (Medaglia d'Oro), a $575,000 graduate of last year's Keeneland September sale, is part of an entry that is favored at 2-1 on the morning line and is a son of Sovereign Award-winning 3-year-old filly Leigh Court (Grand Slam), a two-time graded winner for the late Eugene Melnyk who was purchased by Speedway Stables for an even $1 million from the Melnyk dispersal at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Kept in training at five and six, Leigh Court–a half to three full stakes winners–would go on to add the GIII Whimsical S. in 2016. The dark bay faces $1-million KEESEP grad Phelpsy (Into Mischief), fifth on Saratoga debut July 23; and Point Proven (Gun Runner), a $675,000 September purchase who was seventh to 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner) at the Spa Aug. 6. TJCIS PPs

6th-MTH, $57k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 2:35 p.m. ET
THAT SUN OF A GUN (Gun Runner) is the latest produce of 14-time winner Suzee Sunrise (Chester House), whose best foal to date is New Jersey-bred Golden Brown (Offlee Wild), winner of the 2018 GIII Kent S. on the turf at Delaware and a six-time stakes winner in state-bred restricted company for earnings of better than $810,000. The mare's less-heralded Sunny Star (Flatter) has punched well above his weight in Hong Kong, where he has won five races and $802,000 while placing in Group 3 company on the turf. Like Golden Brown, That Sun of a Gun is conditioned by Pat McBurney. TJCIS PPs

5th-BAQ, $95k, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 3:03 p.m. ET
The juvenile filly set gets their chance going the one-turn mile, a group headed–on pedigree, at a minimum–by Spendthrift's ANISTON (Curlin), who isn't here just to make 'friends.' A $550,000 acquisition at KEESEP this time last year, the Apr. 28 foal is chestnut in color the same as her 'TDN Rising Star' full-sister Souper Sensational, winner of the 2011 GIII Victory Ride S. and runner-up in the GI Test S. while also proving her versatility with a near-miss second in this year's GII Royal North S. sprinting on the turf at Woodbine. Dam Kateri (Indian Charlie) is an unraced daughter of Grade III winner Sue's Good News (Woodman), the dam of GI Odgen Phipps H. victress Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow) and granddam of GSP Serein (Uncle Mo) and MSP Surfer Dude (Curlin). Sue's Good News also dropped Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Bulletin (City Zip). Tangential (Justify), a half-sister to GSP Carried Interest (Henny Hughes), is out of a full-sister to the stakes-producing MGSW/GISP Allamerican Bertie (Quiet American); and a half to MGSW & GISP Hurricane Bertie (Storm Boot). The May 24 foal, an $80,000 KEESEP grad, made $450,000 at OBS April this year after breezing a furlong in :10 1/5. TJCIS PPs

7th-CD, $120k, Msw, 2yo, f, 6 1/2f, post time: 3:50 p.m. ET
PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS (Into Mischief) is the second foal to the races out of Pretty City Dancer (Tapit), who shared the spoils with her sire's daughter Sweet Loretta in the 2016 GI Spinaway S. at Saratoga. A half-sister to GISW Lear's Princess (Lear Fan)–who would have been best-backed behind Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) in the 2007 GI Kentucky Oaks before scratching from the race–Pretty City Dancer was acquired by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock on behalf of Godolphin for $3.5 million in foal to Medaglia d'Oro at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. TJCIS PPs

The post Sunday Insights: Juveniles Kick Off Card in Ozone Park appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Week in Review: Is Classic Best Fit for Life Is Good?

'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) got the job done Saturday in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga, which probably means that a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic is on his schedule. The Whitney was a “Win and You're In” race for the Classic and has traditionally been one of the most important preps for the season-ending $6-million race. If trainer Todd Pletcher and owners WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club play this one by the book, the Classic is where they will end up.

But is that the best Breeders' Cup race for him?

After his performance in the nine-furlong Whitney, where he didn't quite deliver the type of spectacular performance he is capable of, it's a fair question to ask. The Classic is run at a mile-and-a-quarter and it's pretty clear than 10 furlongs is not Life Is Good's best distance. He'll have a lot easier time winning the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, the race he won last year, than the Classic.

Life Is Good has tried a 1 1/4 miles only once, in the G1 Dubai World Cup, and the result was, perhaps, the most disappointing race of his career. He had the lead until about 100 yards before the wire only to be passed by three horses. Pletcher has pointed out that the racing surface at Meydan was deep and tiring and said that worked against Life Is Good. That may be true, but with a horse with this much talent, he should have found a way to pull off the win. More so than the condition of the racetrack, the distance got him.

His first start after Dubai came in the GII John A. Nerud S. at seven furlongs and he thrashed a good horse in Speaker's Corner (Street Sense) to win easily. That seemed to set him up perfectly for the Whitney, where the competition included Olympiad (Speightstown) and three others. It's not that Life Is Good ran a bad race, or anything close to it. He won by two lengths and got a 107 Beyer. It was a good effort, some have said it was gutsy and that he showed heart. After getting loose on the lead, he had to fight off stablemate Happy Saver (Super Saver) to grind out the win. But, as brilliant as Life Is Good had been in some of his earlier starts, we expected something more than gutsy.

It also matters that Olympiad, who had been so consistent, winning five straight, picked this day not to show up. That meant the competition Life Is Good faced wasn't as strong as had been expected.

Winning a $1-million, Grade I race in Saratoga is no easy feat, but this didn't look like Life Is Good at his best, and the distance probably had something to do with that.

In some years, maybe Life Is Good could overcome distance limitations and win the Classic. But this year's field will be loaded. At a mile-and-a-quarter, can he beat Flightline (Tapit) or Epicenter (Not This Time)? Then there's Country Grammer (Tonalist), who finished ahead of him in the Dubai World Cup and is partially owned by WinStar.

Passing on the Classic isn't exactly a no-brainer. It's worth $4 million more than the $1-million Dirt Mile and if they don't run there they may cost themselves any chance at being named Horse of the Year. It's a race everyone wants to win and looks great on the record of a future stallion. But if you want to pick the race that is the best fit for Life Is Good and the one where he has the best chance of winning, that's an easy call. It's the Dirt Mile.

The Future of Belmont Park

On this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke said that NYRA's long-range plan is likely to include shutting down Aqueduct and running at Belmont in the winter. That's one of the reasons NYRA is planning on installing a synthetic Tapeta surface at Belmont. It also looks like stands will be torn down and replaced with a smaller facility.

O'Rourke also said there are no plans to change the current circumferences of the tracks, meaning the main track at Belmont will remain the massive mile-and-a-half oval that it is. Buy why? The 12-furlong track works for one race, the GI Belmont S. For every other race, it's simply too big, it's impractical and the sight lines are not good. It also means that any 1 1/4-mile dirt races, like the Breeders' Cup Classic, have to start on the clubhouse turn. A nine-furlong main track, which they have at Aqueduct ands Saratoga, makes more sense.

Fillies Dominate the Hall of Fame

Two horses from the modern era were inducted this week into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame and, in Tepin (Bernstein) and Beholder (Henny Hughes), both were fillies. That's no coincidence. Since 2015, six fillies have made the Hall of Fame and only three male horses: American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), Lava Man (Slew City Slew) and Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry). The latter two are geldings.

In an era where star males horses who are not geldings will almost always call it quits after their 3-year-old seasons and maybe run nine or 10 times in their careers, you're not going to get many who have Hall of Fame credentials. Justify (Scat Daddy), who raced just six times, is one of the few exceptions, but only because it would be awful hard to keep a Triple Crown winner out of the Hall of Fame. Otherwise, the voters will be hard pressed to put a horse into the Hall of Fame who raced just two years and made a limited number of starts.

Fillies are a different matter. With a top broodmare being worth considerably less than a top sire, it makes economic sense to continue to race them. Beholder ran 26 times and raced at six. Tepin retired after her 5-year-old campaign and made 23 starts.

Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) ran 20 times and was still out there at age six. Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) raced 19 times and stuck around through her 4-year-old year. With top male horses, those are numbers you don't see anymore.

The post Week in Review: Is Classic Best Fit for Life Is Good? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Belmont Park Fall Meet to be Held at Aqueduct Racetrack

The traditional fall meet at Belmont will instead be held at Aqueduct and kick off Sept. 15, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday. It is anticipated that racing will return to Belmont for the 2023 spring meet.

The switch to Aqueduct will allow NYRA to undertake the first phases of what could be a major renovation of Belmont Park. Tunnels have been constructed at Belmont that will give construction vehicles access to the infield. The tunnels will also pave the way for pedestrians to have access to the infield. According to a statement issued by NYRA, “the tunnels will serve as a conduit to the infield for commercial vehicles allowing NYRA to completely reconstruct the Belmont main track and its two turf courses.” In addition, the tunnels will provide NYRA with an opportunity “to consider the installation of a synthetic track in the future.”

NYRA officials have spoken often in recent years about a desire to make significant changes at Belmont, including ones that could make it feasible to some day close Aqueduct. That could include a rebuild of the massive grandstand, which would make Belmont a better fit to host the Breeders' Cup, which has not been run in New York since 2005.

“This investment in the future of Belmont Park will transform our racing operations and pave the way for a broader re-imagining of the facility,” Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President & CEO, said in a statement. “The shift to Aqueduct this fall will minimize the overall impact on the racing schedule, and ensure continuity for the Belmont spring/summer meet and Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets. We appreciate the patience of our horsemen and fans as we enter this period of transition at Belmont, and look forward to an exciting fall at the Big A.”

According to NYRA spokesperson Pat McKenna, the current circumferences of the Belmont racing surfaces will not be changed.

The construction project will result in the closing of the main track and the turf courses at Belmont for training, starting with the conclusion of training on Aug. 7. Those tracks won't reopen until April of 2023. After a brief shutdown, the Belmont training track will re-open on Aug. 8 and will be the only outlet for regular training activities. Construction on the Belmont courses will begin following the conclusion of the 2023 Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) President Joe Appelbaum expressed his support for the project in the NYRA statement.

“NYTHA membership recognize the importance of modernizing Belmont Park and look forward to competing at a world-class Thoroughbred racing venue,” said Appelbaum. “We will continue to work closely with NYRA to reduce any burdens on horsemen created by the temporary closure of the main track at Belmont.”

Trainer Christophe Clement had mixed feelings about the impending changes.

“They are going to make Belmont Park even better, so this is exciting when you consider the future,” he said. “I think they are going to create an amazing Belmont Park when they are done.”

But Clement is not looking forward to what will be a major disruption to his training routines.

“This is very depressing because a guy like me trains mostly on the main track at Belmont and I work a lot of horses every weekend on the turf,” he said. “I adore Belmont Park as a racetrack, to race at and to train at. But I will have to adapt. That's just the way it is. We were aware of this. NYRA has been talking to us about this for about six months. We're just going to have to adjust.”

The Belmont-at-Aqueduct meet will run through Oct. 30 and will include 41 stakes races worth $9.9 million. The stakes season at Belmont-at-the-Big A will commence on Sept. 17 with the running of the $1-million GIII Jockey Club Derby and the $700,000 GIII Jockey Club Oaks. The Oct. 1 card will consist of four stakes, including the GI Woodward S. and the GI Champagne S. The Oct. 8 card will include the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and the GII Vosburgh, which has been shifted from six furlongs to seven furlongs. Six stakes were cut from the schedule, but none are graded stakes. The GII Kelso H., traditionally a prep for the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, has been shifted from late September to Oct. 29.

The good news for horsemen is that the Belmont-at-Aqueduct meet will offer significant purse increases with a particular focus on adding value to conditions impacting the broadest group of owners and trainers. Open allowance races will be run for six-figure purses while all claiming categories, New York-bred, and maiden races will enjoy purse enhancements. NYRA will also introduce a new bonus program to further reward horsemen for competing at the fall meet. The bonus will pay $500 to the owner and $500 to the trainer of any horse finishing outside of the top three in his/her first fall start provided the most recent start was during the 2022 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. Stakes races at Aqueduct do not qualify for the Belmont at the Big A bonus.

The capital improvement project will also include the installation of a synthetic Tapeta track on the quarter-mile Belmont “pony track.”

From 1963 through 1967, racing moved to Aqueduct after the Saratoga meet concluded as Belmont Park was being rebuilt.

The post Belmont Park Fall Meet to be Held at Aqueduct Racetrack appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Vazquez Banned In New York

Trainer Juan Carlos Vazquez has been banned from running horses in the state of New York, according to a release from the New York State Gaming Commission.

In a ruling issued July 7, the Pennsylvania Board of Stewards suspended Vazquez through Jan. 26, 2025, alleging that a horse under his care was shipped from Belmont Park to Parx Racing who was in such poor health that it had to be euthanized after its arrival. The stewards labeled Vazquez's behavior “grossly negligent, cruel and abusive.”

It its statement Monday, the NYSGC confirmed that it would be honoring the reciprocity of the suspension and would be prohibited from running horses at any New York track, including those run by the New York Racing Association (Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga) and Finger Lakes.

New York is one of 38 racing states that honors out-of-state suspensions issued by regulators. Reciprocity is addressed specifically in N.Y. Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law Section 910:

“§ 910. Reciprocity of licenses. All license denials, suspensions and revocations imposed by the pertinent racing and gambling authorities of other jurisdictions, including states, United States territories, and Canadian provinces shall be recognized and enforced by the commission …”

In February, Vazquez was handed down a stay of another suspension, at which time NYRA officials were forced to allow the trainer to run horses, while suggesting they reserved the right to file charges of their own.

There was some uproar on social media in the last week after Vazquez was permitted to enter and run horses at Saratoga. Over the course of the first four days, Vazquez saddled six horses, including Suprise Boss (War Dancer), who was third in Sunday's GIII Quick Call S.

The post Vazquez Banned In New York appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post