belmont park | Horse Racing Free Tips

Rombauer Vaults To Lead In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred Rombauer, a 3 ½-length winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, has risen to No. 1 in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll, taking over from Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve runner-up Mandaloun.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer, a bay son of Twirling Candy, received seven first-place votes and 311 points, rocketing from 30th place last week to the top spot. In February, Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, and was third in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in April before the Preakness.

Godolphin's Essential Quality, who finished fourth in the Derby as the 5-2 favorite, moved from third to second place. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality has 13 first-place votes and 298 points. Juddmonte's Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, is now in third place with seven first-place votes and 281 points. Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Derby, drops one spot to fourth place. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 236 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness, following his front-running win in the Kentucky Derby, slides from fourth to fifth place. Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit has eight first-place votes and 221 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who finished second in the Preakness, rises from seventh to sixth place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 204 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated bay filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, drops from fifth to seventh place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has two first-place votes and 202 points. The Asmussen-trained Jackie's Warrior, owned by Kirk and Judy Robison, remains in eighth place. Winner of the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU at Churchill Downs, Jackie's Warrior has 74 points. WinStar Farm and CHC's Life Is Good, off the Triple Crown trail due to injury, rises from 10th to ninth place. Life Is Good has one first-place vote and 55 points. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, falls to 10th place with 54 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide, has been atop the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses for eight consecutive weeks since winning the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 31 first-place votes and 350 points.

The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, is in second place with five first-place votes and 283 points. Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam (224 points), who finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, rises from fourth to third place.

Two Cox-trained runners ― Knicks Go and Monomoy Girl ― are in fourth and fifth, respectively. Korea Racing Authority's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go has one first-place vote and 220 points, while My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the reigning older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, has 199 points.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (153 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, is now in sixth place, switching positions with Michael Lund Peterson's Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Gamine (145 points), who drops to seventh. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, remains in eighth place with one first-place vote and 139 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (91 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, is in ninth place. Completing the top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (64 points), for trainer Chad Brown.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-may-17-2021/

The post Rombauer Vaults To Lead In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Preakness Hero Rombauer Arrives At Belmont Park ‘No Worse For Wear’

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred colt Rombauer, a decisive winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, arrived at Belmont Park on Monday to prepare for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets slated for June 5.

The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes is the centerpiece of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that runs from June 3 through Saturday, June 5. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer garnered a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his rallying 3 1/2-length score in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, second jewel of the Triple Crown.

The Twirling Candy bay, who is based at Santa Anita Park, arrived at Belmont at around 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning and will be stabled with trainer Jonathan Thomas.

Accompanying the Preakness champ on the van ride from Maryland was groom Leonel Orantes Aguilar, who reported that the horse shipped to New York “very well.”

McCarthy returned to southern California, where he is primarily based at Santa Anita, but gave positive reports on how the horse emerged from his breakthrough performance.

“It seems like he's in good physical shape,” McCarthy said. “He was pretty bright and alert on Sunday morning. He's a horse that takes very good care of himself, so we sort of read the signs from him and see what he's telling us. From what I can tell, he's no worse for wear.”

The versatile Rombauer graduated at first asking on the Del Mar turf in July 2020 and completed his 2-year-old season on dirt with a second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah in September at Santa Anita and a closing fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November at Keeneland, which was won by 2-year-old champion Essential Quality.

Rombauer captured the El Camino Real Derby on the Golden Gate Fields synthetic in February to launch his sophomore season and followed with an even third in the Grade 2 Blue Grass in April on the Keeneland main track ahead of his Preakness effort.

It was a first American classic triumph for McCarthy, who was previously a longtime assistant to newly minted Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

“I got a lot of nice messages from people and there were a lot of people that reached out who I hadn't heard from in quite some time, so it was very nice,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy went on to say that Bo Hirsch's Ce Ce is a possibility for the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event on Belmont Stakes Day at 1 1/16 miles on the main track for older fillies and mares.

Yuji Inaida's France Go de Ina, trained by Hideyuki Mori, also arrived at Belmont on Monday following his seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Preakness under Joel Rosario.

Mori's travelling assistant Masaki Takano will oversee the two-time winner's preparations heading into the Belmont Stakes.

“He seemed to travel really well, it was a trouble free trip,” said Takano through translator Kate Hunter. “This is a good experience for the horse because the racing here is so different. Over the course of the time that he's been here, he's been able to get used to the American style of doing things. That's helped him relax into the routine and hopefully it will lead to a better performance in the future.”

Takano said that France Go de Ina, a two-time winner in Japan at Hanshin Racecourse, has settled into a nice rhythm training in North America and should be well prepared heading into his next engagement.

“The extra length of the Belmont, and the experience he's gotten from racing once here already, it's likely we'll have a better chance to perform better based off his pedigree. We're looking forward to giving it another go,” said Takano.

A $100,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the Kentucky-bred France Go de Ina is by Will Take Charge and out of the Curlin mare Dreamy Blues.

France Go de Ina is a two-time winner at Hanshin Racecourse, including a maiden score on November 28 and an allowance coup on December 19. France Go de Ina entered the Preakness from a sixth in the UAE Derby following a poor start.

Takano said France Go de Ina will resume training on Friday morning.

A $1 million bonus is offered to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The $1 million bonus is in addition to the $800,000 winner's share of the Belmont Stakes, which is contested at 1 ½ miles [2,400 meters], the same distance as classic races in Japan.

In 2016, the Japan-based Lani competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown, with his best showing being a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

The Japan-based Master Fencer, who was elevated to sixth in the 2019 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, closed to finish fifth in that year's Grade 1 Belmont.

To qualify for the bonus, a horse must have made at least three starts in Japan prior to starting in the Belmont and must be nominated to North America's Triple Crown series. In the event of a dead heat, the connections will receive a $600,000 bonus.

The post Preakness Hero Rombauer Arrives At Belmont Park ‘No Worse For Wear’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Additional Belmont Stakes Tickets, Hospitality Options Now Available

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has released updated ticket and hospitality options for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The newly available ticket inventory reflects updated New York State guidance for large outdoor events that allows for fully vaccinated stadium sections to operate at full capacity.

In accordance with those guidelines, which take effect on May 19, NYRA has updated its inventory to include availability within hospitality areas such as the Marquee Tent and individual reserved seat sections in the clubhouse that will be designated as fully vaccinated. To purchase tickets in these sections, fans can visit Ticketmaster.com and select from sections designated for fully vaccinated guests.

Headlined by the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 5, the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 3 and will include 17 stakes races in total with eight Grade 1 races to be contested on Belmont Stakes Day.

The 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will mark the return of the Belmont Stakes to its customary spot on the racing calendar and its famed distance of 1 1/2 miles. In 2020, a readjustment to the stakes schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw the “Test of the Champion” contested at a one-turn 1 1/8 miles while serving as the initial leg of the Triple Crown series for the first time in history.

Ticketholders in vaccinated sections must present proof of a completed vaccination series prior to entry into the section. All guests who have been vaccinated in New York State are encouraged to provide secure proof using the New York State Excelsior Pass.

Young adults and children under the age of 16 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine may accompany and be seated with a vaccinated adult in a fully vaccinated section.

For additional information on health and safety protocols in effect for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, please visit: https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets/know-before-you-go.

For additional information and details on hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing, visit BelmontStakes.com. For full terms and conditions, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/tickets.

The post Additional Belmont Stakes Tickets, Hospitality Options Now Available appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Three-Year License Revocation, $50K Fine For Rice’s ‘Improper and Corrupt Conduct’

Linda Rice had her training license immediately revoked for a period of “no less than three years” and was fined $50,000 May 17 when New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) members voted 5-0 to agree with a hearing officer that Rice's years-long pattern of seeking and obtaining confidential pre-entry information from New York Racing Association (NYRA) racing office workers was “intentional, serious and extensive, and that her actions constituted improper and corrupt conduct…inconsistent with and detrimental to the best interests of horse racing.”

Rice had testified during eight days of NYSGC hearings late in 2020 that she had handed over cash gifts amounting to thousands of dollars at a time to NYRA racing office employees between 2011 and 2015.

But the veteran conditioner, who has been training since 1987 and owns seven NYRA training titles, also testified that she did not expect any special favors in return for that money, and that any entry-related information she did receive from NYRA employees was a type of disclosure that was routinely divulged to other trainers.

In most racing jurisdictions, telling trainers which other horses have been entered or are considering a particular race is a clear rules violation, because it affords a trainer an advantage over others who enter horses without knowledge of the caliber of competition.

But in practice, one could make the case that some form of tipping-off to trainers exists to various degrees in racing offices all across America, particularly in the current era of races routinely needing to be “hustled” to fill because of a thin nationwide horse population.

Within that realm of rules-bending there are numerous gray-area distinctions, ranging from the relatively innocuous encouragement of trainers to enter into what is considered an easy spot all the way up to trainers proactively and sometimes predatorially seeking a steady stream of inside info and paying handsomely to receive it.

TDN left email and phone messages for Rice and her attorney Monday seeking comment and to find out if a court appeal is in the works. Neither replied prior to deadline for this story.

The specific accusations against Rice stemmed from a separate NYRA investigation that had been launched in 2014 when it was revealed that several NYRA racing office employees with access to The Jockey Club's InCompass entry management software had been improperly sharing login access to the system with horsemen and jockey agents. One employee was eventually fired after the scheme was uncovered and another had his license suspended for other racing-office infractions.

In early 2018, Daily Racing Form first reported that Rice allegedly made payments to NYRA officials in order to obtain knowledge–and sometimes the past performances–of rival horses likely to be entered against her trainees.

It was then nearly two years later, in November 2019, that Rice was first summoned to a NYSGC hearing on the matter to determine whether she received “regular, continual and improper access to the confidential names and other information concerning the other horses entered in races…before the entries closed and you decided to enter the horses you were training in such races or not.”

The start of that hearing was delayed during the early stages of the pandemic, so it took another full year before Rice's case finally commenced in November 2020. The proceedings stretched out over eight calendar days and included 60 evidence exhibits and testimony from 16 witnesses.

As is routine during NYSGC hearing adjudications announced at public meetings, the merits of the case were not debated Monday among commissioners, who had previously voted on the outcome after receiving the hearing officer's final report dated Apr. 13. The results of the vote were merely read into the record.

NYSGC chairman Barry Sample did underscore when reading the results of the vote to suspend and fine Rice that commission members “concurred with the penalty recommended by hearing officer [Clark Petschek] but modified the report to specifically reflect that the hearing officer found multiple violations,” which was a factor in the board fining Rice above the $25,000 per-violation penalty that is recommended in the state's racing rules.

A TDN request to the NYSGC to obtain a copy of the hearing officer's full report did not yield a response prior to deadline for this story.

The post Three-Year License Revocation, $50K Fine For Rice’s ‘Improper and Corrupt Conduct’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post