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Brown, Klaravich Stables and Ortiz Register Year-End NYRA Titles

Chad Brown won his seventh consecutive New York Racing Association, Inc. year-end training title with 140 wins while Jose Ortiz compiled his third riding crown with 185 victories as racing in 2021 was capped with the conclusion of the card on Dec. 31.

Klaravich Stables retained the title as top owner, racking up 55 wins, seven more than the next-closest competitor, Michael Dubb, to finish as the leading owner for the third straight year at NYRA tracks, which include Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack.

Brown compiled a 140-104-91 record with 565 starters. He won four individual meets, leading the way at the Aqueduct spring, Belmont spring, Saratoga summer and Belmont fall meets.

“First and foremost, it's a credit to the hard work of my dedicated team and so many people contributing, including a loyal, patient group of owners that supplied our team with a steady supply of talented horses all year–and, of course, all the horses in all different categories and levels giving so many fine efforts,” Brown said.

Brown shared his appreciation for his longtime partnership with Klaravich Stables, which is headed by Seth Klarman.

“Mr. Klarman is our largest account and he's a terrific client and friend. He's been in the game a long time and built up quite a stable. His silks are now recognized around the world,” Brown said. “He had a very strong season and we appreciate his support very much.”

Jose Ortiz entered the final card of 2021 in a tie for most wins with his brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., but guided Untreated to victory in Race 6 to secure the year-end title outright. He finished with a record of 185-143-135 from 913 starts, compiling purse earnings in excess of $15.2 million.

“It feels great. This is what we work for every day,” said Ortiz, who earned Eclipse Award honors as the nation's Outstanding Jockey in 2017. “I couldn't have done it by myself. I want to thank all the owners and trainers that gave me opportunities and my agent [Jimmy Riccio, Jr.], who does a great job.”

Klaravich Stables won four NYRA individual meets in 2021, leading the way at the Belmont spring, Saratoga summer, Belmont fall and Aqueduct fall meets.

In total, Klaravich Stables sent out 207 starters, going 55-28-41, winning at a 26.57% clip, while racking up circuit-best earnings of more than $5 million in the process. Klaravich Stables won nine graded races in 2021 on the NYRA circuit, including his Grade I wins with the Brown-trained Search Results and Domestic Spending.

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Two Weeks From Crucial Hearing, NYRA Adds to Arguments Against Baffert

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) Wednesday added to an already daunting compilation of court documentation filed by both parties in an attempt to bolster its arguments in advance of a Jan. 6 “motion to dismiss” hearing in Bob Baffert's civil rights lawsuit against NYRA.

The purpose of the Dec. 22 reply memorandum was to give NYRA “the opportunity to briefly address new arguments raised by Plaintiff in his opposition brief” and to confirm NYRA's position in relation to Baffert's civil action claim.

“First, Plaintiff fails to articulate an actionable 'substantive due process' claim,” the filing in United States District Court (Eastern District of New York) stated. “Instead, Plaintiff's Response simply repeats his procedural due process allegations and fails to point to any facts showing that NYRA's actions in connection with the Administrative Proceeding are 'arbitrary, conscience-shocking, or oppressive in a constitutional sense…'

“Second, Plaintiff's argument that he is not required to exhaust administrative remedies is foreclosed by controlling precedent. The Second Circuit has held that, although most [Section] 1983 [civil rights] plaintiffs are not subject to an exhaustion requirement, that rule 'does not apply to procedural due process challenges if the plaintiff failed to avail himself of the very administrative procedures he attacks as inadequate'…

“Third, like other disciplinary proceedings brought against licensees, the Administrative Proceeding is clearly a civil enforcement proceeding requiring Younger abstention [a doctrine that mandates federal courts must not hear cases involving federal issues already being litigated at the state level]… Moreover, contrary to Plaintiff's argument, the Court has already recognized that the state interests implicated here are 'weighty' and 'important.'”

“Finally, Plaintiff's argument that his claim implicates 'pure questions of law' misses the mark. Plaintiff has raised these same legal issues in the Administrative Proceeding, and upon its completion, Plaintiff may seek judicial review in New York State court… Plaintiff's claim stretches beyond pure legal questions–Plaintiff has made the factual allegation that the Administrative Proceeding is a 'fait accompli.'”

NYRA had barred Baffert back on May 17, which was 16 days after the now-deceased Medina Spirit won the GI Kentucky Derby while testing positive for an overage of betamethasone. In the 12 months prior to that positive, four other Baffert trainees had also tested positive for medication overages, two of them in Grade I stakes.

Baffert responded to NYRA's ruling-off by filing a June 14 civil complaint alleging that the ban violated his constitutional right to due process. On July 14, the eve of the Saratoga season, the court granted Baffert a preliminary injunction that allowed him to race at New York's premier tracks until the lawsuit was adjudicated in full.

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‘He’ll Always Be Special To Us’: Russell Mulling Next Start For First Graded Winner Wondrwherecraigis

Coming off the first graded-stakes win for himself and his trainer, Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Michael Caruso's Wondrwherecraigis is enjoying some down time while the connections mull his next race.

The 4-year-old Munnings gelding was a front-running winner of the seven-furlong Bold Ruler (G3) Oct. 31 at Belmont Park, his second career stakes victory and first in graded company from 10 starts.

Based at Laurel Park with trainer Brittany Russell, Wondrwherecraigis' triumph came seven weeks following his disqualification to second after finishing first in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) over his home track. It was also one day before Russell gave birth to a son, Rye, her second child with husband and jockey Sheldon Russell. They are also parents to 2-year-old daughter, Edy.

“I was disappointed not to be there, but, hey, we had another big thing going on,” Brittany Russell joked. “It was huge. It was so disappointing for him and the ownership group and everyone to see him disqualified that day. But, he came back and he showed that he is a graded-stakes winner.

“'Craig' is doing awesome. He hasn't missed a beat,” she added. “He thinks he's King Kong.”

Russell said they have yet to settle on a target race for Wondrwherecraigis. Among the options are $100,000 Dave's Friend, part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series, Dec. 26 at Laurel and the Toboggan (G3) Jan. 29 at Aqueduct. Both races are contested at seven furlongs.

“We're just sort of trying to give him some time now. I wouldn't say we're set on anything. There's a race in New York in January. There's the MATCH Series race at the end of December. Nothing's really set in stone,” Russell said.

“He'll get this next month. I just sort of backed off of him since he ran and we'll kind of start gearing him back up and let him tell us,” she added. “You have some ideas and goals in the back of your mind, but he doesn't owe us anything. If we keep him home, great. If we decide to take him somewhere else, that's cool, too.”

Russell credited her New York-based assistant, Amanda Olds, with playing a large part in Wondrwherecraigis' success. In addition to the Bold Ruler, his other stakes win came in mid-August in the Tale of the Cat at Saratoga.

“It's nice for us to be able to send him up and not worry about anything. There's no worry shipping him when you have someone like that to travel with,” Russell said. “When he was up at Saratoga, after he won he stayed with her for a while up there and, obviously, it was the right move. She did a great job with him. It's all the moving parts. We're lucky to have the team we have.”

Wondrwherecraigis owns six wins, one second and one third with $347,640 in purse earnings from 10 starts, making a successful debut last March at Laurel just before racing was paused amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has finished first in all five of his races in Maryland, four of them wins prior to the De Francis.

“He's cool. He's one of the original bunch from when we first started along with Hello Beautiful,” Russell said. “'Craig' was, at the end of that year, he was one of the horses that kind of came in and saved me. He just kind of keeps saving me. He got me that graded win, and he's just special. He'll always be special to us.”

The post ‘He’ll Always Be Special To Us’: Russell Mulling Next Start For First Graded Winner Wondrwherecraigis appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Chad Brown Records Tenth Straight Belmont Fall Title; Irad Ortiz Tops Jockey Standings

Chad Brown registered 29 wins to earn his 10th consecutive title at the recently concluded Belmont Park fall meet, while Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three races on Closing Day to pace all jockeys with 33 victories during the 31-day meet.

Inflation Adjusted's win in Sunday's 10th race finale gave Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables its eighth win of the meet, which broke a three-way logjam allowing Klaravich to become leading owner of the Belmont Park fall meet for the fifth consecutive year. Flying P Stable and Michael Dubb each finished with seven wins over the course of the fall meet.

Brown extended his dominance of the Belmont fall meet, posting a record of 29-22-18 from 111 starters with earnings of more than $3.7 million. The four-time Eclipse Award-winner for Outstanding Trainer has won at least a share of the Belmont fall meet every year since 2012. Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher concluded the fall meet with 16 wins. Christophe Clement and Linda Rice registered 16 wins each to tie for third.

NYRA's year-ending leading trainer six years running, Brown saddled eight graded stakes winners at the fall meet, racking up a pair of Grade 1 scores when Rockemperor captured the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 9 and Jack Christopher won the $500,000 Champagne on October 2. Brown also sent out Public Sector [Grade 2 Hill Prince], Fluffy Socks [Grade 2 Sands Point], Royal Flag [Grade 2 Beldame], My Sister Nat, [Grade 3 Fasig-Tipton Waya] Pocket Square [Grade 3 Athenia] and Sacred Life (Grade 3 Knickerbocker) to graded stakes victories. Shantisara won the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks Invitational.

“I have to just thank my team, my owners and the horses,” Brown said. “Those are the three real key parts to the whole success and I'm very fortunate in all three areas to have the best. I have great horses to work with and terrific owners and a really super talented team and they deserve all the credit.”

Entering Closing Day, a three-way tie for the riding crown set up an exciting slate, with Ortiz, Jr., Luis Saez and Jose Ortiz all tied with 30 wins. But Ortiz, Jr. won three races, guiding Carom to a victory in Race 3, leading the Brown-trained Orglandes to victory in the $150,000 Zagora in Race 4 and winning aboard Big Package in an allowance optional claiming race in Race 8 that proved to the be the difference in the standings.

The 29-year-old Ortiz, Jr. finished with a 33-35-28 record in 177 mounts with earnings of $3.56 million. His brother, Jose Ortiz, challenged him for supremacy up until the final race, finishing second with 32 wins while Saez, who won aboard Rockefeller in the Grade 3, $150,000 Nashua in Race 9, was third with 31 wins.

“It feels great and it's always special every time I win a title in New York,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “This is my hometown. I'm happy, I thank my owners, trainers, my agent for doing a great job and I'm also thankful to stay healthy.”

Ortiz, Jr. was aboard for Brown-trained winners Public Sector and Pocket Square and also racked up wins with Annapolis [Grade 2 Pilgrim], Life Is Good [Grade 2 Kelso], Bubble Rock [Grade 3 Matron] and Arrest Me Red [Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational].

“We always compete no matter what,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “We try to do our best out there so thankfully it paid off with hard work and dedication.”

For the meet, Klaravich Stables posted a record of 8-8-8 from 40 starters, tallying earnings of $894,549.

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