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Late Nominations To 2021 Triple Crown Series Due Monday

The late nomination period for all 3-year-old Thoroughbreds to compete in the races of the 2021 Triple Crown are due by Monday with a $6,000 payment.

Late Triple Crown nominations can be made online at www.thetriplecrown.com, or by calling the Churchill Downs Racing Office at (502) 638-3825. Information regarding mailing nomination forms can be found on www.thetriplecrown.com.

The 2021 Triple Crown opens on Saturday, May 1 with the 147th running of the 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 146th Preakness, its 1 3/16-mile second jewel, is set for Saturday, May 15 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md. The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes, the series' 1 ½-mile final leg, is scheduled for Saturday, June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

This year's early Triple Crown nominations, which cost $600 and closed Jan. 23, attracted 326 horses.

Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through a supplemental nomination payment due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: Kentucky Derby ($200,000), Preakness ($100,000), and Belmont ($50,000)

Representatives of the Triple Crown host tracks include:

· Churchill Downs: Vice President of Racing and Racing Secretary Ben Huffman at (502) 638-3820 or Ben.Huffman@KyDerby.com. … Assistant Racing Secretary and Stakes Coordinator Dan Bork at (502) 638-3806 or Dan.Bork@KyDerby.com. … Racing Operations Manager Kelly Danner at (502) 638-3825 or Kelly.Danner@KyDerby.com.

· Pimlico: Racing Secretary Jillian Sofarelli at (800) 638-1859 or Jillian.Sofarelli@marylandracing.com.

· Belmont Park: Vice President of Racing Operations Martin Panza at (718) 659-4241 or mpanza@nyrainc.com. … Stakes Coordinator Andrew Byrnes at (718) 659-4217 or abyrnes@nyrainc.com.

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Q and A on the New NYRA Fox Sports Deal

After the big announcement Thursday on a 10-year deal between NYRA and Fox Sports that will see the t.v. giant acquire 25% of NYRA Bets, TDN Publisher Sue Finley talked to Michael Mulvihill, FOX Sports's Executive Vice President, Head of Strategy and Analytics, and to Tony Allevato, the President of NYRA Bets.

TDN: Tony, when you did this deal with Fox in 2019, a lot of people doubted that it was the right move, and argued that people would struggle to find horse racing on t.v. That hasn't been the case.

TA: This is the third stage to this deal. The first stage was in 2016, when we showed 80 hours from Saratoga. In 2019, we chose to take Belmont races and Saratoga races and make them exclusive on Fox. There was obviously a lot of risk associated with that. It played out very well. People obviously found the network and were able to watch the races. We've seen it in our handle numbers, and in our viewership numbers. So, there's no doubt in our mind, the transition worked. For us, it was important to really be able to be about controlling the narrative, and the way our content was distributed. We're about telling stories about horse racing, and helping the sport grow. Horse welfare, the jockeys, ownership, those are things that are really important to us and Fox agrees with that approach in the television programs, and I think it has played out pretty well.

MM: We love the partnership. I don't think we could ask for a better relationship than what we have with NYRA. We're really excited by the growth that we've already seen for NYRA Bets and ADW wagering in general.
MM: I think what we're trying to provide is a kind of a blueprint for the future of sports on t.v., not to be too grand about it. But everybody now is considering how are we going to use the content to drive betting activity as sports wagering becomes legal, and we're already doing it. And so far, I think it's working well.

TDN: Tony, can you put into words how important this is to helping horse racing to get back into the mainstream?

TA: As someone who has worked in horse racing for over three decades now, I look at all the missed opportunities that horse racing has had over the last few decades, going back 50 years-plus. Some of it was self-inflicted, some of it was out of our control, but we have had missed opportunities. Right now, with sports betting being legalized all over the country, and a greater acceptance of gambling in general in the United States, we have what could be a tremendous opportunity, or something that could hurt horse racing. We believe if we handle this correctly, it could be the best opportunity for horse racing in the last 50 years. There has never been a sport that has been hurt by being on television, and there's no reason to think that horse racing would be the first one. By being on television as many hours as we're going to be for the next 10 years, at a time when sports betting is sweeping across the country, we believe it will have both a short- and a long-term benefit for us. It's important to mention that NYRA is a not-for-profit, so for us, this is truly a long game, and something that we are fully invested in. We look at this as a deal that will benefit not just our business, but the sport in general. And, by giving Fox some skin in the game by having them own a piece of NYRA Bets, it incentivizes them to give us as much promotion and distribute us to as many eyeballs as possible. And that's the difference, to me, between this deal and other deals that have been done in the past. They are tied into the wagering component now.

TDN: Mike, how important was the NYRA Bets aspect of this to Fox? That you had some skin in the game as Tony said?

MM: Extremely important. It was paramount. We are undergoing an evolution from being exclusively a media content company to now increasing to being a content and gaming company, and this is a really important part of that. You see that on several fronts. There's this deal, there are very significant gaming elements in our new NFL rights deal that we announced last week. We're doing gaming content every day on FS1. I feel like in a number of ways, we're either creating content that supports a gaming business, or doing deals in which media rights and wagering are really intertwined in ways that they never

have been before. So the opportunity to get in this on a wagering level was extremely important. Where this leaves us now is that we're the only media company that has an ownership position in a sports betting business, a racing betting business, and an online poker and casino business. I think that's a pretty great place for us to be, and we can leverage our t.v. assets to build all of those wagering interests. So it was the main driver of the deal.

TDN: What does this mean for NYRA Bets holders, and for Fox Bets account holders?

TA: Fox Bets is completely separate from this deal. The two are not connected. Our deal is with Fox Sports. There's always a possibility that down the road, if horse racing is going to be incorporated into sports betting apps, which we hope will happen, that NYRA Bets will be a provider of that product. But the way we look at it, if horse racing is on 700 hours, and people are watching and betting, the money is going into the pools, and it's going to benefit the racetracks and the purses.

TDN: Can you see any further synergies?

MM: Yes, but it's a little bit early to speculate. Tony is correct in that they are complimentary and separate brands, but there obviously are logical ways in which they could be connected and they could appeal to the same kind of player. So, I wouldn't rule out that kind of thinking in the future, but we just did this deal and it's a little bit early to be contemplating those ideas.

TDN: How might this change the TV presentation, and will we notice it as viewers?

TA: We always try to walk the fine line with the gambling product as well as the story telling, which is not always easy. We try to simplify the show so that the casual sports fan can understand it, but we don't want to alienate the core customer. Talent has done a terrific job of recognizing that. The long answer is yes, you're going to see more contests, more handicapping contests, more free-to- play contests.

TDN: Tony talked about controlling the narrative, telling stories, and highlighting horse welfare. Horse racing has been through some tough times in the past couple of years. What is it about the sport-beyond the gambling aspects we have already discussed-that appealed to Fox?

MM: That's a really interesting question. I think that as we do develop this gaming business, we don't want that business to be just about the money and the math and the numbers. For these businesses to appeal to a general sports audience, they have to be soulful, and they have to have the elements that horse racing has–the grandeur of the animals themselves, and the excitement of a day at the racetrack, and we don't want it to be just like betting on a roulette wheel. There is real heart and character to horse racing that is unique and makes it more than just a betting business. And I think that Tony and his crew, in our five summers of doing races together, they do a great job as not just presenting it as a wagering opportunity, but as a really fun and unique sport. Whether that's highlighting some of the aftercare initiatives that are out there, or just telling the story about horses and riders and trainers, we want to make sure we're telling the story about the sport, and not just telling the story about the betting.

I think there's a good mix of perspectives. Somebody like Jon Kinchen who did make his name as a pure handicapper, he's got a great analytical way of thinking about the horses, and so does Andy Serling. But Acacia (Courtney) obviously, is really committed to aftercare. You're not going to encounter anyone who cares more about the horses themselves than Richie (Migliore), or Gary (Stevens), for that matter. I think it's a nice balance of people who got into it for the betting, and those for the love of the horse.

TDN: Mike, Fox has an app called the Fox Super Six which offers weekly contents. Is that something that could be applied to racing?

MM: The Fox Super Six is free-to-play; we do it every week in the NFL and do it every week in college football. We could potentially do a Fox Super Six on big NYRA stakes days, Travers day would be logical because of the Fox broadcast. So it is something that we talked about, but we have to develop the idea a little further. But we like using that free-to-play game with any programming that is a priority to us, so it would make a lot of sense.

TA: We feel like by being partnered with Fox, this gives us the best opportunity to capture new fans or lapsed fans. From what we're seeing, just from the results from the pandemic, we acquired a lot of new customers during the pandemic. We can tell from the way they bet that they were not regular players. They were more casual fans. And those customers to this point have proven to very sticky. They're still playing and they're still watching, which is a very positive sign for us and which bodes well for the future.

TDN: What other things might you have in the works together?

TA: I think that, from a television standpoint, we're looking to bring more international racing into the U.S. and distribute it on a bigger platform. So, we've already had people reached out to us from overseas, just seeing the press release, to see how they can get more involved, which is a positive. We're always looking to do more. We've had some great partners jump on board, Churchill Downs, Oaklawn, to name a couple, who have been part of the shows. I think that there are other people in the industry who see the value that television brings with sport and they have embraced it.

TDN: What does this mean for the Belmont?

TA: We have a great relationship with NBC. They have the rights for the Belmont, and we are locked in with NBC.

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Enhanced Purses Attract New Trainers To Belmont’s Spring/Summer Meet

Trainers Jim Chapman, Saffie Joseph, Jr. and Brittany Russell are among a number of conditioners that will have a presence at Belmont Park for the first time at the upcoming 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet that runs from Thursday, April 22 through Sunday, July 11.

The spring/summer meet will offer its highest ever overnight purse schedule supported by significant monetary increases across most race categories, including maiden special weight races featuring a purse of $90,000, while horsemen participating in the claiming ranks will compete for purse money ranging up to $100,000.

A total of 59 stakes races worth $16.95 million in purses will highlight the meet, including the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes set for June 5.

The 49-year-old Chapman, currently based in Kentucky, said he will have 12 stalls at Belmont and will focus on 2-year-old maiden races.

“If I can take down one of those $90,000 purses with one of my $10,000 horses, that's a homerun to me,” said Chapman. “I'm going up there to sell horses, too. I'm taking my best horses to New York.”

A multiple graded stakes-winning trainer, Chapman sports a ledger of 1,960-294-268-239 with more than $8.8 million in purse earnings. A former rider, Chapman is best known as the trainer of Caller One, who took back-to-back editions of the Group 1 Golden Shaheen in 2001-02 in Dubai.

An astute judge of young racing stock, Chapman's best sales success came at the 2002 March Barretts Equine Limited Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale with the eventual multiple graded stakes winner Atlantic Ocean, a Stormy Atlantic mare campaigned by Bob Baffert.

“I bought Atlantic Ocean for $31,000 at Keeneland and she brought $1.9 million at the sale,” said Chapman.

Chapman said he will look to capitalize on a bumper crop of yearling sale purchases now gearing up in Kentucky for their juvenile debuts this spring.

“I have 56 juveniles. I buy everything at Keeneland. Whether I buy in November and keep some and then flip some back in September as yearlings, I just try to keep the wheel turning,” said Chapman. “I have some Frosted 2-year-olds that are really nice. I have a Fast Anna colt that will come to New York. There are some by Gun Runner and Empire Maker that will be ready later on.”

The Fast Anna colt, Actualize, has already posted a pair of works at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Out of the Hard Spun mare Beijos Do Brasil, Actualize was purchased for $12,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“You never know when they're that big and good looking if they're going to be big and slow or big and fast. But he is big and fast,” said Chapman.

Chapman said he has the right stock to be competitive in the New York market and looks forward to the opportunity.

“This year I've bought a different caliber of horse and I have a lot of them,” said Chapman. “I have horses that will fit up there and the money is a little bit better, so I'll bring my better horses. I love being up there in New York.”

Chapman said he will look to win early at the Belmont meet and get the jump on some of the higher-priced yearling sale purchases who tend to debut later in the summer, at Belmont or Saratoga.

“It's not always the best horse that wins those early races. It's often the well-schooled ones,” said Chapman. “I have enough 2-year-olds that I can see who does and doesn't want to do it. It may be a different story at Saratoga when the bigger horses start popping up, but maybe I can stir up some dust before those ones start going. And maybe I have some that will keep up and can go to Saratoga.”

Chapman said he will ship to New York following opening weekend at Keeneland, which kicks off April 2.

“It's a different surface up there and you want to get a couple works over it,” said Chapman. “The starting gate is a little roomier than the gates they'll have used in Kentucky. When I go up there, I want to make it count when we run.”

The veteran conditioner said owners Stuart Tsujimoto, along with Vanessa Camperlengo, co-founder of Classic Legacy Thoroughbred Aftercare, made the New York venture possible.

“They've really helped me this year. Stuart has been the backbone of my deal since I stopped riding and started training in California,” said Chapman. “Vanessa has got more involved and has 25 horses with me. They trust me with their horses and it makes it easier. They're the reason that I'm able to do this.”

Joseph, Jr. attracted national attention when Math Wizard scored an upset victory in the 2019 Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. A native of Barbados who began training in south Florida in 2011, Joseph, Jr. enjoyed success in his home country, conditioning 2009 Barbados Triple Crown-champion Areyoutalkintome.

The veteran conditioner will have a notable presence on the Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino card on April 3 at Aqueduct Racetrack, with four possible starters, led by Mischevious Alex in the Grade 1, $300,000 Carter for older sprinters and Drain the Clock in the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for sophomore sprinters.

Joseph, Jr. said Grade 1-placed New York-bred Ny Traffic and New York-bred maiden claimer Michael's Bad Boy are in line for a return on the Wood Memorial card, while he will also saddle Gibberish in the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap for older filly and mare sprinters on April 2.

“He's at his best at one turn,” said Joseph, Jr. of Mischevious Alex, who won the 2020 Grade 3 Gotham at the Big A. “At six furlongs he's really lethal because he has speed and stays strongly. But he's won at seven furlongs and I don't think that will be a problem for him.”

Joseph, Jr. will look to fill 12 stalls at the Belmont spring/summer meet. The multiple graded stakes-winning conditioner said he is also hoping to take advantage of a “Ship & Win” program for horses based at Oaklawn Park who ship to compete at Aqueduct and Belmont Park.

Horses that made their previous start at Oaklawn may be able to take advantage of the program, which includes a 30 percent purse bonus for their first start for horses who last ran at Oaklawn in 2021 before shipping to New York. NYRA will also provide a $1,500 stipend for a start during either the Aqueduct spring or Belmont spring/summer meets, excluding stakes races, for eligible horses.

“We'll bring a variety of horses from claimers to stakes horses. We want to be active in all the divisions there,” said Joseph, Jr. “We'll be much more active in New York this year from Belmont on through Saratoga. The [ship and win] incentive for Oaklawn is enticing. Our claiming owners are interested in that. We're looking for horses to bring back to New York. In general, we're going to hopefully run a lot of horses starting from the Wood.”

Joseph, Jr. won a pair of races last summer at Saratoga and said he is planning on bringing stronger stock to the Spa this year in search of a first NYRA circuit stakes win. The 40-day Saratoga summer meet, which will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses, runs from July 15 through September 6.

“Saratoga is a perfect place to have a horse. The weather is brilliant,” said Joseph, Jr. “Last year, we just got our feet wet and learned what type of horses we need to bring. It was good to get off the mark. I think this year we'll have a pretty good Saratoga all being well.”

Joseph, Jr. said maintaining a New York presence is important as he looks to build his stable and attract new owners.

“The spring and summer meets in New York have the best outfits,” said Joseph, Jr. “You have Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher and all the biggest names. To win among them and do well will attract a different kind of clientele. Plus, the owners we have now already want to race their horses in New York.”

The Maryland-based Russell is currently fifth in the Laurel Park trainer standings with a record of 32-11-8-5 and purse earnings of $422,259.

Russell, who will have 10 Belmont stalls, earned her first win with her first career starter – Oh My – in February 2018 at Laurel Park. She previously worked for trainers Ron Moquett, Jimmy Jerkens, and Brad Cox before going out on her own.

“We're hoping to improve the quality of the horses coming in at the beginning of the year here and it seemed like a good time to take a shot,” said Russell. “We ran a few in New York last year but always shipped, so maybe this will be a better way to do it.”

Russell enjoyed stakes success at the Big A in January when Maryland-bred Hello Hot Rod shipped to win the Jimmy Winkfield. The up-and-coming conditioner, who has worked hard to grow her stable to 40 horses, also notched a pair of wins last summer at Saratoga, including an allowance score with So Gracious.

“That's why we do this – to win at the bigger race tracks and especially in New York,” said Russell. “That's where the owners want to be racing, with the bigger purses and at the big meets. Just shipping up and having some luck in the small portions that we have so far, people notice that. It's big for my career.”

Russell said upgrades to the top-class facilities at both Belmont and Saratoga made the decision for her to bring stock full time to New York easier. Her Belmont barn will be overseen by assistant Amanda Olds, while Russell said she will shuttle back and forth between Maryland and New York.

“I spent time in New York when I worked for Brad Cox and I really enjoyed training there,” said Russell. “It's a nice place to train horses and my assistant is really familiar with New York as well. The whole thing just works for the plans we have right now.”

Belmont provides numerous options for trainers to exercise their horses. In addition to the historic main track, the 430-acre facility boasts a one-mile training track, two covered jogging barns featuring a synthetic surface and a quarter-mile pony track.

Russell said if all goes well at the Belmont spring/summer meet, she will look to extend her stay in the Empire State to Saratoga.

“We'll take it one step at a time and hopefully we can win a few races at Belmont. I'd love to go to Saratoga but I want to make sure we have the right horses to go,” said Russell. “I got some better younger horses last year. Laurel is a great place for a lot of these horses, but it's also really nice to have the New York option because it's not far from Maryland. If the horses don't fit up there, we still have Maryland and hopefully, we'll have another one to take its place in New York.”

NYRA made a significant capital investment at Saratoga ahead of last year's summer meet to enhance safety and upgrade the heavily-trafficked main track, including the addition of a rider safety rail, and a modernized drainage system creating a more consistent surface for horses and riders.

Capital improvements are continuing at Saratoga in advance of the 2021 summer meet with work taking place at the Oklahoma Training Track to renovate the track base layer and cushion, and add modernized drainage and a rider safety rail.

Russell said the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in August could also provide an opportunity to look for horses outside of her current Maryland focus.

“I have a few New York-breds in the barn and I think being there will make it more attractive for us to look,” said Russell. “I'm still programmed to look for Maryland-breds but when we go to the sale now, it will give us a reason to look outside that and see what New York-breds are there.”

Her husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, sits second in the Laurel jockey standings with a record of 122-30-26-11.

“Sheldon will be based in Maryland but hopefully as COVID restrictions lift there will be a few that he can come up and ride,” said Russell.

On Sunday at Laurel Park, the Russell family trainer/jockey combo combined to win an open maiden special weight with Cash is King and LC Racing's Dream Big Dreams. The colt was named by Cash is King's managing partner Chuck Zacney.

“Chuck said he wanted to use that name for one that we liked,” said Russell. “It's fitting that it was that colt that won because we think he has a future ahead of him. Maybe that's one that Sheldon can come up to New York and ride.”

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Between The Hedges: Determining Post Times

Determining post time – the time at which a race is scheduled to start and entrants must be at their starting positions – is a complex calculation with a number of variables for New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) tracks.

There is a general notion that tracks blindly create post times and do so without coordinating with other tracks. But most tracks do work together.
Consider the extensive race dates offered across North America. In 2019, approximately 36,000 races were contested across 4,300 race days, with the summer months being the busiest.

Adding to the post time conundrum is the amount of daylight at different times of the calendar and the fact that NYRA runs year long. Sunset in New York is generally the earliest in December – at roughly 4:28 p.m. – and peaks at about 8:30 p.m. in June and July. Hence, necessitating different post times for NYRA tracks depending on the time of the year. NYRA attempts to conclude each race day within 30 minutes of sunset in the winter, both because of dusk settling earlier and to accommodate races offered by West Coast tracks.

There is a prime signal based on which track handles the most at each point during the year. NYRA almost always hits the board in terms of the top-three handling tracks, and during the Belmont meets and especially at Saratoga, NYRA sets the market and send out our post times in advance. Most tracks will react to NYRA's times, and the company works closely with Keeneland in the spring and the fall to provide race-day updates and ensure separation.

Another wrinkle to creating post times is ensuring coordination with the broadcasting schedule, which produces more than 800 hours of programming year round. Post times have to work within television windows and track partners for the duration of the programming. Dependent upon the time of year, NYRA works with Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Woodbine Racetrack, Monmouth Park, Churchill Downs, Fair Grounds Race Course, Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, and others.

Time required between races is another consideration. At Aqueduct, NYRA can comfortably run 28 minutes between races. Once racing moves to Belmont and Saratoga, additional time between races is required, given the layout of the facility and proximity of the jockeys room, as well as to accommodate post-race interviews with winning connections. The post times must work in concert with our wagering menu to give a little extra time for Pick Ns and also on marquee days with a large on-track crowd.

Once post times are created, they are circulated to an internal group consisting of representatives from NYRA's racing office, mutuels, and television departments for approval before being circulated to our simulcast partners.

NYRA's mutuels team compares our post times to several other tracks once an overnight is produced and identifies any adjustments that will need to be put out on race day morning. Our internal efforts are complemented by the external review of Equibase. A number of tracks communicate any changes to an Equibase scheduling team that then suggest changes to the others in order to avoid any overlap.

So, does it work?

Yes, for the most part. A review of 2019 off times (pre-pandemic) compared to any races within 5 minutes of NYRA races on either side of the off time yielded the following:

Aqueduct's meets (winter, spring, and fall) had 69 of its races (8%) run within 5 minutes of others. A total of 229 races from other tracks fell within this window.

Belmont meets (spring/summer, fall) had 99 of its races (13%) run within 5 minutes of others. A total of 409 races from other tracks fell within this window.

Saratoga had 68 of its races (17%) run within 5 minutes of others. A total of 253 races from other tracks fell within this window.

The results support that the increased racing during the warmer months makes it more difficult for tracks to avoid each other given the volume of races.

While it is not an apples-to-apples comparison, in that NYRA did not run every day of the year, there were just 891 races out of 36,000 in 2019 that were run within five minutes of any NYRA races. That is only two percent.

The takeaway? Trust the process. A lot of work goes into NYRA's post times and the entire industry benefits when scheduled properly.

Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

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