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Pandemic Leads To Declines In Keeneland’s On-Track Wagering, Field Size At Fall Meet

Keeneland concluded its Fall Meet on Saturday, showcasing racing's top equine and human athletes who competed in anticipation of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at the at the Lexington, Ky., track on Nov. 6-7 while continuing its philanthropic mission of supporting the Central Kentucky community and the Thoroughbred industry.

“On behalf of Keeneland, our sincerest thanks to our fans across the country and around the world, and our racing participants, sponsors, industry and community partners and employees who enabled us to hold a safe, competitive Fall Meet during these unprecedented times,” said Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason, who presided over his final race meet before his retirement on Dec. 31. “The silver lining of this pandemic has been the collaboration and creativity of various constituencies in their steadfast support of Thoroughbred racing and our philanthropic mission. There is a true spirit of coming together for the good of all.”

Though the Fall Meet was closed to the general public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fans enthusiastically wagered more than $148 million on the 17 days of racing from Oct. 2-24.

“We continue to be humbled by the tremendous support of our fans; their passion for Keeneland is inspiring,” Keeneland President-Elect Shannon Arvin said. “This track was created for people to enjoy the grounds and the thrill of racing in person. I know I speak for the entire Keeneland team and our horsemen when I say we can't wait to welcome our fans back to the track.”

All-sources wagering on live racing during the Fall Meet totaled $148,229,708, for an average daily handle of $8,719,395, down 7.5% from 2019. Last fall, all-sources wagering was a Keeneland record $160,207,916 for the 17-day Fall Meet.

Keeneland established a record Fall Meet Pick 5 handle of $868,303 on Fall Stars Saturday, Oct. 3, besting the previous record of $794,689 set on opening Saturday in 2019.

The Fall Meet was conducted with only a limited number of participants and essential personnel in attendance, resulting in total on-track handle of $2,477,890, for average daily on-track handle of $145,758. In comparison, on-track handle totaled $17,320,852 for the 2019 Fall Meet.

“Historically, Keeneland ranks among the top tracks in North America in terms of average daily attendance and enjoys some of the highest on-track handle figures,”Keeneland Vice President of Racing Bob Elliston said. “The difference in all-sources wagering this fall versus last comes down to the loss in on-track wagering.”

Fall Meet racing highlights
Keeneland purses remained among the richest in North America this fall, averaging $682,324 per day. Average starters per race was 8.1 compared to 9.5 during the 2019 Fall Meet. Field size was impacted this fall by pandemic-related travel restrictions and limitations on horses shipping in from other major racing jurisdictions.

Ten horses secured berths in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland with victories in Win & You're In stakes this fall. Among the Grade 1 victors were Darley Alcibiades winner Simply Ravishing (Juvenile Fillies-G1); Shadwell Turf Mile winner Ivar (BRZ) (Mile-G1); First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare winner Uni (GB) (Filly and Mare Turf-G1); Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Essential Quality (Juvenile-G1) and Juddmonte Spinster winner Valiance (Distaff-G1).

In other racing highlights:

Harvey's Lil Goil grabbed the lead at the top of the stretch and then held off challengers to win the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana, the sixth Grade 1 event of the Fall Meet.
Stoll Keenon Ogden, Keeneland's only legal counsel since its founding in the 1930s, celebrated its 10-year milestone sponsorship of the Phoenix (G2), won by Diamond Oops. With the victory, Diamond Oops earned a berth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).
Aunt Pearl (IRE) took the lead at the break and cruised to a 2½-length victory in stakes-record time to win the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2) and win a fees-paid berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1).

“We appreciate the strong support of our owners, trainers and jockeys; their desire to participate at the highest levels of racing is what makes Keeneland so special,” Elliston said. “We look forward to cheering on many of our Fall Meet contenders at the Breeders' Cup here in two weeks.”

Fall Meet leaders
The Fall Meet featured a battle for the title of leading trainer and leading owner, while Tyler Gaffalione was the clear winner for leading jockey honors.

The race for leading trainer among Brad Cox, Mike Maker and Steve Asmussen was decided on the final day.

Cox won two races on closing day to increase his total to 15 and earn his second title, joining Spring 2018. His wins during the season included the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity with Essential Quality and JPMorgan Chase Jessamine with Aunt Pearl (IRE), two horses expected to return in the Breeders' Cup. Cox also had a three-win day on Oct. 18.

Maker ranked second in the trainer standings with 12 wins, while Asmussen recorded 11 victories to finish third.

Among jockeys, Tyler Gaffalione won 24 races to secure his third leading rider title following Fall 2018 and Summer 2020. Gaffalione's victories included the Buffalo Trace Franklin County (G3) on Got Stormy, another Breeders' Cup hopeful.

Finishing second and third, respectively, in the standings were Florent Geroux (16 wins) and Ricardo Santana Jr. (13 wins). The two riders each recorded three-win days: Geroux on Oct. 18 and Santana on Oct. 16 and Oct. 22.

Luis Saez won five of the 10 Fall Stars Weekend stakes: the opening-day Darley Alcibiades with Simply Ravishing; Saturday's Claiborne Breeders' Futurity on Essential Quality and Woodford (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select with Leinster; and Sunday's Juddmonte Spinster with Valiance and Bourbon (G3) with Mutasaabeq.

Earning its first title as leading owner was Mike Sisk's M and M Racing, which won five races with eight starters. Robertino Diodoro trained the M and M horses, and David Cohen was aboard every winner. Together, the trio won three races on Oct. 9.

Bonnie and Tommy Hamilton's Silverton Hill won four races during the meet. Five owners notched three wins apiece: Asmussen, Mohammed Al Maktoum et al's Godolphin, Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm and Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm.

Nourish Lexington featured Fall Meet charity
Keeneland made it easy for fans no matter their location to watch and wager on the Fall Meet with Keeneland at Home Presented by UK HealthCare and Official Keeneland Watch Parties in Partnership with VisitLEX and the Bluegrass Hospitality Association.

Keeneland at Home fans and Keeneland Watch Party attendees had the opportunity to support Nourish Lexington, Keeneland's featured Fall Meet charity. By using the talents and resources of food service and hospitality employees displaced by the pandemic, Nourish Lexington has provided more than 160,000 scratch-made, nutritious meals for community members in need since April.

Partnerships with a philanthropic connection
True to its mission, Keeneland's commitment to support the community and the Thoroughbred industry remained unchanged as the track teamed with sponsors and racing-related partners to virtually conduct several popular Fall Meet special events and raise much-needed funds for worthwhile causes.

A virtual edition of Make-A-Wish Day on Oct. 8 marked the 13th year that local Thoroughbred farms and organizations joined Keeneland to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. This year, Keeneland and TVG along with Airdrie Stud, Ashford Stud, Flaxman Holdings, Gainesway, Godolphin, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Lane's End Farm, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and Spendthrift Farm participated. Keeneland donated $10,000 to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
Keeneland teamed with UPS and City Barbecue to honor front-line health care workers, first responders, members of the military, teachers and others on Heroes Day, Oct. 18. Keeneland fans nominated deserving community heroes online. Three Central Kentuckians – Letitia Roark from Versailles, Laura Stark of Lexington and Thomas Shaddix from Stamping Ground – were selected as grand prize winners to receive a Keeneland Heroes Day at Home Tailgate from City Barbecue, $1,000 Visa gift card provided by UPS and other goodies. Twelve other nominees received $250 Visa gift cards provided by UPS.
College Scholarship Day went digital on Oct. 23, awarding more than $30,000 in scholarships and dozens of prizes to students in partnership with the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Coca-Cola.
Juddmonte, sponsor of the Juddmonte Spinster, and Keeneland made a combined donation of $10,000 to the Kentucky Equine Management Internship (KEMI) program, which provides hands-on internship opportunities for college students interested in careers in the horse industry. Many of the nearly 1,000 graduates of the KEMI program have found rewarding careers in diverse areas of the industry.
Keeneland sponsor Kentucky Utilities challenged Keeneland fans with a matching campaign to support God's Pantry and Nourish Lexington with a $7,500 commitment. To support this initiative, please visit https://godspantry.org/donate/keeneland/
With the help of its corporate partners, Keeneland thanked the hardworking community in the track's stable area on selected days during the Fall Meet with Nourish the Backstretch, an extension of Nourish Lexington. Participating partners include Anthem, Buffalo Trace, Claiborne Farm, Darley, Dixiana, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Juddmonte Farms, Lexus of Lexington, Pin Oak Stud, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Shadwell Farm, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, TVG and UK HealthCare.
Keeneland and Lexus of Lexington, sponsor of the Lexus Raven Run (G2), made a combined commitment of $5,000 to The MAP Foundation/Woodhill Community Center. Lexington Leadership Foundation (LLF) and The MAP Foundation have partnered to provide the children, teens and families involved in LLF's Urban Impact Initiative and throughout the Lexington community a place where they can realize their potential to grow, succeed and lead.

2020 Fall Meet at a Glance (Oct. 2-24)

	Fall 2020	Fall 2019
All-Sources Handle on Keeneland	$148,229,708	$160,207,916

Avg. Daily All-Sources Handle on Keeneland	$8,719,395	$9,423,995

Total On-Track Handle	$2,477,890	$17,320,852

Avg. Daily On-Track Handle	$145,758	$1,018,873

Total Attendance	15,351	262,630

Avg. Daily Attendance	903	15,449

The post Pandemic Leads To Declines In Keeneland’s On-Track Wagering, Field Size At Fall Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Mighty Heart Falls Short In Triple Crown Bid; Trainer Carroll Triumphant With Maiden Belichick In Breeders’ Stakes

Belichick, second to Mighty Heart in the Queen's Plate, turned the tables on his stablemate, and trounced his nearest rival by four lengths in the 129th running of the $400,000 Breeders' Stakes, Saturday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Coached by conditioner Josie Carroll, who also trains Mighty Heart, Belichick proved to be much the best in the 1 1/2-mile turf marathon, and final jewel in the OLG Canadian Triple Crown.

Mighty Heart, the one-eyed wonder colt, was looking to become the first horse since Wando in 2003 to sweep all three races in the series. The bay Ontario-bred, bred and owned by Larry Cordes, was impressive in winning both the Queen's Plate at Woodbine on Sept. 12 and the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie on Sept. 29.

On this day, however, it was Belichick's time to shine over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, courtesy of a maiden-breaking masterpiece.

It was Mighty Heart, sent off as the even-money choice, who was immediately directed to the front by Daisuke Fukumoto. The son of Dramedy was quickly engaged by longshot Kunal into the first turn, as the duo took their rivals through an opening quarter-mile in a brisk :23.69. Told It All and Clayton (the bay son of Bodemeister, who was third in the Plate and second in the Prince of Wales) were well back in third and fourth, respectively. Belichick, sent off as the 3-1 third choice, sat sixth under confident handling from Luis Contreras.

Mighty Heart and Kunal continued their front-end battle after a half-mile posted in :47.45, still well ahead of their closest pursuers. Belichick, still waiting for his cue from Contreras, began to pick up momentum moving into fifth spot.

After three-quarters in 1:13.02, the field began to converge on the leaders, with Contreras steering Belichick to the outside to take aim at the tiring front-runners. Just before the turn for home, Belichick took command as Mighty Heart began to fade to the inside.

At the stretch call (timed in 2:07.38), Belichick was in full flight, dashing away from his rivals with ease, as late-running 54-1 outsider Meyer rallied to take the second spot. English Conqueror got up for third, a half-length in front of 41-1 Deviant for the show award. Mighty Heart finished seventh. Olliemyboy, 11th in the Queen's Plate, was scratched.

Final time for the race was 2:32.51 over “good” ground.

“They kind of broke early in the race so I just tried to see them and relax my horse as much as I can,” said Contreras of the early front end speed. “He was very uncomfortable; this horse has a different style to run so I just let him be happy wherever he wants to be.

“Turning for home, I was just in hand all the way to the quarter pole and I asked him to run from the stretch home and he did. I was just watching, just feeling my horse at the same time. And he was doing great the whole way. He came into this race very ready, good thing for Josie and all the crew.”

Fukumoto didn't expect to be on the engine with Mighty Heart.

“Today he broke good and I didn't plan on going to the front. He was sharp like in the Queen's Plate, I tried to take hold and he relaxed a little bit in the backstretch, but with the mile and a half you need the stamina. I think he just got tired. He tried hard today, I tried to take hold too … but that's racing. He gave me many experiences and I'm so proud of him. I want everyone to keep following him when he runs again next time.”

Said Carroll, “I told him [Fukumoto], 'Let's see how this falls out. If you make the lead, watch your fractions … it's a long, long race.' The horse broke well, he found himself up there, unfortunately another horse dogged him the whole way and he couldn't get the horse to come off the bridle and relax.”

The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee was impressed, but not surprised by the winner's strong showing.

“I've said from the very start that Belichick is a very, very special horse that's just coming into his own and I think he showed that today. He's a powerful horse. The Queen's Plate was a breakout race for him and we couldn't come back that quickly in the Prince of Wales. A horse needs a little time to regroup from something like that, a young, inexperienced horse. And regroup he did.”

Owned by NK Racing and LNJ Foxwood, Belichick is now 1-2-1 from four starts in his career.

The son of Lemon Drop Kid, unraced at two, finished third in his career bow on July 4, following it up with a runner-up performance in his second start on August 1.

After his second-place finish in the Plate, Belichick's connections drew up a perfect game plan for the Breeders'.

“He's a different horse,” noted Carroll. “He was so distracted the first race. I came over here with high expectations of him, I knew in the paddock I was in trouble … he was looking at a white pony and he was all googly-eyed at them, all over the place. And then off of that race he seasoned a little, and then more so the next race, and then today when I was back at the barn he was sleeping all day, stretched right out in the stall … just crashed. The nerves are all gone, he's just turned into a real professional.”

The last Canadian Triple Crown winner was the Michael Keogh-trained Wando, who put his name into the record books in 2003 as the 12th horse to win all three races.

Belichick paid $8.70, $5 and $3.40. He combined with Meyer ($30.70, $15.60) for a 9-1 exactor that returned $238.20. English Conqueror ($5.30) completed the 9-1-5 triactor, worth $1,544.60 and Deviant rounded out the 9-1-5-3 winning superfecta combination that paid $15,395.90 for $1.

Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday, with first race post time set for 1:10 p.m. The feature race is the $250,000 Wonder Where Stakes, final jewel in the Canadian Triple Tiara series.

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Pint-Sized Pretty Good Year Surprises In Maryland Million Turf

Lead Off Stable's diminutive gelding Pretty Good Year, standing just 13 hands tall, came with a steady run down the center of the track to catch leaders Cannon's Roar and favored Nick Papagiorgio and spring a 15-1 upset of Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Extended another furlong to 1 1/8 miles from 2019, the Turf for 3-year-olds and up was among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state, highlighted by the $150,000 Classic.

Pretty Good Year ($32) gave jockey Sheldon Russell his third win of the day, following Hello Beautiful in the $100,000 Distaff and Jumpstartmyheart in the opener. It was also the third win for sire Great Notion, extending his streak to 11 straight years with a Maryland Million winner and moving him into sole possession of third on the all-time list with 16.

Based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Pretty Good Year's owner is Bobby Goodyear, racing manager for the 4-year-old gelding's breeder, Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group. Elkstone also bred and owns Classic contender Top Line Growth.

“It's pretty amazing. I am so proud of this horse, you have no idea,” trainer Kelly Rubley said. “[Goodyear] just loved this horse from the day he was born and look at how it's paid off for him. It's just remarkable. What a neat little horse for this man to have picked out of the field and said, 'He's the one.' He's just 13 hands. He's very small.”

Rising Perry and Seville Barber were in front through a quarter-mile in 24.17 seconds and a half in 48.46, with Nick Papagiorgio biding his time in the clear in third and Cannon's Roar chasing in between horses. Nick Papagiorgio forged a short lead off the turn at the top of the stretch until being passed with a rail move from Cannon's Roar, while Pretty Good Year fanned wide to reel in the front-runners.

“Distance has always been his thing,” Rubley said. “We keep hitting these one-turn miles here and he hits the board and he picks up checks, but the longer the better for him. At the three-eighths pole, I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, we have a lot of horse.'”

Cannon's Roar was second, snapping a three-race win streak, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Nick Papagiorgio, the 8-5 top choice that had had won five of his last six starts, the only loss coming by a nose. It was 5 1/4 lengths back to defending Turf champion Mr. d'Angelo in fourth.

Pretty Good Year closed from far back to be third in last year's Turf, also with Russell aboard, but had never won on the grass.

“Last year he ran a really good third in the race and I probably had him a little too far back,” Russell said, “but, he had put in some pretty decent races on the dirt and it just happened to work out today. I felt like we had an honest pace, he's a deep-end closer and loves to be on the outside. I just stayed out of his way. At the three-eighths pole I was fully loaded and I knew that as soon as I got to the outside he was going to stretch his legs.”

Pretty Good Year was pre-entered in the Classic but Rubley opted to keep him on turf when the Classic drew only four Maryland-sired horses, allowing Maryland-breds like program favorite and Pimlico Special (G3) Harpers First Ride to run.

“What an experience,” Rubley said. “We were actually hoping the Classic wouldn't open this year because it's a mile and an eighth on dirt, and he runs on both. It would have been very exciting, but we'll certainly take this.”

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CHRB Report: More Than Half Southern California Thyroxine Prescriptions Come From Two Barns

New diagnostic standards for thyroxine use in California could be on the way after a California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) staff report suggests some trainers are ignoring board warnings about overuse of thyroxine.

A staff report released ahead of a meeting of the CHRB's Medication, Safety and Welfare Committee this week revealed that two unidentified trainers in Southern California were responsible for more than half the 256 prescriptions for thyroxine on the circuit so far this year, and three veterinarians accounted for 80 percent of the prescriptions. Those figures are based on required reporting to the CHRB which, per rule language, prohibits the board from disclosing the identities of horses or connections involved.

Thyroxine (commonly known by its trade name as Thyro-L) is product for the treatment of hypothyroidism, or underperformance of the thyroid gland, in horses. Horses with hypothyroidism are typically overweight with cresty necks, struggle to lose weight with exercise, and are often lethargic with a poor hair coat — not a typical picture of a fit, healthy racehorse. Hypothyroidism is relatively rare in horses, and is most commonly found among foals who suffered an iodine deficiency.

Thyroxine overuse in racehorses first gained attention in 2013 when the Board launched an investigation into the sudden deaths of seven horses trained by Bob Baffert between 2011 and 2013. Baffert told investigators at the time that he had all the horses in his care on thyroxine, which was given as orally in a horse's grain in a similar manner as powdered supplements. At that time, trainers would commonly reach for thyroxine as a way to help get weight off horses, particularly if they'd recently returned from a lay-off.

The tendency to think of thyroxine as a supplement rather than a drug extends well beyond one barn, however. The Racing Medication and Testing Consortium and American Association of Equine Practitioners put out an advisory earlier this year emphasizing to trainers that thyroxine is a drug which should be given based on a medical diagnosis, not a wellness product to be distributed to the whole shedrow.

Hypothyroidism may be diagnosed by measuring a horse's T3 or T4 levels in their bloodstream. Those hormones are produced by the thyroid and can be an indicator of its function. The trouble with relying on those blood tests for a diagnosis in a racehorse, according to CHRB staff, is that T3 and T4 are known to circulate in lower levels in fit horses, thanks to certain common therapeutic drugs, lots of exercise, high protein diets, or high carbohydrate hay — all of which are the norm for horses in training.

It seems some practitioners are less concerned than others to use blood tests for diagnosis.

“Veterinarians have argued a 'positive' clinical response in a thyroxine treated horse is evidence of hypothyroidism,” the report read. “That is incorrect.”

A 2018 academic study on racing Standardbreds found that horses appeared more alert after being given thyroxine, leading some horsemen to believe it was having a positive effect. That study also found thyroxine-treated horses tired more easily, did not experience improved performance, and that four of six treated study horses developed cardiac arrhythmias.

The committee was urged to consider requiring a blood test for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) as a more reliable indicator of hypothyroidism. Proposed changes to board rule 1866.4 would restrict thyroxine use to horses who had a positive hypothyroid diagnosis based on a TRH test. Test results would have to be submitted to the CHRB equine medical director for review and would have to be reauthorized every 90 days. Horses would be ineligible to race for 30 days after administration.

The staff report indicates there may be serious risks with giving thyroxine to a horse who doesn't need it.

“Thyroxine has been associated with cardiac arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation in humans and anecdotally similar cardiac arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation have been reported in horses,” the report read. “While we cannot assert a cause and effect relationship, one sudden death in 2020 occurred five days after the horse was prescribed thyroxine.”

The board will consider the new thyroxine rule language at its meeting on Nov. 19.

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