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California Stallion Far From Over Dies At Age Nine

Far From Over, a 9-year-old son of Blame who was standing at Dr. William Gray's Gray Farms near Cottonwood, California, died July 11 after suffering a seizure the night before.

Far From Over, out of the A.P. Indy mare Alchemist, was bred by Alexander Groves Matz, and hails from the blue hen family of Courtly Dee, one of the most productive lines in the Thoroughbred world. After breaking his maiden at first asking at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old, Far From Over returned the following season to take the 2015 Grade 3 Withers Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. He was training for a start in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and was an early-line favorite for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby but was injured in his final breeze for the Wood and missed the remainder of his sophomore campaign.

He returned at 4 to take an allowance race at Belmont Park at 1 1/16 miles before again going to the sidelines. He retired with a line of 6-3-1-0 and earnings of $255,600 for owners Black Rock Thoroughbreds, Madaket Stables, and James Covello.

A $550,000 yearling purchase, Far From Over stood most of three seasons at stud for a partnership that includes Steve Marshall's Fountain of Youth Breeding LLC, Burke Edwards, and Justin Ferrero. His oldest progeny are yearlings of 2021, some of which are slated to be sold at Fasig-Tipton's July sale in Kentucky, set to begin July 12. The sale includes a dispersal of Marshall's stock.

“Of all the horses I've owned, Far From Over had as good a physical as we've ever seen, and that includes Violence,” said Marshall. “It's a great loss. We'll never know how good a sire he would have been.”

The post California Stallion Far From Over Dies At Age Nine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Drayden Van Dyke Returning To Southern California

Jockey Drayden Van Dyke, the 2014 Eclipse Award-winning apprentice, is making plans to move back to Southern California, reports the Daily Racing Form.

The 26-year-old rider shifted his tack to Kentucky in the spring of 2021, and was represented by retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens while riding at Turfway Park, Keeneland and Churchill Downs. Van Dyke also earned his first mount in the Kentucky Derby aboard the Wesley Ward-trained Like The King, who finished 12th.

“Coming out here was a great learning experience and it's only going to make me better,” Van Dyke told DRF. “It wasn't a mistake coming here. It was really good for me. Riding with different riders out here, in a room that is loaded with talent, you learn stuff and you learn how to hustle.”

Van Dyke plans to finish out this weekend at Ellis Park before heading back to California for the start of the Del Mar meeting. Brandon O'Bryan will represent Van Dyke on the West Coast.

Minimum Fine for Mandella’s 4C Positive in San Simeon

Trainer Richard Mandella has been fined $500 by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) for a Class 4 and Penalty Category C methocarbamol positive that turned up in the post-race test of Jolie Olimpica (Brz) (Drosselmeyer) after the MGSW mare ran third in the GIII San Simeon S. at Santa Anita Mar. 13.

The stewards' ruling was issued May 29. According to the original May 7 complaint, split-sample blood testing had confirmed the presence of the skeletal muscle relaxant.

Methocarbamol's 4C categorization is on the least-severe side of the scale on the Uniform Classification Guidelines for Foreign Substances list published by the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI).

Mandella, a Hall-of-Fame conditioner who has been training since 1974, shows three other low-category medication fines of $500 each in the ARCI's rulings database: One for phenylbutazone and flunixin in 2018 at Santa Anita, one for methocarbamol at Santa Anita in 2011, and one for naproxen at Arlington Park in 2007.

In California, a trainer's first violation within a 365-day period for a Category C drug violation can result in a minimum fine of $500 to a maximum fine of $1,000 (absent mitigating circumstances).

CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten confirmed that Mandella paid the fine the day after the ruling was issued.

The post Minimum Fine for Mandella’s 4C Positive in San Simeon appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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McCarthy to Move His Tack to California

Jockey Trevor McCarthy is moving his tack to California later this month. A leading rider in Maryland, McCarthy began riding in New York this winter, enjoying a successful Aqueduct winter meet. As of Sunday, he was fourth in the Belmont spring standings.

McCarthy will be represented by Derek Lawson, former agent to Flavien Prat.

“I needed a rider and was not going to take one away from another agent here,” said Lawson. “I recruited him. I started looking at riders who might fit out here, called him up, he made calls to trainers to learn about me and here we are. Trevor had a great winter at Aqueduct but he wanted to try something completely different, that being California, and he wanted to work with me. He will start riding here Memorial Day weekend.”

The post McCarthy to Move His Tack to California appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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