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1/ST Racing COO Aidan Butler Joins Writers’ Room

In the news plenty recently for cracking down on clenbuterol violations with out-of-competition testing, suspending a jockey over a suspected betting coup and overseeing the successful installation of a third, synthetic surface at Gulfsteam Park, 1/ST Racing's Chief Operations Officer Aidan Butler is making a name for himself in the industry as a proactive, no-nonsense executive. Wednesday, he joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss all of those recent stories, the improved safety record at Santa Anita, long-term plans for Maryland racing and more.

“[Out-of-competition testing] is a really good tried and tested format of catching medication violations well before they become an issue during a race,” Butler said. “There's not a great deal of out-of-competition testing done in Florida, so I felt that rather than waiting for HISA to eventually kick in or waiting for the state [to act], we've got house rules we can implement ourselves and we should start to use them. I was pretty disappointed with the amount [of positives] that came back from the first round. But we've done a bunch more testing since and I've had a 0% positivity rate. I'm not everybody's cup of tea because I'm a little bit blunt. I do run out of words eventually to spin things. And I am sick to death of people not doing it the right way. We've got enough problems in the game, so the silly things like this where people are either not paying attention or not giving a crap, we aren't going to stand for it and we're going to keep pushing.”

Butler also spearheaded the suspension of jockey Carlos Lugo for being suspected of stiffing a horse in a race earlier this month that contained irregular betting patterns. Once again, Butler had words of warning for any other riders or trainers looking to pull off similar schemes in the future.

“You haven't heard the last of me reacting like I did with anybody caught messing around,” he said. “My background was as a bookie so reading races was my shtick. How stupid can you be? All of us see it. Maybe things in the past were a little bit laxer. They bloody ain't now. So if people want to keep trying it, great, but things are going to gradually get worse and worse for them. And if people start to skirt it that much, they are absolutely not going to be welcome at any track I have anything to do with. It's, again, one of those really, really disappointing things that people think they can get away with.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, West Point Thoroughbreds, the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to the extra scrutiny Bob Baffert's horses will be subject to for the Breeders' Cup, analyzed the trends in the 2021 report of mares bred and discussed what the role of the NTRA should be going forward under new leadership. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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The Week in Review: Letruska Belongs in the Classic

Minutes after another easy win by Letruska (Super Saver), this time in the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. Sunday at Keeneland, trainer Fausto Gutierrez told reporters that the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, and not the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, would be next for his 5-year-old mare. That was hardly a surprise. Gutierrez and German Larrea, the Mexican billionaire businessman who owns the horse, are looking to play it safe. Letruska is simply better than every other filly and mare in the sport and shouldn't have any problem winning the Distaff. The Distaff is an easier assignment than the Classic. Perhaps much easier.

That's racing in 2021. Don't take a chance. Don't test your horse. Always go for the softest spot.

The problem is that she has nothing to gain by winning the Distaff. That is, outside of the purse money, which can't possibly matter to Larrea. She's already clinched the older filly and mare championship and there's nothing that can happen in the race to embellish her reputation. She's 6-for-7 on the year while racing exclusively against fillies with four Grade I wins and has traveled all over the country. For her, the Distaff is pretty much just another race.

She deserves a chance to prove her greatness and that can only happen with a start in the Classic. Win the Distaff and she's just another very good filly. Win the Classic and she can be mentioned in the same breath as a Rachel Alexandra or a Zenyatta.

It may also be her only real chance of becoming Horse of the Year. Should any of the top three or four horses in the Classic go on to win, they will be named Horse of the Year. For Letruska to win the title, she would need to win the Distaff and have an outsider win the Classic.

This year's Classic is loaded. Knicks Go (Paynter), Essential Quality (Tapit), Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), Medina Spirit (Protonico), Art Collector (Bernardini), Max Player (Honor Code) and Maxfield (Street Sense) headline one of the deepest fields ever assembled for the race. There's also the matter of Letruska's running style. She is a front-runner, which means she'd either have to alter her style in the Classic or go to the lead and risk getting into a suicidal early duel with Knicks Go.

No one is saying this would be easy. As talented as Letruska is she simply may not be good enough to beat the very best males. But the potential rewards outweigh the risks and this terrific mare deserves every opportunity to truly show what she is made of. Is Letruska a great horse? Is she among the best fillies of her era? Give her the chance to answer that question.

Win and You're Not In

The “Win and You're In” program leading up to the Breeders' Cup has been a success. Not only are the races important preps for the Breeders' Cup, but several top trainers have said they gravitate toward these races because a win in one of these races cuts way down on the expenses normally involved with getting a horse into a Breeders' Cup race. Win one of the “Breeders' Cup Challenge” races and pre-entry and entry fees are paid and any horse based outside of the home state for that year's Breeders' Cup will have its travel expenses paid.

Most of the races that are part of the program make perfect sense. Obviously, races like the GI Runhappy Travers S., the GI TVG Pacific Classic, the GI Champagne S., etc. belong. But there are some notable races missing from the series.

Saturday's GII Vosburgh S. at Belmont, which attracted just four starters, is a Win and You're In race. But on the same day, the GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. is not. The Sept. 18 Jockey Club Derby Invitational, for 3-year-olds on the grass, qualifies but the Jockey Club Oaks Invitational, run the same day for 3-year-old turf fillies, does not. The other notable omission is the Grade I races at Parx. The GI Pennsylvania Derby has become a very important race, but is not a Win and You're In. Neither is the GI Cotillion S. for 3-year-old fillies. Both deserve to be included.

Lugo Deserved More Than 30 Days

It was announced last week that jockey Carlos Lugo was suspended 30 days by the Gulfstream stewards for failing to persevere when riding Princess Tereska in the fourth race on Oct. 3.

The race was won by Princess Tereska's stablemate Rubysa (Gone Astray), who was hammered down from 15-1 in the morning line to 5-2. Though a $12,500 maiden claiming race, the six-furlong event handled more than any other race on the card. Both horses are trained by Juan Reveriego.

That the Gulfstream stewards took action against Lugo is commendable. A lot of tracks would have just looked the other way. But, under the circumstances, 30 days doesn't seem like enough. And what about Reveriego? If there was a betting coup and he was in on any part of it, he would certainly seem to deserve some sort of stiff penalty.

Runco, Bocachica on a Roll at Charles Town

Though the West Virginia Breeders' Classic card at Charles Town was overshadowed by the many preps run the same day for the Breeders' Cup, it featured one of the standout training and riding feats on the year.

Trainer Jeff Runco won seven races on the nine-race card, all of them stakes. The list includes a win by Muad'dib (Fiber Sonde) in the $300,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic S. The 4-year-old is 8-for-8 lifetime.

And Runco's regular rider, Arnaldo Bocachica won eight races, a Charles Town record. Bocachica finished fourth in the third race aboard Aaron's Tap (Northern Afleet) for his only loss on the night. It was also a big night for owner David Raim, who had five winners.

Runco is largely unknown outside of West Virginia, but his numbers are noteworthy. He has 4,494 career wins from 20,992 starters, 12th best among all trainers.

Medina Spirit and the Eclipse Awards

If a horse were to win the GI Kentucky Derby, the Shared Belief S, the GI Awesome Again S. and the Breeders' Cup Classic would that be enough to be named Horse of the Year or, perhaps, 3-year-old champion? Normally, the answer would be yes. Four horses have won the Kentucky Derby and the Classic in the same year and three (Authentic, American Pharoah and Sunday Silence) were named Horse of the Year and 3-year-old champion. The fourth, Unbridled, was named 3-year-old champion, but lost out on Horse of the Year to Criminal Type.

So what should voters do with Medina Spirit in the case that he wins the Classic? The way things are dragging along with his betamethasone positive from the Derby, it's entirely possible that the matter will be unresolved by the time voters must make their choices for the Eclipse Awards. That would mean that, technically, Medina Spirit would still be the winner of this year's Derby.

Would that mean he should be given credit for winning the Derby, at least until the matter is resolved? Most voters will likely assume that he will eventually be disqualified from the Derby and vote for someone else. But a case could be made that Medina Spirit would at least deserve serious consideration for year-end honors.

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Gulfstream Suspends Jockey Carlos Lugo 30 Days Over ‘Failure To Persevere’ In Race With Spike In Wagering

Gulfstream Park stewards have suspended jockey Carlos Lugo for 30 calendar days.

The stewards announced Friday that Lugo was suspended for his failure to persevere when riding Princess Tereska in Race 4 on Oct. 3 at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track, when the Juan J. Reviriego-trained filly finished fourth as the third choice in the wagering.

Another filly trained by Reviriego, Rubysa – bet down from a 15-1 morning line to 2.70-1 – won the race wire to wire. Both Princess Tereska and Rubysa are owned by Long Trail Stables LLC, an entity associated with Felice Iadisernia, brother of former trainer Giuseppe Iadisernia.

Wagering on the maiden claiming race, cited in this Paulick Report article, was the highest of the Oct. 3 card, with the exacta pool 37% higher than any other race that day and the trifecta pool 38% higher than the next highest trifecta pool.

Stewards said Friday afternoon they will continue looking into the race.

Lugo's suspension begins Monday, Oct. 11.

Lugo had eight wins in 113 mounts during the Spring/Summer Meet at Gulfstream. He had ridden Princess Tereska to a third-place finish on April 1.

The race in question can be seen below, with Lugo and Princess Tereska program No. 5.

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Go Figure: Wagering Spikes On Gulfstream Park Maiden Claiming Race

The fourth race on Sunday, Oct. 3, at Gulfstream Park was just a maiden claiming race with a nondescript field of nine fillies – who'd combined for eight second- and third-place finishes from 48 total starts. The runners carried a $12,500 claiming tag and were racing for a $21,000 purse.

Yet, for reasons unknown, this six-furlong race stood out to some gamblers playing the nine-race Sunday program.

The $193,956 in win, place and show bets exceeded every other race on the card. So did the $198,851 in the exacta pool – fully $54,034 (37%) higher than the second biggest exacta pool on the day. The $127,460 in trifecta bets and $90,433 wagered on the superfecta also were the largest pools of the day for those bet types (the trifecta was higher by 38% and the superfecta by 26%).

Combining straight bets with these three exotic wagering pools, there was $610,700 bet on this maiden claimer, $114,210 (23%) more than the day's feature race, an allowance/optional claiming event with a field of nine.

In fact, of the 177 races run at Gulfstream Park in the previous month, beginning with Sept. 3, only five other races had larger exacta pools and only four trifecta pools were bigger than Sunday's fourth race. Keep in mind that Saturdays almost always out-handle Sunday cards.

The race was won in front-running fashion by Rubysa, a 3-year-old Gone Astray filly making her third start and first since March 26. Rubysa was 15-1 on the morning line and bet down to 2.70-1. First-time starter Sade Purse finished second at 17.90-1 with 1.5-1 favorite J D's Vista third and Princess Tereska, the 4-1 second choice, finishing fourth.

Both the winner and fourth-place finisher were making their first starts for trainer Juan Reviriego, who less than five months earlier returned to training to run his first horse since 2009 and proceeded to win with three of his first five starters. He then lost with his next 12 runners going into Sunday's fourth race.

Rubysa and Princess Teresko are owned by Long Trail Stables LLC, an entity registered in Florida by Felice Iadisernia, the brother of horseman Giuseppe Iadisernia. The latter trained horses for more than a decade, sending out his last runners in 2016, and he and other family members are registered agent for a number of equine-related businesses, including Nelson Jones Farm and Training Center of Ocala, Northwest Stud, and companies that supply shavings and feed to Florida horsemen.

Rubysa was ridden by Jose Morelos, who came to Gulfstream Park earlier this year from Panama and has won with 29 of his first 268 mounts. Carlos Lugo, who had ridden trainer Reviriego's three other winners this year, had been aboard Rubysa in her two previous starts. Lugo rode Princess Tereska in the Oct. 3 race. Breaking from the No. 5 post position, Princess Tereska showed very little from the outset as Rubysa was hustled to the lead from the two post and would draw off by 4 ¾ lengths.

Francisco D'Angelo, a leading conditioner in Venezuela who began training in the U.S. in 2015, had previously trained both Rubysa and Princess Tereska but has not started a horse since Aug. 20, according to Equibase.

Rubysa paid $7.40 to win and combined with 17.90-1 longshot Sade Purse for a $1 exacta payoff of $82.80. The 50-cent trifecta, incorporating the 1.50-1 favorite J D's Vista in third, paid $84, while the 10-cent superfecta paid $111.29 with Princess Tereska in the fourth spot.

The post Go Figure: Wagering Spikes On Gulfstream Park Maiden Claiming Race appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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