Caton Bredar | Horse Racing Free Tips

TVG Adds Jockey Cam, Rail Cam To Enhanced Coverage From Keeneland

TVG will bring racing fans closer to the action than ever before with Jockey Cam, enhanced audio from competitors and the debut of a new Rail Cam when America's horse racing network starts its coverage of every race, every day from the prestigious Keeneland Fall Meeting, the network announced today.

TVG will have blanket, wire-to-wire coverage of the meet including behind-the-scenes features, exclusive interviews from the Keeneland paddock, and expert analysis led by Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Simon Bray, Scott Hazelton, Caton Bredar and Gabby Gaudet.

The featured race on Opening Day is the $400,000 Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) which is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series race and qualifies the winner for the Juvenile Fillies (G1). The race has drawn a full field of twelve 2-year-old fillies and Juju's Map has been tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favorite for trainer Brad Cox. Florent Geroux will be aboard for Albaugh Family Stables.

The coverage of Keeneland's Fall Meet will run through Saturday, Oct. 30, and will include the $200,000 Woodford (G2) Presented by TVG on Oct. 9 alongside 16 additional graded stakes races, ten of which are part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Series with winners earning automatic berths into the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar on Nov. 5-6.

Saturday's loaded card features five graded stakes races including the $750,000 Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) which will earn the winner a spot in the starting gate in the Breeders' Cup FanDuel Mile (G1). The race has drawn a contentious field of thirteen including the defending winner from 2020, Ivar (BRZ). Trained by Paulo Lobo, Joe Talamo will be aboard as the 5-year-old son of Agnes Gold (JPN) makes his second start of the year following a sixth-place finish in his seasonal debut.

“We are excited to bring these innovations and enhanced broadcast technology to our comprehensive coverage of Keeneland and its Fall Meet, always one of the most anticipated and prestigious on the racing calendar,” said Kevin Grigsby, TVG Executive Producer.

“Keeneland fans are among the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic in Thoroughbred racing, and they will truly appreciate TVG's enriched coverage of the Fall Meet,” Keeneland Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Christa Marrillia said. “These new features represent the latest chapter in Keeneland's strong partnership with TVG.”

TVG's Jockey Cam was a popular addition to its coverage of the Del Mar meet and its Rail Cam is designed to bring fans even closer to the action. At Keeneland, the robotic Rail Cam will travel down the stretch with the horses as they approach the finish line. TVG's coverage at the track will also feature handicapping analysis with integrated graphics and touch screen technology.

The post TVG Adds Jockey Cam, Rail Cam To Enhanced Coverage From Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Uses For Biomechanics Data Discussed In Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series

Biomechanics experts joined the eighth session of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference series on Tuesday, Oct. 5, to talk about how the science of biomechanics can be used to identify top racehorses. The conference series is hosted by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and presented by Bessemer Trust, Dean Dorton Equine, Stoll Keenon Ogden, and Stonestreet Farm.

Television analyst Caton Bredar moderated the panel that included Jeff Seder, president and chief executive officer of Equine Biomechanics & Exercise Physiology Inc. (EQB), and Suzanne Smallwood, president and chief analyst of EQUIX. The session was sponsored by Sackatoga Stable, Silver Springs Stud, and WinStar.

Smallwood and Seder talked about how biomechanics involves analysis of various physical aspects of a horse, from its organ function to stride balance at racing speeds, and that they all can affect its speed and soundness. They noted that they are looking to identify subsets of horses that come from groups that have already been selected by horsemen as having potential.

Seder shared a video of different horses that were breezing at a 2-year-old sale that pointed out the biomechanics deficiencies that can be spotted using slow-motion videos. He showed how data recorded from horses in motion can be displayed in graphical form and emphasized that EQB uses an enormous amount of historical data to effectively analyze the potential of a horse being evaluated in the present.

“We start with really good horsemen, and then we put an overlay of technology on that,” said Seder.

Smallwood's team at EQUIX takes physical measurements of yearlings based on proven data models to predict a horse's growth patterns, racing potential, and overall efficiency. She discussed the different physical measurements, how they can affect a horse's performance, and examples of top racehorses and stallions that fit EQUIX's metrics for success.

“You're still learning all of the time with the biomechanics,” she said.

The next session of the series, “Breeding to Win,” will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. ET. It is sponsored by Centennial Farms and Equilume Performance Lighting.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to registered guests. There is no registration fee for the live or recorded virtual conference series, but registration is required. Registration information and schedules are available at ownerview.com/event/conference or by contacting Gary Falter at gfalter@jockeyclub.com.

OwnerView is a joint effort spearheaded by The Jockey Club and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to encourage ownership of Thoroughbreds and provide accurate information on aspects of ownership such as trainers, public racing syndicates, the process of purchasing and owning a Thoroughbred, racehorse retirement, and owner licensing.

The need for a central resource to encourage Thoroughbred ownership was identified in the comprehensive economic study of the sport that was commissioned by The Jockey Club and conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2011. The OwnerView site was launched in May 2012.

The post Uses For Biomechanics Data Discussed In Thoroughbred Owner Conference Series appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Larry Collmus, TVG, HRRN To Anchor On-Site Coverage Of Friday’s Charles Town Classic

With new food, beverage and entertainment options available to those making it to Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races on Friday, Aug. 27, those unable to make it out to the track's largest racing event will still be able to enjoy the action whether at home, in the car or watching through one of Charles Town's many simulcast partners.

For those at home, the Charles Town Classic card will once again be broadcast live on the TVG Network, with the added bonus of TVG providing feet on the ground coverage with analyst Caton Bredar reporting from West Virginia. Bredar, who has worked behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, ESPN, CBS and FOX amongst others marks the first on-site appearance by TVG since the 2012 edition of the Charles Town Classic.

The Horse Racing Radio Network, a winner of multiple Eclipse Awards and a Sovereign Award for its multimedia coverage of racing events will be broadcasting the Charles Town Classic for the tenth consecutive year. HRRN's on-site coverage will be anchored by Mike Penna and announcer Bobby Neuman with the show available to listeners on Sirius channel 216 and XM 201 as well as streaming through the Horse Racing Radio Network website.

Additionally, a familiar face – and voice – to racing fans will be seen on the track's simulcast feed with NBC's voice of the Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup, Larry Collmus handing paddock host duties for stakes races on the latter portion of the card. Collmus, who famously called American Pharoah's 2015 Triple Crown triumph and Justify's sweep of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes just three years later, served as the track's guest announcer for the Charles Town Classic from 2012 through 2014.

The first race on Charles Town Classic day is slated for 5:00 P.M EST, with the $800,000 Charles Town Classic carrying a tentative post time of 10:18 P.M.

The post Larry Collmus, TVG, HRRN To Anchor On-Site Coverage Of Friday’s Charles Town Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mark Shrager Wins Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award For Diane Crump Biography

Veteran turf writer Mark Shrager has won the 15th Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, presented by Castleton Lyons, for Diane Crump, A Horse-Racing Pioneer's Life in the Saddle. The winner was announced on May 10 via Zoom conference for the second straight year due to pandemic concerns. Previously, the by-invitation winner's reception had been held on-site at the Ryan family's Lexington-based farm, and hopes are that it will return to that venue in the future.

Shrager, a previous Book Award finalist for The Great Sweepstakes of 1877, took top honors for his beautifully written and comprehensively researched biography of one of racing's great trail blazers. During the late 1960s, Diane Crump represented the face of hope for aspiring young women in the Sport of Kings. Though diminutive in size, she boldly blew open doors and shattered glass ceilings while defying threats, jeers, and boycotts to achieve her goal of becoming a professional jockey. Along the way, she would be the first of her gender to ride in a sanctioned North American pari-mutuel race, the first to compete in the Kentucky Derby, and the first to win a stakes event. Hers was a story long overdue to be told, and Shrager did it with a master's touch.

“The author chronicles Diane's historic firsts,” noted judge Kay Coyte, “including her 1970 Kentucky Derby ride, with a wonderful chapter on her brother listening to the radio broadcast from Vietnam. Shrager also mines biographical gold in the all-but-unknown aspects of Diane's life: her mother's special 'gift,' her daughter's unique perspective and service to others, particularly with therapy dogs, during her post-racing career. It's a beautiful telling of a remarkable life.”

Shrager, a native of Southern California, caught the racing bug in his teens at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, and Del Mar. The UCLA graduate went on to a long career in education finance with the Los Angeles Unified School District, but never lost his love for racing and the fascinating stories the sport routinely produces. For nearly 50 years Shrager has written freelance for various trade publications including Turf and Sport Digest and American Turf Monthly, and his story, 1,000 Surefire Ways to Lose a Horse Race, was published in a 1974 Best Sports Stories anthology.

As winner of the 2020 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, Shrager will receive a check for $10,000, along with a Tipperary crystal replica of Castleton Lyons' iconic stone tower.

Other finalists were: Linda Shantz for her novel Good Things Come, and Vicky Moon for the biography Sylvia Rideoutt Bishop Had a Way With Horses, both of whom will receive $1,000 and a crystal trophy.

The winner and finalists were selected from more than a dozen submissions published in 2020, representing a broad range of style and genre.

“In addition to many books by debut authors,” said Coyte, “this year's class had an international flavor, with literary trips around the globe—from Linda Shantz's Canada, to racing in World War II-era Shanghai, to a 1988 Mexican gambling coup, to a globetrotting mystery novel.”

Fellow judge Caton Bredar also noted that “In the midst of a global pandemic, it was heartening to find the quality of writing unwavering. And on a personal note, I appreciated the fact so many of the authors and/or main characters were female.”

The competition was launched in 2006 by the late Dr. Tony Ryan, to recognize the best book-length writing with horse racing as a backdrop. Past winners have included a National Book Award recipient and several Eclipse Award-winning writers. Since Dr. Ryan's passing in 2007, his son Shane has carried on the award to honor his memory.

The recorded Zoom ceremony will be available later this spring on the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxqFTKaOoNYoGSZ02EWeiJQ

Submissions for the next Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award must be received no later than December 31, 2021, and all must have been published during the current calendar year.

Additional information is available at https://www.castletonlyons.com/about/dr-tony-tyan-book-award, or by contacting Betsy Hager at bhager@castletonlyons.com.

The post Mark Shrager Wins Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award For Diane Crump Biography appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post