champion | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘His Positivity And Humor Are Infectious’: 70-Year-Old Exercise Rider Danny Ramsey Is One Of A Kind

The 70-year-old exercise rider Danny Ramsey has the kind of infectious smile that endears him to everyone in his path. For Thoroughbred Racing Commentary contributor Patrick Gilligan, Ramsey's perennial positive attitude was a highlight during their shared tenure in the barn of trainer Kenny McPeek.

“His positivity and humor are infectious,” Gilligan wrote. “I would be leading one of his horses to the track, and he would pass riders and they would ask him how he was. 'I'm good. I'm better than good!' he would exclaim. 'If you're doing better than me I must be dead, so put me in the ground!' And he would start laughing to himself and so would I. And he said this most days, and still every day we laughed together.”

Ramsey has been employed by McPeek since 2012, and despite a suffering serious injuries in a fall last March, the veteran horseman got back to riding out in the mornings as soon as he could. Ramsey is still making people smile, too.

“Danny was the person who made me laugh again, made me start to love life again,” wrote Gilligan.

There's no higher praise than that.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

The post ‘His Positivity And Humor Are Infectious’: 70-Year-Old Exercise Rider Danny Ramsey Is One Of A Kind appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Champion Vequist Recovered After Davona Dale Ninth, But Unlikely For Kentucky Oaks

Champion sophomore filly Vequist, winner of the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, disappointed in her sophomore debut on Feb. 27 at Gulfstream Park. The Butch Reid-trained daughter of Nyquist ran ninth as the 1-2 favorite in the G2 Davona Dale, and a post-race scope showed mucous in her lungs, indicative of a respiratory infection.

Reid told the Daily Racing Form that Vequist has since been shipped back north to Fair Hill training center in Maryland, under the care of Bruce Jackson. The filly has recovered and is doing well, but Reid said it would be difficult for her to make the Kentucky Oaks on April 30.

“Realistically, it's hard to see her doing enough over the next three weeks to make me lean towards running her in the Oaks,” Reid told DRF. “But obviously we haven't lost any faith in her off just the one bad race and we're looking forward to getting her back on the trail for the big races still to come later in the year.”

Swiss Skydiver Returns to Arcadia for Beholder Mile

Champion Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) crushed her competition on her last trip to the west coast for the GII Santa Anita Oaks last spring and looks to repeat that performance Saturday when she returns to Santa Anita for the GI Beholder Mile. Capturing the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks and GIII Fantasy S. prior to the Santa Anita Oaks last term, the chestnut took on males next out in the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. July 11, finishing a respectable second to Art Collector (Bernardini). Returning to winning ways next out in Saratoga's 10-panel GI Alabama S. Aug. 15, the $35,000 KEESEP buy checked in second to GII Azeri S.-bound Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) in the GI Kentucky Oaks Sept. 4.

Trainer Ken McPeek felt confident enough in his charge to try her against males again in the GI Preakness S. Oct. 3 and she delivered with a gritty defeat of GI Kentucky Derby hero and eventual Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief). Swiss Skydiver completed 2020 with a disappointing and surprising seventh behind two-time champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7, but had already done more than enough to secure the Eclipse for top 3-year-old filly. She has been working well leading up to this seasonal bow, most recently breezing a best-of-39 five panels in :58 flat at Gulfstream Mar. 6.

Her biggest competition is likely to come from MGSW Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo). Graduating at second asking when switched to the dirt in July, she scored a decisive optional claimer victory next out at Del Mar three weeks later and captured the GIII Torrey Pines S. there in August. Winning the GII Zenyatta S. at Santa Anita Sept. 27, the bay checked in fourth last out in the Distaff.

Bob Baffert saddles two in this event in As Time Goes By (American Pharoah) and Golden Principal (Constitution). Out of MGISW and blue hen Take Charge Lady (Dehere), As Time Goes By graduated at third asking going six furlongs at Los Alamitos Dec. 13 and romped by nine lengths next out over track and trip Jan. 17. Capturing a Del Mar optional claimer at this distance Nov. 27, Golden Principal completed the exacta in both the Dec. 26 GI La Brea S. and the Feb. 133 GII Santa Monica S.

The post Swiss Skydiver Returns to Arcadia for Beholder Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘Ultra-Sharp’ Swiss Skydiver Gets Unexpected Company, Fires Bullet In Final Work For Beholder Mile

Champion sophomore filly Swiss Skydiver is preparing to make her 4-year-old debut in Saturday's Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita Park, reports the Daily Racing Form, even though her final breeze on Monday at Gulfstream Park was a bit quicker than planned.

Trainer Ken McPeek explained that Swiss Skydiver broke off solo at the five furlong pole, but found unexpected company at the head of the lane. She tugged jockey Robby Albarado through five furlongs in 58.09 seconds, over two seconds faster than all other works at that distance.

“I wasn't thrilled somebody else's work horse hooked in with us,” McPeek told drf.com. “She was supposed to go in around a minute, but she got too aggressive with the company and went too fast. It is what it is though, and she came out fine afterwards. It's hard not to be satisfied with the work. All is good. She's just ultra-sharp now. She's ready to run.”

Winner of the Preakness Stakes over Horse of the Year Authentic in 2020, Swiss Skydiver has two Grade 1 wins on her resume. She was second the Kentucky Oaks to Shedaresthedevil, second to Art Collector in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes, and won three other prep races for the 2020 Oaks. Most recently, Swiss Skydiver finished seventh in the Breeders' Cup Distaff in November before being given time off to prepare for 2021.

Her record stands at six wins from 12 starts for earnings of $1.8 million.