Tag: Charles Town

HIWU Withdraws Farrior Suspension

Just one week after the Horseracing Welfare and Integrity Unit (HIWU) issued a public disclosure on its website that top Mid-Atlantic trainer Anthony Farrior had a horse test positive for the banned substance Metformin, Farrior's attorney Drew Mollica said that he has been informed by HIWU that the charges have been dropped.

“The system worked and we are happy to clear his good name and his reputation,” Mollica said.

Mollica said HIWU's decision came about after a review of the split sample, which was requested by Mollica and Farrior. Mollica said there were “issues” with the split sample, also known as the B sample.

“Pursuant to the procedures available we sought verification of the alleged positive by requesting a B sample,” Mollica said. “Due to issues with the B sample and pursuant to the rules, HIWU withdrew the charges. There were issues with the B sample that precluded them from prosecuting.”

Farrior faced a suspension of up to two years. When HIWU took over the role of drug testing and handing out penalties for infractions on May 22, trainers who had an alleged positive for a banned substance were issued provisional suspensions that went into effect immediately. It has since changed its rules and allows trainers to put off their suspensions until the results of the B sample have come back.

“The fact that he was not summarily or provisionally suspended is a testament to the effort HIWU has made to seek some level of justice and we look forward to more modifications going forward to protect the innocent,” Mollica said.

Metformin, is used in humans to combat Type II diabetes, but is not FDA approved for horses. In October, HIWU announced that following an internal review, it had discovered that not all of its participating laboratories had applied the same limit of detection in analyzing samples for the presence of drug. HIWU said it met with the six laboratories it works with to establish uniform limits of detection for the Metformin.

Farrior, who has been training since 2011, has 840 winners from 3,725 starters. He is currently the leading trainer at Charles Town with 136 wins on the meet.

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Top Mid-Atlantic Trainer Farrior Faces Possible Suspension For Metformin

Trainer Anthony Farrior is facing a possible suspension after a horse he trained allegedly tested positive for the banned substance Metformin, according to a posting Friday on the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit website.

His status is listed as “Pending: Provisional Suspension–Postponed.” Alexa Ravit, the director of communications & outreach for HIWU explained that the wording means, “that B Sample analysis has been requested following a positive A Sample result, so the implementation of the Provisional Suspension is postponed unless/until the B Sample comes back positive.”

Farrior will be allowed to train at least until the B sample is turned over to HIWU. If he is unable to beat the charges, he faces a suspension of up to two years and a fine of $25,000.

The infraction allegedly took place Nov. 5, 2023 at Laurel with the $10,000 claimer Geothermal (Gormley), who did not finish the race. According to the Equibase chart, Geothermal sustained an injury through the backstretch run, was pulled up entering the far turn and was vanned off. According to sources, the horse was euthanized, but the TDN has not been able to confirm that with its connections.

HIWU has penalized at least six trainers for Metformin positives, including Jonathan Wong, a top trainer on the Northern California circuit. In humans, Metformin is used to treat type 2 diabetes. Wong has said that he takes Metformin. The Federal Drug Administration has approved Metformin for use in humans but it is not officially approved for use in animals. Metformin has been used in horses to counteract the effects of equine metabolic syndrome, which is a disorder associated with inappropriate blood insulin levels and increased fat deposition.

Farrior's lawyer, Drew Mollica, said that to the best of his knowledge, Farrior does not take Metformin. However, he was adamant that in Farrior's case, the finding is a matter of environmental contamination.

“We are in the process of evaluating the evidence and intend to vigorously follow the evidence,” Mollica said. “We absolutely believe this is case of contamination. We are in the midst of fact finding and I think that it will be quite clear that Mr. Farrior is not liable for any wrongdoing. We are investigating any and all possibilities and eventualities. We firmly believe this is a case of contamination and when all the facts are in, it will be found that he was not liable or negligent on any manner.”

When asked what steps he would take if the B Sample came back positive, Mollica replied: “We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We ordered the B sample and are following the science. We believe that when we have all the science and the facts are in, we believe he will be exonerated.”

Farrior has been training since 2011 and has 837 wins from 3,708 starts. He is currently racing at Laurel, Charles Town and Mahoning Valley. He is leading the Charles Town standings with 134 wins on the year through Thursday. At Charles Town, he is winning with 25% of his starters.

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Exaggerator Colt ‘Skips’ to $1-Million Charles Town Classic Win

Last year's GI Belmont S. third Skippylongstocking (c, 4, Exagggerator–Twinkling, by War Chant), a three-time graded winner since, added Friday's late-night $1-million GII Charles Town Classic S. to his steadily growing CV. Under Tyler Gaffalione, the 7-5 favorite hustled straight to the front, set fractions of :24.82 and :48.88, and wasn't for catching, drawing clear in the stretch by five lengths. The winner's Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.-trained stablemate O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman), a Group 1 winner in his native Chile, closed from the rear of the field to finish second, while Dash Attack (Munnings), who had rated not far off the winner all the way, was third. Skippylongstocking's win marked the 15th running of the Classic.

One of three runners in the Classic coming out of the July 8 GIII Cornhusker H. at Prairie Meadows, where he was runner-up to Friday night's sixth-place finisher Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), Skippylongstocking was notching his fourth graded win in the past year. He took Tampa Bay's GIII Challenger S. in March, Gulfstream's GIII Harlan's Holiday S. in late December, and Mountaineer's GIII West Virginia Derby last August. The first half of his 3-year-old campaign featured a third in the aforementioned Belmont, as well as in the GII Wood Memorial, and a fifth in the GI Preakness S.

 

Pedigree Notes:

Skippylongstocking is the sole North American-bred graded winner for Classic winner Exaggerator, who also has nine black-type winners. A son of the all-conquering Curlin and a former Kentucky sire, Exaggerator has stood for the past two seasons at Elite Thoroughbreds in Louisiana.

Skippylongstocking is also one of 34 stakes winners out of mares by Breeders' Cup winner War Chant, whose daughters have also produced GI Kentucky Derby winner Country House (Lookin At Lucky) and English/French MG1SW Shalaa (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}).

The Charles Town Classic winner is Twinkling's best runner, although she also has SW Olivia Twist (Mshawish), who was third in April's GIII Fantasy S., and SW Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), who was third in the 2021 GII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly named Winking (Take Charge Indy) and a yearling filly named Mia's Mom (Maclean's Music), who sold earlier this month at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale for $275,000 to August Dawn Farm. Her 2023 foal, a filly by Authentic, was born May 5. Twinkling was bred back to Not This Time.

Friday, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN CLASSIC S.-GII, $1,000,000, Charles Town, 8-25, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:51.37, wf.
1–SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING, 121, c, 4, by Exaggerator
                1st Dam: Twinkling, by War Chant
                2nd Dam: Unhurried, by Out of Place
                3rd Dam: Laughing Erin, by Irish Castle
($15,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Daniel
Alonso; B-Brushy Hill, LLC (KY); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Tyler
Gaffalione. $576,000. Lifetime Record: GISP, 19-6-2-3,
$1,507,185. *1/2 to Olivia Twist (Mshawish), SW & GSP,
$177,449; 1/2 to Moonlite Strike (Liam's Map), SW & GSP,
$174,455. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–O'Connor (Chi), 119, h, 6, Boboman–Torrente de Agua (Chi),
by Touch Gold. O-Fernando Vine Ode and Michael and Jules
Iavarone; B-Haras Carioca (Chi); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
$192,000.
3–Dash Attack, 119, g, 4, Munnings–Cerce Cay, by Hard Spun.
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Magdalena Racing (Sherri
McPeek), Catalyst Stable, Kevin J. Pollard and Patty Slevin;
B-Catalyst Stable & Magdalena Racing (KY); T-Kenneth G.
McPeek. $96,000.
Margins: 5, 1HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.40, 10.50, 23.60.
Also Ran: Muad'dib, Call Me Fast, Giant Game, Double Crown, Doppelganger, Perfect Flight, Eastern Bay. Scratched: Martin Man.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Gun Runner’s Vahva Gets It Done in Charles Town Oaks

Cherie DeVaux trainee Vahva (f, 3, Gun Runner–Holiday Soiree, by Harlan's Holiday) shipped in to Charles Town off a third in Belmont's July 8 GIII Victory Ride S. to capture Friday night's 15th running of the $750,000 GIII Charles Town Oaks, billed as the richest sprint race for sophomore fillies in North America. Off at 7-5, Vahva raced just behind the leaders while 96-1 Late Frost (Frosted) set early fractions of :23.37 and :46.82 as Undervalued Asset (Speightstown) pressured her from the outside. The two pacesetters pulled well clear of the field on the final turn with just Vahva threatening behind in third. Vahva joined the pacesetting party about a furlong from home and the three lined up across the track inside the final sixteenth. The frontrunners held tough, but Vahva was moving best of all and had one last, late gear. She put 1 1/4 lengths on the pair right before the wire. Undervalued Asset outnosed Late Frost on the line for second. The winner's final time for the seven furlongs was 1:25.01.

A $280,000 Keeneland September yearling who hammered in 2021 to BDR IV and West Point, Vahva has jumped into the deep end a number of times. She faced 'TDN Rising Star' and eventual GI Kentucky Oaks/Acorn/Test winner Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief) when third in her stakes debut last December in the Untapable S. at Fair Grounds and again when fourth behind that one in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. in February at the same track. A second in a Keeneland allowance, a win in a Churchill allowance on Kentucky Oaks Day, and a third behind the late Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) in the aforementioned Victory Ride led Vahva to Charles Town and this initial graded win.

Pedigree Notes:

Vahva is the 15th graded winner and 21st overall black-type winner for Gun Runner, currently a top five North American leading general sire–quite an accomplishment for a young stallion with only his third crop of 2-year-olds now reaching the track. Gun Runner, who earned the Horse of the Year title in 2017, stands at Three Chimneys. Vahva is Gun Runner's only stakes winner out of a daughter of the late Harlan's Holiday, who died a decade ago at age 14 at Argentina's Haras Firmamento and has 53 black-type winners as a broodmare sire.

The winner's dam, Holiday Soiree, was runner-up in the 2012 edition of this race. She was most recently sold at the 2021 Keeneland November sale to Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds for $160,000. The mare produced a City of Light filly the next year, now a yearling, and a filly by Nyquist on Mar. 10. She was bred back to City of Light for next term.

.Friday, Charles Town
CHARLES TOWN OAKS-GIII, $750,000, Charles Town, 8-25, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:25.01, wf.
1–VAHVA, 118, f, 3, by Gun Runner
                1st Dam: Holiday Soiree (SW & GISP, $405,642),
                                by Harlan's Holiday
                2nd Dam: Try to Remember, by Include
                3rd Dam: Casanova Striker, by Smart Strike
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($280,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Belladonna Racing, LLC, Edward J. Hudson,
Jr., West Point Thoroughbreds, LBD Stable LLC, Nice Guys
Stables, Manganaro Bloodstock, Runnels Racing, Steve
Hornstock and Twin Brook Stables; B-Woodford
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Cherie DeVaux; J-John R.
Velazquez. $432,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-2-2, $662,235.
*1/2 to Signal From Noise (Arrogate), SP, $159,190.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Undervalued Asset, 118, f, 3, Speightstown–Hard Headed
Temper, by Hard Spun. ($150,000 Wlg '20 KEENOV).
O-Klaravich Stables, Inc.; B-Speightstown Syndicate & Cloyce C.
Clark, Jr. (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $144,000.
3–Late Frost, 120, f, 3, Frosted–La La's Cookin, by Harlan's
Holiday. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Runnymoore Racing,
LLC; B-Gregory and Caroline Bentley Breeders (PA); T-Michael
Matz. $72,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NO, 6 3/4. Odds: 1.40, 3.30, 96.40.
Also Ran: Metaphysical, Lily Poo, Imonra, Interpolate, Hoosier Philly, Opus Forty Two, Chismosa. Scratched: Perfect Wish, Twice as Sweet.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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