Tag: Churchill Downs

Making Waves: Es Equ Love Gelding Shines In Arcadia

   In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the victory of Hong Kong Harry at Santa Anita last week.

 

Hong Kong Harry Returns A Winner In City Of Hope

Prolific graded winner Hong Kong Harry (Ire) (Es Que Love {Ire}) returned to winning ways in Santa Anita's GII City of Hope Mile S. for trainer Phil D'Amato and owners Scott Anastasi, Jimmy Ukegawa and Tony Valazza at the end of September (video). It was his fourth win at the graded level since being transferred to the U.S. in March of 2022.

Bred by Amarath Business Management out of the multiple stakes-placed Vital Body (Fr) (Gold Away {Ire}), the 6-year-old gelding won multiple handicaps in the UK, and was a £185,000 Goffs London Sale buy-back during his time with owner/trainer Richard Fahey in 2021. When he was reoffered by the trainer later that year at the 2021 Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale, he made 85,000gns from Craig Rounsefell's Boomer Bloodstock. Vital Body has also thrown the stakes-placed Body Sculpt (Fr) to the cover of Kendargent (Fr) and her latest is a weanling filly by Starman (GB). This is the same clan as G2 Prix du Gros-Chene hero Pradaro (Fr) (Penny's Picnic {Ire}) and Australian Group 1 winner Offer (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).

One of just 80 foals for his sire who was last reported to be standing in France, Hong Kong Harry is his only graded winner and one of two stakes winners besides listed winner Que Amoro (Ire). Es Que Love has two winners from two runners in the U.S.

 

 

Gavea Remains Undefeated At Churchill

Bal Mar Equine, LLC's Gavea (Ger) (Gleneagles {Ire}), a debut winner at Chantilly for Christoph Berglar and trainer Waldemar Hickst in July, marked her U.S. unveiling with another victory, this time at Churchill Downs on Sept. 29 (video).

Now trained by Al Stall, Jr., the 2-year-old filly was bred by Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof and was bought back by her vendor for €36,000 out of the BBAG September Yearling Sale after not meeting her reserve. She is a half-sister to a pair of winners and is the last reported foal of her German listed-winning dam, the Oasis Dream (GB) mare Goiania (GB). Goiania is a half-sister to two stakes winners, the trio all produced by German Group 3 heroine Goathemala (Ger) (Black Sam Bellamy {Ire}).

Gleneagles is quietly accumulating a solid stallion resume with his progeny worldwide, and he is responsible for 13 winners from 19 runners (68%) in the U.S. His American brigade is led by GI Man o'War S. hero Highland Chief (Ire), while Jumbly (GB) was third in the GII Ballston Spa S. and Eylara (Ire) was listed placed in California.

 

 

 

Gold To The North East In California

CYBT, Marc Lantzman, Michael Nentwig and Ray Pagano's North East Star (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) graduated in her fifth start at Santa Anita on Sept. 30 (video). One of two European-sired winners on the card for trainer Phil D'Amato, the filly was bred by McCracken Farms.

A £17,000 Tattersalls Ireland yearling buy by subsequent owner/trainer Kate McGivern, the April foal is out of Northeast Moon (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), herself a half-sister to G1 Dubai World Cup hero Prince Bishop (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Her only European appearance was a fifth at Dundalk over the all-weather before she changed hands. Her dam's 2-year-old filly, Circe (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) has already won this term, while her yearling filly by Ghaiyyath (Ire) caught the eye of Alex Elliott for 140,000gns during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. A weanling filly by Sottsass (Fr) is her latest foal.

Group 1 sire Galileo Gold has a 75% strike rate with his four American runners. Among his three winners in that jurisdiction is Listed Baffle S. winner Maglev (Ire).

 

 

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Members of Jockey Mental Health Committee and Advisory Council Announced

Officials at the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Jockeys' Guild have announced that members of the newly formed Jockey Mental Health Steering Committee and Advisory Council have been appointed. An inaugural meeting of the new groups will take place Tuesday, Oct. 3 at Columbia University in New York City. The Steering Committee, led by Ambassador Earle Mack, was created with a collective goal of driving research, programming, and resources towards jockey mental wellness initiatives.

The steering committee members are as follows: Ambassador Earle Mack; Denali Stud's Craig Bandoroff; former NYRA chairman Anthony Bonomo; retired jockey and broadcaster Donna Brothers; retired jockey Eurico Rosa da Silva; West Point Thoroughbreds's Terry Finley; HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus; Terry Meyocks, President and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild; trainer Graham Motion; Churchill Downs's executive director of racing, Gary Palmisano; and the executive director for the Race Track Chaplaincy of America, Dan Waits.

The Advisory Group, under direction of HISA National Medical Director Dr. Pete Hester, will hold weekly brainstorming sessions with industry and external experts before reporting best practices and initiatives to the Steering Committee for next steps and potential full adoption.

The advisory council are as follows: Dr. Pete Hester; Michael Bingman; Mindy Coleman; Pat Day; Ramon Dominguez; Dr. Prudence Fisher; Jeff Johnston; Ann McGovern; Dr. Yuval Neria; and Anne Poulson.

“The Jockeys' Guild appreciates all of the input and interest by industry participants to address jockeys' mental health and wellness,” said Jockeys' Guild President and CEO Terry Meyocks. “The Guild has long advocated for the industry to recognize the stress and everyday challenges jockeys face.  The Guild looks forward to working with the Steering and Advisory Committees to develop programs which will demonstrate that we as an industry are able to support not only the jockeys but their family members as well and eventually all others in our industry.”

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Is The Derby Purse Fair? Opinion From The Industry

In the Sept. 30 edition of the Thoroughbred Daily News, we ran an interview with John Sikura in which he raised questions about the funding mechanism and purse of the Kentucky Derby.

In the article, Sikura says:

“(The Kentucky Derby is) “The single event that drives the commerce of the industry. The point of entry to virtually everybody that owns a horse: 'I want to win the Kentucky Derby.' If you're fortunate enough to do so, there should be a financial reward that recognizes that–not just pride in achievement. A purse of $3 million, with $1 million dollars in fees and nominations, is an embarrassment to the sport. A huge windfall is given to a corporate entity, which they're entitled to. Corporately, they've been brilliant stewards of their brand and stock value. But they have to recognize that they're in a sport that has many participants–and that those should be rewarded.”

We asked several leading industry figures how they felt about what Sikura said, and also asked Churchill Downs, who had not responded by the time of publication of this article.

(To submit a reply of your own for consideration for publication, email suefinley@thetdn.com.)

 

Mike Repole, owner

“I disagree with John Sikura that it's embarrassing that the Kentucky Derby purse is $3 million. It's not embarrassing-it's beyond embarrassing. But not only do we put up a third of the purse with fees, but the way the owners get treated is an embarrassment. We buy our own tickets, and if you want more than 10-15 people, you have to buy your own seats. I have to run second in the Kentucky Derby just to break even. I'm 0-for-8 without a first or second, so every time I'm in it, I end up losing money. I doubt when a team makes the Super Bowl they have to worry so much about accommodations for their friends and family. So it's beyond embarrassing between the purse, and what owners pay to try to share the experience with friends and family. What happens when a syndicate makes it into the race with 30 owners? I think if it's going to be as prestigious as it is, the purse should be $10 million. The Saudi Cup is $20 million, the Dubai World Cup is $10 million, and the Breeders' Cup Classic is $6 million. I also disagree that they should allow 20 horses in the race. It should be 14. We're all concerned about horse safety. Is 20 horses in one gate safe? I don't think it is. This year, I have been blessed by having so much success, and it should be the most fun I've had in racing, but the frustration is starting to overcome the enjoyment. And the more I reflect, the more I'm starting to really realize that the blame of this lies with the owners and the trainers. As long as we keep letting tracks make the rules, and HISA with no real horse racing experience make the rules, and be ruled by the ineffective associations that represent owners, trainers, and jockeys in the sport without really having done them justice, the more we have to look ourselves in the mirror. If they lowered the purse to $500,000, they'd still get 20 horses, and that's on us. There's so much great that can happen in this game, but we're at a crossroads. This is self-inflicted. And we have let this go on for too long.”

 

Elliott Walden, President & CEO, WinStar Farm

“I think the Kentucky Derby purse should be $10,000,000 and the Oaks should be $5,000,000. The Derby has been raised twice in the last 20 years (300%). The Churchill Downs stock price is up over 1900% in the same time frame. I think our real problem is we are too busy fighting amongst ourselves with two horsemen's groups (the HPBA and the KTA), and not negotiating effectively with Churchill Downs as horsemen. It is the way the system has been set up. If I were CEO of Churchill, I would like it that way. Churchill Downs reported they had increased revenues of over $20.0M on last year's Kentucky Derby weekend alone. I am sure their argument would be that we can split up the purses any way we see fit.  I think this is more about having an equitable split on all revenues for the weekend and not just handle.”

 

Eric Gustavson, Owner, Spendthrift Farm

I read John's article. Of course he's right. I remember many years ago when I found out how much it cost to nominate your horse to the Kentucky Derby, should you be among the few to make to the starting gate of that illustrious race. You might think that the nomination would be covered for the lucky 20. But no. I was shocked as I did the math and realized the disproportionate percentage the nominations made up for the purse of arguably the world's most famous horse race, let alone our country's. A Derby purse increase is decades overdue.

Anyone who has ever tried to take a group to Churchill on Derby Day knows the king's ransom it takes just to get seats. Add on the seat licenses, the handle and just that one day alone is quite a haul for Churchill. And good on them! They deserve to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and the blessings that come with owning the premier day in our sport. But, as John stated, they could bump the Derby purse to $5 million tomorrow without batting an eye. That would put it on par with the Breeders' Cup Classic, which should be a minimum. But if you're Churchill, don't you want to be the class of the sport that offers American racing's most stout purse?

The powers that be at Churchill Downs should step up and reward the Derby runners commensurately with their achievement.

 

Kenny McPeek, trainer

There's no question that a race of that caliber, the purse should be larger. Worldwide, it don't think it ranks in the top 25 purses in the world. It's not in the top 25. For me, it's always been a bit of a head scratcher.

 

Tom Ryan, SF Bloodstock

The business behind the Kentucky Derby:

  • $3 million purse
  • 15 million viewers
  • 150,000 attendees
  • 93% hotel occupancy
  • $189 million in wagers in 2023
  • $400 million economic impact

The glaring issue here is the winning owner of the 2023 KY Derby takes home $1.5m after jockey and trainer take 10%.

Based on the current $3m purse, CDI doesn't care to preserve the sanctity of The Kentucky Derby by bringing it into line with the rest of the world. We should have a $10m purse structure with plans to increase incrementally as we evolve.

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Constitution Colt Bottles Victory On Debut At Churchill

4th-Churchill Downs, $120,000, Msw, 10-1, 2yo, 1m, 1:36.58, ft, 3 3/4 lengths.
CATCHING FREEDOM (c, 2, Constitution–Catch My Drift {SW & GISP, $280,540}, by Pioneerof the Nile) was well-backed for this one-turn mile debut as the even-money favorite here. Situated midfield, the hooded bay colt chased the pace up set by Cash Only (Street Sense) up the backstretch, came under a ride by tipping to the outside around the far turn and showing steady progress at the eighth pole, Catching Freedom graduated by 3 3/4 lengths over the leader. The winner is a half-brother to Strava (Into Mischief), MSP, $346,130 and Bishops Bay (Uncle Mo), MGSP, $212,600. Catch My Drift also produced a yearling filly by Improbable and May 13 she foaled a filly by Not This Time. Sales History: $575,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox.

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