The Bay Area racetrack is scheduled to race from Dec. 26 through June 9, 2024, after which the facility is set to close permanently.

The proposed ordinance–which makes the claim that confining a horse to its stall for the majority of the day is akin to animal abuse–would make it illegal to keep a horse stabled for more than 10 hours a day and requires every horse access to a minimum of one-half acre of pasture turnout.

There are currently around 1200 horses stabled at Golden Gate, with nearly 290 grooms, hotwalkers and other stable employees living there, according to Dave Duggan, Golden Gate vice president and general manager.

Though tweaked in places, the revised language closely resembles the original ordinance introduced earlier this year by Berkeley City councilmember Kate Harrison, who is currently running to be Berkeley Mayor.

On Nov. 12, the city council's Health, Life Enrichment, Equity, and Community Committee unanimously voted to send the item to the nine-member Berkeley City Council for a formal vote.

According to Harrison, the ordinance will be heard by the City Council in January and would need a majority vote to pass. The first Berkeley City Council meeting after winter recess is on Jan. 16.

It's currently unclear if the ordinance, if passed, would go into effect immediately or after a period of time.

California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT) president Eoin Harty wrote in a statement that as proposed, the ordinance would seriously impinge upon the ability of the horsemen and women of Golden Gate to properly care for their horses.

“If enacted, this measure would not protect the welfare of horses but, in fact, be detrimental to them as horses in enclosures outside of stables may suffer greater risks to their health and safety,” wrote Harty.

“Stables have been honed over thousands of years to allow horses to remain social while protecting them from injury caused from other horses as well as self-inflicted harm. This ordinance would also negatively impact the large numbers of people whose own livelihoods depend on racing,” Harty added.

“It's not something to be taken lightly,” said California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) executive director Scott Chaney.

According to Chaney, the proposed ordinance has some “serious legal problems” in terms of Berkeley's legal jurisdiction to impose such a mandate.

The nine-page proposed ordinance states that the legislation is designed to govern “only those areas not already directly covered by State and Federal laws. It specifically focuses on a limited set of conditions to supplement the existing regulatory framework.”

It also claims that, as a charter city, Berkeley has the authority to “establish regulations and the jurisdiction to protect and promote the public health, safety and welfare by establishing safeguards for horses as long as they do not conflict with or duplicate state and federal law.”

But horse racing in California is regulated by the CHRB and by the federal government through the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), explained Chaney.

“That area's been pre-empted by state and federal government, and so, I don't believe, at least preliminarily, that it would survive a legal challenge,” said Chaney.

The proposed ordinance–which is specifically focused on horses “Held, Owned, Used, Exhibited, or Otherwise Kept for Racing or Other Sport, Entertainment or Profit”–makes several glaring misrepresentations of the Thoroughbred racing industry.

The ordinance appears to make the erroneous suggestion that Thoroughbred racehorses, on average, live to only three to five years of age.

“Many fatalities in horseracing are euthanizations after horses suffer catastrophic injuries, cutting their lives unnaturally short,” the ordinance states. “When CBS Bay Area reported on the most recent horse death at GGF in May of this year it cited the fact that 'live into their 30s, but the average age of is [only] three to five years old.'”

The ordinance also states that “horse deaths continue to rise at the horse racing tracks within City limits.”

According to the Jockey Club Equine Injury Database, race-day equine fatalities are declining nationwide. Last year saw the lowest statistical equine fatality rate since 2009, when record keeping began–1.29 fatalities per 1000 starts.

When it comes to Golden Gate Fields, the track's equine fatality rate has been consistently below the national average since 2017. Last year, the rate was 0.56 fatalities per 1000 starts–a number less than half the national average.

The proposed ordinance marks just the latest turbulence faced by the horsemen and women of Golden Gate Fields–which opened in 1941–as it lurches towards its official end.

The Stronach Group (TSG) announced in July that it was closing Golden Gate Fields at the end of December with the goal of increasing field size and adding another day of racing a week at Santa Anita.

After pushback from industry stakeholders who argued that such an abrupt closure would pose an existential threat to the future of racing in Northern California, TSG officials left the door open to delaying the track's closure another six months. But they appeared to make such a deal incumbent upon a reshaping of the way simulcasting proceeds are allocated in the state.

The rule of thumb is that proceeds from wagers made in the “northern zone” stay in Northern California to pay for purses and operational expenses, while the proceeds from wagers made in the “southern zone” stay in Southern California for the same purposes.

Initially, various stakeholders in Northern California–including representatives of the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF)–voiced resistance to TSG's idea of moving these proceeds south.

In September, however, California lawmakers sought enough buy-in to pass legislation that meant if Golden Gate Fields is not licensed to operate beyond July 1 next year, proceeds from simulcast wagering in the north are funneled south when there is no live racing in the northern half of the state after that date.

In recent years, Golden Gate Fields has found itself the target of animal rights activists.

In March of 2021, protestors disrupted racing by running onto the track before lying in a circle with interlocking pipes.

The protestors belonged to animal rights organization, Direct Action Everywhere, which had sought to shut Golden Gate Fields down for good.

Alan Balch, CTT Executive Director, wrote in a statement that CTT is concerned about the negative impact the Berkeley ordinance will have on horse welfare, mirroring Harty's comments.

“We are working with all segments of equestrian sports to educate legislators about horse safety, and we look forward to meeting with Berkeley's elected leaders to discuss this ordinance,” wrote Balch.

Balch added: “Relying on the good faith of the Berkeley City Council and leadership, CTT believes this is a matter requiring the facts about good horsemanship and horse care–not just for horse racing but all horses–to be brought to their attention.”

The post Berkeley City Council Ordinance Could Close Golden Gate Early appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A Godolphin homebred, HOLD OUT (Street Boss) will carry the royal blue for the first time Friday night. The colt is a son of Wipe Out, already the dam of GISP Degree of Risk (Cairo Prince). She also produced the dam of the ill-fated GSW New York Thunder (Nyquist). Wipe Out is herself a half to GI Forego S. winner Emcee (Unbridled's Song), GSW/G1SP Surfer (Distorted Humor) along with the dam of GSW Marzo (Medaglia d'Oro). Notably, her half-sister Baffled (Distorted Humor) produced MGISW and sire Constitution (Tapit) before selling for $3.5m at the 2016 FTKNOV Sale. Don Alberto, one of two buyers to sign the ticket then, would buy out Bridlewood Farm for $1.8m when she last sold at the same sale in 2019. Hold Out blitzed four furlongs in :47 (1/95) Dec. 2 for Eoin Harty and will debut with Gerardo Corrales in the irons. TJCIS PPS

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“I think we really, seriously, need to look at more synthetic tracks,” Casse said, triggering yet another cavalcade of commentary on the conceived benefits and blights of synthetic surfaces. “I believe in them. I believe they've got plenty of data to back that up.”

Former TDN writer Lucas Marquardt followed it up with an analysis of race-day fatality data through The Jockey Club's Equine Injury database.

Marquardt calculated how from 2009 through 2022, there were 6,036 fatal injuries from 3,242,505 starts on dirt in North America. That's a rate of 1.86 fatalities per 1000 starts.

On synthetics, there were 534 fatal injuries from 482,169 starts, a rate of 1.11. That's a 68% difference.

“Put another way, had dirt tracks matched the safety of synthetic tracks during that stretch, there would have been 2,437 fewer fatalities,” Marquardt wrote.

The state with arguably the deepest-albeit most contentious-relationship with synthetic surfaces is California, which mandated in 2006 the switch from dirt to synthetic surfaces at its four major tracks.

The state reversed course a few years later in the face of broad dissatisfaction with the decision. It's no easy story to tell, riven by tales of cost-cutting and skirted corners, ill-chosen materials and drainage problems.

Some point the finger, at least in part, at the failure of industry leaders to adequately study the efficacy of different materials before putting the new surfaces down.

Since then, California's relationship with synthetic surfaces has grown even more complicated, thanks to Del Mar's dirt track consistently proving among the most statistically safe nationwide-dirt or synthetic. Nevertheless, Del Mar's experiences haven't been replicated state-wide.

In 2021, California's fatality rate on the dirt (1.51) was more than twice the synthetic rate (0.73), according to Marquardt's calculations. In 2022, it was more than three times larger (1.44 vs. 0.41).

This issue promises to remain a prominent one for the near future. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority recently announced that it is establishing a blue-ribbon committee to “work toward the study and ultimate introduction of more synthetic surface options in Thoroughbred racing.”

Among a fleet of promises, The Stronach Group (TSG) announced that it intends to replace the dirt training track at Santa Anita with a synthetic alternative.

Given the state's flip-flopping history with different surfaces, the TDN asked several long-time California-based trainers this question: Given the re-ignited debate on synthetics and all its accompanying arguments, should California mandate once again the replacement of its dirt surfaces with synthetics?

Eoin Harty
“Of course. I don't think they should even have to mandate it. I should think that somebody should show some f*&^ing leadership for a change and do the right thing. Instead of looking down, looking up, looking sideways and dancing around the issue, we need to address the elephant in the room: That we're in a position basically brought on by ourselves.”

“I think the time for hand-wringing and regurgitating old cliches about needing more data, more science, blah, blah, blah-that time has come and gone. No more committees, just do the right thing and put down synthetics. It's time to get on the right side of history. There won't be a Mulligan on this one.”

Note: Harty later explained the curse reflected the gravity of the situation.

John Shirreffs
“I like to tell the story of Tiago, who had won the Santa Anita Derby. In his four-year-old year at Del Mar, I had his exercise rider work him a half [mile]. He breaks off the half mile pole, the horse goes a 16th of a mile and pulls himself up, doesn't want to work.”

Trainer John Shirreffs | Benoit

“I tell the rider, 'don't worry, Mike Smith will be here tomorrow. He gets along with him really well.' Break Tiago off again, goes about a 16th of a mile, pulls himself up and refused to work on that synthetic track.”

“After Zenyatta won the G1 Clement Hearst S., she refused to gallop around the [Del Mar] racetrack. She'd go about two thirds of the way around then just stop and refuse to go. The only thing we could do is walk her to the nearest gap and take her off the track.”

“Zenyatta and Tiago were both big, strong horses that really ran hard. Those type of horses really did not like synthetic tracks. I think that if you just look at how long it takes horses to adjust to the synthetic tracks when they first go in, all you do is find horseshoes on the outside of the track because they're all grabbing themselves. Their feet stop so quickly in it. Synthetic tracks only get bearable as they get older. When they first go in, they're really sticky and tough on horses.”

“As you've seen in the statistics in California, our breakdowns are really reduced. So, I don't think synthetics are the answer. Synthetics are a nice alternative. I mean, it'd be great to have a synthetic track here on the training track because you can't use the main track when it's wet. So, maybe they'd let us use a synthetic track when it was wet.”

Richard Mandella
“I think Santa Anita has the right idea to put it on the training track here to learn more about it, and hopefully it will be waterproof to train through the winter. I would take one step at a time.”

Leonard Powell
“I think the option of having a synthetic track to train on is very good. But to mandate to have all racing on synthetic, I don't think that's a necessity.”

“The notion of a bad step has been proven incorrect. We've found out through a lot of studies, when it comes to injuries, it's not a one-day, one-time thing. It's an accumulation of the pounding from the training, day-in, day-out. So, having the option to have a synthetic to train on would help that, and would lessen the number of catastrophic injuries on dirt on race-day. And it could be very useful on rainy days.”

“However, synthetics are always called all-weather tracks. But they're not really all-weather tracks. They're bad-weather tracks-they're good tracks in bad weather. In Europe, they've had problems with them in the summer months, like we had here. When it's hot and sunny, those tracks are not that good.”

John Sadler
“If you put synthetic tracks back in here, you have to have all the tracks in the country on synthetics. You can't go half and half. That doesn't work. You can't train on synthetic and expect to do well on dirt. You can't train on dirt and expect to do well on synthetic.”

John Sadler | Benoit

“If you go back to when we had synthetics in California, I did very well on it. I could live with one surface nationwide. But because I can train on what you give me, it doesn't mean I prefer that. Not necessarily.”

“I would prefer good dirt. I think it's preferable for these horses. Why? Well, for one, they need a lot of upkeep. They need to be replaced. They need to be refreshed. They're expensive to maintain. And anybody that tells you they're not expensive to maintain is–I don't think they're being truthful.”

“There are other arguments. Are there really fewer fatalities [on synthetics]? Stats probably show that. But is that the real number, if you also look at [career ending] injuries? You don't know, right? It's hard for me to just take one study number and say, 'okay, that's all there is.' It doesn't work like that.”

“What I'm trying to say it's very nuanced. You'd have to give time for the breeders to adjust. You'd have to give time for people to purchase the right horses to adjust. A lot of what we did here wasn't well planned out. We did it and then lived with the consequences.”

Carla Gaines
“Let me start by saying I am not that well-educated on the various types of synthetic tracks.  I know there have been improvements on them since they were mandated here in California in 2006.”

“Santa Anita is installing a synthetic surface here on our training track this fall and with the expected increase in rainfall this winter that would give us an alternative place to train the horses when the main track is sealed.  It would also be a nice option for our grass horses as we do not have grass workouts here.”

“But for racing, I would have no interest in it. We as trainers are held responsible for every single injury. The spotlight is on us-rarely the surfaces we train on and race over. Instead of getting rid of dirt tracks, let's keep a closer eye on them, and try very hard to improve them. As one old timer told me once, 'we can put a man on the moon, why can't we figure out dirt?'” 

Doug O'Neill
“I love the fact they're putting it on the training track. At Santa Anita you'll have all three surfaces. And when we get the rainy weather, you can train on a synthetic. If we had weeks of crazy weather, you could potentially run on synthetic.”

“But to replace the main track dirt for synthetic, I would be anti that. Just wouldn't want to replace the dirt.”

“We've had a pretty good sampling with Hollywood Park and Santa Anita and Del Mar all being synthetic at one time. It had its little perks during rainy season. But all in all, not a good experience for me.”

“They're really good in inclement weather, which a lot of the world has, as opposed to Southern California. So, I just don't think they're good for Southern California tracks.”

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Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week.

California

Track: Santa Anita

Date: 02/03/2023

Licensee: Eoin Harty

Penalty: $3,000 fine

Violation: Out-of-competition joint injection violation

Explainer: Trainer Eoin Harty, who trains the horse El Joy, is fined $3,000.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1866.3(c)(e) (Intra-articular Injections Restricted – treatment within 10 days of workout).

Harty told the TDN he will be appealing the ruling for various reasons, including for a career training record absent any prior medication violations (this is confirmed in the Thoroughbred Rulings website).

New York

Track: Aqueduct

Date: 02/02/2023

Licensee: Suzanne Zelman, racing official/official veterinarian

Penalty: $1,000 fine

Violation: Lasix administration violation

Explainer: You are hereby fined the sum of one thousand ($1,000) dollars for failing to tend to business in a proper manner necessitating the scratch of horse “Bustinupishardtodo” (# 8) from the eighth race at Aqueduct Racetrack on January 27th 2023.

According to New York Racing Association (NYRA) spokesperson Pat McKenna, the fine was for a failure to administer Lasix to the horse in question resulting in a mandatory scratch.

Kentucky

Track: Turfway Park

Date: 02/01/2023

Licensee: Eric Reed, trainer

Penalty: Five-day suspension, $1,000 fine

Violation: Medication violation

Explainer: Upon receipt of notification from The University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, the official testing laboratory for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, sample number R005087 taken from Golden Text, who finished first in the fourth race at Turfway Park on January 19, 2023 contained phenylbutazone at a level of 0.62 mcg/ml in blood (Class C) (2nd offense in 365 days). After waiving his right to a formal hearing before the Board of Stewards, Eric Reed is hereby suspended 5 days, February 10, 2023 through February 14, 2023 (inclusive) and fined $1,000.

Read more about the story here.

NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal, except for the voided claim rulings which were sent to the TDN directly. Some of these rulings are from prior weeks as they were not reported contemporaneously.

One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race.

Violations of Crop Rule

Aqueduct

∙              Gokhan Kocakaya – violation date January 29; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

Gulfstream Park

∙              Edgar Perez – violation date January 29; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Mahoning Valley Racecourse

∙              Juan Gabriel Lagunes – violation date January 31; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 9 strikes

Oaklawn Park

• Kelsi Harr – violation date January 29; $250 fine, striking mount on the flank during the fifth race on January 29, 2023.
• Calvin Borel – violation date January 29; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes
• Ramsey Zimmerman – violation date January 29; $250 fine, three strikes in succession
• Gabriel Saez – violation date February 3; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes, on appeal and stay granted
• Kelsi Harr – violation date February 4; $250 fine, striking mount on the flank during the second race on February 4, 2023.
• Eduardo Gallardo – violation date February 4; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 9 strikes
• Florent Geroux – violation date February 4; $250 fine, raising wrist above helmet when using crop

Penn National

• Yomar Ortiz – violation date February 1; $500 fine and three-day suspension, misuse of the crop

Santa Anita

• Mario Gutierrez – violation date January 28; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Tampa Bay Downs

• Jose Luis Alonso – violation date February 1; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes
• Carlos Eduardo Rojas – violation date February 3; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes, on appeal and stay granted
• Carlos Eduardo Rojas – violation date February 4; 15-day suspension, “Jockey Carlos E. Rojas (P 000-026-197) has accumulated a total of 26 points for violation of HISA Rule 2280 (bl, (1). Nine of the points are under appeal and a stay has been granted, so the total points are reduced to 17 points.”

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“It was horrific,” Butler said. “Can you imagine having bloody helicopters from the news stations flying over the track every time a horse was injured.”

Butler was relatively new to the job at the time, and a fresh perspective was helpful. While some were quick to tell him that the breakdowns were “part of the game,” he represented a management team that refused to accept what was happening and knew that Santa Anita may not survive unless they fixed the problem. So they went to work.

So when the field safely crossed the wire in the Dec. 31 Las Flores S., the last race of the year run on the main track, Butler could have been excused had he popped open a bottle of champagne. The year was over and not a single horse had suffered a fatal injury during a 2022 dirt race at Santa Anita.

“That's one of those things you hope for but it seems almost impossible,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer for the Stronach Group. “I could not be more thrilled with the work done by everyone involved. And that is what has made all the difference.”

There was also plenty of good news last year at Del Mar. Not a single fatality occurred in a race during either of the 2022 Del Mar meets. There were two fatalities during fall racing, both were non-musculoskeletal and were classified as sudden death.  In 2019, the track experienced two deaths during races.

“Since we implemented a series of reforms four years ago, including enhanced training protocols and increased veterinary and track surface monitoring, Del Mar has been one of the safest tracks in the country for horse and rider,” said Del Mar President and COO Josh Rubinstein. “It is great to see similar progress throughout the state, though we know safety and welfare are ongoing and we need to stay vigilant.”

At Santa Anita, the numbers in 2019 were ugly. During the meet that began on Dec. 26, 2018 and ran through June 23, 2019, 30 horses died. And that was with Santa Anita shutting down for three weeks to try to get the problem under control. The media was relentless and every breakdown became a major story. Animal rights groups like PETA were putting immense pressure on Santa Anita and some were calling for racing to be shut down in the state.

“At the time it was a very angry place and everybody was pointing fingers at everyone else,” Butler said. “A lot of it was completely unnecessary. Nobody wants to see animals get injured. Its not good for anyone's business.  But 2019 gave us the ability to look at things differently because things had really gotten bad. Everybody understood that something had to change. Something had to give.  Horsemen, owners, trainers, everyone, understood that business as unusual will not fly anymore. The emphasis on safety had to be the core of the sport because without it the sport could be in jeopardy.”

The question became, what can be done? There will probably always be fatalities in racing, but can steps be taken to reduce the numbers significantly to the point where Santa Anita is no longer the most dangerous track in the country but one of the safest?

“Everything we do must have an emphasis on safety,” Butler said. “That's bandied around a lot and everybody likes to talk about safety and how they want the races to be safe. We had an opportunity in 2019, albeit after an awful situation, to really reset the clock and look at every aspect of how we operate at Santa Anita.”

So what they did was look at virtually every aspect of the sport and try to figure out how they could make things safer. While many factors were in play, the one that seems to have produced the most results was management's decree that horses had to constantly be under the microscope and constantly subjected to veterinary exams. In 2022, 5381 veterinary exams were conducted on 4,673 unique horses.

“If I could pick one thing that had made a difference is the vet-trainer inspection prior to a workout or a race,” said trainer Eoin Harty, the president of California Thoroughbred Trainers. “You're forced to stand there and watch your horse jog up and down the road with your vet. If there is any doubt whatsoever your vet isn't going to sign off on it because it's going to be on his head if something happens. They have to sign a book that says the horse is good and that information is turned into the racing office. All the checks and balances have to be in place.”

Benson said that trainers have learned not to attempt to race or work horses if they are having any problems that could lead to an injury.

“It's been an effort by the veterinarians that we have who work for Santa Anita as well as the private veterinarians,” Benson said. “We look very critically at horses to make sure they are ready to race. And the trainers are doing an excellent job of horsemanship and making good decisions for their horses.”

Harty said that while trainers don't like all aspects of the extra scrutiny they have come to understand that it is necessary.

“Initially, there was some push back,” he said. “But trainers in California realized at the time that we were in a dire situation and unless everybody got on board and started pulling with the same oar potentially we were going to be out of business. There is always resentment when there is a change like that but in general horsemen have come to embrace this. People can adapt very quickly when they have to.”

Management has also been extra cautious when it comes to the racing surface and hired Dennis Moore to be the track superintendent. Concerned that when there is too much moisture in the track problems could arise, Santa Anita will cancel when the weather gets to be a problem. That was the case over the last few days when racing was cancelled on both Saturday and Monday due to heavy rains in the area.

Butler said another factor has been a crackdown on the use of medications used to block or numb pain.

“We're making sure any horse out there isn't on any pain blocking medications,” he said. “With any athlete, if you have anything wrong, medications that block the pain is where larger problems can start.”

The numbers weren't perfect at Santa Anita in 2022. When turf racing, training on the main track, training on the training track and sudden deaths are included, there were 12 deaths at the track in 2022. While that's 12 too many, it represents a major decline from recent years. During the fiscal year that ran from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, there were 49 total deaths at Santa Anita.

Maybe there will come a time when 12 deaths seems like a lot, and the Santa Anita team has vowed to keep working to reduce the number to as a close to zero as a racetrack can come. In the meantime and after the situation had hit a rock-bottom level, it's not lost on anyone at Santa Anita how much better things have gotten.

“What happened in 2019 is that it opened up our eyes as to how we must make this sport safer,” Butler said. “Because if we didn't the sport was going to be in jeopardy and be in jeopardy quickly. Luckily for us, Belinda Stronach is not the sort of person to shy away from a battle. We engaged in what we thought was the only way to try to fix things and the numbers we see now speak for themselves. By fixing things the way we did I think we potentially saved the sport in California.”

The post With No Main Track Racing Fatalities in ’22, Santa Anita Continues to Make Strides on Safety appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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8th-TAM, $31,500, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 3:48 p.m.

William Mack's GIANT'S FIRE (GUN RUNNER), a $510,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, makes his first trip to post for trainer John Terranova. The chestnut colt is out of an unraced half-sister to multiple Group 1 placed Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). Also debuting is Godolphin homebred Exacting (Ghostzapper), a son of multiple Grade I placed Centring (A.P. Indy), who will be saddled by Eoin Harty. Jonathan Thomas sends out firster Dubrovnik (Union Rags)–a $180,000 FTKSEL yearling purchase–for the SF Racing/Starlight Racing/Madaket partnership, while Provocateur (Into Mischief), a $600,000 KEESEP purchase, makes his third start for trainer Todd Pletcher and MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. TJCIS PPs

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In what shapes up as an outstanding betting race on Kentucky Derby Day, Kaleem Shah's Madone, idle since the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, and Godolphin's graded stakes-placed homebred Javanica also figure prominently in a very deep field.

In a tremendous effort, Closing Remarks, a California-bred filly by Vronsky who is trained by Carla Gaines, saved ground throughout and matched strides with Going Global late to finish second, beaten a neck in the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes at a mile and one eighth on turf at Santa Anita on April 3.  Going Global, who was off as the heavy 3-5 favorite, was free-running turning for home and prevailed in a thriller, after which track announcer Frank Mirahmadi noted, “Closing Remarks could not have run any better.”

The same could have been said regarding Closing Remarks' second place finish in the ungraded China Doll Stakes March 6, a one mile turf affair in which Going Global prevailed by three quarters of a length.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli in five out of her six starts, Closing Remarks will get the first-time services of Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza on Saturday, as Rispoli has engagements at Churchill Downs.  Out of the Unusual Heat mare Orange Cove, Closing Remarks won the one mile turf California Cup Oaks three starts back on Jan. 16 and she brings an overall mark of 6-2-2-0 to the Senorita party.

Trained by Simon Callaghan, Madone has been idle since running eighth, beaten 5 ½ lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland Nov. 6.  Perhaps the biggest late threat in the Senorita, Madone was unbeaten in three starts, all at one mile on turf, heading into the Breeders' Cup.

A first-out maiden winner on July 31 at Del Mar, Madone then took the one mile Juvenile Fillies Turf on Sept. 6 and in her final Breeders' Cup prep, rallied powerfully from off the pace to take the ungraded Surfer Girl Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 4.  Ridden in all four of her starts by Flavien Prat, Madone, a Kentucky-bred filly by the Medaglia d'Oro stallion Vancouver, will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez on Saturday.

Javanica, a one mile maiden turf winner in her second start at Arlington Park on Sept. 18, was a sharp second, beaten a half length, in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at a mile on turf four starts back on Nov. 28 and returns to her preferred surface following a well beaten fourth in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks on dirt April 3.

Trained by Eoin Harty, Javanica was second, beaten a neck two starts back in the El Camino Real Derby on synthetic Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields and rallied to finish second three starts back at Santa Anita in the one mile turf Blue Norther on Dec. 31.

By Medaglia d'Oro, out of Godolphin's Elusive Quality mare Shuruq, Javanica has a win and two seconds from three starts at one mile on turf and is 7-1-4-0 overall.  She'll be ridden for the first time on Saturday by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, who by all accounts, is back to his best in the saddle.

GRADE 3 SENORITA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS
IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 10 of 10   Approximate post time 5:45 p.m. PT

1. Madone—Juan Hernandez—124
2. Jibber Jabber—Geovanni Franco—120
3. Nimbostratus—Tiago Pereira—120
4. Closing Remarks—Victor Espinoza—124
5. Tetragonal—Abel Cedillo—120
6. Golden—Jose Valdivia, Jr.—120
7. Sensible Cat—Tyler Baze—124
8. Stressed—Mario Gutierrez—120
9. Majestic Steps—Ricardo Gonzalez—120
10. Javanica—Kent Desormeaux—120
11. Sweetest Angel—Edwin Maldonado–120

First post time for a 10-race card on Kentucky Derby Day, Saturday is at 12:30 p.m.  Grandstand admission gates open early at 7 a.m. and Infield gates open at 9 a.m.  For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Madone, Closing Remarks, Javanica Among 11 Facing Off In Senorita Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Eoin Harty feels she deserves the chance.

“This will be her first time on dirt but she works great on it,” the trainer said.

“She doesn't seem to mind the kickback. She ran against colts last time out and just got beat by a good horse,” alluding to a game neck loss despite a four-wide trip on Feb. 13 to Triple Crown candidate Rombauer in the El Camino Real Derby.

Javanica is a bay daughter of Medaglia d'Oro owned and bred by Godolphin LLC, for whom the 58-year-old Harty has been training just over two decades. The native of Ireland has engaged Mike Smith to ride in the Oaks, which Smith won last year on champion Swiss Skydiver.

The Hall of Fame rider also won the Oaks on two other champions, Midnight Bisou in 2018 and Songbird in 2016.

Javanica is not one to carry her track around with her, having raced at Arlington Park, Woodbine, Del Mar, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in her six starts.

“She's been everywhere,” Harty said.

The Oaks, race six: Moraz, Juan Hernandez, 8-5; Brilliant Cut, Abel Cedillo, 8-1; Soothsay, Flavien Prat, 6-1; Javanica, Mike Smith, 5-2; and Beautiful Gift, John Velazquez, 9-5.

The post After Game Second Against Males, Javanica Picks Up Mike Smith For Santa Anita Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Dismissed at 20-1 in the Dec. 26 La Brea, Fair Maiden rallied for an emphatic 2 ¼ length win, as a pair of Bob Baffert fillies, Golden Principal and Merneith, ran second and third. Harty, a former assistant to Baffert, will have to again contend with those two plus yet another Baffert runner, Qahira.

Last year's winner as the 3-5 favorite, Hard Not to Love, has been winless in her last five races, all routes, and will try to rebound for John Shirreffs with the first time services of leading rider Juan Hernandez.

A 4-year-old filly by Street Sense, Godolphin, LLC's homebred Fair Maiden settled nicely when ridden for the first time by Ricky Gonzalez and she was able to exploit fast fractions of 21.80, 44.40 and 1:09.80 en route to a final clocking of 1:22.60 and a career-best 92 Beyer Speed figure. The win also provided Gonzalez, who shifted his tack from Golden Gate Fields to Southern California last year, with his first-ever Grade 1 win.

“I've been watching Ricky ride since he came down here and I think he's the next superstar,” said Harty following the La Brea. “He's brave and he puts his horse in a spot to win. I grab him every time I can because I think he's a world class rider…”

With four wins from eight career starts, Fair Maiden, along with six others, will be facing older mares for the first time.

As is seemingly always the case, Baffert holds a very strong hand on Saturday. Golden Principal, who was off at 12-1 in the La Brea, finished 1 ½ lengths clear of her stablemate Merneith while neither were any match for Fair Maiden.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Golden Principal, a 4-year-old filly by Constitution, appears to be on the improve and will likely stalk the early pace with regular rider Mike Smith up.

Ridden by John Velazquez in the La Brea, Merneith will be ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado, who is regarded as an outstanding gate rider, making it likely that she'll blast off from the rail and try to take the field gate to wire. A 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah, Merneith, who was off at 7-2 in the La Brea, is owned by HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud and has an overall mark of 9-3-3-2.

Quick from the blocks, Baffert's Qahira, a one length winner as the 3-2 favorite of the ungraded Kalookan Queen Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on Jan. 10, has won five of her eight starts. With Joel Rosario back aboard, Qahira, who is owned by Baoma Corporation, has one win from two tries at seven furlongs and looms extremely dangerous as she shoots for her first graded stakes win.

Third, beaten six lengths in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth on Jan. 9, Hard Not to Love has two wins from three tries at seven furlongs, including last year's Santa Monica. Quite often temperamental as a result of the fact she races with one eye, Shirreffs is hoping Juan Hernandez can provide the Midas-touch as she gets back to sprinting for the first time since Feb. 15 of last year.

A 5-year-old Ontario-Canadian-bred mare by Hard Spun, the appropriately named Hard Not to Love is owned by Mercedes Stables, LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy and David Ingordo and Steve Mooney. With an overall mark of 11-5-3-2, Hard Not to Love, who also won last year's Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs, has earnings of $592,980.

Lending further depth to a quality field is Richard Mandella's Amuse, who was second, beaten one length by Qahira in the Jan. 10 Kalookan Queen. A 6-year-old mare by Medaglia d'Oro, Amuse has two wins from 11 starts and seeks her first graded stakes win for owners Bass Racing, LLC, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA MONICA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

1. Merneith—Edwin Maldonado—120
2. Miss Stormy D—Tyler Baze—120
3. Fair Maiden—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
4. Hard Not to Love—Juan Hernandez—120
5. Qahira—Joel Rosario—120
6. Golden Principal—Mike Smith—120
7. Secret Keeper—Abel Cedillo—120
8. Amuse—Drayden Van Dyke—120
9. Proud Emma—Geovanni Franco—122
10. Pharoah's Heart—Jessica Pyfer—120
11. Biddy Duke—Umberto Rispoli—122
12. Bohemian Bourbon—Flavien Prat–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com.

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The prestigious seven-furlong race for fillies and mares four and older will be decided at seven furlongs in this, its 64th running.

“Her victory in the La Brea wasn't much of a surprise in the sense that her form was good,” trainer Eoin Harty said, alluding to her 4-1-1 record from eight starts, with earnings of $321,278. Her lone disappointing effort came in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She finished 12th when rank, steadying and wide in the race at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, 2019.

Other than that, the 4-year-old chestnut filly has never been worse than fourth and has been working forwardly for the Santa Monica.

“She's doing well,” Harty said. 'She's trained well since the La Brea and we're looking forward to the race.”

Fair Maiden began her career at Arlington Park, had two races at Woodbine after that before starts at Santa Anita, Churchill Downs, Keeneland and at Santa Anita for the aforementioned La Brea.

“She's been with me since Day One,” Harty said. “She came out of her Breeders' Cup race with a problem, which explains her layoff (of some 10 months before winning a sprint at Churchill Downs last Sept. 19).

“Seven-eighths should be perfect for her.”

Harty, a 58-year-old native of Dublin, Ireland, enjoyed perhaps his greatest victory in 2009 when Well Armed captured the $6-million Dubai World Cup by 14 lengths under recently retired Aaron Gryder.

Harty was a top assistant to the late John Russell and Bob Baffert before becoming private trainer for Godolphin Racing in 2000.

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