Flagstaff | Horse Racing Free Tips

Flagstaff Ordered Unplaced Over Bisphosphonate Positive; No Hearing Yet Scheduled For Sadler

A stewards' ruling released on Saturday ordered Flagstaff unplaced from the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes Sept. 27, 2020, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., due to the presence of clodronic acid, a bisphosphonate sold under the brand name Osphos, in a post-race sample, reports the Daily Racing Form.

Flagstaff finished second in that race, and stewards have ordered the purse money to be redistributed.

The bisphosphonate positive was originally announced in late May and trainer John Sadler could still be facing Class 1 drug sanctions, but no hearings have yet been scheduled, according to the DRF report.

Because clodronic acid is not included on the CHRB's current list of prohibited substances, under the regulatory body's rules it automatically falls under the most severe drug category, Class 1. A medication classification proposal working its way through the CHRB's approval process recommends classifying clodronate (clodronic acid) as Class 3, but in the A penalty category.

Sadler referred questions to attorney Darrell Vienna, who said Flagstaff was legally treated with Osphos on an unspecified date “late in 2019” when Flagstaff was 5 years old.

Vienna cited the extended half life of Osphos as an explanation for the positive test, saying it can linger in a horse's system for many months or even longer than a year.

Firenze Fire Repeats In The True North

Dashing out to a fast start, Firenze Fire dueled with Flagstaff for a half-mile and pulled away in the stretch to repeat in the Grade 2 True North Stakes at Belmont Park. Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Firenze Fire broke cleanly from post position one, took a short lead in the opening strides, and was quickly joined by Lane's End's Flagstaff, with American Power and Wicked Trick trailing.

The two leaders set fast early fractions, going :22.71 for the first quarter and then :45.39 for the half-mile. As the field of seven turned for home, Firenze Fire pulled away from Flagstaff to win by a length and a half in 1:15.52 for the six-and-a-half furlongs. American Power finished third with Wicked Trick in fourth. Phat Man, Looking at Bikinis, and Big Engine completed the field.

Owned by Mr. Amore Stable and trained by Kelly Breen, Firenze Fire is a Florida-bred 6-year-old horse by Poseidon's Warrior (Speightstown) out of My Every Wish (Langfuhr). Firenze Fire's previous victories include the Grade 3 Runhappy Stakes, the Grade 2 Vosburgh Stakes, and the 2020 edition of the G2 True North, all at Belmont Park.

See full chart here.

Jose Ortiz picked up the mount on Firenze Fire from his brother, Irad Ortiz, Jr., who is out for two weeks with an injury sustained on June 3. After the race, he shared what his brother had to say about the son of Poseidon's Warrior: “He [Irad] said he's a very nice horse and that he was going to break good. He told me he thought he was a better horse on the outside. But he got the rail and he jumped good and I didn't want to take anything away from him. I rode him like he was the best horse and he was the best horse.”

Trainer Kelly Breen was pleased with his horse's repeat victory in the True North.

“He's been training great. I think he's more even-keel now.” Breen told the NYRA press office. “I'm getting to know him even more than last year and maybe he's getting to know me, also. It's a pretty good combo right now. The first quarter was :22.3 and that's in his wheelhouse. I said we should be fine and I said that to Ron [Lombardi, the owner of Mr. Amore Stable]. That wasn't the original game plan, although we left the game plan up to Jose Ortiz. He came back and said he's a very nice horse. That's it. He's a class horse.”

Firenze Fire went off as the even-money favorite and paid $4.10, $2.60, and $2.30. Flagstaff (4-1) paid $3.70 and $3.10. American Power (15-1) paid $3.80 to show.

The post Firenze Fire Repeats In The True North appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Streaking Flagstaff Chasing Third Straight Win In Friday’s True North

Grade 1-winner Flagstaff bested Eclipse award-winner Whitmore in a thrilling finish last out and will look to win his third consecutive stakes race as part of a seven-horse field in Friday's Grade 2, $300,000 True North for 4-year-olds and up sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over the main track at Belmont Park.

The 43rd running of the True North is one of five stakes on the Friday card as part of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that commences Thursday and runs through Saturday, which will be highlighted by the 153rd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The True North will see Flagstaff, owned by Lane's End Racing and Hronis Racing, enter off his first career Grade 1 score, when he edged both Lexitonian and Whitmore by a head in a blanket finish in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs on May 1.

The John Sadler trainee started his 2021 campaign with a fourth-place effort in the King Cotton before earning his first black type as a 7-year-old when third in the Hot Springs. The son of Speightstown then posted a 1 1/4-length score in the Grade 3 Commonwealth going seven furlongs on April 3 at Keeneland before topping a 12-horse field last out.

“It was great, he ran two dynamite races in Kentucky,” Sadler said. “Both of those races were seven furlongs, but we think that 6 1/2 furlongs should be good for him, also.”

Unraced until his 4-year-old year, Flagstaff has made up for lost time, winning stakes at ages 5, 6, and 7. After making the bulk of his starts in California, Flagstaff will ship to New York for the first time, drawing post 2. Luis Saez, aboard for the Churchill Downs victory, will have the return engagement.

“He almost has no bad races on his form,” Sadler said. “He's just a nice honest horse and has run with top class horses all the time. He's well-bred and he's a gelding so we try to take good care of him and make him last.”

Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire, winner of the Grade 3 Runhappy going six furlongs at Belmont on May 8, has recorded Beyer figures of 90 or better in six of his last seven starts for conditioner Kelly Breen.

Firenze Fire won last year's edition of the True North, topping Stan the Man, and is 6-1-0 in nine career starts at Belmont, including three straight wins at the track, and has not lost in Elmont since running fourth in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap last June on Big Sandy.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. won the race aboard Firenze Fire in 2020 and will ride again, breaking from the rail.

Long Lake Stable and Madaket Stables' Looking At Bikinis bested optional claimers going seven furlongs last out on April 24 at Belmont and will be returning to stakes company for the first time in four starts for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

The son of Lookin At Lucky ran 11th in the 2019 Grade 1 Travers last year and capped his 3-year-old year with a fourth-place effort in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile that December at the Big A. After racing just twice in 2020, Looking At Bikinis earned a 94 Beyer last out in his 5-year-old bow. He will now look to improve to 4-for-4 running at Belmont.

“It's one of those things where he was able to knock out an allowance win there and has no more conditions to work with and you try a stakes with him,” Brown said. “I thought, between this and the Met Mile, it was an easier spot for him. With the cutback, hopefully he gets a strong pace and a clean outside trip where he can make a run.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will be in the irons from post 5.

“He's a funny horse,” Brown said. “Sometimes he shows up and runs great races and other times he's left us scratching our head. A wet track should be fine for him if it happens.”

Phat Man, fifth in the Churchill Downs last out, will be looking for his first stakes win since the 2020 Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper in January at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Kent Sweezey, Phat Man has not run at Belmont since 2017.
Owned by Marianne Stribling, Force Five Racing and Two Rivers Racing Stable, Phat Man will break from the outermost post 7 with Joel Rosario aboard.

American Power, trained by Rob Atras, won the Caixa Eletronica in March at Aqueduct and will be returning to stakes competition after running second against optional claimers on April 24 at Belmont. Kendrick Carmouche rides from post 4.

Trainer Linda Rice will send out a pair of contenders in Big Engine, third in the Affirmed Success on April 23 at Belmont, and Wicked Trick, who ran fourth in last year's True North and ran second in his first stakes appearance of 2021 last out in the Grade 3 Westchester on May 1 at Belmont, finishing behind 2020 Belmont Stakes runner-up Dr Post.

“Hopefully, he can improve off his last effort; he's going to have to with this class,” Rice said. “But we thought this would be an interesting spot for us.”

Eric Cancel will ride Big Engine from post 3, while Jose Lezcano has the call on Wicked Trick aboard post 6.

“Big Engine, like Wicked Trick, has experience on this track, so that helps, for sure,” Rice said.

The True North is named for the 1945 winner of the Fall Highweight Handicap and on Friday will be contested as Race 7 at 4:07 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m.

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Sadler Faces Class 1 Drug Complaint After Flagstaff Tests Positive For Bisphosphonate

The California Horse Racing Board has filed a complaint against trainer John Sadler after graded stakes winner Flagstaff tested positive for clodronic acid, a bisphosphonate sold under the brand name Osphos, following a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes Sept. 27, 2020, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. A split sample confirmed the presence of the drug.

Flagstaff, a now 7-year-old gelding by Speightstown, is owned by Lane's End Racing and Hronis Racing LLC. He recently scored his first G1 victory in the Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day at Churchill Downs.

Proposed amendments for medication violations require a one-year suspension absent mitigating circumstances along with a minimum fine of $10,000 for Category A penalties. Owners face loss of purse and potential placement of a horse on the vet's list for up to 90 days.

Complicating Sadler's status is the fact he is on probation as part of a settlement agreement issued in June 2020 for three medication violations from April and May 2019. Sadler received a 60-day suspension, but 45 days of the ban were stayed provided he have no Class 1, 2 or 3 violations during a probationary period that ends June 28, 2021.

Bisphosphonates are a class of drug approved by the FDA in 2014 and prescribed to prevent bone loss in people and to treat navicular syndrome in horses, a common cause of forelimb lameness. The drug is not approved for horses less than four years old.

Equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage of Rood & Riddle warned about the use of bisphosphonates Osphos and Tildren in young horses during a client education seminar in 2018, saying the drug can have unintended, detrimental side effects. Many racing states moved to ban the drugs.

The CHRB banned bisphosphonates effective July 1, 2020, saying that any horse administered the drug in the previous six months – effectively a cutoff date of Jan. 1, 2020 – was prohibited from stabling on CHRB regulated grounds.

Sadler referred questions to attorney Darrell Vienna, who said Flagstaff was legally treated with Osphos on an unspecified date “late in 2019” when Flagstaff was 5 years old.

Vienna cited the extended half life of Osphos as an explanation for the positive test, saying it can linger in a horse's system for many months or even longer than a year.

Sadler, whose best horses include 3-year-old filly champion Stellar Wind and Horse of the Year Accelerate, is the trainer of this year's G1 Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World, a prospective starter in the G1 Belmont Stakes on June 5.

The complaint against Sadler was ordered on April 28 but not published on the CHRB's website until Wednesday, May 26. No hearing date has been set at this time.

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