The son of Constitution was also named champion 3-year-old male during the online ceremony.

Tiz the Law won four of six starts during his 2020 campaign and earned $2,388,300 for owner Sackatoga Stables. He started his season at Gulfstream Park with victories in the Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes and G1 Florida Derby, establishing himself as one of the biggest threats on the originally scheduled Kentucky Derby trail before the race was postponed due to the emerging pandemic.

Instead, Tiz the Law reemerged in the summer to win the Belmont Stakes, suddenly positioned as the first leg of the Triple Crown after a re-shuffled racing calendar. He then continued to claim his home state's top prizes for 3-year-old males with a 5 1/2-length drubbing of the G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

The colt's fall campaign saw a narrow runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby in early September, then he ran sixth in his final start, the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. He began his stallion career earlier this year at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.

Tiz the Law's award-winning campaign also had a ripple effect in other divisions of the NYTB Awards, as well. His trainer, Barclay Tagg, was named Trainer of the Year, while regular rider Manny Franco was named Jockey of the Year. Twin Creeks Farm, which bred Tiz the Law, was named Breeder of the Year, and Tizfiz, the colt's dam, earned Broodmare of the Year honors.

This is the second New York Horse of the Year title for Tiz the Law, who earned the award last year with a season highlighted by a win in the G1 Champagne Stakes. His 2019 season also helped earn Jockey of the Year honors for Franco and Broodmare of the Year honors for Tizfiz.

A full list of the year-end award winners can be found below.

Horse of the Year and 3-Year-Old Male – Tiz the Law
Breeder: Twin Creeks Farm
Owner: Sackatoga Stable
Trainer: Barclay Tagg

2-Year-Old Filly – Simply Ravishing
Breeder: Meg Levy
Owners: Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing, Nehoc Stables
Trainer: Kenny McPeek

2-Year-Old Male – Brooklyn Strong
Breeders: Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan
Owner: Mark Schwartz
Trainer: Danny Velazquez.

3-Year-Old Filly – Sharp Starr
Breeder: Stonewall Farm
Owner: Barry Schwartz
Trainer: Horacio DePaz

Older Dirt Female – Lucky Move
Breeders: Maltese Cross Stables and Stonegate Stables
Owners: Ten Strike Racing
Trainer: Juan C. Guerrero

Older Dirt Male – Mr. Buff
Breeders/Owners: Chester and Mary Broman
Trainer: John Kimmel

Female Turf Horse and Female Sprinter – Lead Guitar
Breeder: Windylea Farm
Owners: Jim and Susan Hill
Trainers: George Weaver, Eddie Kenneally

Male Turf Horse – Somelikeithotbrown
Breeders: Hot Pink Stable & Sand Dollar Stable
Owners: Skychai Racing & Sand Dollar Stable
Trainer: Mike Maker

Male Sprinter – Funny Guy
Breeder: Hibiscus Stable
Owners: Gatsas Stable, R.A. Hill Stable, Swick Stable
Trainer: John Terranova

Broodmare of the Year: Tizfiz
Breeder of the Year: Twin Creeks Farm
Jockey of the Year: Manny Franco
Trainer of the Year: Barclay Tagg
Lifetime Achievement Award: Ellen Bongard; Frank and Patricia Generazio
Special Award: Jeffrey Cannizzo.

The post Tiz The Law Named 2020 New York-Bred Horse Of The Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable's Funny Guy is a five-time stakes winner against fellow New York-breds that owns six wins, six seconds and $638,645 in purse earnings from 17 lifetime starts.

The 5-year-old son of 2008 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) winner Big Brown has fared well in the occasional foray into open company, including a runner-up finish behind Grade 1 winner Firenze Fire in the Vosburgh (G2) last fall at his home base of Belmont Park.

Funny Guy is entered to make his graded-stakes return in Saturday's $250,000 General George (G3) at Laurel Park, where he is the 9-5 program favorite against a field boasting seven other stakes winners including Grade 3 winners Laki, Majestic Dunhill and Share the Ride.

The 45th running of the General George for 4-year-olds and up and $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) for females 4 and older, both sprinting seven furlongs, serve as the co-headliners on a nine-race Winter Sprintfest program featuring six stakes worth $900,000 in purses rescheduled from Feb. 13 due to weather.

Funny Guy has been at Laurel since last week under the supervision of Tonja Terranova, wife and assistant to trainer John Terranova. Though training has been intermittently interrupted by weather, John Terranova said Funny Got got in a “strong gallop” Wednesday morning.

“It's all good. We'll just do what we've got to do during the week,” he said. “I guess everyone else is in the same boat with the postponement. We'll just ride the wave.”

The General George will be only the second time Funny Guy has raced outside of New York. The first came in the 2019 Oklahoma Derby (G3), when he ran sixth behind Owendale, third in that year's Preakness, and runner-up Sleepy Eyes Todd, most recently fourth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park and running in Saturday's $20 million Saudi Cup.

“He's been great. He's honest, he does everything right. He's been a fun horse to be around,” John Terranova said. “He's versatile and just keeps coming back for more each time. He's had a couple little circumstances where maybe the track got to him a little bit or it just didn't set up quite right, but he's always given us a big effort.”

One start prior to last year's Vosburgh, Funny Guy wound up fourth by 2 ½ lengths in the Forego (G1) at Saratoga to Win Win Win, another veteran of the 2019 Triple Crown trail, and Grade 1 winner Complexity, the runner-up. The seven-furlong Forego was contested during a thunderstorm that rolled through at post time. In a sign of respect, Funny Guy was sent off as the favorite in the Forego and Vosburgh.

“The Forego was one of those circumstances with that horrific rainstorm we were in the middle of when they snapped the gate on us. Everybody rushed out to the track and it was an absolute deluge,” Terranova said. “You couldn't even see them. It was like running through a river. He was down inside, just buried in there. The track took away from a lot of performances on that afternoon.”

Funny Guy's stakes wins have come at distances from 6 ½ furlongs to the 1 1/8 miles of the Albany, which he captured by a neck in 2019 at Saratoga, earning him a shot in the Oklahoma Derby. Given some time off after that effort, he returned with back-to-back stakes wins in the one-mile Commentator and seven-furlong John Morrissey last summer.

In his 2021 debut, Funny Guy ran second as the favorite in the seven-furlong Say Florida Sandy Jan. 9 at Aqueduct, his first start since a neck triumph in the New York Stallion Series Thunder Rumble Nov. 22, also going seven-eighths at the Big A.

“The track was a little loose on him. He's a big, heavy horse and winter tracks, they get cold, they get cuppy, they get loose and dry,” Terranova said. “He doesn't really get his feet that far up off the ground so I think he struggled with it, having that quickness to him. It took it a little bit away from him the last start. Our jock said the same thing after getting off him.”

Funny Guy owns two wins and two seconds in five career tries at the General George distance, and is two-for-three on an off track. A second winter storm is scheduled to pass through the Laurel area Thursday into Friday morning.

“He's certainly doing well coming into this. We're just kind of like in this holding pattern, not much to do this week,” Terranova said. “He's doing great. We've been looking forward to this race. Wet or dry, he's been great. Everything's good.”

Terranova has shipped in to Maryland and left with graded-stakes before, taking the 2019 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) with Killybegs Captain. It was the trainer's most recent of more than a dozen graded triumphs.

“We've been lucky down there and very fortunate that we've had some good success with our horses,” he said. “Hopefully it continues with Funny Guy.”

The post General George Favorite Funny Guy One Serious Racehorse appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

John Terranova took out his trainer's license in 1992 and conditioned his first winner in April of the following year. A native and resident of Syosset, Terranova was introduced to racing by his father, who owned Thoroughbreds.

He got his big break in 2000 when becoming the trainer of Gatsas Thoroughbreds' Gander, who went on to be a multiple New York-bred champion and made over $2 million in lifetime earnings. Additionally, he has conditioned Grade 1 winners Negligee, Franny Freud, Laragh and Lilacs and Lace. Terranova's 2020 highlights include winning three stakes races with New York-bred Funny Guy and capturing Saratoga's Tale of the Cat with Stan the Man.

In terms of training horses, what was the most challenging part of this year given the COVID-19 pandemic?

Terranova: For a while, it was just dealing with the uncertainty of when racing would come back. In this game, as things go, we're only as good as our last group of horses that have run. We just had to keep going and waiting for the next meet to happen and hope we do well and keep moving forward. Also, there was uncertainty as far as the owners not knowing what to do with their horses; should we give them a break? Turn them out? Rest them? How long is it going to be? It was hard to train horses with no races, targets to point for or any races in mind. That was challenging – not knowing when or if racing was going to start back. Thankfully, looking back, it was only a short period of time, but it felt like an eternity. Two days felt like two weeks, two weeks is like two months in this game. A lot can happen in a short amount of time.

It was a lot of wanting everyone to stay healthy, too. That was really the most important thing. The uncertainty of whether or not your family, workers, or yourself would get sick and how bad it would be. Even now, it continues to be something that's on our minds. When it comes down to it, that's [staying healthy] the most important thing.

What was your favorite on-track moment this year?

Terranova: Funny Guy winning the Commentator [June 12 at Belmont Park]. We had just started back racing after being shut down because of the pandemic and he had been ready for quite a while. We didn't know where to go, what to do or what would be the right spot to get him back. We hoped for an allowance type race to start, but we knew we had a solid New York-bred that was a barn favorite. Everybody loves him. After all that time off, we were just trying to do right by him and make the right call for him and the owners. He was doing really well and he really exceeded our expectations that day. It's not like he was the favorite. He went off at double-digit [11-1] odds. We were beyond thrilled with the way he ran, and it was a nice way to kick off the resumption of racing in New York for us and our team.

What was the best ride on a horse of yours?

Terranova: Joel Rosario on Funny Guy in the Commentator was a hell of a ride. He had never breezed him, never rode him in a race or anything [prior]. He's obviously a world-class rider, so guys like him are able to adapt to all types of horses in all types of situations. He went in with a lot of confidence riding him that day. He had a bit of trouble in the race where he had to check a couple times. Rosario certainly gave a beautiful ride on him and I'm grateful he had the horse to do it with. That would certainly stick out. All around, it was the biggest thrill of this unprecedented season.

Who would you say has been your most improved horse?

Terranova: Stan the Man rebounded very well for us this year. He started off early in the winter with a couple of disappointing efforts and it had us scratching our heads. We knew he had done well at Aqueduct previously and he didn't give us any real indication of what was going on. The shutdown gave us even more time to get him back going. We changed some things up with him and it sort of did a turnaround from the way he started off. Certain horses needed the time, but obviously at the time, we didn't know. It changed things up for him. What was interesting with him was that generally, his time off was over the summer. He was a horse we used strong and hard through the winter and into the spring and the summer would be his downtime and he'd come back in the late fall. This year, with all that went on, we had to switch things up with him and we had to space his races out. He got to run at Saratoga and that was something different for him.

What was the best improvement at a NYRA track in 2020?

Terranova: The new track at Saratoga is right up there. I know they're remodeling and expanding the Oklahoma [training] track which is a necessity given how many horses train up there during the offseason and how many horses train on that one track during the meet. The barns also have been a big improvement, but that's gone on for several years.

I know there was much more focus and a whole lot more attention to the overall safety of the horses and that's always an important move forward. You can't get anywhere without trying. Obviously, there are steps being made in the right directions. The main track at Saratoga is one of them. Anywhere a horse steps needs to be maintained to the best it can possibly be on a regular basis. Whether it's the surface, the horse paths, anything. Obviously, weather plays a part in it. I know there are a lot of efforts made and they listen to people. A lot more voices have been heard.

As you look ahead to a 2021 campaign what are you looking most forward to?

Terranova: We're going to take and do the best with what we have, and we're hopeful that we have one or a few of them rise to that occasion where we can have some fun and compete to the graded stakes level. Maybe a horse or two can take us to a place we've never been. We're just grateful to be racing and that we have fantastic owners and great people that are supporting us. We're hoping we can do that best we can with each one of them and that good fortune comes our way.

The 2020-21 winter meet at Aqueduct returns to action on Thursday, December 31 and continues through Sunday, March 28.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

For additional information, and the complete winter meet stakes schedule, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule.

The post Terranova: ‘A Lot More Voices Have Been Heard’ Regarding Equine Safety appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The six-furlong event over the main track is named in honor of the late Walter S. Vosburgh, the official handicapper for the Jockey Club and for the New York racetracks from 1894-1934, and is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event, which offers an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland.

The prestigious race has been championed by all-time greats Bold Ruler (1957), Dr. Fager (1967-68), Forego (1974) and Ghostzapper (2003), while also helping cement Champion Sprint Horse honors for My Juliet (1976), Dr. Patches (1978), Plugged Nickel (1980), Guilty Conscience (1981), Groovy (1987), Housebuster (1991), Rubiano (1992), Not Surprising (1995), Artax (1999), Kodiak Kowboy (2009).

Boasting the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $1.95 million Firenze Fire made a successful 2020 debut with a four-length win in the Grade 3 General George on February 15 at Laurel Park.

Firenze Fire will attempt to make amends after a distant 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on August 29. He breezed a sharp five furlongs in 59.20 seconds over the Belmont Park main track on September 17 in his first move since the Forego.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will have the mount from post 5.

Trainer John Terranova will send out two strong contenders in multiple New York-bred stakes winner Funny Guy and two-time stakes winner Stan the Man.

Owned by R.A. Hill Stable, Gatsas Stable and Swick Stable, Funny Guy was a last out fourth in the Grade 1 Forego on August 29 at Saratoga Race Course, where he finished a game fourth as the lukewarm favorite, beaten 2 ½ lengths over sloppy and sealed going.

“The conditions that day were just horrendous in that rainstorm,” Terranova said. “There was so much water it was like a river down on the inside. He tried to make a couple of moves and didn't get beat far, but it just didn't work out.”

The 4-year-old Big Brown bay has defeated his Empire State-bred counterparts at distances ranging from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, including triumphs in last year's NYSSS Times Square at Aqueduct and the Albany at Saratoga. He began his 2020 campaign with a victory in the Commentator on June 12 going a one-turn mile over Big Sandy, where he garnered a career-best 101 Beyer and followed with a win in the John Morrissey on July 30 at Saratoga.

Funny Guy has trained forwardly since returning to Terranova's downstate division at Belmont Park, most recently logging a five-furlong move in a bullet 59.66 seconds on September 20.

“The race looked like a good opportunity and I loved his workout the other day,” Terranova said. “He's obviously shown that he's a versatile horse when it comes to distance and he's done well at distances like this one. He's doing great right now and this just seemed like a really good spot for him.”

Funny Guy has shown versatility in distance as well as pace tactics. In the Commentator, he came from five or six lengths off the pace to victory and tracked just a length off frontrunners in his John Morrissey triumph.

“It's hard to say what he'll do from a pace standpoint,” Terranova said. “He's a real smart horse and he just puts you right where he needs to be. He's the type of horse that you can do different things with.”

Jockey Joel Rosario has piloted Funny Guy in his trio of starts this season and retains the mount from post 2.

“Joel knows the horse really well, he knows what he has underneath him,” Terranova said.

Long Lake Stables' Stan the Man arrives at the Vosburgh off a victory as the favorite in the restricted Tale of the Cat on August 20 at the Spa. The 6-year-old son of Broken Vow is in pursuit of his first graded stakes victory but has twice placed against such caliber with runner-up efforts at Belmont Park in the Grade 3 Westchester last May at and the Grade 2 True North on June 27.

“He's a good horse also. He's been a bit of an off-the-pace sprinter and he's able to do a few different things as well,” Terranova said. “The good thing is that both horses are doing really well at the moment.”

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a three-time winner of the Vosburgh, has the mount from post 3.

Calumet Farm's True Timber has put together a resume which includes eight placings against graded stakes company and lifetime earnings of $1,038,650, but will seek his first stakes win for trainer Jack Sisterson.

The 6-year-old Mineshaft bay was a last out third in the Grade 1 Forego, when matching strides with Complexity in the early stages, but was unable to hold off a devastating late charge from Win Win Win and finished 1 ½ lengths as a 37-1 longshot. True Timber made his debut for Sisterson two starts back when running third in a 6 ½-furlong allowance optional claiming event at Keeneland on July 12 behind next-out winners C Z Rocket and Copper Town.

“Going into the Forego, we didn't think there would be too much speed, we thought Chad's horse [Complexity] would go out there and set the pace,” Sisterson said. “We had the [Grade 2] Kelso [on Saturday, October 3] in mind, but the Vosburgh ended up becoming more of a wide open race so we figured we would give it a shot. I think he's the type of horse that can run over just about anything. He just has a lot of class.”

True Timber has run a respective second and third in the last two runnings of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct. Sisterson said he hopes that third time is the charm for True Timber, and that he plans on pointing towards a third attempt in the $250,000 event set for December 5 at the Big A.

“We're targeting the Cigar Mile at the end of the year with him,” Sisterson said. “He's cutting back to three-quarters for this race and may stretch out next time. We'll just see how he does Saturday and take it from there. But for now, the Cigar Mile is the long term goal.”

Jockey Kendrick Carmouche, who piloted True Timber in the Forego, will climb back aboard from post 1.

Woodford Racing's Engage will seek a victory off a nearly 11-month layoff in Saturday's race. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the son of Into Mischief last saw action in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 4 at Santa Anita, where he was fourth beaten four lengths to stable mate and Champion Sprinter Mitole. Engage will seek his third graded stakes victory having won the Grade 2 Phoenix last October at Keeneland over Grade 1-winner Whitmore and the Grade 3 Futurity at Belmont Park during his juvenile campaign in October 2017.

Jockey Jose Ortiz, who guided Takaful to a 2017 Vosburgh win, will ride Engage for the 11th time from post 6.

Completing the field is Silvino Ramirez's New Jersey invader Share the Ride for trainer Antonio Arriaga.

The 5-year-old son of Candy Ride will attempt back-to-back wins after a wire-to-wire triumph in the Mr. Prospector at Monmouth Park, which he won by 3 ¾ lengths while securing a 104 Beyer.

Jockey Manny Franco will ride from post 4.

The Vosburgh is slated as Race 9 on Saturday's 10-race program, which offers a first post of 1:00 p.m. Eastern. America's Day at the Races will present daily television coverage of the 27-day fall meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete America's Day at the Races broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The post Firenze Fire Headlines Wide-Open ‘Win And You’re In’ Vosburgh appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The native of Manchester, New Hampshire, who operates under the moniker Gatsas Thoroughbreds alongside his brother Ted, had only owned horses for about five years and had just made the transition from former trainer Charlie Assinakopolous to John Terranova, who also conditions Funny Guy.

Shadow Caster arrived at the Forego with 28 starts under his belt but still appeared to be overmatched against the likes of multiple graded stakes winners Richter Scale and Successful Appeal.

Shadow Caster recorded a 113 Beyer for his upset victory in the Forego, which was a Grade 2 contested at 6 1/2 furlongs in 2000.

“That was a good field of sprinters and he had never faced anything quite like that, but he pulled it off,” Terranova said. “The following year, they changed it to a Grade 1, otherwise that would have been [my first Grade 1 win].”

Funny Guy won't be arriving at the Forego as quite as big an underdog as Shadow Caster, but the 4-year-old Big Brown bay has still yet to prove himself against open graded stakes company. However, the versatile New York-bred has defeated some of the best the Empire State-bred program has to offer, like multiple stakes-winner Mr. Buff, who was second to Funny Guy twice this year in the Commentator and John Morrissey.

“He's another good New York bred coming up. He's certainly in top form right now and the best of his life so far,” Terranova said. “We'll see how he goes from here. It seems as if he looks to be running the better races of his career whereas some of the top ones have maybe run a little bit less than what they've run before, but it's hard to say for sure.”

Funny Guy, who Gatsas owns in partnership with R.A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable, has displayed versatility from several different standpoints. In addition to winning stakes races at distances ranging from 6 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, he also has found the winner's circle when demonstrating different running styles.

In the Commentator, he came from off the pace under a well-timed ride by Rosario to record a 101 Beyer and followed up with a stalk-and-pounce triumph in the Morrissey, where he tracked just a length off the pace to draw off to a two-length win.

Jockey Joel Rosario was aboard for both efforts and Gatsas praised the jockey for executing well-timed rides in his last two starts.

“He has multiple gears and if you get into a little traffic, Joel can take hold and let him out a bit and he responds to Joel when he does that,” Gatsas said. “He's a very smart horse. On days of the race, he rests because he knows he's going to war. But he has those multiple gears and we've seen that in the morning with him, too.”

Gatsas also owned multiple New York-bred champion Gander, who finished a game second to Lemon Drop Kid in the Woodward just two weeks after Shadow Caster won the Forego. He also currently co-owns Vekoma, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Carter and Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile, with R. A. Hill Stable.

Despite having not yet won a graded stakes race, Gatsas still holds Funny Guy in high regard and said that he is already one of the best horses that he has owned.

“We've had some real nice horses and it looks like Funny Guy might rise to the top of the list,” Gatsas said. “We had Shadow Caster and Gander with John as well. I think Funny Guy is going to surprise a lot of people. It's a bigger and tougher field but no bigger or tougher than Shadow Caster's field. He's doing great now and Joel staying on shows how much confidence he really has. We're lucky to have such a jockey on him as Joel, he has tremendous confidence in this horse.”

For the past two decades, Terranova has been one of the go-to trainers for Gatsas, who also has horses with George Weaver.

“I've been in the business almost 25 years and all trainers have been gentleman and excellent horsemen. I brought a bunch of horses to John and [wife] Tonja and we've become family,” Gatsas said. “My daughter and son and John and his whole family have become friends. We've done a lot together and had some real good horses. We had [Grade 1 winner] Negligee, who was owned by my son [Matthew Gatsas of Sovereign Stables] and went to the Breeders Cup with her.

“We've done quite well over the years with he and Tonja; they are hard-working, great people. They care about their horses and they care about their owners. To have a relationship this long is pretty unique.”

A big run from Funny Guy could mean a trip to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.

“I'm not faint of heart to run in the Breeders' Cup,” Gatsas said. “I supplemented Gander for a lot of money to go to the Breeders' Cup in 2000. If he comes out great and John says 'Hey let's take a shot' I'm sure we'll be in Kentucky. I'm thinking he'll run really well on Saturday. He's that good right now.”

Terranova also would be in favor of taking a shot in the Breeders' Cup.

“If he were to show up and everything went well, it would be something for sure we would give great consideration to,” Terranova said.

The post ‘He Looked At Me Like I Was Crazy’: Gatsas Looks Back At Shadow Caster’s Forego Upset appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trainer George Weaver said Friday said the 4-year-old colt, co-owned by Randy Hill’s R.A. Hill Stable and Gatsas Stables, was “50-50” to make the seven-furlong Forego. Vekoma has been treated for an abscess in the coronet band of his left front leg and has not had a timed work since his 1 1/4-length victory in the GI Met Mile July 4 at Belmont Park.

“It’s not looking promising right now,” Weaver said.  “I need to get a work in him, and it’s a day-to-day thing. He has a little abscess. We are just about ready to do something with him, but it’s a day-to-day decision.”

Weaver said if Vekoma does not make the Forego, he would likely be pointed toward the six-furlong GI Vosburgh S. Sept. 26 at Belmont Park. The Vosburgh is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge, “Win and You’re In” series of races that guarantees a fees-paid entry and travel expenses. Vekoma already has won two Breeders’ Cup Challenge races: the GI Carter S. for a berth in the Sprint and the Met Mile for the Dirt Mile.

Weaver said that Vekoma, unbeaten in three starts this year and a winner of six of eight in his career, has been going to the track for his morning exercise.

“He has galloped the last few days,” Weaver said. “He is moving good now. The faster you go, the more it may aggravate that tissue, so it’s just a matter of me getting to the point where I think he can put some speed work on it.”

Though Vekoma was given the rest of the year off after the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby–where he was moved up to 12th from 13th by the DQ of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day)–Weaver said the chestnut has not had many problems during his three seasons of competition.

“He grabbed a quarter when he was 3-year-old,” Weaver said. “All horses have issues from time to time. We ask them to be athletes and it’s part of the game. He is a very, very good horse.”

Hill praised Weaver and said that missing the Forego with Vekoma–whom he expects will be the Eclipse Award-winning sprinter– was not a big deal. Funny Guy (Big Brown), a Hill-Gatsas-Swick Stable horse trained by John Terranova, is a probable for the Forego.

“I think that George has managed this horse perfectly,” Hill said. “Sometimes you get frustrated as an owner. I always let the trainer do their job. If you look at the way that George has handled this horse, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t think any other trainer would have this horse where he is now.”

Noting that Vekoma was a May foal, Hill said the decision to put him away after the Derby made sense and has yielded a top 4-year-old.

“George gave him the time off to come back and be a big, strong man,” Hill said. “So if George thinks he needs a little more time…. I think if we don’t make the Forego, George is talking about the Vosburgh, which I kind of like, because it’s six furlongs.  We can see how he reacts again at six furlongs. We haven’t seen him at six in a long time. Then we’ve got the choice of six or the mile. I’ve got Funny Guy in the Forego. Of course, my dream is that Funny Guy wins the (BC Dirt Mile) and Vekoma wins the (BC Sprint) and I win two races.”

Vekoma won the GII Blue Grass S. in 2019 and is no stranger to two-turn races, but Hill sees him as more of a sprinter/miler-type now and said it is unlikely he would go to the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

“We do what we do best,” he said. “I think we will be sprinter of the year. I think we are now. Everybody loves Volatile (Violence), but I can’t wait to race against him. I think Vekoma will tie him in a knot. I do. I think he’s a good horse. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very nice horse, but I want to see when he comes up against some good horses. You look at what Vekoma did in the Met Mile. He was turning for home and five Grade I horses swallowed him up and he just re-engaged. I haven’t seen anything like that in a long time. I don’t think anybody can beat us. I don’t say that. I’m pretty realistic as an owner.”

All five of Funny Guy’s victories have come against New York-bred company and Hill said the Forego will be a good test for the 4-year-old colt.

‘We’ll see how he does,” Hill said. “We’ve got to find out about this horse. He’s a New York-bred. Everybody says he hasn’t faced anything yet. He’s a New York-bred, let’s go and look. John said ‘let’s see how good we are.’ He’s training great. He’s getting better and better.”

The post Vekoma Likely to Miss Forego appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Owned by R. A. Hill Stable, Gatsas Stable and Swick Stable, Funny Guy had not raced since finishing sixth in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby on September 29 at Remington Park, which was his lone start against open company. He collected his third career stakes win in the Commentator after taking the Albany at Saratoga and the Times Square division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series last April at Aqueduct during his 3-year-old campaign.

Terranova left all options open for the 4-year-old son of Big Brown, including a start against open company.

“We'll see as we go down the road into the summer what the schedule will be like,” Terranova said. “He's a really nice colt that we've liked all along since we've got him. He's progressed beautifully over the course of time. I'm just happy to see him back and happy that people have had the patience to wait things out and just stay the course. I'm grateful that he's a sound and happy horse.”

Terranova said Funny Guy has been ready to run for quite a while, but was not concerned about the long layoff.

“He's pretty smart. He's kind of unique in that way. He's one of those smart colts that just knows what's up, That's just the impression he gives you,” Terranova said. “We loved him all along. We were coming off a bit of a break and we weren't planning on being gone that long, nobody was.

“He had been ready for a while,” added Terranova. “It looked pretty competitive for a New York-bred stake, and he was going up against older horses. It was a great performance, Joel [Rosario] gave a great ride and we were expecting a big performance out of him, how big was the question.

Terranova also said Curragh Stables' Killybegs Captain will be receiving some time off due to an ankle injury. The graded stakes-winning son of Mizzen Mast last raced when taking the Pelican at Tampa Bay Downs on February 15.

“He's getting some time off right now. He had a deal with his ankle. We're just going to see what happens into the summer, into the fall,” Terranova said.

The post No Joke: Funny Guy Gets 101 Beyer Speed Figure With Commentator Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Owned by Gatsas Stables, R.A. Hill Stable and Swick Stable, Funny Guy won two stakes in his 3-year-old campaign, with his last race coming in a sixth-place effort in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby in September at Remington Park.

Funny Guy was content to sit off Blewitt's early pace, leading the nine-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 22.67 seconds and the half in 45.81 on the fast main track.

Rosario piloted Funny Guy to a ground-saving trip, gaining position near the rail and made a strong move out of the turn. In the stretch, the John Terranova trainee linked up with Blewitt to his outside and gained the edge as Bankit and 4-5 favorite Mr. Buff, the high weight carrying 127 pounds, also challenged from Blewitt's outside.

Funny Guy, carrying 120 pounds, hit the wire in a final time of 1:34.35, besting runner-up Mr. Buff by 1 ¼ lengths. Funny Guy improved to 4-4-0 in 11 career starts in his impressive 4-year-old bow.

“He's been doing really well and training great,” Terranova said. “We've had him ready for a while now. Of course, we've all been delayed coming back, and the race came up a deep field for New York-breds; that was our only maybe concern. As far as his training goes, he's progressed as a 4-year-old and just gotten stronger and stronger. I was hoping for a big effort and thought we would get it, but it was even sweeter than expected.”

Off at 11-1, Funny Guy returned $24.40 on a $2 win wager. The Big Brown colt earned $68,750 for the win, increasing his career bankroll to $458,395.

“Between the three-eighths and the quarter-pole, I had a problem with the horses in front of me and I had to check him a little bit,” Rosario said. “He was okay with that and was handling everything fine and was able to come up the inside and sustain his run. He kept improving. The further we went, the better he was going.”

Funny Guy has now won at 6 ½ furlongs, one mile, and 1 1/8 miles and has also run second in each of his two turf starts, with each coming in stakes against New York breds.

Mr. Buff, who entered with three consecutive wins and four victories in his last five starts for trainer John Kimmel, edged Bankit by a neck for second.

“He's a pro. He ran his race,” said Junior Alvarado, Mr. Buff's rider. “We thought coming into the race, it might be a little quick for him. He had only four workouts and two were easy and two trying to get him a little tighter before the race. We had that on our minds and I didn't want to chase the lead too early and get tired.

“Coming from a little bit of a layoff, I thought he put a great effort in today,” he added. “He was really digging in for me and he never gave up any ground. I don't think the weight mattered too much. He's a big guy, he can handle it. For me, it was more just needing a little more time.”

Blewitt, Build to Suit, Pat On the Back, Honor Up and My Boy Tate completed the order of finish. Whistling Birds was pulled up on the backstretch and vanned off.

The Commentator is named for the former trainee of Hall of Famer Nick Zito, who won the 2005 and 2008 editions of the Whitney at Saratoga Race Course and compiled three graded stakes wins overall in a career that spanned 2004-09.

Live racing resumes Saturday with a 10-race card highlighted by the Grade 1, $300,000 Ogden Phipps, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, in Race 9 at 5:36 p.m. Eastern. First post is 1:15 p.m.

The post Funny Guy Takes Inside Route For Comeback Victory In Commentator appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post