Tag: Gatewood Bell

NYRA’s O’Rourke Chairs All-Weather Surfaces Committee

The New York Racing Association has announced the formation of an All-Weather Surfaces Committee to study the impact of various racing surfaces on equine injury rates. According to a Wednesday NYRA press release, the committee, which first met last October, will evaluate safety metrics from tracks utilizing all-weather racing surfaces, as well as study the feasibility of broader adoption of all-weather surfaces nationally.

The committee, chaired by NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke, was formed at the request of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, as part of HISA's strategic response to several clusters of equine fatalities in 2023.

In addition to O'Rourke, members of the committee also include Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell, Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming, 1/ST Racing and Gaming Executive Vice Chairman Craig Fravel, and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club President  Josh Rubinstein.

“Embracing science and technology will ensure the continued success of Thoroughbred racing in the United States,” said O'Rourke. “All-weather racing surfaces can play an important role in our collective efforts to improve safety, and I thank Lisa Lazarus and HISA for the opportunity to advance this discussion among decision makers in the sport.”

The committee is expected to convene regularly in the coming months and will share its findings and recommendations with HISA's Racetrack Safety Committee and with other stakeholders across the sport when complete.

“HISA is grateful to NYRA and to David O'Rourke for leading this effort, and to all the members of the committee for their dedication to equine safety,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “This committee's work will be essential in deepening our understanding of all-weather surfaces, and we look forward to reviewing the results when complete.”

NYRA is in the process of constructing a one-mile Tapeta track to serve as the fourth racing surface at the new Belmont Park. Previously, NYRA installed a Tapeta pony track at Belmont to provide an additional training option in inclement weather, while also providing NYRA with information on the performance of a synthetic surface in the Long Island climate.

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For Third Straight Spring, MSW Purses at Keeneland and Churchill Projected to Remain Level

Purses for maiden special weight (MSW) races are projected to remain unchanged for the third straight spring at both Keeneland Race Course and Churchill Downs.

Track executives disclosed the pre-condition book figures during the Feb. 1 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory board meeting.

Keeneland expects to write $100,000 MSW races for 3-year-olds and older horses, with 2-year-olds competing for $80,000, according to Gatewood Bell, Keeneland's vice president of racing.

Continuing a condition that Keeneland tried last fall, Bell added that there will also be four maiden-auction races written for $70,000, one for each sex going both short and long.

Back during Keeneland's 2021 spring meet, the comparable MSW purse levels were $79,000 and $60,000 for older and juvenile races, respectively.

Keeneland's $100,000 and $80,000 levels have been in effect since 2022.

Churchill's MSW races for older horses will remain at the $120,000 purse level this spring, according to Ben Huffman, the track's vice president of racing. He did not state an amount for 2-year-old races.

In the spring of 2021, Churchill carded two levels of MSW money. For the lead-in week to the GI Kentucky Derby, the purses were $115,000. After that, MSW races were written for $100,000.

In 2022, Churchill's MSW purses for older horses got raised to $120,000 for the spring meet.

The purse levels stayed that way in 2023, even after Churchill's corporate ownership opted to move the remainder of the meet to another Kentucky track in its portfolio, Ellis Park, in the aftermath of 12 equine fatalities that occurred in the first six weeks of the Churchill season.

Bill Landes III, the chairman of the KTDF advisory committee, who represents the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) association on the KTDF board, briefly addressed both Keeneland and Churchill about potentially increasing those MSW purse levels in the future.

“If things come good for you, we would be amenable to any hike or anything you could afford us,” Landes said.

Braxton Lynch, who also represents the KTOB on the KTDF board, suggested that any available purse money would be better spent on upping the amounts carded for allowance races.

“As much as Bill likes to focus on the MSW numbers, [and] I think we're really lucky to be where we are on the MSW numbers, if we ever got a chance [to] put [a purse] increase somewhere, I'd love to see a bigger gap between MSW and allowance, with allowances going a little higher. They become so much harder to win that I think there should be a little more reward there.”

KTDF board member Rick Hiles, who serves as the president of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent & Protection Association, agreed with Lynch.

“I've been saying for years there should be a bigger gap between maidens and the non-winners of two or 'a-other-than' [allowance conditions].”

The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered in the state on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race gaming, plus 1% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting.

On Thursday the KTDF advisory committee approved the recommendation of allotment requests that the Churchill and Keeneland purse estimates were based on, but the full Kentucky Horse Racing Commission still has to vote on final approval of the funding.

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Keeneland’s 2024 Spring Stakes Schedule Features 100th Toyota Blue Grass

In addition to awarding a season record $8.1 million for their 19 stakes races over the course of the meet running from Apr. 5-26, Keeneland will also celebrate the 100th running of the $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass S. this spring. A total of $1.5 million is being contributed to the stakes purses from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), pending approval from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

“Lucrative purses and outstanding competition make Keeneland's Spring Meet a highlight of the racing calendar for horsemen, horseplayers and fans during the first half of the year,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “We look forward to hosting the country's best horses and their connections here in April.”

A spring fixture for 3-year-olds with an eye on the Kentucky Derby, and an informal Lexington holiday, the Blue Grass has been held at Keeneland since the track's first spring meet in April 1937 and was first sponsored by Toyota in 1996. Run on the first Saturday of the Keeneland season, the race carries a lucrative 100 points for the first Saturday in May for the winner. It leads four others on the day including the GI Madison S., the GII Appalachian S., the GII Shakertown S., and the GIII Commonwealth S.

Running on Keeneland's opening day will be the 86th rendition of the GI Central Bank Ashland S., the GIII Transylvania S., and the Lafayette S. The first named carries 100 points toward the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Early nominations for the Oaks and Derby preps are due by Feb. 17, and late nominations are due Mar. 20.

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New York Thunder Roars to Victory in the Amsterdam

Undefeated in three career starts, but facing a steep trifecta of challenges to scale–trying dirt, graded company, and the tough New York circuit for the first time–New York Thunder (c, 3, Nyquist–Start Over, by Midshipman) set sizzling fractions on the front end of Saratoga's GII Amsterdam S. Friday and held sway to win by 7 1/2 lengths while eased up late despite spending most of the stretch on his wrong lead. His 1:07.77 six-furlong split was faster than the 1:07.92 track record set in 2019 by Imperial Hint (Imperialism) in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H., the same Grade I event which will be among the features on Saturday's 2023 GII Jim Dandy S. card.

When the Amsterdam gates flew, attention centered on joint second-choice and GSW Ryvit (Competitive Edge), who was riding a five-race win streak, as he stumbled and recovered but lost position after being on the lead in his last three. One gate to his outside, New York Thunder was unaffected and immediately found the front. After a blazing first quarter in :21.48, June 10 GI Woody Stephens S. runner-up Drew's Gold (Violence), in the clear in second, took a run at New York Thunder and got within a half-length at the :43.56 half. That was the closest he or anyone else got. New York Thunder quickly found another gear and immediately opened up while on the incorrect lead. By the time he swapped leads and bested the six-panel track record, the race was already long over. The bay strutted home a much-the-best, facile winner in 1:14.65. GSP Deer District (Oscar Performance) nosed out Drew's Gold for the place.

“I wasn't really worried [about the fractions],” said winning trainer Jorge Delgado, the nephew of this year's GI Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Gustavo Delgado. “I worry in the mornings because he breezes so fast that it scares you. He goes :46 and :47 in hand and you can relate it to the afternoons. Every surface he's been on–Keeneland, here, at different racetracks–he's breezed the same fractions, so that tells you that he can handle any surface in my opinion and he proved that today.

“I have really good chemistry with [rider Tyler Gaffalione] and I can feel when he has a lot of horse. I saw him looking back and I know he had a ton of horse; he wouldn't play like that unless he had tons of horse. Once he asked the horse, I knew my horse was prepared and it was just so fun.”

New York Thunder has done nothing wrong in his brief career. He debuted last November in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream on the all-weather surface, set all the fractions, and sizzled to a 6 1/2-length score with a 93 debut Beyer Speed Figure. He followed that up with a five-furlong turf win at Gulfstream while dropping his Beyer by 10 points, and finally reappeared in late April at Woodbine going six furlongs in the Woodstock S. on the synthetic to mark another daylight score and a 97 Beyer. His five works since have included three bullets. He was entered in the Woody Stephens won by Arabian Lion (Justify), but scratched with a bruised foot and a rail draw to await this spot. Delgado said the Aug. 26 GI Allen H. Jerkens Memorial S. might be the colt's next target.

 

 

Pedigree Notes:

Darley's Nyquist, whose champion Vequist won the 2020 GI Spinaway S. and whose Randomized won the July 14 Wilton S. at Saratoga, added another top performance by his progeny at the Spa with New York Thunder's Amsterdam. A former champion 2-year-old and GI Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist made it eight graded winners and 21 black-type winners with New York Thunder's latest score. Nyquist's fourth crop is two this year and already includes Royal Ascot's G2 Queen Mary S. winner Crimson Advocate. Midshipman, who stands alongside Nyquist at Darley, is damsire of New York Thunder. He has five stakes winners out of his daughters, including dual Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal, who is bred similarly to the Amsterdam winner as he is by Nyquist's sire, Uncle Mo.

New York Thunder is the lone foal out of the unraced Start Over, who died the year he was born. Start Over's unraced dam is a half to 2012 GI Forego S. winner Emcee (Unbridled's Song) and to $1.8-million Fasig-Tipton November broodmare Baffled (Distorted Humor), the dam of MGISW and WinStar sire Constitution (Tapit). Other members of the family include GI Spinaway S. winner Awesome Humor (Distorted Humor).

Friday, Saratoga
AMSTERDAM S.-GII, $194,000, Saratoga, 7-28, 3yo, 6 1/2f, 1:14.65, ft.
1–NEW YORK THUNDER, 122, c, 3, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Start Over, by Midshipman
                2nd Dam: Wipe Out, by Hard Spun
                3rd Dam: Surf Club, by Ocean Crest
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-AMO
Racing USA; B-Gatewood Bell & Forgotten Land (KY); T-Jorge
Delgado; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $110,000. Lifetime Record:
4-4-0-0, $232,323. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Deer District, 118, c, 3, Oscar Performance–Eagle Sound, by
Fusaichi Pegasus. ($140,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-James J. Bakke
and Gerald Isbister; B-Springhouse Farm, Vision TBs, Bruce &
Patricia Pieratt (KY); T-Dale L. Romans. $40,000.
3–Drew's Gold, 122, r, 3, Violence–Frolic's Revenge, by
Vindication. ($25,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-James K. Chapman
and Stuart Tsujimoto; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-James K. Chapman. $24,000.
Margins: 7HF, NO, 6HF. Odds: 5.50, 8.40, 1.00.
Also Ran: Gilmore, Ryvit. Scratched: Joey Freshwater.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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