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Almond Eye Japan’s HOTY For Second Time In Three Years

Silk Racing Co. Ltd.’s Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who was retired from racing following a second victory in the G1 Japan Cup last November, was named the recipient of the Horse of the Year award for the second time in the last three years Wednesday. She easily outpointed Triple Crown winners and unanimous champions Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), while champion sprinter/miler elect Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) garnered a single vote for HOTY. Almond Eye, who was also the champion of her generation at three in 2018, was also named champion older filly or mare.

Programmed for a defence of her title in the G1 Dubai Turf last March, Almond Eye returned to Japan following the cancellation of the multi-million dollar race meeting in late March and instead made her 5-year-old debut in the G1 Victoria Mile, where–facing her own sex for the first time since completing the Fillies Triple Crown in the 2018 G1 Shuka Sho–she proved an easy winner, stopping the timer in 1:30.6. Runner-up to Gran Alegria in the G1 Yasuda Kinen in June, Almond Eye defeated champion older male Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) to win the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) for the second year in a row and handed Contrail his first career defeat when concluding her career victoriously in the Nov. 29 Japan Cup.

WATCH: Almond Eye wins the 2020 Japan Cup en route to HOTY honours

Gran Alegria put together a Horse of the Year-worthy campaign herself, defeating males in the G1 Sprinters’ S. (1200m) in October, the strength of which was amplified when that race’s runner-up Danon Smash (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) returned to land the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. Gran Alegria closed a three-for-four season in the G1 Mile Championship, besting the classy Indy Champ (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) with an irresistible late flourish. All but one of the 283 votes were cast for Gran Alegria (one was cast for Almond Eye).

Contrail was untouchable versus his age group, completing the Triple Crown with a hard-fought success in the G1 Kikuka Sho before finding only Almond Eye too strong in the Japan Cup. Fierement, whose retirement was announced Wednesday, made three trips to the post in 2020, winning the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3000 metres in May and was last seen finishing a close third to ‘Special Award’ winner Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) in the G1 Arima Kinen. Deep Impact’s three champions for 2020 take his total to 21 in his illustrious career.

Daring Tact’s campaign very much mirrored that of Contrail, as she was untouchable in the Filly Triple Crown series before finishing third in the Japan Cup.

Danon the Kid (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) and the white filly Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) locked up the 2-year-old male and female divisions, respectively, with victories in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. and G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, while Chuwa Wizard (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) was given the nod as the country’s top dirt horse following his win in the G1 Champions Cup last month.

The post Almond Eye Japan’s HOTY For Second Time In Three Years appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Hall Of Famer Asmussen Prepares To Defend His Title At Sam Houston

Ushering 2020 out the door was a welcome relief for pretty much everyone in the universe. The challenges from COVID-19 had a monumental impact on all sports and horseracing was affected greatly. However, Steve Asmussen, who will return to defend his training title at Sam Houston Race Park when the 2021 season begins on Friday, Jan. 8, had an amazingly good year amid the chaos.

Texas has always been important to the conditioner, who was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2016. His parents, Keith and Marilyn, operate a training center in Laredo; Asmussen and his family reside in Arlington and many of Asmussen's longtime owners are Texans. He has won the training title at Sam Houston 12 times and topped the owner standings in six seasons. On Friday's opening night card, Asmussen has entered nine runners and another six will run Saturday evening.

Sam Houston Race Park will kick off the 2021 meet with its highest purse structure since it opened in 1994. A total of $12 million will be offered for the 46-day season which runs through Saturday, April 3. House Bill 2463, passed by the 86th Texas Legislature, will contribute $25 million annually to the Texas horse racing industry, split equally between Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse interests.

“The supplement to the purses gives us a wonderful product,” stated Asmussen. “The Bill allocates tax revenue from equine sales in Texas to support Texas racing. We need to promote this as a viable alternative to depending on casino revenue. The substantial purse increases have attracted new horsemen, which is great.”

Asmussen won 422 races in 2020 topping all North American Thoroughbred trainers in both wins and earnings. His horses earned $20,204,064 with Brad Cox ranking second with earnings of $18,983,832. Karl Broberg, who will also be prominent this season at Sam Houston Race Park, was the second-leading trainer by wins with 327 victories throughout 2020.

“Obviously, we were very proud to lead our sport by both money and wins,” said Asmussen. “The closures and purse cuts were tough on everyone. Our success is based on our motto that “everything matters” and we adhered to that with every member of our team. Our approach and consistency did not waver in 2020.”

Asmussen has won the past two editions of the Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic. In 2019, the victory went to Bloom Racing Stable's Midnight Bisou, who was honored as the 2019 Eclipse Award winning female and earned $7.4 million in her illustrious career. Last year's champion, Lady Apple, is on target to defend her title for owners Phoenix Thoroughbred III and KatieRich Stables.

“It's hard to put into words how much I appreciate the loyalty of my owners,” said Asmussen.

Asmussen is off to his usual fast start in the New Year, currently running horses at Turfway Park, Delta Downs and Fair Grounds in New Orleans. He will have a full barn at Oaklawn Park when it opens on January 22. The 55-year-old horseman counts on longtime assistant, Pablo Ocampo, to oversee the day-to-day operation in Houston.

“I'm looking forward to the 2021 meet at Sam Houston,” said Asmussen. “I have always been pleased with their track surfaces.”

Sam Houston Race Park will welcome back a solid core of horsemen including Karl Broberg, Danny Pish, Kari Craddock, Mindy Willis, Bret Calhoun, Ronnie Cravens, Mike Neatherlin, Allen Dupuy and Robertino Diodoro. New conditioners for the 2021 Thoroughbred meet include Todd Fincher, Frank Lucarelli and Jonathan Wong.

The post Hall Of Famer Asmussen Prepares To Defend His Title At Sam Houston appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fighting Mad Will Try To Go All The Way In Contentious Edition Of La Cañada

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Admission Office Returns From Six-Month Layoff In Saturday’s Tropical Turf

Amerman Racing LLC's Admission Office will return from a six-month layoff in Saturday's $100,000 Tropical Turf (G3) at Gulfstream Park. In a perfect world, the 6-year-old son of Point of Entry would be bypassing the mile turf stakes to prepare for a second straight start in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Jan. 23.

“We would have loved to run in the Pegasus Turf again, but he hasn't run since June. He needed some time off after his last race and the Pegasus Turf comes up too soon,” said trainer Brian Lynch, noting a prep race would have been needed to make it back to the Pegasus Turf.

Admission Office, who is coming off a victory in the 1 ½-mile Louisville (G3) June 13 at Churchill Downs, is scheduled to meet eight other older horses in the Tropical Turf.

'He's coming back at a distance that isn't really ideal for him, but it's a good starting point,” Lynch said. “The good thing about this race is there's plenty of pace, which ideally suits Gulfstream. But if they get going too fast up front, it could set up for someone to come off the pace.”

Admission Office is a drop-back-make-one-run closer who has finished in the money in six of eight graded-stakes starts. In addition to his victory in the Louisville, he has finished second or third in five graded-stakes races, finishing a half-length behind the winner four times and losing the other race by a length.

“He's his own worst enemy. He gives himself too much to do,” Lynch said. “He needs the ideal trip and the heavens to open up. He needs a clean path. He's such a big horse, when you get him stopped, it's hard to get him started again. He can be his own worst enemy the way he takes himself out of it, but we've been seeing a lot of maturity in him.”

In his first start during Gulfstream's 2019-2020 Championship Meet, Admission Office finished second in the Fort Lauderdale (G2), beaten a half-length by Instilled Regard, earning a chance to run in the Pegasus World Cup Turf, in which he raced in traffic while finishing eighth.

“We took him out of his game and asked him early. He was in traffic and never got the chance to run,” said Lynch, whose stretch-runner finished 5 ½ lengths behind winner Zulu Alpha.

In his next outing, Admission Office came within a length of upsetting Zulu Alpha in the Mac Diarmida (G2), finishing second after taking the lead in mid-stretch. He raced evenly through the stretch to finish fourth after uncharacteristically stalking the early pace in the Sunshine Forever at Gulfstream in May. He finished his 2020 campaign on a winning note at Churchill in June.

Julien Leparoux has the return call aboard Admission Office.

William Lawrence's Analyze It, who is on Reserve List of Invitees for the Pegasus Turf, was entered in the Tropical Turf by trainer Chad Brown. The 6-year-old son of Point of Entry raced twice last year, winning the Red Bank (G3) at Monmouth in September, after being out of action for 22 months.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the call on Analyze It, who was multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed in 2018.

Jordan Wycoff's Tusk is scheduled to defend his title in the Tropical Turf, which he captured by two lengths last season. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained gelding went to the sidelines following the race for 11 months, before returning Dec. 6 to finish a tiring eighth after setting the pace in the Claiming Crown Emerald at Gulfstream.

“He was coming off a long layoff. He got an easy lead and stopped but he got tired,” Joseph said. “He's been training forwardly since that race. He won this race last year, so we're going to give him a chance to win it again”

Luis Saez is scheduled to ride the son of Tapit for the first time Saturday.

John Oxley and My Meadowview Farm LLC's Ride a Comet, who captured the 2019 Del Mar Derby (G2), returns to turf after winning both of his 2020 starts, including the Kennedy Road (G2), over Woodbine's synthetic surface.

Tyler Gaffalione is scheduled to ride the Mark Casse-trained 6-year-old son of Candy Ride.

LRE Racing LLC and JEH Stable LLC's Casa Creed will seek to rebound from an 12th-place finish in the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Keeneland in his return to Gulfstream Park, where he captured the Kitten's Joy and finished second in the Palm Beach (G3) in 2019. The Bill Mott-trained 5-year-old son of Jimmy Creed was winless in 2020 but finished third the Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga.

Junior Alvarado has the call aboard Casa Creed.

Larry Pratt and Dave Alden's Doctor Mounty, Calumet Farm's Flying Scotsman, Green Lantern Stables LLC's Frostmourne, and Michael Hui's Hay Dakota round out the field.

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