Horse racing news | Horse Racing Free Tips

Todd Pletcher Targeting 17th Championship Meet Title At Gulfstream Park

Though success has followed him year-round across the globe since launching his training career in 1996, it's safe to say that when the season turns to winter, Todd Pletcher's name has become synonymous with South Florida and Gulfstream Park.

The 53-year-old Texas native has led the Championship Meet standings in 16 of the past 17 years, including a remarkable and unprecedented streak of 15 consecutive titles beginning in 2004. After finishing second in 2018-2019, Pletcher reclaimed his crown with 48 wins last winter.

“You try to just focus on placing your horses properly and hoping they run well. I think when the streak was still intact it was perhaps a little more meaningful because if you have a streak going for that long the chances of ever duplicating that are pretty remote,” Pletcher said. “But, we'll focus on doing the best we can without being overly concerned about whether or not that ends up leading to a meet title.

“The exciting part about it is, it's kind of the time when a lot of your 2-year-olds are starting to come around and obviously turning three with a lot of big races coming up in the winter and spring, so we always look forward to that,” he added. “We've always enjoyed the Gulfstream meet. It's been historically a good venue for us and horses seem to like the surface there and run well, so hopefully we can continue that.”

Pletcher has two horses entered on Wednesday's 10-race program as he opens his title defense and quest for No. 17 during the 2020-2021 Championship Meet. The prestigious 84-day stand runs through Sunday, March 28 and features 75 stakes, 41 graded, worth $13.05 million in purses.

Michael Tabor's Eagerly, a 3-year-old son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, will be making his sixth career start and first since Jan. 18 at Gulfstream in Race 5, a one-mile maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up on the grass. Listed at 9-2 on the morning line, he will break from the far outside under Paco Lopez.

“Eagerly unfortunately got stepped on by another horse in his last start there and had a fairly significant wound that took a lot of time to heal and some skin grafts and that sort of thing,” Pletcher said. “He's been training forwardly. All of his races except for an off the turf race and that particular day when he sustained that injury have all been good. We look forward to getting him back.”

In Wednesday's Race 8 feature, Pletcher will send out Shadwell Stable's homebred Ashaar, who hasn't run since finishing seventh in the Jan. 4 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream for previous trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. The sophomore Into Mischief colt is the program's 2-1 second choice in the six-furlong optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.

“Ashaar, I know that they liked him a lot, and he ran well in his debut. The thing that always concerns you in these types of races is when they have that optional claim on there, you're kind of running into some old warriors that have a lot of starts compared to pretty lightly raced horse,” Pletcher said. “But we're pleased with the way he's been coming along and looking forward to getting him started.”

Pletcher has enjoyed several career-defining moments at Gulfstream Park. It is where he won his first race Jan. 26, 1996 with Majestic Number, his 3,000th with Spring Hill Farm Feb. 11, 2012 and 4,000th with Eagle Scout March 18, 2016. He received the last two of his record seven Eclipse Awards for 2013 and 2014 in ceremonies held at the Sport of Kings Theatre, and he is the only trainer since it was inaugurated in 1952 to win Gulfstream's signature race – the Florida Derby – five times.

Over 1,100 of Pletcher's more than 5,000 lifetime victories have come at Gulfstream, where he has maintained a presence throughout the calendar year since 2017. He broke Hall of Famer Bill Mott's streak of six straight Championship Meet titles in 2010, and passed Arnold Winick's total with his 13th in 2016.

Pletcher has won 849 races during the Championship Meet since 2004, an average of 49.9 wins per winter. In 2019-2020 he picked up graded triumphs with Sombeyay in the Canadian Turf (G3) and Social Paranoia in the Appleton (G3) and ranked second with $2,085,635 in purse earnings.

Another stakes winner for Pletcher last winter was Halladay, who would go on to capture the Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga. He is being pointed to the $200,000 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream as a possible prep for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Jan. 23.

Wertheimer and Frere's undefeated homebred Happy Saver, who improved to 4-0 with his victory over older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), is among the horses that may also show up during the meet, as well as Spinster (G1) winner and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) runner-up Valiance and multiple turf stakes winner Largent, both part-owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

“Right now we're pointing Halladay for the Fort Lauderdale which, if that were to go well, we'd kind of have an eye toward the Pegasus but we'll see how he handles the mile and an eighth first,” Pletcher said. “We have him and Largent pointed for that. Valiance and Happy Saver and some of those are getting a bit of a break so if we do see them it would be toward the end of the meet.”

Pletcher has one horse, a 2-year-old English Channel colt named Turlough, entered on Thursday's card in Race 7, a one-mile maiden claiming event for juveniles on the grass.

When he returns to South Florida with sights set on defending his Championship Meet riding title, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the opportunity to join some exclusive company.

Ortiz, 28, is coming off his second straight winter championship, leading the 2019-2020 Gulfstream Park standings with 115 wins and more than $5.8 million in purses earned. Only three jockeys in track history have led the rider standings three consecutive years, the most recent being Hall of Famer Javier Castellano's record streak of five in a row from 2011-2016.

Jorge Chavez also won three straight between 1999 and 2001, while Jeff Fell shared the 1977 title with Mickey Solomone before winning it outright in 1978 and 1979. Among those with back-to-back championships are Hall of Famers Walter Blum, Alex Solis, Julie Krone and Jerry Bailey. Luis Saez won two in a row before finishing second to Ortiz each of the past two winters.

Ortiz has won the past two Eclipse Awards as champion jockey, trophies he accepted in ceremonies at Gulfstream Park, and is a leading candidate to win a third for 2020, a season abridged by the coronavirus pandemic. Through Nov. 28, Ortiz was leading all North American riders for a third consecutive year in both wins (274) and purse earnings ($20.1 million).

Since 2014, Ortiz has ranked no worse than fourth in wins or lower than third in purse earnings. He has won at least 300 races every year since 2015 with a high of 346 in 2018, and his $34.1 million in 2019 purses earned shattered the previous North American single-season record of $28.1 million set by Castellano in 2015.

One of just four jockeys to register triple digits in wins at Gulfstream, Ortiz won 135 races during his first full winter in 2018-2019, just two shy of Saez's track record set the previous season. His biggest victory during the 2019-2020 stand came aboard Mucho Gusto in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1).

Ortiz returns to South Florida after earning the Bill Shoemaker Award as the most outstanding jockey at the Breeders' Cup for a third consecutive year. He won the Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) with Golden Pal and Sprint (G1) with Whitmore, was second in the Classic (G1) on Improbable and third in the Dirt Mile (G1) aboard Sharp Samurai. Garrett Gomez, John Velazquez and Mike Smith are also three-time winners, but Ortiz is the first to win three straight since the award was launched in 2003.

Saez will have a head start for the 2020-2021 season with Ortiz under quarantine after riding at Del Mar over Thanksgiving weekend. Saez is named in 26 of 30 races over the first three days of the Championship Meet, including nine of 10 on Wednesday's opening day and 10 of 10 on Thursday.

The post Todd Pletcher Targeting 17th Championship Meet Title At Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Four English Tracks Welcome Spectators on Wednesday

Four tracks will be welcoming in limited spectators in England on Wednesday. Haydock, Kempton, Lingfield and Ludlow-all located in Tier 2 areas–are all set to open their doors to spectators for the first time since March. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the halt of all racing from mid-March and it did not resume-behind closed doors only–until June 1. There have been a pair of small pilot days, with Doncaster and Warwick both hosting some crowds in September, but it was not until the UK government released their new tiered system that crowds were once more greenlit in any capacity. Racecourses in Tier 1 and 2 areas are permitted to allow spectators after the national lockdown ended in England on Wednesday. In Tier 1, up to 4,000 people are allowed or 50% capacity in outdoor venues, with those restrictions tightened to 2,000 people or 50% capacity in Tier 2 areas.

Jockey Club Group Chief Executive Nevin Truesdale, who commented on Haydock and Kempton, which are both under the Jockey Club Racecourses banner, said, “Aside from our successful pilot race day at Warwick, it’s been more than eight months since we’ve been able to welcome spectators on course–and racing fans have been incredibly patient in that time.

“Since the restricted number of tickets went on sale for our race days in Tier 2 areas of the country, we’ve seen a really positive response, including our general admission allocations selling out for this weekend’s feature race days at Sandown Park and Aintree. Last week’s Government announcement that a limited number of spectators will be allowed to return is a great first step on the road to recovery for sport in general.

“But there is no magic switch you flick to ensure your venues are instantly ready, and I’m very proud of all our teams around the country who have been working tirelessly to ensure that racing fans can purchase tickets as smoothly as possible and will then have a safe and enjoyable day out.”

Ludlow is limiting their numbers to about 650 instead of 2,000.

General Manager and Clerk of the Course Simon Sherwood said, “The phones have been very busy. We’ll probably be up to our maximum allocation as far as numbers are concerned. Hopefully we’ll be around the 650 mark, plus essential workers.

“It’ll be good to have people back on the race track. We’ve had to change our zones a little bit. It will be nice to have the owners back properly–because they have been restricted up until now–and members who, likewise, have been sitting on the sidelines for a long time. They are obviously our most important people.

“We are very much limiting our numbers, because it is a step in a new direction and we’re using it as a stepping stone to hopefully opening up a bit more for our December meeting.”

Besides Ludlow, Lingfield will also be restricting its capacity to only several hundred patrons.

Mark Spincer, Arena Racing Company Managing Director said, “We’ll get a few hundred people. We’ll probably be a little busier than would be expected for a normal midweek all-weather fixture. We’re not doing any hospitality, only for owners–so we haven’t put any corporate on which would normally be a reasonably good corporate day there–but we decided that before Christmas we’re just going to focus on the owners and the general admissions area.

“We’ll learn a lot tomorrow, as we have done all along. We’re ready–we’ve got processes and procedures in place. The site is ready. We’ve got a lot of fixtures there in the month of December–that’s another factor.

“The team have worked so hard. They were one of the first sites to come back behind closed doors. Any last minute changes and tweaks that get thrown at us, we’ll be ready to deal with accordingly.”

The post Four English Tracks Welcome Spectators on Wednesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Applications Now Open for 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover

Applications are now open for the 2021 competition year of the Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 15, 2021 and accepted trainers will be announced Feb. 15, 2021.

As the 2020 Thoroughbred Makeover was postponed to 2021 due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the Retired Racehorse Project’s banner event will include competition groups both for horses that would have competed in 2020, as well as those entering for 2021. The two groups will compete separately, including two separate Finales to crown each year’s Thoroughbred Makeover Champion. Applications for the 2020 competition year closed earlier this year, though new owners of horses already entered for 2020 may apply to compete.

Entering its seventh year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the Thoroughbred Makeover features competition in 10 disciplines for recently-retired Thoroughbreds in their first year of retraining for a career after racing. Horses and their trainers may compete in one or two disciplines of their choice, including Barrel Racing, Competitive Trail, Dressage, Eventing, Field Hunter, Polo, Ranch Work, Show Hunter, Show Jumper, and Freestyle (a freeform discipline showcasing skills of the trainer’s choosing).

Horses and trainers will compete for more than $100,000 in total prize money per competition year, plus the coveted title of Thoroughbred Makeover Champion at the Kentucky Horse Park Oct. 12-17, 2021. The Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium includes not just the competition, but educational seminars, a vendor fair, the Makeover Marketplace horse sale, and the Makeover Master Class, featuring demonstrations and insight from leading trainers. The Finale features the top five horses in each discipline and will be live-streamed for viewers at home.

The Thoroughbred Makeover is open to professionals, amateurs, juniors (ages 12 and over), and teams. Applicants are required to provide information about their riding and competition background as well as references, including one from a veterinarian. Applicants are encouraged to provide links to riding video, which is a requirement for first-time competitors. Competitors do not need to have acquired their horse at the time of application, though they must register their horse no later than July 31, 2021.

For a complete list of rules, click here or visit the Retired Racehorse Project’s website here for more information.

The post Applications Now Open for 2021 Thoroughbred Makeover appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Tapizar, Sire Of Monomoy Girl, Moves To Japan For 2021

Tapizar, a Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner and sire of champion Monomoy Girl, will relocate to Yushun Stallion Station in Japan for the 2021 breeding season, Racing Post reports.

The 12-year-old son of Tapit previously stood at Gainesway in Lexington, Ky., where he entered stud in 2013. From five crops of racing age, he has sired 231 winners and his runners have earned more than $22.4 million.

His most successful offspring is Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018 and likely champion older mare of 2020. She won the Breeders' Cup Distaff during both campaigns, and her nine career graded stakes wins also includes the 2018 Kentucky Oaks. Last month, she sold to Spendthrift Farm for $9.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale, and she will remain in training for 2021.

Other runners of note by Tapizar include Grade 2 winners Jeltrin and Amalfi Coast, and Grade 3 winners Honey Bunny, Project Whiskey, and Solidify.

Tapizar is best known during his own on-track career for his victory in the 2012 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Park. All three of his career graded stakes wins came at Santa Anita, also adding the G3 Sham Stakes and G2 San Fernando Stakes. In total, he won six of 14 starts for $972,632.

Tapizar is expected to arrive at his new farm in mid-January.