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Thomas Leffray Joins Arqana

Thomas Leffray has joined the Arqana Bloodstock team, where he will focus on horses-in-training and the National Hunt sphere, the sales company announced on Monday. The Irish National Stud graduate, who earned a BTSA in ‘Production Animales’ in Laval, began at Haras de Montaigu, before joining Haras d’Ombreville. Leffray then worked at Dromoland Farm in the United States, Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, and a year in Australasia at Waikato Stud and Newgate Farm. He was most recently involved with the stallions at Coolmore in Ireland since the beginning of 2020.

“We are delighted to welcome Thomas to the Bloodstock team,” said Arqana Team Bloodstock Director Ludovic Cornuel. “His many past experiences in France and abroad, as well as his good knowledge of sales, will enable him to adapt quickly and strengthen our team. Thomas will work in collaboration with Dominique Boulard on assembling the horses in training catalogues and will also be involved in the visits of young horses, particularly those in the National Hunt sphere. Finally, Thomas’s addition to the team demonstrates Arqana’s commitment and its eternal quest to improve the quality of its service.”

“I’m passionate about breeding and sales, and I am delighted to join the Arqana team,” added Leffray. “My travels over the last few years and my training at the Irish National Stud have enabled me to participate in the biggest sales in the world and to deepen my knowledge of breeding. Joining the Arqana team is a logical next step for me and I am very happy that this opportunity has presented itself.”

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Del Mar Live: Televised, Online Opportunities For Seaside Racing Fans In 2020

They're calling it the next-best-thing-to-being-there when it comes to the races at Del Mar this summer. It's “Del Mar Live” – “From your #HomeTurfClub.”

Though the track plans to run its 2020 summer season with an empty grandstand, televised and online racing opportunities will abound for Del Mar racing fans in shared and exciting environments all around San Diego.

More than 20 local restaurants, hotels and a casino have signed on to be part of “Live,” which will launch when the track begins running this Friday (July 10).

Those locations will offer a full scope of their unique foods and libations, notably the Del Mar signature drinks – the Del Margarita and the Del Martini. Also, they'll be presenting special sign-up betting propositions from TVG – the nation's foremost racing channel and advanced deposit wagering site – with a chance to be part of the action for fans, families and friends.

And that Opening Day jewel – this year's 26th edition of the Opening Day Hats Contest – will strut on stage via Instagram and Twitter for all to see with a panel of celebrity judges ready to declare the 2020 winner of a fashion statement that has become one of Del Mar's most sought-after honors.

The television connection for “Del Mar Live” consists of the TVG Network, DirecTV 602, Dish Network 399, AT&T U-verse 672 (SD) 1671 (HD) and Verizon FiOS 315 (SD) 815 (HD). Additionally, races can be seen on the TVG app.

The location lineup for “Live” includes many establishments in the immediate area of the seaside oval, among them Brigantine Del Mar, Red Tracton's, Truluck's, Jake's Del Mar, Tony's Jacal, Pizza Port (four locations), Fidel's Little Mexico and Jimmy O's. Also on the roster are a pair of popular hotels – the Del Mar Hilton across the street from the track and Pendry San Diego, the boutique hotel in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. An added starter in the mix is Sycuan Resort and Casino, which will be offering a Del Mar experience complete with guest handicappers, a dedicated area for TVG watch and wagering and a handicapping tournament where the winner can earn two VIP tickets to the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championship.

Each “Live” location will be offering many TV screens to view the day's 10-race card, the Del Mar drink specials and colorful Del Mar/TVG coasters for all. Fans can watch the majestic Thoroughbreds do their thing and be part of the sporting activity by wagering on their TVG app or at TVG.com.

The Opening Day Hats Contest is available to all who forward pictures using the hashtag #DelMarHatsContest and tagging @DelMarRacing in the photo. The Instagram location is www.instagram.com and the Twitter access is at www.twitter.com and they accept entries anytime on July 10 up until 6 p.m. PST. The profile must be publicly accessible to be viewed and judged.

The grand prize winner gets two VIP tickets to the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar and a $500 gift certificate for Christine A. Moore Millinery. The total value of the prize is $1,500. Second-place finisher gets a $250 Studio Savvy Salon gift basket and a $250 gift certificate to Christine A. Moore Millinery. Third prize is a $250 gift certificate to Christine A. Moore Millinery and fourth is a $200 gift certificate to Studio Savvy Salon.

The “Hats” celebrity judges are Heather Lake (Fox 5), Lauren Phinney (KUSI), Ashley Jacobs (TV personality) and Deena Von Yokes (Studio Savvy).

Del Mar will race every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from July 10 up to and including Labor Day Monday, September 7. First post daily will be at 2 p.m.

The post Del Mar Live: Televised, Online Opportunities For Seaside Racing Fans In 2020 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Asymmetrical Movement Common In Young Standardbreds

Scientists from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found asymmetrical movement in most of the Standardbred horses used in a study.

The group recruited the help of 12 Standardbred trainers across Norway and Sweden. They used wireless inertial sensors to detect uneven movement at the trot on 103 horses. All the horses had been broke to harness and were beginning race training; each was considered fit to train by their trainers.

Drs. Anne Kallerud, Cathrine Fjordbakk, Eli Hendrickson, Emma Persson‐Sjodin, Marie Hammarberg, Marie Rhodin and Elin Hernlund chose to study this group, which had an average age of 18 months, to reduce the chances of the presence of training-related injuries. All horses received a physical exam before the study; measurements were taken to see if any associations could be found with the uneven movement that could be detected.

Of the 103 horses, 77 were seen in-hand and on the track; 24 were assessed in-hand only and two were assessed only on the track. The scientists used thresholds established for other breeds to determine asymmetry. They determined that 94 of horses (93 percent) showed front and/or hind limb asymmetry in the in-hand reviews. In the track trials, 74 horses (94 percent) showed asymmetry. Though most of the asymmetry was mild, one in five horses switched the asymmetrical side for one or more parameters between in-hand and on-track trials.

The study team explored the prevalence of asymmetry, but not its underlying causes. It is unclear if the asymmetrical movement increases, decreases or stabilizes with age and training. They suggest that future studies look at the changes in asymmetry over time, and explore any associations between the asymmetrical movement and the development of clinical lameness.

Read the study here.

Maryland’s ‘Mayor Of The Backstretch’ Retiring After Six Decades In Horse Racing

Bobby Lillis, a longtime fixture in Maryland horse racing known as the “Mayor of the Backstretch,” is retiring after a career in the industry that has spanned six decades.

For the past 21 years, Lillis, 66, has served as Benefits and Benevolence Director for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. His focus has been on those who ensure that racehorses receive proper care seven days a week, year-round.

“I have always held backstretch and farm workers near and dear to my heart as I know firsthand the sacrifices that come with their jobs and environment,” Lillis said.

Lillis was 15 when he started working as a hot walker for trainer Bob Holthus and lived in a tack room at old Detroit Race Course in Livonia, Mich., in 1969. In 1972 he went to Sugar Hill Farm in Ocala, Fla., under the guidance of retired jockey Sherman Armstrong to learn how to break yearlings and become a jockey, which he did not long after.

Lillis worked at many East Coast racetracks and met his wife, Ruthanne, in 1975 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey. They moved to Maryland in 1976 because the state had four tracks and year-round racing at Bowie Race Course, Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and the Maryland State Fair at Timonium, and currently reside in Westminster in Carroll County.

“The horse racing industry is the only work I've known,” Lillis said. “It is an industry with countless career opportunities, and the trick is to see and take the opportunity when it presents itself,” Lillis said. “For me, it was taking a shot at being a jockey and then later a small-potatoes horse owner and breeder. For the last 21 years I have been Benefits Director, serving as an advocate for backstretch workers facing hardships and offering financial assistance to those in need with the help of funding of the Maryland Horsemen's Assistance Foundation and the MTHA.

“I want to thank you to all owners, trainers and racing fans—past and present. Because of their investments, hundreds of thousands of compassionate people who have a love for horses have employment and careers. I am very confident that our Maryland backstretch employees are left in good hands with in my coworkers.”

Lillis has been recognized over the years with various awards, most recently the Godolphin Thoroughbred Industry Community Award and the Maryland Horse Industry Board Touch of Class Award, both in 2019. He also garnered the Maryland Racing Media Association President's Award, the Maryland Jockey Club Circle of Excellence Award, the MTHA Outstanding Service to Maryland Horsemen Award and the Thoroughbred Charities of America Distinguished Service Award, and was the Honorary Postmaster at the Alibi Breakfast.

Though he is retiring, Lillis, who has helped educate many fans during the annual “Sunrise Tours” Preakness week at Pimlico, will not be a stranger at Maryland racetracks. He will continue to work for the MHAF Board of Directors.

“On a limited basis I will help the Maryland Horsemen's Assistance Foundation,” Lillis said. “I was asked to stay on through the end of the year while the organization determines its future. I will be at the racetrack periodically.”

The MTHA and those he has assisted thank Lillis for his many years of contributions to the Maryland racing industry.

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