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‘Legend’ Unluckiest Among Favorites at Longines HKIR Draw

A total of 39 horses representing Hong Kong, Japan, Ireland and France were entered and barriers drawn Thursday morning for Sunday’s HK$95 million Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Although Boniface Ho’s Classique Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) has yet to win a race at Group 1 level–he is a multiple Group 2 winner in Australia–he is one of the marquee horses of this year’s HKIR, having arrived in Hong Kong on the back of a dominating victory in the A$15-million The Everest at Randwick Oct. 17. Having come good in his recent trackwork for trainer Caspar Fownes, he figures to jump favourite for Sunday’s G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint, but his chances were done no favours by pulling gate one as the last horse out of the box at the draw.

“I was really hoping for gate five, to tell you the truth, all the way before the draw started,” Fownes told the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Leo Schlink. “He’s a horse that needs a bit of room. Anyway, it is what it is. Most people won’t complain about draw one. He’ll be ridden to get his chance and we’ll see it happens. Just going to hope that the legendary Hong Kong pace is on, like it always is, and then it’s up to [jockey] Vincent [Ho] to ride his race.”

Ballydoyle’s Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will also begin from the pole position as she faces seven other rivals-including three from Japan–in the day’s richest event, the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m). Ryan Moore takes the ride on the bonny mare as she tries to exact revenge on Win Bright (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn), who got just the better of the Moore-piloted Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in last year’s Cup. The latter will be having the final start of his career Sunday and carries Masami Matsuoka from barrier four.

Moore and Aidan O’Brien will also team up with Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who looms the main danger to reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the first of the four internationals, the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m). A barnstorming winner of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris in September, he was a fair fifth behind a modest pace when last seen in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland Nov. 7. He landed gate four. Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the Vase in 2015 and 2017 for Ballydoyle. Exultant, winner of this race in 2018 before a tough-trip third in his title defence last December, was beaten on the square by leading Cup chance Furore (NZ) (Pierro {Aus}) at both his previous starts this season, each over trips short of his best and at something less than peak fitness. He begins one stall to the outside of Mogul in five.

It was lucky seven for Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile as he goes in search of a first Group 1 himself and an 11th win on the bounce. To do so, he will have to take down the colors of Japan’s Admire Mars (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), who became the rare 3-year-old to win the Mile 12 months ago. Moore takes the ride from Christophe Soumillon, who has been stood down owing to COVID-related issues (see related story) and will have to work out a trip from the widest alley in the field of 10.

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Mr. Buff Takes Short Turnaround Into Saturday’s Alex M. Robb Stakes

Multiple stakes winner Mr. Buff returns off short rest in Saturday's $100,000 Alex M. Robb, a nine-furlong test for New York-breds 3-years-old and up at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Trained by John Kimmel, Mr. Buff ran a distant fifth in Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap contested over a sloppy track at the Big A after scoring against his Empire State-bred counterparts in the Empire Classic on Empire Showcase Day, October 24 at Belmont Park.

Owned and bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Mr. Buff will look for his third straight Alex M. Robb score. He notched the first of his nine stakes triumphs in the 2018 edition by a nose over Twisted Tom. Last year, he was an emphatic 7 ½-length victor of the Alex M. Robb over Dynamax Prime.

Mr. Buff has amassed the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field, banking $1,220,786 with a career record of 41-15-7-4. In addition to the last two runnings of the Alex M. Robb, Mr. Buff owns victories in the Jazil in back-to-back years and the Haynesfield, which he won last year by 20 lengths while garnering a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Kimmel said Mr. Buff exited the Cigar Mile in good order.

“His energy level was quite high. He actually seems quite full of himself,” Kimmel said. “I'm not committed to running. We'll get a couple more gallop days into him. The exercise rider [Jorge Munoz] that has been on him says he feels extremely energetic. He seems to be doing fine.”

Should he opt out of the Alex M. Robb, Kimmel said the nine-furlong $100,000 Queens County on December 19 at the Big A against open company would be another option for Mr. Buff.

Kendrick Carmouche, the recently concluded Big A fall meet's leading rider, piloted Mr. Buff to his maiden victory in September 2016 at Belmont Park. He will be reunited with the talented New York-bred from post 4.

Christophe Clement, fresh off earning his first New York training title at the Aqueduct fall meet, will send City Man back to action after a triumphant stakes encounter in the open company Gio Ponti on November 27 over the inner turf at the Big A.

Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles, the sophomore son of Mucho Macho Man made his fourth career start on grass a winning one last out. He won last year's Funny Cide in August 2019 one the Saratoga Race Course main track by 4 ¾ lengths.

“It seems to be the nature of his sire. He's putting out as good of dirt horses as he is turf horses,” said Dean Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, who also campaigned Mucho Macho Man. “This is a nice horse. I was happy for him to come back and win the way he did. He had been running well, we just weren't getting the job done, so I was happy to see him notch a stakes win. Personally, I think he'll get better in his 4-year-old season. There's a lot of upside side to him.”

In winning the Gio Ponti, City Man ended a seven-race losing streak, which included a close fourth in the Grade 3 Transylvania at Keeneland, marking his lone graded stakes start to date. He has never finished worst than fourth through a consistent 10-3-2-1 record.

“When I watch him, I still think he's a little immature,” Reeves said. “He wants to run up to the leaders all of a sudden and then wait on them. Once he grows out of that, he can go by them and finish a little stronger. He's an exciting horse. It's really nice to have a horse where you can think dirt and turf.”

City Man, bred in New York by Moonstar Farm, is out of the City Zip mare City Scamper. He was purchased for $185,000 from the OBS April Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

City Man will exit post 3 with Manny Franco aboard.

Clement also will send out Waterville Lake Stable's Sea Foam, who seeks his fourth career stakes triumph.

The homebred 5-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro, out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare Strike It Rich, won the Notebook at the Big A during his juvenile campaign and picked up wins in the New York Derby at Finger Lakes and the Albany at Saratoga the following year.

Sea Foam has notched three allowance wins since then, including two against open company. He was third last out to Mr. Buff in the Empire Classic.

Joel Rosario will ride Sea Foam from post 1.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Bankit seeks his first triumph since last year's New York Derby for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. The son of Central Banker, bred by Hidden Brook Farm and Blue Devil Racing, has gone winless in 11 starts this season. He has been stakes-placed on six occasions this year, including two runner-up placings at Oaklawn Park, where he was a head shy of victory in the Fifth Season and Grade 3 Razorback. Bankit was a last-out third to Funny Guy in the NYSSS Thunder Rumble on November 22 at the Big A.

Jockey Jose Lezcano will be aboard from post 6.

Completing the field are four-time winner Yankee Division [post 2, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], and Noda Brothers' Miner's Mark winner Danny California [post 5, Luis Castro Rodgriguez].

The Alex M. Robb is slated as Race 8 on Aqueduct's nine-race program, which offers a first post of 12:20 p.m. Eastern.

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New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program Awarded 2020 Lavin Cup By AAEP

New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, the largest racehorse adoption charity in the United States, received the 2020 Lavin Cup from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).

Known as the AAEP's equine welfare award, the Lavin Cup recognizes a non-veterinary organization or individual that has distinguished itself through service to improve the welfare of horses. New Vocations was recognized Dec. 9 during the AAEP's 2020 Annual Convention & Trade Show, held virtually.

Founded in 1992, New Vocations' mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired racehorses has led to the placement of over 7,000 individuals, with nearly 500 retirees served by the program each year. With facilities in five states—Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Louisiana—New Vocations serves over 40 racetracks, working directly with owners and trainers in need of equine aftercare options.

“New Vocations has a longstanding commitment to the health and welfare of the equine athletes that deserve help in transitioning to a healthy and productive second career,” said co-nominators Dr. Jeff Berk and Dr. Wesley Sutter. “In every sense, they have partnered with us, the equine veterinarians who seek the same goals for our patients.”

Despite COVID-19-related shutdowns in the spring that prevented potential adopters from visiting New Vocations' farms in person, the charity found suitable homes for a record number of horses in April and May through social media. Potential adopters undergo a thorough application process, and as adopters' circumstances may change, New Vocations remains committed to each horse with a lifetime open-door policy for returns.

For more information about New Vocations, visit https://www.newvocations.org.

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AAEP Honors Regulatory Vet Dr. Mary Scollay With 2020 Distinguished Service Award

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) honored a longtime volunteer leader within the association and strident advocate for the welfare of racehorses and the integrity of racing when presenting the 2020 Distinguished Service Award to Mary Scollay, DVM.

The Distinguished Service Award honors exemplary service to the AAEP or a similar organization to the benefit of the horse, horse industry or profession of equine veterinary medicine. Dr. Scollay was recognized Dec. 9 during the AAEP's 2020 Annual Convention & Trade Show, held virtually.

A 1984 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Scollay is currently serving her fourth term on the AAEP's Racing Committee, having initially joined the committee in 1997. She contributes to racing broadcasts as an On Call veterinary spokesperson and is co-author of several consequential AAEP white papers on racehorse health and welfare as well as related reference documents for equine veterinarians. Beyond her racing contributions, Dr. Scollay also serves on the AAEP's Professional Conduct & Ethics Committee, and she previously chaired the Infectious Disease Committee and served on the Equine Welfare Committee.

Dr. Scollay is executive director and COO of the Lexington, Ky.-based Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, which focuses on research, education and advocacy for science-based initiatives that promote the health and safety of racehorses and the integrity of competition. Prior to joining the RMTC in 2019, Dr. Scollay spent 11 years as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's first equine medical director and 13 years as senior association veterinarian at Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park in south Florida. While in Florida, she conceptualized and developed the forerunner to The Jockey Club's Equine Injury Database, to which she has served as a veterinary consultant since its launch in 2008.

“With her unwavering philosophy that the health and welfare of the horse remains paramount above all else, Dr. Scollay has provided many years of outstanding service to the veterinary profession, steadfast dedication to the equine industry, and deep commitment to the mission of the AAEP,” said nominator Dr. Patricia Marquis.

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