Horse Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

In The Stud Presented By Kentucky Equine Research: Mor Spirit, First Weanlings Of 2020

Mor Spirit displayed speed and consistency on the racetrack, and he will look to instill both into his first crop of foals, born earlier this year.

On this week's episode of In The Stud, we head out to Spendthrift Farm to speak with Mark Toothaker about multiple Grade 1 winner Mor Spirit, the stallion's physical, and the parts of his family tree that are getting hot at the right time. We also get a special appearance from trainer Bob Baffert, who conditioned Mor Spirit, to go into more detail about how the stallion is put together.

Mor Spirit, a son of Eskendereya, won six of 14 starts during his on-track career for earnings of $1,668,400. He displayed his elite form early on, winning the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity as a juvenile. Then, he proved his mettle against the handicap division at age four with a score in the G1 Metropolitan Handicap. Between those two efforts, he notched victories in the G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and G3 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes.

Mor Spirit is out of the Grade 3-placed stakes-winning Dixie Union mare Ima Dixie Girl. His extended family includes champion Stellar Wind, Grade 1 winner Great Hunter and multiple Grade 3 winner Owendale.

The In The Stud video series, put together by our friends at EquiSport Photos, features up-and-coming names in the stallion ranks, with a focus on those whose first foals are weanlings of 2020. Paulick Report bloodstock editor Joe Nevills interviews farm staff about the stallion's appealing qualities and what mares might work best with them, while giving viewers and potential breeders a chance to see the stallion on the walk and on the racetrack.

The post In The Stud Presented By Kentucky Equine Research: Mor Spirit, First Weanlings Of 2020 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Curlin’s Honor to Pleasant Acres

Curlin’s Honor (Curlin–Franscat, by Stormin Fever), the $1.5-million topper at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, will enter stud in 2021 at Joe and Helen Barbazon’s Pleasant Acres Stallions in Morriston, Florida, for a fee of $2,500.

A five-time winner from 17 career starts, Curlin’s Honor won the 2018 Woodstock S. over the Woodbine synthetic and the 2019 Artie Schiller S. on the turf at Aqueduct and was placed in no fewer than six times at the graded level, including a third to Pink Lloyd (Old Forester) in the 2019 GIII Jacques Cartier S. He earned $356,545.

Also a $475,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling, Curlin’s Honor hails from the female family of Ogygian, Honour and Glory and Fappiano.

The post Curlin’s Honor to Pleasant Acres appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Wagering: American Racing’s Top Priority Going Forward

Courtesy Thoroughbred Idea Foundation

Racing needs a long-term plan which will put the sport on a path to raise handle to nearly $50 billion annually with more than $5 billion held by the industry by 2040.

Sound optimistic?

Falling well short of that goal would still be a monumental accomplishment given we are on track for another year at just $11 billion in handle, and down nearly 50% in the last two decades, adjusted for inflation.

So where are the plans from the industry to start thinking long-term about not just surviving, but thriving, and building a robust, wagering-forward industry?

Horse racing has a tremendous opportunity to lean into a massive culture of betting liberalization, but it has otherwise failed to capitalize on it. Time is still there, and the opportunity is not yet lost.

There is no doubt horsemen should be thankful for the enrichment they’ve received through purses over the last two decades coming by way of slot machines, video lottery terminals, historical horse racing or other revenue sharing from casino-related operations. In many cases, tracks and horsemen lobbied relentlessly for them. It makes sense that they continue to fight for them, but not at the expense of racing’s most obvious source of sustainable revenue–actual wagering on racing.

These significant purse supplements have allowed the industry to minimize the importance of presenting a modern wagering product. Most tracks have not focused on making racing wagering more competitive and most horsemen’s groups have not advocated for meaningful improvements to stoke wagering, either.

In some cases, 90% of prize money has come from subsidized sources beyond racing, wagering on the sport has not seemed as important–a reality which is reflected in annual handle figures over the last 20 years. Many owners and trainers within horsemen’s groups do not possess a detailed understanding of racing wagering. They don’t know what to advocate for to improve their own futures.

This is problematic, because as it relates to prize money for racing, the future is not bright.

Click here to read the rest of the essay.

The post Wagering: American Racing’s Top Priority Going Forward appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Florida Thoroughbred History Moments: Affirmed Enthralled Nation With Triple Crown Triumph

Florida-bred Affirmed led his nemesis Alydar to the most thrilling finishes on his way to winning the Triple Crown in 1978, bringing it home to Florida for 37 years.

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association has launched a digital campaign promoting the successful history of Florida-breds born and raised in the Sunshine State.

The series titled “Florida Thoroughbred History Moment” features an opening and closing image of an old-timey newsreel much like those featured in movie theaters in the 1940s. Along with the sound of the whirr of the newsreel, each video is narrated by the distinctive voice of Hugh Kelly giving an even more nostalgic feel. Based in Florida, Kelly lends his voice perfectly to the series.

Each 'Florida Thoroughbred History Moment' vignette highlights a significant achievement in Florida-bred history focusing on the people, the horses and the farms that have contributed to its success since the industry kicked off in earnest after Needles' 1956 Kentucky Derby win.