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Bloodlines: Red Flag Flies The Banner For Sire Tamarkuz, La Troienne Family

Becoming the seventh freshman sire to get a graded stakes winner, Tamarkuz (by Speightstown) also chalked up his first stakes winner with the victory of Red Flag in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 15.

Red Flag rolled into contention at the half-mile marker after odds-on favorite Spielberg (Union Rags) and second-choice Weston (Hit It a Bomb) roasted each other with a quarter-mile in :22.73 and a half in :45.34. At the half-mile pole, Red Flag was already at Weston's throatlatch, and the red colt went on to win by 7 1/4 lengths in 1:23.56 for the seven furlongs.

This was the second victory from three starts by the progressive colt that trainer John Shirreffs described as “not a great work horse in the mornings.” That contributed to making Red Flag the second-longest price on the odds board, but such will not be the case in the future.

Nor was Red Flag the only longshot who succeeded on Sunday; the immediate success of his sire Tamarkuz was not a given. A handsome son of leading sire Speightstown, Tamarkuz proved his mettle on the racetrack, racing through his 6-year-old season and winning his best race at that age in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, when he had subsequent champions Gun Runner and Accelerate behind him.

With only 29 foals in his first crop, Tamarkuz was not warmly embraced by local breeders when the horse went to stud. Nonetheless, he is making believers.

For any young sire prospect to be commercially effective, he needs to attract 100 mares or more in his initial book. That general number is necessary for a new sire to have much chance of keeping up with the other top members of any entering stallion crop of the last quarter-century or so.

Yet Tamarkuz, from 29 foals, has 10 starters, five winners, a graded stakes winner, and he now sits in 23rd on the list of freshmen sires.

Bred in Kentucky by Elaine Macpherson, Red Flag is the second stakes winner out of Surrender (Stormy Atlantic), whom Macpherson purchased through agent Gayle Van Leer for $40,000 out of the 2014 Keeneland November sale. At the time of sale, Surrender was a 5-year-old and was carrying her second foal on a cover to the Tiznow stallion Morning Line. The foal she produced in 2015 was a filly later named Surrender Now, and two years later, Surrender Now won the 2017 Landaluce Stakes.

Red Flag is the mare's fourth foal and second stakes winner. Sent to the 2018 Keeneland November sale, Red Flag sold for $50,000 to Rosetown Bloodstock out of the Warrendale Sales consignment. Brought to the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale, the colt resold out of the Eaton Sales consignment for $220,000 to Michael Dorsey and races for Tina and Jerome Moss.

All of Surrender's four foals of racing age are winners, and the mare has a yearling colt by Tiznow named Tiz Toujours, who was bought back for $23,000 at the 2020 October yearling sale at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky. The mare's weanling is a colt by first-crop sire Mendelssohn and already carries the name Calm Sea, and Surrender was covered by Catholic Boy in his first season at stud in 2020.

A non-winner from two starts on the racetrack, Surrender has a most distinguished family. By one of Storm Cat's most consistent sons in Stormy Atlantic, Surrender is out of the Mr. Prospector mare Beaucette, a stakes-placed daughter of the graded stakes winner Mackie (Summer Squall).

Mackie was one of seven stakes winners out of the great broodmare Glowing Tribute (Graustark). The others included Grade 1 winners Sea Hero (Polish Navy), winner of the Kentucky Derby and Travers, and Hero's Honor (Northern Dancer), winner of the G1 United Nations and Bowling Green, as well as the latter's full sister Wild Applause.

Wild Applause was the only one of Glowing Tribute's daughters to carry on in a fashion similar to her famous dam, producing four graded stakes winners: Yell (A.P. Indy), Roar (Forty Niner), Trumpets Blare (Fit to Fight), and Eastern Echo (Damascus).

Although not that successful, Mackie produced a pair of graded winners, the Grade 2 Arlington Classic winner Mr. Mellon (Red Ransom) and Grade 3 winner Seeking the Best (Seeking the Gold). This branch of the family went a bit quiet with Beaucette, but her daughter Surrender has put this branch of the great La Troienne family back in the spotlight again.

Sold out of Marcel Boussac's stud in France to E.R. Bradley nearly a century ago, La Troienne produced 14 named foals, first for Bradley and then for Greentree Stud after the dispersal of Bradley's bloodstock. Five of the great mare's foals won stakes and even more became important producers. From the champions and major performers that her family has produced decade after decade around the world, La Troienne is a touchstone of quality in international breeding.

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Tom Marquand, Hollie Doyle Among Rising Stars Invited To International Jockeys’ Championship

A stellar line-up featuring established greats and young rising stars will contest the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The exciting line-up includes four previous winners of the world's most sought-after jockey challenge, including Zac Purton and Joao Moreira, both multiple champions on the world's most intensely competitive circuit. Purton and Moreira will both be chasing a second LONGINES IJC victory, as will last year's IJC victor and fellow Hong Kong-based rider Karis Teetan, while Ryan Moore returns to the spectacular city circuit seeking a record-equaling third IJC title.

The HK$800,000 (about US$100,000) LONGINES IJC is a four-race competition for 12 elite jockeys, and this year's edition features six overseas riders and six based in Hong Kong, all battling for the HK$500,000 (about US$65,000) top prize, the most lucrative jockeys' challenge winner's check in the world.

Also among the exciting overseas cast are Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle. The British duo, aged 22 and 24 respectively, sealed third and fourth place in the 2020 British Flat Racing Jockeys Championship, and will join the contest for the first time as two of world racing's most rapidly ascending stars.

Marquand's G1-winning exploits in Europe and Australia over the last 12 months have seen him become one of the most in-demand young riders on the planet. His major wins include a G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes success aboard globetrotting star Addeybb at Ascot, as well as back-to-back G1 triumphs aboard that horse in Australia.

Doyle, meanwhile, following a spectacular British season, will become only the third female rider – after Emma-Jayne Wilson in 2007 and Chantal Sutherland in 2009 – to take part in the IJC. Her total of 129 (as at 18 November) wins for the calendar year is a record for a female rider in Britain, while her headline-grabbing double on Champions Day at Ascot included a first G1 victory aboard Glen Shiel in the British Champions Sprint Stakes.

Leading homegrown rider Vincent Ho will join Moreira, Purton and Teetan representing Hong Kong. The 30-year-old ace enjoyed a personal best season last term with 67 wins, including a clean sweep of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series aboard the brilliant Golden Sixty. He also notched a first G1 success as Southern Legend edged Beauty Generation in a thrilling edition of the FWD Champions Mile.

Last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winning jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot heads back to Hong Kong in outstanding form. He is poised to complete his third French championship and is buoyant from two more G1 successes at the recent Breeders' Cup in Kentucky.

Godolphin's leading man William Buick is another who is riding at the top of his game and will arrive in Hong Kong at the end of a year highlighted by three G1 successes aboard the world's highest rated horse Ghaiyyath, while Mickael Barzalona became one of the youngest riders ever to win the Derby when Pour Moi won at Epsom in 2011 and added another Classic success to his record this year when Andre Fabre's Victor Ludorum won the French 2000 Guineas.

The final two spots on the 12-rider roster for the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship will be filled by the next two jockeys – who are eligible for selection – with the most wins on the Hong Kong jockeys' championship table. This announcement will be made following the Happy Valley race meeting on Wednesday, 25 November.

Visiting riders will undergo multiple COVID-19 tests before travelling to Hong Kong and upon arrival will go straight into their designated accommodation under strict quarantine to ensure no contact with the community. They will also be under continuous medical surveillance by the Club's Chief Medical Officer – including daily COVID-19 tests and twice daily temperature checks – and on IJC night at Happy Valley, the visiting riders will occupy a separate jockeys' rooms away from the Hong Kong-based riders.

Mr. Andrew Harding, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director, Racing, said: “This year's LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship has all the factors in place to be a classic edition. We have a fantastic line-up of gifted riders, and a young duo in Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle competing for the first time will add even greater excitement to what is always a thrilling contest.

“The Hong Kong Jockey Club has succeeded again in putting together an outstanding cast of riders and we are looking forward to a great night of sport set against the backdrop of one of the most iconic racecourses in the world.”

“We are so pleased that, with strict protocols in place, the event can be a truly international occasion. The prize money increases, which make this year's edition the richest yet, further reinforcing the prestige associated with the event.”

Further prize money increases and incentives

The LONGINES IJC remains the most prestigious jockey challenge in the world and the most lucrative for the winning rider.

The four races are worth a combined HK$6 million in prize money, which represents a 20 percent increase for the designated races. Meanwhile, a total prize fund of HK$800,000 in bonus money for the most successful riders will be split three ways, with the winner set to receive HK$500,000 and second and third HK$200,000 and HK$100,000 respectively.

In addition, trainers have an added incentive to target their horses at IJC races this year thanks to a new bonus scheme which will pay HK$200,000, HK$100,000 and HK$50,000 respectively to the three handlers who achieve the highest number of points across the four races, using the same scale as employed for the jockeys.

The four-race competition works on a points-based system with 12 points for a winner, six points for second place and four points for a third. The ranking of each jockey will be determined by the total number of points earned over all four races and the IJC champion will be the jockey with the highest accumulated points.

The Club has developed a new model to increase the probability of a more even distribution of winning chances.

Rides in previous IJC competitions have been allocated by a random ballot taking each jockey's minimum riding weight into account. However, this year's edition will feature a new process of allocating rides with a model having been developed which is designed to make the contest as competitive as possible and to reduce the risk of individual riders, being dealt a particularly strong or weak hand.

The minimum riding weight for IJC races remains at 116lb with a maximum of 2lb overweight allowed. If there are more than 12 entries for a race, the Club's handicappers will use their discretion to give preference to horses who have shown reasonable recent form. This will form the basis for a process in which each rider will be allocated four rides based on an estimated average of each horse's chance as supplied by the Club's Jockey Challenge odds-compiling team.

The odds-compiling team will assess the credentials of every runner in advance and, without knowing who will ride each horse, will submit their final assessments once the barrier draw is made on the morning of Monday, 7 December.

In the case of a dead-heat for any of the first three placings, points will be added and then divided by the number of horses involved. In the IJC, substitute jockeys are eligible for points and if a countback is required it will go back to fourth place. Homegrown jockeys with 2lb or 3lb claims are eligible for selection for the IJC but there will be no claiming allowance in the four IJC races. Apprentice jockeys do not qualify for selection.

List of invited jockeys for 2020 LONGINES IJC

	Jockey	Remarks
Reigning IJC Champion	Karis Teetan	2019 IJC winner. South African champion apprentice (2008).
Hong Kong Champion Jockey	Zac Purton	2017 IJC winner. Four-time champion jockey in Hong Kong (2013/14, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20). Brisbane Champion Jockey (2003 – when still an apprentice).
Britain	Ryan Moore	Two-time winner of both the IJC (2009 and 2010) and LONGINES World's Best Jockey Award (2014 and 2016). Three-time British champion jockey (2006, 2008 and 2009)
Britain	William Buick	Joint British champion apprentice (2008). Second in the 2020 British Flat racing jockeys' championship.
Britain	Tom Marquand	British champion apprentice (2015). Competing in first IJC this year.
Britain	Hollie Doyle	Set a new record for most wins by a female jockey in a British calendar year (129 wins as of 17 November). Competing in first IJC this year.
France	Pierre-Charles Boudot	Two-time champion jockey in France (2015 and 2016). Third in the 2017 IJC.
France	Mickael Barzalona	Teenage winner of the G1 Derby at Epsom in 2011 and has since enhanced his reputation, notably riding for Andre Fabre and Godolphin.
Hong Kong	Joao Moreira	Hong Kong premiership leader as of 18 November. Three-time Hong Kong champion jockey (2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17) and multiple record holder including most wins in a season (170). Winner of the 2012 IJC.
Hong Kong	Vincent Ho	Hong Kong's leading homegrown jockey as of 18 November. 2010/11 Hong Kong Champion Apprentice. 2018/19 and 2019/20 Tony Cruz Award winner.
Hong Kong	Highest ranked jockey (1)	As of 25 November
Hong Kong	Highest ranked jockey (2)	As of 25 November

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Tampa Bay Downs Releases COVID-19 Plan; Fans To Return When Racing Resumes Nov. 25

The most frequent question Tampa Bay Downs officials have received the past several weeks is: “Are you guys going to allow fans to come watch the races?”

In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, customer health and safety are the track's foremost concerns. Tampa Bay Downs, which has allowed on-track simulcast wagering since July 2 and Silks Poker Room play since mid-June, has formulated plans to permit spectators for its 2020-2021 Thoroughbred meeting, beginning with the Opening Day racing card on Nov. 25.

The 90-day meeting proper runs through May 2, followed by the annual Summer Festival of Racing on June 30 and July 1. Tampa Bay Downs will race most Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, adding Sundays starting Dec. 20 and also racing Thursday, Dec. 24.

For the foreseeable future, fans will be required to wear masks both inside and outside the facility, unless they are eating or drinking. Temperatures will be taken of each person entering the building.

Various measures have been established to ensure social distancing, including:

· The creation of more outdoor, private spaces for small groups

· A limited number of benches on the apron of the Grandstand, with increased spacing

· Computer-generated, socially distanced Grandstand seating

· A reduction in box seating, from eight to six seats per box

Those changes, and many others, are designed to provide patrons with a high level of comfort and security when they arrive for an afternoon of Thoroughbred racing during the track's 95th anniversary season.

Tampa Bay Downs has developed a website for fans to reserve seating that provides social distancing. The cost is $5 per seat and must be paid in advance. To purchase seats through the website, go to www.tbdseats.com

The track raced without spectators last season from March 17 through the annual two-day Summer Festival of Racing, generating income and purses for horsemen and horsewomen through account wagering.

Peter Berube, the track's Vice President-General Manager, expressed optimism that a shared sense of responsibility and respect among track employees, horsemen, jockeys and fans will enable spectators to attend all season.

“We understand that many of our patrons would like to see a return to pre-Coronavirus status, while many others are concerned about venturing outside their homes while the pandemic continues to pose a threat,” Berube said.

“We believe it is important to listen to and respect all viewpoints, but our biggest duty is doing everything possible to keep our customers and employees healthy. Without fans at the track, racing loses some of its excitement and charm, and our on-track business suffers.”

Tampa Bay Downs has also implemented rules to protect jockeys. Riders, jockey room staff, starting gate personnel, etc., will undergo rapid COVID testing prior to their arrival, with twice-weekly testing from there on. No newcomers will be allowed without a negative test, and jockeys will be restricted to their designated areas on race days and required to leave the room following their last ride of the day.

Other elements of the track's COVID-19 protocol include increasing the number of hand-sanitizing stations throughout the facility; ongoing cleaning and sterilizing of high-touch surfaces and areas; socially distanced markers on the floors; providing disinfecting wipes next to wagering machines, replay TVs and high-touch machines; and installing Plexiglas partitions between employees and customers at the Customer Service desk, program windows, concession stands and Gift Shop.

Each aspect of the track's COVID-19 protocol is designed to train the spotlight where it belongs: on the horses, jockeys and trainers who have helped make Tampa Bay Downs one of the sport's most popular wagering signals during the winter and early spring.

The stakes schedule, which begins with the Dec. 5 Cotillion Festival Day card, remains virtually the same as last season. The 41st annual Grade II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, a showcase for Triple Crown prospects, will be held March 6 as part of an outstanding Festival Day of racing program, featuring four graded races and total stakes purse money of $1-million.

Other major race days include Festival Preview Day on Feb. 6, highlighted by the Grade III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for 3-year-olds; Florida Cup Day on March 28, featuring six $110,000 stakes races for registered Florida-breds; and Kentucky Derby Day on May 1.

Nine of last season's top 10 jockeys have returned for the 2020-2021 meeting. Jockeys Daniel Centeno and Antonio Gallardo, who have a combined 11 Oldsmar riding championships, are approaching major career milestones at the outset of the meeting. Centeno, who has won a record six Tampa Bay Downs titles, has ridden 2,987 North American winners (to go with 847 in his native Venezuela).

Gallardo, a five-time track champion and last year's leading jockey with 122 winners, has 1,955 victories in North America.

Samy Camacho, who won the 2020 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on King Guillermo, is also expected to contend for the top spot in this year's standings. Other top returning jockeys include Pablo Morales, who rode career winner No. 2,000 here last season; four-time Oldsmar track champion Ronnie Allen, Jr.; two-time champion Jesus Castanon; and veterans Jose Ferrer, Willie Martinez and Scott Spieth.

The Tampa Bay Downs trainers roster also features nine of the top 10 finishers in last season's standings, headed by defending champion Gerald Bennett, who has won the last five Oldsmar training titles and six overall. Bennett, who saddled 61 winners last season, has 3,920 winners in his career, 14th on the all-time list.

Last season's runner-up with 33 winners, Kathleen O'Connell, is a two-time Tampa Bay Downs training champion. Her career total of 2,190 victories is behind only Kim Hammond (2,321) among North American women trainers.

Michael Stidham, last season's third-place trainer with 31 victories, returns, along with Mike Dini and Jose H. Delgado, who tied for fourth. Other conditioners who may lack the numbers to compete for a title, but bear watching, include Arnaud Delacour, H. Graham Motion, Tim Hamm, Eoin Harty and Anthony Granitz.

Joining the backside roster this season are Mike Maker, whose 2,600-plus career training victories include the recent Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf presented by Coolmore America with Fire At Will, plus 12 other graded-stakes victories in 2020; Jon Arnett, who recently sent out career winner No. 2,000 at Prairie Meadows in Iowa; and David Van Winkle, a veteran of more than 30 seasons with almost 1,100 victories.

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Charles Town Adds Four Wednesday Programs To 2020 Racing Calendar

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races has added a quartet of Wednesday programs to its remaining 2020 live racing calendar, following approval by the West Virginia Racing Commission at its meeting on Wednesday morning.

The four additional live cards on Nov. 25, Dec. 2, Dec. 9, and Dec. 16 all kick off at 7:00 P.M. EST, and come as a result of positive COVID-19 tests emanating from the jockeys room necessitating a cancellation of the prior two weeks of racing.

Live racing at Charles Town is slated to resume tomorrow evening, Thursday, Nov. 19, with the same first race post of 7:00 P.M.

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