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Weekend Lineup Presented By Del Mar Ship & Win: Preakness, Keeneland Fall Stars, Arc De Triomphe

The 145th edition of the Preakness Stakes headlines a spectacular weekend of racing that also features the opening of Keeneland's fall meet, which hosts a total of nine Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races from Friday to Sunday in preparation for the World Championships at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7. The Preakness was moved from its original May date due to the coronavirus pandemic and will be contested without fans in attendance.

NBC will broadcast the Preakness Stakes on Oct. 3 during its coverage which runs from 4:30-6 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports will also provide coverage of Keeneland's weekend, broadcasting from 5-6 p.m. ET on Oct. 2 and 4:30-6 p.m. ET on Oct. 4.

The entire Keeneland meet will be televised on TVG. NBCSN will also pick up a one-hour broadcast of TVG's “Trackside Live” on Friday from 4-5 p.m. ET.

TVG coverage will also continue at Santa Anita this weekend and on Sunday, fans of international racing can tune in and watch champion Enable (GB) attempt to make history and win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for the third time. Enable, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori, won this race in 2017 and 2018 and was second last year. Post time is approximately 10:05 a.m. ET.

Racing from Belmont Park will be showcased on the NYRA-produced “America's Day at the Races” show, airing on either FS1 or FS2. A special edition program of “America's Day at the Races” will also air Sunday morning from 9:30-11 a.m. ET, broadcasting races from Longchamp in Paris highlighted by the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Friday Oct. 2

5:05 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland on NBCSN

Robert LaPenta, Ron Moquett and Head of Plains Partners' Whitmore will make his fourth start in the $200,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes, a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint. Trained by Moquett, Whitmore won the Phoenix in 2017 and has been runner-up in the race the past two years. Whitmore has used this race as a final prep for the Breeders' Cup Sprint the past three years, a race in which he finished third in 2019 at Santa Anita and second in 2018 at Churchill Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100220USA8-EQB.html

5:40 p.m.—$350,000 Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland on NBCSN

Heider Family Stables' undefeated Thoughtfully headlines a field of seven 2-year-old fillies entered for the Alcibiades, which awards the winner a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Thoughtfully debuted June 11 at Churchill Downs and romped to an
8¾-length score going 5 ½ furlongs. A month later at Saratoga, she scored a 5-length victory in the Adirondack (G2) going 6½ furlongs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100220USA9-EQB.html

6:23 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 3 Pimlico Special Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on TVG

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Tenfold, who has enjoyed some of his finest career moments at Pimlico Race Course, will get the chance once again to display his affinity for the when he returns to the Baltimore, track to defend his title in the Pimlico Special. The 50th running of the Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up, is back to its original distance of 1 3/16 miles after being contested at 1 1/4 miles for the first time last year. A 5-year-old homebred son of two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin out of the Tapit mare Temptress, Tenfold can become only the second two-time winner of the Pimlico Special following the Hall of Famer Challedon, who captured back-to-back editions in 1939 and 1940.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100220USA11-EQB.html

Saturday Oct. 3

11:35 a.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on TVG

Juliet Foxtrot (GB) and Varenka, graded winners in 2019, will seek their first stakes score this season in the 1 1/16-mile Gallorette on grass. Augustin Stable's homebred filly Varenka showed so much promise as a 2-year-old that she raced in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf as a maiden and won three of five starts last year, topped by a dead-heat victory in the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga. The daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper is winless in three tries in 2020. In her most recent outing, she was fifth, beaten 2 ¼ lengths, as the 3-1 favorite in the One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100320USA2-EQB.html

1:22 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes Pimlico Race Course on TVG

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's Grade 1 winner Wicked Whisper, making just her sixth career start, looks to return to the winner's circle for the first time in nearly a year when she lines up against six rivals in the Miss Preakness. Wicked Whisper debuted last August at Saratoga with a popular front-running 6 ¼-length triumph. She was stepped right into stakes company by Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and captured the Grade 1 Frizette in similar fashion at Belmont Park. From there, Wicked Whisper ran fifth after pressing the pace in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, exiting the race with a minor leg issue. She didn't kick off her 3-year-old season until June 10, fading to be fourth behind Four Graces in the Grade 3 Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100320USA5-EQB.html

2:01 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on TVG

Already a four-time winner of the race, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will go after No. 5 with Maryland-loving multiple graded-stakes winner Doctor Mounty in the Dinner Party – previously run as the Dixie. Doctor Mounty snapped a five-race losing streak when he returned from a brief freshening with a front-running 1 ¾-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark Sept. 7 at Laurel Park. It was his first victory since his previous trip to Maryland, when the now 7-year-old gelding rallied to win the Prince George's County by a length last June.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100320USA6-EQB.html

2:42 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Dash Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on TVG

Last fall, trainer John Terranova sent an unknown minor stakes winner from New York to Maryland, one that had been competitive graded company without success, in search of a breakthrough race. Killybegs Captain delivered, springing a mild upset in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash. Though the horse and the venue have changed, Terranova is looking to repeat the pattern with Stan the Man Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. Stan the Man is a two-time stakes winner, taking the 1 1/8-mile Queens County last December at Aqueduct and the six-furlong Tale of the Cat last time out August 20 at Saratoga.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100320USA7-EQB.html

2:55 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap at Belmont Park on FS2

Frank Fletcher Racing Operation's sophomore filly Frank's Rockette will face elders after winning three straight races in the Gallant Bloom going 6 ½ furlongs over the main track. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Frank's Rockette has gone off as the favorite in all nine of her lifetime starts and has never finished worse than second. She is 3-2-0 this year with each start at a different track.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100320USA5-EQB.html

3:30 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Pilgrim Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Lawrence and Jennifer Goichman's Shawdyshawdyshawdy will make his second career stakes start in the Pilgrim, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for juveniles. Trained by Jorge Abreu, the Summer Front bay graduated impressively on debut in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Aug. 1 on the Saratoga turf. He followed with a deceptively good fourth on Sept. 7 in the one-mile Juvenile at Kentucky Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100320USA6-EQB.html

3:45 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Leinster, winner of this past July's Grade 2 Shakertown, tops an evenly matched field of nine turf sprinters in the Woodford contested at 5½ furlongs. Leinster has not raced since posting a head victory in the Shakertown. Second in the Woodford last year, Leinster will be ridden by Luis Saez and break from post position eight.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100320USA6-EQB.html

4:03 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Grade 1-winning multimillionaires Channel Maker and Sadler's Joy will face one another for the 15th time, while each making their respective fourth straight appearance in Saturday's 43rd running of the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic over the Widener turf. Channel Maker, winner of the 2018 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, will attempt to be the first non-consecutive winner of the race since Val's Prince won in 1997 and 1999. Woodslane Farm's homebred Sadler's Joy also makes his fourth appearance in the Joe Hirsch but is still in search of his first victory, having finished fourth in 2017 and third in the past two editions.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100320USA7-EQB.html

4:18 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

KMN Racing's Sneaking Out, riding a two-race graded stakes win streak, headlines a field of seven fillies and mares in the Thoroughbred Club of America, a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Sneaking Out won the Grade 2 Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos on July 4 and followed that with a 3¾-length victory as the favorite in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar on Aug. 21.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100320USA7-EQB.html

4:35 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park on FS2

W.S. Farish homebred Code of Honor, a multiple Grade 1-winner trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, leads a talented field of five in the Kelso Handicap, a one-turn mile on the main track for 3-year-olds and upward. The 4-year-old Noble Mission colt opened his current campaign with a half-length score over Kelso-rival Endorsed in the Grade 3 Westchester traveling 1 1/16-miles over a muddy Belmont main. The $2.5-million earner followed with a closing third in the Met Mile on July 4 and was subsequently an even fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 1 at the Spa.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100320USA8-EQB.html

4:41 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on NBC

An evenly-matched field of 11 fillies, led by graded-stakes winners Bonny South, Hopeful Growth, Perfect Alibi and Project Whiskey, are set to gather for the 96th running of the Black-Eyed Susan. Juddmonte Farms homebred Bonny South was rerouted to the Black-Eyed Susan following the announcement in mid-August that it was to join the Preakness lineup. The chestnut daughter of multiple graded-stakes winning sprinter Munnings tuned up for the race with a five-furlong work in 1:01 Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100320USA10-EQB.html

4:51 p.m.—$350,000 Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Trainer Chad Brown is well represented in the First Lady Stakes, a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Uni (GB), the champion grass mare of 2019, will try to become the first repeat winner of the First Lady as she headlines a field of six. Uni used the First Lady last year as a springboard to victory over the boys in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita. She finished seventh as the favorite in her most start in the Grade 1 Fourstardave against males at Saratoga and prior to that was third in the Grade 1 Just a Game to stablemate and First Lady rival Newspaperofrecord (IRE). Newspaperofrecord, winner of the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs, finished second in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100320USA8-EQB.html

5:06 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational at Belmont Park on FS2

A thrilling finish to the Saratoga Derby Invitational in August saw the top-five finishers separated by less than a length. The trifecta from that contest – Domestic Spending, Gufo and No Word – will engage again as part of a talented nine-horse field in the Belmont Derby Invitational. Otter Bend Stables' Gufo ran second by a head to Domestic Spending in the 1 3/16-mile Saratoga Derby and will look to turn the tables in a rematch for trainer Christophe Clement. The Declaration of War colt has won four of his six career starts, with his third-place debut effort in November at Aqueduct marking his only other non-winning effort.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100320USA9-EQB.html

5:24 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on TVG

Godolphin homebred Essential Quality, a flashy winner on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs, headlines a field of nine 2-year-olds for the Breeders' Futurity, a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Essential Quality is on the same path for Godolphin that Maxfield was in 2019: win a one-turn race in September at Churchill and go straight into the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality won that debut by 4 lengths going 6 furlongs and since has come back to work twice at Churchill Downs with the most recent being a :59.80 move over 5 furlongs last Saturday.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100320USA9-EQB.html

5:36 p.m.—$1,000,000 Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on NBC

Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, the No.1-ranked horse on the NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll, will headline a field of 11 sophomores entered for the 145th Preakness Stakes, which will bring down the curtain on a most unusual 2020 Triple Crown. The Bob Baffert-trained colt was installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for the 1 3/16-mile classic that traditionally has been in mid-May. In a quest to win a record eighth Preakness, Baffert will also saddle Thousand Words, who is rated at 6-1. Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector is rated second at 5-2 in the Preakness morning line for his quest to win a sixth straight race. The son of 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini had earned his way into the Kentucky Derby field with a victory in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland but missed a start in the Run for the Roses due to a minor foot issue.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/PIM100320USA11-EQB.html

5:57 p.m.—$750,000 Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on TVG

Bowies Hero will attempt to become the third horse to win the Shadwell Turf Mile in consecutive years when he faces 10 rivals Saturday in the 35th running of the race. Trained by Phil D'Amato, Bowies Hero will be trying to join Gio Ponti (2010-2011) and Dumaani (1995-1996) as the only repeat winners in the race that is a “Win and You're In” test for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile. To repeat, Bowies Hero will have to get by a quartet of runners trained by Chad Brown headed by two-time Grade 1 winner Raging Bull (FR).

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100320USA10-EQB.html

7:25 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 City of Hope Mile Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Trainer Mark Glatt's venerable 6-year-old gelding Sharp Samurai and Peter Miller's razor sharp 4-year-old colt Mo Forza head a field of seven 3-year-olds and up in the City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita. A winner of the 2018 City of Hope Mile and most recently a solid second on dirt in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar Aug. 22, Sharp Samurai will also be cutting back in distance a quarter mile, while Mo Forza, a 4-year-old colt by Uncle Mo, comes off a stirring 4 ¼ length win on turf in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile Handicap Aug. 23.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA100320USA8-EQB.html

Sunday Oct. 4

10:05 a.m.—$5,583,805 Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Paris-Longchamp on FS1 and TVG

Enable's path to a record third Arc became clearer on Thursday as Aidan O'Brien removed Love, her main market rival, from contention, but owner Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe stressed their mare still has plenty to beat despite the absence of a “huge danger”. Love had been the longtime ante-post favourite for the Arc prior to ground fears emerging from her camp this week and with further rain forecast in Paris before Sunday, conditions appear certain to be testing. The absence of this year's 1,000 Guineas and Oaks winner has left Enable a red-hot 5-4 favorite against her 14 rivals, but Grimthorpe insists plenty of threats remain and is concentrating his attention on final preparations for the John Gosden-trained star.

Entries: https://www.racingpost.com/racecards/211/longchamp/2020-10-04/763753/

4:12 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables' Plum Ali brings a perfect 2-for-2 record into Sunday's Miss Grillo, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies. Trained by Christophe Clement, Plum Ali graduated on July 23 with a two-length score in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on the Saratoga turf under Joel Rosario. The First Samurai chestnut then shipped to Kentucky Downs to capture the one-mile Mint Juvenile Fillies by 2 ¾-lengths on Sept. 7 with Tyler Gaffalione up.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100420USA7-EQB.html

4:47 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Graded stakes-winner Point of Honor has displayed consistency all year long, but seeks a first win of 2020 when taking on Grade 1-winner Dunbar Road in Sunday's 80th running of the Beldame for older fillies and mares over the main track. Point of Honor has been a hard-knocking filly in 2020, finishing in the money in all four of her starts this season but is still seeking her first victory of the year. The George Weaver trainee has not won since taking the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan last May at Pimlico and arrives at the Beldame off three straight placings against Grade 1 company. Peter Brant's Dunbar Road arrives at the Beldame off a three-length victory in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 11, where she won under a hand ride by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100420USA8-EQB.html

5:10 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Bantry Farms' Barrister Tom, winner of the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile last month, headlines a field of 12 2-year-olds for the Bourbon Stakes, a “Win and You're In” race for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Barrister Tom is perfect in two grass starts with both triumphs coming at a mile. In his most recent start, Barrister Tom scored a 44-1 upset at Kentucky Downs.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100420USA8-EQB.html

5:20 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

Crawford Farms Racing's Archidust has notched back-to-back stakes wins and will look for his third consecutive in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational for 3-year-olds and up. Since Hall of Fame Steve Asmussen took over the training duties, Archidust is 2-for-2, winning the 5 1/2-furlong Wolf Hill in July at Monmouth Park. He won at the same track and distance on Aug. 23, besting Spikes Shirl by a head in the Get Serious.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL100420USA9-EQB.html

5:45 p.m.—$400,000 Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes at Keeneland on NBCSN and TVG

Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables and Big Aut Farms' Shedaresthedevil will take on older horses for the first time when she heads a field of six fillies and mares in the Spinster, a “Win and You're In” race for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff. Trained by Brad Cox, Shedaresthedevil brings a three-race win streak into the Juddmonte Spinster highlighted by her 15-1 upset in the Kentucky Oaks. Prior to that race, she won the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks by five lengths to mark her second graded victory of 2020.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE100420USA9-EQB.html

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John Fielding: ‘I Think The Future Is Going To Be Very Bright For Horse Racing In Ontario’

Although John Fielding remains modest in speaking of his time on the board at Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), the contributions he made are quite the opposite.

One of horse racing's most passionate supporters, Fielding, who owned his first Standardbred at the age of 16, recently announced he was stepping down from the board he served on for 16 years.

“I think any good board needs fresh ideas, fresh faces and younger ideas,” said Fielding, who retired as Director and Chair of the Standardbred Racing Committee. “I thought it was a good time to give someone else a kick at the can.”

Throughout his time on the WEG board, Fielding, one of the highest profile and successful names in harness racing, a two-time owner of the year, whose star Standardbred pupils include Father Patrick and 2018 Hambletonian Oaks winner, $2.2 million earner, Manchego, worked in concert with other board members to navigate the industry through difficult periods.

Most notable of all, Fielding recalled the 2012 cancellation of SARP, the Slots At Racetrack Program, that plunged horse racing in Ontario into peril.

While plenty of questions surrounded the future of the sport, Fielding felt confident the sport wouldn't simply survive, but would one day thrive.

Coming up with the right answers was hardly an easy task, but the board, Fielding included, worked diligently to find them.

“After the SARP cancellation, making our way through that was a real challenge,” noted Fielding. “It was a challenging time for the horsepeople and everyone connected to the industry because we were all caught so off-guard. The rebuilding to healthiness I think has been a great feat for everyone on the board and for Woodbine, and its management team as a whole. It's been a long road, but I think we're really on the right path now. I thought we'd get to where we are today. There was enough clout in the industry and I thought the industry was strong enough to come together and do the right thing to get to the place where we're at now.”

Jim Lawson, CEO of WEG, (who shared a story about how his family and the Fieldings share a connection dating back to WWI, see below) has high praise for Fielding's many contributions on the WEG board, and to racing itself.

“From my perspective, at the end of the day, what Woodbine is all about is horse racing,” said Lawson, chair of the Thoroughbred Racing Committee on the WEG Board, and a member of the Standardbred Racing Committee. “When you have strong, passionate horsepeople on the board, it really helps with the mandate because it brings back into focus that horse racing is what we are. That can manifest itself in a couple of ways. All of the opportunities and different things we look at – we have to be mindful that it's horse racing owners, breeders, and wagering customers that we need to serve. We have this wonderful set of real estate assets and other things we can be pursuing, but at the end of the day, when you have a strong horseperson on your board – as a CEO, I certainly didn't need the reminder – it sure helps when you have people like John who are focused on racing.”

Lawson also noted Fielding's ability to approach issues in racing with a fair and open mind, someone capable of seeing varying perspectives through a unique lens.

“John wore both hats, being a Standardbred owner and being on the board,” started Lawson. “He could be objective about things. He could give an objective answer wearing both hats. I truly appreciate that. I've come out of a Thoroughbred background – everyone knows that – and I always remind myself to wear both hats. John naturally wears both hats, which is a great foundation for me looking at things. One critical move was moving the Standardbreds out to Mohawk permanently. Everyone looked at me a little cross-eyed when I first mentioned it. Immediately the question came up, 'So, Jim, you're doing all of this real estate development at Woodbine and you're ultimately going to generate proceeds. Hopefully, as CEO, you're not going to produce all these proceeds for Thoroughbreds, are you?' I don't think that way. Anything we make on real estate is to the benefit of our business, which means both breeds. Having John there as a person who could easily and naturally wear two hats was important for me, someone that I could consult with. Occasionally, as you might expect, conflicts come up between different races, different nights, events, expenditures… it was good to have John as a sounding board. He was kind of my go-to guy when I needed consultation. He knew horse racing. He wore those two hats well. That was important.”

For Fielding, it was important to play his part in seeing horse racing thrive in Ontario.

It was a hallmark of his time on the board, and it remains one to this day.

His personal horse racing road to success was forged well before his time on the WEG board.

Growing up in Toronto, he rode the streetcar with his brother to Greenwood Raceway where their passion for the sport first began. Introduced to harness racing by his father, Fielding rose up the ranks to become one of its most celebrated owners. He has over 20 Breeders' Crown titles to his name, and has also enjoyed success with Thoroughbreds. In the late '90s, Fielding met Standardbred and Thoroughbred breeder Fred Hertrich at a Standardbred sale at Woodbine. They recorded their first win as breeders in the 2017 Thoroughbred World Championships when 'TDN Rising Star' Rushing Fall won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Just the type of person – and horseperson – tailor-made to sit on the WEG board.

“John led the Standardbred Committee for years and he did that in a very balanced way,” said Lawson. “Even as chair of the committee, he knew he had a larger fiduciary duty. I think that stands out for me, the manner in which he led that Standardbred Committee. He never forgot that he had a larger responsibility to the corporation, and I admired him for that.

“Secondly, much like [accomplished Thoroughbred trainer] Mark Casse – I'll throw that out there – they're great ambassadors for the Woodbine brand, internationally, and in particular, North America. John is very much in the mix, given the level of his investment in both breeds. Thirdly, I'm reminded of the recent Mohawk Million. He stepped up and bought a slot himself, but he was, in no small way, in that ambassador role, letting people know about the race. He encouraged people to buy slots. We need to thank him for his involvement in the Mohawk Million, too.”

Fielding, founder of Array Marketing, a leading global provider of retail merchandising solutions, is thankful himself, appreciative of his time on the board and for the friendships he made because of that role.

“I've met some wonderful, wonderful people and made some fantastic friendships that will last the rest of my life. I'm proud of what we've accomplished thus far. I'm proud to have been associated with it, and I'm proud of both breeds. We still have a ways to go, but we're on real level footing now. It's been a pleasure working with the different chairs I have, including Jim Lawson, and the different management teams. I think the management team we have now is the strongest I've ever seen it. It's a great team and I think we're in good hands.”

While he'll be dedicating more time to his business interests and family, one thing that won't change is Fielding's enduring bond with horse racing.

“I'm so busy with my business interests that you have to try juggle your life around this business. I'm involved in horse racing quite extensively, in both breeds, but that, in addition to all of the other business interests I have, you kind of run short of time when you want family time, and other things. You have to simplify things the older you get.

“But this sport, it gets into your blood and it got into my blood at a very young age. I always dreamt of being involved in the industry, both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. I was a huge fan of E.P. Taylor, and I think the board and everyone involved in horse racing could always look at him as the key figure, the one who bought all the land where we are at Woodbine today. He had the vision. The job of the board is to be the custodian of that property and those wishes. And I think we've done a very good of that. Horse racing is alive and well.”

Another big reason why Fielding believes the board, and industry, is in good hands.

“As we move into the next phase of trying to make horse racing fully self-sustainable, I think we're doing all the right moves. I think the future is going to be very bright for horse racing in Ontario.”

Thanks, in no small part, to the efforts of John Fielding.

From Jim Lawson:

“My great uncle, who my dad [Mel] was named after, went to war in World War I, and died on the battlefield right near the end of the war. Ultimately, what was recovered was his diary, and then after that, some letters, when my dad did some family tree searching. It turned out that my great uncle had been corresponding and had intended to marry a woman named Grace Fielding. That wasn't her maiden name, but that was John's grandmother. When my dad found out that his great uncle who he was named after – my dad and I visited his gravesite in France and followed his battle route form his diary – he tracked down Grace Fielding who was in a nursing home in Hagersville [ON]. Starting around 1985, my dad started visiting Grace and talking with her. She had saved those letters from my great uncle from Word War I in the battlefields.

“Early on, the Fielding family became aware of this man – who was in the horse racing business – that was visiting their mother and grandmother. Around that time, John was becoming a big investor in horse racing. When my dad had some good horses like Eternal Search and Let's Go Blue, John's grandmother was cutting out clippings from the newspaper and sending them to John. We have this family connection going back to then.

“Going back 35-40 years, I found out that John was a huge fan of racing through this unusual connection between the Lawsons and the Fieldings, a story that dates back to World War I. I knew about John and John knew my dad. He approached my dad back in the 1980s.

“I was asked to join the board of Woodbine and John was already on the board. I had heard about him, and when I walked into the first board meeting, he gave me a hug. He said, 'I know you! We should have been relatives.' Then we both recounted the stories of my great uncle and his grandmother.”

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‘The Pressure’s On’: Bob Baffert Has Never Lost Preakness With A Derby Winner

Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic is favored at 9-5 in the morning line for Saturday's 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, providing Hall of Famer Bob Baffert an excellent opportunity to become the most successful trainer in the storied history of the 1 3/16-mile classic.

Authentic, who registered an impressive front-running victory in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, is scheduled to face 10 other 3-year-olds, including Thousand Words, who, at 6-1 in the morning line, figures to give Baffert a solid second chance to saddle his eighth Preakness winner.

Authentic is owned by Spendthrift Farm LLC, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables LLC and Starlight Racing. Spendthrift Farm LLC also owns Thousand Words, who was scratched from the Derby after rearing and falling while being saddled in the paddock, in a partnership with Albaugh Family Stable LLC.

The Preakness, traditionally the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, will conclude the series on Saturday after being postponed from May 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Maryland Jockey Club's signature event will be run without fans in attendance, as were the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 20 and the Kentucky Derby Sept. 5.

Fans can watch and wager on the entire 12-race Pimlico program at 1st.com/bet/ and xpressbet.com.

The Preakness will be broadcast live on NBC from 4:30-6 p.m.

“Without the fans, it sort of takes away from it. It didn't feel like the Derby until the gates came open. Once the gates came open, I felt like it was on. Once he hit the wire, it felt like the Derby,” Baffert said. “It makes you forget about everything else.”

Should Authentic or Thousand Words prevail Saturday, Baffert will surely be hit with that old Preakness feeling to which he has become all too accustomed.

When Baffert saddled Triple Crown champion Justify for a victory in the 2018 Preakness, he tied the record for most wins by a trainer with Robert Wyndham Walden, who saddled seven winners between 1875 and 1888. From his seven Preakness winners, all five of Baffert's Kentucky Derby winners won at Pimlico two weeks later. Authentic, however, will seek his second leg of the Triple Crown with four weeks between classics.

“He would have been ready to roll in two weeks. I feel pressure now because I never lost a Preakness with a horse I won the Derby with,” Baffert said. “Now the pressure's on me.”

While he is well aware of his accomplishments at Pimlico, Baffert is making an effort to focus on the 2020 Preakness without reliving his past successes or his chance to become the winningest trainer in Preakness history Saturday.

“The reason I've won it so many times is I've always had the best horse. That's why I won. I've won the Derby with the best horse and I've lost the Derby with the best horse. The losses bother me. I think about the losses more – the ones that got away from me,” Baffert said. “The Preaknesses have never gotten away when I'm here with the best horse.

Authentic will once again be guided by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who has ridden three Derby winners and two Belmont Stakes winners, but will be seeking his first Preakness success. Thousand Words will be ridden by Florent Geroux for the first time Saturday.

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector, who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby in the days leading up to the race due to a minor foot injury, is scheduled to join the Triple Crown fray Saturday.

“We were going to miss a few days of training and that's just not the way you want to go into the Kentucky Derby. I've been waiting for 30 years for this horse to come into my life. I'm sure not going to do anything to jeopardize his future for just one race,” trainer Tommy Drury said. “It certainly stung a little bit, but having this race right behind it, you kind of had to turn the page pretty quickly and start thinking about the next one.”

Art Collector, who is rated second at 5-2 in the morning line, has finished first in his last five races (by a combined 23 ½ lengths), including four straight victories since being turned over to Drury this year.

Art Collector, who won the July 11 Blue Grass (G2) at Keeneland and the Aug. 9 Ellis Park Derby in his two most recent starts, has shown the ability to set the pace or stalk the pace under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.

“He knows this horse like the back of his hand. I don't think I've ever given him instructions on this horse,” said 49-year-old Drury, who celebrated his first career graded-stakes success in the Blue Grass. “I've just told him to ride as it comes to him. By doing that he's gotten several different trips. That's where having a horse that's versatile enough that he will allow you to do that is very beneficial.”

Drury has been impressed with the son of Bernardini's preparation for the Preakness.

“The Derby was disappointing because he was training so well leading up to it, but, gosh, I feel like he's doing equally as well right now,” he said. “We're ready to take our best shot.”

Peter Callahan's Swiss Skydiver, who is rated at 6-1 in the morning line, is scheduled to clash with the boys for a second time in her career. The multiple graded-stakes winning daughter of Daredevil finished second as the favorite behind Art Collector in the Blue Grass. She will make a bid to join a group of five fillies who have captured the Preakness: Rachel Alexandra (2009), Nellie Morse (1924), Rhine Maiden (1915), Whimsical (1906), and Flocarline (1903).

“I don't know if we have to differentiate genders. In Europe, fillies run against colts all the time. I don't think Enable has run straight fillies [more than a few times] in several years,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “Here it seems to be more of a big deal, but for the most part when you bring a good one into the game, it doesn't matter.”

Swiss Skydiver captured the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) March 29 before going on win the Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park and the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). She set a pressured pace in the Blue Grass before being overtaken by Art Collector, losing by 3 ½ lengths but finishing 4 ¾ lengths clear of the third-place finisher and next-out winner Rushie. The McPeek trainee bounced back to score a dominating 3 ½-length victory in the 1 ¼-mile Alabama (G1) at Saratoga before finishing second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Swiss Skydiver is the latest in a long line of McPeek-trained Grade 1 stakes-winning fillies and mares, topped by Take Charge Lady, who earned nearly $2.5 million.

“It seems to me I've had better fillies than I've had colts. Maybe it's just a coincidence. If you look back on my career I've had some good colts,” said McPeek, who saddled Sarava for an upset victory in the 2002 Belmont Stakes. “We try to treat them all as individuals, but maybe my program does fit fillies better. I'm not sure.”

Swiss Skydiver will have her sixth different jockey aboard for the Preakness when McPeek gives veteran Robby Albarado a leg up on his ultra-consistent filly. Albarado rode Curlin to a Preakness victory in 2007.

Allied Racing Stable LLC's Mr. Big News, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby at 46-1, is slated to take on Authentic again Saturday. The late-developing son of Giant's Causeway broke his maiden Jan. 20 at Fair Grounds in his fourth career start. He earned a 'Win & In' berth in the Preakness when he won his first stakes in the Oaklawn Stakes April 11 before disappointing with an off-the-board finish in the Blue Grass.

“Mentally, he's always been a great-minded horse. He's done everything the right way his whole career. Physically, he just wasn't as strong as he is now. He had to fill out and get stronger. That's what he's done gradually,” trainer Bret Calhoun said. “It's been a continuous development over the past five, six months to get where he needed to be. To be strong enough to be at the top of his game.”

Calhoun never lost faith in Mr. Big News.

“The trainer has to be patient. The owner needs to be patient to allow the trainer to be patient. It's kind of a team effort,” Calhoun said. “This horse showed talent early on. I know not everybody was a believer. I think a lot of people were wondering, 'What do you see in him?' We saw something in him in his early works. He was getting better and better, making big leaps forward in his development. I told some people, 'You're going to read about this horse someday.'”

Gabriel Saez, who was aboard for the Oaklawn Stakes win, has the return call on Mr. Big News, who is rated at 12-1 in the morning line.

Trainer Steve Asmussen, who saddled Rachel Alexandra and Curlin for their Preakness scores, is scheduled to saddle three starters Saturday in his bid for No. 3 – George Hall and Sport BLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s Max Player, Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's Pneumatic and Calumet Farm's Excession.

(Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, in 2013, was the last trainer to saddle three starters, including Calumet's victorious Oxbow),

Max Player is the only horse entered in all three Triple Crown races this year. The son of Honor Code, who finished a non-threatening third in the Belmont for trainer Linda Rice, was never able to get into the race in his first start for Asmussen in the Derby, in which he finished fifth after breaking from the rail post.

“Obviously, I was a little bit disappointed in his race in the Derby but his post cost him considerably, just getting covered up early and being way too far back to be effective,” Asmussen said.

Pneumatic, who finished fourth in the Belmont, is coming off a 2 ¼-length victory in the ungraded Pegasus at Monmouth Park; while Excession will make his first start since finishing second in the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn Park March 14.

Asmussen expressed gratitude to the participating Triple Crown tracks for making adjustments to make Triple Crown 2020 a reality.

“They're only 3 once and they deserve this opportunity. I'm glad the tracks got together and made sure the races were run,” Asmussen said. “We're very excited to have three talented horses in such an important race.”

Paco Lopez is scheduled to ride Max Player for the first time Saturday, while Joe Bravo and Sheldon Russell will have the mounts on Pneumatic (20-1) and Excession (30-1), respectively.

Ny Traffic, who faded to eighth after attending the early pace in the Kentucky Derby, will seek a rebound effort in the Preakness for owners John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley.

The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained son of Cross Traffic had finished second, beaten by a nose, behind Authentic in the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth.

“And that's probably what gives us the hope probably to give it a try again,” Joseph said. “Sometimes in racing you don't come up with reasons why horses don't perform and then they come back and they run the race that you were hoping for the time before.”

Maryland-based Horacio Karamanos is set to ride Ny Traffic, who is rated at 15-1 in the morning line, for the first time Saturday.

William H. Lawrence's Liveyourbeastlife (30-1), who finished second in the Jim Dandy (G3) at Saratoga last time out; and Grupo Seven C Stable's Jesus' Team (30-1), who finished third in the Jim Dandy; round out the Preakness field.

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Trainer Angel Montano Dies In Louisville Hospital At Age 80

Longtime Kentucky-based trainer Angel Montano passed away in a hospital in Louisville on Thursday, according to the Daily Racing Form. He was 80 years old, and had been hospitalized for much of the past six months. Montano died of multiple health complications including COVID-19.

Initially an apprentice jockey when he came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1956, Montano was injured and took out his training license in 1961. Montano trained 1,390 winners over his career, and was the leading trainer at Churchill Downs' spring meet for three straight years, 1976-1978.

“He lived a great life,” one of his seven children, Joey Montano, told drf.com. “Such a character. He loved telling jokes but wasn't very good at it, and that was funny in itself. He loved the horses and all the people at the track and was incredibly loyal to his employees. Think about it – more than 60 years on the track.”