Saturday's GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Fanduel Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar in six weeks' time, and a legitimate case can be made for at least half of the 10 runners set to face the starter.
Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}), promoted to third in this event in 2019, is the proven Grade I runner in the field, having scored three times at the highest level. The Peter Brant colorbearer made the most of his seasonal debut, belying a five-month absence to post a two-length success in the GI Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland Apr. 9. Unlucky when denied by Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom) in the GIII Poker S. at Belmont June 20, the bay took all the pari-mutuel action for Saratoga's GI Fourstardave H. Aug. 14, but never really landed a blow, finishing sixth of eight behind Got Stormy (Get Stormy). With Frankie Dettori accepting the call, Raging Bull should take plenty of beating, but he will need to bring his 'A' game.
Mark Casse has three chances for a third Mile, all of whom are lined up next to one another. Drawn lowest of the trio in gate two is Gary Barber's in-form Olympic Runner (Gio Ponti), a longshot fourth to Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) last year and exiting a 1 1/4-length success in the course-and-distance GII King Edward S. Aug. 15. March To the Arch (Arch) ran on to complete the exacta 12 months ago, rallied into a strong past to annex the July 25 Niagara S. going nine panels and was a latest third, with some traffic trouble, in the King Edward. Ride a Comet (Candy Ride {Arg}) was runner-up to Raging Bull in the Maker's Mark, raced too close to the pace from a high draw in the nine-furlong GI Old Forester Turf Classic May 1 and finished well to be third behind Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}).
Town Cruise (Town Prize) looks to be the controlling speed of the race and is favorably drawn in the inside stall for Daisuke Fukumoto to make best use of that weapon. The 6-year-old wired a field going a mile and a sixteenth at 70 cents on the dollar July 4 and set a cracking pace in the King Edward before clinging on for second. If able to settle early on, he could prove sneaky at a big price.
A sextet of expenses-paid berths in the Breeders' Cup World Championships are up for grabs this weekend as the racing action heats up across the country. Graded stakes at Churchill Downs, Belmont Park, and Woodbine Racetrack are on the “Win and You're In” list, along with a quartet of MATCH Series stakes being held at Laurel Park on Saturday.
Kicking off the Breeders' Cup Challenge races will be the Jockey Club Derby Invitational at Belmont Park, which features Belmont Derby winner Bolshoi Ballet returning stateside for trainer Aidan O'Brien. The Galileo colt ran fourth last out in the Saratoga Derby, but the stretch out to 1 1/2 miles should suit him well.
The G1 Woodbine Mile winner will earn a spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Mile, and the $1 million race has drawn a contentious group of 10. Turf maestro Chad Brown will send out Raging Bull, while dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse plans to saddle a three-pronged attack led by Ride A Comet. Brad Cox sends Set Piece north of the border with the red-hot Joel Rosario to pick up the mount.
The other four Breeders' Cup Challenge races offer slots to 2-year-olds on Future Stars Friday: Churchill's G3 Pocahontas to the Juvenile Fillies, Churchill's G3 Iroquois to the Juvenile, Woodbine's G1 Summer to the Juvenile Turf, and Woodbine's G1 Natalma to the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Check out the full schedule of stakes action here:
Trainer Mike Maker and owner/breeders Ken and Sarah Ramsey have agreed to the dismissal of a civil case brought by Maker over unpaid training bills. Fayette Circuit Court Judge Julie Goodman entered the order dismissing the case with prejudice on Sept. 15 “pursuant to a settlement.”
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Maker had brought suit in March against the Eclipse Award-winning couple in March, claiming the Ramseys had been delinquent in paying training bills to him for nearly four years and owed him $905,357.29 at the time of his filing.
“It's not that I'm not paying, it's just that I guess I'm not paying fast enough,” Ken Ramsey told the Paulick Report in March. “I have never beaten anybody out of a dime.”
A subsequent motion from Maker suggested the Ramseys paid the balance down after news of the suit broke, but did not keep to their own suggested payment schedule and eventually stopped sending checks. Ramsey disputed the arrangement the couple had with Maker regarding payments and the total amount owed.
Wesley Ward filed suit against the Ramseys around the same time, making similar allegations about delinquent payment and stating he was owed $974,790.40 in bills, interest, and purses. That case, filed in Jessamine Circuit Court, appears to still be open as of this writing.
The Texas Thoroughbred Association has released an online video honoring the 2020 Texas Champions and human award winners. Traditionally the TTA would have an in-person awards ceremony, but one will not be held this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While we are disappointed in not having an awards ceremony this year, we are proud of the accomplishments of Texas-breds and Texas horsemen last year, and we are pleased to honor them with this video,” said Mary Ruyle, executive director of the TTA. “Congratulations go out to all the award winners.”
The 2020 Texas Champion horses were previously announced, and those horses are highlighted in the video along with four human award winners that were not previously announced.
The video can be viewed here:
The T.I. “Pops” Harkins Award for lifetime achievement was awarded to Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and Joe Straus Jr.
McIngvale has found great success in both the business world and on the racetrack. His Houston-based Gallery Furniture has sponsored numerous stakes races over the years and frequently features racing-related promotions, including one involving the 2021 Kentucky Derby that helped raise the profile of the sport to non-racing fans. He won the Breeders' Cup Sprint with Runhappy and now stands the stallion and often sponsors racing events to promote him. He is also a noted philanthropist and has supported numerous charitable efforts within and beyond the world of racing.
Straus is one of the founding fathers of modern Texas horse racing. He was instrumental in the passage of pari-mutuel wagering laws in the state and is a co-founder of Retama Park near San Antonio. Straus also serves as chairman of the Texas Horse Racing Hall of Fame, of which he is also an inductee. Also a successful breeder and owner, Straus has worked hard to ensure a level playing field for horsemen and served on the Texas A&M Target 2000 committee and spearheaded efforts for the Texas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to serve as the lead agency to test competition racehorses.
The Allen Bogan Memorial Award for TTA member of the year was awarded to Bill Tracy and Martha Claussen.
Tracy is a longtime TTA member and Texas horseman who worked at JEH Stallion Station in New Mexico and Oak Tree Ranch in Bandera, Texas, and presently is farm manager at Mike Grossman's Eureka Thoroughbred Farm in Fredericksburg, Texas. He has served on the TTA board for a combined total of nearly 20 years, and he has also served on the board of the TTA's Paddock Foundation and as president of the Texas Thoroughbred Educational Fund. In his work to support TTA and Texas racing, he has testified before the Texas Racing Commission and spent numerous hours working with legislators to highlight the importance of horse racing to our state.
Claussen has worked to promote Texas horse racing for nearly 25 years after being hired as publicity director at Sam Houston Race Park in 1997. Since then, she has distributed countless news releases and photos to better inform the media and general public about the special people and horses in our sport. While many news releases just list out basic information, Claussen always goes the extra mile to include quotes from the winning connections and other details to recognize the effort it takes to win a stakes race. She is among the most active and recognized voices on social media when it comes to Texas horse racing, and she is a familiar face nationwide from her frequent winner's circle interviews.
Following is the complete list of the previously announced 2020 champion horses:
2-Year-Old Filly: Con Lima (by Commissioner) • Owner: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Graffeo, Joseph F., Del Toro, Eric Nikolaus and Johnson, Troy • Breeder: Lisa Kuhlmann
2-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Hulen (by Tapiture) • Owner: L. William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Madaket Stables LLC and Spendthrift Farm LLC • Breeder: Keith Asmussen
3-Year-Old Filly: Boerne (by Fed Biz) • Owner: De Luca and Sons Stable • Breeder: Randi and Eric Moreau-Sipiere
3-Year-Old Colt/Gelding: Gold Pilot (by My Golden Song) • Owner: Wayne Sanders and Larry Hirsch • Breeder: Ronald and Margaret Ellerbee
Older Filly/Mare: Ima Discreet Lady (by Discreet Cat) • Owner: Duane Coker and Raymond Todd White • Breeder: Larry S. Huntsinger
Co-Champion Older Horse: Sunlit Song (by My Golden Song) • Owner: Carolyn Barnett and Becky Harding • Breeder: Carolyn Barnett
Texas Champion Claimer: Meme Jo (by Too Much Bling) • Owner: John L. Pierce II • Breeder: Jeanne Bruce
Champion Broodmare: My Silver Song (by My Golden Song)
Horse of the Year and Co-Champion Older Horse: Redatory (by Oratory) • Owner/Breeder: James Wessel
