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Dubai World Cup Winner Mystic Guide Takes Over NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

Godolphin homebred Mystic Guide earned his first top-level victory in spectacular fashion this past weekend when he surged to a 3 ¾-length triumph in the $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse. In addition to padding his career bankroll, that win allowed the son of Ghostzapper to continue to elevate his reputation in the handicap ranks as he takes over the No. 1 spot in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.

Trained by Michael Stidham, Mystic Guide came into the Group 1 Dubai World Cup off a six-length victory in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap on February 27. The 4-year-old colt, who won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes during his sophomore campaign, earned 21 first-place votes and 333 points this week to move past fellow Grade 1 winner Charlatan into the lead position on the poll.

“Today he proved he is a champion and I know he is going to get better and better,” jockey Luis Saez told the Dubai World Cup notes team after piloting Mystic Guide to victory. “What a nice horse, he has all the ability. It's an honor for me. It's a dream come true.”

Charlatan, who most recently finished as the runner-up in the $20 million Saudi Cup, drops one spot to second with 10 first-place votes and 328 points. Champion distaffer Monomoy Girl sits third with 6 first-place votes and 309 points followed by fellow champion Swiss Skydiver (1 first-place vote, 249 points) and stablemate Knicks Go (231 points).

Grade 1 winner Colonel Liam ranks sixth with 193 points while Santa Anita Handicap hero Idol (122 points) is seventh. Godolphin's Maxfield ranks eighth with 68 points while Shedaresthedevil (52 points), and champion female sprinter Gamine (45) round out the top 10.

The Godolphin team reigns over both NTRA polls this week as their unbeaten juvenile champion Essential Quality maintains his lead position in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll with 31 first-place votes and 373 points ahead of his expected run in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 3.

Concert Tour, winner of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, remains second with 6 first-place votes and 330 points with Louisiana Derby victor Hot Rod Charlie moving up to third with 258 points. Known Agenda joins the top 10 for the first time, landing in the fourth spot this week with 240 points following his triumph in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

Medina Spirit sits fifth with 185 points while Greatest Honour (178 points) drops to sixth after finishing third as the favorite in the Florida Derby. Risk Taking (89 points) is seventh followed by Life Is Good (1 first-place vote, 88 points), Midnight Bourbon (70), and Helium (51).

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through November 6.

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Faucheux, Graham, Godolphin Win Fair Grounds Titles

Racing at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans drew to a close Mar. 28, a meet which saw purses hiked no fewer than three times and featured a typically strong stakes and overnight program supported by a wide swath of horsepeople.

Ron Faucheux won his first training title at the Fair Grounds with 40 victories, three better than four-time defending champion trainer Brad Cox, whose successes at the meeting included the GII Risen Star S. with 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) and the GII Fair Grounds Oaks with 'Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted). Tom Amoss held the premiership lead until deep into the final weeks of the season and ended on 35 wins, two clear of Steve Asmussen. Joe Sharp was third with 23 wins.

“It means the world,” Faucheux said. “Being here, being from New Orleans, and coming to this track since I was a child. This is what it's all about. We have so many people that put their faith in us. I have some great owners. I have the best help. This is my track; this is the best track in the country, as far as I'm concerned, and it's a privilege and an honor to be a part of it.”

James Graham saves his best for the Big Easy and took home his third riding title with 88 victories, some 25 better than his performance in 2019-2020. He was made to work for it, however, as Adam Beschizza rode 85 winners, with Mitchell Murrill on 73.

“It means everything,” Graham said. “We kept digging away and plowing through and doing what we had to do. My stock ran really good this year and everything ran accordingly. It's been a fantastic meet. You can't race anywhere better in the wintertime; Fair Grounds is the best. I'm over the moon and ecstatic.”

There was a three-way photo for leading owner, ultimately won by Godolphin, whose 13 wins–including wins from Maxfield (Street Sense) in the Tenacious S. in December and in the GIII Mineshaft S. Feb. 13–proved narrowly better than Chester Thomas's Allied Racing Stable (12) and End Zone Athletics (11).

Track officials reported strong handle and betting support and reasoned that the elimination of the Black Gold 5, a jackpot bet that was instead replaced by early and late conventional Pick 5s, contributed to that.

“It was a meet like no other but we are extremely proud of everyone who came together to put out a great product on a day-in, day-out basis,” Fair Grounds senior director of racing Jason Boulet said. “We are extremely grateful to the horseman and our fans and bettors for their continued support throughout the meet.”

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Indiana Grand Donates $100,000 To Shelby County Fairgrounds’ Project

Indiana Grand Racing & Casino is committed to providing assistance for the region and recently stepped up to assist in a huge project in the works at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. The fair board is working to add a pavilion to the property this year, and with a $100,000 donation from Indiana Grand, the project is well on its way to becoming a reality.

“This is something we've talked about for 20 years and now this is a priority for our board,” said Jeff Pruitt, Fair Board President. “Our board is made up of 11 volunteers and we want to do everything we can to make things grow and progress. By adding this pavilion, we will be able to host numerous events throughout the year that we could not accommodate in the past. It's good to see this type of local support for our fairgrounds.”

The current structure is located on the southwest side of the racetrack and will undergo major renovations to provide a new temperature-controlled pavilion. The building will create venue space for everything from goat shows to indoor flea markets and meeting space. A groundbreaking will take place soon as weather becomes more favorable.

“The Shelby County Fairgrounds has been a great partner of Indiana Grand for years and they are a vital part of this community,” said Mike Rich, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Indiana Grand. “Having space for additional events and programs year-round will benefit a lot of area residents and ultimately generate more visitors to Shelbyville. We are dedicated to continue our investment in Shelbyville and Shelby County and hope this is just the beginning of growth and development for this facility.”

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Equine Fatality Rate Lowest Since Record Keeping Began

According to the Equine Injury Database, released Monday, there were 1.41 fatalities per 1,000 starters at North American racetracks in 2020, the lowest number recorded since The Jockey Club began compiling injury rates in 2009. The number of fatal injuries declined by 7.8% from 2019 and 29.5% overall since 2009, when the rate was 2.0 per 1,000 starters.

“Overall, there was an 8% decrease in the risk of fatal injury from 2019 to 2020,” said Dr. Tim Parkin, a veterinary epidemiologist. “Since 2009, risk has declined by 29.5% or equivalent to 140 fewer horses sustaining a fatal injury while racing in 2020 than would have occurred had there been no change in risk since 2009. We will dig deeper into the numbers in the coming months to better understand trends in the 2020 data.”

There was also good news out of Santa Anita, which reported six deaths for the year for a rate of 1.17. Just a year earlier, in 2019, when the breakdowns at Santa Anita were making headlines and giving ammunition to animal rights activists, there were 20 deaths for a rate of 3.01 per 1,000 starters. The 2020 numbers at Santa Anita were the lowest since 2009 when the main track was a synthetic surface.

“The continuing reduction in equine fatalities is due to the collaborative effort of the industry stakeholders and regulators putting the safety of the horse first,” said Aidan Butler, COO of racing for The Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita. “This has been a significant culture change and, while it has required much adjustment from a lot of different parties, this modernization will allow for the sport's future. There is still some work to be done to ensure that horses in every jurisdiction receive the same opportunity for intervention and injury prevention.

“We are thrilled to be on the low end and back to where we've been historically,” said Dr. Dionne Benson, the chief veterinary officer for The Stronach Group. “This year we are seeing another decrease in our numbers from last year and we are optimistic that we will continue to improve. At Santa Anita, there has ben a complete culture change when it comes to how everyone views racing. It's from the trainers to the jockeys to the racing office to the veterinarians. It has become a culture of safety.”

Once again, synthetic tracks proved to be the safest surfaces among the three surfaces used for racing. The fatality rate on synthetics was 1.02 per 1,000 starters, a bit better than the 1.27 number recorded on turf. The number for dirt tracks was 1.49.

The injury database also revealed that sprint races are more dangerous than route races. The fatality rate for races run at more than a mile was 1.22. It was 1.35 for races run between six and eight furlongs and 1.66 for races shorter than six furlongs.

The Jockey Club report did reveal one area of concern. The breakdown rate in 2020 was highest in 2-year-old races, with 1.69 fatalities per 1,000 starters. That was higher than the numbers for 3-year-olds (1.57) and 4-year-olds and upward (1.29). In all other years between 2009 and 2019, the 2-year-old number was the lowest among all age groups.

Del Mar led the way when it came to the sport's safest tracks. It had just one fatality in 2020 from 3,417 starters. The rate of 0.29 breakdowns per 1,000 starters was best among all tracks holding meets of one month or longer. Keeneland came in a close second with one fatality in 2020 from 1,989 starters or 0.50 fatalities per 1,000 starters,

“Over the past three years, there has been an extremely dedicated safety effort by everyone involved with racing at Del Mar–our owners, trainers, jockeys, regulators, staff and others,” said Del Mar President Josh Rubinstein. “And we have seen a positive change in our culture. There is still more to be done, and we will continue to laser focused on the safety and welfare of our equine and human athletes.”

Kristin Werner, senior counsel and administrator of the EID, said the work to further reduce the numbers continues.

“Although we are thrilled to see improvement in the numbers from 2020 and commend the racetracks and regulatory authorities in their efforts to reduce injuries, other areas require closer study,” she said. “The recording of additional data through tools like the Electronic Treatment Records System and the Management Quality System of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory will give regulators, racetracks, and researchers a better understanding of horse health and racetrack safety, allowing for additional scrutiny and research aimed at preventing injuries.”

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