Tag: Horse Racing

Clairiere, Travel Column Renew Rivalry In Fair Grounds Oaks

The score is tied at one apiece. Something will have to give when Clairiere and Travel Column meet for the third time in a row, this time with a lot more than the $400,000 that's on the line in Saturday's TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) at Fair Ground Race Course & Slots. The tremendously talented 3-year-old fillies meet again, with a berth into Churchill Downs' April 30 Kentucky Oaks Presented by Longines waiting in the balance, along with 170 qualifying points for the race, on a 100-40-20-10 scale.

The Oaks is a deserving supporting feature to the $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and adds plenty of intrigue to a 14-race card that features eight stakes. Long on history, six of the last 16 winners of the Fair Grounds Oaks have gone on to double at Churchill Downs, with the last being Untapable in 2014.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the Oaks drew a field of eight, though all eyes will be on Stonestreet Stables' homebred Clairiere (post 6 at 5-2 on Mike Diliberto's morning line, with Joe Talamo to ride) and OXO Equine's Travel Column (post 8 at 2-1 with Florent Geroux).

Clairiere pulled off a slight upset when she beat Travel Column in the local February 13 Rachel Alexandra (G2), winning a stretch duel by a neck for trainer Steve Asmussen, who has won the local Oaks three time and has pulled off the Oaks double twice, with Summerly in in 2005 and again with Untapable. Clairiere, a regally-bred daughter of Curlin out of the multiple grade 1 winner Cavorting, was making her seasonal debut and first start since running second to Travel Column in Churchill's Golden Road (G2) in November, in what was just her second lifetime start. Clairiere has closed from at or near the back in all three career starts, and in an Oaks without a lot of early pace, she will once again have to make up ground on Travel Column. Regardless, Asmussen is looking forward to renewing the rivalry.

“Rubber match, right, with two qualities fillies,” Asmussen said. “The trip worked out perfectly for us in the Rachel Alexandra. At a mile-and-a-sixteenth, I think the fillies are competitive. It's the same distance on Saturday. We feel really good about our prospects going forward.”

Travel Column lost nothing in defeat as the even-money favorite in the Rachel Alexandra for trainer Brad Cox, who won his first local Oaks last year with Bonny South and has won two of the last three Kentucky Oaks as well. Travel Column has every right to turn the tables on Clairiere, as she was forced to make first run and tired only slightly in what was also her first start since the Golden Road. It was in that 1-length win at Churchill that the Frosted filly came to national attention, as she encountered plenty of trouble early and late yet won going away in what was clearly a coming-out performance. Travel Column is 2-for-4 lifetime and Cox is expecting another forward move with a filly who should have a tactical edge on her main rival.

“I think she should get a good stalking trip from our post,” Cox said. “There's no pace in the race. We're not going to sit back there and give someone the race. We didn't win (the Rachel Alexandra) but we were very, very pleased with the comeback and we expect her to move forward off that return. She's a very, very good work horse and she's been training great since that race.”

Joel Politi's Li'l Tootsie (post 4 at 4-1 with Luis Saez) is 2-for-3 in her career for trainer Tom Amoss, with all three starts coming at Fair Grounds. The daughter of Tapiture aired at 6 furlongs in her second start then stretched out to 1 1/16 miles and again looked good, settling early then finding room along the rail to win a February 21 optional-claimer in the slop. Amoss and Politi teamed in 2019 with Serengeti Empress, who starred locally and went on to win the Kentucky Oaks. Li'l Tootsie has yet to show she can play on a stage like that, but Amoss still enters with plenty of confidence.

“To say that we are in deep water is probably true, but at the same time this is a filly who can handle deep water; she might be in the deep end of the pool but she's doing the backstroke,” Amoss said. “She's a good horse and she's one that can hold her own with any of the fillies in this country. That's not only a trainer's opinion, but it shows in the speed figures. The Ragozin number is very, very good.”

A pair of Gulfstream Park invaders add to the depth of what is the best Oaks prep to date. Shadwell Stable's homebred Zaajel (post 1 at 8-1 with Irad Ortiz Jr.) in undefeated in two starts for Todd Pletcher. The daughter of Street Sense won twice at 7 furlongs at Gulfstream, including the January 30 Forward Gal (G3), though she'll clearly have to improve in what will be her two-turn debut. Zaajel has settled just off a quick pace in both her runs, and with an inside draw in what is a paceless Oaks, could find herself on the lead in an attempt to give Pletcher his third Oaks win, to go with Unlimited Budget (2013) and Ashado (2004), who also went on to win at Churchill.

Juddmonte Farms' homebred Obligatory (post 5 at 5-1 with Jose Ortiz) is another who should be close in her two-turn debut for trainer Bill Mott. The Curlin filly didn't fire when a troubled fourth on debut at Belmont Park in October but put it all together in her next start February 7 at Gulfstream, when she stretched out to a one-turn mile and drew off with ease.

Franco Meli's homebred Il Malocchio (post 7 at 15-1 with Brian Hernandez Jr.) was third in Tampa Bay Downs' February 6 Suncoast in her seasonal debut and first start for trainer Kenny McPeek, while Brad King, Jim Cone, Scott Bryant, and Stan and Suzanne Kirby's Moon Swag (post 2 at 20-1 with Adam Beschizza) was a distant third in the Rachel Alexandra but is on the improve for trainer Brendan Walsh, and Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational (post 3 at 15-1 with John Velazquez) was second in the local Silverbulletday in February for trainer Mark Casse but will try to bounce back from a well-beaten sixth in the Rachel Alexandra.

Additional Fair Grounds Oaks Quotes:

Amoss, Li'l Tootsie: Looking the field over, the one thing that captures your attention, there's no real pacesetter in the race. These horses are all stalk and jump on the lead twice. If you look at our last route race, which is a complete contradiction to the two sprints in terms of style, you have to ask yourself 'What are you going to get this time around from Li'l Tootsie?' I strongly believe she's going to be much sharper out of the gate and much more involved with what's going on early in the race. I'm not here to tell you that she's going to be the pacemaker, because that's not really that important to me, I think she's very capable of running well from anywhere on the track, I just believe that she's going to break sharper and be a part of that first wave of horses. I think her God-given athleticism will come into play.

I have a very good relationship with (Luis) Saez and his agent Kiaran McLaughlin, a former trainer, and we've had a lot of success with them. Luis won two grade 1's for me last year with Serengeti Empress and No Parole and when I found out he was coming into town, I told them I would support them all I can. I think he's one of the best riders in the entire country and I'm honored to have him on my horses.

She's got three races and a route under her belt. When you look at her in the paddock, she's a very good looking, athletic filly. She is also more feminine-looking than say, Serengeti Empress, so she doesn't need as much. She gets a lot out of her gallops, she's very enthusiastic in the morning, she loves to train. With what we've got coming ahead, I just don't feel like she needs to be set down hard anymore. We did that. We got to where we wanted to be. I'm very comfortable with how we've trained coming into the race and the time between races.

Walsh, Moon Swag: She runs well at Fair Grounds. She hasn't done anything wrong this winter and it's another chance to get some valuable black type. Realistically we are looking at running for a placing, but who knows. She'll be running at them at the end, and if there is a pace meltdown, we might get lucky. She's tricky temperamentally, but she's gotten better all the time. Three or four months ago you wouldn't have believed that she is where she is now with a live shot at a race like this. Since we've gotten to know her, she's found consistency through her routine. She just needs to keep progressing in her races and I can't see why she'd stop now.

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NHBPA, State Horsemen’s Groups File Suit To Halt HISA

The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, together with state affiliates in Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington and West Virginia (Mountaineer) have filed a federal civil suit in an attempt to put the brakes on the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA). The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, names the Federal Trade Commission and several of its employees, as well as the people tasked with forming the Nominating Committee for the new federal authority.

The suit seeks to have HISA and a number of its elements declared unconstitutional, to enjoin defendants from taking any action to implement HISA, as well as nominal damages of $1 and compensatory damages of any fees charged to horsemen by the new authority.

The lawsuit is being handled by The Liberty Justice Center, a non-profit legal center “that represents clients at no charge and was founded to fight against political privilege,” according to its press release about the case.

The crux of the suit is that plaintiffs believe HISA delegates legislative authority to a private organization and private individuals in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Although the new federal authority established by HISA will be overseen by the Federal Trade Commission, the suit points out that the FTC has the authority to reject or request modification to rules made by the authority but isn't allowed to draft its own rules and is not involved in enforcement of those rules.

Additionally, the nominating committee is tasked with picking the members of the new authority's boards, rather than the FTC. The nominating committee is comprised of Dr. Jerry Black, Katrina Adams, Leonard Coleman, Jr., Dr. Nancy Cox, Joseph Dunford, Frank Keating, and Kenneth Schanzer. According to the suit, Black is a professor at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine; Adams is a past president of the United States Tennis Association; Coleman is a former president of the National League of Major League Baseball; Cox is dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Kentucky; Dunford is a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Keating is a former Governor of Oklahoma; Schanzer is a former president of NBC Sports.

The suit claims that allowing the new authority's board to be appointed by a private group of individuals is unconstitutional because the U.S. Constitution requires the president, head of a department, or court of law to appoint officers in such circumstances. Not only that, the suit claims, “this private nominating committee was hand-picked by a small group of owners and trainers within the horseracing[sic] industry who supported passage of HISA, over the objections of thousands of owners and trainers, represented by plaintiffs, who will be regulated by HISA.”

The suit also points to what it calls a lack of “intelligible principle” for the FTC to guide the new authority.

“HISA gives the FTC no standards upon which to base its decision to approve or disapprove rules proposed by the Authority. Its guidance is completely circular and unintelligible: it is told to look to rules proposed by the Authority and approved by the FTC to determine whether to approve rules proposed by the Authority.”

Read the full lawsuit here.

The NHBPA said the inclusion of some state affiliate and exclusion of others was based on which were able to vote on the issue.

“This lawsuit is about protecting horsemen's interests nationwide and challenging an illegal law,” said Peter Ecabert, general counsel to NHBPA. “HBPA's Executive Committee voted unanimously to move forward with the lawsuit. Some affiliate organizations did not have votes in time to join the lawsuit. Accordingly, National together with the Affiliates who were able to quickly secure formal approval moved expeditiously as named plaintiffs to save horsemen from the irreparable harm that this illegal law will cause.”

“All Americans should be concerned when Congress gives power to regulate an entire industry to a private group of industry insiders,” said Brian Kelsey, senior attorney at the Liberty Justice Center. “This goes way beyond setting rules for the sport of horse racing. This is not the NBA or the NFL. The 'Authority' has the power to make laws, issue subpoenas and effectively tax owners with little real oversight. Placing that power in a private organization is illegal and must be stopped.”

The NHBPA released the following statements regarding the suit Monday:

Peter Ecabert, General Counsel, National HBPA: “The National HBPA has been very vocal in its opposition for HISA, including for the fundamental constitutional flaws the lawsuit addresses.

This is not some last-ditch, Hail Mary effort to prevent legislation we opposed from taking effect. This is about our core mission, 'Horsemen Helping Horsemen.' We must do our due diligence to make sure that such a complete restructuring of our industry is not only in its best interests but also is constitutional. Throughout the shameful process of this march to pass this legislation, there was a high degree of HISA's supporters simply telling owners and trainers to 'trust us' without addressing our legitimate concerns. The bill was passed without proper vetting and gives to a private authority broad government powers over our industry with little or no oversight. This legislation was ramrodded through without anyone knowing the costs of creating and maintaining this additional bureaucracy and who would pay for it.

“Not doing our due diligence now could very well have disastrous consequences in the near and long-term future for horse racing, including for owners, trainers and horseplayers. When a bad law is passed, you're stuck with it. You can't just run to your state racing commission and explain that real-life consequences hadn't been anticipated.”

Bill Walmsley, President of the Arkansas HBPA and former President of the National HBPA, former Arkansas Court of Appeals judge, former Arkansas State Senator and founding board member of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association: “There's a real concern among Thoroughbred horse owners that this could put us out of business. By passing HISA, Congress picked winners and losers and put well-connected owners in charge of horse racing across the country. There was no serious debate or discussion about the costs, let alone the legality of creating a private group to control horse racing.”

Chester Thomas, whose Allied Racing is one of the nation's top stables and who finished third in the 2020 Kentucky Derby with Mr. Big News:  “HISA only got passed by sneaky, underhanded manipulation of the political system. The elites pushing this ill-advised bill knew that it could not get passed on its merits. By using typical 'pork barrel' 101 politics, they snuck it into the COVID relief bill — assuring its passage by not allowing senators who strongly disagreed with its blatant flaws the opportunity to debate the bill and basically daring them to vote against the stimulus package needed to help millions of Americans in this pandemic. Most Americans have no idea that this even occurred, and I can assure you that virtually no one knows what is in the bill or how it will impact them. This is a disservice to our American democratic process.”

Ron Moquett, trainer and co-owner of 2020 sprint champion and Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Whitmore and Arkansas HBPA board member: “We're going in blind with this legislation with a new bureaucracy created at an undetermined cost and undetermined who will have to foot the bill. There are just too many questions. My job is to take care of horses and the people who help me take care of horses. I don't see how this does any of that. I definitely agree there are some things we should do to better the industry. But this legislation takes you down a bunch of back, curvy roads where you don't know where you're going. Change for the sake of change does not solve problems and is likely to create new ones.”

Staton Flurry, co-owner of 2020 Kentucky Oaks (and Saturday's Grade 2 Azeri Stakes) winner Shedaresthedevil and Arkansas HBPA board member: “We don't need a federal agency — especially one created by a power grab — taking control of our industry and circumventing the regulatory authority long set in place through state racing commissions. We most certainly do not need a governing authority built on perception and more concerned with window dressing than the actual health and welfare of our horses. The fact is that great strides for the betterment of racing and the welfare of our horses have been made. It's vital that horsemen and veterinarians have due process and continue to be involved in the regulatory system's checks and balances. Does racing have issues? Yes. Is a federal overreach the way to fix them? No. My fear is that irreparable damage will be done to learn that the hard way.”

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‘She Is A Champion’: Melody Belle’s 14th Group 1 Win Breaks New Zealand Record

Champion mare Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) created a piece of New Zealand racing history at Ellerslie on Saturday when she strode to victory in the Gr.1 Bonecrusher NZ Stakes (2000m, or 1 1/4 miles), her fourteenth win at the elite level, to surpass the mighty Sunline (NZ) (Desert Sun) for the most Group One wins in the modern era for a New Zealand-trained galloper.

The 6-year-old daughter of Commands had attracted her share of doubters as to whether she could produce another Group One victory after being beaten at Te Rapa over the same distance in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes last month.

Never a truer word has been spoken than the age-old adage that form is temporary and class is permanent as the dual New Zealand Horse of The Year gave her seven rivals, including runner-up and stablemate Avantage (Fastnet Rock), a galloping lesson as she stormed home for rider Troy Harris to win going away by a length and spark some emotional scenes in the Ellerslie birdcage.

Trainer Jamie Richards was clearly affected by what he had just witnessed as he paid heartfelt tribute to his champion galloper.

“She is such a wonderful mare,” he said. “All of the talk that she wasn't going well enough and all that crap, well she is a champion and champions bounce back.

“It wasn't her fault at Te Rapa and I'm just proud of her and the whole team.

“It was a fantastic win and I'm also just thrilled for Troy, it's just a feelgood story.

“I'm also really proud of Avantage and take nothing away from her today as she went down fighting.”

Richards will now shift his focus with Melody Belle to a final trans-Tasman raid before she is likely to be retired at the end of this campaign.

“She is sound, happy and easy to train and loves going about her business,” he said. “I'm really proud of her and she loves to prove people wrong.”

Bred by Thoroughbred racing and breeding identity Marie Leicester, Melody Belle was a $57,500 purchase by David Ellis CNZM at the 2016 Premier Yearling sale at Karaka from the Haunui Farm draft for owners, the Fortuna Melody Belle syndicate.

Her career record now stands at nineteen wins and seven placings from 38 starts with all bar one of her career wins coming at stakes level including 13 New Zealand Group One victories along with the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m, or six furlongs) at Flemington and over $4.24m in total prizemoney.

Melody Belle will continue her farewell tour in Sydney later this month, flying to Sydney next week in preparation for the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m, or 1 1/2 miles) at Rosehill.

“She is booked to fly on March 25 and she will be able to work that morning and go straight into the Tancred,” Fortuna Syndication's John Galvin said.

“The only reservation would be track conditions. If it was a really heavy track we might not want to race her at 2400m because it is the first time she would have raced at that distance.

“2000m is clearly her pet trip and she is pretty dominant at it from what we have seen.

“She is also nominated for the Queen Elizabeth (Gr.1, 2000m) and the Coolmore Legacy (Gr.1, 1600m), which are both on April 10 at Randwick.”

While looking forward to the Australian leg of her farewell tour, Galvin was left pondering on Monday the significance of his mare's accomplishments, after she brought the curtain down on her New Zealand racing career in the best possible fashion on Saturday.

“There were all sort of emotions on Saturday,” Galvin said. “The fact that it was her 14th Group One win and it was a magnificent occasion on Auckland Cup day at Ellerslie.

“Her previous start had led to a failure when she ran at Te Rapa in the Herbie Dyke (Gr.1, 2000m), through no fault of her own, so there was an extra edge and pressure there.

“My main emotion was relief that once again we saw how good she was.

“It was fantastic to be there with the crowd, the weather, and the big group of owners, many of them were there and there was a lot of emotion.”

Galvin was also pleased to see jockey Troy Harris finalize his undefeated record on Melody Belle and continue his enviable strike-rate with Fortuna Syndicated horses.

“He is a lovely rider and rode her perfectly,” Galvin said. “He has had four rides for four wins on her, and that's five Group One rides and five wins for Troy on Fortuna horses. He has ridden for us 14 times in total, for 11 wins. It is a pretty good strike-rate.”

Melody Belle has become the flagbearer for the syndicator, and Galvin said she will be sorely missed when she retires at the end of this campaign.

“She is a flagship race mare for us,” he said. “We did have Tell A Tale who was a Group One winner and top three-year-old. This girl has taken it to another level, so it has been really important for us.

“My wife, Jessica, has got a share in Melody Belle, so that has been particularly important for us as a family, with our young children. She is a favorite amongst the household.”

With Melody Belle raced by a syndicate of 34 people, the glamour mare will be sold at the conclusion of her racing career in the coming months before she heads to the broodmare paddock.

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Chantal Sutherland To Begin Taking Mounts At Gulfstream In April

Chantal Sutherland has announced she will return to riding regularly April 1 at Gulfstream Park.

A multiple graded stakes-winning jockey who has ridden more than 1,000 winners, Sutherland will set up business at Gulfstream after spending the winter here galloping horses for trainer Ken McPeek. Sutherland last rode at Turfway Park Dec. 9 after riding at Churchill Downs in November.

Sutherland will be represented by agent John Salamone, who will also book Sutherland mounts for Florida Cup Day March 28 at Tampa Bay Downs.

“I felt like when I got here [this winter] it was like home,” she said. “When I got here, I loved it, and I've had good feedback and vibes from everyone.”

A Sovereign Award winner in her native Canada and a Grade 1 winner on Game On Dude, Sutherland said she's been training for her return and wants to ride as much as possible.

“The combination of boxing, yoga, and meditation has created a great balance of grit and calm that I will leverage to win,” she said in a statement. “The choice to return has been manifesting and growing in my heart over the last year. I want to ride as much as I can before releasing the hold to a sport that is part of me. Someday I will face the expiration date that all jockeys and professional athletes must face, but not yet.”

Sutherland rode at Gulfstream in 2005. In 2016 she returned to Gulfstream to ride Kiss to Remember in the Added Elegance Stakes.

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