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Grade 2 Winner Sharp Samurai Retired To Old Friends

Multiple Grade 2 winner Sharp Samurai has been retired from racing, and he will take up residence at Old Friends Equine Retirement in Georgetown, Ky., BloodHorse reports.

The 7-year-old First Samurai gelding finished his on-track career with earnings of $1,111,270, winning eight of 23 starts. A west-coast mainstay, his most notable triumphs came in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, Twilight Derby, and City of Hope Mile Stakes, as well as the G3 La Jolla Handicap.

Sharp Samurai finished in the money in nine additional graded stakes races, including all five of his starts in 2020. Among them was a runner-up effort in last year's G1 Pacific Classic and a third in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland, his first race away from California.

Sharp Samurai was trained and co-owned by Mark Glatt for the partnership of Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal. The gelding was bred in Kentucky by Cudney Stables.

Ontario Racing: Purse Funds From Cancelled Races Will Continue To Support Horsemen

Ontario Racing is pleased to notify industry participants that Thoroughbred horsepeople will have the opportunity to access certain purse funds that remain available under the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) as a result of the suspension of live racing in the Toronto Region due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

These funds were already committed to the industry through the Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing between Ontario Racing and OLG. To enable this access, Ontario Racing, OLG and the other parties to the Funding Agreement have entered into an amendment to the Funding Agreement, a copy of which will be posted on the Ontario Racing website.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Racing created a task force, as it did during the spring lockdown, to address the financial impacts to Thoroughbred horse racing in Ontario.

Eligibility Requirements

Due to the Toronto lockdown coming at the end of the Thoroughbred racing season in Ontario, Ontario Racing Management Inc. (ORM) will work closely with WEG and HBPA to obtain the list of active horses who either raced since Nov. 1 and/or were stabled at Woodbine Racetrack. The distribution of these funds will not require an application.

Subject to being deemed eligible based on the above criteria, racehorse owners will receive a one-time payment of $1,500 for each eligible Thoroughbred horse, which is estimated to cover half of the monthly costs associated with boarding, feed and training fees (veterinary, blacksmith, shipping, and other fees are not included in this estimate).

Ontario Racing will continue to pay the 1.5 percent of purses to the horseperson's associations so they can continue to offer benefits, benevolence activities and additional assistance to those in need.

In addition, Ontario Racing has arranged for increased flexibility when dealing with potential future lockdowns in the province by sharing the details of a streamlined support payment process with OLG.

Upon OLG's approval, Ontario Racing will be in a position to apply a consistent approach to reallocating undistributed purse funds in the event of a lockdown, similar to other support programs offered to the industry in the past year. This increased flexibility and consistent approach will allow Ontario Racing to provide industry support in a timely manner should other racetracks in Ontario be impacted by future pandemic control measures.

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Eclipse Finalist Alexander Crispin Continues Strong Maryland Tradition Of Apprentice Riders

Jockey Alexander Crispin is one of three finalists for the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice of 2020. The winners in 17 equine and human categories will be announced during a virtual ceremony starting at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Maryland-based riders have captured 11 of the 46 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice, the most recent being Weston Hamilton in 2018. Other winners are Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002) and Victor Carrasco (2013). Hamilton and Carrasco continue to be based in Maryland.

Maryland Jockey Club host and analyst Naomi Tukker had a chance to talk to Crispin about his 2020 season and what it would be like to win the Eclipse Award.

Crispin graduated from Puerto Rico's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica in December 2019 and made his pro debut last Jan. 1 at Hipodromo Camarero. After coming to the U.S. late last winter, Cripsin was fifth in his mainland debut aboard Time Marches On March 7, 2020 at Turfway Park.

He continued to ride in the Midwest, picking up his first win March 12, 2020 on Thorpe d'Oro at Turfway, until moving his tack to Delaware Park for the summer. Crispin finished the Delaware meet as its leading apprentice, ranking second overall with 58 wins and fourth with more than $1.3 million in purse earnings.

Crispin arrived in Maryland in late October, two weeks into Laurel Park's fall meet, and wound up leading all apprentice riders and ranking third overall with 29 wins while banking $725,920 in purses earned.

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‘A Special Filly In Every Sense Of The Word’: Breeders’ Cup Winner Sharing Retired Due To Injury

Sharing, the winner of the 2019 edition of the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita, has been retired from racing after suffering an injury in a paddock mishap during a spell in the wake of her 3-year-old season.

Bred by Sagamore Farm, the daughter of Speightstown, out of the 2010 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf heroine Shared Account, was purchased as a yearling by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $350,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Select Sale in Saratoga and campaigned by Eclipse and Gainesway Farm. She was trained by Graham Motion throughout her career.

At age two, Sharing was dubbed a TDN “Rising Star” when breaking her maiden going seven furlongs on the dirt at Saratoga and used a win in the Selima Stakes to propel her to Breeders' Cup glory. She was an Eclipse Award finalist and named Maryland-Bred Horse of the Year.

At age three, Sharing opened her sophomore account by capturing the Tepin Stakes at Churchill Downs. She then enterprisingly ventured to Royal Ascot where she was a gallant second on taxing ground in the G1 Coronation. Upon return from her transatlantic quest, Sharing was victorious in the G2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs, a narrow fourth versus older fillies and mares in the G1 Matriarch at Del Mar and in her final start, she was third in the G1 American Oaks at Santa Anita, the site of her Breeders' Cup triumph a year prior.

In nine career races, Sharing won five times, placed second once and was third twice, amassing just shy of $1.1 million.

Eclipse president, Aron Wellman, remarked, “Sharing was a special filly in every sense of the word. She was bred to be special being by a Breeders' Cup winner and out of a Breeders' Cup winner. Even her dam's sire was a Breeders' Cup winner. She was special when we bought her as a yearling and she trained like she was special from the moment she had a saddle put on her at Stonestreet Farm. When Graham (Motion) got her, she exhibited special ability and she proved it with a championship win as a 2 year-old.

Wellman added, “Sharing battled through foot issues all throughout her 3-year-old season, but still managed to win major races, travel the country and represent our partnership at Royal Ascot with a brilliant second in a Group 1. We had designs on a blockbuster campaign this coming season. We're devastated we won't be able to enjoy her racing any more, but she is destined to produce special foals for many years to come. In less than 10 years, Eclipse has won 16 Grade 1s, but Sharing is unequivocally our best to date. She is as classy as they come.”

Motion provided, “Sharing is a special filly who will go down as one of the best I trained. Breeders' Cup wins don't come too easily.”

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