“After an amazing three years as a Jockey, I am officially transitioning my career and have accepted a full time position with XBTV/Santa Anita Park as a Racing Analyst and couldn't be more excited to continue working in this role,” she said in a post.

“I am so thankful for the times I have had in the apprentice jockey. I will still be riding in the mornings because if you know me, I could never spend more than a day off the back of a horse.”

From 819 mounts, Pyfer posted a record of 88-89-106 and career earnings of $4,210,897.

After an amazing three years as a Jockey, I am officially transitioning my career and have accepted a full time position with XBTV/Santa Anita Park as a Racing Analyst and couldn't be more excited to continue working in this role. I am so thankful for the times I have had in the pic.twitter.com/MtjXXXkFRF

— Jessica Pyfer (@jockeyjess) September 28, 2023

The post Jockey Jessica Pyfer Retires; Joins XBTV/Santa Anita appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

CALIFORNIA

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 06/10/2022
Licensee: Jessica Pyfer, jockey
Penalty: Three-day suspension
Violation: Careless riding
Explainer: Jockey Jessica Pyfer, who rode Picture of a Lady in the first race at Santa Anita Park on June 5, 2022, is suspended for three racing days (June 17, 18 & 19, 2022) for altering course in the stretch without sufficient clearance and causing interference. This constitutes a violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1699 (Riding Rules – Careless Riding).

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 06/12/2022
Licensee: Abel Cedillo, jockey
Penalty: $750 fine
Violation:
Explainer: Jockey Abel Cedillo is fined $750.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1688(b)(8)(d) (Use of Riding Crop–more than six times–second offense in last 60 days) during the third race at Santa Anita Park on June 11, 2022.

FLORIDA
The following was recently posted on the Association of Racing Commissioners International recent rulings website.

Track: Gulfstream Park
Date: 11/23/2021
Licensee: Marcial Navarro
Penalty: $150 fine
Violation: Trainer responsibility
Explainer: Final Order – Case 2021-040103 – F.S. Chapter 550.105, F.A.C. Rule 61D-2.023(7)(c) – violation = Respondent FINED for failing to ensure that the Petitioner was notified of the death of “NOW A JAGUAR” within 18 hours as required by Florida Administrative Code. 5/24/2022 – Final Order Fine of $150 paid in full.

NEW YORK

Track: Belmont Park
Date: 06/12/2022
Licensee: Steven Lascher, racing official
Penalty: $4,000 fine
Violation: Failure to follow Lasix procedure
Explainer: Mr. Steven Lascher is hereby fined $4,000 dollars for failing to follow proper Lasix procedure necessitating the late scratches of horses racing in the 7th race on June 9th, 2022.

The post Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings: June 7 – June 13 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The event will be held the day before the $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racetrack on Feb. 25, and sponsored for a third year by platinum partner, stc, the digital enabler in the telecommunication industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which continues in its aim of supporting the field of sports in KSA.

Pyfer (23), who only began riding in September 2020, notched an impressive 59 winners from 557 rides in her second full season as a jockey in 2021, amassing prize money of $2.8 million.

Her achievements in such a short time have seen her nominated for an Eclipse Award, which recognizes the achievements of a wide range of horses and participants from across the American Thoroughbred industry.

After being confirmed for the IJC, Pyfer said: “I am super excited! It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I've only been race-riding for about a year-and-a-half and have never competed outside of the US, so for an opportunity like this to come along is pretty cool.

“I've spoken to Mike Smith, who I know has ridden in Saudi a lot, and he just told me that I'll have the time of my life, so I couldn't be more excited.

“My season has been amazing so far and I couldn't have ever imagined that I'd be where I am now, with both an invite to the International Jockeys Challenge at The Saudi Cup and a nomination for an Eclipse Award.

“It will be amazing to line up against so many great jockeys, and a pleasure to ride alongside some of the world's best female jockeys who I've always looked up to.”

Joining the up-and-coming US star is Argentine rider Andrea Marinhas, who began her career in the US and is now based between the States and her native Argentina.

Marinhas (40) currently has 94 career wins to her name, with 15 of those coming this season, 11 in Argentina and four in the US.

Marinhas said: “I'm so pleased to have been invited. The first thing that came to my mind was I could be riding with many of my favourite jockeys! It will be a beautiful experience!

“My season has been great. I lead the national and La Plata racecourse female jockeys' statistics with 18 winners and an 18% strike-rate, so it's great to get some international recognition. The opportunity to compete against some of the world's best in Saudi is massive for me.”

Pyfer and Marinhas are the second and third female jockeys confirmed to ride in the IJC, after the UK's Hayley Turner, and will be joined by a further four female riders.

Seven male jockeys – five international and two home-based riders – will make up the 14 strong IJC field, with last year's winner Shane Foley and Australia's Glen Boss already confirmed.

The stc International Jockeys Challenge features four $400,000 handicaps, with a further $100,000 for the challenge itself and riders receiving 15 percent of prize money won.

The post Eclipse Finalist Jessica Pyfer Joins Cast For Saudi Arabian Jockeys Challenge appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Joining Marquez as finalists are John Hiraldo, who spent more than half his apprenticeship in Maryland, and California-based Jessica Pyfer. Hiraldo led all apprentice riders with 81 wins while Pyfer was tops with more than $2.7 million in purses earned.

“It's unbelievable,” Marquez said. “I was kind of surprised to be honest with you. I only had my bug last year for five months, so me being able to put up the numbers to even be nominated is kind of crazy and awesome to me.”

Marquez ended 2021 with 102 wins and $3,500,448 in purse earnings at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course, second only to Jevian Toledo, and led Pimlico's Preakness Meet with 49 victories. He also won his first two Maryland Million races, including Buff Hello in the Nursery.

A native of Columbia, Md., near Laurel, Marquez ranked fourth with 50 wins and $1,454,210 in purses earned as an apprentice in 2021, his last day coming May 29. During that time he won his first stakes, the March 15 Private Terms at Laurel with 21-1 long shot Shackled Love.

The son and grandson of successful jockeys in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Marquez was not among the Eclipse Award finalists for champion apprentice of 2020, won by Maryland-based counterpart Alexander Crispin. He led all Maryland bug riders with 58 wins and ranked seventh in the state overall despite having his apprenticeship interrupted for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May when Maryland racing was paused amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Marquez has 211 wins and more than $6.5 million in purse earnings from 1,433 career mounts. He won his first race at the age of 16 on Jan. 9, 2020 with Sierra Leona at Laurel.

“Whether I win or lose, it's a pretty big deal that I was even nominated especially after only having my bug for a few months,” Marquez said. “You have to go into it happy. You never know what could happen.”

Maryland-based riders have captured 12 of the 50 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice. Winners before Crispin were 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), Victor Carrasco (2013) and Weston Hamilton (2018).

“It's huge. It's the dream of all apprentice riders. I can't even wrap my head around it,” Marquez said. “It's just huge. I can't really explain it.”

A 20-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Hiraldo ranked second among all apprentice riders with $2,178,769 in purse earnings from 638 mounts. With 89 seconds and 94 thirds, the son of ex-jockey Joel Hiraldo whose cousin, Angel Cruz, rides on the Maryland circuit finished in the money at 41 percent clip.

Hiraldo worked as an exercise rider for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut Dec. 10, 2020 at Laurel Park. He won his first career race with 33-1 long shot Flat Rate on Laurel's 2020 New Year's Eve program.

In 2021, Hiraldo ranked 14^th in Maryland with 35 wins from 365 mounts to go along with $1,171,150 in purse earnings. He has been riding at Oaklawn Park since the opening of its winter meet in early December.

Pyfer, 23, rode as an apprentice through Nov. 13 of last year, ranking second with 56 wins from 535 mounts. The stepdaughter of trainer Phil D'Amato graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in political science and minor in constitutional law and put off law school to become a jockey, winning her first race Oct. 9, 2020 at Santa Anita.

All Eclipse Award winners will be announced Thursday, Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park.

Notes: Live racing continues Monday with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program. Post time for the first of 10 races in 12:10 p.m. The feature comes in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs. Among the field of eight are Sweet Gracie, third in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Dec. 18; Click to Confirm, third in the Smart Halo Nov. 13; Moody Woman, third in the Gin Talking Dec. 26; and Mama G's Wish, second in the Blue Hen and third in the Small Wonder last summer at Delaware Park.

The post Eclipse Finalists Marquez, Hiraldo Continue Tradition Of Maryland Apprentice Riders appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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My Eclipse Awards ballot is shared publicly as a member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters' bloc of voters, so in the interest of transparency, I'll share how I filled it out, along with my reasoning for each category.

Let's address a big elephant in the room. I didn't vote for Bob Baffert in the trainer category. I also didn't vote for any horse that remained in Baffert's barn for the entire year, or anyone in the owner category that kept horses with him after the Derby positive, allowing for a reasonable amount of time to move horses out of his care.

Regardless of where one falls on spectrum of what he did, how much it did or didn't affect Medina Spirit's performance, and the degree to which he should be punished for it, it's clear that the lightning rod that Baffert has created for himself and the sport has been largely self-constructed. He called the press conference to announce the Derby positive himself, before any public regulatory announcement. He went on multiple national news programs on his own accord and created such bad narrative for the sport that it spun off at least two biting late-night show parodies. His drawn-out legal battles in front of boards and judges have furthered a culture in the sport that consequences can be evaded with enough lawyer power, and the cycle just seems to continue because of it.

The public's default emotion toward horse racing is distrust. One man is not solely responsible for this, but that one man's actions directly within the sport have been a driving force behind it. It's going to look really bad if Baffert hoists a trophy (or trophies) awarded by an industry vote, and I won't be the one to put it in his hands.

Furthermore, Baffert is allowed the funding and oxygen to continue this cycle in large part because his roster of owners keeps supplying him with horses, and they share in the blame for the public perception of the sport. I've written about this at length.

I've seen arguments that it's not fair to the horses to disqualify them because of their human connections, but those human connections are the ones that will receive the trophy, the acclaim, and the money that comes with having a champion. Eclipse Awards night will just be another Thursday for the horse, the same as the one next to them.

Now seems like a good time for my annual Eclipse ballot disclaimer…

If you think I'm off-base with any of my votes, just remember these two things: First, the voting is closed, so nothing I say here can swing any undecided voters. Second, back in 2011, one intrepid voter chose Drosselmeyer as champion turf male in a campaign where his lone start on grass was a seventh-place effort. No matter how much we might disagree on who should be placed where, please understand that someone out there will go further off the deep end than any of us could imagine and cancel me out.

Let's get on with it.

2-Year-Old Male
1. Jack Christopher
2. Gunite
3. Pappacap

Removing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and a big chunk of the West Coast contingent due to the above restrictions made this division a lot harder to parse out. Jack Christopher got the nod here, both for the dominance of his wins and the strength of schedule. The Grade 1 Champagne Stakes boasted arguably the strongest 2-year-old field for a major race outside the Breeders' Cup, and the son of Munnings was never tested. It's a shame he got hurt before he could prove it against the best, but he might have already been the best.

The two sons of Gun Runner behind him were split by a hair, but I gave Gunite the runner-up spot based on his Grade 1 win in the Hopeful Stakes. Pappacap got close to that Grade 1 a couple times, including a runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but I'd be hard-pressed to give an Eclipse to a horse that didn't have that win at the highest level.

2-Year-Old Female
1. Echo Zulu
2. Juju's Map
3. Pizza Bianca

One of the easier categories to sort out. Echo Zulu was the best in her class from the jump, and she was a driving force in sire Gun Runner's record-setting freshman season. Juju's Map solidified her status on the podium with her runner-up effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, and Pizza Bianca's strong campaign on the turf deserved a spot in the program.

3-Year-Old Male
1. Essential Quality
2. Hot Rod Charlie
3. Dr. Schivel

Essential Quality has been the cream of the crop since last year, and he continued to prove his class in 2021 with wins in the Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes, the G2 Blue Grass Stakes and Jim Dandy Stakes, and solid tries in the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic. Even in defeat, he never ran a true dud, and in victory, the Tapit colt lived up to every ounce of the hype he set up in his championship juvenile season. A deserving winner.

It was a broad division behind Essential Quality, but one that spent a lot of time beating each other up, making them hard to sort out. Hot Rod Charlie got the second spot for running a consistent campaign, getting his Grade 1 chip in the Pennsylvania Derby, and holding his own against older foes in the fall. Few contemporaries put together as complete a season as Hot Rod Charlie. You'll see why Dr. Schivel made the top three in a bit.

Where's Life Is Good? He had two graded wins against older rivals – the G2 Kelso and the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile – but even if we remove the Baffert starts from his record, I didn't feel like his wins stood up against the top three. The Kelso win came against a depleted field of three rivals and the Dirt Mile wasn't loaded with killers, either. I couldn't get there with him on strength of schedule.

3-Year-Old Female
1. Malathaat
2. Clairiere
3. Search Results

Malathaat had this one pretty much in the bag before the Breeders' Cup Distaff, but finishing within a half-length of the winner in a blanket finish sealed the deal for the three-time Grade 1 winner. All five of the Curlin filly's starts last year were in Grade 1 contests, and none were shorter than 1 1/16 miles. The definition of class.

Clairiere's campaign was perhaps a little less consistent than that of Search Results, but she got the head up for second based on having a slightly more impressive graded stakes record, and for bringing her shoes to every dance. If Search Results had managed to get the better of Malathaat in their tight Kentucky Oaks battle, this list might look very different.

Older Dirt Male
1. Knicks Go
2. Maxfield
3. Art Collector

A slam dunk on top. Knicks Go set himself up as a potential division leader when he won the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, and he overcame a mid-season swoon to secure that position with a fall campaign that saw the son of Paynter improve with every start on his way to an authoritative Breeders' Cup Classic triumph.

With one clear horse on top, figuring out the next ones in line proved challenging. Maxfield was something of a horse-for-course in 2021, going three-for-three at Churchill Downs including the G1 Clark Stakes, and one-for-four away from Louisville. However, he faced strong fields throughout the year and was never worse than a competitive third. Few in the division could hang their hat on a resume like that. Art Collector came to life once he was moved to the Bill Mott barn, and a win in a stacked G1 Woodward Stakes field helped him secure the third spot.

Older Dirt Female
1. Letruska
2. Shedaresthedevil
3. Ce Ce

Heading into the Breeders' Cup Distaff, the only way Letruska was in danger of being knocked off her perch was if Shedaresthedevil won with flair. Neither had their best day at Del Mar, so the order stayed the same.

As it stands, Letruska beat practically every serious horse in her division during a campaign that saw her win four Grade 1 races at four different tracks. Had the daughter of Super Saver won the Distaff with aplomb and a few other races were taken by outsiders, she could have ended up with the Horse of the Year trophy.

Shedaresthedevil won a pair of Grade 1s last year, and her lone defeat came against Letruska in the G1 Ogden Phipps Stakes, two starts after she beat Letruska in the G2 Azeri Stakes. She didn't entirely control her own Eclipse destiny heading into the Breeders' Cup, but she could have put herself in the hunt with a win. Like Dr. Schivel, you'll see why Ce Ce made the podium in a little while.

Male Sprinter
1. Dr. Schivel
2. Golden Pal
3. Jackie's Warrior

The kids are alright. All three of my finalists were 3-year-olds with a legitimate case at the top spot. Dr. Schivel ended up on top because of his ability to stand up to older foes throughout the season. Four of his five starts came against older opponents, including wins in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes and G2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes, and a second by a nose in the Breeders' Cup Sprint where he looked like he had it won until the last half-jump. The Violence colt would have been the top contender as an older horse, but the fact that he did it when he didn't necessarily have to leave his division makes it all the more impressive.

The only dud Dr. Schivel threw came in the G1 Malibu Stakes, where he ran into a freak in Flightline, and he was wrapped up after a nightmare trip made it clear he wasn't going to receive a serious check. Nothing wrong with protecting the horse.

Golden Pal was by far the best turf sprinter in the country last year (and perhaps a bit more. Stick around), and his freak performance in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint might have been the most impressive effort of the weekend. If he'd have had one more start somewhere along the way, I'd have had to seriously consider putting him on top. It surprised me a bit that Jackie's Warrior ended up third on my ballot, considering he'd have been a fringe Horse of the Year contender with a win in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, but he lacked the bona fides against older horses like Dr. Schivel after finishing sixth at the Breeders' Cup, and Golden Pal got himself up to second with his own Breeders' Cup effort.

Female Sprinter
1. Ce Ce
2. Bella Sofia
3. Bell's the One

This one will probably end up going to Gamine, but Ce Ce toppling her in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint certainly made this process easier for my purposes. The Elusive Quality mare ran a consistently solid campaign through the season, and she took her show on the road, winning graded stakes races at Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita, and Del Mar, with a solid effort in Saratoga sandwiched in between.

Bell's the One could have improved her position with a strong Breeders' Cup, but in her absence, Bella Sofia had a Grade 1 win where he rival didn't in the Test.

Turf Male
1. Golden Pal
2. Colonel Liam
3. Smooth Like Strait

International horses took turns eating the turf male division's collective lunch throughout the year, but I tend to resist runners from outside our borders on top unless we truly have no better option. Fortunately, Golden Pal came through for us. The Uncle Mo colt's freakish Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint might have been the most dominant performance of the weekend, and he was just as disruptive facing older competition in the G2 Woodford Stakes a start earlier. I'd have liked his campaign to be a little longer, but when he did run on U.S. soil, he had no peer.

Colonel Liam was the best of the rest. Though his campaign was cut short, he won the division's first major heat in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf, and dead-heated for another Grade 1 score in the Turf Classic. Smooth Like Strait lost a lot more races than he won last year, but he was never more than a half-length behind the winner and never worse than third. Add in a Grade 1 win in the Shoemaker Mile, and the hard-luck horse did enough to deserve recognition.

Turf Female
1. War Like Goddess
2, Santa Barbara
3. Althiqa

Another one where the global horses cherrypicked a lot of the big races. War Like Goddess stayed hot from March to November, and if the English Channel filly had gotten the better of a blanket finish in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, there would have been no question at all. That effort was enough to give her the duke, if by a slim margin.

The two horses behind her each came from overseas to win a pair of Grade 1 races as part of greater international campaigns. Santa Barbara and Althiqa had mirror-like domestic campaigns, but Santa Barbara got the nod for second for doing just a little more, both here and abroad.

Loves Only You seems to have been a popular choice in this division, but with just one U.S. start won by a slim margin, and several other viable candidates on the ballot, I didn't feel the need to flip the emergency “Goldikova” switch.

Steeplechase
1. Abstain
2. Abstain
3. Abstain

I can already feel the performative social media fury bubbling up. Listen, I watched more jai-alai matches this year than steeplechase races (the Langhans brothers are the future of jai-alai in America, especially Benny).

My reasoning remains the same as last year: I abstain out of respect. Nothing in my job requires me to take even a passive interest in the steeplechase races. I know none of the players, the races are often held at venues I'm not familiar with in terms of geography or esteem, and I'm not aware of the unwritten class system that can separate one Grade 1 race from another (like how winning the Kentucky Derby means more than winning the Malibu Stakes). It's an entirely different culture.

If a group of basketball writers were brought in to decide the Eclipse Awards, people would erupt, and rightfully so. It would be disrespectful to the hard work done by an entire industry to have someone outside the circle decide who among them was the best. That's why I leave the steeplechase division to the people who know what they're doing, and don't let my uninformed vote interfere with that. Someone will get a trophy whether I vote or not.

Owner
1. Godolphin
2. Klaravich Stables
3. Peter Brant

Godolphin earned more than twice as much as next-closest Klaravich Stables last year, and its 11 Grade 1 victories was nearly as many as the next three contenders combined. The blue team went bonkers during the Breeders' Cup, and Essential Quality brought home the Belmont Stakes and the Travers.

Klaravich Stables was often the next-closest rival in the big statistical categories, driven by its usual dominance of the East Coast turf races. If Klaravich didn't win those races, Peter Brant often did.

Breeder
1. Godolphin
2. Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
3. Angie Moore

Godolphin obliterated the breeder standings with many of the same horses that helped it obliterate the owner standings. They won with local-born heroes like Essential Quality and Mystic Guide, while their foreign-born horses ran roughshod over the Breeders' Cup. An international powerhouse operating at full strength.

Stonestreet had the kind of year that would have won the trophy in a lot of other seasons, led by top sophomore fillies Malathaat and Clairiere. Angie Moore, the breeder of Knicks Go, makes the list for doing the most with the least, posting only six starters this season as a breeder, and having one of them happen to be the best horse in training.

Jockey
1. Joel Rosario
2. Flavien Prat
3. Luis Saez

Joel Rosario has been overdue for one of these for a long time, and he probably should have won it back in 2013 when he seemed to be winning everything he entered during the first half of the year. As it stands, he rode the best older horse in the game (Knicks Go), the best 2-year-old filly in the game (Echo Zulu), and the best 3-year-old filly in the game (Malathaat). He led all North American jockeys by earnings and graded wins, he won a pair of Breeders' Cup races, and he had over 1,000 starts, meaning he got on more than just the elite stock. Give the man his flowers.

Flavien Prat's 11 Grade 1 wins were the most of any North American rider in 2021, and his herculean effort to win with a broken rein aboard Dr. Schivel in the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes was the kind of showcase effort that proves it was more than just compiling stats on the West Coast. Luis Saez was the first-call rider for Godolphin's top domestic-born runners, helped turn Art Collector into a top-tier horse in the handicap division, and with over 1,500 starts, he put in the kind of schedule most of his peers at the top of the jockey pecking order couldn't come close to matching.

Apprentice Jockey
1. Jessica Pyfer
2. Alexis Centeno
3. Joree Scriver

It's not easy for a young rider to stand out on the ultra-competitive Southern California circuit, but this year's class had two that made an impact.

Jessica Pyfer led all apprentice jockeys by earnings in 2021, and she was second by wins. She was always on the fringe of the top ten by wins at each of the circuit's major meets, highlighted by a sixth-place finish during Santa Anita's elite winter/spring meet, where she rode against some of the best in the country. She also made noise at the highest levels, earning a Grade 2 placing aboard Road Rager in the Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos.

Alexis Centeno lost his bug in mid-August, but he made his time count, finishing 12th in the standings during Santa Anita's winter/spring meet, and riding well in California and the Midwest. He also hooked an incredibly live mount in Brickyard Ride, who he guided to a win in the G2 San Carlos Stakes and a second in the G3 Kona Gold Stakes. Joree Scriver is a little off the beaten path, but she won meet titles at Grants Pass Downs and the Elko County Fair, finished in the top 10 during a long meet at Turf Paradise, and won four stakes races last year. It's hard for an apprentice rack up wins and earn a meet title anywhere, but to do it against the wily veterans of the bullring circuit requires a special kind of toughness.

Trainer
1. Brad Cox
2. Todd Pletcher
3. Chad Brown

Brad Cox's barn continued to get bigger and better in 2021, leading all trainers by earnings, tying for the lead by Grade 1 wins, and finishing fourth by total wins. He took home the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Belmont Stakes, the Travers, the Haskell and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, among many others. Heck, he might even end up with last year's Kentucky Derby trophy on his mantle sometime in the distant future.

Todd Pletcher nosed out Chad Brown for the most graded wins in 2021, he saddled Life Is Good to a win in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, and he'll have the likely 3-year-old champion filly in Malathaat. Chad Brown did what Chad Brown does best and dominated the East Coast's turf races.

Horse of the Year
1. Knicks Go
2. Essential Quality
3. Letruska

There was only one true choice here. Knicks Go won when it mattered, beat everyone he needed to beat, and even his quasi-slump in the middle of the year only saw him finish fourth at worst. Once he ran off in the Breeders' Cup Classic, it was all over.

Essential Quality was consistently elite throughout the year in the biggest races, and if Knicks Go had been erased from the face of the earth, I'd feel confident giving him the Horse of the Year trophy.

Oh, what could have been for Letruska. If she'd have won the Distaff and chaos reigned in the Classic, she could have very well ended up with the golden statue after a dominant campaign up to that point in arguably the deepest division we've got. Unfortunately, a white-hot pace fizzled her chances in the Distaff and any hope of the top spot here. Still, the conversation of racing in 2021 involves this mare, and she belongs at the table.

The post Making Claims: Submitting Eclipse Votes While Navigating The White-Haired Elephant In The Room appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The record will not show the joyful enthusiasm the 23-year-old college graduate and law school candidate exhibited after the win. It will not show the delight of those who were rewarded at $103.40 for a $2 win bet, or the satisfaction for owners Autum Breeze Stables and trainer T.R. Bell II — even though Bell said he was the only one from the contingent to not bet on the 3-year-old, California-bred son of Haynesfield.

But, off-the-record, those emotions were clearly evident.

Primer Dimer hadn't finished higher than fifth and was beaten 30 lengths in the most recent of two career starts, making the dismissal by the betting public understandable when the field went to the post for the $20,000 maiden claimer.

“Tom (Bell II) told me before the race the horse has trouble breathing and I needed to get him to relax so he would take his big breath,” Pyfer said. “He actually broke better than I expected and we were in a good position (sixth, six lengths back) down the backstretch. Down the backside, I felt him take this huge breath and relax and it was the best feeling.”

They had to go five wide on the turn for home, but were making progress.

“He started grinding, but I didn't think we were going to get there,” Pyfer said. “Then Flavien (Prat on Funkenstein) came up on my inside and my horse was like 'Oh, we're supposed to run.' Once he saw that other horse he kind of did it himself and then, at the end, I just tried to make him fight a little bit more.”

Primer Dimer bested 2-1 Funkenstein by a half-length at the finish to give Pyfer career win No. 74 from 648 mounts with purse earnings of more than $3.2 million during a year-long term of apprentice status that ended Saturday. In 11 months of riding with the five-pound allowance, Pyfer had 56 wins from 535 starts and purse earnings of more than $2.7 million, which puts her at No. 100 on the Equibase jockey list based on money won.

It's always a career crossroads and uncertain circumstances follow when a jockey loses the “bug” and no longer gets a weight break competing against more experienced fellow riders.

But Bell finds reasons for optimism in Pyfer's case.

“Before the race, I wished her luck after losing the bug, the five pounds,” Bell related. “I said she'd probably be just fine because people like her and people like the way she rides. She's got great hands. She doesn't fight a horse, she stays out of their way and keeps them calm and relaxed. She can get them to settle and then finish with a run. That's what she did today and it worked out very well.”

The post Pyfer Gets Last Victory As Apprentice Aboard Primer Dimer At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A large contingent of Santa Anita fans, jockeys, agents, owners, trainers, employees, and other racing industry personalities helped to make the event a success.

“We were very gratified with the turn-out and the support we were able to provide to Folds of Honor,” said Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager Nate Newby. “One hundred percent of the money won went to the Folds of Honor Foundation. This is a tremendous cause and I think everyone senses we have an obligation to help the families of those who have given so much in the defense of our freedom. We look forward to expanding this event and hosting it again next year.”

Among those Santa Anita-based jockeys that participated last night were Joe Bravo, Abel Cedillo, Kyle Frey, Ricky Gonzalez, Juan Hernandez, Edwin Maldonado, Tiago Pereira, and Jessica Pyfer. Trainers included Vladimir Cerin, Ryan Hanson, Doug O'Neill, and Jonathan Wong.

Frank Mirahmadi, the Voice of Santa Anita, and TVG's Dave Weaver, who credited “beginner's luck” in making a winning “all-in” bet with Queen-Nine, off-suit, headed an enthusiastic group of Santa Anita employees and Thoroughbred owners.

The Folds of Honor Foundation, which has awarded more than 35,000 educational scholarships, was represented by retired United States Marine Corps Sergeant and P.O.W. Rocky Stickmann, who was one of 65 Americans taken hostage by Iranian extremists at the U.S. embassy in Teheran on Nov. 4, 1979. Stickman and his fellow Americans were held captive for 444 days until their release on the first day of Ronald Reagan's presidency on Jan. 20, 1981.

Santa Anita's current Autumn Meet will draw to a close next Sunday, Oct. 31, with first post time on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-7223.

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Bravo is fifth in the rider standings with 18 wins from 86 mounts and over $1 million in purse earnings. Pyfer is ninth with 9 wins from 88 mounts and purse earnings of $390,672.

Their situations are different but their smiles were similar in the stable area this morning.

Bravo, who will turn 50 on September 10, left Monmouth Park, where he was an institution referred to as “Jersey Joe,” for a summer at Del Mar. He was asked if he's now “getting the hang” of the new place.

“Good horses make us all look good,” Bravo said. “I'm very happy to be out here riding good horses for really good trainers. I'm pleased with how they've accepted me and trying to do my best for them all.”

Equibase statistics show Bravo with 5,513 wins from 30,540 career mounts. He recently rented a place in Pasadena and intends to ride next winter and spring at Santa Anita. As for Del Mar in the summer of 2022?

“Does anybody know where they're going to be a year from now?” he said. “But it's a great place and I don't see why not.”

Pyfer, 23, recorded 36 wins and finished sixth in the jockey standings for the long Santa Anita meeting. Through Friday, Equibase statistics show her with 64 wins from 536 mounts. She will maintain apprentice status into November with her mounts receiving a five-pound break in weight assignments. She is a prime candidate for an Eclipse Award in the apprentice jockey category.

“Santa Anita was a good meet for me but everybody knows Del Mar is a little bit tougher,” Pyfer said. “I kind of set in my mind a goal of finishing in the top 10 and hopefully I can keep it going and achieve that. I started off really well, then kind of layered out but I'm hoping to finish strong.”

The time when apprentice status ends and journeyman begins is a crossroads for any rider.

“I'm just going to keep doing as well as I can and hopefully the (owners and trainers) who have supported me will continue to stand by me. I think I've shown that I do really well on fillies, they respond really well to me and I believe that will help when the time comes.”

On Eclipse Award possibilities:

“That's the dream, but I try not to think about it. I'm just trying to win as many as I can and hopefully, it happens.”

The post Pyfer, Bravo Combine To Win Five Of Eight On Friday Card At Del Mar appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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1st-DMR, $70K, Msw, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, post time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Bred in Australia by the renowned Arrowfield Stud, KAZUHIKO (AUS) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) was purchased for a joint third-highest price of A$1.7 million (US$1,211,760) at the 2019 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by a partnership including Spendthrift Farm, Kennewell Racing and Group 1 Bloodstock. Trained by Lloyd Kennewell, the Sept. 1 foal was the subject of major betting support ahead of his debut in the G3 National S. at Adelaide's Morphettville Racetrack in South Australa last May, but he could do no better than a green second as the 3-1 favorite (video). Runner-up in a Geelong (Victoria) maiden Sept. 6, he makes his first start since a sixth in soft ground at Ballarat (Victoria) two weeks later. Kazuhiko becomes the fifth of his late sire's progeny to start in the U.S. and is out of a Redoute's Choice (Aus) half-sister to Yell (Aus) (Anabaa), a three-time Group 1 winner and champion sprinter in Australia; and to SW Sung (Aus) (Anabaa), dam of 2019 champion 2-year-old colt Microphone (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}). Jessica Pyfer claims five pounds from the rail for Richard Mandella and Lasix goes on. TJCIS PPs

Well-Related American Pharoah Colt Gets Going…
5th-ELP, $51K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, post time: 3:42 p.m. ET
The cleverly named FAITHFUL RULER (American Pharoah) was bought back on a bid of $55K at last year's Keeneland September sale, but blossomed into a $230K Fasig-Tipton Midlantic juvenile after breezing a furlong in :10 2/5. The Apr. 3 foal is a son of Adeste Fideles (Giant's Causeway), whose G1 Irish 1000 Guineas-winning dam is also responsible for French G1SWs Van Gogh (American Pharoah) and Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill); GSW & MG1SP Viscount Nelson (Giant's Causeway); US GSW Point Piper (Giant's Causeway); and GSW Kitty Matcham (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Third dam Doff the Derby (Master Derby) produced champion MG1SW Generous (Ire) (Caerleon). TJCIS PPs

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At The Spa, a California-bred daughter of Outwork bred and owned by Terry Lovingier and trained by Jorge Periban, comes in off a victory in the $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Debutante on June 20 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., and will be tasked to go another eighth of a mile in the Sorrento while breaking from the outside post. The filly is also entered in Thursday's CTBA Stakes.

The field for the Sorrento from the rail with jockeys in parenthesis: She's So Shiny (Ricky Gonzalez); Smash Ticket (Umberto Rispoli); Eda (Abel Cedillo); Shesgotattitude (Trevor McCarthy); Loverheart (Drayden Van Dyke); It's Simple (Mario Gutierrez); Sax (Joe Bravo); First Promise (Jessica Pyfer); Elm Drive (Juan Hernandez); Roses For Suzzett (Emily Ellingwood) and At the Spa (Tyler Baze).

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