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TRF Anniversary Golf Scramble Set for April 18

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) will host a charity golf event at the Nevel Meade Golf Course in Prospect, KY, on Apr. 18 in celebration the organization's 40th anniversary. The event will begin with 12:30 p.m. registration and lunch, followed by a shotgun start at 2:00 p.m.

Included in the registration fee are greens fees, cart, lunch, range balls, a sleeve of TRF logo golf balls, an embroidered green golf shirt with TRF logo, a TRF baseball hat and more. Prizes will be given for the 1st-, 2nd- and last-place foursomes along with the longest drive and closest to the pin. Raffle tickets will be sold for the Justin Thomas line drive, mulligans, and a variety of fun and popular pet, golf and dining-themed raffle baskets. A silent auction of unique horse-racing themed items including a jockey-signed Woodford Reserve bourbon barrel and a morning on the backstretch with Dale Romans will help raise funds to support the TRF herd of 425 retired Thoroughbreds.

Racing celebrity golfers include jockeys Brian Hernandez Jr, David Cohen, Joel Rosario and Joe Rocco Jr. among others.

Limited golfer registrations remain available, so to register visit the TRF website.

The post TRF Anniversary Golf Scramble Set for April 18 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Tejano Twist Takes Inaugural Running Of Lively Shively At Churchill Downs

Tom Durant's homebred Tejano Twist tracked a quick early pace and surged down the stretch to win Saturday's inaugural running of the $200,000 Lively Shively for 2-year-olds at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., by a half-length over Barber Road.

Trained by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Joe Rocco Jr., Tejano Twist covered the 6 ½ furlongs on a fast track in 1:16.82.

A 2-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Practical Joke out of the Cuvee mare Haley's Lollypop, Tejano Twist improved his record to 3-3-0 in eight starts and added $122,070 to his bankroll and increased his earnings to $260,670. Previously, he won a first-level allowance/optional claiming event at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 22 by 7 ¼ lengths.

Tejano Twist returned $4.40, $3.00, and $2.60 as the 6-5 favorite in the field of six juvenile sprinters. Barber Road, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, returned $6.20 and $3.80 with Cool Papa G finishing third under Joel Rosario and paying $3 to show.

Chattalot, who led the way through early fractions of :22.96 and :46.01, faded to fourth and was followed by Hoist the Gold and Ignitis. Charter Oak and Ready to March were scratched.

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Colonial Season Ends on a High

Colonial Downs concluded its 21-day season this week, highlighted by a new all-time daily average handle and over $10-million in purse distribution. In all, total handle was $46,867,078, a record average daily handle of $2,231,765. The 2019 meet–which was 15 days over five weeks–produced an average handle of $1,166,666, for a more that 91% increase.

“It is so gratifying to see the continued revival of Virginia racing as we mark new all-time handle heights,” said John Marshall, Colonial Downs Group Executive Vice President, Operations. “We have held true to our promise of building Colonial Downs into one of the country's elite boutique meets. We thank our horsemen, fans and team for doing their part in making it so.”

The Colonial racing program generated a total of 1,713 starters for the 205 races conducted this year, for an average of 8.36 runners per race. A total of 148 races were contested over Colonial's Secretariat Turf Course. A total of 1,325 horses competed over turf, an average of 8.85 starters per race; and 388 horses participated in 57 dirt races for an average of 6.81 per race.

The Aug. 31 GIII Virginia Derby established a new all-sources handle single-day record of $4,890,704, 10% higher than the previous best of $4.4 million which was set on Virginia Derby Day in 2008.

In the battle for meeting titles, leading jockey Horacio Karamanos and Joe Rocco Jr. finished on par with 20 wins apiece, while Hamilton Smith led all trainers with 10 wins. Mike Trombetta, with eight wins, was the leading money earning trainer with $491,650.

Larry Johnson, owner of Legacy Farm in Bluemont, Virginia, was the leading owner with six wins, besting PTK, LLC who had five.

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Princess Theorem Kicks Clear Late In Monday’s Van Clief Stakes

Dewberry Thoroughbred, LLC's Princess Theorem met Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable's No Mo Lady at the top of the stretch, battled momentarily then pulled away in the final eighth of a mile to win the $100,000 Van Clief Stakes for Virginia-restricted horses Monday at Colonial Downs.

In two previous turf starts, the 3-year-old Nyquist filly had respective third and fifth-place finishes at Churchill and Fair Grounds but on Monday, the Brendan Walsh trainee completed a comeback at 1 1/16th miles on grass. Racing sixth at the quarter and at the half in a nine-horse field, jockey Joe Rocco Jr. assumed he would be closer to the lead at that point, so he had to switch strategies on the fly.

“They went pretty fast early,” he said. “I rode my horse away from the gate and thought I'd be stalking Pletcher's horse (Apurate). I thought he'd be in front and I'd get a comfortable spot there, but they just went too fast. So I took a little hold and tried to tuck her in. They were pretty bunched up going into the turn and two of the horses to beat were to my inside and right in front of me so I saw that as an opportunity to make an early move, pass a couple dead horses and then be able to go in and tighten it up on the horses to beat. I think that's what was able to get us to first.”

Tasting the Stars, who was 5-for-7 entering the stakes, was the horse next to Rocco's and No Mo Lady, with a $233,000 bankroll, was next to him. “Those were two of the three to beat,” he added. “I saw the opportunity to get better position on them before the turn so we didn't have to go too wide. Brendan gave me a lot of filly to ride. She's very nice.”

With a 1 3/4 length win, Princess Theorem earned her second victory in six starts overall and pushed her bankroll to $125,382. Ther Brendan Walsh trainee is out of the Street Cry mare, Princess Haya. No Mo Lady finished second and Susan Cooney's Fionnbharr took third.

Colonial Downs continues its season on Tuesday with a nine-race card beginning at 1:45 PM. The meet continues until September 1 with racing every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1:45 PM. New Kent County Virginia Derby Day is Tuesday August 31.

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