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Letters to the Editor: Rinaldo Del Gallo On Tapit

Sometimes a historical moment has to be pointed out. Australian (GB), Fair Play and Fair Play's son Man O' War each sired three GI Belmont S. winners. Lexington sired four Belmont winners who all won at Jerome Park. Now Tapit joins the illustrious ranks of Lexington.

Like Lexington, Tapit has now sired four winners of the Belmont: Essential Quality, Tapwrit, Creator and Tonalist. Tapit also sired Belmont runners-up Tacitus and Frosted, as well as Belmont third finishers Hofburg and Lani. An asterisk might be added for last year's fluke 2020 Belmont, which was 1 1/8 miles, where Tapit was the grandsire in the race won by Tiz the Law, sired by Tapit's son Constitution.

Broomstick sired three GI Preakness S. winners (and two GI Kentucky Derby winners). Bull Lea had three Kentucky Derby winners, as did Falsetto, Sir Gallahad (Fr) and Virgil. No horse has sired four winners of either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness.

So when we speak of a horse that has sired four horses of an American Classic such as Tapit, this is rarified blood only accomplished by the legendary Lexington.

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Kumin And Partners Remain In Baffert’s Corner Despite Medina Spirit Controversy

Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables, along with partners SF Bloodstock and Starlight Racing, remain committed to trainer Bob Baffert despite his recent controversies. The partnership, nicknamed “The Avengers,” continues to send horses to the embattled conditioner even with questions surrounding Baffert's ability to participate in the Triple Crown classics that he has dominated for much of the last quarter-century. In a recent conversation with the Blood-Horse's Bob Ehalt and Byron King, Kumin reiterated the group's continued confidence in the California-based Baffert.

“We bought over 30 2-year-olds that we plan to send to Bob,” Kumin said. “We have sent about 25 already. We plan to continue to support him.”

“The Avengers” hit it big with Baffert in 2020, with Grade 1 winners Authentic, Charlatan, and Eight Rings all part of their initial consignment of horses that the group had sent to California. Kumin and Starlight also partnered with China Horse Club and WinStar Farm in ownership of Justify, the 13^th Triple Crown winner, also trained by the Hall of Famer. However, recent issues like Medina Spirit's positive tests for betamethasone and other positive tests for regulated substances in Charlatan and Gamine in 2020 have caused clients like Spendthrift and My Racehorse to move horses out of Baffert's barn for now.

While they await the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's ultimate decision on Medina Spirit, tracks like Monmouth Park, Del Mar, and Santa Anita Park continue to permit Baffert to enter horses. For now, the New York Racing Association has temporary suspended the Hall of Fame trainer from running horses at their tracks while Churchill Downs, Inc. has taken a more strident position, barring Baffert from entering his horses at any of their properties for two years.

Economic Indicators: Derby Return To May Helps Boost Total Wagering Dollars

Equibase, LLC released its fourth monthly report of 2021 on Economic Indicators in Thoroughbred Racing on Friday, June 4. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Equibase has been providing monthly economic indicators advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year.

With the pandemic-instigated racing shut down across much of North America in May of 2020, as well as the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby, it's no surprise to see the massive 55.84 percent increase in wagering from May of 2020 to May of 2021. The increase in racing is evidenced by the 206 percent increase in races held across the same period.

Average daily wagering, however, was down 51.84 percent from May of 2020 to May of 2021, perhaps indicative of the other options for wagering dollars available as pandemic restrictions continue to decrease across the country.

The more representative year-to-date numbers, from the first five months of 2019 to the first five months of 2021, show total wagering up 12.88 percent while average daily wagering is up 25.55 percent.

May 2021 vs. May 2020
Indicator	May 2021	May 2020	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$1,415,509,171	$908,333,874	+55.84%
U.S. Purses	$106,723,865	$31,971,002	+233.81%
U.S. Race Days	398	123	+223.58%
U.S. Races	3,249	1,059	+206.80%
U.S. Starts	23,161	9,145	+153.26%
Average Field Size	7.13	8.64	-17.45%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,556,556	$7,384,828	-51.84%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$268,150	$259,927	+3.16%

YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2020
Indicator	YTD 2021	YTD 2020	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$5,284,716,622	$4,056,194,923	+30.29%
U.S. Purses	$411,282,722	$254,699,053	+61.48%
U.S. Race Days	1,443	1,001	+44.16%
U.S. Races	12,376	8,421	+46.97%
U.S. Starts	93,411	67,928	+37.51%
Average Field Size	7.55	8.07	-6.43%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,662,312	$4,052,143	-9.62%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$285,019	$254,445	+12.02%

2019 Comparisons:

May 2021 vs. May 2019
Indicator	May 2021	May 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$1,415,509,171	$1,300,923,869	+8.81%
U.S. Purses	$106,723,865	$115,776,828	-7.82%
U.S. Race Days	398	450	-11.56%
U.S. Races	3,249	3,650	-10.99%
U.S. Starts	23,161	25,955	-10.76%
Average Field Size	7.13	7.11	+0.25%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,556,556	$2,890,942	+23.02%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$268,150	$257,282	+4.22%

YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2019
Indicator	YTD 2021	YTD 2019	% Change
Wagering on U.S. Races*	$5,284,716,622	$4,681,850,887	+12.88%
U.S. Purses	$411,282,722	$428,807,298	-4.09%
U.S. Race Days	1,443	1,605	-10.09%
U.S. Races	12,376	13,552	-8.68%
U.S. Starts	93,411	102,513	-8.88%
Average Field Size	7.55	7.56	-0.22%
Average Wagering Per Race Day	$3,662,312	$2,917,041	+25.55%
Average Purses Per Race Day	$285,019	$267,170	+6.68%

* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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Thursday’s Trackside Belmont Stakes Report

ELMONT, NY – The handsome gray Knicks Go (Paynter) was among several high-profile runners spotted stretching their legs on an overcast and humid Thursday morning at beautiful Belmont Park ahead of this weekend's GI Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Mile H.-bound GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup winner wrapped up his exercise just before 6 a.m.

With an on-and-off light drizzle falling throughout the morning as temperatures hovered in the low 60s, GI Preakness S. upsetter and Belmont S. second-choice Rombauer (Twirling Candy) appeared very well in the flesh during his gallop about an hour and 20 minutes later. Sporting a white bridle, he was on his toes nicely while making his way back through the scenic barn area.

Speaking of white bridles, trainer Michael McCarthy's former boss Todd Pletcher will have three chances of his own for a fourth Belmont victory with Known Agenda (Curlin), Bourbonic (Bernardini) and Overtook (Curlin), respectively.

Trainer John Sadler was in attendance as the striking Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}) took a spin around Big Sandy at 7:25 a.m. and also visited the starting gate. If his bullet five-furlong breeze at Santa Anita last Friday was any indication, the previously unbeaten GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby hero figures to be on the engine following a disastrous go five weeks ago in Louisville. Hronis Racing and Sadler will also be well-represented by GISW Flagstaff (Speightstown) in Friday's GII True North S.

Photographers and media members lined up by the clubhouse turn as the blinkered Essential Quality (Tapit) entered the track by the gap. A wide-trip fourth in the Derby, his first defeat in six career attempts, last year's champion 2-year-old stood like a gentleman along the outer rail before heading to the gate for a schooling session. Just as he did at Churchill Downs during Derby week, the 2020 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero once again subsequently ditched the Godolphin-branded shades for his gallop.

In addition to the aforementioned pair of morning-line favorites for the Met Mile and Belmont S., trainer Brad Cox's powerhouse weekend line-up also includes: 'TDN Rising Star' Caddo River (Hard Spun) (GI Woody Stephens S.); Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) (GI Ogden Phipps S.); and 'TDN Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted) (GI Acorn S.).

With the rain picking up during the break and the main track now sealed, trainer Doug O'Neill opted to instead send GII Louisiana Derby winner and Kentucky Derby third Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) to gallop over the training track-which remained harrowed–as training hours began to wind down.

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