Kentucky Derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Churchill Expresses Concern After Deaths of Two Saffie Joseph Horses

After four equine fatalities suffered over five days at Churchill Downs, the track issued a statement Wednesday saying that they share the concern fans had expressed over the past week, and would continue to “press for answers.”

Kentucky Derby hopeful Wild On Ice (Tapizar) suffered a fatal hind-end injury on April 27 after a work at Churchill and was later euthanized. Take Charge Briana (Curlin) broke down in the fifth race over the Churchill turf course Tuesday. While there would appear to be no connection between those two, it is the deaths of Parents Pride (Maclean's Music) and Chasing Artie (We Miss Artie), both owned by Ken Ramsey and trained by Saffie Joseph, that have drawn attention.

Parents Pride was the 2-1 second choice in the eighth race on opening day, April 29, when, according to the Equibase chart, he “went wrong between horses at the five sixteenths pole, was pulled up in upper stretch, and got vanned off.” Chasie Artie collapsed and died after finishing last as the 9-2 third choice in Tuesday's eighth race.

“Transparency is an important component of our commitment to safety and accountability in horse racing,” reads the statement. “We share the concern of our fans who have questions about the recent equine fatalities at Churchill Downs Racetrack and we extend our sincere condolences to those who love and cared for these horses.

“Since Opening Night of Kentucky Derby Week, two horses trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. have died suddenly of cause yet to be identified: Parents Pride on Saturday and Chasing Artie on Tuesday. Two other horses sustained musculoskeletal injuries from which they could not recover: Wild on Ice last Thursday while training on dirt and Take Charge Briana during a turf race on Tuesday. Wild on Ice was transported to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for care, but both were ultimately euthanized for humane reasons.

“While a series of events like this is highly unusual, it is completely unacceptable. We take this very seriously and acknowledge that these troubling incidents are alarming and must be addressed. We feel a tremendous responsibility to our fans, the participants in our sport and the entire industry to be a leader in safety and continue to make significant investments to eliminate risk to our athletes. We have full confidence in our racing surfaces and have been assured by our riders and horsemen that they do as well.”

Joseph had entered Accomplished Girl (Street Boss) in Wednesday's Mamzelle Overnight Stakes at Churchilll, but she was scratched from the race.

The trainer, who is scheduled to saddle Lord Miles (Curlin) in Saturday's Derby, along with six other horses on the card. He told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde on Wednesday that he was considering scratching them as well while he waited for necropsy reports from the two who died.

“I don't know what we're going to do,” Joseph told SI. “I have to decide whether we're going to scratch them or not. I'm very uneasy right now.”

The Churchill statement continued, “Each horse was transported to the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostics Lab for complete necropsies. We continue to press for answers and are working with regulators to conduct swift and thorough investigations. The safety and well-being of horses is a critical issue for which everyone in the industry shares responsibility; however, we will continue to take every measure to ensure that we are providing the safest possible environment for horses on our property.”

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One Year Later, Rich Strike Looks to Get Back to the Top

After it had finally sunk in that he had won the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby with an 80-1 shot named Rich Strike (Keen Ice) that no one gave a chance, trainer Eric Reed started looking forward to when he would have his next taste of glory. Five races and 364 days later, he's still waiting. The year following the Derby has not been particularly kind to Rich Strike. He ran second in the GII Lukas Classic, but was out of the money in his four other starts. His 3-year-old campaign ended with a dull sixth-place finish in the GI Clark S. Nov. 25.

But a new year and a new race bring new opportunities and a clean slate. Rich Strike will make his 4-year-old debut Friday in the GII Alysheba S., a day shy of a year and at the same track where he stunned the racing world with his 3/4-length win in the Derby. There's a lot of karma there, but karma isn't going to get him into the winner's circle. Reed knows this, but remains optimistic that Rich Strike will be competitive throughout the year in top-class races.

“He's smarter and he's stronger and he's more mature,” Reed said. “He knows what's going on. He's turned out to be what we expected at four, stronger and smarter. He's ready. Last year, he was running on adrenaline and raw talent. This year, he's had the chance to mature out. He's a better horse this year. I think he'll run well in all his races and if he doesn't, we will be disappointed.”

It's not that he was terrible last year after the Derby. He just wasn't good enough.

“Since the Derby, he ran well in every race except for the Belmont and I still say that was my fault,” Reed said. “In the Clark, he was sick and we had no knowledge of that beforehand. He always showed up. He was a head away from beating Hot Rod Charlie in the Lukas Classic and had he won, that would have ended a lot of the talk.”

Reed said the main problem Rich Strike will face this year is the same problem he faced last year. He has no early speed and can find himself in a hopeless position if the pace up front isn't fast. His Derby win came after there was a pace meltdown in which they flew through early fractions of :21.78, :45.36 and 1:10.34.

“He's not going to win a lot of races because of his running style,” Reed said. “Even when everything goes right, it's hard for him to win because of the way he wants to run. We want him to do good and I think he will. I don't know how many races he will win this year, but he'll have to find a way to put himself into the races a little earlier to win.”

The Alysheba is run at a mile-and-a-sixteenth and Rich Strike probably needs more distance. He'll also be facing a tough group of rivals. Art Collector (Bernardini) won the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Last Samurai (Malibu Moon) has won a pair of graded stakes this year and West Will Power (Bernardini) is coming off a win in the GII New Orleans Classic. This may be the deepest group of older dirt males assembled so far this year. Rich Strike is 7-2 in the morning line, but that seems like an underlay.

“It's his first start back,” Reed said. “I don't have high expectations for a win, but it would be great if he did. We just need to get in the first start and get ready for his next start, the Stephen Foster. I think that's where our season will really start to take off.”

In the meantime, Reed said he plans to enjoy the week and treasure the memories. He said he has the same crew back from last year and they are going to gather for a barbecue on Thursday. Despite Rich Strike's losing streak, Reed is still focused on how great that accomplishment was one year ago.

“I do tend to relive it, probably a couple of times a week,” he said. “It's one of those things that will never go away. You have days when you get frustrated and then you take a step back and think about the Derby and everything is good.”

Everything would be even better if Rich Strike were to win another race, preferably a big one. Reed will give him his chances this year. No excuses. Now he just needs to show that he's good enough.

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Kentucky Derby 149 Early Impressions: Dr. Barry Eisaman on Practical Move

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – TDN Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of leading GI Kentucky Derby contenders to get their 'Early Impressions.'

After pairing up matching 100 Beyer Speed Figures for trainer Tim Yakteen while capturing the GII San Felipe S. and GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, Practical Move (Practical Joke) has firmly established himself as the best of the west heading into the Kentucky Derby.

Last term's GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner brought $230,000 from owners Leslie and Pierre Amestoy and Roger Beasley out of the Eisaman Equine consignment (:10 1/5 breezer) as an OBS April 2-year-old.

“We first met him not long after the Keeneland yearling sale and he came to us to break for his breeders with the intent of selling him at the OBS sales,” Dr. Barry Eisaman said.

“He was a different type of horse than many Practical Jokes that we've had. He was bigger than most and had a really laid-back personality. He had a two-turn physique look to him. He learned all his early lessons very well and was an ideal pupil. When we started doing any little bit of speed work, he would have plenty of speed and displayed it effortlessly. Whenever a little speed drill for the day would be over, he would just drop his head and head back to the barn oozing class and intelligence. He displayed a lot of speed and had an exceptionally good gallop out at the sale.”

Bred in Kentucky by four-time Eclipse Award winning-trainer Chad Brown and Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners, Practical Move previously RNA'd for $90,000 as a KEESEP yearling. He is one of 15 graded winners for young sire Practical Joke and is out of the grassy, multiple stakes-placed Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty. She brought $500,000 from Chester and Mary Broman in foal to Upstart earlier this year at Keeneland January.

“He's out of an Afleet Alex mare,” Eisaman said. “I'm thinking that part of his gene pool could favor him giving him the ability to get Classic distances, hopefully. Tim's done a fantastic job with him. The horse really seems to have winning on his mind. He's been pretty courageous.”

Champion I'll Have Another (Flower Alley), the 2012 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. winner, was also a product of the Eisamans. He brought $35,000 from agent Dennis O'Neill on behalf of Reddam Racing out of the Eisaman Equine consignment at the OBS April 2-year-old sale.

Runaway GIII Gotham S. winner Raise Cain (Violence) will give the Eisamans two chances at a second Kentucky Derby win. The Andrew and Rania Warren colorbearer was broken by the Eisamans and RNA'd for $65,000 from their consignment at last year's OBS June 2-year-old sale. Bred in Kentucky by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds, he was produced by a Lemon Drop Kid half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic heroine Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song). Raise Cain was previously a $180,000 KEESEP yearling.

“We'll have two chances,” Eisaman said. “It's a lot of fun. We decided years ago not to have a racing stable. We're service providers to some of the largest racing outfits in the country. When we have horses that we sell, we want them all to do wonderful things for the people that buy them. It's really rewarding and fun and we couldn't be happier for all these connections.”

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Tuesday’s Kentucky Derby Report: Trio of Breezers Bring the Morning ‘Thunder’

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A trio of GI Kentucky Derby workers enjoyed the spotlight during training hours on a brisk Tuesday morning beneath the Twin Spires.

Derma Sotogake (Jpn) (Mind Your Biscuits) was hard held beneath Masatoshi Segawa and ready to do much more as he hit the top of the stretch. He finished up strongly once let loose down the lane and completed his four-furlong breeze in :49.60 (13/20). The G2 UAE Derby winner will be ridden in the Kentucky Derby by Christophe Lemaire.

His countrymate Mandarin Hero (Jpn) (Shanghai Bobby), a fantastic second beaten just a nose in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby in his U.S. debut and currently on the outside looking in on the Kentucky Derby also-eligible list, worked five furlongs in a leisurely 1:05.60 (15/15). He will target the second leg of the Triple Crown if unable to secure a spot in the Derby.

The blinkered Sun Thunder (Into Mischief) also breezed during the 15-minute training window reserved for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses as temperatures hovered in the mid-40s just after 7:30 a.m. The GI Blue Grass S. fourth-place finisher worked a “maintenance half-mile” beneath jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. in :47.80 (3/20). Trainer Ken McPeek's best result from eight previous Kentucky Derby starters was a second-place finish with Tejano Run in 1995.

As for Tuesday's Derby gallopers, a pair of grays made their presence felt on the sunsplashed backstretch.

'TDN Rising Star' and $1.3-million KEEESEP yearling purchase Tapit Trice (Tapit) immediately caught the eye as trainer Todd Pletcher watched his three Derby runners train near the chute.

Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) also made a very favorable impression for trainer Brad Cox galloping powerfully with his neck arched.

The Pletcher barn was the place to be afterwards as champion 2-year-old colt and 'Rising Star' Forte (Violence), the unbeaten Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) and the aforementioned Tapit Trice got cleaned up following their routine 1 3/8-mile gallops.

Forte co-owner Mike Repole, sporting an Uncle Mo jacket, of course, was among a very large group of admirers lined up to get a closer look at the Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite as training hours began to wind down.

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