FTHA Honors 2022 Award Winners

The Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association held its annual General Nominating Meeting and Awards Dinner Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park, hosting more than 100 guests at Ten Palms. FTHA President Joe Orseno, completing his first term in the role, provided the assemblage with a look back at an eventful 2022.

The culmination of the evening was the presentation of the 2022 FTHA Awards. Host Ron Nicoletti announced the winners in 11 categories, including the newly added Champion Tapeta Horse and Champion Tapeta Filly/Mare. Raina Gunderson was chosen as the 2022 “Person of Distinction” for her devotion to the horses.

The complete list of the 2022 FTHA Champions is:

  • Person of Distinction: Raina Gunderson
  • 2-year-old Colt/Gelding: Awesome Strong (Awesome Slew)
  • 2-year-old Filly: Lynx (Brethren)
  • 3-year-old Colt: Steal Sunshine (Constitution)
  • 3-year-old Filly: Maryquitecontrary (First Dude)
  • Older Horse/Gelding: Willy Boi (Uncaptured)
  • Older Filly/Mare: Spirit Wind (Bahamian Squall)
  • Turf Horse/Gelding: California Frolic (California Chrome)
  • Turf Filly/Mare: Last Leaf (Not This Time)
  • Tapeta Horse/Gelding: Grand David (Tapiture)
  • Tapeta Filly/Mare: Kate's Kingdom (Animal Kingdom)

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Inaugural, Sandpiper Kick Off Stakes Calendar At Tampa Bay Downs

Promising 2-year-olds, some whose connections have designs on tackling bigger challenges in 2022, will step into the spotlight on Saturday, Dec. 4 when Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., launches its stakes schedule with a pair of $100,000 six-furlong sprints.

The 36th running of the Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-olds and the 44th edition of the Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies begin a progression of Oldsmar stakes races that could lead the best of the bunch to a date with equine destiny in more lucrative engagements as 3-year-olds next year (for record-keeping purposes, all Thoroughbreds are considered to age a year on Jan. 1).

The Inaugural has drawn 28 nominations, while the Sandpiper has attracted 33 nominations. The Inaugural, for colts and geldings, is designed as a precursor to the $125,000 seven-furlong Pasco Stakes on Jan. 15. The next steps for the most talented of the males include the $250,000 Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on Feb. 12 and the $400,000 G2 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 12.

Both the Sam F. Davis and the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby are “Road to the Kentucky Derby” races, awarding points to the first four finishers toward qualifying for a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in the Run for the Roses on May 7.

Gerry Stanislawzyk, the Tampa Bay Downs Stakes Coordinator, said possible Inaugural starters include the gelding Captain Cajun, who broke his maiden on Oct. 3 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The son of Cajun Breeze is trained by Michael Yates, who won last year's Inaugural with Poppy's Pride.

Other Inaugural possible include gelding Concrete Glory, whose three career victories for trainer Gerald Brooks have come at different tracks; Little Vic, a maiden winner at Gulfstream from the barn of trainer Juan Carlos Avila; Viva Victory, a winner on turf at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., in his only start for owner-trainer Arnoud Dobber; and Whistlewhileyoumow, who broke his maiden earlier this month at Hawthorne Race Course in Stickney, Ill., for trainer Jon Arnett.

The next step after the Sandpiper for the fillies is the $125,000 seven-furlong Gasparilla Stakes on Jan. 15. Those showing sufficient talent and desire could then advance to the $150,000 Suncoast Stakes, a mile-and-40-yard contest on Feb. 12.

The Suncoast is a “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” race, awarding points to the first four finishers toward earning a spot in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.

Sandpiper possibles, according to Stanislawzyk, include Last Leaf, whose three victories from six starts for trainer Ron Spatz include a score in the Hollywood Beach Stakes on the turf on Sept. 25 at Gulfstream.

Other possible entrants include Strategic Bird, who broke her maiden by 12 ¾ lengths in her career debut on Nov. 13 at Gulfstream for trainer Mark Casse; Chasing Happiness, a David Fawkes-trainee who broke her maiden at Gulfstream earlier this month by 6 ½ lengths; and She's My Warrior, who won the Northern Lights Debutant Stakes in September at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., for trainer Tim Padilla.

The Inaugural and the Sandpiper are part of what is certain to be a December to remember as action at Tampa Bay Downs heats up approaching the holiday season.

The post Inaugural, Sandpiper Kick Off Stakes Calendar At Tampa Bay Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $300,000 Sunday

Monarch Stables Inc.'s Last Leaf, who captured the Hollywood Beach Stakes of turf in her most recent start, will make her debut over Gulfstream's Tapeta racing surface in Sunday's featured Race 7 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

The 5 ½-furlong sprint for 2-year-old fillies will be highlighted in the Rainbow 6 sequence, which will span Races 4-9. The jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $300,000 Sunday at Gulfstream Park, where the popular multi-race wager went unsolved Saturday for the 11th racing day following a $461,035.47 jackpot payoff Oct. 9.

Last Leaf has an experience edge over her five rivals, having won three of six starts while demonstrating the versatility to win on both dirt and turf. The daughter of Not This Time, who broke her maiden on a fast main track in her second career start, will seek her third straight victory Sunday. She ran away with a six-furlong optional claiming allowance by 10 ¾ lengths over a sealed sloppy track Sept. 4 before scoring a narrow victory in the five-furlong Hollywood Beach on turf three weeks later.

“I asked for this race,” trainer Ronald Spatz said. “It will be fun to find out if she can win on four different surfaces. She's won on dirt, a sloppy track, and turf.”

Miguel Vasquez has the return mount.

“She's a nice little filly. She's got little feet; she's blocky; and she runs hard,” Spatz said. “She's a good little sprinter.”

Trainer Michael Stidham, who will maintain a division at Gulfstream for the first time during the Championship Meet, will be represented by Godolphin's Kit Keller, who is coming off a debut victory in a five-furlong maiden special weight race on turf at Laurel Sept. 9.

Edgard Zayas has the call on the homebred daughter of Ghostzapper.

The post Gulfstream’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed At $300,000 Sunday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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OBS October Kicks off Tuesday

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearling Sale begins with a session of selected yearlings Tuesday and continues Wednesday with an open session. Bidding will begin at 1 p.m. Tuesday, with a total of 152 yearlings–including 17 supplemental offerings–catalogued, with an additional 395 head–including 32 supplements–catalogued for the second day, which starts at 11 a.m.

The two-day auction comes in the midst of a yearling sales season which has featured competitive bidding across the country.

“It certainly has been competitive all year long and we hope that competitive market continues here,” OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said on a picture-perfect fall day in Ocala Monday. “We are seeing a lot of activity in the barns. Most of the people started showing Sunday and it was very active with a lot of consignors telling me that they are showing as many horses as they've ever shown. I am out in the barn area now and it looks like the barns are quite active. We've seen some newer players here and a lot more people with intention looking at horses.”

During last year's select session of the October sale–held amidst the uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic–86 horses sold for $3,397,000 for an average of $39,500 and a median of $28,000. A filly by Not This Time brought the top price of $225,000. In 2019, 130 select yearlings sold for $5,689,200 for an average of $43,763 and a median of $30,000.

Included among October sale graduates, Exline-Border Racing LLC, SAF Racing and Richard Hausman's Lady Mystify (Bernardini) took the Sept. 26 GIII Remington Park Oaks. The OBS graduate realized $120,000 for consignor Summerfield (Francis & Barbara Vanlangendonck) at the 2019 renewal of the October Selected Yearling Sale before selling for $325,000 the following April.

LNJ Foxwoods' Outfoxed (Valiant Minister), who broke her maiden in Gulfstream's FTBOA Florida Sire Susan's Girl S. in August, returned to Hallandale Sept. 25 to post a 9-1/4 length victory in the FTBOA Florida Sire My Dear Girl S. The Bill Mott trainee, who sold for $27,000 out of the Abbie Road Farm consignment at the 2020 October Yearling Sale, later brought $360,000 at OBS in April. Another recent winner to exit the October sale, Monarch Stables Inc.'s Last Leaf (Not This Time) led an OBS sweep of Saturday's Hollywood Beach S. The two-time OBS graduate was sold by Sharon Biamonte at the 2020 Winter Mixed Sale and then purchased for $23,500 out of the Kaizen Sales consignment at the 2020 October Sale.

Rounding out the sale's recent graduates, Full of Run Racing, LLC and Madaket Stables LLC's Dreamalildreamofu (Commissioner), a $65,000 October purchase in 2018, won the $100,000 Twixt S. at Laurel Sept. 18.

OBS will again offer online bidding and buyers may register for bidding approval, then access the OBS Bidding Screen with their credentials. For complete information on registration and online bidding visit www.obssales.com.

The sale, which will be streamed live via the OBS website, will also be available on the TDN site.

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