Linda Rice | Horse Racing Free Tips

Downtown Mischief Stays Unbeaten In Cicada

Downtown Mischief (Into Mischief) brought another stakes win home for super sire Into Mischief on Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack. The New York-bred filly is now a perfect three-for three after her victory in the Cicada S.

Breaking her maiden on-track Jan. 14, the Linda Rice trainee won that debut by a sparkling 7 3/4-lengths at six panels and followed that up at Ozone Park Feb. 17 by clearing the next optional claiming hurdle in the slop by 1 1/4-lengths over the next-out winner, Midtown Lights (Redesdale).

Supported at the windows to the hilt, the 1-2 favorite tracked leader Fabulously Funny (Practical Joke) briefly from the fourth position down the backstretch, but decided to make her move for the front as Hot Little Thing (Army Mule) tried to make up ground after a slow start. As the trio dueled around the far turn, the chalk poked her head in front and past the eighth pole dug down to find enough in the end to win by 1 1/2-lengths over the late charging Tappin Josie (Anchor Down).

“I told Jose [Lezcano, aboard Downtown Mischief] that I thought the little filly on the inside of us had tremendous speed. She looked fast in the paddock. I was also a little concerned about the four-horse on the outside, but Jose had ridden her before and he said she's not that fast. I said, 'OK, you're going to be sitting second to the two.' And he said, 'that's probably where we'll be, sitting right outside.' It totally went upside down. The two doesn't break and then she comes rushing up through, but Jose is such a pro and he never loses his cool. When he needed to hold his ground, he did–and I think that makes a difference.”

Second dam Alpha Mama (Unbridled's Song) is a sister to GISW Marylebone, and she is also responsible for GSW Alpha Kitten (Tale of the Cat). The winner is Downtown Mama's first progeny, but she does have a yearling filly by Maclean's Music and was bred to Violence last year.

CICADA S., $100,000, Aqueduct, 3-18, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:13.72, ft.
1–DOWNTOWN MISCHIEF, 118, f, 3, by Into Mischief
          1st Dam: Downtown Mama, by Speightstown
          2nd Dam: Alpha Mama, by Unbridled's Song
          3rd Dam: Desert Queen, by Wavering Monarch
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Lady Sheila Stable LLC (NY); T-Linda
Rice; J-Jose Lezcano. $55,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0,
$133,100.
2–Tappin Josie, 122, f, 3, Anchor Down–Homemaker, by
Afternoon Deelites. ($15,000 Ylg '21 EASOCT). O-Darryl E.
Abramowitz; B-Charles Blanford (PA); T-Horacio De Paz.
$20,000.
3–Fabulously Funny, 119, f, 3, Practical Joke–Just Fabulous, by
Include. ($210,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Harold
Lerner LLC, AWC Stables, Nehoc Stables, Scott K. Akman and
Paul Braverman; B-International Equities Holding, Inc. (KY);
T-Anthony W. Dutrow. $12,000.
Margins: 1HF, 3HF, 3HF. Odds: 0.50, 9.30, 9.20.
Also Ran: Fancy Azteca, Hot Little Thing, Musicmansandy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings Feb. 14 – 20

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

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

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) having gone into effect on July 1, the TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant HISA-related rulings from the same week.

NEW YORK

Track: Aqueduct

Date: 02/16/2023

Licensee: Linda Rice, trainer

Penalty: $1,000 fine, 10-day suspension

Violation: Medication violation

Explainer: Having received a report from the NYS Gaming Commission Drug Equine Testing Laboratory of the finding of Phenylbutazone in the post-race sample taken from horse ” Winter Pool ” #(4) which raced at Aqueduct Racetrack in the

1st race and finished 1st on January 7th 2023. Trainer of record Linda Rice having been notified of the post-race findings and having waived her right to an appeal is hereby fined the sum of one thousand ($1,000) dollars and suspended 10 Calandar days effective February 20th 2023, through March 1st 2023 inclusive.

Furthermore, the Stewards order horse ” Winter Pool ” disqualified from any part of the purse and the purse redistributed as follows:

(#5) Kumar
(#2) Scotty
(#3) Goldini
(#6) Icy Storm
(#7) Supply Chain
(#1) Forever Wicked

Ordered that during your period of suspension, you shall not directly nor indirectly participate in New York State Pari-mutuel horse racing. You are denied the privilages and use of the grounds of all racetracks, you are forbidden to participate in any share of purses or other payment. Every horse is denied the privilages of the grounds and shall not participate in pari-mutuel racing in New York State, that (a) is owned or trained by you, or by individuals who serves as your agent or employee during your suspension: or (b) for which you during your suspension are directly or indirectly with training, including any arrangements to care for, train, enter, race, invoice, collect fees or other payments, manage funds, employ or insure workers, provide advise or other information or otherwise assist with any aspect of the training of such horses.

NEW HISA STEWARDS RULINGS

The following rulings were reported on HISA's “rulings” portal, except for the voided claim rulings which were sent to the TDN directly. Some of these rulings are from prior weeks as they were not reported contemporaneously.

One important note: HISA's whip use limit is restricted to six strikes during a race.

VIOLATIONS OF CROP RULE

Aqueduct

Heman Kumar Harkie – violation date February 18; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Jalon Lateef Abdiel Samuel – violation date February 20; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Golden Gate Fields

Francisco Alvarado — violation date February 19; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

Gulfstream Park

Ismerio Villalobos – violation date February 17; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

Mahoning Valey Racecourse

Edilberto Dominguez – violation date February 14; $500 fine and three-day suspension, four-to-nine strikes over limit, on appeal and stay granted

Edilberto Dominguez – violation date February 14; Seven-day suspension, multiple point violations, on appeal and stay granted

Oaklawn Park

Cristian Alexis Torres – violation date February 17; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Ramsey Zimmerman – violation date February 18; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

David Cabrera – violation date February 18; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Keith James Asmussen – violation date February 19; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Tampa Bay Downs

Melissa Iorio – violation date February 17; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Turf Paradise

Enrique Garcia – violation date February 14; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

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Cairo Prince Filly Pulls Off Shocker In Maddie May S.

The eighth running of the Maddie May S. at Aqueduct Racetrack on Sunday afternoon was a memorable one, as Cairo Sugar (Cairo Prince–Spun Sugar, by Awesome Again) pulled off a 27-1 upset over 1-1 favorite, Les Bon Temps (Laoban).

Racing along the rail, the longshot seized the lead down the backstretch and controlled the pace out on the engine. Turning back several rivals rounding the far turn, the eventual winner outlasted them all past the sixteenth marker to win over the late-charging chalk by over a length. The final running time was 1:38.44.

The winner broke her maiden at fifth-asking last out going a mile at the 'Big A' against state-bred company Jan. 19 to score by five-lengths.

O-AP Stable; B-Kaz Hill Farm (NY); T-Alan Bedard.

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Where Are They Now: Blindwillie McTell

In this TDN series, Christie DeBernardis will tell the stories of accomplished and/or popular former racehorses who are now enjoying second careers as show horses, track ponies, etc.

This “Where Are They Now” story is a bit of a personal one for me. I first met popular New York-bred stakes winner Blindwillie McTell (Posse), affectionately known as Willie, back in 2018 when he was just a 2-year-old.

I was there the day he made his debut, finishing a game second at 19-1 in a state-bred maiden special weight at Aqueduct. The gutsy little bay impressed trainer Linda Rice enough for her to enter him in a stake next out and he proved worthy of her faith, splashing home to a good-looking graduation in the NYSS Great White Way S.

Willie opened his 3-year-old season in similar fashion, taking the Rego Park S. in his next outing, much to the delight of his exuberant owner/breeder Jerry Zaro. He took the Mike Lee S. two starts later and, once again, I stood in the winner's circle with Willie and his proud connections.

Willie's talent on the racetrack made him a fun horse to be around throughout his career, as did his winning personality. A very friendly and happy horse, he always tried his heart out and did so with plenty of enthusiasm, making him a barn favorite during his four seasons in the Rice barn and a personal favorite of mine.

In April of 2021, Willie let Rice know he had enough. She refused to run him for a low claiming price and Zaro agreed, so the decision was made to retire him. Being a gelding, the best option for the three-time stakes winner was finding a new home as a show horse.

I had recently assisted Rice in placing a horse named Mental Model (Into Mischief) with a friend of mine, who now successfully competes him as an eventer. So the conditioner turned to me to find a home for the lovable Blindwillie McTell.

I always knew Willie was special. I also knew he would love to have his own person and would give that individual his all in any discipline they tried together. I wanted to make sure Willie found a person who would recognize how special he was and would give him the best chance to thrive in his new career. So, I turned to one of my best friends, Caroline Letts, a hunter and jumper trainer based in Colts Neck, New Jersey, who had plenty of experience with off-track Thoroughbreds.

Letts was quick to say yes and we brought Willie to her facility in May of 2021. Under her guidance, my favorite little racehorse-that-could blossomed into a talented hunter and jumper. Her 16-year-old working student successfully competed him in Thoroughbred classes at a recognized horse show that September.

Since then he has taught lessons to kids as young as 12 and competed successfully in a variety of horse shows in both the hunter and jumper divisions. He even helped me achieve one of my dreams of climbing aboard one of the racehorses I had the privilege to follow or work with during my career. He is still as much of a perfectionist and overachiever in his new career as he was on the racetrack.

Willie continues to gain fans everywhere he goes. He is a barn favorite at MCL Equestrian and has a leaser, who adores him. His fans from his racing days, those that love New York racing and fans of Bob Dylan, for whom Blindwillie McTell was named, still follow him diligently. As expected, my old friend Willie is still a winner in everything he does and I'm just thrilled to still be a part of it.

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