Mage | Horse Racing Free Tips

Co-Owner Restrepo to Donate Portion of Mage’s Earnings to Cancer Charity

GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) is owned by OGMA Investments, LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH, but when he tackles a tough group of opponents in Saturday's GI Haskell S. he will be running for more than just the four ownership groups. Restrepo announced Friday that, starting with the Haskell, he will be donating a portion of Mage's earnings to the Dwoskin Children's Cancer Research Fund at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The story was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's Mike Welsch.

The fund was named in honor of Steve Dwoskin, a veteran trainer on the South Florida circuit, who estimates he has donated $15 million to cancer related causes.

Though a successful trainer, much of Dwoskin's income has come from a career selling auto parts.

“What Ramiro is doing, it's unbelievable,” the 80-year-old trainer said. “It's a really beautiful gesture on his part. This is a good story. I think a lot of people will see this and they'll all be rooting for Mage.”

Dwoskin started donating to cancer-related charities 22 years ago after his father and brother died of the disease. About eight years ago, he started to focus on cancer research for children. With Dwoskin's help, the Dwoskin Children's Cancer Research Fund at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center was started.

“I met this woman whose husband was a big doctor down here,” Dwoskin said. “She lost an 8-year-old son to cancer. I saw it on TV, on channel 7, and I went to meet her. I just realized I have a calling. If somebody is 80 or 90-years-old and dies of cancer I can handle that. When someone who is 8-years-old dies, I can't handle it. I just don't understand it.”

Restrepo said he had long admired Dwoskin for his work and for his philanthropy.

“Steve has been a local, Florida horseman for many, many years and is real supportive of the South Florida racing industry,” Restrepo said. “He's also a huge benefactor to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami. I am a Miami alumni. I have lost two family members to cancer, my grandfather and an uncle on my father's side. So I am sensitive to that disease. There's a synergy between the University of Miami, Steve Dwoskin and the disease itself which has hit close to home for me. That all came together. I met with Steve and some of the fundraisers and chair members over at the University of Miami on the pediatric cancer side. We chatted about working with each other. This opportunity came up and I was more than happy to contribute. Mage is a horse that has many followers and it's nice to be able to use his platform to create awareness for what Steve has been doing. There is such a depth to his commitment. Steve has donated so much money toward the pediatric cancer research foundation. When you sit down with him and hear it from the horse's mouth it's pretty impressive.”

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Saturday Insights: Mage Full-Brother Entered ‘MTO’ at the Spa

1st-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET
His full-brother Mage is about three hours south at Monmouth Park to contest Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell S., but DORNOCH (Good Magic) could still represent the family should the Saratoga opener be transferred to the main track. Whereas Mage cost $235,000 at Keeneland September in 2021 (before fetching $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale last year), Dornoch was a $325,000 acquisition in Lexington. The pair's dam SW & GSP Puca (Big Brown), a 'TDN Rising Star' and also responsible for MSP Gunning (Gun Runner), is a half-sister to GISW Finnegans Wake (Powerscourt {GB}). Also entered for the main track only is Deterministic (Liam's Map), a $625,000 KEESEP purchase who hails from the Helen Alexander family of champion Althea. TJCIS PPs

7th-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 4:26 p.m. ET
BC Stables co-principle John Bellinger's name was on the docket when DAILY GRIND (Medaglia d'Oro) was hammered down for $1.35 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and the dark bay debuts for the operation's Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Lochlow Farm acquired dam Walk Close (Tapit) for $550,000 in foal to Uncle Mo at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and the mare's value appreciated over the course of the next 12 months, as her foal of 2017 Anneau d'Or (Medaglia d'Oro) was runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GII Los Alamitos Futurity. Daily Grind, whose second dam is SW & GISP Spring Awakening (In Excess {Ire}), is bred on a foal share with Godolphin. Anointed (Justify) is a maternal grandson of Pearling (Storm Cat)–a full-sister to the 'Iron Horse' Giant's Causeway and You'resothrilling, et al–whose son Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) was a two-time Group 1 winner in Ireland and victorious at Group 1 level in Dubai. Also in the mix is Dive Bomber (Omaha Beach), a $400,000 KEESEP grad and half-brother to this year's Bourbonette Oaks heroine Botanical (Medaglia d'Oro). TJCIS PPs

8th-DMR, $82k, Msw, 2yo, f, 5f, post time: 8:35 p.m. ET
HOPE ROAD (Quality Road) is the first produce from Marley's Freedom (Blame), easy winner of the 2018 GI Ballerina S. for Cicero Farms and Bob Baffert. Connections elected to enter the Jan. 15 foal for last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, but they took her home after bidding fizzled out at $575,000. John Sadler conditions the bay, who breezed a smart five furlongs from the gate in 1:00 flat (5/44) at Santa Anita July 16. C R K Stable's Ashley (Into Mischief) draws the fence for this debut run for John Shirreffs. A $385,000 KEESEP buyback turned $400,000 OBSAPR breezer (see Summer Breezes below), the April-foaled bay is out of a full-sister to Japanese Group 1-winning sprinter Mozu Superflare (Speightstown) and a half to GSW Sacristy (Pulpit). Mocha Grande (Uncle Mo), a $475,000 KEESEP purchase by Talla Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds, is out of a daughter of GSP Stage Magic (Ghostzapper), of course the dam of Triple Crown-winning Horse of the Year Justify (Scat Daddy). TJCIS PPs

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Arabian Knight Favored Over Mage in Haskell

Undefeated two-for-two GIII Southwest S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) has been made the slight 5-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday's $1-million, GI TVG.com Haskell S. at Monmouth Park at the expense of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), who was tabbed as the joint 3-1 second choice alongside GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Tapit Trice (Tapit). The top three choices drew post positions eight, four, and five, respectively.

“I believe the horse's entire body of work and his entire career is what defines him,” said Mage's co-owner Ramiro Restrepo about the Derby winner. “It's not just one race. He had a great break. It's the start of the second half of his 3-year-old year. We feel he's good enough to compete and put forth a quality effort. Hopefully, that's good enough to get the job done and put forth a great performance and keep it moving. We're happy we have a talented horse who's feeling good, and we hope he'll give a great account of himself Saturday.”

Arabian Knight may be light on experience, but he has the services of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the Haskell a record nine times.

“It's exciting to win the Haskell,” Baffert told track officials via phone from California. “It's a race where every year when I'm [evaluating] my 2-year-olds I always try to figure out who's going to be my Haskell horse. The reason we've always been so successful there is because I always bring my best horses there. You need to do that if you're going to win that race.”

Todd Pletcher, another Hall of Famer, has won the Haskell three times and will send Tapit Trice.

“Post position five works well,” said Pletcher. “He's had a history of drawing inside so that works out well. It looks like there's plenty of pace for him to run at.”

Wednesday's Haskell draw | Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Brad Cox has won the Haskell the last two years with Cyberknife (Gun Runner) and Mandaloun (Into Mischief). He will saddle Salute the Stars (Candy Ride {Arg}), who won Monmouth's Pegasus S. June 17.

“Mandaloun and Cyberknife were more accomplished colts. But he acted like a good horse the day he walked into the barn. That's only one exciting thing about him,” said Cox. “I don't know if the fact he's run over the track and won on it gives us an advantage, but it's a plus. These are obviously very good horses we're running against. It's definitely not a disadvantage.”

From the rail out, with jockeys and morning-line odds, the Haskell field includes: Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) (Mike Smith, 9-2); Awesome Strong (Awesome Slew) (Jose Batista, 30-1); Salute the Stars (Joel Rosario, 8-1); Mage (Javier Castellano, 3-1); Tapit Trice (Luis Saez, 3-1); Howgreatisnate (Speightster) (Paco Lopez, 20-1); Extra Anejo (Into Mischief) (Tyler Gaffalione, 5-1); and Arabian Knight (John Velazquez, 5-2).

The Haskell will be run for the 56th time and is a “Win and You're In” race for the $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Haskell undercard will also feature the $600,000 GI United Nations S., the $500,000 GIII Molly Pitcher S., the $400,000 GIII Monmouth Cup S., and the $300,000 GIII WinStar Matchmaker S.

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Mage To Go In Haskell

The connections of GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) may have waited until the 11th hour to make their schedule known, but in the end they gave Monmouth Park the answer everyone there was hoping for. Mage will be starting in Saturday's $1-million GI Haskell S.

The decision was not revealed until about 4:30 ET Thursday when trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr. tweeted the following: “After much consideration and planning Mage's summer goal of getting to the G1 Travers; we have decided to have a prep run in the G1 Haskell this weekend.”

The other option, the connections had been saying for a couple of weeks, was to pass both the Haskell and the GII Jim Dandy S. and go into the GI Travers S. after a series of works. Watching Mage train, they decided a race in the Haskell was the best way to fulfill the goal of winning the Travers.

“Since the day after the Preakness, we have been targeting the Travers as our summer jewel,” said co-owner Ramiro Restrepo. “And we've identified the Haskell as the best route to get him ready for the Travers. We look forward to competing in our fourth consecutive Grade I and putting forth a quality effort.”

Mage hasn't run since finishing third in the GI Preakness S.

The Haskell had already lined up a strong field before the confirmation that Mage would be running, but the race is now shaping up to be one of the strongest Haskells in years.

“We have the Derby winner,” said racing secretary John Heims. “We have Bob Baffert's 'A' horse in Arabian Knight [Uncle Mo]. We have Tapit Trice [Tapit], a Grade I winner who was third in the Belmont. We have Geaux Rocket Ride [Candy Ride {Arg}], who is from the barn of Hall of Famer trainer Dick Mandella, who has been pointing to this race for some time. We have Extra Anejo [Into Mischief], Salute the Stars [Candy Ride {Arg}]. We had a very good race and I think with the addition of Mage it's a great race.”

The field for the Haskell will be drawn Wednesday at noon.

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