Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association

After Rescheduling, Dr Blarney Takes Fourth Consecutive Massachusetts-Bred Rise Jim Stakes

It was an easy win for Dr Blarney, who was once again first across the finish line in the annual Rise Jim Stakes, hosted for the first time at Fort Erie Race Track. It's been just over a year since the 7-year-old chestnut gelding last raced, but that didn't stop him from taking his fourth consecutive Rise Jim Stakes. The race is a guaranteed $35,000 purse for thoroughbreds foaled in Massachusetts and registered with the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association (MTBA).

Trained by Karl M Grusmark for owner Joseph DiRico, Dr Blarney came out in front quickly and effortlessly, taking jockey Emile Ramsammy six furlongs on the dirt in 1:10.4. Returning $2.30 to his backers, this son of Dublin now has his 21st win from 29 career starts.

Second in the Rise Jim Stakes was Saint Alfred with jockey Christopher Husbands. Third was Successful Saint and Daisuke Fukumoto.

The MTBA set up a partnership with Fort Erie Race Track in the fall, to host a number of Mass-bred races this season. Originally scheduled for July 20, the Rise Jim Stakes had to be postponed when a series of delays prevented the van carrying all six horses from arriving at Fort Erie Race Track in time for racing.

“Our partnership with the MTBA is beneficial for all parties, and we look forward to hosting more Mass-bred races at Fort Erie this season,” said Tom Valiquette, chief operating and financial officer of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium.

Spectator- free racing returns at Fort Erie on Tuesday, July 28 at 1:10 p.m. Watch online at http://forterieracing.com/streaming-and-replays

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Late Van Arrival of Entire 6-Horse Field Causes Fort Erie Stakes Cancellation

With no track available to host races in its home state, a cross-border plan by the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (MTBA) to fund and run a $35,000 stakes race at Ontario’s Fort Erie Racetrack got scuttled Tuesday when the van carrying all six entrants didn’t arrive on schedule.

“Basically it was just a series of delays that prevented the horses from getting here on time,” Antonietta Culic, Fort Erie’s marketing and media relations director, told TDN.

“They had to arrive by 11:30 a.m. to receive Lasix, and they weren’t able to make it here on time. They were all coming up on one van,” Culic said. “If it was just one horse, we would have scratched that one horse and continued on. But unfortunately they were all together, so they weren’t able to make it. They were coming from Finger Lakes. It’s about an hour and a half from Fort Erie.”
For the past year, the MTBA has been in the unusual situation of having purse money for state-bred stakes races accrue via a Massachusetts statute that mandates casino and gaming funding for Thoroughbred racing even though Suffolk Downs, the last remaining Thoroughbred track in the state, ceased live racing in June 2019.

Finger Lakes hosted some of the MTBA-funded races last autumn and all six entrants for the July 21 $35,000 Rise Jim S. showed recent published workouts there.

But this year the MTBA instead decided to partner with Fort Erie to host the series of races that the MTBA would pay for. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Fort Erie’s regular jockeys were named on the Rise Jim mounts, and local grooms and trainers were to have been responsible for the horses while they were at Fort Erie. Only the van driver was to have crossed the border with the horses.

A pre-race notice posted on the MTBA website explained that “It has been very difficult to plan a racing program as the season gets shorter and shorter, and racing venues are difficult to find. Some stateside racing venues have been identified but borders have been closed to both horses and horsemen.”

The notice explained that August races at Fort Erie were in the process of being finalized.

The Rise Jim was race six, and Fort Erie just skipped from race five to race seven on Tuesday.

“The plan is to run it again next week,” Culic said. “Same race, same horses and everything. It’s just postponed by one week. I think it depends on once we have our entries on Friday and find out what races we have, then we’ll position it in where it fits best with the card, probably on [July 28].”

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Massachusetts-Bred Stakes At Fort Erie Postponed When Entrants Unable To Cross U.S.-Canadian Border

Six horses were entered for Tuesday's $35,000 Rise Jim Stakes at Fort Erie Race Track, the first Massachusetts-bred stakes to be held at the Ontario track. Unfortunately, the race had to be postponed until the week of July 27 because the horses were unable to cross the U.S. border in time, according to horseracingnation.com.

Local jockeys were taking the mounts aboard the Rise Jim entrants, and local trainers and grooms were to be responsible for the horses. All six horses were on one trailer, and only the van driver and horses were crossing the border. Fort Erie's manager of marketing and media relations, Antoinetta Culic, called the issue “a domino effect of things.”

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Rise Jim Stakes for Massachusetts-bred thoroughbreds will be postponed until the week of July 27. The 6th race on today's card at Fort Erie has been cancelled. Race 7 will run at its scheduled post time, approximately 3:58 p.m.

— Fort Erie Race Track (@Forterieracing) July 21, 2020

The Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association reached out to Fort Erie last fall to build a partnership that would allow Fort Erie to host a selection of Massachusetts-bred thoroughbred races throughout the year, after Suffolk Downs race track in Boston shut down at the end of last season.

Fort Erie Hosting Its First Massachusetts-Bred Stakes Race On Tuesday

On Tues, July 21, Fort Erie Race Track will be hosting a Massachusetts-bred Stakes race for the first time. The Rise Jim Stakes will have six contenders for a $35,000 guaranteed purse. The race is for four-year-olds and upwards, foaled in Massachusetts and registered with the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association (MTBA).

Dr Blarney, trained by Karl M Grusmark for owner Joseph DiRico is the heavy favorite, with 20 career wins in 28 starts, and $628,000 in career earnings. Jockey Emile Ramsammy will be in the irons, taking over the reigns for Dr Blarney's veteran jockey, Tammi Piermarini. The seven-year-old chestnut gelding by Dublin out of Dr. Capote is the reigning champ of the Rise Jim Stakes, taking the crown in the last three runnings of the race.

The MTBA reached out to Fort Erie in the fall to build a partnership that would allow Fort Erie to host a selection of Massachusetts-bred thoroughbred races throughout the year, after Suffolk Downs race track in Boston shut down at the end of last season.

Due to COVID-19, it has been more challenging to host the races than was anticipated, however arrangements have been made that will allow us to do so safely. All six horses will be shipped across the border in one van. Fort Erie's regular jockeys have been called to ride the stakes race, and local grooms and trainers will be responsible for the horses while they are at Fort Erie. Only the van driver will be coming across with the horses, and will be required to quarantine while in Canada.

“We were happy to establish this partnership with the Massachusetts Thoroughbred Breeders Association to help support Mass-bred racing. We need to do what we can to support thoroughbred racing across North America,” said Tom Valiquette, chief operating and financial officer of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium. “With purse money and no where to race, and a track with racing capacity in need of horses, this partnership works well for all parties.”

Racing begins at 1:10 p.m. on Tuesday and continues to be spectator-free. Wagering is available in Ontario through HPI Bet, or fans can watch online at http://forterieracing.com/streaming-and-replays.

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