Medina Spirit | Horse Racing Free Tips

After Eventful Campaign, Mandaloun Returns at Fair Grounds

Mandaloun (Into Mischief) finished second in the GI Kentucky Derby and will be declared the winner if Medina Spirit (Protonico) is ever disqualified for a betamethasone positive. He didn't cross the wire first in the GI Haskell S. either, but was awarded the win after the stewards disqualified Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) for interference. It pays to be both lucky and good.

But a page has been turned and Mandaloun will kick off his 4-year-old season Saturday at the Fair Grounds in the GIII Louisiana S., the first step in a campaign where he very well could prove that he can win at the Grade I level without the assistance of the stewards or a drug testing laboratory.

“You're always looking forward to a horses maturing and getting faster as they get older,” said his trainer, Brad Cox. “He's trained really well and his gallop-outs are really good. He's in a really good place right now, mentally and physically. I think this is a good spot to get him back started and see where he takes us.”

Mandaloun, 26-1 in the Derby, exceeded most expectations to finish second, a half-length behind the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit. More than eight months later, there hasn't been a word from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission about Medina Spirit's positive, one reason among many that it could take years for the 2021 Derby to be declared official. It's not something that Cox is worried about.

“I don't think about it,” Cox said of the Derby. “I really don't and that's because it is out of my hands. I've got enough going on that I don't need to worry about what ifs or what's going to happen. It's not the way you want to win a race of that caliber, so we'll just keep marching forward and develop Mandaloun and do enough with him to try to enhance his resume and get him off to the stallion barn where he can make some big, beautiful babies.”

Mandaloun skipped both the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S. before resurfacing at Monmouth Park. He won the Pegasus, a prep for the Haskell, and then finished a nose behind Hot Rod Charlie in the the Haskell. Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified for bothering Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow).

“He was coming back on Hot Rod Charlie that day,” Cox said. “Obviously, Hot Rod Charlie got to the wire first, but I think that in a couple more jumps we could have got to him. It was a very courageous race and he showed a lot of grit and determination. It was really good race and it made him a Grade I winner.”

Mandaloun has not raced since the July 17 Haskell.

“He was asking for a break,” Cox said. “I wasn't real happy with his weight post-Haskell. He had two long ships from Churchill and it was really hot at Monmouth when he was there. He wasn't quire right. We did all the diagnostics on him and we never did find anything. We gave him some time and he's come back a fit, happy, healthy horse.”

In most Grade IIIs, a horse with Mandaloun's resume would be a heavy favorite, but he has to contend with Midnight Bourbon once again. It will be the fifth meeting between the two. Midnight Bourbon won last year's GIII Lecomte S. over Mandaloun but Mandaloun finished in front of his rival the next three times they met, including in the Derby where Midnight Bourbon was sixth. Midnight Bourbon is making his first start since finishing third in the Nov. 26 GI Clark S. at Churchill Downs.

“We've won this race twice and this is definitely the toughest edition we've ever been part of,” said Cox, who will also send out GIII Oklahoma Derby winner Warrant (Constitution) in the Louisiana. “Midnight Bourbon is a very good horse and I think they're thinking the same way we are, that this is a stepping stone to bigger and better things down the road. It's an opportunity for both horses to race out of their own stall, get a race under their belts and get their year kicked off.”

Cox said that Mandaloun's schedule beyond the Louisiana has yet to be determined, but the Feb. 26 GI Saudi Cup could be next for the colt owned by Juddmonte.

“(Juddmonte General Manager) Garrett O'Rourke will get together with the Juddmonte team and come up with a game plan in regards to the Saudi Cup and see of that is something we want to turn our attention toward,” Cox said. “For me, the mindset is it's one step at a time. Hopefully, he makes a good account of himself Saturday and then a race like the Saudi Cup could be part of his future.”

Cox has lost a likely Eclipse Award winner in Essential Quality (Tapit) to the breeding shed where he will soon be joined by former stablemate Knicks Go (Paynter). The latter, a cinch to be named Horse of the Year and champion older male, will be retired after starting in the Jan. 29 Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. That will leave a big void in the Cox barn, but he's optimistic it is one that Mandaloun can fill.

“This horse has always trained well,” Cox said. “Since the fall of his 2-year-old season we thought he was a horse that could take us to the Kentucky Derby, and he did. Had a great season last year and we're hopeful he can do even better this year.”

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CHRB Backs Blea Ahead of ‘Dangerousness’ Hearing

Three members of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), plus the agency's executive director, on Thursday advocated for the reinstatement of temporarily suspended CHRB equine medical director Jeff Blea on the eve of his hearing before the California Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) to rule on a list of allegations that include administering “dangerous drugs” to racehorses without examination or medical necessity.

“For my own two cents as chairman, I think that the issues surrounding Dr. Jeff Blea brought forth by the veterinary medical board are both ill-advised and slanderous,” said CHRB chair Gregory Ferraro, who is also a licensed veterinarian.

“Unfortunately, he has now become a pawn in a politically driven agenda to disparage horse racing in California,” Ferraro said. “The people behind this effort are willing to sully and besmirch Dr. Blea's reputation to achieve their ends. And while they are in the process of achieving these goals, the health and safety of racehorses are being compromised every day that Dr. Blea is not allowed to perform his duties.

“Personally, I am dismayed that no one in authority is willing to step forward and call out this ordeal for what it is–an unwarranted and unfair vendetta,” Ferraro summed up.

No members of the CHRB voiced criticisms of Blea. But when the topic was opened up to hear the opinions of nine members of the public who had requested commentary time, sentiment turned against Blea and the CHRB's backing of him by an 8-1 margin.

Among the public opinions voiced were some that advocated for letting the VMB process play out so Blea's allegedly “reckless” behavior could be properly adjudicated. One speaker also called for Ferraro to go on the record by naming the people or entities he believes are slandering Blea.

After the public portion of the Jan. 20 CHRB meeting, the board was scheduled to discuss the case in greater detail while operating in a closed executive session.

TDN reported last week how the VMB also claims that Blea presents a “danger to public health, safety and welfare” due to his oversight of the high-profile investigation into the death of the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, the GI Kentucky Derby winner who collapsed and died after a scheduled workout Dec. 6 at Santa Anita Park.

The alleged medication violations occurred before Blea's tenure began at the CHRB, when he was previously employed as an attending veterinarian who treated racehorses.

“Although I question the veracity of those allegations, what is particularly disturbing is the desire to suspend his veterinary license in advance of his hearing, and more to the point, prevent him from working in his role as equine medical director,” said Scott Chaney, the CHRB's executive director.

“I am sorry for Dr. Blea and his family. And although he has been professional and hopeful throughout this ordeal, it is not right that his excellent reputation be besmirched in this way,” Chaney said.

Chaney said the CHRB has hired outside legal counsel to represent its interests in the case and to “right this wrong.” He added that acting veterinary personnel have been appointed to ensure that the equine medical director's duties get covered, but that the CHRB is “less effective without him.”

CHRB vice chair Oscar Gonzales said, “In order for the CHRB to keep moving in the right direction, we need Dr. Blea as equine medical director.”

Commissioner Alex Solis also spoke out in defense of Blea's character and competence.

None of the four CHRB-affiliated speakers directly addressed the charges against Blea. They largely chose to cite declining equine fatality statistics at the state's racetracks, which they said underscored the importance of having their chosen equine medical director in place to further those efforts.

Gonzales cited “outdated standards and regulations” as a factor in Blea's case, and he implored the CHRB and VMB to meet “as soon as possible” to update such standards to prevent similar “unintended consequences.”

Public commenter Lynn Freudenberg, who signed up to speak as a member of an organization called “Kill Racing, Not Horses,” advocated for the CHRB to take an introspective look at its defense of Blea.

“I know you guys have a personal relationship with Dr. Blea. And I can see why you like him. He's your veterinarian–of course you like him,” Freudenberg said. “But you have to realize that the veterinary board has reason and they have evidence, and they're asking for this to be debated if [Blea's conduct] is wrong.

“Dr. Blea is being charged with negligence. He's administering drugs, medications [and applying] treatment to animals without performing an examination or performing a diagnosis. He's just blindly giving things out. There's six cases, and they have a list of drugs that go with it,” Freudenberg said.

“These are all recent [allegations]. This is nothing from the past,” Freudenberg said. “I don't know why you would stand behind somebody when his own veterinary board is going against him. I think you have to open your eyes and see what's going on and why this is happening.”

A Jan. 11 TDN investigation into the accusations against Blea found a broad consensus among veterinary medical experts that the alleged infractions are largely matters of poor record keeping that rarely, if ever, rise to the level of a suspended license.

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Report: UC Davis Puts Blea On Administrative Leave Among Veterinary Board Proceedings

The Los Angeles Times reported Jan. 12 that Dr. Jeff Blea, equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, has been placed on administrative leave by the University of California-Davis amid continued grappling over his veterinary license. Blea is employed by the university but loaned to the racing commission — an arrangement that is common amongst other equine medical directors who are hired in partnership between local state universities and commissions.

The Times also reported that Blea had not been performing his duties as equine medical director since last week, because state attorneys were informed that contrary to their initial interpretation of California law, the position does require an active veterinary license. Previously, the CHRB had announced its intention to leave Blea in the role because it believed an active license was not required.

Blea's veterinary license was suspended at an emergency meeting held on Christmas Eve. He has not been operating his racetrack practice since taking the job of equine medical director last summer.

It is expected that UC-Davis staff members will share Blea's duties until the situation becomes more clear. The next hearing in Blea's license case is Jan. 21.

Blea had already been removed from his role overseeing the investigation into the death of Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, who dropped suddenly after completing a workout at Santa Anita. The equine medical director is not responsible for actually performing necropsies or testing biological samples on horses who die in racing or training in California or elsewhere. Those responsibilities go to veterinary pathologists and toxicologists — in California, those duties are contracted to UC-Davis, though some samples have been shipped outside California in this particular case. The equine medical director would be responsible for gathering reports and interpreting them for presentation to the board and to the public.

Many in the veterinary community have been critical of the California Veterinary Medical Board's handling of Blea's case, which they say must have political motivations. Most of the violations alleged against Blea focus on record-keeping regarding examinations and prescriptions. Two other veterinarians who had similar charges brought against them at the same time as Blea have not had their licenses suspended and do not yet have hearings scheduled.

Beem Talks Racecalling, Anxiety, on Writers’ Room

Jason Beem was just 23 years old when he had his first panic attack, but remembers it in excruciating detail to this day. “I was in law school at Gonzaga University. I was in constitutional law class and I didn't know what it was and walked out of class and freaked out in the hallway.” That episode was the beginning of over a decade-and-a-half struggle with anxiety and depression that caused him to leave racing for a period, and be hospitalized several times. The popular racecaller and podcast host talks openly about mental health on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland, with hosts Joe Bianca, Bill Finley and Jon Green, as the Green Group Guest of the Week.

He said that at times, the depression was so bad that he would have to lie down on an air mattress in the announcer's booth at River Downs because the effort to stay upright was too overwhelming. “My second year at River Downs, I really struggled,” he said. “And that was like the first time I had ever had a real depression and I didn't know what it was. I was in line at Chipotle one day, just crying and I didn't know why. And so I hadn't done a lot of therapy up until then, and so I started doing that and kind of learned what I was dealing with and also that it wasn't uncommon. I think that for me was one of the biggest helps early on was realizing that mental health issues are things that a lot of people struggle with.”

Currently the announcer at Tampa Bay Downs, he talks about being out of racing for a year and half and working as an Uber driver when BetAmerica saw his “Beemie Awards” on Twitter and reached out to see if he was interested in doing something with them. “I said I would love to do a daily podcast,” he recalled. “And that was that was literally like Christmas and we were up and going two weeks later. It really kind of came together pretty fast and, you know, just kind of took the model from what a lot of podcasts were doing; 20 minutes of chat, 25 minutes of interview and then you were out. And we've been really fortunate.”

In other segments on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horse Breeders, West Point Thoroughbreds, Legacy Bloodstock and XBTV, the writers discuss the news of the week, including: the ongoing story of California veterinarian Jeff Blea, the 2021 handle figures and how much of that could be from computer bettors, and the continuing legal battles between Bob Baffert and Churchill Downs.

Watch the video version of the podcast here.

Listen to the audio version here, or on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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