Michelle Giangiulio | Horse Racing Free Tips

Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings, January 17-23

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: 01/18/2023
Licensee: Manuel Franco
Penalty: Three-day suspension
Violation: Mid-race interference
Explainer: For having waived his right to an appeal Jockey Mr. Manuel Franco is hereby suspended for 3 NYRA racing days January 20th 2023, January 21st 2023, January 22nd 2023 inclusive. This for interference during the running of the seventh race at Aqueduct Racetrack on January 12th 2023 causing his horse ” Spiked” to be disqualified from first and placed third.

Track: Aqueduct
Date: 01/19/2023
Licensee: Michelle Giangiulio, trainer
Penalty: Ten-day suspension, $1,000 fine
Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: Having received a report from the NYS Gaming Commission Drug Testing Laboratory of the finding of Phenylbutazone in the post-race sample taken from horse ” Eight and Sand ” (#10) which raced at Aqueduct racetrack in the 9th race and finished 1st on December 11th 2022. Trainer of record Ms. Michelle Giangiulio 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 Calendar days effective January 20th 2023, through January 29th 2023, inclusive. Furthermore, the Stewards order horse “Eight and Sand” disqualified from any part of the purse and the purse redistributed as follows:

1. (#12) Itsalittlebitfunny
2. (#3) Reunion Tour
3. (#6) Our Son Jake
4. (#7) Tiza Brown
5. (#11) Escape Mission
6. (#9) Patrick the Great
7. (#4) Dancing with Rico
8. (#1) Uncle Bruce
9. (#2) Hereby
10.(#8) Red Jet
11.(#5) Chief Engineer

Ordered that during your period of suspension, you shall not directly or indirectly participate in New York State Pari-mutuel horse racing. You are denied the privileges 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 privileges 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 advice 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

Gherson (Jason) Huayas – violation date January 14; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

Abner Perez Adorno – violation date January 20; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Golden Gate Fields

Silvio Amador – violation date January 16; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Julien H Couton – violation date January 21; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Gulfstream Park

Jorge Espitia – violation date January 14; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Santa Anita

Frankie Dettori – violation date January 15; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 7 strikes

Victor Espinoza – violation date January 15; $250 fine and one-day suspension, 8 strikes

The post Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings, January 17-23 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Sea Foam Will Try To Rebound In Friday’s Alex M. Robb Stakes

Ten Strike Racing, Four Corners Racing Stable, Broadview Stables, and Cory Moelis Racing's Sea Foam will vie for his second stakes win this year in Friday's $100,000 Alex M. Robb, a nine-furlong test for New York-breds 3-years-old and up, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

A 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro, Sea Foam provided conditioner Michelle Giangiulio with her first win as a trainer when he took down the Evan Shipman at Saratoga Race Course first off the claim on Aug. 11. Leading at every point of call, Sea Foam was a dominant five-length winner in a final time of 1:50.91 for the nine furlongs.

Eighth in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup in his next outing, Sea Foam once again set the pace in the 1½ -mile race, but lost position approaching the turn and faded to the back of the field.

“It was kind of an unfortunate race,” said Giangiulio. “We had a perfect lead and then [eventual winner Magic Michael] moved really early so we had to push him a little sooner than we needed to going a mile and a half. He didn't have enough in the tank going down the stretch and I kind of put a line through that race for him.”

Sea Foam rebounded from the Greenwood Cup with a third-place finish in the Empire Classic at Belmont last time out on Oct. 30, pushed by Mr. Buff to set a hot pace for the nine furlongs before eventual Grade 1 Cigar Mile winner Americanrevolution overtook the lead and bounded away to an open-length victory.

Sea Foam was nosed out of place-honors by longshot Wild Banker, who he will face again in the Alex M. Robb. Giangiulio said she was proud of the dark bay's determination to hit the board.

“They went 45 seconds for the half-mile and he was rocking and rolling on the lead there,” Giangiulio said. “I was surprised he even held on for third. I thought he ran a monster race that day getting pushed on the lead and then kept going. I think he ran harder in that race than in the Evan Shipman. I couldn't have asked for a better run out of him.”

A win with Sea Foam would provide Giangiulio with her fourth victory at Aqueduct this year, her current Big A record standing at 6-3-0-2. In his final prep for the Alex M. Robb, Sea Foam worked five-eighths in 1:02.45 over the dirt training track at Belmont on Friday, showing Giangiulio that he is eager to get back to the races.

“He's doing great and he's ready to run,” Giangiulio said. “He needs to get a run in him at this point. He's very fresh. He's been working five furlongs, nice and easy, nothing crazy. We just let him do his thing. He loves his job and tries his heart out when he runs. He's such a cool horse. He'll be tough to beat on Friday.”

Kendrick Carmouche will pilot Sea Foam from post 4.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez will have two chances to secure his second Alex M. Robb victory when he sends out stakes winner Tiergan and veteran runner Danny California.

Tiergan enters the Alex M. Robb hoping to continue improving off a career-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure earned last time out when he steps back up to stakes company for the third time this year.

Co-owned by Rodriguez with Michael Imperio and Andrew Gurdon, Tiergan was last seen finishing third in a one-turn mile optional claimer on November 28 at the Big A. The grey gelding was game in defeat, finishing three-quarter lengths behind the winner and losing place honors by just a head with jockey Raul Mena up.

“He ran a very good race and Raul rode him well,” said Rodriguez. “Raul had to be aggressive with him but we are very pleased with the way he ran. It's why we are taking a chance here in this race.”

Rodriguez said the stretch out in distance will benefit Tiergan, who boasts a record of 4-2-1-0 at nine furlongs.

“The competition is coming up pretty tough, but I think he deserves a chance, especially at a mile and an eighth,” Rodriguez said. “I think that's what he wants to do. He wants a steady pace and I think he's going to be competitive.”

Tiergan's best win to date is an off-the-turf score in the nine-furlong Ashely T. Cole at Belmont in September, battling down to the wire with Three Jokers to win by a head as the biggest price in the field of three. Rodriguez said despite the short field, Tiergan gave a convincing performance.

“It was an encouraging race,” said Rodriguez. “We are always looking for good spots to run as main track only because we don't have many grass horses, so we got lucky and it worked well for us.”

Tiergan has been a consistent member of Rodriguez's barn, finishing off the board just once in his nine starts since he was claimed for $16,000 from Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in January.

“He's a solid horse. He's a little aggressive but he's a beautiful, strong, nice looking horse. If you're not careful, he'll bite you with no regard,” Rodriguez said with a laugh.

Tiergan posted a bullet five-furlong work over Belmont's dirt training track on December 20, breezing in 1:01.80 with Mena up.

“He's been training very well since we claimed him and we're happy to have him around,” Rodriguez said. “Raul has been riding him in the mornings and I think he's a good rider. He's hungry and he tries. He doesn't get many opportunities, but I like the way he's been riding.”

Mena gets the call again from the outermost post 9.

Rodriguez will also send out stakes winning gelding Danny California in search of his second win of the year.

A 6-year-old son of Afleet Alex, Danny California enters the Alex M. Robb as the most seasoned runner in the field of nine with 43 lifetime starts and eight wins. Danny California has a pair of stakes placings and one win from 12 starts this year, his best stakes effort coming in the Commentator when he ran second to runaway winner Bankit in the one-mile test at Belmont in May.

The chestnut gelding was initially trained by Tom Morley for his first 12 starts, dabbling in the claiming ranks before being transferred to the barn of Jorge Abreu for owners West Point Thoroughbreds and Chris Larsen. Claimed by Orlando Noda just five starts later, Danny California began his journey to stakes competition, steadily making progress through allowance conditions for Noda.

With three wins and four on-the-board efforts at the allowance level, Noda decided to give Danny California his first try at stakes company, contesting the Miner's Mark at Belmont last year. With Manny Franco up, Danny California went wire-to-wire to earn his lone stakes victory by 1 3/4 lengths over graded stakes winner You're To Blame.

After off-the-board finishes in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Keeneland and in last year's running of the Alex M. Robb, Danny California moved back to allowance company and was claimed by Rodriguez for $40,000 out of a fourth-place effort in an optional claimer on April 16.

Now owned by Michael Dubb and Karen Murphy, Danny California has earned one win for his connections, scoring an optional claimer at Saratoga on August 7 with a stalking trip under Luis Saez.

Third next time out in the Evan Shipman at Saratoga behind Sea Foam, Danny California was most recently seen finishing seventh in the same optional claimer as Tiergan on November 28.

“I was considering a non-winners of two allowance but I let the owners decide where to go with him,” Rodriguez said. “I think he'll run well in the stakes. His best distance is a mile and an eighth and they don't have that many races at that distance for older horses. So, I think this is a good race for him.”

Danny California will break from post 2 with Jose Ortiz aboard.

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Eddie F's Racing's Chowda will attempt to close out his 4-year-old campaign with his first victory since taking the Gander at Aqueduct last year for trainer Gary Sciacca.

The New York-bred son of Emcee finished fourth behind his full-brother, Lobsta, in the Thunder Rumble division of the New York Stallion Stakes Series last time out on December 5, going seven furlongs for the first time since his 2-year-old season.

Ridden by Eric Cancel in the Thunder Rumble, Chowda was held in third after breaking sixth and tracked behind Lobsta through an opening quarter-mile in 23.10 seconds. Racing two paths from the rail down the backstretch, Chowda briefly caught up to Lobsta rounding the turn and kept to the inside before backtracking and staying on well to finish fourth.

Chowda breezed a half-mile in 49.52 over Belmont Park's dirt training track on Friday in his last drill for the Alex M. Robb. The dark bay gelding's best performance this year came in the Genesee Valley Breeders' at Finger Lakes Racetrack where he was beaten just a half-length going 1 1/16 miles.

Cancel will ride again from post 7.

Completing a salty Alex M. Robb field are three-time winner Kaz's Beach [post 1, Trevor McCarthy], Grade 2 Remsen winner Brooklyn Strong [post 3, Abner Adorno], Say Florida Sandy winner Our Last Buck [post 5, Manny Franco], Empire Classic runner-up Wild Banker [post 6, Dylan Davis], and multiple stakes winner Captain Bombastic [post 8, Jose Lezcano].

The Alex M. Robb is named for the Executive Secretary of Thoroughbred Racing in 1946 who served as the General Manager of Belmont Park in 1946 and the Director of the Thoroughbred Breeders Service Bureau in 1962. Slated as Race 7 on Friday's eight race card, post time for the Alex M. Robb will be at 3:36 p.m. Eastern with first post set for 12:50 p.m.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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Giangiulio Readies Sea Foam For Empire Classic

Ten Strike Racing and Four Corners Racing Stable's Sea Foam provided trainer Michelle Giangiulio a memorable first career win by capturing the nine-furlong $100,000 Evan Shipman Handicap, a nine-furlong test for New York-breds 3-years-old and up in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Last out, Sea Foam finished a distant eighth after setting the pace under Joel Rosario in the 12-furlong Grade 3 Greenwood Cup on September 25 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

The 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro breezed a half-mile in :50.09 Friday over Big Sandy in preparation for a start in the $300,000 Empire Classic, a nine-furlong test for state-breds 3-years-old and up on October 30.

“He had a good work. He came out of his last race really well,” Giangiulio said. “He set a perfect pace and I think he handled the distance fine, but Joel told me the 7-horse [Sheer Flattery] moved so early that he really had to ride him for quite a bit. It messed up the race for us. Going a mile and a half, you can't move early but he really didn't have a choice. We'll put a line through that race and head for the Empire Classic.”

Giangiulio, who took out her license late last year, had previously worked with a number of trainers including Tom Morley, Horacio DePaz, Joe Sharp, and her uncle, Carlos Guerrero.

The up-and-coming conditioner sent out her first starter, Parade Field, to a third-place finish in February at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., and the gelding was claimed for $25,000. Her second [Easy Shot] and fourth [Wagon Boss] starters were also claimed.

Giangiulio went to the claim box in order to restock her barn but said she initially struggled to halter new talent before landing Sea Foam for $45,000 out of a winning effort in a nine-furlong state-bred optional-claiming route on July 30 at the Spa

“Before we got Sea Foam, I was losing a lot of shakes up at Saratoga. I must have lost at least 12 shakes in a row,” Giangiulio said. “And then one day, I won a two-way shake to claim a filly off of Bruce Brown and the following day I dropped on Sea Foam and won a two-way shake. It's funny how it worked out because if I'd won some of those shakes at the beginning of the meet, I probably wouldn't have ended up with Sea Foam.”

Bred in the Empire State by Waterville Lake Stables, Sea Foam is out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare Strike It Rich.

Sea Foam boasts significant back class having captured the 2017 Notebook at Aqueduct and a year later won the New York Derby at Finger Lakes in Farmington, N.Y., and the Albany at Saratoga.

On August 5, Joey Loose Lips, claimed by Giangiulio for $25,000, ran a game second in a Saratoga allowance route as a live longshot. The dark bay Effinex gelding opened up a three-length lead at the top of the stretch but was nailed at the wire by Bingo John, who had been a regular workmate of Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality.

Six days later, Sea Foam was sent to the lead in the Evan Shipman and extended a two-length lead at the stretch call to an impressive five-length score providing Giangiulio her first win in just her sixth career start.

“It's like a story you read about. It's not something you expect to experience yourself and it was amazing to have that as my first career win,” Giangiulio said. “I had almost won an allowance race the week before with a horse I had claimed and he ran a super race but we just got nicked at the wire. I thought that was going to be my first win, but the following week we went and won the stake. It was just meant to be.”

Giangiulio, who currently oversees five horses at Belmont, said she will look to add to her stable as she prepares for a fall/winter campaign at the Big A.

“Hopefully, we can keep the ball rolling,” Giangiulio said.

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: ‘Still Hard To Believe That It Really Happened’

When Thoroughbred trainer Michelle Giangiulio took out her license in the fall of 2020, she expected that there would be challenges. Bills, stress, and the general volatility that can come from working with horses are all things that the New Jersey-born horsewoman knows well.

What she didn't expect was just how hard it would be to keep a horse, any horse, in her barn.

“The first starter I sent out in March got claimed immediately,” said Giangilulio. “He was the only horse I had, so it was hard to keep things going. I know it's part of the game, but I didn't know that they would take him out of a one-person stable. But the thing is, you have to have had one starter before you can claim. So, after that, I really started working on claiming. I was just so unlucky.”

Claiming would prove to be another hurdle. Despite her hustle, the fledgling trainer lost shake after shake. Her second horse, sent to her by horseman Marshall Gramm—who had also sent her first starter—was claimed on his first outing. A couple more horses would eventually trickle in, but in the days leading up to her summer move to Saratoga Race Course, Giangiulio's prospects for increasing her stable were still looking slim.

“It was funny how it set up because I was dropping every day on horses, and I was losing every shake every day. I could not get one single horse,” said Giangiulio. “I think I lost 12 shakes in a row before finally, I won two back-to-back.”

One of those horses was Sea Foam, a 6-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro. With him, Giangiulio's claiming woes would be forgotten. Only the sixth starter of Giangiulio's career, Sea Foam delivered the trainer her first victory in the Aug. 11 Evan Shipman Handicap at Saratoga.
Since then, Giangiulio's phone hasn't stopped ringing.

“It's been surreal,” said Giangiulio. “There have been so many podcasts and reporters and I was in the newspaper. It's been such a fun experience.

“To think about it now, it really set up perfectly because if I had won a few other shakes, I probably wouldn't have been able to get Sea Foam. I'm a small stable and I don't have any employees. It's only me. If I'd got up to five or six horses, I couldn't really get anything else, so I think it was meant to be.”

Giangiulio's path to becoming a newly minted stakes-winning trainer has been a winding one. Growing up on a farm in New Jersey where her father and grandfather bred Thoroughbreds, she always knew she wanted to work with horses, but I what capacity, she wasn't sure.

“I really didn't get involved in horse racing until I was out of my teenage years and into my early twenties,” said Giangiulio. “I was in the show world for a very long time really. I got a job on a farm when I was about 13 years old, and I started showing professionally at that age. The issue was that I really didn't get anywhere and showing is very expensive and political. I knew I wanted to be a horse trainer; I just didn't know exactly what discipline I wanted to do.”

Seeking advice, Giangiulio turned to her uncle, trainer Carlo Guerrero, based at Parx Racing less than an hour from her home. Under his tutelage, Giangiulio said she learned everything it took to train a Thoroughbred and acquired the skills, the confidence, and the contacts she needed to move up in the industry.

“It was a great experience at Parx, but it didn't feel like it was where I wanted to be,” said Giangiulio. “I moved to New York and got a job with Chad Brown through a friend and that was a really cool experience to be able to work with really, really nice horses. I then worked for quite a few trainers. I've been here six or seven years now and I've I worked for Joe Sharp, Tom Morley, Horacio DePaz, Kelly Breen … quite a few.”

At the end of 2020 and with the support of client Marshall Gramm, whom she had worked for under Guerrero at Parx, Giangiulio decided it was time to strike out on her own. From there, Giangiulio would play the numbers game until at last, Sea Foam found his way into her hands.

Claimed for the partnership of Ten Strike Racing and Four Corners Racing Stable, Sea Foam was picked up off a July 30 allowance optional claiming race win at Saratoga from the barn of Christophe Clement. A New York-bred who had already banked just over $500,00 in purses, Sea Foam's previous stakes-wining history and forward training style gave Giangiulio the confidence he could win the 1 1/8-mile Evan Shipman.

“It came up as a five-horse field and I had heard that Steve Asmussen wasn't going in with his three nominees,” said Giangiulio. “Sea Foam came out of the race where I claimed him so well and he was doing so good that when I saw this race came up light, I wanted to take a shot. The only horse I was worried about was Mr. Buff because he's a speed horse and Sea Foam only likes to run on the lead. But Mr. Buff didn't show up that day, so we got the lead and when Sea Foam gets the lead, he is tough to beat. He can run all day. That's what he wants, to be on the lead by himself.

“Watching him run I just thought, 'Is this really happening right now? This is amazing!' It's still hard to believe that it really happened. To win your first career win in a stake, off the claim, off a very well-known trainer … the story can't get any better than that.

“One thing that is funny is that the week before Sea Foam ran, I had a horse (Joey Loose Lips) run in an allowance race. He was bumping up in class and we just got beat at the wire. I thought for sure he would be my first winner but the following week, Sea Foam just jumped up and won the stake, so I know I wasn't supposed to win that allowance. I saved my first win for the stake. It was just really, really special.”

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Now stabled at Belmont Park year-round, Giangiulio has six horses in her stable. Sea Foam will likely target a next start in the Sept. 25 Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx, where he will try his luck at a mile and a half.

While the size of her stable has increased, Giangiulio remains a one-woman show. But with new clients and a renewed goal to claim new runners this winter, it's a status that Giangiulio hopes to change in the coming months.

“I'm grooming, galloping, and hot walking right now. It's been really hard to find help this year so I knew I would have to do it this way,” said Giangiulio. “I also don't have a lot of money to have a full payroll. It's expensive to do this with supplies and tack and everything else. I'm really looking now to start hiring. I have a lot of owners that want to claim, and I have new owners who want to send me horses so once I get back to Belmont and I'm settled in, I'm going to start building up.”

Despite her spotty luck in claiming at the start of her career, Sea Foam's success has proved to Giangiulio that claiming will remain a central part of her operation. The opportunity to provide hands on attention to young and previously trained horses remains central to Giangiulio's philosophy as a trainer.

“I'm always looking for a nice claimer that I can improve,” said Giangiulio. They're good horses and I got started in the claiming game, so I know that I'm good at it. In the spring, Marshall Gramm usually has a lot of nice 2-year-olds and he said that he would send some to me. He usually sends them to Brad Cox, but Brad is growing so big now, so I should be getting some nice 2-year-olds. But for now, it'll be the claiming game for me.

“There are a lot of challenges in being a trainer, but in less than a year I feel like I've come really far. I only have a few horses, but they're all good horses. I'm just so happy with how things have been going and I feel fortunate. I don't want to grow too big. All the trainers I've worked for over the years have told me to take my time and not grow too fast because the expenses are ridiculous when you start having a payroll and other bills. It's already a bit overwhelming now, so I'm happy where I'm at. I have everything organized so that when I do build, I'll know what to do. I also feel like I have an advantage because no one knows these horses better than I do. There is nothing more rewarding that seeing a horse win that you've been doing all the work on. Knowing nobody else has touched that horse but you—it's pretty special.”

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