Mike Welsch | Horse Racing Free Tips

Kiaran McLaughlin to Receive Bill Mooney Award

Kiaran McLaughlin will be presented with the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters' Bill Mooney Award for displaying courage in the face of tremendous adversity. McLaughlin, long a leading trainer, has battled multiple sclerosis for more than two decades.

“I'm incredibly honored to receive this award,” said McLaughlin, who currently works as a jockey's agent for Luis Saez.

McLaughlin joins four prior Mooney winners–the award's namesake who died after a long battle with cancer in 2017, retired jockey Joy Scott, retired jockey and owner Rene Douglas and horsewoman Martine Bellocq.

“It's remarkable the way he's handled the adversity of MS all these years; you wouldn't even know it,” said McLaughlin's longtime friend, colleague and fellow former Lukas protege Todd Pletcher. “He's met it head on, never relinquished his pursuit of excellence, whether it was training and now as an agent for Luis.”

McLaughlin will be honored at the NTWAB's 62nd annual Awards Dinner at Malone's Prime Events in Lexington Nov. 2.

Other honorees at the NTWAB Annual Awards Dinner will be Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale (Mr. Fitz Award); Eclipse Award-winning photographer Barbara Livingston (Joe Palmer Award); Chris Lincoln (Jim McKay Award); and Mike Welsch and Tom Pedulla (Walter Haight Award), along with other writing award winners to be announced that evening.

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That’s The Ticket! Gulfstream Hosts, Handicappers Offer Advice On Mandatory Payout Rainbow 6

The mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where the pool is expected to grow to $6 million or more, features two stakes, four turf races, and a closing sequence featuring 11 juveniles going a mile in a maiden special weight event on the grass.

The challenging sequence, which begins with the sixth race, also includes the $100,000 Mr. Prospector (G3) featuring seven graded-stakes winners going seven furlongs, and the $100,000 Via Borghese, a 1 3/16 mile turf event for fillies and mares.

Gulfstream hosts and analysts Jason Blewitt, Acacia Courtney and Ron Nicoletti along with Mike Welsch of the Daily Racing Form and Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press have put together tickets for Saturday's Rainbow 6.

Some of the more interesting selections include:

Nicoletti using Hero Up (30-1) in the first leg
Reynolds including Inventing Blame (12-1) in the third leg.
Welsch putting Lasting Legacy (15-1) in the fifth leg
Courtney including 20-1 shot Kentucky Pharoah in the final leg

Rainbow 6 Tickets

Jason Blewitt, Gulfstream analyst
Race 6: 5-9-10
Race 7: 1-5-7-8
Race 8: 1-7
Race 9: 2-8-9
Race 10: 7-9
Race 11: 2-5-9-11

Cost: $115.20

Acacia Courtney, Gulfstream analyst
Race 6: 9-10
Race 7: 4-8
Race 8: 1-4
Race 9: 2-3-8
Race 10: 4-7-9
Race 11: 1-3-7-9-1

Cost – $72

Ron Nicoletti, Gulfstream analyst
Race 6: 4-9-1
Race 7: 1-4-7
Race 8: 1-9-12
Race 9: 2-8-9
Race 10: 7-9
Race 11: 4-5-11

Cost: $97.20

Tim Reynolds, Associated Press

Race 6: 5-7
Race 7: 3-4-7
Race 8: 4-9-12
Race 9: 2-4-8-9
Race 10: 7-9
Race 11: 1-3-9

Cost: $86.40

Mike Welsch, Daily Racing Form
Race 6: 5-7-10
Race 7: 1-4
Race 8: 1-7
Race 9: 2-3-8
Race 10: 1-7-9
Race 11: 1-2-4

Cost: $64.80

The post That’s The Ticket! Gulfstream Hosts, Handicappers Offer Advice On Mandatory Payout Rainbow 6 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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‘Scary’ Good: Tonalist’s Shape Will Add Blinkers For CCA Oaks

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. believes he may have found the key to talented 3-year-old filly Tonalist's Shape, and just in time for Saturday's running of the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.

In her last several workouts, the Tonalist filly has sported blinkers. She'll don the new equipment on Saturday as well, which Joseph believes will help her step up against the competition.

“She's already proven she's a nice filly, but we needed a couple more lengths to be one of the top fillies,” Joseph said on Wednesday's media teleconference organized by the NTRA. “It's almost scary how good she worked in the blinkers. I even asked some of the clockers that I respect, like Mike Welsch, and everyone seems to think she's much better in the blinkers.”

On Tuesday, Tonalist's Shape had her first workout at Saratoga and clocked a bullet three furlongs in 34.26 seconds, more than two seconds faster than any other breeze at the distance.

“She's never been a fast work horse,” Joseph said, adding, “but the blinkers seem to have made all positive notes.”

Tonalist's Shape was entered in last weekend's G1 Ashland at Keeneland, but scratched out of that tough field (won by Speech in track-record time) to point to the nine-furlong CCA Oaks instead.

Both the Ashland, a 1 1/16-mile route, and the Coaching Club will over 170 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on a 100-40-20-10 scale to the first four finishers.

“The Coaching Club seems like a spot where we were likely to be the favorite,” said Joseph. “That doesn't mean we're going to win, but it gives her the best shot to do so.”

In her seven career starts, Tonalist's Shape has only been defeated once, when seventh behind eventual G1 winner Swiss Skydiver in the Gulfstream Park Oaks. Most recently, the filly won the 1 1/16-mile Hollywood Wildcat Stakes at Gulfstream on May 15 by 3 3/4 lengths.

Entries for the CCA Oaks will be taken Wednesday afternoon, with the field expected to include: Altaf (Chad Brown), Antoinette (Bill Mott), Crystal Ball (Bob Baffert), Paris Lights (Bill Mott), and Velvet Crush (Rodolphe Brisset).

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