National Thoroughbred Racing Association | Horse Racing Free Tips

All-Star Panel Of Experts Set For Inaugural Racecourse Manager Certification Program

An all-star panel of national experts on turf management and ongoing maintenance headlines (or leads) the June 7 session of the inaugural Racecourse Manager Certification program, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and University of Kentucky announced Tuesday.

The program is the first in a three-course program entitled “Turfgrass as an Equine Sports Surface.” Jamie Richardson, Racetrack Superintendent at Churchill Downs, will provide introductory remarks at the opening session. Other speakers include:

Mike Boekholder, Boekholder & Associates;
Logan Freeman, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa Maryland;
Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University;
Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University;
Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., Director of Agronomy, Mountain View Seeds; and
Geoffrey Rinehart, MS, Turfgrass Management Lecturer, University of Maryland

The Racecourse Manager Certification program curriculum is designed for those already engaged in careers with turf surface maintenance. The online classes are free. Individuals who complete the video courses and pass a test that requires a $50 fee will receive a certificate of completion from the University of Kentucky. Participating Thoroughbred racetracks that enroll their personnel will receive credit toward future accreditation by the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance.

Individuals who pre-register at https://www.ntra.com/rmcp/ will be sent a Zoom link prior to the webinar on June 7 at 9 am.

The curriculum for the turf management course was developed by Michael “Mick” Peterson, Ph.D., Director of the Racetrack Safety Program at the University of Kentucky and Executive Director of the Racing Surfaces and Testing Laboratory (RSTL).

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Help Wanted: Applications Being Accepted For Director Of NTRA Communications

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) today announced that it is seeking applications for the position of Director of NTRA Communications.

The Director of NTRA Communications, which will be based in the organization's Lexington, Ky., office, will be responsible for the overall communication efforts of the NTRA while also serving as a clearinghouse and resource for national and industry trade media.

For more details on the position, visit https://www.ntra.com/about/employment/.

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the Eclipse Awards; the National Horseplayers Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC®, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).

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Rombauer Vaults To Lead In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred Rombauer, a 3 ½-length winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, has risen to No. 1 in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll, taking over from Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve runner-up Mandaloun.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer, a bay son of Twirling Candy, received seven first-place votes and 311 points, rocketing from 30th place last week to the top spot. In February, Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, and was third in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in April before the Preakness.

Godolphin's Essential Quality, who finished fourth in the Derby as the 5-2 favorite, moved from third to second place. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality has 13 first-place votes and 298 points. Juddmonte's Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, is now in third place with seven first-place votes and 281 points. Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Derby, drops one spot to fourth place. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 236 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness, following his front-running win in the Kentucky Derby, slides from fourth to fifth place. Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit has eight first-place votes and 221 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who finished second in the Preakness, rises from seventh to sixth place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 204 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated bay filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, drops from fifth to seventh place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has two first-place votes and 202 points. The Asmussen-trained Jackie's Warrior, owned by Kirk and Judy Robison, remains in eighth place. Winner of the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU at Churchill Downs, Jackie's Warrior has 74 points. WinStar Farm and CHC's Life Is Good, off the Triple Crown trail due to injury, rises from 10th to ninth place. Life Is Good has one first-place vote and 55 points. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, falls to 10th place with 54 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide, has been atop the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses for eight consecutive weeks since winning the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 31 first-place votes and 350 points.

The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, is in second place with five first-place votes and 283 points. Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam (224 points), who finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, rises from fourth to third place.

Two Cox-trained runners ― Knicks Go and Monomoy Girl ― are in fourth and fifth, respectively. Korea Racing Authority's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go has one first-place vote and 220 points, while My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the reigning older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, has 199 points.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (153 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, is now in sixth place, switching positions with Michael Lund Peterson's Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Gamine (145 points), who drops to seventh. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, remains in eighth place with one first-place vote and 139 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (91 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, is in ninth place. Completing the top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (64 points), for trainer Chad Brown.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-may-17-2021/

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Medina Spirit Drops To Fourth In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

Following the report of a failed drug test by race winner Medina Spirit after the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve at Churchill Downs on May 1, there has been a shake up in the top five positions in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll. Juddmonte's Mandaloun, runner-up to Medina Spirit by a half-length in the Derby, has risen to No. 1 in the poll, with Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit dropping to No. 4.

Trained by Brad Cox, Mandaloun, who was third in last week's poll, received six first-place votes and 277 points. Mandaloun's stablemate, Godolphin's Essential Quality, who finished fourth in the Derby as the 5-2 favorite and is also trained by Cox, remains in second place with eight first-place votes and 275 points. Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Derby, moves up one place to third. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 250 points. Medina Spirit, trained by Bob Baffert, is next with 18 first-place votes and 215 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated bay filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, stays in fifth place with one first-place vote and 184 points for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Gary and Mary West's homebred, Concert Tour, winner of the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn, holds onto sixth place. Also trained by Baffert, Concert Tour has 99 points. Two Steve Asmussen-trained horses are next. Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who finished sixth in the Derby, has 80 points and moves from 10th to seventh place in this week's poll. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, who captured Churchill's Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU, is in an eighth-place tie with Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. Both Jackie's Warrior and Rock Your World, the latter trained by John Sadler, have 77 points. WinStar Farm and CHC's Life Is Good, off the Triple Crown trail due to injury, drops from seventh to 10th place, registering one first-place vote and 74 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide, winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, retains the top position in this week's National Thoroughbred Poll. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 27 first-place votes and 310 points. The Baffert-trained 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, is in second place with five first-place votes and 250 points. Two Cox-trained runners have switched positions this week. Korea Racing Authority's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go rises from fifth to third place with one first-place vote and 187 points, while Monomoy Girl, the reigning older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, is now in fifth place. Monomoy Girl, owned by My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables, has 181 points. Sandwiched in between Knicks Go and Monomoy Girl, in fourth place, is Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam (184 points), who finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs.

The next five positions in the poll remain unchanged. Michael Lund Peterson's Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Gamine (138 points) is in sixth place. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (132 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, is in seventh place. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, is in eighth place with one first-place vote and 116 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (84 points) is in ninth place. Completing the Top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (51 points), for trainer Chad Brown.

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