neil howard | Horse Racing Free Tips

Neil Howard was back in the Keeneland winner's circle after the seventh race Thursday with Emory Hamilton's homebred Flanigan's Cove, this time in his new role as the Kentucky assistant for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. Flanigan's Cove was the first horse Howard saddled for McGaughey.

Howard, who sent out the final starter of his 43-year career Monday, Oct. 11 at Indiana Grand, had his final Keeneland starter Oct. 8 when Wing Commander ran fifth in an allowance race.

“I am officially done,” Howard said Thursday afternoon. “I had a couple of horses that Shug graciously took over and I put them in his name. I'm just an assistant trainer now.”

Howard is eighth all-time in Keeneland victories with 166 and is 13th in stakes wins with 20. His first stakes victory came in the 1990 Blue Grass (G2) with Summer Squall. He won the Ben Ali (G3) five times, including in 2003 with Horse of the Year Mineshaft. Howard also won the race in 1999, 2004, 2005 and 2016.

The post Neil Howard Makes His Way Back To Keeneland Winner’s Circle In New Role appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trainer Neil Howard, a mainstay on the Kentucky Thoroughbred circuit for nearly four decades, told the Daily Racing Form he plans to disband his stable and take a role as assistant for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.

“This is a business of change,” Howard, 72, told DRF. The last year or two, I'd been thinking of doing something like this. Shug recently presented me with this opportunity and I took it. That's the long and short of it.”

Howard is best known for his conditioning of Horse of the Year Mineshaft, as well as Preakness winner and Derby runner-up Summer Squall. Over his 42-year training career, Howard saddled 1,256 winners from 6,934 starters, including 186 stakes races (85 graded). Howard was also the private trainer for Lane's End Farm from 1983 through the late 2000s, when Farish began employing multiple trainers, including McGaughey.

Howard plans to make the transition over the next several weeks.

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Neil Howard Makes His Way Back To Keeneland Winner’s Circle In New Role

Trainer Neil Howard Plans Transition To Assistant For Shug McGaughey