New York Racing Association | Horse Racing Free Tips

Baffert’s Gotham Noms Switched to New Trainers

The nominees for the Mar. 4 GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct include four horses that have been under the care of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, but were nominated under the names of new trainers.

Baffert is banned from running in this year's GI Kentucky Derby and any horse under the care of a trainer suspended by Churchill Downs must be moved to a new barn by Feb. 28 in order to earn Derby qualifying points. On Friday, a U.S. District Judge ruled against Baffert as he sought a temporary injunction that would have allowed him to enter the Derby. Baffert was also banned by the New York Racing Association, but its one-year suspension ended Jan. 26.

The news that Baffert-trainees are switching stables for a possible run in the Gotham was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's David Grening.

The Baffert Gotham nominees are the Amr Zedan-owned pair of Arabian Lion (Justify) and Hejazi (Bernardini) and Carmel Road (Quality Road) and Fort Warren (Curlin). The latter two are owned by partnerships consisting of SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stable LLC and others. Arabian Lion, Hejazi and Carmel Road were nominated under the name of Tim Yakteen. Fort Warren was nominated under the name of Brittany Russell. It was not clear who, if any of the Baffert/Yakteen/Russell horses, will start in the Gotham.

With Baffert also suspended from running in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, the two starters in the race from his barn, Taiba (Gun Runner) and Messier (Empire Maker), competed for Yatkeen, a former assistant to Baffert.

Several other Baffert trained 3-year-old colts will also likely be on the move within the next few days. Nominations for the GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita, also to be run Mar. 4, close Thursday and any horse from the Baffert stable with eyes on a possible Kentucky Derby start will need to find a new home.

The GII Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream will also be run Mar. 4. Baffert nominated Hard to Figure (Hard Spun), the runner-up in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. According to Grening's report, Baffert was listed as the trainer on the nomination.

Plans for Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo) and Cave Rock (Arrogate), generally considered the top two 3-year-olds in the Baffert stable, have yet to be announced.

Baffert is expected to have starters in Saturday's GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn. All of his nominees to that race are listed under his own name. But the Rebel takes place before the Feb. 28 deadline.

The Gotham starters were not the first 3-year-olds from the Baffert barn to find a new home. After breaking his maiden for Baffert Jan. 22 at Santa Anita, Harlocap (Justify) ran for Steve Asmussen in Saturday's GII Risen Star S. He finished sixth.

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The Week in Review: Baffert Bigger, Stronger Than Ever

Bob Baffert has certainly taken his lumps ever since it was discovered that Medina Spirit (Protonico) tested positive for a banned substance in the 2021 GI Kentucky Derby. He was hit with a 90-day suspension from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the New York Racing Association banned him for a year and Churchill Downs banned him for two years. Though Baffert is still fighting the Churchill ban, in all likelihood, he will not be allowed to start a horse in this year's Derby, which would be the second straight year he was prevented from running a horse in the race.

Then, it was reported last week, that horses currently trained by Baffert must be sent to another trainer by Feb. 28. If not, they will not be eligible for qualifying points for the Derby. Last year, he didn't have to turn over his Derby hopefuls to another stable until just prior to the last round of Derby preps, races like the GI Santa Anita Derby and the GI Arkansas Derby.

With just about any other trainer, these penalties could have been a major setback, with owners sending their horses to new barns. But Baffert is not any other trainer. When it comes to winning Triple Crown races he is arguably the best there has ever been and owners know that teaming up with him improves their chances of winning the sport's most coveted races, even if he might not be the trainer of their horses when it comes Derby time. No one walked away.

So it's no surprise that Baffert has not suffered the “irreparable harm” that his lawyers kept arguing would be the case when contesting the suspensions. But no one could have foreseen what was to come, that Baffert would emerge from this with more firepower than he has ever had.

That was on full display last weekend. Baffert won the GIII Southwest S. at Oaklawn with Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo). The next day he captured the GII San Vicente S. with Havnameltdown (Uncaptured), a race in which he sent out three of the four starters. But nothing shined a light on Baffert's dominance quite like the list of nominees for the GIII Robert B. Lewis S., which was released Saturday. Sixteen horses were nominated and 14 are trained by Baffert. He very well could be the only trainer to have a horse in next Saturday's race.

The list of owners of the horses nominated for the Lewis is a stellar group, individuals and partnerships who have remained fiercely loyal to Baffert. You have Zedan Racing Stables, Michael Lund Petersen, the Pegram, Watson, Weitman partnership and the SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables partnership.

The list of Lewis nominees does not include Cave Rock (Arrogate). The GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile runner-up who was Baffert's best 2-year-old last year, Cave Rock, as of Sunday, had not had a published workout in 2023, not a good sign with the Derby just 95 days away.

Baffert's weekend also included a win in the GIII Las Virgenes S. for 3-year-old fillies with Faiza (Girvin) and a second-place finish with Defunded (Dialed In) in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

None of which means that Baffert, or whomever is brought in prior to the Derby, has to win the race, but they will likely head to Churchill with a very strong hand, one led by Arabian Knight. After an electric win in his debut Nov. 5 at Keeneland, he had no problem with the next test, two turns and stakes competition in the Southwest. While GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte (Violence) has accomplished more than Arabian Knight, the Baffert runner, who cost $2.3 million at the OBS April sale, has been so impressive that he looks like the leader of the division and he tops the TDN's Derby Top 12. Look for him to take the Oaklawn route to the Derby and follow in the footsteps of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), who won the GII Rebel S. and the Arkansas Derby on his way to Louisville.

The most starters Baffert has ever had in the Derby is three, which he has done four times. Last year, Tim Yakteen, subbing for Baffert, had two. Could Baffert, or whomever is brought in to deputize, have six or seven starters in this year's race? It seems entirely possible. And after the Derby has been run, the last of the suspensions or bans that Baffert has been hit with, will be over. He can move on.

With the two-year anniversary of Medina Spirit having tested positive in the Derby coming up, the Hall of Fame trainer has proved his resiliency and his major owners have all stood by him. It's no doubt been a trying two years for Baffert, but it could have been a lot worse. He's stronger than ever.

Numbers Plummet at Sam Houston

For those of you who missed it, Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) won Saturday's GIII Houston Ladies Classic at Sam Houston and Scarlet Fusion (Curlin) captured the GIII John Connally Turf Cup. Not that hardly anybody was able to watch or wager on those races.

You have to feel bad for Sam Houston management, which has done a good job over the years promoting what it calls the Houston Racing Festival. The event has given the track some needed exposure over the years and brought in some good horses. Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) won the Ladies Classic in 2019 and Letruska (Super Saver) captured the race in 201.

But this year, thanks to a hissy fit from the Texas Racing Commission, the Saturday card at Sam Houston was all but invisible. The Texas racing regulators pulled the plug on the simulcasting of all races in the state after declaring that the advent of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act meant it was illegal to send the races out of state. So, unless you were present in Texas Saturday, you could neither watch nor bet on the Sam Houston races. With no betting being taken on the races, none of the major ADWs showed the Sam Houston races.

The results were predictable. The handle on the day was $488,385. Last year, when the races were run on a Sunday, the handle was $5,698,052. That's a decline of 91.4%.

The Texas tracks get some of their purse money from a fund that comes from sales taxes on horse feed, tack and other horse-related products and services. But trying to maintain purses when the handle is next to nothing is not feasible. Meanwhile, the Texas Racing Commission continues to cut off its nose to spite its face, putting the future of racing in the state in jeopardy.

At Pegasus World Cup, Business is Booming

1/ST Racing has put a lot of its resources behind turning a day at the races into an event. The best example is Pegasus World Cup Day. By combining a stellar day of racing, a $3-million race and a number of on-track entertainment options, 1/ST has turned the day into a horse racing party.

That might not appeal to everyone as there are surely a lot of curmudgeonly horseplayers who could do without having to pay a good dollar to attend and have no interest in listening to musical acts whose audience are Gen Z-ers. But it is working. They handled $43,886,543 Saturday at Gulfstream. Up until 2016, the race was not the Pegasus but the GI Donn H. and the likes of Kygo, OneRepublic and Joe Jonas were nowhere to be found. In the last year of the Donn, the handle was $19,954,971. It has more than doubled since.

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New Bonus Programs Offered for ’23 Belmont Spring/Summer Meet

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) plans to rollout a pair of new bonus programs for juvenile horses competing at the 2023 spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, which will run from Thursday, May 4 through Sunday, July 9. The newly-launched starter bonus will apply to scheduled juvenile dirt races and awards $2,000 [$1,000 to the owner, $1,000 to the trainer] to each official starter in the race. The starter bonus program, available to open-company and state-bred company, also applies to a pair of 5 1/2-furlong juvenile stakes on Sunday, June 11 in the $150,000 Tremont S. and its filly counterpart, the $150,000 Astoria S.

Additionally, trainers who start a horse in any 2-year-old race [dirt or turf] at the spring/summer meet that are not stabled at a NYRA racetrack, a shipping bonus of $1,000 will be credited to their owner's account. Requirements for both bonuses include that the horse must be declared an official starter. Horses that are placed on a poor performance and/or veterinarian list will not be eligible for the bonus. The 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet will include 54 stakes worth $15.57 million in total purses. Click here, for the full schedule.

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NYRA’s 2023 Belmont Park Meet Features $15.57 Million Total Purses For Stakes

Fifty-four stakes races worth $15.57 million in total purses will highlight the 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet, which is scheduled to open Thursday, May 4 and continue through Sunday, July 9, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday.

Highlighted by the 155th running of the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10, the spring/summer meet will include 12 Grade I races, with nine of those contests scheduled during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10. The Thursday-through-Sunday event features purses totaling $7.65 million.

The Belmont Stakes Day program June 10 will culminate with the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion” and feature three Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” qualifiers: the $1 million GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. for 3-year-olds and up, going one mile on the dirt [GI BC Dirt Mile]; the $500,000 GI Ogden Phipps S. for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track [GI BC Distaff]; and the $400,000 GI Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs on the grass [GI Turf Sprint].

Five additional graded events are slated for Belmont Stakes Day: the $400,000 GI Woody Stephens S. presented by Mohegan Sun for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs; the $750,000 GI Manhattan S. Resorts World Casino Manhattan for older horses traveling 1 1/4 miles on the turf; the $250,000 GII True North for older horses sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs; the $250,000 GII Brooklyn S. at 1 1/2 miles for older horses; and the $200,000 GIII Poker S. for older horses going one-mile on the grass, which has been moved up one week from its traditional spot in the schedule.

For the first time, FOX will present comprehensive live coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. In 2022, FOX Sports secured the exclusive media rights for the Belmont Stakes and Belmont Stakes Racing Festival through 2030. As part of the eight-year agreement, FOX Sports will expand national television coverage of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

While the total Belmont Stakes purse remains at $1.5 million, NYRA will increase the money awarded to the winning connections from 53.3 percent to 60 percent, which will result in a winner's share of $900,000 compared with $800,000 in 2022. NYRA will continue to award Belmont Stakes purse money through eighth place with 18 percent to 2nd, 10 percent to 3rd, five percent to 4th, three percent to 5th, two percent to 6th and one percent to 7th and 8th.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins with two stakes on Thursday, June 8: the $200,000 GII Wonder Again S. for sophomore fillies traveling nine furlongs on the turf and the $150,000 Jersey Girl S., a Listed race for sophomore fillies sprinting six furlongs on the main track. The Jersey Girl has been previously run on the Sunday after the Belmont Stakes.

Friday, June 9 will include five graded stakes highlighted by a trio of Grade I events: the $600,000 GI New York S., the $500,000 GI Just a Game S. and the $500,000 GI Acorn S., which will be lengthened to 1 1/16 miles after it was previously run at one mile. The Just a Game and Acorn have been moved to Day 2 of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival after having been previously run on Belmont Stakes Day. In addition, the June 9 program will include the $250,000 GII Belmont Gold Cup and the $200,000 GIII Intercontinental S.

Following the conclusion of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the high-quality racing continues Sunday, June 11 with two 5 1/2-furlong juvenile stakes, each offering new incentives for 2023. The $150,000 Tremont S. and its female counterpart, the $150,000 Astoria, both Listed events, will each offer a shipping bonus of $1,000 for horses stabled outside of NYRA racetracks, and a $2,000 bonus [$1,000 to the owner and $1,000 to the trainer] to each starter in the race.

The $250,000 GIII Manila S., a one-mile turf test for sophomores slated for Friday, July 7, has been upgraded from Listed status for 2023, and its purse increased by $150,000. The Manila will lead into a lucrative Saturday, July 8, card featuring two Grade I turf routes for sophomores: the $750,000 GI Belmont Derby Invitational and the $500,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, both at 1 1/4 miles.

The July 8 card will also include the $350,000 GII Suburban S. for older horses going 1 1/4 miles and the $175,000 GIII Victory Ride for sophomore fillies sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs.

The spring/summer meet stakes action kicks off on Friday, May 5 with the $200,000 GII Sheepshead Bay for older fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles on the turf and the $175,000 GIII Westchester for older horses at one-mile on the main track. The Affirmed Success, which has recently opened the stakes competition at Belmont, has been moved to April 30 and will close the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Opening Weekend at Belmont continues with three more stakes on Saturday, May 6: the $200,000 GII Ruffian S., the $200,000 GII Fort Marcy S., and the $150,000 Elusive Quality S. Sunday, May 7 offers two additional stakes with the $175,000 GIII Beaugay S. and $150,000 License Fee S.

The following weekend will see the start of Grade I action at the spring/summer meet as the $600,000 GI Man o' War S., a 1 3/8-mile turf route for older horses, headlines a loaded Saturday, May 13 card. The day will also feature the $200,000 GIII Peter Pan for sophomores traveling nine furlongs and the $175,000 GIII Runhappy S. for older horses sprinting six furlongs.

The lucrative Man o' War card is bookended by the $150,000 Gold Fever S. for sophomores sprinting six furlongs on Friday, May 12 and the $175,000 GIII Vagrancy S. for older fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sunday, May 14. Stakes action resumes the following weekends with the $150,000 Paradise Creek S. on Saturday, May 20 and the $175,000 GIII Soaring Softly S. on Saturday, May 27.

New York-breds will take center stage on the Big Apple Showcase Day card slated for Memorial Day on Monday, May 29. The day will offer six state-bred stakes worth $900,000, headlined by a pair of $200,000 contests in the Critical Eye H. for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 1/16 miles, and the Commentator H. for 3-year-olds and up at the same distance. The Critical Eye and Commentator were previously contested at a distance of one-mile.

Big Apple Showcase Day will include a quartet of $125,000 contests–the Kingston S. at 1 1/16 miles on turf for older horses; the Mount Vernon S. for older fillies and mares traveling one-mile on the grass; the Mike Lee S. for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs; and the Bouwerie S. for sophomore fillies at seven furlongs.

The 40-day spring/summer meet will conclude on Sunday, July 9 before racing moves to historic Saratoga Race Course for the annual summer meet beginning Thursday, July 13.

The GII Mother Goose S., which has been traditionally contested during the Belmont spring/summer meet, will be run during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet in 2023.

For the 2023 Belmont spring/summer stakes schedule, visit NYRA.com/BelmontSpringSummer.

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