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Stanley Cup Champion Erik Johnson Joins Writers’ Room

As far back as he can remember, and that includes 15 long years and over 900 career games in the NHL, defenseman Erik Johnson of the Colorado Avalanche has been chasing the ultimate dream of winning the Stanley Cup. A week and a half ago, Johnson, who also owns ERJ Racing over in our corner of the world, realized that dream, as his Avalanche took out the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the Stanley Cup Final. Still glowing from that triumph, Johnson joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday as the Green Group Guest of the Week to describe the whirlwind he and his teammates have been on since last Sunday night, his plans to take the Stanley Cup to Del Mar for Pacific Classic day, his thoughts on the vastly improved safety of California racing and more.

Asked to compare his Cup victory to potentially reaching the mountaintop in racing, winning a race like the Kentucky Derby with ERJ, Johnson didn't mince words, saying, “I've never won the Derby, but I imagine this feels 1,000 times better. Because when you're an owner in the Derby, you're a spectator and you have no impact on what happens. When you're part of a team that wins the Stanley Cup, and you're actually out there doing it with your teammates, and it's something that you've put your whole life into since you were a kid, you can't top this feeling. It's just amazing, and I'm lucky because not a lot of people get to experience this. I've played with a lot of great players who never won.”

Southern California racing, mired in so many negative headlines during the rash of breakdowns at Santa Anita in 2019, has made–unfortunately–smaller headlines for a drastically improved safety record in the two years since. Johnson, who primarily races in California, was asked about the work California racing has done to correct such a dire problem.

“I think they've done a great job,” he said. “No matter what, you're not going to escape the negativity. There's always going to be someone that's upset. But seeing the statistics that have come out recently, there probably was a need for some reform and the leadership has done a really good job throughout the state. I think what's really helped is those pre-race checks. Every horse gets checked out, and I'm sure it makes some owners upset because some of their horses won't run after you've paid 30, 60 days worth of bills getting your horse ready to run, then they pull it out. But for the betterment and longevity of the game, those are things that needed to happen and steps that needed to be taken. So overall I think [California officials] should be commended. They've done awesome, and the game is now in a much better place than it was just a couple of years ago.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers reacted to a weekend full of huge performances on the racetrack and Terence Collier's letter to the editor criticizing Bill Finley's argument for fewer stakes races. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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NBC Racing, Hockey Analyst Eddie Olczyk Joins Writers’ Room

It's busy season for NBC's Eddie Olczyk. One of the few analysts on national television to dabble in multiple sports, the popular former hockey star is gearing up to broadcast the GI Kentucky Derby as well as the NHL playoffs this spring, and he joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon to discuss it all. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Olczyk talked about his handicapping strategies, what horses he's eyeing for the first Saturday in May, his ordeal with colon cancer and much more.

Asked about his racing origins and unique broadcasting perspective, Olczyk said, “Since I was 13 years old here in Chicago at old Arlington Park, for me, it was love at first sight. I think anybody that I either bring to the racetrack or teach them about handicapping or just share stories about horse racing with, once they go [to the track], it seems like they continue to go. So I'd like to think that I've made an impact as far as getting hockey people involved in it. On the other side, I think I've turned a lot of horse racing people into hockey fans. Which both sports, quite frankly, could certainly use. We could use more people, especially young people, getting to know and loving both games. As I love to say, pucks and ponies, there's nothing better. And it's a great time of year with the Triple Crown and the NHL playoffs right around the corner.”

Later, Olczyk opened up about his six-month long chemotherapy battle with stage 3 colon cancer.

“The first thing I thought was, 'How long do I have to live?'” he said about his reaction when he got the diagnosis. “Colon cancer is very treatable if you can get to it early, but I was at stage 3. I was in one of those situations where it could've gone either way. I started my chemo Sept. 11, 2017. It was every two weeks for 48 hours. I was very lucky to have an incredible team of doctors. My wife Diana–we'll be married 33 years come August–was there every step of the way. I never saw her weak, never saw her down, never saw her worried, but I knew that when I wasn't around or she was by herself, she let her guard down. I was scared, and the side effects brought me to my knees. It tested my will to live. When I was ready to quit, she gave me a greater inspirational speech than I'd ever heard in any locker room or other setting in my life. She grabbed me and said, 'Look, you've got to fight. For me, for our kids, and for all the people that love you.' The conversation lasted 30 minutes. I cried for 35 of it. I said, 'OK, I'm just going to grab my hockey helmet and put it back on and I'm going to go day to day.'”

Elsewhere in the show, the writers reacted to the big racing days at Gulfstream and Dubai, including the tragic breakdown of Zenden (Fed Biz) before celebrating the continued overall progress in reducing racing fatalities in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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New Jersey Horsemen Settle $150 Million Sports Betting Case For $3.4 Million

According to the Thoroughbred Daily News, horsemen in New Jersey have settled a years-long lawsuit with the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and the NCAA for $3.4 million — far less than the $150 million the group claimed it was owed.

The settlement was reached out of court and entered into the record this week by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Freda Wolfson.

The $3.4 million will come from an escrow bond the leagues put up in 2014 when they first became entangled in a civil suit with horsemen while attempting to stop Monmouth Park from hosting sports betting. In 2018 a U.S. Supreme Court ruling made sports betting legal in New Jersey, and $150 million had been the figure the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NJTHA) claimed it had missed out on in the four years in between.

The escrow bond had originally been designed to cover revenue losses for a one-month period when Monmouth was subject to a court injunction barring sports betting at the start of the civil case.

In exchange for getting the bond amount, NJTHA will decline to pursue the case any farther.

NHL’s Nugent-Hopkins ‘Excited,’ ‘Nervous’ To Watch Undefeated Filly Infinite Patience In Fury Stakes

The 2019-20 NHL season hasn't resumed yet, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is already part of an impressive win streak.

Although he won't be on hand at Woodbine Racetrack on July 5 to watch the 65th edition of the $125,000 Fury Stakes, a key prep on the road to the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks presented by Budweiser (slated for August 15), Nugent-Hopkins will be well represented on the racetrack.

Infinite Patience, a daughter of Sungold, co-owned by the Edmonton Oilers forward, puts her perfect five-for-five record and champion status on the line in the seven-furlong main track race for Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies.

Nugent-Hopkins will be glued to his laptop when the action gets out of the gates.

“I'm excited and I'm nervous, to be honest,” the 27-year-old told Woodbine. “I've sent a mare to Seattle and then Edmonton. I've never sent any to Toronto before. The Tapeta [at Woodbine], it's a little different [than the dirt track at Hastings], so that's the only real hesitation I have. We don't have that many options anymore. There aren't a whole lot of stakes races in Vancouver or even in Edmonton, and they don't start until the end of July. She's been training so long and she's ready to go. We'll take a shot out there and see what happens.”

William DeCoursey, who bred the filly, sold a share in the filly to Nugent-Hopkins, who races under the R. N. H. Stable banner.

DeCoursey also campaigned Infinite Patience's dam Montero, a stakes winner with 11 victories and more than $205,000. Montero is the dam of multiple stakes winner Raider (Stephanotis).

After breaking her maiden last July courtesy of a 9 ¼-length romp at Hastings Racecourse, Infinite Patience won the British Columbia Cup Debutante Stakes, a CTHS Sales Stakes, the Sadie Diamond Futurity, and most recently, the Fantasy Stakes (October 13, 2019).

The bay filly, who won the five races by a total of 35 ½ lengths, was named B.C. Horse of the Year and B.C.-Bred Horse of the Year in 2019, collecting five (Champion Two-Year-Old Filly in both the Open and B.C.-Bred categories and Champion Sprinter) awards in all.

Nugent-Hopkins, who hails from Burnaby, B.C., is thrilled to be along for the ride.

“She's very impressive and last year was so great. I'm pretty lucky to have partnered with her breeder. It's really been fun.”

What race has impressed him the most so far?

It's not a particularly easy question for the centerman to answer.

“Her second race, the Debutante Stakes, it was a tremendous effort. After her maiden race, that's when I approached her owner and breeder, and we partnered together. So, for that first stakes race, that was my first race with her. She won by 11 ¼ lengths in a pretty quick time. That was very impressive. So was her effort in the [1 1/16-mile] Fantasy. She broke the stakes record [1:44.16] in that one, so that would probably be the one that stands out the most.”

The first overall pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft comes by his love for racing naturally. His grandfather was a breeder in British Columbia, and the forward's parents, Roger and Deb, have a long association with Thoroughbreds.

Nugent-Hopkins bought his first racehorse about seven years ago. His first win as an owner, on June 13, 2015, was delivered courtesy of Zenya, a British Columbia-bred daughter of Salute the Sarge. Crossing the line second, the chestnut was elevated to first after the winner was taken down after interference in deep stretch.

Aside from Infinite Patience, other top horses Nugent-Hopkins has owned include Yukon Belle and Sanawar. In 76 starts, his starters have won nine races and earned 23 seconds and 17 thirds.

His first start at Woodbine will come in the Fury.

“I've been to Woodbine once with my parents when I was young,” said the alternate captain.

In less than two weeks time, he'll be there again, so to speak.

Only this time, he'll be represented by a starter in a key race leading up to the Woodbine Oaks.

Nugent-Hopkins is looking forward to seeing how his stable star, trained by Barbara Heads, stacks up against other talented three-year-old fillies.

“She can relax if she needs to, which she showed in the Fantasy. It will be really fun. I'll definitely be watching online. I'm pretty reserved… my dad is the one who is a little more vocal and gets into it. But I'm still pretty nervous about it. I just want everything to go okay for her, and make sure that she's comfortable out there. If it doesn't work out, then we can always bring her back here.”

As for what's in a name, Nugent-Hopkins has a great story to share about how his top-shelf filly came to be known as Infinite Patience.

“It's funny. My partner, he named her after his wife, he told me. He said for them to have been together for so long, she needs to have infinite patience. Actually, the horse's nickname is 'Irony,' because she's not patient. She's not super high-strung, but she wants to go, she wants to do it, and she doesn't want to wait around too much.”

Nugent-Hopkins would love to see that for the sixth time.

The post NHL’s Nugent-Hopkins ‘Excited,’ ‘Nervous’ To Watch Undefeated Filly Infinite Patience In Fury Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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