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ITHA Statement: Illinois Horsemen ‘Appalled By Churchill’s Contempt For Live Racing’

The following statement is from the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in response to a press release from Churchill Downs Inc. saying the company will attempt to sell Arlington Park for development and relocate its racing license elsewhere in Illinois.

Illinois thoroughbred owners and trainers appreciate the opportunity to race this year at Arlington Park, a world-class track, but are disappointed that Churchill Downs will renege on its longstanding promise to preserve and grow jobs in Illinois racing while also serving the best interests of Illinois taxpayers.

Churchill spent two decades lobbying Illinois lawmakers for the authority to develop a casino at Arlington. But since purchasing the majority stake in the nearby Rivers Casino, Churchill has all but abandoned any meaningful commitment to Illinois racing. Churchill abruptly reversed course, deep-sixed that Arlington development plan, and instead devoted itself to ensuring that Arlington could not become a gaming competitor to Rivers.

Churchill's anticompetitive behavior was so brazen, in fact, that its CEO publicly dismissed the prospect that racing might continue at Arlington under another owner and insisted the property would “have a higher and better purpose for something else.” Even in its statement today, Churchill obviously is disingenuous when it claims that it will move the Arlington racing license to elsewhere in Illinois.

“The license is not Churchill's to move,” said Mike Campbell, ITHA president. “Moreover, the notion that a seasoned gaming operator would relocate a racing license away from a state of the art, modern racing facility near the heart of the Chicago metropolitan region to some yet-to-be-determined location is absurd. Churchill is just trying to obfuscate from the fact that it cares only about maximizing profit and will gladly sacrifice the spirit of Illinois law and the livelihood of working Illinoisans to serve its greed.”

The Illinois gaming expansion law was intended to boost overnight purses and otherwise invigorate thoroughbred horse racing in this state for the purpose of creating jobs, sparking economic opportunity and diversifying the tax base for the state and local communities. Illinois owners and trainers are appalled by Churchill's contempt for live racing and the working men and women, from backstretch workers to breeders, who have devoted themselves to Illinois racing and who depend on racing opportunities and overnight purses to support themselves and their families.

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Gosden-Trained Mishriff Upsets Charlatan To Win Saudi Cup

The second edition of the Saudi Cup was billed as a battle between Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go and G1 Malibu winner Charlatan, but John Gosden-trained Mishriff, an Irish-bred 4-year-old colt by Make Believe who won last year's G1 French Derby, stole the show on Saturday, running down the Bob Baffert-trained, Mike Smith-ridden Charlatan in deep stretch to win by about one length under 21-year-old David Egan.

Saudi-based Great Scott finished third in the one-turn, 1 1/8-mile dirt race, with Knicks Go fourth after pushing Charlatan throughout and taking a brief lead into the far turn. The Brad Cox-trained Knicks Go was followed by Miguel Angel Silva-trained Sleepy Eyes Todd.

Mishriff paid $41.60 on a $2 wager in American pools for the Saudi Cup.

Mishriff, whose only previous race on dirt came when second in the 2020 Saudi Derby, was winning for the fifth time in nine career starts. He is owned by Prince AA Faisal. Mishriff was beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Japanese-trained Full Flat in the 2020 Saudi Derby, coming into that race off a 10-length maiden score in his third career start as a 2-year-old the previous November at Nottingham in England.

Coming out of the Saudi Derby, Mishriff won a Newmarket stakes in June, then proved 1 3/4 lengths the best in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) at Chantilly July 5. After a G2 stakes victory at Deauville, he finished a disappointing eighth in the G1 Champion Stakes at Ascot on Oct. 17. That was last race going into the Saudi Cup.

Charlatan darted to the front from the nine post in the 14-horse field, getting the jump on Knicks Go and Joel Rosario, who broke from the five post. Mishriff settled in just behind the top pair in the run down the backstretch, with Bill Mott-trained Tacitus up close and toward the inside.

Into the turn, Knicks Go poked his head in front, but Charlatan was not finished, re-gaining the lead as the field wound their way around the turn. At the top of the stretch, Knicks Go began to retreat, but Mishriff swung to Charlatan's outside and took dead aim on the leader. Despite running down the stretch on his left lead, Mishriff wore down Charlatan, taking a narrow advantage with 100 meters to run and gradually edged away.

The Saudi Cup was run under unusually cool, damp conditions at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.

This was the second running of what is billed as the world's richest race, offering a $20-million purse, with $10 million going to the winner. The first-place prize money from the inaugural running, won by Maximum Security, has not been paid due to the criminal charges against the horse's trainer, Jason Servis, in the United States that were filed just over a week after his victory in Saudi Arabia. Prince Bandar, head of the Saudi Cup, said in a television interview with commentator Nick Luck he hopes the purse situation will be settled in about six weeks.

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The Friday Show Presented By Diamond B Farm’s Rowayton: Showtime At Fonner Park

On this week's edition of The Friday Show, Ray Paulick and Joe Nevills are joined by Fonner Park CEO Chris Kotulak as opening day at the Nebraska track draws near. Kotulak discusses how the track has managed the nationwide polar vortex, how the recent approval of casino gaming will affect the operation, and what gives Fonner Park its unique charm.

Ray and Joe then salute Star of the Week Maxfield, and give a toast to Spendthrift Farm's Vino Rosso in a new segment spotlighting the stallion's first foals.

The post The Friday Show Presented By Diamond B Farm’s Rowayton: Showtime At Fonner Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Sunland Park Officially Cancels Remainder Of 2020-21 Race Meet

The 2020-21 race meet at Sunland Park, which never began as scheduled on Dec. 26, was officially cancelled in its entirety on Thursday. The New Mexico Racing Commission voted at a regularly-scheduled meeting to cancel the remainder of the meet, which hadn't begun because of COVID-19 restrictions in the state.

Casino facilities at racetracks elsewhere in the state have also remained shuttered due to the pandemic.

Restrictions on business capacity and operations vary widely between states and are laid out by state government. Casino facilities on tribal land are autonomous and several in New Mexico have been open for stretches of time while casino facilities at racetracks have been closed. Racetrack casino facilities were closed in the fall during a spike of COVID-19 positives in the state, per a public health order issued by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Sunland's meet had been scheduled to run through March 30 and was supposed to feature the Grade 3 Sunland Derby as part of the Road to the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

Ruidoso Downs, SunRay Park, The Downs at Albuquerque and Zia Park all have dates on the calendar for 2021 but it remains unclear if those meets will go ahead without the reopening of casino facilities.