NTRA | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pendergest, Reeves Highlight Second Session Of Racecourse Manager Certification Program

The inaugural Racecourse Manager Certification program, an online curriculum for turf surface maintenance personnel, will host its second session on Monday, June 14 at 11 a.m. ET, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and University of Kentucky announced today.

Entitled “Cultivation of Turf for Compaction and Wear,” Monday's two-hour session will feature presentations by Keeneland Director of Racing Surfaces Jim Pendergest and Atlantic Tractor's Jamie Reeves, who will present John Deere research and development findings.

Topics and participants include:

“Turfgrass aeration – why, how, when.” – Mike Boekholder, Boekholder & Associates;
“How often in practice: Lessons from Del Mar, Woodbine, Fair Grounds and Churchill Downs.” – panel discussion led 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);
“Tractor selection (100 hp with creep), tires and tow versus 3-pt. (John Deere Research and Development)” – Jamie Reeves, Atlantic Tractor;
“Topdressing and surface maintenance. What can you add or use to eliminate wear and divots? Why pick one thing over another?” – Geoffrey Rinehart, MS, Turfgrass Management Lecturer, University of Maryland, and Logan Freeman, Mountain Branch Golf Club, Joppa Maryland;
“Divot mix, germinating seed and the use of cutouts.” – Jim Pendergest and John N. “Trey” Rogers, III, Ph. D., Professor of Turfgrass Research, Michigan State University;
“Selection of cultivation equipment.” – Michael Goatley, Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Beth Guertal, Ph.D., Professor of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University.

Individuals who pre-register at https://www.ntra.com/rmcp/ will be sent a Zoom link prior to the Monday's webinar.

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.

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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Sally Goodall, Ray Arsenault Inducted Into NHC Hall Of Fame

Demonstrating remarkable success against the nation's top horseplayers over many years while earning their respect, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) proudly announced today that Sally Goodall, the 2020 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Tour Champion, and Ray Arsenault, the 2017 NHC Champion and Eclipse Award winner as National Horseplayer of the Year, have been inducted into the NHC Hall of Fame.

Goodall of Las Vegas, Nev., and Arsenault, from Thornhill, Ont., outside Toronto, represent the seventh class of NHC Hall of Fame inductees. Goodall and Arsenault will be recognized during the NHC Champions Dinner at the conclusion of the 22nd NTRA National Horseplayers Championship Presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally's, set for Aug. 27-29 at Bally's Las Vegas. Since its launch in 2014, the NHC Hall of Fame has inducted two impact figures each season, making Goodall and Arsenault the Hall's 13th and 14th members.

Goodall's induction is extra special because her husband, Richard Goodall, was inducted into the NHC Hall of Fame in 2020. In addition to the 2020 NHC Tour Champion title, Sally Goodall has qualified a record-tying 18 times for the NHC, which began with her first qualification in 2006.

“I don't have the words to express how excited and honored I felt when I received the call from the NTRA informing me that my fellow players had inducted me into the Hall of Fame,” said a delighted Goodall. “I have really loved playing in the NHC contests for 20 years and this wonderful honor is simply the cherry on top of my mooncake.”

Arsenault has quite a resume of accomplishments of his own. He is the second all-time NHC money winner. A hallmark of consistency, Arsenault is an 11-time NHC qualifier with four top 30 NHC finishes, and two top 10 finishes at the Championship in Las Vegas. Arsenault is an NHC Mentor, and worked with the NTRA to rename the NHC Rookie of the Year Award in honor of the late Jim Nace, a popular and longtime contest player, fellow mentor to many horseplayers and six-time NHC qualifier.

“It is a great honor to be put in the Hall of Fame and to be alongside the many people who are well respected in the game we love to play,” said Arsenault who became interested in horse racing contests in 2002 when he and a friend were watching his uncle in a Woodbine contest that was offering three seats to the NHC in Las Vegas along with cash prize money. “I knew then I would be going the following year,” Arsenault recalled. “In my second contest in 2004, I finished second, winning cash and a trip to Bally's for the NHC. It opened up a new world for me. I have met so many great friends and it has allowed me the opportunity to visit most of the beautiful race tracks in North America.”

The NHC Hall of Fame was created to honor and recognize outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals who participate in the NHC and the NHC Tour. Those considered meet one or more of the following criteria:

Competed in NHC-sanctioned tournaments and played consistently well over an extended period of time.
Gained the respect and admiration of their peers.
Contributed to the overall growth and success of the NHC and/or tournament play in general, with indelible positive and lasting results.

Each year, nominees are selected by a panel of former NHC Champions, NHC Tour Champions, Hall of Fame Members, current Players Committee Members, and Tournament Directors. Final Voting was expanded this year to include individuals who have been Tour members for at least 10 years and have qualified at least once for the NHC.

In addition to Goodall and Arsenault, this year's Hall of Fame ballot included: Stanley Bavlish, Michael Beychok, Dennis Decauwer, Jim Goodman, David Gutfreund, Paul Matties, Jr., Rich Nilsen and William Shurman.

Goodall and Arsenault will be enshrined next to fellow NHC Hall of Fame members Roger Cettina and Richard Goodall (2020), Bryan Wagner and Trey Stiles (2019), Chris Larmey and Steve Wolfson, Jr. (2018), Paul Shurman and Steve Wolfson, Sr. (2017), Steven Crist and Judy Wagner (2016), and Mike Mayo and Ron Rippey (2015).

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Belmont Winner Essential Quality On Top Of Final NTRA 3-Year-Old Poll

The winner of the Grade 1, 153rd Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets and the final No. 1 ranking in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll, was on the line in deep stretch of Saturday's 1 ½-mile Test of the Champion until Essential Quality, the 6-5 favorite, edged past Hot Rod Charlie to prevail by 1 ¼ lengths.

As a result, in the final Top 3-year-old poll of national media, Godolphin's Essential Quality, trained by Brad Cox, gained the top spot, earning all 37 first-place votes for a total of 370 points. Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Road Runner Racing and William Strauss' Hot Rod Charlie, trained by Doug O'Neill, finished second with 298 points.

The 1-2 Belmont finish of Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie was the same result as last November's Grade 1 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Keeneland when Essential Quality defeated Hot Rod Charlie by three-quarters of a length. This year, Essential Quality won both the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park and the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland before finishing fourth as the 5-2 favorite in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. After a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita to open the season, Hot Rod Charlie won the TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds in March, and finished third in the Kentucky Derby.

John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer was the poll leader going into the final week off his upset win in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 15. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer finished third in the Belmont Stakes and third in the poll with 282 points.

Juddmonte's Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, who crossed the wire second in the Kentucky Derby, finished in the fourth place with 227 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, wound up in fifth place with 177 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, finished in sixth place with 164 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, second in the Preakness, finished in seventh place with 147 points. Two horses entered the top 10 in the final week. Klaravich Stables' dark bay filly Search Results, winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont, received 74 votes to reach eighth place, and Slam Dunk Racing, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Michael Nentwig's Drain the Clock, who won Belmont's Grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes, claimed the ninth spot with 66 points. CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good, winner of the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes, finished 10th with 48 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide continues atop the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses, but there was a shake up in the rankings after him. Winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27, Mystic Guide, trained by Mike Stidham, received 27 first place votes and 337 points. Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State has jumped from 13th to second place this week following his 1-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State, a winner of all four of his starts this year, has one-first place and 242 points. St. George Stable's Letruska (240 points), who captured Belmont's Grade 1 Ogden Phipps for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, rises from seventh to third place.

Another Klaravich runner on the move is Domestic Spending (234 points), who jumped from 10th to fourth place after winning Saturday's Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont for trainer Chad Brown. The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, drops to fifth place with 161 points. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, remains in sixth place with one first-place vote and 134 points. My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the 2020 older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, is now in seventh place with 131 points. The 4-year-old Gamine (121 points), last year's champion female sprinter, stays in eighth place. Essential Quality enters the National Poll this week with one first-place vote and 118 points. Knicks Go (49 points), fourth in the Metropolitan Handicap, drops from a second-place tie last week to 10th place.

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 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-june-7-2021/

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Rombauer Holds One-Point Lead Over Essential Quality In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

John and Diane Fradkin's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer has a one-point lead over Godolphin's Essential Quality in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll, leading five of the top 10 ranked horses who will be starting in Saturday's Grade 1, 153rd Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets at Belmont Park.

The final NTRA Top Three-Year-Old-Poll will be released next Monday, June 7, so Saturday's Belmont Stakes will have a definitive impact as to which horse finishes with the No. 1 ranking.

Rombauer, trained by Michael McCarthy, is the 3-1 second choice on the Belmont Stakes morning line. Rombauer received eight first-place votes and 258 points. Godolphin's Essential Quality, fourth as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, has 12 first-place votes and 257 points. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Belmont. Juddmonte's Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, is in third place with four first-place votes and 213 points.

Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Kentucky Derby, is in fourth place. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, the 7-2 third choice in the Belmont, has 211 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, is in fifth place. Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit has six first-place votes and 177 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, second in the Preakness, is in sixth place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 158 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, is in seventh place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has 145 points. Another Asmussen-trained runner, Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, who won the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU and is entered in Saturday's Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont, is in eighth place with 63 points. Two other Belmont Stakes starters complete the top 10. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, is in ninth place with 51 points. Rock Your World is listed at 9-2 on the morning line for the Belmont. St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda, trained by Todd Pletcher, is in 10th place with 37 points. Known Agenda is 6-1 on the morning line for the Belmont.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide retains the No. 1 rating in the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses. Winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27, Mystic Guide had his second workout since the World Cup, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.8 on Saturday at Fair Hill in Maryland. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 28 first-place votes and 284 points. Now tied in second place with 194 points apiece are Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go, with three first-place votes, and Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam. Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go, winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, is scheduled to start in Saturday's Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park. Colonel Liam, trained by Todd Pletcher, finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs. Colonial Liam drew post 10 for Saturday's Grade 1 Resorts Casino World Manhattan Stakes at Belmont.

The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, drops to fourth place with 166 points. My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the 2020 older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, remains in fifth place with 156 points. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, jumps from eighth to sixth place this week with one first-place vote and 131 points. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (123 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, falls one position to seventh place. The 4-year-old Gamine, last year's champion female sprinter, drops from sixth to eighth place. Owned by Michael Lund Peterson and trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine has one first-place vote and 118 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (89 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, stays in ninth place. Completing the top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (57 points), who is also entered in Saturday's Manhattan 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-june-1-2021/

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