Another year is in the books, and it featured the usual combination of good news and bad news. Flightline (Tapit) wowed us, even if it was for just three races. The impossible victory by Rich Strike (Keen Ice) in the GI Kentucky Derby was an unforgettable moment. Then again, the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act went off the rails and the acrimony surrounding it turned even uglier. With more guilty pleas and sentencings during the year, we still haven't been able to fully escape the nightmare that is Servis-Navarro.
So what will 2023 bring for horse racing? Honestly, I have no idea. But here are the stories I hope to be writing in 2023. Wishful thinking? Absolutely. But you never know.
The Champion 3-Year-Old Will Race at Four: A day after 3-year-old Glow Worm (Whatasire) won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, his owner John Q. Horseowner announced that his three-time Grade I winner will race as a 4-year-old in 2024. The news stunned the breeding and racing industries, which have grown accustomed to owners choosing breeding over racing because that's where the real money is made.
“Money, I have,” Horseowner said. “Sure, I could make many millions if I retired Glow Worm now but what would I do with it? I already have a yacht, a private jet and 11 homes. I don't need any more. What I don't have in my everyday life is the kind of thrill I get every time Glow Worm runs. That's priceless. Who knows, maybe I'll run him at five, as well.”
Movement Toward Penny Breakage Catches On: Thanks to a bill submitted by upstate New York Assemblyman George Whatagoodguy, it appears that penny breakage will be coming to the New York racetracks before the year is over. The bill enjoys bipartisan support and has the backing of Governor Kathy Hochul.
“I play the horses and I have seen firsthand what a great deal this has been in Kentucky for horseplayers since they went to penny breakage,” said the Democratic lawmaker. “It has put millions back into the pockets of the people who are the backbone of this game, the bettors. Slot machines have put hundreds of millions into the pockets of racetrack owners, horse owners, trainers, you name it…everyone but the player. Isn't it about time they get a break?”
New York could be the first of several states to go to penny breakage. Pat Cummings of the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation reports that bills similar to the one introduced by Whatagoodguy are in the works in at least four other states.
Wayne Lukas Wins Jockey Club Gold Cup on 88th Birthday: What a better a way to celebrate his 88th birthday than with a win in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga. The rejuvenated Wayne Lukas pulled that off Saturday at Saratoga when winning the prestigious Gold Cup with Ageisjustanumber (Son of Into Mischief). It was Lukas's 43rd win on the year and his eighth graded stakes win. Approaching his ninetieth birthday, he is having his best year since 2005.
“I didn't forget how to train a horse,” Lukas said. “I just needed some owners to overlook my age and give me a chance with some good horses. I want to thank the 73 co-owners of Ageisjustanumber for believing in me and giving me a chance. It's on to the Breeders' Cup.”
Owner Takes Responsibility After Trainer Caught Doping: That trainer Jesse James was suspended for five years after a horse of his tested positive Friday for performance-enhancing drugs was hardly a surprise. Suspicions have surrounded James throughout a year in which he has won with 38% of his starters and with 71% of his starters coming off a claim.
But what no one expected was that his primary owner, Al Culpable, would come forward and admit he was part of the problem.
“I know what everyone expects me to say, that I thought Jesse was a good, honest, hard-working guy and that I had no idea he was cheating,” Culpable said. “If you believe that (expletive) you must also believe that I am stupid. I'm not. Did Jesse ever admit to me that he was doping my horses? No. But I knew exactly what was going on and he never could have done what he did if I didn't keep claiming horses and sending them to him.
“I have had some time to think about this and I am truly sorry. Despite what I did, I truly love this sport and I have damaged it. Shame on me. I am getting out of the game and will be donating $1,653,176 to Thoroughbred aftercare. That's the amount of money my horses earned with Jesse this year.”
New York Gaming Commission Exonerates NYRA Staffer: After NYRA clocker Henry Chroniker reported the wrong time for a workout that took place earlier this week on the Belmont training track, Chroniker worried that he was about to face a stiff fine and suspension from the New York Gaming Commission. The horse, Pie-O-My (Sopranos), worked four furlongs in :49.12.
Chroniker inadvertently transposed the numbers and reported the work as :49.21, a difference of .09 seconds. A similar offense from a clocker last year resulted in a hefty fine and a long suspension and the Gaming Commission has a history of punishing NYRA employees for what many considered to be very minor offenses. But that won't happen to Chroniker.
“We looked at this and realized it was a case of 'no harm, no foul,'” said the Gaming Commission's steward. “We realize that sometimes you have to use common sense and be reasonable when it comes to cases like this. Chroniker had worked here a long time and his record has been spotless. He deserved the benefit of the doubt. Accidents happen.”
Inspired by Beverly Park, Top Stable Vows to Race More Often: When Beverly Park (Munnings) reached the halfway point in the year with 19 starts trainer Phil Eclipseworthy took notice.
“I thought if this horse could race 30 times in a year and remain sound and productive every step of the way, why couldn't I run my horses more often?” Eclipseworthy said. “After all, wouldn't my owners make more money if their horses raced more often?”
With that in mind, Eclipseworthy has announced plans for his top colt Theydontmakeemliketheyuseto (Another Son of Into Mischief). He plans to run him in the GI Whitney, the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the GI Breeders' Cup Classic.
“That will be three races in four months and that's a brutal schedule,” Eclipseworthy said. “Normally, I think three starts a year, and not three in four months, is about all a horse can handle. But I like what that fella Lynn Cash has been doing with Beverly Park. He was a $5,000 claimer and now, with the way he's been handled, has made boatloads of money. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Theydontmakeemliketheyuseto can hold up to the taxing schedule I have laid out for him.”
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