Keystone Integrity Teams Sweep Presque Isle To Parx

Uncovering loaded needles and syringes to apprehending an assistant starter who was in possession of a controlled substance, seasoned integrity teams conducted searches and seizures last week across a pair of Keystone State racetracks.

Led by the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission staff, the sweeps took place first in Erie at Presque Isle Downs before spending three days downstate at Parx Racing in Bensalem through Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby.

As part of their integrity program, the Commission once again put together a group of investigators–this time from nine states, plus representatives from England–and set them to work policing the barns and stable gates.

“We do this as part of our commitment to the integrity of horse racing in the Commonwealth and for the safety and security of the horses involved,” said Director of Enforcement, Jason Klouser. “The Commission is able to assemble such a large team of investigators through the contacts made from the Organization of Racing Investigators, whose members are the best and brightest when it comes to enforcement at their local tracks.”

The Organization of Racing Investigators, known as ORI, is a membership organization composed of specialists who are employed by state racing commissions and racetracks. The members' tradecraft helps protect the sport and perform a myriad of duties from combating allegations of race fixing, stopping horse doping, and breaking up nefarious activities in the barn areas. Their network fights a host of other offenses which are committed against equine athletes. The Pennsylvania Racing Commission is a regulatory agency, however, ORI members in various other states are commissioned law enforcement agents. No matter their standing, all investigators are essential when it comes to enforcing the rules.

In the lead up to the big day at Parx, the Commission's integrity teams moved across the state in an effort to maintain the integrity of horse racing in the Commonwealth.

Car search at Parx Racing | PSHRC

“The Commission utilizes all industry assets at our disposal to ensure a level playing field for all participants,” Klouser said.

Conducting enforcement operations in the barn area and searching vehicles entering the stable gate at both Presque Isle Downs and Parx yielded results.

Based on updates through the Commission's website, Ruling No. 23096PI was handed down to trainer William Joseph Dowling, when a search found him with two loaded needles and syringes. The 6-year-old dark bay state-bred gelding Saketumi (Maclean's Music) was scratched from the seventh race Sept. 18 and a summary suspension was issued by the board of stewards Sept. 21.

Shifting the search to Parx last Friday and Saturday, Assistant Starter Luis A. Gonzalez Jr. was found in possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia. Ruling No. 23254PP indicated that Gonzalez was in possession of a methamphetamine pipe containing residue and marijuana. He was summarily suspended by the Parx Board of Stewards Sept. 22.

“The Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission is incredibly proactive at the state level and will continue to liaise with organizations in order to strengthen the integrity of horse racing and the health and safety of the equine athletes,” said Klouser. “The Racing Integrity Team was a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission, Parx Racing, Presque Isle Downs, and the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association.”

Click here to access the state's rulings portal.

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Saudi Crown Reigns Over Grey Day in Pennsylvania Derby

The afternoon's graded stakes action at Parx kicked off most appropriately with the flashy grey Next (Not This Time) annexing the GIII Greenwood Cup S. and it didn't take long for the grey train to continue with Nobody Listen (Conveyance) taking the GIII Turf Monster S. With the remnants of Tropical storm Ophelia cranking, keeping the sky dark and the track murky, Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) completed the grey graded trifecta in the day's feature, the GI Pennsylvania Derby.

Employing the same tactics used successfully earlier in the program over the sealed track, Saudi Crown exited Post 3 in good order, sprinting to the front as the quartet of Scotland (Good Magic), West Coast Cowboy (West Coast), Magic Tap (Tapit) and Reincarnate (Good Magic) surveyed from a length behind through a :23 opening quarter. Still coasting in front after a :47 1/5 half-mile, the Brad Cox trainee appeared to be keeping up the tempo as Il Miracolo (Gun Runner) and Magic Tap started to amp up the pressure turning for home while Dreamlike (Gun Runner) started to close from the back, several paths off the rail. With Florent Geroux riding the green colt with a firm hand in the final sixteenth, the pricey yearling purchase Dreamlike closed with purpose late, however, came up a half-length short at the wire. Il Miracolo was six lengths back in third.

“He broke super sharp. I was almost like a good length and a half in front, so when you break that sharp, it allows you to take a better position instead of breaking flat-footed or a step slow,” said Geroux. “He broke like a rocket and from there I thought I was in a great spot. Reincarnate, being so far outside, I thought it gave me an extra second and a half to slow it down in the beginning. I didn't see the fraction, what was it, :47? [:47.27]..Pretty good huh?”

Added Cox, “Right before he straightened up, I saw his ears going back and forth and I thought this horse is looking around a little bit. He kind of got a little lost. Florent said he was looking around a little bit when he came back to the winner's circle. He is still lightly raced and he had re-engage a bit and push him along.”

The 3-year-old is campaigned by Faisal M. Alqahtani of FMQ Sables, which has been involved in U.S. racing for one year.

A winner of his first two starts, including a 6 1/2-furlong test at Churchill Downs May 21, the OBS April graduate came up a nose short in the one-mile GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont July 1 and was beaten again by the same margin by juvenile champion Forte (Violence) in a sloppy renewal of the nine-furlong GII Jim Dandy S. July 29.

After two narrow losses, what made the difference today?

“Just progression. In the Dwyer, he had come off a 6 1/2-furlong [win] and was stretching out to a mile. He went up the backstretch a little quick that day but overall finished up well. He was passed and he came back and lost the bob. The last time out, he got beat a nose by a champion in his first run around two turns. We have asked a lot out of him in last two runs and I think he gained a lot of experience and has been battle-tested in his last two runs.”

And the speed-favoring nature of the track was also a factor, according to Cox.

“Based on what we saw throughout the day, I thought we had to be aggressive,” he said. “Sometimes, you see that and everyone has the same idea. He has enough natural speed to break clear off and he did and Flo did a great job.”

What next for Saudi Crown?

“He could be in the Classic,” said Cox. “Based off the pedigree, by Derby winner [Always Dreaming] out of a Tapit mare, with his physical deal, he could handle the mile and a quarter. Obviously, you have to get the right setup. I am not sure he has to have the lead in order to win. He is a pretty kind horse who breaks well. I will tell you this, with his Saudi-based ownership group–great guys to work with and for–I think the Saudi Cup is one race that is definitely on the target as well.”

Pedigree Notes
Saudi Crown gives his Kentucky Derby-winning sophomore sire Always Dreaming his first graded and Grade I stakes winner. The winner is out of the unraced mare New Narration, a daughter of Grade III winner New Normal (Forestry), and a granddaughter of Dual graded stakes winning New Economy (Red Ransom). This represents the family of Grade I winner Noble's Promise (Cuvee).

 

rday, Parx
PENNSYLVANIA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, Parx Racing, 9-23, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.62, sy.
1–SAUDI CROWN, 120, c, 3, by Always Dreaming
                1st Dam: New Narration, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: New Normal, by Forestry
                3rd Dam: New Economy, by Red Ransom
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. ($45,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $240,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR).
O-FMQ Stables; B-Chc Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent
Geroux. $546,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, $817,085. Werk
   Nick Rating: A+. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Dreamlike, 120, c, 3, Gun Runner–Time to Tap, by Tapit.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($975,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Repole
Stable and St. Elias Stable; B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher. $182,000.
3–Il Miracolo, 124, c, 3, Gun RunnerTapit's World, by Tapit.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($75,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN; $190,000 RNA Ylg '21 FTKOCT; $70,000 2yo '22 OBSOPN). O-Eduardo Soto; B-Willow Oaks Stable LLC (KY); T-Antonio Sano. $91,000.
Margins: HF, 6, NK. Odds: 1.10, 7.80, 25.10.
Also Ran: Magic Tap, Crupi, Reincarnate, Gilmore, Daydreaming Boy, West Coast Cowboy, Scotland, Modern Era.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Ceiling Crusher Outguns Favored Pretty Mischievous in Cotillion

On paper, it appeared that Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief), coming into Parx's GI Cotillion S. off three consecutive Grade I victories for Godolphin and Brendan Walsh, held her rivals over a barrel. Despite that fact, Ceiling Crusher (Mr. Big) took full advantage of the soggy, sealed track by going to the front and never looking back enroute to a narrow victory over the 2-1 Classic winner.

Breaking to the immediate inside of Pretty Mischievous, the 3-1 co-second choice flashed her usual early speed, leading Majestic Creed (Jimmy Creed) and Hoosier Philly (Into Mischief) through an opening quarter in :23 1/5 as the favorite was taken back to sixth, over seven lengths behind the early pace. Continuing to show the way through a :47 3/5 half, the bay started to feel the pressure from behind as Hoosier Philly started to put the screws to her, while Pretty Mischievous also began to narrow the distance while slipping between rivals rounding the far turn. Three wide turning for home, Ceiling Crusher held a solid advantage over the wilting Hoosier Philly and Pretty Mischievous, who was fanned out even wider while inching closer to the front. Digging in for the run to the wire, Ceiling Crusher found her lead dwindling late as the Godolphin homebred closed with purpose, however, it was too little too late as the pacesetter held on collect her first Grade I victory by a half-length. Occult (Into Mischief) closed from the back to be third, 1 1/4 length behind the runner up.

“The question was if she could handle [the 1 1/16 miles],” said winning rider Edwin Maldonado. “We just let her kick on and do her thing. She's been running short and taking the lead sprinting, so I just needed a good break and we got a good break. The rest was her. I don't like any horses getting close to her. By the time they came at her at the three-eighths pole, I just went.”

Following the race, winning trainer Doug O'Neill acknowledged the race went according to script.

“She handled everything perfectly. Edwin has gotten to know her. She has no accelerator stuck to her at all. She is not a run-off. Being in the two-hole, he did not want to get caught up in a lot of traffic. He rode her away from there and I just thank God no one else went on a suicide mission to stop her. She has that high-cruising speed and she carried it all the way to the wire. She does not have a huge turn of foot. She has a high cruising speed, a grinder, a lot of heart. He used all that to a T.”

When asked what might be next for the filly, O'Neill added, “She is not nominated. It will be up to the guys and gals, if they want to write a big check. This was our Breeders' Cup. We looked at this on the calendar months ago and the fact that is coming true…this was our Breeders' Cup today.”

As for the beaten favorite's performance, Walsh opined, “A little disappointed in that she maybe didn't handle the track great initially. Tyler [Gaffalione] said as soon as she switched her leads down the back, he kind of felt her way back into the race. But you know, Doug's filly got the jump on us and she was gone. That's the way it goes I'm afraid.

“Listen, if she can at all make her run she always makes her run. She always gives it 110%. Anytime she has been beaten she hasn't been beaten far. You can't be disappointed in her, we're just a little disappointed in the circumstances. Hats off to Doug's filly, too. She took her opportunity, and she won the race. I'm not taking anything away from her.”

Ceiling Crusher built her reputation facing primarily Cal-breds, stringing together an impressive four-race win streak, highlighted by Santa Anita's Evening Jewel S. in April followed by the Melair S. May 28. Defeated for the first time in her career in the seven-furlong Fleet Treat S. at Del Mar July 27, the bay rebounded to post a front-running score at that seaside venue while facing opening company in the one-mile GIII Torrey Pines S. Sept. 2.

 

Pedigree Note
Ceiling Crusher is the most accomplished of seven foals by her dam Palisadesprincess, a half-sister to Grade II-placed Moana (Uncle Mo). This represents the extended family of Grade I winner Cotton Blossom and GSW Vicarage. The victory marks the initial Grade I winner for Ceiling Crusher's sire, Mr. Big.

 

Saturday, Parx Racing
COTILLION S.-GI, $1,000,000, Parx Racing, 9-23, 3yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:45.69, sy.
1–CEILING CRUSHER, 124, f, 3, by Mr. Big
         1st Dam: Palisadesprincess, by Indian Charlie         
          2nd Dam: Dixietwostepper, by More Than Ready
          3rd Dam: Dixiechickadee, by Grindstone
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($22,000 Ylg '21 NCAAUG; $115,000 RNA 2yo '22 FTCAYR). O-Wonderland Racing Stables, LLC, Todd Cady, Tim Kasparoff and Ty Leatherman; B-Harris Farms, Inc. (CA); T-Doug F. O'Neill; J-Edwin A. Maldonado. $564,000. Lifetime Record: 7-6-0-1, $938,400. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Pretty Mischievous, 126, f, 3, by Into Mischief
          1st Dam: Pretty City Dancer (GISW, $286,344), by Tapit
          2nd Dam: Pretty City, by Carson City
          3rd Dam: Pretty Special, by Riverman
O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Brendan P. Walsh. $188,000.
3–Occult, 124, f, 3, by Into Mischief
          1st Dam: Magical Feeling (GSW & GISP, $554,532), by Empire Maker
          2nd Dam: Magical Mood (GB), by Forestry
          3rd Dam: Good Mood, by Devil's Bag
($625,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $94,000.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 3HF. Odds: 3.30, 2.10, 3.30.
Also Ran: Hoosier Philly, Defining Purpose, Foggy Night, Just Katherine, Majestic Creed, Imonra. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuelTV.

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PHBA Releases Stakes Schedule

The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association released its 2023 stakes schedule for locally bred horses they said on Thursday. The list includes 29 stakes to be run at state-wide tracks throughout the year, with seven slated for Pennsylvania-sired and bred runners.

The first of 23 stakes with purses of $100,000 will be run Monday, Apr. 24 at Parx Racing, followed by a summer stakes schedule hosted by Penn National and Presque Isle Downs. The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's signature event, Pennsylvania's Day at the Races, will be held Monday, Aug. 21 at Parx.

Click here, for the full stakes schedule.

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