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Nearly two decades after first setting foot on Keeneland property, trainer Rodolphe Brisset was standing in the stakes-only Winner's Circle on the infield turf course for the first time Saturday. The honor was courtesy of Yuugiri's hard-fought triumph in the 43rd running of the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2).

Brisset trains the 4-year-old filly for her breeders, Mr. and Mrs. Tsunebumi Yoshihara. The TCA victory earned Yuugiri a spot in the starting gate for the $1 million PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) to be run Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

“I really thought she was second,” Brisset said of the nose score over Wicked Halo after a stretch-long battle. “At the eighth pole when she dug in, she kept running and really fought for it. I went a little crazy and lost my voice cheering from the eighth pole to the wire.”

The win marks the second graded stakes victory for Yuugiri, who improved her record to 14-7-2-1 and increased her earnings to $1,190,585. Her other graded tally came in the 2022 Fantasy (G3) at Oaklawn Park a month before she finished 13th in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Yuugiri then won four races prior to solidifying herself as a six-furlong dirt specialist in the TCA.

“Since we went back to one turn, she has shown a new dimension,” Brisset said.

Through a connection that eventually led to his association with Yuugiri's owners, Brisset left his native France and arrived in the U.S. about 20 years ago to work as an exercise rider at Keeneland for trainer Patrick Biancone.

“I fell in love with Keeneland and Kentucky right away,” Brisset said. “To be able to win a graded stakes at Keeneland is special.”

Brisset's next job was as a longtime key assistant and exercise rider for Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, which meant he spent the Spring and Fall Meets at Keeneland. In 2017, Brisset launched his own training career and obtained stalls in Keeneland's year-round training center nearby on Rice Road. He and his wife, Brooke, who work together in the training operation, also have a farm in nearby Versailles where they raise Thoroughbreds.

Along with their 5-year-old son, Ryan, and friends, the Brissets celebrated Yuugiri's exciting performance with a quiet dinner at a restaurant. They had an early evening.

“Ryan was getting pretty tired, and I had lost my voice cheering for Yuugiri,” he said.

The post ‘Lost My Voice Cheering’: Keeneland Regular Rodolphe Brisset Relishes First Local Stakes Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The outpouring of tears and hugs and handshakes might have been conveying a message but for now, nobody's commenting.

When 6-year-old mare Infinite Patience strutted into the $100,000 Ballerina Stakes winner's circle at Hastings Racecourse on Saturday, Oct. 7, it was her 13th consecutive victory in stakes competition.

“Before the race we were on pins and needles,” breeder and part-owner Bill DeCoursey would say later. “Would it be a Lucky 13 stakes win in a row or would fate get us on our 13th try?”

Infinite Patience answered the question with an impressive 2 1/2-length victory under regular rider Antonio Reyes.

“When she cleared the quarter-pole I sensed we were okay, “DeCoursey said. “I have to admit, I was sweating and pacing and heaving inside. My wife Noi broke into tears. We arrived home and watched the race another seven or eight times. Noi was still shaking in the morning.”

Veteran trainer Barbara Heads became so emotional in the aftermath she had to cut short the traditional victory interview with BC Racebook analyst Bailey Williams.

The reactions from the euphoric winning connections immediately created the feeling it might have been the final curtain in a Hall of Fame career that resulted in 19 victories in 25 starts.

“Infinite Patience came out of the Ballerina stiff but okay,” DeCoursey said, choosing his words carefully. “We must give her and Barb a bit of time to assess the future.”

DeCoursey's partner is Edmonton Oilers stalwart Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Burnaby-born NHL star who offered to buy a half-interest in Infinite Patience after watching her win her first race as a 2-year-old.

“The years have gone by so quickly it all seems like a fairy tale,” DeCoursey said. “ We're hoping our success encourages other small owners to realize it is possible to compete against the industry's bigger outfits.”

Infinite Patience dominated the Thoroughbred Awards Dinner in 2022 with accolades that included Open Horse of the Year, BC Bred Horse of the Year, Champion Sprinter and Champion Older Filly/Mare in both the BC Bred and Open Divisions.

What's next? All we can do at this point is stay tuned.

The post ‘It All Seems Like A Fairy Tale’: Homebred Infinite Patience Wins Her 13th Straight Stakes Race appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC)'s part-time Executive Director, Dr. Michael Hardy, has been promoted to full-time Executive Director of the RMTC, the organization announced on Monday.

In his new position, Hardy will be responsible for the management of the RMTC's Laboratory Accreditation and External Quality Assurance Program in conjunction with the new Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit and will also administer the RMTC's Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) process, manage the organization's monitoring of emerging threats to the integrity of racing, and oversee the process of reviewing applications received for all RMTC-funded post-doctoral fellowships and research proposals.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Hardy on board in a full-time capacity,” RMTC Chair Alex Waldrop said. “The Board of Directors has determined that the work of the RMTC and its scientific advisory committee continue to be uniquely relevant to the horseracing industry's efforts to fairly and safely regulate the use of therapeutic medications and aggressively detect and deter the use of prohibited substances. In this regard, Dr. Hardy is the right person to lead these important efforts going forward.”

Also during its recent meeting, the RMTC Board approved the development, organization, and financial support of a Racing Industry Veterinary Student Externship Program in response to the supply and demand concerns associated with available equine-specific veterinarians to meet the racing industry needs. This program will provide a shared experience for veterinary students with racetrack practitioners and regulatory veterinarians with the objective to promote and provide exposure to and networking opportunities in equine veterinary medicine within the racing industry to prospective veterinarians.

“The success of the racing industry is dependent on the recruitment, availability, and retention of motivated attending and regulatory veterinary professionals to oversee the safety and welfare of its participants,” Hardy said. “The RMTC will join other equine industry organizations taking an active role in promoting careers in equine veterinary medicine.”

The post Dr. Michael Hardy Promoted To Full-Time Executive Director Of Racing Medication And Testing Consortium appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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If all goes well between now and Nov. 3, veteran Northern California-based trainer O.J. Jauregui will have his first starter in the Breeders' Cup.

Set to provide the career achievement for Jauregui is Dreamfyre, a front-running winner of Sunday's Grade 3 Surfer Girl Stakes for 2-year-olds going a mile on turf at Santa Anita Park. Stewards reviewed the stretch drive after Dreamfyre and runner-up Buttercream Babe bumped near the finish line, but no change was made to the order of finish.

Jauregui, a veteran trainer who's spent a lifetime in racing, was back at his base at Golden Gate Fields Monday morning. He reported all appeared well with Dreamfyre the morning after her neck victory as the 9-5 favorite.

“My groom said she was doing great. Everything seems good,” Jauregui said.

Dreamfyre, ridden by Hector Berrios Sunday, will now be pointed to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf going a mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3.

“It's so exciting,” Jauregui said of the Breeders' Cup. “It's a dream come true.”

A daughter of Flameaway, Dreamfyre will enter the Breeders' Cup with a perfect 3-for-3 record. Prior to the Surfer Girl, Dreamfyre won her first two starts sprinting on dirt. She won the 5 ½-furlong Everett Nevin Stakes at Pleasanton on debut July 9 and returned to win the G3 Sorrento going six furlongs when shipped south to Del Mar Aug. 12.

Jauregui said he had considered three options for Dreamfyre after the Sorrento. She could either stay on dirt and stretch out to 1 1/16 miles in Saturday's G2 Chandelier, stay sprinting but face males in Saturday's Speakeasy at five furlongs on turf, or try the Zuma Beach.

“I was thinking she could get a mile but wasn't really sure because she is so fast. That made the Chandelier going a bit farther kind of questionable at this point,” Jauregui said. “And I wasn't worried about turf because of her pedigree. But the Speakeasy wasn't graded. We decided to keep her with the fillies, try a mile on the grass and try and at least to get a graded stakes placing. It worked out.”

According to Equibase statistics, Jauregui has won 376 races and banked $8,172,875 in purse earnings. The most wins he's had in a season was 35 in 2013. His highest-earning season came in 2021 when his stable banked $770,692 with 27 wins from 158 starters.

Dreamfyre was purchased for $140,000 by owner Danny Eplin at this year's OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. She has earned $285,000 through her first three starts.

Jauregui said Dreamfyre would likely ship back to Golden Gate this week and then return to Santa Anita “a week to 10 days” ahead of the Breeders' Cup.

“It's the same thing we did for this race,” Jauregui noted.

The post ‘Dream Come True’: Veteran Northern California Trainer O.J. Jauregui Headed To First Breeders’ Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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