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Thoroughbred owner and breeder Bonner Young is hopeful that dual winner Highland Grace can add more prosperity to a highly productive family line in Saturday's Grade 3, $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks going 11 furlongs at Belmont at the Big A.

Trained by Barclay Tagg, Highland Grace started out 0-for-4 through the maiden ranks before stretching out to the Jockey Club Oaks distance on June 3 over Belmont Park's inner turf to graduate at fifth asking. The sophomore daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah doubled up by defeating winners going 10 furlongs on July 4 over yielding Belmont inner turf under Flavien Prat.

Highland Grace, a fifth generation homebred, is out of Young's graded stakes winner Caroline Thomas, who was elevated to first in the Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga Race Course in 2013 before finishing a close third in that year's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. Highland Grace's granddam is three-time graded stakes winner Bit of Whimsy, whose sophomore season in 2007 saw triumphs in the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup as well as the Grade 3 Sands Point at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs. Her third dam is Kristi B, who also produced graded stakes placed and black type producer Kristi With a K.

“I have had this family for 43 years and Barclay has trained everything on the page at one point in time,” Young said. “She is a big filly like Bit of Whimsy was. She doesn't have Bit of Whimsy's disposition, she's more like Caroline Thomas in that. She's laid back like American Pharoah was. He was kind and gentle around people and that's how she is.”

Although Highland Grace won over yielding going last out, Young said she is hopeful for firm turf in Saturday's race.

“She's got a kick if it's a hard turf,” Young said. “In the last race she was struggling on the rail and Flavien [Prat] got her out into the middle of the course, that's when she took off. I'm hoping that it won't rain tonight.”

Highland Grace has a 2-year-old full-sister named Katherine Thomas, who made her debut over the Saratoga inner turf in July to finish fifth going 1 1/16 miles.

“Her baby sister Katherine Thomas is actually more like Bit of Whimsy. She's a 2-year-old and I'm hoping she runs at the end of this month. We're aiming for that with her,” said Young.

Young currently owns two active broodmares – Caroline Thomas and stakes-winner Highland Glory, a daughter of Young's now retired broodmare Kristi With a K. She boards her mares at Hinkle Farm in Paris, Kentucky.

Caroline Thomas is in foal to second crop sire Bolt d'Oro, while Highland Glory is in foal to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify.

“I'm trying to breed a turf champion for Barclay, I've been trying forever,” Young said. “We've had some really nice horses out of this family. I'm lucky because they're born and raised at Tom Hinkle's Farm. I bought my first horse from him in 1980 and I've been part of the Hinkle family ever since. He's a wonderful horseman and they do a fabulous job at his farm.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will pick up the mount aboard Highland Grace, who will break from post 5 at 5-1 morning line odds.

The post Jockey Club Oaks: Highland Grace Could Be Third Generation Graded Winner For Bonner Young appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Jockey Jose L. Campos is in a Toronto-area hospital with rib and back injuries following an incident at Woodbine racetrack prior to Thursday's first race.

Campos, 32, was aboard Spanish Beauty as the field of seven older fillies and mares was leaving the walking ring en route to the racetrack. According to Gerry Olguin, retired jockey and agent for Campos, the horse flipped over, causing the rider to strike the metal railing, and then had Spanish Beauty fall on top of him.

Woodbine's press office reported that Spanish Beauty was not injured.

Campos broke multiple ribs and sustained a fractured vertebrae, Olguin said. adding the rider was moving all of his extremities and was in “good spirits.” Campos will be hospitalized for at least a couple of days for observation and further diagnosis, Olguin said. At this time, no surgery is scheduled.

Campos, a leading rider in his native Mexico, was competing in his first full season at Woodbine after arriving toward the latter part of the 2022 meet. He is currently seventh in the jockey standings, with 29 wins from 285 mounts. Kazushi Kimora is atop the standings with 82 victories.

Olguin said he did not expect Campos to return before the current Woodbine meet ends in December, then would likely travel to his home in Mexico City for the winter before returning to Toronto for the 2024 meet.

The post Campos Fractures Ribs, Vertebrae In Woodbine Paddock Mishap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has named Anjali Salooja Director of Operations and Compliance. Salooja joins HISA from the National Basketball Association where she served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel.

As Director of Operations and Compliance, Salooja will oversee all compliance systems and procedures for the organization, ensuring HISA remains compliant with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act at all times. Salooja will also provide daily operational and long-term planning support for new initiatives designed to promote equine and jockey health and safety.

“We couldn't be more pleased to welcome someone of Anjali's talent and experience to HISA,” said CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Her expertise in leading organizational operations and implementing national safety protocols make her an excellent fit to help us further HISA's goals.”

Salooja brings more than a decade of valuable experience to HISA. In her most recent role, Salooja oversaw the NBA's Anti-Drug Program and player health and safety efforts for its affiliate leagues, leading coordination with players, medical advisors, coaches, trainers and league staff. Prior to that, Salooja practiced law at Debevoise & Plimpton and worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

“I look forward to helping further HISA's mission by ensuring operational excellence across the growing organization,” said Salooja. “With continued coordination and partnership between the HISA team and racing participants, we can make integrity and safety the top priority in Thoroughbred racing across the country.”

Salooja is an admitted attorney to the New York State Bar Association and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

About the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority

When the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into federal law, it charged the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) with drafting and enforcing uniform safety and integrity rules in Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), HISA is implementing, for the first time, a national, uniform set of rules applicable to every Thoroughbred racing participant and racetrack facility. HISA is comprised of two programs: the Racetrack Safety Program, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program, which went into effect on May 22, 2023.

The Racetrack Safety Program includes operational safety rules and national racetrack accreditation standards that seek to enhance equine welfare and minimize equine and jockey injury. The Program expands veterinary oversight, imposes surface maintenance and testing requirements, enhances jockey safety, regulates riding crop use and implements voided claim rules, among other important measures.

The ADMC Program includes a centralized testing and results management process and applies uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the United States. These rules and enforcement mechanisms are administered by an independent agency, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), established by Drug Free Sport International (DFS). HIWU oversees testing, educates stakeholders on the Program, accredits laboratories, investigates potential ADMC violations and prosecutes any such violations.

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Tyler Gaffalione capped off his third Kentucky Downs riding title in style, winning three races on Wednesday's closing-day card to finish with 12 victories for the FanDuel Meet, five more than 2021 riding champion  and second-finisher Joel Rosario.

Brendan Walsh earned his second training title, and first outright, at the Franklin, Ky., track with eight wins, three more than Kentucky Downs' all-time win leader Mike Maker, who had a meet-high 10 seconds and nine thirds.

Ken Ramsey, the winningest owner in Kentucky Downs history as well as Kentucky, won his ninth title at the track and his first since 2018 with three wins victories to edge the two wins of Three Diamonds Farm and Augustin Stables.

The details:

Gaffalione got off to a fast start, winning the meet's very first race with Buttercream Babe and then taking the last of 76 races aboard Fancy Caber Neigh. He also won last year's riding title with nine wins and in 2020 with 11. Gaffalione started the day ahead 9-7 over Rosario, but but had clinched the crown by mid-card.

Florent Geroux finished third with six wins but won the money title, $2,800,016 to $2,706,419 for Gaffalione. Both riders rode all seven days of the meet, while Rosario missed one day to ride at Saratoga.

Gaffalione was a workhorse, riding 71 of the meet's 76 races, compared with 51 for Rosario and 48 for Geroux.

Last year Gaffalione was shut out from stakes wins, with several extremely close seconds. This year he won two stakes: Sunday's $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Fillies with Austere and the $1 million, Grade 3 Big Ass Fans Music City with Secret Money. Both horses are trained by Walsh.

“It's amazing,” Gaffalione said. “It was very competitive this year. It's world-class racing, and we enjoy being out there. We were very fortunate. We got a little bit of revenge this year (in stakes). Brendan Walsh and his team did a great job. I think we won five or six races for him. He sent his horses over ready to run this meet, and they fired big for us.”

Though he wound up not needing it to gain the title, Walsh teamed with Gaffalione to win Wednesday's second race with the maiden First World War.

Walsh tied for the 2021 title with Maker and Steve Asmussen with four wins apiece. He won with eight of 28 starters this meet (29 percent) and also led in purse earnings at $1,701,584. Jonathan Thomas, whose four wins included a pair of $1 million stakes, finished second in earnings at $1,487,443.

“It was a great meet,” said assistant trainer Paul Madden, who was at Kentucky Downs while Walsh was working the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. “Kudos to all the team. It was all the team and the effort they put in. It was a big deal for him (Walsh) to win this. To win eight races this meet — the prize money being so big — it's just a great place to win. He definitely points toward this meet.”

It was Ramsey's first since his last of six straight titles in 2018. He also won in 2010 and 2009. Ramsey's other titles were in the name of Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who died last year.

“It's like eating Cracker Jack,” Ramsey said. “The more you eat, the more you want. The more you win, the more you want to win. I'm inspired by winning. It motivates me to keep buying good horses and claiming good horses.

“I've got to pad my statistics, got to raise the bar a little higher. I can't look over my shoulder or they'll be gaining on me.”

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