Tag: People

For the second straight year, trainer Brittany Russell finds herself at the end of a racing season chasing history.

With three racing days left in Laurel Park's fall meet, starting Friday, the 34-year-old Russell leads Jamie Ness, 115-113, for the most winners at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course in 2023. Russell and Ness tied for second-most wins behind five-time defending champion Claudio Gonzalez in 2022, with 73.

No female trainer has ever led Maryland's annual standings. Last year Russell became just the fourth woman to win a training title in Maryland at Laurel's spring meet and then won Pimlico's Preakness and Laurel's fall stands to become the first female to earn multiple crowns.

“That would be something. I didn't realize were on the verge of a milestone. It would mean a lot,” Russell said. “What can you say, really? You wake up and you try and do a job and you try and do the best job that you can for the horses and your clients. Being in a position like that, it's pretty special.

“The woman thing, honestly, I don't think about that, ever, until somebody points it out to me. I just show up and I try and do my best and win as many races as anybody regardless of male or female,” she added. “Most of my best friends are male trainers. That's just who I interact with. Do I feel they look at me differently because I'm a woman? No, I feel like we just show up and do our job.”

Russell has horses entered in three races Friday and Saturday and two on Sunday's New Year's Eve closing day program at Laurel. Ness has horses in one race Friday, five races Saturday and six races Sunday.

Already, Russell has far surpassed personal highs across the board in starters (674), wins (173) and purse earnings ($7,745,992). She ranks 11th nationally in wins and 16th in purses, and earned the first Grade 1 of her career with Doppelganger in the Carter Handicap in April at Aqueduct.

“You can say, 'Well, it's Brittany, she's great on the Maryland circuit' and all that stuff, that she's just a Maryland trainer. You can put her up against any of these top trainers at tracks that have much larger purses and rank them equally,” said Stuart Grant, founder of prominent owner The Elkstone Group. “If you look at the people that are behind her, it's a really impressive list. She's doing what she needs to do and she's paying her dues.

“She's good and she cares. She's got a good team and she lives and breathes this stuff,” he added. “She's super. I love having horses with her. I have more horses with her than I have with anyone else.”

Russell defended her Preakness Meet title this spring, and trails Ness, 36-34, in Laurel's fall meet standings. She went out on her own in 2018 after working for such trainers as Brad Cox, Jimmy Jerkens, Ron Moquett and late Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard and has 418 wins and more than $17.5 million in purse earnings to her credit.

“We have multiple strings, but it's fun to look down the shedrow each place we go and be like, 'good horse, good horse, good horse,'” Russell said. “The quality has just improved each year and they're sending us better horses each year. I'm training for good clients and I still have support from some of the originals. It's something to be really proud of.”

Russell is quick to spread the credit for her success around, starting with her husband, champion jockey Sheldon Russell, with whom she shares daughter, Edy, and son, Rye. Luis Barajas is her right hand at Laurel, with Emma Wolfe in charge at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. and Sam Hopkins running the show at Gulfstream Park this winter.

“I wouldn't be anywhere without Sheldon. He's a constant source of inspiration and motivation on and off the track, and he's been a huge part of our success,” Russell said. “Luis has been with me since I've been with Ron Moquett. He's been with me from the beginning, from when we had a barnful of what we thought were good horses. We were fired from all those horses and left with three in the shedrow. There was a time where I didn't know if I was going to have a career. We were just trying to break through. Luis has stood by my side and been with me the whole time. Luis is such a good assistant.

“Emma and I have such a good thing going. She's been a key in helping me get the 2-year-olds in the spring when they come in. We kind of send them up to her and she starts sorting them out. She has plenty of good horses. She has Post Time in her care. Post Time stays with Emma at Fair Hill because honestly she's such a good rider and he's such a difficult horse, and they have a good thing going. You can see it's working,” she added. “Sam started with us earlier this year. I have a pretty good group of horses down there. A few of them have yet to run. You can't do it without your team, and they've all built kind of their own crews, too. So it's them and it's everybody under them. It's awesome. Of course, I'm proud. It's been a year.”

Laurel kicks off the final weekend of the calendar year with a live nine-race program Friday, starting at 12:25 p.m. Russell will send out Kuebler Racing and Ten Strike Racing's Swill in featured Race 8, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting 5 ½ furlongs.

Swill won the six-furlong Challendon Sept. 10 at Pimlico and most recently ran fourth in an Oct. 14 optional claimer at Aqueduct going the same distance. The 5-year-old gelding will break from Post 2 in a field of nine that includes fellow stakes winners Monday Morning Qb, Karan's Notion, Johnyz From Albany, Threes Over Deuces and Golden Candy along with Brother Conway, chasing a fourth straight victory.

Race 7 is an open six-furlong allowance for 3-year-olds and up that drew an overflow field of 13 including last out winners Mr. Antonelli, Class Actor, Rominski and Elle'sbigseacret, the lone also-eligible. Assume Nothing races first off the claim for Daryl Abramowitz and trainer Horacio DePaz, the same connections that won the Dec. 23 Dave's Friend with 9-year-old Greeley and Ben.

Eight 2-year-old fillies will line up for Race 3, a maiden special weight sprinting six furlongs. Six horses are entered to make their career debut including a pair from trainer Brittany Russell – Maddie Ten, a bay daughter of champion sprinter Mitole, and Heart, a homebred Bolt d'Oro filly. Grade 1 winners Arrogate and Vino Rosso are respectively represented by Gate Song and La Macchina Rossa, while Blue Trillion is set to make her fourth start and first since running third in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight Dec. 8 at Laurel for trainer Tim Keefe.

There will be a carryover of $2,717.21 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6).

Laurel's Saturday program is highlighted by the final stakes of 2023, the $100,000 Heft for 2-year-olds featuring stakes winners Sweet Soddy J and Catahoula Moon and $100,000 Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, led by the Russell-trained undefeated stakes winner Cap Classique.

Sunday's closing day program will feature mandatory payouts in the Jackpot Super High Five, 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 5-9) wagers.

Jaime Rodriguez will finish as Maryland's leading rider, currently at 164, trailed by Jeiron Barbosa (136), Jevian Toledo (130) and Angel Cruz (103). Toledo leads Rodriguez, 49-48, in the fall meet standings.

The post ‘She Lives And Breathes This Stuff’: Trainer Brittany Russell Chasing History In Maryland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Just four live race days remain in 2023 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. To celebrate the season, the NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of trainers, owners, jockeys and racing personalities to share their reflections on the memorable year.

Steve Rushing has been a successful jockey agent for almost 40 years and during that time the riders he has taken the books for include Hall of Famers Edgar Prado and Ramon Dominguez as well as Rosie Napravnik and Tammi Piermarini. Currently, he represents the Eclipse Award-winning brothers Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Jose Ortiz, who have both risen to the top of the ranks on the NYRA circuit and in North America.

Irad, the Eclipse Award winner in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022, is wrapping up his most successful season to date with a career-high 360 wins through December 27 while breaking his single-season North American record for purse earnings in excess of $38 million. Irad's 15 Grade 1 scores in 2023 include the Whitney at Saratoga Race Course aboard White Abarrio and three Breeders' Cup events with White Abarrio [Classic] and Champions Elite Power [Sprint] and Goodnight Olive [Filly & Mare Sprint]. Seven of Irad's 15 Grade 1 victories were on NYRA racing strips.

Jose, the Champion jockey of 2017, is also concluding a stellar year with 245 wins and more than $22 million in earnings to date. His four Grade 1 wins include the Belmont Invitational Derby [Far Bridge] and the New York [Marketsegmentation].

This summer, the Ortiz brothers finished 1-2 in the riding standings at two of NYRA's most prestigious meetings. Jose claimed victory over Irad at the Belmont spring/summer meet with 59 wins after a close battle that went down to the final day of racing. Two months later, it was Irad who took the Angel Cordero, Jr. Award as leading rider at Saratoga with 62 wins as Jose finished second.

Q: Is there any other single agent who simultaneously has had the books of two brothers, and moreover, brothers who are both at the top of this game?

“This is probably a first. I can't think of anyone else. To begin with, there aren't too many brothers who are riders, and then are both at the top of the mountain, and then to be represented by the same agent. It is unique. I've represented some very good riders. I've been very fortunate to work with both Jose and Irad.”

Q: Are the Ortiz brothers, who are recognized and respected for their work ethic as well as their immense ability in the irons, the gifts that keep on giving?

“They are really special. They are great, great kids. They are both outstanding jockeys and outstanding people who come from a great family. They are very special, that's for sure. They make my job easier because they are both very professional and they do the right things. As great as they are as riders, they are even better human beings and that says a lot.”

Q: Irad and Jose are not just brothers; they are best friends and as tight as can be. They support one another in every way. But when they are out on the track, they are known to be intensely competitive with one another. Is that a racetrack rumor or the truth?

“They are so competitive that it's crazy. It really is. They are so close but so competitive, and not just when riding. Whatever they do, and it doesn't matter what it is, they are crazy competitive. It's great, though.”

Q: They are both very much in demand. How is it when they both want to be on the same superstar horse – horses like Champions, back-to-back Breeders' Cup winners, and multiple New York Grade 1 stakes-winners Elite Power and Goodnight Olive – and Irad gets those mounts?

“They both always want to be on those kinds of horse, but they both understand the game. They never question anything. They just go with the flow. I've told them that one week, things might work in Irad's favor and then the next week, they'll work in Jose's favor. It all balances out in the end.”

Q: The trainers and owners are the decision makers as to who rides their horses, so how important is it to maintain solid relationships with them to best benefit each brother?

“It's very important. If Jose and Irad are going after the same mount, I'll tell the trainers that both guys are available, if they are, and then let the trainer and owner decide.”

Q: The job of a jockey agent is hardly an easy one. It's demanding and extremely competitive, and at times contentious. Often it can be akin to doing a balancing act on a high wire. Are communication and honesty the biggest keys to your success?

“Definitely. It's very important to be a good communicator, for sure. Being up front and straight with people is the best way to be. That's really the only way to be. It can be with riders like Irad and Jose that if someone gives them a call and then there's a problem, they really don't want to give up the call. They want to honor it. It's easy to get on the horses but sometimes it's hard to take off the horses.”

Q: Your job is seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. You set up the morning work schedules as well as the afternoon riding assignments for the brothers. You have to look out for potential conflicts and stay ahead of the curve. How much homework is necessary?

“All day you're doing something, and it is every day. These guys ride out of town a lot so there is also a lot of traveling involved. There's really a lot to it. For instance, Irad can be at Santa Anita the same day that Jose is at Gulfstream. They both stay very busy.

“There's a lot of handicapping the races involved and you have to be pretty good at it. But it doesn't always come down to that. There might be a situation where this horse you think is better but your relationship with another trainer is better and he has a lot more horses. Even when you handicap, you don't always ride the horse you think is fastest. Sometimes it comes down to relationships.”

Q: Even the best handicapper has to adjust to weather and surface changes, late scratches, medication, equipment and/or shoe changes, and all sorts of last-minute surprises. But you have to dig into each race and book mounts for your guys weeks before race days and you don't even have the benefit of past performances. How do you do it?

“You don't know who's going to be in the field, post positions, first time Lasix, blinkers on or off, if the race is going to be rained off the turf, scratches, PPs, or any of it. The favorite only wins 33 percent of the time, and that's when the gamblers and handicappers know who's in the race, who's getting first time Lasix, who's getting blinkers, the post positions, the weather, track conditions, and the rest. They have all that information and they still only come up with the winner 33 percent of the time. We're doing it weeks in advance when we don't have any of that information. That makes it very difficult.”

Q: What's your typical day like?

“I'm there at the track at 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning. I look at the entries and condition book for the day to see what's going on or if we have any conflicts. I download the DRF into my iPad and go over the races. I make lots of phone calls and texts all day long. Ever since COVID they [racing officials] started doing the draw by Zoom [instead of having to be physically in the racing office] and that's a big help. I can do a lot of it now while sitting in my office.

“I have every condition book from all the tracks we ride all over the country, every stakes nomination, every racing form, all of it in my computer. I keep my computer, my notes, and everything in front of me and have multiple TVs with the races from different tracks on at the same time. I watch the races and mark down when the horses will be running back. I go over all the charts. It's an all day job. It's seven days a week because even on the dark days, stakes nominations will come out. Some days are a little bit slower than others but there is always something going on every day.”

Q: You're a Rhode Island native who held a variety of jobs that include hot walker, groom, and exercise rider at the tracks on the old New England circuit of Lincoln Downs, Narragansett Park, Rockingham Park and Suffolk Downs. Then you decided to try your hand as a jockey agent. Is the story that when you were a young and struggling agent you teamed up with a young and struggling Peruvian-born rider named Edgar Prado?

“That's pretty much it. It was at Suffolk Downs in 1986. At the time I was working for Tammi Campbell, now Piermarini, and she was an apprentice. I was friends with [trainer] Bobby Klesaris and he said he was bringing this kid up from Florida and he thought the kid was going to be pretty good. He asked me to take him. Edgar and I started working together and though he spoke very little English and I spoke very little Spanish, we made it work. We became as close as brothers.

“After a few months we went to Florida to ride for Vinnie Blengs. Then Bobby called me again and said he was bringing a string of about 50 horses to Maryland and wanted us to go there and ride for him. It was only on a trial basis, but Edgar won on his very first mount. It paid $55. It all just snowballed after that.”

Q: When did you arrive in New York?

“Ramon [Dominguez] and I went up there in the winter in 2009. I've represented some very good riders. I've been very fortunate.”

Q: This winter, you have to keep up to snuff on opportunities, including with Triple Crown contenders, for Irad and Jose at multiple tracks like Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Tampa Bay Downs, Santa Anita, Oaklawn, Fair Grounds, and other simultaneous race meets. The tracks and the trainers are located in different time zones. That's a lot to manage.

“There's always racing going on somewhere. It's great, isn't it?”

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of every day of the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post ‘They Are So Close But So Competitive’: Q&A With Ortiz Brothers’ Agent Steve Rushing appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association has announced the results of its 2023 election for President and Board of Directors. Tina Marie Bond, who previously served as co-Vice President, was elected to her first term as President.

“I am honored to be chosen as the next President of NYTHA,” said Bond. “It is an important time for our industry and the future of horse racing. I look forward to working with NYRA and the New York breeders to continue the great work of keeping New York racing at the top of our industry. We have the best owners, the best trainers, the best employees, and soon we will have the best facilities. I want to thank Joe Appelbaum and our past Board Members for all of their work and support. And I want to congratulate our new Board – I look forward to working with all of you.”

2023 NYTHA BOARD ELECTION RESULTS

PRESIDENT
Tina Marie Bond

OWNER/DIRECTOR
Tom Bellhouse
Dan Collins
Sanford Goldfarb
Dr. Jennifer White
Aron Yagoda
Alternate: Andrew (Andy) Aaron

TRAINER/TRAINER-OWNER DIRECTOR
Jena Antonucci
David Donk
David Duggan
James Ferraro
John Terranova
Alternate: Linda Rice

“I'd like to recognize everyone who put themselves out there to run for a position,” said outgoing NYTHA President Joe Appelbaum. “NYTHA's strength is in our community and the more that participate, the better. Good luck to the incoming Board, they are going to need our support.”

We appreciate everyone who participated in this democratic process! Many thanks to our outgoing Board Members for their service, and best wishes to those newly elected.

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Jockey Pablo Morales, sidelined since Nov. 26 after suffering a broken left wrist in a training accident, expects to miss about 4 more weeks after an MRI revealed two additional bone fractures and some ligament damage in the wrist.

Morales underwent the MRI testing because of persistent pain in the wrist, which is restricting the movement and strength needed to ride Thoroughbreds.

“It's bittersweet,” Morales said of the diagnosis. “At first I thought it might be sprained, but after three weeks I knew it wasn't getting better. It's disappointing, but at least there is no surgery needed and I can start therapy in a couple of weeks. Everything is in place, and I just have to let it heal.”

Morales has been staying fit by riding a stationary bicycle and swimming.

“I've been trying to work out and stay active. Once the pain is not there, I'm ready,” he said.

Morales won on three of his 11 mounts during the opening week of the 2023-2024 season. He arrived in Oldsmar after winning his fourth consecutive riding title and ninth overall at Presque Isle Downs in Erie, Pa., with 106 winners.

Morales finished third in last season's Tampa Bay Downs standings with 53 winners.

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