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Becerra Hoping To Score Big With Touchdown Brown After Sharp Debut Win

Veteran trainer Rafael Becerra was all smiles Saturday morning, as his talented California-bred juvenile Touchdown Brown ran lights-out in his debut in Friday's fourth race, demolishing seven Cal-bred rivals by 5 ¼ lengths while getting 4 ½ furlongs in 52.81 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

“He's really good this morning, he pulled up great,” said the popular Becerra, 65. “The owners told me they're already getting a lot offers, but the good news is, they're not selling. I got this horse in mid-March and from day one, he acted like a good horse. We went to the track with him right away and he galloped perfect and he's got a very good mind.

“You could see he's got a nice way of moving and my exercise rider really liked him right from the start. When we started breezing him, he did everything easy and outworked a good horse of mine in company.”

A homebred colt by Cairo Prince out of the Cherokee Run mare Chicalelee, Touchdown Brown, who is owned by Edward J. Brown, Jr., Alan Klein and Phillip Lebherz, was off as the 3-2 favorite and paid $5.00 to win.

Breaking alertly from post position seven, Touchdown Brown, who was ridden by Evin Roman, was on the move while third, about 1 ½ lengths off the lead approaching the quarter pole. From there, he entered the stretch three-deep and when he switched to his left lead, forged to the front approaching the sixteenth pole winning under a hand ride in a tremendous effort.

Becerra, who started on the racetrack at age 16 in 1971 with the legendary Farrell Jones and his Hall of Fame son, Gary, has been training on his own since Gary Jones' retirement in 1996 and has long been regarded as a hard working, no-nonsense horseman who helped develop multiple graded stakes winner Kingdom Found, a California-bred gelding, foaled in 1990, who banked $810,863 in a career that spanned seven racing seasons.

What's next for Touchdown Brown?

“With all the money that's available, the owners agree that we're going to stay with Cal-breds for now,” said Becerra. “We're going to run him in the Graduation Stakes (5 ½ furlongs, Aug. 2 at Del Mar) and we'll see where we go from there.”

If yesterday's result was any indication, Touchdown Brown figures to go a long, long way indeed.

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Mott Hits 5,000 Career Win Mark With Churchill Downs Victory

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott became only the seventh trainer in history to record 5,000 wins when Moon Over Miami notched a one-length score in the third race on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Mott, who was inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 1998, took out his trainer's license at age 16 in 1969. Throughout his storied career, the South Dakota native has won some of the world's most prestigious races including the 2019 Kentucky Derby (Country House), 1996 Dubai World Cup (Cigar) and 2010 Belmont Stakes (Drosselmeyer).

Mott was at Belmont Park on Saturday but his longtime assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy and veteran exercise rider Penny Gardiner were on hand to accept the accolade.

“We're so thrilled to achieve this milestone,” said McCarthy, who has worked under Mott for 25 years. “I know Bill is watching from New York but we are so happy, and a little relieved, to get this honor.”

Mott began his career under the tutelage of fellow Hall of Famer Jack Van Berg throughout most of the 1970s until he decided to open up his own stable in 1978. Over the next four decades, Mott trained six champions and 121 Grade I winners. Among the top horses under Mott's care were 1995-96 Champion Older Horse and Horse of the Year Cigar, 2012-13 Champion Older Female Royal Delta and 1998 Champion Older Filly Escena.

Mott held the all-time trainer lead at Churchill Downs for more than 31 years until Dale Romans surpassed his mark in 2017.

Mott ranks seventh in all-time wins behind Dale Baird (9,445), Steve Asmussen (8,873), Jerry Hollendorfer (7,651), Van Berg (6,523), King Leatherbury (6,503) and Scott Lake (6,104).

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Canadian Hall Of Famer Tiller Saddles 2,000th Career Winner

Canadian Hall of Fame horseman Robert Tiller celebrated a career milestone on Friday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack near Toronto, Ontario, as he earned his 2,000th training win when Have a Souper Day crossed the wire on top in the seventh race.

With Rafael Hernandez aboard, the Tiller-owned 3-year-old Have a Souper Day ($2.90) wired the field of six for his first career win, clocking seven furlongs in 1:24.62. The Souper Speedy gelding prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths over first-time starter Beyond the Budget and Valuable Pillow.

Woodbine Entertainment made a special winner's circle presentation to Tiller following social distancing protocols currently in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It's a great honor,” said Tiller, 70, of the milestone moment. “It's been a lot of years. The biggest thing I like about this is most of these starts were right here at home at Woodbine because I don't winter-race usually. I've been training [since the 1970s] and 2,000 wins is a wonderful honor. I just wanted to get it out of the way and I'm very, very honored and pleased.”

The multiple graded stakes winning trainer won his first race in 1972 courtesy of Royal Greek Ship and has since campaigned winners of more than $66.6 million in purse earnings. He has earned three Sovereign Awards as Canada's Outstanding Trainer (2001, 2003 and 2004) and the highest achievement in the sport as a 2008 inductee in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Tiller still manages a 45-horse stable that includes Canada's top sprinter Pink Lloyd, who will make his season's debut in Thursday's $125,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes (Grade 3) at Woodbine.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine without spectators on Saturday afternoon. First race post time is 1 p.m.

Feature on Robert Tiller.

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Cohen, Magic Star Fine After Harrowing Hedge Jump Caught On Film

A jockey never quite knows what to expect when the gates open, whether it's in a Grade 1 stakes race or a routine turf allowance. Rider David Cohen got an unusual reminder of that on Sunday, when he found himself doing a somersault over the hedges at Churchill Downs.

Cohen's ride in the eighth race, a 4-year-old Chad Brown trainee named Magic Star, had five other races under her belt, all of them without incident, so he didn't expect anything unusual. The pair broke from the insidemost gate, and settled along the rail toward the middle of the pack. Suddenly, as they began rounding the first turn, Magic Star leapt forward and to her left, then propped and dove into the thick evergreen hedge to her left. The upward hop after her first bobble dislodged Cohen, who was then propelled straight into the air and did a somersault over the filly's head as Magic Star careened into the bushes.

“It wasn't anybody's fault,” he said, noting she was surrounded by horses at the time, but wasn't squeezed or bothered. “I don't know if it was a case of it just being a hedge. Maybe she's used to seeing a rail next to her. I really don't know what she did, she just kind of bailed and didn't want to be in that tight spot.

“I believe my arm got caught up in the rein a little bit, and I believe that's what may have dragged her into the bushes. It looks like she may have jumped into it as well. But her first initial jump was not into the bushes. It happened so quick. It was over before I even knew what happened.”

Fortunately, there is no railing on the inside of the Churchill turf course, so the mare had nothing other than the vegetation to pose a hazard to her on her way in or out of the hedge.

Cohen also landed in the hedge and after a few moments, realized he was unharmed. Magic Star got out of the hedge and galloped away, eventually getting picked up by an outrider. Cohen said he knew the field would be coming back around to finish the race soon, but with no inside rail to duck under, he had to hustle to get off the course.

David Cohen and Magic Star go careening into the hedge at Churchill June 14. Both were unharmed.

“Churchill is one of those turf courses where the wire is maybe about 50 feet to the turn,” he said. “I had to make it across the turf course or they would've had to cancel the race. I don't want anyone to cancel a race when they don't have to. I was very happy to see her continue to run away. She didn't stand there and not want to move, and I knew that was a good sign that she was still able and willing and capable to run with no issues.”

David Cohen and Magic Star go careening into the hedge at Churchill June 14. Both were unharmed.

Renee Gallagher, a photographer with Coady Photography based at Churchill, had her camera ready at just the right moment to catch the incident.

Cohen reported that he checked in on Magic Star the following morning and learned that while a little body sore, she was not seriously hurt. He expects to see her back in the entries in due course, and said he'd have no problem riding her again.

David Cohen and Magic Star go careening into the hedge at Churchill June 14. Both were unharmed.

“In some cases, there's a little bit more warning and normally that's because, for example, another rider or horse causes something by coming down and you've clipped heels, but I was never put in that position,” he said. “It's just one of those very fluke type of situations. I don't foresee her doing that ever again. I don't think she's a dangerous type of horse. I think it's just one of those weird situations, and we're blessed that the horse made it out and I did as well.”

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