Phoenix Thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Phoenix Thoroughbreds Will Cease Racing In UK ‘For The Foreseeable Future’

Phoenix Thoroughbreds released a statement Tuesday announcing that the ownership group will cease racing operations in the United Kingdom immediately, according to the Racing Post. The group has racehorses with 11 different trainers in Britain.

“This has not been a decision we have taken lightly,” said Phoenix's founder Amer Abdulaziz Salman. “However, for the growth and wellbeing of our business and our partners internationally, we have taken the decision to leave the UK for the foreseeable future. It saddens me greatly to have to do this but at this juncture, we believe it is necessary. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us achieve our dreams so far.”

Abdulaziz was alleged in a New York court to be a money launderer for fake cryptocurrency OneCoin last year, and he has consistently declined to identify any investors in the Luxembourg-registered equine fund.

Prominent racing figures to have distanced themselves from Phoenix include: Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, trainer Martyn Meade, bloodstock advisor Dermot Farrington, and former vice-president and head of equine investments Tom Ludt.

Also on Tuesday, the Racing Post published a list of questions Phoenix has refused to answer, including queries about the money laundering allegations and the Luxembourg fund. Phoenix responded with a categorical denial of all the allegations against it, insisting they would “vigorously contest all allegations of wrongdoing.”

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Liam’s Map Filly Navigates Traffic to Garner Rising Stardom at Ellis

Crazy Beautiful (Liam’s Map) worked her way out of a tough spot in the lane to blow away the field in Sunday’s Runhappy Debutante S. at Ellis and earn the ‘TDN Rising Star’ nod. The grey was one of now three good-looking debut winners for Ken McPeek so far this meet when she ran to 19-10 favoritism going long on the lawn July 5, and she was the public’s tepid pick in this full field to handle a different surface and sharper trip. Sluggish at the start and ridden along by Rafael Bejarano to steadily advance down on the fence, Crazy Beautiful caught the eye while traveling strongly from midpack heading for home after a :45.46 half. Initially guided wide to go around a wall of horses into the stretch, she bounced twice off of Xtrema (Exaggerator) and had to find a Plan B. Bejarano guided his mount back down to the inside as the horses who were occupying that part of the track were backing up, and Crazy Beautiful kicked on willingly to blow away her foes with good-looking strides while stopping the clock better than a fifth of a second faster than the boys went in the Runhappy Juvenile S. Longshot maiden Mania (Run Away and Hide) was second, and looked briefly like she might just inherit the victory as the stewards took some time to review an objection lodged by Xtrema’s rider against Crazy Beautiful.

“My horse was much the best in the race,” Bejarano said. “I was in perfect position. Behind horses she was fine. But as soon as you got close to the horses, she kind of got excited, angry because of the first time dirt in her face. Last time she was on the turf. I came out a little bit, but [Extrema] pushed me in and tried to make me look bad. This is going to be a really good horse.”

McPeek added, “She trained like a good thing from the beginning. I was a little nervous because she hadn’t run on the dirt yet. But it looks like she’s just as good on that as she was on the turf.”

McPeek said Crazy Beautiful would most likely run next in the GIII Pocahontas S. at Churchill Sept. 3, but would also be nominated for the Sept. 7 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies as a grass option.

The winner’s SW and GSP dam sold for $20,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale carrying a Midnight Lute filly and was exported to Saudi Arabia.

RUNHAPPY DEBUTANTE S., $99,179, Ellis, 8-9, 2yo, f, 7f, 1:23.71, ft.
1–CRAZY BEAUTIFUL, 120, f, 2, by Liam’s Map
              1st Dam: Indian Burn (SW & GSP, $236,158),
                                by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Christmas Affair, by Black Tie Affair (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Anna Lisa Beth, by Topsider
($250,000 Ylg ’19 FTKOCT). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Phoenix
Thoroughbred, LTD; B-Carolyn R Vogel (KY); T-Kenneth G.
McPeek; J-Rafael Bejarano. $58,245. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$80,445.
2–Mania, 118, f, 2, Run Away and Hide–Taptap I’mgone, by
Tapit. ($4,500 RNA Ylg ’19 KEEJAN). O-Robert S. West, Jr., Bob
Grayson, Jr. & Pavel Matejka; B-Robert West Jr., Millford Farm
& Mike Riordan (KY); T-Pavel Matejka. $18,950.
3–Fabricate, 120, f, 2, Speightster–Counterfactual, by Scat
Daddy. ($75,000 RNA Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Hidden Brook Farm &
Denholtz Stables; B-Greydawn Stables & Machmer Hall (KY);
T-Ian R. Wilkes. $9,475.
Margins: 3 3/4, 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.50, 24.80, 4.00.
Also Ran: Xtrema, Hipnotizada, Wholebodemeister, Puye Timing, Lacey Boss, Seguro, Yogurt, Maci’s Jamming, Tourrista. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Tom Ludt Leaves Phoenix Thoroughbreds

Tom Ludt, who joined Phoenix Thoroughbreds as head of U.S. operations in December of 2017, has left the company, Racing Post reported. According to Ludt, he accepted a termination agreement offered by Phoenix’s creator, Amer Abdulaziz Salman. Abdulaziz’s brainchild operates on multiple continents and has enjoyed Group 1/I success, but first came under investigation in November of 2019, as first reported by Racing Post.

Abdulaziz allegedly stole €100 million from sham cryptocurrency OneCoin-which he allegedly helped operate as an international Ponzi scheme-and reinvested those funds into thoroughbreds through Phoenix. The November investigation resulted in a guilty verdict for former lawyer Mark Scott on charges of fraud and laundering $400 million in illegal funds for OneCoin. Scott created Fenero Funds allegedly to route money between destinations.

Both Abdulaziz and Phoenix Thoroughbreds deny all allegations. After news of the investigation broke, Ludt asked Abdulaziz about the veracity of the allegations.

“[The Racing Post story] was the first I heard of [the allegations], so I was shocked,” Ludt told Racing Post. We had discussions afterwards and he [Abdulaziz] completely denied that he had anything to do with it. I don’t remember the exact dates but there was some dialogue and I point blank asked what the heck was going on because I’d spent the last two and a half years of my life travelling the world for this company and I didn’t want to get dragged down with a bad reputation.

“He’s continually denied it and he’s indicated he had investors from that company [Fenero] but never OneCoin. I’ve never been involved [in the fund], so I don’t know, but everything’s changed since then. I continued to ask him to do some interviews with the press to talk about it and he just wouldn’t do it. Everything changed when that came out.

“He told me that Mark Scott invested [in Phoenix] through Fenero, but that’s all I knew. He did not deny Fenero funds had gone into Phoenix.”

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Vosburgh Could Be Next For Vanderbilt Winner Volatile

Following a victory in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt last Saturday at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Volatile could target more Grade 1 action going six furlongs on the NYRA circuit in the Vosburgh at Belmont Park.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who won the Vosburgh in 2009 with Kodiak Kowboy, Phoenix Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farms' Volatile made his graded stakes debut in the Vanderbilt in which he secured a tepid pace and maintained his advantage throughout the journey to win by 1 1/4 lengths. The son of Violence registered an outstanding 112 Beyer from his previous effort in the Aristides at Churchill Downs, which he won by an emphatic eight lengths.

The long term goal with Volatile remains the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland.

“We have to finalize plans with our partners at Three Chimneys, but it's very likely he'll run next in the Vosburgh at Belmont,” said Phoenix Thoroughbreds CEO Amer Abdulaziz. “He's come out of the Vanderbilt well and seems very pleased with himself. The timing of the Vosburgh works very well giving him around six weeks to the Breeders' Cup Sprint which is the target now.”

Bred in Kentucky by Hill n' Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run, Volatile is by Violence and is out of the Unbridled's Song broodmare Melody Lady, whose dam was Grade 1-winning millionaire Lady Tak. He was acquired for $850,000 from the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

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