Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Smoke From Wildfire Stifles Training At Santa Anita

The smoke from a wildfire in the mountains beyond Santa Anita Park has begun to impact activities for horsemen and horses based there, according to a report Friday from the Daily Racing Form.

The wildfire, which has burned since Sept. 6 and devoured more than 23,000 acres, has prompted an evacuation warning for areas around the track, including Arcadia, Monrovia, and Sierra Madre. Evacuation warnings precede evacuation orders.

Air quality was seriously reduced and sunlight was reduced in many parts of the state late this week. Several trainers told Form writer Steve Andersen that the air quality was so bad they would be limited to walking or jogging horses until it clears. The racing season in Southern California is on a break between the end of Del Mar earlier this week and the start of the fall meet at Santa Anita Sept. 19.

Conditions are expected to remain the same through Saturday.

Finnick The Fierce Diagnosed With Suspensory Strain, Expected To Fully Recover

Finnick the Fierce (Dialed In – Southern Classic, by Southern Image), who was scratched from the Kentucky Derby last Friday after appearing uneven in his on-track warm-up the day prior, has been found to have a minor strain of his upper suspensory ligament. The injury is not career-ending and requires 30 days of rest before the gelding can resume training.

“We sent Finnick to Dr. Larry Bramlage at Rood and Riddle and he found him to have a slightly enlarged proximal suspensory ligament with no fiber disruption. In layman's terms, it's a strain, not a tear, and his prognosis is good for a full recovery,” said Dr. Arnaldo Monge, DVM, who co-owns Finnick the Fierce with trainer Rey Hernandez.

The gelding is expected to resume full training in October and, if all goes well, his connections are hoping he will make his next start before the end of the year.

“Racing-fit horses don't lose much condition in 30 days, so we're hopeful he can make a start sometime in November or December,” said Monge. “That being said, it's not about a particular race or schedule – it's about the horse. The horse always comes first. That's why, as disappointing as it was to let go of that once-in-a-lifetime dream to run in the Derby, it was an easy decision, because it was about the horse and what's best for him.”

After breaking his maiden at first asking at Indiana Grand, Finnick the Fierce quickly became a fan favorite, running second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs at age two and third in the G1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park this past May to stamp himself as a legitimate Kentucky Derby prospect in this untraditional year.

Monge, a veterinarian with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute with specialties in reproduction, chiropractic and acupuncture, first came across Finnick the Fierce as a patient when, as a foal, he was presented to Monge with a congenital cataract that was becoming increasingly advanced and needed to be removed.

Monge ended up purchasing Finnick the Fierce as a weanling for $3,000 from his breeder, Paige Gilster, who was a college student at the time, and had the compromised eye removed soon after. He later sold partial interest in the horse to trainer Rey Hernandez, who is often in the irons when the horse gallops in the mornings.

Because of his missing eye, Finnick the Fierce has always had an abnormal gait due to cocking his head to the right to see straight in front of him.

“Rey is a tremendous horseman and has developed Finnick into a smart horse that's confident and full of class. I think it says a lot when you can see the affection his horses have for him,” said Monge. “The injury was very hard to detect, both because it was so slight and also due to Finnick's altered way of going. Even back at the barn on Thursday after he came back from the track, we couldn't immediately identify it, as he cooled out and was walking sound around the shed row. All of us are incredibly thankful for not only Larry Bramlage and his team at Rood and Riddle for their work in diagnosing the suspensory strain, but also the KHRC regulatory veterinarians, who kept their eyes on him and took this so seriously.”

Finnick the Fierce was bred in Kentucky by Paige Gilster's Paige Jillian Blu Sky Stables and currently holds a record of 9-2-1-2 with $191,290 in earnings.

The post Finnick The Fierce Diagnosed With Suspensory Strain, Expected To Fully Recover appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Anothertwistafate Dominates Grade 3 Longacres Mile

Anothertwistafate made a triumphant return to action Thursday evening at Emerald Downs, returning from a 16-month layoff and powering to a 4½-length victory over Five Star General in the 85th running of the $100,000 Longacres Mile (G3).

Ridden by Juan Gutierrez at 118 lbs, Anothertwistafate ran the mile in 1:34.10 and paid $4.40, $2.80 and $2.60 as the betting favorite. Blaine Wright is the winning trainer for owner Peter Redekop of Vancouver, B.C.

It is the first Mile victory for Wright and Redekop—runner-up the last two years with Alert Bay and Anyportinastorm—and third Mile victory for Gutierrez, who swept both stakes Thursday and is just 13 wins from tying Gallyn Mitchell's all-time track record of 1,419 wins.

Stalking early fractions of :22.71, :45.21 and 1:08.74 set by Papa's Golden Boy, Anothertwistafate took command three deep into the stretch and drew off to win with total authority. It was the colt's first start since a 10th in the 2019 Preakness and capped a superb training job by Wright, 46, who brought Anothertwistafate into the race off a series of works at Golden Gate Fields.

“The first thing is to congratulate Mr. Peter Redekop and my entire crew here and at Golden Gate,” Wright said. “A Lot of people have asked me if this is the best horse I've trained, and he's been hot and cold with some health issues, but he's a very nice horse.”

Wright also praised Gutierrez who previously won the Mile on No Giveaway in 2005 and The Great Face in 2007.

“The race worked out just the way we scripted it this morning, Juan (Gutierrez) did a great job.” Wright said. “When we couldn't bring our rider (to Emerald Downs) there was no hesitation to ride Juan. He rode his 2,000th winner this year and is a great speed rider on this track. He fit this horse perfectly.”

A Kentucky-bred by Scat Daddy, Anothertwistafate earned $55,000 to push his career bankroll to $358,505. His overall mark is 4-2-0 in eight starts, including a victory in the El Camino Real Derby and seconds last year in the Sunland Derby and Keeneland's Lexington Stakes.

Canadian shipper Five Star General, ridden by two-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Mario Gutierrez at 122 lbs, finished a clear second and paid $3.20 and $2.60 as second choice in the wagering. The runner-up is owned and trained by Glen Todd, giving Vancouver owners the top two finishers in the 2020 Mile.

The Press, a 46 to 1 long shot ridden by Jennifer Whitaker at 114 lbs, rallied for third and paid $4.60 to show. Whitaker won the 2008 Mile on Wasserman and remains the only woman rider ever to win the race.

Elliott Bay, winner of the Mt. Rainier Stakes last month, rallied from last to finish fourth and was followed by Papa's Golden Boy, Makah Lane, La Waun, Hollywood Heat and Take Charge Deputy.

Eddie Martinez, rider of Elliott Bay, claimed foul against The Press, alleging interference into the backstretch, but the stewards made no change in the order of finish.

He's the Reason, 5 to 1 third choice on the morning line and stablemate of Five Star General, was scratched earlier in the day.

The post Anothertwistafate Dominates Grade 3 Longacres Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pyledriver’s ‘Unbelievable’ Progression Has Value Purchase In Top Form For St. Leger

Martin Dwyer and his father-in-law, William Muir, believe Pyledriver has all the attributes needed to provide them with a fairytale triumph in the £350,000 (about US$414,000) Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

The final Classic of the year, first run in 1776 and part of the QIPCO British Champions Series, has attracted a final field of 12. It features three challengers from the yard of serial Irish Champion Trainer, Aidan O'Brien, who is seeking a 39th British Classic success and has already landed this year's Investec Derby, Investec Oaks and QIPCO 1000 Guineas.

O'Brien's principal challenger, Santiago, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner, will be ridden by Frankie Dettori, whose tally of 258 Group 1 triumphs includes six St Leger victories. By contrast, Muir is still searching for his first win at the highest level, having been training a similar amount of time as O'Brien, while Dwyer's last Group 1 victory in Britain was 14 years ago aboard Sir Percy in the 2006 Derby.

Dwyer, 45, said: “If I'm totally honest, for the last four or five years I thought my days of riding horses as good as Pyledriver were gone. To get another bite at the cherry is fantastic and hopefully I can make it count. They've all got me to beat. Touch wood, if things go well he will win.

“He's definitely up there among the best horses I've ridden. He's been a bit of a slow-burner but his progression has been unbelievable. William and his team have done a tremendous job.”

Pyledriver has been known by those closest to him as “Dave” from the day he was foaled and is owned by brothers Guy and Huw Leach, plus their long-time friend Roger Devlin. He changed hands for only 10,000gns as a yearling; something Muir puts down to his sire [Harbour Watch] becoming unfashionable. He sees parallels in his own Lambourn yard, where 26 horses reside.

“It's all fashion, nobody even looked at him – and he's gorgeous to look at with a great stride,” Muir said. “We're not a fashionable yard, everyone wants somebody younger. It's just one of those things. If this horse could go and win on Saturday it would be fantastic for the whole team and everyone around it.”

Pyledriver announced himself on the big stage when an emphatic winner of the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and put a luckless run in the Investec Derby behind him when a commanding winner of the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last month, when conceding 3lb to each of his seven rivals.

Dwyer said: “He surprised me a bit at Ascot with how easily he won but even there he was like a teenager and now he's become a man. He destroyed the field at York and has just flourished all year.

“It's a great story, this year more than ever because it's been difficult times. Over the past five to ten years all the good horses have seemed to be in the same hands. It's got harder and harder. He's shown you can have a horse for £10,000 and compete at the top level – the dream is alive. It's just what racing has needed at this time.”

Big-money offers for Pyledriver, exceeding seven figures, have been rejected. Muir said: “If the offers had been accepted I don't think he would have stayed in this country – places like Australia and Hong Kong wanted him really badly. If one person had owned him, you couldn't have said no to the kind of offers we got – it was life-changing money – but there's three of them, and they wanted to keep him.”

Pyledriver's stamina is untested beyond a mile and a half but Dwyer said: “He wasn't stopping at York. He hit the line strong and I don't think it [the trip] will be a problem. He's got gears and the speed for a mile and a quarter but as long as he relaxes, as he does, then I don't think it will be an issue.”

Muir accepts his pedigree gives mixed messages but says: “Do I think he will stay? Yes, as I think he has the right attitude. He's got such a relaxed way about him. I'm in a good place because the owners have said 'what's the worst thing that can happen? If we get beat we can come back in trip.' It's a horse race, he's in fantastic form and if he stays he will be very hard to beat.”

Pyledriver will stay in training next year and Muir says his final run of this season will be in the QIPCO Champion Stakes on QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on October 17.

Santiago won the Irish Derby just eight days after landing the Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot at the main expense of Berkshire Rocco. On his latest start, he finished third to Stradivarius in the Qatar Goodwood Cup when things did not go quite to plan.

O'Brien said: “Goodwood didn't work as we would have liked. We usually like to take our time on him but he hit the gates on Ryan [Moore] and he couldn't really get him back. He was sitting in that second position and Ryan felt he was probably in a gear too high all the way. Because of that he went from travelling very well to having to drop him and ask him to go and race very quick. He really didn't get his breath to go again.

“We had to give him a little bit of an easy time after it because obviously when things don't go smooth for a horse they usually have a harder race but he seems in good form again.”

O'Brien and Dettori have teamed up for St Leger glory once before, striking with front-running Scorpion in 2005. The prospect of Dwyer and Dettori fighting out the finish on the market leaders is quite something and Dwyer said: “We've been friends for many years and I've always looked up to him. Frankie's a superstar and riding better than ever. It's a joy to watch him and I've learnt lots from him over the years. His positioning is just unbelievable and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. That's what wins big races.”

O'Brien also runs Dawn Patrol, who was third in the Irish Derby, and Mythical while his son, Joseph, will field the progressive Galileo Chrome, who has won each of his three starts this year. There is one other Irish challenger in the shape of the Andrew Slattery-trained Sunchart.

Owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum is enjoying a fabulous year but his silks have never been carried to victory in the St Leger. He bids to put that right with the Owen Burrows-trained Hukum, who won the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot on his return before following up in the Group 3 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Geoffrey Freer Stakes at Newbury.

Front-running Subjectivist lines up on the back of a 15-length romp in the Group 3 Ladbrokes March Stakes at Goodwood. He had previously finished third in the Group 3 John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes at the same venue, with English King behind in fourth. English King had previously been a landing fancy for the Investec Derby, at Epsom, where he finished a staying-on fifth, with Mohican Heights, absent since, back in twelfth. Ed Walker, the trainer of English King, has said his colt remains more likely to run in France on Sunday.

The field is completed by the Richard Spencer-trained Tyson Fury, who belied odds of 20/1 when winning a novice stakes on his debut over 1m4f at Doncaster in early July.

The post Pyledriver’s ‘Unbelievable’ Progression Has Value Purchase In Top Form For St. Leger appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post