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Factor This Brings Four-Race Win Streak Into Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic

A field of 10 top older grass runners will go to post in the 34th running of the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (GI), one of six graded stakes that will precede Saturday's 146th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (GI).

The 14-race program begins at 11 a.m. (all times Eastern) and will culminate the Derby that is scheduled for a 7:02 p.m. post time.

Other stakes are the Derby Day program are the 34th running of the $500,000 Derby City Distaff presented by Derby City Gaming (GI) for fillies and mares going seven furlongs on the main track, the 35th running of the $500,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII) for fillies and mares, the 96th running of the 500,000 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU (GII) for 3-year-olds, the 29th running of the $500,000 American Turf presented by Smithfield (GII) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the grass and the 39th running of the $200,000 Iroquois presented by Ford (GIII) for 2-year-olds going a mile on the main track.

Gaining Ground Racing's Factor This, riding a four-race win streak, and Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's Somelikeithotbrown, winner of the Bernard Baruch (GII) at Saratoga in his most recent start, will be the starting top weights with 124 pounds in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic that will go as the day's 13th race with a 5:50 post time.

Trained by Brad Cox, Factor This counts the GII Wise Dan at Churchill Downs among his scores in his win streak. Shaun Bridgmohan, who has been aboard for all of those victories, has the call Saturday and will break from post one.

Siomelightithotbrown, trained by Mike Maker, has placed in four other graded stakes on turf and in his lone race over the Matt Winn Turf Course finished third in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (GI). Tyler Gaffalione, who was aboard for the victory in the Baruch, has the call Saturday and will break from post position nine.

The field for the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Factor This (Bridgmohan, 124 pounds), Bowies Hero (Florent Geroux, 119), Rockemperor (IRE) (John Velazquez, 119), Digital Age (IRE) (Javier Castellano, 119), Dontblamerocket (Julien Leparoux, 119), Mr Dumas (Manny Franco, 119), True Valour (IRE) (Rafael Bejarano, 119), Sacred Life (FR) (Paco Lopez, 119), Somelikeithotbrown (Gaffalione, 124) and Spectacular Gem (James Graham, 119).

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Is Racing ‘Natural?’ Industry Participants And Animal Advocates Respond

Thoroughbred industry participants and animal welfare advocates often have differing views over how natural racing truly is. Those involved in the racing industry often say that “horses love to race,” even when presented with equine behaviors that don't support this idea. Industry enthusiasts also tend to claim that horses are hardwired to run if given the opportunity. This claim is unsubstantiated as horses in the wild spend the majority of their time grazing and walking, rarely galloping, researchers report.

University of Sydney researcher Dr. Iris Bergmann notes that the equation between horses moving freely and the regimented training protocol many racehorses undergo seems to be flawed. Bergmann created a study, recently published in the peer-reviewed, open-access journal Animals, in which researchers interviewed nine Thoroughbred senior and executive-level industry participants from the United States and Australia, as well as from one international organization. Seven people affiliated with animal advocacy groups also participated. They were from Australia, Britain and the United States.

Bergmann showed each participant four racing-related images (which can be seen here) and sought their opinions. She found that the people involved in the racing industry used assumptions of Thoroughbred nature as explanations for their expressions and behaviors; for example, that the horses are “hot” and needed various methods and means to control them.

For Bergmann, this implies that those involved in the industry normalize and occasionally downplay the behavior and expression of Thoroughbreds. Industry participants viewed the images they were shown more as visual issues than equine welfare problems, holding to the idea that the horse is actually excited and ready to race. Bergmann notes that this reaction is consistent with the view that racing is a natural activity for Thoroughbreds.

Study participants from the animal welfare organizations felt that Thoroughbreds have become a product of human breeding. These individuals viewed the images as expressions of stress and anxiety. They reported that they felt these horses were “hot” because of the practices used on them to encourage them to race. These advocates also cited a problem with the images, but they feel it involved the lack of public visibility of other welfare issues facing racing Thoroughbreds.

Bergmann's study concluded that the way “naturalness” for horses is viewed directly impacts the welfare of racing Thoroughbreds; the problem is much broader than what those involved in the industry consider attention-worthy. Bergmann believes that the industry's limited interest in addressing common handling, training and racing practices poses significant threats to Thoroughbred welfare and questions the legitimacy of the industry as a whole.

Read the full study here.

Kentucky Oaks Notes: Gamine Gets First Look At Churchill, Swiss Skydiver ‘Just So Hickory’

A field of nine sophomore fillies will contest Friday's 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Eight of the fillies have now arrived at the Louisville, Ky. track, and each trained over the surface Tuesday morning.

BAYERNESS – Belladonna Racing's Indiana Oaks runner-up Bayerness returned to the track Tuesday following her half-mile move in :48.80 Sunday morning.

Rafael Bejarano has the call in the Oaks.

DONNA VELOCE – Kaleem Shah, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Donna Veloce had a get-acquainted jog around the main track at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning a day after arriving from her Southern California base.

John Stack was aboard the Simon Callaghan trainee who has compiled a 4-2-2-0 career mark that includes a runner-up finish in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI).

“Everything is good here,” said Callaghan's assistant Carlos Santamaria, who accompanied Donna Veloce on her morning jog on a pony. “We plan to take her to the gate and paddock Wednesday.”

Santamara said Callaghan would not be coming to Louisville for Friday's Oaks.

DREAM MARIE – Miracle's International Trading Inc.'s Dream Marie made a more settled impression Tuesday on her second morning at Churchill Downs since arriving from South Florida Sunday and galloped once around under exercise rider Ian Cravens.

“Yesterday, she had to look at the Twin Spires, today she was more relaxed,” trainer Matthew Williams said.

On Monday, the Graydar filly drew post position nine of nine.

“I love it, I'm very happy,” Williams said. “She'll be the last to load, which is one reason I love it. She had the one in the Monmouth Oaks (when fourth Aug. 1) and that hurt her chances in that race.”

GAMINE – Gamine, the even-money, morning line favorite for the Kentucky Oaks, took to the Churchill Downs track Tuesday morning for a jog alongside assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes having arrived in Louisville late Monday afternoon.

Owned by Michael Lund Petersen, Gamine has yet to be headed in of her four career starts with her only defeat coming when she was disqualified for a medication overage in winning an allowance optional claiming race at Oaklawn Park on May 2. The daughter of Into Mischief elicited a final bid of $1.8 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Two-Year-Olds Training Sale and if she were to prevail Friday, she would become the highest-priced Oaks winner sold at public auction since Rags to Riches — a $1.9 million yearling purchase — was victorious in 2007.

“The two turns that's the whole thing with her, but we know she's fast and she's done (two turns) before so it's not like it's new,” trainer Bob Baffert said of Gamine. “We're just blessed we have a filly like this. We gave a lot of money for her and it's worked out. A lot of times you do that and they don't work out. We're just enjoying her.”

HOPEFUL GROWTH – St. Elias Stable's Monmouth Oaks (GIII) winner Hopeful Growth galloped 1 5/8 miles Tuesday at her Monmouth Park base and was scheduled to leave New Jersey at 5:30 p.m. for the overnight trip to Kentucky. She is scheduled to arrive between 7 and 8 a.m. Wednesday and will be staying with trainer Dale Romans, a longtime friend of trainer Anthony Margotta who will saddle the Tapiture filly.

“She's training very well,” Margotta said via phone. “She had a nice solid gallop. Dale (Romans) is a great, great friend and I feel very comfortable with him taking care of her.”

SHEDARESTHEDEVIL – Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stable and Big Aut Farms' Shedaresthedevil galloped about 1 ½ miles Tuesday with Edvin Vargas up for trainer Brad Cox.

SPEECH – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables' Speech was on the track at her usual 5:30 time Tuesday morning, galloping about a mile and half under exercise rider Osman Cedeno.

The 5-1 third choice on the morning line, Speech drew post position four for the 1 1/8-mile Oaks on Friday.

“I think the draw was good for everybody,” trainer Michael McCarthy said. “Swiss Skydiver is naturally fast so the one hole should not bother her. And Gamine (from post five), she's going to do her thing.”

Swiss Skydiver taking everything in ahead of her Tuesday morning gallop at Churchill Downs.

SWISS SKYDIVER – Trainer Kenny McPeek sent Peter J. Callahan's multiple graded stakes winner Swiss Skydiver to the track for her regular morning exercise designed to keep her happy and allow her to “just stretch her legs” ahead of Friday's race.

On Monday, the Daredevil filly drew post position one of nine and was installed as the 8-5 second choice on the morning line.

“I'll have to study the pace, but all it takes is one horse to get off a little awkward to change everything, so we'll leave that up to Tyler (Gaffalione),” McPeek said. “I have seen the other horses train and there are some that are training really well. We'll have our work cut out for us either way.

“Nine horses, it's a good number. It's tough race to win. I learned that with Take Charge Lady. She was 4-5 several years ago and she got upset by Farda Amiga, who ran the race of her life. So there are no guarantees. Our filly is doing super.”

Swiss Skydiver has won four stakes this year between 1 1/16 miles and 1 ¼ miles, while her main rival Gamine, the even-money favorite, has only raced beyond a mile once in her four-race career.

“Her form is pretty well proven, so we've done our job. I think the question mark with Gamine is that she hasn't done two turns on a regular basis. When she did, she had to fight for it. We ran on the same racetrack that weekend at Oaklawn and I don't think there's a lot separating them. It's going to be fun to watch. That's what makes me confident. (Bob Baffert's) filly is going to have to do something she hasn't experienced and it's something we've done over and over all year.”

Although she is a lightly framed filly, McPeek says Swiss Skydiver always has distinguished herself from other top fillies he has had.

“They're all different. My filly is just so hickory. All week she's done nothing but dive into the feed tub. The biggest problem we have is keeping her settled when we don't feed her right away. That's a real rarity. Most fillies aren't this sturdy. She loves what she does and eating is her number one thing to do. It makes a trainer's job really easy.”

TEMPERS RISING – Mark and Nancy Stanley's Tempers Rising galloped about 1 3/8 miles Tuesday morning for trainer Dallas Stewart.

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Kentucky Derby Draw: Favorites Draw Three Outside Posts

Sackatoga Stable’s Tiz the Law, with a classic win already under his belt and winner of the Aug. 8 Runhappy Travers Stakes, drew post-position 17 for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.