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Preakness To Highlight All-Stakes Program At Pimlico On Oct. 3

Highlighted by the $1 million Preakness (G1), presented this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown, the Maryland Jockey Club will serve up a total of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses over Preakness weekend at Pimlico Race Course.

The 145th running of the 1 3/16-mile Preakness for 3-year-olds will anchor an all-stakes program of 12 races, seven graded, worth $2.7 million on Saturday, Oct. 3. It will be joined this year by the 96th renewal of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), one of the country's premiere events for 3-year-old fillies, contested at 1 1/8 miles.

Turf runners 3 and up will travel 1 1/16 miles in the $250,000 Dinner Party (G2), previously run as the Dixie, now in its 119th year. Pimlico's oldest stakes race and the eighth-oldest in the country, it was named the Dinner Party for its 1870 debut and run at two miles.

Other grass stakes on the Preakness program are the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up, $150,000 Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds and $150,000 Selima for 2-year-old fillies, each going 1 1/16 miles; and $100,000 James W. Murphy for 3-year-olds and $100,000 Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies at one mile.

Joining the Preakness Day lineup this year is the $200,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up. Other sprint stakes on the card are the $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs and $100,000 Skipat for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Rounding out the Oct. 3 stakes lineup is the $100,000 UAE President Cup (G1) for Arabians, contested at 1 1/16 miles for 4-year-olds and up.

The historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) for 3-year-olds and up, returned to 1 3/16 miles after being contested at 1 ¼ miles in 2019, is the centerpiece of a Friday, Oct. 2 card that also serves as Claiming Crown Preview Day.

Each winner of the nine Claiming Crown Preview Day races will earn automatic entry and a stipend toward travel costs to the annual Claiming Crown Day program being held for the eighth consecutive year at Gulfstream Park. A similar preview was hosted at Laurel Park in 2015.

Preakness weekend will kick off Thursday, Oct. 1 with three stakes led by the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3) for 3-year-olds at six furlongs. It will be joined by a pair of five-furlong turf sprints, the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 The Very One for fillies and mares 3 and older.

Live racing will be conducted at Pimlico this year from Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3.

Nominations for all Thoroughbred stakes, excluding the Preakness, close Thursday, Sept. 17. Nominations for the UAE President Cup for Arabians close Saturday, Sept. 19.

All nominations can be forwarded to Racing Secretary Jillian Tullock at Pimlico Race Course, Hayward & Winner Aves., Baltimore MD 21215, e-mailed to stakes coordinator Coley Blind at cblind@marylandracing.com, or by calling 410-542-9400 or 800-638-1859.

For more information go to: https://www.pimlico.com/sites/www.pimlico.com/files/PDF/2020_Preakness_Stakes_0.pdf

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Serengeti Empress Headlines Derby City Distaff On Saturday’s Undercard

Joel Politi's Serengeti Empress, the 2019 Kentucky Oaks (GI) winner who is coming off a victory in the Ballerina (GI) at Saratoga, heads a field of 10 fillies and mares in the Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs.

The Derby City Distaff will go as Saturday's 12th race with a 5:17 post time.

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 the 34th running of the $1 million Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (GI), the 35th running of the $500,000 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (GII), 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.

Trained by Tom Amoss, Serengeti Empress has won two of three starts at the 7-furlong distance with her lone loss coming to champion Covfefe in last year's Test (GI). Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will break from post position eight.

The field for the Derby City Distaff, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Mia Mischief (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118 pounds), Shesomajestic (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Wildwood's Beauty (Joe Rocco Jr., 118), Bell's the One (Corey Lanerie, 120), Crazy Sexy Money (Crystal Conning, 118), Sally's Curlin (Brian Hernandez Jr., 120), Lady Kate (Florent Geroux, 118), Serengeti Empress (Gaffalione, 123), Bellafina (Mike Smith, 120) and Ce Ce (John Velazquez, 123).

Klaravich Stables' Newspaperofrecord (IRE), winner of the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI) at Churchill Downs, heads a field of eight fillies and mares for the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile.

The Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile is carded as the day's 11th race with a 4:39 post time.

Trained by Chad Brown, Newspaperofrecord returned to the races in June following an 11-month layoff to win the Intercontinental (GIII) and followed that effort up with a front-running score in the Just A Game (GI).

Javier Castellano has the mount on Newspaperofrecord and will break from post position four.

The field for the Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile, with riders and weights from the inside, is: She'sonthewarpath (Chantal Sutherland, 118 pounds), Daddy Is a Legend (Florent Geroux, 118), Juliet Foxtrot (GB) (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Newspaperofrecord (Castellano, 123), Harmless (Mike Smith, 118), Beau Recall (IRE) (Manny Franco, 118), La Signare (FR) (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118) and Belle Laura (Miguel Mena, 118).

L & N Racing's Echo Town, Maggi Moss and Greg Tramontin's No Parole and Jim and Donna Daniell's Rushie head a field of nine for the Pat Day Mile.

The Pat Day Mile will go as the afternoon's ninth race with a 3:35 post time.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Echo Town comes into Saturday's race off a 3 ¼-length victory in the Allen Jerkens (GI) at Saratoga on Aug. 1. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the call and will break from post position two.

No Parole, winner of the Woody Stephens (GI) at Belmont before faltering as the favorite in the Allen Jerkens, is trained by Tom Amoss. James Graham, who rode No Parole to daylight victories in his first three starts, has the call Saturday and will break from post position seven.

Rushie, third in the Blue Grass (GII) and Santa Anita Derby (GI) in his past two starts, cuts back to a one-turn race for the first time since his debut last October at Santa Anita. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rushie will be ridden by Javier Castellano and break from post position nine.

The field for the Pat Day Mile, from the rail out with riders and weights, is: Cezanne (Florent Geroux, 118 pounds), Echo Town (Ricardo Santana Jr., 123), Shashashakemeup (Corey Lanerie, 118), Vertical Threat (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Digital (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Tap It to Win (John Velazquez, 118), No Parole (Graham, 123), Sonneman (Manny Franco, 118) and Rushie (Castellano, 118).

Multiple stakes winners Field Pass and Smooth Like Strait top a field of eight entered for the American Turf Presented by Smithfield.

The American Turf is scheduled as the eighth race with a 2:55 post time.

Three Diamonds Farm's Field Pass, a two-time Grade III winner, comes into Saturday's race off a seventh-place finish in the Saratoga Derby Invitational. Prior to that, he had won the Transylvania (GIII) at Keeneland and the Audubon at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Mike Maker, Field Pass will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and break from post position four.

Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait has won his past two starts beginning with the War Chant here in May and then the La Jolla Handicap (GIII) at Del Mar. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Smooth Like Strait will break from post position five and be ridden by John Velazquez.

The field for the American Turf, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Taishan (Julien Leparoux, 118), American Butterfly (Joe Talamo, 118), Sugoi (Joe Rocco Jr., 118), Field Pass (Gaffalione, 120), Smooth Like Strait (Velazquez, 120), Sunsation (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), King Theo (Corey Lanerie, 118), Fancy Liquor (Florent Geroux, 118).

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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.