Tom Pedulla presents five key takeaways from an exciting Saturday of racing action that included the $1 million Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, the $694,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park and the $2 million Dub
Tag: Racing
Road To Kentucky Oaks: Dorth Vader Looms Large Among Eight Set For Gulfstream Park Oaks
John Ropes' Dorth Vader won't be able to sneak up on anyone when she runs in next Saturday's $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), certainly not after pulling off a startling 46-1 upset victory in the March 4 Davona Dale (G2) at Gulfstream Park.
Not only did she win the seven-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies, the daughter of Girven also thoroughly dominated her rivals by 4¾ lengths, providing veteran Florida trainer Michael Yates with the first graded-stakes success of his career in the process.”
“It was very rewarding. I was happier for the team that helps me do it on a day-to-day basis. We have a smaller number of horses and we're chasing Ferraris with Chevrolets a lot of times,” Yates said. “It's exciting to get horses that can compete at that level. We don't have that many opportunities at that level. It's very rewarding.”
Dorth Vader was rated third at 4-1 on the morning line for the Gulfstream Park Oaks after drawing Post 8 in a field of eight fillies.
A highly respected breeder, owner, and trainer, Yates has enjoyed considerable stakes success during his career, primarily with Florida-bred horses racing in Florida-bred and Florida Sire Stakes races. He had reason to believe Dorth Vader would add to that success during her early training.
“She had worked well prior to her first race. I was obviously excited to get her started and then she stumbled really bad coming out of the gate and lost all chance. Miguel [Vasquez] was on her for her first start. She was in an outside post and went to her nose and he took care of her. She tired, but she came out of it well and trained well, and I ran her back kind of quick,” Yates said. “I might note the owner questioned me about that. I think my response was, 'I'm accustomed to making unpopular decisions.' Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm not.”
Dorth Vader proved her trainer right while graduating in her second start two weeks later Aug. 21 in a 5½-furlong maiden race for Florida-breds at Gulfstream. After missing the first two legs of the Florida Sire Stakes series for 2-year-olds, Dorth Vader was then entered in the final leg, the $400,000 My Dear Girl, at the Gulfstream Park Oaks distance of 1 1/16 miles. She finished a distant third.
“We were kind of up against it with the calendar. With every Florida-bred that looks like they can compete in those races, as long as your horse is sound and doing good, you have to try. She obviously wasn't very mature at the time. She really wasn't ready for the mile and a sixteenth in my opinion, but she ran creditable that day and got a nice check,” Yates said. “I would have liked to have gotten her started a little early and had her a little more up to the task for the three races. But they way things turned out – everything happens for a reason.”
Dorth Vader went on to win the seven-furlong Juvenile Filly Sprint for Florida-breds at Gulfstream and the six-furlong Sandpiper at Tampa Bay Downs in her next two starts, before prepping for the Davona Dale in the seven-furlong Gasparilla, in which she faded to sixth after being involved in pace duel. She bounced back in spectacular fashion in the Davona Dale, earning 50 qualifying points for the May 5 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.
The Gulfstream Park Oaks, one off 10 stakes on a card headlined by the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa, will offer and additional 200 points for the first five finishers with 100 going to the winner.
Miguel Vasquez has the return mount aboard Dorth Vader, who is eligible to share in $50,000 bonus offered the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, and an addition $50,000 bonus offered to Florida Sire Stakes-eligible horses.
Dorth Vader will have the opportunity to avenge her loss in the My Dear Girl Saturday. Atomically, who was 11 lengths clear off the Yates trainee in the FSS final, is scheduled to seek a return to winning form in the Gulfstream Park Oaks.
Purchased privately by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Michael Bernard, and Harry Colburn following her FSS win, Atomically finished seventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland in her next start. She came back to finish third in the Feb. 4 Forward Gal (G2) at Gulfstream.
“She's doing well. We're looking forward to getting her around two turns. She's had some success at Gulfstream in the past, so we're hoping she can make another move forward,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “She's a very laid-back filly, very easy to train, very straightforward. She just kind of does her job, does what you ask her to do. She's a pretty honest filly.”
Pletcher will also saddle WinStar Farm LLC and Siena Farm LLC's Miracle, a New York-bred daughter of Mendelsohn. Miracle's first four starts came against state-breds, winning at first asking before placing in three straight one-turn New York-bred stakes. She stepped into graded-stakes company in her 2023 debut Feb. 18 at Fair Grounds, where she set the pace in the 1 1/16-mile Rachel Alexandra (G2) before finishing second, less than a length behind victorious Pretty Mischievous.
“She's coming off a very good effort at Fair Grounds and she has trained well for this,” Pletcher said.
Jose Ortiz has the mount aboard Atomically, who is rated second at 7-2 on the morning-line, while Irad Ortiz Jr. is named to ride Miracle, the 5-2 morning-line favorite.
AMO Racing USA's Affirmative Lady will enter the Gulfstream Oaks off a maiden victory, but the Graham Motion trainee also brings a solid stakes resume into the race. The daughter of Arrogate finished third and fourth in a pair of one-turn maiden races to start her career before finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile Demoiselle (G2) at Aqueduct Dec. 3, beaten by just a neck. She came back to finish third in the 1 1/8-mile Busanda Jan. 14 at Aqueduct before graduating at Gulfstream Park in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race by 2 ¼ lengths Feb. 26.
Luis Saez has the return call aboard the $400,000 purchase at the 2022 OBS April sale.
Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swibank Stables and partners' Sacred Wish, a four-length maiden winner at Oaklawn in her second career start, is scheduled to make her first start for trainer George Weaver in the Gulfstream Park Oaks.
Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC and partners' Infinite Diamond, who finished fourth in the Davona Dale, R T Racing Stable's Just Katherine, who graduated in her third career start at Gulfstream March 4; and BC Racing LLC's Flakes, a winner of two of three starts; round out the field.
The post Road To Kentucky Oaks: Dorth Vader Looms Large Among Eight Set For Gulfstream Park Oaks appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
First Captain Set To Open 2023 Campaign In Ghostzapper At Gulfstream
West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, Bobby Flay, and Woodford Racing's multiple graded stakes winner First Captain, unraced since late October, is set to make his 5-year-old debut in Saturday's $150,000 Ghostzapper (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
The 28th running of 1 1/16-mile Ghostzapper for 4-year-olds and up is one of 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.35 million in purses on a 14-race program anchored by the $1-million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa for 3-year-olds.
First post time is 11:30 a.m. EST. The Ghostzapper goes as Race 7 (2:26 p.m.) with the Florida Derby (6:40 p.m.) part of a national CNBC broadcast from 6 to 7 p.m.
Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, First Captain hasn't been out since finishing last of five as the favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Fayette (G2) Oct. 29 at Keeneland. In his three prior starts he won the historic Pimlico Special (G3), was second by a nose in the Suburban (G2) and third to Olympiad in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).
“It's exciting. He's progressed nicely from everything that Shug has shared with us coming into the Ghostzapper. It looks like just a great spot to start his year,” West Point executive vice president Tom Bellhouse said. “He couldn't look any better and we're just excited to get his year started.”
A son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, First Captain fetched $1.5 million at Fasig-Tipton's 2019 Saratoga yearling sale. After going unraced at 2 he reeled off three straight wins to open his career capped by the 2021 Dwyer (G3) at Belmont Park.
Third in the Curlin at Saratoga, First Captain did not race again for seven months until coming back with a dramatic head optional claiming allowance victory sprinting seven furlongs last February at Gulfstream, his only prior start over the surface.
“He's put together a nice resume, winning the Dwyer, winning the Pimlico Special, being right there in graded stakes, coming in third in the Jockey Club to a horse in Olympiad who was a legitimate five-time winner last year,” Bellhouse said. “We would have loved to have ended it on a higher note, but we backed off him after the Fayette.
“He's a really special horse, going all the way back to what he cost at auction and being the sale topper,” he added. “He's just a beautiful, beautiful animal. He's grown into his body. He didn't get started until early in his 3-year-old season and then putting together the 4-year-old campaign. He's the kind of horse that we have him positioned to have a great 5-year-old campaign and hopefully he does finalize that Grade 1 to really cement him into a top stallion prosepct. He's got the pedigree, he's got the look, he's got the sales history, he's got everything going.”
Luis Saez will be aboard for the fifth straight time from Post 5 in a field of seven.
Championship Meet-leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. entered the pair of O'Connor and Twelve Volt Man. Michael and Jules Iavarone and Fernando Vine Ode's O'Connor is a Group 1 winner in his native Chile that carried big expectations into his North American debut, a six-length optional claiming allowance win Oct. 16 at Gulfstream.
In two subsequent starts, O'Connor ran fourth behind stablemate Skippylongstocking in the Harlan's Holiday (G3), also at 1 1/16 miles, and 11th in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) going 1 1/8-miles Jan. 28.
“It was a disappointing effort last time, but I was really more disappointed in the Harlan's Holiday than I was the Pegasus. The Harlan's Holiday I thought he would win and he got beat, and after that my expectations were more reserved. He's going to need to rebound and come back to form, and if he run like he did in his first two races he should be very tough,” Joseph said. “He's going into the race in good order. The Pegasus has turned out to be a very productive race and hopefully he follows suit with all those Pegasus horses that have come back to win.”
Irad Ortiz Jr., on course for his fourth Championship Meet riding title, has the call from Post 4.
Magic Cap Stables' Twelve Volt Man last raced on the Pegasus undercard, unable to overcome a troubled start when 11th in the one-mile Fred Hooper (G3). Fourth in last year's Ghostzapper, he owns five career wins from 11 starts at Gulfstream including a 10-1 upset of the 2021 Claiming Crown Jewel.
“He stumbled really bad out of there and [jockey] Frankie [Dettori] had no chance after that,” Joseph said. “He's good at two turns here at Gulfstream so we're giving him a shot. He ran here last year in this race and he was fourth to Fearless. He's a trier. He may be a notch below some of the horses that are in there, but he always tries.”
Edgard Zayas will be aboard from outermost Post 7.
Stonehedge homebred Cajun's Magic will stretch out around two turns for the first time since running eighth in last year's Florida Derby. He went 7 ½ months between starts before returning to finish second in the Sunshine Sprint Jan. 14 and fourth in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Feb. 25, both going six furlongs.
“He's trained well,” trainer Michael Yates said. “Coming back off a long layoff, we sprinted him because we thought that's what he wanted to do. But after a couple of races, we're starting to think that maybe he would rather stretch out, so we're going to give him the opportunity.
“His first race back I didn't expect that he would be close to the pace. I felt pretty confident that he'd come running and get a big piece of it, and he did. He did what we thought he would do, so we kind of doubled back with him and tried the same thing again,” he added. “The pace of the race was a lot faster but he came running and he galloped out well. He breaks sharp and kind of takes himself back. He doesn't get in a big hurry. The pace is everything.”
Jesus Rios, up for all of Cajun's Magic's 10 races including the 2021 FSS Dr. Fager at Gulfstream, rides back from Post 2.
“He ran really well against some of the best 3-year-olds in the country early last year after the Stallion Stakes and didn't embarrass himself,” Yates said. “I think he's older, more mature, sounder and stronger.”
Arindel's stakes-winning homebred Clapton, third in successive optional claiming allowances this winter; 2022 Fountain of Youth (G2) winner Simplification, third last out behind Endorsed in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2); and multiple stakes winner Surly Furious complete the field.
The post First Captain Set To Open 2023 Campaign In Ghostzapper At Gulfstream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Horse Sales And HISA, The Overlap
With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Integrity Act's (HISA) anti-doping and medication control program set for launch Monday–pending approval by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)–the inevitable focus will be on the spider web of post-race and out-of-competition testing set to blanket most of the nation.
But with it has come this other question: What do buyers now need to be aware of when purchasing a horse at the sales or privately?
The question has gained added currency since a recent the Southern California horsemen by representatives from the Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU), the arm of HISA charged with rolling-out and managing its anti-doping and medication control (ADMC) program.
At that presentation, Mary Scollay, HIWU's chief of science, explained that under the new medication regime, bisphosophonates–a controversial group of drugs used in older horses to tackle issues like navicular disease but also used in younger horses to treat things like sore shins–will be banned from administration in what HISA terms “covered horses.”
(It should be noted that a Thoroughbred becomes a “covered horse” only when it completes its first officially timed and published workout)
“My last two weeks has pretty much been a deep dive into bisphosphonates and how to navigate this stuff,” said Joe Miller, a racing manager and bloodstock advisor, who leans heavily on Europe when scouting for new talent destined for the U.S.
“I actually skipped going to the OBS March sale because I'm so focused on how we're going to be moving forward in navigating these purchases,” Miller added.
For all sorts of reasons, bisphosphonates pose a slippery set of problems for regulators and horsemen alike. Once administered, they can stay in a horse's system for years. Horses given a bisphosphonate won't necessarily test positive for the drug consistently over time either, with a positive finding more likely during periods of bone remodeling, which would release the drug into the horse's system.
Punitive consequences for a positive bisphosphonate finding can be steep. A trainer faces a possible two-year suspension for a first-time bisphosphonate violation, while the horse could be subject to lifetime ineligibility from competition.
Joe Miller | Tattersalls
HIWU published a notice to the industry on March 10 regarding the use of bisphosphonates under the ADMC program, explaining how only proven administration of a bisphosphonate to a covered horse after the March 27th implementation date would be deemed an actionable violation. Furthermore, HIWU explained that it would not pursue disciplinary action for a positive bisphosphonate finding against a covered horse and its connections, provided those connections can share with HIWU documentation–such as medical records or a positive test result–proving administration or presence of bisphosphonates prior to the ADMC program implementation date.
“In accordance with HISA's requirements for Covered Horses, all medical records, including any relevant test results, must be uploaded to the HISA portal. Additionally, due to the variability of bisphosphonate detection through laboratory analysis, all bisphosphonate findings detected under the ADMC Program will undergo thorough review regardless of the alleged timing of administration,” the notice added.
This still leaves some worrying holes for trainers and owners to potentially fall through.
A fear among buyers is that because of the longevity with which bisphosphonates can stay in the system, a recently purchased horse administered bisphosphonates prior to the ADMC launch date–and unbeknownst to the new connections–could still land them in regulatory hot water.
Furthermore, buyers like Miller are concerned about purchasing horses from international jurisdictions where bisphosphonates are still permitted.
“Since private sales are subject to individual contracts, it is up to the buyer and seller to formalize provisions for bisphosphonates testing and conditions of sale to protect all parties,” wrote Scollay, in response to a list of questions.
Miller hasn't made any international purchases since last October, he said, but he expects that to change in the next few weeks. When Miller does once again plunder foreign shores, “we can definitely do a blood screen for Osphos and Tildren,” he said, singling out two of the more commonly-used bisphosphonates. “I'm hoping we can do a urine screening as well.”
Indeed, urine samples are deemed more accurate than blood screens at detecting bisphosphonates administered longer in advance due to typically higher concentrations in urine of most substances than in the blood.
Though HIWU has stated it will conduct a thorough review in the event of a bisphosphonate positive, “If you come up with a trace amount of bisphosphonate in a post-race urine sample, how is that going to be dealt with?” asked Miller. “Is a horse going to be able to compete while the review is being conducted?”
According to HIWU spokesperson, Alexa Ravit, “HIWU will not just automatically issue a suspension for a Covered Horse or Covered Person upon receiving a positive finding for bisphosphonates.”
Fasig-Tipton is one of the major U.S. sales companies to have taken steps in recent years to limit drug use in the horses that pass through their rings, including offering bisphosphonate testing as a condition of sale for horses younger than four.
If the sale horse tests positive for bisphosphonates, a buyer has the right, within 24 hours of notification, to rescind the sale. In Fasig-Tipton's case, a bisphosphonates test costs $500.
“As with all these drug tests that have come along, it's usually because there has been a shift in the market,” said Bayne Welker, executive vice president of Fasig-Tipton. “That's usually what drives us to make these offerings.”
And as a result of HISA, “I'll probably take the limitations off of the racing age horses,” explained Welker, pointing to the condition of sale bisphosphonate test.
Indeed, Scollay stressed how “buyers should consult sales companies, as applicable, to verify the bisphosphonates testing available as well as the conditions of sale should a purchased horse test positive for bisphosphonates.”
Which leads to concerns over the use of other potentially problematic drugs, especially in horses-in-training purchases.
Major sales companies have moved in recent years to restrict the use in sales horses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids and bronchodilators, including Clenbuterol. Welker explained that HISA's new ADMC program won't change what condition of sale tests Fasig-Tipton offers for these particular substances.
Perhaps the biggest concern, explained Scollay, would be if the horse has been administered a banned substance that may linger in the horse for an extended period and show up in testing conducted under HISA, with anabolic steroids singled out for concern alongside bisphosphonates.
Scollay recommends that both buyers and sellers refer to HIWU's “Banned List,” which are the substances not permitted to be in a horse at any time once it falls under HISA's jurisdiction.
According to Miller, none of the drugs listed on HIWU's banned substances list cause him particular concern. “I only buy horses off people that we trust,” he said.
Furthermore, Miller said he will continue his current practice of performing a full blood screening of a horse pre-purchase.
Dr. Mary Scollay | The Jockey Club
“We typically test for steroids, any non-steroidal anti-inflammatories,” said Miller. “We just want to make sure when we do a soundness exam on a horse, we want to make sure they haven't been given anything.”
In regards private testing, however, there is an important distinction for stakeholders moving forward.
HIWU has contracted six labs around the country to conduct its testing program:
The Ohio Department of Agriculture's Analytical Toxicology Laboratory; the Animal Forensic Toxicology Laboratory at the University of Illinois-Chicago; Industrial Laboratories in Denver, Colo.; Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of California-Davis; Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory; and University of Kentucky Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory.
Trainers and owners can ask HIWU to conduct clearance testing on a horse–for a fee–provided there is a reported administration history of a particular substance. Clearance testing though HIWU will be conducted at these six labs.
But these same HIWU-affiliated labs are prohibited by contract from testing any covered racehorses from private clients, explained Jeff Blea, California Horse Racing Board equine medical director.
And does Blea have any broader advice for industry stakeholders looking to close a sale after Monday?
“Any purchase of a horse as a buyer, you should have a conversation with your veterinarian as to what your concerns are and what your risk tolerance is relative to drug testing as a condition of sale,” Blea replied.
The post Horse Sales And HISA, The Overlap appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
