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Keeneland Opens With a Trio of Breeders’ Cup Qualifiers

Keeneland opens its highly anticipated fall meet Friday with a trio of graded stakes that each provide the winners with a spot in the gate for the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held in Lexington the first weekend of November.

The highlight of the day will be the GI Darley Alcibiades S., a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Ken McPeek and Brad Cox have taken turns the last few years, each winning two of the last four, and McPeek has the morning-line favorite in last-out GIII Pocahontas S. winner Fun and Feisty (Midshipman).

McPeek also saddles longshot Stellar Lady (Shackleford), who broke her maiden on grass last out at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8. The aforementioned Cox also saddles a grass filly in unbeaten Chop Chop (City of Light), who enters off a win in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S. Sept. 3.

DJ Stable's Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) will likely challenge Fun and Feisty for favoritism. Opening her account with a pair of wins including a dominant score in Churchill's Debutante S. in July, the dark bay checked in second in Saratoga's GI Spinaway S. Sept. 4.

Chad Brown sends out one worth a look at a price in Alpha Delta Stables homebred Raging Sea (Curlin). She rallied to victory in her debut going seven panels at Saratoga Aug. 7. Both her running style and her pedigree suggest she will only improve with more distance.

Juvenile grass fillies get their chance to secure a spot in the Breeders' Cup starting gate one race earlier in the GII J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. Chop Chop would have been favored in this event, but now that will likely go to Towhead (Malibu Moon), who came up a nose short of that foe in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S.

Jonathan Thomas saddles a live on in Augustin Stable's Delight (Mendelssohn). The $400,000 OBSMAR buy earned her diploma at Delaware last out Aug. 27 after a pair of thirds in her first two tries.

G. Watts Humphrey's Bling (American Pharoah) took a huge step forward when switched from dirt to turf in her second start at Ellis Aug. 20, earning her diploma by 3 3/4 lengths.

Also worth a look at what is sure to be a juicy price for bettors is NY-bred Recognize (Bolt d'Oro). Her freshman sire now has two graded winners on turf and her Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott is known for his patience and ability to get horses to peak at the right time. The bay graduated by 5 1/4 lengths at third asking against fellow Empire-breds at Saratoga in Aug. 18 and checked in third after setting the pace in that venue's P.G. Johnson S. Sept. 1.

Rounding out Friday's Breeders' Cup qualifiers is the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. for male sprinters. With champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and Cody's Wish (Curlin), who defeated the divisional leader in the GI Forego S., waiting for the first weekend in November, this event lacks star power. However, the horse who may be improving at just the right time is Sibelius (Not This Time), who enters off a pair of strong victories and triple-digit Beyers, including the Lite the Fuse S. at Pimlico Sept. 10, for which he warned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure.

Special Reserve (Midshipman) captured this event last year, but could only manage fourth in the Breeders' Cup. Off the board in his seasonal debut in the DeFrancis Memorial Dash July 16, he wired the Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial S. in the slop at Mountaineer last out Aug. 6.

The post Keeneland Opens With a Trio of Breeders’ Cup Qualifiers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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It’s Me! Horses Recognize Other Horses In Images

A study from Italy has shown that hoses can recognize their own species in images, but not other animals, reports The Horse.

Dr. Giulia Ragonese, with the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Messina in Italy, has shown that horses can recognize 2D images of their own species. Dogs, cows, sheep and monkeys can also identify their own species in images.

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Ragonese showed 10 Franches-Montagnes horses images of other horses, pigs, donkeys, cows and sheep. Food was first hidden behind the images of the horses, then the test was reversed and food was put behind the images of other animals. The horses had to push the correct photo to find the food behind the image.

The scientists found that 80 percent of horses were able to distinguish horse faces from the others – including donkeys. However, they were unable to distinguish cows, pigs, sheep and donkeys from one another.

Ragonese said that this information offers insight into how the equine brain works, which is beneficial for equine welfare.

Is That You? Study Shows Horses Can Learn To Identify Photos Of Other Horses, Sheep

An Italian study has shown that horses can identify images of other horses and sheep when incentivized with food. Drs. Giulia Ragonese, Paolo Baragli, Chiara Mariti, Angelo Gazzano, Antonio Lanatà, Adriana Ferlazzo, Esterina Fazio and Cristina Cravana created an experiment that tested a horse's ability to discriminate between images of horse faces and headshots of other domestic species.

They used 10 Franches-Montagnes horses, six females and four males, that lived in Palermo. The team created a wooden testing frame with two trap doors that could hold printed images. The horses could push either side with their nose, revealing a treat on a shelf.

The research team used 20 life-sized, color images. Ten were of head-on views of horses and 10 were head-on views of cows, donkeys, sheep or a pig. All of the animals were unknown to the study horses. The horses were trained to use the boxes and the food reward (oat flakes) was placed on both sides so as not to influence the horse by smell. Only one side of the door was unlocked.

One session consisted of 10 different images and the horses completed three sessions for each phase of the experiment. Eight of the horses were able to distinguish between images of horses and other animals. In the next phase, the horses were asked to identify the sheep instead of the horse; results were the same. The horse was deemed “successful” if he picked the correct image eight out of 10 times in two consecutive sessions.

Though the horses got better at detecting the animal with each session, the time needed to make the decision increased as the trial proceeded. The team determined that the horses in the study were able to tell the difference between two-dimensional images of horses and other domestic animals. However, they were unable to identify individual horses or sheep within the images. The team concluded that the shape of the face most likely drove the recognition.

Read the full study here.

Nominations Open For The Right Horse Initiative’s Good People For Good Horses Awards

The Right Horse Initiative strongly believes that great work deserves to be recognized and celebrated. From the veterinarians, farriers, volunteers and trainers to the incredible storytellers who help spread the word about equine adoption, it takes a network of support to help each horse find a wonderful home. The second annual Good People for Good Horses Awards will recognize these hardworking members of the equine community who dedicate their time and talents to helping horses in transition.

“The Good People for Good Horses Awards is an opportunity to acknowledge those working tirelessly to care for horses in need and help them find loving homes,” said Christie Schulte Kappert, Program Director of The Right Horse Initiative. “We look forward to celebrating the unwavering dedication of these individuals across the country who, despite a challenging year, continue to step up for horses in transition.”

The Right Horse Initiative invites all members of the horse community to nominate one or more U.S.-based individuals or organizations in the following six categories for a Good People for Good Horses Award:

Veterinarian or Veterinary Technician*
Trainer
Volunteer
Farrier
Community Partner (such as a riding club, event center, boarding barn, etc.)
Wild Card (anyone else—such as member of the media, photographer, advocate, social media influencer, fundraiser or staff member)

*A total of three awards will be given in the Veterinarian/Veterinary Technician category based on geographical location in Western, Central and Eastern regions of the United States.

A committee of reviewers from The Right Horse Initiative will review submissions and recommend winners based on subjective criteria. Awards will be given based upon the nominee's contributions to equine adoption efforts and the success and impact of the organization they serve. Nominations are due no later than December 31, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. EST with winners announced the week of January 25, 2021.

earn more and submit your nominations here.

The post Nominations Open For The Right Horse Initiative’s Good People For Good Horses Awards appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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