road to the kentucky derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Major General Tops Road To Kentucky Derby Leaderboard After Iroquois Win

WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's $300,000 Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes winner Major General added 10 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve” and an automatic berth to the Nov. 5, $2 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

“I thought it was an impressive performance in only his second start for him to jump up like that and progress to two turns,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I was very pleased with him. Hopefully, he continues to make progress. I haven't talked to Elliott (Walden) and the WinStar team about his next plans but I would probably think we would train him up to the Breeders' Cup.”

Major General debuted at 6 ½ furlongs at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where he recorded a front-running victory. In Saturday's Iroquois, the Constitution colt rallied from 4 ½ lengths off the early pace. He's scheduled to ship back to his New York base Sunday.

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Baffert Under Review By Breeders’ Cup To Determine 2021 Participation Status

The Breeders' Cup announced on Saturday that it has begun a review process to determine whether Bob Baffert – the all-time leading Breeders' Cup trainer by money won – will be allowed to participate in this year's world championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 5-6.

On June 2, Baffert was banned from participation at tracks owned by Churchill Downs for two years after Zedan Racing Stables Inc.'s Medina Spirit failed a drug test following his first-place finish in this year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The positive test for the corticosteroid betamethasone on May 1 was Baffert's fifth failed drug test in 365 days, beginning with two lidocaine positives for Charlatan and Gamine at Oaklawn Park on May 2, 2020 – Charlatan's bad test coming in the G1 Arkansas Derby and eventual filly and mare sprint champion Gamine testing positive after an allowance win. Both Charlatan and Gamine were disqualified from their victories by Oaklawn stewards, but the Arkansas Racing Commission reinstated the wins, overturned a 15-day suspension of the trainer and fined him $10,000.

Baffert was fined $2,500 by California Horse Racing Board stewards after Merneith tested positive for dextromethorphan at Del Mar in July 2020 and then Gamine tested positive for a second time – this time for betamethasone – after a third-place finish in the G1 Kentucky Oaks on Sept. 4, 2020. She was disqualified and Baffert was fined $1,500.

“The Breeders' Cup Board has commenced a review process as to whether Bob Baffert will be permitted to participate in this year's Breeders' Cup world championships,” a statement from the Breeders' Cup said. “The process will include an opportunity for Mr. Baffert to present his case and will conclude in advance of pre-entry for the 2021 world championships.”

Baffert's five failed tests do not violate the Breeders' Cup Convicted Trainers Rule that disqualifies a trainer from participation if he or she has been sanctioned in the previous 12 months for a Class 1 violation carrying Category A or B penalties or a Class 2 violation carrying a Category A penalty (classifications are determined by the Association of Racing Commissioners International). Lidocaine is a Class 2 drug with Category B penalty. Dextromethoropan is Class 4/Category B. Betamethasone is Class 4/Category C.

There is a provision in Breeders' Cup Limited's Horsemen's Guide for pre-entry procedures stating that the organization reserves the right to refuse pre-entry or entry of any horse, in “BCL's sole discretion, for any reason, including, but not limited to, situations where any connection (e.g., owner, trainer, jockey) of such horse has engaged or may have engaged in conduct, or become the subject of a regulatory or law enforcement inquiry or action alleging conduct that is unlawful, unethical or which may otherwise compromise the integrity or reputation of the Breeders' Cup world championships.”

Baffert is second to fellow Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas in all-time Breeders' Cup wins, with 17 (three fewer than Lukas), but his $35,985,000 in earnings leads all trainers by more than $9 million, according to statistics compiled by Breeders' Cup.

Baffert has a number of leading contenders for this year's Breeders' Cup races, including G1 Del Mar Futurity winner Pinehurst, whose ownership includes the Stonestreet Stables of newly elected Breeders' Cup chair Barbara Banke.

If Baffert does participate in the Breeders' Cup and Pinehurst finishes in the top four in the G1 Juvenile, the horse will not be eligible for any qualifying points to the 2022 Kentucky Derby (10-4-2-1 points are earmarked for the top four finishers). Churchill Downs Inc. recently announced that horses will not earn points in official Derby qualifying races if they are in the care of a trainer who has been suspended from participation at Churchill Downs. Baffert is the only known trainer suspended by Churchill Downs Inc., which exercised its private property rights when it announced the exclusion..

Baffert is also facing a possible suspension by the New York Racing Association, which has scheduled a Sept. 27 hearing in front of a hearing officer to consider NYRA's statement of charges against the trainer that incorporate the multiple violations and Baffert's response to them.

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to conduct a hearing on the Medina Spirit positive test.

The post Baffert Under Review By Breeders’ Cup To Determine 2021 Participation Status appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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2022 Road To The Kentucky Derby: Points Will Not Be Awarded To Horses Trained By Suspended Individuals

The official “Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve” will begin Saturday, Sept. 18 at the home of America's greatest race as Churchill Downs stages the $300,000 Iroquois (Grade 3) for 2-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on opening weekend of its 12-day September Meet.

The “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” a series of select races that award a sliding scale of points to the Top 4 finishers, has determined preference for its 20-horse Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) field since 2013. The 1 ¼-mile classic for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds will be run at the historic Louisville, Ky. racetrack for the 148th consecutive year on Saturday, May 7, 2022.

As was the case this year, the 2022 Kentucky Derby will be run without the permitted use of Furosemide (often referred to by the brand name, Lasix). Points will only be awarded to horses who compete on race day without Lasix in Road to the Kentucky Derby races.

Effective Sept. 30, 2021, points from any race in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” will not be awarded to any horse trained by any individual who is suspended from racing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby or any trainer directly or indirectly employed, supervised, or advised by a suspended trainer. Should a horse trained by a suspended trainer, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed, supervised, or advised by a suspended trainer, finish in a position that would have earned points in a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” race occurring after Sept. 30, 2021, the points associated with that finish position will be vacated.

The same rules apply for the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” series, which awards points to fillies to qualify for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) at 1 1/8 miles on Friday, May 6, 2022.

The total number of races in the primary “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series has increased by one to 37. The inaugural $100,000 Gun Runner, a 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds at Fair Grounds on Sunday, Dec. 26, has been added to the “Prep Season” and is worth 10-4-2-1 to the top four placings.

Additionally, the new $100,000 Untapable, a one mile and 70-yard race for 2-year-old fillies that same race day at Fair Grounds, has been added to the Oaks series, which features a total of 32 races.

This is the 10th consecutive year that Churchill Downs has used a point system to determine entrants for its famed Kentucky Derby. At least 20 horses have entered the “Run for the Roses” in 20 of the last 23 years and every year from 2004-19.

The Iroquois, which will be run under the lights as part of Churchill Downs' “Downs After Dark” nighttime racing card on Sept. 18, will again kick off the 21-race “Prep Season,” which features foundation-building races over a minimum of one mile between mid-September and mid-February. Points awarded during the “Prep Season” are worth 10-4-2-1 to the top four placings, respectively, except for the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (GI) at Del Mar, which is worth twice as much (20-8-4-2).

In addition to the Iroquois and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, “Prep Season” races include the American Pharoah (Santa Anita), Champagne (Belmont), Breeders' Futurity (Keeneland), Kentucky Jockey Club (Churchill Downs), Remsen (Aqueduct), Springboard Mile (Remington Park), Los Alamitos Futurity (Los Alamitos), Gun Runner (Fair Grounds), Smarty Jones (Oaklawn Park), Jerome (Aqueduct), Sham (Santa Anita), Lecomte (Fair Grounds), Southwest (Oaklawn Park), Holy Bull (Gulfstream Park), Robert B. Lewis (Santa Anita), Sam F. Davis (Tampa Bay Downs), Withers (Aqueduct), El Camino Real Derby (Golden Gate) and John Battaglia Memorial (Turfway Park).

The 16-race “Championship Series” comprise springboard events that often bring the 3-year-old picture into sharper focus. First leg races offer 50-20-10-5 points to the Top 4 finishers: the Risen Star (Fair Grounds), Rebel (Oaklawn Park), Fountain of Youth (Gulfstream Park), Gotham (Aqueduct), Tampa Bay Derby (Tampa Bay Downs), San Felipe (Santa Anita) and Sunland Derby (Sunland Park).

The most meaningful races are worth 100-40-20-10: the UAE Derby (Meydan Racecouse), Louisiana Derby (Fair Grounds), Florida Derby (Gulfstream Park), Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park), Jeff Ruby Steaks (Turfway Park), Wood Memorial (Aqueduct), Blue Grass (Keeneland) and Santa Anita Derby (Santa Anita). Additionally, the Lexington (Keeneland) offers points on a scale of 20-8-4-2 to the first four placings.

In addition to the primary “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, there are two separate series that each carve out one spot for a potential horse from Europe and Japan.

The sixth-year “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” series again features four races: Cattleya (10-4-2-1 at Tokyo), Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun (20-8-4-2 at Kawasaki), Hyacinth (30-12-6-3 at Tokyo) and Fukuryu (40-16-8-4 at Nakayama).

The fifth-year “European Road to the Kentucky Derby” again showcases seven races: the Juddmonte Royal Lodge (10-4-2-1 at Newmarket), Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford (10-4-2-1 at Curragh), Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (10-4-2-1 at Longchamp), Vertem Futurity Trophy (10-4-2-1 at Doncaster), Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes (20-8-4-2 at Kempton Park), Patton Stakes (20-8-4-2 at Dundalk) and Cardinal Condition Stakes (30-12-6-3 at Chelmsford City).

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No Points for Suspended Trainers on Road to the Kentucky Derby

The official “Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve,” will begin Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs with the GIII Iroquois S., has been unveiled with a new proviso that horses under the care of suspended trainers will not be awarded points in the Derby prep races.

Effective Sept. 30, points from any race in the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” will not be awarded to any horse trained by any individual who is suspended from racing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby or any trainer directly or indirectly employed, supervised, or advised by a suspended trainer. Should a horse trained by a suspended trainer, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed, supervised, or advised by a suspended trainer, finish in a position that would have earned points in a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” race occurring after Sept. 30, 2021, the points associated with that finish position will be vacated. The same rules apply for the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” series. This would include trainer Bob Baffert, who was banned from Churchill Downs Inc. racetracks for three years.

The total number of races in the primary “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series has increased by one to 37. The inaugural $100,000 Gun Runner, a 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds at Fair Grounds Sunday, Dec. 26, has been added and is worth 10-4-2-1 to the top four placings.

Additionally, the new $100,000 Untapable, a one mile and 70-yard race for 2-year-old fillies that same day at Fair Grounds, has been added to the Oaks series, which features a total of 32 races.

The Iroquois will again kick off the 21-race “Prep Season,” which features foundation-building races over a minimum of one mile between mid-September and mid-February. Points awarded during the “Prep Season” are worth 10-4-2-1 to the top four placings, respectively, except for the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, which is worth twice as much (20-8-4-2).

In addition to the Iroquois and Breeders' Cup Juvenile, “Prep Season” races include the GI American Pharoah (Santa Anita), GI Champagne (Belmont), GII Breeders' Futurity (Keeneland), GII Kentucky Jockey Club (Churchill Downs), GII Remsen (Aqueduct), Springboard Mile (Remington Park), GII Los Alamitos Futurity (Los Alamitos), Gun Runner (Fair Grounds), Smarty Jones (Oaklawn Park), Jerome (Aqueduct), GIII Sham (Santa Anita), GIII Lecomte (Fair Grounds), GIII Southwest (Oaklawn Park), GII Holy Bull (Gulfstream Park), GIII Robert B. Lewis (Santa Anita), GIII Sam F. Davis (Tampa Bay Downs), GIII Withers (Aqueduct), El Camino Real Derby (Golden Gate) and John Battaglia Memorial (Turfway Park).

The 16-race “Championship Series” follows the Prep Season races. First leg races offer 50-20-10-5 points to the top four finishers: the GII Risen Star (Fair Grounds), GII Rebel (Oaklawn Park), GII Fountain of Youth (Gulfstream Park), GIII Gotham (Aqueduct), GII Tampa Bay Derby (Tampa Bay Downs), GII San Felipe (Santa Anita) and GIII Sunland Derby (Sunland Park). The most meaningful races are worth 100-40-20-10: the G2 UAE Derby (Meydan Racecouse), GII Louisiana Derby (Fair Grounds), GI Florida Derby (Gulfstream Park), GI Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park), GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks (Turfway Park), GII Wood Memorial (Aqueduct), GII Toyota Blue Grass (Keeneland) and GI Santa Anita Derby (Santa Anita). Additionally, the GIII Lexington (Keeneland) offers points on a scale of 20-8-4-2 to the first four placings.

In addition to the primary “Road to the Kentucky Derby” series, there are two separate series that each carve out one spot for a potential horse from Europe and Japan.

As was the case this year, the 2022 Kentucky Derby will be run without the permitted use of Lasix. Points will only be awarded to horses who compete on race day without Lasix in Road to the Kentucky Derby races.

The post No Points for Suspended Trainers on Road to the Kentucky Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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