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Rombauer Vaults To Lead In NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred Rombauer, a 3 ½-length winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, has risen to No. 1 in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll, taking over from Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve runner-up Mandaloun.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer, a bay son of Twirling Candy, received seven first-place votes and 311 points, rocketing from 30th place last week to the top spot. In February, Rombauer won the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, and was third in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in April before the Preakness.

Godolphin's Essential Quality, who finished fourth in the Derby as the 5-2 favorite, moved from third to second place. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality has 13 first-place votes and 298 points. Juddmonte's Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, is now in third place with seven first-place votes and 281 points. Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Derby, drops one spot to fourth place. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 236 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness, following his front-running win in the Kentucky Derby, slides from fourth to fifth place. Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit has eight first-place votes and 221 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who finished second in the Preakness, rises from seventh to sixth place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 204 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated bay filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, drops from fifth to seventh place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has two first-place votes and 202 points. The Asmussen-trained Jackie's Warrior, owned by Kirk and Judy Robison, remains in eighth place. Winner of the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU at Churchill Downs, Jackie's Warrior has 74 points. WinStar Farm and CHC's Life Is Good, off the Triple Crown trail due to injury, rises from 10th to ninth place. Life Is Good has one first-place vote and 55 points. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, falls to 10th place with 54 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide, has been atop the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses for eight consecutive weeks since winning the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 31 first-place votes and 350 points.

The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, is in second place with five first-place votes and 283 points. Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam (224 points), who finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, rises from fourth to third place.

Two Cox-trained runners ― Knicks Go and Monomoy Girl ― are in fourth and fifth, respectively. Korea Racing Authority's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go has one first-place vote and 220 points, while My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the reigning older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, has 199 points.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (153 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, is now in sixth place, switching positions with Michael Lund Peterson's Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Gamine (145 points), who drops to seventh. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, remains in eighth place with one first-place vote and 139 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (91 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, is in ninth place. Completing the top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (64 points), for trainer Chad Brown.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-may-17-2021/

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Preakness Hero Rombauer Arrives At Belmont Park ‘No Worse For Wear’

John and Diane Fradkin's homebred colt Rombauer, a decisive winner of Saturday's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, arrived at Belmont Park on Monday to prepare for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets slated for June 5.

The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes is the centerpiece of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that runs from June 3 through Saturday, June 5. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer garnered a career-best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his rallying 3 1/2-length score in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness, second jewel of the Triple Crown.

The Twirling Candy bay, who is based at Santa Anita Park, arrived at Belmont at around 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning and will be stabled with trainer Jonathan Thomas.

Accompanying the Preakness champ on the van ride from Maryland was groom Leonel Orantes Aguilar, who reported that the horse shipped to New York “very well.”

McCarthy returned to southern California, where he is primarily based at Santa Anita, but gave positive reports on how the horse emerged from his breakthrough performance.

“It seems like he's in good physical shape,” McCarthy said. “He was pretty bright and alert on Sunday morning. He's a horse that takes very good care of himself, so we sort of read the signs from him and see what he's telling us. From what I can tell, he's no worse for wear.”

The versatile Rombauer graduated at first asking on the Del Mar turf in July 2020 and completed his 2-year-old season on dirt with a second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah in September at Santa Anita and a closing fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November at Keeneland, which was won by 2-year-old champion Essential Quality.

Rombauer captured the El Camino Real Derby on the Golden Gate Fields synthetic in February to launch his sophomore season and followed with an even third in the Grade 2 Blue Grass in April on the Keeneland main track ahead of his Preakness effort.

It was a first American classic triumph for McCarthy, who was previously a longtime assistant to newly minted Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

“I got a lot of nice messages from people and there were a lot of people that reached out who I hadn't heard from in quite some time, so it was very nice,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy went on to say that Bo Hirsch's Ce Ce is a possibility for the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event on Belmont Stakes Day at 1 1/16 miles on the main track for older fillies and mares.

Yuji Inaida's France Go de Ina, trained by Hideyuki Mori, also arrived at Belmont on Monday following his seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Preakness under Joel Rosario.

Mori's travelling assistant Masaki Takano will oversee the two-time winner's preparations heading into the Belmont Stakes.

“He seemed to travel really well, it was a trouble free trip,” said Takano through translator Kate Hunter. “This is a good experience for the horse because the racing here is so different. Over the course of the time that he's been here, he's been able to get used to the American style of doing things. That's helped him relax into the routine and hopefully it will lead to a better performance in the future.”

Takano said that France Go de Ina, a two-time winner in Japan at Hanshin Racecourse, has settled into a nice rhythm training in North America and should be well prepared heading into his next engagement.

“The extra length of the Belmont, and the experience he's gotten from racing once here already, it's likely we'll have a better chance to perform better based off his pedigree. We're looking forward to giving it another go,” said Takano.

A $100,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the Kentucky-bred France Go de Ina is by Will Take Charge and out of the Curlin mare Dreamy Blues.

France Go de Ina is a two-time winner at Hanshin Racecourse, including a maiden score on November 28 and an allowance coup on December 19. France Go de Ina entered the Preakness from a sixth in the UAE Derby following a poor start.

Takano said France Go de Ina will resume training on Friday morning.

A $1 million bonus is offered to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The $1 million bonus is in addition to the $800,000 winner's share of the Belmont Stakes, which is contested at 1 ½ miles [2,400 meters], the same distance as classic races in Japan.

In 2016, the Japan-based Lani competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown, with his best showing being a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

The Japan-based Master Fencer, who was elevated to sixth in the 2019 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, closed to finish fifth in that year's Grade 1 Belmont.

To qualify for the bonus, a horse must have made at least three starts in Japan prior to starting in the Belmont and must be nominated to North America's Triple Crown series. In the event of a dead heat, the connections will receive a $600,000 bonus.

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The Week in Review: Sorry Bob, It’s Not OK

When Bob Baffert told us last week that he thought the positive drug test for Medina Spirit (Protonico) following the GI Kentucky Derby was the result of his having been treated with an anti-fungal ointment, he seemed to be suggesting that the whole thing was an honest and forgivable mistake. No harm, so why the foul?

“This has never been a case of attempting to game the system or get an unfair advantage,” he said.

On that, he's likely telling the truth. That Baffert would use a rather benign corticosteroid as performance-enhancer does seem like a reach. As he also said during the week, “Bob Baffert is not stupid.”

So let's give him the benefit of doubt and assume that Medina Spirit was treated with an ointment that contained betamethasone to help clear up a case of dermatitis. Let's assume that's the root cause of the positive. That doesn't mean it's OK. Not even close.

For his veterinarian to have prescribed the ointment, Otomax, and for Baffert to have signed off on the treatment, would mean they are guilty of an alarming and unacceptable degree of sloppiness. How could they have not known that Otomax contains betamethasone? It says so right on the box. Did they not know that betamethasone cannot be in a horse's system in Kentucky on race day? Everyone else did. Baffert may not be stupid, but it sure looks like he is reckless.

Had this been any other trainer in any other race, the story wouldn't have gone very far. But it wasn't. It was the Kentucky Derby and the trainer is, easily, the most recognizable figure in the sport. That's why this made national headlines, drew the attention of the late night talk show hosts and had all of our non-racing friends peppering us with questions. Even Saturday Night Live got its pound of flesh, lampooning Baffert during the Weekend Update segment. Donald Trump called Medina Spirit a junky. Ouch.

The general public cannot be expected to know the difference between a therapeutic ointment and hardcore performance-enhancers. Unfairly or not, the widespread perception is that someone doped a horse and cheated to win the Kentucky Derby, so horse racing must be a sport with a rotten core.

That's never a good thing, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. When it comes to public perception, racing keeps taking one hit after another. In 2019, there were the horse deaths at Santa Anita. In 2020, it was the indictment of 27 people, including high-profile trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro, for their part in an alleged doping scheme. Now this.

There are powerful forces out there who want to see horse racing outlawed, and what do we do? We keep giving them exactly what they want and need, talking points when they argue that horse racing is cruel to animals. When does it stop?

Last November, prior to the Breeders' Cup, Baffert, reeling from a string of drug positives, issued a statement in which he promised to do better.

“Given what has transpired this year, I intend to do everything possible to ensure I receive no further medication complaints,” he said. He outlined a series of steps he was going to take, including hiring Dr. Michael Hore to oversee his operation as a watchdog. “I humbly vow to do everything within my power to do better. I want my legacy to be one of making every effort to do right by the horse and the sport,” he said.

Instead, it appears that it was business as usual around the Baffert barn, and he did nothing at all to right the ship. That includes reneging on his promise to hire Hore.

Saturday, Baffert wisely stayed behind in California and let assistant Jimmy Barnes run the show at Pimlico. When the race was over, at least for a minute or two, the story was not about Baffert. Trainer Michael McCarthy was so touched and thrilled with the win by Rombauer (Twirling Candy) that he had to fight back tears. People like McCarthy are what's good about this game. A former assistant to Todd Pletcher, he's worked for everything he has and has managed to win a lot of races without even a hint of suspicion. Baffert keeps arguing that the tests are too sensitive, but if that is the case, how do you explain how McCarthy has sent out 1,096 starters and has never had a positive test? (His record, though, does include a $100 fine for not having a nozzle on a hose).

Medina Spirit ran third in the GI Preakness S., which meant the sport dodged a bullet. Imagine having a horse going for the Triple Crown after failing a drug test in the Kentucky Derby. A circus does not even begin to describe it. It would have been terrible for the sport.

Medina Spirit wasn't good. Concert Tour (Street Sense), his other starter in the Preakness, didn't show up, losing by 34 1/4 lengths. Baffert was 0-for-4 at Pimlico, including a lackluster effort by Beautiful Gift (Medaglia d'Oro) in the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. Did that have anything to do with the extra testing performed on the Baffert horses? Probably not, but the skeptics aren't convinced. Too bad. Baffert brought that upon himself.

Unless the split sample comes back negative, Baffert will never be able to fully put this behind him. It will be part of his legacy, as much, if not more so than his Triple Crown wins. Worse, yet, it has given the sport a nasty black eye that is not going away anytime soon.

As was the case last November, Baffert issued somewhat of a mea culpa in a statement he sent out before the Preakness.

“I acknowledge that I am not perfect and I could have better handled the initial announcement of this news,” he said.

He stopped short of apologizing, but what good would that have done? The damage has been done and it will be a long time before this goes away, if it ever does. Most likely, Baffert will be fine. He's very good at what he does and owners will keep on giving him the best-bred, most expensive horses around. But will the sport be fine? Maybe not. And, this time, our self-inflicted wound was so avoidable. Bob, you let the sport down.

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McCarthy: Rombauer ‘Justified What I Thought Of Him All Along’

After a few hours of sleep, trainer Michael McCarthy was back at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Sunday morning, quietly talking about Rombauer's emphatic victory in the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday and looking ahead to the Belmont Stakes (G1).

Bred and raced by John and Diane Fradkin of Santa Ana, Calif., the son of Twirling Candy rallied from off the pace in the second turn and passed tiring pacesetters Medina Spirit and Midnight Bourbon to win the Preakness by 3 ½ lengths. His time of 1:53.62 was the eighth-fastest since the race distance was changed to 1 3/16 miles in 1925.

While McCarthy, 50, acquired plenty of experience in Triple Crown races during his long tour as an assistant to Hall of Fame-elect trainer Todd Pletcher, Rombauer was his first starter in the series since he opened his own stable in 2014. The well-respected, low-key, California-based horseman started receiving congratulatory calls and texts as soon as the race was over.

“It's been great,” McCarthy said. “It's nice to see this all kind of come together. The horse justified what I thought of him all along.”

The Fradkins and McCarthy have decided to ship Rombauer to Belmont Park Monday and are seriously considering running him in the 1 ½-mile Belmont June 5.

“We will go ahead and go to Belmont,” McCarthy said. “We will get there and see how he is and where he is at and go from there.”

Not counting 2020 when the Preakness was the last of the Triple Crown races to be run because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rombauer is the seventh horse since 1980 to win the Preakness after skipping the Kentucky Derby (G1). Three of the six – Codex (1980), Aloma's Ruler (1982), and Deputed Testamony (1983) – failed to win the Belmont Stakes. The other three – Red Bullet (2000), Rachel Alexandra (2009), Cloud Computing (2017) – did not enter the third leg of the Triple Crown. A total of 18 horses have completed the Preakness-Belmont double. Since the current Triple Crown schedule was adapted in 1932, no horse that skipped the Derby has won the Preakness and Belmont.

McCarthy was pushing to run Rombauer in the Kentucky Derby after he picked up enough qualifying points with his third-place finish in the Blue Grass (G2) April 3. However, the owners opted to bypass the Derby and wait for the Preakness. The colt, which the Fradkins had been unable to sell as planned as a 2-year-old, earned a fees-paid entry in the Preakness by winning the El Camino Real Derby, a 'Win & In' race Feb. 13 at Golden Gate Fields.

As he held Rombauer's lead shank Sunday morning outside the Preakness Stakes Barn, McCarthy did not second-guess the decision to skip the Derby but pointed to his consistency.

“It's right there on paper, the horse shows up every time,” McCarthy said. “The way the race shaped up at Churchill Downs, I'm not sure if he would've made any noise or not, but I think he would have been running late.”

The off-the-pace style that has worked on turf and Golden Gate's synthetic surface carried Rombauer to his first career dirt victory in the Preakness. Jockey Flavien Plat, riding the horse for the first time, sat sixth in the field of 10 about five lengths off the pace after a half-mile in 46.93 seconds. Medina Spirit, the Kentucky Derby winner, had a half-length lead at the time, but could not shake pressing Midnight Bourbon.

The race was developing as McCarthy had hoped and he watched from the stands as Prat and Rombauer accelerated entering the second turn and moved into contention.

“I thought it was fairly formful,” McCarthy said. “If anything, I thought we were maybe just a touch closer than what I expected. It always looked like Flavien was traveling well. He was never in a bad spot. It's only a 10-horse field but never at any time was the horse in a bad spot, finding any difficulty. The horse seemed to be responding to whatever Flavien was asking of him.”

In the stretch, Midnight Bourbon finally got his head in front of Medina Spirit. Rombauer had arrived, engaged Midnight Bourbon while racing about four wide and took command approaching the sixteenth pole.

“We got a good setup yesterday,” McCarthy said. “The way the track was playing, I was a bit concerned earlier in the day. The speed was good. The inside was good. I could see horses coming off the pace a little bit later on in the afternoon yesterday. So that sort of gave us a little sort of hope that the track was on the fairer side or getting to the fairer side.”

McCarthy and Prat discussed strategy for the Preakness and were in agreement on how Prat should ride the race.

“He said, 'I don't want to take the horse out of his style,'” McCarthy said. “I said, 'that's the best thing to do. We've gotten here. We've come this far. It's the right move. Go ahead and do what you're comfortable with.'”

In the seven-plus seasons since he went home to the West Coast and launched a one-horse stable, McCarthy has emerged as one of the top trainers on the Southern California circuit. Among his big wins came with City of Light, who captured the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in 2018 and the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in 2019.

Though Rombauer was 11-1 in the betting Saturday, McCarthy said he was confident going into the Preakness.

“It's one of those things where you like to say it would be pleasant surprise, but I thought the horse would run well,” he said. “I kept telling everyone that he would definitely run a mile and three-sixteenths. I just hoped he would do it as fast as everyone else. He did that and a little more.”

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