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NY Proposes Rules Tweaks for Challenging, Voiding Claims

The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) advanced a Thoroughbred claiming rules proposal Monday that would address the voiding of claims and ineligible potential claimants, establish procedures for resolving challenges to claims, and outline a specific procedure for horse custody if the stewards discover a claimant had been ineligible.

The proposal passed by unanimous voice vote with no discussion or debate among commissioners. The full text of the amended rules will now be published in the New York State Register. After a public commentary period, the NYSGC will reconvene to take a final vote on the measure.

In a brief that was included in the Aug. 22 meeting packet, NYSGC general counsel Edmund Burns explained the overall intent of the proposed changes to the rules under section 4038.

“It is in everyone's interests for any objections to a claim and any stewards' order in regard to ownership of a horse be raised and resolved as quickly as possible, so that custody of the horse may be determined promptly,” Burns wrote.

“This proposal would make explicit the current practice that it is the responsibility of the track's racing secretary to verify the eligibility of potential claimants and conduct the disposition of the horse by lot in the event of multiple claims,” Burns wrote.

“The proposal would establish a deadline of one hour after a race for an objection to a claim award to be made, in which case the stewards would hear from the interested parties the same day and determine whether to void the claim and then award it to a remaining eligible potential claimant, by lot if there is more than one eligible potential claimant remaining.

“There would be no further appeal to the Commission so long as this process was followed, given the need for finality to determine the custody and care of the horse,” Burns wrote.

“Similarly, according to this proposal, if the stewards discover, even absent an objection by a horseperson, that a claim had been awarded to an ineligible claimant, the stewards would need to act within 24 hours of the race to be able to order the delivery of the horse to a different owner or trainer,” Burns wrote.

“The proposal would make explicit that a horseperson who enters a potential claim despite being ineligible, and track office personnel charged with verifying eligibility who fail to do so properly, may face Commission discipline.

“The proposal would make explicit that a claim shall be void for any horse that is scratched before the race is started,” Burns wrote.

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Brown Hopes Million Dominance Transfers to Churchill

Perhaps no trainer felt the loss of Arlington Park more keenly than Chad Brown, who had dominated the historic track's signature Arlington Million Day card for the past decade, but the multiple Eclipse Award winner will have a pair of runners as he tries to keep the momentum going at the relocated–and truncated–Million card at Churchill Downs Saturday. Currently leading North American trainers with 10 Grade I wins on the year, Brown will be in search of a record-extending fifth victory in the Million when he sends out recent GIII Monmouth S. winner Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in Saturday's nine-furlong race. The 7-year-old is 9-2 on the morning line and faces eight rivals, including morning-line favorite Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), last year's GI Breeders' Cup Mile runner-up who is coming off a second-place finish in the May 30 GI Shoemaker Mile H.

Brown, who saddled the winners of all four graded races on the 2019 Arlington Million card, won his first Million in 2013 with Real Solution (Kitten's Joy). Four years later he was victorious with Beach Patrol (Lemon Drop Kid) and followed up that win in 2018-19 with Robert Bruce (Chi) (Fast Company {Ire}) and Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway).

In Saturday's GI Beverly D. S.–a Breeders' Cup Win and You're In event–Brown will saddle Peter Brant and Michael Tabor's Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), who opened the year with a win in the GIII Beaugay S. and was most recently fourth in the July 16 GI Diana S. at Saratoga. The 2-1 morning-line favorite, Rougir could become Brown's record-extending seventh winner in the race.

Brown's first win in the Beverly D. came in 2011 with Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}). From 2015-19 he won the race with Watsdachances (Ire) (Diamond Green {Fr}), Sea Calisi (Fr) (Triclaria {Ger}), Dacita (Chi) (Scat Daddy) and back-to-back runnings with Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}).

New York-based jockey Manny Franco has the call on both Brown runners Saturday at Churchill.

“Manny has really come a long way with his skill,” Brown said of the 27-year-old rider Wednesday. “He really pays attention a lot, is always trying to get better at his profession and I see him at the best he's ever been right now. He has a really good agent with Jon Panagot, who's really great to work with, and he fits a lot of our horses well. He's willing to ride any level of horse. I find him equally effective on turf or dirt and he normally puts my horses in good positions.”

'Rising Stars' Do Battle in Special

The graded stakes action at Saratoga Saturday is headlined by the GI Fourstardave S.–another Win and You're In event–where the 6-year-old mare Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), 6-5 on the morning line, will take on four male rivals.

Earlier on the card, a pair of 'TDN Rising Stars' will do battle in the GII Saratoga Special. Gulfport (Uncle Mo), who proved his seven-length debut victory was no fluke with a resounding 12 1/4-length score in the July 4 Bashford Manor S., is 4-5 on the morning line.

The precocious colt is co-owned by Jackpot Farm's Terry Green, Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt and Whispering Oaks Farm and he will be making his first start since Coolmore joined the ownership group Saturday.

“That was one of the more exciting things when they made that phone call to us,” Green said of the new partners. “We feel like they're one of the best at what they do. We were excited to be part of their organization.”

Green, a veteran of the casino industry, named Gulfport after his hometown in southern Mississsippi.

“That's where I grew up and that's where my main business is,” said Green, who owns Island View Casino in Gulfport with Rick Carter. “That's the tough thing about these names. I've been kind of saving that name. Sometimes it can be tough to pull the trigger on it because you want that name to go somewhere and be in the record books. I'm very pleased with him so far.”

Despite the early success and the new high-powered partner, Green, who owns a 200-acre farm for cutting horses in Weatherford, Texas, is trying to keep his expectations for Gulfport grounded.

“Time always tells on these things, so you just try to keep both feet on the ground, but he's shown that he's a good, strong colt,” Green said. “He's been very healthy in both races with no problems. Steve [Asmussen] and all of us just love the way he travels and the way he covers the ground. We've never had anything like him before, so it's extremely exciting.”

Cliff and Michele Love's Damon's Mound (Girvin) turned heads with his dramatic 12 1/2-length debut victory at Churchill Downs July 2. The colt could give fast-starting freshman sire Girvin, who already has Astoria S. winner Devious Dame to his credit, his first graded winner. While fellow freshman Bolt d'Oro could have his first stakes winner with Bashford Manor runner-up Owen's Leap.

Two-year-old fillies will be in the spotlight at Del Mar Saturday and another freshman sire, Good Magic, could make the grade when Vegas Magic, already a stakes winner at Pleasanton, faces five foes in the GII Sorrento S. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Procrastination (Not This Time), a front-running eight-length winner of her July 4 debut at Los Alamitos, is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the six-furlong race.

Earlier on the Del Mar card, seven fillies and mares, led by 6-5 morning-line favorite Going Global (Mehmas {Ire}), face off in the GII Yellow Ribbon H.

Going Global, coming off a third-place finish in the May 30 GI Gamely S., has a record of two wins and a second in three starts at Del Mar. She won last year's GI Del Mar Oaks and GII Goldikova S. at the oceanside oval.

“She likes Del Mar,” trainer Phil D'Amato said. “She's been training very well here on the turf course and I'm excited to run her.”

Woodbine hosts a pair of graded races Saturday, the GIII Bold Venture S. and GIII Trillium S.

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Northview Stallion Station Expansion Leads to Saratoga

After pinhooking success near its home base in Maryland last fall, Northview Stallion Station and the Golden family's Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds will look to keep the momentum going with a debut consignment of three horses at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale Monday.

“It's been a goal of ours for several years to start consigning up here [in Saratoga],” explained Northview's David Wade. “We've had homebreds that have fit the Keeneland market and we've had homebreds that fit the Timonium market, but we were looking specifically for something to pinhook up here at Saratoga. It's difficult for Northview to consign at Keeneland because we are a small consignor for that quality of horse, but in Saratoga, you can come up with two, three, four horses and not get lost and sell at the top of the market. That's where we've wanted to be. Hopefully this works out for us and we can continue to do it.”

Asked if the move marked a new direction for the farm, which was founded by the late Richard Golden in 1986, Wade said, “I don't know that it's a new direction, it's an expansion. We are still breeding horses and selling commercially. But this is just something different to try to see if we can make it work. There are a lot of different ways to lose money in the Thoroughbred industry and there are a lot of different ways to make money in the Thoroughbred industry. So we are looking for other ways to make money.”

Northview's Saratoga consignment kicks off Monday with one of two yearlings by freshman sire Mendelssohn (hip 31). The filly, out of graded winner Munny Spunt (Munnings), was purchased by Sycamore Hall for $280,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

The first-crop 2-year-olds by Mendelssohn have been gaining momentum on the racetrack in recent weeks as the Coolmore stallion has been represented by maiden winners at Ellis Park, Saratoga, Laurel and Delaware Park.

“I feel a lot better than I did a month ago,” Wade said of bringing two yearlings by the sire to market next week. “He finally got that winner in Saudi and then all of a sudden he ends up with a nice winner at Ellis Park and then a really nice winner at Saratoga and then he has had another three or four since then. So he's starting to heat up. He's moved up the freshman sire list. I think he is seventh today, whereas a couple of weeks ago he was probably down there around 20th. So there have been some nice timely wins that make you feel a lot better.”

Mendelssohn added another nice winner Sunday at the Spa in the form of 'TDN Rising Star' Pink Hue.

While Mendelssohn continues to get things done on the racetrack, Northview has already had success with the stallion in the sales ring. The operation purchased a Mendelssohn colt for $100,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. Returned to the sales ring last October, the chestnut topped the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Sale on a bid of $235,000 from pinhooker David Scanlon. Not to be outdone, Scanlon, in turn, sold the colt for $1.3 million at this year's OBS Spring Sale.

“We pinhooked one last year that we took to the Timonium sale that we bought for $100,000 and we got $235,000 and topped the sale,” Wade said of the operation's pinhooking resume. “We had a second horse that I actually bought with the intention of pinhooking for the farm which was an Empire Maker colt, but when I got him back to the farm, Mike Golden, who owns Northview with his sister, saw the horse and he said, 'I'm not selling this horse. I want to race it.' So he's now with Graham Motion and he'll hopefully make a start in four to six weeks.”

The Empire Maker colt (hip 790) was purchased for $150,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. Now named Kicks Like Tucker, he continued preparations for his debut with a three-furlong work in :37 flat (1/4) at Fair Hills last Thursday.

Northview's Saratoga consignment will continue with a colt by Bernardini (hip 90) out of Stargirl (Medaglia d'Oro), who is a half-sister to stakes winners Little Nick V (Colonel John) and Now Spun (Hard Spun). The yearling, whose third dam is Grade I winner Pacific Squall (Storm Bird), was purchased by Wade on behalf of Sycamore Hall for $125,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale.

“We had several horses that we had short listed at the January sale, but the important thing when you shortlist these horses to pinhook them, you have to try to buy them at the right level,” Wade said. “And he was one of the horses who was certainly on our list. I don't think I would have gone any higher for him, but I think we left some room to make some money. We will find out on Monday.”

Of the colt's progression since January, Wade said, “He's actually grown and gotten a little bit bigger than I thought he would. He was kind of a compact, mature-looking horse with a lot of speed, but he's gotten a little bit bigger than I thought he would have.”

The Northview trio is completed by a son of Mendelssohn (hip 110) who is out of Undisputed Legend (Domestic Dispute) and is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo (El Padrino). Bred by Wade, the yearling is one of six Maryland-breds in the Saratoga catalogue.

“I think Maryland has always had a strong program,” Wade, a lifelong resident of the state, said. “A lot of the better Maryland-breds wind up going to Kentucky or to Saratoga and every once in a while you see a really good Maryland-bred who is going to go to Timonium. And there are a lot of them that are retained to race, not just to sell. But the Maryland program has always been strong. The breeders that we have there are pretty smart cookies. So we are bullish on the Maryland program and the Maryland-bred incentives.”

Wade is also optimistic heading into the two-day Saratoga sale.

“I think all three of these horses are coming into the sale just right,” he said. “[The market] looked pretty good in July in Kentucky. The 2-year-old sales certainly looked very good. I think, as these foal crops have continued to get smaller and purses have continued to go up, that there is going to be demand for horses. So I think we are sitting in pretty good shape.”

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale will be held Monday and Tuesday in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. Bidding begins each evening at 6:30 p.m.

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Town and Country Brings More Mischief to Saratoga

The team at Town and Country Farms knew they had a good one when heading into the Keeneland September sale last fall and its Into Mischief colt delivered in the sales ring when selling to the stallion-making partnership of SF Bloodstock/Starlight Racing/Madaket for $850,000. Now named Newgate, he began to justify the price tag with a 'TDN Rising Star'-worthy debut at Del Mar last Saturday (video). The Courtelis family's operation will be hoping history repeats itself when it sends a full-sister to the colt through the sales ring during the second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale next Tuesday.

“She looks absolutely great coming into the sale and is probably our best yearling on the farm,” Town and Country's Chief Executive Officer Shannon Potter said of the yearling, who is catalogued as hip 165 at the two-day boutique auction. “We are really optimistic about what could happen in Saratoga.”

Newgate and the yearling filly are out of Majestic Presence (Majestic Warrior), who was third in the 2014 GIII Delta Downs Princess S. She was purchased by Town and Country while in foal to Runhappy for $360,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

“She was a big, pretty mare,” Potter said of Majestic Presence's appeal. “When I say pretty, she was really pretty. She was 16.1, she was nice and correct. She had a little bit of race record under her. She had everything that I was looking for and in that price range, she just fit all of those things. And she had a decent pedigree at the time. But now everything is filling in and coming together.”

A half-sister to graded winner Victress (Include) and to the dam of 2019 GII Summertime Oaks winner My Majestic Rose (Majestic Warrior), Majestic Presence has done nothing but impress Potter since joining the Town and Country broodmare band of some 30 head five years ago.

“Majestic Presence puts a really good foal on the ground every year,” Potter said. “I can't say enough about her, because whatever you breed her to, it always comes out looking really well.”

The mare's Runhappy colt sold for $230,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale and her Candy Ride (Arg) colt–who sold for $250,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale–just romped home an 8 1/2-length winner in his second start in a $20,000 maiden claimer at Saratoga July 15.

Newgate, the mare's third foal, was special from the start, according to Potter.

“He was just outstanding from the get-go and a very good foal,” Potter said. “By the time he was a yearling, he checked everybody's boxes as far as what you were looking for at the yearling sales.”

Sent off the prohibitive 1-2 favorite after plenty of pre-race hype, Newgate was no surprise while making his debut for the Bob Baffert barn last week.

“He was very, very impressive,” Potter said of the debut effort. “When [SF Bloodstock's] Tom Ryan and [Starlight Racing's] Jack Wolf and the gang got him, we were super excited that he was in their possession and we knew he was going to go to a top-class trainer. We were really high on that horse going into the race because we had heard so much from those guys and other people who thought that he was one of the top horses in Baffert's string–and we all know how many he has in his string.”

Majestic Presence has a weanling filly by Into Mischief's GI Kentucky Derby-winning son Authentic, “who is really good,” according to Potter. “We are just going to cross our fingers and put a little bubble wrap around her.”

The 10-year-old mare was bred back to champion and first-year sire Essential Quality.

“She has been bred to Into Mischief quite a few times and I was trying to breed her to something fresh and young,” Potter said of the mating decision. “And I really like Essential Quality. I thought most of the stuff that he has or maybe doesn't have, she would add to and we were just trying to totally freshen her up with a young stallion, and a promising young stallion at that.”

Through the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment, Town and Country will offer three yearlings at next week's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. The operation will be represented by hip 23, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) who was co-bred with Off The Hook. Out of Mighty Eros (Freud), the yearling is a half-brother to graded winner and Grade I placed Faypien (Ghostzapper).

“[Off the Hook's] Joe Appelbaum and I are really good friends,” Potter said. “And we've done this back-to-back. He has a really good mare, so we took a shot and did that together. And this is as good a Candy Ride as I've seen. He is totally not your typical Candy Ride. He is very big, he has really nice feet on him and he just looks like a classic two-turn type of horse.”

Hip 48 is a filly by Medaglia d'Oro out of group winner Pretty Perfect (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a mare Town and Country purchased for $1.125 million at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

“She is not your typical Medaglia d'Oro filly,” Potter said. “She has a lot of bone and a lot substance, body and hip and all of that. She has a wonderful walk to her. She is just going to be a nice pick up there for an end user, I would think.”

Potter has high hopes for the trio in Saratoga.

“Martin [Deanda], our yearling guy, and all the guys in our yearlings barn have done a really good job of prepping them and getting these three horses ready at the farm,” Potter said.

Fasig-Tipton got the yearling auction season off to a strong start with its July sale last month and Potter hopes that trend continues in Saratoga.

“If you look at July, it was good,” he said. “I am thinking it will be close to the same [at Saratoga]. I guess we will have to wait and see. But we are optimistic about where the business is right now and what is going on. So hopefully it will still stay strong.”

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale will be held next Monday and Tuesday at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion. Each session begins at 6:30 p.m.

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