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FTBOA Offering Over $2.2M To Promote Royal Palm Meet

The Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA) will devote more than $2.2 million to support the Royal Palm Meeting at Gulfstream Park over the summer months.

Of that amount, $1.4 million is earmarked for the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes Series, $375,000 toward purse enhancements for Florida-breds and Florida Sire Stakes-eligible runners in stakes races and $250,000 in FTBOA Florida-bred Incentive Funds (FTBOA FBIF).

“Florida-breds are so important to Gulfstream Park racing and these supplements certainly will make our stakes more attractive,” Gulfstream Park vice president of racing Mike Lakow said.

The FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes for 2-year-olds by registered FTBOA Florida stallions will again highlight the Summer racing program at Gulfstream beginning with the $100,000 Dr. Fager S. and $100,000 Desert Vixen for fillies, both at six furlongs, Aug. 6. The lucrative series continues at seven furlongs Sept. 3 with the $200,000 Affirmed S. and $200,000 Susan's Girl S. for fillies before concluding at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on Oct. 1 with the $400,000 In Reality and $400,000 My Dear Girl for fillies.

“The FTBOA is once again pleased to offer numerous economic incentives in terms of either funding entire stakes purses, as is the case with our six FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes races for 2-year-olds and the new Gil Campbell Memorial, or the plethora of bonuses the FTBOA offers ranging from Florida-bred to FSS Eligible Florida-breds throughout the year of which we are offering $375,000 just for the current Royal Palm Meet alone,” FTBOA CEO Lonny Powell said.

He continued, “The FTBOA is also pleased beyond expectations by the incredible growth of the Florida Sire Stakes with a 14% increase in eligible foals compared to the prior year. This is proof as to the popularity and broad awareness of our FSS program and nationally acclaimed signature 2 year-old stakes. The FSS program is working well in terms of providing some of the very highest stakes purse schedules at each track–including the highest for the Royal Palm meet–while putting additional money into the hands of the deserving owners, trainers and breeders of our Florida-breds, which is a very good thing for the entire Florida racing and breeding industries.”

The FTBOA will also supplement 10 maiden special weight races for 2-year-old fillies eligible for the Florida Sire Stakes with a $5,000 supplement for the winners of each and 10 maiden special weight races for 2-year-olds eligible for the Florida Sire Stakes with $5,000 supplement for the winners.

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NYRA In No Hurry To Change Triple Crown Set Up

Though he said NYRA is willing to be part of a dialogue involving changing the dates of the Triple Crown races, a hot topic since GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) opted out of the GI Preakness S., NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke has made it clear that the racing organization has no immediate plans to sign off on proposals that would alter the status quo.

“We are touching on tradition here,” O'Rourke told the TDN Wednesday. “We are touching on the one thing that is sacrosanct to our industry in the U.S. We have to be very thoughtful about any proposed changes.”

O'Rourke cautioned against the industry and the three Triple Crown tracks making any changes without carefully weighing all factors and how any decision might impact the three-race series.

“We understand the arguments on both sides, but this is definitely not an area where a knee-jerk decision should me made,” he said. “It is something that needs to be deliberated. We would welcome input from everyone.”

The chances that the spacing of the Triple Crown races will be changed picked up momentum after the owner of Rich Strike announced that the horse would not contest the Preakness. Rich Strike will become the first Derby winner that emerged from the first leg of the Triple Crown in good health to pass on the Preakness since Spend A Buck in 1985. Rich Strike's owner Rick Dawson said that passing the Preakness, run two weeks after the Derby, was a matter of giving the horse extra time between races in the belief that it would better set him up for the GI Belmont S., run five weeks after the Derby.

The defection was a blow to the Preakness, and 1/ST Racing, which owns Pimlico, has indicated that changing the date of the race is a possibility. In a report Wednesday in the Baltimore Sun, which explored extending the Triple Crown schedule, an unnamed representative of 1/ST Racing told the paper that the company “is looking at this internally and intends to speak with other Triple Crown partners once we are through Preakness 147.”

When asked for additional comment, 1/ST Racing Chief Operating Officer Aidan Butler texted the same statement to the TDN.

Among those in favor of extending the spacing between Triple Crown races, the most popular change would be for there to be four weeks between the Derby and the Preakness and another four weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont. Had the change been made for this year's Triple Crown, the Belmont would be run July 2.

An argument can be made that having just two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness has caused problems for the Preakness. The Preakness field of nine includes just three horses that ran in the Derby. However, the current spacing of the races has not been a major issue for the Belmont. While many Derby horses skip the Preakness because of the two weeks' rest, normally, many of those same horses come back for the Belmont.

Still another argument can be made that even with its issues, the Triple Crown has never been more popular, both with racing fans and the general public. Would changing the schedule be a matter of fixing what isn't broken and can the public's interest be sustained over a two-month or more period? O'Rourke said that is something that needs to be considered.

“With what we've been seeing lately when it comes to the Triple Crown, you have to be hesitant to touch something like that,” he said. “That's a concern. This is the one thing in racing that is growing and works really well. It's a worldwide event. You have a Triple Crown contender and everybody is watching. To lose that momentum, yes, that is a big concern.”

Despite O'Rourke's reservations, there's nothing NYRA can do if 1/ST Racing makes the call to change the date of the Preakness. In the event that the date of the Preakness is changed, NYRA would likely be forced to move the Belmont.

“The possibilities are, we could either stay where we are, we could move it a week, we could move it two weeks,” he said. “We would probably open a dialogue with other people in the industry. It impacts more than just one race, especially for us. Right now, it's just too off-the-cuff and these are not the type of decisions that should be made off-the-cuff.”

For now, it isn't expected that any decisions will be made regarding the future of the Triple Crown until after the conclusion of the Belmont. Perhaps 1/ST Racing will, at that point, pull the trigger and move the Preakness starting in 2023. At the very least, O'Rourke hopes that doesn't happen without taking into account the myriad factors involved in the equation.

“This event impacts more than just the three participants.” he said. “It impacts everything. We feel if we were ever going to touch this, we would much prefer an industry-wide dialogue and as much consensus as possible.

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Epicenter, Early Voting Take First Tour of Old Hilltop

Winchell Racing's Epicenter (Not This Time), whose runner-up effort in the GI Kentucky Derby May 7 has earned him a quote of 6-5 morning-line favoritism for Saturday's GI Preakness S., was out for a one-mile gallop around the Pimlico main track Wednesday morning under the watchful eye of Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen .

“He's traveling really well. It seems like his energy level is good,” said Blasi, explaining that Asmussen left the track early to watch horses work at Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale at Timonium. “He's bounced out of the Derby with relative ease and made the ship fine. Just trying to get settled in and get our schooling done and run Saturday.”

Blasi indicated that plans call for Epicenter to school in the gate during training hours Thursday morning before paddock schooling during the races in the afternoon.

Early Voting (Gun Runner), who will be looking to give Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables a second Preakness success, also got his first feel for the surface at Pimlico Wednesday morning (video).

“He galloped a mile and a quarter. I was really happy with him coming home,” said Chad Brown assistant Baldo Hernandez. “He likes it here, so he's in good shape.”

Following his runner-up effort behind Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo) in the GII Wood Memorial S. Apr. 9, Early Voting was strongly considered for the Derby, but passed the race and has trained up to the Triple Crown's second jewel.

“He's moved forward from the Wood. He got the time off,” Hernandez said. “He's in good shape.”

Hernandez said that Early Voting will go to the track at the same time Thursday.

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Ward Says Royal Ascot Contingent His Best Ever

Since he won his first ever race at Royal Ascot in 2009, trainer Wesley Ward has attacked the meeting with quantity and quality and the result has been 12 wins. But he says this year's group, which will consist of at least seven horses, is the best he has ever sent overseas for what is the U.K.'s premier race meeting.

“I have never been as strong as this,” he said.

The surprise is that Ward's group of 2-year-olds, usually his strong suit, is not deep. He only has two, 'TDN Rising Star' Love Reigns (Ire) (US Navy Flag) and No Nay Hudson (Ire) (No Nay Never), that are definitely headed there.

“In years past at Belmont, they always ran those early maiden 2-year-old races on the turf,” he said. “They always went. If I won one of those races, I'd send those horses over there. This year, it's unfortunate that, for whatever reason, none of those races went. A lot of people are giving me turf sprinters. They're not the same horses on dirt and I'm reluctant to start them on the dirt. I've been waiting for grass races. There have only been two 2-year-old races run on grass in North America so far this year, both at Keeneland. People are buying horses for me to try to get them to Royal Ascot, but you can't go if you don't get them a start beforehand.”

Ward is hoping to find turf maidens for some of his 2-year-olds within the next 10 days or so and said that could lead to additions to his team.

Here's a look at who Ward plans on sending to Royal Ascot:

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo): Ward has said that this is the best horse he has ever trained and Golden Pal has the record to back that up. He is six-for-nine lifetime and has won the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He is expected to be the favourite in the G1 King's Stand S. on Tuesday, June 14.

“This is a big one for him,” Ward said. “He was second there as a 2-year-old in the [G2] Norfolk [S.] and was unlucky to be beaten. I am going back this year and he has never been better in his life. He is my most likely winner.”

Love Reigns: The 2-year-old filly is scheduled to run in the G2 Queen Mary S. on Wednesday, June 15. She broke her maiden on Apr. 29 at Keeneland, winning a 5 1/2-furlong grass race by 9 3/4 lengths.

No Nay Hudson; The 2-year-old colt will run in the Windsor Castle S. also on June 15. He won a 4 1/2-furlong dirt maiden at Keeneland by four lengths.

Asymmetric (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}): Is a new addition to the Ward barn after being campaigned in the U.K. by trainer Alan King. The 3-year-old has not started since Sept. 25. His biggest win came in the G2 Richmond S. He will go in the June 17 G1 Commonwealth Cup.

“It took a little while to get him going and figure him out,” Ward said. “He wasn't working very well when we first started breezing him. He started doing better, but not as good as you'd expect from what his form showed. These last couple of workouts were great. Really, really good. He outworked a really good horse of mine, Outadore, and did it very nicely. I am looking for him to run a good race.”

'TDN Rising Star' Ruthin (GB) (Ribchester {Ire}): The now 3-year-old warmed up for Ascot with a win in the Apr. 15 Limestone S. at Keeneland. She is slated to take on males in the June 17 Palace of Holyroodhouse S. at five furlongs. She finished seventh last year at Ascot in the Windsor Castle S.

Her World (Ire) (Caravaggio): Another filly, she will also run in the Palace of Holyroodhouse S, but has had only two career starts, including a third-place finish in the Limestone.

Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}): The filly will be seeking her third win at Royal Ascot when she starts in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. on Saturday, June 18. She won the G1 Commonwealth Cup there last year and the G2 Queen Mary S. the year before. She also captured the Giant's Causeway S. at Keeneland in her Royal Ascot prep.

“She ran a big race here at Keeneland in her comeback,” Ward said. “She thrives here at Keeneland and every work has been great. I look forward to a big run from her. But this will be her toughest assignment over there yet because she'll be taking on older horses. She's a big powerful mare. She's strong and imposing. I think she will run a big race.”

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