Shared News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Weekly Rulings: Mar. 22-28, 2022

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

California
Track: Santa Anita
Date: 03/23/2022
Licensee: Liparit Gharibyan, owner
Penalty: Reinstatement of good standing
Violation: N/A
Explainer: Owner Liparit Gharibyan, having complied with the provisions of California Horse Racing Board rule #1876 (Financial Responsibility–$146.13 to So. Cal. Equine Foundation) is restored to good standing. LATS #21 ruling issued at Santa Anita Park on January 15, 2021, is set aside.

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 03/24/2022
Licensee: Umberto Rispoli, jockey
Penalty: Four-day suspension
Violation: Failed appeal to overturn prior careless riding ruling
Explainer: Official Ruling of the Board of Stewards Santa Anita Park Winter/ Spring Meet (Association) March 24, 2022 (Date) LATS Ruling #76 Having received notice of a Proposed Decision adopted by the California Horse Racing Board that the appeal of DMTD Ruling #45 (August 12, 2021) has been overruled, the original ruling is reinstated. Jockey Umberto Rispoli, is suspended for 4 racing days (April 1, 2, 3 and 8, 2022).

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 03/24/2022
Licensee: Ron McAnally, trainer
Penalty: Thirty-day suspension (all 30 days stayed)
Violation: Substance violation
Explainer: Having received notice of a Proposed Decision adopted by the California Horse Racing Board Trainer Ronald McAnally, who started Roses and Candy in the third race on November 22, 2020, at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, is suspended for thirty (30) days pursuant to California Horse Racing Board Rule #1887(Trainer or Owner to Insure Condition of Horse) for violation of California Horse Racing Board rules #1843(a)(b)(d) (Medication, Drugs and Other Substances) and #1843.1(a)(Prohibited Drug Substances – 7- Carboxy – Cannabidiol). In accordance with the Proposed Decision, all thirty (30) suspension days are stayed and Ronald McAnally is placed on probation for one year from the date of this ruling and may not have any violation of Class I, II or III drug positives. If Ronald McAnally violates the terms of his probation, the 30 days of stayed suspension shall be imposed following a noticed hearing. (Read more about the original ruling here and about the regulatory nuances of CBD oil here and here).

New York
Track: Aqueduct
Date: 03/25/2022
Licensee: Eduardo Jones, trainer
Penalty: Seven-day suspension and $500 fine
Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: Having received a report from the NYS Gaming Commission Equine Drug Testing Laboratory of the finding of Phenylbutazone in the post-race blood sample taken from Horse “Pendolino”( #8 ) which finished first (1st) in the 4th race on February 4, 2022, and having waived his right to appeal, Owner/Trainer Mr. Eduardo Jones is suspended for seven calandar days effective March 27, 2022 through April 2, 2022 inclusive, and fined the sum of five hundred ($500.00) dollars. Furthermore, the Stewards order horse “Pendolino” disqualified from any part of the purse and the purse redistributed as follows:

(#9) Sweet Mission
(#6) Chaysenbryn
(#4) Left Leaning Lucy
(#1) Kerik
(#5) Shanes Pretty Lady
(#3) Alpine Queen
(#2) A Ring Thing
(#7) Mia Bea Star

Ordered that during your period of suspension, you shall not directly or indirectly participate in New York State Pari-mutuel horse racing. You are denied the privileges and use of the grounds of all racetracks, you are forbidden to participate in any share of purses or other payment. Every horse is denied the privilages of the grounds and shall not participate in pari-mutuel racing in New York State, that (a) is owned or trained by you, or by any individuals who serves as your agent or employee during your suspension; or (b) for which you during your suspension are directly or indirectly with training, including any arrangements to care for, train, enter, race, invoice, collect fees or other payments, manage funds, employ or insure workers, provide advise or other information or otherwise assist with any aspect of the training of such horses.

The post Weekly Rulings: Mar. 22-28, 2022 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Taking Stock: Country Grammer Boosts Tonalist

Before the G1 Dubai World Cup, Country Grammer (Tonalist) was already a Grade l winner in North America, but that race that he won on May 31, 2021, the Gl Hollywood Gold Cup S. at Santa Anita, was worth only $180,000 to the winner.

Since then, Country Grammer has made only two starts, both abroad and both fruitful: he was second in the G1 Saudi Cup, a $20-million race in Riyadh on Feb. 26, earning $3.5 million; and he won the $12-million Dubai World Cup Saturday, collecting almost $7 million, giving the strapping colt who races for the partnership of Zedan Racing, WinStar and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds total earnings of $10,837,320.

Country Grammer's prize money from the Middle East has catapulted his Lane's End-based sire Tonalist from the back of the field to second place on North America's general sires list with year-to-date progeny earnings of $11,772,495, behind leader and fellow Lane's End sire Quality Road's $13,392,856. Quality Road himself was the beneficiary of a $10-million Middle Eastern boost, as it was his son Emblem Road who won the Saudi Cup from Country Grammer.

For context, Spendthrift's mighty Into Mischief, the leading sire of 2019, 2020, and 2021, sits in third place at the moment with progeny earnings of $6,779,549.

Quality Road and Into Mischief are top-class stallions and are fully booked; the former stands for $150,000 and the latter for $250,000. Tonalist, in contrast, isn't a proven horse, has only three crops racing (not including current 2-year-olds), and has a modest $10,000 fee this year, so he stands to benefit the most from the accumulated earnings of Country Grammer with half the breeding season still ahead of him.

In light of Country Grammer's exploits, a re-examination of Tonalist reveals a horse with impeccable credentials and one who has potential to separate himself from others standing in his fee range. For one, he's a son of the outstanding Tapit, who is establishing himself as a sire maker, notably with Constitution; he's a Classic winner at 12 furlongs (Gl Belmont S.) who also won Grade l races at 10 furlongs (Jockey Club Gold Cup) and eight furlongs (Cigar Mile); he's a standout physical specimen with significant scope and size, attributes he's clearly passed on to 5-year-old Country Grammer, a member of his first crop; and he's from the immediate family of Horse of the Year Havre de Grace, which is to say from the blue-blooded Toll Booth branch of Missy Baba, his fourth dam and also the fourth dam of A.P. Indy. Because Tapit is an A.P Indy-line sire, inbreeding to Missy Baba lurks in the background of Tonalist, too.

Essentially, Tonalist ticks every box, except for perhaps early maturity, and he is the sire of eight black-type winners so far through his first three crops. Among them is the good first-crop filly Tonalist's Shape, who won her first five starts from late September at two to late February at three, when she took the Gll Davona Dale S. at Gulfstream. It's worth noting that both she and Country Grammer are bred on the potent Tapit/Storm Cat cross.

Country Grammer

The type of horse that Country Grammer has developed into is exactly what you'd expect from Tonalist, and this could actually benefit the stallion moving forward. Early maturity, which is prized at 2-year-old sales, isn't exactly what Tonalist is about–he only made one start at two himself and was unplaced, though Country Grammer did sell and win at two. But Tonalist does have the potential to deliver a late fall 2-year-old or an early spring 3-year-old with the potential of staying 10 furlongs, which is what's increasingly sought after these days as the most promising Classics contenders' schedules are delayed to coincide with the high-points races for the Gl Kentucky Derby that are held in March and April. And continued development through four and five can have its own lucrative benefits these days, as Country Grammer has so aptly shown.

Bred by Scott and Debbie Pierce at their Omega Farm in Kentucky, Country Grammer was a $60,000 Keeneland September yearling and a $450,000 OBS April 2-year-old. He made his debut as an October 2-year-old at Belmont at a mile for trainer Chad Brown and owner Paul Pompa Jr., running fourth. He returned at Aqueduct in November to win his next start, a 9-furlong maiden special, which is as far as 2-year-olds are asked to run in North America and a strong indicator that 10 furlongs would be well within reach at three and beyond.

Aside from Tonalist, Country Grammer's pedigree contains some internal structural elements that indicated this as well. For instance, he is inbred 3×4 to Pleasant Colony and 5×5 to Nijinsky –two strong markers for stamina in pedigrees.

Moreover, his tail-female line goes back to filly Triple Crown winner Chris Evert, Country Grammer's fifth dam; Chris Evert won the GI Coaching Club American Oaks back in 1974 when that race was contested at 12 furlongs and held more prestige than the now-Gl Kentucky Oaks, which was a Grade ll race at that time at a mile and a sixteenth.

Juddmonte got into this family when it purchased Chris Evert's Nijinsky daughter Nijinsky Star–Country Grammer's fourth dam–for $700,000 at Keeneland November in 1987, carrying a foal by Conquistador Cielo, and the internationally renowned farm shaped this branch of Chris Evert that leads to Country Grammer.

This family includes, among others, the Juddmonte multiple Grade l winners Sightseek, by Distant View, and Tates Creek, by Rahy, both fillies produced from the Nureyev stakes winner Viviana, a daughter of Nijinsky Star.

Viviana is a full sister to Willstar, Country Grammer's third dam. Like Viviana, Willstar also produced a highest-level filly for Juddmonte in G1 Prix de la Foret winner Etoile Montante, a daughter of Miswaki. Also like Viviana, Willstar was mated to Juddmonte homebred Distant View, producing Prima Centauri, Country Grammer's second dam and a mare that's closely related to the aforementioned Sightseek.

Prima Centauri, unplaced in two starts, was culled by Juddmonte in 2001 and eventually came into the hands of Dixiana, which paid $270,000 for her at Keeneland November in 2005. She was carrying a colt by Forestry, who must have physically impressed Dixiana as a weanling, because the mare was bred back to Forestry in 2007, producing Arabian Song, Country Grammer's dam, in 2008.

The Forestry full brother to Arabian Song made $425,000 as a Keeneland September yearling but never raced. Arabian Song sold for only $40,000 at Keeneland September to Rabbah Bloodstock, but won one race from six starts, a $40,000 maiden claimer at Churchill.

The Pierces acquired Arabian Song after her racing career and bred her first five foals. Among them is the 4-year-old Runhappy Grade lll-placed filly Joyful Cadence, who'd sold for $90,000 as a weanling at Keeneland November in 2018 before making $235,000 as a yearling at Keeneland the next September. The Pierces also sold Arabian Song, in foal to Wicked Strong, at Keeneland November in 2018 for $5,000, to Abdul Aziz Al-Ateeqi, who sent the mare to Saudi Arabia. The Wicked Strong foal is a 3-year-old filly named Gharz (KSA), who is placed in four starts.

Country Grammer Ownership

The topsy-turvy auction history and ownership changes of this immediate family that include Saudi Arabian involvement extend to Country Grammer as well.

After Pompa died in October of 2020, his stock was dispersed at Keeneland January in 2021. Country Grammer, who, as noted earlier, had sold for $450,000 as a 2-year-old, had gone on to win the Glll Peter Pan S. at three and was among those in the sale. Elliott Walden, president and CEO of WinStar, knew of the colt's talents as he'd been in training at the farm, and he was able to surprisingly purchase the colt for the bargain price of $110,000 at the dispersal.

Sent to Bob Baffert, who'd trained Justify for WinStar and partners and had Into Mischief's Life Is Good as the 3-year-old stable star for WinStar and CHC Inc., Country Grammer blossomed last year to win the Hollywood Gold Cup S.

However, both Country Grammer and Life Is Good were transferred later to Todd Pletcher after “Bob got in the penalty box” after the Medina Spirit controversy at Churchill, Walden explained by phone Monday, after arriving in Miami from Dubai. Walden said that Country Grammer was unable to start for Pletcher, however, after sustaining a minor ankle injury and was sent back to WinStar to recover. He was then sent back to Baffert.

Somewhere around this time the colt's ownership changed as well. First Commonwealth, which sells microshares in horses, purchased 30% of Country Grammer, leaving WinStar a 70% stake, until Saudi Arabian Amr Zedan offered to buy the entire horse.

“Amr Zedan is great for the industry and so easy to deal with,” Walden said. “He just told us to put a price on the horse, and we agreed to sell 50% of the horse to him, so we–WinStar and Commonwealth–paired down our interests to bring him aboard.”

And the rest is interesting history. Flying the same Zedan silks as Medina Spirit, Country Grammer gave Amr Zedan some revenge on Life Is Good–the same colt Medina Spirit had chased early in his career.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: Country Grammer Boosts Tonalist appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

NY Stallion Incentives Proposed To Reverse ‘Dangerous Trend’

With a 60% majority of New York-bred foals now sired by out-of-state stallions, the board of directors for the New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund (NYTBDF) is reaching out to the state's stallion owners to try and spark incentivization ideas that might swing that balance back toward in-state sires.

Chief among the concepts that have the most traction so far are 1) recalculating the splits of the fund so that more money flows to stallion owners; and 2) changing rules at tracks so that eligibility in New York-bred races would be based on the virtue of a sire standing in the state, regardless of where his offspring are foaled.

At Tuesday's NYTBDF meeting, board member Joe McMahon, who runs McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, articulated key points from a recent several-hour conference call he organized among 10 in-state stallion owners to “get the pulse of what they were feeling in the business.”

McMahon said that of those 60% of outside-sired foals dropped in New York, the “vast majority” were by Kentucky stallions.

“The trend is, and it has been over the last 10 years, more and more Kentucky-sired New York-breds,” McMahon said. “So that's having a bad effect on the stallion business in New York. It's having a bad effect on selling the 'get' of New York stallions in New York. It's having a negative effect on selling seasons to New York stallions.”

McMahon said the issue that repeatedly got hammered home during the conference call was, “What can we do to help change that, because it's a dangerous trend? If it continues to go up like that, it's going to be very hard to fund a stallion business in New York if only 30% to 40% of the mares are willing to breed to a New York stallion.”

In the brainstorming session, McMahon said the stallion owners tried to limit the scope of what could be done to things that do not require the cumbersome process of changing the state's breeding laws via the legislature.

One suggestion on the restructuring of fund payments involved changing the owners' awards so that the fund would not pay owners' awards in open races at New York Racing Association (NYRA) tracks. McMahon said that change would not apply to Finger Lakes, because its use of that bonus system is an integral part of the racing program there.

Regarding changing the eligibility status, McMahon said such a move would bring New York in line with programs in other states and in Canada.

“We could change that, and get more field size, and get more New York-sired product running in New York races,” McMahon said. “That would be a real incentive for people to use New York stallions, because they would have dual eligibility. They would be eligible for races in New York, and they'd be eligible for races in their own state, wherever they happen to foal.”

McMahon added that the owners of those horses sired by a New York stallion but not foaled in the state would not garner award payments from the fund. It's strictly a way to make them eligible for races.

“The racetracks are desperate to increase entries,” McMahon said. “They are in a terrible situation, and it's going to get worse, because the purses all around the country are getting higher and higher…. As it is right now, they are in a real fight to keep horses racing in New York…

“There's an opening for discussion with NYRA on this thing. It would benefit NYRA by virtue of adding more horses into their eligibility program, and it would certainly incentivize New York people to breed to New York stallions.”

McMahon termed the eligibility-tweaking idea as having “zero impact on the industry from the point of view of taking money from somebody or redistributing money” while also providing “significant value” to the progeny of those New York stallions.

NYTBDF board member Najja Thompson, who serves as the executive director at New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., said the conference call was “a good first step in meeting with stallion owners to hear their utmost concerns, and now we want to take the steps to get into the research” and seek additional commentary from other stakeholders.

Separately, Adam Lawrence, the NYTBDF's registrar, gave an update on the October 2020 rule amendment concerning mares who sold at public auction for $50,000 or more coming into the state to foal.

Lawrence explained that rather than being required to be bred back to a New York stallion to maintain the eligibility of those foals, those mares are now allowed to leave the state to be covered elsewhere. They can return within 120 days and eventually drop that second foal in New York, with both offspring eligible to be registered as New York-breds.

“We did this to increase the number and quality of mares in the state,” Lawrence said.

In 2021, Lawrence said, 115 total new mares entered the state after being purchased at public auction, with 42 of them having hammered for $50,000 or more. Eight were bred back to New York stallions.

In 2022, 80 auctioned mares came into the state, with 32 of them having sold at $50,000 or above (breed-back numbers for this season are not yet complete).

“I think this is around what we were expecting. We were hoping for maybe 50 or so $50,000-sale mares,” Lawrence said. “We're a little bit below that, but it's still definitely a big difference–[195] new mares in the state from public auction in the last two years, with 74 total above $50,000.”

McMahon asked Lawrence if the NYTBDF was compiling data on who bought those mares. Lawrence replied that he didn't have those details, but that he could get them prior to the next board meeting.

McMahon said it's important to know, because it was his belief that “the stallion farms bought most of the mares. Of the 115 that were brought in '21, the number was extremely slanted towards people who owned stallions who bought those mares. So I'm just wondering if that's a trend. I think it's something we should be tracking.”

The NYTBDF is a public benefit corporation that oversees the registration process for foals and stallions and distributes incentives in the form of awards. The money provided by the fund comes from a percentage of the state's Thoroughbred racing handle, plus video lottery revenues at Aqueduct and Finger Lakes.

The post NY Stallion Incentives Proposed To Reverse ‘Dangerous Trend’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Insight Outcomes: Half to Gronkowski and More ‘Set Sail’

It was a stellar week of racing, but not a single 'Insighted' horse won! That's racing. All runners appeared to come back well with bright futures ahead. A number of other new winners stepped up, including the first of five Saturday Fair Grounds scorers for the dynamic duo of Steve Asmussen and Joel Rosario, as well as a sharp-looking LNJ Foxwoods homebred at Santa Anita.

Wednesday's Insights: $1.1-Million Filly Debuts for Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm

5th-Gulfstream, $53,000, Msw, 3-23, 3yo, f, 1m, 1:37.63, ft, 5 1/4 lengths.

It was MISSY GREER (f, 3, Nyquist–Four Sugars, by Lookin At Lucky), a half-sister to Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus})–runner-up in both the 2018 GI Belmont S. and the 2019 G1 Dubai World Cup–who got off the duck in this Gulfstream maiden by a daylight margin. Seven of the eight fillies in the field had at least one start under their belt, with the lone exception being debuter I'm Baffled (Medaglia d'Oro), a $1.1-million yearling purchase for Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill at the 2020 Keeneland September sale. I'm Baffled stumbled out of the gate and rider Tyler Gaffalione had already made the decision to save her for another day before the final turn. Her half-brother, young sire sensation Constitution (Tapit), won both the GI Florida Derby and the GI Donn H. over this track, so don't count her out in her next start. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Saturday's Insights: Curlin Well Represented by Pricey Debuters

1st-Fair Grounds, $65,000, Msw, 3-26, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:10.14, ft, 1 length.

Favored firster BELLE REBELLE (f, 3, Upstart–Iboughtheranyway, by Dixie Union) got the win over $600,000 OBS graduate Catch Magic (Curlin), Juddmonte homebred Patna (Into Mischief), and Claiborne homebred Misread (Blame), all fellow debuters. She had worked a bullet four furlongs in :47 1/5 (1/110) Mar. 19 in preparation for the win for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who teamed up with Joel Rosario Saturday at Fair Grounds for five wins together including Epicenter (Not This Time)'s GII Louisiana Derby and Echo Zulu (Gun Runner)'s GII Fair Grounds Oaks. Belle Rebelle led pillar to post, while Misread and Patna both closed to fill out the trifecta. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

4th-Fair Grounds, $65,000, Msw, 3-26, 3yo, f, 1mT, 1:38.70, fm, 1/2 length.

Whether it was third time the charm, the stretch out to a mile from 5 1/2-furlong sprints, or blinkers off for FANCY MARTINI (f, 3, Klimt–Miss Canada, by Distorted Humor), she was the dueling half-length winner at 16-1. The 'Insighted' Forgotten Realm (Curlin) broke widest of all and dawdled at the back of the field, but made up ground late while about eight paths wide. The $625,000 Keeneland September buy's dam is a full-sister to the dam of MGISW Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), a Brad Cox stablemate and a $5-million purchase at Fasig-Tipton November for Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing, and Whisper Hill Farm. Shedaresthedevil partner Qatar Racing also owns Forgotten Realm. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Sunday's Insights: Sale-Topping Nyquist Colt Makes Second Start at Santa Anita

6th-Santa Anita, $67,500, Msw, 3-27, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:37.99, ft, 7 1/2 lengths.

This is the sort of maiden special weight that holds a similar type of appeal as a Saturday afternoon black-type event. LNJ Foxwoods homebred SET SAIL (c, 3, Malibu Moon–Fleet of Gold {SP, $109,892}, by Medaglia d'Oro) likely needed the race when he debuted with a third Feb. 26 at a sixteenth shorter and an 81 Beyer for Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, who isn't known for cranking up his first-time starters. The bay went straight to the front in company Sunday, was tested first by Bletchley Park (Nyquist) and then another rival, but put all comers away to draw off by 7 1/2 lengths in a minimalistic ride by Juan Hernandez. Set Sail shares a champion granddam–Fleet Indian (Indian Charlie)–with champion and young sire Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}). Mandella's other race entrant, Q B One (Uncle Mo), improved to third from his Dec. 26 unveiling. Q B One, the first foal out of multiple champion Beholder (Henny Hughes), had been gelded in the interim. The race favorite, the aforementioned Bletchley Park, was the $2.6-million topper at last year's Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream sale after working :9 4/5. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Insight Outcomes: Half to Gronkowski and More ‘Set Sail’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post