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Top Stories of 2020

If nothing else, 2020 was a news-making year. From the indictments to the coronavirus to the passage of the Integrity Act, the news started early and just kept on coming.

For the first time ever, the TDN eclipsed 8 million pageviews. What were the most popular stories among those? We took a look back at the most-read stories of the year; while the indictments and the virus dominated the news, we also found some surprises.

Standardbred Horseman John Brennan Dies of Coronavirus, March 10, 2020.

Coming on the heels of the indictment news, the first racing-related death from COVID-19 was our most-read story of the year.

Cox Refuses to Take Rockingham Ranch Horses, by Bill Finley, March 10, 2020.

Published the same day as the number one story of the year and one day after the indictments, this story details Brad Cox’s unwillingness to take horses formerly trained by Jorge Navarro for Rockingham Ranch. It outstripped even the original indictment story in number of reads.

Jason Servis, Jorge Navarro Face Federal Indictment in Doping Scheme, by Bill Finley and Alan Carasso, March 9, 2020.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York unsealed indictments against Thoroughbred veterinarians and trainers, including Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro Monday in Manhattan. A total of 27 defendants were named in four separate indictments, alleging that the two trainers and 25 others engaged in a `widespread, corrupt scheme by racehorse trainers, veterinarians, PED distributors and others to manufacture, distribute, and receive adulterated and misbranded PEDs and to secretly administer those PEDs to racehorses under scheme participants’ control.'” So began the story that would continue to make news for the rest of the year.

Empire Maker Dies, by Alan Carasso, January 20, 2020.

At the age of 20, Empire Maker succumbed to a rare disease that compromised his immune system. We took a look back at his legacy.

Woodford Team Voting for Independence, by Chris McGrath, February 6, 2020.

McGrath’s profile of Shannon Castagnola at Woodford Thoroughbreds was his most-read story for us in 2020.

Baffert Unveils Another Into Mischief Monster, November 22, 2020.

The debut of WinStar Farm’s Life Is Good (Into Mischief) was our most read race-result of the year and sixth most popular story overall.

Harness Trainer Rene Allard Latest Arrested in Doping Scandal, by Bill Finley, March 13, 2020.

Harness trainer Rene Allard, the second-leading trainer at Yonkers at the time of his arrest, brought the number of individuals known to be involved in the doping scandal to 29.

Letter to the Editor, Brad Weisbord, on his Battle with COVID-19, March 23, 2020.

“On Monday (3/18) my wife said to me in the middle of the night, `What’s wrong with you? You’re gasping for air.’ On Tuesday morning, I could not get out of bed.” Weisbord would go on to test positive for COVID-19.

Florida Racing Prepares to Say Goodbye to Calder, by Bill Finley, October 2, 2020.

Finley chronicles the last-ever season at Miami’s Calder Race Course, which had been in operation since 1971.

Despite Fears of Getting Caught, Alleged Doping Conspirators Chatted and Texted Anyway, by T.D. Thornton, March 9, 2020.

“The indictments also yield another startling revelation: That some of the defendants–particularly Navarro–allegedly expressed a fear of getting caught by communicating their alleged wrongdoings via phone conversations and text messaging. Yet they allegedly persisted in making alleged doping plans using their mobile devices anyway.” Thornton details those key 2019 conversations.

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Stories to Watch in 2021

It’s time to turn the page from what was a horrendous year. Thank goodness. The year 2021 is upon us and, for horse racing, it figures to be an important and eventful 12 months. These are the stories we will be talking about and writing about in 2021:

Will Handle Be On The Rise?

Perhaps the most positive story to come out of 2020 has been the handle figures. With the pandemic causing a sizeable reduction when it comes to the amount of races that were run, betting figured to have declined steeply this year. Instead, entering December, it was off just 1.48% for the year. The number of total races run was down by 24.52%.

This could mean that handle will show a significant bump in 2021. The theory is that racing picked up some new customers during the months where it was the only sporting event going and that is why the handle numbers for 2020 didn’t fall off a cliff. With what should be a fairly normal racing schedule in 2021 and with racing perhaps having grown its customer base, this could be a year where the sport takes a needed step forward.

Then again, the 2020 figures could be nothing more than a matter of the pie being sliced differently. Was this simply a case of the same people betting virtually the same amount of money, but having fewer overall races to wager on?

It’s anyone’s guess, but there should be a concrete answer to that question in 2021.

What Will Be The Impact Of The New Lasix Rules?

Starting Jan. 1, Lasix will not be permitted in most stakes races at several of the sport’s top tracks. The ban will include all three Triple Crown races and most of the prep races for the GI Kentucky Derby. This comes after the same tracks banned Lasix in 2-year-old races this year.

The 2-year-old ban didn’t have much of an impact as trainers adjusted and learned to do without the anti-bleeding medication. There didn’t seem to be any major incidents. Most likely, the story will be much the same when it comes to the 2021 stakes races as the sport discovers it can get by just fine without Lasix.

What’s Next When It Comes To The Doping Indictments?

Since the bombshell story broke in March that Jorge Navarro, Jason Servis and 25 others had been indicted for their alleged involvement in the doping of horses, there haven’t been many additional developments. That should change in 2021.

By year’s end, it’s likely that the case will reach a conclusion, with the possibility that both trainers enter into a plea deal. If that happens, both could be sentenced some time in 2021.

We should also know whether or not there will be additional indictments. It appears that some of the individuals who were indicted could be talking, perhaps naming more names. We’ll find out in 2021.

What Will We Learn About The Horseracing Integrity And Safety Act?

Signed into law by President Trump Sunday, the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act must go into effect by July 1, 2022. But it will still be an important story to follow in the year ahead. This should be the year where many questions begin to get answered, among them how much will it cost and how will it be paid for? Horseplayers are dreading the thought of having to pay for this through a higher takeout and owners don’t want to have to pay some sort of fee every time they start a horse, Both, unfortunately, are possibilities.

This will also be the year when the members of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority Board will be named.

Will Arlington Park Survive?

Churchill Downs, the owners of Arlington Park, has only committed to one more year of racing, which means 2021 could be it for one of the sport’s most beautiful tracks. There should be a place in the sport for a showcase track in a huge metropolitan area, but it doesn’t appear that there are many options on the horizon that would save Arlington. Let’s hope that there will be a reprieve for Arlington.

How Good Is Charlatan?

It’s not too early to jump on the Charlatan (Speightstown) bandwagon. Limited to just three races before being sidelined by an ankle injury, he looked like a horse with unlimited potential after crossing the wire first in the GI Arkansas Derby, a race he eventually lost due to a medication violation. He looks even better after his blowout win over a stellar field in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. Saturday at Santa Anita. The early favorite for 2021 Horse of the Year, Charlatan could have the kind of year that Ghostzapper had in 2004. Don’t expect a busy campaign, but he could dominate every time he shows up while posting ridiculously fast numbers.

What Will Be The Effect Of New Jersey’s Whip Ban?

Whip reform has been a slow process, but it will take a huge leap forward in 2021 when the whip will be banned in New Jersey racing. The only exception will be situations where it is needed for safety reasons. All eyes will be on Monmouth Park when it opens in the spring with an experiment that could change the debate when it comes to the future of the whip in racing. What happens in New Jersey could influence what direction California will take.

When Will Fans Be Allowed Back In The Stands?

Fans weren’t allowed to attend the Triple Crown races in 2020 or the Breeders’ Cup. The stands were empty at Saratoga and at Del Mar. That won’t change Jan. 1, but it appears likely that, with the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, there will be a return to normalcy in 2021. That may not happen in time for the Kentucky Derby, but could it happen for, say, opening day of Saratoga? Nothing would be more welcome.

Can Godolphin Win Its First Kentucky Derby?

There aren’t many important races left in the world that Sheikh Mohammed has not won, but a victory in the Kentucky Derby has eluded one of the sport’s most powerful stables. Godolphin has sent out 10 starters in the Derby without a winner. Its best showing was a fourth-place finish by Frosted (Tapit) in 2015.

That very well could change in 2021. Essential Quality (Tapit), the GI TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner who will soon be named 2019’s Champion 2-Year-Old Male, is a horse without any apparent flaws. He has the ability, the right breeding and the right trainer in Brad Cox. He will have to deal with whatever Bob Baffert brings to Churchill Downs, but Essential Quality very well could be the one to get Godolphin into the Derby winner’s circle.

The post Stories to Watch in 2021 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Louis Cella Named 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year

Louis Cella, the owner and president of Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, has been honored as the 2020 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sportsman of the Year for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. When most of the rest of the country–including live sports–shut down in March, he was one of a handful of racetrack principals who were able to continue live racing and do it safely.

“In racing, we have an obligation,” Cella told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “It’s not like a retail store. You send your employees home and good luck and let’s talk next week. We have 500 people in the backstretch. We’ve got 1,500 horses that have to be fed and cared for. We have our own employees, and at that time, we’re ramped up to a thousand people. We can’t just turn the lights off and say go home. It’s not right, and we can’t do it.”

Oaklawn managed to stay open with limited attendance through closing day on May 2, a novel idea at the time and a move that was embraced by horsemen and fans. Handle numbers soared with closing day–and two divisions of the GI Arkansas Derby–more than doubling wagering at any previous day in the track’s history with $41 million.

The track’s 2021 season will begin Jan. 22 with limited admission.

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Homecoming for Ashford’s Caravaggio

While most American breeders are just now getting their first look at multiple Group 1 winner Caravaggio, who stood his first three years at Coolmore’s headquarters in Ireland and now takes on the U.S. market for 2021, the son of Scat Daddy is not new to Ashford Stud.

The speedy grey was born and raised at Ashford, having been bred by the farm’s Director of Sales Charlie O’Connor and his in-laws’ Windmill Manor Farms.

“Caravaggio is a horse that’s obviously very close to our hearts,” Coolmore’s Adrian Wallace said. “He was born here and spent all of his young life here. The barn where he was raised is in front of our office. So when he went to Ballydoyle, we followed him very closely.”

The team back home heard positive reports from Aidan O’Brien from the beginning, and those proved true when Caravaggio won on debut and then followed up with three more victories, including the G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot and a four-length victory in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S., for an undefeated juvenile season.

“He had speed to burn,” Wallace said when asked of Caravaggio’s greatest quality. “As someone said, speed is dangerous. The way he broke, the way he traveled through his races and then finished off those races showed that he was a sprinter to be reckoned with.”

Coming back at three, Caravaggio won the G3 Lacken S. before heading back to Ascot to claim the G1 Commonwealth Cup in a battle against Godolphin’s Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal).

“Royal Ascot, for anyone now but especially for Europeans, is the pinnacle and height of the middle of the European racing season,” Wallace noted. “To win the Coventry S. over six furlongs is a race that’s high in prestige but then to come back as a 3-year-old and do it again in the Commonwealth Cup against some very good sprinters marked Caravaggio as one of the best of his generation. When you can do it on the main stage at Royal Ascot, that’s what it’s all about.”

Later in the season, the swift sprinter added the G2 Flying Five S. to his list of victories before retiring later that year.

Caravaggio stood his first two seasons in Ireland for €35,000 and that fee was increased to €40,000 in 2020. He also shuttled to Australia in 2018.

His first crop of yearlings hit the market this year and several made it to the Keeneland September Sale.

His top seller at the sale, a half-sister to G1-placed Consort (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) named Her World (Ire), brought $400,000 to Stripes Stable LLC/Susan Moulton, while a colt out of Swept Away (Ire) (Power) brought $300,000.

“The interesting thing is that three of his horses [from the September yearling sales] are going to go into training with Wesley Ward,” Wallace said. “So hopefully come April and May of next year, we should see some early runners from Caravaggio in this country.”

Caravaggio later made headlines at Tattersalls October Book 2, where his 105,417gns average was the highest of any first-crop sire over the three-day sale. Demi O’Byrne, agent for Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, went to 205,000gns for a yearling colt out of the winning Galileo (Ire) mare Longing (Ire) and then came back to pay 170,000gns for another Caravaggio colt out of Solar Event (GB) (Galileo) {Ire}).

“The sales in both Ireland and England continued in somewhat of a depressed market this year, but Caravaggio’s progeny continued to sell well,” Wallace said. “They averaged just over $155,000. They’re training with the right people and look like they should be early.”

Ashford is now looking to build upon the foundation Caravaggio has already started for himself overseas. The son of Scat Daddy will stand for $25,000 in 2021.

“He’s a horse that we’ve wanted here for three years, and finally on the fourth year we got him,” Wallace said. “He’s been very popular so far. I think that the demand for sons of Scat Daddy worldwide is only going to get greater. He was a horse that, in a very short time, was able to achieve so much. I think people need to, and already are, taking note with these young sons of Scat Daddy. There’s something in the water. These horses are too good.”

He continued on Scat Daddy’s international success, “One of the things that made Scat Daddy such a dominant sire was his ability to get runners on the biggest stages. These horses have run, with the likes of Justify, Ten Sovereigns (Ire), No Nay Never or Con Te Partiro in Australia. They run and win on the biggest stages and hopefully that’s going to continue with these young sons of Scat Daddy.”

Wallace said that Caravaggio’s conformation fits the look of his sire.

“Physically, he brings a lot of what was Scat Daddy,” he said. “He’s got a lot of quality, but he’s also got a massive forearm and gaskin. He’s very broad across his chest. He moves like a panther and that translated to excessive speed on the track. He’s very balanced and he’s got that strength that we think will suit American mares.”

Wallace added that Caravaggio’s pedigree should also appeal to the American breeder.

“We think he’ll be a good influence on both dirt and turf,” Wallace said. “He’s out of the stakes-winning Holy Bull mare Mekko Hokte, whose first foal My Jen (Fusaichi Pegasus) was a Grade II winner on the dirt. So we think that given his physique and his pedigree, he’ll be a horse that’ll achieve on both surfaces.”

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