Steeplechase | Horse Racing Free Tips

Kumin Joins The Steeplechase Community

If you check out the entries for the second race at Tennessee's Percy Warner Park, the Sloan maiden hurdle, and notice the connections of first-time starter Montmartre d'Ange (Fr) (Montmarte), they will look quite familiar. The 4-year-old is owned in part by prominent Thoroughbred owner Sol Kumin's Madakat Stable (along with Paul and Molly Willis, and CFC Stables).

Kumin has been involved in the likes of Triple Crown winner Justify, Monomoy Girl, Lady Eli, Midnight Bisou, Yoshida, Whitmore, Mind Your Biscuits, Authentic, Exaggerator, and Catholic Boy. So how did Kumin come to be involved with a jumper?

“I have a friend named Paul Willis from Boston that has been raving about Keri (Brion) and he owns jump horses and trains with her,” Kumin said. “I started doing some diligence on her operation and I liked what I saw and learned. I plan to send her a few flat horses as well to train. I love horses and I love racing. I truthfully don't know much about jump racing, but I feel like I am in good hands and will ease my way in and see if it's enjoyable. I expect it will be.”

The post Kumin Joins The Steeplechase Community appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Smaller, But Still Super: Helen Pitts

The daughter of a racing steward and a steeplechase trainer, Maryland native Helen Pitts was destined for a career on the racetrack. After working for several steeplechase trainers, she made the move to Kentucky to work for Kenny McPeek. When McPeek stepped away from training in 2005, Pitts took over and had her very first winner that same day. Over the years, she has reached the winner's circle with many unforgettable racehorses, including Hall of Fame champion Curlin and her all-time favorite trainee, MGISW Einstein (Brz).

KP: How did you first get involved in horse racing?

HP: My dad was a steward at the racetrack. He worked in Maryland for 20-some years and was there when Kent Desormeaux, Edgar Prado and those guys were there. My mom trained steeplechase horses, so this was kind of in my blood and I didn't have a whole lot of choice. I did fox hunters and pony club growing up and went to the races a lot. Dad always tried to deter me from going to the racetrack, but I rode steeplechase horses and ended up working for several steeplechase trainers. [Hall of Fame steeplechase trainer] Jack Fisher got me started and then I ended up also going to Frannie Campitelli at Pimlico.

After that, I started working for Kenny McPeek. He got me to move to Kentucky. I learned a lot from Kenny and was around really good horses. I galloped Take Charge Lady and Harlan's Holiday. When Kenny retired to do bloodstock, I was fortunate to carry on from there.

On July 1 of 2005, the first horse I raced actually won at Churchill Downs. Her name was Cat Quatorze (Louis Quatorze) and I'll never forget it. Then I won my first Grade I that fall with a filly called Sweet Talker (Stormin Fever) at Keeneland in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup S.

KP: How did your steeplechase background help you as a flat trainer?

HP: They intertwine a lot actually. Steeplechase is a lot more fitness-focused because they have to go so much further. In terms of horsemanship, I think I benefitted from it and it did me a world of good.

A lot of steeplechase horses are older flat horses. My mom is a wonderful horsewoman and she would take flat horses that would have a year off from a bowed tendon and she would bring them back to perfect health and they would win countless races for her.

KP: Where is your stable based today?

HP: Kentucky is pretty much home for us. Churchill Downs is our base basically year-round and I'm at Highpointe Training Center just outside of Louisville in the winter. I give a lot of horses time off in the winter to let them down a bit so they are ready to roll in the spring.

KP: How many horses are normally in your stable?

HP: I'd say we normally have around 10, but that number can go up and down especially in the spring when we get babies in. I do think back on the days when I would have 40 horses in the barn, but the game has changed a lot since then. It's hard to find help these days and so to be honest, 10 is a good number for the stage I'm at.

I have good owners and a lot of my owners breed their own, so we can take our time with them and I'm not pressed to be running babies in May. I train for great people, some of whom have been with me since I started.

KP: Who would you say has been your biggest mentor throughout your career?

HP: That's a tough question. Kenny gave me the opportunity to be where I'm at today. He introduced me to a lot of people and put me in a great position. I learned so much from him.

Looking way back, it would also be my mom. She's a wonderful horsewoman and she's 87 now, but she's actually in Kentucky this week selling babies at the sale. She still has the farm in Maryland and breeds babies. She is a very good horsewoman and gave me my work ethic to put me where I'm at today.

This is a hard question because there's also Jack Fisher and Frannie Campitelli. They both had big influences on my career. I think everybody helps you get somewhere.

KP: What horse has been the most influential to your career?

HP: Oh, it would have to be my boy Einstein (Brz) (Spend a Buck). He was my best friend and I had him for his whole career. He took me all over the country. He was the coolest horse and had so much personality. I would pull up in my car in the afternoons and he would start hollering when he saw me.

Then there's also Curlin, who put me on the map. I only got to run him once before they sold him, but I took the time with him and did right by him. He made it all worthwhile for that one start and now I can say I trained Curlin. He helped me get my name out there.

What do they say? Good horses will make you look good.

KP: What do you believe makes your stable unique?

HP: My employees are great. I have one couple who has worked for me since I first started.

We're very small and hands-on. If I'm not getting on them myself then I'm on the pony with them. We give them a lot of TLC and it doesn't matter to me what type of horse they are because they all get treated the right way and they're all special to me. They all think they're big horses in my eyes.

KP: Do you think super trainers are bad for the sport?

HP: I'm not going to sit here and say that they're bad for the sport. I give them all a lot of credit. I think that's what some owners want these days. They want the high-percentage guys. If you list the names of super trainers today, they're very good horsemen and very good trainers. With the way the game is and the way finding help is today, what they do is difficult.

I do think there is a different aspect in being involved with a big outfit as opposed to a smaller one. There are pluses and minuses to it.

KP: What do you enjoy most about your job?

HP: I just love the horses. I love seeing them come along and develop and I love the competitiveness of it all. Right now I have a little filly named Zawish (Mshawish) who is two for two. This filly just thinks she's King Kong. She loves the game and loves to train. I actually trained her mother, who was owned by the same clients and was their first-ever racehorse.

KP: What is the most frustrating aspect of your job?

HP: There are many different approaches you could take with this one. Would I love consistency within our sport and to have everyone on the same page? Absolutely. I just hope our sport continues to get better and better, but it seems like it's going in the right direction.

It's hard between finding help and keeping your system rolling, which I have found is easier now with the size that I'm at. Even when I worked for Kenny, you would walk in some days and find out you're missing a groom so you're rubbing down four and galloping seven. That's part of it and you have to be able to roll with it.

This game is hard. You can be on the absolute biggest high in the world and it will jerk you down in a minute. I'll never forget the morning after I won my first Grade I, I was breezing horses and had a 2-year-old break down. That will jerk the heart right out of you and you have to be able to tough it out. A lot of it is just the ups and downs. It's definitely a game of highs and lows.

KP: What is your bucket list race that you hope to win someday?

HP: Obviously everyone's goal is to get to the Kentucky Derby or the Oaks. I ran in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with Einstein in 2009. It was the year Zenyatta won it. Einstein actually won the GI Santa Anita H. that year and I was the first woman to win that race, so that was awesome and I felt like that was a great feat.

I would love to win a Breeders' Cup race or of course the Oaks or the Derby–something of that prestige.

The post Smaller, But Still Super: Helen Pitts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Steeplechase Bonus Program Launched By Maryland Horse Breeders Association

The Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) Board of Directors recently voted unanimously to begin an award program for Breeder, Owner and Stallion bonuses for registered Maryland-breds at sanctioned steeplechase race meets in Maryland. The MHBA will pay these bonus awards for those participants that qualify.

Beginning in 2022, registered Maryland-bred horses that run first, second or third will receive 30 percent on purses earned at National Steeplechase Association-sanctioned meets in Maryland. This program is modeled on the current bonuses paid to Maryland-breds that run at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and Timonium.

The five meets that qualify for this program this year are: My Lady's Manor, Grand National, Maryland Hunt Cup, Fair Hill, and Legacy Chase at Shawan Downs. The bonus applies to NSA-sanctioned steeplechase and flat races with listed purses at Maryland meets. Bonuses will not apply to training flat races.

“We believe this program rewards those Maryland-bred horses that have successful careers over jumps and the people who breed, own and race them here,” said Richie Blue, Jr., MHBA president. “This community is an important part of Maryland's horse industry. Much of the land that is called 'horse country' is due to their vision and efforts to preserve green space.”

The bonuses provide another avenue for owners and breeders of Maryland-breds, while also offering another incentive to campaign Maryland-bred horses in the state. Monkton-based trainer Todd Wyatt, president of the Steeplechase Owners and Trainers Association, called it a positive step for all. Wyatt won the 2015 Maryland Hunt Cup with Maryland-bred Raven's Choice, who raced for owners/breeders Cary and Ann Jackson, and won two steeplechase races with Maryland-bred Include It in 2021.

“It gives incentive to people to keep participating, there are people in Maryland who breed horses that are in steeplechasing,” said Wyatt. “It would have been very cool to have that when Raven's Choice was running. We got Include It from the Meyerhoffs and getting those breeder bonuses to somebody that might not even be aware is a good thing. It has to help jump racing, and it's a nice thing for breeders who aren't necessarily in jump racing too.”

Wyatt said owners and trainers don't necessarily count on state-bred incentives when searching for steeplechase prospects to purchase, but he could see that changing.

“If it comes down to selling a horse to someone who's going to keep the horse in Maryland or someone who is going to take the horse somewhere else, a breeder might consider selling to a steeplechase person,” he said. “And if you're looking for a horse as a steeplechase prospect, you might look start looking for Maryland-breds because of something like this.”

The post Steeplechase Bonus Program Launched By Maryland Horse Breeders Association appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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2021 Full Of ‘The Stuff You Can’t Script’ For Trainer Keri Brion

Just two live race days remain in 2021 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on the memorable year.

Though steeplechase trainer Keri Brion is based in Virginia when in the U.S. and is currently scouting new racing prospects in Ireland, the 30-year-old conditioner enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2021, sweeping all three of NYRA's Grade 1 jump races and winning all but one of America's Grade 1 steeplechase events.

Brion, who worked for 11 years as an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard, has put together a quality stable in her first year on her own, becoming the first American-based trainer to win on the hurdle circuit in Ireland in April and conditioning Baltimore Bucko and The Mean Queen to Grade 1 wins in the second half of the year.

After picking up her first graded win with Galway Kid in the Grade 3 David Semmes Memorial in May, Brion won her first Grade 1 in the A.P. Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga Race Course in July, visiting the winner's circle with Baltimore Bucko.

Brion wrapped up 2021 with a record of 14-15-12 from 105 starts and earnings just shy of $800,000, thanks in part to a trio of Grade 1 wins by The Mean Queen in Saratoga's Jonathan Sheppard Memorial, Belmont Park's Lonesome Glory, and the Grand National at Far Hills.

How would you summarize your 2021 campaign?

Brion: “It's still hard to put into words even now. It was some year. It started when I was in Ireland this time last year and took over for Jonathan when he retired. I made history there this year as the first [American based] jumper and hurdle winner. Then I went back to America and won my first graded stakes in May. Things were going well and then Saratoga happened. You couldn't write that again and it will probably never happen again as long as I live. Being first and second in both Grade 1's is something I would have never dreamed of. It really helped my career and also to gain the support in the big races. It was important for me to have those horses win at Saratoga. It's mind blowing.”

How does steeplechase racing in New York compare to other prestigious meets?

Brion: “NYRA is where you dream of racing. Flat racing, jump racing, it doesn't matter. It's the best of the sport in America in my opinion. Obviously you're running for good money and that's always a big plus. NYRA does an amazing job of supporting steeplechase and we have really good purses for allowances and stakes races which is brilliant. This is my first year training, but going forward, you train for Saratoga. You start in the spring and you know you're prepping horses for Saratoga. That's the big stage and where you want to win. To have won both big races there and the Lonesome Glory at Belmont is amazing. There's not a better place to win a race than in New York.”

What does it take to reach the top level in steeplechase?

Brion: “It's finding horses of that caliber. I have been lucky enough to have a trainer in Ireland who helps me source horses. It's helped me get them young and to mold them and bring them along in my own way. Working for Jonathan Sheppard for all those years was the biggest thing. Happy horses really do run the best. The Mean Queen, for instance, ran every month from April to October and stayed sound, healthy, and happy. Listening to the horse as an individual is key. You also can't be the best if you don't have the best staff and best owners. Good horses are good horses, but there's a lot that goes into it as well.”

What advice can you give other women looking to build a career in horse racing?

Brion: “I feel like at this stage now I have gained the respect of a lot of people. I've worked very hard to get here and I hope that other women who want to be trainers, exercise riders, jockeys, or anything else in his industry can look to me as an example that women can do it. You can be successful if you work hard.”

Which win this year was the most meaningful to you?

Brion: “It's a toss-up between the Grand National and the Jonathan Sheppard, but winning the Jonathan Sheppard is the stuff you can't script. They had renamed that race after Jonathan and I had four runners in it. Three of them were first, second, and third. I was very proud of that and of my horses. It was a summer I will never forget.”

What do you hope to accomplish in 2022 and beyond?

Brion: “I won four of the five American Grade 1's this year so I really hope to win the Iroquois [at Percy Warner Park] too. I don't know if that will happen this coming year, but it's on my list. The biggest thing is to continue at this level. I'm not saying I'm going to keep sweeping four or five Grade 1's every year, but I just want to be successful at the higher levels. I don't want this year to be a fluke and I want to continue to prove that I can do it – not just with The Mean Queen, but with other horses.

“When I set out training, I said I would be happy if I could win an Eclipse Award within 10 years of training. Now I'm probably going to be getting on a plane to California in February to get a trophy for the Eclipse Award.”

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