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Long Range Toddy, Footnote from Controversial ’19 Derby, Wins for First Time in Four Years

When Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy) won the eighth race at Gulfstream Park Sunday, the 7-year-old put to rest a losing streak that dated back to before the controversial 2019 GI Kentucky Derby, a race in which he earned historical footnote status by being the horse who was fouled in the only disqualification of a Derby winner for an in-race incident.

Long Range Toddy's 2 1/4-length score in a seven-furlong allowance/optional claimer July 16 was his first victory since Mar. 16, 2019, when he took a division of that year's split GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn Park, two prep races prior to his brush with infamy in the Kentucky Derby.

Despite his win drought being ended, another remarkable aspect of Long Range Toddy's career remains intact: Although he flirted with favoritism before Sunday's race went off, he closed as the 2.4-1 second choice. Amazingly, this means that despite bankrolling more than $1.2 million in earnings in a career that now spans 37 starts all up and down the class structure, the betting public has never once sent off Long Range Toddy as the favorite in the wagering.

How many other equine millionaires can claim that feat? TDN is not sure, because such esoteric stats aren't easy to verify (although we'd welcome input from readers with better memories or access to a more robust database).

For a large chunk of his career Long Range Toddy was campaigned by his breeder, Willis Horton. Owner Zenith Racing acquired him in the spring of 2022. In a trainer switch on Sunday, he started for the first time for conditioner Victor Barboza, Jr. The winning rider was Emisael Jaramillo. It was lifetime win number five Long Range Toddy.

In the 2019 Kentucky Derby, Long Range Toddy was a 54-1 long shot already beginning to fade on the far turn when he was forced to check sharply as part of chain-reaction crowding that the Churchill Downs stewards deemed to have been caused by first-across-the-wire Maximum Security.

After 22 agonizing minutes of examining replays, the stewards took the win away from Maximum Security, placing him behind Long Range Toddy, who ended up 17th under the wire. Country House was declared the official winner of the Derby via DQ. The connections of Maximum Security sued in federal court to get the result overturned, but the DQ stood.

As fate would have it, this past week actually turned out to be newsworthy for the only three remaining active alums of that bizarre 2019 Derby.

On July 12, Gray Magician (Graydar), who finished 19th and last in the 2019 Derby, won a $20,000 claiming sprint at Canterbury Park by 3 1/2 lengths as the 9-10 favorite. He's been claimed five times and has had six different trainers while racing at 15 different tracks globally, from Meydan to Arizona Downs. His lifetime record now stands at 5-for-41 with $921,460 in earnings for current owner Kirk Sutherland and trainer Jose Silva, Jr.

Also on Sunday, just hours before Long Range Toddy's win, the connections of Tax (Arch), who crossed the wire 15th in the 2019 Derby, announced the retirement of the 7-year-old, who most recently ran second in the Mar. 11 GIII Challenger S. at Tampa Bay Downs. Tax retires at 5-for-19 and with $1,102,190 in earnings. He was owned in partnership by R.A. Hill Stable and trainer Danny Gargan.

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Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Tax Retired

Multiple graded stakes winner Tax (Arch) has been retired from racing. The 7-year-old gelding, who was claimed by trainer and co-owner Danny Gargan for $50,000 out of his debut race in 2018, won the 2019 GII Jim Dandy S. and GIII Withers S., as well as the 2020 GIII Harlan's Holiday S. He earned a trip to the 2019 GI Kentucky Derby with a runner-up effort in the GII Wood Memorial. Fourteenth in the Derby, he returned to finish fourth in the GI Belmont S.

On the board in 11 of 19 races, he won five times and earned $1,102,190.

“We've decided to retire him because it was the right thing to do by the horse,” said Gargan. “He's done enough. We just wanted him to win over the million-dollar mark, and he got well over that.”

In his final career start, Tax was runner-up in the GIII Challenger S. at Tampa Bay Downs in March.

Gargan said Tax has been sent to the farm of Dean Reeves, who co-owned Tax through 2021, and he will be retrained with an eye to a pony career.

“He went to Dean Reeves's farm and we're probably going to break him to be the farm pony next year,” said Gargan. “Maybe he'll come here to Saratoga next year and be our barn pony here.”

Tax retires as the all-time top earner for Gargan.

“He's my favorite horse of all-time,” said Gargan. “He's so pretty and so kind for such a big horse.”

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Encore Performance?

The highly regarded Performer (Speightstown), a hard-fought neck winner over Eye of a Jedi (Eye of the Leopard) in the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. Jan. 23, will look for his second straight tally over track and trip in Saturday's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. The 2019 GIII Discovery S. winner was a disappointing third as the 4-5 favorite in the slop in the GI Cigar Mile H. two starts back Dec. 5.

“He gutted it out pretty good,” trainer Shug McGaughey said of Performer's Hooper win. “He was down on the inside. Joel [Rosario] looked up and saw those horses on the lead were going easy, so that's when he eased him to the outside. I don't think it killed him to win, but that horse that finished second is a pretty darn horse.”

Tax (Arch), a good second as the favorite behind Performer in the Discovery during his 3-year-old campaign, returned from the shelf with a razor sharp, front-running victory over the aforementioned Eye of a Jedi in the local GIII Harlan's Holiday S. Dec. 12, good for a gaudy 105 Beyer Speed Figure. The 2019 GII Jim Dandy S. and GIII Withers S. winner, however, failed to build on that effort in his next start, reporting home a disappointing 10th at 5-1 in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Jan. 23. Trainer Danny Gargan adds blinkers for this cutback to one turn.

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Knicks Go, Charlatan Top 176 Nominations To Dubai World Cup

Thoroughbred racing's top stars have been nominated for the highly anticipated 25th running of the Dubai World Cup, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 27, 2021 at Meydan Racecourse. Among the global stars highlighting the nominations are Knicks Go, Charlatan, Bivouac, Chrono Genesis, Addeybb and Mogul. A total of 1,511 nominations were accepted from 762 horses trained in 19 countries.

The Group 1 $12 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline saw a total of 176 nominations led by a strong USA representation including G1 Pegasus World Cup winner Knicks Go, and Bob Baffert-trained G1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes-winner Charlatan. Other major contenders include multiple G1 winner Code Of Honor, Godolphin's undefeated Brendan Walsh trainee Maxfield, G2 winners Sleepy Eyes Todd, and Tax, with the latter trained by Danny Gargan, one of the new trainers to have nominated this year. Tacitus who finished fourth in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic returns, after having nominated last year as well.

John Gosden's Dubai Warrior who is expected to make a Dubai debut in the Al Maktoum Challenge Rd 2 also joins the list. Musabbeh Al Mheiri's Military Law is expected to shine among the UAE contenders, as are Capezzano, Matterhorn and Kimbear. Contested over 2000m (1 1/4 miles) on dirt, it has been won by horses trained in France, Japan, UAE, UK, and USA in its first 24 runnings.

The Group 1 $5 million Longines Dubai Sheema Classic promises to be a star-studded affair, with Addeybb, ranked 3rd Best Racehorse in the Longines World Racing Awards, topping the nominations. With an impressive rating of impressive 125, the 7-year-old is trained by William Haggas, and it is no surprise, he is the highest rated horse amongst those nominated for this race. The Japanese representation is led by multiple G1-winning mare Chrono Genesis, who most recently won the G1 Arima Kinen at the end of 2020. The returning G1 and multiple G2 winner Glory Vase adds greater depth. Other G1 winners in competition include Bill Mott's Channel Maker, David Smaga's Nao Da Mais, and Aidan O'Brien's Mogul. Trainers Saeed bin Suroor, John Gosden and Charlie Appleby are the most successful saddlers in this race, with two wins apiece, while Great Britain has had the most success with seven wins so far.

The Group 1 $4 million Dubai Turf sponsored by DP World has an impressive line-up of nominations with contestants looking to fill the rather large shoes of 2019 winner and the now retired Japanese Superstar Almond Eye. Some of the heavy hitters include John Gosden's Lord North, winner of the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes, Bahrain International Trophy winner Simsir from the stables of Fawzi Nass, G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Champion Colonel Liam and G2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes winner Largent, both under the care of USA trainer Todd Pletcher. European representation comes through G1 Queen Anne Stakes winner & G2 Singspiel Stakes victor Lord Glitters, trained by David O'Meara. John Gosden also saddles Global Giant who finished second in the Bahrain International Trophy.

American winners account for 13 of 24 editions of the G1 $1.5 million Dubai Golden Shaheen sponsored by Gulf News. This year a robust offering comes from the USA, including Peter Miller's G1 winner and Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up C Z Rocket, Steve Asmussen's G2 winner Yaupon, Doug O'Neill's multiple G3 winner Wildman Jack, and Bob Baffert's Ax Man. 2019 Dubai Golden Shaheen runner-up Matera Sky from the stables of Hideyuki Mori, and Yoshito Yahagi's Justin highlight the Japanese contingent. Local favorite Gladiator King adds value to the line-up.

The Group 1 $1 million Al Quoz Sprint sponsored by Azizi Developments over 1200m (six furlongs) on turf has attracted nominations from across the globe. By far the best accomplished entrant is Australian star sprinter and multiple G1 winner Bivouac, trained by James Cummings for Godolphin, most recent winner of the G1 VRC Sprint Classic at Flemington in November. Other G1 winners in the field include Oleksandra who made her debut in Australia, before moving to the stables of American trainer Neil Drysdale, UK conditioner Roger Teal's Oxted who won the G1, Darley July Cup Stakes, and South African trainer Corne Spies' trainee Van Halen. Amongst the UAE brigade, G3 winners Down On Da Bayou and Lazuli, are just some of the local luminaries nominated.

The three Group 2 events on the day, the $750,000 UAE Derby sponsored by Emirates NBD, $750,000 Godolphin Mile and $750,000 Dubai Gold Cup sponsored by Al Tayer Motors, have attracted strong global interest.

The UAE Derby, contested over 1900m draws in plenty of interest form the USA, with Steve Asmussen's Jackie's Warrior winner of the G1 Runhappy Hopeful Stakes & G1 Champagne Stakes, leading the charge. Other notable entries include Doug O'Neill-trained Hot Rod Charlie- 2nd in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Bob Baffert's well regarded G2 winner and G1-placed, Spielberg and Medina Spirit. UAE in-form company include Zhou Storm, winner in two of three starts, Mnasek, and Soft Whisper. The UAE remains the most successful country in this race, with Saeed bin Suroor garnering all eight wins, his most recent with two-time Dubai World Cup-winner Thunder Snow in 2017.

Nominations for the 1600m Group 2 $750,000 Godolphin Mile, are highlighted by Hong Kong star Elusive State, multiple G2 winning Mr Freeze, the G2 Fayette Stakes at Keeneland in October his most recent victory, under the watch of American conditioner Dale Romans. Fawzi Nass' Port Lions, who finished fourth in the Bahrain International Trophy and is another international winner to watch out for. With 16 wins the UAE remains the dominating force in this race. Frankie Dettori's seven wins is a record in the Mile.

The Dubai Gold Cup contested over a challenging 3200m on turf, and won in 2019 by 2018 Melbourne Cup Champion Cross Counter, sees nominations from multiple Melbourne Cup-placed Prince of Arran, the returning Jamie Osborne-trainee Mekong, French G1 winner Call the Wind, most recently 3rd in the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadron at Longchamp, Mark Johnston's G1 Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp-winner Subjectivist and Andrew Balding's G2 winner-Spanish Mission, whose most recent victory came in the G2 Doncaster Cup Stakes.

The first supplementary stage for all races on Dubai World Cup day will close on Wednesday, February 10, when connections can nominate their horse for 0.1% of the prize money of their chosen race. The second supplementary stage is on Monday, March 8, when horses can be supplemented for 1% of the prize money. The third and final supplementary stage takes place on Sunday, March 21, when horses can be supplemented into the race for 10% of the prize money. Entry/declaration takes place Monday, March 22.

For further details regarding nominations, Dubai Racing Club's International Racing Liaison Officer Stephanie Cooley can be contacted at: Stephanie.cooley@dubairacingclub.com

All races are being contested and regulated in a standard fashion and results are being recorded in an official capacity. In line with the UAE Government regulations, Dubai Racing Club is following strict health and safety measures, including full sanitization, thermal screening of attendees and social distancing.

VIEW DUBAI WORLD CUP 2021 NOMINATIONS HERE

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