Tag: The Biz

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB) announced Jan. 26 that Flightline, who captivated Thoroughbred racing fans with three dominating performances in New York, California, and Kentucky last year, was named the 2022 Horse of the Year at the conclusion of the 52nd Annual Eclipse Awards ceremony, presented by John Deere, Keeneland, and The Jockey Club, at The Breakers Palm Beach.

The Eclipse Awards, honoring excellence in North American Thoroughbred racing, are voted on by the NTRA, consisting of member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, Daily Racing Form (DRF), and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters.

Owned by Hronis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing, LLC, and trained by John Sadler, Flightline received 239 out of a possible 246 first-place votes for Horse of the Year.

As a 4-year-old, Flightline, a son of Tapit out of Feathered by Indian Charlie, won the Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park, the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar by an astounding 19 ¼ lengths, and capped off his career by winning the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland in November by a stakes record 8 ¼ lengths. Flightline, who won all six of his career starts, was also voted Champion Older Dirt Male.

The post No Surprises Here: Flightline Crowned 2022 Horse Of The Year At Eclipse Awards Ceremony appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 52nd annual Eclipse Awards were presented on Jan. 26, with the coveted champion 3-year-old male trophy going to Epicenter. Until his final race, the Steve Asmussen trainee didn't finish worse than second for Winchell Thoroughbreds in 2022, collecting victories in the Grade 1 Travers, G2 Jim Dandy, G2 Louisiana Derby and G2 Risen Star.

The evening was a big one for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who picked up his eighth Eclipse Award for leading trainer, and also trained champion 3-year-old female Nest, champion 2-year-old male Forte, and older dirt female Malathaat.

Irad Ortiz Jr. collected his fourth career Eclipse Award as champion jockey while the top apprentice title went to Jose Antonio Gomez. For Ortiz, the honor ties him with Pat Day and Javier Castellano for the third-most jockey Eclipse titles. His mounts earned $37,075,772 from performances that included wins in the Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Sprint, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Godolphin cleaned up in both the Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder categories. As owner, Godolphin colors were carried by Breeders' Cup winners Cody's Wish, Rebel's Romance, Modern Games, and Mischief Magic. The stable was represented by 14 homebred graded stakes winners in 2022, who put the spotlight on stallions Street Sense and Dubawi.

The complete list of 2022 Eclipse Award winners, with the exception of the Horse of the Year, along with win vote totals by category, appear below:

(Horse ages in parentheses where applicable; Country codes indicate a foreign breeding designation)

—Two-Year-Old Male: Forte
—Two-Year-Old Filly:  Wonder Wheel
—Three-Year-Old Male:  Epicenter
—Three-Year-Old Filly:  Nest
—Older Dirt Male:  Flightline (4)
—Older Dirt Female:  Malathaat (4)
—Male Sprinter:  Elite Power (4)
—Female Sprinter: Goodnight Olive (4)
—Male Turf Horse:  Modern Games (IRE) (3)
—Female Turf Horse:  Regal Glory (6)
—Steeplechase Horse: Hewick (IRE) (7)
—Owner: Godolphin LLC
—Breeder: Godolphin LLC
—Jockey:  Irad Ortiz Jr.
—Apprentice Jockey: Jose Antonio Gomez
—Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Voting Overview
In voting that concluded on Jan. 3, 2023, Eclipse Awards voters cast their ballots to rank the top three horses and individuals in each Championship division on a 10-5-1 point system.

This voting established the top three finalists in each division, whose names were released on Jan. 7, 2023.

The tallies below represent only first-place votes from members of the consolidated voting entities, NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and National Turf Writers And Broadcasters.

Voter participation rate: 246/258= 95.3%

Two-Year-Old Male
Forte, 243; Cave Rock, 2; Victoria Road (IRE), 1.

Two-Year-Old Filly 

Wonder Wheel, 240; Hoosier Philly, 3; Meditate (IRE), 2; Julia Shining, 1.

Three-Year-Old Male 

Epicenter, 155; Taiba, 66; Modern Games (IRE), 18; Cyberknife, 4; Rich Strike, 1; Voter Abstentions, 2.

Three-Year-Old Filly 

Nest, 238; Tuesday (IRE), 4; Echo Zulu, 2; Secret Oath, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

Older Dirt Male

Flightline, 240; Country Grammer, 1; Jackie's Warrior, 1; Life Is Good, 1; Olympiad, 1; Voter Abstentions, 2.

Older Dirt Female 

Malathaat, 241; Clairiere, 2; Goodnight Olive, 2; Letruska, 1.

Male Sprinter

Elite Power, 108; Cody's Wish, 70; Jackie's Warrior, 62; Jack Christopher, 4; Flightline, 1; Golden Pal, 1.

Female Sprinter

Goodnight Olive, 228; Caravel, 12; Echo Zulu, 2;  Matareya, 2; Kimari, 1; Wicked Halo, 1.

Male Turf Horse

Modern Games (IRE), 189; Rebel's Romance (IRE), 50; Nations Pride (IRE), 2; Casa Creed, 1; Classic Causeway, 1; Golden Pal, 1; Gufo, 1; Shirl's Speight, 1.

Female Turf Horse
Regal Glory, 96; In Italian (GB), 51; War Like Goddess, 47; Tuesday (IRE), 40; Caravel, 6; Bleecker Street, 3; Gina Romantica, 1;  Spendarella, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

Steeplechase Horse

Hewick (IRE), 113; Snap Decision, 88; Down Royal, 15; Howyabud (IRE), 1. Voter Abstentions, 29.

Owner
Godolphin LLC, 195; Peter Brant, 20; Hronis Racing LLC, Sienna Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing LLC, 11; Klaravich Stables Inc., 6; Repole Stable, 5; End Zone Athletics, 2; Charles Fipke, 1; Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, 1; Winchell Thoroughbreds, 1; Voter Abstentions, 4.

Breeder
Godolphin LLC, 182; Summer Wind Equine LLC, 30; Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC, 16; Calumet Farm, 11; Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables, 4; Voter Abstentions, 3.

Trainer
Todd Pletcher, 108, Chad Brown, 95; John Sadler, 16;  Steve Asmussen, 12;  William Mott, 6; Brad Cox, 4; Mark Casse, 1; Phil D'Amato, 1; Voter Abstentions, 3.

Jockey
Irad Ortiz Jr., 218; Flavien Prat, 24; Jose Ortiz, 1; Joel Rosario, 1, Luis Saez, 1; Voter Abstention, 1.

Apprentice Jockey
Jose Antonio Gomez, 112; Vicente Del-Cid, 91; Jeiron Barbosa, 18; Kylee Jordan, 4; Marshall Mendez, 1; Madeline Rowland, 1; Voter Abstentions, 19.

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After an especially wet winter forced Turf Paradise to cancel numerous races, the Phoenix, Ariz.-racetrack opted to renovate its racing surface.

The renovation was overseen by Turf Paradise Track Consultant Steve Wood. One of the most renowned racetrack experts in the country, Wood is a former track superintendent for Oak Tree, Del Mar, and Santa Anita race meets.

In order to give the racing surface a fresh start, 19,000 tons of existing dirt and sand was removed from the main track. Crews also lowered the drain inside the rail by eight inches to ensure proper drainage.

Crews then added 1,200 tons of quality sand and 450 yards of organics. Wood used the highest-grade sand (#10 Mesh) available with the smallest grain diameter. The track was surveyed with a sonar grader and rechecked with a handheld laser. While the materials are new and high quality, Wood said the overall composition should be familiar enough to the horses accustomed to racing at Turf Paradise.

Wood notes that the surface was surveyed within a third of an inch, “And is as perfect as we can get it.” Crews also surveyed both chutes and added sand to them as well.

The training track was rebuilt with the materials removed from the main track and that track has been surveyed as well. The sand was also repurposed to improve the bridle paths on the backside.

Turf Paradise General Manager Vince Francia said: “Maintaining the best and safest racing surface for our horses and jockeys is the priority.”

So as to prevent any major disruptions to the racing schedule, the track renovations were completed in three and a half days. And to ensure continued track quality, grade markers have been posted every eighth of a mile.

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The following press release was issued Thursday by the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association:

Five U.S. Senators joined five Congressmen yesterday strongly urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to disapprove the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) proposed Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program Rule that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (Authority) recently resubmitted. The bipartisan group of lawmakers stated the disapproval from the FTC was necessary to “avoid continued industry-wide confusion and potential inequitable enforcement.”

The FTC already had disapproved the medication control rule on Dec. 12, 2022, until “the legal uncertainty regarding the Act's constitutionality comes to be resolved,” the commission wrote.

The bicameral letter also strongly encouraged the FTC to clarify that the formerly approved racetrack safety rules are unenforceable at this time because HISA was declared unconstitutional by a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in November.

Signing the letter were Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Congressmen Lance Gooden (R-TX), Tom Cole (R- OK), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ).

“I applaud Senator Grassley, Representative Gooden and all their co-signers for asking the FTC to state the obvious: HISA is unconstitutional; therefore, its rules cannot be enforced,” said Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association. “Furthermore, the corporation under HISA is still enforcing the racetrack safety rules, even though, as the Congressmen point out, everyone agrees they were submitted and approved in accordance with a law that was ruled unconstitutional.

“The sheer fact that an amendment was written to 'fix' HISA proves without a shadow of doubt that the supporters of HISA supported an unconstitutional bill. This obvious disregard for the law is needlessly causing even more confusion. The wise thing for the HISA corporation to do is to take a self-imposed pause and let the courts sort things out before rushing to impose its will on horsemen.”

On Dec. 29, 2022, Congress passed a so-called “HISA fix” that tweaked the law by giving the FTC limited ability to modify Authority rules. As a result, the Authority resubmitted the medication control rules and issued a public statement saying they are hopeful and optimistic that they will be able to implement them around mid-March.

“This blatantly premature statement caused immense confusion throughout the horseracing industry, and does not take into account that the 5th Circuit's opinion has not been overturned nor has the Court issued a new opinion,” said Dr. Doug Daniels, President and Chairman of the National HBPA. “The FTC cannot be forced into approving the ADMC based on assumptions made from HISA's corporation.”

Horse-racing constituents applauded the Senators and Congressmen for strongly expressing their concerns to the FTC.

Said Jon Moss, Executive Director for the Iowa HBPA: “We greatly appreciate Senator Grassley for continuing his support and leading the charge for horsemen and women in Iowa as well as throughout the country.”

Amy Cook, Executive Director for the Texas Racing Commission, praised Rep. Gooden, saying, “We appreciate Rep. Gooden recognizing the wide-ranging statutory conflict that exists in Texas. It is critical for all stakeholders to continue to send the message that regulatory certainty is paramount and therefore new federal rules should not be adopted while there is ongoing litigation related to HISA's constitutionality.”

Grassley/Gooden bicameral letter to FTC

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