Tag: The Biz

These days, it's almost hard to imagine that any horse might be considered more deserving of accolades than Secretariat. He's possibly the most universally-known racehorse, and his record before and beyond the 1973 Triple Crown has more than stood the test of time.

But an article from the New York Times on this week in 1972 reminds us that at the conclusion of his 2-year-old season, his legacy had a serious rival.

Writer Steve Cady analyzed the results of voting for year-end divisional championships, which are now known as the Eclipse Awards, and apparently, Secretariat's Horse of the Year title was almost usurped by a filly named La Prevoyante.

1972 marked just the second year the season-ending honors were consolidated into one voting effort and one set of awards. From the 1930s until the 1970 title honors, the Daily Racing Form and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America each had their own separate divisional championship awards. Before that, a panel of experts at The Blood-Horse chose the year-end champions and printed their choices in the magazine.

Starting in 1971, there were three voting bodies who chose year-end champions together – the Daily Racing Form, National Turf Writers Association, and the Thoroughbred Racing Associations – similar to the structure today. Back then, however, the bodies voted as blocs, so the majority vote getter in a category among one organization received all of that organization's votes (much like the electoral college). This was later abandoned for the modern variation of a popular vote system which we detailed here.

Why does it matter? Because the turf writers actually voted La Prevoyante over Secretariat for Horse of the Year; Secretariat was ultimately victorious because the majority of Daily Racing Form writers and TRA voters chose him.

Secretariat had had an incredible start to his career, running nine times and crossing the finish line first in all but one start. (He had traffic trouble in his first start and was disqualified from a win in the Champagne for interference.) He won the Sanford, Hopeful, Futurity at Belmont, and Laurel Futurity.

La Prevoyante was undefeated in a campaign that included 12 races between July and November, with margins ranging from 1 ¼ lengths to 14 lengths, according to the Times. Her 2-year-old resume included the Schuylerville, Matron, Frizette, and Spinaway, as well as the My Dear and Princess Elizabeth in Canada (her country of origin). She also won the Colin that year, which was open to males.

Even though the Thoroughbred Racing Association's votes went to Secretariat, he wasn't a runaway choice for Horse of the Year; he got 77 votes in that organization versus 56 for La Prevoyante.

At the time, it was rare for any 2-year-old to be under serious consideration for Horse of the Year, let alone to have the choice come down between two of them. Cady noted that only two other 2-year-olds at that time had been selected as Horse of the Year in the old system – Native Dancer in 1952 and Moccasin in 1965.

Of course, we know how the story ended – Secretariat became, well, Secretariat. La Prevoyante had a solid year in her 3-year-old season but did not replicate her juvenile brilliance. She was second in the Kentucky Oaks and third in the Canadian Oaks, though she did win the La Troienne and the Quebec Derby.

La Prevoyante met with a sad and sudden end when she suffered a cardiac event and died following the Miss Florida Handicap at the end of her 4-year-old season.

She was part of the inaugural class of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and was later elected to its American counterpart. There is a stakes race named after her at both Woodbine and Gulfstream Park.

Perhaps equally surprising in a look-back to the 1972 Eclipses – Secretariat stablemate Riva Ridge was passed over for champion 3-year-old colt, despite a season that included wins in the Derby and the Belmont. Key to the Mint won that honor, having had a stronger summer/fall campaign than Riva Ridge with victories in the Whitney, Travers, and Woodward. Racing luck is sometimes as much about when a horse is born as the trip they take to the wire – a truism Riva Ridge certainly knew very well.

The post This Week In History: A Young Secretariat Edges La Prevoyante For Year-End Honors appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Under the beaming sun, the Keeneland racetrack in Lexington buzzed with excitement on race day. Amidst the bluegrass hills, tradition and anticipation merged, promising a thrilling day of Thoroughbred racing. Jockeys are lining up at their posts eagerly waiting for the first race bell to ring.

Jockeys live for the thrill of horse racing, but the dangers are constant. They often compete in multiple races per day, sometimes back-to-back. Many also work horses in morning exercise sessions. Being a jockey is a high-risk job, and injured riders face a dilemma of taking time off to recover, as non-riding days mean no pay since they are independent contractors.

In some situations, jockeys conceal injuries or ride through pain until they reach a breaking point. Head injuries, especially concussions, require careful management, and returning to the saddle too soon can have dire consequences if another fall happens. Some concussion symptoms may not appear for up to 48 hours after the concussion has occurred.

Michaela Keener, a lifelong equestrian and PhD candidate at the University of Kentucky, witnessed these challenges firsthand. Her research focuses on wearable technology and equestrian health with a particular interest in concussion assessment. Through an ongoing collaboration with Keeneland, she began researching jockey stability and reaction time. During this process, jockeys vocalized concern with current concussion assessments, like the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), because it wasn't conducted in their riding position and can be subject to human error.

Similarly, the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5) offered both on-field and off-field assessments, but still created concerns for the jockeys. Specifically, it presents a language barrier for riders whose first language isn't English, which accounts for approximately 50 percent of the jockey population. Keener's work shifted to address these concerns and work directly with the jockeys to develop a new assessment.

Much of Keener's research uses wearable technology, including accelerometers, which are used to look at force of attenuation, movement patterns, and stability. The use of wearable technology helps remove the human subjectivity of the other tests.

In Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, Keener began testing and collecting data directly at Keeneland during race meets. She started by having jockeys squat on a Bosu ball and balance in their riding position for two minutes. Keener used accelerometers on the ball and jockey to evaluate the jockeys' stability.

After discussions with the jockeys about reaction time, in Fall 2021, she developed the Dynavision II reaction time board. The Dynavision II acts like a whack-a-mole board. She used this equipment to evaluate jockeys' reaction time while they held their riding position. During this meet, jockey James Graham provided essential feedback on the flaws of the Dynavision II board.

The board was unable to simulate the vision field used while a jockey rides a race, specifically their peripheral vision. In addition to this feedback, Keener and colleagues experienced difficulties of transporting the Dynavision II to the racetrack. They needed something more portable, so they returned to the drawing board to create something new based on the feedback provided by the jockeys. The result was The Graham Test, a portable system that utilizes accelerometers and light sensors to evaluate stability and reaction time of the jockeys in their riding position. The Graham Test was co-founded by Michaela Keener and Kimberly Tumlin, PhD.

“James Graham was the most vocal for what the test needed to include and was adamant on having other jockeys involved in the feedback process. Graham was so instrumental in providing us the feedback we needed from the community, which is why we named it after him,” Keener said. “The idea of The Graham Test is to give personal agency, empowerment, and ownership of health back to the jockeys.”

The Graham Test consists of three systems: accelerometers, light sensors, and a short questionnaire. Together they collect the reaction time, movement patterns, and account for potential co-variants in multiple conditions. Most of the jockeys who have used The Graham Test have loved it because it removed the concerns they have with other assessments. Integration of wearable technology removes human error and subjectivity because the system provides numerical outputs. The Graham Test removes the language barrier while still testing physical and cognitive factors that change after a concussion. Finally, the jockeys love testing in their specific riding position and have commented it's a great warmup before their races for the day.

The ultimate goal for The Graham Test is to expand its use to be incorporated into concussion assessment, training, and rehabilitation for jockeys.

Originally, Keener wasn't focused on concussion research, but after listening to feedback from the community, she knew that concussions were necessary to study, but would be a sensitive subject to jockeys.

“When we first started out, we had resistance from the jockeys at Keeneland—they were worried we would report what they said to the track or trainers,” Keener explained. “It's taken time, but we've built a relationship with the local jockey colony.”

Jockeys feedback played a critical role in developing The Graham Test. They have had a say in the overall design and what tests need to be included, which makes it more likely to be adopted by other jockeys around the country. The hope is that the community engagement through this development process will contribute to eliminating the fear factor of speaking up if they are injured. Currently the system is being used for research, but the next step is to get it all into one platform, while eventually creating a HIPAA-compliant app for the jockeys and other equestrians.

Another goal of Keener and The Graham Test team is to create a tool for jockeys to have full access to test possible changes in stability and reaction time from a fall or incident where they hit their head in their own spaces. The idea would be for tracks, barns, and training facilities to own a system, and for riders to have a subscription that allows them to test themselves and make an informed decision before getting back on a horse.

With a provisional patent in progress and having successfully completed the UAccel program, The Graham Test team is preparing for a hopeful future, which includes participating in the NSF National I-Corps Program. The team is gearing up to launch a startup that revolves around this innovative tool, envisioning positive advancements in equestrian safety and access to care.

The post The Graham Test: New Tool For Jockey Concussion Assessment Developed With James Graham At Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With a jockeys room full of top talent and world-class racing the order of the day, Santa Anita's Classic Meet opener in Arcadia, Calif., on Tuesday proved a rousing success, as an on-track crowd of 37,143 contributed to a robust all-sources handle of $18.3 million, which rates as the best handle ever among a total of 17 opening dates conducted on a Tuesday.

“From a business standpoint, opening on a Tuesday is always a challenge because so many people are back to work,” said Santa Anita senior vice president and general manager Nate Newby.  “We want to sincerely thank our fans for their tremendous support and our horsemen, trainers, jockeys and owners, for putting on a magnificent show today.

“From start to finish, we had great, safe racing, on both turf and dirt. We had tight finishes and great competition.  The Malibu was one of three Grade 1 stakes and anybody who saw it had to be impressed by the performances of both Speed Boat Beach and Hejazi.  Speed Boat Beach got seven furlongs in 1:21.70, which was less than two fifths of a second off what Flightline did (in 2021).”

Both Speed Boat Beach and Hejazi are trained by Bob Baffert, who picked up his sixth lifetime win in the Malibu, putting him in a dead heat for the all-time Malibu lead with fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella.

A 14-time Santa Anita Winter Meet leading rider and a winner of six runnings of the Malibu, Santa Anita's all-time leading rider Laffit Pincay, Jr. was on-hand to present the Malibu trophy.

Trainer Mark Glatt saddled three winners on the day, including Watsonville in the Grade 2 Mathis Mile and jockey Flavien Prat, back at Santa Anita to ride full time this winter, registered a hat trick as well, with his big win coming aboard Speed Boat Beach.

Phil D'Amato got off to a great start on opening day, saddling a pair of stakes winners, French-bred Easter in the Grade 2 San Gabriel on turf and Newgrange in the Grade 2 San Antonio on the main track.

Italian-born Antonio Fresu had a stakes double, taking the San Gabriel with Easter and the Mathis Mile aboard Watsonville.

Fellow Italian Umberto Rispoli took the day's first race aboard the Dan Blacker-trained Bigofromfresno and came back to take the Grade I American Oaks aboard trainer Leonard Powell's English-bred Anisette.

Live racing resumes at Santa Anita on Friday and will continue through Monday, Jan. 1, with first post time each day at 12 noon PT.

The post $18.3 Million Wagered On Santa Anita Opening Day, Best Ever On A Tuesday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tuesday's opening day at Santa Anita Park is one of racing's traditions that has stood the test of time – even after the Arcadia, Calif., track's season was stretched into the summer months with the closing of Hollywood Park and the racing calendar seems on an almost endless loop from one year to the next.

Horseplayers and horses competing in California got something of a breather in December, with no turf racing since Del Mar closed Dec. 3 and the abbreviated Los Alamitos Thoroughbred meet ending its run Dec. 17. Not quite like baseball's off-season but a welcome respite nonetheless.

That's what makes the day after Christmas something so many horseplayers and horsepeople look forward to: a sense that a new season begins.

Opening day is chockful of graded stakes action: three Grade 1 races for 3-year-olds (the Malibu, La Brea and American Oaks) and three Grade 2 (the San Gabriel, San Antonio, and Mathis Mile). The Malibu has been the centerpiece of the seasonal curtain raiser since 1984, when Santa Anita management moved the race to the last week of December from the first week in January.

Prior to 1984, it had served as the opening leg of the three-race Strub Series, restricted to 4-year-olds. The series progressed from the seven furlongs of the Malibu to the San Fernando Stakes at 1 1/8 miles three weeks later, and culminating in the mile and a quarter Charles H. Strub Stakes, named for Santa Anita's founder.

Somehow the warm-up act became the main attraction. The Malibu was elevated to Grade 1 for the first time in 1995 while the San Fernando and Grade 1 Strub Stakes both eventually fell by the wayside and are no longer on the track's stakes calendar. The Malibu is now an important late-season race that gives horses one last chance to put Grade 1 credentials on a potential stallion resume. More about that later.

First run in 1952, only three Kentucky Derby winners have won the Malibu, the first being Determine, who won the roses in 1954 and took the Malibu the following January.

Spectacular Bid, the 1979 Derby winner, turned in one of the most electrifying Malibu performances ever in 1980, winning by five lengths over Flying Paster in 1:20 for seven furlongs. It was the first win in a perfect 9-for-9 Horse of the Year campaign for the son of Bold Bidder. The Buddy Delp runner would go on to sweep the Strub Series and add the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap to his record. His career ended with a walkover in the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park that fall.

The third Kentucky Derby-Malibu winner was Ferdinand in 1986, making his first start since a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes in June. The Charlie Whittingham-trained son of Nijinsky II would lose his next six starts, then finish the year strong with four consecutive triumphs, including a thrilling Breeders' Cup Classic win over that year's Kentucky Derby winner, Alysheba.

One famous flop in the race was Affirmed, the 1978 Triple Crown winner who finished third of five Malibu runners in his first start at 4. Sent away the 3-10 favorite, Affirmed did not get the best of trips under Steve Cauthen, who had shifted his tack to California that winter and was mired in a lengthy slump that would eventually reach 110 races without a win. After another defeat in the San Fernando Stakes, trainer Laz Barrera replaced Cauthen with Laffit Pincay Jr., who teamed with the Exclusive Native colt to win the Strub by 10 lengths – the first of seven straight wins that would earn Affirmed a second consecutive Horse of the Year crown.

In recent years, the Malibu has proven to be a key race for stallion prospects. Into Mischief, the current king of the North American stallion ranks, went to stud at Spendthrift Farm following his second-place finish to Bob Black Jack in the 2008 Malibu. Spendthrift has gone to the Malibu well for stallion prospects several times since then, most recently with 2019 winner Omaha Beach and last year's winner, Taiba. Lane's End stands two of the last six Malibu winners, City of Light (2017) and Flightline, who won the 2021 running and then had a perfect 3-for-3 season to be Horse of the Year in 2022.

This year's Malibu attracted a field of eight, only one of whom even competed in the Kentucky Derby – that being Kentucky invader Raise Cain, who finished a non-threatening eighth behind Mage on the first Saturday in May. The Ben Colebrook-trained colt comes in off a hard-fought win in the Perryville Stakes at Keeneland at the same distance as the Malibu. The most proven of the eight runners in the field is Damon's Mound, a two-time Grade 2 winner on the East Coast for trainer Michelle Lovell.

The path to the winner's circle likely travels through the barn of Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who has three colts entered, a pair of Grade 3 winners in Fort Bragg and Speed Boat Beach, plus recent allowance winner Hejazi – a $3.55 million 2-year-old purchase at Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in May 2022. Baffert will be bidding for a sixth Malibu win, which would put him on equal footing with fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella.

Post time for Tuesday's 11-race card is 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET. The Malibu, the eighth race, is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET.

Santa Anita opening day entries.

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