thoroughbred | Horse Racing Free Tips

Emerald Downs Launches New Horsemen Incentive Programs

Emerald Downs in Auburn, Wash. has announced several incentive programs for the 2021 race meet that begins on May 19 and continues through Sept. 23.

To help increase horse population, Emerald Downs will offer a $10,000 bonus to any new trainer who brings at least 10 horses to the track. A $5,000 bonus will be paid directly to the trainer upon arrival and an additional $5,000 after the trainer's 10th start of the meet. Trainers must come from a track outside of Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.

The popular Ship and Run Incentive Program also has been enhanced for 2021. Out of state horses will receive a $500 bonus for their initial start at Emerald Downs. The bonus is for horses whose most recent start was outside the state and have not raced at Emerald Downs in 2019 and 2020. In addition, horses must have started for a claiming price of $3,000 or more in each of its three previous starts. First-time starters are not eligible. Additionally, every unplaced starter will continue to receive a $200 participation fee.

Emerald Downs' stable area opens Monday, March 1 and training begins Friday, March 5.

Stall applications are available online at emeralddowns.com in the horsemen section. For complete details on the incentive programs call Director of Racing, Bret Anderson at 253-288-7751.

**New trainer and shipping bonus programs cannot be combined. Trainer bonus limited to the first five who qualify, and shipping bonus limited to the first 100 horses that qualify.

The post Emerald Downs Launches New Horsemen Incentive Programs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Mattress Mack: ‘Threats Of Fraud Are Real, Whether The Fraud Is Real Or Not’

Asked what he would like to change about the horse racing industry, Thoroughbred owner James “Mattress Mack” McIngvale told Thoroughbred Racing Commentary that he'd like to see a sport with zero tolerance for performance-enhancing drugs.

“Threats of fraud are real, whether the fraud is real or not, just like this last presidential election,” McIngvale told TRC. “Half the population doesn't believe in the results. So, horse racing can't be in that same boat. Cannot go there. It's no fun when you've got no shot from the get-go.”

McIngvale pointed to the newly-signed federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act as a step in the right direction.

“[HISA], it's very good, just has to be enforced,” he said. “People need to run these horses on hay, oats and water, just like we ran Runhappy. It makes the horses happier. It makes the betting more transparent. And the fans don't think they're an outsider looking in.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

The post Mattress Mack: ‘Threats Of Fraud Are Real, Whether The Fraud Is Real Or Not’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Truth To Power’: Racing Biz Launches Virtual Series On Race, Social Justice In Thoroughbred Industry

The Racing Biz, LLC, a media company focused on Thoroughbred racing and breeding in the mid-Atlantic region, has partnered with freelance journalist Teresa Genaro and NTRA Director of Communications Alicia Hughes to launch a series of digital panel discussions designed to tackle issues of diversity and inclusion within the Thoroughbred industry.

The series, titled “Truth to Power,” will bring together various participants within the racing realm to share their perspectives on racial, gender, and social inequality and how it impacts the sport as a whole. In addition to featuring industry stakeholders, the multi-part series will also seek out diversity experts from other sports to help illustrate why greater inclusion is crucial for any business seeking sustainable growth.

The first panel will take place on February 24 at 5 p.m. ET and is set to feature noted bloodstock agent Greg Harbut, a third-generation horseman, and his business partner, Lexington-based entrepreneur Ray Daniels, to discuss their experience as Black owners in the racing and their non-profit the Ed Brown Society, which is working to create opportunities for people of color in the Thoroughbred industry through scholarships, internships, and apprenticeships.

“As a biracial female working in the Thoroughbred industry, the issue of diversity – specifically the lack thereof in this sport – is a deeply personal one for me,” Hughes said. “I am hoping we can further enlighten aspiring allies while holding industry leaders accountable to have their practices match their statements denouncing systemic injustice.”

In addition to Harbut and Daniels, the panel will also feature an interview with Rose Grissell, head of Diversity and Inclusion for the British Horseracing Authority, which has had a Diversity in Racing Action plan in place since 2018.

“With each passing year, the United States becomes a more multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural society,” said Frank Vespe, owner and publisher of The Racing Biz. “The future of the Thoroughbred industry here will depend in no small part on its ability to adapt to that changing landscape and to speak to, and most importantly, listen to, people of all races and ethnicities.”

“The racing industry has been slow to become more inclusive and equitable,” Genaro said. “The sport could not survive without the labor of people of color, yet their voices are seldom part of the big conversations about its future. Increasing the participation of people of color and of women, on boards, in offices, and as customers, is an essential step in the industry's growth.”

The panel will be streamed on both The Racing Biz website (www.theracingbiz.com) and social media platforms @TheRacingBiz as well as on the NTRA's Twitter account @NTRA.

Tentative dates for future panels include March 17 and April 7, both at 5 p.m. ET.

The post ‘Truth To Power’: Racing Biz Launches Virtual Series On Race, Social Justice In Thoroughbred Industry appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Champion Vequist, Grade 1 Winners Dayoutoftheoffice, Simply Ravishing Top Ashland Nominees

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable's Vequist, whose victory in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland secured the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly for her, plus Grade 1 winners Dayoutoftheoffice and Simply Ravishing headline the 84 3-year-old fillies nominated to the 84th running of the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) on April 3, opening Saturday of Keeneland's 2021 Spring Meet when the track also will run the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) among six graded stakes worth $2.1 million.

The 1 1/16-mile Central Bank Ashland awards 100 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The next three finishers receive 40 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively, to the $1.25 million race on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Thirty-four fillies who raced in the Central Bank Ashland have won the Kentucky Oaks, including champion Monomoy Girl (2018), Cathryn Sophia (2016) and Lovely Maria (2015).

Click here for a list of Central Bank Ashland nominees; click here for their past performances.

The Central Bank Ashland, the ninth race on April 3 with a 5:30 p.m. ET post, and the Toyota Blue Grass at 6:38 p.m. are part of Keeneland's blockbuster 11-race card that day. Other stakes are the $300,000 Madison (G1) for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt; $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf; $200,000 Shakertown (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $200,000 Commonwealth (G3) for older horses at 7 furlongs on the dirt.

Keeneland will offer a $500,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Four and a $500,000-guaranteed All Stakes Pick Five that day.

Post positions for the Central Bank Ashland, Toyota Blue Grass and the other April 3 races will be drawn Tuesday, March 30.

Vequist, trained by Butch Reid, is a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. In addition to her Breeders' Cup victory, she won the Spinaway (G1). Vequist is third on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard behind Stonestreet Stables' Clairiere and OXO Equine's Travel Column.

Clairiere, trained by Steve Asmussen, won the recent Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds to grab the top spot. She and Stonestreet's Pauline's Pearl are nominated to both the Central Bank Ashland and the Toyota Blue Grass.

Trained by Brad Cox, Travel Column was second in the Rachel Alexandra in her 2021 debut after closing 2020 with a victory in the Golden Rod (G2) and a third-place finish in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland.

Other leading Kentucky Oaks point earners who are nominated to the Central Bank Ashland are trainer Tim Hamm and Siena Farm's Dayoutoftheoffice, who won the Frizette (G1) before finishing second to Vequist in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Albaugh Family Stables' Girl Daddy, who won the Pocahontas (G3) and was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' Simply Ravishing, who won the Darley Alcibiades before finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Brad King, Jim Cone, Scott Bryant and Stan and Suzanne Kirby's Moon Swag, third in the Rachel Alexandra, and Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat, winner of the Demoiselle (G2).

McPeek, who conditions Simply Ravishing, leads all trainers by number of nominees to the Central Bank Ashland with eight.

The late nomination period for the Central Bank Ashland is Wednesday, March 17.

The post Champion Vequist, Grade 1 Winners Dayoutoftheoffice, Simply Ravishing Top Ashland Nominees appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post