Tag: thoroughbred

Lone Rock Surges Home For Dominant Victory In Isaac Murphy Marathon

Flying P Stable's Lone Rock surged past defending champion Ry's the Guy at the three-sixteenths pole en route to a 3 ¾-length victory in the third running of the $128,000 Isaac Murphy Marathon Overnight Stakes for 4-year-olds and up Tuesday afternoon at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Robertino Diodoro and ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Lone Rock covered the 1 ½ miles on a fast main track in 2:30.52.

Dack Janiel's set the pace, covering the mile in 1:38.90 and maintained the lead until the far turn when Ry's the Guy moved to the front with Lone Rock right behind him. The top two hit the top of the stretch together with Lone Rock going the better of the two and gradually pulling away.

The victory was worth $78,684 and increased Lone Rock's career bankroll to $528.921 with a record of 32-10-3-2. Lone Rock is a 6-year-old Kentucky-bred gelded son of Majestic Warrior out of the Hard Spun mare Ruby Lips.

Favored in the field of seven, Lone Rock returned $3.80, $2.60 and $2.40. Ry's the Guy, ridden by Chris Landeros, returned $4.20 and $3.40 with Portos finishing third under Tyler Gaffalione and paying $3.20 to show.

You're to Blame finished fourth, followed in order by Plus Que Parfait, Dack Janiel's and Jumper.

RAMON VAZQUEZ (Jockey, Lone Rock, winner) – “I got to know him a little last time and I wanted to stay off the horse on the lead in second but in that situation I had to ease back a little bit. I had some traffic in front of me so I had to ease him back. When I hit the far turn and had a lot of horse I knew we would be tough. To win a stakes here Kentucky Derby Week is incredible. That's why we do this, so I'm just really fortunate. It's an amazing feeling.”

ROBERTINO DIODORO (Trainer, Lone Rock, winner) – “A lot of horses can't go that far but he's a pro. He loves to train. The further he trains, the better he gets. He was so relaxed compared to many of those horses and that's what you need when you're going that distance.”

CHRIS LANDEROS (Jockey, Ry's the Guy, runner-up) – “He gave it a good try but he got real tired on me.”

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Breeders’ Cup Launches Free Online Kentucky Derby Contest

The Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred racing's most prestigious international events, launched a new fan contest tied to the 147th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 1. Now live at BreedersCup.com/Derby, the digital campaign grants fans the chance to win $5,000 if they select the Kentucky Derby winning horse.

“The Kentucky Derby is an American tradition and we are excited to provide fans another reason to tune-in to NBC on Saturday,” said Breeders' Cup Senior Vice President of Marketing Justin McDonald. “This year's Run for the Roses will feature the top three finishers from the 2020 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and this free-to-play contest is the perfect way to further engage with racing fans while also building anticipation for the upcoming Breeders' Cup Challenge Series and ultimately the World Championships later this fall.”

Open until 6:55 PM ET on May 1, the contest invites fans to select the horse they believe will win the Kentucky Derby and don the blanket of roses. To enter the contest, fans must visit BreedersCup.com/Derby, click on their favorite horse and complete the registration process. Out of the pool of fans who correctly choose the winning horse, one lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a grand prize of $5,000.

To enter the free contest fans must be a resident of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) and eighteen years of age or older. The winner of the contest will be announced on or before May 5.

The 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Championship races, is scheduled to be held on November 5-6 at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif.

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Essential Quality Draws Post 14, Installed As 2-1 Favorite In 147th Kentucky Derby

Morning line favorite Essential Quality (2-1) has drawn post position 14 for the 147th edition of the Kentucky Derby. The undefeated juvenile Champion has won all five of his starts, including gutting out a win after stretch-long battle in his final prep over Highly Motivated in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes. A homebred son of Tapit for Godolphin, Essential Quality will be ridden by Luis Saez and is the first Derby starter for reigning champion trainer Brad Cox.

The Kentucky Derby will go as the day's 12th race with a 6:57 p.m. post time. NBC will provide live coverage from 2:30-7:30 p.m.

In addition to Essential Quality, Cox will have one other runner in the starting gate: Juddmonte's Mandaloun (15-1). Winner of the Risen Star (G2), Mandaloun will be ridden by regular pilot Florent Geroux and break from post seven.

The odds were 7-1 that trainer Todd Pletcher, with four Kentucky Derby contenders, would draw both the rail and the outside post in the 20-horse field. As it happens, his G1 Florida Derby winner Known Agenda (6-1, third choice) drew the inside under Irad Ortiz, Jr. while longshot G2 Wood winner Bourbonic (30-1) is on the outside under Kendrick Carmouche.

“It certainly wasn't the one we were hoping for,” Pletcher said of Known Agenda's inside post.

Pletcher will have two other runners in the gate: Repole Stable, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable's Dynamic One (20-1), and WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s Sainthood (50-1). Jose Ortiz will be aboard Dynamic One and break from post 11 and Corey Lanerie has the mount on Sainthood and exit post five.

Second choice on linemaker Mike Battaglia's morning line at 5-1 is Hronis Racing and David Talla's undefeated Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Rock Your World.

Trained by John Sadler, Rock Your World has won all three of his starts with the first two coming on grass. Joel Rosario, who won the 2013 Kentucky Derby on Orb, has the mount Saturday and will break from post 15.

Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and Strauss Bros Racing's Hot Rod Charlie is the fourth choice at 8-1.

Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie captured the Louisiana Derby (G2) in his most recent start and closed 2020 with a runner-up finish to Essential Quality in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Flavien Prat, winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby on Country House, has the mount and will break from post nine.

One other trainer will be seeking to add his Kentucky Derby win total and it could be a record-breaker.

Bob Baffert is tied with Ben Jones for most Kentucky victories with six and he will shoot for No. 7 with Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit (15-1).

Runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby in his most recent start, Medina Spirit will be ridden by three-time Kentucky Derby winner John Velazquez and break from post eight.

Another rider trying to add to his Kentucky Derby victory total is Mike Smith. Smith, a two-time winner including the most recent Triple Crown winner Justify, has the call on Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon (20-1) for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Runner-up in the Louisiana Derby, Midnight Bourbon will break from post 10.

Asmussen will have one other entrant in the race: Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Super Stock (30-1) who is owned by his father Keith Asmussen and Erv Woolsey. Ricardo Santana Jr. has the mount on Super Stock and will break from post 18.

  1. Known Agenda – Todd Pletcher – Irad Ortiz, Jr. (6-1)
  2. Like The King – Wesley Ward – Drayden Van Dyke (50-1)
  3. Brooklyn Strong – Danny Velazquez – Umberto Rispoli (50-1)
  4. Keepmeinmind – Robertino Diodoro – David Cohen (blinkers off**) (50-1)
  5. Sainthood – Todd Pletcher – Corey Lanerie (50-1)
  6. O Besos – Greg Foley – Marcelino Pedroza (20-1)
  7. Mandaloun – Brad Cox – Florent Geroux (15-1)
  8. Medina Spirit – Bob Baffert – John Velazquez (15-1)
  9. Hot Rod Charlie – Doug O'Neill – Flavien Prat (8-1)
  10. Midnight Bourbon – Steve Asmussen – Mike Smith (20-1)
  11. Dynamic One – Todd Pletcher – Jose Ortiz (20-1)
  12. Helium – Mark Casse – Julien Leparoux (50-1)
  13. Hidden Stash – Vicki Oliver – Rafael Bejarano (50-1)
  14. Essential Quality – Brad Cox – Luis Saez (2-1)
  15. Rock Your World – John Sadler – Joel Rosario (5-1)
  16. King Fury – Ken McPeek – Brian Hernandez, Jr. (20-1)
  17. Highly Motivated – Chad Brown – Javier Castellano (10-1)
  18. Super Stock – Steve Asmussen – Ricardo Santana, Jr. (30-1)
  19. Soup and Sandwich – Mark Casse – Tyler Gaffalione (30-1)
  20. Bourbonic – Todd Pletcher – Kendrick Carmouche (30-1)

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Commentary: How Will Evolving Public Morality Affect Horse Racing’s Future?

Thoroughbred Racing Commentary contributor Daniel Ross wrote this week of the evolution of public attitudes and how they can and will affect the future of the sport of horse racing. He considers the public embarrassments racing has endured in just the past few years, from the spate of deaths at Santa Anita to the photograph of trainer Gordon Elliott astride a dead horse, and asks why those instances have garnered such intense media attention, while others, perhaps equally as egregious, have fallen by the wayside.

Ross writes: “Why, for example, has disciplinary action been metered out by the sport's regulators to Elliott but not to Sheikh Mohammed, whose wife fled to London allegedly fearing for her life, and who has been accused of kidnapping and imprisoning his daughter? Is one action more morally repugnant than the other?”

And: “If, for example, the broader media is genuinely incensed by mistreatment of horses for sport, where are all the column inches devoted to the ongoing problem of match racing in the U.S., an unregulated and illegal activity notorious for prodigious drug use?”

He posits that both the prevalence of social media and the presence of well-funded animal rights campaigns may be behind the impetus for horse racing to change how it views the importance of public perspective.

Ross concludes: the sport of horse racing “still gets to write its own story. Which one, however, will it choose?”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary.

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