Tim Hamm | Horse Racing Free Tips

The necessary COVID-19 restrictions in the state caused the cancellation of the traditional Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Awards Banquet at Darby Dan Farm in Galloway, Ohio. Hoping against hope that restrictions would be lessened as time passed, the O.T.B.O. made secondary plans to hold the event at Thistledown, but the restrictions remain in place for large gatherings.

With the help of director of racing Patrick Ellsworth, the track coordinated public recognition of the 2019 champions and their connections, blended with their “Best of Ohio Series” of divisional races.

Special thanks to trainer Richard Zielinski and Purina Feeds who had coolers embroidered for each state champion and halters personalized for Stallion and Broodmare of the year. Here are the individuals and horses that garnered year-end awards.

Ohio Horse of the Year, Champion Sprinter and Champion Handicap Horse – Altissimo: Owned by Nancy Lavrich and Ronald Zielinski, the 6-year-old gelding was bred by Nancy Lavrich and Niknar Farm LLC and is trained by Richard Zielinski. A son of Noble Causeway out of Great Going Rose by Albert the Great, Altissimo made seven starts last season with a 4-2-0 record for earnings of $307,250 pushing his career earnings to $781,638.

All four of his wins were in stakes races including the $97,000 Hockensmith at Delaware Park earning a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Primarily a main track sprinter, Altissimo captured the $75,000 Gendelman Memorial going 1 1/16 miles over the Belterra Park turf course. Perhaps his best effort of the season was a troubled trip in the Grade 3 DeFrancis Memorial at Laurel Park. While making a winning move, he was floated out in mid-stretch and had to take back and alter course to the inside, only to miss the top spot by three-quarters of a length in 1:08.

Owner of the Year – Ron Paolucci: His bright lime green silks were seen in winner's circles from coast to coast, but the native of Stow, Ohio wins most of his races in the state with Ohio-breds. He finished ninth in the nation with a record of 799-191-144-94 for earnings of $4,851,390 with an impressive 24 percent of his starters in the win column.

Breeder of the Year – Blazing Meadows Farm: Owned and operated by Tim and Shawna Hamm, the farm in North Jackson garnered $168,721 in breeders awards alone. The farm is also home to the graded stakes-winning National Flag in partnership with WinStar Farm. The son of the popular Speightstown, bred more mares than any other stallion in 2019 and his first foals arrived in 2020.

Stallion of the Year – Mobil: Standing at Mapleton Thoroughbred Farm in Polk, the now 20-year-old stallion is still making his mark on the state. A son of Langfuhr out of Kinetigal by Naskra, he built a reputation for himself in Canada over four seasons of racing amassing $1,877,136. A multiple graded stakes winner, he had a record of 29-12-9-1 and the Canadian champion retired to stud north of the border before moving to the Buckeye State.

His offspring have earned $12,199,580 and his current leading runner is Mobil Solution ($470,770), who was voted 2019 champion accredited handicap horse.

Broodmare of the Year – Great Goin Rose: While her career was brief, Great Goin Rose did manage to win her only two starts at two and run second in the Royal North Stakes at Beulah Park from her three trips to post. She made up for her abbreviated on-track career with an extended one in the breeding shed where she produced seven foals since 2010.

Her first foal was Uptown Gal (($140,980), winner of the Norm Barron Queen City Oaks and hitting the board in three additional Ohio stakes. Her current success story is two-time Ohio Horse of the Year and sprint champion Altissimo ($811,658). Owner Nancy Lavrich is keeping her fingers crossed for another home run. Great Goin Rose had a filly this year by first-season sire Free Drop Billy and is in-foal to Runhappy.

Champion 2-Year-Old Filly – Moonlit Mission: Owned, bred and trained by Charlie J. Williams. Chestnut filly by Shackleford – Moonlit River, by Maria's Mon; 6-4-0-0 $182,050.

Champion 2-Year-Old Male – Liberate: Owned and bred by WinStar Farm LLC and Blazing Meadows Farm, trained by Tim Hamm. Bay gelding by Gemologist – Southern Silence, by Dixie Union; 5-4-0-0 $206,250.

Champion 3-Year-Old Filly – Totally Obsessed: Owned by Ron Paolucci Racing, bred by Schleprock Racing LLC, trained by Gary Johnson. Bay filly by Tale of Ekati – Dark Obsession, by Grand Slam; 16-6-2 $233,627.

Champion 3-Year-Old Male – Diamond Dust: Owned and bred by WinStar Farm LLC and Blazing Meadows Farm, trained by Tim Hamm. Bay gelding by Paynter – Radiant Sky, byLeroidesanimaux; 16-8-5-1 $379,725.

Champion Handicap Mare & Accredited Female – Leona's Reward: Owned by Blazing Meadows Farm LLC and Michael Friedman, bred by Blazing Meadows Farm, trained by Tim Hamm. Chestnut mare by Parent's Reward – Prime Time Dancer, by Montbrook; 48-19-7-5 $934,056.

Champion Accredited Male – Mobil Solution: Owned by Gerald Silver bred by Mapleton Thoroughbred Farm and trained by Jeff Radosevich. Bay gelding by Mobil – Perfect Solution, by Seeking the Gold; 24-7-8-5 $413,020.

The post Altissimo Named 2019 Ohio-Bred Horse Of The Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–Just like always, the bell in the winner’s circle was rung 17 minutes before every race at the Spa Thursday afternoon.

Of course. Exactly 17 minutes.

Even on the most unusual of opening days at Saratoga Race Course, tradition was served. It is Saratoga after all. Phil Linguiti did the honors, yanking the strap that moved the clapper to produce the sound. Linguiti, a former jockey and longtime white cap in the clubhouse, is a familiar figure at Saratoga. Since this 152nd season is racing in Saratoga Springs is being conducted without spectators due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Linguiti wasn’t needed in the empty box seats and became the masked bell man for the day.

The bell is a relic to a bygone era at a track that knows bygone well. Legend has it that the bell was used as a signal to trainers to bring their horses from the barns on the backstretch to be saddled under the trees behind the clubhouse. Trainers no longer have to rely on the bell for guidance, but the bell remains. Though the winner’s circle is no longer just simply a circle of chalk on the dirt racing surface near the finish line and huge video screens in the infield provide the tote information, fortunately some things don’t change at Saratoga.

Linguiti and the bell were a link to the past on a day that a link was welcome. Under overcast skies with a consistent light breeze there was very little connection to even the most low-key racing day at Saratoga in the past 40 or 50 years, certainly not the always-festive opener of the season. With only a small collection of horsemen and essential staff permitted on the grounds, it was eerily quiet aside from the in-house feed of public address announcer John Imbriale. Aside from the time that the horses were on the track, it was easy to forget that the season was officially in session.

While we are accustomed to seeing thousands of empty seats at Aqueduct and Belmont Park and at other major tracks, the sight of a completely empty Saratoga was, at the very least, odd. It’s not accurate to call it shocking because we have known for weeks that it had to be spectator-free to be open at all, but it was different. Still, historic Saratoga is open, giving owners and horsemen the opportunity to stay in business and compete. Even though there were no fans in the seats at the track and no action at the windows, the New York Racing Association has a wildly popular simulcast brand that will produce millions of dollars in betting handle during the 40-day meet. It did $19.1 million Thursday.

After Drawing Away Stable’s Grit and Glory (Malibu Moon) won the first race, veteran Linda Rice, still the only woman to capture a Saratoga training title, provided some perspective: “It’s very strange, but winning is still the same. Whether it’s Belmont or Saratoga, it’s exciting to win a race. The horsemen, like myself and my peers, are so happy to be back racing. We just need to support the industry. But we really miss the fans. It’s just not the same without them, and I sure hope when we come here next year that they are here with us.”

Grit and Glory was ridden by 23-year-old apprentice jockey Luis Cardenas, who for a while had a perfect record at Saratoga Race Course. Winning his Spa debut was akin to hitting a home run in his first at bat in the majors and the smiling Cardenas relished the moment: “This is a dream come true,” he said. “It another check off on the bucket list.”

Cardenas is a native of Peru and has lived in the U.S. for a about a decade. He worked as an exercise rider for a number of years and launched his career as a jockey in December. He said he was injured last summer and spent his recovery time watching races from Saratoga.

“It’s exciting. It’s my first year here and to win the first race at Saratoga it means a lot to me,” he said. “This is my first time at Saratoga. Even driving here, my heart was pumping really fast.”

Ohio-based trainer Tim Hamm picked up his first Saratoga stakes victory in the GIII Schuylerville S. when Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief) cruised to a six-length victory and paid $41.60.

“It’s great. Couldn’t be better,” Hamm said. “I wish there were 100,000 people here to enjoy it with, but it’s awesome.”

Hamm said the absence of fans in the stands did not diminish the victory for him.

“We’re so grateful as horsemen, and I’m sure everyone in the industry is, just to be here and able to race,” he said. “It doesn’t take anything out of it for me. There would probably be a bigger party downtown tonight if it was full of people, but other than that it’s great.”

Jockey Junior Alvarado picked up the mount on Dayoutoftheoffice and made the most of the opportunity. He said the empty stands made him appreciate Saratoga even more.

“When you come to Saratoga there are two things you are looking for,” Alvarado said. “One of the main things is to get horses like this, 2-year-olds, nice horses to keep going and win the big races. The second thing is the fans. There is nothing like the fans here in Saratoga. Even when you don’t win a race, you come back and people congratulate you still. They give you high fives. They keep your spirit up. That one of the things we are missing and hopefully we won’t take it for granted anymore.”

Three-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown is a native of Mechanicville, about 17 miles south of Saratoga, and spent many days in his youth with his family at the track. In 2008, he hit one out of the park, winning with the very first horse he saddled at his home track. Now one of the premier horsemen in the world, he has secured three of the last four Spa training titles. After Country Grammer (Tonalist) gave him a victory in the GIII Peter Pan S., Brown talked about this summer at Saratoga.

“It’s really nice to win this race but definitely a bittersweet day when this beautiful place is empty where I grew up,” he said. “We’ll try to get through the meet and hold out hope that maybe it will open more during the meet, but there’s no guarantees about that. We’ll do the best we can and we’re grateful they’re running here. Hopefully, this is the only year we have to do this.”

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