Real Grace, a Mineshaft gelding, won two of nine starts in 2020, highlighted by an 18-1 upset victory in the Grade 3 Canadian Derby at Century Mile. Earlier in the season, he also won the Derby Trial Stakes at Assiniboia Downs.

The gelding started his 2020 campaign at Tampa Bay Downs after selling as a unraced racing-age prospect at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Winter Mixed Sale in January. He raced twice in Florida, including a second-place effort in a maiden special weight for owner and trainer Bernell Rhone. He then shipped north to Canterbury Park for another second-place effort, this time with additional owners Shelley Brown, Jean McEwan, and Bette Holtman.

Real Grace then went north of the border for the remainder of his campaign and raced for trainer Shelley Brown, starting at Assiniboia Downs in Manitoba, where he broke his maiden in the Derby Trial Stakes. He then finished fifth in the Manitoba Derby.

The remainder of the gelding's season was spent at Century Mile in Alberta. He debuted with a win in the Count Lathum Handicap, and later found the highlight of his season in the Canadian Derby, Alberta's biggest race.

In addition to taking home Horse of the Year honors, Real Grace also earned the title as Alberta's champion 3-year-old male.

Bred in Kentucky by Peter Johnson, Real Grace is out of the stakes-winning Yes It's True mare True Way of Grace.

Following is a complete list of winners from the Alberta Thoroughbred Awards.

The H.B.P.A. Trophy
Champion Claimer: Something About Me
Trainer: Allen Goodsell
Owner: Carter Goodsell
Breeder: Paul Treasure & Harry Bettis
Ch. F. 4., by Boos – Justbluffin (Pine Bluff)
2020: 9 Starts – 5 wins – 1 second – 2 thirds – $39,424
Winner: Allowance Optional Claiming, Claiming

The Century Downs Racetrack and Casino Trophy
Champion Sprinter: Stone Carver
Trainer: Tim Rycroft
Owner: Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd.
Breeder: T/C Stable, LLC
B. G. 5., by Birdstone – Vermilion Sea (Boundary)
2020: 7 Starts – 1 wins – 3 second – 0 thirds – $42,290
Winner: Journal Handicap (BT)

The Dwight McLellan Memorial Trophy
Champion 2-Year-Old Filly: She Likes to Party
Trainer: Greg Tracy
Owner: Don Danard
Breeder: Lou Neve
B. F. 2., by Maclean's Music – Gone to Party (All Gone)
2020: 4 Starts – 3 wins – 0 second – 0 thirds – $81,000
Winner: Princess Margaret Stakes, Freedom of the City Stakes (BT)

The Rocky Mountain Turf Club Trophy
Champion 2-Year-Old Colt: Bang On*
Trainer: Craig Smith
Owner: True North Stables Ltd.
Breeder: Running Fawcett Thoroughbreds Ltd.
B. C. 2., by Commissioner – Next Big Nothin' (Forest Wildcat)
2020: 5 Starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 thirds – $59,264
Winner: Birdcatcher Stakes (BT)

The Dave Kapchinsky Memorial Trophy
Champion 3-Year-Old Filly: Pearl of Knowledge*
Trainer: Karline Kingston
Owner: Don Danard & Jim Juris
Breeder: Starline Thoroughbreds
B. F. 3., by Cape Canaveral – Lil Missknowitall (Kafwain)
2020: 6 Starts – 2 wins – 2 second – 1 thirds – $54,760
Winner: Alberta Oaks

Sponsored by Bar None Ranches Ltd.
Champion 3-Year-Old Colt: Real Grace
Trainer: Shelley Brown
Owner: Shelley Brown, Jean McEwan, Bette Holtman, Bernell Rhone
Breeder: Peter Johnson
B. G. 3., by Mineshaft – True Way of Grace (Yes It's True)
2020: 9 Starts – 2 wins – 3 second – 0 thirds – $89,162
Winner: Derby Trial Stakes, Canadian Derby (G3)

The Moore Equine Veterinary Centre Ltd. Trophy
Champion Older Mare: Sunburst
Trainer: Barbara Heads
Owner: Russell & Lois Bennett
Breeder: Mr. & Mrs. R J Bennett
Ch. F. 4., by Sungold – Tierra Del Feugo (Finality)
2020: 4 Starts – 2 wins – 1 second – 1 thirds – $70,560
Winner: Redtail Landing Handicap, Northlands Distaff Handicap (Listed)

The Century Mile Racetrack and Casino Trophy
Champion Older Horse: Go Away
Trainer: James Brown
Owner: Kirk Sutherland
Breeder: Lynch Bages Ltd.
B. G. 4., by Scat Daddy – Elbow (Woodman)
2020: 11 Starts – 3 wins – 3 second – 3 thirds – $80,980
Winner: Don Getty Handicap (BT)

The Ted Connor Memorial Trophy
Champion Alberta-bred: Maskwecis*
Trainer: Ron K Smith
Owner: Jim & Carole Barker, Red Ron Farms
Breeder: Doug Oberg
B. G. 3., by Jimmy Creed – Maidstone (Aptitude)
2020: 5 Starts – 3 wins – 0 second – 1 thirds – $57,760
Winner: Western Canada Handicap, Beaufort Stakes

The Horse Racing Alberta Trophy
Horse of the Year: Real Grace
Trainer: Shelley Brown
Owner: Shelley Brown, Jean McEwan, Bette Holtman, Bernell Rhone
Breeder: Peter Johnson
B. G. 3., by Mineshaft – True Way of Grace (Yes It's True)
2020: 9 Starts – 2 wins – 3 second – 0 thirds – $89,162
Winner: Derby Trial Stakes, Canadian Derby (G3)

Sponsored by the H.B.P.A.
Leading Apprentice Jockey: Mauricio Malvaez
Starts: 191 – Wins: 16 – Seconds: 27 – Thirds: 16
Earnings $280,625

Canadian Sovereign Apprentice Jockey, Mauricio Malvaez, was the top apprentice last season at Century Mile with 16 wins including a victory in the biggest race in Alberta, the Grade 3 Canadian Derby/

The Lou Davies Memorial Trophy
Leading Jockey: Rico Walcott
Starts: 204 – Wins: 68 – Seconds: 39 – Thirds: 38
Earnings $820,968  

Rico Walcott returned to the track last season after a health battle sidelined him in 2019. This award becomes the ninth Leading Jockey title for Rico in the past ten years.

The H.B.P.A. Trophy
Leading Trainer: Tim Rycroft
Starts: 237 – Wins: 42 – Seconds: 38 – Thirds: 46
Earnings $646,551  

Tim Rycroft earned the third Leading Trainer title for the third consecutive year with Rycroft trained horses earning over $640,000 and 42 wins last season. The top runner for Tim in 2020 was the multiple stakes placed Alberta bred runner, Saveitforarainyday.

The C.T.H.S. Trophy
Leading Breeder: Highfield Investment Group
Starts: 74 – Wins: 16 – Seconds: 4 – Thirds: 7
Earnings: $290,736

The Leading Breeder goes to Highfield Investment Group for a season that saw horses bred by Highfield earn over $290,000 with 16 wins. The top Highfield-bred horse last season was Jasper Shine, out of their multiple stakes winning mare, Golden Made. 

The Jockey Club of Canada Trophy
Leading Owner: Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd.
Starts: 130 – Wins:  23 – Seconds: 25 – Thirds: 23
Earnings: $417,781

The Leading Owner title was awarded to Riversedge Racing Stables Ltd. for back to back awards in this category. Horses owned by Riversedge earned over $400,000 with 23 wins. The leading earners for Riversedge last season include Stone Carver, Bareback Jack and Dad's Legacy. 

The post Canadian Derby Winner Real Grace Named Alberta’s 2020 Horse Of The Year appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Century Mile Racetrack in Nisku, Alberta opened in April 2019 as a replacement for Northlands Park and is now host of the Grade 3 Canadian Derby. The current meet runs primarily Friday and Sunday nights through early November.

This year, Century Mile will not permit race-day Lasix in 2-year-old races, like many places in the States, but it won't card its first race for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds until later this month. Still, the season's first five days of racing saw just 65.3 percent of its runners use Lasix. Last Friday's card saw 16 of 59 runners (27 percent) start without Lasix, and last Sunday's card had 22 of 64 runners without it (34 percent).

Rob MacLennan, racing secretary at Century Mile, said he expects there may be a few more horses on raceday Lasix as the condition book moves more into 3-year-old maiden races, but generally, those percentages are pretty typical.

“I think some of it has to do with the fact Alberta was the last jurisdiction in Canada to phase in Lasix in the early 1990s,” he said. “There's some holdovers who still don't rush to put every horse on it right away. I also think that because the B circuit in Alberta (Grande Prairie and Lethbridge) does not have a Lasix program, there are horses who have proven they don't need it, or horsemen who are a little more used to doing without it because they may have started careers on the B circuit.”

Tim Rycroft, top trainer at Century Mile in 2019 and vice-president trainer/director for the HBPA of Alberta, said he doesn't have a problem using the drug, but is judicious about using it only when a horse has struggled with performance and scopes show there is a significant issue. Rycroft said his mentality may not be universal on the backstretch, but he's not the only one who will use the drug with some horses and not others.

For one thing, he thinks cleaner air around Century Mile probably reduces the need in some cases.

“I think the air's a little cleaner and we have a few less breathing issues than Woodbine,” he said. “I could be totally wrong, but I know we get lots of horses out of Toronto that were notorious bleeders in Toronto and they didn't bleed here working in the morning. Lots of guys treat their horses for morning workouts, because you sure don't want them bleeding – that sets them back about six weeks – and then they'll come here and not bleed. So I think it's got to have a little to do with air quality.”

Because it's up to the trainer (rather than the racing secretary) whether to have raceday Lasix on board, horses starting without it are usually facing at least one other rival running with it. On last Friday's card, three of 21 non-Lasix runners hit the board, one of them winning the race as the only non-Lasix starter. On Saturday, seven of 27 non-Lasix starters hit the board, including three winners on the eight-race card. Those three winners came in races where the majority of runners were running without Lasix.

Rycroft said he isn't too worried about sending a horse into the gates, knowing some of his competitors have used Lasix.

“I just like to keep them as clean as possible because then you know where you're at,” he said. “If the horse doesn't perform properly and you scope and you notice there's a little something going on, then you can go to Lasix, but if you start piling one medication on top of another, what's actually working and what's not?

“I'm not against Lasix; I'm really not either way on it. I don't like to see a horse bleed. If they need Lasix, they need Lasix. You'll see a lot of guys here start without it and if they need to go to it, they go to it. I don't put a lot of my young horses on it the first couple starts – if they don't need it, they don't need it.”

MacLennan said it's hard for him to be sure of how any horses running without the drug experience some degree of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), since the track doesn't keep statistics on scope results done by private veterinarians. It does make note of horses who suffer such serious bleeding that they experience epistaxis, or visible bleeding from the nostrils. Those horses go on the veterinarian's list for 14 days, and repeat offenders may be barred.

According to MacLennan, there were five horses placed on the veterinarian's list for bleeding last year at Century Mile – four of whom were already on Lasix, all of whom were first-timers on the veterinarian's list for bleeding. Alberta's B level tracks, which do not permit Lasix, saw a total of 16 horses on the veterinarian's list last year, including one repeat offender who was barred from racing for a year. Total race cards in Alberta last year were 219.

None of this means Rycroft wants to see new rules eliminating all Lasix use, however.

“I think there are some people that are too hard on horsemen, saying Lasix should be banned,” he said. “I don't think it should be banned. I think it's a good tool, used properly in the right circumstances.

“They give these guys their trainer's license because they're supposed to know what they're doing as far as health and welfare of their horses, right? So leave them alone and let them do their thing, and hopefully at the end of the day good judgement prevails.”

The post North Of The Border, Lasix Viewed As Useful Tool, But Not Essential For All At Century Mile appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post