Early Voting Puts in Final Preakness Prep

GII Wood Memorial S. runner-up Early Voting (Gun Runner) put in his final breeze ahead of the upcoming GI Preakness S. Friday morning at Belmont Park, going five panels in 1:00.63 in company with SW Miles D (Curlin).

Under jockey Jose Ortiz, The Chad Brown pupil went three-eighths in :36.40 before completing the five furlong move in 1:00.63 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 flat over the fast main track.

“He hit the times just as I wanted and he galloped out super,” Brown said of Early Voting. “If he comes out of the breeze in good shape, then he's on to Pimlico. Tentatively, I'm thinking of shipping the horse on Tuesday.”

Early Voting skipped the GI Kentucky Derby in favor of this spot. Brown made a similar move with the Klaravich co-owned Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) after he finished third in the Wood.

“There's a lot of similarities,” Brown said. “They both are lightly-raced, improving horses that are coming out of the Wood and could use a little more time and experience rather than throw them into a 20-horse field in the Derby.”

Miles D is slated for the GIII Pimlico Special S. Friday.

“Miles D worked inside, he's actually a little better outside, but it set it up that way today,” said Brown. “He got a lot of the work this morning. He missed a little time because he got sick before the Oaklawn Handicap, so we missed that race. He should appreciate the distance of the Pimlico Special.”

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Smith, MacAdam To Be Honored At Alibi

Photographer Patrick Smith and writer Mike MacAdam will be among the honorees at the Alibi Breakfast May 19 at Pimlico Race Course. The Alibi Breakfast features a gathering of media, owners, trainers, jockeys, horsemen and fans to celebrate the Preakness. Smith will receive the Jerry Frutkoff Award for the best Preakness picture of 2021, while MacAdam will receive the David F. Woods Award for best Preakness story. Smith is a staff photographer based in Baltimore for Getty Images. This is his second consecutive win, and third overall in the Frutkoff.

“During the 2021 Preakness, I was camped on the head-on position,” said Smith. “As I watched Flavien Prat guide Rombauer through the field and gain momentum, I know he'd rejoice with an iconic moment if he crossed the finish first – and he did.”

MacAdam, a turf writer and sports columnist for the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y., has provided daily live coverage of the Saratoga meet. MacAdam's story was entitled: “Preakness Winner Rombauer Runs Out of the Baffert Shadow.” He recently was named Sportswriter of the Year by the New York Press Association for the second time in the last three years.

“It's a gross understatement to say what an honor it is to be recognized by the Maryland Jockey Club with the David F. Woods Award,” MacAdam said.

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Tampa Bay Ends Strong 21-22 Season

Tampa Bay Downs posted significant gains in most major categories during the 2021-2022 season when compared to the 2018-2019 (pre-pandemic) meet–including average daily all-sources wagering handle and total purse money paid to horsemen.

“Our Thoroughbred racing product has been very well-received, both by Tampa Bay area fans and the simulcast market throughout the country,” said Peter Berube, the track's vice president and general manager, who attributed the increases in large part to the ongoing upgrade in the quality of racing and the attractiveness of the turf program. “The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby card (Mar. 12) generated almost $21 million in wagering, which represented a 36% increase from the previous record of $15.2 million set last year and was the most of any racetrack in the country that day. The Racing Office, led by (Racing Secretary) Allison De Luca, does a fantastic job of putting together highly competitive cards and making owners and trainers aware of all Tampa Bay Downs has to offer,” Berube said.

This season's total live all-sources handle for 89 days of racing was $401,467,564, a 1.72% increase from last season and 18.62% above the 2018-2019 mark. Total live on-track handle of $16,324,991 was a whopping 23.41% above last season and 2.98% over 2018-2019. Wagering handle per starter was $64,317, up 10.19% from last season and 28.08% from 2018-2019. The average handle per race was $488,998. Tampa Bay Downs paid out $18,204,465 in purse money in 2021-2022, up 8.02% from 2020-2021 and 17.03% from 2018-2019. The average daily purse distribution of $204,545 is a track record.

Thoroughbred racing will return to Tampa Bay Downs June 30 and July 1 for the 10th annual Summer Festival of Racing.

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Hogan To Receive Charles J. Hesse Award

Edited Press Release

Dr. Patricia Hogan, DVM, one of the leading equine surgeons in the country, has been named the recipient of the Charles J. Hesse Award that will be presented during the eighth annual Charles J. Hesse Golf Outing on June 13 at the Beacon Hill Golf Course in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.

The Hesse Golf Outing is sponsored by the New Jersey Horsemen's Charitable Organization.

A New Jersey native, Hogan is among a few equine surgeons equally proficient in both soft tissue and orthopedic surgery disciplines. She has devoted her life to the care of horses and owns the Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, NJ, where she and her staff donate their surgical skills to retired race horses, including those in Second Call, Monmouth Park's Aftercare Program.

The Hesse Award is given to someone who “epitomizes hard work and dedication to New Jersey's Thoroughbred Community.”

Hogan is internationally renowned for her equine surgical skills and has been a leader in the field of equine surgery for two decades.

Previous winners of the Charles J. Hesse Award (none was given in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, nor was one presented the first year of the golf outing in 2014) are: Marianne Hesse (2021); Gov. Phil Murphy and Tammy Murphy (2019); Mike Musto (2018); Dennis Drazin (2017); Dr. Angelo Chinnici (2016) and J. Willard Thompson (2015).

For more information on the afternoon golf outing and/or the dinner later that evening, contact Liz Dowd at 732-239-4569 or Oliver Keelan at 732-859-8042.

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