Top News | Horse Racing Free Tips

Uncle Chuck Retired to Journeyman

Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo–Forest Music, by Unbridled's Song), romping winner of last year's GIII Los Alamitos Derby, has been retired to Brent and Crystal Fernung's Journeyman Stud near Ocala, FL and will stand the 2022 season there for $6,500, LFSN.

Campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman and trainer by Bob Baffert, the $250,000 KEESEP yearling is out of MGSW/MGISP Forest Music (Unbridled's Song), making him a half to successful Kentucky-based sire Maclean's Music (Distorted Humor) and GSWs Kentuckian (Tiznow) and Electric Forest (Curlin).

“I've seen Uncle Chuck referred to as brilliant by his connections, he was certainly that,” said Brent Fergnung. “Uncle Chuck is royally bred, an exceptional physical, and had unlimited potential as a racehorse. He is everything I look for in a stallion prospect. His abbreviated racing career, shortened by injury, is the only reason he isn't in Kentucky commanding a much larger fee.”

The handsome dark bay won his debut at Santa Anita by seven lengths. He has last seen finishing sixth as the second choice in the 2020 GI Runhappy Travers S.

“Uncle Chuck was special from day one,” Baffert said. “Assistant trainer Mike Marlow, who is a very good judge of talent, spoke about Uncle Chuck in the same terms as he did [Triple Crown winners] American Pharoah and Justify. Uncle Chuck had great athleticism and showed his sire's brilliance on the track. His potential was unlimited.”

Uncle Chuck is currently being syndicated by Journeyman and Taylor Made Farm.

The post Uncle Chuck Retired to Journeyman appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Injured Rosario’s Quest to Rewrite Record Likely Over

Joel Rosario suffered a hairline fracture of a rib in a spill Thursday at Aqueduct. The news was first reported by the Daily Racing Form's Dave Grening.

Rosario's agent, Ron Anderson, predicted that his rider would be out for about three weeks and could be ready for the Dec. 26 opening day card at Santa Anita.

“I haven't spoken to a doctor yet, so we're just waiting to find out,” he said. “It's going t be two, three weeks before he can ride again, so we're going to have to bite the bullet. Opening day at Santa Anita is 23 days away. It's possible that he can make that, but I do not know.”

With Rosario closing in on a number of records, the jockey and his agent had planned a busy schedule over the final four weeks of the year. Rosario has won 49 graded stakes this year, six shy of the record set by Jerry Bailey in 2003, and his 69 stakes wins on the year had him within seven wins of the record set by Garrett Gomez in 2007. With $32,944,478 in earnings this year, he was also within striking distance of the record held by Irad Ortiz Jr. Ortiz set his record in 2019 with $34,109,019 in purse earnings. It appears that Rosario will run out of time when it comes to establishing any new records.

“I am just concerned about him being comfortable,” Anderson said. “He's not the type to dwell on something like (breaking records). We'll just roll with it and maybe we can do it next year. We will move on.”

Riding Irish Constitution (Constitution) in the second race Thursday, Rosario was unseated after the wire.

“Last night on his way home, he called me and said that when he breathed it was painful,” Anderson said. “I got off phone thinking it had to be a rib or something like that bugging him. He got x-rays and it showed he has a fracture.”

The post Injured Rosario’s Quest to Rewrite Record Likely Over appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

After the Finish Line’s Breeders’ Cup Hat Auction to Charity

After the Finish Line will host the 6th Annual Charity Auction of Breeders' Cup Hats opening this Sunday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. ET at ebay.com/str/afterthefinishline. The auction, which lasts for one week, will feature over 50 Breeders' Cup hats from the 2021 World Championships at Del Mar, donated by the horses' connections, as well as hats from past winners. The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) will receive a portion of proceeds. A number of other aftercare organizations will receive the proceeds from their chosen hat.

“This auction brings aftercare and horse racing fans together in a unique way,” said Dawn Mellen, president and founder of After the Finish Line. “This helps raise awareness about the importance of aftercare for racing fans. We are excited to help build the bridge between racing and aftercare with this annual auction.”

The post After the Finish Line’s Breeders’ Cup Hat Auction to Charity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Three CDI-Brokered Simo Signals Return to Nevada

An impasse whose origin dates back more than two years that has prevented Nevada race books from taking betting on three simulcasting signals controlled by Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), was reportedly resolved on Wednesday, although it remains unclear which side budged or what changed in the negotiations.

Mike Brunker of the Las Vegas Review-Journal broke the story Dec. 1.

Three signed contracts for the Fair Grounds, Turfway Park and Oaklawn Park that were suddenly offered by CDI were inked into agreement on Wednesday by the Nevada Pari-Mutuel Association, which represents the state's race books. The documents then got forwarded to the state Gaming Control Board for approval, an expected formality.

“The dispute, which arose when Churchill Downs sought to charge more for its simulcast signal, has prevented fans in Nevada from wagering on races from the home of the [GI] Kentucky Derby since Oct. 27, 2019,” Brunker reported.

Brunker also wrote that the other tracks' signals had been withheld as part of an escalation of that initial dispute over the Churchill signal. CDI owns both the Fair Grounds and Turfway, while Oaklawn contracts with CDI for its signal distribution.

“The contracts received Wednesday do not resolve the underlying dispute over the Churchill Downs signal,” Brunker wrote. “But Patty Jones, executive director of the pari-mutuel association, described the development as 'positive movement' toward a long-term simulcasting agreement with the company.”

The post Three CDI-Brokered Simo Signals Return to Nevada appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post