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Aidan Butler Appointed to COO, 1/ST Racing and President, 1/ST Content

The Stronach Group’s Aidan Butler has been appointed to Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST RACING and to President, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST announced Thursday. Butler joined The Stronach Group in 2018 and has been front and center in California leading the racing operations teams at Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields as the Acting Executive Director of California Racing Operations. In addition, he also served as Chief Strategy Officer for The Stronach Group.

Butler will work directly with Craig Fravel, Chief Executive Officer, 1/ST RACING, to further develop the company’s racing programs and national content offerings. While continuing to oversee racing operations nationally, Fravel will focus on West Coast operations while Butler will relocate to Florida to oversee the racing operations at the company’s owned tracks and training centers on the East Coast including Gulfstream Park and Palm Meadows in Florida and Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course and Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland.

“Aidan and I have been working side-by-side over the last year and have developed a strong and constructive working relationship”, said Fravel. “The appointment of Aidan to Chief Operating Officer, 1/ST RACING and President, 1/ST CONTENT, is a critical step as we continue to build our company’s forward-thinking and innovative racing and content programs. I have no doubt that his passion and knowledge for our sport will position our national and East Coast operations for growth.”

“I look forward to working with Craig and the 1/ST RACING teams in Florida and Maryland to synchronize our racing programs and to establishing the 1/ST CONTENT division as the future of content platforms for our sport”, said Butler. “While I focus on the East Coast racing operations, I will continue to assist with matters in California and to work closely with horsemen in the state.”

For more information on 1/ST, visit www.1st.com.

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Caravaggio Relocated to Coolmore America

Scat Daddy’s Royal Ascot superstar Caravaggio has been relocated from Coolmore’s headquarters in Ireland to its American base at Ashford Stud, Coolmore announced Thursday.

“Ever since he retired to stud, Caravaggio has been supported by top [North] American-based breeders such as David Anderson, Peter Berglar, John Gunther, Hunter Valley Farm, Runnymede Farm, Fred Hertrich, Mike Ryan, e5 Racing & Merriebelle Stables,” said Ashford’s Director of Sales Charlie O’Connor, who co-bred the MG1SW sprinter with his father-in-law’s Windmill Manor Farms. “This support carried into the sales ring in both the U.S. and Europe with several of his highest-priced yearlings being bought by American-based owners including Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, Wesley Ward, Ben McElroy, Susan Moulton, DJ Stables, Mike Akers and Meah/Lloyd for Calvin Nguyen. These included a $400,000 filly and a $300,000 colt sold by Gainesway at Keeneland.”

Winner of the Group 1 Phoenix S. in Ireland and G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot as a juvenile, the gray son of American stakes winner Mekko Hokte (Holy Bull) added a score in the G1 Commonwealth Cup S. back at Ascot the following summer.

“A multiple Group 1 winner, Caravaggio is an outstanding physical and was a fantastic racehorse, going unbeaten in his first six starts which included Royal Ascot wins at both two and three,” said O’Connor. “His pedigree holds major appeal for breeders here being a son of Scat Daddy, one of the most successful stallions we’ve ever stood at Ashford, and out of a stakes winner on dirt by Holy Bull. His half-sister My Jen was a good racemare too, winning a Grade II on the main track at Belmont for Eddie Kenneally. All in all, we thought it made a lot of sense to bring him over.”

Caravaggio stood his first two seasons at €35,000 and was increased to €40,000 in 2020. He will stand at $25,000 for 2021 and is available for inspection at Ashford.

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Wesley Ward Joins TDN Writers’ Room

Holding a typically strong hand of 2-year-olds heading into Future Stars Friday at the Breeders’ Cup Nov. 6, trainer Wesley Ward joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Ward talked about Golden Pal, the exciting son of Uncle Mo and Lady Shipman who figures to go favored in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, multiple group stakes winner in Europe Campanelle (Ire) and why he’s so willing to run his fillies against the boys.

Telling the story of how he came to train Golden Pal for Randall Lowe, who owned Lady Shipman, Ward said he almost got a chance to train the mare herself and only a veterinary setback let him keep her son in his barn for Lowe.

“When [Lowe] had the mare, he had reached out and asked if I was interested in training and it just didn’t come to fruition,” he said. “His ultimate pick was Kiaran McLaughlin. I had followed Lady Shipman’s career and was a big fan of hers. Then I went and saw the colt in the sale. I loved him. He was my pick of the sale last year at Keeneland September. We tried to buy the horse for Coolmore and we had a couple months for them to take possession to see if he could get over a minor issue he had, and unfortunately, it’s just a minor thing that he was born with. He has that issue today, and he didn’t pass the vet. So being as I put a couple months in on the horse, [Lowe] sent him back to Ocala to give him a little bit of time off from the breaking and right around the first of the year, I called him back and I said, ‘Look, I’d still be really, really interested in training the colt.’ He thought about it for a couple of weeks, then he sent him up to Keeneland and we’ve had him ever since. He’s just been a joy to train, I’m a big fan and I’m looking forward to Breeders’ Cup.”

Ward continued his unprecedented run of success for an American trainer in Europe with Campanelle, a 190,000 guineas Tattersalls October purchase by Ben McElroy who parlayed a Gulfstream maiden win into scores in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville and G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot this summer. The undefeated bay figures to be among the favorites in a contentious renewal of the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“She’s a little different than the horses that I’ve brought to Ascot and to the Morny in years past,” said Ward. “She’s got a big, long stride and she’s fast. So my thought always going into the Morny was that she would go a mile. Even though she has a sprinter’s pedigree, she’s a big filly. And with that long stride, I took the blinkers off going into the Morny to sort of help her to stretch her speed for this particular race. And it was fortunate, we were lucky. She won a big race that day with Frankie and she got right back here to Keeneland. Ever since then, even before the Morny, this was the plan with this particular race.”

Asked about his willingness to run fillies against males, Ward said, “I took a lot of heat for it at first for running 2-year-old fillies against the colts, but I just think it’s pretty easy. If you line a bunch of us up with some women and some men, some women are going to be faster than the guys you put them with, so it’s easy to figure where you’re at. I think a lot of fillies develop a lot quicker. If you look at the 2-year-old in training sales, the majority of the faster times will be fillies rather than the colts, and the colts will come on late. I like to take advantage of that. The majority of the time, especially in sprints, if you have the fastest horse and you break well, you’re going to win early on. I’ll zero in and the faster ones come to a head real quick, early in the spring. If that’s a filly, I’m more apt to run them against the colts.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers broke down where every major division stands heading into the Breeders’ Cup and, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, talked about what it means for the industry that stallion farms are slashing stud fees nearly across the board. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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HHR Fate Still ‘Elephant in the Room’ As KHRC Grants ’21 Race Dates

Saying he’d “like to briefly address the elephant in the room,” Kentucky Horse Racing Commission chairman Jonathan Rabinowitz opened the board’s Oct. 20 videoconference meeting by attempting to reassure the racing community that elected and appointed officials are working to find a solution to a Sept. 24 Supreme Court of Kentucky opinion that told a lower court to re-examine the legality of historical horse race (HHR) gaming.

HHR handled $2.2 billion during the commonwealth’s most recent fiscal year, and revenue from that form of gaming annually contributes tens of millions of dollars to purses at the state’s five Thoroughbred tracks. The Supreme Court’s opinion that HHR does not comply with the pari-mutuel wagering statute has imperiled that crucial source of funding.

“While I cannot say too much, I do want everyone to know that if the current Supreme Court opinion is rendered final, that this commission is committed to finding a solution,” Rabinowitz said.

“Additionally, after having numerous conversations with the governor, it’s clear that the governor and his team are committed to finding a solution,” Rabinowitz continued.

“Lastly, I truly hope and believe that this legislature is equally committed to finding a solution to this bipartisan issue in order to save thousands of Kentucky jobs, millions in tax revenue annually for the commonwealth, and to preserve the commonwealth’s signature industry as the best in the world,” Rabinowitz said.

Rabinowitz provided no specifics and there was no additional discussion of the topic among KHRC members, either directly after his statement or during the entirety of the meeting.

Chief among the various items that passed via unanimous voice vote on Tuesday was the KHRC’s approval of 2021 race dates, awarded as follows:

Turfway Park: Jan. 1-Mar. 28 on a Thursday-Sunday schedule. The Thursdays, however, are all marked “optional” on the calendar provided by a KHRC spokesperson.

Keeneland Race Course: Apr. 1-23 on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule.

Churchill Downs: Apr. 24-June 26. With the exception of the first Wednesday that falls during GI Kentucky Derby week, the Wednesday programs are “optional.” Derby week will also feature an Apr. 27 Tuesday card but no racing Sunday, May 2. A Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day) program is also added.

Ellis Park: June 27-Sept. 4. With the exception of July 1, all of the Mondays-Thursdays within that date allotment are “optional.”

Kentucky Downs: Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12.

Churchill: Sept. 15-Oct. 3 on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule, with the Wednesdays “optional.”

Keeneland: Oct. 8-30 on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule.

Churchill: Nov. 3-28 on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule.

Turfway: Dec. 1-31 on a Wednesday-Sunday schedule; Wednesdays “optional” and no racing Dec. 24 and 25.

Susan Nash, the KHRC’s executive administrative secretary, said that, “I’d like to point out that the total number of requested Thoroughbred dates for 2021, compared to what was awarded in 2020, shows as a negative one [date], representing a decline from last year.”

But Nash explained that’s because Keeneland’s request to host the two-date Breeders’ Cup meet this year bumped up the state’s 2020 total by two dates from 2019, “so consequently, there is actually an increase of one day for 2021” when the two Breeders’ Cup dates are removed from the equation.

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