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RRP’s Makeover Marketplace Transitions to Virtual Event

Owing to a grant from the ASCPA, the Retired Racehorse Project will continue to produce the Makeover Marketplace as a means to promote transitioned Thoroughbreds as premier sport horse prospects online.

The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace catalog will once again be offered in print as well as digitally. Sign-ups are now open to receive the catalog, which will be printed in the Fall 2020 issue of Off-Track Thoroughbred Magazine.

“The ASPCA Makeover Marketplace has become one of the country’s premier horse shopping and adoption opportunities for equestrians looking for well-started sport horse prospects,” said Jen Roytz, Executive Director of the RRP.

“Traditionally, horse shopping includes extensive travel, often going to multiple farms in different states in order to consider horses, but changing mandates and travel restrictions during the pandemic are limiting those opportunities. The Marketplace lets you browse from the comfort of your couch and peruse dozens of photos, videos and descriptions of equine athletes for adoption or sale who have had the proper care, nutrition and training to make a successful transition to a competitive or recreational career after racing.”

The digital catalog will be released at tbmakeover.org the week of August 10, and individual horses will be featured on the RRP’s social media. Watch the RRP’s Facebook page for additional virtual spotlights of Marketplace horses this fall.

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Max Player Tunes Up for Runhappy Travers

Max Player (Honor Code), who ran on nicely to complete the trifecta in the GI Belmont S. June 20, turned in his final serious work Monday morning ahead of a rematch with Tiz the Law (Constitution) in Saturday’s GI Runhappy Travers S. at Saratoga.

Owned by George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds, Max Player breezed five furlongs in 1:01.55 over the Belmont training track.

“We worked him in company head and head with another horse and they went five-eighths in 1:01.2. It was just a maintenance breeze,” said trainer Linda Rice. “It was just a nice comfortable breeze. I feel it was exactly what he needed. He’ll ship up to Saratoga on Wednesday and train there.”

Bred by Hall’s K & G Stables, Max Player, a $150,000 buyback at Keeneland September in 2018, broke his maiden at Parx at second asking last December, following that effort with a fast-finishing, 3 1/4-length victory in the GIII Withers S. Feb. 1. He was trained up to the Belmont and was beaten 5 1/4 lengths into third.

“He trained very well into the Belmont and had improved dramatically up to June when the Belmont ran,” said Rice. “Since then, we’ve been holding steady. I haven’t trained him quite as aggressively because he’s not coming off of a five-month layoff this time.”

The in-form Joel Rosario retains the call this weekend.

In other Travers developments:

–Trainer Orlando Noda has tabbed David Cohen to ride recent Saratoga maiden winner First Line (First Samurai) in the 10-furlong event. Cohen was aboard Golden Ticket (Speightstown) when he dead-heated with Alpha (Bernardini) in the 2012 Travers.

—‘TDN Rising Star‘ Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) will pass the Travers in favor of the GII Jim Dandy S. Sept. 5. “We’ve been conservative with the horse up to this point and we’ll stay conservative for now,” trainer Mike Stidham said of the Godolphin homebred, third to Travers aspirant Country Grammar (Tonalist) in the GIII Peter Pan S. July 16.

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Overnight Purse Increase at Louisiana Downs

Officials at Harrahs Louisiana Downs in Bossier City, LA, have announced an across-the-board purse increase of $1,500 per race beginning Saturday, Aug. 8 and continuing through the end of the meet Wednesday, Sept. 23.

“We thank our local horsemen for their support since the live racing season began on June 6,” said David Heitzmann, director of racing at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs. “This has been a very challenging year due to COVID-19, so we are pleased to reward these hard working men and women with a purse increase of $1,500 across the board.”

Track officials also announced that the Louisiana Cup Day program, which had been in limbo due to the ongoing pandemic. A half-dozen stakes, each offering purse money of $40,000, will take place Saturday, Sept. 19. Roger Heitzmann, Executive Director of the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association (LTBA); Ed Fenasci, Executive Director of the HBPA and David Heitzmann, director of Racing at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, have worked diligently to put the annual stakes day back on the calendar. On June 16, the LTBA Board of Directors voted to earmark $100,000 for Louisiana Cup Day.

“We are grateful to LTBA for allocating the funds so we can run Louisiana Cup Day once again this year,” added Heitzmann. “This is a very important day for our breeders, horsemen, and of course, the fans at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs.”

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Fighting Mad Caps Another Big Weekend for Baffert

Lightly raced Fighting Mad (New Year’s Day) zipped away early and held sway late to take Sunday evening’s GI Clement L. Hirsch S. at Del Mar and stamp her ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Looking to add to another productive weekend for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert that included Saturday scores in the GI Whitney S. and Shared Belief S., the Gary and Mary West homebred was backed down to 9-5 favoritism from a 4-1 morning line quote and wasted little time seizing command. Under a tight Abel Cedillo hold, the bay doled out splits of

:23.15 and :46.55 before being asked to kick away from her competition heading for home. Defending champion Ollie’s Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}) and MGISW Ce Ce (Elusive Quality) were scrubbed on to try and reel in the leader approaching the stretch, but Fighting Mad began to open up at the head of the lane as Ce Ce was the first to capitulate. Ollie’s Candy kept on gamely to cut things close late, but Fighting Mad found the wire with a half-length to spare. Ce Ce held on for a distant third, while the accomplished Hard Not to Love (Hard Spun) never reached contention and brought up the rear.

“I had the same instructions today that I had yesterday [for Thousand Words {Pioneerof the Nile} in the Shared Belief]–get her out of there and see if you can get to the front,” Cedillo said. “She really broke sharply and wanted to go right away. I got her to relax some on the backside, then she went right on with it. She’s just an amazing filly.”

Sunday, Del Mar
CLEMENT L. HIRSCH S.-GI, $250,500, Del Mar, 8-2, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 1:43.46, ft.
1–FIGHTING MAD, 123, f, 4, by New Year’s Day
                1st Dam: Smokey’s Love, by Forestry
                2nd Dam: Smokey Mirage, by Holy Bull
                3rd Dam: Verbasle, by Slewpy
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Gary & Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West
Stables Inc. (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Abel Cedillo. $150,000.
Lifetime Record: 8-5-1-0, $444,008. Werk Nick Rating: B+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ollie’s Candy, 123, m, 5, by Candy Ride (Arg)
                1st Dam: Afternoon Stroll, by Stroll
                2nd Dam: Gertie, by Danzatore
                3rd Dam: Granny Ruth, by Key to the Mint
($45,000 RNA Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O/B-Paul & Karen Eggert (KY);
T-John W. Sadler. $50,000.
3–Ce Ce, 125, f, 4, by Elusive Quality
                1st Dam: Miss Houdini, by Belong to Me
                2nd Dam: Magical Maiden, by Lord Avie
                3rd Dam: Gils Magic, by Magesterial
O/B-Bo Hirsch LLC (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy. $30,000.
Margins: HF, 4 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 1.80, 3.40, 2.40.
Also Ran: Hang a Star, Dogtag, Hard Not to Love.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

“I was a little bit worried about her because she was getting pretty warm in the paddock, but Abel knows her pretty well and he knows speed is her weapon,” Baffert said. “To look at her you wouldn’t think she could go [a distance], but when she started opening up, I figured he must know what he’s doing. Basically, she ran them off their feet. The way she acted in the paddock, she ran an incredible race. She was trembling and sweating and I was worried, but once the race started she was pretty serious. ”

A nose graduate on debut here in her lone juvenile start two years ago, Fighting Mad resurfaced at Churchill to take an allowance last April. She faded to seventh in Pimlico’s GIII Miss Preakness S. that May, and resurfaced back at Del Mar to be a close second in an optional claimer July 19. Fighting Mad’s first two-turn attempt resulted in an eight-length romp in the GIII Torrey Pines S. Aug. 17, but she was again sidelined after that. The bay crossed the wire fourth in Santa Anita’s six-furlong GIII Desert Stormer S. May 17 before being moved to fourth by the stewards, and belied 10-1 odds last time when running away with the GII Santa Maria S. in Arcadia May 21 over Hard Not to Love and Ce Ce and recent GIII Molly Pitcher S. scorer Horologist (Gemologist).

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