Tag: Top News

Justify’s Aspen Grove Upsets Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks

Glen Hill Farm and Mrs. John Magnier's Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify) became the second Grade I winner in the space of a month for her Triple Crown-winning stallion, as she slalomed her way through her rivals in the three-sixteenths of a mile to spring a 15-1 upset in Saturday's GI Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational S. Prerequisite (Upstart), all-the-way winner of the GIII Wonder Again S. last time, held for second after once again making the running, while the slow-starting Papilio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) closed nicely for third.

Equipped with a stalls blanket and carrying the famed orange and black of Glen Hill, Aspen Grove broke outward beneath Oisin Murphy, but recovered and was able to secure a spot at the hedge as Prerequisite and 'TDN Rising Star' Be Your Best (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) eyeballed each other up front, with favored Mission of Joy (Kitten's Joy) a touch keen on their heels. The pace dropped away markedly down the backstretch, leaving Aspen Grove a tugging sixth, but within striking distance in a bunched field, and she traveled well enough as the six furlongs went up in a pedestrian 1:16.69. Prerequisite retained the call into the stretch, but Aspen Grove followed the move of Mission of Joy into the final quarter-mile, angled outside of that one at the eighth pole and kicked home strongly for the victory.

Aspen Grove turned in a shock even bigger than Saturday's to break her maiden as the 66-1 roughest chance in the G3 Irish EBF S. at the Curragh last August, then was seventh to recent G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane victress Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac to end the season. A late-on-the-scene and wide-trip third in the May 7 G3 Cornelscourt S. at Leopardstown, Aspen Grove was allowed to take her chance in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas three weeks later, finishing tailed off in 10th behind recent G1 Coronation S. heroine Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), but with a viable excuse.

“She was in season when she ran in the Guineas,” trainer Fozzy Stack told TDN Europe's Brian Sheerin earlier this week. “There's only one Guineas, she couldn't run in it next year, so that's why we took our chance.”

“Stumbling at the start probably helped her considering the wide post,” said Glen Hill's Craig Bernick of Saturday's performance. “He [jockey Oisin Murphy] was able to tuck right in and get good position. You could tell that she was handy the whole way. He's a world-class rider, a Champion rider in England which is probably the toughest racing circuit in the world. He's a great jockey.”

Murphy's most recent trip to America also proved fruitful, as he capitalized on his relationship with Japanese connections and duly piloted Marche Lorraine (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) to a massive boilover in the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. This past February, Murphy returned from a 14-month for breaking COVID rules, misleading the regulator and prejudicial conduct and two alcohol breaches.

“She broke a little slowly compared to American horses, but I used to work for [trainer] Fozzy Stack when I was a small boy, 14 and 15,” the Irishman said. “To team up and win a [Grade] 1 for him in the Belmont Oaks is brilliant, really brilliant.”

Pedigree Notes:

Aspen Grove's victory comes four weeks to the day since Arabian Lion became the first Grade I winner for Justify in the Woody Stephens S. on the Belmont S. undercard.

A $145,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling purchase by Mike Ryan on behalf of Klaravich Stable, Data Dependent broke her maiden at her third career start for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stable and was subsequently runner-up in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. Aspen Grove is her first produce. A half-sister to Irish highweight 2-year-old filly and G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy), SW and MGSP Victory Dance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and to a Kingman (GB) colt that fetched €550,000 from Stauffenberg Bloodstock at last year's Goffs November Foal Sale, Data Dependent is also the dam of the 2-year-old Kentucky-bred colt Edwardian (No Nay Never)–a debut second at Tipperary for the Coolmore connections Apr. 20–a yearling full-brother to Aspen Grove and a filly by Charlatan foaled May 27.

Saturday, Belmont Park
FASIG-TIPTON BELMONT OAKS INVITATIONAL S.-GI,
$500,000, Belmont, 7-8, 3yo, f, 1 1/4mT, 2:04.09, fm.
1–ASPEN GROVE (IRE), 121, f, 3, by Justify
                1st Dam: Data Dependent (GSP, $136,670), by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Dane Street, by Street Cry (Ire)
                3rd Dam: Daneleta (Ire), by Danehill
1ST GRADE I WIN. O-Glen Hill Farm and Mrs. John Magnier; B-Glen Hill Farm (IRE); T-James A. Stack; J-Oisin Murphy. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 7-2-0-1, $318,652. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Prerequisite, 121, f, 3, by Upstart
1st Dam: Etsu, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Forever Beautiful, by Giant's Causeway
3rd Dam: Fly North, by Pleasant Colony
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($47,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-First Row Partners and Team Hanley; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Papilio (Ire), 121, f, 3, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
1st Dam: Glafyra (Fr), by High Chaparral (Ire)
2nd Dam: Akhla, by Nashwan
3rd Dam: Beautiful River, by Irish River (Fr)
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (€60,000 Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-D. J. Stable LLC, Medallion Racing, Barry Fowler and Parkland Thoroughbreds; B-SCEA Marmion & Mr A. Jathiere (IRE); T-Mark E. Casse. $60,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 1HF. Odds: 15.70, 3.90, 7.60.
Also Ran: Aspray, Freydis the Red (Fr), Speirling Beag (Ire),
Mission of Joy, Strikingly Spun, Be Your Best (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Justify’s Aspen Grove Upsets Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Charge It Bounces Back in Suburban

Whisper Hill Farm homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (c, 4, Tapit–I'll Take Charge, by Indian Charlie) got his season back on track with a dominating performance in Saturday's GII Suburban S. at Belmont Park.

The 3-5 favorite, a 23-length winner in last term's GIII Dwyer S. over the same surface, was kept out in the clear by Johnny Velazquez and took over following an opening quarter in :24.49. Still racing several paths off the rail down the backstretch, the gray took the field of five into the far turn in complete control and never had an anxious moment in the stretch, reporting home a 4 3/4-length winner over Clapton (Brethren). Unbridled Bomber (Upstart) was third.

A green but very good second in last year's GI Curlin Florida Derby while making just his third career start, Charge It finished a forgettable 17th in the GI Kentucky Derby prior to his aforementioned tour-de-force victory in Elmont last July. Charge It was forced to miss intended 2022 second-half targets in the GI Runhappy Travers S. and GI Pennsylvania Derby with a foot issue (TDN APBs).

He finally resurfaced with an optional claiming win at Gulfstream Feb. 5, but failed to find the winner's circle in his next three attempts. Second as the chalk in the GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. Mar. 4, Charge It was fifth as the favorite with blinkers added in the GII Oaklawn H. Apr. 22 and fourth on the turnback to a one-turn mile in the prestigious GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. last time June 10.

“He broke a little bit awkwardly but recovered and put himself in a good spot,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He was in cruise control throughout. [John Velazquez] left him off the rail a little bit to keep him relaxed, but he was traveling so well and it was coming pretty easily to him, you don't want to take that away.”

Regarding a potential next start in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Aug. 5, Pletcher added, “The spacing is pretty good if we want to consider the Whitney, which is obviously going to be a more difficult assignment, but he's always been a horse that's impressed us as a top-class horse. Maybe he's starting to put it all together.”

Pedigree Notes:

Charge It is one of 102 graded winners for leading sire Tapit. The Tapit over Indian Charlie cross is also responsible for last year's brilliant Horse of the Year Flightline.

Charge It was produced by the winning mare I'll Take Charge, a $2.2-million KEESEP yearling purchase by Mandy Pope's operation. The 11-year-old is a daughter of blue-hen mare Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who is responsible for champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song), GISW Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), MGSW & GISP As Time Goes By (American Pharoah); and Charming (Seeking the Gold), the dam of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) and MGISW Omaha Beach (War Front). I'll Take Charge produced a colt by Into Mischief in 2022 and a filly by Tapit this year.

Saturday, Belmont
SUBURBAN S.-GII, $339,500, Belmont, 7-8, 4yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:01.31, ft.
1–CHARGE IT, 120, c, 4, by Tapit
               1st Dam: I'll Take Charge, by Indian Charlie
               2nd Dam: Take Charge Lady, by Dehere
               3rd Dam: Felicita, by Rubiano
O/B-Whisper Hill Farm, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-John
Velazquez. $192,500. 'TDN Rising Star' Lifetime Record:
GISP, 10-4-3-0, $717,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Clapton, 120, c, 4, Brethren–Alexandra Rylee, by Afleet
Alex. O-/B-Arindel (FL); T-Juan Alvarado. $70,000.
3–Unbridled Bomber, 118, c, 4, Upstart–Unbridledexplosion,
by Eddington. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($35,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR). O-Edward C. Potash, Brad
Yankanich, and James T. Ryerson; B-Unbridled
Explosion, LLC (KY); T-James T. Ryerson. $42,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, 4, NK. Odds: 0.65, 11.80, 6.70.
Also Ran: Red Run, Tonal Impact.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Charge It Bounces Back in Suburban appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

HIWU Releases Names of Horses Ineligible to Race Because of Intra-Articular Injections

by Bill Finley and Dan Ross

A day after telling the TDN that it was not obligated to make public the names of horses who were ineligible to race or work because they were found to have had an intra-articular injection within seven days of a timed workout, the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) reversed course Friday and published a list on its website of the 19 horses that were provisionally suspended.

Horses that violated Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority (HISA) Rules 3313 and 4222, which cover intra-articular injection and the timeframe in which horses can race or work after having the injections, mandates that any horses that violate the rules are ineligible race or breeze for 30 days from the date of the injection. Trainers in violation of the rules were subject to 60-day suspensions. However, HISA announced late last month that the trainers would not be penalized and that the rules would not be enforced prior to July 15. HISA Chief Executive Lisa Lazarus said at the time that the delay in implementing the rule was needed because there was confusion among trainers regarding the specifics of the rule. She added that the temporary modification of enforcement of the rules was deemed the most “fair and equitable” way to proceed “given the number of violations.”

But HISA/HIWU still put the horses involved on a “provisionally suspended list.” According to a HISA statement released Friday, that was done so to “protect the horse's health.”

The list includes 17 trainers. Two horses had not started, therefore their trainers were not listed on Equibase. Among trainers, the most prominent names on the list are Norm Casse, Michael Stidham, Todd Pletcher, Linda Rice, and Jack Sisterson. The others are Carlos Munoz, Adriel Gonzalez, Betty Ott, Pedro Nazario, Brian Cook, Adrian Farias, David Fawkes, Victor Carrasco, Jr., John Ennis, Joseph Davis and Monica McGoey.

The release of the names of the horses left some important questions unanswered, namely why were some of the horses permitted to race while on the suspended list? The list of horses that raced while they were supposedly suspended numbers nine and does not include horses that may have worked out while they should have been ineligible to do so. Three of the horses on the list won while “suspended.” They are Trust Me (The Big Beast), Borgobythsea (English Channel) and Let's Go Mark (American Freedom).

At deadline for this story, a HIWU spokesperson had just responded to an email from TDN asking why the horses were allowed to race while suspended and who at HISA/HIWU was responsible for this apparent lapse? In an earlier email to HIWU, TDN had also asked if the horses who won while on the provisionally suspended list would be disqualified.

Here is the reply:

“HIWU had not anticipated the large volume of violations related to this rule and given the newness of the ADMC program, HIWU processed and notified the cases as quickly as they could. The horsemen continued to train and race their horses prior to receiving any notification, therefore they will not receive any penalties. HISA is reviewing the rule and procedures and will make an announcement prior to July 15 on the status of the rule and related procedures subsequent to July 15. Additionally, there were numerous other potential ADMC violations that needed to be investigated and/or processed, creating a much larger than expected workload. HISA and HIWU's top priority is the safety and welfare of each horse and measures have been taken to address these operational concerns.”

The list published Friday was through July 3. According to HISA, it will be updated.

The post HIWU Releases Names of Horses Ineligible to Race Because of Intra-Articular Injections appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Second Stride Joins Horse Country Tours

Horse Country, who connects guests to tours that provide a behind-the-scenes look into Kentucky's equine industry, is forming a new partnership with leading national equine adoption program Second Stride, the organization said in a release late Friday afternoon.

Tours of Second Stride will be offered six days a week, starting July 10, with both public and private options available. Guests will learn about the retraining and re-homing process and meet current trainees, as well as interact with the Thoroughbred ambassadors that reside at the farm.

“We're thrilled to have Second Stride join Horse Country and begin offering tours this month,” said Hallie Hardy, Executive Director of Horse Country. “Our member farms and supporting businesses, like Second Stride, are dedicated to connecting people to the horse, land and people of Kentucky's Horse Country.”

“Second Stride is excited to partner with Horse Country to expand our educational reach to the community and beyond” said Kim Smith, Founder and Executive Director of Second Stride. “The Chorleywood location is dedicated to partnership involvement and outreach as well as transitioning the state icon, the Thoroughbred, safely into fresh starts.”

Tours can be booked online or by calling Horse Country at (859) 963-1004. A kickoff is scheduled at the Prospect, Kentucky farm on Monday July 17 and those interested in attending can e-mail info@visithorsecountry.com for more information.

The post Second Stride Joins Horse Country Tours appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights