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Pat McBurney Earns 2023 Virgil ‘Buddy’ Raines Award

Long-time trainer Pat McBurney, a fixture at Monmouth Park for more than four decades and the current president of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Virgil “Buddy” Raines Distinguished Achievement Award.

The Raines Award, currently in its 28th year, is presented annually just prior to Monmouth Park's season opener. The track's 78th season of live racing gets underway on Saturday, May 13.

“It's a tremendous honor to receive this award because of what it means to thoroughbred racing in New Jersey,” said McBurney. “It's an impressive list of past recipients so it's a great honor to join them.”

McBurney, who spent the first half of his career as an assistant to the late John Forbes (the 2006 Raines Award winner), went out on his own full-time as a trainer in 2007. He saddled his first winner on May 13, 2007 when Cable Boy won at Monmouth Park.

“Pat's tireless efforts on behalf of New Jersey horsemen and racing in general in the state, and his success as a trainer, make him a worthy recipient of this year's Buddy Raines Award,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, the operators of Monmouth Park. “It's a fitting honor for someone who has done so much to promote thoroughbred racing in New Jersey.”

McBurney has won 333 races overall, with the versatile Golden Brown and Just Call Kenny– both Grade III winners–being his top runners.

McBurney, who resides in Fair Haven, New Jersey, will have nearly three dozen horses stabled at Monmouth Park this summer in anticipation of the 51-day meet.

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Preakness Update: Two Phil’s Out, Blazing Sevens, Perform and Chase the Chaos In

Two Phil's (Hard Spun), a game runner-up in the GI Kentucky Derby, will skip the May 20 GI Preakness S., according to a report from Jim O'Donnell in the Chicago Daily Herald.

“Too soon,” trainer Larry Rivelli told O'Donnell. “Phil came out of the Derby great. We shipped back to Chicago Sunday, but the Preakness is just 12 days away. That's just too soon.”

Two Phil's, coming off a win in the Mar. 25 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks, was the only runner close to the hot pace to still be around at the wire in Saturday's Derby.

“I'm not a guy who celebrates [second-place finishes], but this was an exception,” said Rivelli told O'Donnell. “So much had to go right for us and all came so close to going perfect. And you have to give major credit to [Jareth] Loveberry for the ride.”

Two Phil's, winner of last year's GIII Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs, opened 2023 with a runner-up effort in the Jan. 21

GIII Lecomte S. and was second in the Feb. 18 GII Risen Star S. before earning his spot in the Derby with his win in the Jeff Ruby at Turfway Park in March.

While the connections of Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) have yet confirm the colt's participation in two weeks, trainers Chad Brown and Shug McGaughey have both thrown their respective hats into the Preakness arena. Brown confirmed that Rodeo Creek Racing's Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), third last out in the Apr. 21 GI Toyota Blue Grass S., will head to Baltimore following one more work at Belmont Saturday.

“If he comes out of the work good, we'll go down to Pimlico either Sunday or Monday,” Brown said Tuesday morning.

After missing the Derby in 2017 with Cloud Computing and again last year with Early Voting, Brown returned to take the second jewel in the U.S. Triple Crown and he hopes to do it again with last year's GI Champagne S. winner.

“[Blazing Sevens] is coming into the race fresh,” Brown said. “He is coming in with a full tank of gas. Off his most recent work I see him moving forward off the Blue Grass. The horse is as good as I have ever seen him. I needed to see the horse really move forward and to see him at his very best. That is what I am seeing.”

Also confirmed for the Preakness, Woodford Racing, Lane's End Farm, Phipps Stable, Ken Langone and Edward Hudson's Perform (Good Magic) has been supplemented for $150,000.

This represents the first Preakness runner for McGaughey since his Derby hero Orb was seen finishing fourth in the 2013 Preakness.

“It's been a while,” said McGaughey. “Just haven't had the horse.”

A winner at Tampa in March, Perform followed up with a victory in the Apr. 15 Federico Tesio S. at Laurel. The colt will be accompanied by Feargal Lynch, who was also aboard in the Tesio.

“Two turns have helped him a lot,” McGaughey said. “Things changed when we started going around two turns. If I didn't think he fit with these, I would not be running him. We will have to wait and see, but his last two races around two turns have been pretty good.”

Perform is scheduled to work at Belmont on Sunday.

Also confirmed to run Tuesday, Adam Ference and Bill Dory's Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) received the green light from trainer Ed Moger Jr. Chase the Chaos earned an automatic fees-paid berth in the Preakness with his victory in the Feb. 11 El Camino Real Derby on his home track at Golden Gate Fields.

Moger said that Chase the Chaos, who will be his first Preakness starter, will work Saturday and ship to Baltimore on Tuesday.

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Supplemental Entries Added to Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale

An additional 28 supplemental entries have been added to the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

These entries, which are catalogued as hips 576-603, include 2-year-olds by Blame, Candy Ride (Arg), Good Magic, Hard Spun, Into Mischief, Munnings, Nyquist, Quality Road, Tapit, Twirling Candy, and Uncle Mo.

“Many of the sport's current leading sires are represented in the supplement, as well as a number of exciting first and second crop 2-year-old sires,” said Paget Bennett, Midlantic Director of Sales. “It's a high quality group that adds additional excitement to an already sterling catalogue.”

The auction's 2022 graduates include GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic).

“Everyone at Fasig-Tipton is very proud to call Mage a Midlantic May graduate,” said Bennett. “It was just a year ago that he breezed over the dirt surface at Timonium in our under tack show, and now he is a Kentucky Derby winner who could make his next start right back here in Baltimore–at the Preakness.”

The under-tack show for the May sale will be held May 16 through 18 and the two-day auction will be held May 22 and 23 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

The catalogue, including the latest supplemental entries, can be viewed here.

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Western Canadian Triple Crown Unveiled

Assiniboia Downs, Century Mile and Hastings Racecourse have joined forces to create a new Western Canadian Triple Crown debuting in 2023. The series begins with the $125,000 Manitoba Derby Aug. 7, continues with the $200,000 GIII Canadian Derby Aug. 26 and concludes with the $125,000 GIII British Columbia Derby Sept. 16.

In addition to $450,000 in purse money, there will be an additional $100,000 bonus should a horse win all three races.

“To link a meaningful financial bonus to the already robust purse offerings should only elevate the participation and competitiveness of the races,” said Darren Dunn, Assiniboia Downs Chief Executive Officer. “It also results in a rewarding outcome for both the racing fans and related horse connections. We are excited to work collaboratively with our western provincial partners who are so energized to put an even brighter spotlight on these historic Derby events.”

Allen Goodsell, Racing Manager at Century Casinos, praised officials at both Assiniboia Downs and Hastings Racecourse for the teamwork needed to create the series.

“This initiative will bring additional fanfare and excitement to Western Canada's premier races for 3-year-olds,” Goodsell said. “We look forward to additional collaboration in the future which only strengthens our collective industries.”

Nichelle Milner, BC Director of Racing, looked forward to expanding the series' rewards in the future.

“A Western Canadian Triple Crown has such great potential,” Milner said. “I can see eventually awarding points for first, second and third place finishes and have the top three connections profit from it. We're thrilled to be part of it.”

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