trainer | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cunha Seeking Flying Machines of a Different Kind

Newmarket may be known for its dominant stables that currently house headline names such as Baaeed (GB), Stradivarius (Ire) and Alpinista (GB), but the town is also home to a large number of smaller yards, and the newest trainer to join the town's ranks is Dylan Cunha.

The South African is new to Britain but he is not new to training. In his home country he won the G1 Steinhoff International Summer Cup with Strategic News (Aus) (Strategic {Aus}) in 2007. To include him within our Local Heroes series is then perhaps then somewhat erroneous as, at one stage, Cunha was heading for the big time in South African racing before largely turning his back on the sport to become an airline pilot. With his stable of five horses recently assembled in the bottom yard at William Jarvis's Phantom House, he now hopes to make his mark on the town where he once completed a stint working for Robert Armstrong.

“I was 18, coming from a hot city in Durban, and Robert Armstrong was coming to the end of his careers so a lot of the lads were in their seventies,” he recalls of his first Newmarket experience. “I was the only kid there with one other kid, Dominic Fox, who became an apprentice. So that was a culture shock to me but it was the best learning experience ever. I got to learn the proper, old school way, which is what I love. From there I went on to Barry Hills, and it was a good year, 1999, when Distant Music won the Dewhurst and Rainbow High (GB) won the Chester Cup.”

After two seasons with Hills, Cunha, a former amateur rider, returned to South Africa to work for champion trainer Justin Snaith for four years before setting up on his own.

“I was too young,” he admits. “Justin's dad told me when I went that I was too young. But I was young and cocky so I did it. And he was right, because I didn't really enjoy it, even though we did well. We won the biggest race in Johannesburg, third biggest race in South Africa, lots of other listed races, mostly with cheap buys. Strategic News didn't get a bid in Australia when I bought him. The breeder came to me, because he knew I liked him and he said, 'I'll tell you what. Take him home, and you can pay for him when you've got a client for him'.”

Eventually Cunha followed another dream of becoming a pilot, working for Mango Airlines, living on the beach in Durban with his family, and pretty much enjoying life until the pandemic struck.

“I did a flight on 24 March 2020 to Cape Town and back, landed, went home. Everything was fine,” he recalls. “That afternoon, I got an email saying 'That's it'. And that was it.”

With two sisters and a brother already in the country and a brother-in-law working for Simon Crisford, Cunha decided to return to Britain with his wife and children, and was drawn back to the one thing that had always been a part of his life, even when relegated to the background.

“I grew up with horses. You grow up, and you reflect. I had 10 years of flying aeroplanes, reflecting, sitting, thinking,” he says. “I stayed watching racing. I owned a share with my dad. We bought one horse every year and we had a really good one, which we sold and it funded a lot of this actually.

“If I'd stayed training, maybe I would never have had that time to reflect. I think you've got to do that. You've got to be self critical.”

There's less time for reflection now that Cunha has horses under his care again. His team may be small at present but he is hands-on and does a lot of the work himself.

“I was Robert Armstrong's muck out boy, so I don't need to pay anyone to do that,” he says with a laugh.

And he is clearly enjoying being around horses full-time again as he runs through his hopes for his team, which is led by the 88-rated Moliwood (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who was recently bought by the Sarkar family at the Tattersalls July Sale and sent to him to train. His promising fourth-place in the Shergar Cup Stayers has encouraged Cunha to give Moliwood an entry in the Cesarewitch. The trainer also understandably has a soft spot for Mighty Mind (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}), who became his first winner in Britain at Chelmsford on August 9.

It's a privilege & honour to share this achievement with one of my role models, the legend @MdkRacing We are the youngest 2 Gr1 Summer Cup winners & the only 2 South Africans to have trained a UK winner @RacingPost @sportingpost @SAHorseracing @club_irc @TurfTalk1 @ClockGallop pic.twitter.com/Xwystbj32M

— Dylan Cunha Racing LTD (@dylancunha_uk) August 10, 2022

Cunha proudly was touched to receive a handwritten letter from his landlord and fellow trainer William Jarvis, congratulating on his debut success second time around and says, “Even though I did well before, there were a lot of mistakes I made personally, with owners, with horses. You learn, and I've grown a lot from that. I used to be very stressed, so hyped up and then so disappointed. I don't get stressed now, and I don't get disappointed either.”

He does, however, get excited at the prospect of targeting York's Mallard Handicap with Moliwood followed by a possible run in one of Newmarket's most historic races.

“I get goosebumps even thinking about the Cesarewitch,” he says.

And while acknowledging the escalating costs of running horses in Britain, which does not compare favourably to the subsidised travel and jockey fees in South Africa, Cunha clearly is still relishing this second opportunity to train while bing based in the town where horseracing, as we know it, began.

“English racing is by far the best in the world,” he adds. “The racecourses are amazing. You take the big festivals: there's nothing better. And then the small meetings…every time I stand in Brighton, I just look up and I'm like, 'What?' You would never see this anywhere else in the world. It's unique.”

The post Cunha Seeking Flying Machines of a Different Kind appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lovell Riding High After a Special Saratoga Win

In 1993, Michelle Lovell rode five races at Saratoga. Then known as jockey Michelle Hanley, she came home with three second-place finishes, but never got that win at the Spa. Twenty-nine years later, she finally made it to the winner's circle. This time it was with the brilliant GII Saratoga Special S. winner Damon's Mound (Girvin), her first Saratoga starter as a trainer.

How do the two experiences compare?

“Riding here back in the day, I was just super in awe of the place,” Lovell explained. “Obviously who wouldn't want to come here and have a go at it? But honestly, bringing Damon's Mound as my first Saratoga starter, I mean that's what dreams are made of, right?”

Damon's Mound is a sixth-generation homebred for Cliff and Michele Love and the first horse Lovell has trained for the Texas-based owners. The horsewoman said her connection with the couple started early this year with a cold call from Cliff.

“Thank goodness I answered the phone,” she said with a laugh. “I knew his name because I used to race in Texas. It was just a really nice person on the other end of the line who said they had a 2-year-old training in Ocala that they thought a lot of. He said he had done a lot of research and decided he wanted me as a trainer if I had a stall. We get these calls as trainers every so often and sometimes the horse doesn't pan out or the owners don't call back, but they kept in touch and when Damon's Mound was ready, he showed up at my barn–this big, beautiful 2-year-old.”

Lovell took an immediate liking to the striking bay colt, who is named after a 146 foot-tall limestone formation outside of the town of Damon, Texas.

Lovell, Damon's Mound and Gabriel Saez celebrate the GII Saratoga Special victory | Susie Raisher

“He was obviously raised right,” she said. “He was broke by Ocala Stud's David O'Farrell and I had lots of contact with him after I got him in. He told me that he was always professional and that he really liked him. We got him in the spring and he never missed a day. He was obviously well-broke. He was actually fit for a half-mile as they said, which sometimes doesn't happen.”

When Damon's Mound was named a 'TDN Rising Star' after his stunning 12 1/2-length obliteration of maidens at Churchill Downs on July 2, Lovell and the Loves were inundated with inquiries about purchasing the promising juvenile. All were turned down.

“We had dozens of calls and text messages,” Lovell shared. “We had some really nice offers from good people that have been in the business for a long time who said they would be happy to be a silent partner along for the ride, but Cliff just said he was going to share this with his wife.”

Despite Love's initial words, Lovell said she couldn't help harboring a few thoughts that the owner's mind might change if Damon's Mound was just as brilliant in his second start as he was in his debut.

“It was always in the back of my mind,” she admitted. “I just thought that I would have to wish them well and understand that it's a business and it happens. I was just grateful to have him to begin with.”

Before leaving for Saratoga, Lovell had the conversation with the Loves of what would happen if they came back with a win in the Saratoga Special.

“We really didn't think we would be worse than second,” Lovell said. “With Gulfport (Uncle Mo) in there we knew we had our work cut out for us, but we thought we could be in the winner's circle. Cliff just told me, 'If he wins they're going to be calling again, but he's still not for sale. You're my spokesperson and he's not for sale.'”

A caravan that included Lovell, Damon's Mound, Elwood (Lovell's speckled pony with a following of his own) and Roy Seales (Lovell's groom with a background working in New York racing) made the journey from their summer base at Colonial Downs Racetrack in Virginia to Saratoga. They shipped in to Mike Maker's barn, which overlooks the main track's far turn.

Change of Control settling into the same stall Damon's Mound occupied in Saratoga last week | Michelle Lovell

“The first day we were here, he could see the racing and it kind of got him excited,” Lovell said. “He watched really intensely, but then the next day, he slept all day.”

Two days before the big day, Damon's Mound had a similar laid-back attitude as he schooled in the paddock alongside his highly regarded competitor Gulfport.

“He walked in through the crowd with such confidence and poise,” Lovell said. “Especially for a young horse in his second time out, he just owns it. I couldn't have been more proud of him.”

Damon's Mound got another look at 2-5 favorite Gulfport as he trailed the rest of a four-horse field through the opening stages of the Saratoga Special, but after being asked by jockey Gabriel Saez, Damon's Mound made his move at the far turn and accelerated to a 3 1/4-length victory.

“We were confident going in, but you get a little nervous,” Lovell admitted as she reflected on the race. “He gives you all the confidence because his demeanor is great. He's humble, too. He's proud of himself, but he's a humble horse. It was an awesome day. It couldn't have been more perfect.”

Of course, more offers came in for the new Grade II victor, but Lovell said word has spread that for now, the colt is in her barn to stay.

“It's a great thing that people are interested because obviously he's a very talented 2-year-old with a great future in front of him, but it's refreshing not to have to field those calls and text messages,” Lovell admitted. “I'm truly grateful to Cliff and Michele that they want to be on this journey. They've been waiting for it for a long time, so kudos to them for sticking to their guns. It's a great story for them.”

The Loves were not present for the victory in Saratoga, opting to enjoy the race together at home and plan to attend their stable star's next start.

Damon's Mound returned to Colonial Downs late on Sunday and Lovell reported that he has come out of the race in perfect form. She is still weighing her options for where the Florida-bred could make his next start, considering either the GIII Iroquois S. at Churchill on Sept. 17 or the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 8.

While Damon's Mound has already resumed light jogging at Colonial Downs, Lovell is back in New York this weekend with her second Saratoga starter. On Saturday, Change of Control (Fed Biz) will race from post one in the Smart N Fancy S. The 6-year-old mare finished fourth by three lengths to eventual GI Fourstardave H. winner Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in the GI Jaipur S. and followed that effort with a stakes win at Colonial Downs on July 18.

“She's coming into this race really well off her win at Colonial,” Lovell reported. “It was nice to get a little class relief there and that will set her up well for this race. There are some good mares in there, so there's no doubt it will be a nice race. Hopefully we get a nice trip.”

It certainly can't hurt that while in Saratoga, Change of Control is staying in the same stall that Damon's Mound occupied last weekend.

“It would be awesome to be two-for-two up here,” Lovell said. “That would be the cherry on top.”

The post Lovell Riding High After a Special Saratoga Win appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Op/Ed: That Burton Sipp is Still Racing is Indefensible

Take the time to read colleague Dan Ross's extensive and detailed story on the sordid career of trainer Burton Sipp and you might conclude that, in horse racing, enough is never enough. The story is about a lot more than the many controversies that have shadowed Sipp throughout his career, it is about how racing somehow always let Sipp back in, to give him a third chance, a fourth, fifth chance. It is about the sport's inability to police itself and its failure to permanently ban someone who has no business training horses.

Yet, on Monday night, Sipp, who has sent out 117 starters so far this year, will have two runners in at Mountaineer Park. This is the person that, in a 1993 story I penned for the New York Daily News, was called the “most deplorable person I have encountered on the backstretch of a racetrack,” by former Pennsylvania Racing Commission commissioner Hart Stotter. That he is still actively training is a beyond embarrassing. Worse yet, it plays right into the hands of racing's many critics who argue that the sport doesn't do nearly enough to keep the horses safe or to rid itself of its worst elements. When it comes to Sipp, how do we defend against that? We can't.

The latest firestorm surrounding Sipp involves allegations that he knowingly funnels his horses into the slaughter pipeline. That could have led to his permanent banishment from Mountaineer, which, in 2010, notified horsemen they will lose stalls and may be excluded from the track if any horses racing at Mountaineer end up at the Sugarcreek auction in Ohio, which is frequented by killer buyers who send horses on to slaughter. Proving such allegations can be tricky, but there's no evidence to suggest that Mountaineer racing officials have so much as launched an investigation. Perhaps they just decided to look the other way.

Ross reached out to James Colvin, the director of racing at Mountaineer, about the recent scrutiny on Sipp and got a non-answer answer. “I have no information for you to discuss on Burton Sipp, the WV Racing Commission has licensed Mr. Sipp and has also investigated him and to my knowledge have found no wrongdoing as to date,” Colvin wrote in an email.

Ross had more questions for Colvin, but he did not respond to subsequent emails.

With the allegations that Sipp sent horses to the auctions frequented with killer buyers gaining more and more traction, Churchill Downs Inc. took action, announcing on Tuesday that it was banning Sipp from its tracks. Sipp has started 25 horses this year at Presque Isle Downs, which is owned by Churchill. The company is to be commended for taking action against the trainer, but it's fair to ask them what took them so long. It's also fair to ask how they could have banned Bob Baffert for two years for nothing worse than medication overages while, until this week, taking no action against Sipp.

Sipp has been training since 1968. He carved out a niche for himself, winning a lot of races on the leaky roof circuit. He won a career best 272 races in 1981, but he would soon become embroiled in a controversy that should have meant the end of his career. In 1984, Sipp was indicted by a grand jury in New Jersey on charges of inflating insurance claims on nine horses who died in his care over a four-year period. Sipp eventually pled guilty to the lesser charges of witness tampering and was fined $7,500 and sentenced to five-years probation. When interviewed in 1993, Gregg Shivers, the assistant Burlington County prosecutor at the time, said that his office could have easily proven the earlier charges, but that the plea bargain was driven in part by the anticipated cost of the trial, expected to be one of the most expensive in Burlington County history.

Insurance fraud is a serious offense and so is witness tampering. Sipp had also been charged around the same time with forging a scratch card on another trainer's horse. Collectively, the industry acted and Sipp did not start any horses between December of 1984 and September of 1993.

“From my experience as Director of Enforcement for the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, I am aware of a number of actions and activities (Sipp) was involved in, all of which are a matter of public record,” Roger Marciano told me in 1993. “I thought and fully expected that he would never race again or be involved in any way with pari-mutuel racing.”

But Sipp never gave up on the idea of making a comeback and in 1993 found a racing commission willing to give him a license. With a license in hand from the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, he was back, entering horses at the track then known as Philadelphia Park. Ken Kirchner, the executive secretary of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission said that Sipp “deserved a second chance.”

After making 136 starts in 1994, Sipp disappeared, and it's not clear why. He did not return to racing until 2004. It appears that he spent some of that time operating Animal Kingdom, a 32-acre zoo and pet store in Burlington, N.J. According to a Philadelphia Inquirer article, Sipp was under investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for alleged animal welfare violations at the zoo. According to the Inquirer, citations stemmed all the way back to 2002, when five emaciated giraffes reportedly died at the zoo.

Having returned to training, Sipp settled in at Suffolk Downs. When asked by a Boston Globe reporter in 2005 why Sipp had been licensed Suffolk Downs steward Bill Keene said: ”There's nothing in the rule book that keeps him from getting a license because he has a past.” That Keene believed that a person's past transgressions should have no bearing on them getting a license says a lot of about the sport's attitude toward rule-breakers. Of course a person's past matters.

Sipp has been operating ever since resurfacing at Suffolk Downs. But it appears that there are some racetracks that have refused to accept his entries as all of his 2021 and 2022 starts have come at Mountaineer, Presque Isle and Thistledown. In at least one state, he has been permanently banned. Since the mid 1990s, Sipp has been barred from applying for a racing license in New Jersey.

On the surface, Sipp is a nobody. He is 78, competes only at low-level tracks and has won just eight races this year. His stable has earned just $112,861. When he makes headlines it is only for the wrong reasons. Perhaps the tracks that have allowed him to run thought no one would pay attention. But that hasn't been the case. There are plenty of good people who care and plenty of good people who want to see Burton Sipp permanently banned from every racetrack in the country. That that hasn't happened yet is simply inexcusable.

The post Op/Ed: That Burton Sipp is Still Racing is Indefensible appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Weekly Rulings: July 11-17

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where.

New York
Track: N/A
Date: 07/18/2022
Licensee: Juan Vazquez, trainer
Penalty: Suspension
Violation: Reciprocity of suspension for “grossly negligent, cruel and abusive” behavior.
Explainer: Trainer Juan Carlos Vazquez is prohibited from participating in any New York State horse racing activity as his suspension by the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission goes into effect today. During this time, Mr. Vazquez is suspended in New York and cannot enter horses to run at any New York track, including The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) tracks (Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course) or Finger Lakes Race Track. New York is one of 38 racing states that honors out-of-state suspensions issued by regulators. Reciprocity is addressed specifically in N.Y. Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law Section 910: “§ 910. Reciprocity of licenses. All license denials, suspensions and revocations imposed by the pertinent racing and gambling authorities of other jurisdictions, including states, United States territories, and Canadian provinces shall be recognized and enforced by the commission …”