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Trainer Art Sherman Plans To Retire At Year’s End

Trainer Art Sherman told bloodhorse.com this week that he plans to retire at the end of 2021, so as to spend more time traveling with his wife and visiting their children and grandchildren. Sherman is best known for his handling of champion California Chrome, whose major victories include the 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and 2016 Dubai World Cup.

Sherman, 84, currently trains a son of California Chrome named Chasing Alchemy for a partnership that includes a group of the horse's fans, the “Chromies.”

“About eight women own about 10 percent of him,” Sherman told bloodhorse.com. “They're all Chromies, and they have a lot of fun. They meet all the time. Every Saturday they're at the barn. Chrome is such a popular horse. I still get all kinds of letters. He's been a people's horse.”

The horses Sherman trains will likely head to the stables of his sons, Steve in Northern California and Alan in Kentucky.

Sherman served as an exercise rider and a jockey prior to his training career. Among the highlights were his time spent galloping the great California-bred Swaps for trainer Mesh Tenney, and accompanying the horse to Louisville when he won the 1955 Kentucky Derby.

Sherman has saddled the winners of 2,261 races in his career, including multiple Grade 1 winners: Siren Lure, Ultra Blend, Haimish Hy, and Lang Field.

Kentucky Commission Issues Medication Suspensions To Greg Foley, Phil Bauer

Trainers Greg Foley and Phil Bauer have each been issued suspensions by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, according to rulings posted to the Commission's website late last week.

Foley's trainee On Your Mark, winner of the eighth race at Ellis Park on Aug. 1, has been disqualified due to the presence of a metabolite of the sedative Acepromazine, a Class B medication violation. Foley has been fined $500 and issued a 15-day suspension, with 15 additional days stayed pending no additional violations (Class A or B) over the next 365 days.

Foley's suspension will run from Dec. 5 through Dec. 19, inclusive.

Bauer's trainees Angkor (third in Churchill's eighth race on June 18) and Played Hard (winner of Churchill's seventh race on June 20) were both found to have meloxicam in their post-race samples. Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory classified as a Class B medication violation. Both Angkor and Played Hard have been disqualified, with Bauer fined $500 and suspended 30 days for each positive.

Since Bauer could not be notified of the first positive before the second occurred, his suspensions will run concurrently on Dec. 5, 2021 through Jan. 3, 2022.

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Trainer/Owner Adolfo Macias Suspended 90 Days After Barn Search

Adolfo Macias has had both his owner's and trainer's licenses suspended for 90 days by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, beginning Dec. 1 and running through Feb. 28, 2022. According to a ruling issued on Nov. 13, the suspension stems from a barn search at Ashwood Training Center on July 28, 2021, which turned up injectable medications, hypodermic needles and syringes.

In an additional ruling issued on the same date, Macias' trainee Enraged has been disqualified from his win at Ellis Park on July 9, 2021. Industrial Laboratories indicated that a post-race sample from Enraged was positive for dexamethasone, and the split sample was confirmed by Texas A & M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. The KHRC also fined Macias for the violation, his first in 365 days.

Macias, who has been training since 2005, has saddled 127 winners from 1,165 starters.

According to thoroughbredrulings.com, Macias has previously been cited for positives of phenylbutazone (Jan. 22, 2009; March 7, 2009; May 3, 2011), flunixin (May 3, 2011), and dexamethasone (Dec. 30, 2012)

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Aqueduct: Under 20’s Claiming Challenge Returns For Winter, SPring Meets

The Under 20's Claiming Challenge will return for the upcoming winter and spring meets at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The program, launched in 2018 and open to local trainers with 20 or fewer horses nationwide, will begin on Thursday, December 9, Opening Day of the Aqueduct winter meet which runs through Sunday, March 27. The Claiming Challenge will come to a close at the conclusion of the 15-day Big A spring meet, which spans Thursday, March 31 through Sunday, April 24.

The top-eight trainers in the contest will share a prize pool of $80,000, with the winner receiving $16,000. Stall allotments for the Aqueduct winter meet, along with those at the Saratoga and the Belmont fall meets, will be used to determine eligible trainers.

Trainers earn points based on their horses' performances in all winners' claiming races on the main track at Aqueduct from December 9 through the end of the Big A spring meet. Points will be tallied and records verified on May 23, and awards will be granted thereafter.

To retain eligibility, there can be no more than 20 horses on a trainer's roster at any given time, although a trainer's stable may grow above 20 horses through claiming activity. Trainers who had 21 or more stalls allotted in either of the previous two race meets will be ineligible for this year's contest.

Not all horses will be eligible for the contest, and only roster horses can earn points. A trainer may replace a claimed horse who was on their roster with another claimed horse. After a horse is claimed, it will be added to the trainer's roster only at the trainer's request.

Horses in for a tag in an allowance optional claiming race will qualify for contest points. Points are not earned in maiden, allowance, starter allowance or stakes races.

A horse that ends up on the stewards' list for poor performance will not earn the trainer points for that race. Horses that are running for 50 percent or less of the claiming price from their most recent start will only be eligible to earn 50 percent of the typical points for that race.

In addition, horses can only earn contest points for two races within a given 30-day time period. A horse may enter in additional races during that timeframe but will not earn contest points for those additional races.

Contest Point Structure:
Dirt Races – All claiming races for winners, including horses in for an optional tag:
1st Place – 6 points
2nd Place – 5 points
3rd Place – 4 points
4th Place – 3 points
5th Place – 2 points

Turf Races – All turf claiming races for winners, including horses in for an optional tag:
1st Place – 5 points
2nd Place – 4 points
3rd Place – 3 points
4th Place – 2 points
5th Place – 1 points

Trainer Bonuses:
The top-eight trainers in the contest will share in a prize pool of $80,000:
1st Place – $16,000
2nd Place – $14,000
3rd Place – $12,000
4th Place – $11,000
5th Place – $9,000
6th Place – $7,000
7th Place – $6,000
8th Place – $5,000

Important Dates at a glance:
November 27, 2021 – All contest applications due no later than 3:30 p.m.
December 2, 2021 – List of eligible contest trainers posted
December 9, 2021 – Contest begins; Aqueduct winter meet
February 15, 2022 – No additional horses may be added to earn contest points (unless replacing a claimed or injured horse)
April 24, 2022 – Contest ends; Closing day, Aqueduct spring meet
May 23, 2022 – Awards paid out

Past winners of the Under 20s Claiming Challenge:
2021 Belmont spring/summer – Mertkan Kantarmaci
2020-21 Aqueduct winter – Mertkan Kantarmaci
2019-20 Aqueduct winter – Eddie Barker/Mertkan Kantarmaci (tie)
2019 Belmont spring/summer – Mertkan Kantarmaci
2018-19 Aqueduct winter – Mertkan Kantarmaci
2018 Belmont spring/summer – Eddie Barker

For more information, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/horsemen/.

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