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Lynch Earns 1000th Training Victory

Midlantic-based trainer Cal Lynch celebrated the 1000th victory of his training career when Mosler Time took out the Saturday finale at Laurel Park.

The 4-year-old gelding covered six furlongs on the main track in 1:12.25 in the claiming event for 3-, 4- and 5-year-old maidens and comes one day after Forest Boyce marked 1000 wins in the saddle at Laurel.

“I'm delighted for everybody that's helped get to this point. It's all about the team,” he said. “A thousand winners, a lot of people helped get there. A lot of owners and horses in 30-odd years of doing this. It's my name on there but it's because everybody did their part. We're delighted.”

Lynch, 49, came to the U.S. in 1996 from Northern Ireland at the age of 19 after gaining experience training off his father's farm. His younger brother, former English apprentice champion Feargal, rides on the Maryland circuit.

According to Equibase statistics, Lynch's first training win came with Aneissa Chocolate Apr. 11, 1997, at old Garden State Park in New Jersey, winning his first stakes with Holiest Punch in the 2001 Bold Josh Handicap at The Meadowlands. He spent 12 years based at Parx before relocating to Maryland in 2016.

Lynch has won the first of his three graded-stakes with Javerre (Outflanker) in the 2013 GIII General George S. at Laurel. The other two came in the 2017 GIII Jerome S. and GIII Withers S. with El Areeb, who missed the Triple Crown series after suffering a knee fracture after running third in the Gotham.

“We're not done yet,” Lynch added. “I'll [look back] that when we're sitting on a beach in Florida in like 20 more years. Right now, we'll enjoy today. I just got back from the barn doing the feed. We'll be back out there tomorrow morning and the day I don't want to do that, that's the day I'll start looking back. We have a lot of really nice young horses coming in and a good barn full of horses here. I'm very, very lucky to be able to do this every day.”

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After Lothenbach Dispersal, Pessin Looks To Regroup

For nearly 20 years, trainer Neil Pessin didn't have to worry about filling up his barn. His principal owner, Bob Lothenbach, kept sending horses his way. That included a Grade I winner in Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) and several useful allowance horses. Pessin was training a 22-horse stable and 19 of them were owned by Lothenbach.

“Bob was an excellent owner,” Pessin said. “He knew our field of expertise was training horses and his was the paper business. Anytime I asked for anything that involved the welfare of the horse he was on board for it.”

Everything changed in November when Lothenbach died suddenly at the age of 64. With the Lothenbach horses headed to a dispersal sale, Pessin was down to three horses and faced with the task of having to rebuild his stable, practically from scratch.

The only thing he knew for certain was that panicking was not the answer.

“I'm not nervous about my future,” Pessin said. “You can't worry about stuff you can't control. You just do what you can and hope for the best. I've learned that worrying doesn't do a whole lot except give me ulcers. Just take it in stride and see what happens. More people are worried about this than I am. We'll just see what happens. If an opportunity arises we'll take it. If it doesn't we'll see what the future holds. I'm not sure at the moment. Hopefully, we can survive. If not, we'll do something else.”

It doesn't look like Pessin will have to “do something else.” Out of the dispersal sale, which was done digitally by Fasig-Tipton, Pessin signed for five horses. They ranged in price from the $340,000 paid for Grade III stakes winner Happy American (Runhappy) to the $18,000 paid for maiden Hogslayers R I P (Union Rags). The horses will be owned by a five-member syndicate that Pessin put together in order to buy some horses out of the dispersal sale.

“Buying Happy American was pretty self explanatory,” he said. “There's a race coming up here at the Fair Grounds, the Mineshaft Stakes. The purse is $250,000 and the winner gets $150,000. He'll be one of the favorites. The $150,000 the winner will get would pay for almost half of him. He's worth it. He can compete in all the stakes around here. He can't beat the top horses, but if you spot him around he can be a very useful horse all year long.”

He also retained the gelding Kiss The Moon (Malibu Moon), who was bought by Anthony Spinazzola, who decided to keep the horse with Pessin.

That has left Pessin with nine horses.

The Lothenbach 2-year-olds will sell at OBS March.

“It's possible that I might buy some of the 2-year-olds,” he said. “If anyone is interested I'll go take a look at them. I bought 14 of them myself at the yearling sales. But if I don't have the money behind me to do it then I'm not going to be able to buy anything.”

He's had some feelers from owners interested in giving him horses and hopes some new horses will come his way from owners looking to compete at the Keeneland spring meet. But he's not going to go begging.

“I've never asked anybody for any horses and I'm not going to start now,” Pessin said. “Right now we have these five horses that we bought and three others in barn. I'll just have to go forward and see what happens. One way or another I'll be fine. You can't worry about what you can't change.”

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Blacker Issues Statement, Accepts Responsibility For Not Following Rules Regarding Pre-Workout Exams

Trainer Dan Blacker, who has been charged by the California Horse Racing Board with failing to comply with regulations that require that a horse undergoes a veterinary exam within 72 hours of a workout and that the work is entered into a CHRB database, has issued a statement in which he said he takes “full responsibility” for not following the rules.

The issue came to light when an unraced Blacker-trainee named Animae (Speightstown) suffered a fatal injury after a July 1 workout at Santa Anita. The CHRB investigated and found that no pre-workout report on Animae had been filed within three days of the work and that veterinary reports were also not filed for two of three workouts by the filly prior to the July 1 work. The 2-year-old suffered a fatal musculoskeletal injury to her pelvis and vertebrae.

“During a horse-fatality investigation for the horse Animae,” the CHRB complaint read, “it was found the horse did not have an examination by his attending veterinarian entered into EquiTAPS database during the 72 hours immediately preceding an official workout. Three out of the four official workouts listed for Animae did not have a veterinarian exam listed, including the official workout when the horse suffered the fatality.”

Blacker wrote that Animae is the only horse under his care to suffer a fatal injury. He has been training since 2011.

After a further investigation, the CHRB discovered that from Jan. 1, 2002, when the rule requiring horses to undergo a vet's inspection prior to a workout went into effect, to July 1, 2023, Blacker-trained horses worked 789 times but veterinary reports were not filed for 527 of those workouts.

On Saturday, Blacker posted a statement to his X account, writing that he had always been careful to make sure his horses were properly examined before working out.

“I want to make it clear that I am in contact with my veterinary team daily,” he wrote. “We jog up every horse, every day before they go to the track. The horses in training are thoroughly evaluated by myself, my team and my veterinarian on a daily basis.”

He wrote that after Animae broke down, he learned that his pre-work procedures did not comply with CHRB rules.

“Subsequently, I learned that our long-established procedures, while complying with Santa Anita workout rules were not always in line with the California Horse Racing Board rule regarding pre-workout inspection and reporting,” he wrote. “As soon as I was made aware, we immediately began to operate in compliance with the rule.”

Despite implying that he thought he was doing everything by the book, Blacker admitted that he now understands that he may have been in violation of CHRB rules.

“I take full responsibility for this matter and the consequences it will bring forth,” he said in the statement. “I stand firm in saying that all the horses in my program have always received the highest level of care.”

CHRB spokesman Mike Marten told the Paulick Report that the regulators have filed 18 complaints regarding workout and pre-race veterinary checks since the rule went into effect. According to Paulick, stewards have primarily opted to fine violators of the rule, with amounts ranging from $100 up to $1,000 for multiple violations.

Blacker, 41, has 120 career wins from 840 starters. His biggest win came in the 2021 GI Kilroe Mile S. with Hit The Road (More Than Ready).

According to the Daily Racing Form, a hearing into the Blacker matter was originally scheduled for Oct. 13 but has been postponed.

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TCA To Honor Trainer Richard Mandella

Richard Mandella has been selected by the Board of Directors of the Thoroughbred Club of America as the 2023 Honor Guest, Club President Charlie Boden announced Monday.

“The Thoroughbred Club of America is delighted to name Richard Mandella as its 2023 Honor Guest”, said Boden. “Richard is a shining example of what past generations traditionally thought of when they considered what a great trainer is–a real “throwback” who has never had more than 40 horses in his barn. He is steadfast in his care of the animal with a long view of what that animal could accomplish if given the time to flourish. His care for the horses in his barn is matched by his support of the people who he employs to take such good care of them. He is a consummate professional in every aspect of his trade evidenced by his exemplary integrity record and his body of work as is shown by the great horses he has had his hands on. His unheralded service to the industry by his continued support of entities devoted to the welfare of the horse is also exemplary.”

Mr. Mandella will be honored by the Club at its 92nd Testimonial Dinner, which will be held at Keeneland Friday, November 17th, 2023.

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