Triple Crown | Horse Racing Free Tips

Dave Johnson Joins TDN Writers’ Room, Talks Secretariat

On that June afternoon nearly 50 years ago, Dave Johnson was there to witness one of the most memorable moments in the history of horse racing. As the NYRA track announcer, he called Secretariat's win in the GI Belmont S., an event he, and anyone who was there that day, will never forget. To share his memories, Johnson joined the team for this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. Johnson was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week.

He recalled that Secretariat came around at the perfect time, that the country was looking for a hero and a heroic story after the struggles of the late sixties and early seventies.

“There was Watergate and Vietnam, and this was before people scratched off lottery tickets and before sports books and casinos,” he said. “Racing was the great place to go and make a legal bet. And then along comes this great horse with a great crew. You had Lucien Laurin training and Ronnie Turcotte riding and Mrs. Tweedy was a great cheerleader. She just she captured the audience. When you'd see her on television rooting for a horse, you wanted her to win. So it was all of those things that came together with this magnificent animal. Secretariat just came at the right time and with the right people and at a time where the sport didn't have the problems it has now. People loved Secretariat and loved the story, and it was a hell of a story.”

In that era, announcers were not allowed to call the finish of a race because that was seen as a violation of the Wire Act of 1938, which was meant to discourage bookmaking. But he did his best to let his audience know that something special was taking place.

“I called Secretariat in front by 25 lengths at the sixteenth-pole,” he said. “I had never called a horse in a race other than a steeplechase race in front by that much. So I called him in front by 25 lengths at the sixteenth pole and then I shut the mic off at the 70-yard mark saying Secretariat wins the Triple Crown or something like that. I don't think NYRA has the call. But that's what I remember, how gigantic the margin of victory was. It seems like yesterday. It doesn't seem like 50 years ago.”

Johnson has called hundreds of major races, including a slew of Triple Crown events while working for ABC. But nothing, he said, will ever top the 1973 Belmont.

“It was the greatest spectacle in my lifetime of watching horse races,” Johnson said. “If you brought any horse in the world to the Belmont that afternoon at a mile-and-a-half, Secretariat would have beat them. It was it was just spectacular. It was the greatest moment for me in horse racing. I don't think you'll ever match it.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore,https://lanesend.com/ the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, 1/st Racing, WinStar Farm, XBTV, Lane's End and https://www.threechimneys.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Bill Finley, Zoe Cadman and Randy Moss discussed the news surrounding the National Thoroughbred League, the new racing initiative that hopes to bring the team aspect that is at the core of other sports to racing. There was some skepticism that it will succeed and Moss pointed out just how expensive it will be purchase the 36 horses that will be needed to form the racing teams. But there was agreement that the league deserves a chance and they applauded its founders for trying something new and different that could bring new fans to the sport. The rash of fatalities at Churchill Downs took up much of the podcast. As is the case with just about everyone in the industry, the team doesn't see there being any magic bullets but was in agreement that the situation is a terrible problem for a sport holding on dearly to its social license to operate. And how will Rich Strike (Keen Ice) do now that he has been turned over to Bill Mott? The consensus was that Mott will have his work cut out for him but that if anybody can get last year's GI Kentucky Derby winner back to top form it is his new trainer.

The post Dave Johnson Joins TDN Writers’ Room, Talks Secretariat appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kentucky Derby Runner Reincarnate To Skip Belmont Stakes, Target Travers Stakes

While Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure is ramping up for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, stablemate Reincarnate will skip the “Test of the Champion” with the ultimate objective being the G1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 26 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, Reincarnate was most recently 13th in the G1 Kentucky Derby for trainer Tim Yakteen, who conditioned the son of Good Magic through his last three starts. He was previously third in Oaklawn Park's G2 Rebel and G1 Arkansas Derby.

Both Reincarnate and National Treasure are owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Waves Edge Capital, Jay A. Schoenfarber, and Catherine Donovan.

“He'll redirect to the Travers. It'll fit him well and will give him some time to fill up again out of the Derby,” said Tom Ryan, racing manager for the ownership group. “It feels like he's getting bigger and stronger with time. We all want everything to happen tomorrow, but if you're patient with these horses and give them the chance to be able to be what they can be, it's amazing how they can repay you.”

Ryan said he was unsure as to when or if Reincarnate would race leading up to the Travers.

Bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm, Reincarnate was purchased for $775,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He is out of the stakes-winning Scat Daddy mare Allanah.

National Treasure won't be the large ownership group's only starter on Belmont Stakes Day. Ryan reported that Grade 1 Carter-winner Doppelganger will return to the Empire State for the G1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap for trainer Brittany Russell. The Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Santa Anita.

Owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable and Siena Farm, the 4-year-old Into Mischief colt is unbeaten since joining the Maryland-based Russell's stable, capturing a pair of allowance events at Laurel Park before shipping to Aqueduct for his Carter conquest.

A debut maiden winner at two for Baffert, he finished second last year in the 1 1/16-mile G2 San Felipe and third in the 1 1/16-mile G3 Affirmed – both at Santa Anita.

“He's a spectacular physical son of Into Mischief with a great pedigree,” Ryan said. “He had some 2-year-old form. He's a horse that had some bone bruising at a time in his career when we just needed to stop on him. We gave him all that time he needed. The Carter is a bear of a race, but the horse is doing well and he's definitely improved from race to race and we're excited about it.”

Ryan also reported that the ownership conglomerate which campaigns National Treasure will go three deep in the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun for sophomores going seven furlongs with Fort Bragg, Gilmore, and Fort Warren.

Fort Bragg was a last-out second to General Jim in the G2 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs following a pair of fifth-place finishes in the G2 San Felipe and G1 Florida Derby.

Gilmore, who was a closing third in the Pat Day Mile, ran second in the G3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct two starts back for trainer Brendan Walsh. His lone win was a four-length victory going one mile in December at Los Alamitos for Baffert.

Fort Warren, a distant third in the G2 San Vicente in January at Santa Anita for Baffert, defeated winners going six furlongs on May 19 at Pimlico for Russell.

“They're three nice colts,” Ryan said. “Fort Bragg – it feels like he's potentially the top of that trifecta, but Gilmore is a nice horse, too. He's a horse that comes from off the pace. He's really learning and improving with each start. Fort Warren ran very well at Pimlico on Preakness weekend. He came out of that race well. We always felt like, despite the fact that he's by Curlin, that he's more a sprinter, miler type.”

The post Kentucky Derby Runner Reincarnate To Skip Belmont Stakes, Target Travers Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘He Picked It Up Pretty Quick’: National Treasure Breezes Half-Mile Toward Belmont Stakes

SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan's Grade 1 Preakness-winner National Treasure worked a half-mile solo Tuesday over Big Sandy in preparation for the G1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

With Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez up for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the Quality Road colt was caught by NYRA clockers in a swift opening split of 23 and 2/5 seconds before hitting the wire through a half-mile in 50.62.

Velazquez had National Treasure under a hold down the lane before letting the talented bay gallop out strong.

“I wanted to jog him to the mile pole and start him galloping nice and easy. He got pretty strong on the bridle, so I kept him on the outside and Bob told me when I get to the four and a half, just drop him in and try to go :49,” Velazquez said. “He picked it up pretty quick. I slowed him down as best I could and down the lane I just held him together. Going past the sixteenth pole, I gave him his head and let him gallop out.”

National Treasure added blinkers for his score in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness on May 20 at Pimlico which he won in dramatic fashion after a prolonged stretch duel with Grade 1-winner Blazing Sevens to his outside.

Velazquez, who won the Belmont with Rags to Riches [2007] and Union Rags [2012], said that he expects National Treasure should be able to handle the stretch out to 12 furlongs in the “Test of the Champion” on June 10 at Belmont Park.

“After the races, he always gallops out really strong. I just hope that he can put it together,” Velazquez said. “The whole thing with him is he gets a little spotty. We put blinkers on him and he's been pretty good with them. Hopefully, he stays like that.”

Tom Ryan, managing partner of SF Racing, was on hand to watch the breeze and said Velazquez was pleased with the work.

“He said he was getting over the track very well which is most important,” Ryan said. “He said that it's good to get a horse acclimated to the track.”

National Treasure boasts a record of 6-2-1-2 for purse earnings in excess of $1.3 million. He has raced at four different tracks, graduating on debut in September at Del Mar before hitting the board in the Grade 1 American Pharoah [second] in October at Santa Anita, the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile [third] in November at Keeneland, and the G3 Sham [third] in January at Santa Anita. He entered the Preakness from a troubled fourth-place finish in the nine-furlong G1 Santa Anita Derby in April.

Ryan said the well-traveled horse has gained valuable experience.

“He went from Del Mar to Santa Anita to Keeneland and back,” Ryan said. “He got that early education we wanted him to get of getting on the plane and going to Kentucky with a big crowd. He's experienced that now on a number of days on Breeders' Cup to Preakness to this.”

Ryan said a win in the Belmont Stakes would be significant as he looks to build National Treasure's resume as a potential stallion.

“I think it's very important,” Ryan said. “A race like the Belmont is very important when pairing it with a race like the Preakness. I think a standalone Belmont definitely has value on a resume, but when you put two classics on your resume, it's pretty hard to top isn't it?”

National Treasure is the first stakes winner produced from the Medaglia d'Oro mare Treasure and was purchased for $500,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.

The post ‘He Picked It Up Pretty Quick’: National Treasure Breezes Half-Mile Toward Belmont Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Op/Ed: No More Dirt

In the wake of the tragic deaths of 12 horses at Churchill Downs, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has called for an emergency summit. This presents both a moment of leadership for HISA and an important test for the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation to protect shareholder interests and ensure the survival of the entire horse racing industry. They must step up and meet the moment or step down. This can be achieved by ending dirt racing in America and transitioning to synthetic surfaces.

These heartbreaking events in recent weeks have forced the horse racing industry to confront a harsh reality. On average, two Thoroughbred horses lose their lives every day on U.S. tracks. If we fail to take decisive action, the Triple Crown and horse racing itself may soon be mourned as relics of the past. Animal rights groups, emboldened by each equine death, are gaining traction in their campaign against horse racing. The calls to ban or severely restrict the sport grow louder with each life lost. We cannot afford to lose this race for the soul and survival of our sport.

Tradition holds great power in our sport, with our most prestigious races historically being run on dirt tracks. However, the stark and troubling statistics demand a shift in thinking. We must abandon old norms and embrace new practices that prioritize the safety and welfare of our noble equine athletes. The benefits of synthetic tracks are not mere conjecture; they are a proven truth. Their superior safety record and fewer injuries make their adoption not just an option but an ethical imperative.

Skeptics may argue that altering the character of the Triple Crown races would alienate fans. However, declining attendance at Thoroughbred races tells a different story. Fans are turning their backs on a sport they once adored, disheartened by the undeniable fact that their entertainment comes at a deadly price. When other sports have bravely evolved to improve safety and gameplay, we must question why horse racing clings to traditions that increasingly prove deadly.

Certainly, progress has been made. Since 2009, fatal injuries during races have declined by 37.5%. But when we consider that synthetic tracks have been proven to be three times safer than dirt tracks, it becomes glaringly apparent that we have only scratched the surface of what we must achieve. We have solid evidence, compelling data, and a clear path forward. It is time we summon the courage and resolve to embark on this path. Ironically, despite their proven safety record, synthetic tracks are in decline. This is primarily because our marquee Triple Crown events remain steadfastly tied to dirt. The stubborn adherence to tradition in our industry's pinnacle races is a disparity we can no longer afford. Shifting the surface of the Triple Crown to synthetic would be a revolutionary step, igniting an industry-wide transformation and ensuring a safer, fairer field for our equine athletes.

This is where the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation can make a historic difference. Independent directors have played a crucial role in preserving shareholder value and rebuilding consumer trust for some of the world's largest companies.

In 2015, Volkswagen faced a scandal involving emissions test cheating, leading to the resignation of the company's CEO and the appointment of a new board of directors, the majority of whom were independent. The new board took swift action to address the scandal, and Volkswagen is now working to rebuild its reputation.

In 2017, companies such as Uber and The Weinstein Company appointed independent directors to address workplace harassment following a series of scandals in that regard.

In 2018, companies like Equifax and Marriott appointed independent directors to improve their cybersecurity measures after experiencing a series of data breaches.

Today, the challenges facing both the Churchill Downs Corporation and our industry provide an opportunity for its independent directors to lead by proactively and boldly addressing the crisis of equine safety instead of reacting to a growing regulatory and societal movement to ban the sport.

That is why I am calling on the independent directors of the Churchill Downs Corporation, Daniel P. Harrington, MBA, CPA, Ulysses Lee Bridgeman Jr., and Robert L. Fealy, CPA, to get on board today and publicly support this change.

The responsibility lies with horse racing's governing bodies, influential race track directors, and all key stakeholders to rally behind a transition to synthetic tracks. Their public endorsement and commitment to safer racing conditions would signal the beginning of the transformative change our industry desperately needs. But Churchill Downs Corporation must lead the way.

Fortunately, we are not without hope. NYRA's Belmont Track, a vital component of the Triple Crown, is already leading by example, planning to install a synthetic track for its 2024 spring meet. This serves as the spark we need to ignite a safety revolution.

Next year marks the historic 150th anniversary of the Triple Crown. This milestone should be more than a nostalgic reflection on the past; it should be a fervent pledge for a safer future. A future where our sport remains a thrilling spectacle but also evolves into a beacon of safety, integrity, and respect for our equine athletes.

The prestigious Triple Crown races–the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness S., and the Belmont S.–now stand on the edge of a daunting, dark abyss. Each life lost serves as a deafening alarm, signaling that change is urgently needed and indeed horse racing as a whole hangs in the balance. We owe it to our equine athletes, our loyal fans, and future generations to ensure that our sport does not crumble into a mournful memory of bygone times.

We stand at the threshold of a monumental shift. Our response to this crisis must be immediate, bold, and unwavering. The clarion call for a race towards a safer future is sounding. Switching surfaces will mean fewer breakdowns and fewer drugs in the sports. Let us answer this call with the courage and determination our horses display every time they take to the track.

This is our defining moment. Let us ensure that the Triple Crown not only continues to sparkle with excitement and glory, but also radiates a renewed commitment to the safety and well-being of our equine companions. The reins of the future of horse racing are in our hands. We must grasp them firmly and steer our sport towards a safer, more responsible era. The heart of horse racing beats in the chest of every horse that runs for us; let us honor them by championing a sport that safeguards their lives.

The post Op/Ed: No More Dirt appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post