Tag: Triple Crown

Saffie Joseph trainee Lord Miles is under consideration for the Preakness Stakes, despite being scratched from the Kentucky Derby by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission after two of Joseph's trainees suffered instances of sudden death in the week leading up to the Run for the Roses.

Owner/breeder Peter Vesgo told the Thoroughbred Daily News that Lord Miles will work Friday morning, after which a decision will be made on whether the colt will target the Preakness or the Belmont Stakes.

The two ill-fated Joseph trainees were among seven equine fatalities in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby. “Sudden death” means that the horse's cause was not immediately apparent and did not seem to be due to external trauma or musculoskeletal injury.

Joseph trainee Parents Pride collapsed and died after failing to finish a race on April 29, and Chasing Artie suffered a similar fate after finishing last, beaten 28 ¾ lengths, in a May 2 turf sprint. Joseph trained the horses for Ken Ramsey.

Read our reporting about those two fatalities, and the challenges with diagnosing sudden deaths here.

KHRC officials released a statement following their decision to scratch all Joseph-trained horses: “For the betterment of racing, the health and welfare of our equine athletes, and the safety of our jockeys, all horses trained by trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. are scratched effective immediately and until further notice. This action is taken after consultation with Mr. Joseph, and includes Lord Miles who was entered into the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby.”

Nonetheless, Vesgo believes Joseph will be able to run Lord Miles in either Maryland or New York, depending on which scenario is the best timing for the horse.

“The horse had nothing to do with any of this,” Vesgo told TDN. “I know they are waiting for the results of the necropsies of the horses that passed away for Saffie. There are those two and five others that passed away. But none of that has anything to do with Lord Miles.”

Vesgo detailed the stewards' decision from his viewpoint:

“We had been waiting for years to get a horse that would take us to the Kentucky Derby,” the owner told TDN. “My family, my daughters, my grandchildren were all there. We chartered a plane and got there. We arrived and then got the news we were scratched. We never heard from Churchill Downs. We only heard from the trainer. I tried calling the stewards and I didn't get any answers out of them. They took away our tickets. The treated us like crap. We were given 18 tickets in a suite and they took them all away.”

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby winner Practical Move, who was scratched from last Saturday's Kentucky Derby due to a fever, returned to Santa Anita from Churchill Downs on Wednesday night.

Practical Move was withdrawn from the 149th Kentucky Derby last Thursday when he was found to have an elevated temperature after a morning jog. Trainer Tim Yakteen said this morning “everything is good” with the colt but there is no timetable when he will return to training.

“We'll just play it by ear,” Yakteen said. “We're good, but first we'll let him get his feet underneath him. We'll come up with a plan when he's back in a regular training routine.”

Joining Practical Move on the return trip from Kentucky were four other horses Yakteen started on the Kentucky Derby undercard: Kangaroo Court, Johannes, Fort Bragg and Reincarnate. Yakteen reported all were doing well Thursday morning.

Kangaroo Court finished a disappointing 11th as the slight 4-1 favorite in the GII Pat Day Mile when trying open stakes company for the first time. Breaking from the rail under John Velazquez, he was just a head back after the opening half mile but then quickly faded out of contention.

“He just didn't fire. No excuse,” Yakteen said. “We'll regroup and figure it out. He was absolutely doing fantastic going into the race. He's a headscratcher for us.”

Meanwhile, Fort Bragg nearly won the Pat Day Mile when being beaten only a neck by General Jim for “Shug” McGaughey. He is back at Santa Anita and has been reunited with Bob Baffert, Yakteen said.

Also back with Baffert is Reincarnate. The Good Magic colt, with Velazquez up, was forwardly placed in the Derby before faltering to a 13th-place finish.

Johannes suffered his first loss on turf when a troubled fifth in the GII American Turf. With Umberto Rispoli in the irons, he was stuck behind a wall of horses at the rear of the field. Despite a moderate pace, the Nyquist colt was finally able to launch a rail rally in the stretch to be beaten just over two lengths.

“He ran an amazing race,” Yakteen said. “When you're that far back on a pedestrian pace, it's almost impossible to make up that kind of ground.”

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Nearly 20 years and hundreds of races after purchasing his first horse, Bill Dory is experiencing a pinch-me moment with Chase the Chaos headed to Pimlico Race Course for a run in the Preakness 148 on May 20.

Dory, 68, and his partner Adam Ference live near Edmonton, Alberta and own the Pennsylvania-bred son of Astern, whom they purchased sight unseen for $10,000 as a weanling in 2020. With his victory in the Feb. 11 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields for trainer Ed Moger Jr., Chase the Chaos earned a fees-paid berth in the 148th running of the Preakness, the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown May 20 at Pimlico Race Course.

“I'm lost for words,” Dory said. “This is above and beyond what I ever expected to happen to me in horse racing. Being a small-time owner type of deal, I was hoping to make it to the Canadian Derby at our local track one day. That was my dream. This has surpassed my dreams a thousand-fold.”

Dory entered the sport by claiming a horse whom he said won his first start and was claimed back – a double victory for the rookie owner.

“I thought, 'this is an easy business,'” he said with a laugh. “Yeah, right. So, I kind of got the bug from there, I've had numerous horses and I enjoy the pedigree part a lot.”

Through the years, Dory has since run horses in his own name, with his wife Sandy and in some 30 partnerships, according to Equibase stats. The Dory-Ference team had its first runners in 2020.

At Keeneland's November Sale they purchased a handful of horses, topped by the $10,000 buys, Chase the Chaos and Readytotapnsing, who have both won stakes.

“We didn't go to the auction. That was during Covid,” Dory said. “We ended up just talking to a lot of consignors. I had narrowed the field down to about 50 horses that I figured would fit in our price range and what I liked about the breeding and stuff. That's kind of how we ended up with him. I really like the Medaglia d'Oro (grandsire) and the Uncle Mo (dam sire) portion of it.”

Chase the Chaos started his career in the care of trainer Robertino Diodoro last summer at Canterbury Downs in Minnesota. While Chase the Chaos showed talent, he was difficult to work with and the decision was made to geld him. He ran second in his debut in a race washed off the turf and then broke his maiden going a mile on grass. Dory has used Moger as his trainer for many years and sent Chase the Chaos to him at Golden Gate. Competing on a synthetic surface for the first time, Chase the Chaos finished third in a six-furlong stake, then turned in a strong second in a one-mile, two-turn stake at 65-1. He won a one-mile optional claimer by seven lengths as the heavy favorite and followed that victory with a 1 ½-length score in the El Camino Real Derby.

Dory does most of his racing in Alberta. His home track is Century Mile, which he said is a 15-20-minute drive from his home in Spruce Grove. He and his wife now operate Sublime Stable, an equine rehab and conditioning center.

“I retired and I guess I needed something to do,” Dory said.

The association with Ference began when he and his wife bought the Dorys' house.

Dory has seen Chase the Chaos run twice, in the El Camino Real and in the San Felipe (G2) on dirt at Santa Anita. Chase the Chaos ended up 16 ¾ lengths behind Practical Move and Dory said that after the race it was determined that he had bled, an exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. A subsequent poor performance as the favorite in the California Derby tested Dory's confidence, but he is excited about visiting Baltimore and having a starter in the Preakness Stakes.

“I have never been to a Triple Crown race before because my saying was 'when I have a horse in it, I'll go,'” he said. “And now I do. So, I have to go.”

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