We're down to the final four Kentucky Derby qualifying points races for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby, with Saturday's Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., the lone Derby prep race of the weekend.
Coming up next will be the Aug. 8 Travers Stakes (Saratoga) , Aug. 9 Ellis Park Derby (Ellis Park) and Aug. 15 Pegasus (Monmouth Park).
The Shared Belief, which offers 50-20-10-5 to the top four finishers, drew six entrants, but Bob Baffert will scratch Uncle Chuck and send this son of Uncle Mo to the Travers.
Trainer Blaine Wright may opt for the Ellis Park Derby for Anneau d'Or, meaning all four remaining runners could receive Derby points. Honor A.P. will be heavily favored and already has all the points he needs to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.
In this edition of the Triple Crown News Minute, Ray Paulick and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth discuss the recent Haskell Stakes and offer their thoughts on how the Shared Belief will be run and whether anyone has a chance to upset the favorite.
Many racing jurisdictions throughout the United States and around the world are taking steps to change how the whip – or riding crop if you prefer – is used in our sport.
While there doesn't seem to be consensus on exactly what changes should be made, there is widespread agreement that some reforms are necessary.
In a special edition of the Friday Show this week, Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron joins publisher Ray Paulick and editor-in-chief Natalie Voss to share his views on whip reform and how his opinion has evolved, both during his riding days and later while teaching aspiring jockeys at the North American Racing Academy in Lexington, Ky.
“I was still learning when I retired after 28 years in the saddle,” said McCarron, “and I learned even more when I started teaching, when I had to articulate what my thoughts were to the students and try to instill in them what the experience is like.”
McCarron is firm in his conviction that the riding crop is a necessary piece of equipment for a jockey to carry, but also believes that reform is an important step forward for the sport, and one that can and should be achieved on an international basis.
Watch The Friday Show below to hear Chris McCarron's perspective on this issue, and let us know your feelings in the comment section.
This Saturday, 1st August, will mark the anniversary of Khadijah Mellah's win in the Magnolia Cup, which made her the first British Muslim to win a race in the United Kingdom. The victory in the charity race was celebrated just three months after Mellah's first time sitting on a racehorse and against competitors including Olympian Victoria Pendleton.
Viewers in Britain will have the chance to relive the entire story when the documentary, Riding A Dream is shown again at 12.50pm on ITV this Saturday.
The film was last week announced as the Best British Short Film at the prestigious British Documentary Film Festival.
“Winning the Magnolia Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival was a whirlwind experience and something that has changed my life immensely,” said Mellah. “The fact that the documentary of my story, Riding A Dream, has gone on to win Best British Short Film is totally surreal.”
She told Great British Racing she is determined to use her experience to inspire other young people.
She said, “At the time, I was looking up to role models to help inspire me and get me through the grueling training. So it was incredible to then receive messages from young women and girls in particular, saying that I had inspired them to do something out of their comfort zone.”
“It is so important to me to encourage people to be determined and pursue a sport to a higher level despite what other people may think. My hope is that my experiences will encourage more people to get involved in racing.”
Mellah's victory made history and changed the perceptions of young women in her community.
“I know for sure that I have broken some perceptions of a young Muslim woman and it is something that I am proud of and will continue to do,” said Mellah. “Me being Muslim isn't just it. It is important that people realise that being a certain religion or from a certain background doesn't determine your interests and the person you are, and it certainly doesn't determine how good you are.
“For me it is so important to be able to spread the message that you can be successful despite your background.”
She hopes that her story and positive experience within the sport will see a shift in horse racing.
“When I was younger, I didn't think that getting into racing would be an option for me or someone of my background,” Mellah said. “There was no one that looked like me. I hope now that I have joined the racing industry and I have been a success story that young people like me will also see there is an opportunity for them to join that racing community.”
Racing has major challenges to deal with: competition from sports betting and casinos, distribution of wagering revenue, high takeout, medication, integrity and a growing perception problem with the general public about safety and welfare of the horses. That's why The Jockey Club Round Table Conference on Matters Pertaining To Racing is the longest-running show in the game.
But there are some things that aren't that complicated and could be fixed quickly and easily. If only the people in charge really wanted to make a difference.
In this edition of the Friday Show, Ray Paulick and Natalie Voss bring up a few of those issues that almost everyone in racing should agree on: better communications, greater access to information, simple measures to enhance integrity.
We'll leave the big stuff to the poobahs and focus on getting some of the simple things fixed.
Watch The Friday Show below and let us know some of the issues in racing you believe can be fixed easily.
