Zoe Cadman | Horse Racing Free Tips

Horse Racing Women’s Summit Topics, Speakers Announced

The second annual Horse Racing Women's Summit, to be held Sept. 27-29 at Santa Anita, will include three panel discussions, morning and luncheon keynotes and a Friday morning workshop.

Zoe Cadman, XBTV and 1/ST RACING Host and Analyst, will serve as the emcee for the event, which will kick off with a keynote from Reagan Cannon, an international leadership speaker and coach. Following the morning keynote, leaders at the front line of industry change will gather for a discussion on the State of the Industry, moderated by Millie Ball, XBTV and 1/ST RACING simulcast host.

State of the Industry featured speakers are: Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin; horse racing reporter Britney Eurton; HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus; and equine veterinarian Casille Batten.

The second panel, titled Running the Show, will feature a conversation among industry professionals in various facets of management from racetracks across the county. Moderator Michelle Yu will guide the panelists through a discussion focused on their careers, the ins-and-outs of racetrack management, current events, and their outlook on the future.

“I am a firm believer in the philosophy that 'a rising tide raises all ships' and this sport is so much better when we are able to come together, elevate and support each other,” said Jessica Paquette, Parx Racing announcer and Running the Show panelist. “I am honored to join so many women I respect in the industry for an event that is sure to be educational and empowering.”

Other Running the Show featured speakers are: SVP and General Counsel, Sports and Entertainment at New York Racing Association Joi Garner; SVP, Operations and Administration DMTC Ann Hall; and SVP and Executive Producer for Santa Anita Amy Zimmerman.

The third panel discussion, led by FanDuel TV's Christina Blacker and titled Looking Forward, will delve into a variety of topics including diversity, mental health, the backstretch community, and how the industry can improve.

Karen Chavez, General Manager of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, who will join the Looking Forward panel said, “Attending the HRWS Meet Up in Saratoga was an inspiring experience that showcased the power of connection and empowerment within the horse racing industry, leaving a positive and lasting impact on the women of the backstretch community. I am excited to be on a panel at the second Horse Racing Women's Summit at Santa Anita Park, and continuing to build on the momentum that began one year ago.”

Looking Forward speakers also include: trainer and equestrian Chanel Minnifield; Los Angeles Chargers CAO Catherine Iste; and Amplify Horse Racing executive director Annise Montplaisir.

Friday's hands-on workshop is designed to identify areas of focus and specific action items for the Horse Racing Women's Summit Committee in 2024.

Tickets for the Horse Racing Women's Summit can be purchased here.

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Mark Casse: “I’m Not Proud Of Our Sport”

Appearing as the Green Group Guest of the Week on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse grew emotional when the subject of the rash of fatalities that have plagued the sport this year came up. Believing that the industry has not done all that it can to help alleviate the situation and that tracks must embrace a return to synthetic surfaces, Casse admitted that his outlook on his profession and the sport has changed for the worse.

“This is sad to say, but I'm not as proud to be a horse trainer as I used to be,” he said. “I'm not proud of our sport. That's sad. In my opinion, it's dangerous and I'm going to do whatever I can do to help it. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn who I piss off or upset.”

Casse came on to discuss some of the opinions he expressed earlier in the week from a Q & A that ran in the TDN. Because he has stables at Woodbine, where all racing is conducted on either the Tapeta surface or turf, and at U.S. tracks where the predominant surface is dirt, Casse, perhaps more so than any other trainer, is well versed in the differences between the various types of surfaces. He has become an outspoken supporter of synthetic tracks and insists that U.S. racing needs to make the conversion from dirt to synthetic.

“I think it is,” he answered when asked if the time has come for dirt racing to be replaced. “We've got years and years of data that says it's far safer. The path we're going down right now is ugly and we have to do something and we have to do it quickly. It's going to take a drastic measure.”

Some believe that the end of dirt racing would be a huge blow to the breeding industry, where hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in sires and bloodlines meant to produce top-class dirt horses. Casse argues that the potential problems have been exaggerated.

“It's not as big a worry as they make it out to be,” he said. “From my experience, maybe one out of ten horses don't like synthetic. Most good horses will run on anything pretty well. And I can tell you, they'll run a lot longer and last a lot longer.”

This isn't the first time that Casse has been outspoken about industry issues. He has also been vocal about what he saw as the widespread and ill-advised use of clenbuterol. He said his only motivation is to try to make this a better, safer sport.

“I'm going to give you everything I have,” he said. “I'll go down fighting. You can only do so much but I will do my best. I'm doing my best. I'm not a good loser.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, NYRABets.com, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com, Stonestreet Farms, Lane's End and West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss also tackled the subject of synthetic surfaces, an issue that drew more attention after a tragic Saturday afternoon at Saratoga, which included the breakdown of New York Thunder (Nyquist) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S. All three agreed with Casse that switching to synthetics has become a necessity. There was also a look at the GI Travers. S., won by Arcangelo (Arrogate) and an admission from Moss that he underrated the horse that is now the sport's leading 3-year-old male. The team also took a look back at the remarkable career of Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard, who passed away this week at the age of 82.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

The post Mark Casse: “I’m Not Proud Of Our Sport” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Dr. Raul Bras, Gustavo Delgado, Jr. Join TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

There was a lot to cover this week on the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland, including the upcoming GI Travers S. and last week's gut punch that was the deaths on back-to-back days of Grade I winners Art Collector (Bernardini) and Cave Rock (Arrogate), both from laminitis.

That's why this week's podcast had two Green Group Guests of the Week.

Dr. Raul Bras, a specialist in laminitis who practices at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, explained why laminitis remains such a serious problem and gave an update on the efforts being made within the veterinary community to combat the condition.

With a victory in the GI Kentucky Derby on his record, Mage (Good Magic) has already had a standout campaign. But his connections are looking for more and will be looking for a second Grade I win on the year in Saturday's Travers. To get the latest on Mage, assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado, Jr. shared his thoughts on the 10-furlong feature. He said the entire Mage team was very pleased with the colt's second-place showing in the GI TVG.com Haskell S., pointing out that he wasn't fully cranked.

“We really were aware that he wasn't 100% for the Haskell,” Delgado said. “Not even close. So we were happy with the effort.”

Mage has proven he can win at the highest level, but he has not proven that he can beat Forte (Violence), the morning line favorite in the Travers. He finished behind him in both the GII Fountain of Youth S. and the GI Curlin Florida Derby. Why might it be different this time?

“The thing that has changed the most is the lack of experience he had before,” Delgado said. “He was in the Fountain of Youth in only his second start. That's what we had to do. We had to do that in order to gain the points to get into the Derby. If we hadn't done that we probably wouldn't be talking about a Derby winner because he got 10 points in the Fountain of Youth and then 40 in the Florida Derby. He's more experienced now. He's not just a baby. He's more mature and we got to know him better, too.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored byhttps://coolmore.com/https://lanesend.com/ the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, NYRABets.com, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com, Stonestreet Farms, Lane's End and https://www.threechimneys.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss took a look back at the GI Alabama S. and the front-running win by Randomized (Nyquist) and the impressive debut of the latest foal from Beholder (Henny Hughes), Tamara (Bolt d'Oro). The filly earned 'TDN Rising Star' status when she broke her maiden Aug. 19 at Del Mar. The team also took a moment to remember owner and breeder Anthony Manganaro of Siena Farm, who passed away last week at the age of 79.

To listen to the audio of the podcast, click here; to watch the video, click here.

The post Dr. Raul Bras, Gustavo Delgado, Jr. Join TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Bobby Montano, The Star Of The Play “SMALL,” Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Growing up in Queens, Bobby Montano eventually became an actor and a dancer, a career he was happy to follow. But before that, his path took him in an entirely different direction. Montano, who was so small as a child that he was bullied, discovered horse racing and decided he wanted to be a jockey. On March 2, 1977, his dream came true as he rode in his first race at Aqueduct. He only rode in seven races and did not have a winner, but he left the sport with a story to tell. That story has turned into the Off-Broadway play “SMALL,” which Montano wrote and stars in. It's coming to New York and the 59 E. 59 Theater on Aug. 12 and will run through Sept. 2.

In advance of SMALL's run in New York, Montano joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland to talk about the play and what has been a fascinating life full of ups and downs. Montano was the Green Group Guest of the Week.

Looking at those jockeys riding in New York, he saw people who were as small as he was, but instead of being bullied they were respected athletes, admired by thousands of racing fans. That's what he wanted for himself.

“I was tired of getting picked on,” he said. “But when I saw these little men coming out into the paddock area I saw that they were getting respect. It would get quiet and I would ask my mother what was happening and she said, 'The jockeys have come. That's called respect.' I was just so in love with the whole pageantry of it all. My mother was there to bet on her jockey friend Roberto Pineda. He reminded me of Bruce Lee and I was a huge fan of Bruce Lee.”

Nothing ever came easily for Montano on the racetrack. After a growth spurt, he became too big to be a jockey and his weight was the reason why he couldn't get any mounts. He rode for just five months. He resorted to using laxatives, amphetamines, cocaine and pills called Black Beauties. He would run 17 miles a day.

“I couldn't get there. I was just getting bigger and bigger, and I just didn't know what to do with my life,” he said.

Yet, Montano said he wouldn't trade his time on the racetrack for anything.

“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said. “There are people who have made it work. I look at people like Trevor McCarthy, who I love. He's a wonderful rider and he's five-foot-ten. There were others, like Marco Castaneda. But they all had thin bones. I was born with thick bones. I just was fighting Mother Nature and there was just nothing I could do about it.”

After giving up on his dream to be a jockey, Montano saw Saturday Night Fever, went to the famous disco, the Rafters and discovered the world of dancing and acting. On television, he has appeared as one of Kim Cattrell's lovers, “We William,” in Sex In The City. He has guest starred in, CSI: Miami, Third Watch, Six Degrees, Law & Order, New York Undercover, Law & Order: SVU, Harrison – Cry Of The City, numerous soaps, and as Resto in the HBO film Undefeated, directed by John Leguizamo.

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored byhttps://coolmore.com/https://lanesend.com/ the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, NYRABets.com, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com, Stonestreet Farms and https://www.threechimneys.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, the team of Bill Finley, Randy Moss and Zoe Cadman discussed the tragic breakdown of Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) in the GI Test S. Like virtually everyone else in racing, the team tried to come up with answers to what is a horrible problem for the sport but admitted that they had none. The GI Whitney S. was a major topic of discussion, from the huge performance by winner White Abarrio (Race Day) to the lackluster third-place finish by Cody's Wish (Curlin). Looking ahead at the weekend, the focus was on the GI Arlington Million and the other stakes formerly run at Arlington Park that will be run at Colonial Downs. Finley said the Million has lost its mojo since Arlington has closed and said it may be time to simply discontinue these races.

To watch the Writers' Room, click here. To view the show as a podcast, click here.

The post Bobby Montano, The Star Of The Play “SMALL,” Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Podcast appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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