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The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation (TERF) has awarded TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program Inc. with $4,000. TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program Inc., launched in 2012, promotes and develops second careers for racehorses that have retired from the track. In alignment with their mission to support and promote equine education by supporting organizations that are educating the public on the proper care of horses, TERF continues to offer their financial assistance in 2022. “Education is key to the success of Thoroughbred aftercare,” TAKE2 Executive Director Andy Belfiore said. “There are so many resources available to owners and trainers, like our TAKE THE LEAD program, and we have to be sure they know all the options and are informed on how the retirement process works. We have to let racing fans and the public know that our industry cares and is deeply committed to our horses beyond the track. We have to engage with the sport horse community to inform them of the many organizations, such as TAKE2, that provide incentives for competing on Thoroughbreds. Thanks to the support of TERF, we can put together events like the Lunch and Learn on Aftercare at Saratoga and get the message out on aftercare.” The post TERF Awards $4,000 to TAKE2 Second Career Thoroughbred Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Keeneland opens its highly anticipated fall meet Friday with a trio of graded stakes that each provide the winners with a spot in the gate for the Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held in Lexington the first weekend of November. The highlight of the day will be the GI Darley Alcibiades S., a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Ken McPeek and Brad Cox have taken turns the last few years, each winning two of the last four, and McPeek has the morning-line favorite in last-out GIII Pocahontas S. winner Fun and Feisty (Midshipman). McPeek also saddles longshot Stellar Lady (Shackleford), who broke her maiden on grass last out at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8. The aforementioned Cox also saddles a grass filly in unbeaten Chop Chop (City of Light), who enters off a win in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S. Sept. 3. DJ Stable's Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) will likely challenge Fun and Feisty for favoritism. Opening her account with a pair of wins including a dominant score in Churchill's Debutante S. in July, the dark bay checked in second in Saratoga's GI Spinaway S. Sept. 4. Chad Brown sends out one worth a look at a price in Alpha Delta Stables homebred Raging Sea (Curlin). She rallied to victory in her debut going seven panels at Saratoga Aug. 7. Both her running style and her pedigree suggest she will only improve with more distance. Juvenile grass fillies get their chance to secure a spot in the Breeders' Cup starting gate one race earlier in the GII J.P. Morgan Chase Jessamine S. Chop Chop would have been favored in this event, but now that will likely go to Towhead (Malibu Moon), who came up a nose short of that foe in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies S. Jonathan Thomas saddles a live on in Augustin Stable's Delight (Mendelssohn). The $400,000 OBSMAR buy earned her diploma at Delaware last out Aug. 27 after a pair of thirds in her first two tries. G. Watts Humphrey's Bling (American Pharoah) took a huge step forward when switched from dirt to turf in her second start at Ellis Aug. 20, earning her diploma by 3 3/4 lengths. Also worth a look at what is sure to be a juicy price for bettors is NY-bred Recognize (Bolt d'Oro). Her freshman sire now has two graded winners on turf and her Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott is known for his patience and ability to get horses to peak at the right time. The bay graduated by 5 1/4 lengths at third asking against fellow Empire-breds at Saratoga in Aug. 18 and checked in third after setting the pace in that venue's P.G. Johnson S. Sept. 1. Rounding out Friday's Breeders' Cup qualifiers is the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S. for male sprinters. With champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and Cody's Wish (Curlin), who defeated the divisional leader in the GI Forego S., waiting for the first weekend in November, this event lacks star power. However, the horse who may be improving at just the right time is Sibelius (Not This Time), who enters off a pair of strong victories and triple-digit Beyers, including the Lite the Fuse S. at Pimlico Sept. 10, for which he warned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure. Special Reserve (Midshipman) captured this event last year, but could only manage fourth in the Breeders' Cup. Off the board in his seasonal debut in the DeFrancis Memorial Dash July 16, he wired the Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial S. in the slop at Mountaineer last out Aug. 6. The post Keeneland Opens With a Trio of Breeders’ Cup Qualifiers appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) Is hosting two championship shows in 2022, both held this month. The T.I.P. Championships & Eastern Dressage Championships are taking place Oct. 6-9 in Aiken, South Carolina, and the T.I.P. Western Championships & Central Dressage Championships are scheduled for Oct. 12-15 in Lexington, Kentucky, in conjunction with the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover. Nearly 350 Thoroughbreds are slated to compete in 38 divisions. Each division will be awarded $2,000 in prize money with awards through 10th place and special classes will be held for horses that have started 50 or more times, have won more than $100,000 in earnings, or were adopted from Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance-accredited organizations or Thoroughbred Charities of America grantees. “We are excited to expand a full T.I.P. championship horse show to two locations in 2022 after offering just a barrel racing division in Kentucky in 2021,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of T.I.P. “Splitting the disciplines between both facilities will allow us to better highlight the versatility of the Thoroughbred in a range of disciplines; it will also allow even more competitors to show off their mounts.” The South Carolina show is being held at Stable View Equestrian Center and will feature hunter, jumper, English pleasure, dressage, combined test, and English in-hand competition. The Kentucky show will take place at the Kentucky Horse Park and will host dressage, Western dressage, barrel racing, Western pleasure, Western halter, ranch riding, and competitive trail competition. Click here for the T.I.P. Championship virtual program. The post T.I.P. Championships Split Between Aiken and Lexington appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Godolphin's Breeders' Cup team from Charlie Appleby's Moulton Paddocks will be led by multiple Grade I winner Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Already successful at the Breeders' Cup with a score in the GI Juvenile Turf at Del Mar last November, the chestnut returned to Europe in his seasonal bow and claimed the G1 French 2000 Guineas at ParisLongchamp on May 15. Third in the G1 French Derby in June, Modern Games was fifth in the G1 Prix Jean Prat on July 10 and rebounded to take second behind Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood later that month. He made a second triumphant foray to North America with a 5 1/4-length victory in the GI Woodbine Mile S. in Canada on Sept. 17 and is an intended starter in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. “It's shaping up,” said Appleby on his raiding party bound for the States. “The Breeders' Cup is always something that is on our minds at the start of the season and we like to try to pinpoint an older horse or 2-year-old for it. As I've always stated I'd rather turn up with one than six–one good one and have a good crack. And this year I feel like we've got some live contenders there. “Modern Games [is] in the Mile–he is a deserved favourite as we stand. He's been there and done it as a juvenile and been over to Canada and done what he has done at Woodbine.” He added on a possible run at Ascot prior to Keeneland's Breeders' Cup, “If we take in Champions Day then that would be an extra race on the list for him, but perfectly doable. But being perfectly honest our main target is [the] Breeders' Cup Mile with him. “We'll sit and toy with the idea of sending Modern Games to the QEII. If it was good to soft the conversation would still be taking place, but there wouldn't be any certainty to it. If it was soft he wouldn't be turning up at all. It doesn't take much to change it, but if you are lucky enough to get a settled week you might end up on some half-sensible ground.” Appleby boasts a high strike rate at the Breeders' Cup with six wins from just 11 runners. One horse that is likely for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf is the G3 Solario S. hero Silver Knott (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who most recently ran third to probably G1 Dewhurst S. pick Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G2 Champagne S. at Doncaster on Sept. 11. Less sure of a spot on the Keeneland team is GI Summer S. victor Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Appleby is also set to be represented in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint with G3 Sirenia S. hero and G1 Middle Park S. fourth Mischief Magic (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}). He continued, “Silver Knott is a horse I would potentially take to America. Stepping up to a mile I think will suit him, he travels very well. “Mysterious Night who won in Canada is a horse we'll contemplate going there with as well, but he's achieved his Group 1 status already and, while he hasn't been busy, he's had a few runs and is a horse we've very much got on our radar for next year. “I will potentially take Mischief Magic to the [Juvenile Turf] Sprint. He ran well in the Middle Park, he ran a solid race drawn out on a wing and he was very impressive at Kempton before that. “You need to turn up at these international events with A–the right horse and B–have all the luck in the world. You've got to get a good draw, travel over well and get settled in OK. If he does all that he won't look out of place in the race.” The Godolphin raiders will not be limited to just juveniles, as the progressive Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who has won all four of his starts in 2022, including a brace of German Group 1s on Aug. 14 and Sept. 25, is likely for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. GI Saratoga Derby Invitational S. scorer Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who blew away a field by 6 1/4 lengths in the GIII Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. at the Belmont At The Big A on Sept. 17 is another for the 1 1/2-mile turf showpiece. An outsider for the trip is Classic winner Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {Ire}), who is first running on QIPCO British Champions Day on Oct. 15. “For the Breeders' Cup Turf we've got a nice little collective,” said Appleby. “We've already seen what Nations Pride has done in America this season. He's come back and is a horse we will very much look forward to having on the list. “There is also Rebel's Romance, who is now four-from-four and has got the job done in his last two starts at Group 1 level in Germany. Potentially Adayar as well depending on how he gets on at Champions Day. “If you can walk away from the Breeders' Cup with one winner it sort of wraps the season up nicely.” The post Modern Games Anchors Appleby Breeders’ Cup Brigade appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Whit Beckman would be the first to admit that his stable did not get off to the remarkably-fast start he had dreamed of when he first set out on his own last fall. Going into this summer, he had just two wins on his training record. But, the pieces have fallen into place in the past two months as Beckman has sent five horses to the winner's circle, including three in just the past two weeks. Sabalenka (Good Samaritan) leads the charge of recent winners for Beckman and now looks to add to her trainer's success as she makes her stakes debut on Friday in the GII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine S. on opening day at Keeneland. Beckman said the juvenile filly, who was a $35,000 OBS April purchase for Legion Bloodstock, showed potential to be a turf talent from the start. She ran second in her debut at Colonial Downs in August, but followed that effort with a lucrative maiden victory at Kentucky Downs going a mile on the turf. “That was a really tough race,” Beckman said. “She had to overcome a few things–a wide post, a wide trip, and I think that track in itself can throw a lot of horses for a loop–but ultimately, I thought it was a really professional effort and I was happy with the result. When she first came in she was solid from the get-go, but she has done everything right since then.” Beckman said that the filly, who was bought out by partner Joe DiRico after that maiden win, is training better than ever in the past few weeks. Sabalenka's efforts in the morning were what encouraged her trainer to take on the GII Jessamine. Sabalenka (outside) bests Safeen (War Front) in maiden win | Coady “I don't think I would have even considered [the Jessamine] had I not thought she was going to go into it capable of showing up and putting in a good performance,” he explained. “She came out of that Kentucky Downs race a little more mature mentally. That has been my biggest thing with her. Physically, she's always been right there for us, but there have been some mental things we have had to work out early. With each race, I feel like she's picked up another little piece of it. Right now, what I see in the morning is much different than what I saw prior to the Kentucky Downs race.” Beckman has plenty of experience working through the quirks and idiosyncrasies each horse might bring with them. The Louisville native is the son of an equine veterinarian and launched his career in the industry working for horseman Walter Bindner. From there, he spent time at Alex Rankin's Upson Downs Farm and then started 2-year-olds under David Scanlon. In between working for trainers Todd Pletcher and Eoin Harty, he spent a year as a head trainer in Saudi Arabia. Most recently, he was an assistant to Chad Brown for several years. “I sometimes look back in disbelief that I've been able to work with such high-profile horses and be in such well-respected positions for as long as I have been,” Beckman said after zipping through his impressive resume. “I've been around a lot of really good horses and horsemen and it's been an incredible journey to get here. Ultimately this was the goal when I started on the racetrack 20-some years ago. Just to be here in this position, I'm super grateful and I'm enjoying the moment.” Beckman said that his experience working with elite racehorses under Eclipse Award-winning trainers prepared him for going out on his own. “I think as far as the training goes, you feel very comfortable knowing that you've seen so many good horses in so many situations and you've seen all of the approaches and adjustments that top-quality trainers are capable of making. I got such a good education and there were so many things I got to witness to give me the comfort I needed to go out and take the reins and confidently move forward.” While the horsemanship side of the operation came easy for Beckman in those early months, he said the business side proved to require more effort. Finding the right staff, locating adequate stall space and dealing with Kentucky weather throughout the winter were all curve balls that had to be faced head on. “There are a lot of different things that you can't really be ready for until you face them on your own,” he said. “Everyone has challenges in the beginning with any business, but it's about realizing what is an obstacle to overcome and what is an obstacle to integrate with.” Based out of Churchill Downs, Beckman started out with just two trainees and now has a roster of 11. With several unraced juveniles looking to make their debuts in the coming months, Beckman hopes that he can continue this hot streak. Another one of his recent winners, Music Street (Street Sense), will likely make an appearance at the end of the Keeneland meet. The 3-year-old filly owned by Kim Valerio and Prakash Sham Masand broke her maiden at Churchill Downs on Sept. 25. “It took her a little bit to get rolling, but when she did she really ran a good race,” Beckman recalled. “Her training had reflected that ability prior to the race so I was happy to see her perform in the afternoon as she had been doing in the morning. Following the logical path, we're going to aim for an allowance at the end of the month at Keeneland.” This Friday, Sabalenka will be Beckman's very first stakes performer. With Jose Ortiz aboard, the juvenile drew the inside post in a full field and will have to face the likes of Mike Maker's Towhead (Malibu Moon), who ran second in a photo finish in the Juvenile Fillies S., as well as a handful of promising last-out maiden winners and several stakes performers, but Beckman is confident in his filly's ability and plans to enjoy the experience of running in a Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' qualifier. “Obviously everyone has the dream of getting into these bigger and better spots,” he said. “From the beginning I knew it would be tough getting going, but now I'm really happy to have a good staff behind me, we're winning some races and the confidence is building. Just to go into this race has been the goal from the get-go and hopefully we continue to build and grow from here.” The post Sabalenka Volleys Trainer to Stakes Debut appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. 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