Jump to content
Bit Of A Yarn

BOAY Racing News


38,894 topics in this forum

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 188 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 175 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 168 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 184 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 191 views
    • Journalists

    Listed success for Savabeel colt

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 199 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 234 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 214 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 189 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 261 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 183 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 179 views
    • Journalists

    Thefixer still on way up

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 194 views
    • Journalists

    Thefixer still on way up

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 181 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 226 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 203 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 277 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 219 views
    • Journalists

    Methven Picks

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 214 views
    • Journalists

    Methven Picks

      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 203 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 196 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 182 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 191 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 220 views
      • Journalists
    • 0 replies
    • 194 views

Announcements



  • Posts

    • Then why the hell did you bother being a part of the industry for decades?  Can't have been just because you wanted to own a pony! A very good point.  Why have rules that are next to impossible to enforce equitably and accurately?  The only way is to sit in the replay bunker for a very long time with a team of people counting whip strikes and observing where the horse is hit.  Assuming of course that you have access to every angle of vision. All right for you and @Thomass sitting there at home going over every replay in slow motion looking for indiscretions and then posting them online.  The fact is your family and friends would know there was a problem unless you told them!!  "See that whip action there?  It is in a place that hurts the horse and isn't allowed.  The BLOODY Stipes won't do anything about it!  It's abuse and cheating!"  They then say - "I didn't know that.  Thanks for pointing it out.  I won't watch again!" Your days at the races must be quite miserable given your propensity to train spot!
    • Yes I think some of those owners protesting doth protest too much.  How many have asked the trainer not to put a particular Jockey on because of their whip use? There are two separate issues with the whip rules - 1.  Abuse and 2. Cheating. The exaggerated accusations of abuse on all based on where and how hard the horse is whipped.  Does it cause lasting damage or real pain to the horse?  The science looks dubious to me.  Plus there are any number of horses training activities that cause pain to a horse but are not classed as abuse.  Breaking in for instance is not without pain.  So hypocricsy abounds. With regard to cheating the again exaggerated accusations are based on the premise that whipping a horse makes it go faster.  Again in my opinion the data supporting that contention is very weak.  Whipping a horse may make a lazy horse try harder or signal a horse to sprint.  So the cheating allegation is based on the assumption that if you hit a horse 11 times instead of the arbitrary 10 in rules then you have gained an advantage. As for the "social license" argument well that is just a social science construct that is quite frankly bullshit.  Having unworkable whip rules and enforcing them will have zero impact on the views of the Anti-racing mob.  Supposedly Pro-racing people subjectively highlighting whip indiscretions is shoot the industry in the foot for no good reason.  The biggest issue facing racing is capital investment and the economics of racing.  
    • Compiled by America's Best Racing, a rundown of this week’s horse racing coverage on TV, streaming, and radio.View the full article
    • Three-year-olds Gosger and Bracket Buster are entered for their first test against elders in a competitive edition of the $350,000 Fayette Stakes (G3) at Keeneland Oct. 25.View the full article
    • It's rare for a racehorse to have the same exercise rider for his entire career. It's almost unheard of for one rider to have been with a horse since the first time a saddle was on his back. But such is the case for Breeders' Cup hopeful Nakatomi (Firing Line). Jose Hernandez was the first person to ride the Grade I winner when he was just a yearling at Wesley Ward's farm, and five years later, he's still the one galloping him each morning at Keeneland. From the first time he sat on Nakatomi, Hernandez had a gut feeling about the oftentimes-fiery chestnut.       “I remember when I got on him, I told one of the other guys that I really liked this horse because he felt so strong,” he recalled. “I got on him every day after that. Three months later he moved to the training track here at Keeneland and then he won his first start.” That winning debut came in April of 2021. In the years since, Nakatomi has grown into the star veteran of Ward's barn. As consistent as he is fast, the seasoned sprinter is Ward's all-time leading earner and has raced on three different continents. After a trip to Royal Ascot as a 2-year-old, Nakatomi won the 2021 Bowman Mill Stakes. Later as a 4-year-old, he placed in four graded stakes including the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. Last year at five, he traveled to Dubai to run third in the G1 Golden Shaheen before earning his first graded victory in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap for owners Qatar Racing and Mrs. Fitriani Hay. With each passing season, Nakatomi seems to get sharper and tougher. After finishing second in his return trip to Dubai for the 2025 Golden Shaheen, the gelding turned in one of his best performances yet with his win in the GII Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes on Oct. 3. The six-furlong contest was a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint. As Nakatomi gears up for his third consecutive trip to the Breeders' Cup, his rider believes that at 6 years old, he may have his best shot yet. “He's getting better and better,” said Hernandez. “He's really quiet when we go to the track, but then when he steps onto the track he's jumping around and ready to go.” With nearly three decades of experience, Hernandez knows when a horse is ready to run. Hernandez and Golden. Pal ahead of the 2022 Breeders' Cup | Coady Originally from Mexico, Hernandez moved to Texas 25 years ago and got a job breaking Thoroughbreds. Though he had worked with ranch horses back home, riding racehorses was completely different. At first, Hernandez worried he had made a mistake taking the job. “I've always liked horses,” he said. “But when the guy put me on the horse for the first time, the saddle was completely different! I fell off maybe three or four times that day. It was kind of scary.” Hernandez stuck with it, and it didn't take long before he was thriving in the role. After 10 years he moved to Florida. There he met Wesley Ward, who encouraged him to come ride for him in Kentucky. Hernandez has now worked for Ward for 13 years. His job is unlike most regular exercise riders, who ride only during morning training. Ward has a year-round base at Keeneland as well as a farm where he breaks yearlings. Hernandez has an important role at both locations. During the fall months when Ward's team is busy breaking babies, Hernandez starts his morning at Keeneland at 6:30. He rides seven or eight horses there, then moves over to the farm to work with the yearlings around 11:00. Hernandez with Wesley Ward and fellow Ward team veteran Osman Quevedo | Katie Petrunyak Hernandez said that working with the young horses is his favorite part of his job. “I've been breaking babies for a long time,” he said. “When you get on them for the first time, you never know what the horse is going to do. Not all the babies are the same. It takes a lot of patience.” He explained that the goal is to keep the youngsters calm and engaged, making every day a positive experience for them. Initially, the yearlings are saddled two to a stall to help them stay relaxed. They progress to being ridden up and down the barn aisle, and by the time they're ready to leave the farm about three months after arriving, they can gallop in a group in the pasture After the breaking process is done each day, Hernandez spends the afternoons filling whatever role is needed on the farm. He helps maintain the grounds, mowing pastures and seeding grass, and works closely with the mares and foals, ensuring the younger horses get the attention and handling they need. “I'm with the horses all day,” he said. “I see them when they're babies and see how they grow. I think you learn more that way.” Nakatomi and Hernandez preparing for the 2025 Breeders' Cup | Sara Gordon During his time with Ward, some of the most memorable horses he has worked with include Like the King (Palace Malice), who won the 2021 GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks and went to the GI Kentucky Derby that year, and champion Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), winner of the 2020 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. “Golden Pal had a lot of talent,” Hernandez recalled. “I really liked galloping him. He was easy.” Hernandez is hoping that in a few weeks, he can add a second Breeders' Cup winner to his resume. Following his Grade II score at Keeneland, Nakatomi breezed a sharp five furlongs in :59.20 on Monday, Oct. 20 in one of his final works before he ships to Del Mar. “Julio Garcia is the one who breezes the horse and I always ask Julio after he breezes how he did and he always tells me he was good,” said Hernandez with a proud smile. “I'm so happy and so glad Nakatomi got to win the race at Keeneland and now he is going to the Breeders' Cup. I feel good for him and I hope we can bring the victory to the barn.” Nakatomi's career reflects both his talent and the experience of the rider who has been with him from the very beginning. Their rare bond, built through years of steady training and shared triumphs, has brought Nakatomi to the sport's top level and a chance to secure a long-awaited Breeders' Cup victory. The post Nakatomi’s Rider Has Been With Him Since Day One appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...