Wandering Eyes

After starting the year with two third-place runs, Flurry Racing Stables' Mr. Misunderstood will try to regain his winning form in the $250,000 Old Friends Stakes Sept. 5 at Kentucky Downs. View the full article

Long-time racing official Rick Hammerle, now of Oaklawn Park and Kentucky Downs, selected Comical to finish ahead of Powerfulattraction in a head-to-head Del Mar Debutante prop to secure the victory in the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation’s inaugural eight-week Summer Prop Contest. Hammerle finished one point better than Toronto-based professional horseplayer Tommy Massis. Hammerle chose to direct the $5,000 first-place winner’s contribution to the Jockey & Equestrian Initiative of the University of Kentucky’s Sports Medicine Research Institute (UK SMRI). Massis chose to split his $3,000 second-place contribution direction between the UK SMRI and Virginia Tech’s Jockey & Equestrian Helmet Study. Matt Miller of Northbrook, Illinois finished third overall and directed $1,000 to the PDJF. “I never met a contest I didn’t like,” joked Hammerle. “It was a fresh, awareness-raising idea from the TIF and working in Kentucky at the moment, I’m very happy to have the chance to direct money to the UK program which seeks to improve the lives and careers of jockeys and exercise riders.” Overall, $25,000 will be donated to the jockey health-related initiatives. Based on the direction of winners through the eight individual weeks and the overall contest winners, $11,250 will go to the PDJF, $11,250 to the UK SMRI and $2,500 to the Virginia Tech Helmet Study. Additional contributions were made in weeks two, three and four thanks to the generosity of Machmer Hall Farm, Winchester Feed and Select Sales Agency, respectively. “We thank the TIF for their creativity in bringing awareness to the three jockey health-related initiatives highlighted in this summer’s contest,” said Dr. Scott Lephart, Dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Sciences and founder of the SMRI. “We are committed to advancing Thoroughbred racing through focused research and evidence-based programming to improve the well-being of the jockeys. Our commitment to this discovery at UK is intended not only to advance the care of the sport’s valuable human assets, but also to sustaining and growing the industry.” The post Hammerle Wins TIF Contest, Over $25K Donated to Jockey Health Initiatives appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

OwnerView is now accepting nominations for the 2019 New Owner of the Year Award, presented by Fasig-Tipton, which will honor a new Thoroughbred owner who has been successful in and had a positive impact on the sport and industry. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 30, and the award will be presented at the Thoroughbred Owner Conference at Santa Anita scheduled for Oct. 28 through Oct. 30 ahead of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Nominees must have made their first start as a Thoroughbred owner over the past four years, and had an ownership interest in a stakes winner in the past 12 months. They must have had a verifiable owner’s license in 2019. Anyone can make a nomination, and a selection committee of industry personnel and established owners will choose the winner. Past recipients of the New Owner of the Year Award include Sol Kumin, LNJ Foxwoods, Charles and Susan Chu, and the Churchill Downs Racing Club. “The annual Thoroughbred Owner Conference celebrates Thoroughbred ownership, so it is the perfect venue to present the New Owner of the Year Award,” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. To submit a nomination, contact Gary Falter for a nomination form at (859) 224-2803 or gfalter@jockeyclub.com. The post OwnerView Accepting Nominations for New Owner of the Year Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Trainer Doug O’Neill, jockey Flavien Prat and Kosta and Pete Hronis’s Hronis Racing took home their respective titles during Del Mar’s 36-day summer meet, which concluded Monday. O’Neill saddled 24 winners during the stand–including five on one day July 31–to best Peter Miller for his fifth summer training title. His trainees earned $1,409,685. John Sadler boasted an impressive nine stakes wins. His 15 total wins put him fourth in the standings, but his $1,966,654 in purse earnings was the most among conditioners. Prat took home his third Del Mar summer title–either solo or shared–in the past four seasons. He won at a strong 27% clip for the meet, visiting the winner’s circle 42 times–10 more than Drayden Van Dyke. Prat’s mounts racked up $2,989,976 in earnings. It was the fifth Del Mar owner title for Hronis Racing, which won nine races–including seven stakes victories–all with John Sadler. Hronis runners earned a record $1,441,077 during the meet, and included GI Pacific Classic S. upsetter Higher Power (Medaglia d’Oro) and Catalina Cruiser (Union Rags), who was named Horse of the Meet thanks to wins in the GII San Diego H. and GII Pat O’Brien S. Hronis Racing was last year’s Eclipse Award-winning owner. After a much-publicized rash of fatalities at the Santa Anita meet, there were no racing deaths during the Del Mar stand. “Without a doubt, this is the most gratifying meet I have ever been part of,” said DMTC CEO Joe Harper. “Given the current climate, especially after the first-half of the year in Southern California, we had three goals this summer: continuation of our exemplary safety record; provide stability and a dependability to racing in California, and to offer a consistent, five-day-a-week schedule that would reward fans and horsemen alike. With a wonderful display of teamwork from our owners, trainers, jockeys, vets, track personnel and the CHRB, we accomplished these goals in exceptional fashion.” With a smaller horse population than in 2018, Del Mar carded 21 fewer races (6.6%) than it did during last year’s summer meet, and all-sources handle fell by 10.9% after wagering increases in the prior two seasons. “Based on the first-half of the year, we knew maintaining the handle trends of the last two years was going to be challenging this meet, especially running fewer races,” said Josh Rubinstein, DMTC’s president. “However, the bettors continued to support us, especially the last three weeks, when our field size rallied. At the end of the day we had extremely safe racing, handled over $432 million and paid out over $21.0 million in purses. We are very pleased.” In 2020, summer racing at Del Mar will feature an additional weekend, as the meet will be held over eight weeks from Saturday, July 18 through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Racing resumes at Del Mar this fall, Nov. 8 through Dec. 1. The post O’Neill, Prat & Hronis Take Del Mar Titles appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Four-time group winner Rajsaman (Fr) (Linamix {Fr}–Rose Quartz {GB}, by Lammtarra), sire of dual French Classic hero Brametot (Ire) among his four black-type winners, will stand at Longford House Stud in Ireland, Racing Post reported on Tuesday. Third in the G1 Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the G1 Prix d’Ispahan, the 12-year-old originally stood at Haras de la Cauviniere (later rebranded in 2018 to Montfort et Preaux) from 2013 to 2018 and he moved to Haras de Jalogny in 2019 where his fee was €4,500. His oldest runners are 5-year-olds and a fee will be announced later. “He has a wonderful temperament and is a real gentleman,” June Lewis of Longford House Stud told Racing Post. “A stud fee will be announced in due course with a limited amount of shares still available.” The post Rajsaman Moved to Longford House Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

When Gary West issued a challenge to the owners of four horses that ran in this year’s GI Kentucky Derby, offering each one a $5-million side bet any time any one of the quartet faced off against his Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), it seemed like maybe the statement was made in the heat of the moment. “I firmly believe I have the best 3-year-old in the country and I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is,” he said at the time. But that doesn’t seem to be the case as some four months later, West told the TDN his offer stands and invited Gary Barber, who owns War of Will (War Front), to accept his bet when the two horses meet in the Sept. 21 GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx. One problem: Barber isn’t the least bit interested. “I’m not going to engage,” he told the TDN in an email. Maximum Security became the first horse to ever cross the wire first in the Kentucy Derby only to be disqualified, in this case for alleged interference. The stewards’ ruling did not sit well with West, who has since sued to have his horse restored as the official winner of the Derby. Not that Maximum Security necessarily had anything to prove, but West also seemed intent on showing the world he had the best 3-year-old colt in the U.S. and cooked up the challenge concept as a means of proving it. He said he would make a $5-million side bet with the owners of Country House (Lookin At Lucky), Long Range Toddy (Take Charge Indy), Bodexpress (Bodemeister) and War of Will in any race where any of those horses met up against Maximum Security. Neither horse had to win. They just had to finish in front of the other. Country House was placed first in the race, though he was not bothered. The stewards declared that when Maximum Security came out near the head of the stretch he caused a chain reaction that led to Long Range Toddy, War of Will and Bodexpress all being interfered with. None of the “challenge” horses have faced Maximum Security since the Kentucky Derby, but both he and War of Will, the subsequent GI Preakness winner, are pointing for the Pennsylvania Derby. “Of course my, offer, head-to-head, no matter where the horses finish, stands for a maximum of $5,000,000,” West said in an email. “Or it could be for anything less they would like to propose that would make the race more interesting for the media and the fans.” West said that if his offer is ever accepted he would donate his winnings to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. “There is nothing in this for me other than promoting the race and racing as 100% of the winnings from Maximum Security’s match race would go to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund,” he wrote. “As you probably recall, I am giving 10% of all Maximum’s Securities lifetime racing earnings to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund; they have already received $63,000 from Maximum Security’s last two races.” Apparently not looking to be baited into making a bet, Barber also wrote in his email to the TDN: “He should just give the $5 million to the PDJF now.” West wanted to make it clear he had no ill feelings for Barber or trainer Mark Casse. “This would be good for racing and, as an FYI, I like and respect the owner and trainer of War of Will, so I don’t want this to be confrontational in any way. That is not the intention,” he wrote. With Country House out for the year and with Long Range Toddy and Bodexpress not considered horses who are among the best of the division, the only $5-million challenge that makes any sense would be War of Will versus Maximum Security. Both owners want to prove they have the best horse and will have the chance to do so in the Pennsylvania Derby. The purse is $1 million, big money. But so far as an extra $5 million being on the line, West continues to find no takers. The post West Rekindles $5 Million Side Bet for PA Derby appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

This week's radio and television schedules compiled by America's Best Racing. View the full article

The two-day Osarus Yearling Sale got underway in La Teste de Buch on Tuesday with the opening session led by a Bated Breath (GB) filly (lot 75) sold to Ghislain Bozo of Meridian International for €105,000. Offered by Vincent Le Roy, the May-born filly is a daughter of Anjella (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), whose other offspring include this season’s promising 3-year-old Aramhes (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) and the Group 3-placed Stable Genius (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}). The filly was the sole yearling to break the six-figure mark during the day. A colt by Haras de Saint Arnoult’s Sommerabend (GB) (lot 85) was next on the list at €60,000, knocked down to agent Marc-Antoine Berghgracht of MAB Agency. Jean-Claude Rouget went to €52,000 for a colt from the first crop of his former trainer Morandi (Ire). Sold at lot 109 from Elevage de la Gagnerie, he is the second foal of Charming Clem (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), a daughter of the listed winner Gold Charm (Ger) (Key Of Luck). A clearance rate of 75% saw 97 of the 128 yearlings offered sell for an average of €20,626 and median of €18,000. Turnover stood at €1,934,000. The second session takes place today (Wednesday) from 1pm and includes a Myboycharlie (Ire) half-sister to the Eddie Lynam-trained G2 Sapphire S. winner Soffia (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}). Offered by Haras de Montaigu, she will be sold as lot 270. The post Bated Breath Filly Tops Osarus Opener appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Recent Group 3 winner Waitingfortheday (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) will be offered during the Goffs Champions Sale at Leopardstown on Saturday, Sept. 14, Goffs announced on Tuesday. Trained by Joseph O’Brien for J Dollard, the half-sister to German MGSW Waleria (Ger) (Artan {Ire}), who has seven victories in her ledger, saluted in the G3 Coolmore Stud Fairy Bridge S. on Aug. 29. Held in association with Brown Thomas, the remainder of the Goffs Champions Sale entrants will be announced prior to the sale, with the catalogue available on Monday, Sept. 9. The post Waitingfortheday to Be Offered at Goffs Champions Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

In July, the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association announced it was endorsing the American Association of Equine Practitioners protocol on pre-sale video scopes as the organization sought to create uniformity and increase buyer confidence with the hope the technology would become more widely utilized at auctions in the U.S. Three weeks ago, Keeneland announced it was encouraging consignors to add video scopes to its repository–and veterinarians to make use of the videos–ahead of the upcoming September Yearling Sale. The TDN sat down with CBA President Gray Lyster ahead of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale to discuss reactions to both announcements and expectations for the use of video scopes at the two-week auction, which begins Sept. 9. TDN: The CBA announced it was endorsing the AAEP protocol on video scopes in early July. What was the initial response? GL: There were immediately a lot of people who were cheering the cause and the trend towards, hopefully, decreasing the amount of scopes on the sales grounds. There have been a lot of people who have been quietly hoping this happens, or at least becomes an opportunity. Overall, the reaction has been positive from both sellers and buyers. It was really nice to see an immediate reaction from a few buyers who said, ‘We’re going to support this initiative. I may still scope some horses, but I really like where we’re going and there is no reason not to use this technology.’ There were also people who had reservations, who said, ‘What the heck does this mean?’ ‘Can we trust these?’ and ‘Are we going to be forced to have to use them?’ And my response to that is, ‘Absolutely not.’ This is about a trial period to hopefully have as many people as possible become comfortable with them. Because, frankly, as sellers we’ve got to know how to produce the proper videos for the buyers. So there is going to be dialogue. TDN: Why is this initiative so important? GL: The most important reason we are doing this is animal welfare and safety. While scoping is not an invasive horrible procedure, for some horses, repetitive scoping can trend in that direction. For some horses it’s the third scope, for some horses it’s the 10th scope and I’ve seen other horses that aren’t bothered at all, no matter the number. People need to remember that many of these yearlings have never been off of the farms where they were born and the entire sales process is a stressful and nerve-racking experience. Once a horse starts ‘fighting the scope,’ the risk that they hurt themselves, the vet or handler increases during each subsequent scope. Consignors and sellers really don’t want to force this on anyone uncomfortable with the videos, but we already know that some people are willing to use them, and if we reduce the number of scopes by even just a little, we all win. TDN: There have been two major yearlings sales so far, the Fasig-Tipton July sale and the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, which gave buyers the chance to try out the video scopes. How did they go? GL: We were actually surprised with how well things went. We had more usage than we thought we’d get. If I was using round numbers, I would say that the majority of buyers’ vets were asking to scope horses and also to review vidoes to have dialogue with consignors about them. There was a smaller percentage of vets who used the videos without scoping horses, if they were satisfied with the video. And then there was another small percentage of vets who were not interested in using the videos. And those vets’ opinions were respected and they were able to scope the horses. There was also a group of vets who watched the videos and, if they had any questions, if it wasn’t to their satisfaction, then they asked to scope the horse. So there were some who viewed the videos and then used that to tell whether they needed or wanted to scope the horse. The bottom line is that have already seen a small reduction in scoping. TDN: What percentage of horses at the July and August sales would you say had video scopes available? GL: I would guess that at the August sale, there were close to 50% of the horses who were accompanied by vidoes. TDN: And what are your expectations for the Keeneland September sale? GL: My expectations for Keeneland September are somewhere in the same realm. I think we might see a majority of horses in Books 1 and 2 accompanied by videos. I expect less will be used in the last two-thirds of the sale, but still a significant number. TDN: The AAEP protocol calls for horses to be scoped within 10 days of a sale. Is that an issue, logistically, for consignors? GL: The 10 days is a suggestion from the vets through the AAEP, as well as consignors, purely for logistical reasons. I think the majority of people have hoped that the videos can be produced as close to a sale day as possible, but when we enter the ship-show-sale time frame of the Keeneland sale, it gets a little tricky to try to be producing potentially 400 vidoes in a morning for a horse that is selling the next morning. A few people are saying, ‘I need to do these on the farm or a few days before they ship, just really to make sure, logistically, we get it right.’ Or, ‘My vet can’t handle having to do so many on the grounds, because he has so much other work to do during the sale.’ Some of the people who have produced videos on the farm, actually said at the Saratoga sale that a vet didn’t want to use the video that wasn’t done on the grounds. But a couple of the popular horses started to ‘maybe not scope as well,’ and seeing a scope that had been done six or seven days prior, gave the vet the confidence to pass a horse. Maybe it was a scope that was done on the sales ground, but on the first day the horse shipped in, and then four days later, the day before the sale after being scoped multiple times, the horse was potentially not scoping ‘as well as it could.’ And having the video was reassuring to the vet. TDN: What types of concerns or questions have you been hearing from both sellers and buyers? GL: A concern for sellers is the cost of it–sometimes it is more than double the cost of a regular scope. And when you’re dealing with a high volume of horses, or even lower-priced horses, additional expenses add up. So people wonder if it’s only going to be used a little bit, is it worth the financial cost? Others are worried that it might be a little bit of a confusing process in the first year and they want to see how it plays out before they use it. But, overall sellers are really excited about it. Everybody is just a little nervous to try something new with something this important. Nobody wants to decrease buyers’ confidence in any way. I think the biggest concern for buyers is that no one wants to be forced to use these videos. As sellers, I believe that everybody understands that. The more I’ve spoken to people about this and the more I’ve relayed to people we don’t want to turn people away from scoping our horses, I’ve realized for buyers, all this is is an extra tool. I really don’t think that they lose anything. If they don’t want to use the video, they do not have to. And they can continue the buying process as they have in years prior. TDN: What sort of opportunity do the vidoes provide people who are interested in shopping for horses in the back walking ring just prior to selling? GL: There may be opportunities in the back walking ring, when a horse is 30 minutes away from selling, where previously buyers had to use a scope report with a grade on them. Now they might have access to a video that might bring more confidence then just relying on a letter grade. TDN: For the first time this year, vets will have 24-hour remote access to the Keeneland repository. What will this mean to buyers and sellers? GL: Last year, Keeneland opened the repository online after sales hours, so vets had the opportunity to review X-rays in the evenings and first thing in the morning over the internet when the sale was not in session. Now, 24 hours a day, the vets who check in at the sale are going to be able to read X-rays and view videos online, at a moment’s notice, even if the vet is not physically in the repository. From my perspective, I’m going to encourage back-ring buyers to use this opportunity to ask their vet to review X-rays and scope videos. The buyer’s vet may be at their office at a clinic, or at barn 49, but they will be able to view them on laptops or iPads wherever they are. I really think that is a huge bonus to the ‘back-ring buyer.’ And being an occasional back-ring buyer myself, on a lesser level, I would certainly prefer to have my vet review a video, than use a consignor’s scope report with a subjective grade. Oftentimes we are in the back ring with X-ray reports and we are having trouble explaining some of the terminology to buyers on these reports. And in the end, if the finding is a big deal or not?–it’s difficult for a consignor to give that explanation to a potential buyer. Now we have the opportunity to encourage them to have a vet review those at a moment’s notice, if they are uncomfortable or if it’s a confusing finding. I think it’s a huge advantage that their vet has quick online access. The post TDN Q&A with Gray Lyster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The catalogue for the Goffs UK September Horses-in-Training & Yearling Sale at Doncaster, slated for Sept. 17-18, is now online. Sept. 17 sees 101 yearlings go under the hammer at 1:00 p.m. local time, with 256 horses in training commencing at 10:00 a.m. the following day. Previously, the yearlings were sold during the Doncaster Autumn Sale. Among the sires of yearlings represented are Brazen Beau (Aus), Cable Bay (Ire), Footstepsinthesand (GB), Gutaifan (Ire), Holy Roman Emperor (Ire), and Outstrip (Aus). The annual Gigginstown House Stud Dispersal features 31 lots during the horses-in-training portion, with sizable drafts by Shadwell (19) and Paul & Clare Rooney (16) also set to go under the hammer. “The sale will offer yearlings for the first time this year as we decided to move the session away from our Autumn Sale in order to provide a better date for our consignors to offer their horses,” said Goffs UK Managing Director Tony Williams. “The yearling session will start at the later time of 1 p.m. on the opening day, thus allowing buyers plenty of time to inspect the horses before the sale starts. “The horses-in-training session looks well poised to continue what has been another very strong year in the ring for our HIT sales with some large drafts from leading owners and trainers–those of course headlined by the Gigginstown House Stud Dispersal which has developed into an annual highlight.” The post Goffs UK September HIT & Yearling Catalogue Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the national spotlight on equine safety and welfare, Del Mar concluded its 80th summer meeting Sept. 2 as the safest major racetrack in the United States for the second consecutive year based on available racing numbers. View the full article

Flavien Prat and Doug O'Neill took their places atop the jockey and trainer leader boards midway through the meeting and stayed to the end in winning titles for the 80th Del Mar summer meet that ended Sept. 2. View the full article

Following a script rarely goes to plan in the realm of racing Thoroughbreds. But for the Chantilly-based Francis Graffard, the story of his progression to Group 1-winning trainer could easily be snatched up for a Hollywood film. To set the scene, the Burgundy-born Graffard was introduced to racing by his grandfather, who kept a string of National Hunt horses. The elder Graffard broke into the game in the early 1950s, when he came across an ad in the local newspaper for a filly foal for sale. “He went to see her, and in the field there were two fillies,” Francis Graffard explained. “Somebody had once told him if there are two in the field always take both, because the other one will be the good one. So he took both, and the other filly–not the one he had gone to see-was named Wild Miss and won the Prix Vermeille in 1955. “He always said to me, ‘I hope you don’t start like me, because you’ll think it’s too easy.'” The younger Graffard wasn’t that far off the mark. It wasn’t his first Group 1 win-that came courtesy of Erupt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the 2015 G1 Grand Prix de Paris-but in 2017, some 62 years after his grandfather had accomplished the feat and five years after he took out his training license, Graffard won the G1 Prix Vermeille with Bateel (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}). “I still have some very nice black and white photos in my office of Wild Miss, and two years ago when I won the Prix Vermeille with Bateel it meant a lot to me because in my youth he talked a lot about Wild Miss and the Prix Vermeille, so it was something very special,” Graffard said. Graffard’s career has been on a steady upward trajectory since a strong debut season in 2012 that included stakes victories by Pearl Flute (Ire) (Piccolo {GB}) and More Than Sotka (Fr) (Dutch Art {GB}): his numbers grew from 20 to 60 the following year and have hovered between 80 and 100 ever since. The dream run that Graffard experienced this past June, however, reads like the perfect culmination of eight years of grounding plus all the vital education that serves as its foundation: a stint in America, Godolphin Flying Start, four subsequent years with Darley and the finishing school of Alain de Royer Dupre. On June 16, Graffard won his first Classic, the G1 Prix de Diane, with Channel (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who was entrusted to him by the one-horse stable of owner Samuel de Barros. Five days later, he scored his first Royal Ascot win in the G1 Coronation S. with Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}), a homebred for longtime breeder Alexander Tamagni-Bodmer. The Diane victory for Graffard provided consolation for thirds in 2016 and 2018 with Volta (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Homerique (Exchange Rate). In fact, the next step was already in the works by the time Homerique crossed the wire at Chantilly last June, with Graffard and Bertrand le Metayer having selected Channel for €70,000 for de Barros from Mayfield Stables at Arqana’s May Breeze-Up Sale just weeks before. Homerique had cost €75,000 from Mayfield at the same sale a year earlier. “They came from the same consignor and they were in similar condition; not overworked but doing everything very naturally,” Graffard recalled. “The consignor said to me, ‘do you want the next Homerique? This is her.'” Graffard doesn’t proclaim to be a genius in predicting Channel’s Classic ascent. He described her as a backwards filly early on that needed plenty of time and patience, but granted those requirements she proceeded to pass every early test. After a debut second on Mar. 30 to highly touted but subsequently unraced Coolmore filly Secret Walk (Ire), Channel broke her maiden at Lyon Parilly and scored in a Diane course and distance conditions race on May 17. That put her squarely at 9-1 for the Diane; not directly in the spotlight but not without chance, either. “So there was no pressure, compared to Homerique and Volta,” Graffard said. “They were both supplemented to the Prix de Diane so I felt a lot more pressure. With Channel she was in good form, she was entered, we had a good draw, we had our jockey, so no pressure. Channel had won a Chantilly conditions race over course and distance and she had won it the way you want. I wanted to see if she could win that to know if she could compete in the Prix de Diane, and she did it easily so after that race we had no choice but to go to the Prix de Diane.” “The race went perfectly,” Graffard recalled. “At Chantilly in front of the castle there is a downhill part and then it climbs again. You know you don’t want to make a move while you’re climbing the hill, and when you see your filly, the same as Homerique, climbing the hill on the bridle, taking the jockey up the hill, you know you’re in good shape. In the straight we needed a gap, and the Japanese filly [Amarena (Fr) (Soldier Hollow {GB})] couldn’t keep up so the gap came at the right time and she went through, and that was it.” “I always organize a picnic for friends and owners on Diane day,” Graffard added. “We had a lot of friends there and my two daughters were there, and my dad; it was just fun and relaxed. We didn’t have time to stress about it. Everyone was cheerful and having a good time, the weather was great; people appreciate these things. It was a very special day because of that too, because after the win you have a place to go back to celebrate.” Graffard noted that Watch Me’s Coronation victory at 20-1 was similarly seamless, something he says is important at the highest level. “Watch Me had the perfect race also in the Coronation,” he said. “Everything went as we planned; after 200 metres of the race I had a feeling that everything was going our way. You don’t know if you’re good enough but at least you won’t have any excuses. Both races went perfectly, and you need that to win a Group 1.” Watch Me was more forward than Channel, breaking her maiden at listed level at two and following up in the G3 Prix Imprudence in April. An unlucky passage in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches resulted in a sixth-place finish and Watch Me was perhaps overlooked at Royal Ascot. “Watch Me was a filly that had showed a lot of ability in the morning,” Graffard said. “She was third first-time out. I never squeeze my 2-year-olds hard, but then she won a listed race straight away and the plan was always to start in the Prix Imprudence and she won that easily. Then in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, everyone saw that she was very unlucky; everything went against her in that race. So we had no pressure going into Ascot because we were 20-1, but I was confident in the filly and the owner was very quick to say, ‘we’ve won a Group 3, there’s nothing to lose, let’s run and we’ll see.'” Neither Channel nor Watch Me enjoyed the same amount of good fortune in their next starts-Channel finished seventh against older mares in the G1 Nassau S. while Watch Me was beaten 2 1/2 lengths when fourth in the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois-but both will live to fight another day. “With Channel we went to the Nassau S., which was quite a challenge but we like competition and I didn’t see any point in running in a Group 2 in Deauville,” Graffard said. “The problem was that the race was very tough and it was a difficult ask for a 3-year-old filly. We had also had a heatwave in July in Chantilly and she had missed an important piece of work. Maybe with that work she would have been fifth rather than seventh, but we don’t want to make any excuses because she probably wasn’t up to that level. But she’s in great form so we’ll see where we go now; the Vermeille [on Sept. 15] or maybe the EP Taylor in Canada [on Oct. 12].” “Watch Me, everything went against her in the Jacques le Marois,” Graffard continued. “The pace was not great; compared to Ascot where I was very confident looking through my binoculars, in the Marois after 200 metres I knew it wasn’t going to happen. The track was dead ground, and she came back and her pelvis was not right and she needed a bit of physio. We have to turn the page of that race.” Graffard has come far in his eight years with a training license, and he stressed that achieving, building on and sustaining a prosperous business is about so much more than being able to train a winner. “A successful trainer has to wear a lot of hats,” he said. “First, you have to be a good horseman, because at the start you need to win races. And then when you grow, you have more staff, and you need to become a big operator. You still need to be a good horseman, but you also need to organize your team and manage your growth. With more horses you have more clients, more staff and more work. And it’s a different type of work because you need to delegate more; you are less hands-on but you have to delegate and manage people and manage the atmosphere in the yard. It’s an entirely different speed, but when you grow you need to learn to be a big operator.” Graffard said the purchase of his own yard in Chantilly in 2016 was an important milestone for his business. “I started out renting a yard in Lamorlaye, and I managed to buy my own place three years ago,” he said. “That was a big important step because when you start out your owners can forgive you if the yard isn’t very pretty, because they know you’re starting out and it isn’t easy, but after a while you need to have a good setup and a nice office to welcome them. When you visit a yard you can feel how the trainer works, with the atmosphere of the team and how everything runs. The owners can see if the yard is neat, the horses are happy, the staff is very polite; it’s little details but it gives a feeling to someone who may want to send you a horse. It’s your image.” One of Graffard’s recent steps to further his business has been the addition of Charlotte Rinckenbach as his racing and communications manager. Rinckenbach graduated Godolphin Flying Start in July. “I speak with Francis’s owners and clients every day and keep track of the horses in training,” Rinckenbach said. “During the sales I’ll be out looking at horses for clients, and I’m also involved in the racing office. In the long term I’d be interested in running a racing club and I’m interested in that social part of the industry, so with Francis it will be great learning about the relationship between the trainer and their clients.” As part of Godolphin Flying Start Rinckenbach spent the past two years working in the Thoroughbred industries in Europe, America, Australia and Dubai, and she said a key takeaway that she thought could be applied to racing in France is improving the raceday experience for patrons. “We still have to work on the atmosphere at the races in France,” she said. “When you’re in Australia for example, they do a brilliant job; everyone is having fun, betting, having a drink with friends. Often in France we don’t have that atmosphere and we need to step up by taking people to the races. We need to show them that it’s fun and it’s not just for rich people, and that it’s very open to everyone and everyone can have a part of a horse and really enjoy it. We need to help people find a path into it.” Graffard added, “When you grow, your business has to grow too to provide new services and Charlotte is coming in at the right time. It’s important that we provide the perfect service for the owner, because nowadays they expect it. We have a lot of foreign owners now who are accustomed to a certain level of communication. It’s important to delegate tasks both in the yard and in the office and Charlotte has the right experience to make it work.” Graffard said the positives of adding a fellow Flying Start graduate to his team were plenty. “Godolphin Flying Start provides wonderful people for the industry–for any potential employer it’s a no-brainer,” he said. “They know their way around the industry throughout the world, are educated to a high standard and have a skill set that is an asset to any business. You know they’re not going to be afraid to work hard, and everyone wants that kind of energy in their business.” While the summer of 2019 certainly brought with it a generous helping of milestones for Graffard personally, he insisted it has been just as gratifying to see the rewards reverberate to those around him. “Personally you’re happy, but when you see all the positives around you that these winners bring–to your family, your staff–it’s so important for your staff to be involved with winners because they work very hard and they’re proud of it,” he said. “All my other owners were very pleased for us too. “There are a lot of owners in the yard who have been very faithful since the beginning and you have the same ambition to do as well for them. That’s where you get the most reward, I would say, as a trainer; when you’re rewarding the investment of the owners who put their faith in you. They buy or breed the horses and send them to you, and then they send you another one. When it works and you see how much it means to them you want to give them more of that joy.” “The good thing about Channel and Watch Me, and a lot of people say this to me, is it’s an industry of dreaming,” Graffard said. “You dream of winning a big race, and it’s important for people to see that the dream happens. With Channel and Watch Me, it’s exactly that. They’re owned by ‘normal’ people without massive budgets. Channel cost €70,000 and Watch Me was bought back for €30,000. So it shows that it’s possible, and we need stories like that. If not, people will say ‘I can’t be part of this game because I need 50 horses in training to do it.’ But you can do it with only one.” The post Graffard Enjoying Summer Of Milestones appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Editor’s Note: Patrick Gilligan has traveled to Seoul, South Korea with Harvey Wallbanger (Congrats) for the Sept. 8 Keeneland Korea Cup, and will be writing a travelogue for the TDN. When I went to see Kenny McPeek in late December 2017 about taking a position as his assistant, he fed me a line about how he would like to take more horses to race in the UK, target some big races there, maybe even base some horses there at times. I spent many years training in the UK, in Newmarket. My son was born and raised there. That appealed to me. I took the job. He sent me to Saratoga for the summer. He sent me to Florida for the winter. He sent me to Canada. This morning I woke up in South Korea. South Korea lies nearly 7,000 miles west of Kentucky. Seoul, its capital, is situated in the north west of the country, it is a progressive, advanced city of 10 million people, in a country of 50 million. Japan is an hour’s flight east, and China an hour’s flight west. It would be hard to find somewhere further from the UK to send me. I don’t know if Kenny is trying to tell me something. I am pleased to be here though. I am here because we are running Harvey Wallbanger in the Keeneland Korea Cup. And Kenny gave my son Jack Gilligan the ride. Harvey Wallbanger was in Kenny’s barn at Keeneland Race Course the day I started. A handsome 2-year old colt by Congrats, still learning the basics. A nice character who would come out of his stall each morning like an overexcited school kid let out of the classroom. I was in Saratoga with him for his debut. He finished second, I lost money. The horse who beat him (‘TDN Rising Star’ Complexity, by Maclean’s Music) won a Grade I at Belmont next time. His second start was at Keeneland, he was beaten a nose. I lost money on him. The horse who beat him (Plus Que Parfait, by Point of Entry) went on to win the G2 UAE Derby. When I decided to stop betting Harvey Wallbanger, Harvey Wallbanger decided to start winning. He won his maiden at Churchill, then he won the GII Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park in the New Year. Things didn’t really work out after that. He was given some time off and came back and ran a solid fourth in the Ellis Park Derby last month. If the race has brought him along, then we could be in business. The fledgling Keeneland Korea Cup, just a 4-year-old race has this year been given Grade 1-Korean status (as Korea is a Part II country, it is simply black- type internationally) due to the presence of high-quality Japanese runners that have regularly farmed the approximately $800,000 contest. There are no Japanese runners this year though. Korea and Japan are engaged in a trade spat, that has evolved into a trade war, that has evolved into a diplomatic crisis, which means the Korea Racing Authority was unable this year to invite any Japanese-based contenders. This opens the race up and makes challengers from North America and Europe the favourites to take the contest this year. It is an ill trade wind that blows no one any good. The Korea Racing Authority is progressive and ambitious, it has two main racetracks, and a crowd of 30,000 per race day is typical. The Seoul Racecourse can hold 80,000 spectators, and come Sunday it will be about full for South Korea’s biggest races (from a monetary perspective, in any event). The KRA already boasts the seventh biggest horserace betting turnover in the world, and it looks like that figure is set to keep climbing. They had the funds then, to look after the invited connections, so upper business class tickets were complementary. Knowing I was facing a 14- hour flight to Seoul, I suggested to Kenny that it might be a good idea if I took his ticket as he wouldn’t be attending. He said fine, but that it was really not that big a deal compared to a standard ticket. He could not have been more wrong. I enjoyed the champagne, polished off my filet steak, watched a movie while sipping a couple of vodkas, then pressed the button that turned my seat into a bed, pulled the duvet over me, and rested my head on the pillow in my private cubicle. I woke up when the captain announced we were 20 minutes from landing. That is as far from a standard flight as it is possible to get. To be sandwiched in a narrow upright seat with no legroom next to some flatulent old man who spends the journey muttering to himself is not a pleasant experience (that’s what Jack tells me anyway). When you are relaxing in that cubicle you feel like one of life’s winners, like you are a chosen one. You really are special–in a good way. When you are flying in economy on a long-haul flight, it gives you a lot of time to reflect on the fact that, let’s face it, all your dreams didn’t really work out. So, if you want your kids to really shine and do well in life, I will leave you with this bit of wisdom. Just pick somewhere a really long way away to fly your children to. Fly them out in economy, then fly them back in style. And then tell your children, it’s up to them. They will become straight A students, I guarantee you. Or jockeys. Patrick Lawrence Gilligan is the author of Around Kentucky With the Bug! (read Joe Bianca’s review here, the story of his son Jack’s apprenticeship, and serves as an assistant to Kenny McPeek. The post On the Road to the Keeneland Korea Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The wonder is that it works at all, never mind that it works so well. A catalogue of 4,644 yearlings, shaken through the Keeneland sieve, each with a bare couple of minutes to make or break a year’s work. Auctioneers and spotters stand alert as meerkats, expected never to miss the slightest rustle in the grass. And every now and then somebody will claim that it was only a passing breeze, and decline to sign the docket; and then it’s time to pore over videos, to negotiate, to flush out underbidders. Time, in other words, to go find Geoffrey Russell. And, right there, you have one very good reason why the September Sale works as well as it does. Because in the genial person of Keeneland’s Director of Sales Operations, buyers and sellers alike know they have a reliable fulcrum for every contention. Russell describes himself as both “police officer and fireman” for the whole process, which resumes in Lexington on Monday. He’s been doing it a long time now-promoted to the role in 2001, when the position of Director of Racing was created for his boss Rogers Beasley-and there’s scarcely a problem he hasn’t been asked to solve. So to say that he is as trusted as he is seasoned is no mean compliment. For a few minutes in his company is always sufficient to reiterate the twin passions that transparently animate Russell. One, plainly, is for the good name of Keeneland. But the other is for the sport itself, pure and simple. “I’m an avid follower of all racing-exceedingly boring, in that respect,” he admits. “Before TVG and all that came about, the ladies in the office found it very fascinating that I would come out here on a weekend to watch races. But if I was in insurance, I would still follow horseracing. I’m very fortunate that my business is my hobby.” And his service to Keeneland ultimately depends on that same horsefan’s ardour. For the sales ring is not just about contests of money and ego; it’s also about the beating heart of the sport, which binds people of all ranks. That’s why Russell demurs if you talk about “crazy” prices paid at the top of the market. “If you just watch the dynamics of when we sold Abel Tasman (Quality Road), for instance, then they’re not crazy,” Russell explains. “It really was wonderful to see the amount of people that showed up to watch her sell. It just showed how much respect our industry has, and the fans have, for these horses. That, I enjoy. “Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) paraded here when she was retired. The plane was late, it was freezing cold, yet people drove down here from Michigan, everywhere, just to have a glimpse of her. They were four or five deep in that back ring. She was a queen and John Shirreffs led her round and stopped to let people pet her. And we’ve got to try and capture the magic these horses have, and pass it on.” To see the ultimate racefan in Russell, however, you need to go to the Cheltenham Festival, the premier steeplechasing meet in Britain. He makes an annual pilgrimage in the company of an equivalent figure in the European business, Henry Beeby of Goffs. On the eve of his first visit, Beeby’s mother asked: “Are you excited?” “Like child on Christmas Eve.” Next evening at dinner she asked: “Did it live up to your expectations?” “And I said, ‘No,'” he recalls. “The poor lady was completely crestfallen. I said, ‘My imagination’s just not that good. It was way outside of what I thought it was going to be.’ The roar of that first race, if you don’t get hair standing on the back of your neck hearing that… I love it because it’s relaxing. But it is also amazing how many Flat people are there, that you can talk to in a situation that’s not a pressure cooker and have a beer and a chat.” He is, after all, himself an Irishman–though that is not so obvious from his accent as it was when he arrived in the Bluegrass, intending no more than a three-month internship at Fasig-Tipton, back in 1982. He had zero background in the game, son of a Dublin insurance broker, but had become “besotted” thanks to a friend whose father had horses in training. A summer working for one of Ireland’s revered Cheltenham trainers, Edward O’Grady, was intended to purge his addiction. “I think my father thought that some manual labour would get it out of my system,” says Russell wryly. In the event, the kindness and insights of the O’Gradys only fanned the flames. And then he went to his first horse sale, at Goffs, and something sparked. “I remember Sir Philip Payne-Gallwey buying the full-sister to Shirley Heights for 250,000 guineas, which would have been a record price, I think, in Ireland at the time,” Russell recalls. “His last bid was very demonstrative. And I thought, ‘Now here’s something I can do.’ There was that theatre to it, and I’ve always loved pedigrees, and working out the equations: why is this one bringing this price and that one bringing less? Still trying to figure that one out, many years later!” He had found his vocation. There would still be a marketing diploma, a season at Coolmore, even a stint at Elmendorf Farm after he came to Kentucky. But his initiation into the Lexington auction scene could not have been better timed. “Farm life was just too quiet for me, way too quiet,” Russell says. “And the ’80s here were incredible. I was very fortunate that I came here just as the commercial market exploded: all these people coming from all over the world to buy horses. I watched Seattle Dancer sell here, sitting on the fence as the horses walk out, to see the bid board. And Snaafi Dancer. If somebody moved too quickly in the back ring, the static electricity would have set the roof off here. It was unreal.” Though still working across town in those days, in 1996 he switched camps to become Beasley’s assistant. “I’d worked at Fasig so long, it was family,” he admits. “But if you’re in the horse business, you want to work for the biggest and the best. And this is the biggest, and it is the best!” So how does he view the rivalry between the two houses? Friendly or cut-throat? “Probably somewhere in the middle, to be honest,” Russell replies. “It’s respectful rivalry. All sales companies are competitive to each other, all round the world, be it Fasig or Keeneland; or Goffs, or Tattersalls; or Inglis, or Magic Millions. I guess we’re all in competition for certain horses. But we’re in a very exclusive club, dealing with the same clients all the time, so we have to have a good relationship with each other. Yeah, we want the better horses, and they want them too. It’s what Humphrey Finney called fair exchange. We all just do the best we can.” But September, unmistakably, is a one-off. As Russell says, it’s not one market but three or four. “Growing up, I never did puzzles,” he remarks. “And now all I seem to do is jigsaws. Because when we put together a sale, we try to identify the market and say that these horses should appeal to this group of buyers. In September, we’re just making it convenient for people to come to one place, and buy at whatever level of the market, instead of coming five times a year. Identifying which horses belong where is the challenge-and the best part of the whole job.” That, and the characters in the industry. Russell considers its unique charm to be the way so many people bring in friends as competitors, whether in the ring or on the track. The worst part, conversely, is those disputes. Rare as they are, they can happen at every level of the market and, for those involved, the stakes are no less critical at the bottom. But presumably he has had people refuse to sign big numbers? “Mm-hmm,” he says, pausing expressively. “You just try to work it all out. Rogers gave me great advice when I first came to Keeneland. He said: ‘Keep a log of any problems we have, and make sure we get them all resolved the day they happen.’ Everybody is all fired up and it often comes down to the heat of the battle. September, especially. I think it’s just trying to get people back level-headed and nine times out of ten, it works out. “The conditions of sale are for buyers, sellers, and the sales company. All three have to play by the same rules. You have to take the personality out of it. I can’t like Chris and not like George. If the rules say Chris is wrong, he’s wrong. That’s all that matters. Without sellers, we don’t have buyers; and without buyers, we don’t have sellers. So we are the middle man, and have to try and please both sides.” As a genuine racefan, Russell is better placed than some to recognise how some professionals lose sight of the primary purpose of raising Thoroughbreds-which is not just to make a few bucks in the ring, but to go win a horserace. Does he accept that these objectives can be perilously disconnected? “There was a period, I would definitely say yes,” he reflects. “There was more emphasis on the sales ring than the racetrack. I think it’s shifting slightly. But it is, still, very commercial. Just look at the Reports of Mares Bred, and see the stallions being used and not used. We always comment that you should be breeding for there”–he turns at his desk and gestures to the racetrack, before pointing towards the ring–“and not there.” Because the two sectors obviously sustain each other. “Without racing, we don’t have sales,” he says. “We need a very strong racing product to keep our sales industry going. But people do recognize that. There are consignors who’ll sell well, but their horses don’t produce. They will go a cycle and do all right; and then all of the sudden, they won’t. The market is pretty good at sussing that out. And the farms that do produce the best horses stay in business the longest.” Not that anyone can ever be complacent. “It’s a great leveller,” Russell says. “Just because you spend a lot money, you’re not guaranteed success. And vice versa. Was Real Quiet (Quiet American) purchased to win the Kentucky Derby? Probably not. Probably he was purchased to be a nice allowance horse in California, and it all came together. But then you also have FuPeg [Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr Prospector)] winning the Kentucky Derby. That was good for everybody because that’s what a $4 million horse is meant to do.” And the virtual certainty that champions will graduate from the imminent sale–whether from Book 1 or Book 6–gives the whole Keeneland team skin in the game. “There’s great satisfaction when you’re involved in the process that has Justify (Scat Daddy) winning the Triple Crown,” Russell says. “We all cheered every bit as hard for him in the Belmont as Tanya and John [Gunther, his breeders]. We were so proud of the fact that he came from Keeneland, as one little piece in the whole puzzle of things. “Breeders never lose that connection with the foals they sell. And in the same way we all consider ourselves partners in every horse that goes through here. Everybody in our sales department follows them avidly. We may only get the privilege of their company in our auction ring for two minutes. But we feel that gives us some kind of ownership for life.” The post Russell: How Our Business Depends On Pleasure appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Jackpot Farm's Basin proved up to the grade 1 challenge of the $350,000 Runhappy Hopeful Stakes (G1) Sept. 2 at Saratoga Race Course as the son of Liam's Map drew off in the stretch for an easy win in the seven-furlong race for 2-year-olds. View the full article

Abiding Star and Dynatail established themselves as the leaders in two divisions while Ms Locust Point and Laki maintained their divisional leads in the MATCH Series, whose four stakes helped Parx Racing show growth in total handle Sept. 2. View the full article

River Ridge Ranch's Chacha Real Smooth became the first black-type winner for Palace when he notched a one-length victory in the Sept. 2 Iowa Cradle Stakes at Prairie Downs. View the full article

Rockingham Ranch's Nucky emereged from a turbulent opening in the $300,000 Runhappy Del Mar Futurity (G1) Sept. 2 at Del Mar unscathed, sailing home to win the seven-furlong dirt test by daylight. View the full article

James Graham captured the fourth and fifth races on Ellis Park's closing card to earn his first riding title in Kentucky with 26 wins. View the full article

With 1-2 favorite and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Eight Rings (Empire Maker) and longshot Storm the Court (Court Vision) both unseating their riders shortly after the start after the former ducked in sharply, 35-1 longshot Nucky (c, 2, Ghostzapper–Lady Ten, by Rock Hard Ten) led home a one-two finish for trainer Peter Miller in a wild renewal of the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity. The last out runaway $100,000 maiden claimer winner at Del Mar Aug. 21 forced the issue from the outside through an opening quarter in :21.89. He poked his head in front as they lined up on the far turn and kept finding down the lane to score by three lengths over stablemate Wrecking Crew (Sky Kingdom). Defense Wins (Flatter) was third. The final time for seven furlongs was 1:25.52. Sales history: $130,000 RNA yrl ’18 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0. O-Rockingham Ranch; B-Barry & Judith Becker (Ky); T-Peter Miller. The post Ghostzapper Colt Leads Home Peter Miller Exacta in Eventful Futurity appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

If there's a certainty in the ever-changing world of horse racing, it's the charm and popularity of Saratoga and Sept. 2, when the 156th meet at the Spa came to an end, the roughly 38 1/3 days of racing there reached new heights. View the full article

If there's a certainty in the ever-changing world of horse racing, it's the charm and popularity of Saratoga and on Sept. 2, when the 156th meet at the Spa came to an end, the roughly 38 1/3 days of racing there reached new heights. View the full article

The 2019 Saratoga meet, NYRA’s first ever where the meet was expanded to eight weeks but limited to five days of racing, ended yesterday and the numbers proved that the experiment was a big hit as Saratoga’s all-sources betting handle for the meet topped $700 million for the first time. Total all-sources handle was $705,343,949, surpassing last year’s total by $46 million or 7%. Those numbers look even better when considering that NYRA lost an entire card, July 20, when it had to cancel because of the heat. NYRA likely would have handled between $21 and $23 million on that day. It also had to cancel seven races July 25 due to a severe storm. “This has been a truly outstanding meet highlighted by the traditional recipe that sets Saratoga apart: world-class Thoroughbred racing and entertainment,” O’Rourke said. “We would not be in this enviable position without the dedication of the owners, the talent of the horsemen, and the unmatched enthusiasm of our fans. I want to thank the local community for their support and everyone who contributed to our success this summer. This summer also marked the loss of one of Saratoga’s most ardent benefactors, Mrs. Marylou Whitney. Saratoga and NYRA will forever be grateful for her contributions to racing.” Though NYRA cannot come out with its racing schedules until they are approved by the New York Gaming Commission, O’Rourke said that organization would apply for the same five days/eight-week meet next year, but added that it is possible that there could be a change to the dark days. This year, they were Mondays and Tuesdays, and he said there’s some talk of going to Tuesdays and Wednesdays instead. “The off days on Mondays and Tuesdays certainly worked for us, but I heard some complaints from the restaurants that they were dead on Sunday nights,” O’Rourke said. “I want to hear what they have to say before deciding on the off days for next year. We like to consider more than just the bottom line for Saratoga because this town is about more than just a racetrack. To make Saratoga the success that it is, the entire community, and what is good for them, matters.” Coming into the meet, NYRA did not know if the additional week was going to take a toll on people, and, if it did, if the extra day off would somehow make up for it. As for how fans, horsemen and employees held up through an eight-week meet, O’Rourke said there were pluses and minuses. “People don’t realize that eight weeks is a long way to be away from home and I am sure there are some people who will be glad to be heading back,” he said. “But certainly everyone seemed to appreciate having that extra day where the backstretch workers could take a little break and a lot of the employees and fans got two days to rest up.” The ADW and simulcast players seemed to enjoy the extra day off more than anyone else as on-track handle actually fell slightly at the meet, from $148,826,388 to $146,812,772. “I think one reason our off-track handle was up over our on-track handle was because of the immense amount of television coverage we did during the meet,” O’Rourke said. “That gave people all over the country the chance to follow our races, and not just on the big days.” NYRA’s programming, Saratoga Live featured more than 190 hours of live programming this season compared to 80 hours when the broadcast was first introduced in 2016. When asked if the extra television exposure might have cost NYRA on-track business, O’Rourke said, “Not at all. That was one of the big pluses of this meet, all the exposure we got at this meet. I have to give Tony Allevato and Eric Donovan, two integral people involved with the TV production, a ton of credit. It’s not that easy to put together that much programming and they did a very good job doing so.” O’Rourke said several ideas will be tossed around concerning how to increase on-track crowds, including the shifting of give-away days and ways to further capitalize on the 1863 Club, which was opened for this year’s meet. NYRA started July 11, the earliest start ever for a Saratoga meet. Traditionally, on-track attendance picks up in August and such an early start could not have helped on-track business. Jose Ortiz was the leading rider at the meet, besting his brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., by a 60-53 margin. It was his third straight Spa title. Chad Brown won the training title with 41 victories. He fell short of the meet record he set last year when making 46 trips to the winner’s circle. New York racing is set to resume Sept. 6 at Belmont Park, but plans for the Long Island track having an abbreviated meet before moving to Aqueduct are currently up in the air. The reason given was that NYRA was worried about conducting racing there while construction was ongoing for a new arena for the New York Islanders. But O’Rourke said Monday that may no longer be the case. “I want to see what happens when we get back to Belmont,” he said. “There’s a chance that the problems caused by the construction won’t be as great as anticipated and if that’s the case then maybe we will run the full meet there rather than going to Aqueduct.” The post A Record-Breaking $700-Million Meet at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article