Wandering Eyes

Wrapping up a year that saw unprecedented success for the New York-bred racing and breeding programs, multiple Grade I winner Diversify (Bellamy Road) was crowned 2018’s NY-Bred Horse of the Year at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders’ awards banquet held Monday night at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs. Sponsored by the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund, the event was emceed by ex-jockey and television analyst Richard Migliore and handed out awards in 15 categories. Lauren and Ralph Evans’s Diversify, winner of the GI Whitney S. last summer, also took home Champion Older Dirt Male honors, with Lady Sheila Stable’s Holiday Disguise (Harlan’s Holiday) the other dual winner after securing Champion Female Sprinter and Champion Older Dirt Female titles. Chester and Mary Broman, who won 69 races and five stakes with their homebreds in 2018, were crowned top New York Breeders for the third consecutive year and sixth time overall. For a complete list of Monday night’s winners, click here. View the full article

While it represents an unashamedly up-and-at-’em start to the European breeze-up calendar, trading in workmanlike speed and precocity, the sale staged by Tattersalls Ascot today is nonetheless capable of serving as a weathervane for the whole market. Two years ago, a clearance rate of 80% and turnover breaking £2 million for the first time proved an auspicious signpost to a continued boom in the entire sector. The very first horse to breeze in Europe, moreover, turned out to be Sands Of Mali (Fr) (Panis), who proceeded to win the G2 Gimcrack S. that same summer. The momentum sparked at Ascot in 2017 extended through the ensuing sales, crowned by one of the all-time great pinhooks when Willie Browne of Mocklershill sold a Street Sense colt, found for just $15,000 at Keeneland the previous September, for €1.4 million to Kerri Radcliffe, then operating for Phoenix Thoroughbreds, at Arqana in May. It was a different story at Ascot last year. The clearance rate slumped to 50% and the median, for those that did manage to find a buyer, to 16,000gns from 21,000gns. And, once again, the more upmarket sales found that Ascot’s opening skirmishes had set the tone for the whole battle. As the circus proceeded to Doncaster and elsewhere, it gradually became clear that a number of factors had come askew across the market. And it certainly didn’t help that the breeze show for this sale, in particular, had to be staged in extraordinarily difficult conditions. But to the extent that there were lessons to be learned by sales companies, as well as by vendors, it looks as though one or two nettles have been grasped with commendable purpose–above all, in restoring catalogues to the kind of size that had sustained market growth until last year. Nowhere will this have been done more decisively than at Ascot, where today’s catalogue (before withdrawals) has been slashed from 146 to 91. The principal complaint, as the wheels came off the breeze-up bandwagon in 2018, was that the sector as a whole had become “a dumping ground” for unwanted yearlings. Overproduction, of course, is hardly the fault of the breeze-up sector, sooner reflecting the enormous books of mediocre mares nowadays being routinely corralled by unproven, ostensibly “commercial” stallions, in the hope of turning a fast buck. And many breeze-up vendors last year rebuked the sales companies for expanding their catalogues. Anecdotally, however, it appeared that many horses were being turned down. After all, it is not as though any shopkeeper prospers from oversupply. Either way, the fact is that market forces always contain the seeds of correction. Those opportunists who burned their fingers last year are doubtless less inclined (or insufficiently solvent) to come back and ride the wave created, over previous cycles, by the exceptional expertise of so many breeze-up consignors. In contrast, those who had generated that swell will, largely, also have proved best equipped to weather the storm. This time round, then, they will hope to regroup and maybe renew some of the positive curves achieved until last year. Remember that these supremely professional horsemen have a canny eye for the right type to develop as a breeze-up horse; and that some of the flotsam and jetsam drifting onto the market last spring, for no better reason than market rejection as yearlings, would never have got anywhere near their shortlists. Wherever the fault could be divided–not just between vendors and sales companies, but also with extraneous economic factors such as Brexit–the fact is that today’s catalogue of 91 is actually below the 99 lots published in 2017. That represents an unequivocal repentance on last year’s bumper book of 146. Other auctions, if not quite to the same extent, have also narrowed their sights. Goffs UK, for instance, has trimmed back its offering at Doncaster later in the month to 160, much closer to the 152 listed in 2017 (of which 79% ultimately sold) than to the 207 animals catalogued last year (66% sold). But it is not just about retrenchment. There have also been proactive, positive gestures. A new bonus scheme is being introduced at the Craven Sale, while graduates of today’s auction will be eligible for a new £100,000 incentive should they return to the same strip of turf in 11 weeks’ time and win at the Royal meeting. That is the ultimate aspiration for those shopping at the earliest of the sales, and was famously vindicated when Sean Quinn signed for The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) here in 2014, for £50,000. The following month Quinn’s father John saddled the colt to win by nine lengths on his Ayr debut, and he then returned to Berkshire to win the G2 Coventry S. The Wow Signal followed up in the G1 Prix Morny but was unable to race at three. Importantly for those who promote this format, however, Sands Of Mali continued to thrive last year to the extent that he too scored at the highest level, in the G1 Haydock Sprint Trophy; besides being a close second in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Hope springs eternal, and stakeholders recently canvassed by colleague Kelsey Riley say they are confident that everyone will have learned from the collective mistakes of last year. Yes, these were compounded by misfortunes beyond anyone’s control–the horrible going for such young horses at more than one sale, for instance. But the bottom line is that catalogues across the major European sales in 2018 expanded from 1,079 lots to 1,279, while actual sales only inched up to 769 from 739. Those figures helped everyone grasp that demand, for now, remains finite and largely unchanged. Moreover the stronger demand at the top end, reflecting a polarisation familiar across all markets, was propped up last year by the final crop of Scat Daddy. Consignors at every level, then, will have taken a chastened new focus to the yearling sales. Many, after taking a hit last year, will step back into the ring with a meaner, leaner look. As such, everyone will surely be satisfied should Ascot today offer neither fireworks nor fire sales, but simply a solid base for the weeks ahead. View the full article

Champion Japanese stallion Deep Impact (Jpn) (Sunday Silence) will cease covering for the remainder of the breeding season due to neck issues. The sire of 39 individual Group 1 winners stands at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan and the farm said his injury is not life threatening, but he will need time to recover. The 17-year-old has been the leading sire in Japan for the past seven years and has sired 131 black-type winners, 110 of them at the group level. Sixteen of his offspring are champions, and he has sired numerous Classic winners in Japan, as well as abroad, including Beauty Parlour (GB) in the 2012 G1 French 1000 Guineas, Saxon Warrior (Jpn), winner of last year’s G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Study Of Man (Ire) in the 2018 Prix du Jockey Club. Approximately 20 foals are expected for his 2020 foal crop. The two-time Japanese Horse of the Year and Triple Crown winner, who went to stud in 2007, stood for a private fee in 2019. View the full article

Annamarie Phelps, Vice-Chair of the British Olympic Committee and a former Olympic rower, has been appointed as the new chair of the British Horseracing Authority, the BHA announced on Tuesday. Phelps will take up the post on June 1 and while it will be her first role in racing, she has worked for a variety of governing bodies dealing with complex political and regulatory issues and was the chair of British Rowing until last year. Representing Britain in the women’s eight in the 1996 Atlanta Games, Phelps also chaired the independent review into British Cycling in 2017. “I relish the opportunity to work in British racing,” said Phelps, who was a world champion in 1993 and earned a CBE for services to rowing in 2016. “Everything I’ve seen and heard tells me that racing people are passionate about their sport, proud of its magnificent heritage and unified by a love of horses. I am looking forward to working with new colleagues at the BHA and across the sport. My priority is to help with the immediate challenges we face, but I am excited by the opportunities for racing to grow and flourish in the years ahead. “I believe that collaboration is the key to success and am privileged to be given a chance to play my part.” Phelps was a unanimous selection by the BHA’s nominations committee, which includes representatives nominated by racecourses and horsemen. Her appointment was approved by the BHA’s shareholders and the board. The chair of the nominations committee and the BHA’s senior independent director, Andrew Merriam, added, “I’m delighted that we are able to appoint a candidate of such high calibre. Annamarie has demonstrated impressive leadership skills and an astute grasp of the issues facing major sports, including their engagement with government. She will bring a challenging and independent perspective to the BHA’s work and be a powerful advocate for horseracing.” Atholl Duncan will continue as BHA chairman until Phelps takes up the post. View the full article

Live Oak Plantation's Win Win Win is preparing to hit the road again, this time heading west to Kentucky from his home base at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland. View the full article

A pair of 3-year-old fillies, each graded stakes placed in their careers to date, have been supplemented to the Horses of Racing Age section of next Tuesday’s Keeneland April Sale. A total of 91 horses of racing age have been cataloged for the single-session, including its newest additions Sweet Diane (Will Take Charge) and Splashy Kisses (Blame). Consigned by ELiTE, agent, Sweet Diane won her maiden at second asking by nearly 14 lengths and was placed in the Dec. 8 Hut Hut S. at Gulfstream and in the Suncoast S. at Tampa Feb. 9. The bay, a $130,000 Keeneland September graduate, was most recently a good third in the GII Fair Grounds Oaks Mar. 23. Sweet Diane is out of a half-sister to GSW & GISP Take the Ribbon (Chester House) and MSW & GSP Glinda the Good (Hard Spun), the dam of champion Good Magic (Curlin). Splashy Kisses graduated at Del Mar second time out last August and followed with a runner-up effort behind Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in the GII Pocahontas S. the following month. The dark bay has placed in two of her three starts this season, including a third in the GIII Sweet Life S. at Santa Anita. Splashy Kisses is being consigned by Claiborne Farm, agent. Splashy Kisses’s third dam was French MGSW and US MGISP Colour Chart (Mr. Prospector), dam of Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old filly Tempera (A.P. Indy). Click here for the digital catalog, including DRF past performances and ThoroGraph and Ragozin sheets. In addition to the HORA sale, Keeneland has cataloged 73 juveniles for its first 2-year-olds in training sale since 2014. The under-tack preview is scheduled for Monday, Apr. 8 beginning at 11 a.m. The sale begins Tuesday at 2 p.m. Click here for the 2-year-olds in training catalog. View the full article

2nd-Lingfield, £5,800, Cond, 4-2, 2yo, 5f 6y (AWT), :58.05, st. ELECTRIC LADYLAND (IRE) (f, 2, Cable Bay {Ire}–Conversational {Ire}–Thousand Words {GB}) was bustled along from the outside gate to seize control after the initial strides of this debut. Holding sway from there, the 4-1 chance was stoked up approaching the final furlong and maintained a relentless tempo under mild urging to easily account for Birkenhead (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}) by two lengths, becoming the first winner for Highclere Stud freshman Cable Bay (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). She is the third foal and scorer for Conversational (Ire) (Thousand Words {GB}) and kin to Listed Rochestown S. third Simmy’s Copshop (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) and a yearling colt by Anjaal (GB). Conversational is herself a half-sister to Listed European Free H. victor Kamakiri (Ire) (Trans Island {GB}) and to G3 Joel S. and G3 Select S. third Road To Love (Ire) (Fruits of Love). Sales history: €35,000gns Ylg ’18 GOFSPT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £3,752. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Emily Asprey & Christopher Wright; B-Rathasker Stud (IRE); T-Archie Watson. View the full article

1st-Musselburgh, £7,400, Cond, 4-2, 2yo, 5f 1yT, :59.85, g/f. PROPER BEAU (GB) (c, 2, Brazen Beau {Aus}–Olivia Grace {GB}, by Pivotal {GB}) broke smartly and raced prominently from the outset of this unveiling. Looming large after halfway, the 10-1 chance was nudged along to challenge approaching the eighth pole and kept on strongly under whipless cajoling in the closing stages to deny Alminoor (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) by a neck, becoming the first winner for his Dalham Hall Stud-based freshman sire (by I Am Invincible {Aus}). The bay is also the fifth scorer and latest foal produced by Listed Scarborough S. and Listed Lansdown Fillies S. placegetter Olivia Grace (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), herself the leading performer out of a winning half-sister to the stakes-winning Arctic Kite (Ire) (North Stroke {GB}), from a family featuring G1 Premio Presidente della Republica third Boon Point (GB) (Shirley Heights {GB}). Sales history: 34,000gns Ylg ’18 TAOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, £4,787. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Michael Moses & Terry Moses; B-The Aston House Stud (GB); T-Bryan Smart. View the full article

Diversify, who registered a victory in the Aug. 4 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, was named the 2018 New York-bred horse of the year during the April 1 festivities at the Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs. View the full article

Popular trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai will take three “Harbour” horses to the races on Wednesday night but each has a very different background.Harbour Century, Harbour Alert and Grand Harbour all line up at the uninspiring all-weather track meeting at Sha Tin with Chang hoping to cash in on a couple of stable changes.Chang only recently received Harbour Century and Harbour Alert after owner Tony Chan Chi-ming elected to move them from rival trainer Tony Millard’s yard while Grand Harbour has… View the full article

Whether its International racing or Uk and Irish action you are after we cover it all and have Daily Horse Racing offers available for you to get involved in. Check out today’s Horse Racing Offers below. UK Horse Racing Offer – Money Back All Losers if the Favourite Wins! On one race every day we […] The post Daily Horse Racing Offers – Tuesday 2nd April appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Hong Kong Derby placegetter Sunny Speed will not race again this season after suffering a tendon injury in the prestigious race.Both trainer John Moore and jockey Neil Callan had high hopes for the talented European import (formerly named Crack On Crack On) after last month’s Derby, with the Group One FWD QE II Cup (2,000m) on their radar later this month.Moore produced a masterful training performance to turn the four-year-old around for the race off a short preparation, but vets found him to… View the full article

Champion colt breezed six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 April 1 View the full article

War Affair back racing at Kranji after 19 months View the full article

Walker more hopeful than confident for Elite View the full article

Keeneland kicks off its spring meet April 4 with an eight-race card highlighted by the inaugural $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint Stakes. View the full article

Harrah’s Louisiana Downs will hold its marquee event, the GIII Super Derby, a week later in 2019. The race, worth $300,000, had previously been run Labor Day weekend, but will be run Sept. 7 this year. “We want racing fans to see our Super Derby live and enjoy the many special events planned for our signature event at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs,” said Eric Halstrom, Louisiana Downs director of operations “We found that many patrons had out-of-town plans or holiday gatherings with family members on Labor Day weekend, so we shifted our date to the next weekend.” The Super Derby is one of seven stakes races on the card, with the $60,000 Unbridled S. renamed the Frank L. Brothers S. this year. A Louisiana horseman, Brothers won over 2,300 races and trained notable champions including Pulpit, Hansel, First Samurai and Arch. He won nine training titles at Louisiana Downs. “Frankie is a very skilled horseman and was highly respected by our fans and horseplayers across the country,” said David Heitzmann, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs director of racing. “We are pleased to honor him and look forward to presenting an excellent Super Derby card.” The 2019 Louisiana Downs stakes schedule also features the Aug. 3 Louisiana Cup Day. The card features six stakes for state-breds, as well as the $60,000 Super Derby Prelude. The 84-day Louisiana Downs meet begins May 4. View the full article

A victory by Maximum Security in the Florida Derby (G1) and stirring performances on the Dubai World Cup card provided movement in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Poll and NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. View the full article

Portland Meadows plans to close according to the Oregon Racing Commission's executive director, Jack McGrail, meaning the meet that wrapped up in early February will be the last for the track that opened 74 years ago. View the full article

Flaxman Stables’ G1SW Study Of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) is pointing toward a return in ParisLongchamp’s 2100-metre G1 Prix Ganay on Apr. 28, Jour de Galop reported on Monday. A winner of the G2 Prix Greffulhe last May and the G1 QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly a month later, the 4-year-old also placed twice more at the group level during his sophomore campaign and was last seen running ninth in the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in the wake of Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in October. He is pleasing trainer Pascal Bary in his early season work and appears to have progressed from three to four. “Study Of Man is doing very well and should make his return in the Prix Ganay,” Bary told Jour de Galop. “He has matured and gained strength.” View the full article

The 10th race at Tampa Bay Downs Sunday was a decent enough sprint stakes for Florida-bred fillies, but hardly the sort of race that seemed destined to make history. Yet the 6-9-4 result it produced could come up as the answer to a future trivia question, because the official order of finish from that race determined the nation’s first-ever daily lottery number draw based on a live sporting event. The $2 quick-pick game, dubbed Win Place Show (recently rebranded from the parent company’s name, EquiLottery), just started a 90-day trial run at 45 retail locations in Lexington, Louisville, and northern Kentucky. A decade in the making, the concept is the brainchild of Brad Cummings, the founder and chief executive of a firm whose eventual goals include fusing the excitement of live horse racing with the convenience of buying a lottery ticket. The stakes are high for Win Place Show–and by extension, for the sport as a whole–to hit initial Kentucky Lottery sales goals during the trial period, because Cummings told TDN that an eventual statewide rollout and a likely expansion to other states hangs in the balance. “If we’re right, we get into the 3,000 stores in Kentucky,” Cummings said. “And on top of that there are six [other state] lotteries that are looking at this and saying if it’s successful in Kentucky, they want to bring it into their state. So the potential is there for hundreds of thousands of terminals across the country. What happens for horse racing when people can play this game at over 200,000 points of purchase? There are millions of people who would love our sport on a casual basis. Those are real dollars and real eyeballs watching a featured daily race every single day. That’s the real incentive here.” The premise is simple: A lottery player buys a $2 ticket for the game and receives a randomly generated set of numbers corresponding to three horses for the day’s selected race. A QR code on the ticket enables the player to scan it on a smart phone and view the race live or on replay. Players win if the race results match three in a row, three in any order, or any two exactly. Cash prize amounts are estimated for field sizes between eight and 14 horses. An exact match of all three (essentially hitting the trifecta cold), will likely pay between $250 and $1,800. All top-three finishers in any order will return around $10 to $80. A match of any two in exact sequence is good for a free ticket to play again. If one of your numbers turns out to be a scratched horse, you also get to play again for free. Tickets are sold in 24-hour increments, and each day’s race is designed to go off around 5 p.m. Eastern. Essentially, Cummings and his team will be scouring entries 48 hours ahead of time looking for the fullest fields with the most favorable weather forecasts scheduled to go off during that time frame. “We have 21 racetracks signed up right now. That number is growing,” Cummings explained. In addition to providing marketing exposure for the sport, Cummings underscored that “there is also a revenue component. We pay a percentage of each ticket to the racetracks for what we’re calling a broadcast rights fee. So they’re getting paid for the usage of their video feed. We’re not asking racetracks to do anything differently than they’re already doing.” Fifty percent of sales revenues get returned to players as prizes. For every $2 ticket, the revenue spits, according the Win Place Show website, are: 80 cents to first-tier prizes; 20 cents to second-tier prizes; 80 cents to lottery revenue; 20 cents to game management. Future enhancements to the website and mobile app could include the ability to buy the lottery tickets online instead of in-person, Cummings said. There are also plans in the works for an incentive system that could reward customers who bring losing tickets to a participating racetrack by allowing them to be redeemed for some sort of perk or freebie. Cummings said he was not at liberty to reveal the specific sales goals that Win Place Show must reach, but he described them as “very achievable. It’s based on per-capita sales, and it’s a very fair metric that we’re being given.” Still, Cummings said, he is making a direct plea for anyone who lives in the launch area or will be traveling to either Keeneland Race Course or Churchill Downs this spring to show support by purchasing some daily tickets. This list allows you to search for participating Kentucky Lottery retailers by zip code. “The vision starts this week, and anybody who cares about the sport and wants to see it grow, I’d ask them to go out and buy tickets, and encourage others to do the same so that the launch can be as much of a success as possible,” Cummings said. “In five years the potential is there for Win Place Show to be in 15 to 20 states,” Cummings summed up. “Horse racing has a chance to lead the way in an entirely new form of gaming that is a lottery game of pure chance based on a live sporting event. So I think that’s something that the industry should be proud is happening, and I hope the industry will fully embrace this as we continue to grow.” View the full article

Debut winner Fashion’s Star (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) may put her Classic credentials on the line in the G3 Dubai Duty Free S. at Newbury on Apr. 13. The once-raced filly, who saluted by 1 1/4 lengths at Newbury on Sept. 21, is one of a handful of exciting 3-year-olds for Roger Charlton this season, and may be pitched into the Group 3 race better known as the Fred Darling in mid-April. The Andrew Rosen colourbearer is nominated to both the May 5 G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas and the May 26 G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas. “Fashion’s Star might run in the Fred Darling, and we will see where we go,” said Charlton of the filly, whose dam is a half-sister to Hong Kong Champion Stayer and G1SW Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal). Fellow first-out victor Great Bear (GB) (Dansili {GB}), out of G1 Darley Irish Oaks heroine Great Heavens (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), is pointing to the £50,000 Listed Blue Riband Trial at Epsom on Apr. 24. Racing in the silks of the late Lady Rothschild, the bay is nominated to the June 1 G1 Investec Epsom Derby. “Great Bear wants a step up to a mile and a half really,” said Charlton. “We might have a crack at the Derby trial at Epsom, or something like that.” Juddmonte’s Headman (GB) (Kingman {GB}) saluted over a mile on Newcastle’s all-weather on Nov. 1, but was two lengths behind Godolphin’s Zakouski (GB) (Shamardal) while giving that rival seven pounds returning at Kempton on Nov. 21. He holds a nomination to the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas, while Creationist (Noble Mission {GB}), who is two from three, is another with high-profile races on his agenda. “I’m happy with Headman, and he is a nice horse,” added Charlton. “I think he will run over a mile and a quarter next, possibly in the conditions race at Newbury in just under two weeks’ time–the race Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) got beaten in. It’s always a good race. He can’t run in a handicap, so he has to run in one of those or a trial. I think a mile and a quarter will probably be his trip. “Creationist had a bit of a setback and produced a bad scope. He could run in two or three weeks’ time, because there are a couple of nice races for him. There is a nice race at Chelmsford, a listed race at Newcastle or a mile conditions race [at Kempton], so it will be one of those.” View the full article

Following a 23rd equine fatality at Santa Anita Sunday, The Jockey Club issued a statement reiterating the need for dramatic changes to the sport. The complete statement follows. “The string of deaths at Santa Anita isn’t the first spike in fatalities at a U.S. racetrack–these tragic events have happened before at other tracks and they will continue to occur without significant reform to the horse racing industry. The issue isn’t about a single track; horse fatalities are a nationwide problem that needs to be addressed on an industrywide basis. There has been tremendous focus on the track surface, but the core of the problem lies in a fundamentally flawed system that falls far short of international horse racing standards–standards that better protect horses and result in far fewer injuries and deaths. Chief among the principles that make up the standards of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) are those guiding the development of an effective anti-doping program and the regulation of the use of performance- enhancing drugs and drugs that can mask injuries, both of which can result in injuries and deaths. Under IFHA policies, commonly used therapeutic medications capable of masking pain and other symptoms of discomfort must be withdrawn days or even weeks prior to the race as compared to hours before the race in the U.S. IFHA policies also encourage rest to recover from injuries as opposed to policies here that facilitate treatment so training can continue, imperiling both horse and rider. It’s time we joined the rest of the world in putting in place the best measures to protect the health and safety of our equine athletes and that can be done only with comprehensive reform. Reform that includes creation of an independent central rule-making authority, full transparency into all medical treatments and procedures, comprehensive drug reform, and strict anti-doping testing both in an out of competition. On March 28, 2019, The Jockey Club published a major white paper–Vision 2025, To Prosper, Horse Racing Needs Comprehensive Reform–outlining the need for reforms and specific recommendations, including passage of H.R. 1754, the Horseracing Integrity Act of 2019. View the full article

5th-Parx Racing, $46,000, Msw, 4-1, 3yo, 7f, 1:24.77, ft. BETHLEHEM ROAD (c, 3, Quality Road–Alydarla {GSP, $150,650}, by Henny Hughes) showed some quick local works for his debut Monday at Parx and ran to them with a sharp wire-to-wire score. Drilling a half-mile from the gate in :46 3/5 (1/47) back in January, the bay had a trio of encouraging three-panel breezes recently, capped by a spin in :35 flat here (1/6) Mar. 28, and took some nibbles to be 67-10 as the lone firster in this group. Away in good order from his rail draw, the homebred was put on the engine and dictated terms through splits of :22.92 and :46.57. Traveling well on the turn as others were put to all-out drives, Bethlehem Road never looked a loser in the lane and hit the wire 4 1/4 lengths to the good of War Tocsin (Violence), who was another 8 1/2 lengths clear for the place. The winner’s dam placed in three stakes and was picked up by Don Ameche for $75,000 at Keeneland November in 2013. Her juvenile City Zip filly sold for the same price tag to Blue Devil Stable at KEESEP and she produced a filly by Malibu Moon last term before visiting Outwork. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $27,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. O-Don Ameche, III, Griffin Investments & Randall B. Reed; B-Gryphon Investments, LLC, Don Ameche III & Randy Reed (KY); T-Dee Curry. View the full article

Darcy Scudero has a way with animals. She also has pedigree that may explain her success in choosing and retraining Thoroughbreds as well as her understanding of the complexities of working with equine athletes. Scudero’s mother Gail owned Full Deck Farm in Fairfax, VA and sold off-track Thoroughbreds to the likes of George Morris and Joe Fargis, who rode the Thoroughbred mare Touch of Class to double-gold at the ’84 Olympics. Meanwhile, Scudero’s father Joe was a running back for the Washington Redskins. Scudero became an exercise rider at age 19, successfully rode races in the early 1990s, and continues to break young horses for a handful of clients from her Ocala base. Throughout her life and career, Scudero has bought and rescued racehorses to retrain for riding and show careers. And, like her mother, she can spot the ones that have potential to compete among the best. In 2016, Scudero received a Lemon Drop Kid mare named Charming Emily from trainer Joan Scott because she wasn’t making it as a racehorse. Scudero contacted BC native Holly Jacks-Smither, a successful international eventer, married to trainer Bruce Smither. Jacks-Smither has had a meteoric career including being short-listed for the 2016 Olympic games. Jacks-Smither rides as many off-track Thoroughbreds as she can. “Sure enough, I fell in love with her,” said Jacks-Smither. “We call her Big Pretty and she is competing at the Preliminary level now. I’m thrilled that Darcy always has a look out for me.” Scudero steps up for owners, trainers and non-profits in Florida whenever she is called upon. Its not always the sound, scopey horses for which she extends herself. For example, late last year, Scudero got a call from trainer John Tammaro’s assistant at Tampa Bay Downs about a horse named Return Video (Sweet Return {GB}) who suffered from navicular. His racing career was over. And, because he was so uncomfortable, his prognosis in general was not good. Scudero picked him up and started an aggressive treatment of PRP (Platelet-rich Plasma). Within 5 weeks she was able to ride him and she saw why everyone at the track wanted him to get a second chance. Return Video was so sensible, Scudero started him bareback. Today, he is with his new owner Jenny Jelen, a former working student of Scudero currently in training for low level eventing. “Everyone in the barn at Tampa was rooting for this horse,” said Scudero. “I am so happy for him. Horses like him keep you doing this kind of thing.” Wall Street Bull (Benny the Bull) came to Scudero as a 3-year-old. It was evident that he moved well enough for dressage. Scudero posted his picture in full stride with the comment: ‘No spook.’ This attracted dressage rider Colette Zimmer. “I didn’t want a 3-year-old and I was looking for a horse that I could ultimately sell to an amateur rider,” said Zimmer. “But Darcy’s comment and his picture were encouraging so I went to see him. I knew he was the right horse when Darcy hopped on him in a halter and no saddle and rode him around the farm for me.” At the 2016 Thoroughbred Makeover, Bull finished eighth in the Free Style class. When Zimmer was in the market for her 2018 ‘makeover horse’ and having no luck, it was Scudero who again came up with the match. “The market gets crazy when people start shopping for their ‘makeover horse'”, said Simmons. “I kept striking out because I like to vet a horse before I buy it. But, if you wait, you lose the horse.” “Then I gave Darcy a call and told her I was looking. Before long, she sent me pictures of Loki’s Revenge (Our Celebration). She got it right again. Although I bought him for the 2018 Thoroughbred Makeover, he ended up needing treatment and time for an unforeseen stifle issue. So, we entered him this year instead and I am so excited because he is going great.” Scudero has the reputation of being true to her word, knowing her horses and also being diligent in matching every horse to the right person. Four years ago, Lisa Smiley, new to Florida, was looking for her first horse and found herself discouraged by the process. Then she answered an ad placed by Scudero about a horse named Trip Six (Devil His Due). When Scudero realized that Smiley lacked experience, she agreed to sell her the horse but wouldn’t let the horse leave with Smiley until she felt comfortable about how Smiley and Trip worked together. Smiley asked to become Scudero’s working student and years later founded a horse rescue, Forget Me Not Equine Rescue, Inc., to follow what she learned while working with Scudero. “I never met someone more honest and dedicated to finding the best possible home for every horse, ” said Smiley. “I saw Darcy turn down offers to buy a horse when she felt it wasn’t the right match. Not many trainers do that. She is the only person I know who starts off telling everything negative about a horse before she says any of the good things.” Elika Otoya, an attorney who moved to central Florida from Hawaii to pursue her dream of having a small horse farm is indebted to Scudero for finding her two Thoroughbreds, Green Swamp (Wekiva Springs), aka Goblin and “Topper”, a 20-year-old off-track Thoroughbred who had a long second career as a dependable riding horse but was found neglected and in need of rescue. Scudero took him in and as he started to get healthy, she knew she had found a diamond in the rough. She called Otoya. “We took Topper and continued his rehabilitation, and now my daughter rides him everywhere,” said Otoya. “He was so perfect for us because I needed an experienced horse who could help me get my confidence back. Darcy is 100% committed to getting the horses into the right place and helping in every way. Next week she is coming over to help me take Green Swamp out on the trails. She is always there for the horses and us.” One gelding has a home for life with Scudero. Now 10 years old, she had purchased this son of Scat Daddy as a yearling for a client who named the horse Scudero. She got him to the races as a 2-year-old, but within a year, he was too tough for the riders and handlers at the track. The trainer called her for help. Rather than bring him back to the farm, Scudero went to the track every day and restarted him there. He raced for another two years and once again became difficult to handle. This time, she took him home for good. Now she is jumping courses on him with no bridle. Scudero exemplifies the caring and character of many people in the sport/business which is often lost in the reporting of racing, sales and horse welfare concerns. Her big heart and gift for seeing what a horse needs and connecting with all animals makes her story remarkable. “Each one is an individual and special in its own way,” said Scudero. “I’ve been so lucky to be around these horses for my whole life, I try to do the best for every horse in my care. It’s a huge thrill when you find the discipline that clicks with a horse and see them soar. That’s the best feeling.” When I sat down with her outside her house in Ocala, a squirrel dropped out the tree onto her shoulder. “Oh,” said Scudero. “This is Lily.” Joe Fargis stayed friends with Scudero’s mother until her death and is still in contact with Scudero. “Darcy knows her horses,” said Fargis. “She has a wonderful way with all animals. I’m proud to call her a friend.” To follow Loki’s Revenge’s journey to The Thoroughbred Makeover, go to https://www.facebook.com/lokisrevenge2018rrp/. To find Darcy Scudero, go to https://www.facebook.com/CenterStageFarm/. Diana Pikulski is the editor of the Thoroughbred Adoption Network. View the full article