Wandering Eyes

The Group One Osaka Hai (2,000m) has traditionally been a favourites race and that could augur well for 2017 Longines Hong Kong Vase runner Kiseki, who looks poised to be sitting right around the top of market when the gates crash back at Hanshin Racecourse on Sunday.The Katsuhiko Sumii-trained Kiseki is locked in a battle with Masahiro Otake’s Blast Onepiece for favouritism of a race that has been taken out by the punters’ elect in the last two years and 11 of the past 20 years.While the five… View the full article

Young jockey Alfred Chan Ka-hei admits to feeling nervous ahead of his first day at the races in Hong Kong but he says he would not change it for the world.The 24-year-old apprentice will take six rides into Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting, with the 10-pound claimer in hot demand.Chan will ride for four different trainers, including two rides each for his master Frankie Lor Fu-chuen and Caspar Fownes.Chan – once a promising sailor – only took up riding after seeing an advertisement for the Jockey Club… View the full article

Each Saturday NTRA and BloodHorse will provide a one-stop guide to the day's top stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). View the full article

Jockey Keith Yeung Ming-lun has fought back to fitness from a debilitating back injury which kept him out of the saddle for more than a month.The 30-year-old was forced to withdraw mid-meeting last month after feeling “shocking pain” in his back, giving up the winning ride on Clear Choice at the same time.“My spine, the L4 and L5 [vertebrae], there are some jellies in between each section and that just got broken down, it was putting pressure on my nerves,” he said. “It was a build up of things… View the full article

It was a largely uneventful, lazy weekday afternoon of racing Friday at Santa Anita, exactly what the track and the sport needed. It was the first day of racing at Santa Anita since Mar. 3 after the Arcadia, CA oval was forced to close down as officials, regulators and racing surface experts worked to find answers to what had caused 22 horses to die at the racetrack since it opened its current meet Dec. 26. To date, there have been theories concerning the rash of breakdowns, but no firm answers. Nonetheless, with track experts saying there was nothing wrong with the racing surface and with the California Horse Racing Board giving its blessing for the track to re-open, the horses returned in the afternoon Friday for an eight-race card. There were no fatalities or reports of serious injuries suffered by any of the horses who raced. That was no doubt a great relief to The Stronach Group, which owns the racetrack, and everyone in the Southern California racing community. Another fatality could have caused irreparable harm for the track that has been in the crosshairs of animal rights activists and politicians, some of whom were questioning whether or not racing in the state should be banned. That level of anxiety won’t go away quickly, but to get through one day without any problems was no doubt a relief. “People asked me after the card if I was excited,” said The Stronach Group’s COO Tim Ritvo. “For me, there was not an ounce of excitement. It was much more relief.” It was clear this was no ordinary day at the track the moment Santa Anita opened up for morning training. Ritvo said there were 10 TV trucks parked near Clocker’s Corner to record the morning activity and, he said, “waiting for something to happen.” Several of the TV crews remained throughout the day. There was also a small group of protestors that positioned themselves outside the track. Ritvo estimated they numbered about 25. “They didn’t stay long and they didn’t cause any problems,” he said. In an effort to reduce the use of medications and, hopefully, make racing safer, Santa Anita had announced a series of new rules, which included a ban of the whip. However, racing Friday was conducted under the exact same rules as when the track last ran. The whipping ban, though unanimously approved by the members of the CHRB, cannot go into effect until the rule winds its way through several steps necessary before it an become an actual regulation. That could take as long as nine months. Santa Anita’s new house rules, most of which involved reductions in the use of medications, were not in effect because entries for the card were taken before the changes were approved by the CHRB. The new rules, which include a provision where trainers can use only half the dose of Lasix that they were formerly allowed to use, go into effect next week. The same rules will also be in effect at Santa Anita’s sister California track, Golden Gate Fields. Santa Anita made announcements throughout the program that reminded bettors that the old whipping rules were still in effect. California riders are allowed to strike the horse three times in succession but must pause before another strike in order to give the horse a chance to respond. Perhaps the only bad news for The Stronach Group on the day was that the handle was off significantly. When Santa Anita last ran on a Friday, Mar. 1, a nine-race card yielded $9,658,537 in handle. Only $6,476,119 was bet on Friday’s eight-race card. Yet, that was far from the most important development on a day when Santa Anita came back to life and did so without any incidents. “Yes, we were back to work, but we were also part of a new normal,” Ritvo said. “There are historical changes coming and all of us here have a chance to be part of racing history. “I was scared. I was concerned. I had a lot of sleepless nights and there were many times I worried that this racetrack would never open again.” That didn’t happen. There are 10 more races on tap for Saturday. View the full article

On a bright, sunny day that fueled optimism for better days ahead, racing resumed March 29 at Santa Anita Park for the first time since March 3 with an eight-race card. View the full article

Santa Monica unleashed a five wide rally into the homestretch and just got up to prevail in the $100,000 Orchid Stakes (G3T), the last of three $100,000 stakes at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

Saifudin and Iskandar suspended View the full article

Representing the district that includes Arcadia, California, the home of Santa Anita, Democratic Congresswoman Judy Chu has been an outspoken critic of many of the practices allowed in horse racing. She issued a statement saying she was “outraged” by the 22 deaths that occurred at the track since opening day and said she would call for a congressional committee to investigate the treatment of racehorses at race tracks throughout the country. Chu spoke with the TDN and gave her latest thoughts on the state of horse racing, The Stronach Group’s efforts to lessen the use of medications and the whipping ban that was voted on Thursday by the California Horse Racing Board. TDN: Horse racing has had similar problems with breakdowns and fatalities at other racetracks, but never before have we seen someone in the federal government not only speak out, but speak out as forcefully, as you did. Why did this situation cause you to take action? JC: I was following the situation through the time 21 horses had died. Then Santa Anita closed to investigate. But, when the 22nd horse died, I said, ‘enough is enough.’ In addition, I watched the Fox News report where the reporter just happened to be out when yet another horse broke down, broke its two front legs. They put a tent around it and they euthanized it only moments later. It was very shocking to see that. We can imagine these deaths and think about them in the abstract, but to see one like that right in front of your eyes on television was the big shocker that led me and many other to say something had to be done about this. TDN: Did you hear from many constituents? Were people calling your office and saying “you have to do something about this”? JC: When I made the decision to speak out on this, I actually got tremendous feedback on my social media, calls to the offices. I got a huge amount of support. TDN: Since you first spoke up, Santa Anita has announced some significant reforms, the California Horse Racing Board has voted to outlaw whipping, so do you feel better about the sport? Are you willing to call off the wolves, so to speak? JC: I was encouraged by the California Horse Racing Board meeting [Thursday]. I was following it closely. I felt that they took the situation quite seriously. They went beyond The Stronach Groups’s proposals and now they want to have the restriction on whipping state wide. Actually, my greatest desire is to have nationwide reform, that’s why I am a supporter of the Horse Racing Integrity Act. That would pave the way for there to be federal standards in place. After all, these horses are transported across state lines for races. We need national standards to make sure that all horses train and race under the safest conditions. TDN: Considering that, so far, California is way ahead of other states when it comes to reforms, are you still considering calling for hearings in the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a federal investigation of horse racing? JC: I am continuing my efforts to have hearings. I have submitted an official letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over this. I have talked personally to the people in charge and they are quite interested in this. They know what happened at Santa Anita, and they know it wasn’t just a Santa Anita problem. That’s why the Horse Racing Integrity Act had been in the works and why it was re-introduced. They are very, very interested and I believe there will be some kind of hearing in the future. TDN: What are some of your primary goals? What would you most like to achieve when it comes to various reforms involving horse racing? JC: My main goal would be to ban race day Lasix. The U.S. and Canada are the only two countries that allow Lasix. The U.S. is an outlier when it comes to a lack of standards. What is it that the international community knows something that the U.S. is ignoring? I think we should ban Lasix. The banning of whipping is also a huge issue. We have had the introduction of the issue, but it will have to wind its way through the process. I hope the whip ban becomes a national policy. TDN: Since the Santa Anita problems began, have you heard from any of your colleagues in Congress? Has anyone said, “You’re on the right track. We need to look into this.” JC: Those people who are supporting the Horse Racing Integrity Act and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that oversees these horse issues, they are definitely horrified. TDN: Santa Anita re-opened Friday. Do you believe they opened prematurely? JC: I actually was very concerned that they opened back up. I felt that there were not enough answers yet as to why the 22 deaths occurred. On the other hand, I did talk to Belinda Stronach and others from The Stronach Group. They talked about all their proposals and I felt that they were quite serious about addressing these issues and were pushing proposals they knew would upset certain people in the industry. I really have to say that they did respond responsibly to this situation and did what they could. TDN: While you never called for the shutdown of Santa Anita, others have and, fair or not, you were associated with the anti-racing side. Did anyone complain to you about the notion that your efforts might put a major employer in your district out of business? JC: Nobody has said that to me. We are focused on the safety of horses. That is my main concern. I do have to say, though, that the response to this issue will play a major factor when it comes to the future of horse racing in this country. TDN: Are you optimistic that other states will follow California’s lead? JC: One thing that gives me hope is that The Stronach Group owns tracks in other states and I believe that Belinda Stronach said that she wants to implement these rules at those other tracks. I am encouraged by that. But I think we need to push this through Congress because there are many other states involved. TDN: One of the sad truths about horse racing is that even if you do everything one can do to make the sport as safe as possible, nobody believes you can create a situation where no horses will die. Is even one death of a horse acceptable if racing is making a good faith effort to make the sport as safe as possible? JC: I would be heartbroken by such a death. I do have to say that I learned something from my discussions with The Stronach Group about the difference between the United States and other countries like Hong Kong. Hong Kong has a rate of .66 horses per 1,000 starters that die. In the U.S. it is two deaths per 1,000 starters. (According to Jockey Club statistics, horse fatalities in the U.S. in 2018 occurred at a rate of 1.68 per 1,000 starters). That is more than twice the level of death of horses that they have in Hong Kong? So, what is wrong with us? TDN: The two other major thoroughbred tracks in Southern California, Del Mar and Los Alamitos, have both come out and said they have no plans to ban Lasix. Does that concern you? JC: I think they are being insensitive and tone death. I am encouraged, though, that the head of the California Horse Racing Board has said he is considering enforcing the Lasix restrictions statewide. View the full article

With dates approved and purses funded, East Boston’s Suffolk Downs will conduct its final season of live racing in the coming months. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved six live dates in 2019: May 18-19, June 8-9, and June 29-30. In addition, purse funding of $3.8 million from Massachusetts’ Racehorse Development Fund was approved, making average daily purse distribution over $600,000 daily. As additional incentives to horsemen, Suffolk Downs will also offer a program to owners and trainers to help offset shipping and travel costs. There will also be stakes races restricted to Massachusetts-bred and -sired runners. Live racing at the historic facility will cease after June 30. In 2017, Sterling Suffolk Racecourse, the company who operates racing and simulcasting at Suffolk Downs, sold the property to HYM Investment Group, a real estate developer. “We are looking forward to celebrating the rich tradition of Suffolk Downs with racing fans for one final season here as we pursue the plan to preserve Thoroughbred racing and its associated agribusiness and economic benefits in the Commonwealth by restoring the racing facility at Great Barrington,” said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer at Suffolk Downs. “We appreciate the support of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in granting our dates and purse funding requests.” View the full article

The Thoroughbred Classic Horse Show (TCHS), held Mar. 23-24 at Galway Downs near Temecula, CA, and hosted by California Retirement Management Account (CARMA), drew 96 entries. Began as an awareness campaign to highlight the adoption of off-track Thoroughbreds, the show offers classes in hunters, jumpers, cross country, dressage, barrel racing, pole bending, lead line, and showmanship. “We’ve been putting on these shows for seven years now, and we’re really starting to see resurgence of the breed in the show ring,” said Lucinda Lovitt-Mandella, executive director of CARMA. “Multiple exhibitors and spectators asked us how they can adopt very recently retired racehorses. The interest in the Thoroughbred as a sport horse and companion is growing.” The next TCHS event will be held Dec. 7-8 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center near Burbank. View the full article

Hipica TV, a fully integrated daily live Spanish language show streamed on The Stronach Group websites and YouTube.com, has been launched, it was announced Friday. Hipica TV shows races and replays from Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, Laurel Park and Golden Gate Fields. The show also offers handicapping selections and will include live interviews, feature stories, and racing insights from hosts Alfredo Alfonzo, Juan Carlos Palma, Pedro Casella, and Claudia Spadaro. The Stronach Group has been testing Hipica TV on both GulfstreamPark.com and LaurelPark.com for the last month, reaching an average of 76,000 unique viewers weekly and totaling nearly 800,000 views. Hipica TV will soon be added to SantaAnita.com and GoldenGateFields.com. “We’re incredibly proud to provide this ground-breaking service free to our viewers,” said Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group. “We’ve received incredibly positive feedback and viewership continues to grow. We believe Hipica TV is ground-breaking, relevant, and once again shows The Stronach Group’s commitment to Thoroughbred racing. We strongly believe Hipica TV will continue to grow as we build our brand nationally and internationally.” View the full article

Three finalists have been selected for the 13th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award, given yearly to recognize “book-length race-writing of the highest quality.” Shane Ryan hosts the awards at Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Ky., in honor of his late father. The finalists are Patrick Lawrence Gilligan, author of Around Kentucky With the Bug!, a journal of a year in the life an apprentice jockey; Andy Plattner, whose Dixie Luck is a collection of fictional stories about the racetrack; and the team of Linda Carroll and David Rosner, co-authors of Out of the Clouds: The Unlikely Horseman and the Unwanted Colt who Conquered the Sport of Kings, a biography of Hirsch Jacobs and Stymie. The winner, who will be awarded $10,000, will be announced Apr. 10 at an invitation-only reception. Judges are Kay Coyte, former managing editor of the Washington Post-Bloomberg News Service; Caton Bredar, longtime television broadcaster and racing analyst; and Jayne Moore Waldrop, a writer, attorney and poetry author. View the full article

Season passes for Saratoga Race Course’s 2019 meet will be available for purchase Tuesday, Apr. 2, at 10 a.m. ET, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) announced Friday. Season passes provide purchasers with admission for all 40 days of the meet, including the day of the flagship GI Runhappy Travers S., to be held this year Aug. 24. The passes do not include reserved seating. Saratoga’s meet runs from Thursday, July 11, to Monday, Sept. 2. A season pass for the grandstand is $50, while one for the clubhouse is $75. Season passes may be obtained at nyra.com/saratoga/. View the full article

Dr. Jeff Berk, President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, issued the following statement Friday afternoon in response to the announcement earlier this week that the three major U.S. sales companies will offer buyers the choice to test purchases for bisphosphonates and rescind sales for positive tests: “The American Association of Equine Practitioners endorses the decision made by the Keeneland Association, Fasig-Tipton and Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company to offer post-sale bisphosphonate testing on horses under four years of age. This is one facet of what we hope will be a multi-pronged effort within the Thoroughbred industry to address the misuse of these drugs in young horses. Additionally, it should be remembered that bisphosphonates have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for therapeutic use in horses for certain conditions. It is the misuse of these products that is in question, not the drugs themselves. While addressing this issue, it is important to remember that we do not know the extent of the use of these products in young horses and do not wish to impugn the integrity of an entire industry based upon anecdotal information. The AAEP supports the use the FDA-approved bisphosphonate products according to manufacturer labeling and does not condone their use in horses under the age of four.” View the full article

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Today’s Observations features a highly regarded Jean-Claude Rouget trainee and numerous bluebloods. 2.50 Saint-Cloud, Cond, €35,000, 3yo, c/g, 10 1/2fT MAKMOUR (FR) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) was described by trainer Jean-Claude Rouget as his “grand espoir” in a recent interview with Jour de Galop, which is a significant pointer to the expectations on the Aga Khan homebred who holds entries in the Classics, including the Epsom Derby. Having cruised through his sole racecourse outing over 7 1/2 furlongs on Deauville’s Polytrack in November, the bay faces a tough reintroduction against another Aga Khan homebred colt in the Mikel Delzangles-trained Shendam (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}), an impressive winner on his debut over nine furlongs at ParisLongchamp in October, and two Wertheimer homebreds from the Carlos Laffon-Parias stable including Maxime Guyon’s pick, Starmaniac (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a son of the Group 1 heroine Plumania (GB) (Anabaa). 4.35 Saint-Cloud, Debutantes, €25,000, 3yo, f, 10fT GLACIATE (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is a half-sister to the pair of Nayef Group 1 performers Snow Sky (GB) and Ice Breeze (GB), with the latter’s trainer Pascal Bary also in charge of this Juddmonte homebred. The G1 Prix de Diane entry encounters another notable blueblood in Tabor/Magnier/Smith’s Secret Walk (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), a 600,000gns TATDEC graduate and Andre Fabre-trained daughter of the accomplished High Heeled (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}). 4.35 Navan, Mdn, €12,000, 3yo, 8fT JUST SO (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is a half-sister to the G1 Eclipse S.-winning sire Mukhadram (GB) (Shamardal) who gets her career underway for Ballydoyle racing in the Derrick Smith silks. The chestnut is up against 17 rivals here, with His Highness The Aga Khan’s similarly unraced Shelir (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) one of the most eye-catching from the Dermot Weld yard, being a grandson of the 1993 G1 Prix de Diane heroine Shemaka (Ire) (Nishapour {Fr}) whose exciting relative Shendam (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) will have already raced at Saint-Cloud earlier in the afternoon. 4.45 Doncaster, Mdn, £5,800, 3yo, 10f 43yT JUST YOU WAIT (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is a fascinating newcomer on a big day for Godolphin, being a half-brother to the champion 2-year-old and proven sire Teofilo (Ire) and a full-brother to the recent G2 Cape Verdi and G2 Balanchine winner Poetic Charm (GB), as well as the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial scorer Bean Feasa (GB). Charlie Appleby gets the bay homebred started against 16 rivals, including King Power Racing’s Andrew Balding-trained Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}), the 500,000gns TATOCT purchase who has one piece of juvenile form when second to Sangarius (GB) (Kingman {GB}), which would make him tough to beat. View the full article

With trainer Todd Fincher on hand March 29, Runaway Ghost worked five furlongs in 1:02 1/5 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:15 3/5. View the full article

Anyone using the drug in racehorses younger than 4 faces a $25,000 fine and a revoked occupational license. "This is not a trivial violation," said Dr. Scott Palmer, equine medical director for the New York Gaming Commission. View the full article

Ed DeRosa of TwinSpires.com takes on TDN’s Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato as they handicap each prep race leading up to the GI Kentucky Derby. The three will make $100 Win/Place bets-highest bankroll after Arkansas Derby/Lexington day wins. DiDonato: GIII Sunland Derby – Cutting Humor took more play than I would’ve liked, but he worked out the right trip and just held off Anothertwistafate. Don’t want this Derby prep season to end–just seeing the ball very well at the moment. Bankroll: $11,165. GI Florida Derby – I kind of expected to go with Hidden Scroll here, but it’s a bit tough to given the rail draw and speed drawn outside of him. Obviously, his new rider will be very cognizant of avoiding another duel, but it’s still a tricky situation. You could certainly make the case that Bourbon War ran better than Code of Honor last time in the Fountain of Youth, and since he’s the one I took last time, that’s who I’ll stick with. There’s no reason he can’t continue to improve and take another step forward. Selection: #4 Bourbon War (7-2). Sherack: GIII Sunland Derby – Cutting Humor really got crushed late to 2-1, but I’ll certainly take it to close out a two-for-two weekend. Bankroll: $5230. GI Florida Derby – Made my case for Bourbon War in the Fountain of Youth Throwdown and he looks very playable at hopefully a similar number here. The rapidly improving son of Tapit fell too far back for his own good that day and came with a serious late run to finish a big second, albeit with a great setup. Well drawn on the inside again, the bay should get another solid pace to close into, he just needs to sit a little closer this time around if he wants to turn the tables. Selection: #4 Bourbon War (7-2). DeRosa: GIII Sunland Derby – Anothertwistafate was second. Bankroll: $880. GI Florida Derby – It’s difficult to disagree with the conventional wisdom when it comes to the Florida Derby that Bourbon War, Code of Honor, Hidden Scroll, and Maximum Security are the clear contenders. Of them, I most prefer Code of Honor, as he figures to get the right trip behind Hidden Scroll and Maximum Security, and I view him as most likely to move forward off the Fountain of Youth S. Bourbon War intrigues me, but much more as a Kentucky Derby threat in five weeks than here. All that said, it’s impossible for me not to take a shot with the maiden Bodexpress, who stretches out to two turns for the first time following just missing in a fast maiden race. Selection: #8 Bodexpress (30-1). View the full article

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–Eclipse Thoroughbreds has a big Saturday ahead of them with four graded stakes runners across the globe, headlined by Current (Curlin) in the GI Florida Derby. They also have the undefeated Point of Honor (Curlin) in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks, Gray Magician　(Graydar) in the G2 UAE Derby and Ohio (Brz) (Elusive Quality) in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita. Current has done his best running on the turf so far, including a defeat of recent GIII Palm Beach S. victor A Thread of Blue (Hard Spun) in his second-out graduation on the Belmont lawn in October and a victory in the GIII Dixiana Bourbon S. at Keeneland a month later. Seventh in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs, the $725,000 KEESEP buy filled the same spot in his lone try on dirt in a muddy renewal of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. beneath the Twin Spires Nov. 24. Returning to the turf at Gulfstream Feb. 3, he was third to A Thread of Blue in the Dania Beach S. “His success, obviously, has come on the grass,” said Eclipse President and Founder Aron Wellman. “We did try him in the Kentucky Jockey Club. It was a really wet track that day and he had a really rough trip, so we feel as though we did not get a very accurate gauge about what his true capability would be on the dirt. He has trained well enough on the dirt at Palm Beach Downs that it is something we have had in the back of our minds. There is a little bit of a lull in the graded stakes turf program at the moment, so we thought this was a good opportunity to be able to take one more shot to see if he could rise to a proper level on the dirt.” Current won’t have it easy in the Florida Derby, which has attracted a full field of 11, including GII Fountain of Youth S. top two Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) and Bourbon War (Tapit), as well as ‘TDN Rising Star’ Hidden Scroll　(Hard Spun). “It is not light on competition or quality,” Wellman said. “This race is right in our backyard and we have a good draw, we think. On the inside, going two turns at Gulfstream, is a pretty favorable position to be in. Our secondary plan was running in the [GII Toyota] Bluegrass, where we would have to ship and were unsure of what the weather would be like or our draw. So, we thought it was probably in the horse’s best interest to stay here. At the end of the day, it is going to boil down to, whether Current is good enough to compete on the dirt at this level.” Point of Honor, on the other hand, is already two-for-two on dirt. Eclipse bought into the filly after her six-length debut romp going 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Dec. 16 and she followed that up with a decisive score in the Pasco S. at Tampa Feb. 9. “We are very excited about her coming into this race,” Wellman said. “We knocked out a plan with Mr. [John] Connelly [of Stetson Racing] and George Weaver, which included the first step in the Suncoast S. and we were very please with that effort. We have given her gracious spacing between her races, which we think she will benefit from. We are looking forward to a big performance from her tomorrow.” Point of Honor is the likely favorite in Saturday’s GI Kentucky Oaks qualifier, but she will have to contend with a good-looking maiden winner from the Chad Brown barn in Dunbar Road (Quality Road). “Again it is a really nice group of fillies,” Wellman said. “Chad’s Quality Road filly, Dunbar Road, could be any kind. The fact that Chad decided to shift gears and push her up a week says a lot about what he thinks about that filly and how well she must be training.” He continued, “We have a lot of confidence in Point of Honor. She is doing well and we have conviction that she is a really, really high quality filly. Again, it will really be a matter of her going out, executing the game plan and proving she is a high-caliber filly capable of earning her way into the Kentucky Oaks.” It has already been a good week for Curlin with one of his 2-year-old sons topping the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale Wednesday at $3.65 million and Wellman, who campaigned MGISW Curalina (Curlin) in the Eclipse colors, said he hopes that will continue. “We are big fans of the sire and it is an honor associated with these animals with a filly in the Gulfstream Park Oaks and a colt in the Florida Derby” Wellman said. Across the globe in Dubai on what is one of the biggest nights of racing, Eclipse will be represented by Gray Magician in the UAE Derby, which also offers points towards the Run for the Roses. Graduating by 9 1/2 lengths in his fourth attempt at Del Mar Nov. 24, the gray was fourth in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 5 and was off the board in a Jan. 31 optional claimer, but finished second last time in Laurel’s Miracle Wood S. “He is a little bit more under the radar, but he is a colt that we have always been very high on,” Wellman said. He broke his maiden very impressively and we set out on an ambitious path with him right after that. Things did not go all that well for him, but he still did not disgrace himself. There were some hidden good numbers and good races that he ran.” As for why they chose Dubai, Wellman said, “He is right now just a cut below what it would take to consider a major Derby prep, so with that in mind, we decided to make a road warrior out of him and go for the ultimate money run to Dubai to try to get a piece of this $2.5 million pot they have up for grabs over there. He is a very talented horse. Whether he sees out the 1 3/16-mile trip is a bit of a mystery. He is also a very hot-blooded individual, so it will be interesting to see whether or not he handles the desert heat and all of the elements that go along with the World Cup night extravaganza. We think we brought a horse capable of making his presence felt for sure.” On re-opening weekend at Santa Anita, Eclipse will send out the first horse they ever claimed, Ohio, in the Kilroe Mile. Picked up out of a $50,000 claimer in June, the gelding won at that level next out at Del Mar, captured a stakes race at Turf Paradise and placed in a pair of graded events in California. “Ohio is a horse hard not to love,” Wellman said. “He actually became the first ever claim for Eclipse. It is not our typical method of acquiring racehorses, but he is a horse, who, ever since coming from South America to California, I’ve had my eye on. In fact, after the first or second time that he ever ran in the States, I did offer quite a healthy sum of money to acquire him privately, but his connections at the time turned me down.” He continued, “It got to the point where they were running him for a $50,000 tag. I huddled up with Michael McCarthy and Bruce Treitman, a partner of ours, who does acquire some horses via the claim box, and we decided to take the plunge. Michael has done exceptional job resuscitating Ohio. He has been a lot of fun and has been a high class horse. We are really looking forward to running him in a Grade I tomorrow. He has paid his way and then some and hopefully tomorrow will be the icing on the cake.” Wellman will be in Hallandale Beach for Current and Point of Honor’s race, while some other members of the Eclipse team will be in attendance in Dubai and California. “I stayed after the [Fasig-Tipton] sale on Wednesday,” Wellman said. “It was sort of a last minute audible to run Current here, but we were always aiming for the Oaks for Point of Honor, so I was going to stay for her no matter what. We have representation in Dubai, which is fantastic, and the folks out in California will be there for Ohio, so we have all our bases covered. Hopefully, we can find our way to the winner’s circle in one of these big races and provide our partners with the thrill they deserve.” View the full article

Signal Tap (Fappiano–South Sea Dancer, by Northern Dancer) died earlier this week at Haras Santa María de Araras in Brazil. He was 28 years old. Bred by Will Farish in partnership with E. J. Hudson and W.S. Kilroy, Signal Tap, a $390,000 purchase out of the 1992 Keeneland July Sale by Centennial Farm, was trained by Scotty Schulhofer and posted his biggest career victories in the GIII Hialeah Turf Cup and GIII Bougainvillea H. He was also third in the GI Man O’ War S. and retired with seven wins from 25 career starts. Signal Tap entered stud at Questroyal Stud in New York and from his third U.S. crop, was responsible for Got Koko, winner of the 2002 GI La Brea S. Once relocated to Julio Bozano’s stud in Brazil, he sired an additional 12 graded winners, six at the Group 1 level. He is the sire of 20 black-type winners to date overall. View the full article

Southern California-based Platinum Warrior could become the first United States-based horse to win the $1.5 million Dubai Gold Cup (G2) when he lines up against some of the world's top distance horses March 30 at Meydan. View the full article

Edited press release from the NTRA The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) communicated to Congressional offices Friday that it would allocate 30,000 additional H-2B visas for the current fiscal year that concludes on September 30, 2019. This nonimmigrant visa program is used by many industries that need temporary non-agricultural help when domestic workers are unavailable. For the horse racing industry, racehorse trainers rely heavily on the H-2B program to fill various backside positions. “We applaud Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen for her decision to allocate an additional 30,000 H-2B visas for the remainder of fiscal year 2019,” said NTRA President and CEO Alex Waldrop. “This will provide relief to horse trainers desperate to hire foreign workers for backstretch positions that U.S. citizens are not filling. While the number is probably not sufficient to meet the demand, it is decidedly better than the 15,000 additional H-2B visas issued in the last two fiscal years.” Below is the complete statement from DHS: The H-2B nonimmigrant visa program allows U.S. employers who meet specific statutory and regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a statutory cap on the total number of foreign nationals who may be issued an H-2B visa or otherwise granted H-2B status during a fiscal year. Under section 214(g)(1)(B) and 214(g)(10) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (INA), Congress has set the H-2B cap at 66,000 per fiscal year, with a maximum of 33,000 available during the first half of any given fiscal year and 33,000 for workers who begin employment in the second half of the fiscal year. Section 105 of Div. H of Public Law 116-6, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, was signed into law by the President on February 15, 2019. This fiscal year, for the third year in a row, Congress delegated to the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to allocate visas above the 66,000 cap if the Secretary determines, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, that the needs of American businesses could not be satisfied with U.S workers who are willing, qualified, and able to perform temporary nonagricultural labor. After consultation with Secretary Acosta and carefully weighing several factors, including whether U.S. workers may be harmed, and impact statements from your constituents, Secretary Nielsen has decided to allocate an additional 30,000 H-2B visas for the remainder of fiscal year 2019. Further, this supplemental visa allocation will be available only to applicants who have held H-2B status in at least one of the past three fiscal years (2016, 2017 and 2018). Details on eligibility and filing requirements will be available in the temporary final rule and on uscis.gov when the final temporary rule is posted for public inspection. View the full article

Arindel's homebred Cookie Dough, who missed by a head in the March 2 Davona Dale Stakes (G2), tries her hand in the March 30 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) at 1 1/16 miles. View the full article

Just days after Arqana released the catalogue for its May Breeze-Up Sale, a wildcard has been added in the form of a Street Sense colt (lot 139). The American-bred colt will be consigned by Grove Stud, and was a $37,000 purchase at Keeneland September. He is out of the stakes-winning and dual Grade I-placed Model (Giant’s Causeway), and his fourth dam is the GI Kentucky Oaks winner and excellent producer White Star Line. The Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale takes place May 10 and 11. View the full article