Wandering Eyes

Epic Racing's Valedictorian proved to be at the top of her class Feb. 9. The two-time stakes winner finally broke through at the graded level, running gate-to-wire to win the $150,000 Suwannee Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park. View the full article

It wasn't a romp, geared down and cruising to the wire like she's done before, but Kaleem Shah's Bellafina was still impressive in a very different way Feb. 9 in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park. View the full article

Well Defined (g, 3, With Distinction–Fru Fru, by Medaglia d’Oro) cleared the field from his outside draw and never them a chance, running away with a three-length, wire-to-wire tally at odds of 7-1 in the GIII Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa. Kentucky Wildcat (Tapit) was second; So Alive (Super Saver) was third. Well Defined, a runaway winner of the FTBOA Florida Sire In Reality S. last September, was adding blinkers following a well-beaten fifth in the Mucho Macho Man S. at Gulfstream Jan. 5. The final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.70. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-1. O/B-Stonehedge LLC (FL); T-Kathleen O’Connell. View the full article

Global Campaign (c, 3, Curlin–Globe Trot, by A.P. Indy), a sharp debut winner with an 85 Beyer Speed Figure going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Jan. 5, successfully stretched to two turns in a salty optional claimer in Hallandale Saturday, good for ‘TDN Rising Star’ honors. The half-brother to MGISW Bolt d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro) broke sharply and showed the way into the clubhouse turn, but backed off to chase in second as Blue Steel (Will Take Charge) made an aggressive move entering the backstretch. Global Campaign, off as the 3-5 favorite, charged up on the outside to draw alongside Blue Steel through a half-mile in :47.57, took command without being asked on the far turn, turned for home in complete control as Luis Saez took a peek under his shoulder, and was geared down late to cross the line 2 1/4 lengths clear over the comebacking GISP Standard Deviation (Curlin). The final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.29. Sales history: $250,000 yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Sagamore Farm LLC & WinStar Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm LLC (Ky); T-Stanley Hough. View the full article

‘TDN Rising Star’ Winter Sunset (f, 3, Tapit–Winter Memories, by El Prado {Ire}), a sharp, front-running debut winner over the Fair Grounds lawn Nov. 29, showed a new dimension while staying perfect in Saturday’s Shantel Lanerie Memorial Overnight S. The 5-2 chance missed the break and trailed the field of five as they passed the grandstand for the first time. She began to advance on the outside down the backstretch and kept rolling while four-wide and one to the inside of heavily favored Elsa (Animal Kingdom) on the far turn. After racing shoulder to shoulder with that one down the lane and drifting out some throughout, Winter Sunset pulled clear late to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Naughty Me (Handsome Mike) was third. A stewards inquiry into the stretch run was quickly posted and removed. The final time was 1:42.34. The winner’s dam Winter Memories was a MGISW on the turf for John Phillips’s operation, just like her mother, Memories of Silver. Winter Memories is a half-sister to GSW La Cloche (Ghostzapper), the dam of GSW Bellavais (Tapit); stakes winners British Blue (Storm Cat) and War Choice (Storm Cat); and the unraced dams of GSW Hawkish (Artie Schiller) and SW Red Lodge (Midshipman), both of whom are ‘TDN Rising Stars’. Winter Memories produced a Tapit colt in 2017 and a filly by the Gainesway stalwart in 2018. She was bred back to Union Rags. Sales history: $900,000 RNA yrl ’17 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0. O-Coffeepot Stables & Phillips Racing; B-Phillips Racing Partnership (Ky); T-Wayne Catalano. View the full article

Lone Star Park has scheduled 13 stakes races worth over $1.1 million for its upcoming 44-day Thoroughbred meeting which opens Apr. 18. Highlighting the 2019 stakes offerings is the $300,000 GIII Steve Sexton Mile, which will be run Apr. 28. The meet will also include the first running of the $100,000 Lone Star Park Turf S. for fillies and mares to be run May 27. Two cards will feature four stakes each for Texas-bred runners; June 23’s Lone Star Showcase Day and July 14’s Stars of Texas Day, presented by Highlander Training Center. View the full article

Hagyard Davidson McGee Associations issued a statement Saturday in response to a class action lawsuit filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court alleging it has been falsifying the dates that radiographs were taken on some horses about to be sold at Keeneland since 2006. “Hagyard Equine Medical Institute believes the lawsuit filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court regarding several of Hagyard’s veterinarians is without merit and will demonstrate it is based on a fundamental misrepresentation of the facts,” the statement, issued through attorney Michael Casey, read. “We will vigorously address the misrepresentations and claims made in the suit through the proper legal channels.” The defendants in the lawsuit include Hagyard and four of its veterinarians, Drs. Michael T. Hore, Robert J. Hunt, Dwayne Rodgerson and Michael Spirito. An accounting firm, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, which works with Hagyard in the areas of computer and information technology services, is also named as a defendant. The primary plaintiff in the lawsuit is Midwestern based trainer Tom Swearingen, who has purchased 24 horses at Keeneland sales since 2007. View the full article

A field of five sophomores, headed by a pair of ‘TDN Rising Stars’ from the stacked Bob Baffert barn, figure to vie for favoritism in Sunday’s GII San Vicente S. going seven furlongs at Santa Anita. Little went right for the highly regarded Coliseum (Tapit) in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 5 following a jaw-dropping 6 3/4-length tally on debut at Del Mar Nov. 17. The gray, favored at 3-5 in the Sham, reported home a very disappointing sixth that day after a slow start and wide trip. The Godolphin homebred fired a six-furlong bullet from the gate beneath Mike Smith in 1:12 1/5 (1/11) Jan. 30. He cuts back to one turn for the San Vicente. “He came away from the gate a little slow, but he settled really well, which I really liked,” Baffert said of the move in Santa Anita’s Stable Notes. “I’m pretty happy with that.” Fellow ‘Rising Star’ Dessman (Union Rags) romped by 7 1/2 lengths as the 4-5 chalk going six furlongs first out at Santa Anita Jan. 19. The bay brought $750,000 from bloodstock agent Donato Lanni on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum after breezing a quarter in :21 1/5 at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale. View the full article

There have been no new positive cases of equine influenza-including those from the yard of Rebecca Menzies-from over 700 samples processed so far, the British Horseracing Authority reported on Saturday. In an update on Saturday afternoon, the BHA reported the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket found “no further positive samples” following the six previously detected at Donald McCain’s stable. Under the header ‘latest information’, the BHA’s statement read: “The AHT has informed the BHA that it has received approximately 2,100 nasal swabs and tested and reported on 720. So far, other than the six at the yard of Donald McCain already identified, there have been no further positive samples returned. This includes the swabs taken from horses at the yard of Rebecca Menzies. One horse–which tested negative–had previously been identified as suspicious and high risk after testing at a different laboratory. All these horses will remain under close surveillance, analysis of tests from the yard is ongoing–and testing of the suspicious horses will be repeated.” “The Animal Health Trust have today informed the BHA that the three horses which I had in isolation here at Howe Hills have returned negative test results for equine flu,” trainer Rebecca Menzies said in a statement released by the National Trainers Federation on Saturday. “Whilst the team here are all delighted, we are further heartened to see that the prompt actions of the team and the following of our own meticulous, professional and effective procedures which we deliver on a daily basis with all our horses and practices, together with our team of vets and advisors, has demonstrated the willingness of us all to support and be guided by our colleagues at the BHA and their dedicated team members. “My grateful thanks on behalf of ourselves and all racing fans to the huge amount of work the BHA and their teams have exercised in the last few days and undoubtedly the actions that have been taken will ensure we are back racing as soon as possible. On behalf of myself and the team here at Howe Hills we would like to express our best wishes to those more seriously affected.” Said BHA Director of Equine Health and Welfare David Sykes, “We are very grateful to all those trainers whose horses may have come into contact with those from the infected yard for working so rapidly with us and the Animal Health Trust to test their horses. There are many more tests to analyse and the nature of the incubation period means that a negative test now does not mean that horse has never had this flu virus. So these yards continue to remain locked down and their horses kept under observation. “Though hundreds of tests have been completed already, there are many hundreds more to be analysed over the weekend before we will have a fuller picture. The nature of disease control means that if a positive did emerge elsewhere, that could lead to more yards being locked down. I would advise against anyone drawing any conclusions or making any predictions based on this set of results. Our focus remains on containing the virus through the strict adherence to biosecurity measures we are seeing across the industry.” View the full article

The Irish National Stud recently launched a Racing Club which will have six horses to cheer on for the 2019 season. With plans to visit big races at Cheltenham and Royal Ascot as well as taking in local tracks, INS Chief Executive Cathal Beale tells us about the club and the horses that will be running in its silks. TDN: Cathal tell us about the new INS Racing Club. Cathal Beale: We launched a new INS racing venture last year called INS Racing. It’s something really to get people racing and to encourage people to go, so as part of your membership you get to go racing for free which is the biggest selling point I think from our prospective. We’re delighted that we’ve got plenty of members already with people buying it as Christmas presents and so on. It’s to get people to different tracks around the country and to enjoy the racing and to have a good experience, and a good day out, but also to be following horses with a good chance of winning that give us a chance to get to those premier handicaps but also that can run in stakes races. TDN: How many horses have you got racing for the club? CB: We have six horses in training, six quality horses that can get us to the big days at Cheltenham hopefully and also Royal Ascot and The Curragh, some of the big days in Ireland as well. But not just that, it’s to get us to the smaller tracks around the country and to show people both sides of the racing game. Lethal Promise (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is obviously the flag-bearer having won a listed race last year, and the target will be Royal Ascot. We’ve also got Divine Approach (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) who’s now rated 80 and Twenty Times (Ire) (Dream Ahead) who’s rated in the high 80s as well. So, fillies with a good chance of running in stakes races as the year goes on. Then we have a 3-year-old Ruler of the World (Ire) filly out of Katch Me Katie (GB) in training with Dermot Weld and a 2-year-old by Free Eagle (Ire) which we’re very excited to have. He looks like a sharp colt, a half to lots of 2-year-old winners and he’s in training with Patrick Prendergast so that’s very exciting. And then at the other end of the spectrum we have a National Hunt horse called Thunder and Roses (Ire) (Presenting {GB}). TDN: Thunder and Roses is an interesting horse to have. Tell us about him. CB: Thunder and Roses is a Grand National winner. He ran in his first race for the club in a Boulta point-to-point. So again, it’s getting people to see a different side that they may not necessarily have seen before. The plan is to qualify him for the Fox hunters at Cheltenham or Aintree but, maybe, he could go to the Irish National again. He could go to Punchestown for something like the Latouche either. The options are very open for him and he’s a lot of fun. TDN: You mentioned that Lethal Promise is the flag-bearer for the Club. What are her plans this year? CB: She’s gone back into training with Willie McCreery. She’s had a lovely break, she’s really put on some nice condition and looks really well. Obviously the initial target, or the big target would be the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. Willie will work out a program and probably work his way back from there, maybe one or two runs beforehand. But, until she tells us otherwise, we’ll certainly be aiming for the Commonwealth Cup. We’re going to aim high with her anyway and see how we get on. Her 2-year-old form has worked out really well. She’s a very fast filly. She’s won her listed race. So, she’s done everything from our perspective already as a 2-year-old. TDN: You recently purchased another filly for the club. She had a rather famous owner before you bought her? CB: It pains me to say it as an Arsenal fan, but we bought a horse, called Twenty Times from Sir Alex Ferguson. She’s a lovely filly by Dream Ahead who will end up in our broodmare band. She’s already rated very high, with previous trainer Richard Hughes who did a lovely job with her. She’s already done what she needs to do to become a broodmare but we’d obviously like to keep her running in handicaps and possibly sneak a bit of black-type with her. She’ll go to Joe Murphy, who’s a really good trainer of fillies. That’ll be the plan with her, to run in some handicaps, see where we are with her and maybe sneak a bit of black-type. TDN: What are the major benefits of joining INS Racing? CB: There are lots of perks attached to the club. So, obviously every day we have a runner in Ireland everybody gets in for free. I think that’s the fundamental thing, that when you go racing we can guarantee that you can get in and see your horse. After that we put on seminars and club days such as at the recent Irish Stallion Trail and everybody gets a membership to the National Stud as well. We also have a share of the prize money, so, everybody gets a little piece of the pie for their investment. It’s only €399 and we like to think that on the day you sign-up you pretty much get your money back in terms of the value created by the club. And obviously just the fact that we’re able to cheer on six horses in training, all of whom have a good chance of, not just picking up races, but bringing us to some really big days across the racing calendar, is a very exciting thing for us. I think it’s putting people together of a like mind. Getting people who are interested in racing together and maybe building friendships with our existing racing and breeding club. We want people to come in, have a good experience, have a great value experience, and hopefully get bitten by the racing bug to take the next step if that’s what they choose. {"id":3,"instanceName":"Articles No Playlist","videos":[{"videoType":"HTML5","title":"Irish National Stud: Racing Ahead","description":"","info":"","thumbImg":"","mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/316284999.sd.mp4?s=cabf02ee68465ad33147c6198cc29e088be6f4ae&profile_id=165","enable_mp4_download":"no","prerollAD":"yes","prerollGotoLink":"prerollGotoLink","preroll_mp4_title":"preroll_mp4_title","preroll_mp4":"https://player.vimeo.com/external/314514672.sd.mp4?s=a306d293085e5b37b7a8153e8ad79633640c115a&profile_id=165","prerollSkipTimer":"5","midrollAD":"no","midrollAD_displayTime":"midrollAD_displayTime","midrollGotoLink":"midrollGotoLink","midroll_mp4":"midroll_mp4","midrollSkipTimer":"midrollSkipTimer","postrollAD":"no","postrollGotoLink":"postrollGotoLink","postroll_mp4":"postroll_mp4","postrollSkipTimer":"postrollSkipTimer","popupAdShow":"no","popupImg":"popupImg","popupAdStartTime":"popupAdStartTime","popupAdEndTime":"popupAdEndTime","popupAdGoToLink":"popupAdGoToLink"}],"instanceTheme":"light","playerLayout":"fitToContainer","videoPlayerWidth":720,"videoPlayerHeight":405,"videoRatio":1.7777777777778,"videoRatioStretch":true,"videoPlayerShadow":"effect1","colorAccent":"#000000","posterImg":"","posterImgOnVideoFinish":"","logoShow":"No","logoPath":"","logoPosition":"bottom-right","logoClickable":"No","logoGoToLink":"","allowSkipAd":true,"advertisementTitle":"Ad","skipAdvertisementText":"Skip Ad","skipAdText":"You can skip this ad in","playBtnTooltipTxt":"Play","pauseBtnTooltipTxt":"Pause","rewindBtnTooltipTxt":"Rewind","downloadVideoBtnTooltipTxt":"Download video","qualityBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Close settings","qualityBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Settings","muteBtnTooltipTxt":"Mute","unmuteBtnTooltipTxt":"Unmute","fullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Fullscreen","exitFullscreenBtnTooltipTxt":"Exit fullscreen","infoBtnTooltipTxt":"Show info","embedBtnTooltipTxt":"Embed","shareBtnTooltipTxt":"Share","volumeTooltipTxt":"Volume","playlistBtnClosedTooltipTxt":"Show playlist","playlistBtnOpenedTooltipTxt":"Hide playlist","facebookBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Facebook","twitterBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Twitter","googlePlusBtnTooltipTxt":"Share on Google+","lastBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to last video","firstBtnTooltipTxt":"Go to first video","nextBtnTooltipTxt":"Play next video","previousBtnTooltipTxt":"Play previous video","shuffleBtnOnTooltipTxt":"Shuffle on","shuffleBtnOffTooltipTxt":"Shuffle off","nowPlayingTooltipTxt":"NOW PLAYING","embedWindowTitle1":"SHARE THIS PLAYER:","embedWindowTitle2":"EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE:","embedWindowTitle3":"SHARE LINK TO THIS PLAYER:","lightBox":false,"lightBoxAutoplay":false,"lightBoxThumbnail":"","lightBoxThumbnailWidth":400,"lightBoxThumbnailHeight":220,"lightBoxCloseOnOutsideClick":true,"onFinish":"Play next video","autoplay":false,"loadRandomVideoOnStart":"No","shuffle":"No","playlist":"Off","playlistBehaviourOnPageload":"opened (default)","playlistScrollType":"light","preloadSelfHosted":"none","hideVideoSource":true,"showAllControls":true,"rightClickMenu":true,"autohideControls":2,"hideControlsOnMouseOut":"No","nowPlayingText":"Yes","infoShow":"No","shareShow":"No","facebookShow":"No","twitterShow":"No","mailShow":"No","facebookShareName":"","facebookShareLink":"","facebookShareDescription":"","facebookSharePicture":"","twitterText":"","twitterLink":"","twitterHashtags":"","twitterVia":"","googlePlus":"","embedShow":"No","embedCodeSrc":"","embedCodeW":720,"embedCodeH":405,"embedShareLink":"","youtubeControls":"custom controls","youtubeSkin":"dark","youtubeColor":"red","youtubeQuality":"default","youtubeShowRelatedVideos":"Yes","vimeoColor":"00adef","showGlobalPrerollAds":false,"globalPrerollAds":"url1;url2;url3;url4;url5","globalPrerollAdsSkipTimer":5,"globalPrerollAdsGotoLink":"","videoType":"HTML5 (self-hosted)","submit":"Save Changes","rootFolder":"http:\/\/wp.tdn.pmadv.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/Elite-video-player\/"} View the full article

9th-GP, $50K, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, post time: 4:07 p.m. ET Homebred sophomores from three leading operations dot the entries for a typically competitive Gulfstream maiden allowance. Stuart Janney III sends out BAR HARBOR (Orb), a half-brother to SP In the Lee (Tapit), whose Grade III-winning dam Quiet Harbor (Silver Deputy) is a half-sister to MGSW/MGISP sire Ironicus (Distorted Humor); MGSW On Leave (War Front); GSWs Norumbega (Tiznow) and Hunting (Coronado’s Quest); and MGSP Minister’s Joy (Deputy Minister). Another half-sister to Quiet Harbor, Silviculture (Forestry), is the dam of GSW Onus (Blame). G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Spiritus Invictus (War Front) is the first produce from Grade I-winning turf distaffer Centre Court (Smart Strike), herself a half-sister to GSW Ravel (Fusaichi Pegasus), now a sire in India. The SP third dam Net Dancer (Nureyev) produced Japanese MSW Eagle Cafe (Gulch). Glencrest Farm is represented by Icarius (Quality Road), the first foal out of 2011 GII Demoiselle S. upsetter Disposablepleasure (Giacomo), who was RNAd for $725K carrying this colt in utero at KEENOV in 2015. Disposablepleasure’s half-sister Romantic Hideaway (City Zip) was a stakes winner and Grade III-placed prior to her untimely passing in 2010. TJCIS PPs 4th-LRL, $40K, Msw, 3yo, f, 6f, post time: 2:00 p.m. ET It all comes full circle for owners Cal MacWilliam and Neil Teitelbaum and trainer Phil Schoenthal in the form of the debut-making MISS GUIDED (Speightstown). The Maryland-bred dark bay is the first foal out of Miss Behaviour (Jump Start), who earned an 84 Beyer on her five-furlong debut and who provided these owners and this trainer with their lone graded wins to date in the 2013 GII Matron S. and 2014 GIII Charles Town Oaks. Miss Behaviour retired with five wins from 12 starts and earnings in excess of $790,000. TJCIS PPs View the full article

A horrific crash in the harness racing in South Australia has resulted in some serious injuries to at least two drivers on Saturday night. View the full article

14:40 Naas 2019 is fast becoming the year of Joseph O’Brien’s rise to prominence in the national hunt game. The yard continues to go from strength to strength with their jumpers this term and in particular, they have a number of exciting youngsters breaking through. Konitho, owned by JP McManus, looks to be another on the […] The post Picks From The Paddock Best Bet – Saturday 9th February appeared first on RaceBets Blog EN. View the full article

Danny Shum Chap-shing has debuted a host of promising young types this season but the veteran trainer has shown he is not afraid to be patient at the same time, with Romantic Chef returning to the races on Sunday after nearly two months off. The four-year-old took a little while to find his way after debuting in October, finishing fifth, 12th and fifth in his first three starts before winning impressively in November and then adding a second placing in December. It was after that runner-up... View the full article

Douglas Whyte is hoping to secure a winner for the perfect farewell on his final day as a jockey and he could do worse than to follow in the footsteps of fellow Hong Kong racing legend Tony Cruz. Cruz famously won in his final ever ride and that event, on New Year’s Day in 1996, has gone down in Hong Kong racing folklore. According to those who were there, “the Red Sea parted” at the top of the straight, allowing Cruz to come through on Super Team, stand tall in the irons and... View the full article

John Size won’t be drawn on a pecking order for his six BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) entrants so far out from the prestigious race but he will know a lot more about one of his hopefuls after Sunday’s Class Two Daffodil Handicap (2,000m). There are five runners in the race nominated for the March 17 Derby and Size hopes it will be Enrichment that benefits most from the step-up to the 2,000m trip after two fourths and a second over 1,600m. “He looks a little bit one-paced so I... View the full article

Gun jockey Silvestre de Sousa will apply to extend his Hong Kong licence with the Brazilian in negotiations to push back his riding retainer in England. The 38-year-old is due to return to England at the end of this month, but will stay on for an extra month if his application to the jockey club’s licensing committee is successful. De Sousa has been one of the success stories of the 2018-19 season, with only Zac Purton (40) and Joao Moreira (38) riding more than his 27 winners since his... View the full article

Horses' test results February 9 View the full article

Juglall, Salim, WS Chan, CS Chin suspended View the full article

Coliseum won his debut at Del Mar so impressively in November the next shoe to drop was almost inevitable—odds-on favoritism in a stakes race. But he floundered in the Sham (G3) and will now have something to prove in the San Vicente (G2). View the full article

The New York Racing Association announced the stakes schedule for a 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet Feb. 8, which features 59 total stakes races worth $18.4 million, to commence April 26 and run through July 7. View the full article

LAS VEGAS, NV.–Jonathon Kinchen is maybe the closest thing the handicapping world has to a rock star. In little more than four years, Kinchen has gone from an unknown real estate investor with little tournament experience to a commentator on Fox Sports’ Saturday at the Races. He’s arguably the most recognizable and popular player at the NHC, and it’s easy to see why. Kinchen’s young (for a horseplayer), he can pull off the odd tropical shirt, and his sleeved left arm is covered in tattoos of Barbaro, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. His Tweets are often clever, and even his Twitter handle–@UTBigHair, a nod to his alma mater–is above average. At root, though, the 36-year-old Kinchen is simply a good horse player. He remains the only player in NHC history to have both of his entries qualify for The Final Table, and in 2015 he won the NHC Tour, a testing year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned events. You’d be familiar with Kinchen’s introduction to handicapping. He grew up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and his father often brought him along on trips to Lone Star Park. “He’s a horrible bettor,” Kinchen laughed. “He doesn’t look at the Form; he’s the guy standing in line in front of you looking back at the TV screen, betting our address. But I saw a lot of guys with computers and papers doing it seriously, and I figured that if I was going to come with him, I should at least figure what it’s all about.” Kinchen fell in love with the puzzle of handicapping while at the University of Texas at Austin. On Kentucky Derby Day in 2005, he and some friends made the trip to the now-defunct Manor Downs, about 45 minutes from the city. Kinchen went with $100 and was down to his last $15 after tying several bets to Afleet Alex. He put five across the board on Giacomo with the remainder, cashed for $500, and bought the keg that night like a conquering hero. The next day he bought Steve Davidowitz’s Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century. Kinchen was still a casual player in 2010 when he attended the GI Belmont S. But an $84,000 Pick 4 score changed his perspective. “Obviously I started playing a whole lot more after that, and that’s when I started to really learn the game,” he said. “I took my bumps and bruises like everyone.” When Texas outlawed ADW wagering, he began playing online contests instead. In the first contest he played, Kinchen qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), and the following year, in 2015, he qualified for the NHC for the first time. Both of his entries qualified for The Final Table, but rules allowed for only one to advance. He finished seventh and earned a total of $84,000. “And I rode that momentum out to winning the tour that year,” he said. That same year, he won an online contest on Derby Day, and also cashed for $150,000 after nailing a Pick 6 and a $300 cold Pick 3 that paid $50,000. “And it was all on track with a bunch of friends, so that was a ton of fun,” he said. “It was the best racing day I’ve had at the track, ever.” Kinchen has qualified for the NHC every year since, and in 2018 checked in at 67, his best finish since his inaugural run. “My strength is that I can take information from 17 different sources, process it, and then make a decision,” Kinchen said when asked about his success. “I think a lot of the old-school guys–and not everybody–find one or two things and base their decision on that.” He continued, “I am a big pace-makes-the-race guy. So I use Timeform US and look at the pace projector, and handicap from front to back. I feel that tells a better story than starting with post one and finishing with post 10. When you do it that way, you miss a lot of the meat of the race and what’s actually going to happen.” At the windows, Kinchen prefers multi-race wagers. “If I love a horse at 4-1, and with takeout and in this day and age of computer wagers, I need to turn that into 14-1,” he said. Kinchen’s experience gives him plenty of authority on the mistakes neophytes make, and when the topic of sucker plays comes up, he offers, “I think the biggest sucker play in racing is handicapping for 45 minutes, and then spending three minutes deciding how to bet it. So often, players will get home from work, handicap to 11, wake up and handicap, go to the track and then construct their Pick 5 ticket at the window. I think you should spend as much time constructing your ticket as handicapping, if not more.” He added, “Picking winners isn’t all that hard. Everyone does it. Everyone goes three of four in the Pick 4, or hits it. But the question is: did you make money when you do hit?” Kinchen recently joined the on-air team at Fox Sports’ Saturday at the Races, and has already endeared himself to the viewers who heeded his advice on Kinchen’s very first broadcast. On that show, Kinchen gave out a 20-1 winner at Oaklawn Park as his final play of the day. Kinchen also seems to have the golden touch as a horse owner. Back in 2017, he noticed the racing prospect Long On Value (Value Plus) was purchased by his friends at Ten Strike Racing at Keeneland November, and texted the principals, NHC regulars Marshall Gramm and Clay Sanders. “I asked if I could get in, and honestly I was just joking,” he said. “But they said, ‘Sure!'” Last summer, Long On Value won Churchill’s Mighty Beau S. for his new connections, then gave both Kinchen and Ten Strike their first Grade I winner in the Highlander S. at Woodbine. So far that’s been his only runner, but he’s expressed an interest in operating a claiming operation at some point. Plan on seeing more of Kinchen this summer at Saratoga. Along with the newly named host Gary Stevens, he’ll appear on Fox Sports’ daily coverage of the meet. In the meantime, he’s keeping busy with In The Money Players’ Podcast, which he does with tournament expert Peter T. Fornatale. View the full article

A class action suited was filed Thursday in Fayette Circuit Court alleging that Hagyard Davidson McGee Associates has been falsifying the dates that radiographs were taken on some horses about to be sold at Keeneland since 2006. The story was first reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader The defendants include Hagyard and four of its veterinarians, Drs. Michael T. Hore, Robert J. Hunt, Dwayne Rodgerson and Michael Spirito. An accounting firm, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, which works with Hagyard in the areas of computer and information technology services, is also named as a defendant. The primary plaintiff in the suit is Midwestern based trainer Tom Swearingen, who has purchased 24 horse at Keeneland sales since 2007. Keeneland is not named in the lawsuit and an official from the track and sales company told the TDN they would have no comment. Most major sales companies have developed a repository over the year as a convenience to potential buyers, so that they did not have to take x-rays or radiographs on horses themselves. It became the responsibility of the consignors to take radiographs of their horses and then place them in the repository, where they were available to any potential buyers, their representatives and their veterinarians. Because a radiograph taken within close proximity of a sale is more useful than one that may have been taken months ago, Keeneland instituted rules requiring that a radiograph for a yearling must have been taken no more than 15 days prior to the time they are sold and the time limit for all other horses was 21 days. “The reason such deadlines exist are self-evident: the recency of the images is important,” the suit states. “The more current the radiographs are, the more useful and reliable the information will be to the buyers, which in turn enhances buyer confidence.” The suit goes on to claim that “had the truth been disclosed (about outdated radiographs), bidding on horses at the Keeneland sale was, in essence, the functional equivalent of playing Russian Roulette: the Plaintiff would be bidding on horses not knowing they were subject to fraudulent x-rays, and not know if those x-rays affected one horse or one hundred horses.” Hagyard has been one of the major suppliers to the repository since its inception. Attorney Mason Miller, who is representing Swearingen, believes that Hagyard took short cuts that led to its failure to comply with Keeneland’s rule. He believes that when someone from Hagyward visited a farm they took the radiographs on the same day of all the horses that the particular farm was selling. If one of those horses were selling on the first day of the sale, the radiograph likely would have been taken within the time frame established by Keeneland. That may not have been the case if the horse was sold on the 10th day of the sale. “They were trying to do about half of all the radiographs done for each sale,” Miller said. “What they needed to do to be in compliance with the rules was to, say, take five on one day at a farm and then head down the road to the next farm and then come back three or four days later to the original farm to get more radiographs. They’ve been saying they could never do that, that there would be too much pressure to get the job done. If that’s the case, perhaps they shouldn’t have been so eager to keep so much of the business of doing radiographs to themselves.” The suit claims that if Hagyard had a radiograph it knew did not comply with Keeneland’s rules it would simply falsify the date as to when the radiograph was taken. Miller said there is no telling how many radiographs had their dates altered because Hagyard has destroyed the originals. “Indeed, based on information and belief, the fraud has involved tens of thousands of radiographs, although the exact number will never be known because the Defendants intentionally destroyed the evidence,” the suit states The case came to light when some of the Hagyard veterinarians reported themselves to the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners in mid-2018. According to the suit, Dr. Hore admitted under oath that 5% of the total radiographs he took were intentionally altered and that Dr. Spirito testified that 10% of the x-rays he took for sales purposes were intentionally altered. Calls made to Hagyard Davidson McGee Associates Friday seeking comment were not returned. 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. DeRosa: Last Week – Maximus Mischief was third in the Holy Bull. Lucky Lee was seventh in the Withers. Nolo Contesto scratched. Bankroll: $530. GIII Sam F. Davis S. – After whiffing last week, we’re going to try to go full-on Dave Kingman and try for the home run this week with Going for Gold. Still a maiden, this likely longshot fits with these with any sort of improvement stretching out for new owner Ron Paolucci. Knicks Go to his outside is the primary danger, but if Going for Gold gets the jump on the inside, I think he’ll be hard to catch by anyone else. Selection: #2 Going for Gold (20-1). Sherack – Last Week – Almost feels like that Nolo Contesto late scratch was a win after another pair of disappointing efforts from Admire (fifth at 18-1 in Withers) and Mihos (fifth at 2-1 in Holy Bull)… Time to get going. Bankroll: $0. GIII Sam F. Davis S. – Between the short price (good luck seeing that 5-2 listed on the morning line) and expected hot early pace scenario, I’ll take a stand against the front-running Knicks Go in his comebacker with a very promising son of Tapit, Kentucky Wildcat. The first foal out of the talented Better Lucky (Ghostzapper) exits a pair of very live races in New York, including a strong third-place finish behind King for a Day (Uncle Mo) and a game win over super impressive next out maiden winner Country House (Lookin At Lucky) going a one-turn mile at the Big A last time Dec. 1. The Godolphin homebred tries two turns for the first time here and geared up for this with a five-furlong bullet in 1:01 3/5 (1/5) at Palm Meadows Jan. 24. Trainer Tom Albertrani has enjoyed his share of success in 3-year-old stakes in Oldsmar, boasting a pair of Tampa Bay Derby winners on his resume as well as last term’s GIII Florida Oaks heroine. Selection: #6 Kentucky Wildcat (9-2). DiDonato – Last Week – One scratch, and two very disappointing efforts. Good thing my fellow competitors didn’t fare any better. Bankroll: $500. GIII Sam F. Davis S. – Slop or not, Cave Run‘s debut romp was very visually impressive for a barn that rarely wins first out. He was somewhat disappointing when a distant third as the favorite in the seven-furlong Pasco S. last time, but it’s possible he reacted a bit off of that big first effort. Plus the two runners who finished in front of him would look pretty good in here. The Godolphin homebred is obviously bred to improve with the added ground: he’s by Tampa Bay Derby winner Street Sense, out of a Bernardini daughter of Grade I-winning router Sugar Shake. Sugar Shake is also responsible for a GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up, and herself is out of a Cotillion winner. Selection: #4 Cave Run (6-1). Click here for Sam F. Davis Ultimate PPs from Brisnet.com. View the full article

Led by reigning Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), several of Hong Kong’s top-rated horse trialled Friday morning in advance of upcoming big-race targets, both at home and further afield. Winner of six straight overall, including a successful defence of his title in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in December and a victory in last month’s G1 Stewards’ Cup, Beauty Generation took part in the day’s first heat over 1000 metres up the straight, intended, in part, to sharpen his speed a bit as he drops back in trip for next Sunday’s G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m). In touch from the word go, Beauty Generation was never asked for too much effort by Zac Purton and crossed the line third, beaten two lengths by ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal), who will target the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) next weekend (video). “He’s going well,” Purton told the HKJC’s David Morgan. “He gave me a good feel. He’s at that stage where every time you get on him, he feels good–he doesn’t feel any different to how he’s felt so far this season.” Elusive State (Aus) (All American {Aus}) has won four straight this season, the last three over the Sha Tin all-weather (i.e. dirt) track, to take his rating from 57 up to a current mark of 93. Having been given entries for the G2 Godolphin Mile as well as the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup itself at the end of March, the Tony Millard-trainee took over entering the turn of a 1200m dirt trial and strolled home by some five lengths (video). Conte (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}), second to Beauty Generation in the Stewards’ Cup and heading for a rematch in the QSJC, covered a lot ground, but finished well for second. Elusive State preps for a potential Dubai trip in a Class 2 over an extended mile of the all-weather Mar. 10. Simply Brilliant (GB) (Frankel {GB}), recent winner of the G3 January Cup H. (1800m) at Happy Valley, will stretch out to the metric mile and a quarter for the Gold Cup and he took out the day’s second trial on the dirt, besting G1 Centenary Sprint Prize hero Beat the Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus})–trialling for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee–by three-parts of a length (video). A further half-length back in third was Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), winner of two straight over the 1400 metres and a candidate for the final two legs of the 4YO Classic series, next Sunday’s Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) and the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) Mar. 17. Fifth was G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup upsetter Glorious Forever (GB) (Archipenko), who will join his barnmate Simply Brilliant in the Gold Cup. View the full article