Wandering Eyes

SEYMOUR trainer Michael Quadara has been found guilty of striking one of his horses in a roadside incident which shocked eyewitnesses late last year. View the full article

Mokastar back in his element View the full article

Powell celebrates belated birthday with double View the full article

Yulong Xiongyin sizzles on debut View the full article

Waialae reunites Lee and Freedman back in victory View the full article

Horses' body weights April 20 View the full article

Track conditions and course scratchings April 20 View the full article

Early scratchings April 20 View the full article

Rafael Bejarano, who recently recovered from a wrist injury, was one of hundreds of people who showed up to the benefit pancake breakfast held by Santa Anita Thursday to help support Adrian Valenzuela who suffered a spinal cord injury in March. “I am wishing him the best,” Bejarano said. “I’ve been talking with him on Facebook and he is sounding very positive. I talked with him yesterday and he said, ‘Thanks be to God that I feel better every day.'” Added Bejarano, “I sent him pictures [of the pancake breakfast] to say we support him. He was very happy.” The Santa Anita backside parking lot was full and there was a line stretching around Clockers’ Corner as racetrackers eagerly awaited their pancakes. A camera crew from CBS 2 Los Angeles and broadcaster Jim Hill of Sports Central, captured the crowd and festivities. The breakfast was accompanied by a raffle and live auction, moderated by Michelle Yu. A table with a bevy of raffle and auction items, including a TV, a drone, hats, and racetrack memorabilia, was set up at Clockers’ Corner. A picture of Secretariat coming down the stretch in the Kentucky Derby signed by Ron Turcotte went for $400. All the proceeds go to Valenzuela. “We raised a lot of money and we saw a lot of people come out,” said Santa Anita Vice President of Racing Rick Hammerle, organizer of the event. Jockey Mike Smith, attending the event said, “What’s great about the racetrack is it’s one huge family, someone gets hurt and everyone comes out to support.” Silent Auction items for the Adrian Valenzuela fund are still available online here. The silent auction will conclude this Sunday, April 22, 2018, at 5:00 p.m. View the full article

Although an official agreement has not been made, industry stakeholders said April 19 they have reached a compromise that could lead to the limited transfer of veterinary records for claimed racehorses in California. View the full article

Ocala Farm Ministry will host its annual “Call to the Post” auction Sunday, Apr. 22 in the ITW Building at OBS at 5:30 p.m. ET. Among the items up for auction this year include, seven Golden Ocala summer membershups, a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale package, four GI Belmont S. tickets, halters worn by Songbird (Medaglia d’Oro) and Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}); and live auction items that include a Jack Russell puppy, four Yankees tickets and tickets to the Rockefeller Plaza tree lighting in November. For more information, call Stephanie Brennan at 352-427-8540; or Jacqui de Meric at 352-843-0456. Tickets to the event are available at $100 per person or $800 per table. View the full article

LEGIT (c, 3, Curlin–Logalina Pompina, by Corinthian) had work to do early, but came running late to score by himself first out at Gulfstream for Repole Stable and Todd Pletcher. Displaying an above-average worktab at Palm Beach Downs, capped by a half-mile gate move in :49 flat (5/26) Apr. 13, the $125,000 Keeneland September graduate came away well from his rail draw as the 17-10 second choice, but was shuffled back to travel in a clear fourth behind fractions of :23.76 and :46.12. After being worked on for at least a furlong by Tyler Gaffalione, the chestnut came alive three-eighths from home, swooped up alongside favored Crafty Jack (Trajectory) nearing the straightaway and burst clear soon thereafter to graduate by 5 1/2 lengths in 1:36.07. Crafty Jack was clear for second, ahead of $435,000 firster Our Honor (Union Rags). The winner is the first foal out of an unraced half-sister to GSW/GISP Mellow Fellow (Belek) and SW/MGSP Zawzooth (Unbridled’s Song). Logalina Pompina foaled a colt by Lea last term before visiting Will Take Charge. Sales History: $65,000 Wlg ’15 KEENOV. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $27,600. O-Repole Stable; B-David Greathouse II (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. View the full article

Longtime California owner Richard Barton, who consolidated his breeding operation at the former Magali Farms in Santa Ynez last summer, purchased over 30 mares at the 2015 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale with the intention of supporting his family’s stallion Champ Pegasus. One of those mares was Diva’s Tribute (Henny Hughes), who Barton purchased for $4,700. Then five, the unraced mare had a weanling filly by Jimmy Creed and she sold in foal to Strong Mandate. The filly went on to become graded stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed Spectator, while the Strong Mandate colt will go through the sales ring as hip 281 during Tuesday’s opening session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s April Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds. “We were excited about Strong Mandate and wanted to have a few from his first crop,” Barton’s daughter and racing manager Kate explained of the mare’s appeal. “And we did really like that she was by Henny Hughes. It fit our program to bring her out to California to bring her to our stallion Champ Pegasus. It turned out nicely.” The plan was originally to sell the colt as a yearling, but some setbacks which now seem fortuitous saw him rerouted to the 2-year-old sales. “When we were doing yearling evaluations last year, we really liked the colt,” Barton, whose father is founder of the cardboard packaging company California Packaging, said. “We were going to enter him in the summer for the July sale at Fasig-Tipton and we just had a few little setbacks with him, so we decided to wait with him. And then Spectator made her debut and so we were definitely waiting then.” Racing for breeders Rick and Sharon Waller, Spectator began her career with a 5 1/4-length debut romp at Santa Anita in June. She won by that same margin when taking the GII Sorrento S. in her second trip to the post at Del Mar in August. She concluded her juvenile campaign with a third-place finish in the GI Del Mar Debutante and was most recently second in the Apr. 7 GI Santa Anita Oaks. Hip 281, who has been with Niall Brennan in Ocala since last September, worked a furlong in :10 1/5 during Tuesday’s second session of the under-tack preview of the April sale. “I was really happy with his work,” Barton said. “I was thinking he would work :10 flat or :10 1/5, so he did really well. He’s a big horse, so you have to take that into consideration. I’ve heard such great things about him from Niall. He thinks he will continue to improve and he will be better on dirt. He said he was a really good, smooth honest colt.” The Bartons have enjoyed success purchasing mares on a strict budget in Kentucky and shipping them west to California. The family’s 35 purchases at the 2015 November sale averaged just $5,463 and the highest-priced purchase was $25,000. “When we are bringing out these mares and foaling these Kentucky-sired Cal-breds, I think we have an advantage in the marketplace here because people are looking at these Kentucky sires that are eligible for the state-bred bonus program,” Barton said. “So that’s an advantage for us. And we’re maybe able to get away with a little bit of a weaker page or what-have-you. I think with the sheer numbers that we do have, we are bound to get lucky with a few updates here and there. And a few times we’ve gotten lucky with some good updates like Spectator.” Diva’s Tribute produced a filly by Champ Pegasus in 2017 and a colt by the stallion, who stands at Barton Thoroughbreds for $5,000, this year. Spectator’s success prompted a return trip to the Bluegrass for the mare. “The mare is back in Lexington,” Barton said. “She is going back to Jimmy Creed.” As for future plans for the mare, Barton continued, “It would be nice to continue to have a mare like that in our band since she’s only eight. But I can’t say for sure what we are going to do yet. It depends on the rest of the year. We are just really excited to have her right now.” The Barton broodmare band numbers some 200 head and most of the sales horses are offered at the yearlings auctions. The family branched out in the juvenile market for the first time this year. In addition to the Strong Mandate colt at OBS, Barton Thoroughbreds offered a handful of 2-year-olds at the Barretts Spring Sale. “This is the first year we’ve had horses in the 2-year-old sales,” Barton said. “We normally just focus on the yearling sales. Especially with the Strong Mandate colt, it was a timing issue. It was hard to find the right sale when he was ready and we wanted to give the colt the ultimate chance to succeed. “At Barretts, we just wanted to try it out and see if we could get Champ Pegasus babies out to other people and give them a chance to show themselves on the training track,” she continued. “The results were ok. It was one of those things where we didn’t know if we would keep the horses ourselves or sell them and we ended up putting through the sale the more precocious ones. I think it was a learning experience. We’ll maybe have to change how we evaluate in the future to sell there.” Barton said the family’s new base in Santa Ynez has helped move the breeding program forward. “It has been great,” she said of the new farm. “It is so nice to have a centralized operation and I think it will help to improve our evaluation of our babies through their different stages where we can look at them weekly or monthly and it’s not a big to-do. It’s been great to have everything in one spot.” Shanghai Bobby, Uncaptured Fillies Fastest at OBS The start of Thursday’s fourth session of the under-tack preview of the OBS April sale was delayed by fog and was hampered by headwinds which increased in intensity throughout the day. A filly by Shanghai Bobby earned the furlong bullet time of :9 4/5. Consigned by Julie Davies, hip 636 is out of stakes-placed Maria’s Dance (Maria’s Mon), a half to the dam of Grade I winner Ascend (Candy Ride {Arg}). Bred by Sally Andersen in Florida, the dark bay filly RNA’d for $42,000 at last year’s OBS October Sale and for $52,000 at the Keeneland September sale. A filly by Uncaptured set the day’s fastest quarter-mile time of :20 4/5. Consigned by Blue River Bloodstock, hip 668 is out of the unraced Mine Legend (Mineshaft), a daughter of stakes-placed North Park Legend (Affirmed). Sergio Centeno’s Blue River Bloodstock purchased the dark bay filly for $27,000 at last year’s OBS October sale. The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 8 a.m. The OBS April sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday. View the full article

G M B Racing's TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) runner-up Lone Sailor fired a bullet five-furlong move in :57 3/5 at Churchill Downs April 19 in preparation for the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) May 5. 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. Friday’s Insights features a half-brother to dual Classic hero Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). 3.00 Newbury, Mdn, £8,550, 3yo, f, 10fT HAZARFIYA (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) is a half-sister to the 2016 G1 English and Irish Derby hero Harzand (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) who bids to build on a debut third over a mile here in October. Newsells Park Stud’s homebred represents the Sir Michael Stoute stable and meets Lord Lloyd-Webber’s newcomer Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a John Gosden-trained daughter of the MG1SW Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and therefore a full-sister to the G1SP So Mi Dar (GB). 5.05 Newbury, Debutantes, £8,550, 3yo, f, 7fT SOLAR GOLD (IRE) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is a half-sister to the G1 Prix Jean Prat-winning sire Havana Gold (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who represents Mary-Anne Parker and the Charlie Hills stable. Richard Hannon saddles Al Shaqab Racing’s Hesterya (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), a 260,000gns TATOCT full-sister to the G3 Firth of Clyde S. winner Shaden (Ire). View the full article

Thatsy (Fr) (Martaline {GB}) (lot 15) topped the single-session Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale, selling for £130,000 to Aidan O’Ryan and Gordon Elliott. A winner of a Mar. 11 point-to-point, the Monbeg Stables offering was second in another point-to-point on Mar. 31. The 4-year-old grey was one of 25 lots to find a new home on Thursday, as the sale grossed £1,265,600. The average was £50,620 (-41%) and the median was £47,000 (-6%). “Whilst it has been a terrific season at the Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham Sales thus far–this evening’s April Sale is the first one to show a decrease in the key indicators,” said Tattersalls Ireland Director of Horses in Training Richard Pugh said. “Comparing sales to previous year however will never apply to select form sales such as this one in the same way as it does to sales with more substantial catalogue quantities. April 2017 bounced back from a relatively low comparable turnover in 2016 to return exceptional results last year.” View the full article

Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s April Sale of 2-Year-Olds begins next week and it’s a reminder that the Florida Thoroughbred industry in Ocala–and greater Marion County in Central Florida–made its name in its early years, in the 1950s, as the place to buy early maturing stock. The unlimited supply of sunshine and limestone-rich soil helped produce tough horses. With 24-hour access to outdoors and no winters of note, Florida-breds started off with physiological advantages over their Northern counterparts. Florida-breds frequently outran their pedigrees because of the land and the weather, but the ways in which they were raised tough and trained early seemed to put more speed into their pedigrees, too–even where stamina was evident. This held true from the beginnings of the 2-year-olds-in-training industry, when Carl Rose’s 1940 German St. Leger winner Samurai (Oleander)–a spoils of war–put Rosemere Farm in Ocala on the map in the 1950s as a sire of early maturing stock. The stamina was evident in the 1980s, with Charlie DiLibero’s prolific duo of An Eldorado (Vaguely Noble) and Lawmaker (Round Table) at DiLibero Farm in Citra. And even today, you see it in the young Irish Derby winner Treasure Beach (Galileo) at Joseph and Helen Barbazon’s Pleasant Acres in Morriston. And how about when speed sires were involved? Aisco Stable’s brilliant sprinter Mr. Prospector and his miler son Fappiano, a John Nerud homebred whose influence on the classics is constant, are the best examples. Change is a constant in life and the in Thoroughbred industry but it’s particularly evident in Florida. From 2007 to 2016, The Jockey Club stats indicate the annual foal crop in Florida has declined 54%, from 4,367 foals to 2,026. Major farms have disappeared or are disappearing–not a new trend but something that’s been common throughout the state’s relatively young history of spurts of growth and decline. The impact of Florida on the breed at large, however, has been consistently visible, from before Dr. Fager to after Affirmed and in between, and it is evident in the female families of the two major Kentucky Derby contenders, Scat Daddy’s Justify and Malibu Moon’s Magnum Moon. Ironically, both were unraced at two and will be on a change-making mission to become the first Derby winner since Apollo in 1882 to have not raced as a juvenile. The sires of both, incidentally, were produced from daughters of Mr. Prospector. Justify Justify’s third dam is Florida-bred sprinter Voodoo Lily, a daughter of Baldski from Cap the Moment, by For the Moment. She won the six-furlong GIII Columbia S. (now the Safely Kept) at Laurel and five of 18 starts altogether for earnings of $250,370. She was bred by two Florida stalwarts, Farnsworth Farms and Gerald Robins. Farnsworth, which won an Eclipse Award for leading breeder of 1996, was founded in Ocala in the early 1960s by the father-son duo of Isidore and Mike Sherman and stood Baldski, a son of Nijinsky and a half-brother to the top 12-furlong horse Exceller. The breeder of more than 200 stakes winners, Farnsworth also bred Cap the Moment, Justify’s fourth dam. Mike Sherman closed the operation in the mid-2000s. Robins raced For the Moment, a Grade I winner at two and three and a brother to Honest Pleasure, also a Grade I winner at two and three. Both were bred by the Sams family’s Waldemar Farms near Williston and were sired by the farm’s flagship Bold Ruler stallion What a Pleasure. The latter led the general sire list in 1975 and 1976 and had also sired the Waldemar-bred Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure. In partnership with Tim Sams of Waldemar, Robins bred the Fappiano colt Tasso, with whom he won the 1985 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile by a nose from Storm Cat. Tasso was later named 2-year-old champion. Waldemar, by the way, is now Gil and Marilyn Campbell’s Stonehedge Farm South, where the top Florida sire Sword Dance (Ire), another son of Nijinsky, stood his entire career. The Campbells are top state breeders but like many in Florida they have cut back their operation–including the standing of stallions –in recent years. It’s notable that Gil Campbell bred Songbird’s dam, Grade II winner Ivanavinalot, and stood her unraced Forty Niner sire West Acre during headier times. Magnum Moon Magnum Moon’s third dam, Win Crafty Lady, was another graded stakes-winning Florida-bred sprinter. By Crafty Prospector from Honeytab, by Al Hattab, Win Crafty Lady was bred by Estelle Sands and James H. Iselin and won the six-furlong GIII Interborough Breeders’ Cup H. on the inner track at Aqueduct and overall eight of 25 starts and $303,844. Win Crafty Lady got her speed and toughness from Crafty Prospector, a freaky Florida-bred son of Mr. Prospector who Jimmy Iselin had trained to win seven of 10 starts. The colt was a sprinter-miler who’d been plagued by unsoundness, and though he never won a stakes race, he was second in the GI Gulfstream Park H. and earned his ticket to stud. He began his career at Steve and Gary Wolfson’s Happy Valley Farm near Ocala. The Wolfson brothers were sons of Harbor View’s Louis Wolfson–the breeder and owner of Florida-bred Triple Crown winner Affirmed. With the aid of his pedigree and the Florida environment, Crafty Prospector prospered right off the bat, getting fast and tough racehorses like Win Crafty Lady. His sire had also started his career in Florida at Butch Savin’s Aisco Stable, and by the time Crafty Prospector was enjoying success, Mr. Prospector had already left for Kentucky and was one of the most prepotent stallions at Claiborne. The Wolfson brothers had played a part in Mr. Prospector’s early success, too, as breeders of his first-crop filly It’s in the Air, the Eclipse champion 2-year-old filly of 1978. And Louis Wolfson had raced Mr. Prospector’s sire, Raise a Native, so the fit at Happy Valley for Crafty Prospector was a natural one. Crafty Prospector’s success created demand and he later followed his sire to Kentucky where he stood at Fred Seitz’s Brookdale Farm. Happy Valley Farm is now defunct, but the property still operates as Jimmy “J.J.” Crupi’s Crupi’s New Castle Farm–a top outfit for preparing young horses. This consistent pattern of success, failure, and rebirth is jarringly common in Florida, much like the high volatility index in the stock market these days. A lack of trading volume can highlight volatility in the markets, and it’s probably the cause of it in Florida, where lower foal crops affect industry stability at all levels but most especially the stud farms. Win Crafty Lady had raced for owners Joseph and Winnie Greeley. A year after the mare was retired in 1993, they bought a 147-acre farm in northwest Marion County named Ravenbrook Farm and renamed it Sabine Stable. Sabine was a successful commercial boutique operation that followed a diversified business plan of breeding and pinhooking that kept it hedged from the vagaries of Florida’s economy. On the breeding end, it patronized commercial Kentucky sires, which meant foaling mares in Kentucky before breeding there. The mares were sent back to Florida with their foals afterwards, and the foals got the benefit of being raised in Florida–but with bigger pedigrees attached to them. Win Crafty Lady became the foundation of Sabine’s commercial operation, and her first notable foal was the Kentucky-bred Dehere colt Graeme Hall, a multiple Grade II winner of $1,147,441 who had cost Canadian Eugene Melnyk $200,000 at the 1998 Keeneland September sale. The mare’s next foal was the Kentucky-bred Hennessy filly Harmony Lodge, and she also was bought by Melnyk, for $1,650,000 as a Fasig-Tipton February 2-year-old of 2000. Harmony Lodge won the GI Ballerina S. and earned $851,120. Sabine Stable ran until Joseph Greeley died in 2013. The property was sold in 2016 and is being used for ponies now. Sabine’s link to Magnum Moon continued with Win Crafty Lady’s eighth foal, Win McCool, a Kentucky-bred daughter of recently deceased Giant’s Causeway. Win McCool is Magnum Moon’s second dam. The Greeleys had retained and raced her, and Win McCool, like her dam, was a sprinter. She won the six-furlong G3 Floral Park Handicap and earned $218,982. Postscript Eugene Melnyk stood Graeme Hall at his 1,000-acre Winding Oaks Farm, which encompasses some of Ocala’s richest history. Melnyk bought the farm in 2001 from Harry Mangurian and put Phil Hronec, who’d been running John Franks’s place, in charge. Hronec is managing the property as a boarding entity now while Melnyk is in the process of developing it commercially. When I met Hronec in March, the first trees by the office at the entrance to the farm on SR 200 had been levelled to clear about the way for a Jaguar/Land Rover dealership. Melnyk and Hronec enjoyed a great run together at what was formely Mangurian’s Mockingbird Farm. The latter was established in the early 1970s on 300 acres abutting Tartan Farms, and Magurian eventually absorbed 700 acres of Tartan when that famed operation closed. Hronec gave me a tour of the property, which includes the Tartan/Mockingbird graveyard where Dr. Fager and other notables rest. Only about 300 acres of the current property, including the training track, will be used for horses, Hronec said, when everything is said and done. Hronec said Melnyk had tried to sell the property whole but didn’t get the price he’d wanted and had settled on commercially developing the land himself. A few miles away as the crow flies is Glen Hill Farm, another notable nursery that was established in the 1960s by Leonard Lavin. Lavin’s grandson Craig Bernick now runs the farm, although Bernick has tweaked its mode of operation. Glen Hill, like Sabine did, breeds its mares mostly to Kentucky stallions– Bernick and his mother own L’Elevage Bloodstock, a minor shareholder in Curlin–and the mares, because of economies of scale, are foaled in Kentucky instead of Florida. Bernick also buys yearlings now to develop as potential broodmares. On a recent tour of Glen Hill, I saw young stock by War Front, Into Mischief, Australia (GB), and a number of other high-powered sires. I also saw a lot of high-powered people on the farm when Bernick hosted his annual crawfish boil after a day of selling at OBS March. The party was held poolside next to a pristine mid-century modern house where Lavin had lived, and the guests included such as Walker Hancock, Alex Solis II, Kip Elser, Wesley Ward, Boyd Browning, Tom Ryan, Mike Wallace, Brad Wesibord, Hubert Guy, Charlie O’Connor, Gatewood Bell, Headley Bell, Jack Wolf, etc. The 2-year-olds at OBS had drawn them to Ocala. It’s still the destination at this time of year and its influence cannot be ignored. View the full article

Although a mandatory transfer of full veterinary records for claimed horses isn’t likely to happen soon, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) outlined plans Apr. 19 for a proposed new rule that would require a record of intra-articular injections to be passed from a previous owner to a new owner whenever a horse gets claimed. The CHRB had been poised to take a first pass Thursday at advancing a rule pertaining to the transfer of “all existing veterinary medical records” for claimed horses. But after hearing input from trainers and veterinarians at a separate committee meeting earlier this week, the board opted to streamline that initiative to include only records of joint injections. Commissioner Madeline Auerbach said this compromise version of the new rule would likely surface on the agenda for the May CHRB meeting. “We really did narrow the scope of what we were doing initially,” Auerbach said. “And what we are looking for is a methodology, a mechanism, of when a horse is claimed…that the records of injections will follow that horse’s claim.” Auerbach added that a “last 30 days” record of injections is what could be proposed when the new rule comes up for vote. Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, said that “we certainly agree with the urgency of getting this done,” so long as input from veterinarians is factored into the CHRB’s decision. Auerbach agreed, adding that “based on my discussion with a lot of the different vets, they see no issue in us making that narrow [a scope of] information available at this time without further study.” CHRB equine medical director Rick Arthur, DVM, said “the point is, we’re going to try to develop something that’s simple and reasonable that provides information that protects the health and welfare of the horse.” Separately, a related rule-making vote that could preclude horses from racing within five days of receiving any intra-articular injection was postponed Thursday because only four CHRB members were in attendance. The full CHRB board is supposed to consist of seven commissioners, but only six right now have been appointed (Chuck Winner and Jesse Choper were absent). The CHRB advanced by a 4-0 vote a proposed rule amendment that, if adopted after a 45-day public comment period, will now require the scratch of any newly gelded Thoroughbred if the change isn’t announced to the public before start of that day’s wagering. The CHRB has been dealing with the issue of unannounced and/or unreported geldings for several years now. The current version of the rule, amended in 2017, states that any trainer who fails to report to the racing office the gelding of a horse be fined a mandatory minimum of $1,000. However, a loophole exists whereby the trainer might report the gelding properly, but racing officials, for whatever reason, might fail to communicate this change to the public, thus depriving them of pertinent betting information. “The history of this rule was that the board a couple of years ago increased the fine to $1,000, and the intent of that was to hopefully eliminate these situations where a change was not made known to the public,” explained CHRB executive director Rick Baedeker. “But now that the horse is going to be scratched if the public is not aware [that it has been gelded], there’s no longer a need for the specific minimum $1,000 fine.” To clarify, CHRB members stated that this rule won’t apply to first-time starters (because first-timers have no established statistical form that could be affected). The “start of wagering” was defined as being when betting pools for the entire day open (generally around 10:30 a.m. Pacific time). And it was also underscored that stewards could still impose a fine upon any “responsible party” at their discretion. A 45-day public comment period now precedes a vote on this issue by the board to make these changes official. Until then, the existing version of the rule remains in effect. The CHRB also advanced to the public comment stage by a 4-0 vote a proposed rule that would require trainers and assistant trainers to complete 12 hours of continuing education (CE) course work over a three-year period as a condition of licensure starting in 2020. The development of how the program would work is just now being planned, but the bulk of the requirements would likely be able to be satisfied by online participation in “modules” that the CHRB could either compile on its own or outsource from existing entities. New York and Indiana have initiated similar programs (with varying degrees of participation success), and CHRB members said making the course work dually available in Spanish would be a priority. “The real issue is getting trainers accustomed to the fact–as lawyers, veterinarians and physicians are–that CE is part of their professional responsibility,” said Arthur. “So it is a paradigm change.” View the full article

RAGING BULL (FR) (c, 3, Dark Angel {Ire}–Rosa Bonheur, by Mr. Greeley) continued a lights-out run for trainer Chad Brown at the Keeneland meet with a rallying debut tally on the grass. Showing a steady worktab at Palm Meadows before finishing off preparations with a half-mile on the local dirt in :49 flat (33/86) Apr. 6, the bay broke about two lengths slowly as the narrow 29-10 second choice before darting over to the rail into the clubhouse turn. Traveling comfortably in sixth behind fractions of :24.28 and :48.80, he advanced four wide on the latter half of the far bend, swept to the lead just outside the sixteenth pole and edged clear to score by 1 3/4 lengths in hand over First Spring (Spring At Last). The final running time for a mile over ‘good’ turf was 1:39.23. The winner’s second dam is MGSW Rolly Polly (Ire) (Mukaddamah). He has a juvenile half-brother by Pivotal (GB) named Rapture (Fr) and a yearling Siyouni (Fr) half-sister named Siyoubaby (Ire). Sales History: $100,935 Ylg ’16 GOFSEP. Lifetime Record: $44,400. O-Peter M. Brant; B-Dayton Investments Limited (FR); T-Chad C. Brown. View the full article

Freshened off a disappointing effort last time out in February, Al and Sandee Kirkwood's Blackjackcat heads a field of nine 3-year-olds and up in the $100,000 American Stakes (G3T) April 21 at one mile over the Santa Anita Park turf. View the full article

Tim Bryant has been named president and general manager of Derby City Gaming, the $60 million state-of-the-art historical racing machine facility opening in Louisville this fall, Churchill Downs announced Thursday. He will assume his new role May 14. “Churchill Downs continues to bring new life and innovation to Kentucky’s signature horse racing industry through initiatives like Derby City Gaming, and I’m honored to reunite with such an accomplished team and the City of Louisville,” said Bryant. “Historical racing is critical to continued, long-term growth for our industry and keeping the Kentucky racing circuit competitive with other states.” Bryant rejoins Churchill Downs after spending the last 15 months as chief operating officer of a Northern California casino. He previously held the title of president and general manager at CDI’s Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots in New Orleans from May 2010 through January 2017. View the full article

The revival of the MATCH Series (Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships) gained further momentum Thursday when the region’s breeders organizations announced they will pay bonuses to the breeder of the highest point earning colt/gelding and filly/mare from each program. The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, Maryland Horse Breeders Association, Thoroughbred breeders Association of New Jersey and Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program will each offer $10,000 in bonuses, with the breeder of the top point-earning male and female from each program receiving a $5,000 bonus. “I am delighted that we have been able to bring our breeders into the Series and showcase our bred-fund programs”, said Series creator Alan Foreman. “In our efforts to revive the Series, we wanted everyone in the region to be able to participate. This is a wonderful step for the Series and something we hope we can build on in future years, including competition among the Programs”. The MATCH Series, which returns May 18 at Pimlico after a 16-year hiatus, is the industry’s first and only regional championship competition. Horses will compete in stakes races in five different divisions throughout the region from mid-May through mid-September, with the horses competing for just under $3 million in purses and earning points for their order of finish. The owners and trainers will compete for $450,000 in bonuses, with bonuses being paid for the winners of each division and the overall championship. View the full article

Retired Racehorse Project has extended its application deadline for the Starting Gate Consulting Team Competition to May 4. The team competition was announced in March, but In order to give more teams the opportunity to participate, the deadline for applications has recently been extended to May 4. The team competition will allow members of Pony Clubs and collegiate, high school and show stable teams to collaborate in transitioning a horse off the track, under their coach or trainer’s guidance. It will also allow those considering entering the Thoroughbred Makeover as individuals in the future to experience the process without committing to acquire a horse of their own. “We’ve heard over and over again that there’s a sector of people out there who very much want to compete in the Makeover, but for a variety of reasons they were hesitant to take on a horse by themselves,” said Jen Roytz, executive director of RRP. “We created the Starting Gate Consulting Team Competition to offer groups of equestrians a chance to bring a single horse along and share in the expense and time commitment. Teams can work together to bring the horse along, then decide which members will present the horse at the Makeover. Furthermore, it’s the perfect way to show Thoroughbreds’ versatility as lesson horses or intercollegiate mounts, as these horses will be judged under multiple riders.” View the full article

The New York Racing Association will team up with Charles Town to host a Cross Country Pick 4 Apr. 21, featuring races at Aqueduct and Charles Town, highlighted by the $1.2 million GII Charles Town Classic. The sequence is as follows: Leg 1 – Charles Town, Race 10: Dance with Bristol (5:04 p.m.) Leg 2 – Aqueduct, Race 8: New York-bred allowance (5:17) Leg 3 – Charles Town, Race 11: GII Charles Town Classic (5:36) Leg 4 – Aqueduct, Race 9: NYSS Park Avenue (5:49) The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 4 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. FOX Sports Saturday At The Races, set to air on FS2 from 4-6 p.m., will offer live coverage and analysis of the Charles Town Classic, along with coverage of stakes action at Aqueduct. Gabby Gaudet will provide on-site coverage throughout the day from Charles Town. View the full article

Churchill Downs Incorporated Foundation will hold three separate 50/50 charitable gaming raffle drawings to be held during Kentucky Derby week, one drawing on Thurby, Oaks day and Derby day. Participants will have the chance to win half of that day’s raffle sales, with the other half going toward the CDIF to support its charitable initiatives, including Thoroughbred aftercare, arts and educational opportunities for backside employees and breast and ovarian cancer research and prevention. CDIF will guarantee a minimum $50,000 pool for the Derby day raffle. Tickets for each raffle may be purchased anytime from now until the raffle days at www.DerbyGives.com. Guests can also purchase raffle tickets, which are $5 each, for all three raffles while attending any Derby week racing event starting on opening night. The raffle is open to legal U.S. residents that are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited or restricted by law, rule or regulation. View the full article