ISSUE 19 OUTSIDE COVERS2:Layout 1
29/1/11
21:42
Page 1
North American Trainer ISSUE 19 (EARLY SPRING 2011)
North American
ISSUE 19 (EARLY SPRING 2011) $6.95
www.trainermagazine.com
THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED
CALIFORNIA DREAMING Six industry figures share their hopes for 2011
STARTING INJURIES Understanding the jump action Publishing Ltd
MARES IN FOAL Do they improve with racing?
STANLEY GOLD The trainer with a midas touch THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE
ISSUE 19 INSIDE COVERS:Layout 1
28/1/11
23:25
Page 1
INTRO_ISSUE_19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
20:58
Page 1
Introduction Giles Anderson
This time last year, our cover interview trainer, Stanley Gold, must have been thinking about what might have been had he still had Jackson Bend in his care. This year, he’ll be thinking the same again about his Eclipse Award-winning former trainee, Awesome Feather. But as Stanley knows, that’s racing. Many owners have to keep moving their stock these days to stay in the game, and who can blame them? What’s amazing is how for two years in a row, Stanley has, if you’ll pardon the pun, struck gold with two pretty decent Florida-bred horses. I’m sure that I won’t be alone in waiting to see what firepower rests in his armory for the coming year, certainly in his two-year-old division. He’s developing a name for himself and one day I hope he gets the chance to show his talents with older horses. With Calder-trained horses regularly making their mark on the national scene and off to a good start against all comers at Gulfstream Park, it’s clear that the Florida-bred star is rising, and in this issue K.T. Donovan takes a good look at the way the industry is setting itself up for the future in Florida. Swapping coasts, we also canvas the views of five prominent figures in California for their “wish list” for 2011. I was keen that we ask for views from a cross section of players within the industry and the comments that struck a chord with me the most came from Jimmy “The Hat” Allard. Jimmy is a professional horseplayer who has plenty of great observations about the way racing is going. He’s so right when he talks about where tracks invest their resources and how some even manage to promote what is viewed as competition to the horse wagering dollar. Personally speaking, my main wish for 2011 is that the year becomes one of opportunity. Signs of stability are starting to return to the national economy and this is starting to trickle through to the bloodstock world. What racing needs more than ever is a stronger base to grow from. What we’ve learned from the downturn is that less is actually more. Less live racing days at tracks like Monmouth Park and Sam Houston can drive up the handle. But for me, the best thing that the industry can be doing in 2011 is looking after its fans: racing has got to be giving them more of an experience, something that they will go and tell their friends about. What about simple packages? The marketers at large are obsessed by the combo / BOGO (buy one get one free) culture as they work. Surely if it works in the real world then this can work for racing. It’ll be a great day when a racing fan turns up at any track and for $10 can get admission, a program, drink or hot dog, and entry into a lucky number draw all from one ticket. Wherever your racing takes you this spring, good luck! I ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 01
CONTENTS ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:02
Page 1
CONTENTS ISSUE 19
North American
For all editorial and advertising inquiries please contact Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd Tel: 1 888 218 4430 Fax: 1 888 218 4206 email: info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com North American Trainer magazine is published quarterly by Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd, who are based in the United Kingdom with a representative address in Kentucky. This magazine is distributed for free to all CTT members. Editorial views expressed are not necessarily those of Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd. Additional copies can be purchased for $6.95 (ex P+P). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without the prior written permission of the publisher.
18 8
California Thoroughbred Trainers Pricing the future.
16 Trainer of the quarter Chris Englehart’s winning streak has turned heads in New York City.
18 Stanley Gold Bill Heller profiles the man who trained 2010 champion juvenile filly Awesome Feather from his Calder base.
Printed in the United States
24 Starting Injuries The dynamics involved at the start of a race are complex, and injuries incurred during this process are not uncommon, by Samantha Ostridge.
32 Florida K.T. Donovan looks at the state of racing in the Sunshine State.
40 Vitamin K The importance of the forgotten vitamin, as told by Catherine Dunnett.
24 02 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
CONTENTS ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:02
Page 2
CONTENTS ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:03
Page 3
CONTENTS ISSUE 19 44 Bone Bruising Stacey Oke discusses bone bruising, which affects many horses in training.
50 Exhaustion Three potential causes for a racehorse’s exhaustion are overtraining, overreaching, and chronic fatigue syndrome, as explained by Dr David Marlin.
54 California Steve Schuelein collects the opinions of five Californians for their hopes for the state’s racing industry in 2011.
68 Racing Mares in Foal Clive Webb-Carter has some thoughts on the adage that racing a mare in foal will move her up in ability.
72 11 for 11 What might the top newsmakers of 2011 be? By Sid Fernando.
76 Product Focus 78 Stakes Schedules Indexes of forthcoming major stakes races.
84 The Arnold Kirkpatrick column
62 Texas Texas still has potential to fulfill its ‘promised land’ legacy, by Gary West.
32 04 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
72
CONTENTS ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:03
Page 4
CONTRIBUTORS USA ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:44
Page 1
CONTRIBUTORS
Publisher & Editorial Director Giles Anderson Managing Editor Frances Karon Publishing Assistant Harry Scott Design/Production Neil Randon Circulation Pippa Anderson & Gabby Morris Photo Credits Benoit & Associates, Getty Images, Horsephotos.com, Rod Mar / Seattle Times, Todd Marks, Wallace McIntyre, Louise Reinagel, Eclipse Sportswire.com, James Tate Cover Photograph Eclipse Sportswire
North American
An Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd publication
Alan F. Balch was hired as Executive Director of California Thoroughbred Trainers in April 2010. His professional career in racing began at Santa Anita in 1971, where he advanced to the position of Sr. Vice PresidentMarketing and Assistant General Manager, and was in charge there of the Olympic Games Equestrian Events for Los Angeles in 1984. He retired in the early 90s to become volunteer president of the national equestrian federation of the USA, as well as of the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. He remains volunteer president of USA Equestrian Trust, Inc.
K. T. Donovan travels domestically and internationally to cover racing through writing, television, and video, and markets farms, stallions, and events, while regularly working sales to make sure she can still put her hands on the horse, the center of it all. As a freelancer, she has written for most of the major racing publications around the world, and contributed in various capacities to live shows and documentaries on several American television networks, as well as for Sky, and RTE (Irish television). She is based in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr Catherine Dunnett BSc, PhD, R.Nutr. is an independent nutritionist registered with the British Nutrition Society. She has a background in equine research, in the field of nutrition and exercise physiology with many years spent at The Animal Health Trust in Newmarket. Prior to setting up her own consultancy business, she worked in the equine feed industry on product development and technical marketing.
Main Address – United Kingdom 3 Stibb Hill, West Lavington SN10 4LQ Representative Address – North America PO Box 13248, Lexington, KY 40583-3248 Contact details Tel: 1 888 218 4430 Fax: 1 888 218 4206 info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com North American Trainer is the official magazine of the California Thoroughbred Trainers. It is distributed to all ‘Trainer’ members of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and all members of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association
Sid Fernando is president of eMatings LLC and Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc. He is the former bloodstock editor of Daily Racing Form and also blogs about racing and breeding. Bill Heller, Eclipse Award-winner Bill Heller is the author of 19 books, including “After The Finish Line, The Race to End Horse Slaughter in America.” In 2006, he received a first place award from the American Horse Publications for a column he wrote for Thoroughbred Times and was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame Writers’ Corner. Heller, 55, lives in Albany, N.Y., just 30 miles south of Saratoga Race Course, with his wife, Anna, their son Benjamin and their dog Belle Mont.
Dr David Marlin is a specialist in exercise physiology, thermoregulation, transport, and respiratory physiology. He has authored over 170 scientific papers and book chapters, and Equine Exercise Physiology. Marlin is International Board Chairman of the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology, editor of Comparative Exercise Physiology, and holds visiting Professor positions at the Universities of Bristol, Nottingham, and Oklahoma State. He works as a consultant to the racing industry, the British Equestrian Teams, the FEI, and the International League for the Protection of Horses.
Dr. Stacey Oke is a licensed veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. In addition to writing for various horse publications, she also contributes to scientific journals, is an editor of an internationally-recognized, peerreviewed journal, creates continuing education materials for both human and veterinary medicine, and conducts biomedical research studies. Samantha Ostridge is a Human and Equine Sports Massage Therapist. She studied with Mary Bromley in England where much of her training was with Steeplechase horses. This lead to an interest in race horse injury and rehabilitation. Prior to this she worked for a number of years as an Engineer and is a Chartered Environmentalist. Steve Schuelein is the Southern California correspondent for Thoroughbred Times. A native of upstate New York, Steve was introduced to racing as a sports writer for the Syracuse Herald-Journal and Buffalo News before moving to California in 1982. Clive Webb-Carter is a British based bloodstock consultant trading under the name, Clive Webb-Carter Bloodstock Services. As well as bloodstock writing, Clive also specialises in bloodstock and pedigree consultancy. Clive’s services and blog, “Pedigree Thoughts”, can be found at: www.wcbloodstock.co.uk
Arnold Kirkpatrick in more than 45 years of involvement in the thoroughbred industry, Arnold Kirkpatrick has accumulated a vast experience in most aspects of the business – from being executive vice president of a major breeding farm to president of a race track. He has won major industry awards both as a writer and as a breeder.
Gary West is a sports columnist with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a former president of the National Turf Writers Association. Gary has written about horse racing for more than 25 years.
NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOUR IPHONE/IPAD
DOWNLOAD TODAY JUST $2.99 PER ISSUE 06 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
CONTRIBUTORS USA ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:44
Page 2
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:46
Page 10
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS
“Name me one other product category (or any brand) that has its essential offering priced according to immutable law, regardless of market forces, and has that simplistic price enforced by a regulator?”
Pricing the Future By Alan F. Balch CTT Executive Director
J
UST why is it that our sport, which is dependent upon the objectivity and precision of the photo-finish camera, seems not only to tolerate but to stimulate the most exaggerated, unclear, and irresponsible talking and thinking imaginable? There are a few choice, provocative, and impolite words I could use to describe that fuzzy talking and thinking, but I’ll refrain. One has a certain bovine tinge. I have always preferred equines, myself. Before I get any deeper into this metaphor, I’ll just introduce a fundamental topic that’s been on our minds in California lately: prices and pricing. The whole racing world knows that takeout on two-legged exotic bets has been raised in California as of January 1 by two percentage points from what it was previously, and on three-or-more-legged exotics by three points. That makes the takeout on those bets now 22.68% and 23.68% respectively – increases of 9.7% and 14.5%, from the previous takeout on both types of exotics, which was 20.68%. (“Only” two and three points more in the takeout, we are relentlessly reminded as by our grammar school arithmetic teachers, are really a lot more.) These were literally overnight price increases – which is to say that the takeout was at the lower level on December 31, and suddenly the higher levels on January 1. A
08 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 18
great hue and cry went up in anticipation of these price increases when the legislation mandating them was enacted in September, and an even louder wailing has been reverberating in racing’s house since New Year’s Day. The fact that higher purses are the intended recipient of the funding from the price increases has not appeared to mollify those who object, even though higher purses should (theoretically, at least) result in better field sizes than we would otherwise be seeing, and therefore improved wagering opportunities. In short, better quality justifies a higher price. Anywhere. In anything. Or so it is said. Who is objecting? Some of our customers, that’s who. Quite probably many of them. Racing fans who live in California and like California racing, and those who may live outside California but like to bet on our racing and don’t like the higher takeout. About the only good thing I can see in this controversy is that a bright light is now shining on a subject that has bothered me for nearly 40 years. Bets on the races are still priced as though we are in the Stone Age. Everywhere, not just in California. Name me one other product category (or any brand) that has its essential offering priced according to immutable law, regardless of market forces, and has that simplistic price enforced by a regulator? I suppose there still are other such regulated industries out there somewhere, besides racing, that you might name – but I don’t know what they are. If they exist, they’re probably in the same trouble that racing is. As Milton Friedman, the Nobel Laureate economist , once said, “Any price the
government sets is wrong.” Or, more famously, “If you put the government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there would be a shortage of sand.” Where did “takeout” even come from? It is a creature of state government regulation over pari-mutuel betting, of course, dating in almost all American states back to The Great Depression. After all, contemporary racing in the United States was widely enabled and regulated as a stimulus to the agricultural and greater economy in the 1930s, particularly in California. Probably because of the primitive calculators and totalizators of the time, straight, place, and show bets all had the same takeout for ease in figuring prices. When exotic bets were introduced – hard to fathom now how popular the Daily Double once was, and that it is now “exotic” in name only! – the takeout for such bets could be higher because of the higher expected payoffs. Since the gaming market in those days was local or regional, and competition mostly illegal or across some border and therefore extremely inconvenient (to put it politely), machine guns and alligator-filled moats couldn’t keep the customers away. We used to say. This competitive situation was changing forty and even fifty years ago in most places, and ever more rapidly since then. But as Professor Friedman would have predicted, governments could not and did not respond fast enough; managements and horsemen have likewise appeared to be paralyzed in their reactions to market forces. I continued on page 14
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 11
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 12
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS
Hard work ethic gives Mike Puype his reward By Steve Schuelein
H
ARD work never scared Mike Puype. When he was 11, he had his own newspaper delivery route in Phoenix. While Puype earned a degree in business at Arizona State, he worked three jobs simultaneously, including training a couple of horses at Turf Paradise. Puype, 44, has never slowed down, helping to explain his rise to the top echelon on the Southern California circuit. “They can’t outwork me,” said Puype recently after breaking into the top 100 earnings list in North America for the first time in 2010, with a personal high of $1,782,936 in purse winnings. “Work ethic is my strongest suit,” said the clean-cut trainer known to be the first to arrive in the stable area at 3am and the last to leave. The resident workhorse on the circuit is a prime example of “the-harder-I-work,-theluckier-I-seem-to-get” philosophy. “Since I came back to California from Kentucky in 2002, every year has shown an increase in number of starters, number of wins, and earnings,” said Puype, who currently runs a 48-horse stable divided between Hollywood Park and Santa Anita. “It’s a nice trend to continue, and I’m fortunate to be moving in the right direction,” continued Puype, reaping the dividends of his dedication. “I have every expectation of going forward again this year.” The number one reason for Puype’s steady ascent last year was a talented filly named Turbulent Descent, who climaxed an unbeaten two-year-old campaign with a facile victory in the $412,250 Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes. “I don’t see having to duck anybody,” said Puype, looking forward to a 2011 campaign
10 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
with the filly scheduled to start with the Grade 1 Las Virgenes Stakes and Santa Anita Oaks before shipping to major tests around the country. “She’s a dream come true,” said Puype of Turbulent Descent. “She went from a maiden win at six furlongs to a stakes win (the Moccasin) at seven, to a Grade 1 win at a mile and a sixteenth, and in all three she could have done more. “David (jockey David Flores) preserved a lot,” said Puype. “You’ve got a filly who’s the real deal with an ultra-confident jockey: a lethal combination.” The Florida-bred filly was named for a bumpy airplane flight that landed in Tennessee while transporting her to California from Florida last April after she was purchased at an Ocala 2-year-old sale. Puype was horrified seeing the lacerations
the filly sustained. “She was messed up as bad as any horse I’ve ever seen come to the barn,” said Puype. “One ankle was cut so deep you could put your finger in to the bone. Luckily it didn’t involve the joint.” Scott Sherwood, president of the ninemember Blinkers On Racing Stable that is majority owner of the filly, praised Puype. “I can’t say enough about Mike and his team and the vets, the way they waited for her in the barn that night,” said Sherwood. Puype credited now-retired Greg Gilchrist, who bought the filly in Florida, for steering Blinkers On to his barn. He also thanked Tom Hudson, manager of Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, for helping him acquire his three other major stakes horses of 2010: Quisisana, Bruce’s Dream, and Supreme Summit. I continued on page 12
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 13
GOLDEN EAGLE 5-COL AD
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 14
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS I from page 10
Like Puype, all four horses have a lot of “try” in them. Ran Jan Racing’s Quisisana, a Californiabred mare by Magali stallion Decarchy, won the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita last January by a nose over Dubai Majesty, who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Bruce’s Dream, a five-year-old Atticus gelding, swept the California Dreamin’ Handicap on the Del Mar turf and the California Cup Mile on the Hollywood Park grass for owner-breeder Bruce Corwin. Supreme Summit was a closing second in the Grade 1 Ancient Title Stakes at
Hollywood Park, prompting owner Joseph Lacombe to supplement him to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, in which he closed strongly to finish fourth. “He was 13 ½ lengths back and got beat by 1 ½ lengths,” said Puype of Supreme Summit’s supreme effort in the Breeders’ Cup. Puype looks like a natural but was never steered in the direction of racing. His father, George, owns Aspen Systems, a computer company primarily operating in the meat industry. His mother, Anne, is a retired nurse. “My parents always pushed education as important,” said Puype, who grew up with five sisters, all of whom graduated from college. “Education is a form of discipline more than anything.”
Unbeaten two-year-old Turbulent Descent took a facile victory in the $412,250 Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes
Quisisana (nearside) won the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita last January by a nose over Breeders’ Cup winner Dubai Majesty
12 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Puype could have followed in his father’s footsteps, but never had any desire to pursue a career in technology. “Going into training horses may not have been what my parents wanted, but I followed my passion,” said Puype. Puype’s passion started at a young age. “My grandparents would come from Minnesota for a winter visit and we lived a mile from the track,” recalled Puype of his first visit to Turf Paradise at 11. “I got hooked and wanted to go again.” Puype found jobs in the barn area as a teenager, bought a couple of inexpensive horses with some friends and passed his test for a training license in 1986 for his first client, Melle Bos. “Motivation comes from within,” explained Puype of his indefatigable drive. Puype learned to organize time while training, going to college and handling two other part-time jobs. “I worked as a bartender at a nightclub and still worked for the newspaper company, the Arizona Gazette, delivering loads of papers to the delivery boys. The job with the paper was good because it only involved an hour and a half of work, but the worst part was that once in a while the papers arrived late, and you would just have to wait.” Puype has not wasted a minute since after going on his own in Turf Paradise with a small string in the late 1980s. He got his first look at California in the summer of 1990, working under trainer Mel Stute. “One of Mel’s assistants was Gary Gregory, who was the nephew of Gary Biszantz, who had horses with Mel,” explained Puype of his introduction to the owner of Cobra Farm. “Gary (Biszantz) hooked me up with trainer Walter Greenman. I was his assistant in Northern California from 1991 until 1995. “I went from a barn of seven to 11 horses in Phoenix to one with 25 to 30,” said Puype of his expanded learning. “Walter was a great influence on any aspect of my training. “Walter was a first-class man and always paid his bills promptly,” said Puype of the late conditioner. “I tried to model myself after him. Gary Biszantz was the same way.” Puype went on his own with Biszantz in 1995 and enjoyed his first rise to prominence with Cobra Farm in an alliance that lasted until 2002. Those glory days shuttling between California and Kentucky included several major stakes winners producing milestone memories. Puype’s first big horse was Cobra King, who won the 1995 Best Pal and Hollywood Prevue Stakes and 1996 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park before being injured in the Florida Derby. In 1996, Running Flame gave Puype his first Grade 1 win in the $500,000 Hollywood Turf Cup. In 1997, Argentine-bred Lord
I continued on page 14
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 15
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 16
CALIFORNIA THOROUGHBRED TRAINERS
Mike Puype I from page 12
Grillo upset Silver Charm in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita. Old Trieste won four graded stakes, including the $500,000 Swaps Stakes by 12 lengths in 1998 and the Californian Stakes in a brisk 1:46 2/5 for 1 1/8 miles in 1999. By 2002, Puype decided to settle permanently in California, establish a public
stable, and begin the latest chapter of his career. “Gary gave me seven horses to get started, which was very important to set me back up,” said Puype. “Countless people helped me along and none stronger than Tom Hudson at Magali.” Puype thanked Hudson not only for turning some Magali horses over to him but also for recommending him to several farm clients. Puype relied heavily on word of mouth for business. “I don’t hustle people and don’t work the phone,” said Puype. “I go by reputation. “It’s not my style to wear a suit, and people I know make fun of me when I dress up for graded stakes,” said Puype with a grin. Puype is more at ease in the barn, performing practically every chore except riding the horse. “I work in the trenches with the crew,” said Puype, who blends in easily with assistants Manny Landeros, Francisco Garcia, and Jose Soto and other stable hands. Puype raises the definition of hands-on to
FIve-year-old Bruce’s Dream swept the California Dreamin’ Handicap and the California Cup Mile on grass
new heights. He personally takes care of everything from feeding to medication, from shoeing to vaccinations. You can find Puype any morning with a lead shank in his hand after cleaning a stall and putting on bandages. Puype also takes pride in his integrity and spotless record. “If you can’t win trying to be clean, why do this?” he asked. “I do the best job I can and let the rest take care of itself.” Puype said he loves to win as much as anybody, but that a family tragedy in 2000 put winning and losing races in perspective. “My oldest sister, Peggy, died of brain cancer at 42,” said Puype. “She was a teacher, had done everything right, and it wiped her out in two months. “I used to take losing so much harder before that,” said Puype of his revised priorities. “It doesn’t matter if your horse finishes first, fifth, or eighth, what’s important is that you can get up the next morning healthy. “It teaches you that this is just a game,” continued Puype of the lesson. “I take it seriously, but it is just a game, and I’m a better person for it.” Like most California horsemen, Puype is concerned about the many clouds darkening the horizon of the racing industry. He sees a shortened racing calendar as imperative in restoring the sport. “The CHRB (California Horse Racing Board) needs to get a spine and decide how many dates it allocates to each meet,” said Puype. “Santa Anita took a leap of faith with a four-day racing week this winter. We don’t have enough horses for five-day-a-week racing. “We keep shooting ourselves in the foot, but it starts with a better product,” continued Puype. “We are destroying the game with too much schedule. We need to get the field sizes up. The CHRB has to step up and take the initiative to make the product better.” If the board is looking for a trainer willing to work to meet those ends, contact Mike Puype. I
Alan F. Balch I from page 8
Governments are not markets! And it’s all so understandable: people in racing had little if any experience in truly competitive markets, and therefore no practice in responding to real market forces. Those of us who were advocating enormous changes in our business model and pricing structures decades ago, as well as research and development to combat competition from other forms of gaming, were often laughed out of the room. Or worse. Anyone in management who didn’t really love horses or the sport is long since gone, shaking his or her head.
14 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
So, what to do? Embrace the possibility of truly flexible takeout ... which is to say modern, competitive pricing applied to betting on the races. Only a Neanderthal thinks everyone should pay the same price for something no matter how much of it they buy, whenever they buy it, and whatever the quality is! (And those are only a few pricing criteria.) First, recognize the problem for what it is – fundamental. Second, brainstorm and explore the theoretical and practical opportunities (given the present need of enabling legislation) for flexible takeout. Third, recognize the impact of local,
regional, national, and international competition for the gaming, sports, and entertainment dollar, and then use a sophisticated understanding of it to unsparingly inform all potential pricing scenarios. Let’s stop yelling at each other, and get together to improve our pricing in a collegial fashion. We just might be able to fix the problem if we stop wasting our time fixing the blame. The entrepreneurs originally responsible for the concept of takeout as it is still largely imposed upon our sport and our markets have been laughing at us from their clouds for quite some time now. I
CTT ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:47
Page 17
TRM issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:56
Page 1
www.trmirelandinc.com
Chris Englehart with Who’s The Cowboy and jockey Javier Castellano after winning at Aqueduct on December 30, 2010
The TRM Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Chris Englehart. Englehart and his team will receive a selection of products from the internationally-acclaimed range of TRM supplements, as well as a bottle of fine Irish whiskey.
TRM Trainer of the Quarter
CHRIS ENGLEHART 16 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
By Frances J. Karon Y now, everyone who follows horseracing in the U.S. will know his name. But Chris Englehart has for many years been well known in western New York, where he’s earned the training title at Finger Lakes Gaming and Race Track ten times, including the last eight seasons in a row. Let that sink in: eight seasons in a row – 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. And now the Englehart stable has heads turning in New York City, as his is the hot hand at Aqueduct. His seven-race consecutive win streak, extending from December 30 to
B
TRM issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:56
Page 2
www.trmirelandinc.com
January 2, at the Big A is a victory shy of the NYRA record of eight (shared by four modern-day trainers) and ties John Kimmel’s skein at Saratoga in 2008. To Adam Wachtel, whose Wachtel Stable has had horses with Englehart for nearly a decade, the trainer’s success this winter is no great surprise. Wachtel says, “I started out just giving him my NY-breds that weren’t able to compete on the NYRA circuit. But, after seeing the terrific job he had done with every horse I sent him I decided to give him a shot with some of the better horses. There was no doubt in my mind Chris would do a great job with any horse I gave him.� One such horse is Cinder Cone, coowned by Wachtel and Jerry Crawford. Cinder Cone paid $29.40 when winning on opening day at Saratoga last year a few starts after
being transferred from the Pennsylvania circuit. Another Englehart trainee for Wachtel is Smokin Hero, winner of the Ontario County Stakes at Finger Lakes in 2009 and stakes-placed last season. The New York-bred Smokin Mel gelding is one of Englehart’s nine winners in 2011 (through January 26). Finger Lakes and Englehart grew up together in Farmington. He was in grade school when the track opened a few miles down the road and walked hots when he was 12. In 1973, at just 18 years old and having spent some time under Michael Ferraro Sr., Englehart took out his training license. Overall, he has trained the winners of 2,880 races and $24-million in earnings, reaching the $1-million mark every year since 2003 inclusive. Englehart runs a family operation with wife Sheila, four of their five sons,
and his brother Steve. Sheila runs the barn at Finger Lakes and Steve does the same at Mountaineer Park; another assistant, Manny Gonzalez, is in charge of the string running at Aqueduct. Englehart’s farm near Finger Lakes is overseen by Jesse, and the youngest boys, Jeff and Justin, also work there, while Joe is in charge of the financial end of the business. The Engleharts’ eldest son Jeremiah is a Finger Lakes conditioner as well. Only daughter Christie, an administrator at a children’s charity in Rochester, is not in the horse industry. “Sheila really does a lot of the work,� Englehart says of his stable. “I just kind of oversee the operation and talk to the owners, buy and sell horses, and put them in the right races they need to be put in. Sheila and I both have our jobs to do and it works out really well.� I
Excellence in Equine Nutrition FOR OPTIMUM SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT & CONFORMATION A Pelleted Formula Recommended for Pregnant Mares & Young Growing Stock.
‘ T h e C h o i c e o f L e a d i n g B r e e d e r s & Tr a i n e r s W o r l d w i d e .’
THE PROVEN GUT NUTRITION FORMULA 73% of horses supplemented with GNF showed an overall decrease in gastric ulcer severity in just 6 weeks. # % # !% %$" $ " !% %$" $ " " # $ $ $ " !% $ " "' ## $ " # &
Distributed By: TRM-Ireland Inc, 10008 State Rte 43, Streetsboro, OH 44241. Customer Service: 1800 876 5688, Web: www.trmirelandinc.com ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 17
stanley gold issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
PROFILE
18 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
28/1/11
21:51
Page 1
stanley gold issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:51
Page 2
STANLEY GOLD
STANLEY GOLD
The trainer with the midas touch
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 19
stanley gold issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:51
Page 3
PROFILE
When Stanley Gold was 22 years old he was looking for a career as an accountant. Then, by chance, he opted instead to become a groom, having never even sat on a horse or been to a racetrack. Forty years later the Florida trainer has gone on to saddle Awesome Feather to win at the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs. By Bill Heller
F
“You can’t make a better horse than how God made him. You can make a horse worse. That’s very easy to do. That’s what training is about: to get him to do as best as he can physically and mentally” 20 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
ORTY years ago, Stanley Gold’s future seemed safe. Secure. Certain. He was 22 years old, and he had parlayed an internship in his senior year at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey into a job as a public auditor at one of the biggest accounting firms in Manhattan, Arthur Young and Co. “Normally, you’re a public auditor for three years and become a CPA,” Gold said. “I worked there for a year.” He didn’t make it to a second, succumbing to what his mom called wanderlust. “It was the ’60s,” he said. “I took a leave of absence. I traveled around the country in a van for five or six months, 20,000 miles. I wound up at Monmouth Park. I was living in the area and renting a house after I graduated from college. I was commuting to Manhattan.” A female companion, who had been a hotwalker for Grover “Buddy” Delp (of Spectacular Bid fame), convinced him to become a groom. For Gold, that was rather remarkable. “I had never been on a horse,” he said. “I’d never been on a pony ride. I’d never been to a racetrack.” He’s never left the racetrack since. And in 2009, after more than two decades as a rather anonymous trainer based at Calder Race Course in Miami, Gold hit the jackpot with his two-year-old Jackson Bend. After finishing second by half a length in his debut, the homebred ripped off five consecutive victories culminating in a sweep of the rich Florida Stallion Series. He was just one of seven two-year-olds to do so in the series’ 28 year history. Nine days after Jackson Bend won, Gold’s final start as a juvenile, Gold’s only client, Fred and Jane Brei’s Jacks Or Better Farm in Ocala, sold a majority interest in the horse to Robert LaPenta. “I didn’t want to cash out on Jackson Bend,” Brei said. “I live and race in Florida, and I feel it is important to give a good Florida-bred a chance to succeed.” LaPenta’s trainer, Hall of Famer Nick Zito, would handle Jackson Bend as a threeyear-old. “When Jackson left, I thought I lost the chance of a lifetime,” Gold said. “I said, ‘How do you top that?’” He found a way. Her name was Awesome Feather. She was even better. And she’d
Awesome Feather wins the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs
depart Gold’s stable even quicker after her last two-year-old start than Jackson Bend did his. Gold isn’t used to superstars coming out of his Calder barn, though he’d previously trained multiple stakes winners Honey Honey Honey and Bayou’s Lassie, who won six straight races including the Grade 3 Frances S. Genter Stakes. “I refer to it as being Calder-ized,” Gold said. “You get used to the horses you’re racing with. Remember, we’re not breeding horses that have blueblood pedigrees. We’re living on hopes. We talk about horses out-running their pedigrees.” Jackson Bend’s sire, Hear No Evil, stood for $3,500. Awesome Feather’s sire, Awesome of Course, stood for half as much. Gold began 2010 wishing he was saddling Jackson Bend when he made his three-yearold debut in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on January 23rd, in which the colt was second. “It’s six miles away, and you find out how good he is,” Gold said. “I would have loved to go over there. I would
stanley gold issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:52
Page 4
STANLEY GOLD
have run in the race myself.” But he understood Brei’s decision to sell Jackson Bend: “Sometimes, you have to make the business decision, not the emotional one. It was fun to have him.” And profitable. “Stanley gets taken care of when I sell a horse,” Brei said. “It’s not a financial hit for him. It is a big hole in the barn anytime you lose a horse of that caliber.” Jackson Bend, the 8-5 favorite in a field of nine, finished second by three-quarters of a length to Winslow Homer in the Holy Bull. And though he would finish second in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and third by three-quarters of a length to Lookin At Lucky in the Preakness Stakes, Jackson Bend finished zero-for-eight as a three-year-old while bankrolling just over $350,000. “He went zero-for-eight, but he made money,” Gold said. “Look who he ran against.” On the very same May 1st afternoon that Jackson Bend finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Awesome
Feather made her career debut at Calder. Just as Jackson Bend did, Awesome Feather debuted without Lasix before adding it in her second start. “It’s a good drug, and it certainly has a place in racing, but I’m not very high on race-day medication,” Gold said. “I don’t always put a horse on Lasix. A good deal of my two-year-olds run without Lasix until they show they need it.” Awesome Feather had arrived at Calder on April Fool’s Day, one month before her debut. “My first impression of her was she wasn’t big,” Gold said. “She looked sound. She looked stout. I wasn’t impressed by the horse, but I’m really difficult to be impressed. It wasn’t a case of ‘Wow!’ I haven’t had one I’ve said ‘Wow’ about.” Gold, who apprenticed under Holy Bull’s trainer Jimmy Croll and worked at several different tracks before moving to Florida in 1985, was impressed with how Awesome Feather trained up to her race. “I saw a strong horse with a good attitude. Then I saw she had a lot of speed but allowed you to do what you wanted to do. She had that
intangible, the quality that, ‘You want me on the lead? Okay. Far back? Okay, I don’t mind dirt in my face.’ She did what you wanted her to do, and I’ve had a lot of horses that don’t. You knew she was going to give you 100 percent. And she had ability.” It’s impossible to underrate ability. “You can’t make a better horse than how God made him,” Gold said. “You can make a horse worse. That’s very easy to do. That’s what training is about: to get him to do as best as he can physically and mentally. It’s much easier to mess up than it is to be perfect. In any race, you need a good trip, a clear trip.” Sent off at nearly 7-1 under Jeffrey Sanchez in a field of eight going 4½ furlongs, Awesome Feather broke sharply and coasted home wire-to-wire to a 5¾-length victory. In her second start in the 5½-furlong $100,000 JJ’s Dream Stakes, July 10th, she was bumped at the start, settled in fourth, and prevailed by half a length. “She looked like she’d go a distance,” Gold said. “We were hoping to have a Stallion (Series) horse. The
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 21
stanley gold issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:52
Page 5
PROFILE
Awesome Feather went under the hammer two days after winning at the Breeders’ Cup
one thing about the Breis is that they have a lot of confidence in me to get a horse to the Stallion Series.” A sweep? That meant winning at six furlongs, seven furlongs and a mile-and-asixteenth. She not only won them – becoming just the third filly to do so – she absolutely dominated by 4¾, 4, and 8¼ lengths. That gave Gold consecutive sweeps. “It’s hard to put those things into words,” Gold said. “It’s extremely satisfying when you look at the numbers and see how hard it is to do.” Awesome Feather’s next start would be even harder: the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs. It would be her first race outside of Calder and both Gold and Sanchez’s first Breeders’ Cup. “She’s undefeated,” Gold said. “It’s only 700 miles away. We had kept her fresh; she ate her feed, and she was ready. I knew I was taking a horse there who was going to run the best race of her life.” He decided not to have a workout at Churchill Downs. “You can’t make a horse like a track,” Gold said. “What you can do, is
22 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
The following morning she was vetted out, X-rayed, and then sent to the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion. It happened pretty fast. I’ll miss her” let her get used to it. The first time we went on the track, her action was exactly the same as it was here. I could tell how she was carrying herself. I said the track is not going to be an issue at all. She’ll run her race.” In a field of 12, Awesome Feather went off the tepid 4-1 favorite from the three post.
Sanchez delivered a flawless ride, letting Awesome Feather settle in third behind dueling leaders R Heat Lightning and Theyskens’ Theory. “It was as if you choreographed it,” Gold said. “I was hoping we wouldn’t use too much horse to get position. He hustled her out of there. He got her outside out of trouble. I’m thinking everything’s going good. You’re hoping she’s the kind of horse you think she is.” When R Heat Lightning finally subdued Theyskens’ Theory at the head of the stretch, Sanchez and Awesome Feather pounced from third. Awesome Feather drew just about even with R Heat Lightning before they brushed in mid-stretch. Undaunted, Awesome Feather surged again, drawing off to a 2¼length victory. “When she drew off, that was the only time I was confident she was going to win,” Gold said. She had finished her first season of racing six-for-six as the nation’s champion two-year-old filly. “To go undefeated, and then win that race, how can you top that?” Gold said. “It’s a fairy tale. Everybody hopes that they can have one like that one.” Two days later, she was sold in the FasigTipton November Sale in Lexington, Ky. “The following morning after the Breeders’ Cup, she was vetted out, X-rayed, and then sent to the Fasig-Tipton Pavilion,” Gold said. “It happened pretty fast. I’ll miss her, but that’s the business. I understand. It’s part of the game. I’m still training for him. Right now, I have 17 to 20. They’re all [Brei’s].” On December 10th at Calder, Gold saddled two horses, a three-year-old maiden filly named Evil Queen, who won by a neck at 8-1, and Hear Ye Hear Ye, who captured a $29,000 allowance race by five lengths at 9-2. “Stanley does a good job with all the horses, but he is one of the few trainers that is equally good with two-year-olds,” Brei said. They both hope that another two-year-old will be good enough to have a presence in the 2011 Stallion Series. “I keep walking around the barn asking, ‘Who’s going to step up?’” Brei said. Gold will enjoy finding out. “It’s certainly fascinating,” he said. “You go through a phase that you hope that they’re as good as you think they might be.” He can only imagine what his life might have been as a CPA. “I joke to people that if I stayed that course, I would probably have a 30-year mortgage, 2.1 cars, 2.5 children and be fat and pretty bald,” he said. “I never think about it.” There’s a reason he doesn’t think about it: his life with horses has worked out just fine. “I have never thought of this as a job,” he said. “I never thought of it as work. I’m happy. I’m just happy. I never regretted doing this.” I
stanley gold issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
21:52
Page 6
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 1
VETERINARY
STARTING GATE INJURIES Understanding the jump action
24 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 2
STARTING INJURIES
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 25
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 3
VETERINARY
Electric starting gates were introduced to North American tracks in 1939 to avoid false starts and ensure a fair race. However, with their introduction came the increase of serious injury to the racehorse through both accidental contact with the stalls and the jump action. By Samantha Ostridge
A
S the horse jumps from a standing start immense pressure is exerted on the entire body. This is particularly evident in the twoyear-old racehorse due to its lack of physical maturity, strength, and development. A two-year-old is still in the growth stage with its skeletal and muscle development occurring at a rapid rate. Bones generally grow asymmetrically, for example the forelimb may exceed the growth of the hindlimb or vice versa resulting in a seesaw effect. Until the horse is fully developed it continually alters its self-carriage and movement patterns in an attempt to remain in balance and compensate for the asymmetrical growth. Horses which remain
in balance move more efficiently and experience less physical stress throughout the body. Therefore some of the injuries mentioned below must be attributed to the physical immaturity and rapidly changing biomechanics of the two-year-old Thoroughbred. In order to understand how injuries arise it is essential to first understand the biomechanics of the jump action. This occurs through three phases: the stance phase, the jump, and the first stride. The stance phase occurs as the starting gates open, when the horse transfers its entire weight onto the hindlimb raising the forelimb off the ground similar to rearing. The energy contained within this action is transferred through the back to the sacro illiac joint.
Unlike a human athlete, the horse cannot be trained to perform the best stance to achieve a good start and avoid potential injury. It is interesting to note the varying hind leg positions through this phase. Some horses stand base wide while others remain square retaining a straight hindlimb. Phase two is the jump phase in which the horse propels itself out of the stalls transferring the body weight and energy forwards towards the forelimb. The body is moved forwards by the contraction of the strong hindquarter muscles, notably the gluteals and the hamstring group. The head is raised and the back hollows as the nuchal and supraspinous ligaments slacken. The final phase is the first stride. The weight is transferred onto the forelimb placing the joints of the hindlimb under extreme tension. The pastern becomes almost parallel to the ground and considerable flexion is shown in the hock. As the forelimb lands, weight is transferred allowing the neck to stretch and the axial skeleton to elongate. The hindlimb then thrusts the quarters forwards bringing the horse into total suspension. The jump action described results in a variety of injuries occurring within the bones, muscles, and joints, and failure of
The first phase as a horse jumps out of the gate is the stance phase, when the horse transfers its entire weight onto the hindlimb
26 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 4
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 5
VETERINARY
any one of these phases can result in secondary failure of another. Below are common issues that affect or are affected by the movement used to leave the starting gate. Skeletal injury to the two-year-old Thoroughbred is potentially career ending. Catastrophic failure of the pelvis is thankfully quite rare. However, the twoyear-old is at high risk from this injury due to the immaturity of the bone structure and musculature stress experienced through the hindlimb thrust. The most common injury to the pelvic region includes fracture of the illial wing, tuber coxae, or tuber ischii. The epiphyseal plate is the growth plate within long bones such as the cannon bone. As a horse matures the plates gradually close and disappear resulting in a fully fused strong bone. In the case of the two-year-old the bones are still immature and growing with a wide open plate. The forces exerted in the limbs from starting gates and frequent galloping places pressure on the epiphyseal plates which can lead to them becoming irritated and inflamed resulting in a condition known as “epiphysitis� While attending practice with David Sinclair (MRCVS) of Bell Equine Clinic in Kent, England, I witnessed the x-raying of two-year-old cannon bone growth plates to assess their track potential. Physically, Horse A looked weak and poorly developed; as a result this horse was not
The second phase is the jump phase when the horse transfers its body weight and energy towards the forelimb
The third phase is the first stride, when the weight is transerred onto the forelimb, placing the hindlimb joints under extreme tension
28 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 6
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 7
VETERINARY
Ranges of Growth Plate (physeal) closure times in the equine hindlimb Ilium, ischium, pubis
10-12 months
Secondary centers for crest, tuber coxae, ischiatic tuber, and acetabular part of pubis Femur Proximal Distal Tibia Proximal Distal Fibula Proximal Distal
planned to race until it reached three years old. Horse B looked strong and well developed and was planned to have its first race in the coming weeks. Both horses were x-rayed and their growth plates given a score out of 10 (10 being excellent to 0 poor). Interestingly, Horse A scored a perfect 10 with its plates completely closed whereas Horse B scored a 3 with wide open plates. As a result the racing plans for this horse were delayed for the plates to be re-x-rayed in a few months time. This example shows that while conformation and condition are clearly important when assessing if a horse is ready for the racetrack, it is not a failsafe system of evaluation. Modern technology can aid
30 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
4.5 -5 yrs 36-42 months 22- 42 months 36-42 months 17-24 months 3.5 yrs 3-24 months
in career planning, injury avoidance, and longevity of racehorses. Bucked shins is a painful condition of the cannon bone which commonly occurs in the two-year-old racehorse. If workload is increased too quickly the strain placed on the limbs can either cause bone micro fractures or raise/tear the periosteum off the bone resulting in the rupture of blood vessels and localized internal bleeding. The blood irritates the area, resulting in a chemical reaction which initiates the laying down of new bone in small ridges. The condition must be carefully managed with a reduction in training intensity until the problem subsides. Without careful management, severe cases may lead to a
complete fracture of the cannon bone. Muscular injuries are also common within the two-year-old racehorse. The hamstring group sustain the majority of the strain as they extend the hindlimb thrusting the horse forwards. Injury is common and may range from a minor tear or total detachment of the muscle insertion from the bone. The horse will compensate by altering its natural biomechanics, thus reducing the movement range of the injured limb and its available thrust. If a horse is not given time to recover the forelimbs will begin to compensate which may result in an overdevelopment of the forelimb along with tension through the back. Imbalance to the pelvic thrust may also cause rotation of the pelvis or inflammation of the pelvic smphysis. The psoas and iliopsoas muscles play an important role in maintaining core stability and the flexing action of the hip joint raising the forehand and allowing advancement of the forelimb. These muscles are extremely strong and located below the lumbar vertebra, with various attachments on the thoracic vertebrae, pelvis, and femur. Excessive exercise can result in psoas and iliopsoas muscles becoming overstressed, which in time can result in a permanent state of tension and shortening of the
starting stalls issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:01
Page 8
STARTING INJURIES
The arrow marks the position of the growth plate
muscle fibers. The shorter fibers reduce the available movement range, again changing the natural biomechanics and resulting in secondary stresses further down the limbs and through the back. Research by Kerry Ridgeway, DVM, a specialist in integrative equine medicine, suggests that if over time the muscle tension is not removed the ability of the muscle to support the pelvis is compromised. In extreme cases this may lead to fracture of the pelvis or hindlimb, or stress fractures to the lower lumbar vertebrae. Another important muscle to consider is the gastrocnemius which aids in extending the hock joint as the horse propels itself forward out of the starting gate. International equine sports medicine practitioner and Olympic Equestrian Team consultant Dr. Sheila Lyons has conducted research that suggests the gastrocnemius can become acutely painful, especially if the horse lacks the developmental maturity to have adequate balance and strength in the hamstrings. Any changes in gait or natural biomechanics can potentially lead to a shorter stride and reduction in performance. Massage and physiotherapy can greatly assist in the removal of muscular tension to improve performance, avoid injury and also aid the rehabilitation process. A strong tension free muscular system is essential to successfully support the skeletal system. As mentioned previously, horses show differing stances through the three jump phases. A straight limb maintained through the jump action is less prone to injury, particularly relevant to joints and ligaments.
A cow-hocked limb will experience excessive strain as the hinge joint is misaligned and an unequal force travels through the joint face. This can result in micro fractures or complete bone chips which in turn damage the surrounding bone and soft tissue structures. Overstrained joints will also elongate and potentially tear the ligaments which function to maintain joint stability. Ligaments are notoriously difficult to repair and treatment often requires long periods of rest and lower intensity work. The sacroiliac joint is formed by the ilial wing of the pelvic girdle articulating with the sacrum. Although the joint has little movement it is placed under significant strain during the stance and propulsion phases. Injuries to this joint and ligaments are hard to diagnose due to their location but are characteristically seen as severe lameness or changes in hindlimb movement. Fracture injuries to the ilial wing may also cause damage to the sacroiliac joint which can result in long term lameness. Malfunction of the previously mentioned psoas muscle, which supports the sacroiliac joint, will also cause strain to this area,
“It is evident there is a direct correlation between the maturity of the racehorse and the injuries sustained� resulting in changes of gait and potential secondary injury or lameness. Core stability will also be reduced. It is evident there is a direct correlation between the maturity of the racehorse and the injuries sustained. The importance of the interlinking relationship between the musculature, skeletal system, joints, and ligaments is also quite clear. A weakness in any one of these systems can result in secondary failure of another. It is essential that training regimes are adapted to suit the mental and physical maturity of each individual horse. Working in close liaison with the specialist equine welfare team of vets, trainers, massage therapists, physiotherapists, and grooms will ensure that the interlinking systems are kept in peak condition. By following this approach the risk of injury is reduced and horses are given the best chance possible to remain fit, sound, and winning races. I
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 31
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
BUSINESS
32 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
28/1/11
22:20
Page 1
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 2
FLORIDA
The outlook’s getting brighter in the sunshine state
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 33
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 3
BUSINESS
The dark cloud of bad economic news the last couple of years hit Florida Thoroughbred racing like a hurricane. However, the people in the Sunshine State are resilient to storms, and they know that hurricanes don’t last long. Most people in Florida have put the damage in the past to focus on how bright and sunny Florida really is. By K.T. Donovan
R
AMPANT turnover in personnel at Gulfstream Park, stallions stampeding out of the state amid sales figures plummeting, state-wide handle dropping 10% between 2008-2010 while tracks faced gambling competition from jai alai, greyhounds, Indians, and casinos – it all rocked Florida’s place as a premier breeding and racing state. The weakest went out of business but the strong grew stronger. “It was a synchronicity of things,” explained Richard Hancock, Executive Vice President of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association
“The real estate market is still affecting us, and that is our biggest investment, but Florida real estate always bounces back pretty good” Richard Hancock 34 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
(FTBOA). “The real estate market is still affecting us, and that is our biggest investment, but Florida real estate always bounces back pretty good. It’ll come back.” The factory lies in breeding at its epicenter in Ocala, where training and sales accompany the agribusiness of raising Thoroughbreds. Obviously the number of foals produced nationally declined, but Florida’s market share shrank as Pennsylvania and Louisiana’s slots gave better deals to breeders. Florida produced 13% of the nation’s Thoroughbreds in 1998, but only 10.8% in 2008. During the same period, Kentucky went from producing 28.8% to 32.4% and Louisiana from 3.6% to 7.8%. Pennsylvania rose to 4.4% in 2008. Now Florida has the slots to compete. When significant farms like Adena Springs packed up their stallions and left the state, many took it as a serious sign of Florida’s debilitated breeding industry. Since 2007, 31% of Florida’s stallions have fled. In 2009, 253 stallions resided in Florida, but only 123 in 2010. Some of those stallions have made the natural progression to Kentucky based on their performance. Congrats finished 2010 as the leading juvenile sire with 25 winners, led by Grade 1 winner Wickedly Perfect, and $1,660,269 in earnings before Vinery whisked him to their Kentucky division for 2011. He stood for $4,500 in Florida, proving what Hancock maintains is why Florida remains at the top of desirable places to breed a good Thoroughbred. “You want to be able to breed to the best stallions you can afford to, and in Florida, you can do that, and be in a place where you can raise a good foal,” he said simply. “This bunch of broodmares in Florida has made so many successful stallions that it makes people want to stand here. It’s always been that way. Having a stallion move to Kentucky is a good economic move. We would love to have them stay, but when a stallion owner can make a lot of money to move a stallion he has developed to Kentucky, that’s good for him.” Florida is not bereft of good stallions. Wildcat Heir set a world record with 39 juvenile winners in 2009 and was leading
second-crop stallion in 2010 while standing at Brent and Crystal Fernung’s Journeyman Stud, where he remains for 2011 with a $10,000 fee. Other leading Florida-based freshman sires include Mass Media, With Distinction, Awesome of Course (sire of champion Awesome Feather), and Kiss the Kid. Ocala Stud sold one of its three farms in late 2010 for $9 million. While some doomsayers identified that as a sign of the times, owner Mike O’Farrell was quick to point out that the land was purchased by his neighbor, John Brunetti’s Red Oak Farm, who is leasing it back to Ocala Stud. The 181-acre parcel, which is already bordered by a residential development as well as Red Oak, will be impacted by Ocala’s planned bypass road so Brunetti and O’Farrell recognized that this way inevitable development could be planned, controlled, and eventually benefit their families. O’Farrell sees a long-term future for Florida racing – his farm is expecting 54 foals in 2011, the largest ever for Ocala Stud. The family’s stallion Montbrook, twice the leading sire in Florida before Wildcat Heir took his title, sired 2010 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Big Drama, and throughout the recession they have purchased approximately a dozen mares at bargain prices.
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 4
FLORIDA
Gulfstream Park has always been Florida’s glamour track
Taking advantage of lower sales prices was something those in a comfortable position could do. The contraction has thinned the herd, and those who remain are not all that upset about the reduced supply, which has strengthened the market. In 2010, two-year-old sales rebounded, with March OBS up 17% in average, 23% in median and April OBS up 13% in average, and 33% in median. Nowhere in the world are two-year-olds prepared as well in such concentration. Florida’s breeding and racing can be gauged further by how horses are competing. The quality has not exactly dropped off, with 2010 Breeders’ Cup winners Dubai Majesty (Filly & Mare Sprint), Big Drama, and the remarkable Awesome Feather (Juvenile Fillies) all being Florida-breds, as are Delta Jackpot one-two finishers Gourmet Dinner and Decisive Moment. Gulfstream Park has always been the glamour track and produced recent Kentucky Derby winners Barbaro and Big Brown. Now Tampa Bay is making its place felt on the national scene. In the 2009-2010 season, stars such as Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and champion Gio Ponti raced there. This is where horses like General Quarters emerged from the shadows of palm trees into the national spotlight. In 2009, a quarter of the Kentucky Derby
field had raced at Tampa Bay, including third-place finisher Musket Man. That year, the track decreased takeout yet again on its exotics, experimenting with the right price for the sixth year in a row, and bettors made it the fourth-most wagered racetrack during the winter. Tampa Bay is now Gulfstream’s main competition on a day-to-day basis. Its status mirrors that of its signature race: the Tampa Bay Derby increased its 2011 purse to $350,000 from $300,000, and it rose from a Grade 3 to a Grade 2. In 1981, the race was worth only $50,000. Tampa Bay has steadily risen from a handle of $11 million in 1972, to $29 million in 1980, to $380,938,090 from all sources at the 2009-2010 meeting. Despite three fewer days, this was an increase of 1.8% over 20082009. Average per day handle went from $1.8 million in 2001 to $4.1 million in 2010. Other top Florida-breds of 2010: Juveniles: Cathy’s Crunches, Turbulent Descent, Mucho Macho Man, R Heat Lightning Three-year-olds: Belle of the Hall, Saratoga Yankee, First Dude, Jackson Bend, D’Funnybone Older horses: Vineyard Haven, Duke of Mischief, Central City, Crown of Thorns, Jessica is Back, Dynaslew
“Our breeding and training is in good shape, but our owners are dying off, particularly in the Miami area,” Hancock acknowledged. “We have made an effort to encourage more owners to come in. As part of that effort, we focused on raising purses. At Calder, this was the first meeting in a long time with no purse decrease.” Calder was hit the hardest of the three Florida tracks by the economic downturn. It opened its casino on January 22, 2010, and returns are not yet what were projected when slots were approved in 2005. Last June Calder raised purses 10%, but then in November dropped them back down from an average of $182,000 a day to $165,000. But Gulfstream Park racing secretary Dan Bork feels that Calder has turned the corner, as the turmoil has stabilized and Calder’s slots will start to funnel money into the breeders’ and owners’ award programs in 2011. “No question. I think you’ll see more and more outfits here year-round instead of leaving once the meeting is over. Before, it was heading the other way,” Bork said. Stakes purses had been decreasing at Gulfstream as the handle dropped, from $9.2 million for 45 stakes in 2007 to $7.4 million for 42 stakes in 2010. As a result of slot revenue, Gulfstream raised overnight purses
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 35
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 5
BUSINESS
Journeyman Stud stands Wildcat Heir for a fee of $10,000
15% for 2011 and the Florida Derby purse by 25% to $1 million and rescheduled it for Sunday, April 3, to revitalize the fixture. The Fountain of Youth and Holy Bull are also increasing purses, and track owner Magna Entertainment is offering a $5.5 million bonus to the Preakness winner if the horse has also won either the Holy Bull or Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby. Most importantly, the horsemen got together and made significant changes to the owners and breeders awards. Florida’s slots were taxed at 50%, against Pennsylvania’s at 10%. With a more receptive legislature educated by horsemen, the Florida tax was reduced to 35% in November. The Gulfstream meeting will be the first to reflect the change. One way that FTBOA worked to ensure that purses get back to the horsemen is by offering awards to third place rather than just to the winners. The Florida Owners’ Award (FOA) supplement is 25% on races $50,000 or less, and if the owner is also the breeder, he/she can receive both awards. “We also do Florida-preferred instead of only restricted,” Hancock said. “That way we can get full fields, and the Florida-breds will still get a breeders’ award if they win. It’s a good program.” The Stallion Stakes Series at Calder has been so successful in producing two-year-old horses that compete nationally that a series for state-bred three-year-olds was envisioned. Stallion owners have taken a long view and given up their awards to help fund the three-year-old races. With a mare residency requirement to make foals eligible Florida-breds, mare owners are encouraged to breed to in-state stallions, so stallion
36 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
“You have to look at the bigger picture when developing horses . With the Fountain of Youth, you hope they will go on to the Florida Derby” Dan Bork
owners are making more money anyway and it is now spread around. The maiden special weight program offers awards on 30 races leading up to the Stallion Stakes Series if the horse is Florida-sired, and more if Florida-bred. If the breeder also owns it, there is another award. A $37,000 maiden special weight reaps the winning owner $22,200, with another $5,000 if the horse is Florida-sired, another $7,000 if it is a Stallion Stakes Series-nominated Floridabred, and another $6,000 to the breeder. Theoretically, a Florida-bred homebred can take home $42,200 from winning a $37,000 race. “We have a series for state-breds toward the end of the meet, similar to last year, but it’s not finalized yet,” Bork said of Gulfstream’s plans. “We have about the same funds as last year. The state-bred program is very strong in the overnight races, like 25%. And a lot goes toward the Sunshine Millions.” Gulfstream has an allowance program geared toward top three-year-olds that trainers who are thinking of the classics have taken advantage of for many years. Bork has continued to nurture this series of races, with the allowances often falling on stakes undercards at the same distance as the stakes. “You have to look at the bigger picture when developing horses,” Bork says of Gulfstream’s ability to create national stars. “Each race is a stepping stone. With the Fountain of Youth, you hope they will go on to the Florida Derby, but the same is true of the allowances on the undercard. You’re building to the next step, so you could get four from each race to the next race.” Another feature that sets Gulfstream apart is its 170-foot wide turf course, enabling Bork to write up to five turf races a day for as many as 16 entrants. With all this opportunity for horsemen, “entries have been going very well to start the meeting,” Bork says. Indeed, for the first three days, races were averaging 11.5 starters per race, with five turf races boasting fields of 16 entries. Even horseplayers will find a renewed vigor in south Florida. Besides fuller fields, Gulfstream took a cue from Tampa Bay and lowered takeout for the 2011 season in direct competition with Santa Anita and Aqueduct. With 20% takeout on Bet 3 and Pick 4s as compared to Aqueduct’s 26%, and 20% on Daily Doubles and Exactas compared with Santa Anita’s newly-raised 22.68%, they are hoping to gain horseplayers on its signal across the country. Florida horsemen have adjusted to the change in economic climate and are looking positively toward the future. When talking about breeding and racing in the state, one word keeps coming up: sunshine.
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 6
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 7
Dear Horsemen, Thank you for your continued support and participation in the Breeders’ Cup racing programs. We look forward to welcoming you to Churchill Downs this fall, for what we know will be a memorable and thrilling Breeders’ Cup World Championships. We have some very exciting changes planned for the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In® Series in 2011. We are selecting the very best races around the world as part of the new program. The Challenge program features approximately 42 races in North America and another 20 internationally across seven countries. The winners of these select Challenge races will receive the following prizes and awards:
Automatic berth in their corresponding Championships division race. All Entry fees paid (provided the horse is nominated by time of entry) Travel Stipend for Horse Shipping, $10,000 in the US and Canada, $20,000 internationally $10,000 Foal Nominator Award to the person nominating the horse
The new Challenge program added to the $26 million Breeders’ Cup World Championships provides nearly $30 million annually for horsemen to run for. These combined programs will provide horsemen with great opportunities to compete on a world stage. In addition, if you have a non-nominated runner, we are offering a one-time special open enrollment period during 2011. The only requirement to participate in this open enrollment program is that the sire of your horse has to be nominated to the Breeders’ Cup in 2011. This open enrollment will allow non-nominated horses the chance to nominate to the Breeders’ Cup at these substantially reduced prices, yearlings for $3,000, two-year-olds for $6,000 and three-year-olds and up for $25,000. This program which will begin February 1, 2011 will only run until June 30, 2011. For more information on both programs and how you can participate, please visit www.members.breederscup.com or call our office at (859) 514-9423. Thank you again for twenty-eight years of nominations, entries and attendance, we couldn’t do it without you and with your help and support, we’ll just get better and better. Kind regards, Dora Delgado
Senior Vice-President, Racing & Nominations
38 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
florida issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:20
Page 8
vitamin k ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:28
Page 1
NUTRITION
Fresh pasture contributes to vitamin K intake
Vitamin K – the forgotten vitamin Vitamin K, which is classified as a fat soluble vitamin, has been present in racing rations for many years, both in forages and as one of a range of vitamins and minerals added to concentrate feed. To date, vitamin K has not been a fashionable vitamin, unlike vitamin C or vitamin E, which have received a lot of attention from a research perspective. Vitamin K is probably best known for its function in blood clotting, but more recently its role in bone metabolism has been highlighted in humans and horses. Here we will explain the role of dietary vitamin K in the context of racing and touch on some new research that has emerged in horses with respect to bone metabolism. By Catherine Dunnett Bsc, Phd 40 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Many forms of vitamin K Vitamin K is in fact not a single vitamin but a group of vitamins with a similar structure and resulting action. Two forms of vitamin K that you may be familiar with are phylloquinone (or vitamin K1) and menaquinone (or vitamin K2). Vitamin K1 is found in green leafy plants including grass both fresh and dried. Vitamin K2 is synthesized by bacteria present in the digestive tract, particularly in the hindgut. There are also various synthetic forms of vitamin K that are available for use in horse feed. Each of these forms of vitamin K have a similar core structure but with different side chain configurations, which can affect the absorption of vitamin K from the digestive tract. Interestingly, menadione – which is the synthetic form of vitamin K often used in vitamin and mineral premixes and supplements – has no side chain. This
vitamin k ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:28
Page 2
VITAMIN K
limits its delivery around the body as it is less able to bind to the plasma protein responsible for transport. Forage can be a variable source of vitamin K The level of vitamin K1 found in grass can be extremely variable and is degraded rapidly by the action of ultraviolet light. Work carried out in Australia reported that the level of vitamin K in Couch, Prairie, Phalaris, and Rhodes grass was reduced by between 30-70% following just 7 hours of drying in sunlight with a UV index between 2 and 7. So while access to fresh pasture will contribute to vitamin K intake, the reliance on hay or haylage in stabled horses in training may limit dietary vitamin K intake from this source. Vitamin K2 or menaquinone can be synthesized in the hindgut of horses by the resident microflora, but the contribution to overall vitamin K status is unknown as the degree of absorption of vitamin K from the hindgut has not been established. Assuming that vitamin K absorption from the hindgut is good as for ruminants, it is still likely to depend on digestive health and the presence of a good balance of resident bacteria. Bacterial vitamin K synthesis and absorption will be reduced if there has been extensive damage to the gut, or if the normal balance of microflora has been disrupted e.g. by antibiotics, or as a result of hindgut acidosis. Hindgut acidosis can occur in horses in training when large high-starch meals are fed chronically, especially where the cereal starch has a low digestibility. Dietary vitamin K is absorbed primarily in the small intestine, and the process can be impaired when the absorption of fat from the diet is decreased, or as the result of the intake of certain substances known as antagonists. Antagonists of vitamin K absorption can be drugs such as warfarin, which has been used in the past to treat navicular disease. Dicoumarol is a vitamin K antagonist that can be formed from coumarin present in moldy hay or haylage containing sweet clover. However, the affected forage would have to be fed for several weeks before a vitamin K deficiency arises. Requirements for vitamin K The level of vitamin K required in the diet of horses is poorly defined and complicated by the difficulty in assessing the contribution from bacteria in the hindgut. Ruminants have a low dietary requirement for vitamin K, as bacterial synthesis in the rumen is high, but in contrast there is very little vitamin K synthesized in the large intestine in people. In horses, the general consensus seems to be that their requirement will lie somewhere in between,
Supplements that include vitamin K are claimed to help prevent bleeding
depending on the health and efficiency of the hindgut. However, traditional measurements of clotting function have been used to assess vitamin K status but as we will discuss below this may not be the best reflection of optimum status for bone metabolism. Vitamin K, a pivotal role in blood coagulation The crucial role of vitamin K is linked to its requirement as an essential co-factor for an enzyme that modifies the structure of an amino acid known as glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is found in many body proteins with crucial functions in both blood coagulation and bone metabolism. These functional proteins are known as GLA proteins. The glutamic acid residues in these GLA proteins are activated or carboxylated in the presence of vitamin K, which enables them to bind calcium, a crucial element to the function of the GLA protein. For example, when blood clots, there are many protein-derived factors that facilitate the clotting process. Some of these, such as factor II (prothrombin), VII, IX, and X, depend on adequate vitamin K to facilitate their ability to bind calcium and hence support the bloodclotting process.
Exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) or ‘bleeding’ is a problem in racing and many supplements have emerged over the years claiming to alleviate it. However, as the exact cause and mechanisms of EIPH have not as yet been determined, it is difficult to give any credence to most of these products given the lack of scientific studies to support their purported beneficial effects. Vitamin K has often featured in such products, presumably in the belief that its effects on coagulation will deliver improved or speedier bloodclotting. EIPH, however, is not associated with a lengthened time for blood to clot and so supplementation with vitamin K in this respect is probably futile. A role for vitamin K in bone metabolism Additional vitamin K dependent GLA proteins have been discovered in other areas of metabolism where the ability to bind calcium is important. As a result vitamin K is seen as essential for some aspects of bone and cartilage metabolism and also for cardiovascular health. The involvement of vitamin K in bone metabolism has received some recent attention in equine nutrition. Three vitamin
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 41
vitamin k ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:28
Page 3
NUTRITION
Natural levels of vitamin K in grass degrade from exposure to sun
Research in Australia suggests dietary vitamin K may minimize OCD
K dependent GLA proteins have been isolated in bone: osteocalcin, matrix GLA protein, and protein S. Bone-forming cells called osteoblasts synthesize the GLA protein osteocalcin, which needs to be able to bind calcium in order to mineralize bone. In fact, the efficiency with which osteocalcin binds calcium is reduced if the glutamic acid residues have not been activated (carboxylated) in the presence of vitamin K. Matrix GLA protein has been found in bone, cartilage, and blood vessels, and it is thought that its calcium binding capacity helps to prevent calcium from being deposited in these tissues where it is not required. These bone-related GLA proteins are thought to be more sensitive to reduced vitamin K status compared to the clotting factors involved in blood coagulation. This is probably because the clotting factors have ‘first call’ on dietary vitamin K via the liver, and bone GLA proteins are lower down in the queue. In practical terms, this
42 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
may mean that bone metabolism may be adversely affected before any measured change in vitamin K status is detected through analysis of blood coagulation. The proportion of blood osteocalcin that is present in the activated (carboxylated) form can potentially be used as a more sensitive measure of vitamin K status and one which is more relevant to bone metabolism. Is vitamin K the missing piece in the bone metabolism jigsaw? There is no doubt that there are many factors, both dietary and non-dietary, involved in the occurrence of skeletal problems such as fractures, OCD, and sore shins in horses in training. Recent work carried out in Australia suggests that dietary vitamin K may be another factor to be addressed in order to minimize the likelihood of skeletal problems. A study in yearlings suggested that vitamin K status was inadequate in horses
with radiographically identifiable bone lesions. This research group observed that yearlings with no radiographic lesions showed a significantly higher measured bone mineral density compared to those with one or more lesion. The researchers then assessed vitamin K status by measuring the percentage of circulating osteocalcin that was activated or carboxylated and relating this to the prevalence of radiographic lesions. Interestingly, those yearlings with one or more visible lesions also had a significantly decreased percentage of circulating carboxylated osteocalcin compared to the yearlings with no lesions. This research group has also shown that a group of two-year-old Thoroughbreds in training supplemented with a water soluble bioavailable form of vitamin K showed a suggested improvement in bone density compared to a non-supplemented control group, although this result just missed statistical significance. The increase in bone density was above and beyond the increase observed in the control group as a consequence of training. Further work also showed an improved OCD lesion score in a small group of horses supplemented for three-to-seven months with the same form of vitamin K. Certainly the recent research on vitamin K in horses suggests that perhaps we should be looking at the status of this vitamin more closely. The use of more sensitive indicators of vitamin K status, such as percentage carboxylated osteocalcin, may prove to be useful, especially in horses that have limited access to fresh pasture. While much more research needs to be done to understand the significance of these findings on skeletal health, it potentially opens the door for more efficient forms of vitamin K supplementation, if it is clearly established that vitamin K status is suboptimal. I
vitamin k ISSUE 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:28
Page 4
VITAMIN K
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 43
bone bruising issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:33
Page 1
VETERINARY
Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver suffered from bone bruising which affected his performance in the Travers Stakes
44 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
bone bruising issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:33
Page 2
BONE BRUISING
The challenging diagnosis of bone bruising On Saturday, May 1, 2010, Super Saver, the 3-year-old colt bred and owned by WinStar Farm, LLC, won the Kentucky Derby by 2 1/2 lengths under the watchful eye of trainer Todd Pletcher. Three races later, on August 28, Super Saver finished tenth in the Travers, beaten by over 7 lengths. What happened to this talented colt in less than four months? By Stacey Oke DVM MSc
A
CCORDING to Pletcher, Super Saver did not display any signs that would account for the unexpected poor finishes in the Preakness, Haskell Invitational, and Travers. “Super Saver didn’t have any sign of lameness. He was not jogging short or choppy in the shedrow, he galloped well on the track, and he worked very impressively. He felt the same as he always had to the riders. We didn’t see anything obviously wrong,” relayed Pletcher. Regardless, Pletcher suspected there was something to explain the colt’s change in form and he sent him to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Larry Bramlage examined the colt and performed nuclear scintigraphy, or as it is commonly called, a “bone scan.” Bramlage diagnosed “bone bruising” in all four fetlocks, requiring a minimum of 60 days of rest. Super Saver provides a typical example of how challenging it can be for even the most experienced trainer and veterinarian to recognize bone bruising.
What exactly is bone bruising? “Bone bruising is the most common cause of lameness and poor performance in Thoroughbreds admitted to our hospital,” notes Mike Ross, DVM, a professor, surgeon, and Director of Nuclear Medicine
at the University of Pennsylvanhia’s New Bolton Center. Bone bruising is a condition that has many different names including condylar sclerosis, subchondral bone modeling or remodeling, and maladaptive bone remodeling. Despite the widespread use of the term “bone bruising,” Ross states that that is not the best name for the condition. “While bone bruising may be a good descriptive term it is important to understand that the condition in horses is a long term, or chronic, process caused by repetitive stress to the cannon bone of the distal (or bottom) of the fetlock joint,” says Ross. Most horse people are familiar with articular cartilage, the layer of tissue in the fetlock joint that lines the bottom end of the cannon bone. Lying directly underneath the articular cartilage there is a layer of bone called “subchondral bone.” It is this layer that is damaged and remodeled in response to training and racing. The subchondral bone can adapt to racing or training in one of two ways: (1) replace the existing subchondral bone with new, strong bone that is able to withstand the concussive force of intense training and racing; or (2) replace the existing subchondral bone with new, sclerotic, or inflamed bone. Sclerotic bone is dense but it is brittle and fragile when compared to healthy bone- it is not as good at absorbing
the concussion forces generated by training or racing as normal subchondral bone. If a horse is not given enough time to let new subchondral bone form, remodel, and become strong, then the bone becomes sclerotic, inflamed, or “bruised.” Regardless of what label we ultimately put on it, bone bruising causes pain, which in turn causes lameness and/or poor performance. It occurs because the bone cannot adapt to the stress of training or racing. Why the fetlock joint? If you were forced to pick one bone that was the most important in the racehorse’s body, the cannon bone would have to be it. “The outside of the cannon bone at the fetlock joint, called the lateral condyle, is the most common site of fracture, particularly catastrophic (fatal) fractures in Thoroughbreds,” says Dr. Timothy Parkin, a senior researcher at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, in the United Kingdom. In addition to the fact that the distal cannon bone plays a major role in impact absorption, its small diameter and lack of ability to change shape also explains why the lateral condyle of the cannon bone is the most common site of bone bruising and fracture. As Dr. Bramlage explained during the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture at
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 45
bone bruising issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:33
Page 3
VETERINARY
the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Annual Convention, in addition to remodeling, other bones in a horse’s limbs can change shape to better adapt to the increased strain and stress of training. The bottom end of the cannon bone however is not able to change its shape to deal with the stress of training and racing – this bone is very dense and hard, but it is predisposed to fracture. “Most fractures of the condyles (the bottom of the cannon bone) occur through the middle of sclerotic bone,” explains Ross. In addition, Ross has observed that these horses also frequently have microfractures that are found microscopically. In a nutshell, maladaptive bone remodeling (“bone bruising”) places horses at risk of fracturing their cannon bone – a situation which could end a young horse’s career long before he or she ever gets to the gate. How to recognize bone bruising One of the most problematic and frustrating parts of diagnosing bone bruising is the lack of obvious clinical signs, or symptoms, of the condition. “Swelling (effusion) and heat are very common signs in horses with musculoskeletal injuries, including those of the fetlock. In the case of bone bruising, horses often do not have effusion and heat and it is difficult to detect in the early stages,” Ross describes. This lack of swelling and heat is one of the main reasons that recognizing bone bruising is so challenging. In addition, most horses with this syndrome have one, two, three, or even all four limbs involved. For example, the horse may jog short or “choppy” on both front legs without clear signs of lameness. Most
“In the case of bone bruising horses often do not have effusion and heat and it is difficult to detect in the early stages” Mike Ross typically, horses are bilaterally or quadrilaterally affected. As a result, the signs of unsoundness are masked, leaving only vague, subtle, non-specific signs that the horse has a problem. In addition, horses afflicted with this condition will frequently appear sound when examined at a jog, yet breeze or race poorly. According to Dr. Bramlage, classic signs of this condition include “poor performance, stiff going, loss of power behind, unwilling to train when previously liked it, and a refusal to load when (the horse) previously went in the gate willingly.” Super Saver’s race record highlights how horses with bone bruising jog, train, and may even work well but are unable to duplicate earlier form, hence the decision to retire him to stud last fall. How veterinarians diagnose the condition One of the first tools trainers and equine veterinarians reach for when attempting to diagnose a suspected lameness issue is the trusty X-ray machine. Unfortunately,
maladaptive bone remodeling is notoriously difficult to diagnose via radiographs. “Even high quality digital X-rays can miss changes in the cannon bone when the signs are subtle,” notes Ross. In rare cases when changes indicative of bone bruising actually are visible on the Xrays, then the problem is at an advanced stage and the horse’s chances of coming back are poor. If the horse jogs fine, gallops okay, works well, and there are no radiographic findings, how can you diagnose bone bruising? By far, nuclear scintigraphy is the best tool that veterinarians and trainers have to diagnose this condition. Nuclear scintigraphy is performed by intravenously injecting a radioactive “dye” (technetium) into the horse’s bloodstream that subsequently accumulates in regions of bone that are inflamed. More specifically, the technetium is linked to a phosphorouscontaining molecule. Since bone that is being remodeled requires high amounts of phosphorous, the injected phosphorous/technetium compound will accumulate in regions of bone that are actively remodeling. A few hours after the injection, the horse is scanned to see where (i.e., which bones) the phosphorus/technetium compound accumulated. It is these “hot spots” that indicate bones that are inflamed and are therefore remodeling, damaged, bruised, or fractured. More in-depth information on bone scanning is available in James Tate’s article “Nuclear scanning – the next stage in diagnosing lameness” published in the June 2008 edition of North American Trainer. Dr. Parkin and his colleagues performed a study examining 48 horses with bone bruising of the distal cannon bone.
The Bone Remodelling Process Resorption
Resorption – Osteoclasts remove bone mineral and matrix, creating an erosion cavity (3-4 weeks) 46 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Reversal
Reversal – Mononuclear cells prepare bone surface for new osteoblasts to begin building bone
bone bruising issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:34
Page 4
BONE BRUISING
Normal subchondral bone (left) and sclerotic or inflamed bone (right)
“We compared bone scan results from horses with bone bruising with those obtained in normal, non-lame Thoroughbreds,” says Parkin. “The key finding of the study was that nuclear scintigraphy is a very useful tool for accurately diagnosing clinical, not experimental, cases of bone bruising in actual racehorses.” Parkin’s study was recently published in the prestigious Equine Veterinary Journal
(volume 42, pages 552-557). Further work will aim to confirm these findings and design training regimens to reduce the impact of this problem. In addition to identifying a clear diagnosis of bone bruising, nuclear scintigraphy can also rule out an actual fracture of the lateral condyle should one be present. Some trainers claim that all horses in training “light up” at the back of the cannon
Formation
Formation – Osteoblasts synthesise a matrix to replace resorbed bone with new bone (3-4 months)
bone on bone scan, which makes the results of scintigraphy questionable. Dr. Ross explains that this is not entirely accurate. “This is a common misconception,” he says. “We image many Thoroughbreds that have other lameness abnormalities and we do not find scintigraphic changes in the fetlock joints. Sure, there may be mild, diffuse increased radiopharmaceutical uptake, but not focal, well-localized activity that we see in horses with maladaptive
Resting
Resting – A prolonged resting period follows until a new remodelling cycle begins ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 47
bone bruising issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:34
Page 5
VETERINARY
“Scintigraphy is a very good diagnostic tool when you can’t get the answers you need from X-rays alone, but it relies on the interpretation of the person who is reading them. A lot of it is up to interpretation,” he says. “Nuclear scintigraphy is not always the magical answer everyone wants.” Is this condition more common that it used to be? Not really. As Bramlage explains, “Bone scan, better images with digital radiography machines, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and a better understanding of the disease all make us better at confirming it than previously.”
Nuclear scintigraphy images of a hot spot in the lower cannon bone at the fetlock joint...
... and of a horse's front fetlocks showing a hotspot in the inside portion of its lower cannon bone at the fetlock
bone remodeling or bone bruising.” That is, instead of having a mild, diffuse uptake of the radioactive dye, horses with maladaptive bone remodeling have a remarkable, focal uptake of the technetium… a veritable “hot spot.” Pletcher concurs with Dr. Ross and further suggests that interpretation of the scintigraphy images is a critical factor in diagnosis.
48 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Treating horses with bone bruising The first step in treating bone bruising is no step at all. “Rest is essential,” emphasizes Ross. Bramlage concurs but adds that strict “stall rest is actually harmful unless it has progressed to the later stages of the disease. The best treatment is paddock exercise.” Ross cautions, however, that each rehabilitation regime must be based on the individual horse and bone scan findings. “If horses are quite lame, I recommend four weeks of rest, followed by four weeks of walking either in hand or in a mechanical walker for four weeks, followed by eight weeks of turn out exercise, or some other form of exercise that is not race training.” As many trainers are aware, a 60-day rehabilitation period is commonly recommended in the Thoroughbred industry but when a diagnosis of bone bruising is made, 60 days are often too few. “Four months of rest is not popular amongst trainers; however, bone simply does not heal in 60 days,” exerts Ross. “In my experience 60 days is not enough time for affected horses and if more than 60 days is not given, most often, lameness and performance problems recur. Like Ross, Pletcher recommends rehabilitating affected horses for longer than 60 days. “Anywhere from 60 to 180 days is needed before they begin their first breeze. It really depends on their fitness level.” Pletcher adds. Patience is absolutely essential to not only avoid a fracture – catastrophic or noncatastrophic – but also to prevent the subsequent development of degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis (OA). “There is evidence that maladaptive subchondral bone injury can lead to osteoarthritis and fracture, even as early as the end of the three-year-old year,” continues Ross. Adequate rest is critical to allow subchondral bone to heal, to prevent fracture, and to prevent osteoarthritis in the fetlock joint.
Marching on: life after bone bruising Unfortunately, there is currently no simple way to predict which horses will suffer from repeated bone bruising, which horses will go on to develop osteoarthritis or a condylar fracture, and which ones will be the next Derby winner. As Parkin and his colleagues clearly demonstrated, nuclear scintigraphy is an excellent tool for diagnosing bone bruising, but it is a “poor indicator” of prognosis and recovery time. “Successful management of horses with bone bruising of the back of the lateral condyles is certainly challenging and the condition results in a significant loss of training days. We need more information on different training regimens to better establish what regimens would be beneficial for horses with bone bruising,” concludes Parkin. Bramlage and colleagues performed a study that was presented at last year’s AAEP meeting (the full study is scheduled to be published in an upcoming edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association). According to this study, 40% of horses return to race after stall rest and walking whereas an overwhelming 95% return to racing after 60-90 days of paddock exercise. “Each case is an individual case. Once they are given time off they do tend to reach their full potential,” according to Pletcher. I
Severe lateral condylar fracture
bone bruising issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:34
Page 6
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 49
fatigue issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
VETERINARY
50 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
28/1/11
22:38
Page 1
fatigue issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:38
Page 2
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
OVERTRAINING Almost all trainers will have experienced a problem with individual horses, groups of horses, or sometimes even a whole barn where performance drops off for no immediately apparent reason. Blood tests, lameness examinations, clinical examinations, etc. reveal no apparent cause. The drop in performance is often put down to the fact the horse has “gone stale,” become “sour” or “gone over the top.” In human medicine we talk about chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) which can affect both athletes and non-athletes, but in athletes we may be more likely to talk about overtraining. By Dr. David Marlin
I
N people, chronic fatigue syndrome is well recognized but often poorly understood. It typically affects young-to-middle aged adults with women being more commonly affected than men. It is estimated that approximately one million people in the US alone are affected by CFS. CFS is also referred to as simply chronic fatigue, post-viral fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). The latter term describes muscle pain and central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) inflammation but this is not always apparent in chronic fatigue patients and so the term CFS has become more commonly used. In the 1980s ME was disparagingly referred to as “yuppie flu.” As the name implies, the overwhelming and major symptom in cases of CFS is tiredness and lack of energy. To be diagnosed with CFS a person must have had the condition for a minimum of four months and at least one symptom out of the following: muscle pain, joint pain, headache, sore throat, tender lymph nodes, general feelings of being unwell for at least 24 hours after any form of physical exercise, and feeling tired even after a nights’ sleep. There are also a range of other symptoms including weight loss, abdominal pain, increased anxiety, and depression. CFS does not respond to bed rest and is worsened by physical activity. The term yuppie flu implies that the condition is largely in the mind. While CFS is still not well understood, there is evidence that some people have particular genes which make them susceptible and that stress, depression or viral infections can bring about the onset. Since the precise cause of CFS is unknown it’s almost impossible to prevent and there is no specific treatment. Treatment is aimed at reducing symptoms such as headache and muscle pain and reducing stress. CFS is currently not
Overtraining has been characterized by poor performance combined with reduced appetite and weight loss
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 51
fatigue issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:38
Page 3
VETERINARY
believed to be contagious. To date, a strong case for the occurrence of CFS in horses using the diagnostic criteria applied in human medicine has yet to be put forward. Many diseases in the horse could lead to chronic weight loss, but if we apply the human diagnostic criteria then CFS occurs in the absence of any other disease condition. In the scientific literature there are only a few papers from a veterinarian in Italy named Tarello, who made the diagnosis of CFS in a small number of horses in the late 1990s. In one case report he did use the diagnostic criteria for humans as described above. However, since 2001 there have been no other scientific publications describing CFS in horses. That said, there are many frustrating circumstances that trainers will be familiar with where something akin to CFS may be going on. For example, a problem affecting a stableful of horses with symptoms such as slightly dull coats, some weight loss, and slightly below par performance may well be due to a viral infection or perhaps a problem with the diet such as mycotoxin contamination. Another scenario where an entire stable is involved can be related to very high intensity training. In some of these cases the activity of the liver enzyme GGT (gamma glutamyl transferase) in plasma is increased. Interestingly, GGT is also elevated in horses eating feeds contaminated by mycotoxins. In humans when we talk about overtraining we are really dealing with a situation where there is an imbalance between training time and recovery which results in poor performance and physiological (e.g. weight loss, decreased
A sudden increase in training volume can cause overreaching
muscle strength, headache, etc.) as well as psychological changes (e.g. depression, personality changes, irritability, etc.). Several controlled scientific studies under laboratory conditions with horses exercising on a treadmill and studies in training stables with actively racing horses have also provided evidence of overtraining. To make a diagnosis of overtraining it is essential to rule out other possible causes of loss of performance, for example a viral infection or a nutritional problem. One of the key features of overtraining is that recovery may take weeks or even months.
Overtraining can cause horses to become irritable
52 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Overtraining has to be considered as distinct from overreaching. Overreaching is defined as a sudden increase in training volume (speed and/or distance) and may result in muscle soreness and a transient drop in performance. If the new load is applied for a short period (~7-10 days) and the horse then returns to its previous level of training, there may be no long term consequence and performance may actually be enhanced. Recovery from overreaching is usually thought of in terms of days rather than weeks or months. However, overreaching may also be the first stage in the development of overtraining. Overtraining from a scientific perspective in racehorses was first reported in Standardbreds in Sweden in the mid 1960s. It was characterized by poor performance combined with reduced appetite and weight loss, nervousness, high heart rates, sweating, and diarrhea. A more recent study in Italy which also looked at Standardbreds found some evidence of blood changes between horses trained and raced more frequently but unfortunately they did not report the performance of each group, so limited conclusions can be drawn. An experimental study from the Netherlands showed that Standardbreds trained for approximately 261 days and then worked much harder for a further nine days developed signs of overreaching. However, as the study did not demonstrate that the decrease in performance was prolonged we cannot assume these horses were overtrained. A study in New Zealand on Standardbreds managed to induce overtraining in a training program lasting 34 weeks. Overtraining was demonstrated by a
fatigue issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:38
Page 4
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
reduced run time in a time trial and this reduction in performance persisted after a two-week period of recovery. A range of physiological and hormone changes were observed but there were no changes in behavior. A better quality study, again on Standardbreds, was carried out in Australia at the University of Sydney and this study provides our best understanding of the condition. Overtraining occurred after 31 weeks of training. Perhaps more importantly, overtraining took 15 weeks to develop in response to daily maximal exercise for six days per week. So the message here is that while overtraining can be induced in Standardbreds, the training program to do so is considerably more intense than typical training programs in common use for commercial racehorse training. So how common is true overtraining likely to be in the racing industry? This is a hard one to answer. For Standardbreds, the prevalence may be higher than for Thoroughbreds due to the different training programs in common use. And as yet, we have no scientific studies of overtraining in Thoroughbred racehorses using the human criteria. Remember that the essential criteria for a diagnosis of overtraining must include a decrease in performance that does not improve with a short period of reduced training intensity (7-10 days) and in the
absence of any obvious disease or injury. But if we are looking for any measurements or indicators that might help us suspect that we could be dealing with an overtraining issue in a horse or group of horses then what should we be looking for? Firstly, the scientific studies suggest that no single measurement is going to give a definitive definition of overtraining in horses. Unexplained weight loss was identified in at least two of the overtraining studies, but this was small – of the order of 10-15kg (2233lbs). Stress leukograms (elevated total white cell count with increased neutrophils and decreased lymphocytes) do not necessarily appear to be helpful. Muscle enzymes (AST and CK) may or may not be increased. The liver enzyme GGT (gamma
“One of the key features of overtraining is that recovery may take weeks or even months”
glutamyl transferase) has been found to be elevated in several of the studies of overtraining and very high levels (above 100 iu/l) appear to be more commonly associated with poor performance. Increased blood lactate may also be seen at submaximal exercise, but this may be due to behavioral changes. Changes in behavior may well be one of the best early markers of overtraining in horses. The Dutch and Australian studies both reported increased “irritability” of the horses as they approached overtraining. The Australian study in particular noted: unwillingness to train, not wanting to get on or ofF the treadmill, barging, pushing at the front bar, and sudden stopping while galloping. Overtraining in human athletes is a complex syndrome that has a common theme – reduced performance in the absence of injury or disease which does not respond to short periods of rest or reduced training load. There is no single marker for overtraining and diagnosis involves ruling out any other possible causes and then observing whether performance is restored following a prolonged period of decreased training load. True overtraining in horses can be induced experimentally and bears many similarities to the condition in human athletes. However, diagnosis in the training barn is likely to remain challenging until we have better diagnostic methods. I
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 53
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
BUSINESS
54 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
28/1/11
22:42
Page 1
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 2
CALIFORNIA
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
The hopes for 2011
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 55
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 3
BUSINESS
Steve Schuelein asks Santa Anita and Del Mar racing secretary Rick Hammerle, trainer Howard Zucker, bloodstock consultant Gayle Van Leer, owner-breeder John Harris, and professional horseplayerhandicapper Jimmy Allard about their hopes for 2011.
RICK “THE HAMMER” HAMMERLE (Racing secretary, Santa Anita and Del Mar) Number one, without question, is less racing, whether that is less races per week or longer breaks between meets. Less racing days are on the horizon. I think that direction is inevitable. I would also like to see control of racing in the state streamlined. I think there are too many groups trying to get involved where they don’t belong. There are too many groups in the decision process. Some of these groups seem more interested in what’s good for them and not necessarily what’s good for racing as a whole. That’s what I would like to see as a racing secretary. Nationally, we don’t have the number of horses we had 20 or 30 years ago, and I would like to see the number of graded stakes reduced dramatically so some of the races mean something. I would like to see some of the money for twoyear-old and three-year-old stakes capped and have it transferred to stakes for older horses so it would be more meaningful for them to stick around. There are too many places to run for graded races now, and there would be less picking and choosing with this change. Racing is not necessarily a five-day-a-week sport any more. The Japanese model of less days a week seems more popular because racing is not as available. In California, we literally are on a geographic island. We don’t have the ability to attract horses like tracks in
“Nationally, we don’t have the number of horses we had 20 or 30 years ago, and I would like to see the number of graded stakes reduced dramatically”
56 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
the East and have to manage things accordingly. It is important that are our big days remain big, but our supporting days have to be good as well. I’d like to see us continue to use the current technology such as the Internet in keeping our fans involved in the game. Anything going to people’s iPhones, like replays, would help. Texting horsemen, media, and track personnel on a daily basis would help to keep them updated. I’ve been doing that with Hammertext for two years, and the list it goes to has grown to 148. We have a website, OvernightsNow.com, and e-mail information daily. We can do a better job of making the ontrack experience better. Nothing beats a day at the races. The less intimidating we can make the sport to new fans, the better off we’ll be. I would like to see a realistic calendar for the state and would like to see the fall races run at Santa Anita again.
HOWARD ZUCKER (Trainer) What I’m worried about most is a general lack of interest in the sport with the general public. Recently, I took five local USC (University of Southern California) grads to the races at Santa Anita, and four did not know Santa Anita was here. I feel we’re not visible enough, and not reaching the upscale young college demographic that could be potential owners. When I was on the CTT board, we hired a group of kids from the Anderson School at UCLA to analyze our business model. In their results, they thought it was a hard entree into the sport. It’s very hard for people to come in and know what they’re doing. We need to put up signs to a kiosk
staffed by some aides to teach the novice and explain the game a little bit, not just betting. I’m concerned about the dwindling owner pool. The decrease in the number of horses has led to a decrease in the number of owners. With the economy as bad as it is, it is tough to find new clients and older clients are not being replaced. Racing has become sort of a forgotten game on a day-to-day basis, unless Zenyatta was running, and we need to make it more interesting. Trainers also need to take more of a conciliatory tone with the owners’ organization. This is the worst time in history for trainers to be battling owners. It is very easy to get people riled up in this economic climate. In most things, trainers and owners are on the same page. These guys need to back off and work together. As for track surfaces, we were looking for uniformity a few years ago, and we now have four different tracks (three different brands of synthetic and one dirt). There couldn’t be more of a disparity. Each track has to maintain them as well as they can to be as safe as they can be. I’m okay with dirt at Santa Anita but the rush into changing the track over was counter-productive. They took a very, very safe synthetic out and we paid for it with eight horses vanned off the first eight days of the meet and clods coming back like bullets. If they had waited until the end of this meet, as Mr. Stronach once suggested, they would have had five months during the dry season for the dirt to settle. Santa Anita is here to stay and will wind up with a good track. I think the biggest adjustment will be when horses training at Santa Anita go to Del Mar, where the Polytrack is less like dirt than the Cushion Track at Hollywood Park. Intrinsically, all tracks in California can be made safe.
“Racing has become sort of a forgotten game on a day-to-day basis, unless Zenyatta was running, and we need to make it more interesting”
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 4
CALIFORNIA
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 57
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 5
BUSINESS
GAYLE VAN LEER (bloodstock consultant) If you had to check one off the top of the list, I wish all the horsemen would stop fighting with each other. I’m disappointed to see all this in-fighting. The people fighting think they’re helping, but they’re not. It just pains me to see horsemen fighting with each other when they need to be united. I want to see them learn the word “compromise.” They need to work together and devote their energy to other problems like the declining foal crop. I would like to see others follow the example of Bo Hirsch, who should be applauded for electing to stand Papa Clem in the state and not taking the big money out of state. We nearly lost him to Maryland but Bo wanted to keep him here and breed Calbreds. Keeping Papa Clem was a real big deal, a real “wow” for people in this business. Pete Parrella wanted a good stallion at Legacy Ranch, Madeline Auerbach had several mares she wanted to breed to him, and several other breeders in the state also stepped up. Instead of all the gloom and doom, I’d like to see some positive things in breeding. There are some people who want to keep their horses here and not ship out of state. But we need better stallions in the state to support the mares, whose population has shrunk dramatically. It’s a good time right now for a breeder because of the small foal crop and good purses for Calbreds. We don’t have a strong auction company
“It just pains me to see horsemen fighting with each other when they need to be united. I want to see them learn the word ‘compromise’”
58 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
anymore since we don’t have anything to sell anymore. We just have four sales at Barretts, which had six two years ago. You hear whining that nobody comes to the sale because the sales company is not promoting, but the real reason is the breeders are not producing horses of high enough quality. I hope that changes because if the only quality yearlings at the sale next year are ten by Papa Clem, we’re not going to get anybody to come. It would be a good thing if we could fix racing in this state without going to the slots. People in the states with casinos tell me the states can’t wait to get rid of the horses. The casino comes first. They don’t fix the barns or the tracks and they make life miserable for the horseman and then claim racing can’t stand on its own. We should be giving out free passes everywhere to encourage people to go to the track.
JOHN HARRIS (Breeder and commissioner on California Horse Racing Board) We have a lot of issues – falling purses; rising expenses; aging fan base; lack of emotional attachment to horses relative to earlier times; and competing gaming options that are simpler for gamblers and cost less to provide. I think we need to get people interested in some surrogate way to own part of a horse. They can’t all be financial partners, but there are lots of ways to make them feel part of the game. I have a friend in Australia that makes all of his restaurant customers part of a horse ownership entity. The net earnings can go to charity or whatever, but if people think they have part of a horse they will follow it and probably bet on it. I am not sure what the best mechanics are but we need to get people involved. We need to make it very easy for people to bet on a race and much better utilize the Internet to sell and track our product. I personally follow my horses all the time via my computer and the racing channels, but few people do. We really need to capitalize on “apps” and come up with a horseracing
game, even if it is just a prize at first that can pull in people who would normally never think about following horseracing or betting on it. Maybe some sort of weekly sweepstakes involving major races that are easy to participate in. In California today someone can walk into a convenience store and buy a lottery ticket at thousands of locations, and yet to make a wager over the Internet on a horse it requires a cumbersome process to get signed up and have the money on deposit. This takes away the spontaneity we need to pull in new players. I hate to say it, but with the declining horse population, I think all of the organizations need to look at some version of a merger if that can provide a stronger and more efficient overall industry. But we do need to be sure each segment is ably and fairly represented, and no one sector can change the racing programs or legislation to the serious detriment of another. But back to the basic question of improving the sport, I think all the organizations need to be ever alert for and receptive to feedback from their constituencies. Some ideas just won’t work, and some will never reach anything near a consensus, but we need a more seasoned, thoughtful approach to our problems than sometimes occurs, and more of a team spirit to encourage success for new initiatives.
“We need to make it very easy for people to bet on a race and much better utilize the Internet to sell and track our product”
JIMMY “THE HAT” ALLARD (professional horseplayer and handicapper) The bottom line is you can’t continue to gouge the bettor day in and day out. They
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 6
CALIFORNIA
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 59
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 7
BUSINESS
jacked the purse money up by picking the bettors’ pockets but they still have short fields. The handle is way off and speaks for itself. Sophisticated gamblers I know who used to bet a $288 Pick Six ticket will now only bet $48 or wait for a big carryover. The first thing management has to understand is that less than 5 percent of a racetrack’s success is reliant on its restaurant-bar-hotel-entertainment business. A racetrack will succeed only if it understands that our product is a psychological drug called action. Action takes on the physical manifestation of an adrenaline rush which subsequently triggers an accelerated heartbeat. That’s the definitive definition of gambling. Any part of the restaurant and bar experience or entertainment factor must be viewed as ancillary products provided to our customers to facilitate them to gamble. Any lack of acknowledgement to the above statement is not detrimental to horseracing; it is absolutely categorically destructive to horseracing. All the tracks need to have a 10-to-15minute video running all day that explains to people how to wager on horseracing.
60 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Some of it is confusing to even educated people and is driving people to the slot machines. We need to facilitate that and make it as easy as possible so somebody doesn’t sound like a moron asking the parimutuel clerk what to do. Each track should also have a VIP Room for the big bettors. The way it is now we have the $10,000 bettor getting shut out by the $2 bettor. Give them a place, give them food and drinks, make them happy. We’re the only business that doesn’t seem to understand that concept. I can’t believe the tracks have lottery machines and promote Indian casinos.
“I can’t believe the tracks have lottery machines and promote Indian casinos. They are our enemies! It’s like a Ford dealer telling us to buy a Chevy”
They are our enemies! It’s like a Ford dealer telling us to buy a Chevy. What people do learn from the casinos is that they get in free and bigger players are rewarded with complimentary meal tickets. The idea that tracks can charge people to park and walk through the gates needs to be reconsidered. The fact is that we have two major television channels showing horse racing (TVG and HRTV), and that people have to switch back and forth, complicating their abilities to bet. Some of these people will eventually find something else to gamble on. You must facilitate your customers. Racing should promote a major handicapping tournament to be televised like the World Series of Poker. That show has proved people will watch other people gamble. The tracks should have Pick Six tournaments during the year. At the end of the year, put the winners in a sequestered room to pick the two Breeders’ Cup cards and televise it. Santa Anita is the most beautiful track in the world. The weather is the best in the country, and 14-million people live out here. If we can’t market the sport in this environment, we are absolutely incompetent as an industry. I
california issue 19 new:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:42
Page 8
CALIFORNIA
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 61
texas issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:48
Page 1
BUSINESS
TEXAS
at the crossroads
Lone Star Park hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 2004 but has had to cut back on its racing schedule in 2011
62 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
texas issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:48
Page 2
TEXAS
The dogs on main street howl, 'cause they understand, If I could take one moment into my hands, Mister, I ain't a boy, no, I'm a man, And I believe in a promised land. Bruce Springsteen –“Promised Land”
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 63
texas issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:48
Page 3
BUSINESS
It wasn’t that long ago, 1987 in fact, after the Texas legislature passed The Racing Act, that some pressbox wag in Louisiana said: “Last horseman out, turn off the lights.” That was the expectation in those days: that horses and horsemen from around the country would flock to Texas once the state allowed pari-mutuel racing. Texas, after all, was widely considered to be horse racing’s “promised land.” By Gary West
F
OR Texas, no expectations were too big. And no racetrack would be too sumptuous, too grand, too alluring for Texas. After all, this was the home of King Ranch and Nelson Bunker Hunt. Bill Shoemaker was a Texan. And D. Wayne Lukas had raced horses at the backwater bush tracks of Texas long before he ever took a horse to Louisville, Ky. This was horse country, always had been, and always would be. Even after a political conflict in the late 1930s led to the closing of Alamo Downs in San Antonio, Arlington Downs in Arlington, Epsom Downs in Houston, and Fair Park in Dallas, Texans continued with steadfast insistence to race their horses. And over the years, Texans raced some of the best, owned some of the biggest farms, and traveled everywhere just to go to the races. Horses couldn’t be called to the post at any major racetrack in America without a Texan within earshot. And, of course, with their rather unusual perspective on distance, Texans didn’t hesitate to pour into neighboring states to support Oaklawn Park, Ruidoso Downs, Remington Park, Louisiana Downs, Delta Downs, and Fair Grounds, which all sat just down some road a piece. From Dallas and Houston, buses made daily roundtrips to nearby racetracks, or at least Texans considered them nearby. And so it became a reasonably and commonly held belief that horse racing would not only thrive but explode with
64 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
“Texas is clearly struggling, and at some point there’s just not going to be enough live product to fill our races” Bryan Brown reverberating popularity when it returned to Texas. That, however, didn’t quite happen. Whether it was a plan that went awry or a hope that had to be deferred remains to be determined. Either way, though, Texas racing now finds itself, awkwardly and strangely enough, at a crossroads. If something doesn’t happen soon, one racetrack general manager predicted, racetracks could close.
If something doesn’t happen soon, a horsemen’s representative predicted, the state’s breeding industry could be reduced to mom-and-pop operations, the bulk of the state’s foal crop produced from backyard liaisons. And the necessary “something” would have to come out of a state legislature that has been indifferent to the horse industry for most of the last 70 years.
texas issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:48
Page 4
TEXAS
Yes, the situation is dire. But that’s the state of racing in the erstwhile promised land. Its growth and popularity once regarded as inevitable, Texas racing instead has slipped into a moribund coma of irrelevance. How did this happen? The laws and rules that control and regulate Texas horseracing were written, well, in the last century. Outdated almost from the moment it passed, the state’s Racing Act has become a hoary anachronism. Texas has no off-track betting, no advanced deposit wagering, no gaming diversity. In other words, Texas racetracks have no way to augment purses; more important, they haven’t the means to compete for both fans and horses with racetracks in neighboring states that have such advantages. For several years, the sheer strength of the markets, along with Texans’ inveterate interest and the allure of the promised land, kept the sport going strongly enough, albeit without ever reaching its potential. Racing’s championship events were run in Texas for both Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Texas remained the home of the American
Quarter Horse Association, and two of the state’s racetracks, Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie and Sam Houston in Houston, hosted the Racing Challenge Championships. Lone Star also was host to the 2004 Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, which attracted Ghostzapper, Azeri, Afleet Alex, Funny Cide, Ouija Board, and even the Earl of Derby. But was that Breeders’ Cup a last hurrah for grand expectations and possibilities? Was that just a teasing, tantalizing glimpse of what might have been? Maybe. Over the next five years, Texas purses declined 29%, and the quality of racing declined with them. During that same period, the racetracks in neighboring states, their distribution enhanced by ADW and OTB, their purses fueled by other forms of gaming, such as slot machines and video poker, saw dramatic increases in total purses – 6% in Arkansas, 23% in Louisiana, 30% in New Mexico, 140% in Oklahoma. Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., where the menu includes Instant Racing
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 65
texas issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:48
Page 5
BUSINESS
“The racetracks are in survival mode, but how much longer can they survive?” Bret Calhoun machines and “electronic games of skill,” offers purses that average $340,000 a day. New Orleans’ Fair Grounds, which has slot machines, offers about $335,000 a day. And both racetracks are able to present the kind of quality racing that invites a large audience and national attention. Meanwhile, Lone Star offered the highest purses in Texas last year at $150,000 a day. “Texas is clearly struggling,” said Bryan Brown, the chief executive officer of Retama Park near San Antonio, “and at some point there’s just not going to be enough live product to fill our races.” Because of the purse discrepancies, there has been an exodus of racehorses from Texas in recent years. Trainers Mike Stidham, Chris Hartman, Michelle Lovell, and Donnie Von Hemel, for example, have taken their large stables elsewhere in accordance with the oldest tradition in the sport, which is to reach for the purse. Steve Asmussen, Bret Calhoun, and Danny Pish, while still prominently involved in Texas racing, have sent an increasing number of their horses to racetracks in nearby states, or to Kentucky or even California. A native Texan who had a seven-horse stable at Lone Star in 1997, Calhoun has become not only one of the top trainers in the region but in the country, having won two Breeders’ Cup races last year. He said he’s hopeful for Texas racing, but he said he also realizes that racing could soon disappear from his home state.
66 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
“The racetracks are in survival mode,” he said, “but how much longer can they survive? I don’t know. But I’ve had to position myself so that I can home to race, and that would be great, but also so that I can race at other major racetracks.” Calhoun was the leading trainer at Lone Star last year, while also maintaining a large stable at Churchill Downs. And he’ll race at Sam Houston, but he’ll have most of his horses at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park. A trainer can no longer wait for opportunities to come along but instead must pursue them, even if that means loading up a van every couple of months and hitting the road, especially if the roads extend beyond Texas’ borders. Bloodstock also has left the state. The foal crop that’s shrinking nationally is shriveling up in Texas. Only 1,180 Texasbred Thoroughbreds were registered with The Jockey Club in 2009, down 42% from the 2,034 registered in 2000. Even the number of Quarter Horse foals in the state has declined, down 32% over just a fouryear period, from 24,139 in 2005 to 16,464 in 2009, according to the AQHA. With fewer horses and less money, Texas tracks have had to trim their schedules. Retama, for example, ran 16 days of Thoroughbred racing last year, down from 32 in 2009 and 35 in 2008. With only a Friday-Saturday schedule, Retama numbers jumped, up 38% in attendance from a year earlier and 30% in
on-track handle, but with only negligible impact, Brown said, on the bottom line and with purses still languishing at about $83,000 a day. “It’s a downward spiral,” Brown said. “What we’re doing will enable us to maintain a decent number of horses per race, but what we really need is a level playing field.” Similarly, Lone Star Park has reduced its Thoroughbred season from 60 to 52 days this year in an effort to get purses up to $175,000 a day. And Sam Houston purses are expected to average $160,000 a day, a record for the track, during its 27-day season, shortened from the usual 60 days. “We have three of the top markets in the country in Texas,” said Sam Houston’s chief operating officer, Andrea Young, referring to Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio, “but some of the least recognizable racing the country. We’re operating under a Racing Act that was written before the Internet even existed. Horseracing needs to give people what they want, and they want options.” A former president and CEO of the Houston Comets of the WNBA, Young said that if the current session of the legislature ignores the needs of the sport and horsemen, another racetrack will probably be forced to close in the near future. Manor Downs in Austin closed last year. Foremost on the industry’s wish-list is video lottery terminals at racetracks. Legislation that would have opened the door for VLTs didn’t progress outside of committee when Texas lawmakers convened in 2009. But with the state facing a $27-billion deficit for 2012-2013, the horse industry is hopeful that it will get at least an airing of its problems in the current session. And, as Young pointed out, this is an issue that’s “wildly popular with the people of Texas,” who by a 60-40 majority, according to a recent poll, support the expansion of gaming in the state. “We’re just hoping something happens,” said Lone Star general manager Drew Shubeck, who has been actively lobbying on behalf of the sport in Austin. “We’re surrounded by states that have more flexibility and more ways to generate purse money, and so we’re at a great disadvantage in Texas.” And if nothing happens in Austin, Shubeck said, contraction will continue in the Texas horse industry. The state’s racetracks are all losing money, persevering in the hope that better times await them just around the corner or that Texas can still be the promised land, but without immediate legislative assistance, without a hand, they’ll have to trim even more, and that could mean fewer days of racing, consolidated meetings, more
texas issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:48
Page 6
TEXAS
horsemen and more horses leaving the state. The ululations will sound like a giant washing machine in the throes of a spin cycle. Moreover, if the lawmakers leave the sport languishing in the last century, the breeding industry could all but disappear. Some of the state’s foremost breeders already have sent most or all of their broodmares to bordering states or to Kentucky. Dave Hooper, the executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association, said nearly half the broodmares in the state have left in recent years. Many farms have closed, and few will remain, he said, if the situation doesn’t change soon, which would reduce the Texas breeding industry to “mom-and-pop operations.” Adding to all this is the uncertainty surrounding racetrack ownership in Texas. In September of 2009, a bankruptcy court approved the sale of Lone Star by Magna Entertainment to Global Gaming Solutions, which is owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. The sale, however, still has not been approved by the Texas Racing Commission, which means the racetrack languishes in bureaucratic limbo while it waits an Attorney General’s opinion regarding an anachronistic residency
“We’re operating under a Racing Act that was written before the Internet even existed” Andrea Young
requirement in The Racing Act. Nor has the Texas Racing Commission approved Sam Houston’s joint venture, which was announced in September. Penn National Gaming purchased 50 % of Sam Houston, Valley Greyhound and a proposed racetrack in Laredo, Texas. Penn National and Global Gaming could contribute significantly to any discussion in Austin, if only they’re allowed to find their voices before the current legislative session ends in May. If Texas were to allow VLTs at racetracks, purses could quickly rise to $500,000 a day at Lone Star, according to projections, Hooper said; purses would jump to $400,000 a day at Sam Houston and to $300,000 a day at Retama. Texas would begin to look like the promised land indeed, and horses and horsemen from all over the country would flock into the state. All those horses thought lost would return overnight. Virtually abandoned farms would reopen, and new ones appear. But if at the end of May, as the legislators pack up and prepare to go home, they have ignored the horse industry or if they have spurned it, they may just hear reverberating through the state the words of some Texas pressbox wag: “Last horseman out, turn off the lights.” I
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 67
mares in foal issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:54
Page 1
TRAINING
Do mares improve when racing in foal? B
OTh were trained by Joanna Morgan in County Meath. The first, Miss Gorica, a six-year-old daughter of Mull of Kintyre, gained her only stakes win when winning the five-furlong Naas Sprint Stakes on June 7th, 2010, on her first race back having been bred to Coolmore’s Dylan Thomas. Miss Gorica kept up her improved form as she ran a further eight times in stakes company, including fourths to both the 2010 Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Gilt Edge Girl and to her own stablemate Fourpenny Lane. The Efisio mare Fourpenny Lane was also in foal when winning over Miss Gorica; she won her final start, the EBF Fairy Bridge Stakes, on August 26th at Tipperary while pregnant to Verglas. Although this five-year-old had previously won a Listed stakes race, that had come in mid-November 2009 on the all-weather track at Dundalk, when many fillies had been put away for the season. Fourpenny Lane and Miss Gorica, Morgan says, “improved about four or five pounds despite being genuine fillies” already. In Morgan’s view, going in foal can help a temperamental filly, and racing the right mare while she is pregnant can not only help a stakes-quality mare gain more black type, but also help a lesser filly get a win under her belt. The rules of the British Jockey Club state that fillies can race up to 120 days of gestation, which is also the recommended period in North America. As Professor Sidney Ricketts, the Senior Partner of the Newmarket-based and internationally renowned equine veterinary practice Rossdale & Partners, states, “Some trainers take advantage of this, most commonly to ‘naturally’ stop troublesome individuals from cycling.” A very small number of fillies become very temperamental and difficult to train, with problems such as tying up, when they come into season. Therefore, putting them in foal can settle them and give the perceived impression that they have improved their racecourse performance.
68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Every year, on both sides of the Atlantic, there are a number of fillies and mares that show significant improvement on the racetrack while racing in foal. Last season in Ireland was no exception as at least two in-foal mares achieved career-best performances. By Clive Webb-Carter
“Some trainers take advantage of 120day gestation period, most commonly to ‘naturally’ stop troublesome individuals from cycling” Sidney Ricketts
Running a mare for the first 120 days of her pregnancy does not hold recognized risks to either the mare or the foal. As Ricketts points out, “Exercise is a natural necessity and apparently a ‘pleasure’ for horses.” Mares in the wild and on stud farms enjoy galloping in open country or in their paddocks, with no side effects to them or their pregnancy. So together with a vet’s advice, there should be no harm to racing a mare in her early pregnancy as long as she is healthy and her stress level is low. The trainer also has to use his or her skill and judgment in identifying which fillies would benefit from racing while in foal. With fillies all being individuals, there are clearly going to be instances when putting one in foal is going to do little to help her behavior and therefore her performance, and in those cases the practice would be ill advised. There is certainly no scientific evidence to say that racing a mare while she is in foal holds an advantage, but even just in the last 20 years there are a few examples of fillies who appear to have shown an improvement. Grecian Dancer’s performance improved after having been bred to champion European sire Galileo (Ire). The daughter of Dansili (GB) stepped up to Group 3 company to win the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes in 2008. The foal that Grecian Dancer, was carrying, a filly, sold for €240,000 at Goffs Orby 2010 yearling sale to leading owners Cheveley Park Stud. This two-year-old, named Minoan Dancer, will commence her racing career under the care of one of Europe’s leading trainers, Sir Michael Stoute, based in Newmarket.
mares in foal issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:54
Page 2
RACING MARES IN FOAL
Having mares covered while they are still in training is a regular practice during the spring in some stables
Redstone Dancer, a daughter of Namid who is from the family of Rainbow Quest, is another who progressed to gain black type, having struggled in stakes company prior to being bred to Refuse to Bend (Ire). Redstone Dancer, trained by Sheena Collins, improved from being placed fifth at
Listed stakes level to winning two Group 3 races – the EBF Brownstown Stakes and the Minstrel Stakes. The resulting Refuse to Bend foal, named Refusetosurrender, is an unraced three-year-old filly in training with leading British trainer Richard Fahey. While we wait to see what Miss Gorica
Grecian Dancer’s performance improved after having been bred to champion European sire Galileo (Ire), winning the Group 3 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes in 2008
and Fourpenny Lane will produce as their first foals it is clear that racing mares while in foal does not seem to affect their chances as broodmares. Cassandra Go showed a huge improved ability on the racecourse while in foal to Green Desert in 2001. having been bred in the spring, Cassandra Go went from being a Group 3 winner to winning two Group 2s, which included the King’s Stand Stakes (now a Group 1), as well as being placed in the July Cup-G1. This daughter of Indian Ridge went on to prove to be equally as successful at stud as not only was her first foal, Neverletme Go, a two-time winner but Cassandra Go later produced Irish 1000 Guineas winner halfway to heaven, who also won two other Group 1s, and Group 3 winner Theann. Instances of racemares improving while holding a pregnancy are not confined to Europe, as one of America’s leading earners, Spain – who won over $3,540,500 for the Thoroughbred Corp. – is another who won a stakes race while pregnant. Although this daughter of Thunder Gulch had won her two Grade 1s, including the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, prior to being covered, she did add the Fleur de Lis handicap-G2 while in foal to Storm Cat. Despite racing while pregnant Spain has also proved to be a good broodmare.
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 69
mares in foal issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:54
Page 3
TRAINING
Spain – who won over $3,540,500 in prize-money – and added the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicapwhile in foal to Storm Cat
Although her first produce Carpocrates, a $2,400,000 yearling purchased by Coolmore, proved to be a non-winner, Spain, like Cassandra Go, did go on to produce two stakes winners: Group 3 winner Plan and Listed winner/Group 1placed Dreamtheimpossible. Fit for a Queen also added extra black type during her 13-win, $1,226,429earnings career, racing in foal to Gulch during the 1992 season. This daughter of Fit to Fight added not only the Budweiser Breeders' Cup Stakes-G2 at Turfway Park to her list of stakes wins – from her final run – but was also runner-up in the Apple Blossom handicap-G1 from her first of six runs while in foal. Fit for a Queen’s 1993 produce, Ground Swell, proved to be a more than useful performer, winning 12 races and nearly $100,000 in prize money. Fit for a Queen also produced Grade 2 winner Royal Assault, who was third in the classic Belmont Stakes, and is granddam of stakes winners Ender’s Sister and Ender’s Shadow. Brian Meehan, trainer of two Breeders’ Cup Turf winners, is certainly one conditioner in favor of running fillies while in foal. Meehan trained Danehill Dancer daughter Silence Is Golden, running in foal to Medicean, to a career best when a short head runner-up to Favourable Terms in the Nassau Stakes-G1. “I can’t see anything against covering fillies while in training.” Meehan, whose string numbers approximately 140 horses on historic
70 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
“We have had success with a few fillies and it is a regular spring practice these days, and I would say we will be covering three fillies plus this spring” Brian Meehan
Manton Estate, goes on to say, “We have had success with a few fillies and it is a regular spring practice these days, and I would say we will be covering three fillies plus this spring.” So are there any side effects and negatives of running a mare while in foal? If a filly was to suffer a serious accident while in training then this of course would pose a risk of loss to both the mare and the pregnancy. As Ricketts points out, “If [a pregnant mare] requires emergency surgery to be performed under a general anesthetic, to save her life or make her life tolerable and humane, then there is always an unquantifiable risk to her pregnancy. however, the pregnancy will be non-viable without the mother and so her life will be considered of paramount importance.” Although in reality very few fillies may really benefit from racing while pregnant there seems to be little relative risk in doing so, and trainers and owners are likely to continue to put mares in foal and race them. If trainers’ anecdotal evidence is to be believed, this can be a winning formula to taking a talented mare to the next level, and if there is nothing to it then the hope remains that the mares will continue to earn their keep for a few extra months. however, chances are that we will never know for certain if these mares’ improvement can be attributed to racing in foal. I
mares in foal issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:54
Page 4
NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOUR IPHONE/IPAD
DOWNLOAD TODAY JUST $2.99 PER ISSUE
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 71
11 for 11 issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:58
Page 1
INDUSTRY
What to look forward to in
2011
A.P. Indy This iconic son of Seattle Slew turned 22 in 2011 with speculation rife that he was nearing the end of his breeding career. But at the Lane’s End Farm open house on the eve of the Keeneland January sale, A.P. Indy came out of his stall to greet visitors on a frigid day with every expectation of meeting a mare. He’s aged, and has one testicle, but he’s still the king of the hill in the U.S. and the best source of dirt stamina still around. One of his inexpensive sons, Congrats, led the freshman sire list in 2010 with two Grade 1 winners to his credit, and the same feat was emulated by his most expensive freshman son of 2010, Bernardini. A.P. Indy is guaranteed to leave behind a legacy through his sons and daughters – one daughter produced the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner, Super Saver – and in 2011 his champion son Bernardini, sire of two Grade/Group 1 winners in his first crop to race last year, will cover one of the greatest mares in U.S. racing history, Zenyatta. Zenyatta Jerry and Ann Moss’s Horse of the Year Zenyatta, trained superbly by John Shirreffs, will race no more in 2011, but her popularity continues to soar. In fact, it’s possible that her dramatic loss in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs – her only in 20 starts, and by inches – burnished her reputation to levels that eluded her during much of her racing career, including a 2009 campaign that saw her win the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita and lose Horse of the Year honors to Rachel Alexandra. It’s ironic that West Coast-based Zenyatta’s iconic status was cemented in a loss on dirt against the best field of males assembled for a Grade 1 race in the U.S. all year. She’d been derided by some in the East Coast media for winning Grade 1 races against only females on the state-mandated artificial surfaces of California, and many notable journos in the East had boldly predicted a loss. They were proven right, but not in a manner they’d expected because the big mare was as much the best in her race as Seattle Slew had been in his photo loss to
72 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Globally, this game was not much better off in 2010 from 2009. The racing and breeding industries continued to grapple with the same-old-same-old malaise that came with the world economic meltdown of late 2008, so, instead of looking back at the Top 10 of what was what in 2010, here’s a look forward to what may be a watershed year for horse racing around the world: 2011. By Sid Fernando At 22-years-old A.P. Indy is still the best source of dirt stamina in American bloodstock
11 for 11 issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:58
Page 2
2011
the world economies and the loss of value in global breeding industries can be thanked for prolonging racing careers nowadays, and Goldikova, bred and owned by Alain and Gerard Wertheimer, will attempt to exploit it financially and historically with an unprecedented fourth consecutive Breeders’ Cup Mile in 2011. Already she owns the record with three BC Miles, but her zest for racing and her devastating turn of foot have made her as much an international star as Zenyatta. It’s notable that the Irish-bred and French-based mare with only one 2010 victory in the U.S. was one of three finalists, along with Zenyatta and Blame, for the 2010 Eclipse for Horse of the Year. In 2010, Goldikova was ranked at 133 by Timeform on its Global Rankings, cosecond highweight behind Harbinger at 140 and equal with outstanding two-year-old Frankel, Derby and Arc winner Workforce, and Australian star So You Think.
Goldikova will go for an unprecedented fourth consecutive Breeders’ Cup win in 2011
Exceller years ago in an epic Jockey Club Gold Cup that enhanced his standing in defeat. With racing done and Zenyatta freed from the shackles of geographic partisanship, adulation has followed her as she readies for her second career as a broodmare. Now domiciled at Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, the daughter of Street Cry (Ire) is scheduled to be bred to Bernardini, who like Street Cry is a Darley resident stallion. Her every move, like a monarch’s, continues to be covered and the attention no doubt will continue unabated until she delivers her first foal, her heir?
New Zealand-bred So You Think is to be trained by Aidan O’Brien this year
Goldikova The heir apparent to Zenyatta on track is the Freddie Head-trained Goldikova (Ire), who like Zenyatta will campaign at age six, once unheard of for top-class mares. The state of
So You Think (NZ) The handsome New Zealand-bred So You Think’s 2011 European campaign will be as eagerly awaited as any in recent memory following the purchase of controlling interest in the Australasian star by the Coolmore group at the end of 2010. Aidan O’Brien now trains the son of Coolmore’s rising Sadler’s Wells sire High Chaparral, who made a huge impact Down Under from his inexpensive seasons at Windsor Park in New Zealand. Last April, his sons Shoot Out, Descarado, and Monaco Consul filled the first three spots in that order in the Group 1 AJC Australian Derby, but it was the Bart Cummings-trained So You Think who emerged as the best of them all with a win in the Group 1 WS Cox Plate. So You Think trained on at four in the latter half of 2010 and captured the hearts and minds of the region with four consecutive Group 1 wins, culminating in a second Cox Plate. A gallant third in the Melbourne Cup over 3000 meters did nothing to tarnish his reputation in his last
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 73
11 for 11 issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:58
Page 3
INDUSTRY
start before departing for Ballydoyle. Campaigned in Australia by Cummings’s main and longtime patron Dato Tan Chin Nam, in partnership with Tunku Ahmad Yahaya, So You Think won eight of 12 starts and earned Aus$5.7 million. Coolmore reportedly purchased its controlling halfinterest for £14.8m, valuing the horse at nearly double the amount. He will be aimed for the major 10-12 furlong European races.
Shadai Farm-bred Eishin Flash, with Hiroyuki Uchida, after the Japanese Derby
Japan Timeform’s European highweight of 2010 was Harbinger at 140. Trained by Sir Michael Stoute for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, Harbinger won one of Europe’s most prestigious races, the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, by 11 lengths but never raced again after suffering a career-ending injury on the gallops. His early loss to Europe could be Japan’s long-term gain. A winner of six of nine starts, the British-bred son of Dansili was sold to Shadai to stand 2011 in Japan. Harbinger is one of several high-profile stallions or mares purchased by Japanese interests lately. Stoute’s 2009 King George winner Conduit, also a two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, was sold to Big Red Farm for 2010, along with Ashford’s Johannesburg, who was sold to the Japanese Bloodhorse Breeders Association to stand at the Shizunai Stallion Station. With Sunday Silence dead and many of his sons among the top ten sires in Japan and his blood saturating the Japanese market, the time has been right – and the prices opportune – for Japan to buy again to introduce new bloodlines. For mares, this was certainly evident at the 2010 Keeneland November sale in
74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Lexington, Kentucky, where the sons of Shadai’s late owner Zenya Yoshida, the man who imported Sunday Silence, were active in the purchase of such high-priced mares as the dam of 2010 U.S. champion three-year-old filly Blind Luck for $1.85 million. It’s a harbinger that Japan is back as a player on the international scene. And indeed, they began 2011 where they had left off: Shadai Farm’s three Keeneland January sale purchases included sale-topping, Grade 1 winner Ave (GB) for $1.4 million to put them at the top of the leading buyers table by gross, and Katsumi Yoshida purchased Grade 1 winner Wickedly Perfect for $800,000. South Africa The well-publicized inaugural Cape Premier Yearling Sale held January 27-28, 2011, in Cape Town is probably a harbinger of South Africa’s ascension to a greater level of prestige on the international stage. The Dubai International Racing Carnival, with Dubai World Cup Day on March 26, has been the showcase for the horses of South Africa recently, particularly through trainers Mike De Kock and Herman Brown. Ipi Tombe, actually bred in Zimbabwe, was a star in Dubai in 2003 when she won the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free; Victory Moon won the Group 3 UAE Guineas and the Group 2 UAE Derby and was third in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in 2004; Jay Peg won the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free in 2008, as well as the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji; and in 2009 the crack sprinter J J the Jet Plane won the Group 3 Al Quoz. There’d been others of note internationally as well, including 2004 Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes winner Crimson Palace and the Hong Kong Group 1 winner Irridescence, but in 2010 the South Africans had a banner season with J J the Jet Plane winning the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint from Rocket Man and Sacred Kingdom, Lizard’s Desire scoring in the rich Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup after getting beaten a photo in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup, and Gypsey’s
Greyville: South Africa’s leading racecourse
Warning winning the Grade 1 Matriarch in California. One to follow in 2011 is the filly Ebony Flyer, who won the Group 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth in December, finished third to the older mare Mother Russia in the Group1 L’Orimans Queen’s Plate in January at the same track, and looks to have a bright international future ahead of her. There are others, too, because South Africa has arrived.
Ramzan Kadyrov South African trainer Herman Brown trains a stable in Dubai for Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, a controversial political figure but a passionate owner with a penchant for buying made horses from around the world. Installed as president in Chechnya by Moscow, the Muslim Kadyrov’s name was linked to the sensational assassination in Dubai of political rival Slim Yamadayev, who was killed in broad daylight on World Cup Day in 2009. Kadyrov’s cousin and righthand man Adam Delimkhanov was implicated as the mastermind behind the hit in a drawn-out trial that lasted through the end of 2010, but in the end Abu Dhabi stepped in in January of 2011 and freed the two men actually sentenced in the courts of Dubai. One man, an Iranian, was described in courtroom testimony as a stable worker for Kadyrov. The political controversy in Dubai and elsewhere did nothing to dampen Kadyrov’s joie de vivre for racing. Based on his successes and purchases, Kadyrov is one of the big spenders from the Caucasus and an integral player in Russian racing and perhaps the most high-profile owner from that part of the world. His appetite for the sport will continue to grow. He won the Russian and Chechen Derbys in 2010 with the U.S.-bred Giant’s Causeway colt North Stream, and he has purchased such European made horses as Bronze Cannon and Mikhail Glinka for Russian assignments.
11 for 11 issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
22:58
Page 4
2011
Frankel: Europe’s leading two-year-old
Uncle Mo: Aiming for the Kentucky Derby
Snow Fairy: Dubai World Cup target
Frankel Kadyrov purchased Mikhail Glinka from Coolmore, which stands his sire Galileo, the leading stallion in Europe. Galileo’s twoyear-old Juddmonte homebred Frankel – named for the late American trainer Bobby Frankel, who’d handled the Juddmonte string in the U.S. – emerged as the star of the European crop for trainer Henry Cecil with four facile wins from four starts and press coverage becoming a legend. The colt’s run in the Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst over seven furlongs at Newmarket pitted him against the other two high-profile runners of his age group, Dream Run and Saamidd, but the ease and manner of his four-length victory elevated Frankel to a level hype last seen with Sea the Stars two years before. Cecil has downplayed the colt’s emergence to the press in measured tones and has all but proclaimed the son of Galileo a Guineas contender only, but if he were to win the first colts’ classic in the manner he did the Dewhurst there’s a chance as a son of Galileo that his stamina would be put to the test in the Derby, a race that Juddmonte won in 2010 with Workforce. The latter followed Sea the Stars’ path with an Arc triumph as well, and Sea the Stars’ own stamina, lest it be forgotten, was questioned over the Derby trip after he’d won the Guineas. Tune in for the Frankel Show in 2011 to find out what happens.
race for U.S. two-year-olds, especially at Churchill Downs – in a manner that suggests he’ll train on. But, his sire, Indian Charlie, is noted for getting eight-to-nine furlong performers instead of 10-furlong Derby types, so his pedigree has already come under the microscope and there’s plenty of debate. Undefeated in three starts, Uncle Mo won his debut sensationally at Saratoga against a strong group over six furlongs and came back next out in the eight-furlong Grade 1 Champagne Stakes before the Breeders’ Cup. He’s earned Ragozin speed figures in his three races that have been unheard of in a sequence such as his, and the hype around him in the U.S. is reminiscent to what Frankel has received in Europe. The question of whether Uncle Mo can get the Derby trip will be asked up until the moment he starts in the race, but he is from a mare by Arch – the sire of 2010 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Blame. Uncle Mo, by the way, is the first Kentucky Derby contender on Twitter.com. His tweets can be read at the address @UncleMoHorse.
@RogerCharlton on Twitter, Charlton tweets updates about his current horses and valuable background information on notable runners in their pedigrees. Lyons, based in Kiltale, Co., Meath, is another interesting tweeter at the address @GerLyonsRacing. He trained the 2010 filly Berg Bahn for main patron Cristina Patino, whose Snow Fairy was a dual Oaks winner in 2010 for trainer Ed Dunlop.
Uncle Mo If Frankel is a speedy horse by a stamina sire, Uncle Mo can be described as his opposite, for now, a stamina horse by a speedy sire. For both, however, there’s speculation about the Derby trip. Trained by Todd Pletcher, who won the Kentucky Derby in 2010 after many attempts, Uncle Mo won the mile and a sixteenth Breeders’ Cup Juvenile – a staying
Twitter Uncle Mo’s trainer, Todd Pletcher, has a parodied Twitter account called @NotTheToddster that’s good for the occasional laugh with fare like, “Goldman Sachs just led a new round of funding for me, valued just shy of priceless,” but there are real trainers now on the loose on this social media platform. One is England’s Roger Charlton, another is Ireland’s Ger Lyons. Charlton, who was once the assistant to Jeremy Tree at Beckhampton when Danehill was in training for Juddmonte, took over the yard in 1990 and trained Epsom Derby winner Commander in Chief and French Derby winner Sanglamore for Juddmonte’s Khalid Abdulla. Operating from the address
Snow Fairy Snow Fairy was bred by Anamoine Ltd., and races for Windflower Overseas Holdings,Inc., both entities owned by Cristina Patino, a homebreeder with a penchant for the Roberto sire line. Snow Fairy is by Intikhab, a Roberto-line sire through Red Ransom, and she is actually inbred 3x5 to the U.S.-bred Epsom Derby winner. The owner also bred and raced the stallion Big Bad Bob, a Roberto-line horse from the same family as Snow Fairy. Trained by Ed Dunlop, Snow Fairy won five of seven starts in 2010, including the Group 1 Epsom and Irish Oaks, and then was sent overseas to Japan and Hong Kong, where she won two more Group 1 races. Ryan Moore was aboard the mare for all her wins at the highest level, races that covered the spectrum from 10-12 furlongs. Snow Fairy wasn’t always highly regarded nor was her ability to stay originally deciphered: she was bought back from a yearling sale for 1800 euros after failing to make her reserve; and she was supplemented to the Oaks after winning a Listed event over 10 furlongs even though Dunlop wasn’t sure she’d stay the trip. In 2011, Snow Fairy will be sent after the richest prize in racing, the 10-furlong Dubai World Cup at Meydan over the Tapeta surface. She’s come a long way, and she figures to go even farther in 2011. I
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 75
PRODUCT FOCUS issue 19.qxp:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:08
Page 1
PRODUCT FOCUS
Horse bleeders For thousands of years, horse riders have seen their horses bleeding at the nostrils during heavy training and competition. Bleeding of this sort is called Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) and the affected horses are commonly known as “Bleeders”. Recent studies have shown that about 85% of race horses suffer from bleeding caused by blood vessels rupturing in their lungs. Approximately 2-3 % of bleeders suffer from severe lung bleeding along with nasal bleeding. The others have mild to moderate lung bleeding which causes blood to be found in the wind pipe. Even mild bleeding can cause poor performance during a race. What causes acute or chronic bleeding?
1. The training and racing are too intense and exceed the horse’s capability. 2. The side effects of track drugs cause the lung meridian energy to become weak. 3. Once horses have bled from the lungs, it may cause a build up of scar tissue and if this does not heel the horse will continue to bleed, significantly affecting their racing careers.
3. Choking sound or shaking of the head. 4. Repeated swallowing, lack of energy or poor appetite after the race. 5. Trace of blood on the feed bin after the event. If your horse has shown any evidence of the above conditions, it is worth considering that your horse may suffer from bleeding. This can be confirmed medically by a veterinary using an endoscope.
As a trainer, how do you know if your horse is a bleeder?
1. Loss of speed. 2. Loss of stride or rhythm.
76 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
What is the treatment?
Dr. Luke Cua brings seven generations of Chinese medical experience to the States. Following GMP guidelines, he is to set up manufacture in Los Angeles. One of his formulas is called “4 Blead.” This product has saved hundreds of bleeders, recovering their momentum and improving their performance. It is a daily herbal powder which promotes the functions of the lungs and the spleen and balances the meridian energy. Dr. J.P.Araujo, DVM reports: “Racing on the southern California circuit the horse was diagnosed with EIPH for probably 2 years duration. He was treated with 4 Blead® (5 grams twice a day.) The pulmonary hemorrhage was controlled to allow successful training and racing.” Dr. Luke Cua is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, National Board Certified Chinese Herbalist, Master of One Needle Qi-Gong Acupuncture Technique, Author of Chinese Medicine Made Simple and Inventor of new Vita Herbal System. For more information please contact Dr. Luke Cua at herbal@newvita.com or call his clinic 1-626-307-0928
PRODUCT FOCUS issue 19.qxp:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:08
Page 2
PRODUCT FOCUS
Trainer Suppliers’ Guide
Calphormin from TRM The foundations for a horse’s future success can be laid down before it is even born by supplementing the broodmare to ensure that the correct balance of macro-minerals, trace minerals and amino acids essential for correct development and growth are passed on to her foal. So during the last trimester of pregnancy and lactation, then as the foal matures through weanling and yearling stage, feeding the young, rapidly growing horse Calphormin from TRM will optimise growth and bone development in a correct and balanced way. Mineral requirements for the developing foal include calcium and phosphorous in the correct ratio along with trace minerals copper, zinc and manganese. Deficiencies have been linked to instances of Epiphysitis (inflammation of the long bone growth plates) and Developmental Orthopaedic Diseases (DOD). Protein is also vital for growth and as protein consists of amino acids, breeders must ensure the foal receives adequate amounts of all essential amino acids. Amongst these, Lysine is deemed to be the first limiting amino acid and a deficiency in the young horse’s diet will ultimately lead to decreased growth and development. Calphormin is unique in that it contains a balanced combination of macrominerals, trace minerals, amino acids and the added benefit of Sodium Zeolite, a bioavailable Silicon-containing compound. Researchers have found that the mineral silicon can enhance bone calcification and is also associated with the formation of collagen, the fibrous protein matrix that provides support for body structures such as cartilage and bone. By laying down a strong bone framework, foals and young horses are able to withstand the pressures of growth spurts without undue stress on their young, underdeveloped bones. This support will reduce the likelihood of bone enlargement that young horses are prone to during these critical development stages. Feeding Calphormin will give the young horse the best start it can get. For more information visit www.trmirelandinc.com or call 1800 876 5688
Kompeet™ Kompeet™ is a world first on the scene of natural energy giving products for horses. Due to the horses’ inability to break down fat efficiently enough they often cannot get the fat they need through any diet available in today’s feed. Kompeet™ consists of a carefully chosen mix of plant oils, with the specific use as a feed supplement for horses in mind. This blend of unique plant oils has been through a very complicated process to make them water dissolvable, and thereby making it possible for the horse to digest the product immediately and transport the energy directly into the muscular systems, reducing the build up of lactic acid. Kompeet™ is "Cold Energy" and will not make the horse "High", the horse will feel significantly more willing to perform, and enjoy much longer stamina. Other benefits are increased weight, healthier coat and lower level of stress. Since Kompeet™ is100% pure vegetable fat and not a drug, it does not conflict with any current drug regulations. For more information please visit www.innordicusa.com or call 949 922 6731 ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 77
US STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 19:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:10
Page 1
STAKES SCHEDULES
STAKES SCHEDULES RACES
DISCLAIMER
Races are divided by distance and the relevant surface is indicated as follows: AWT – All Weather Track D – Dirt T –Turf The indexes cover all graded races in North America over $50,000 in value, where information was available at the time of publication. Additionally, all European Group One races have been included as well as major races from Japan.
Whilst every effort has been made to publish correct information, the publishers will not be held liable for any omission, mistake or change to the races listed in all published indexes.
IMPORTANT NOTICE If you would like to receive notification as we update the Stakes Schedules on our website, simply send an e-mail to feedback@trainermagazine.com.
COPYRIGHT Under Copyright law, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means. This includes but is not limited to: photocopying for commercial redistribution and or facsimile recording without the prior permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be addressed to the publisher.
North American Trainer delivered to your door! Country Track USA Sunland Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) The Getaway Stakes
Class
Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Sunland Park Charles Town Sunland Park Sunland Park Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town
Race Name & (Sponsor) Mt. Cristo Rey Handicap Webb Snyder Stakes Copper Top Futurity Copper Top Futurity It’s Only Money It’s Binn Too Long Coin Collector Stakes Fancy Buckles Stakes Charles Town Invitational Dash Rachel’s Turn Stakes Henry Mercer Memorial Miss Shenandoah Stakes
Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA
Track Delta Downs Delta Downs Delta Downs Delta Downs Sunland Park Sam Houston Tampa Bay Downs Gulfstream Park Meydan Churchill Downs Golden Gate Fields Lone Star Park Lone Star Park Churchill Downs
Race Name & (Sponsor) Premier Night Sprint Premier Night Matron Premier Night Bon Temps Starter Premier Night Ragin Cajun Starter Budweiser H Rail Splitter Stakes Turf Dash The Ladies Turf Sprint Al Quoz Sprint Churchill Downs Turf Sprint Stakes Lost in the Fog Stakes TTA Sales Futurity TTA Sales Futurity Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
Race Date 19-Apr-11
Value $50,000
4.3f (870m) Age 3 QH & TB
Surface D
Furlongs 4.3
Surface D D D D D D D D D D D D
Furlongs 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5
Age Surface 4+ D 4+ F&M D 4+ F&M D 4+ D 3+ D 4+ T 4+ T 4+ F&M T NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+ T 3+ T 2 AWT 2 CG D 2F D 3+ T
Furlongs 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
Call us on 1 888 218 4430 to subscribe from $20 Class S S S S S S S S S
Race Date 19-Mar-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 21-May-11 28-May-11 18-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 17-Sep-11 17-Sep-11 17-Sep-11
Value $100,000 $55,000 $75,000 $75,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $75,000 $50,000 $50,000 $75,000
4.5f (900m) Age 3+ 3+ 2 C&G 2F 3+ 3F 3 3+ FM 3+ 2F 2F 2F
Visit www.trainermagazine.com/america Class
R
Gr 2 Gr 3 R R Gr 2
Race Date 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 06-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 07-May-11 11-Jun-11 11-Jun-11 11-Jun-11 05-Nov-11
Value $100,000 $100,000 $55,000 $55,000 $50,000 $50,000 $75,000 $60,000 $1,000,000 $100,000 $50,000 $100,000 $100,000 $1,000,000
Track Fair Grounds Oaklawn Park Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Sunland Park Keeneland Keeneland Lone Star Park Lone Star Park River Downs River Downs Canterbury
Race Name & (Sponsor) Colonel Power Stakes Spring Fever Bienville Stakes Bayou St. John Stakes La Coneja Stakes Shakertown Stakes Giant’s Causeway Stakes Texas Stallion Stakes - Pan Zareta Division Texas Stallion Stakes - Staunch Avenger Division Hoover Stakes Tah Dah Stakes Barenscheer Juvenile Stakes
Country USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Laurel Park Aqueduct Fair Grounds Turf Paradise
Race Name & (Sponsor) Tiffany Lass Stakes Black Gold Stakes Marshua Stakes Dearly Precious Stakes Pan Zareta Stakes Phoenix Gold Cup
Class
S S Gr 3 R R S S
Race Date 19-Feb-11 20-Feb-11 19-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 16-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 09-Jul-11 09-Jul-11 10-Jul-11 23-Jul-11 14-Aug-11
Value $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $120,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
78 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 18
Race Date 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11
Value $60,000 $60,000 $75,000 $65,000 $60,000 $75,000
11-May-11 18-May-11 08-Jun-11 08-Jun-11 08-Jun-11 07-Sep-11 07-Sep-11 07-Sep-11
Closing 21-Jan-11 21-Jan-11 21-Jan-11 21-Jan-11 28-Jan-11 02-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 13-Apr-11 02-Jun-11 15-Apr-11 15-Apr-11 24-Oct-11
5.5f (1100m) Age 4+ 4+ F&M 4+ FM 4+ La Bred 4+ FM 3+ 3+ FM 2F 2 CG 2 2F 2
Surface T D T D D T T D D D D D
Furlongs 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5 5.5
Surface D D D D D D
Furlongs 6 6 6 6 6 6
North American Trainer delivered to your door! Class
Closing 11-Mar-11 06-Apr-11
5f (1000m)
Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Closing
Closing 05-Feb-11 05-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 06-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 15-Apr-11 15-Apr-11 30-Jun-11 14-Jul-11 04-Aug-11
6f (1200m) Age 3F 3 3F 3F 4+ FM 4+
Closing 22-Jan-11 22-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 05-Feb-11 11-Feb-11
US STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 19:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:10
Page 2
STAKES SCHEDULES
Call us on 1 888 218 4430 to subscribe from $20 Country USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN CAN USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Aqueduct Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Park Meydan Aqueduct Aqueduct Oaklawn Park Aqueduct Oaklawn Park Meydan Fair Grounds Oaklawn Park Turfway Park Turfway Park Oaklawn Park Beulah Park Oaklawn Park Sunland Park Tampa Bay Downs Oaklawn Park Beulah Park Sunland Park Hawthorne Racecourse Hawthorne Racecourse Hawthorne Racecourse Hawthorne Racecourse Beulah Park Churchill Downs Lone Star Park Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Belmont Park Lone Star Park River Downs Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury Canterbury Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Beulah Park Beulah Park Churchill Downs Beulah Park Turfway Park Turfway Park Turfway Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) Hollie Hughes Handicap Rainbow S Rainbow Miss S Mahab Al Shimaal Broadway Handicap Fred Cappy Capossela Stakes Mountain Valley S Cicada Stakes Hot Springs S Dubai Golden Shaheen Duncan F. Kenner Stakes Prima Donna S Queen Stakes Hansel Stakes Carousel H Royal North Stakes Downthedustyroad Breeders Czaria H Hilton Garden Inn Sprint Count Fleet Sprint H Howard B. Noonan Stakes KHEY Y-96 Sprint Land of Lincoln Stakes Robert S. Molaro Handicap Governor’s Lady Handicap Pretty Jenny Stakes Babst/Palacios Memorial Handicap Winning Colors Stakes Valid Expectations Stakes Aristides Stakes Debutante Bashford Manor Stakes Prioress Stakes Valor Farms Stakes Coca-Cola Bassinet Stakes MN Distaff Sprint Championship MN Sprint Championship Northern Lights Futurity Stakes Northern Lights Debutante Stakes Derby Bar and Grill Express Derby Bar and Grill Ladies Express Scarlet & Gray Handicap Glacial Princess Stakes Breeders’ Cup Sprint Ohio Freshman Stakes Holiday Inaugural Stakes Gowell S Holiday Cheer Stakes
Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN CAN USA CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN USA USA CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN
Track Sunland Park Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Sunland Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Santa Anita Lone Star Park Santa Anita Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse SunRay Park Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Charles Town SunRay Park Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse
Race Name & (Sponsor) El Diario H Hurricane Bertie H La Habra S Sensational Star Handicap Bill Thomas Memorial Handicap Irish O’Brien Stakes Santa Paula Stakes Las Flores Handicap Potrero Grande Stakes Las Cienegas Handicap JEH Stallion Stakes San Simeon Handicap George Royal (AlwS) Brighouse Belles (AlwS) Russell and Helen Foutz Distaff Handicap Boulevard Casino (AlsW) Jim Coleman Province (AlwS) Senate Appointee (AlwS) John Longden 6000 (AlwS) Emerald Downs (AlwS) River Rock Casino (AlwS) Lady Charles Town Stakes Aztec Oaks Lassie (AlwS) New Westminster (AlwS) British Columbia Cup Nursery (AlwS) British Columbia Cup Sprint Handicap British Columbia Cup Debutante (AlwS) Jack Diamond (AlwS) Sadie Diamond (AlwS) CTHS Sales (AlwS) CTHS Sales (AlwS)
Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Delta Downs Delta Downs Tampa Bay Downs Gulfstream Park Laurel Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Laurel Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) Premier Night Starlet Premier Night Prince Super Stakes Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship Barbara Fritchie Handicap San Carlos Handicap San Vicente Stakes General George Handicap
Class S S Gr 3 S Gr 3 Gr 1
S S Gr 3 S S S S S S Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 1 S S S S S S R Gr 1 R S S
Race Date 21-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 27-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 20-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 02-Apr-11 03-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 14-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 19-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 07-May-11 30-May-11 30-May-11 04-Jun-11 25-Jun-11 02-Jul-11 04-Jul-11 09-Jul-11 03-Sep-11 04-Sep-11 04-Sep-11 04-Sep-11 04-Sep-11 10-Sep-11 10-Sep-11 29-Oct-11 05-Nov-11 05-Nov-11 19-Nov-11 03-Dec-11 23-Dec-11 31-Dec-11
Value $65,000 $50,000 $50,000 $200,000 $65,000 $65,000 $60,000 $100,000 $60,000 $2,000,000 $125,000 $60,000 $50,000 $50,000 $60,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $75,000 $150,000 $50,000 $50,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $50,000 $100,000 $75,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $250,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $55,000 $55,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $2,000,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
6f (1200m)
Age 3+FM 3 C&G (Ark Bred) 3 F (Ark Bred) NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+ 3+ FM 3 3 3F 4+ NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+ 3+ 3F 4+ FM 3 4+ F&M 3F 3+ F&M 3+ F&M 4+ 4+ 3 3 3 4+ 4+ FM 3F 3+ 3+ FM 3+ FM 3+ 2F 2 3F 3+ FM 2F 3 FM 3 2 2F 3+ FM 3+ FM 2F 3+ 2 3+ F&M 2F 3+
Surface D D D AWT D D D D D AWT D D AWT AWT D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D AWT AWT AWT
Age 3+ F&M 4+ F&M 3F 4+ 3+ 4+ FM 3F 4+ FM 4+ 4+ FM 3+ FM 4+ 3+ FM 3+ FM 3F 3 FM 3+ 3F 3 3F 3F 2F 2 2 CG 3+ 2F 2 CG 2F 2F 2CG
Surface D D T T D T AWT AWT D T D T D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Furlongs 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5
Age 3F 3 4+ 4+ 3+ FM 4+ 3 3+
Surface D D D D D D D D
Furlongs 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Visit www.trainermagazine.com/america Class Gr 3 Gr 3 S S Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 3 S Gr 3 S
S S S S S S S S
Race Date 12-Feb-11 13-Feb-11 21-Feb-11 27-Feb-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 20-Mar-11 02-Apr-11 03-Apr-11 11-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 22-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 24-Apr-11 01-May-11 07-May-11 21-May-11 23-May-11 04-Jun-11 05-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 20-Jun-11 09-Jul-11 10-Jul-11 01-Aug-11 01-Aug-11 01-Aug-11 19-Aug-11 19-Aug-11 11-Sep-11 11-Sep-11
Value $50,000 $150,000 $100,000 $100,000 $50,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $150,000 $100,000 $50,000 $100,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 $85,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 $75,000 $85,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 100,000 CAN 100,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000
Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2
Race Date 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 20-Feb-11 21-Feb-11
Value $100,000 $100,000 $75,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $150,000
Closing
28-Feb-11
12-Mar-11 17-Mar-11 17-Mar-11 23-Mar-11 01-Apr-11 26-Mar-11 06-Apr-11 09-Apr-11
27-Apr-11 14-May-11 19-May-11 21-May-11 11-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 30-Jun-11 15-Jul-11 25-Aug-11 25-Aug-11 01-Apr-11 01-Apr-11 19-Oct-11 26-Oct-11 24-Oct-11 09-Nov-11 24-Nov-11 15-Dec-11 22-Dec-11
6.5f (1300m)
Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Class
Furlongs 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Closing 04-Feb-11 29-Jan-11 10-Feb-11 17-Feb-11 04-Mar-11 10-Mar-11 10-Mar-11 24-Mar-11 24-Mar-11 31-Mar-11 07-Apr-11 07-Apr-11 17-Apr-11
08-Jun-11 13-Jun-11
7f (1400m) Closing 21-Jan-11 21-Jan-11 22-Jan-11 29-Jan-11 09-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 09-Feb-11
ISSUE 18 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 79
US STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 19:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:10
Page 3
STAKES SCHEDULES
North American Trainer delivered to your door! Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Gulfstream Park Laurel Park Laurel Park Laurel Park Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Aqueduct Aqueduct Gulfstream Park Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs Keeneland Aqueduct Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Keeneland Keeneland Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Lone Star Park Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Charles Town Churchill Downs Charles Town Charles Town
Race Name & (Sponsor) Hutcheson Stakes Miracle Wood Stakes Wide Country Stakes Conniver Stakes Inside Information Swale S Carter Handicap Bay Shore Stakes Sunshine State Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies Stakes Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore Stakes Vinery Madison Stakes Distaff Handicap Blue and Gold Stakes Sugar Maple Stakes Confucius Say Stakes Original Gold Stakes Commonwealth Stakes Beaumont Stakes Eight Belles Stakes Churchill Downs Stakes Humana Distaff Cinemine Stakes Wild and Wonderful Stakes Red Legend Stakes Robert G Leavitt Stakes Sadie Hawkins Stakes Frank Gall Memorial Sylvia Bishop Memorial Charles Town Juvenile Stakes Pink Ribbon Stakes Charles Town Oaks Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Tri-State Futurity Eleanor Casey Memorial
Class Gr 2
Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 3
Gr 1 Gr 2 S S Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 1
S S S S
Gr 1 R S
Race Date 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 05-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 03-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 14-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 17-Apr-11 06-May-11 07-May-11 07-May-11 30-May-11 18-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 06-Aug-11 13-Aug-11 20-Aug-11 27-Aug-11 17-Sep-11 17-Sep-11 17-Sep-11 04-Nov-11 05-Nov-11 17-Dec-11
Value $150,000 $75,000 $75,000 $75,000 $150,000 $150,000 $250,000 $200,000 $60,000 $75,000 $75,000 $300,000 $150,000 $100,000 $250,000 $50,000 $50,000 $175,000 $150,000 $100,000 $300,000 $300,000 $75,000 $100,000 $400,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $100,000 $75,000 $400,000 $1,000,000 $100,000 $50,000
7f (1400m) Age 3 3 3F 3+ FM 4+ F&M 3 3+ 3 4+ 3F 3 4+ FM 3+ FM 3 4+ FM 3+ 3+ FM 3+ 3F 3F 4+ 4+ FM 3F 3+ 3 3 3+ F&M 3+ 3F 2 3+ FM 3F 3+ FM 2 2F
Surface D D D D D D D D D D D AWT D D D D D AWT T D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Call us on 1 888 218 4430 to subscribe from $20 Country USA USA USA USA
Track Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Gulfstream Park Lone Star Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) Grindstone S Mardi Gras Stakes South Beach S Irving Distaff Stakes
Class
Race Date 05-Mar-11 08-Mar-11 16-Apr-11 23-Apr-11
Value $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 $50,000
Track Delta Downs Delta Downs Santa Anita Santa Anita Turfway Park Meydan Meydan Oaklawn Park Turfway Park Meydan Gulfstream Park Sam Houston Race Park Sam Houston Race Park Sunland Park Turfway Park Oaklawn Park Santa Anita Meydan Fair Grounds Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Turfway Park Gulfstream Park Sunland Park Meydan Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Meydan Gulfstream Park Turfway Park Laurel Park Sunland Park Fair Grounds Meydan Turfway Park Gulfstream Park Sunland Park Gulfstream Park Aqueduct Santa Anita Lone Star Park Keeneland Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Park Keeneland Golden Gate Fields Lone Star Park Lone Star Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) Premier Night Distaff Premier Night Ladies Starter Las Virgenes Stakes Thunder Road Handicap WEBN Stakes UAE 2000 Guineas Firebreak Stakes Martha Washington S Likely Exchange Stakes Al Fahidi Fort Sabin Two Altazano S Jim’s Orbit S Sydney Valentini H Dust Commander Stakes Southwest S Buena Vista Handicap Meydan Classic Sarah Lane’s Oates S Davona Dale Stakes Valentine Dancer Handicap Valdale Stakes Canadian Turf H Island Fashion S Burj Nahaar Honey Fox H Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap Zabeel Mile Gulfstream Park H Wintergreen Stakes Private Terms Stakes New Mexico State University Handicap Crescent City Oaks Godolphin Mile Bourbonette Oaks Breeders’ Cup Ocala Harry W Henson H Appleton H Comely Stakes Arcadia Stakes Premiere Stakes Maker’s Mark Mile Instant Racing Northern Spur Appalachian Stakes Work the Crowd Stakes Grand Prairie Turf Challenge Texas Mile
80 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Class R Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 3 L Gr 2 Gr 3 S Gr 3 Gr 2 L S Gr 2 S Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 S S Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 S Gr 1 Gr 3 S Gr 3
Race Date 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 17-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 21-Feb-11 21-Feb-11 24-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 27-Feb-11 27-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 10-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 20-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 03-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 14-Apr-11 15-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 21-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11
Closing 12-Feb-11 17-Feb-11 24-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 30-Mar-11 06-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 19-May-11 08-Jun-11 04-Jun-11 27-Jul-11 03-Aug-11 10-Aug-11 17-Aug-11 07-Sep-11 07-Sep-11 03-Sep-11 24-Oct-11 07-Dec-11
7.5f (1500m) Age 3 3F 3+ F&M 3+ FM
Surface T T T T
Visit www.trainermagazine.com/america Country USA USA USA USA USA UAE UAE USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Furlongs 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Value Age Surface $150,000 4+F&M D $70,000 4+ F & M D $250,000 3F D $100,000 4+ T $50,000 3 AWT $250,000 NH 3yo SH 3yo AWT $175,000 SH-bred 3+ & NH-bred 4+AWT $75,000 3F D $50,000 4+ FM AWT $250,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $100,000 4+ F&M D $100,000 3F D $100,000 3 C&G D $100,000 4 F&M D $50,000 4+ AWT $250,000 3 D $150,000 4+ FM T $150,000 3yo T $60,000 3 F LA Bred T $250,000 3F D $100,000 4+ FM T $50,000 3F AWT $150,000 4+ T $50,000 3F D $200,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT $100,000 4+ F&M T $300,000 4+ T $250,000 NH 3yo+ SH 3yo+ T $300,000 4+ D $50,000 4+ FM AWT $75,000 3 D $120,000 4+ D $75,000 3 la. bred F D $1,000,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT $125,000 3F AWT $60,000 4+ F&M D $100,000 3+ F&M D $100,000 4+ T $100,000 3F D $150,000 4+ T $50,000 3+ D $300,000 4+ T $75,000 3F D $75,000 3 D $100,000 3F T $50,000 3+ FM T $50,000 3+ T $200,000 3+ D
Furlongs 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5
Closing 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 02-Apr-11 14-Apr-11
8f (1600m) Furlongs 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Closing 21-Jan-11 21-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 07-Feb-11 07-Feb-11 03-Feb-11 14-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 02-Feb-11 02-Feb-11 01-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 10-Feb-11 21-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 17-Feb-11 17-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 07-Mar-11 26-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 10-Mar-11 01-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 17-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 31-Mar-11 07-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 14-Apr-11 14-Apr-11 14-Apr-11
US STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 19:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:10
Page 4
STAKES SCHEDULES
Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Churchill Downs Golden Gate Fields Churchill Downs SunRay Park SunRay Park Belmont Park Lone Star Park Churchill Downs Belmont Park Belmont Park Indiana Downs Indiana Downs Indiana Downs Canterbury Churchill Downs Indiana Downs Canterbury Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs
Race Name & (Sponsor) The Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial Stakes San Francisco Mile Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Jack Cole Handicap SunRay Park & Casino Handicap Metropolitan Handicap Ouija Board Distaff Stakes Dogwood Stakes Acorn Stakes Just a Game Stakes Oliver S Shelby County Boys & Girls Club S Shelby County Dean Kutz Stakes Firecracker Handicap Distaff S Lady Canterbury Breeders’ Cup Stakes Pocahontas Stakes Iroquois Stakes Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Breeders’ Cup Mile Chilukki Stakes
Class Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 S Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 1 S S S Gr 2 S Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2
Race Date 30-Apr-11 30-Apr-11 07-May-11 07-May-11 21-May-11 30-May-11 30-May-11 04-Jun-11 11-Jun-11 11-Jun-11 15-Jun-11 22-Jun-11 29-Jun-11 04-Jul-11 04-Jul-11 13-Jul-11 31-Jul-11 30-Oct-11 30-Oct-11 04-Nov-11 05-Nov-11 05-Nov-11 05-Nov-11 05-Nov-11
Value $200,000 $150,000 $200,000 $110,000 $50,000 $500,000 $200,000 $100,000 $300,000 $400,000 $200,000 $100,000 $100,000 $50,000 $175,000 $125,000 $75,000 $150,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 $150,000
8f (1600m) Age 3 4+ 3+ FM 3+ 3 3+ 3+ FM 3F 3F 3+ F&M 3 3+ 3+ F&M 3 3+ 3F 3+ FM 2F 2 2F 3+ 2 3+ 3+ FM
Surface D T T D D D T D D T T T T T T T T D D T D T T D
Age 3F 3 CG
Surface D D
North American Trainer delivered to your door! Country Track USA Canterbury USA Canterbury
Race Name & (Sponsor) Minnesota Oaks Minnesota Derby
Class S S
Race Date 13-Aug-11 13-Aug-11
Value $60,000 $60,000
Track Aqueduct Delta Downs Delta Downs Gulfstream Park Oaklawn Park Sam Houston Race Park Gulfstream Park Fair Grounds Santa Anita Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs Sunland Park Aqueduct Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Oaklawn Park Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Sam Houston Race Park Sunland Park Tampa Bay Downs Turf Paradise Santa Anita Tampa Bay Downs Turfway Park Fair Grounds Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Park Santa Anita Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Park Tampa Bay Downs Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Turfway Park Sunland Park Sunland Park Sunland Park Oaklawn Park Turfway Park Oaklawn Park Keeneland Keeneland Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs Oaklawn Park Oaklawn Park Golden Gate Fields Keeneland Keeneland Hawthorne Racecourse Hawthorne Racecourse Keeneland
Race Name & (Sponsor) Whirlaway Stakes Premier Night Championship Premier Night Gentlemen Starter Donn H Essex H Jersey Lilly S Hallandale Beach S Pelleteri Stakes Santa Maria Stakes Sam F. Davis Stakes Endeavour Stakes Curribot H Busher Stakes Rachel Alexandra Stakes Risen Star S Risen Star Stakes Mineshaft Handicap Bayakoa S Allen Lacombe Memorial Handicap Gentilly S Sam Houston Distaff Borderland Derby Wayward Lass Stakes Turf Paradise Derby Santa Anita Oaks Challenger Stakes John Battaglia Memorial Stakes New Orleans Ladies Stakes Razorback H Honeybee S San Felipe Stakes Suncoast Stakes Tampa Bay Derby Florida Oaks Azeri S Rebel S The Tampa Bay Stakes Costa Rising Stakes Crescent City Derby Red Camelia Stakes Fair Grounds Oaks Bayou Handicap Rushaway Stakes New Mexico Breeders’ Derby New Mexico Breeders’ Oaks Sunland Park Oaks Arkansas Breeders (Female Division) Fairway Fun Stakes Arkansas Breeders (Male Division) Transylvania Stakes Central Bank Ashland Stakes L&D Turf Distaff The Sophomore Turf Fantasy S Apple Blossom H Golden Poppy Stakes Jenny Wiley Stakes Doubledogdare Stakes Peach Of It Handicap Milwaukee Avenue Handicap Coolmore Lexington Stakes
Class R Gr 1
Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 GR 2 Gr 3 S
Gr 1
Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 3 S S S Gr 2 S S S S Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 3 S S Gr 3
Race Date 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 06-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 13-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 05-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 25-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 02-Apr-11 02-Apr-11 03-Apr-11 08-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 10-Apr-11 15-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 22-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 23-Apr-11
Value $100,000 $200,000 $70,000 $500,000 $100,000 $50,000 $100,000 $60,000 $150,000 $225,000 $125,000 $50,000 $65,000 $150,000 $300,000 $300,000 $125,000 $100,000 $60,000 $60,000 $50,000 $100,000 $50,000 $50,000 $250,000 $60,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $125,000 $250,000 $75,000 $300,000 $175,000 $100,000 $300,000 $125,000 $60,000 $75,000 $60,000 $400,000 $125,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $200,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $100,000 $400,000 75000 $75,000 $300,000 $500,000 $75,000 $200,000 $100,000 $100,000 $100,000 $200,000
Closing 13-Apr-11 21-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 30-Apr-11 14-May-11 19-May-11 21-May-11 04-Jun-11 11-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 23-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 02-Jul-11 21-Jul-11 24-Oct-11 24-Oct-11 24-Oct-11 24-Oct-11
8.32f (1650m)
Call us on 1 888 218 4430 to subscribe from $20 Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Furlongs 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
Furlongs 8.32 8.32
Closing 01-Apr-11 01-Apr-11
8.5f (1700m) Age 3 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ F&M 3 4+ FM 4+ FM 3 4+ FM 3+ 3F 3F 3 3 4+ 4+ F&M 4+ FM 3 LA Bred 4+ F&M 3 4+ FM 3 3F 4+ 3 4+ FM 4+ 3F 3 3F 3 3F 4+ F&M 3 4+ 4+ La. Bred 3 La. Bred 4+ FM La Bred 3F 4+ FM 3 3 3F 3F 3+ F&M 4+ FM 3+ C&G 3 3F 4+ FM 3 3F 4+ F&M 3 4+ FM 4+ FM 3+ FM 3+ 3
Surface D D D D D T T D D D T D D D D D D D T T D D D D D D AWT D D D D D D D D D T D D T D T AWT D D D D AWT D T AWT T T D D T T AWT D D AWT
Furlongs 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5
Closing 21-Jan-11 21-Jan-11 22-Jan-11 26-Jan-11 22-Jan-11 29-Jan-11 03-Feb-11 29-Jan-11 29-Jan-11 04-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 20-Feb-11 16-Feb-11 18-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 24-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 29-Jan-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 05-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 17-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 24-Mar-11 30-Mar-11 23-Feb-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 07-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 13-Apr-11
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 81
US STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 19:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:10
Page 5
STAKES SCHEDULES
Visit www.trainermagazine.com/america Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN USA USA CAN CAN CAN USA CAN CAN USA CAN CAN USA CAN USA CAN USA USA USA CAN CAN CAN CAN USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Fonner Park Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Golden Gate Fields Lone Star Park Lone Star Park River Downs River Downs Golden Gate Fields Lone Star Park Lone Star Park Lone Star Park Churchill Downs River Downs Churchill Downs Belmont Park Churchill Downs Hastings Racecourse River Downs Belmont Park Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Lone Star Park Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse River Downs Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse River Downs Hastings Racecourse Canterbury Hastings Racecourse Canterbury Canterbury River Downs Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Beulah Park Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Turfway Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) Bosselman/Gus Fonner Stakes Alysheba Stakes American Turf Stakes La Troienne Stakes Alcatraz Stakes Texas Stallion Stakes - Stymie Division Texas Stallion Stakes - Got Koko Division Tomboy Stakes Green Carpet Stakes Berkeley Stakes Lone Star Derby Lone Star Park Handicap Dallas Turf Cup Early Times Mint Julep Handicap Sydney Gendelman Memorial Handicap Matt Winn Stakes Ogden Phipps Handicap Jefferson Cup Vancouver Sun Handicap Cincinnatian Stakes Mother Goose Stakes Lt Governors’ Handicap Chris Loseth Supernaturel Stakes Assault Stakes Strawberry Morn Handicap SW Randall Plate Handicap Horizon Stakes British Columbia Cup Stellar’s Jay Stakes British Columbia Cup Dogwood Stakes Vivacious Stakes Richmond Derby Trial John Bullit Stakes Hong Kong Jockey Club Handicap MN Classic Championship MN Distaff Classic Championship Budweiser Select Cradle Stakes Ascot Graduation Stakes CTHS Sales (AlwS) Fantasy Stakes CTHS Sales (AlwS) Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Ack Ack Handicap Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Commonwealth Turf Mrs. Revere Stakes Bobbie Bricker Memorial Handicap Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes Golden Rod Stakes My Charmer Stakes
Class Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 2 R R S S Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 S Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 S Gr 1
S S S S S
S S S S Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 2 R Gr 2 Gr 2 S
Race Date 30-Apr-11 06-May-11 06-May-11 06-May-11 14-May-11 14-May-11 14-May-11 14-May-11 29-May-11 30-May-11 30-May-11 30-May-11 30-May-11 11-Jun-11 11-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 25-Jun-11 25-Jun-11 25-Jun-11 01-Jul-11 01-Jul-11 03-Jul-11 09-Jul-11 16-Jul-11 17-Jul-11 30-Jul-11 01-Aug-11 01-Aug-11 06-Aug-11 14-Aug-11 14-Aug-11 26-Aug-11 04-Sep-11 04-Sep-11 05-Sep-11 01-Oct-11 01-Oct-11 01-Oct-11 02-Oct-11 04-Nov-11 04-Nov-11 05-Nov-11 12-Nov-11 19-Nov-11 26-Nov-11 26-Nov-11 26-Nov-11 10-Dec-11
Value $75,000 $300,000 $200,000 $300,000 $75,000 $100,000 $100,000 $50,000 $50,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000 $150,000 $100,000 $50,000 $125,000 $250,000 $100,000 CAN 50,000 $50,000 $250,000 CAN 75,000 CAN 75,000 CAN 50,000 $75,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 $50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 $50,000 CAN 75,000 $50,000 CAN 50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $100,000 CAN 75,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 75,000 CAN 50,000 $2,000,000 $100,000 $2,000,000 $100,000 $175,000 $50,000 $150,000 $150,000 $50,000
8.5f (1700m) Age 3+ 3+ 3 3+ FM 3 3 CG 3F 3F 3 4+ 3 3+ 3+ 3+ FM 3+ 3 3+ F&M 3 FM 3F 3F 3+ 3 3F 3+ FM 3+ 3 3 CG 3F 3+ FM 3 3+ 3F 3+ 3+ FM 2 2 3F 2F 3CG 2F 3+ 2 CG 3 3F 3+ FM 2 2F 3+ F&M
Surface D D T D T D D T T AWT T D T T T D D T D T D D D D D D D T D D T D T D D D T D D D D D D D T T D D D AWT
Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Golden Gate Fields Laurel Park Santa Anita Santa Anita Meydan Fair Grounds Laurel Park Aqueduct Aqueduct Gulfstream Park Meydan Sam Houston Race Park Aqueduct Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Tampa Bay Downs Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Turfway Park Meydan Aqueduct Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Fair Grounds Laurel Park Turfway Park Sunland Park Aqueduct Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Hawthorne Racecourse Aqueduct Hawthorne Racecourse Oaklawn Park Santa Anita Santa Anita
Race Name & (Sponsor) Gulfstream Park Turf H Suwannee River Strub Stakes San Antonio Stakes El Camino Real Derby Maryland Racing Media Stakes Robert B. Lewis Stakes La Canada Stakes Balanchine Filly & Mare Fair Grounds Handicap John B. Campbell Handicap Rare Treat Handicap Stymie Handicap Fountain Of Youth Stakes Jebel Hatta Maxxam Gold Cup Kings Point Handicap The Palm Beach S Santa Margarita Stakes Hillsborough Stakes The Herecomesthebride S Santa Ana Handicap Tejano Run Stakes Dubai Duty Free Ladies Handicap Mervin H Muniz Jr Memorial New Orleans H Louisiana Derby Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Stakes Lane’s End Stakes Sunland Derby Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap The Rampart S The Gulfstream Oaks Florida Derby Sixty Sails Handicap Wood Memorial Stakes Illinois Derby Oaklawn H Providencia Stakes Santa Anita Derby
82 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Class Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 3
Gr 2 Gr 2 S Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr2 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 1
Race Date 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 06-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 13-Feb-11 18-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 20-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 13-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 27-Mar-11 02-Apr-11 02-Apr-11 02-Apr-11 03-Apr-11 06-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11 09-Apr-11
Value Age Surface $300,000 4+ T $150,000 4+ F&M T $200,000 4 D $150,000 4+ D $200,000 3 AWT $75,000 3+ FM D $250,000 3 D $150,000 4F D $200,000 NH F&M 4yo+ SH F&M 3yo+ T $125,000 4+ T $75,000 3+ D $65,000 3+ FM D $65,000 3+ D $400,000 3 D $250,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $150,000 4+ D $65,000 3+ D $150,000 3 T $300,000 4+ FM D $150,000 4+ FM T $150,000 3F T $150,000 4+ FM T $50,000 4+ AWT $5,000,000 NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ T $100,000 3+ FM D $300,000 4+ T $300,000 4+ D $1,000,000 3 D $75,000 3+ D $500,000 3 AWT $800,000 3 D $100,000 3+ D $150,000 4+ F&M D $300,000 3F D $1,000,000 3 D $200,000 3+ D $750,000 3 D $500,000 3 D $350,000 4+ D $150,000 3F T $1,000,000 3 D
Furlongs 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.5
Closing 20-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 05-May-11 14-Apr-11 14-Apr-11 05-May-11 19-May-11 19-May-11 19-Apr-11 19-May-11 19-May-11 28-May-11 02-Jun-11 04-Jun-11 04-Jun-11 16-Jun-11
30-Jun-11 21-Jul-11 28-Jul-11 04-Aug-11 25-Aug-11 25-Aug-11 15-Jul-11
24-Oct-11 24-Oct-11 16-Nov-11 01-Dec-11
9f (1800m) Furlongs 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Closing 22-Jan-11 22-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 27-Jan-11 03-Feb-11 03-Feb-11 03-Feb-11 03-Feb-11 14-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 09-Feb-11 12-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 23-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 26-Feb-11 10-Mar-11 10-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 17-Mar-11 26-Feb-11 01-Feb-11 19-Mar-11 19-Mar-11 22-Jan-11
31-Mar-11 08-Jan-11
US STAKES SCHEDULES ISSUE 19:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:10
Page 6
STAKES SCHEDULES
North American Trainer delivered to your door! Country USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Tampa Bay Downs Santa Anita Charles Town Keeneland Oaklawn Park Sunland Park Keeneland Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Canterbury Indiana Downs River Downs Canterbury Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Hastings Racecourse Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Beulah Park Charles Town Charles Town Churchill Downs Churchill Downs Turfway Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) Vinery Turf Classic La Puente Stakes Charles Town Classic Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Arkansas Derby Sunland Park H Ben Ali Stakes Kentucky Oaks Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stephen Foster Handicap Regret Stakes Blair’s Cove Stakes Golden Bear S Norm Barron Queen City aks Princess Elaine Stakes British Columbia Cup Distaff Handicap British Columbia Cup Classic Handicap Delta Colleen Handicap Sir Winston Churchill Handicap British Columbia Breeders’ Cup Oaks British Columbia Derby Ballerina Breeders’ Cup Stakes River City Handicap Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic Cardinal Handicap Ruff/Kirchberg Memorial Stakes My Sister Pearl A Huevo Stakes Falls City Handicap Clark Handicap Prairie Bayou Stakes
Class Gr3 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 3 S S S S S S
Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 R S S Gr 2 Gr 1 S
Race Date 09-Apr-11 10-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 16-Apr-11 17-Apr-11 23-Apr-11 06-May-11 07-May-11 18-Jun-11 18-Jun-11 03-Jul-11 06-Jul-11 16-Jul-11 31-Jul-11 01-Aug-11 01-Aug-11 05-Sep-11 05-Sep-11 10-Sep-11 10-Sep-11 02-Oct-11 03-Nov-11 04-Nov-11 06-Nov-11 12-Nov-11 12-Nov-11 19-Nov-11 24-Nov-11 25-Nov-11 17-Dec-11
9f (1800m)
Value $75,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $750,000 $1,000,000 $100,000 $150,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 $500,000 $125,000 $50,000 $100,000 $75,000 $50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 50,000 CAN 100K CAN 200,000 CAN 100,000 $100,000 $2,000,000 $100,000 $75,000 $50,000 $50,000 $150,000 $500,000 $50,000
Age 3 3 4+ 3 3 3+ 4+ 3F 3+ 3+ 3F 3+ CG 3+ 3F 3+ FM FM 3+ FM 3+ 3F 3 FM 3+ 3+ FM 3+ FM 3+ 3+ F&M 3+ 3+ FM 3+ 3+
Surface T T D AWT D D AWT D T D T T D D T D D D D D D D T D T D D D D D AWT
Call us on 1 888 218 4430 to subscribe from $20 Country UAE UAE UAE USA
Track Meydan Meydan Meydan Gulfstream Park
Race Name & (Sponsor) UAE Oaks Al Bastakiya UAE Derby The Skip Away S
Class Gr 3 L Gr 2 Gr 3
Race Date 24-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 03-Apr-11
Value $250,000 $250,000 $2,000,000 $100,000
Track Meydan Santa Anita Meydan Santa Anita Churchill Downs Belmont Park Churchill Downs
Race Name & (Sponsor) Al Maktoum Challenge Rd 3 Santa Anita Handicap Dubai World Cup Santa Barbara Handicap Kentucky Derby (Supp entry) Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap Breeders’ Cup Classic
Country USA USA USA CAN USA
Track Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park Belmont Park Hastings Racecourse Churchill Downs
Race Name & (Sponsor) Mac Diarmida H The Very One H Man o’ War BC Stakes BC Premier’s Handicap Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf
Country USA UAE USA USA UAE USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA
Track Santa Anita Meydan Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Meydan Gulfstream Park Santa Anita Keeneland Keeneland Churchill Downs Belmont Park Turfway Park Churchill Downs
Race Name & (Sponsor) San Luis Obispo Handicap Dubai City of Gold Orchid Stakes San Luis Rey Handicap Dubai Sheema Classic Pan American H Toyko City Cup Grey Goose Bewitch Stakes Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes Louisville Handicap Belmont Stakes Turfway Park Fall Championship Breeders’ Cup Turf
Class Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 1 Gr 1
Race Date 03-Mar-11 05-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 16-Apr-11 07-May-11 11-Jun-11 05-Nov-11
Value $300,000 $750,000 $10,000,000 $150,000 $2,000,000 $400,000 $5,000,000
Age NH 3F SH 3F NH 3yo SH 3yo NH 3 SH 3 4+
Surface AWT AWT AWT D
Race Date 19-Feb-11 20-Feb-11 09-Jul-11 02-Oct-11 04-Nov-11
Age Surface NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT 4+ D NH 4yo+ SH 3yo+ AWT 4+ FM T 3 D 3+ T 3+ D
Race Date 19-Feb-11 03-Mar-11 20-Mar-11 20-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 26-Mar-11 28-Apr-11 29-Apr-11 28-May-11 11-Jun-11 10-Sep-11 05-Nov-11
Value $150,000 $250,000 $150,000 $150,000 $5,000,000 $150,000 $100,000 $150,000 $150,000 $100,000 $1,000,000 $100,000 $3,000,000
Age 4+ 4+ F&M 3+ 3+ 3+ FM
Track Meydan Santa Anita Churchill Downs
Race Name & (Sponsor) Nad Al Sheba Trophy San Juan Capistrano Handicap Breeders’ Cup Marathon
Class L Gr 2 Gr 3
Race Date 17-Feb-11 17-Apr-11 04-Nov-11
Race Name & (Sponsor) DRC Gold Cup
Class Gr 3
Race Date 10-Mar-11
Age Surface 4+ T NH 4yo+ SH 4yo+ T 4+ F&M T 4+ T NH 4yo+ SH 4yo+ T 4+ T 4+ AWT 4+ FM T 4+ T 3+ T 3 D 3+ AWT 3+ T
Furlongs 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
02-Nov-11 02-Nov-11 09-Nov-11 08-Dec-11
Closing 21-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 19-Mar-11
Closing 28-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 07-Apr-11 26-Mar-11 24-Oct-11
Closing 05-Feb-11 05-Feb-11 24-Oct-11
12f (2400m) Closing 10-Feb-11 28-Feb-11 05-Mar-11 10-Mar-11 12-Mar-11 17-Mar-11 20-Apr-11 20-Apr-11 14-May-11 01-Sep-11 24-Oct-11
14f (2800m)
Value Age Surface $175,000 SH-bred 3+ & NH-bred 4+ T $150,000 4+ T $500,000 3+ D
Value $200,000
Furlongs 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
Furlongs 11 11 11 11 11
Visit www.trainermagazine.com/america Country Track UAE Meydan
Furlongs 9.5 9.5 9.5 9.5
Surface T T T D T
Call us on 1 888 218 4430 to subscribe from $20 Country UAE USA USA
24-Oct-11
11f (2200m)
Value $150,000 $100,000 $600,000 CAN 100,000 $2,000,000
North American Trainer delivered to your door! Class Gr 2 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 3 Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 1
09-Apr-11 13-Apr-11 19-Feb-11 19-Feb-11 04-Jun-11 04-Jun-11 23-Jun-11 25-Jun-11 07-Jul-11 21-Jul-11
10f (2000m)
Now available for iPhone/iPad via Appstore Class Gr 2 Gr 3 Gr 1 Gr 3 Gr 1
Closing 26-Mar-11 31-Mar-11 02-Apr-11 23-Feb-11
9.5f (1900m)
Visit www.trainermagazine.com/america Country UAE USA UAE USA USA USA USA
Furlongs 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Furlongs 14 14 14
Closing 14-Feb-11 24-Oct-11
16f (3200m) Age 4+
Surface T
Furlongs 16
Closing 07-Mar-11
ISSUE 19 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 83
Kirkpatrick issue 19.qxd:Jerkins feature.qxd
28/1/11
23:11
Page 1
THE ARNOLD KIRKPATRICK COLUMN
I
T’S a theme older than Aesop, who used it as the basis of his fable of The Four Oxen and the Tiger. It has been repeated frequently throughout the ages – as a foundation of the American Revolution, from George Washington to Patrick Henry, who cited it as the fundamental truth in last public speech, a fierce denunciation of the Kentucky Resolution – to today when, in a charming bit of irony, it appears on the state seal of Kentucky: “United we stand, Divided we fall” I’ve been reflecting on the truth of that concept a lot lately, with respect to our country, to our state, and to our industry, each of which is in a varying level of crisis as I write this and each of which is afflicted by an attitude which can basically be described as, “Hooray for me, To hell with you,” or, more likely, something significantly more profane. The reflection was re-awakened, today by an excellent article which was referenced in The Paulick Report under the tag “Who is killing Texas horse racing?” The link took me to an article by racing columnist Gary West in the Ft. Worth StarTelegram entitled “A perfect storm of people could kill Texas racing.” West is one of the better racing writers in the country, these days, and his columns have convinced me over time that he not only knows about our sport, but cares about it. The article directs much of the blame for racing’s problems in Texas at the state legislature and the racing commission, of course, but then he concludes that the major source of problems in Texas is horsemen... "just a few really, a confederacy of chowderheads who want the most of everything but the best of nothing. They’ve shunned cooperation in favor of attacks and would like to cap purses to exclude the best horses from the state. They present themselves as the real Texas horsemen, which is nonsense, but if they gain power they could kill racing... “I don't think they realize what they’re doing. . .and so I doubt that they’ve conspired to kill racing. But that’s
84 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 19
Variations on a Theme what they’re very close to accomplishing.” Mr. West’s column reminded me of another very powerful argument against the prevailing attitude in the Thoroughbred business in the form of a poem that my friend Dave Vance, who also knows a thing or two about racing, read as part of a speech to The Jockey Club Round Table, apropos of the same subject, in 1993, when he was President of Remington Park and the TRA. To be perfectly clear, that’s the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America, the organization of race tracks, not the NTRA. While I wasn’t at the conference that year, I suspect that it went over with a thud which was loud enough to awaken the numerous members of the audience who tend to nod off during any discussion of working together to improve our business. Titled “The Cold Within,” this poem was written in 1960 by James Patrick Kinney, who was a sophomore in high school at the time, and it has nothing to do with racing, but it carried a striking message for the leadership and participants in the Thoroughbred business then, as it does today. Six humans trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold Each one possessed a stick of wood, or so the story’s told. Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back, For of the faces round the fire, he noticed one was black. The next man looking cross the way, saw one not of his church, And couldn’t bring himself to give the fire his stick of birch. The third one sat in tattered clothes, he gave his coat a hitch, Why should his log be put use to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store, And how to keep what he had earned from the lazy, shiftless poor. The black man’s face bespoke revenge as the fire passed by his sight, For all he saw in his stick of wood was a chance to spite the white. The last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain, Giving only to those who gave was how he played the game. The logs held tight in death’s still hand were proof of human sin, They didn’t die from the cold without – they died from the cold within. Powerful stuff. I recently read somewhere that the new Congress, which will be seated by the time you read this, is going to begin its 2011 business by reading the full text of the Constitution of the United States aloud, following which they intend to enact a rule that will require all bills to cite the constitutional authority to enact them. It’s not such a bad idea really, despite the fact that I am supremely confident that extremists on either side of the aisle will be able to dream up some constitutional imperative for their positions, no matter how insane, but it’ll at least make them think about it for a minute before they, say, pass a bill to say that any billionaire, corporation, bank, or oil company shall be exempt from income taxes, or any indigent shall receive one free bottle of Mona Lisa Sweet Vino per day. In that same spirit, I would like to suggest that any meeting of more than six people involved in the horse business hereinafter be required to begin with a reading of “The Cold Within,” to which the assemblage shall respond, “United we stand, Divided we fall.” Amen, Brother. I
ISSUE 19 INSIDE COVERS:Layout 1
28/1/11
23:25
Page 1
ISSUE 19 OUTSIDE COVERS2:Layout 1
29/1/11
21:42
Page 1
North American Trainer ISSUE 19 (EARLY SPRING 2011)
North American
ISSUE 19 (EARLY SPRING 2011) $6.95
www.trainermagazine.com
THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED
CALIFORNIA DREAMING Six industry figures share their hopes for 2011
STARTING INJURIES Understanding the jump action Publishing Ltd
MARES IN FOAL Do they improve with racing?
STANLEY GOLD The trainer with a midas touch THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE