JANUARY 2015 路 VOL.9 NO.1
(Wagon Limit-So Ritzy, Darn That Alarm)
TWO TIME GRADE 1 WINNER! With earnings over $1.1 MILLION! Won or Placed in 15 Graded Stakes Races from age 2 to 6! Leading NY Freshman Sire 2011 Leading Second Crop Sire 2012 Leading Third Crop Sire in 2013 Standing in New Mexico
2015 Fee: $2,500 • LFG Eligibilities: The Lineage and New Mexico Bred Program
SILVER WAGON competed with and BEAT the best of his generation with a strong career, winning G1 races as a 2YO and in his final year as a 6YO, winning back to back G1 & G2 races.
Multiple Stakes Sire of Money Earners of Nearly $2 Million! SILVER WAGON’s Top Earners Include... 2-Time Stakes Winner EYES SUPER FREAKY 2014, $123,581 Stakes Placed Winner SILVER MENACE 2014, $149,947 Multiple Winner THE BIG DELUXE 2014, $234,931 Multiple Winner ALARMED NDANGEROUS 2014, $203,038 Just To Name A Few!
654 Riata Rd. - Tularosa, NM 88352 • 575-585-3150 • www.mccallumview.com 2
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SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
New Mexico Horse Breeder
reBet uRACING NEWS NE EWS N EWS
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CONTENTS JANUARY 2015
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VOL. 9 NO. 1
Photo courtesy of Roberta Harris, Ruidoso Downs Race Track
PUBLISHED BY:
Jm Miracle with jockey Ramon Sanchez, posing with the trophy the day after the 2014 All American Futurity win.
PO Box 7261 • Ruidoso, NM 88355 www.surebetracingnews.com PUBLISHER: EUGENE HEATHMAN Cell: 575.937.9330 publisher@surebetracingnews.com BILLING/ACCOUNTING: ANNA FUQUA Cell: 575.937.6849 billing@surebetracingnews.com AD SALES: KENNA RAUSCH Cell: 903.815.0602 kenna@surebetracingnews.com
SUBMIT NEWS: 575.937.9330 surebetnm@gmail.com
E D I T O R I A L S TA F F : MICHAEL CUSORTELLI oaktown_c@hotmail.com MARTHA CLAUSSEN mclaussen50@yahoo.com TOM DAWSON tvtom@aol.com ROBERT GELLER leoboar59@gmail.com TY WYANT ty_wyant@yahoo.com MICHAEL CURRAN se7en@beyondbb.com
Cover Story: 2015 All American Futurity purse now at $3 million . . . . . . .
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Feature Stories: Cambridge Stud: When only the best will do by Robert Geller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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It’s in the blood by Ty Wyant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Staying in Harmony by Robert Geller. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 News
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Runaway Wave becomes all-time leading broodmare; Heritage Place Thoroughbred Sale closes with gains; North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians formed; Winter Thoroughbred meet shows out-of-state handle increase; Keeneland Sale results; Money’soncharlotte using Silverbulletday as stepping stone; Stidham tackles Krantz with trio; Improving Indiana-bred Paddy’s Notes goes after Louisiana; Cinco Charlie to try two turns; Ten runners nominated for the $35,000 Portland Mile; Champion Mr Jess Perry to join Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame; James Dreyer is jockey to be honored by Ruidoso Racehorse Hall of Fame; Four Texas Champions Stakes to be contested at Sam Houston Race Park; Defending champion Rose to Gold, Don’t Tell Sophia, Cassatt and Dame Dorothy lead nominations for $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic
Race Recaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Quarter Horse & Thoroughbred results from Los Alamitos Race Course; Hialeah Park, Fair Grounds Race Course, Evangeline Downs, Sunland Park, Oaklawn Park
DESIGN DIREC TOR: KATHERINE KIEFER production@surebetracingnews.com
SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 3
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SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
COVER STORY
2015 All American Futurity purse now $ at 3 million World-record purse for 2-year-old race
JM Miracle, Ramon Sanchez up, wins the 2014 All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, Sept. 1. Photo courtesy of Roberta Harris, Ruidoso Downs Race Track
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he classic All American Futurity at Ruidoso 440-yard All American Futurity is the January 7, 2015 finalThe Downs will offer a world-record $3 million race in the All American Triple Crown Ruidoso Downs (est.) purse on Labor Day this summer. series that also includes the $750,000 Ruidoso That will be the largest purse for any Futurity in June and the $1 million Rainbow Race Track, NM 2-year-old horse race in the world. Futurity in July. If a horse wins all three races “This is a monumental event in the history of then that horse’s connections take the $4 million Quarter Horse racing,” said Ruidoso Downs’ general All American Triple Crown bonus. The total of the manager Shaun Hubbard. “All of our fans, horsewinner’s share for each race and the bonus would men and quarter horse racing will benefit. We be projected at $6,235,000. especially appreciate the owners and trainers who The Ruidoso Futurity purse is up 50 percent participate in these races. and the Rainbow Futurity purse is up 60 percent in “This is very special and exciting during a time the latest five runnings. of decreasing foal crops and a general downward All horses who maintain eligibility for futurity business trend nationwide.” trials may remain eligible to compete in the following year’s By comparison, the Kentucky Derby has a $2 million purse respective derby. The projected purses for the 2015 derbies are: and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds All American Derby at $2.3 million, Rainbow Derby at $1 million has a $2 million purse. The $3 million (est.) purse is also believed and the Ruidoso Derby at $800,000. to be in the top-10 purses of any horse race in the world. The All American Futurity has a record-setting history. In its The winner of the 2015 All American Futurity will earn one- first running in 1959 the purse was $129,686, then a record in half of the total purse. quarter horse racing. Then it became the first horse race in the “We are totally dedicated to enhancing the racing experiworld to offer a $1 million purse when Moon Lark won in 1978. ence for our fans at Ruidoso Downs,” said Hubbard. “It’s just Now it has set a new threshold at $3 million. amazing that a small track in the New Mexico mountains can “Who knows how high the All American Futurity will grow?” have the world’s richest 2-year-old race. It’s incredible when you said Hubbard. think about it.” The record-setting purse increase for the All American Last Labor Day, a record 24,778 fans attended Ruidoso Futurity follows more stringent security measures and “super Downs when the All American Futurity was contested. This is testing” for illegal drugs in horses competing at Ruidoso Downs more than the entire population of Lincoln County (where Ruthis summer. They were announced last fall. idoso Downs is located). The 2015 Ruidoso Downs season starts on May 22 with two While horse racing business has been down nationwide, the days of trials to the Ruidoso Futurity and concludes on Labor cornerstone races during the Ruidoso Downs’ summer season Day with the record All American Futurity. have soared. Last year, the All American Gold Cup for older horses experiFor complete Ruidoso Downs’ information, go to www. enced a purse boost from $40,000 to $200,000. raceruidoso.com, visit the Ruidoso Downs Race Track and Casino The 2015 All American Futurity purse of $3 million (est.) Facebook page and follow the Ruidoso Press Box (@RuiPressBox) on represents a purse increase of 57 percent in only five years. Twitter. SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 5
WINNING IS THIS CLOSE
SUNLAND PARK
LIVE RACING
FRIDAY – MONDAY Post Time FRIDAY – MONDAY 12:15PM Turf Club Seating Available. www.sunland-park.com Turf Club access during Saturday and Sunday races is for season seat owners or by seat purchase only. Must be 18 or older to wager on horse racing. Must be 21 or older to enter casino. PLAY RESPONSIBLY. HELPLINE 1-800-572-1142.
6 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
I-10 to Sunland Park Exit
Cambridge Stud: H
By Robert Geller
eaded to Moonee Valley racetrack in Melbourne on the morning of the 1989 W. S. Cox Plate, I felt sure this was the year I had found a true gem that would win Australasia’s richest and most prestigious mile and a quarter, weight-for-age race. As they crossed the line however, I stood there shaking my head in disbelief. Not at the triumph of the highly-regarded Colin Hayes trained Almaraad but at the crushing disappointment of his younger stablemate, 3-year-old Zabeel that languished haplessly at the tail of the entire field. After all, Zabeel had upset the Golden Slipper Stakes winner Courtza in the Moonee Valley Racing Club Stakes and the record of 3-year-olds in the Cox Plate seemed decent given the earlier success stories of Taj Rossi (1973), Surround (1976) and Red Anchor (1984). How wrong could I have possibly been? As heartening as it was to see him later add the 1990 Australian Guineas (Group One) and Craiglee Stakes to his resume, a part of me remained dissatisfied that Zabeel had not matched my vision for him of champion status, until his stud career that is. Retired at the tender age of 4, Zabeel racked up seven wins, a second and four thirds from 19 appearances on the racetrack but as they say, the best was yet to come. A son of Sir Tristram, Zabeel would return home to New Zealand the following year, to his birthplace, Cambridge Stud and take up residence alongside the iconic sire himself. In time, Zabeel would follow in his father’s footsteps, establishing himself as one of the greatest modern day stallions Australasia has ever seen. Just how history managed to repeat is uncanny. Sir Patrick Hogan, owner of Cambridge Stud, acquired Irish galloper Sir Tristram on a gut feeling over the telephone for $160,000, having asked a British bloodstock agent to provide a detailed description in the presence of the horse. He struck gold a second time around by bringing Zabeel back to his farm as an unproven stallion. No matter the cost of acquisition, it must have felt like chump change given the money-making machine that Sir Tristram had turned into. In 1988, “Paddy”, as he was affectionately known, surpassed Northern Dancer as the sire with the greatest number of Group One successes, eventually topping out at 45, three of them Melbourne Cup winners – Gurner’s Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000) – none too shabby for a horse that weakened to eleventh in the 1974 Kentucky Derby behind Cannonade and never made it to the Epsom Derby. Zabeel’s career did span a little longer, returning to Cambridge as a 5-year-old. The colt briefly belonged to the late Robert Sangster before the Crown Prince of Dubai took ownership. Sangster played a crucial role with trainer Colin Hayes in infusing the Australian racing scene with UAE owned imports. For Sir Patrick to have ever dreamed that any other stallion could emulate the record of Sir Tristram is one thing, but to wind up with the one that eventually would in your very own backyard, quite another. Father and son would cross paths as stallions, Zabeel arriving at Cam-
When only the best will do
bridge in 1991 ,“Paddy” passing in 1997, the year that arguably the greatest of their lineage, Might and Power, swept all before him. Capturing the time-honored Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double, Might and Power added the W.S. Cox Plate the next year. Ten days later, Jezabeel added a second Melbourne Cup to Zabeel’s resume and just like his daddy, a third would eventually follow. In 2007, the Lloyd Williams’ owned Efficient broke a long-standing hoodoo, becoming the first Victoria Derby winner since Phar Lap to go on to a Cup triumph as a 4-year-old. In 2010, Zabeel was honored with the “Kingston Town Greatness Award” as the most influential sire on the history of the W.S.Cox Plate, producing four sensational winners, Octagonal (1992), Savabeel (1998) and Maldivian (2008) the other three, more than payback for his inexplicable
At left, stallion manager Keri Gore with Zabeel, age 28, who remains on the farm but is retired. Zabeel ended 2014 one Group One away from Sir Tristram‘s record of 45. Photos courtesy of Robert Geller SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 7
last in the race the day I had my money down. Current Stallion Manager, Keri Gore, lives on the premises. He started at Cambridge Stud in 1994, catching the tail end of one dynasty and the rise of another and has worked closely day in, day out with Sir Patrick and Justine, Lady Hogan ever since. “They started in the front house here with the original farm and as the farm got bigger they purchased 13 acres on the other side of the road where a dairy farmer had built a house that they purchased off of him. About eight years ago they moved back to this side of the road and developed their own mansion, designed it, the interior too.” Current stallions standing at Cambridge. Zabeel remains on the farm but is retired. The 1,000 acres of Cambridge Stud, subdivided into 350, 400 and 250 lots, has Photos courtesy of Robert Geller produced thousands of winners. There son there were six stallions including Zabeel but after 22 years on are 13 houses on the picturesque property. The number of staff swells from a dozen permanent ground staff in the off-season, ten the job, his stud duties were finally over. “There were five in his final crop that are now yearlings and working with the horses and a couple of farmers dedicated solely to the land, to about 25-30 during the breeding season that in the approximately 50 recently turned 2-year-olds and approximately 50, 3-year-olds.” southern hemisphere simply begins when that first foal drops. Relieved of his duties, the farm almost lost Zabeel when he “This year that was around Aug. 6. We have 17 left in the paddock to foal but here we are, mid-November having already foaled foundered. “Some pretty drastic actions were taken to get the horse about 230-odd. We’re not allowed into the breeding barn before the first of September. The gestation period of a horse is 11 months right. There was a day when it was a toss of the coin that the boss and 10 days that has you foaling approximately the 11th of August could have put him down. Now, he’s at about 80 per cent.” It’s nothing new for Zabeel to outstrip his odds. He will which is after the horse’s birthday (August 1st in the southern live out the rest of his days in the peaceful, scenic surrounds of hemisphere) but with the mares that are prone to foaling a little bit early, 18 years ago, that was not seen as a good thing. The stud Cambridge Stud as his sons and daughters continue to add their would hide the foals so as not to be racing out of their year as they Group One, Two and Three stakes successes to his wall of fame that at the time of my visit, rivaled his predecessor Sir Tristram, would turn one, three days later. Now, so long as we are showing that they are going to the barn the first of September, the New Zea- merely one Group One win shy of the tally of his progeny, at 44. “The farm has never had more than six stallions. That’s not to land Racing Board will allow a grace period and accept those foals say that with development that won’t change but six is a comfortas the crop of that year so as not to be handicapped.” able number for staff and horses. Any more than that and you “During the breeding season we have three vets that work start losing track of what is going on.” the farm. One is mainly focused on the yearlings to ensure that Of the stallions currently standing at Cambridge, the most they are 110 per cent all the time, another, a reproductive vet likely to ring a bell with US readers is Cape Blanco (IRE), a strapthat does all the examining of the broodmares, ready for service ping chestnut son of Galileo who defeated Gio Ponti in the 2011 etcetera and a good, young locum vet that comes from Australia Grade One Arlington Million just as he had done a start prior in and Ireland. He does all those other bits and pieces and it gives the Man o’War Stakes at Belmont Park. His third successive Grade him a foot in the door.” One victory in the States, adding to two previous Group One wins In the height of the season, they are all going non-stop with in France, came in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, securing mares scheduled at 6 a.m., 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. Last sea-
F
uqua Tax and Financial Management Anna Fuqua Enrolled Agent
anna.fuqua@hotmail.com Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346 • 575-937-6849 Tax Preparation • Bookkeeping Business Startup • Payroll Services 8 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
him the title as the 2011 US Turf Champion Eclipse Award winner. His earnings topped out at US$3.855M, Cape Blanco having won nine of his 15 starts with one second and a fourth in the 2011 Dubai World Cup. The farm has high hopes for his off-spring that are only now beginning to show their wares. The other stallions are Keeper who already boasts six individual Group One winners and 19 stakes wins from only six crops of racing age, the multiple Group and stakes winner, Burgundy, a son of shuttle sire Redoute’s Choice, Power, himself a Group One winner at ages two and three and dual Grade One winning Sprinter/Miler Tavistock, a striking son of the great Montjeu, New Zealand’s leading 3-year-old sire and leading second season sire. Cambridge expects that his stock will continue to rise especially with an accessible stud fee of around NZ$8,000. Sir Tristram began in 1976 with a stud fee of NZ$1,200 that would quickly soar to NZ$200,000. “Back during those heady days of the ’80s, there was money to be made and money floating around so it was certainly coming into the coffers of the stud farm. At his peak, Zabeel’s stud fee was NZ$100,000. To put that into perspective, Australian stallions like Redoute’s Choice were at AU$250,000 or AU$300,000. Had he stood in Australia, Zabeel would have consistently fetched AU$350,000 but he remained based here in NZ as that’s how the boss wanted to manage the horse. They could cover 150 -160 mares tops as against a shuttle sire like Danehill that they would put on a plane to cover 250 in each hemisphere.” Shuttle stallions, like Cape Blanco, make it affordable for breeding operations to have high end stock on its roster that would otherwise not be accessible. “To purchase a horse like that you’re thinking $10-12 M at least. In conjunction with Coolmore, we have southern hemisphere rights for three or maybe four seasons. If at the end of the day he ends up standing in Australia for AU$80-100,000, they’ll still make their money. High Chaparral, Montjeu, Medaglio d’Oro are similar prospects. When we get the chance, we take the opportunity. If we get fillies we keep them, if we get colts we trade them and take the money. We are grateful that we have such good bloodlines coming into the country.” “The boss has 120 broodmares of which about 100 will get in foal. You get approximately 90-95 good, healthy foals and from that he will probably put up 75 for the National Yearling Sales at Karaka in Auckland, held the first week in February. Of those 75, over 50 will go to K1 which is the premier sale, Karaka One, with over 500 lots, in which Cambridge stud could have over 50 per cent of the catalogue. Another 20 will go to the second session which is called K2, a Select Sale and then the Festival Sale at the end is for the last 600-7000 horses, the bottom tier of what New Zealand has to offer for the year.” At 73 years of age, Sir Patrick’s lust to have another Melbourne Cup winner has never waned. The internationalization of the race has changed the landscape somewhat. In the ’70s and ’80s, New Zealanders had a habit of flying across the Tasman and raid the Australian coffers, 1983 Melbourne Cup winner, Kiwi, the most spectacular of all, mowing down the entire field from last place. The hey-day may have passed but the recent third placing in November by 2014 Auckland Cup winner Who Shot Thebarman raises hopes for future New Zealand success. “He is probably the best performed New Zealand runner in a Melbourne Cup in the last eight years. There was a time when they couldn’t do a thing wrong. We have shortened our stay-
ing races in New Zealand and by making the racing exciting, we haven’t got the miles in their legs like we used to. European and English trainers condition their horses up to 3000 meters or more. They come in and win the Melbourne Cup.” Australians may be making inroads into producing a better stallion than they have previously had. On the one hand, the higher prize-money than New Zealand is attractive to investors but on the other, their distance programs have also suffered as a result. “Over there, the first time they step out at two or three, they are racing for good money. In New Zealand, a maiden race for a 2-year-old is worth NZ$6,500 to $7,000 whereas in Sydney a 2-year-old maiden could be running for AU$30-40,000, even as high as AU$70,000.” But New Zealand has a different type of green - green grass and it’s not going away. “They’re out in the paddocks all the time. New Zealand horses don’t mature as quickly as Australian horses and are not rushed like the more precocious get-up-and-go type 2-year-olds are. They are brought into spring rains. The ground is soft and their joints don’t harden up until they are two or three years of age. In Australia they are born into very firm ground with a drier climate and the foals are galloping around on what I perceive as concrete that toughens the joints up for early racing. In New Zealand the foal crop is relatively immature and with the amount of grass under their feet, they are not hardening their joints as in Australia which offers the most competitive racing in the southern hemisphere. It’s just a matter of taking the time, of when they are ready. We generally condition them slowly. We don’t put pressure on them. If you put pressure on them, you no longer have a horse because they break down and you need to start looking for something else.” No-one understands that better than Keri Gore, Stallion Manager of the stud farm that has housed the two greatest gems in southern hemisphere sire history. And who better to lead the grand old man over to me for my stolen moment. Thanks Zabeel for sticking around. I had a feeling you would. Robert Geller has been the one and only voice of Emerald Downs since the track’s inception in 1996 and has also been track announcer at the highly successful Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino for over a decade. Prior to moving to the US, he served 6-1/2 years as the English commentator for the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and learned his craft in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. His articles have appeared internationally in magazines such as Racetrack and Racing World.
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10 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
It’s in the blood
By Ty Wyant
Number one for a reason
T
By Ty Wyant
here is a very simple reason that Dr. Ed Allred is the all-time leading breeder with the horses he has bred earning in excess of $48 million. That is more month than the second- and third-leading breeders combined. Allred has been a student of Quarter Horse breeding since he started learning about Quarter Horse racing in the late 1950s at Los Alamitos. He since built Rolling A Ranch in Atascadero, California into one of the sport’s leading nurseries. The owner of Los Alamitos Race Course, Allred is also one of Quarter Horse racing’s leading owners. He scored the richest win of his long career when his homebred He Looks Hot won the Grade 1, $2,078,775 Los Alamitos He Looks Hot winning the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, Carlos Huerta up. Photo courtesy of Scott Martinez, Los Alamitos Race Course Two Million at his track on Dec. 14 by three quarters of a length. That win ended Heza Dasha Fire’s bid to win the Los in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Championship. Alamitos Cash Bonanza. That $1 million bonus goes to the In addition to the five horses who won or placed in connections of any horse won can win the Grade 1 Ed Burke stakes during California Breeders Champions night, Look Million Futurity and the Grade 1 Golden State Million FutuHer Over has produced winners Overwhelmer and A Dashrity. Heza Dasha Fire had won the Ed Burke Million and the ing Looker. Golden State Million. Oh La Proud, the second dam of He Looks Hot, is one of He Looks Hot is sired by Walk Thru Fire – who we disQuarter Horse racing’s true blue hens and a cornerstone of cussed in the December, 2014 column on Grade 1, $860,519 the Allred breeding program. Texas Classic Futurity winner Torts On Fire – and out of the A daughter of Shirley’s Champion (tb), Oh La Proud won tremendous producer Look Her Over. four races and qualified for the Grade 1 Golden State Derby Consider: Look Her Over had five starters during Califor- and the Restricted Grade 3 Governor’s Cup Futurity. nia Breeders Champions Night in late July at Los Alamitos. Oh La Proud has produced 19 winners, including three Once Over, a full brother to He Looks Hot, won the Restrictchampions, seven stakes winners and two stakes-placed ed Grade 1 $100,000 Spencer Childers California Breeders runners. Championship. Look Of A Dasher (by Tr Dasher) was second The champions produced by Oh La Proud are 2003 in the $20,000 California Breeders 550 Stakes. Take A Look champion 2-year-old colt Hawkish ($685,631), 2001 champi(by Separatist) won the $25,000 California Breeders Freshon aged stallion and leading sire Hawkinson ($448,299) and man Fillies Stakes. Dashing Over (by Tr Dasher) was third in 2012 champion 3-year-old filly Flame N Flash ($439,151). the California Breeders Freshman Fillies Stakes. And, by the Flame N Flash is sired by Walk Thru Fire, so she has the same way, He Looks Hot was third in the $352,500 Governor’s Cup cross as He Looks Hot and Once Over. Also, Hawkinson sired Futurity. Los Alamitos Two Million runner-up Bf Farm Boss. Obviously, Look Her Over can be bred to about any It is assured that this family will go down in Quarter bloodline and produce. He Looks Hot and Once Over are Horse racing history as one of the all-time premier families. bred 2S x 4D to First Down Dash, 3S x 5D to Beduino (tb), 5S Allred’s astute breeding program is also one of the premier x 5D to Rocket Bar (tb) and 5S x 5D to Jet Deck. breeding programs in the history of Allred, as an owner and breeder, had five wins that the breed. Doc is number one. night. That kind of night makes you number one. But it takes the ability to breed mares like Look Her Ty Wyant has been covering racing since Over and her dam Oh La Proud. 1976. He is currently the media relations Look Her Over, a daughter of the Hennessy (tb) son director for Ruidoso Downs and Zia Park, Check Him Out, was a minor stakes winner who was second and the curator of the Ruidoso Downs in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap and third Racehorse Hall of Fame. SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 11
Undefeated 2YO TWIXY ROLL 4 FOR 4 $205,328 Rio Grande Senorita Thoroughbred Futurity New Mexico Classic Cup Juvenile Fillies
BACK SEAT ROLL by Roll Hennessy Roll
SIRE OF NEW MEXICO’S LEADING 2YO IN 2014
Co-Second Active Sire in New Mexico by 2014 Stakes Wins
2014 STAKES WINNERS INCLUDE: LAKEHOUSE FUN, back-to-back stakes winner at 4, 2014, $258,717; ROLL OUT THE BAND, stakes winner at 2 and 3, 2014, $231,258; Perfect 4 for 4 2yo TWIXY ROLL, $205,328; etc.
Sire of $87,000 yearling in 2014
ROLL HENNESSY ROLL HENNESSY - ROLL OVER BABY, BY ROLLIN ON OVER
2015 Fee: $3,500
Inquires to Fred Alexander (915) 539-2176 Office: (915) 539-0040 Fax: (575) 882-1235 • Email: aahorseranch1@aol.com 12 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 1713 W. Washington, Anthony, NM 88021 • www.aaranch.org
W I C K E D L Y
F A S T
REWRITING THE HISTORY BOOKS 2013-FIRST NM SIRE TO FINISH AMONG NORTH AMERICA’S TOP 4 FIRST CROP SIRES
2014-FIRST NM SIRE TO RANK 1ST BY TWO-YEAR-OLD STAKES WINNERS & STAKES HORSES From just two crops to race, sire of 13 stakes horses-20% from starters, 7 stakes winners 11% from starters, led by: THAT’S THE IDEA ($291,275, multiple stakes winner) MAYS OR MANTLE ($151,310, stakes winner, multiple stakes placed) LIBERTY LOVER ($223,361, multiple stakes winner at 2, 2014) DIABOLICAL DAME ($98,460, multiple stakes placed at 2, 2014) CATAFLYING ($88,340, stakes placed at 2), etc.
DIABOLICAL artax - bonnie byerly, by dayjur
Adam Coglianese
2015 Fee: $6,000
Inquires to Fred Alexander (915) 539-2176 Office: (915) 539-0040 Fax: (575) 882-1235 • Email: aahorseranch1@aol.com SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 1713 W. Washington, Anthony, NM 88021 • www.aaranch.org
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O N E O U T O F T H R E E R U N N E R S I S A S TA K E S H O R S E
32% STAKES HORSES & 16% STAKES WINNERS / STARTERS
OVER $3.3-MILLION IN EARNINGS / 13 2YO STAKES HORSES
LEADING STAKES WINNERS INCLUDE: THERMAL ($331,765, 7 wins, 2 to 4, 2014, 8 stakes wins/placings); LITTLE VIDALIA ($288,164, 6 wins 3 to 5, 2014, multiple stakes winner including New Mexico Classic Cup Filly & Mare Sprint Championship 10/26/14); REAPER ($254,760, 4 wins, 2 to 3, 2014, multiple stakes winner); HUSH’S STORM ($227,565, 4 wins 2 to 4, multiple stakes winner), etc.
ATTILA’S STORM FOREST WILDCAT-SWEET SYMMETRY, BY MAGESTERIAL
2015 Fee: $3,000
Inquires to Fred Alexander (915) 539-2176 Office: (915) 539-0040 Fax: (575) 882-1235 • Email: aahorseranch1@aol.com 1713 W. Washington, Anthony, NM 88021 • www.aaranch.org 14 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
BURNING UP NEW MEXICO’S TRACKS
SOUTHWESTERN HEAT GONE WEST - XTRA HEAT, BY DIXIELAND HEAT
2015 Fee: $2,500
Sired North America’s first 2YO Winner of 2014 – ZUELLAS HEAT won debut in :21.22
#1 First Crop Sire in New Mexico, 6 winners, 2 stakes horses
Ranks among the top 28 first crop sires in North America
Sire of more stakes horses than first crop sires Eskendereya ($17,500 fee), Blame ($30,000 fee), etc. Leading money winner BABY VAMP ($55,770, 2nd NM Classic Cup Juvenile Fillies S., 1 win, twice 2nd in 3 starts)
Inquires to Fred Alexander (915) 539-2176 Office: (915) 539-0040 Fax: (575) 882-1235 • Email: aahorseranch1@aol.com 1713 W. Washington, Anthony, NM 88021 • www.aaranch.org SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 15
Staying in HARMONY
O
By Robert Geller
n a scenic road in Rotorua, in the heart of New Zealand’s North Island, every twist and turn opens to more horse country. The locals remain modest about their slice of paradise, more than willing to let you in for a sneak peek. That was certainly the case with Tina Brandt as I spotted her and her dogs herding her horses against a spectacular mountain backdrop. Before you knew it, I was on her property, Horse Harmony, chatting away like old friends. A former visitor to the U.S. herself with a modern, naturalistic approach to horse rehabilitation, Brandt is a shining example of how the other side of the horse world lives.
How did Horse Harmony come to be? After retiring from a 16 year successful career in Hotel Management I decided it was time for change in my life. I had my own horses during my previous career. Each horse had led me on a different learning journey, one of which was the body work modality, Bowen. I successfully completed my training in Bowen and then offered my professional services to other horses and owners. My other skills of trimming and horsemanship soon became part of the equitation as I saw different issues arise throughout my travels. Horse Harmony was soon created to encompass my services available and my beliefs and approach to helping horses. What are the goals of your work with the horses? My goal when working with horses is to work with them and their natural tendencies. The more I can work with a horse, the better the results. The ultimate goal is to help a horse achieve a harmonious relationship with their human by way of communication (horsemanship); be pain free and happy in their work to reach their potential (Bowen/Bodywork) and achieve a holistic balance through hoof care, environment and nutrition. 16 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
Can you outline the key elements of your on-hand techniques? My hand on technique is Bowen therapy which is a holistic and very gentle muscle release technique. It treats the horse as a whole, rather than one specific area. It works on various systems in the body including lymphatic, circulatory, respiratory, muscular, reproductive and also on an emotional level. The therapy works on specific points on the body and works over fascia – the second largest connective tissue in the body after skin. I also work with Reiki, a gentle energy healing and various other techniques I have learnt and practiced over the years. A correct and balanced trim also plays a huge part in this process and is almost like bodywork in itself. I also work with two outside chiropractors with different styles who play an intricate part in the success of the rehabilitation. The horses also get regular dental work once a year. In relation to the horse population itself that you take care of, up to how many horses are you responsible for at any one time? In relation to the horse population itself that you take care of, up to how many horses are you responsible for at any one time? We have space for up to ten horses; we currently have nine in residence. What are some of the different breeds? We have a range of different breeds from Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, Thoroughbred, Paint Horse, a New Zealand ‘coasty’ horse (horse of mixed breeding known for their hardiness) and the New Zealand wild horse – the Kaimanawa. ‘Kaimanawa’ is the Maori word for “eat the wind” due to the hostile and sparse environment they reside in, in the central plateau of the North Island of New Zealand. They are mustered out every two years to manage numbers and attempts to relocate into homes all that are removed.
Their popularity is really growing and homes were found for the majority in the last muster. Great news for New Zealand’s wild horse, once considered a pest.
How do they come to be at Horse Harmony? There is a mixture of horses and why they are here. Some of the horses came to be personal riding horses which have had their own challenges, and some arrived as rehabilitation projects. The issues vary from training through to physical such as body issues, hoof issues or dietary issues. How varied is their length of stay? The horses that are here currently are here for life. A natural progression for my rehabilitation work is to offer this service professionally. Advertising has just started for this new aspect and the average length of stay for a general rehab is six weeks through to longer stays for more serious or difficult cases. What are the most common problems that the horses are suffering from when they first arrive? This is a hard one to comment on as it is very much a mixed bag. Hoof issues are common, ranging from poor hoof mechanism to seedy toe, white line disease and laminitis. Body imbalances and tightness are also common factors which can lead into training related issues. Dietary nutrition is also another common issue. New Zealand has several mineral deficiencies in the soil and if not addressed can cause problems. New Zealand is also well known for its Dairy industry which promotes lush dairy grazing. Unfortunately horses don’t do so well on this type of grazing that can cause a lot of grass affected behavior.
“Horse Harmony” – a slice of horse heaven. At far left, horses enjoy the natural beauty and open space of the New Zealand countryside. At left, founder and manager of Horse Harmony, Tina Brandt, and I, with one of the horses who’s life Brandt has turned around naturally. Photos courtesy of Robert Geller
As far as your history of working with horses, could you give an overview of the horsemanship skills or professional training you have in place and developed that are needed to be able to head an operation like Horse Harmony? I had always loved horses and it was in my blood but livWhat does a typical day look like? ing in the city as a kid wasn’t conducive to my passion. I later A typical day is varied as it depends on my work and travel moved to Rotorua where I was a relative late-comer to the horse schedule. I don’t stick to a routine as much with horses as I feel world, getting my first horse at the age of 23. I was fortunate this sets them up for negative behaviors, but on a daily basis their enough to have a friend who was holding a horsemanship clinic hard feeds will be mixed up, they will be called in and fed. They by a talented New Zealand horseman who is regarded as one are checked over daily, I believe that each horse will feel a human of the best colt starters here. This was my opening to working hand every day even if it is just to rub on them, feel their bodies with horses in a different manner than what was considered the and muscles as to how they are doing and what is needed. Five norm. Things snowballed into purchasing a second horse, who times a week they are exercised as a group around the track to was particularly challenging. This was really where my horsemankeep them in good physical condition, particularly those who are ship journey started and 18 years later, I am where I am today. I not in work. It also gives me an opportunity to watch how they followed the Parelli program for a while and then branched off are moving, are they stiff, free moving, who is out the front, who to follow the likes of Buck Brannaman and several other well is lagging, what has changed in the herd, who is hanging out known American clinicians. I continue my education by attendwith who and a great chance to exercise the dogs as well! Every ing clinics and anything I can read or watch. I had been getting Saturday morning they are brought in and groomed, checked regular Bowen treatments on my horses and was really impressed over and any additional things needed to be done. A typical day is with the changes and improvements I saw in them, how much not consistent, which is an anomaly since everything else I do and softer their eye was and how much more willing they were. When work with the horse on is! I finished my hotel career, the opportunity to study both Human SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 17
and Equine Bowen came up, so I jumped at the chance. I have been a Bowen Therapist for close on 4 years now and continually search for more information and skills to add to my repertoire. I learnt to trim my own horses with the guidance of a professional trimmer many years ago and have been doing so ever since. Again I am continually researching and learning about the hoof, hoof mechanism and environment in relation to hoof care. Along the way many other skills and learning came into the mix including dietary and nutrition, saddle and tack fitting, mental and emotional care of a horse. I have also completed some training in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and this is an area that keenly interests me, especially in relation to the effects of kids on horses and horses on kids. I have recently launched a kid’s development program which I would really like to develop and grow over the year “Often we humans dictate what they do, when they do it, where they live, how they and future. No-one knows everything there live, when they eat, what they eat, so its nice for them to have some options that they is to know about horses, so it is a continuing have control over in their life.” At right, Brandt aboard Mine. journey of learning and education and I find Photos courtesy of Robert Geller the best teachers are the horses themselves, if you are willing or trying to listen. nice energy about it which horses really respond to well. Visiting horses for clinics and camps settle quickly with little fuss. It is The catch phrase “helping horses naturally” implies healing important for us that the horses feel safe and comfortable in their that is non-invasive, sensitive and progressive. What does it environment in order for them to let their old baggage and hurts mean to you? go and to be willing to allow myself, my husband and nature help “Helping horses naturally” to me means a holistic approach to heal and revitalize them. horse care, training and help. It is not a one stream approach but rather a several pronged approach that addresses the horse as It seems that you are a one woman band. Can you describe the a whole. Often if you are trying to remedy one area, for example facility, its services and your husband’s role? training, there could be underlying issues preventing improveHorse Harmony has come about from years of my own ment in this area such as hoof pain, body pain, nutritional issues personal horse experience, learning and education so yes it has or environmental management issues. So rather than really evolved to be a one woman band at this stage. Horse Harmony’s pushing the training side of things and ending up with a sour or home is a 20 acre typical NZ lifestyle block. It is located at the rear ‘problem’ horse, investigating and addressing each aspect is a side at the base of Mount Ngongotaha which is rich in Maori culgreat way to honor the horse and try to provide an experience ture and history. The farm itself is located in Paradise Valley, a small that is enjoyable for both horse and human. valley that winds around the back of Mount Ngongotaha with an abundance of green, farms, rivers, pine and native bush. The NZ is like a horse heaven given its lush, green scenery. The bulk of Horse Harmony’s services are used off-site at people’s own setting you are in is a perfect example. How important is this farms or locations to help with their own horses rather than onsite setting to you and your horses? here. My husband Daniel is very supportive of my work and has a We are exceptionally blessed to live in a country as beautiful very natural way with horses and animals in general. He helps a lot and green as New Zealand and particularly the little spot of para- with the general day to day maintenance of the horse herd includdise that our family land is located in. Although we are fortunate ing trimming, horsemanship and farm work. He is a welder by to have a lush and green country, it can pose issues for managtrade and works as this currently to help keep us financially afloat. ing horses. Horses are designed to forage on high fiber, coarse The long term plan is to grow Horse Harmony or similar ventures and brown grazing rather than the rich, lush, high sugar green to a stage that we will both be able to work together. paddocks that you see all over the country. Although our pasture is more of a meadow type, we do have to manage the grazing ac- My impression is that NZ has been near the front end of the cess carefully. We utilize a ‘track’ system around the property with curve of natural therapies for some time. How common is it to hay feeding stations dotted around it. This encourages movement find others doing what you do and how much of a pioneer do which is highly important for a horse. It also allows us to keep the you feel you are in the field? horses off grass at critical times such as spring. We still do allow Natural therapies are definitely a lot more mainstream within grazing but it is controlled. The horses also have access to a one the horse community and general population in New Zealand, kilometer track through forest which takes them to not so lush although naturally there remains a pocket of resistance. When forest grazing which they utilize a lot. Our family farm has a really I got my first horse, it wasn’t that common at all, even getting 18 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
your horses teeth floated wasn’t that common. In the last five years the natural therapies industry has boomed, shown clearly by the huge growth in number of therapists available for treatment of horses. It is quite common now to find people doing what I do, however I do believe my success hinges on having several different aspects to my work which allows me to have a deeper understanding of issues presenting and being able to find successful solutions with minimal stress to the horse. I don’t tend to pay too much attention to the ‘outside’ world and what other people are doing as it distracts my focus from helping the horses as best as I possibly can.
In the U.S. there is increasing emphasis on retired racehorses and their life after their on-track careers have ended. There is equal concern about the overuse of performance enhancing drugs and/or supplements within the industry. What have you observed from Thoroughbreds coming off the track through career-ending injuries or otherwise and the impact that previous pharmaceutical products have had on their rehabilitation? I don’t have great experience with off the track horses in my own rehab however I have often treated off the track horses for other people and the biggest thing I have noticed is the damage done to their bodies. As I don’t know the horse, the trainer who had the horse, the area that it came from and so on, I can’t really comment as to the reason why since not all ex-racehorses are in this boat. Naturally breeding and conformation plays a big part in this, however many other factors could come into play including injury, training method or style, diet, nutrition and hoof care. I do know in New Zealand there is a big emphasis on ex-racehorses having second careers and there are many off-the- track horses that successfully compete in eventing, show jumping, dressage and pleasure riding. I’m not sure that performance enhancing drugs are as big an issue here as they are in the US, however having not being personally involved in the racing industry I can’t comment accurately. I think the small nature of our country plays a big part in this as it limits the competition. Although competition exists it is not as fierce as in the US due to the larger pool it operates from. Digestive upsets including ulcers seems to be the biggest issue I do see however this is not limited to just race horses, but it is believed up to sixty per cent of pleasure horses have them and for performance horses it is higher. This is more down to a diet of processed food, grains, how they are managed
and pain in the body, all factors. Like any industry there are some bad eggs but I think generally most trainers genuinely want the best for their horses after their racing career ends or before it has even started.
If there was one particular success story of a horse under your care you would like to share, what would that be? One particular horse had quite a few issues when he arrived. He was obese, laminitic, extremely grumpy and dominant with other horses and had a back like a banana. The herd gave him a pretty hard time upon his arrival and I was tempted to step in and intervene (he wasn’t getting hurt or in danger) as my human emotions were in play. I left them to it and he came out the other side being a lot better socialized with other horses and he is not the top of the pecking order. He knew what he was doing as he came out with not a mark on him! He will now graze with other horses and share his hay. Previously he bullied other horses over food, space etc. He lost the weight easily with plenty of hay and movement. His body and back are improving greatly but the old damage, including a suspected broken pelvis and ribs, and the compensation resulting after these injuries, may never be fully resolved. He is currently being treated for ulcers as he is still quite grumpy about his ribs being touched – a huge improvement as it used to be his whole body, and we haven’t been able to get on top of his hoof quality yet even with all the good minerals and feed designed for a horse. The change in his posture and the softness in his eye is quite remarkable and makes it all worthwhile. I am sure working with horses is a two way stream. The nature and personality of the handler must surely come into play. What are some of your observations about this for yourself? Yes, this is an interesting one. Most horses don’t have problems, they have people problems. A person’s personality and character does influence the horse greatly. It is common for horses that arrive here with a history of doing specific things to not exhibit these when they are here. I try to let the horses just be exactly that, a horse. I would say the herd environment that is provided is the biggest healer and helper of all. No one knows better than a horse! I have consistent boundaries for the horses and this provides a safe and secure environment for them. Often people don’t provide this and it actually causes anxiety and upset in a horse. Feeding nine horses their hard feed at liberty (no halters and leads or yards/pens) is no easy feat but with boundaries and consistency it is a smooth and easy process. With teaching horsemanship to my students we are often working on the person which has a flow on effect to the horse. One 13 year-old girl said to me after a kids’ horsemanship camp week – “Horsemanship – it’s not really about the horse is it?” Tina Brandt may be reached at her website www.horseharmony. co.nz or via her e-mail: tina@horseharmony.co.nz Robert Geller has been the one and only voice of Emerald Downs since the track’s inception in 1996 and has also been track announcer at the highly successful Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino for over a decade. Prior to moving to the US, he served 6-1/2 years as the English commentator for the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club and learned his craft in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. His articles have appeared internationally in magazines such as Racetrack and Racing World. SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 19
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January 14, 2015 Runaway Wave becomes all-time leading broodmare
old colt and 3-year-old colt in 2004-05. To date, he has sired the earners of more than $7 million, including champion American Runaway. American Quarter Horse She is also the dam of 2006 Association world champion Wave Carver, Runaway Wave has bewho earned $1,005,946 in his come American Quarter Horse racing career. He was also the racing’s all-time leading brood- champion 3-year-old colt and mare by money earned. champion 3-year-old that year, Runaway Wave (Runaway and has sired the earners of Winner-In The Curl (TB) by more than $6.2 million. Shelter Half), takes the scepter Runaway Wave also from American Quarter Horse produced Grade 1 winHall of Fame 2015 inductee ner Trisk ($254,233); Grade Corona Chick. Runaway Wave’s 1-placed Sir Runaway Dash total progeny earnings are ($120,706); stakes winners Little $3,643,186. Surfer ($102,749), Aquafina Corona Chick had 16 foals, ($184,788), The Ocean King 14 of which were race starters. ($41,000) and Whip Curl Her foals earned $3,625,157 on ($24,853); and stakes-placed the racetrack. The mare, who runners Bring The Bling died in 2013, held the title of ($67,320), Seaside ($37,996) all-time leading broodmare and Surf Dog ($37,013). for 13 years after taking it from Sir Runaway Dash has sired Native Parr, the dam of Refrigthe earners of more than $1.4 erator. million. Another foal, Bill Cole, is Runaway Wave is owned the sire of earners of nearly $1 by Dan and Michelle Lucas’ Lu- million. cas Racing Inc. of New Market, Runaway Wave achieved Maryland, and was bred by Dan the No. 1 all-time leading and Allison Lucas in 1995. broodmare honor on DecemIn her racing career, the ber 14, when Double Bar S gray mare won or placed in Ranch’s Smile N Wave broke her nine of 16 starts and earned maiden at Los Alamitos, and $79,183. She was third in the her record is likely to grow. In 1998 Dash For Cash Derby addition to the active runners (Grade 2) and fourth in the she has on the track, she has six Texas Classic Derby (Grade 1). 2-year-olds and one yearling. She also was a finalist in the AQHA News and informa1997 Dash For Cash Futurity tion is a service of the American (Grade 2) and 1999 Las Damas Quarter Horse Association. For Handicap (Grade 2). more news and information, Runaway Wave has 38 follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, registered foals. Of those, 28 are watch the AQHA Racing Newsstarters and 23 have returned cast and visit www.aqharacing. as winners. She is a dam of com. distinction and was the broodmare of the year in 2005. December 26, 2014 Her runners are led by Heritage Place champion Ocean Runaway, Thoroughbred Sale who earned $1,642,498 on the track, and was the sport’s closes with gains champion 2-year-old, 2-yearThis year’s Heritage Place 21 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
sister to Dancing Diva, the winner of the Nov. 28, $55,000 Oklahoma Stallion Fillies Stakes (R) at Remington Park. Ulwelling paid $13,500 for an unnamed yearling colt (Hip No. 124) by the Indian Charlie stallion Mr. Nightlinger. The colt is out of Rapid Bull, a stakesplaced daughter of In Excessive Thoroughbred Sale, held Dec. Bull and full sister to the stakes20 in Oklahoma City, posted placed Wild Time Tonight. the highest gross and average Scattered Acres LLC purin its three-year history. chased the high-selling broodA total of 88 of the 121 mare, Flying Drum (Hip No. 52), horses entered sold for a gross for $10,000 from the consignof $232,550, an increase of 18 ment of Ellen Caines, agent. Flypercent over 2013, when 94 of ing Drum is a winning 7-yearold daughter of the Storm Cat the 129 head sold. This year’s stallion Forestry whose dam, average of $2,643 marked a 26-percent increase over 2013. the unraced Gone West mare Dundrummin’, is a half sister to The sale-topper, Sly Okie Grade 2 winner and 2002 Ken(Hip No. 14), sold for $20,000. tucky Derby (Grade 1) runnerConsigned by the Richter up Proud Citizen. Family Trust, which also bred For complete results, visit the 2-year-old daughter of the Northern Flagship stallion Slew- www.heritageplace.com. ship, Sly Okie was acquired by Ed Melzer of Edmond, Oklaho- Lexington, KY ma. Racing at Remington Park, December 22, 2014 the filly has earned $26,086 North American from five outs this season. Association of Racetrack Sly Okie is a full sister to Veterinarians formed Whiskey For Me, a Slewship The members of the North gelding who won the 2005 American Association of RaceJim Bowie Stakes on the turf at track Veterinarians (NAARV) are Retama Park near San Antonio. pleased to announce the recent Her half brother, the Burbank incorporation of their newly gelding Banker’s Way, ran third formed organization in the in Cape Time’s ’08 SunRay Park Commonwealth of Kentucky. and Casino Handicap in New The membership is represented Mexico. from coast to coast in the U.S. Two Thoroughbreds were and Canada. The group has purchased by Al Ulwelling of organized for the following Elk River, Minn., for $13,500. Ul- common goal: welling acquired Wiley Wizard To advance the health (Hip No. 101), a yearling colt and welfare of the racehorse by the Awesome Again stallion through evidence based Toccet, from the consignment veterinary medicine, expand of Ellen Caines, agent for Hidscientific knowledge and den Springs Ranch LLC. Wiley the continuing education of Wizard is out of Midsummer the professionals and public Magic, a stakes-winning mare involved with the sport. by Pure Prize, and he is a half And to advance the followSureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 21
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ing mission: To ensure the health and well-being of the racehorse through protecting and improving the veterinary care, treatment and welfare of the equine athlete; to advance the treatment of disease and injury using evidence based medicine, to relieve animal suffering and to be proactive in advocating for and administering preventive veterinary care. Through education programs, the association will provide the opportunity to improve
the knowledge and skills of its members and increase the public’s awareness of the medical needs of the racehorse and the scientific basis for the practice of equine veterinary medicine. The racetrack practitioner represents the cutting edge of Sports Medicine for the benefit of the racing equine athlete. As the boundaries of scientific research and clinical knowledge have been pushed back, and racetrack practice has evolved into the modern day model, the perception of the
racetrack practitioner has failed to keep pace with the reality. By continuing to practice with the highest level of integrity, and striving to educate clients, the public and regulators, racetrack practitioners can effect change within our industry. The perception of racing veterinary practice should reflect the high standard of integrity and medicine with which it is currently practiced. Anyone interested in finding out more about the North American Association of Race-
track Veterinarians, can visit the website at NAARV.org.
Los Alamitos Race Course, Cypress, CA December 21, 2014 Winter Thoroughbred meet shows out-of-state handle increase Los Alamitos ended a
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successful first Winter Thoroughbred meet Sunday, averaging more than $5.64 million ($5,640,866) in daily total combined mutuel handle and showing a sizable gain in wagering out of state. “This meet did exactly what we hoped it would do in that we continued to show growth, most particularly out of state handle,’’ said Brad McKinzie, vice president and general manager of the Los Alamitos Racing Association. “Through Saturday (Dec. 20), we were up over $320,000 a day out of state if you look at the numbers from the (September) Fall meet to this meet ($1,850,163 in December compared to $1,526,553 three months earlier). “We accomplished exactly what we set out to do. I’m happy.’’ Rainy weather contributed to a slight decline in average field size from the Fall meet, but the average of 7.46 starters per race was up over the Summer Thoroughbred Festival (6.99 starters) in July. The highlights of the 12day Winter season were Grade 1 victories by Take Charge Brandi in the $350,500 Starlet Dec. 13 and Dortmund in the $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity one week later. Those significant races for 2-year-olds were holdovers from Hollywood Park, which ceased live racing Dec. 22, 2013. The Starlet was known as the Hollywood Starlet (19812013) and the Los Alamitos Futurity as the Hollywood Futurity (1981-2006) and CashCall Futurity (2007-2013). Trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas for owner Willis D. Horton, Take Charge Brandi, a daughter of Giant’s Causeway, wrapped up the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly with her second Grade 1 success in a span of six weeks. She began a roll of three consecu-
tive graded victories – she also won the Grade 3, $500,000 Delta Princess Nov. 22 at Delta Downs – with a 61-1 upset in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. Under jockey Victor Espinoza, Take Charge Brandi was game in repelling all challengers in the final quarter of a mile, but the Los Alamitos Futurity was arguably 2014’s Race of the Year. After a three-way battle down the stretch, Dortmund, the 3-5 favorite and current future book favorite for the 2015 Kentucky Derby, remained undefeated in his third start, defeating Firing Line by a head with the Lukas-trained Mr. Z a nose back in third. Owned by Kaleem Shah, Inc., Dortmund, a son of 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown, gave Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his record seventh Futurity win. Baffert and Lukas, who has won a record eight Starlets, became the first trainers to win both a thoroughbred and Quarter horse Grade 1 event at Los Alamitos. “If the Starlet and the Los Alamitos Futurity don’t give us credibility around the country that we are running quality races, I don’t know what will,’’ said McKinzie. “(Multiple stakes winner) Shared Belief won our first (Grade 2, $500,500 Los Alamitos) Derby (July 5), the filly that’s going to be the Eclipse Award winner (Take Charge Brandi) won the Starlet and I think in the Futurity we created one, two and possibly three solid contenders for the Kentucky Derby.’’ Thoroughbred racing will return to Los Alamitos in July, 2015. The second Summer Thoroughbred Festival, which will begin Thursday, July 2 and continue through Sunday, July 12, is the first of three scheduled meets in the coming year.
Halls in their ascension – including training their charges to a pair of Breeders’ Cup thirds. Money’soncharlotte is typical of his program. A modestly bred but well built athlete, she has shown excellent speed that carries over a distance of ground and her two wins have been one-sided affairs. On Oct. 23, in Fair Grounds Race Money’soncharlotte’s second Course, New Orleans, LA start after a disastrous Oct. 4 January 15 Keeneland debut, she won by Money’soncharlotte nearly four lengths over two using Silverbulletday as next-out winners in a oneturn mile maiden at Belmont stepping stone Park. Next out, five weeks later, Owners George and Lori she took the $75,000 Hut Hut Hall and their trainer Kelly Breen know how to be success- Stakes at a two-turn mile with ful at Fair Grounds Race Course ease by nearly three lengths at and when shipping around the Gulfstream Park West. “She doesn’t need the country, for that matter. The lead, ” Breen said. “We are bringconnections of 2011 Louisiana ing her because it was the Derby winner Pants on Fire and Belmont Stakes winner Ruler on perfect spot to set her up for a stakes at Gulfstream in FebruIce that same year have made ary and Gulfstream didn’t have a good living from sending anything for her.” On Feb. 21, their talented stock around the Hallandale Beach establishthe nation over the last few ment has the Grade 2 $200,000 years while winning races at an admirable rate – 21 percent Davona Dale Stakes at a oneturn mile. – in 2014. On Saturday, the multiple graded stakes-winning owners Stidham tackles Krantz and their adept conditioner will with trio start Money’soncharlotte in the Veteran conditioner Listed $125,000 SilverbulletMike Stidham is a trainer who day Stakes. Any other year, the has proven able to develop daughter of Mizzen Mast with basically any kind of runner two consecutive wins – includ- and has done such in the last ing one in a two-turn stakes calendar year with stakes win– would be considered one of ners such as synthetic sprinter the favorites for the one-mile Pirate’s Trove, handicap dirt and 70-yard stakes, but in 2015 horse Ground Transport and the first of the three major Fair Grade 1-placed multi-surface Grounds features for fillies has juvenile filly Her Emmynency. drawn an exceptionally deep Still, one division that seems and promising field. to be flush with talent above “It looks like it’s going to be all others in his barn in 2015 is a pretty salty spot,” Breen said. that of routing turf fillies and “My filly is doing okay, though. mares. Whether by chance or She’s training well and came sheer fortune, such fillies/mares out of her last work great.” as Grade 1-placed Stellaris, Breen, who can often be multiple graded stakes winner Istanford and graded stakesseen on race day in his wellplaced Every Way headline his tailored suit and signature hat adept operation. with iPad in-hand, has been The last mentioned leads integral to the success of the
The Fall season will commence Thursday, Sept. 10 and conclude Sunday, Sept. 25 while the Winter meet begins Thursday, Dec. 3 and wraps Sunday, Dec. 20.
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a trio of grass-loving distaffers the 57-year-old native of Neptune, New Jersey has entered in the $60,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stakes on Saturday’s Road to the Derby Kickoff Day Presented by Hotel Monteleone. A 5-year-old daughter of City Zip owned by Haynes Stable et al, Every Way has been a picture of consistency in turf stakes company, but unfortunately has yet to claim one of her own. In her last six grass stakes tries – including four graded events – Every Way has finished second three times, while also managing a game fourth in the Grade 3 $200,000 Modesty Handicap at Arlington International Racecourse in July, beaten only a half-length. Saturday’s return to the races for the Pin Oak Stud-bred mare will be the first since a lackluster fifth on Aug. 31 over Del Mar’s thensynthetic Polytrack surface that she reportedly detested. Speaking of Pin Oak Stud, Josephine Abercrombie’s wellrespected establishment bred and owns another of Stidham’s Krantz Memorial entrants – Hung the Moon. Making her first start for Stidham on Saturday, the 5-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon won the $50,000 Wild Rose Stakes last May on dirt for previous trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel and has never started on the grass. Fourth last out in the $100,000 She’s All In Handicap over a muddy and sealed surface at Remington Park, she has worked three times at Fair Grounds for Stidham, including a smart half-mile move on Jan. 5 in :48.20. As far the four-time (in 16 starts) winner’s turf prospective, it is worth noting that the one Malibu Moon filly to win over the Fair Grounds grass this season (Flor de la Luna) was also out of a Storm Cat-line mare. Unlike Every Way who poses the layoff question and Hung the Moon’s surface 26 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
quandary, Twin Creeks Racing Stable’s Notte d’Oro has neither issue. A lightly raced daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, she exits a strong Fair Grounds turf allowance victory on Dec. 18 in which she defeated snappy next-out winner Compelling Case by three-quarters of a length and closed into a lugubrious pace from four lengths astern. A winner of half of her six races, she scuttled her last sixteenth of a mile in less than six seconds after being forced four-wide at the quarterpole. The Krantz Memorial will be the 4-year-old homebred’s first chance to display her class against stakes company.
Improving Indiana-bred Paddy’s Notes goes after Louisiana Ronald Grothaus’ Paddy’s Notes was a surprise entrant into Saturday’s Listed $75,000 Louisiana Stakes when the race drew on Monday, Jan. 12, but being a surprise is nothing new as of recently for the Tim Glyshaw-trained charge. A winner of two consecutive one-mile and 70-yard optional claimers in wire-to-wire style at odds of 9-1 and 3-1, respectively, the former sprinter has become a different horse with the addition of a turn. “He was transferred to me and we had never tried him long,” Glyshaw said. “He had such an affinity for running short, but he was built like a route horse. I think he’ll get even better the more we run him long because he can rate. The last couple races he went (the half-mile) in :47 and was doing it easily. Those 91 and 90 Beyers were pretty good, too. “He’s a really cool horse who does whatever you ask of him,” Glyshaw continued. “He’s been a pleasant surprise and we’ve had a lot of success with Indiana-breds like Unreachable Star. We brought (Paddy’s
Notes) to (Fair Grounds) to run in some conditioned races that hopefully set us up for Indianabred stakes in the summer. In the case that he doesn’t run (in the Louisiana Stakes), he will probably turn up in a two-other-than. It’s nice to see a lot of Indiana-breds running well in open stakes.” Loosen Up Stables’ Unreachable Star is the all-time leading Indianabred in purses earned and was the Indiana-sired Older Horse of the Year four years in a row (2009-2012). A six-time winner in 21 lifetime starts, Paddy’s Notes was assigned post four in the 69th running of the six-horse Louisiana and is scheduled to be piloted by Marcelino Pedroza, for whom he has won his last two. When last in stakes company, the son of Aragorn was fourth beaten by two lengths in the $89,000 Brickyard Stakes going six panels at Indiana Grand on Sept. 10.
Sunland Park’s season. Cinco Charlie has four stakes wins to his credit, but has never ventured beyond 6½ furlongs.
Portland Meadows, Portland, OR January 15, 2015 Ten runners nominated for the $35,000 Portland Mile
Ten horses have nominated for the $35,000 Portland Mile which will be run on Jan. 25. Portland Meadows’ Signature Race, the Portland Mile will be run for the 47th time on Jan. 25. Leading trainer Rigoberto Velasquez has four of the ten nominees and all four look like contenders. Carl Command has rattled off two straight wins including a Cinco Charlie to try score most recently on Oregon two turns Championship Day in the Brisk $50,000 Sugar Bowl Lethal Grande Sprint ChampiStakes winner Cinco Charlie onship. Carl Command is 3 for will join the Triple Crown trail 4 career at Portland Meadows next out, according to trainer with his only loss coming via Steve Asmussen, and head to an eighth place finish in the Sunland Park for the $100,000 Mt. Hood Stakes on Nov. 2. Riley Allison Derby on Jan. 24. Memphis Mobster is a The son of Indian Charlie and winner of the Grade 3 $100,000 multiple stakes winner this Bashford Manor Stakes early in season at Portland Meadows for Velasquez. He won the Mt. his juvenile season has been training steadily locally, includ- Hood Stakes and Detroit Lake Handicap and just missed by ing a five-furlong move in half a length on opening day 1:02.40 on Monday. in the Frog Lake Handicap. He Speeding the six furlongs of Fair Grounds’ Sugar Bowl on is coming off a loss at this mile Dec. 20 in 1:10.06 and earning a distance though as he fin97 Beyer Speed Figure accord- ished fourth in the Crater Lake Handicap. Velasquez will also ingly, the William and Corinne send out Stoney River who was Heiligbrodt homebred will be separated from his stablemate third in the Crater Lake Handicap last time out as well as Chu Tiznow R J, who is slated for and I who has hit the exacta in Saturday’s Grade 3 $200,000 9 of 11 career starts at the mile Lecomte Stakes. The Riley Aldistance. lison Derby is a two-turn mile Sportive is nominated event and serves as the first by owner/trainer Jacqueline major Kentucky Derby prep of
Carl Command
Sportive
Smith and is coming off an upset win in the $9,000 Crater Lake Handicap. Sportive was 22/1 that day but beat several of the rivals he will face in the Portland Mile if entered. Johnski finished second behind Sportive in the Crater Lake Handicap last time out and is also nominated for the Portland Mile. Johnski won his first two starts locally at Portland Meadows after shipping up from Golden Gate Fields in Northern California. Hunterwood Point, Last Minute Joe, Leadership, and Maddie’s Gold complete the list of nominees for the Portland Mile. The $20,000 Portland Distaff also drew ten nominees including the red-hot Society Girl. Society Girl has rattled off three very impressive wins in a row, two of them in stakes events versus several of the rivals she’ll face in the Distaff. Most recently she won a hard fought battle against Seventyprcentcocoa in the Crescent Lake Handicap. Seventyprcentcocoa won the Diamond Lake Handicap back on opening day and has never been off the
board in four starts at Portland Meadows. Cash N Dash and Oh Derek lead the six nominees for the $20,000 Columbia River Stakes. Cash N Dash had been beaten twice by Oh Derek in both the Willamette River Stakes and the Foster Lake Handicap before turning the tables last time out and winning the East Lake Handicap. Cash N Dash beat Oh Derek in the East Lake Handicap by three and one half lengths and it was Cash N Dash’s first try at the mile
distance. Entries will be drawn for the Portland Mile, Portland Distaff and Columbia River Stakes on Jan. 21.
Portland Mile Nominees (in alphabetical order w/trainer) 1. Carl Command – Rigoberto Velasquez 2. Chu and I – Rigoberto Velasquez 3. Hunterwood Point – Charlene Whiteside 4. Johnski – Rody Barrett 5. Last Minute Joe – Tony Gattellaro 6. Leadership – Nick Lowe 7. Maddie’s Gold – Debora Fergason 8. Memphis Mobster – Rigoberto Velasquez 9. Sportive – Jacqueline Smith 10. Stoney River – Stoney River For nominations and past performances for all three stakes events, go to www.portlandmeadows.com/horse-racing/ stakes-schedule.
stakes winners. Mr Jess Perry is the sire of seven champions: world champion Apollitical Jess, champion One Famous Eagle, champion Noconi, champion Matabari, champion Miss Racy Ruidoso Downs, NM Jess, champion Fredricksburg December 27, 2014 and champion Fredaville. Four Champion Mr Jess Perry of those champions are millionaires and his son Mr Piloto is to join Ruidoso Downs a millionaire by virtue of his win Racehorse Hall of Fame in the Grade 1, $1,900,000 All Champion and one of the American Futurity. top three all-time leading sires Mr Jess Perry has become of money earners Mr Jess Perry a sire of sires and his daughters will join the Ruidoso Downs are leading producers. Racehorse Hall of Fame during The Mr Jess Perry son ceremonies in June at Ruidoso One Famous Eagle sired world Downs. champion One Dashing Eagle Mr Jess Perry completes from his first crop. He won the 2015 class that also three $1 million, Grade 1 futuriincludes owner/breeder Jerry ties, including the $2,400,000 Windham, trainer Russell Harris All American Futurity on his and jockey James Dreyer. way to earning $2,079,065 at A son of Streakin La Jolla two. and Scoopie Fein, Mr Jess Perry In 2014, Mr Jess Perry first gained acclaim as a raceis the number-one leading horse when he named the 1994 broodmare sire of money champion two-year-old and earners with his daughters champion two-year-old colt. producing the earners of more He scored his only open Grade than $8,000,000. He is also the 1 win as juvenile when he took number-one broodmare sire the $384,567 Texas Classic Fuof two-year-old money earners turity. He also scored restricted with those juveniles earning Grade 1 wins against Louisiana- more than $4,860,000. The top breds in the $69,087 Louisiana 2014 money earner out of a QHBA Futurity and the $30,600 Mr Jess Perry mare is two-time LQHBA Laddie Futurity. Grade 1 futurity winner Heza As a three-year old, Mr Jess Dasha Fire with $962,956 in Perry won another Grade 1 race earnings. with his win in the $134,347 For further information Texas Classic Derby. about the Ruidoso Downs Mr Jess Perry won 12 of 21 Racehorse Hall of Fame, go to starts and earned $687,184. www.raceruidoso.com, click on When Mr Jess Perry went the racing pull-down menu and into the breeding barn he click on Racehorse Hall of Fame. became an historic stallion. He joins First Down Dash and Corona Cartel as the only three stallions in quarter horse racing history to sire the earners of more than $45 million. He has sired at least 120 stakes winners, including 82 graded Mr Jess Perry SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 27
December 24, 2014 James Dreyer is jockey to be honored by Ruidoso Racehorse Hall of Fame
James Dreyer, who has dedicated his life to horseracing, will be inducted in the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame in June. Dreyer was a very successful jockey from 1959 to 1977, then worked in the Los Alamitos racing office for 22 years and has been a steward at Los Alamitos for the past 10 years. He has also worked as the steward at Rillito Park and on the California fair circuit. He joins owner/breeder Jerry Windham and trainer Russell Harris in the 2015 class of the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame. The horse will be announced in the near future. One owner/ breeder, trainer, jockey and horse are inducted into the Hall of Fame each year. Dreyer scored major stakes wins at both Ruidoso Downs and Los Alamitos. He won the first Rainbow Futurity in 1964 aboard Clarence Scharbauer’s Double Queen. Ten years later, Dreyer rode Double Queen’s daughter Vim And Vigor, also owned by Scharbauer, to a second-place finish in the Rainbow Futurity. They finished just a nose behind Tiny’s Gay. Two weeks after the 1974 Rainbow Futurity, Dreyer was back at his home base, Los Alamitos Race Course, and setting history. He was the regular jockey for the great race mare Charger Bar, who was campaigned by Dr. Ed 28 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
Allred and Kenneth Wright. That night, Charger Bar won her 12th straight stakes race and the Los Alamitos Championship for the second time. It turned out to be her 21st and final stakes win. She also won the Los Alamitos Championship in 1971. Charger Bar’s other stakes wins with Dreyer up include the Go Man Go Invitational Handicap (twice), Champion of Champions, Los Alamitos Derby, Miss Princess Handicap and the first Vessels Maturity. She earned nine world and divisional championships from 1971 to 1974. “She (Charger Bar) was the fastest thing that I ever sat on,” said Dreyer. “I think she’s in
the top-five quarter horses I’ve seen run.” Scharbauer, Charger Bar and Allred are members of the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame. At Los Alamitos, Dreyer also rode Go Josie Go to wins in the Los Alamitos Championship (twice) and the Los Alamitos Derby, and Go Dreussa Go to victory in the Go Man Go. At Ruidoso Downs, Dreyer also won the Kansas Futurity on Ruby Charge and the Kansas Derby aboard Easy Six. He was third in the 1961 All American Futurity on Golden Note, defeated by Pokey Bar and Bunny’s Bar Maid. Dreyer then rode Golden Note to victory in
the Pomona Futurity, now the Ed Burke Million Futurity at Los Alamitos. For further information about the Ruidoso Downs Racehorse Hall of Fame, go to www. raceruidoso.com, click on the racing pull-down menu and click on Racehorse Hall of Fame.
Sam Houston Race Park, Houston, TX January 15, 2015 Four Texas Champions Stakes to be contested at Sam Houston Race Park The fields are set for Texas Champions Weekend on Jan. 17, the second stakes-filled evening of the 2015 Sam Houston Race Park Thoroughbred opening weekend. The action features accredited Texas-bred colts and geldings in the $50,000 Star of Texas Stakes, $50,000 Groovy Stakes, $50,000 Richard King Stakes and $50,000 Spirit of Texas Stakes.
Texas Air looks for repeat in the $50,000 Star of Texas
A field of eight will compete in the first stakes of the card, the $50,000 Star of Texas at a distance of one mile. Last year’s champion, Paul Rigali, Jr.’s Texas Air, is the 5-2 morning-line choice. The 7-year-old son of Texas City is trained by Allen Milligan, who has given the mount to Lindey Wade. Following his
Texas Air
victory in the Star of Texas, Milligan entered Texas Air in the $100,000 Maxxam Gold Cup and he ran a solid third to Red Rifle and runner-up, Frac Daddy. Texas Air will be making his 35th career start and has bankrolled $174,099 to date. “He really likes it at Sam Houston,” said Jeannette Milligan. “He’s been training well at Oaklawn and Allen and I will van him to Houston on Thursday morning.” Defiant Flyer is another contender and will break from the far outside post under Constantino Roman. The gelded son of Early Flyer was the upset winner of the 2012 Jim’s Orbit Stakes, but has been doing the majority of his running at Hawthorne and Arlington Park. Liane Davis trains for Double D Stables, Inc and Steve Lewis. Trainer Danny Pish has entered Ring Necked, a son of current leading Texas sire, Too Much Bling. The 4-year-old is bred and owned by the partnership of W. S. Farish, Hugh Fitzsimmons and E. J. Hudson. Ring Necked will be ridden by Roman Chapa. Post time for Saturday night is 6 p.m. (CT) will the Star of Texas carded as race six, the first of the four Texas Champions stakes.
Stakes. 2013 champion, Gold Element and Solar Charge, who won the 2012 edition of the Spirit of Texas Stakes, are two of the top contenders. Carolyn Barnett’s homebred Solar Charge has earned $446,594 in 53 career starts. The 8-year-old, trained by Ellen Williams, ran second in last year’s Spirit of Texas to Sam Houston Horse of the Meet Triumph and Song. Solar Charge scored in the $50,000 Premiere Stakes at Lone Star Park last April. Lindey Wade will guide the bay gelding on Saturday night. Gold Element, owned by Danny Keene, will be ridden by David Cabrera. The son of Gold Legend is a notable “horse for the course” with a record at Sam Houston of four wins from six starts. Wagson, owned by Texas Bucket List Racing LLC, ran third in the 2014 Spirit of Texas. The 6-year-old was claimed by Karl Broberg, and prepped for this stakes with a six furlong victory last month at Fair Grounds.
Calhoun. He does acknowledge that each of his young horses have potential, crediting Silverhill as a “very consistent” performer and Alamo City as a runner who might “need a little more ground”, but could be there with the right pace set up. Both are sons of Silver City, bred by the late Clarence Scharbaurer, Jr. at Valor Farm. Supermason, a son of Grasshopper, made his last start in the $250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park. Lindey Wade has the return call. “He has been one of these ‘in and out’ horses,” said Calhoun. “Lately, he’s given me inclination that the lights are coming on and he might be ready to run a big race.” David L. Davis’ AM Milky Way will break from post position three under Roman Chapa. The Karl Broberg trainee broke his maiden on December 14 at Fair Grounds.
Quiet Acceleration defends his title in the $50,000 Richard King Stakes
The final stakes of Texas Champions Weekend is the $50,000 Richard King Stakes, for 4-year-olds and upward at Bret Calhoun Trio entered in a mile and one-eighth on the the $50,000 Groovy Stakes Connally Turf Course. Trainer Bret Calhoun has Last year, Quiet Accelwon the $50,000 Groovy Stakes eration, under jockey Roman for 3-year-old colts and geldChapa, slipped through an ings three times and will have opening inside the sixteenth three chances again this year. pole to take the Richard King. Calhoun’s entrants are Bred, owned and trained by Douglas Scharbauers’s Alamo Danny Pish, the 6-year-old City with Deshawn Parker in the has solid turf credentials and irons and Silverhill with Colby has topped the $200,000 earnHernandez up. Supermason, ings mark. Chapa will guide owned by Brad Grady comthe dark bay gelding, who will pletes the Calhoun trio. make his 34th career start. In an interesting post “With his style of running, Solar Charge and Gold Ele- position scenario, the three are he can make it work from any ment return in the $50,000 entered side-by-side and will post position,” stated Pish of the break from the far outside posts Texas-bred son of Silent Picture. Spirit of Texas The defending champion’s Several respected veteran in the nine-horse field. “I just hope they don’t toughest rival looks to be sprinters will compete in the six run into each other,” quipped Magna Breeze, who captured furlong $50,000 Spirit of Texas
the Texas Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Retama Park, and is in pursuit of his fourth consecutive win. The 5-year-old son of Magna Graduate is trained by Mike Maker for owner William Buck Butler. Ernesto ValdezJiminez, who was aboard for the Hall of Fame victory on October 18, will ride. Fly the Red Eye and Seeking West, who placed second and fourth, respectively, in the Texas Racing Hall of Fame Stakes, are two of the other contenders in the ten-horse field.
Excitement building for the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic
Sam Houston Race Park officials are looking forward to an outstanding night of racing on Saturday, January 24. The $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic, the richest Thoroughbred race in Texas will anchor an exceptional card, which will also include three additional stakes: the Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup, the $75,000 Frontier Utility Turf Sprint, and the $50,000 Allen’s Landing Stakes. The marquee racing event will be broadcast on HRTV, “The Network for Horse Sports”. Advance wagering for the January 24 card will be offered on Friday, January 23 and Sam Houston will donate $1 for each patron to benefit the Houston affiliate of the Susan G. Komen®.
January 12, 2015 Defending champion Rose to Gold, Don’t Tell Sophia, Cassatt and Dame Dorothy lead nominations for $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic Nominations have closed for the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic, the mile and onesixteenth stakes which will be SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 29
Rose to Gold
contested on Saturday, Jan. 24. The Houston Ladies Classic remains the richest Thoroughbred race in Texas is the marquee event of the 2015 live racing season at Sam Houston Race Park, which gets underway on Friday, Jan. 16. Sam Houston Race Park officials have fielded calls from prominent horsemen including Todd Pletcher, Larry Jones, Mike Maker, Kiaran McLaughlin, Ken McPeek, Phil Sims, Jerry Hollendorfer and Neil Howard. The stakes closed with 34 nominations. Trainer Larry Jones has nominated Cassatt, a 4-yearold Tapit filly owned by Fox Hill Farms, Inc. After winning the Zia Park Oaks in convincing fashion, Jones had the Houston Ladies Classic in mind for Cassatt. Jones won the inaugural Houston Ladies Classic with Joyful Victory. The striking gray filly set a new track record of 1:42.30 for the distance of a mile and one-sixteenth in her 2013 victory. Retired to the breeding shed at the end of 2013, she was a finalist for the 43rd Annual Eclipse Awards. The veteran trainer notes
that Cassatt is a late-developing filly, very similar to Joyful Victory. She added a second stakes win on December 21, taking the Tiffany Lass at Fair Grounds. He reports that all system are go for Cassatt. “She was very lightly raced early last year and we saw that sprinting was just not her game,” stated Jones. “Just like Joyful Victory, she demonstrated that Tapit excessive energy; she does very well running two turns. She’s maturing and rounding into form.” In addition to Cassatt, Jones plans on shipping Blue Violet, a graded stakes-placed daughter of Curlin. The 5-yearold mare is owned and bred by Houston attorney, Susan Knoll and made her last start at Remington Park, running third in the $100,000 Shes All In Handicap. Trainer Todd Pletcher has nominated Dame Dorothy, a Bernardini filly owned by famed chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay. She won the Grade 3, Turn Back the Alarm Handicap at Aqueduct on October 26. Pletcher made his Sam Houston debut last March with Red Rifle, who won the $100,000 Maxxam Gold Cup. Red Rifle added two more stakes to his 2014 résumé, including the Grade 2, Hawthorne Gold Cup. Don’t Tell Sophia, bred by
Stonerside Stable, had a stellar 2014, notching four stakes wins and running second to superstar Untapable in the Grade 1, Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The 7-year-old daughter of Congaree has won $1.3 million in 24 starts. She is trained by Phil Sims, who is also the coowner with Jerry Namy. The field is also expected to include defending champion Rose to Gold, who made her first foray to Texas one for the memory books for owners Kathleen Amaya and Raffaele Centofanti. Florida-based conditioner Sal Santoro ran the chestnut mare in the Miami Shores Handicap on Jan. 7 at Gulfstream Park as a tune-up for the Houston Ladies Classic. The Jan. 24 card will get underway at 6 p.m. (CT). In addition to the Houston Ladies Classic, stakes action includes the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup, the $75,000 Frontier Utility Turf Sprint and the $50,000 Allen’s Landing for 3-year-olds. The Connally Turf Cup was awarded Grade 3 status in 2006 and boasts a solid roster of champions including Chorwon, Fort Prado, Rod and Staff and Candid Glen. Trainer Michael Maker won the 2014 Connally with Admiral Kitten and has five of the 52 nominated turf specialists for the nine furlong handicap. HRTV, “The Network for Horse Sports” will return to broadcast a two-hour special beginning at 9 p.m. (CT) from Sam Houston Race Park on Jan. 24. The special will
include live race coverage and special events as part of the stakes-filled card highlighted by $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic and Grade 3, $200,000 Connally Turf Cup. “In just it’s third running, the Houston Ladies Classic has attracted considerable attention from top horsemen across the country,” said Fred Hutton, Sam Houston Race Park’s racing secretary. “We are very pleased with the quality of the nominated fillies and mares and look forward to presenting an outstanding night of racing.” The Houston Ladies Classic will benefit the Houston affiliate of the Susan G. Komen For the Cure®. Since 1982, Komen has led the way in the fight against breast cancer. Sam Houston Race Park will donate $1 for each paid admission on Jan. 24. The Houston Ladies Classic will be the first stakes of the Penn Gaming Racing Challenge. The national program will incorporate over 20 stakes races in 2015 worth over $5.5 million. The stakes will take place at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, Sam Houston Race Park, and Zia Park. The Challenge includes tie-ins between groups of races in the series, as well as bonuses and prizes that include free nominations, refund of entry and starter fees, and trips to the PNGI owned M Resort in Las Vegas.
Providing Multimedia, Advertising, Marketing and Design Services P.O. Box 7261 Ruidoso, NM 88355 575.937.9330 By appointment only 30 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
RACE RECAPS - QH & TB Photo credits: ARIZONA: Turf Paradise: Coady Photography ARKANSAS: Oaklawn Park: Coady Photography CALIFORNIA: Del Mar: © Benoit Photo Golden Gate Fields: Vassar Photography Los Alamitos Race Course: Scott Martinez Santa Anita Race Park: © Benoit Photo COLORADO: Arapahoe Park: Coady Photography FLORIDA: Hialeah Park: Coady Photography IOWA: Prairie Meadows Racetrack: Jack Coady/ Coady Photography LOUISIANA: Delta Downs: Nicole Walker/Coady Photography Evangeline Downs Racetrack: Courtesy of Evangeline Downs Fair Grounds: Hodges Photography Louisiana Downs: Natalie Glyshaw/ Hodges Photography MINNESOTA: Canterbury Park: Coady Photography NEW MEXICO: Ruidoso Downs Race Track: Ty Wyant/ Roberta Harris/Todd Fuqua Sunland Park: Coady Photography SunRay Park: Coady Photography The Downs at Albuquerque: Coady Photography Zia Park: Coady Photography OKLAHOMA: Remington Park: Dustin Orona Photography Will Rogers Downs: Courtesy of Will Rogers Downs OREGON: Portland Meadows: Courtesy of Portland Meadows TEXAS: Lone Star Park: Dustin Orona Photography Retama Park: Courtesy of Retama Park Sam Houston Race Park: Coady Photography WASHINGTON: Emerald Downs: Courtesy of Emerald Downs
Phone Tag
CALIFORNIA
Los Alamitos Race Course, Cypress, CA January 12 Phone Tag dials winning number is Barbra B Handicap
Paul Jones, Phone Tag battled with Double Bar S Ranch’s Jess Bring It for the early lead before sailing past him in the final yards to post a half-length victory. Ed Allred’s China Wall was flying late to dead-heat with Jess Bring It for second place. Phone Tag covered the distance in :27.60 over a sloppy track. “I galloped this horse on Tuesday and he felt great,” Arvizu said. “I’ve ridden him
Owner and breeder Martha Wells had several reasons to look forward to the running of the $20,000 Barbra B Handicap Sunday at Los Alamitos. For starters, Wells had two horses running in the Barbra B with one of them being her longtime favorite sprinter, the 8-year-old Forrest Fire, who was making his 50th career start. She was also excited to watch her Separatist gelding Phone Tag, who was making his second outing at 550 yards after finishing third at that distance in the Paul Ford Handicap on Dec. 12. In the end, Wells found herself in the winner’s circle thanks to the 15-1 longshot Phone Tag. The California-bred ran a perfect race from the outside post number nine to earn his first ever victory at Los Alamitos and his second in 18 career starts. Forrest Fire made her owner proud as well, as he gave it his all while being bumped in the first ever outing at 550 yards. The three-time stakes winner by Walk Thru Fire finished in sixth place. Ridden by Rodolfo Arvizu for trainer SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 31
He Looks Hot
before so I know him. He just felt like he wanted to run. He was so easy to ride tonight. He just kept on going.” Phone Tag earned $11,000 for the win to take his career earnings to $51,761. “He won a futurity in Arizona,” Wells added. “He had not done as well here so Paul suggested that we try him at 870 yards. We gave him a workout (660 yards in :37.10 on November 25) and then we ran him in the Paul Ford at 550. He got a little short in that race, but it helped him a lot. He looked good tonight and Rodolfo gave him a great ride. It was a sweet surprise. We’ll keep running at 550 and at 870 yards. Maybe he’ll be another No Pet Peeves for me.” Wells was referring to her multiple 870-yard stakes winning runner. No Pet Peeves won six stakes races during his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while also starting 69 times and earning $208,197. “I think he can go the distance,” Jones added. “He posted a pretty good time considering the (sloppy) track.” Trained by Chris O’Dell and ridden by Eduardo Nicasio, Jess Bring It earned $3,500, as did the Scott Willoughby-trained China Wall, who was ridden by Carlos Huerta. 32 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
Quirky
Hugos Private Jet ran fourth and Siete Tres was fifth. Forrest Fire, Forgotten Dynasty, Balata Joe Now and Im Corralitos Baby completed the field. “It looked like Forrest Fire came back alright and he looks great,” Wells said. “In the past he has not done well after it has rained on the track. I still love him and I’m looking forward to his 51st start.”
December 21 Allred, Quirky finish 2014 with Grade 1 victory in Southern California Derby
Ed Allred, the all-time leading Quarter Horse owner and breeder, finished the year on a high note, as a pair of his homebred runners provided him with Grade 1 victories on back-to-back at Los Alamitos. Allred won the meet’s richest race, the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity, with He Looks Hot on Sunday, December 14. Fast forward to this Sunday night and Allred was once again picking up a major victory thanks to the talented filly Quirky in the Grade 1, $145,850 Southern California Derby on the meet’s closing night, Sunday, Dec. 21. Ridden by Carlos Huerta for trainer James Glenn Jr.,
Quirky dominated the running of the Southern California Derby, as the daughter of Stel Corona led from start to finish before crossing the wire by 1 ¼ lengths over Hector A. Hernandez’s Tres Pescado. Quirky left the gate from post number 10, but she was closer to the inside rail by the time she had crossed the finish line. “She lugged in hard and I thought that she might disturb someone, but even though she did lug in she didn’t bother any of her rivals,” Glenn said. A few seconds after Glenn made that remark, the Los Alamitos Stewards posted the objection sign against Quirky at the behest of jockey Cody Jensen, who rode the third place finisher Dynasty of Habits from post number eight. After reviewing the race, the stewards decided that there would be no change in the order of finish. “I didn’t bother anyone,” Huerta said. “I was well ahead of the other horses in the race. She took off like a bullet and I just let her get comfortable and allowed her to find her stride. She started going inside so I grabbed the reins with my right hand and tried to get her to go straight. She went inside, but I didn’t bother anyone.” Huerta has enjoyed the best year of his career. He
finished third in the Quarter Horse jockey standings with 80 victories and second in earnings with $1,832,167. He piloted the Scott Willoughbytrained He Looks Hot to victory in the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity. Huerta also rode Abigail Kawananakoa’s Native Tea Rose to victory in the Charger Bar Handicap at the beginning of the year. “It’s been a phenomenal year,” said Huerta, the 2008 recipient of the Val Tonks Award presented to California’s UpAnd-Coming Young Quarter Horse Rider. “Everything went great. Dr. Allred gave me a chance to ride his horses and Scott Willoughby and Jimmy Glenn had confidence in me. I couldn’t have done any of this without my agent, Dennis Christiansen. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have had this great opportunity.” Meanwhile, Quirky could become one of the top older mares in the country in 2015. In her sophomore year, she won the California Breeders Debutante Stakes for sophomore fillies and was second in the La Primera Del Ano Derby. She came into this race after running second to fastest qualifier Another Oatie. “Dr. Allred has thought about retiring her because she’s
RACE RECAPS - QH & TB such a well-bred mare and she is worth a lot of money as a broodmare,” Glenn added. “She’ll be a great mother one day, but she’s now a Grade 1 winner and this was her best race ever. She had a few issues when she was younger, but she’s gotten over those. I think that having the outside post is what made her lug in. I don’t think she would have done that if she had been in post number nine. She usually breaks slow and runs down horses, but tonight she broke in front and was all by herself right away.” Glenn came into the Southern California feeling good about Quirky’s chances to win. “This is the best she’s ever been, period. I really felt confident going into the race,” he said. “This has not been my best year. I’ve qualified a few to some stakes race, but this is not the year that I wanted. It’s nice to end it with a Grade 1 victory. Quirky’s groom, Hector Aldana, has done a great job with this filly. He camps underneath her and does a great job taking care of her. She’s a finicky filly. She has trouble keeping weight, but we trick her into eating more. We only give her a little bit of grain at first and that gets her eating going. We baby her a lot, but she’s a talented runner.” Now a winner of three of 10 starts, Quirky earned $61,257 for winning the Southern California Derby. She’s earned $185,643 in her career. Ridden by Cruz Mendez and trained by Jose Flores, Tres Pescado was ninth at the start, but quickly recovered to run second throughout. The Tres Seis gelding ran nicely in his stakes debut, collecting $24,794 for being the runner-up. He has hit the board in eight of 11 career starts. Vessels Stallion Farm LLC’s Dynasty of Habits was making her fifth derby appearance of the year. She earned $17,502 for running third for trainer Cody Joiner. She had previously run third in the PCQHRA Breeders Derby. Jiffy James, All Guns Firing, Another Oatie, Caracortada, Zigfield Follies, La Dejona, and William Teller completed the field.
December 20 Wagon Tales enjoys victorious Los Alamitos debut
Michael and Donalda Pohl’s Wagon Tales enjoyed a successful Los Alamitos racing debut, as the Oklahoma-bred colt
by PYC Paint Your Wagon posted a neck victory over Jens List Memorial Stakes winner Conquer All in the $25,000 A Ransom Handicap on Saturday night. Wagon Tales was making his first start at the Orange County oval and his third outing of 2014. Bred by The Mixer Ranch, he had previously competed in a trial to the Dash For Cash Derby at Lone Star Park and was second to 2013 All American Futurity winner Handsome Jack Flash in a trial to the All American Derby. Wagon Tales is no stranger to the All American. The bay colt posted the overall fastest qualifying time from two days of trials (:21.021) in 2013. His clocking was the fastest from more than 250 times recorded in the trials. Third in the All American Futurity, Wagon Tales showed his tremendous class in the A Ransom. He was second at the start in this field of nine, but then flew in the second half of the race to post a comfortable victory. Ridden by Ramon Sanchez for trainer Paul Jones, Wagon Tales was picking up his fourth win in nine starts. “He tried to lug out,” Sanchez said. “I had to correct him, but once I straightened him out he was too much horse for this field. I just hope he continues to run at this level.” Wagon Tales covered the 350 yards in :17.419. He earned $13,750 for the effort to take his career bankroll over the $400,000 mark. He’s now made $400,531. “He’s been at Los Alamitos for about three months,” said Roque Gonzalez, the barn’s assistant trainer. “He’s a very professional horse.” In addition to running third in the $2.6 million All American Futurity, Wagon Tales also finished third in the $1 million Heritage Place Futurity. He won the $100,000 Remington Park Juvenile Stakes. Wagon Tales’ dam is Signs Zoomer, a daughter of Shazoom out of the Vital Sign mare Stylish Sign. Signs Zoomer won or placed in three of eight and was fourth in the 2008 Oklahoma Horsemen’s Association Futurity (RG2). PYC Paint Your was a three-time Grade 1 winner who earned $889,581. His stakes wins include the Grade 1 Texas Classic Futurity. Alberto Duenas and Raul Moreno’s Conquer All earned $5,625 for the finishing second. Mr Its Country Time, a three time stakes winner here this season, was third. Remarkablesapoweer, Mr Corona Cartel, Senor Gold Solo, Dare To Flair, One Slick SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 33
Cartel, and Unchangeable completed the field.
FLORIDA
Hialeah Park, Hialeah, FL January 11, 2015 Longshots The Ocean King & Oh My Gol Sis post stakes victories The Ocean King tallies in Signature Stakes at 14-1 under Shanley Jackson, Oh My Gol Sis wins Speedball Stakes at 10-1 under Oscar Delgado and sets track mark A pair of double-digit outsiders posted stakes wins over a sloppy racing surface Sunday afternoon at Hialeah Park, with 14-1 longshot The Ocean King proving best in the $27,500 Signature Stakes at 350 yards and 10-1 upsetter Oh My Gol Sis prevailing in the $22,625 Speedball Stakes at 110 yards. The win for Oh My Gol Sis, a sevenyear-old gelding who tallied for the 4th time at Hialeah Park and 7th time overall, was accomplished in track record time of 6.893 seconds for 110 yards. That clocking shaved .197 of a second off the mark set by Speedball Stakes eighth-place finisher Maxanita Silver Chip just 8 days ago. The $23.80 winner outran eventual runner-up Scream N Eagle in the late stages of the race to score by one-half length. Another two heads separated third and fourth-place finishers Jess A Corona and Sweet N Salty. Oh My Gol’s victory gave trainer Elio Vazquez not only his initial career stakes win, but his first-ever training triumph. The young conditioner saddled Oh My Gol Sis, ridden by Oscar Delgado, for owner Elio Ruiz Vazquez. The gelding earned $13,575 for his connections and increased his lifetime earnings to $69,722. In the Signature Stakes, The Ocean King wore down 3-5 post time favorite Paint Candy Flying in the final yards to win by a neck in a time of 17.679 for 350 yards. Dreamnwideopen finished one-half length behind the runner-up in third place, a neck ahead of fourth-place finisher Jump Street 34 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
The Ocean King
Oh My Gol Sis
Blues. The Ocean King, a four-year-old colt, rewarded his backers at the mutuel windows with a $30.80 return, scoring under the veteran Shanley Jackson for trainer Matt Frazier, who saddled the winner for the Ocean King Syndicate. The Ocean King, registering his third lifetime victory, earned $16,500 and upped his lifetime earnings to $41,000.
LOUISIANA
Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans, LA January 12 Albano kicks off campaign in Louisiana Stakes
Brereton C. Jones’ Albano will look to kick off what could be a breakthrough year for the son of Istan when he heads a six-horse field for the 69th running of the 1 1/16-mile Listed $75,000 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course. Trained by Larry Jones, the bay 4-year-old exits a sophomore season that saw him win the Grade 3 $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, finish second to subsequent Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern in the Grade 1
RACE RECAPS - QH & TB $1,000,000 Haskell Invitational and place in three other graded stakes. Since returning to training, the Kentucky-bred has worked phenomenally, including five bullet works in his last seven moves – highlighted by a five-furlong breeze in :59.60 on Jan. 6. Kerwin Clark rides from post five. The late Jim Tafel’s 5-yearold Louisiana defending champion Fordubai has also served notice in the mornings that he may be a force with which to reckon on Jan. 17. A notoriously slow workhorse, the son of E Dubai shot out an uncharacteristic bullet on Jan. 4 for trainer Greg Geier – working a halfmile in a :47.80. Very consistent throughout his career, the five-time winner and two-time stakes victor is exiting a game third in the $50,000 Tenacious Stakes on Dec. 21 and will team up with Robby Albarado from post two. Multiple graded stakeswinning stalwarts Nates Mineshaft and Grand Contender will try to put their youthful rivals in their proverbial places when they line up in the Louisiana for their respective connections. Windy Hill Farms’ Anne Smith-trained 8-year-old Nates Mineshaft – third last out in the $60,000 Thanksgiving Handicap at six furlongs – owns the 1 1/8mile Fair Grounds track record, as well as three graded stakes victories. The Louisiana will be his first attempt at a two-turn dirt race on a standard oval since he was third in the Grade 1 $400,000 Stephen Foster Handicap in 2012 – finishing three-quarters of a length behind Wise Dan. Brian Hernandez, Jr. rides the son of Mineshaft from the rail. Maggi Moss’ Tom Amoss-trained 7-year-old Grand Contender exits an easy wire-to-wire victory in the off-the-turf and sloppy $50,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial on Dec. 19 and will try to improve
Florent Geroux from post ten. Haynes Stables et al’s Every Way drew widest of all in the field of 11 and will be making her first start since a lackluster try on the Del Mar Polytrack last Evangeline Downs, Opelousas, LA August. Prior to that effort, the City Zip mare was fifth, beaten December 20 just three lengths in the Grade 2 John C. Mabee on the Del Mar turf. A Grade 3-placed runner trained by Mike Stidham, Every Way will be paired with Robby Albarado. Stidham also saddles stakes newcomer Notte d’Oro for Twin Creeks Racing Stable. The 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly has won both of her lifetime starts on the Stall-Wilson turf course and closed willingly to win a second-level allowance Zoomin Baby wins $214,650 Evangeline optional claiming event here Downs Futurity on December 18 under James Purse $214,650; 400 Yards :19.54 Graham, who has the return call Craig Lauger, Owner; Michael Taylor, Trainer; John HamSaturday from post five. ilton, Jockey The Krantz field is completQuite Riot (2nd); Jess Cutnuo Quick (3rd) ed by: Hung the Moon (Miguel Mena, post one), Malibu Yankee upon his runner-up finish last October 2013 and has earned (Brian Hernandez, Jr., post two), year in the Louisiana. James nearly $700,000 in a 13-race Synapse (Marcelino Pedroza, Graham rides the five-time career that also includes two post three), Midnight Sweetie stakes winner from the outside other graded stakes victories. (Jose Riquelme, post four), post six. The daughter of Kitten’s Joy will Interest Free (Jamie Theriot, Hard Aces (Jose Riquelme, take on 10 other rivals, includpost six), Maid On a Mission post three) and Paddy’s Notes ing defending champion Eden (Abel Lezcano, post seven) and (Marcelino Pedroza, post four) Samiam (Kerwin Clark, post Prairie in an exciting renewal make up the remainder of the eight). that goes as one of five stakes Louisiana field. on Saturday’s Road to the Derby Kickoff Day card preTop Decile vs. West Grade 1 winner Kitten’s sented by Hotel Monteleone. Coast Belle in stellar Dumplings returns in Trained by Mike Maker, Kitten’s Silverbulletday Stakes Dumplings will break from post Krantz The 23rd running of the nine under Mike Smith. The 20th running of the Listed $125,000 Silverbulletday Lothenbach Stables’ mul$60,000 Marie G. Krantz MemoStakes at one mile and 70 yards tiple stakes winner Eden Prairie at Fair Grounds Race Course rial – at 1 1/16 miles on Fair returns to defend her title in Grounds Race Course’s Stallhas produced arguably the the Krantz Memorial. Now Wilson turf course – has been most impressive field in recent five, Eden Prairie returned to chosen as the re-unveiling of memory with its nine entrants. a Fair Grounds turf course she Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Led by Grade 1 $2,000,000 relished last out when proving Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filhighly regarded homebred an easy front-end winner of the lies runner-up Top Decile and Kitten’s Dumplings. A Grade 1 winner who has been off since $50,000 Blushing K. D. Stakes Grade 2 $200,000 Golden Rod a ninth-place finish in the Grade on Dec. 18. Trained by Neil Stakes winner West Coast Belle, Pessin, the versatile daughter 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare the field’s depth is further of Mizzen Mast has won four of deepened by a regally bred Turf in 2013, Kitten’s Dumpher six starts on the local grass full sister to last year’s winner lings won the Grade 1 Queen and will team again with jockey in Forever Unbridled, last-out Elizabeth II Challenge Cup in SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 35
stakes winners Zooming and Money’soncharlotte and a double-barreled assault from the red-hot barn of Larry Jones, who has won the race twice in the last six years. Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Top Decile enters the Silverbulletday arguably one length from being crowned a champion. A winner on debut at Saratoga in August, the Kentucky-bred charge was second by a half-length in the Grade 1 $400,000 Alcibiades Stakes after a horrid break one race prior to losing the Breeders’ Cup by the same margin after a wide trip. Regarded highly enough to attract the riding services of Mike Smith after regular jockey Rosie Napravnik’s retirement, the chestnut daughter of Congrats has been aimed toward the Silverbulletday since returning from a brief freshening for conditioner Al Stall, Jr. A social and endearingly pampered attention lush around the barn, the charismatic filly will hope to smile for the camera after she and Smith break from post nine in their first step toward the Grade 1 $1,000,000 Kentucky Oaks. Gary and Mary West’s steel gray charge West Coast Belle is the latest in an honor roll of talented fillies trained by two-time Breeders’ Cup-winning conditioner and New Orleans native Wayne Catalano. A homebred whose immense determination belies her miniscule stature, this daughter of reigning champion sire Tapit is undefeated in three starts – winning a maiden at Monmouth Park and the $58,000 Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs prior to the aforementioned Golden Rod at that same venue. A mid-pack closer who exhibits the gameness of her Kentucky Oaks-winning great granddam Dispute, West Coast Belle gets the return services of Golden Rod pilot Shaun Bridgmohan, who will attempt to give the 36 SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1
connections of this silver bullet a day to remember when they break in tandem from post two. Carl R. Moore Management’s Zooming, a three-time winner and conqueror of the $100,000 Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park on Dec. 14 at a two-turn mile, enters the Silverbulletday on the upswing for trainer Bret Calhoun. A daughter of After Market who has shown excellent tactical speed for her connections, she will have to step up to prove victorious, but did show a liking for the local surface with a bullet four-furlong work on Jan. 9 in :48.60. Miguel Mena rides from post six. The Florida-based winter barn of 2011 Louisiana Derbywinning conditioner Kelly Breen will ship in George and Lori Hall’s $75,000 Hut Hut Stakes winner Money’soncharlotte. A daughter of Mizzen Mast and full-sister to four-time stakes winner Mizzcan’tbewrong, she waltzed wire-to-wire on Nov. 29 at the Hut Hut’s two-turn mile distance at Gulfstream Park West. The winner of two of three career starts will break from post four under Robby Albarado. Charles Fipke’s homebred Forever Unbridled – a full-sister to 2014 Silverbulletday winner Unbridled Forever – enters off a professional course and distance maiden win on Dec. 12 for conditioner Dallas Stewart, who also trained her aforestated sister and Kentucky Oaks-winning dam, Lemons Forever. The daughter of the late Unbridled’s Song displayed her fitness on Jan. 11 with an eye-opening best of 114 bullet four-furlong work in :48.80. Brian Hernandez, Jr. has the return call from post five. Trainer Larry Jones has two shots in his Silverbulletday holster in the form of Fletcher and Carolyn Gray’s I’m a Chatterbox and Tommy Ligon and Michael Pressley’s Divine Dawn.
NEW MEXICO
January 11
Sunland Park, NM
Miss E Bar squeezes past Tea Light to take the $85,000 La Senora Stakes
6 Furlongs 1:10.50 Donnell Echols, Owner; Joel H. Marr, Trainer; Ken S. Tohill, Jockey Tea Light (2nd); Muy Rapido (3rd) While I’m a Chatterbox was a fading fourth in the Golden Rod, she has trained admirably since moving to the Jones barn from that of Kenny McPeek. The daughter of Munnings will make the walk to the paddock with the undefeated two-for-two Divine Dawn. A dark gray with a potent turn of foot and admirable versatility, the Kentuckybred has been well-fancied by her trainer since she was a yearling at Airdrie Stud. On Oct. 17, the daughter of Divine Park won at first asking at Keeneland at six furlongs on the dirt. Two months later, she awed many with a facile victory at 7½ grassy furlongs in her two-turn debut at the Fair Grounds. Florent Geroux will ride I’m a Chatterbox from the rail, while Kerwin Clark has the call on Divine Dawn from post three. The remainder of the Sil-
verbulletday field is comprised of Queen’s Ready (Sal Gonzalez, Jr., post seven) and Slava (Alexander Reznikov, post eight).
January 10 Good Deed goes unpunished in Pan Zareta procession
Richard and Bertram Klein’s Good Deed exuded absolute class throughout the 50th running of the $60,000 Pan Zareta Stakes, making all the running en route to an easy victory. In the process, she proved to the appreciative ontrack Fair Grounds Race Course crowd that bet her down to 1-5 that she truly was not fully cranked when setting a track record over the same turf and 5½-furlong distance on Dec. 14. Under a confident Brian Hernandez, Jr., the daughter of
RACE RECAPS - QH & TB ARKANSAS
Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, AR January 15
Ride On Curlin Returns a Winner at Oaklawn
Purse $61,000; 6 Furlongs 1:10.40 Daniel J. Dougherty, Owner; William G. Gowan, Trainer; Jon Court, Jockey Ali’s Birthday (2nd); Steelman Run (3rd)
Promise Me Silver wins 37th running of Dixie Bell to stay perfect
Purse $100,000; 6 Furlongs 1:11.45 Myrna & Robert Luttrell, Owner; W. Bret Calhoun, Trainer; Cliff Berry, Jockey Sarah Sis (2nd); Super Saks (3rd)
Broken Vow went to the front immediately, was in complete control throughout and easily dismissed Dream Walkin Farms’ defending champion Seeking Ms Shelley by 2½ lengths for trainer Steve Margolis. Good Deed won the fifth stakes race of her career and third at the New Orleans oval in what was the ninth victory in 16 lifetime races. Breaking from the three-hole in the field of five, the 6-year-old bay set fractions of :22.06, :45.30, :56.78 en route to a final time of 1:02.88 – .57 off her own course mark. The Klein homebred paid $2.40, $2.10 and $2.10, earning $36,000 to increase her career bankroll to $362,803. The victory made her two-for-two with Hernandez and avenged a runner-up loss in the same race last year to the aforementioned Joe Duhon trainee. “It was perfect,” Hernandez said. “The biggest thing was to make sure we leave there good. Anytime you ride these 1-9 shots in stakes like that, you have to be careful. I went to Florida a couple years ago and rode (2012 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner) Fort Larned in his first race back and he stumbled out of the gate. That’s the only thing I was thinking about going to the gate (today) – just make sure she breaks cleanly – and she did and she showed the type of filly she is.” Margolis was visibly proud of his charge. “She was two-fifths off her last race and the rail is out 15 feet today,” he said. “She’s just a class horse. She’s really stayed healthy and we’re very pleased with her. She’s very talented like her half-brothers Due Date and Country Day and it’s a special family for Richard and his father and the family. There’s (the $75,000 Ladies Turf Sprint) at Gulfstream in February we’ll look at, now. Then we’ll go to Keeneland and Churchill with her.”
Seeking Ms Shelley, a 9-year-old mare, made the 28th and final start of a career that saw her win 13 races – including three stakes. Dismissed at nearly 23-1, she made an eye-opening move at the five-sixteenths-pole en route to reaching the flank of Good Deed in early stretch. Racing gamely in defeat under Robby Albarado – under whom she won the $60,000 Spring Fever Stakes at Oaklawn Park in 2013 – she finished 4¼ lengths ahead of Joseph Novogratz’s Hugh Robertson-trained Stoupinator in third. “It was a great trip and she ran good,” Albarado said. “I thought I had a shot but (Good Deed) is a really nice filly who is so fast with that high cruising speed that keeps going. Take nothing away from Seeking Ms Shelley – she’s a great filly. You love to see a 9-year-old run as hard as she did. That was fast – I’ve been around here a long time and I’ve never gone in 1:02.” Duhon reflected on his star mare’s career. “She’s been so good,” he said. “She’s nine years old and she’s going to breeding shed this week to be bred to Malibu Moon. She gives 150 percent every time she runs. She was 22-1 today and has never been odds that high with me. She ran a big race. No one went out with (Good Deed) and that’s what hurt her. Robby told me ‘you don’t know what that feels like when she moves like a jet like that’. I thought she might get there and she didn’t quit trying. I can’t even give you the words to tell you what kind of filly she is.” The daughter of Cactus Ridge paid $7.80 and $3.40, while Stoupinator – under Francisco Torres – paid $3 to show. One Time Only and Angie’s Prim Lady completed the order of finish. Starship Duchess was scratched. SureBet RacingNews.com • January 2015 • Vol. 9 No. 1 37