Walsh, Morse Celebrate Big Spring Wins

Walsh joins D. Wayne Lukas (Secret Oath, 2022), Brad Cox (Shedaresthedevil, 2020), Tom Amoss (Serengeti Empress, 2019) and Cox (Monomoy Girl, 2018) as Churchill-based trainers to win the world’s greatest dirt race for 3-year-old fillies in recent years.

Pretty Mischievous reflects impeccable bloodlines, being sired by Spendthrift Farm’s Into Mischief and out of the Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer, herself a Grade 1 winner who sold in foal to Medaglia d’Oro for $3.5 million in 2018.

“You grow up and you dream about stuff like this, to win a Grade 1, especially an Oaks at Churchill Downs,” said Walsh, who began training in 2012. “It’s a long way from Cork in Ireland. But it’s indescribable. It is just exactly what you dream about. But it’s what we’re here for, and it’s why these guys breed these good horses and everybody works so hard. So, you know, it is really supposed to happen when you’ve got horses as good as these.”

The 3-year-old filly division was so deep this spring you could have had a heck of a race just with the horses that didn’t get in the Kentucky Oaks. In fact, that pretty much happened when Taxed and the Amoss-trained Hoosier Philly ran 1-2 in Pimlico’s Black-Eyed Susan the day before the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. Both fillies were also-eligibles who didn’t draw into the Oaks.

Morse didn’t dwell on Taxed—who finished second in Oaklawn Park’s Grade 2 Fantasy behind Kentucky Oaks favorite Wet Paint—not having the opportunity to run on the first Friday in May.

Horse racing is built on dreams, and a couple came true for Kentuckybased trainers Brendan Walsh with Pretty Mischievous in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and Randy Morse with Taxed two weeks later in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

A Churchill Downs-based trainer won the $1.25 million Oaks for the fifth

“That was pretty special,” he said after the Black-Eyed Susan, which 11-1 shot Taxed won by 3 3/4 lengths over the front-running Hoosier Philly. “I tell you, I’ve been kind of dreaming that she might run that way.”

The Black-Eyed Susan wasn’t the biggest stakes won by Morse, who captured the Grade 1 Stephen Foster in 2014 with Moonshine Mullin. That also was Morse’s most recent graded stakes victory, with the game changing dramatically in the nine intervening years.

Morse rarely gets the equine equivalent of 4- and 5-star recruits. His stable roster is built on the lines of recruiting from the junior college ranks or finding players who fall between the cracks in the transfer portal.

“Absolutely, it’s hard to compete with these guys who go in and spend millions of dollars on young horses,” he said. “I’m not knocking them; I’d like to be in their position. Most of my better horses have been claimed.” time in six years as Godolphin’s Pretty Mischievous held off Gambling Girl by a neck. The victory under Churchill’s nine-time leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione was the fifth in a Grade 1 for Walsh, four coming with Godolphin-owned horses. That includes Walsh’s first Grade 1 in the 2021 Clark Handicap with Maxfield.

The Oaks was the highest profile victory in Walsh’s burgeoning career. “It’s unbelievable,” the Irish-born Walsh said. “Obviously, I have had a very close association with them my whole life. I did nine winters in Dubai. I worked for them in Al Quoz as a rider. You know, when you’re there and you’re doing that, it was like working for a team and getting on all stars. ... And it’s just a great opportunity for me to be able to work with horses of this caliber.”

For instance, Morse claimed Moonshine Mullin for $40,000 and later won five straight races with him, capped by Churchill Downs’ Grade 2 Alysheba and the Foster. Morluc, a $50,000 claim in 1999, twice took Morse to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Sprint, where he lost twice by a head, as well as to less successful overseas ventures in Dubai and Royal Ascot. Morluc had 10 wins and nine seconds (seven of those by a halflength or less) for Morse.

Morse claimed Taxed out of a $50,000 maiden-claiming race last fall for owner Richard Bahde.

“She’s a real nice-looking filly, and I’d seen her train,” Morse said. “Just one of those deals where we got lucky, got her in a shake.”

When Taxed faded to ninth behind Wet Paint in Oaklawn’s Grade 3 Honeybee, Morse took off the blinkers she raced in when claimed. Off that equipment change, Taxed finished second in the Fantasy followed by her BlackEyed Susan tour de force.

“She was just always pulling, too rank,” Morse said. “Because every time she ran, she looked like she was going to win and she just didn’t have any finish. As you see now that she’s relaxing behind horses and settling. It’s made a huge difference.”

Morse was the third straight Churchill-based trainer to win the Black-Eyed Susan, following Cox (Interstatedaydream) and Mike Maker (Army Wife).

The HBPA Is You

The HBPA, established in 1940, is an organization of owners and trainers, approximately 40,000 nationally in 23 states and Canada and more than 6,000 in Kentucky. The association is governed by a board of directors consisting of owners and trainers volunteering their time and elected by the membership every three years. The HBPA is committed to working for the betterment of racing on all levels. The HBPA represents owners and trainers on several fronts:

• The HBPA negotiates with each racetrack regarding purse structure, equitable share of simulcast revenues, overall track safety, sanitation and security.

• The HBPA provides benevolence to horsemen in need, education and recreation programs to the backstretch and various insurance packages that include—free of charge to members—fire and disaster insurance. Visit one of the fully staffed HBPA offices at the currently running racetrack in Kentucky for details.

• The HBPA works in conjunction with the chaplaincy program and the Kentucky Racing Health and Welfare Fund to provide support and benefits for horsemen.

• The HBPA supports scientific research and marketing initiatives on a regional and national level to help promote interest in Thoroughbred racing.

• The HBPA is at the forefront in litigation and legislation on issues involving horsemen’s rights with regards to interstate simulcasting, proprietary rights, casino gambling, therapeutic medication, sports betting and many other areas of concern to horsemen.

How Can I Join?

You are invited to drop into the HBPA office to meet the staff and learn more about current projects and how you can get involved in helping to improve the industry. There are no membership fees. Remember that this is your organization. Become an active participant and one of the “horsemen helping horsemen.” To join, all you need to do is fill out our membership card and fax, mail or email it back to us. For more information, please visit our website at kyhbpa.org and click on “Become a Member.”

LOUISIANA HBPA Evangeline Downs

Racing Employees Assistance Program (REAP) is an organization that supports the good work of our Chaplain Dwight Brown and provides financial assistance to horsemen in need.

Taxed provided Bahde with his first graded stakes winner.

“I started out in the bull rings in Nebraska with $5,000 claimers and then I met this man,” he said of Morse, “and he took me to a whole different level. We have had a lot of fun together.”

— Jennie Rees

REAP held its annual fundraiser June 3 in Mojo’s at Evangeline Downs. We would like to thank everyone who supports the event each year. The 2023 Thoroughbred meet at Evangeline Downs began April 7 and ends August 12. The D.S. Shine Young Futurity, with divisions for fillies and colts and geldings, will be conducted the weekend of July 7-8. For additional information, contact the Evangeline Downs racing office at (866) 349-0687.

Delta Downs

The 2023 Quarter Horse meet at Delta Downs began April 28 and ends July 15, featuring the $200,000-added Lee Berwick Futurity for 2-year-olds on closing day. The trials for the Lee Berwick, which last year offered a purse of more than $800,000,were to be run June 23-24.

The 2023 Fair Grounds Quarter Horse meeting is scheduled to run at Delta Downs beginning July 27 and concluding September 2. The meet will feature the Sales Futurity September 2 with trials held August 11-12.

For additional information, contact the Delta Downs racing office at (888) 589-7223.

Louisiana Downs

The Backside Benevolence Fund (BBF) will hold its annual Chaplain’s Banquet later in the summer along with the annual golf tournament. Items will be available for live and silent auction at the banquet. The proceeds will help the BBF continue to support the Louisiana Downs Chaplaincy, Thrift Store and backside workers. If you would like to help the BBF, please contact Chaplain Jimmy Sistrunk at (318) 560-7466.

The 2023 Louisiana Downs Thoroughbred meet began May 6 and concludes September 12. Louisiana Downs will host Louisiana Cup Day featuring $450,000 in purses for Louisiana-breds August 5. The meet highlight will be the return of the Louisiana Downs Super Derby with a purse of $200,000 guaranteed. For additional information, contact the Louisiana Downs racing office at (318) 741-2519.

MINNESOTA HBPA Canterbury Park Meet Underway

Canterbury Park opened Memorial Day weekend with great expectations for the meet and for the long-term future.

Chris Merz left his post as director of racing at Santa Anita Park to take the same position at Canterbury, where he has done an excellent job. There will be 54 race days with daily average purse money set at a minimum of $200,000. In addition, beautiful new dorms have been built, and a state-of-the-art lighting system has been installed.

The Minnesota legislative session ended with mostly positive results. The state has agreed to increase funding to the Minnesota Racing Commission so it can absorb the HISA fee. Likewise, racing interests were able to kill a sports betting bill that would have been harmful to the sport. Sports betting legislation most likely will be back on the table for the next session, and there is cautious optimism that racing will have a better seat at the sports betting table.

A big winner at the capitol was Abijah’s on the Backside, an organization based at Canterbury Park that uses retired racehorses to conduct equine-based psychotherapy. Abijah’s on the Backside will receive $250,000 for each of the next two years as it attends to first responders, many suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.

The major development at Canterbury Park also continues. Approximately 40 acres of land adjacent to the barn area was sold and will become the home of a 19,000-seat amphitheater that will host A-list entertainers. This will be the only such venue in the Twin Cities metro area, and it will anchor a new entertainment district. The district will include a horse-themed walkway adjacent to a special paddock featuring horses used in Abijah’s on the Backside’s program.

The stable area is also part of the Canterbury development project as it will have four new barns built at the end of this year’s meet. These barns will be adjacent to both the main track and the new training track. Future plans include additional new dorms.

Nebraska Hbpa

Election Ballots Coming Soon

Election season is currently underway for the Nebraska HBPA board of directors.

Ballots will go out at the end of August and will be opened at the Columbus live meet October 7. Winners will be announced immediately after ballots are counted. Any questions or address changes should be directed to HBPA staff.

Casino construction at both HBPA-owned racetracks will commence in July. The Lincoln casino at the racetrack is currently open, but construction will double the size of the building. The racetrack oval improvements will be completed soon, and the surface will be ready for racing by late summer. Omaha will be under construction for the next year, and the new facility will be open in early fall of 2024.

President Wally Wollesen and the board have created a plan to provide barns on the newly purchased land immediately to the west of the racetrack. Plans include new barns, an RV park, a playground and a golf cart-drivable property. The board hired a consultant specializing in equine properties so a well-thought-out plan could be developed for horsemen. More updates will be provided when available.