Maryland on the Move SPECIAL
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MAY 21, 2016 SPECIAL .COM Maryland on the Move By Ray Paulick Not that long ago, renovations at Maryland Jockey Club race- seating for both live and simulcasting have been added. But, as tracks involved little more than a fresh coat of paint and some the Breeders’ Cup likes to say, the best is yet to come. newly planted flowers. That’s not the case any more. Second-floor enhancements will include suites and box seats. The once-moribund racing circuit is flexing its muscles today The saddling paddock will be moved to the front of the grand- and the optimism and excitement about the future, in the stand, where it will be visible to passengers on commuter words of longtime Maryland horse industry stalwart Robert trains that will be stopping at a new station, adjacent to a Manfuso, are “immeasurable.” parking structure and linked to the racetrack entrance. There is no question Frank Stronach and his management team A condominium development is also on the drawing board, are focusing on Laurel Park, spending tens of millions of dollars along with shops and restaurants that are part of Frank over multiple phases of capital improvements, even putting seri- Stronach’s vision to recreate what now exists at Gulf- ous thought into one day bidding to host a Breeders’ Cup. They’ve stream Park. This is a multi-phase plan whose goal made some necessary improvements to Pimlico, but it’s akin to is to make Laurel Park a major player on the national putting lipstick on a pig. Old Hilltop is … well … old, and you would racing scene. need to start with a wrecking ball to transform it into a facility people would want to attend more than once or twice a year. Continued on Page 5 But Laurel is a different story. It has the foundation and infra- structure from which to add significant capital improvements, as Maryland Jockey Club president and general manager Sal Sinatra pointed out to reporters last year when discussing the very real possibility that the Preakness could move to Laurel in the not-too-distant future. That kind of talk leaves Baltimore city officials aghast, and the Maryland Stadium Authority has been commissioned to con- duct a two-part study: first, to examine the economic impact of the Preakness and what it would take to rebuild Pimlico, and then to identify potential development options. Until the study is done, the focus will remain on modernizing Laurel. Represented by first-crop 3yo To date, the capital improvements are impressive, both in the stable area’s new barns and in the grandstand’s first floor, where new dining areas, better food options and more comfortable CHERRY WINE ASK RAY in the $1.5 million QUESTION: Why haven’t you reported on all the Preakness S. (G1) glaucine positives in Maryland? ANSWER: Most racing commissions (including Maryland’s) won’t discuss possible medication viola- tions until split samples have been returned to confirm the original finding. In these cases, there is a strong suspicion the glaucine is a contaminant in wood shavings from tulip poplar trees. 163765-PaddyOPrado-CvrBanner-PRS.indd 1 5/18/16 5:29 PM Page 2 Stallion Spotlight Empire State Sires By Frank Mitchell In light of the exceptional purse money being offered for race- largely unproven sires like champion Hansen, Belmont Stakes horses and breeders through the New York Thoroughbred winner Union Rags, Preakness Stakes winner Shackleford, Sid- Breeding and Development Fund, there is no surprise that New ney’s Candy, Stay Thirsty, and Algorithms. York-breds are in high demand. There are, however, a few mod- erate surprises with regard to the availability of New York-bred That proportion results from the current breed-back rule that stock at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale to be held at Timonium allows a mare to foal a New York-bred, then become a resident on May 23-24. mare if she stays a specific time, or if she stays all year, to go outside New York to be covered. First of all, just a hair more than one- sixth of the whole catalog is New My esteemed colleague Robert D. Fierro, York-bred. That’s about two and a who was instrumental in the formation of half times the number of Maryland- the legislation that set the rules for New bred juveniles available at the sale be- York breeding and registration, said that ing held in Maryland. A few moments’ “the previous breed-back rule caused an thought about the purse structures economic crisis because there was no of the different jurisdictions make incentive to keep your mare in New York that understandable enough. Breed- longer than was required to have her foal ers, owners, and trainers follow the and be covered again. Then she could money. It’s that simple. just leave. Ironically, the people who stood quality stallions came together to change Secondly, however, among the New the breed-back rule to encourage better York-bred 2-year-olds offered for sale mares to stay in-state and encourage bet- at the Midlantic auction, there is a se- Freud ter stallions.” lection of yearlings by a much wider sample of sires than some state-bred programs allow. There are young athletes by Freud The legislation also increased the payout to breeders if breed- and Frost Giant, leaders among the Empire State’s set of home ers used a New York-based stallion to give them a further ben- stallions. efit for fully participating in-state. The number of New York-bred juveniles in training by New York- The result has encouraged useful in-state stallions like Freud (by based sires, however, is virtually identical to the New York-breds Storm Cat), who is represented by four juveniles at Timonium, by stallions standing elsewhere, although mostly in Kentucky. including Hip 39, a bay filly out of the stakes-placed mare Leaves of Autumn. And the rule also has allowed breeders to send And these are not just any Kentucky stallions, either. There mares out to superstar sires like Smart Strike (Mr. Prospec- are New York-bred 2-year-olds by Pioneerof the Nile, Giant’s tor), who has five hips cataloged, including Hip 427, a chestnut Causeway, Smart Strike, Tapit, Congrats, Super Saver, More colt out of stakes winner C C’s Pal, a multiple G2 stakes winner Than Ready, and Lookin at Lucky, as well as by well-regarded but of $799,420. PRS BorntoRun. Experience. Performance. Reliability. And, above all, commitment. These are the qualities that distance champions from the rest. The same qualities you’ll find with John Deere. We’re proud to support the equine industry, the land, and your success. For more details on our equine program discounts* call 866.678.4289. To experience our commitment, visit your John Deere dealership – and learn why Nothing Runs Like a Deere. A percentage of each sale is returned to Thoroughbred Racing. *Somerestrictionsapply.Thisofferisavailabletoqualifiedequineassociationsmembersin theU.S.andCanadaandissubjecttochangewithoutnotice.Couponsavingsoffernottobe usedwithfull-timeequinediscountprogram.JohnDeere’sgreenandyellowcolorscheme, theleapingdeersymbolandJOHNDEEREaretrademarksofDeere&Company. JohnDeere.com 16-500-192 JD Born to Run Ad_7.5x2.5_PR.indd 1 5/11/16 1:56 PM Page 3 Honor Roll Kaigun A Surprise Package For Casse By Scott Jagow earnings above $1.4 million. “It’s frustrating to listen to the handicappers say he’s a bridesmaid,” said Casse. “He may be a little short in the win department but there aren’t too many horses that show up and run hard every time like he does.” In his most recent start, the G1 Man o’ War Stakes May 14, Kaigun had an off day, finishing sixth although beaten only three lengths. Casse said the 6-year-old likes to run so he probably won’t get too much of a break before returning to competition. While 29 of Kaigun’s starts have come on the turf, his trainer calls him a versatile horse that can run well on dirt, too. 2010 Chestnut Gelding, Northern Afleet—Cruis- “It’s a little hard to run him on the dirt when he’s run- ing Kris, by Kris S. Consigned by Richard Moylan, ning so well on the grass,” Casse said. “I’m waiting for agt., to the 2011 Canadian-Bred Yearling Sale, the day he’s in on the grass and it comes off.” PRS purchased by Lucky Strike for $37,359. Consigned by Casse Sales to the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale, $34,000 RNA. The Casse team had every intention of selling Kaigun at the 2012 F-T Midlantic Sale, but the buyers didn’t oblige. Too bad for them. “In the last seven, eight years, I’ve tried to pinhook about 15 horses and was probably successful three or four times,” said trainer Mark Casse. “The ones that we wound up being stuck with ended up being re- ally good horses.” FEATURED YEARLING Kaigun turned out to be one of those blessings in dis- SESSION guise. The Ontario-bred didn’t start as a juvenile due to a knee issue but when he did make it to the races the following year, Casse realized the $34,000 buy- back might produce a huge return on investment. He convinced owner Gary Barber to come in with him. “We’re sellers, but I thought if Gary bought part of MIXED SALE – HORSES OF ALL AGES him, we’d get to keep him and train him. It’d be good for everybody. Gary bought half of him and the rest is OCTOBER 9, 2016 history.” Reasonable Rates Serving the Equine Kaigun was a bad actor in his early starts, dumping Great Facility Industry for 38 Years! his rider one time on the way to being scratched, but after the colt was gelded, he turned into a focused and Entry Deadline Aug.