ftboa.com • Thursday • May 20, 2021 FEC/FTBOA PUBLICATION FLORIDA’SDAILYRACINGDIGEST FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION or to subscribe, please call Antoinette at 352-732-8858 or email: [email protected] In This Issue: Rombauer Arrives at Belmont Park FTBOA Board of Directors Meeting Florida-bred Filly Tops Second Session of Midlantic Two-Year-Olds in Training Preakness Winner Rombauer Tops NTRA Sophomore Poll NYRA Suspends Bob Baffert MICHAEL QUIRK PHOTO Asmussen Earns Richest Preakness Gambling Deal Weekend Trainer Bonus Malibu Moon Dies Gets Final Approval Florida Stallion Progeny List Thoroughbred Racing Remains ‘Coupled’ Florida Breeders’ List BY NEWS SERVICE FLORIDA _____ ing $2.5 billion over the first five years. Wire to Wire Business Place The tribe would operate sports bet- The Florida House on Wednesday ting and would receive other benefits, gave final approval to a gambling deal including being able to offer craps and Featured Advertisers with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that roulette at its casinos. The compact is would include allowing sports betting in expected to face a legal challenge Florida Department of Agriculture the state. because of the sports betting provision. The House, during the third day of a A portion of the legislation that is of FTBOA special legislative session, voted 97-17 particular interest to thoroughbred to pass the bill. The Senate voted 39-1 enthusiasts in Florida reflects that facil- Journeyman Stud on Tuesday to approve it. ities that offer thoroughbred racing will Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole be required to keep their gaming opera- Ocala Breeders’ Feed & Supply Tribe of Florida announced the 30-year tions coupled to live racing. deal, known as a compact, last month. Thoroughbreds are the only breed that Ocala Stud The deal would lead to the state receiv- remain coupled in Florida. Seminole Feed Back to Top Page 3 Preakness-Winner Rombauer Arrives at Belmont Park BY RYAN MARTIN, NYRA PRESS OFFICE ______________ John and Diane Fradkin’s homebred colt Rombauer, a decisive win- ner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, arrived at Belmont Park on Monday to prepare for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets (Grade 1) slated for June 5. The 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes is the centerpiece of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that runs from June 3-5. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the mile-and-a-half final leg of the Triple Crown. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer garnered a career- best 102 Beyer Speed Figure for his rallying three-and-a-half- length score in the mile-and-three-sixteenths Preakness, second jewel of the Triple Crown. The Twirling Candy bay, who is based at Santa Anita Park, arrived at Belmont at around 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning and will be sta- bled with trainer Jonathan Thomas. Accompanying the Preakness champ on the van ride from Maryland was groom Leonel Orantes Aguilar, who reported that the horse shipped to New York “very well.” McCarthy returned to southern California, where he is prima- rily based at Santa Anita, but gave positive reports on how the horse emerged from his breakthrough performance. “It seems like he’s in good physical shape,” McCarthy said. “He was pretty bright and alert on Sunday morning. He’s a horse that takes very good care of himself, so we sort of read the signs See ROMBAUER on page 5 Florida-breds Make Florida Racing Did you know Florida-bred thoroughbreds won 31.5% of races run at the recent Gulfstream Park Championship Meet? This demonstrates how vital Florida-breds are to the success of Gulfstream Park throughout the year—not just during the Spring/Summer season. Additional good news for Florida breeders—66% of those Florida-bred winners during the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet were sired by Florida stallions. Florida-breds: Race ‘Em or Chase ‘Em! Back to Top Back to Top Page 5 Rombauer Continued from page 3 used to the American style of doing things. from him and see what he’s telling us. From That’s helped him relax into the routine and what I can tell, he’s no worse for wear.” hopefully it will lead to a better performance The versatile Rombauer graduated at first in the future.” asking on the Del Mar turf in July 2020 and Takano said that France Go de Ina, a two- completed his 2-year-old season on dirt with a time winner in Japan at Hanshin Racecourse, second in the Grade 1 American Pharoah in has settled into a nice rhythm training in September at Santa Anita and a closing fifth in North America and should be well prepared the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in heading into his next engagement. November at Keeneland, which was won by 2- Rombauer/JIM MCCUE PHOTO “The extra length of the Belmont, and the year-old champion Essential Quality. experience he’s gotten from racing once here already, it’s likely we’ll have Rombauer captured the El Camino Real Derby on the Golden a better chance to perform better based off his pedigree. We’re looking Gate Fields synthetic in February to launch his sophomore season forward to giving it another go,” Takano said. and followed with an even third in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass A $100,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September in April on the Keeneland main track ahead of his Preakness effort. Yearling Sale, the Kentucky-bred France Go de Ina is by Will Take It was a first American classic triumph for McCarthy, who was Charge and out of the Curlin mare Dreamy Blues. previously a longtime assistant to newly minted Hall of Famer France Go de Ina is a two-time winner at Hanshin Racecourse, Todd Pletcher. including a maiden score on Nov. 28 and an allowance coup on Dec. “I got a lot of nice messages from people and there were a lot 19. France Go de Ina entered the Preakness from a sixth in the Group of people that reached out who I hadn’t heard from in quite some 2 UAE Derby presented by Emirates NBD following a poor start. time, so it was very nice,” McCarthy said. Takano said France Go de Ina will resume training on Friday morning. McCarthy went on to say that Bo Hirsch’s Ce Ce is a possibility A $1 million bonus is offered to the connections of any Japan- for the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps, a Breeders' Cup "Win and based horse who wins the Belmont Stakes. You're In" event on Belmont Stakes Day at mile-and-one-sixteenth The $1 million bonus is in addition to the $800,000 winner's on the main track for older fillies and mares. share of the Belmont Stakes, which is contested at the same dis- tance as classic races in Japan. France Go de Ina Also Arrives In 2016, the Japan-based Lani competed in all three legs of the Yuji Inaida’s France Go de Ina, trained by Hideyuki Mori, also Triple Crown, with his best showing being a third-place finish in arrived at Belmont on Monday following his seventh-place finish the Belmont Stakes. in the Grade 1 Preakness under Joel Rosario. The Japan-based Master Fencer, who was elevated to sixth in Mori’s travelling assistant Masaki Takano will oversee the two- the 2019 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, closed to finish fifth in that time winner’s preparations heading into the Belmont Stakes. year’s Grade 1 Belmont. “He seemed to travel really well, it was a trouble free trip,” To qualify for the bonus, a horse must have made at least three Takano said through translator Kate Hunter. “This is a good expe- starts in Japan prior to starting in the Belmont and must be nomi- rience for the horse because the racing here is so different. Over nated to North America's Triple Crown series. In the event of a dead the course of the time that he’s been here, he’s been able to get heat, the connections will receive a $600,000 bonus. Public Notice - FTBOA Board of Directors Meeting on May 24, 2021 May 20, 2021 Any member of the public wishing to provide comments and/or observe the Board’s proceedings on either of these two agenda items A meeting of the FTBOA Board of Directors will be held on must register in advance in order to attend, at the following web Monday, May 24, 2021. page: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwudu6hqj8qH9 Due to the closure of the FTBOA offices as a result of the coro- BwhJkUsjpkDEWY4LfDAI-K navirus pandemic, this meeting will be conducted via Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email con- taining information about joining the meeting. A portion of the meeting dealing with the following agenda items will be open in order for members of the public to provide Further, any person wishing to offer public comment on comments and/or observe the Board’s proceedings, with this open portion of the meeting commencing at 1:10 PM: either of these two agenda items must indicate their desire to do so in advance by emailing the FTBOA at [email protected] no 1. 2020 Florida Thoroughbred Breeder & Stallion Awards later than 10:00 AM on Monday, May 24, 2021, providing your Program Annual Audit name, address, and telephone number. Public comments will be 2.