New Era Begins in Southern California Hk Gets More
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THURSDAY, JULY 3, 2014 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here NEW ERA BEGINS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HK GETS MORE PRIZE MONEY, GROUP 1S By Steve Sherack Hong Kong will see a 10% increase in prize money, With the closing of historic Hollywood Park, racing in as well as four additional international Group 1s, for the Southern California kicks off a new era with the 2014/15 season. inaugural Los Alamitos Summer Thoroughbred Festival Hong Kong has staged six international Group 1s July 3-13. since 2007, and this year four previously domestic The eight-day meeting--which begins with today=s Group 1s will be upgraded: the Stewards Cup (1600 eight-race card headed by the $100,000 Bertrando S.-- meters), the Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000 is the first for Thoroughbreds at meters), the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater the venue since the final Orange Cup (2400 meters) and the Queen=s Silver Jubilee Cup County Fair season in 1991. (1400 meters). The decision to upgrade was made Racing will be conducted on a unanimously by the Asian Pattern Committee, and all Thursday through Sunday basis. four races will now be open to overseas horses. Each There is no turf course at Los race will be worth HK$10 million ($1,290,289), a rise Alamitos, which is home to of HK$2 million ($258,058) from this past season. year-round world-class Quarter "The Asian Pattern Committee's ratification of the Horse racing. four new international Group 1 races rewards those This weekend=s $500,000 contests for their consistently high average ratings over GII Los Alamitos Derby-- a number of years, and confirms the strength of Hong formerly run as the Swaps S. at Kong racing at the elite level," said HKJC Chief Hollywood Park--has attracted Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "In the unbeaten champion Shared year 2000, the Hong Kong Jockey Club made a Belief (Candy Ride {Arg}) and strategic decision to elevate the status and standard of Horsephotos GII Robert B. Lewis S. winner Hong Kong racing. The vision was, and remains, very Candy Boy (Candy Ride {Arg}). clear--to focus especially on turf races, from sprint The July 12 GII Great Lady M. S., a mainstay for older distances up to 2000 meters, and to attract the best filly and mare sprinters in Inglewood while contested as horses, trainers and jockeys to Hong Kong to create the the A Gleam H., shares the spotlight on the meeting=s best racing product in the world.@ seven-race stakes schedule worth $1.15 million. In partnership with the California-based insurance Cont. p6 brokerage firm Bolton & Company, Los Alamitos will offer a $1-million bonus to any horse that sweeps the Los Alamitos Derby, GI TVG Pacific Classic and GI Breeders= Cup Classic. Led by its popular owner Dr. Ed Allred, construction was completed in January to lengthen the Los Alamitos main track to a mile. The stretch now measures 1,380 feet, the longest of any racetrack in the United States. Other upgrades to the facility include the addition of high-definition televisions and an expansion of the winner=s circle and view terraces. Already boasting a stable area housing 1,500 horses, an additional 200 stalls for Thoroughbreds are currently in the works. AIt=s pretty exciting for us,@ Los Alamitos Marketing and Publicity Director Orlando Gutierrez commented. AThe feedback has been great. There=s been a lot of great buzz and we=re getting a ton of phone calls. I know our restaurant is filling up very quickly. It=s going to be a great crowd in The Vessels Club.@ Gutierrez continued, AFrom the second we opened the track [for training], we received great reviews from the horsemen. Art Sherman was one of the first to say that it was a great place to train. We also have Bob Baffert stabled here, Mike Harrington, Mike Puype and Marty Jones. The overall feedback has been great.@ Cont. p3 IN THIS ISSUE CO-PUBLISHERS President: Barry Weisbord [email protected] @barryweisbord Vice President: Sue Finley [email protected] @suefinley BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Hamdan Fillies Eye Oaks Director of Business Development: Gary King [email protected] Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Taghrooda (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Tarfasha (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), EDITORIAL one-two in the G1 Investec Oaks June 6, could face off [email protected] again in the G1 Irish Oaks. Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Taghrooda and Sheikh Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Hamdan Racing Editor: Steve Sherack Racing Post Racing Analyst/Social Media Director: Brian DiDonato Associate Editor: Justina Severni Page 7 Assistant Editor: Christie DeBernardis Assistant Editor: Heather Likins Holiday Stakes Fields Drawn Assistant Editor: Michael Illiano Fields were drawn Wednesday for an explosive weekend of ADVERTISING stakes action. 11-horse fields are expected for both the [email protected] GI Belmont Derby and GI Belmont Oaks, where My Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Conquestadory (Artie Schiller) makes her second start of the Art Director: Lia Kusch year. Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin My Conquestadory Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster Coady Photography CUSTOMER SERVICE Pages 9-11 [email protected] Tobann on Top Director of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The Bolgers’ Tobann (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) came home first in Director of IT: Robert Williams Wednesday’s G3 Brownstown S. [email protected] Database Admin./Programming Specialist: Gregg Casillo Tobann [email protected] Racing Post Page 11 WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor: Kelsey Riley First Winner for Super Saver [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin I Spent It (Super Saver) became the first winner for his Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Tom Frary Kentucky Derby-winning freshman sire with a 3/4-length [email protected] victory at Belmont Wednesday. I Spent It 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 • Red Bank, NJ 07701 A Coglianese 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.thoroughbreddailynews.com Page 2 (atw) www.thetdn.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 7/3/14 • PAGE 3 of 11 • thoroughbreddailynews.com New Era in Southern California (cont. from p1) Leading trainer Doug O=Neill simply added, AThis is California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) called Los Alamitos the start of something special!@ home before taking the racing world by storm with The response from emphatic victories in the first two legs of the Triple horsemen hasn=t all been Crown this spring. The first 10,000 fans in attendance positive, though. will receive a limited AI have low edition California expectations for the Chrome T-shirt with upcoming Los Al meet paid admission on for many reasons,@ opening day. trainer Peter Miller ACalifornia Chrome commented. AFirstly, the loves Los Alamitos timing right in front of California Chrome training at Los Race Course,@ trainer Del Mar is very difficult. Alamitos Secondly, we have a Art Sherman said. Horsephotos AThe track surface at horse shortage in Los Alamitos is as California combined with good a racetrack as nonsensical claiming rules. Too many you will find anywhere Dr Ed Allred and Brad McKinzie at Los race days is a recipe for disaster and in the country.@ Alamitos Derby draw Wednesday. we are seeing the results of this at the Baffert has been Benoit entry booth.@ very supportive of Los In addition to the July summer Alamitos making the transition to the Thoroughbred meeting, Los Alamitos will also host a scene as well. Like fellow Hall of Famer D. Wayne three-week winter Thoroughbred Lukas, the three-time GI Kentucky Derby-winning meeting beginning Thursday, Dec. 4. conditioner began his career as a Quarter Horse trainer. The winter meet will feature the GI AI love the facilities [at Los Alamitos Race Course] and Los Alamitos Futurity and the management works really close with horsemen,@ Baffert GI Starlet S. For more information, offered. AIt=s a homecoming for me. Los Al is a mini Del visit www.losalamitos.com. Peter Miller Mar located in a very nice area--10 minutes away from Click here to share this story Horsephotos Disneyland.@ TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 7/3/14 • PAGE 4 of 11 • thoroughbreddailynews.com I think these jockeys are going to have fun riding at What They’re Saying ... Los Alamitos and I think it=s going to be great for the fans too, who are going to have a great view of the about Los Alamitos racetrack. They=re going to see something that they=ve never seen here before in the United States.@ -Hall of "This is an exciting time in our industry Fame jockey Gary Stevens out West. [Los Alamitos Chief Executive Officer] Doc Allred has assembled a AWhile the party line is one of optimism in terms of winning team, with quality and the upcoming Los Alamitos meeting, competitive racing (at all levels) being I, for one, am a firm believer that paramount. The next two weeks of the industry in general, and Thoroughbred racing at Los Alamitos is specifically, Southern California, just the tip of the iceberg!" must adopt a "less is more" -Bloodstock agent & TVG analyst Nick Nick Hines approach to racing. Hines This is nothing against Los Alamitos. I've heard rave reviews AI was a consultant for the re-design of the racetrack about their racing surface, which at Los Alamitos and I=m very excited was evidenced by the fact that about the meeting. Unfortunately, I California Chrome was prepared Aron Wellman won=t be riding there--I=ll be back there for his bid at the Triple Crown east until Del Mar starts up--but I=ll and I applaud Los Al management for making capital be attending opening day.