SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2021 CHARLATAN LIKELY TO SAUDI CUP NEXT GUILLOT HORSE WITH by Bill Finley RACIST NAME WINS, After Charlatan (Speightstown) worked a half-mile Saturday in :49.80 at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert reported that his SPARKS OUTRAGE Grade I winner will likely make his next start in the Feb. 20 Saudi Cup. Charlatan is coming off a dominant win against a quality field in the Dec. 26 GI Runhappy Malibu S., his first after being sidelined following the GI Arkansas Derby May 2. Charlatan has been invited to the GI Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream, but will likely pass that race. Should Charlatan pass the Pegasus, the role of favorite will go to Knicks Go (Paynter), who will be ridden by Joel Rosario. AHe breezed today and it was a very, very nice work,@ Baffert said of Charlatan. AWe are leaning toward the Saudi Cup. I don=t want to bring him back too quick. He came out of the Malibu really well. He always showed that he was a brilliant horse.@ Cont. p6 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Tweet on Guillot=s Twitter feed VALUE SIRES PART II: FIRST FOALS The Darley duo of Too Darn Hot and Blue Point lead the by Bill Finley sires whose first foals arrive in 2021. After a horse reportedly named after a racist slur won the first Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. race at Aqueduct Jan. 8, reaction on social media and throughout the industry was swift to denounce the name and trainer Eric Guillot, who had posted a picture of the horse and its name days earlier on social media. The 3-year-old gelding by Uncle Mo, who won his debut Friday, was named Grape Soda, a racist stereoptype directed at African Americans. A Tweet on Jan. 1 on Eric Guillot=s Twitter feed indicated that he had been named after a TVG announcer. It was clear on Twitter that most people believe Guillot was talking about Ken Rudulph, the only on-air African-American at the network. AThis colt will run next week and has unique name in honor of a TVG analyst,@ Tweeted Guillot, with an emoji representing the Black Power fist. One of Guillot=s followers, Steven Kahn, Tweeted back at Guillot, AWhat=s his name??@ Guillot responded, AGRAPE SODA.@ He followed that up on Jan. 2 with a Tweet that said, AGRAPE SODA breezed 49.3 smooooth a menthol Kool,@ and an emoji with a Black hand giving the thumbs up symbol, and posted a gif of an African American man making a Ashhh@ motion. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Sunday, January 10, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor Sanenus {Chi} (Scat Daddy) gets a congratulatory pat from Umberto Rispoli after Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew winning the La Canada S.-GIII at Santa Anita on Saturday. Result on p11 | Benoit [email protected] Social Media Strategist Justina Severni TRUE TIMBER HEADS PWC WORKS 7 True Timber (Mineshaft) led a series of workers targeting the Jan. 23 Associate Producer GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Katie Ritz Director of Customer Service RIDE A COMET BEST IN GIII TROPICAL TURF Vicki Forbes 12 [email protected] Unraced in 2019 and undefeated last term, Ride a Comet closed from off the pace to take Saturday’s GIII Tropical Turf S. at Gulfstream Park. Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen CHARMAINE’S MIA SETS RECORD IN LAS CIENEGAS Director of IT & Accounting 13 Ray Villa Sent off at 16-1, Charmaine’s Mia went to the front in the early going of [email protected] Saturday’s GIII Las Cienegas S. at Santa Anita and kept on going late, [email protected] collecting her first graded victory in course record time. WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JANUARY 10, 2021 Guillot Horse Wins, Sparks Outrage cont. from p1 After the race Friday, he Tweeted that he had named the horse after a fond childhood memory of drinking the beverage. AWhen I went home for Xmas my 88 year Mother got a kick out of me naming a horse after my favorite drink when I was little boy she always reminded me of it for years! I=ll send her a pic.@ (Grammar and usage copied as is from Tweet.) Reached by telephone, Guillot said that he would not comment on the issue. AI am not commenting on this stupid media-frenzied stupid (expletive) thing,@ he told the TDN. AIs that what you called me about?@ When the TDN said that it was indeed what we had called about, he replied, AI=ve gotten 10 calls and that=s what=s wrong with this country. I=m the furthest thing from racist. But if that=s what everybody wants to believe, go right ahead.@ The TDN subsequently asked Guillot if rumors that he had planned to retire before running this horse were true, and he confirmed that he had retired. AThat was the last horse I ever ran,@ he said. AThis has been something that=s been in the making for a while now.@ At around noon on Saturday, he posted a video on Twitter which he said depicted his first day of retirement, spent Adriving west@ and drinking Starbucks. The New York Racing Association was quick to ban Guillot from receiving stalls or entering horses at their tracks. ARacism is completely unacceptable in all forms,@ read a statement from NYRA President and CEO David O=Rourke. ANYRA rejects Eric Guillot=s toxic words and divisive behavior in the strongest terms. At this time, he will no longer be permitted to enter horses at any NYRA track nor will he be allocated stalls on NYRA grounds. In addition, we will review what further steps may be available to us. Our racing community is diverse, and we stand for inclusion.@ As of Friday, Guillot had four stalls at Belmont. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JANUARY 10, 2021 Eric Guillot | Coady Aidan Butler, the Chief Operating Officer at the Stronach Group=s 1/ST Racing, said that Guillot would no longer be welcome at their tracks, either. A1/ST RACING stands firmly against the inexcusable actions of trainer Eric Guillot,@ said Butler in a statement emailed to the media. AThere is no place in the sport of Thoroughbred racing for racism in any form. Our company will not tolerate the use of hateful and divisive language or behavior. 1/ST RACING agrees fully with the New York Racing Association=s move to ban Mr. Guillot from racing and will take the same action. Mr. Guillot is no longer welcomed at any 1/ST RACING track.@ Stronach tracks include Santa Anita, Golden Gate, Gulfstream, Laurel and Pimlico. The Jockey Club issued a statement Saturday morning that said that the naming of the horse violated the harassment policy in the American Stud Book. AThe Jockey Club was notified yesterday that the name Grape Soda, which was approved for a 2018 gelding, was potentially offensive. Upon review we have confirmed that the name is ineligible under Rule 6.F.11. of the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book, and we have begun the name change process in consultation with the current owner, which must be completed as soon as possible.@ Rule 6.F.11 prohibits using, ANames that appear to be designed to harass, humiliate, or disparage a specific individual, group of individuals, or entity.@ The horse was claimed in his start Friday by owner Lawrence Roman and trainer Rob Atras. Reached by telephone Saturday morning, Roman said he was very upset to learn what the horse=s name meant. Cont. p5 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 14 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • JANUARY 10, 2021 AI will absolutely change the horse=s name,@ said Roman. AI had no idea this was a slur. I don=t want a name like that. I am very conscious of things like that. I will be calling my trainer immediately and doing whatever we can do to get his name changed. It=s despicable that someone would name a horse for those reasons. You don=t do that. We have enough problems as it is in the world. I promise you that that horse will not race again under that name.@ Roman later reported that he planned to rename the gelding ARespect For All,@ and that he would donate 10% of the horse=s earnings to New York racing backstretch workers. AI want to do this so something good comes out of something bad,@ said Roman. By 1 p.m., The Jockey Club had announced that they had approved the new name. Before being claimed, the gelding was owned by Cypress Creek Equine.