Derby Fever Heats up with Trio of Final Preps
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2019 DERBY FEVER HEATS UP SANTA ANITA TO EXPERIMENT WITH WHIP-FREE RACING by Dan Ross WITH TRIO OF FINAL PREPS Next Friday, Apr. 12, jockeys riding at Santa Anita will do so without a whip, according to a letter the Jockeys= Guild sent Friday to the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), Santa Anita management, the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC), and the California Thoroughbred Trainers (CTT). Current CHRB law doesn=t require jockeys to carry a riding crop, and as such, Aindividual jockeys who regularly ride at Santa Anita have elected not to carry the cushioned riding crop during the entire race day card on Friday, Apr. 12,@ the letter states. The decision by the Jockeys= Guild and the Santa Anita jockey colony follows a proposed rule change approved by the CHRB at its last scheduled meeting, which restricts riders to using riding crops only Ato control the horse for the safety of the horse or rider.@ The proposed rule change was subsequently put out for a 45-day public comment period, and could be amended before the board votes on it again. Cont. p13 Game Winner | Horsephotos There are 15 graded stakes from coast to coast in the U.S. IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Saturday and three of them are major preps for the GI Kentucky LEOPARDSTOWN OFFERS CLASSIC CLUES Derby with the GI Santa Anita Derby in Arcadia, the GII Wood Madhmoon and Iridessa are among the Classic contenders Memorial S. at Aqueduct and the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. at who will step out at Leopardstown on Saturday. Keeneland. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) looks to make amends in the Santa Anita Derby after coming up a nose short of Omaha Beach (War Front) in the GII Rebel S. at Oaklawn. His biggest threat also hails from the Bob Baffert barn in fellow >TDN Rising Star= Roadster (Quality Road). Over on the East Coast, Juddmonte homebred Tacitus (Tapit) will try to take another step forward in the Wood off a decisive score in the GII Tampa Bay Derby for Bill Mott. He will face a full field that includes a pair who have already won at Aqueduct: GIII Gotham S. winner Haikal (Daaher) and GIII Withers S. victor Tax (Arch). The excitement of opening weekend at Keeneland will reach a crescendo Saturday as 14 sophomores, led by GIII Nashua S. victor Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}), try to secure their spot in the starting gate for the First Saturday in May in the Blue Grass. Last seen finishing third in the GII Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 2, Vekoma will take on the likes of GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. winner Signalman (General Quarters) and Pasco S. romper Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}). Full Derby preps previews cont. p.3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Saturday, April 6, 2019 Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN News and Features Editor Ben Massam @BMassamTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Some say that the first official day of spring is the opening day of the Keeneland spring Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution meet. In addition to this weekend’s races, fans will also enjoy Breakfast With the Works, Rachel McCaffrey tailgating on The Hill, live music, Kids Club Family Day, and more. | Keeneland Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew TODAY’S GRADED STAKES [email protected] EST Race Click for TV Social Media Strategist 9:45a Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S.-G3, LEO -------------- TVG Justina Severni 10:50a P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax S.-G3, LEO -------------- TVG Director of Customer Service 3:38p Bay Shore S.-GIII, AQU TJCIS PPs TVG Vicki Forbes 4:00p Commonwealth S.-GIII, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 4:00p Santa Anita Oaks-GI, SA TJCIS PPs TVG/FS2 Marketing Manager 4:11p Excelsior S.-GIII, AQU TJCIS PPs TVG Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen 4:35p Shakertown S.-GII, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG 4:47p Gazelle S.-GII, AQU TJCIS PPs TVG Director of Information Technology Ray Villa 5:05p Royal Heroine S.-GII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 5:10p Madison S.-GI, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG 5:22p Carter H.-GI, AQU TJCIS PPs TVG/MSG Bookkeeper Terry May 5:45p Central Bank Ashland S.-GI, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 6:00p Wood Memorial S.-GII, AQU TJCIS PPs TVG/NBCSN 6:23p Toyota Blue Grass S.-GII, KEE TJCIS PPs TVG/NBCSN WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 7:14p Santa Anita Derby-GI, SA TJCIS PPs TVG/NBCSN International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 7:50p Providencia S.-GIII, SA TJCIS PPs TVG [email protected] 8:20p Santa Anita H.-G1, SA TJCIS PPs TVG 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 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 16 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • APRIL 6, 2019 CHAMP HOPES TO GET BACK TO >WINNER=S= CIRCLE IN SA DERBY By Christie DeBernardis Champion Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}}) takes on just five rivals as he looks to return to winning ways and secure his place in the GI Kentucky Derby starting gate in Saturday=s GI Santa Anita Derby. A perfect four-for-four last term, the >TDN Rising Star= took home the Eclipse Award for top juvenile male after a trio of Grade I scores, topped off by a decisive win in the GI Breeders= Cup Juvenile Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs. The bay was originally scheduled to make his seasonal bow in Arcadia, but with the racing suspended, he was forced to go to Oaklawn, where he came up just a nose short in the GII Rebel S. Mar. 16. Roadster | Benoit His biggest threat comes from his own shedrow in fellow Baffert trainee and >TDN Rising Star= Roadster (Quality Road). An impressive debut winner at Del Mar in July, the gray finished third as the favorite behind Game Winner in the GI Del Mar Futurity Sept. 3, after which he required a minor throat surgery for displacing during that contest. He returned in a big way in a one-mile optional claimer at Santa Anita Mar. 1, defeating the re-opposing Nolo Contesto (Pioneerof the Nile) by 2 1/2 lengths. Instagrand (Into Mischief) is another hoping to get back on a winning track after losing his perfect record last time. Scoring dominant victories in both his Los Alamitos debut June 29 and the GII Best Pal S. Aug. 11, the >TDN Rising Star= was voluntarily sent to the bench by his owner Larry Best with an eye on a sophomore campaign. The $1.2 million FTFMAR co-topper checked in third as the favorite after chasing a hot pace when going beyond six furlongs for the first time in the one-mile GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct last time Mar. 9. He enters this off a pair of bullet works, most recently covering five panels at Los Al in a best-of-17 :59 2/5 Mar. 30. Australia’s population is LESS THAN A TENTH of America’s... BUT IN 2017 ‘AUSSIES’ BET $2 BILLION MOREon Thoroughbreds than Americans did. That’s one reason why in the last decade our prizemoney is up , while American84% purses are down 4%. THE LAND OF [click through] to our OPPORTUNITY INVESTORS’ GUIDE Aushorse.com.au to learn more In Australia our top colts are MORE AFFORDABLE than other markets and, if you buy a stallion prospect, the RETURNS ARE BETTER than elsewhere. [click through] to our INVESTORS’ GUIDE to learn more PURCHASE OFPRICE TOP 50 COLTS Australia $562,487 5-year average ($USD) USA $945,120 (2014 - 2018) Europe $1,131,288 AVG. SERVICE OF Australia $25,692 TOP 10 FRESHMANFEE SIRES USA $25,120 7-year average ($USD) UK $18,932 THE LAND OF (2012 - 2018) Ireland $15,761 OPPORTUNITY France $6,760 Aushorse.com.au TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 16 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • APRIL 6, 2019 TACITUS HOPES TO KEEP JUDDMONTE=S Juddmonte=s Garrett O'Rourke told the NYRA notes team. AWith some luck we'll have some speed that will clear up and we'll DERBY DREAMS ALIVE By Christie DeBernardis leave the rest in Jose [Ortiz's] capable hands.@ With Hidden Scroll (Hard Spun) officially off the GI Kentucky Tax (Arch) proved well worth the $50,000 claim out of a Derby trail after a disappointing sixth in the GI Florida Derby last winning effort in his second start at Keeneland Oct. 21. Third in weekend, it is now up to Tacitus (Tapit) to keep owner/breeder the GII Remsen S. at Aqueduct Juddmonte Farms= Derby Dec. 1, the dark bay came back dreams alive in Saturday=s GII to best the re-opposing Not That Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. Brady (Big Brown) by a head in a The son of champion Close blanket finish in the nine-panel Hatches (First Defence) is GIII Withers S. in Ozone Park last already a winner at the Big A, time Feb.