Four Races, Including Three at Santa Anita, Lose Grade I
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2019 FOUR RACES, INCLUDING NYRA ON BOARD WITH SAFETY REFORMS, BUT NOT LOOKING TO BAN WHIP by Bill Finley THREE AT SANTA ANITA, As a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, the New York Racing Association is prepared to implement many LOSE GRADE I STATUS of the reforms advocated by that group, but may wind up having more lenient rules regarding the whip than some members of the coalition. While the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition has never put forward specific recommendations regarding use of the whip, some jurisdictions are ready to put in severe restrictions on its use. Woodbine just ended an experimental period in which jockeys were only allowed to strike their horses underhanded and the California Horse Racing Board is in the process of implementing rules that both limit the number of times a jockey can hit a horse and allow only for the underhand whipping motion. The New Jersey Racing Commission is eyeing a rule that would ban use of the whip in any form that is an attempt to make the horse run faster. Cont. p4 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY Bellafina takes the 2019 Santa Anita Oaks | Benoit Photo QATAR RACING ACQUIRE MABS CROSS Sheikh Fahad’s operation will breed the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred winner to Tweenhills’s shuttler Zoustar (Aus). Click or tap here to Owners and Breeders Association presented its listing of U.S. go straight to TDN Europe. graded and listed stakes races for 2020, the results of its annual grading session conducted Dec. 17 and 18 in Lexington. The Committee reviewed 844 U.S. stakes races with a purse of at least $75,000, and assigned graded status to 448 of them, two fewer than were graded in 2019, and listed status to 196 races. Seven Graded races were upgraded; six new Grade III races were named; 32 new listed races were upgraded from non-listed black-type status. Thirteen races which carried graded or listed status in 2019 are no longer eligible for grading. No races were upgraded to Grade I status for 2020. Four races were downgraded from Grade I to Grade II for 2020: the Vosburgh S. at Belmont Park; Chandelier S., Santa Anita Oaks and Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. at Santa Anita Park. Seven races were upgraded to Grade II status for 2020: the Fort Marcy S., Pennine Ridge S. and Pilgrim S. at Belmont Park; Edgewood S. and Pat Day Mile S. at Churchill Downs; Dixiana Bourbon S. at Keeneland; and Joe Hernandez S. at Santa Anita Park. 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 Saturday, December 21, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN 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 Assistant Amie Morosco Photographer/Photo Editor 2019 in Photos: July 18. Yearlings keep tabs on a photography session at Bluewater Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Farm in Lexington, KY. | ThoroStride [email protected] Social Media Strategist Justina Severni BATTLE OF SPEEDSTERS IN MR. PROSPECTOR 7 Imperial Hint (Imperialism) and X Y Jet (Kantharos), two of the Director of Customer Service nation’s swiftest sprinters, square off on a salty renewal of Vicki Forbes [email protected] the GIII Mr. Prospector S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Q&A: UPENN’S MARY ROBINSON 8 Dr. Mary Robinson, a University of Pennsylvania School of Director of IT & Accounting Ray Villa Veterinary Medicine researcher and professor, discusses [email protected] research on shockwave biomarkers and gene doping. [email protected] WORLDWIDE INFORMATION TODAY’S GRADED STAKES International Editor EST Race Click for TV Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 4:30p Mr. Prospector S.-GIII, GP TJCIS PPs TVG [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 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 14 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • DECEMBER 21, 2019 2020 Graded Stakes cont. from p1 Six races were downgraded from Grade II to Grade III in 2020: the Gazelle S. at Aqueduct; Pocahontas S. at Churchill Downs; Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream Park; Monmouth S. at Monmouth Park; and Kona Gold S. and San Luis Rey S. at Santa Anita Park. Six races were upgraded to Grade III status for 2020: the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational S. and Runhappy S. at Belmont Park; Dogwood S. at Churchill Downs; Louisiana S. at Fair Grounds; Kitten=s Joy S. at Gulfstream Park; and Challenger S. at Tampa Bay Downs. Six races were downgraded from Grade III to listed status for 2020: the American Derby, Arlington Matron S. and Hanshin Cup S. at Arlington Park; All American S. at Golden Gate Fields; Hutcheson S. at GulfstreamPark; and Oceanport S. at Monmouth Park. Thirty races were upgraded to listed status for 2020: the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship S. at Aqueduct; Flat Out S., Gold Fever S., Manila S., Paradise Creek S. and Point of Entry S. at Belmont Park; Bet on Sunshine S., Dream Supreme S. and Street Sense S. at Churchill Downs; Daisycutter S. at Del Mar; Cape Henlopen S. at Delaware Park; Ellis Park Derby, Kentucky Downs Preview Kentucky Turf Cup S. and Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint S. at Ellis Park; AlbertM. Stall Memorial S. and Tenacious S. at Fair Grounds; H. Allen Jerkens S., Janus S., Pulpit S., Tropical Park Oaks and Via Borghese S. at Gulfstream Park; Indian Summer S. at Keeneland; Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs; Concern S.and Willa On the Move S. at Laurel Park; She=s All In S. at Remington Park; Unzip Me S. at Santa Anita Park; Columbia S. and Pelican S. at Tampa Bay Downs; and Lady Jacqueline S. at Thistledown. Two races were upgraded to Listed--Restricted status for 2020: the Lucky Coin S. and Tale of the Cat S. at Saratoga. Twelve races were downgraded from listed to non-listed black- type status for 2020: the Ladies H. and Ruthless S. at Aqueduct; Arlington-Washington Lassie S. at Arlington Park; Bob Umphrey Turf Sprint S. at Gulfstream Park; Heft S. and Laurel Dash S. at Laurel Park; Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial S. at Mountaineer Park; Turf Amazon S. at Parx Racing; Swatara S. at Penn National; Iowa Sprint H. at Prairie Meadows; David M. Vance S. at Remington Park; and ZiaPark Championship H. at Zia Park. The American St. Leger S. at Arlington Park; Miami Mile S., Old Hat S. and Sir Shackleton S. at Gulfstream Park; Donald Levine Memorial S. at Parx Racing; Mountainview S. at Penn National; and Arcadia S.,Clocker=s Corner S., Landaluce S., Los Angeles S., San Pedro S., Santa Anita Juvenile S. and Southern Truce S. at Santa Anita Park were not eligible for grading in 2020. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 14 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • DECEMBER 21, 2019 NYRA cont. from p1 "The 360 (Gentle Touch) whip that they are using, it's NYRA CEO and President David O'Rourke told the TDN that shocking," he said. "You can hit yourself against your hand with NYRA will likely make changes that are not as restrictive as what it and you see the difference between that and the standard is being proposed elsewhere. Instead, the proposal now being crop. It really doesn't hurt, but it is loud. It makes a popping considered is one that mirrors rules in Europe. In Great Britain, noise. We are trying to learn why they would need this whip, jockeys can use the whip a maximum of seven times during a why are they using it, what is the safety aspect from the jocks' race and must abide by a strict set of riding guidelines. For point of view? That's something you have to take into example, they can only raise their arm above their shoulder a consideration.@ maximum of two times. We are completely dedicated to the safety of the equine "We are in midst of conversations with the appropriate parties athlete and there has been a lot of progress and a lot of on this," O'Rourke said. "It is sensitive. We see what California dialogue that has been very encouraging. But we have to has done and what Woodbine has done. Over in Europe, they consider the human athletes as well and we have to make their have been quite aggressive on this for a while. From our point of safety a top, top priority." view, how do we take the best of each, but keep in mind the So far as the other reforms the safety coalition is calling for, safety of the jocks? The whip is a communication tool with the NYRA is prepared to implement rules that will curtail the use of horse and the jocks have been riding a specific way here for Lasix. O'Rourke said NYRA will write into the conditions of races decades. There is a human safety element here when you try to a ban on Lasix in 2-year-old races in 2020 and in 2-year-old races change the rules on the fly.