WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 732-747-8060 • TDN Home Page Click Here HOPING TO CATCH A RISING STAR The next portion of the Road to the Kentucky Derby Challenge kicks off Saturday with a pair of $400,000 events for 3- year-olds. Gulfstream will stage the GII Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth S. at 5:35 p.m. and, about 20 minutes later, a full field is expected for the GII Risen Star S. at Fair Grounds. J. Paul Reddam’s California-based runner He’s Had Enough (Tapit) was entered in both races, but is Calumet Farm’s Oxbow Francesca Cumani is the presenter of the CNN expected to contest the Fountain (Awesome Again) corners for International show Winning Post. Each month, the team of Youth. home in the GIII Lecomte S. reports from a major race day, wherever it may be in “We drew post nine in the (video). He is the second choice in the Risen Star the world. This month, they were in St. Moritz for the Fountain of Youth and 12 of 15 Hodges Photography White Turf, which Francesca describes in her first in the Risen Star,” said trainer feature for the TDN here (CNN VIDEO). Next up is the Doug O’Neill. “I’d say we’re Emir's Sword in Qatar Feb. 28th, then the Dubai World leaning towards the Fountain of Youth.” Cup in March. For more information visit Trainer Al Stall Jr. entered a pair of promising colts in www.cnn.com/winningpost or watch Winning Post at the Risen Star, but didn’t have much luck when post the following times (GMT): Saturday, Feb. 23: 1730; positions were drawn. Claiborne and Adele Sunday, Feb. 24: 0830; Thursday, Feb. 28: 1730; Dilschneider’s unbeaten Departing (War Front), winner Saturday, Mar. 2: 0830, 2200; Sunday, Mar 3: 1730. of both of his starts at the New Orleans oval, was saddled with the 14 hole, while Brittlyn Stable’s According to the President of the 'White Turf,' Sunbean (Brahms) was left out in the cold as an also- Switzerland's most famous race meet on the frozen lake eligible. Both colts were listed at 12-1 on the morning- of St Moritz, is an occasion where the "peasants mix line. Sunbean was cross-entered in the Gentilly S. at a with the mile on turf for Louisiana-breds earlier on Saturday’s billionaires" and card. Cont. p4 one can "enjoy a a little sausage or glass of champagne" at this all-welcoming event. While I'm not sure how many peasants frequent this uber chic skiing resort, and a little sausage will set you back half a day’s wages, he can be excused for things being lost in translation while talking to us not in his native tongue. He did, however, have a point. Entry to the races is only 15 Swiss francs, or $16, and once inside you can pretty much go anywhere. The highlight is being able to get so close to the action. From our CNN point of view, it was ideal because we were allowed to film anywhere and everywhere, and for the racegoers who experienced fully the rumble and groaning of the 35cm thick ice as the horses roared past in a cloud of white kickback. Cont. p3 In This Issue Big Prize for TwinSpires Derby Contest 60 Broad St., Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 TwinSpires.com is offering its players an opportunity to turn $20 into a (732) 747-8060 $1-million prize by betting the Kentucky Derby preps and the Triple Crown (732) 747-8955 (fax) with TwinSpires.com. www.thoroughbreddailynews.com www.thetdn.com Coverage begins page 6 Barry Weisbord, co-publisher [email protected] • @barryweisbord Sue Finley, co-publisher From the Desk of Bill Oppenheim [email protected] • @suefinley In this week's column, Bill Oppenheim delves into the leading broodmare sires of the last 20 years by number of A Runners on the APEX Ratings. Editorial [email protected] Leading the way is the venerable A.P. Indy (Seattle Slew). Jessica Martini, Editor-in-Chief Alan Carasso, Managing Editor Coverage begins page 10 Marie Kizenko, Senior Editor Christina Bossinakis, Senior Editor Steve Sherack, Racing Editor Brian DiDonato, Racing Analyst/Soc. Media Dir. Justina Severni, Assistant Editor Kelsey Riley, Assistant Editor Advertising [email protected] Alycia Borer, Director of Advertising Lia Kusch, Senior Advertising Designer Sarah K. Andrew, Adv Assistant/Distribution Amanda Crelin, Advertising Assistant Amanda Foster, Advertising Assistant Customer Service [email protected] Vicki Forbes, Director of Customer Service Information Technology Robert Williams, Director of IT [email protected] Gregg Casillo, DB Administrator, Programming [email protected] Business Development Gary King, Director of Business Development [email protected] Stonestreet announced that Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra was in stable condition with an improved appetite on Monday. The farm was TDN Newmarket Bureau: Cafe Racing expected to issue another update regarding her condition Wednesday [email protected] Sean Cronin stonestreetfarms.com Tom Frary TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 2/20/13 • PAGE 3 of 16 • thoroughbreddailynews.com On the Road with Cumani cont. What makes the White Turf so unique is the variety of the action. Flat races on snow are spectacle enough, but throw in trotting with iron-blade sulkies and the local speciality Skijoring, and it is a veritable feast for the eyes. While racing and trotting on ice at 1800m up present their own challenges, such as acclimatization and special shoeing, the Skijoring is in another league as far as perils and adaptability are concerned. The most interesting person I interviewed in the mountains was the charming German vet Annina Widmer. She explained that the most common cause of injury came from the specially adapted racing plates, which have large grips at the front and the sides. While they help the horse to grip on the compacted snow surface of the lake, they can also do considerable damage if one horse clip another whether in a race or in transit. On the subject of acclimatization, she said there are many theories, but generally it is thought that horses should arrive either over 72 hours prior to the race or within 24 hours of the race in order to cope best with the high altitude. Interestingly, she said that in her experience horses that spend longer in the mountains perform worse later on in the season than horses that are brought up and down from the mountains in between races over the three-week period. Unlike human athletes who can improve their performance by training at high altitude, Annina said that in horses, Ait has been shown in studies that speed at a defined heart rate on a treadmill (thus performance) decreased the longer the horse stayed at high altitude.@ Horses have naturally large spleens and are able to store huge amounts of red blood cells and produce them when needed, suggesting altitude training is counter- productive. Even more interesting is that she said horses tend to bleed less at altitude, which is surprising given the higher pulmonary arterial pressure when in the mountains. She told me that in a study in South Africa they scoped horses at sea level and at 1400m altitude after the race, and the same horses bled significantly less at altitude. But back to Skijoring. What I can't believe is that the horses used to race in this unashamedly dangerous event are normal Thoroughbred racehorses. What=s more, they often only experience towing a man (or woman) on skis behind them one or two days before the race. Normally for their first experience they will have a rider on board as well as the skier behind, but the rider comes off for the race and it is down to the skier to control the horse over a tight 2700m course. TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 2/20/13 • PAGE 4 of 16 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Cumani cont. Come race day, one is scratched in the paddock when it tries to jump over the rails and breaks the harness in the process. Another gets a fright before the start and spins and tramples a handler. You may well wonder how they start a race of this nature, but just like any other race, it=s in stalls, only the jockey is less than 2 metres behind the horses= hindquarters, thankfully with a, slightly token, padded gate that swings forwards as the horse jumps. The start is crucial as the place to be is near the lead on the rail, but with 12 horses gunning for the box seat, it=s a miracle there are not more incidents. Colored skis are an obligatory safety precaution, but the reality is a horse could tread on the skis in front of him at any time or swing wide into a competitor, and it=s not unusual to have a severely depleted field cross the line. In fact, in 1965, not one horse and skier finished! This time they all came through unscathed, but it was noticable how strung out and tired they finished. With the possible exception of the Palio di Siena and the Omak Suicide Race, Skijoring has to be one of the most perilous events combining man and horse still in existence, but then again, danger and excitement often go hand in hand, and I can=t help thinking that the longer this incredible spectacle continues the better. Risen Star cont. GoldMark Farm and Whisper Hill Farm=s Mylute (Midnight Lute) will kick off his 3-year-old campaign after a busy juvenile season. The grey colt faced the starter seven times in 2012 and showed his best in the last two.