MONDAY, MAY 20, 2019 THE REMATCH WE ALL WANT: FASIG-TIPTON MIDLANTIC SALE STARTS MONDAY by Jessica Martini LET=S MAKE IT HAPPEN TIMONIUM, MD - The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, looking to build on a string of successful renewals, begins its two-day run in Timonium Monday morning with bidding slated to begin at 11 a.m. Following a stakes-packed weekend of racing at nearby Pimlico, the sales barns were bustling Sunday morning at the Maryland State Fairgrounds and consignors were optimistic about strong trade Monday and Tuesday. AIt=s been very active,@ Cary Frommer confirmed. AThere are a lot of people. My consignment has been booming, we=ve been very busy. And I hope that translates to buyers.@ Cont. p5 Maximum Security leads the field IN TDN EUROPE TODAY in the 2019 Kentucky Derby | Coady LE HAVRE HITS NEW HEIGHTS France’s Le Havre has gotten off to a strong start in 2019 The Week in Review, By Bill Finley with stakes winners in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. We won=t see War of Will (War Front) versus Maximum Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. Security (New Year=s Day) in the GI Belmont S. Via email, Gary West, the co-owner of Maximum Security, confirmed that his horse will not race in the final leg of the Triple Crown. AWe are not looking at the Belmont because the trainer (Jason Servis) thinks he needs more time to recover from the Derby and, with us, the horse comes first,@ West wrote. AMaximum Security will tell us when he is ready to run.@ War of Will is being pointed toward the Belmont, trainer Mark Casse confirmed after his colt=s win in the GI Preakness S. Holding Maximum Security out of the Belmont is perfectly reasonable. There is no Triple Crown on the line and he had to run hard every step of the way in a Derby in which he crossed the wire first only to be disqualified. The game of bumper cars that ensued in the Derby stretch run could also have left him banged up. But with all that has ensued in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, Round 2 of War of Will vs. Maximum Security would be the most anticipated race in years. It=s an odd situation since Maximum Security did not officially win the Derby, but most everyone believes he was the best horse that day. But there is a grey area since War of Will was bothered so badly he wasn=t fully able to show what he could do Derby Day. Cont. p3 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 Monday, May 20, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN 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 Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] Coady Social Media Strategist They’re Off! Family adventure day in full swing at Churchill Downs Sunday. | Justina Severni Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes BELMONT STAKES NEXT FOR PREAKNESS WINNER 6 [email protected] War of Will (War Front) exited his 1 1/4-length victory in the 144th GI Preakness S. in good order and will line up next in the Marketing Manager GI Belmont S. June 8 if he continues to show all the right signs, Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen trainer Mark Casse said Sunday morning. "I would say there's an Director of Information Technology extremely good shot he'll be there," Casse said. Ray Villa [email protected] Bookkeeper Terry May TODAY’S GRADED STAKES [email protected] EST Race Click for TV WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 4:10p Eclipse S.-GII, WOX TJCIS PPs TVG 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 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 8 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • MAY 20, 2019 And when he got a trouble-free trip he came back to win the added that there is a chance Maximum Security will use the Preakness. You also have a bit of a dustup between the owners. June 16 Pegasus S., also at Monmouth, as a prep. In between races, West went on TV and claimed that War of AOur goal now is to win the 3 year-old Eclipse and everything Will, and not Maximum Security, we do will be to that end,@ actually caused all the trouble in West said. the Derby. Barber answered back The most obvious place for with a press release where he the two horses to meet is the Acategorically denied@ what he Haskell. The GI Travers, the GI said was a Afalse accusation.@ Pennsylvania Derby and the GI So what we have here is the Breeders= Cup Classic are also chance for a good old-fashioned possibilities. But everyone grudge match. should be rooting for Barber Barber, who watched the and Casse to point War of Will Preakness from France, has been to the Haskell rather than unavailable to the media since waiting for another spot to take the race, so no one is quite sure on Maximum Security. With what is going through his mind horses being as fragile as they right now. He might like to know are, the longer they put off the that West said he was happy to War of Will | Horsephotos rematch the less of a chance see War of Will win. there is that it will actually A(War of Will) was the best horse in the Preakness and I happen. Gary Barber has to worry about what=s best for his own congratulate everyone connected with the horse,@ he said. horse, but we can all hope he would also factor into the West said the only race that is definitely on Maximum equation what=s good for the sport, and that=s a Haskell Security=s schedule is the July 20 GI Haskell at Monmouth. He appearance by War of Will. TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 8 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • MAY 20, 2019 There=s also the matter of West=s challenge that he issued to and not enough horses to go around to adequately fill cards at the owners of the others horses involved in the Derby incident. all the tracks running this time of year in the region. To have He essentially offered to bet any of the other owners $5 million racing going on concurrently at Laurel/Pimlico, Delaware Park, that their horse would not finish ahead of Maximum Security in Monmouth and Parx is not sustainable. To make things even any race where any among that group of 3 year-olds showed up more difficult on the racing offices, Colonial Downs will rejoin to take on his horse. the group later this year after being closed since 2013. And, in Prior to the Preakness, the challenge looked silly. Maximum the past, when they raced, the Maryland tracks would shut Security was the best horse in Derby and any of the owners of down. This year that=s not going to happen. horses who finished behind him would be foolish to wager $5 One of these tracks had to be the odd track out and it=s clear million at even-money odds that they could beat him. After the that it=s Delaware Park. Even with slot-infused purses they Preakness, that may no longer be the case. West and Barber are simply don=t have enough horses to conduct a viable meet. On both very rich men and Barber very well could be so Saturday, Delaware had three races with just four starters and emboldened by the Preakness win that he=s ready to accept another with five. They are averaging 6.08 starters per race for West=s challenge. the meet. AMr. Barber is a good man, but I can=t speak for him,@ West That figure would be even lower if not for Delaware twice said. ABut I would personally take me up on my offer in a canceling cards due to insufficient entries. That=s two heartbeat. War of Will and Maximum Security would generate a cancellations from the first nine scheduled cards. lot of interest in racing and a >match race within a race= with The TDN received no response when sending an email request those two horses would be very good for the sport.@ to interview Delaware Park President Bill Fasy. What I would He=s 100% right. Let=s hope Barber agrees and has already have liked to know is what the track plans to do about the circled the Haskell on his calendar. situation. It might be a hard pill to swallow, but the most obvious solution would be, in the future, to run a five or six-day Problems at Delaware Park meet centered around the GII Delaware H. It would be terrific if It=s no secret that there is too much racing in the Mid-Atlantic some, if not all, of the tracks that compete with Delaware would The upcoming Colonial Downs meet will have restricted races for these Virginia-Bred and Certified horses.