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Updated: 4 days 7 hours ago

Everett Dobson Officially Elected Chair of the The Jockey Club

Wed, 2025-07-30 12:38

Everett Dobson has officially been elected by the board of stewards to be the next chair of The Jockey Club. Dobson succeeds Stuart Janney, III, who has served as chair of the organization since August of 2015.

“It's a great privilege to follow Stuart as chair of The Jockey Club,” Dobson said. “Stuart has been an integral part of The Jockey Club as we strive to improve Thoroughbred breeding and racing. I will continue with our endeavor to develop initiatives that support and grow the sport.”

Dobson has been a member of The Jockey Club since 2014. He served as a steward from August 2017 through August 2021 and was elected again in 2024. A longtime owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds, the Oklahoma native is owner of Candy Meadows Farm and races under Cheyenne Stables.

He serves on the executive committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and is immediate past chairman of the American Graded Stakes Committee. Dobson also serves as a member of the Breeders' Cup, in addition to being a trustee of the Keeneland Association.

Dobson is the executive chairman of Dobson Fiber, a telecommunications company based in Oklahoma City. He is also an investor in the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder team and serves on its board of directors.

Janney will continue to serve on The Jockey Club's board of stewards.

“It has been an honor to serve as the chair of The Jockey Club these past 10 years,” Janney said. “I could not be more pleased with the accomplishments that have been made in the industry with the support and leadership of The Jockey Club. I have no doubt that, with Everett as chairman, The Jockey Club will continue to pave the way forward for our wonderful sport.”

Dobson will serve as the 11th chair of The Jockey Club since its establishment in 1894.

The remaining stewards are William S. Farish Jr. (vice chair), Ian D. Highet (treasurer), William M. Lear Jr. (secretary), Louis A. Cella, Gary Fenton, Terry Finley, David O'Farrell, Marc Holliday, Stuart S. Janney III, Bret Jones, and Vincent Viola.

The post Everett Dobson Officially Elected Chair of the The Jockey Club appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

1/ST Renames Races in Honor of Lukas, Clement

Wed, 2025-07-30 12:18

Graded races at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park have been renamed in honor of the late trainers D. Wayne Lukas and Christophe Clement, 1ST, which operates both racetracks, announced Wednesday.

Beginning in 2026, the GII Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita will be renamed the D. Wayne Lukas Stakes, while the GIII La Prevoyante Stakes at Gulfstream Park has been renamed the Christophe Clement Stakes.

“D. Wayne Lukas and Christophe Clement were not just generational horsemen, they were top-class people,” said 1/ST President Aidan Butler. “Santa Anita and Gulfstream were blessed to be their homes for many years. It is an honor to salute them for years to come at our tracks by renaming races that helped launch their success stories.”

Lukas saddled Flack Flack to win the 1980 Santa Monica, then run as a handicap. It was the trainer's first Grade II race at Santa Anita Park and just his ninth graded stakes win since transitioning to Thoroughbreds from Quarter Horses. Lukas would go on to add five more Santa Monica's to his extensive resume with Parsley (1980), Bara Lass (1984), Pine Tree Lane (1987 and 1988) and the Hall of Fame filly Serena's Song (1996).

Only trainer Bob Baffert's seven wins bests Lukas's record in the seven-furlong race, which has been contested since 1957.

Lukas, who began his successful career based at Santa Anita Park in the 1970s-1990s, passed away June 28, less than three months before his 90th birthday.

The 1992 La Prevoyante provided Clement with just the second graded stakes win of his young career when Irish-bred Sardaniya won for His Highness the Aga Khan, coming less than a month after his first graded win at Gulfstream Park.

Currently run at Gulfstream over 1 1/2 miles on the grass for fillies and mares, the 1992 running at Calder was the first of Clement's six wins in the race, followed by Tampoli (1994), Caretta (1998 and 1999), Irish Mission (2014) and Beautiful Lover (2022).

Clement passed away May 24 at age 59.

The post 1/ST Renames Races in Honor of Lukas, Clement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Golden Gate Fields Retro Payments Available

Tue, 2025-07-29 16:54

Retro payment checks for racing conducted at Golden Gate Fields from Dec. 26, 2023 through June 9, 2024 are ready for distribution, according to a release from Thoroughbred Owners of California.

The statement read, “As a result of a thorough review, it has been determined that a total of $670,455 was underpaid to the purse account. This resulted in an 8.04% retroactive payment to all participants who earned purse money in overnight races during this period.”

Eligible owners can log into their InCompass Horsemen's accounts to view the exact amount they are entitled to receive.

The post Golden Gate Fields Retro Payments Available appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Del Mar CAW Change Analysis: ‘Big Step in Right Direction,’ but More Needed to ‘Stabilize’ All Visible Pools

Tue, 2025-07-29 16:14

After growing clamor among horse players about the role that Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) players had in driving a spate of marked late odds changes at Del Mar this summer, track officials announced Tuesday that starting this Thursday, they would close CAW access to its win pools at two minutes before the off time.

“I'm really pleased. This is a stepping stone to getting things right as it effectively creates a retail only pool, and it stabilizes prices,” said Marshall Gramm, an economics professor at Rhodes College in Tennessee and someone who has studied the effects of CAW teams across the country.

At the same time, more could be done to “stabilize pricing” in all the visible non-win pools at the track, said Gramm.

“But this is certainly going to help things,” Gramm said about Tuesday's announcement. “It's a big step in the right direction.”

The debate around CAW players typically surrounds the major edge they wield over regular gamblers thanks to their use of sophisticated technologies that allow them to precisely read the markets and to place massive wagers across nearly all polls in the final seconds of betting, as well as the attractive rates and rebates offered to them which are unavailable to the average punter.

Since the start of racing this summer at Del Mar, there have been a growing number of examples of drastic late odds changes, many of them circulated on social media by frustrated horseplayers.

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club (DMTC) president Josh Rubinstein wrote in Tuesday's press release about the win pool change:

“This is part of an overall effort to ensure an optimal wagering experience for fans on-track, at simulcast locations and those playing via our advanced deposit wagering partners.”

Rubinstein added, “We had taken steps to encourage CAW players to process their win wagers earlier in the cycle, but it has become clear that we need to take additional measures. We will continue to do our best to create a racing and wagering product that appeals to all segments of the horseplayer market.”

Emphasizing how he views Tuesday's announcement as a major net positive for horseplayers, Gramm added how track officials should now take further steps to curb CAW play in the place, show, Exacta and double pools.

As an example, Gramm pinpointed Saturday winner Nanci Griffith, who went from 18-1 while loading to a final price of 6-1.

Analyzing ADW Tote cycles, Gramm found that while about $10,000 was bet on Nanci Griffith before the last cycle in the win pool, some $25,000 came in for the filly after the last cycle, constituting 36% of the total amount wagered on her.

Furthermore, while she jumped from 4.4% to 11.4% in the win pool, “she went from 4.7% to 11.6% in the Exacta, so it wasn't just a win plunge,” said Gramm. “There was an Exacta change. A Double change. And that was fairly typical for these big market movers.”

Gramm's Del Mar analysis follows his recent study of last cycle activity at New York Racing Association's (NYRA) Aqueduct winter meet since 2022.

In that study, Gramm found that the estimated percentage share from CAW players of monies wagered into the Place, Show, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and Early Pick 5 pools at the last cycle (now moved to 30 seconds) has increased noticeably since 2022.

He found that the estimated increase in CAW participation in these pools is significantly higher than that seen in the Win, Late Pick Five, and Pick Six pools, for which NYRA has taken tough steps in recent years to curb CAW play.

The largest apparent increase in last cycle money occurred in the Place pool (a 23.2% increase since 2022), and the Show pool (a 22.7% increase since 2022), according to Gramm.

Interestingly, Del Mar's steps to curb CAW access to the win pool at two minutes to post follow steps NYRA had already implemented since 2021. NYRA blocks CAW access to the win pool at three minutes to post.

The TDN recently asked three influential figures from the world of gambling to respond to Gramm's NYRA findings.

They suggested several measures for all tracks to better manage CAW activity, such as incrementally broadening the steps NYRA has already taken in its Win pools to include all visible pools, and cutting the rebates CAW teams receive, so tracks make more on each dollar bet.

Over the last couple of years, Del Mar has been the focus of scrutiny for its pricing policies in terms of the rates it charges individual CAW teams, and the potential impacts from these pricing decisions on the track's pools.

The TDN found that in 2023, Elite 17–one of more than a dozen individual Elite Turf Club players–enjoyed a noticeably more favorable rate than those other players that year.

Owned by The Stronach Group and NYRA (the latter with a 20% non-controlling interest), Elite Turf Club is a CAW wagering platform that makes up a significant portion of Del Mar's handle. But the favorable rate that Elite 17 enjoyed gave the betting breakdown of Elite Turf Club's ledgers that year a lop-sided look.

Indeed, Elite 17's play constituted nearly 47% of Elite Turf Club's total handle on Del Mar in 2023, according to data obtained by TDN. This was no small amount of money–Elite 17 wagered some $53 million on the track alone that year.

And little had changed last year, with Elite 17 still wielding the same lop-sided impact on CAW wagering at the track.

According to 2024 data obtained by the TDN, the amount Elite 17 wagered constituted 46% of the overall handle that Elite Turf Club players placed on Del Mar's product–what amounted to $63.4 million of a total $138.1 million (including Breeders' Cup play in the fall).

Earlier this month, however, Rubinstein told the Paulick Report that “at the request of the TOC (Thoroughbred Owners of California), we have further modified our [CAW] pricing policies for this year.”

The TDN reached out to Del Mar for a response to Gramm's suggestions. A track spokesperson said that it had no comment beyond Tuesday's press release.

The post Del Mar CAW Change Analysis: ‘Big Step in Right Direction,’ but More Needed to ‘Stabilize’ All Visible Pools appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

‘Dress Up Because You Are Going to Win;’ Sedburys Ghost Gives Wu First Stakes Victory in Plate Trial

Tue, 2025-07-29 15:29

When Sedburys Ghost (Shaman Ghost) burst from the pack to capture the Plate Trial Stakes at Woodbine a week ago, the gelding gave his owner/breeder Yawen Wu her first stakes victory and has the Canadian engineer dreaming of her first trip to the King's Plate.

After finishing fourth in the 1 1/16-mile GIII Marine Stakes in June, Sedburys Ghost was given just a 7-1 chance to win the Plate Trial at an extra half-furlong July 20. Wu admitted she wasn't sure herself how the strapping chestnut would do in the trial, but trainer Barbara Minshall had enough confidence for all of them.

“I had mixed feelings,” Wu said. “But Barb said, 'Yawen, dress up because you're going to win.' In the Marine Stakes, we thought if he didn't get first, he would get second or third, but he ended up fourth, so we were a little disappointed. But Barb was so confident. She said, 'Sedbury is training well and I have no doubts unless something happened. If everything goes well, he has speed and he has talent and the jockey [Ryan Munger] had been working with him since we started training him.”

Sedburys Ghost traces back to Wu and husband James Mann's first foray into Thoroughbred breeding. The gelding's second dam Bayou Mist (Silver Ghost) was part of a small group of mares the couple acquired in 2007 to stock their newly acquired farm land in Port Perry, Ontario.

“My husband and I, we are both engineers by trade, we have our own company,” Wu said. “So it's not like we've been involved in racing our whole lives. But we both love horses, so we bought the farm land. We bought acres and built the farm from scratch.”

While Thoroughbred racing wasn't originally in the couple's plans for their new farm, the land just happened to be near the historic Windfields Farm, which was in the process of winding down just as they were building up their farm.

“Originally, we thought we would just have horses in general and then we met [Windfields manager] Bernard McCormack and he told us that we had a great setting for broodmares and foaling,” Wu explained. “We are on an island. It's a great piece of land. Very beautiful and quiet. That was almost 20 years ago, but at that time, it was a new barn, custom made, and a big riding arena. Bernard said it would be great, good for the broodmares and the foals and the yearlings.”

Wu and Mann purchased three mares at the 2007 Keeneland January Sale, where they acquired Bayou Mist for $35,000. The mare's 2006 foal was multiple stakes winner Selva (Forest Wildcat), who went on to produce multiple stakes winner Vanzzy (Verrazano).

The couple's initial breeding operation was short-lived when the demands of family and business, where they operate Mann Engineering with a focus on renewable energy, overtook the racing game.

“I had four kids and they were all busy in the school,” Wu recalled. “And our business was also busy. So we took a five-year break. We sold all the horses in the first group that we had bought in Kentucky. All the yearlings we sold with Bernard. He took all our crop back to Kentucky and we sold all the stock. But it was the best decision, I kept Hurricane Mimi. She was the only one I kept.”

Put into training with Ross Armata, Jr., the hard-knocking Hurricane Mimi hit the board in 11 of 28 starts with three wins and earnings of $171,078 before retiring in 2017 and taking up residence at the Mann family's Spirit Run Farm.

Sedburys Ghost is the mare's fourth foal and her fourth winner and, like all of his siblings up to that point, was entered in the yearling sales where he RNA'd for $20,662 in August of 2023.

“I put a reserve at $29,500 and I didn't get him sold,” Wu said. “Bernard asked if I wanted to lower that, and I said, 'No. I am going to keep him and race him.' I didn't want to give him away. I wanted to race him. I was with Barb already, so I asked her if she would train him.”

Sedburys Ghost | Michael Burns Photo

Sedburys Ghost has rewarded that decision, breaking his maiden in his second start last June and returning nearly a year later to add an optional claimer before his traffic-compromised effort in the Marine Stakes. But it was his 1 1/4-length victory in the Plate Trial that has Wu most excited.

“This was my first stakes winner, so I am very excited,” she said. “I was sitting beside Barb and my two daughters. In the beginning, he was in mid-pack, so after the turn, I saw he had a clear lane and he just went and as soon as we saw that, I knew he was going to close. I have never been so excited in my life, actually. I was shaking.”

The family's broodmare band has grown back up to five head, but Wu has decided to forego the sales ring and aim instead for the racetrack.

“I just need a little bit more courage to breed to sell because the Canadian sires have a lower commercial value,” Wu said. “But they are good horses. I have two yearlings right now and I was going to August to sell, but I withdrew them and decided I am going to race them. They have great pedigrees and they are nice looking and good conformation. I just feel like they will have more value to race then to give away.”

One of those racehorses in the pipeline is Hurricane Amelia, a 2-year-old full-sister to Sedburys Ghost, who has been working steadily at Woodbine for Minshall.

“I heard great things about her from Barb,” Wu said of the juvenile. “She says she is very competitive and she reminds her of Sedbury as a yearling. And they look identical. Chestnut with three white socks.”

Hurricane Mimi produced a filly by Souper Speedy this year and was bred back to Tamarkuz.

Wu has plenty of racing to look forward to, but it's the Aug. 16 King's Plate that is the stable's immediate focus.

“I've never been to the King's Plate,” Wu said with a laugh. “I've never been invited. Usually you have a friend or a friend of a friend who has a horse in the King's Plate and they invite you.”

While her daughters are busy googling 'What to wear at the King's Plate,' Wu admitted, “I am nervous. Excited. But also kind of nervous.”

The post ‘Dress Up Because You Are Going to Win;’ Sedburys Ghost Gives Wu First Stakes Victory in Plate Trial appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made, For July 21-28

Tue, 2025-07-29 11:09

NOBLE CONFESSOR, SAR, 7/24, 1 3/16 miles (turf) (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 83
(c, 3, by Quality Road–Sweeter Than Wine, by Noble Mission {GB})
O/B-St Elias Stable. T-Todd Pletcher. J-Irad Ortiz Jr.
Prior to his Wednesday wire-to-wire victory on the stretch-out to 9 1/2 furlongs, the Vinny Viola product was a six-race maiden despite losing to Zulu Kingdom by a neck in last September's Grade II Pilgrim Stakes (and blowing past on the gallop-out) then finishing 6th while beaten 2 1/4 lengths in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (the third-best finish by a North American-based runner).

TOMMY JO, SAR, 7/26, 6 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 85
(f, 2, by Into Mischief–Mother Mother, by Pioneerof the Nile)
O/B-Spendthrift Farm (Ky). T-Todd Pletcher. J-John Velazquez.
Definitely the most impressive of Pletcher's five 2-year-old first-timers to win at Saratoga thus far in 2025. Tommy Jo dropped 5 lengths back in the opening furlong while collecting her thoughts, and then blew past the competition. The second foal to race for Mother Mother, who won two ungraded stakes for Bob Baffert but was 2nd or 3rd in three Grade I's.

CIVIL LIBERTY, DMR, 7/26, 5 1/2 furlongs (2nd) (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure-87
(c, 2, by Independence Hall–Love and Respect, by Tiznow)
O-Mark Davis and Great Friends Stables. B-St. Simon Place (Ky). T-Doug O'Neill. J-Antonio Fresu.
Bet down to 5-1 for his debut after a string of quick breezes, Civil Liberty had the misfortune of running into a buzzsaw named Brant–but more than held his own with a encouraging runnerup finish. He set fast early fractions under pressure, and still checked in 3 1/2 lengths ahead of the rest of the field.

USHA, DMR, 7/27, 6 1/2 furlongs (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 95
(f, 3, by Tiz the Law–Animal Appeal, by Leroidesanimaux {Brz})
O-Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. B-Elser and Raine (NY). T-Bob Baffert. J-Juan Hernandez.
It would be easy to say this came out of nowhere, with her four previous starts topping out at 67 on the Beyer Speed Figure scale. However, she debuted at 2-5 against Proud Starlet and Thought Process exactly one year earlier then was 7-10 next out versus stablemate Tenma. Usha was always highly regarded, and after nine months on the sidelines she reemerged with a vengeance–and paid $11.80 after an 11 1/2-length romp.

BRANT, DMR, 7/26, 5 1/2 furlongs (1st) (VIDEO)
Beyer Speed Figure- 101
(c, 2, by Gun Runner–Tynan, by Liam's Map)
O-Zedan Racing Stables. B-PTK (Ky). T-Bob Baffert. J-Flavien Prat.
Zedan and agent Donato Lanni shattered the OBS record in March by going to $3 million to bring home this colt after he drilled a furlong in 9 3/5 seconds. The steel-gray Brant rolled past Civil Liberty for a 5 1/4-length score at first asking, and his Beyer was the fastest for a 2-year-old debut since fellow Baffert trainees Speed Boat Beach (104) and Cave Rock (101) at the 2022 Del Mar meet. Zedan named him to honor his friend Peter Brant, a longtime owner who shares his enthusiasm for horse racing, polo, and fine art.

The post Five Fastest Maidens, Presented By Taylor Made, For July 21-28 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Pensioned WinStar Stallion Congrats Dies At 25

Tue, 2025-07-29 10:24

Former WinStar stallion Congrats (A.P. Indy–Praise, by Mr. Prospector) passed away Monday at the age of 25. The news was confirmed by Scott Kintz who heads Six K's Training & Sales at Florida's Woodford Thoroughbreds where the pensioned stallion retired in 2021.

A GSW/MGISP son of A.P. Indy, Congrats won the 2005 GII San Pasqual Handicap and earned placings in the GI Santa Anita Handicap and the GI Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap while also finishing fifth behind Roses In May (Devil His Due) in the 2005 G1 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup. Through a career spanning four years, Congrats earned just shy of seven figures for owner Cloverleaf Farm and trainer Kathleen O'Connell.

Retired to stud in 2007, he initially stood at Cloverleaf's Florida base before moving to Vinery Stud from 2008-12 and eventually winding up at WinStar in 2013 where he stood the bulk of his career before his pensioning to Woodford, formally the site of Cloverleaf Farm, in October 2021. Always a consistent source of winners, Congrats sired 1,552 runners of which 1,293 started and 932 found the winner's circle. His leading progeny include Grade I winners Turbulent Descent, Haveyougoneaway, Emma's Encore and Wickedly Perfect. Notably, as a broodmare sire, daughters of Congrats have produced the likes of Japan's Forever Young (Jpn) (Reel Steel {Jpn}) and Danon Decile (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}).

The post Pensioned WinStar Stallion Congrats Dies At 25 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Wagering Menu for 166th King’s Plate Feature New ‘King and Queens Pick 3’

Mon, 2025-07-28 17:00

Woodbine Entertainment released the official wagering menu for the 166th running of the $1-million King's Plate, taking place Saturday, Aug. 16 at Woodbine Racetrack.

A total of $1 million in guaranteed Pick 5 pools will anchor the day, the debut of The Kings & Queens Pick 3, a special Pick-3 sequence linking the day's three marquee races.

  • $200,000 bet365 GII King Edward Stakes
  • $750,000 GI E.P. Taylor Stakes – A Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” race
  • $1,000,000 King's Plate

The special Pick-3 will carry a $5 minimum and 15% takeout.

Below is the full list of featured wagers for King's Plate Day:

  • $200,000 Guaranteed Early Pick 5
  • $400,000 Guaranteed Middle Pick 5
  • Power Pick 6 – Mandatory Payout
  • Kings & Queens Pick 3
  • $400,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 5
  • Jackpot Hi-5 – Mandatory Payout

For more information, visit www.woodbine.com.

The post Wagering Menu for 166th King’s Plate Feature New ‘King and Queens Pick 3’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Judge Dismisses Fired Hawthorne Vet’s Whistleblower Claims that Alleged Conspiracy to race Unsound Horses

Mon, 2025-07-28 16:39

A judge has dismissed federal claims in a lawsuit filed last year by a former Hawthorne Race Course association veterinarian who alleged that her efforts to scratch over 80 lame or injured Thoroughbreds during 2022-23 were met with a purported conspiracy among track employees, other veterinarians, and state regulators to overturn her actions so unsound horses could be entered to fill short-field races.

Dr. Christine Tuma had also claimed in United States District Court (Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division) that when she reported this alleged conspiracy to state and federal regulators, she was fired “in retaliation for blowing the whistle on the illegal activities.”

Tuma's Sept. 12, 2024, civil complaint centered on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to try and collect damages.

RICO is a sweeping 1970 federal statute initially designed to combat the Mafia. But RICO has long since lost its “organized crime” stigma, evolving over the decades into a civil litigation component more often asserted by purported victims of white-collar crime.

Hawthorne management had denied the allegations when the complaint first got filed, and last November asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit based on the contention that Tuma's case did not meet the standards for RICO claims and because her allegations fell “well short of alleging conduct of an enterprise or a pattern of racketing.”

In a July 25, 2025, opinion and order, United States District Judge Jeffrey Cummings agreed with Hawthorne and other defendants, dismissing Tuma's federal claims and relinquishing jurisdiction over her remaining state law claims related to the Illinois Whistleblower Act, common law retaliatory discharge, and civil conspiracy.

The judge dismissed Tuma's federal claims “without prejudice,” explaining in the order that Tuma can refile an amended complaint with the federal court by Aug. 15 “to the extent she can do so consistent with this Memorandum Opinion and Order.”

An attorney for Tuma, Haskell Garfinkel, responded to TDN's request for comment with an email that noted that although the judge dismissed some of the claims against Hawthorne and the other defendants on “procedural grounds,” the court made “no finding on the underlying merits of the case or the allegations made by Dr. Tuma.”

Emails sent Monday morning by TDN to two attorneys representing Hawthorne did not yield replies prior to the late-afternoon deadline for this story.

In addition to Hawthorne as a business entity, the Illinois Racing Board (IRB) was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, as were track employees Jim Miller (director of racing), John Walsh (assistant general manager) and Dave White (racing secretary). Other defendants were Dawn Folker-Calderon, the IRB's chief state vet; two state stewards, Thomas Kelley and John Eddy, plus Beth Beuchler, a vet employed by Hawthorne.

Tuma's lawsuit stated that because of the alleged conspiracy, she “suffered loss of income, benefits, career opportunities, humiliation, and emotional distress.”

She sought judgment against the defendants “for actual damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages [and] treble damages.”

The lawsuit stated that, “It was during the fall meeting in 2022 that Dr. Tuma uncovered the full extent of the illegal running of sick and lame horses. On or around the same time, Dr. Tuma uncovered and began investigating alterations of the medical records of these horses.”

Tuma's complaint stated that, “The entry of these horses into regulated Illinois races was not only a means for the RICO Defendants to induce wagers on horses that were not legally qualified to run, but in numerous instances, the certification of an additional horse in a race allowed the Enterprise to run races that did not meet the legally mandated minimum number of entries required to run a wagered race under Illinois law.”

Over the course of 48 pages, Tuma's complaint detailed how her assessments of horses as “scratch lame” had allegedly been tampered with by Calderon and Beuchler and changed to “racing sound,” the indication that the horse was fit to run, or to the less-severe “scratch sick” designation that is supposed to indicate temporary illness.

When Tuma expressed her concerns about the scratch process to Calderon, she was allegedly told, “This is how it's always done.”

Tuma's lawsuit stated that owners and trainers began to complain about her high number of scratch assessments, including one horseman who allegedly “caused a horse to lurch menacingly at her, threatening grave bodily harm.” Another time, the suit contended, a groom “physically battered her.”

The suit stated that when Tuma reported these alleged incidents of abuse to track officials and the stewards, “only a nominal fine was levied against the perpetrators.”

When Tuma began making a series of complaints to the stewards about the “misclassification of horses as sick from lame,” she was informed by Calderon “that she had been stripped of her authority to scratch horses,” and that a new protocol requiring Beuchler to check her assessments would be in place, the suit stated.

 

On March 20, 2023, Tuma's suit stated that she “delivered a comprehensive whistleblower letter” to the IRB and the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA).

The suit continued: “On or around the date Dr. Tuma submitted her comprehensive complaint to the IRB, Miller, who had theretofore never called Dr. Tuma directly on her cell phone, called her a minimum of six times to intimidate her about her lame scratches and to ensure that the maximum number of horses were run.”

Some 3 ½ months later, the suit stated, just 48 hours before HISA personnel were scheduled to visit Hawthorne for an inspection, “Dr. Tuma met with Walsh via Zoom on July 11, 2023, and was informed that she had been terminated based on the pretext that her termination was a cost-cutting measure.”

But the judge's order last Friday stated that, “Tuma's alleged severe emotional distress and harm to her professional reputation is not an injury to business or property for the purposes of a civil RICO claim.”

Cummings wrote that “even presuming that Tuma's loss of her job was an injury to her business or property for civil RICO purposes, she has failed to allege that this injury was directly caused by the alleged racketeering activity.”

The judge continued, focusing on the RICO claims:

“Three out of the four alleged predicate acts have nothing to do with Tuma's termination,” the order stated. “Plaintiff appears to implicitly agree as her Complaint states that the RICO defendants committed wire fraud 'when they agreed to and engaged in a scheme to defraud bettors and regulators' and to 'induce bettors to wager on [the race-ineligible] horses, thereby depriving the bettors of their money and increasing the funds obtained by the Enterprise…'

“The wire fraud as alleged was therefore aimed at defrauding bettors and regulators, not Tuma,” the judge wrote.

“The same goes for the predicate acts of operating an illegal gambling business in violation of federal law and illegal gambling in violation of state law, both of which are premised on the same actions as those described in relation to the wire fraud allegations,” the order stated.

“Tuma fails to establish that these predicate acts directly caused her firing. The Court's conclusion is not a close call. The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized the importance of a direct relation between the injury asserted and the conduct alleged,” the judge wrote.

“Furthermore, the Court cannot ascertain any group's ascertainable damages here. The Complaint is devoid of information relating to whether (1) people actually placed wagers on the supposedly ineligible horses; (2) the ineligible horses' performance; or (3) the amount of money wagered and lost.

“As it stands, Tuma merely alleges in a conclusory fashion that the defendants' conduct of promoting sick horses to race 'goes well beyond mere disagreements with [her] professional opinions,' and without any support, this does not create an injury,” the order stated.

“Tuma provides two examples of horses she assessed as lame, but that nonetheless raced,” the judge explained. “The horses (Imagine Gold and Dastardly Deeds) finished second and third in their respective races despite Tuma's 'lame' assessment.

“Tuma likens the horses' positive performance to professional athletes 'playing through the pain,' such as Peyton Manning's performance during the Denver Bronco's 2016 Super Bowl win despite neck issues that ultimately required surgery, and Tiger Woods' 2008 U.S. Open win despite a torn ACL and leg stress fractures,” the order stated.

“However, these examples undercut Tuma's Complaint: anyone who bet on the Broncos in the 2016 Super Bowl or on Tiger Woods in the 2008 U.S. Open would have won money and not lost money,” the order stated.

“Moreover, if the Court takes as true-as Tuma alleges-that lame horses such as Imagine Gold and Dastardly Deeds may nonetheless perform well enough to place or show, then it must logically conclude that purportedly 'defrauded' bettors may win money despite placing wagers on ineligible horses,” the order stated.

The judge next addressed Tuma's fourth predicate act, which was premised on alleged actions deemed unlawful by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which makes it a federal offense to knowingly retaliate against anyone for providing truthful information to a law enforcement officer related to the commission or possible commission of any federal offense.

“Again, here, Tuma alleges that she complained of defendants' RICO activity to Dr. Mary Scollay, Chief of Science at the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) on Dec. 4, 2022, who then referred the matter to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA),” the order stated.

“Tuma also delivered a 'comprehensive whistleblower letter' letter to both HISA and the IRB on March 20, 2023, describing: (a) unauthorized modifications to horses' medical records; (b) inappropriate/fraudulent transactions between trainers and veterinarians; and (c) failure to comply with operating protocol and procedure; and 'was explicit' that 'an investigation must ensue,'” the order stated.

“Tuma argues that HISA qualifies as a law enforcement agency because it is authorized to ensure compliance with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Defendants disagree and argue that HISA merely assists the Federal Trade Commission in its enforcement of [the Act],” the order stated.

“The Court agrees that Tuma's letter to HISA and her complaint to Dr. Scollay at HIWU do not constitute communications 'to a law enforcement officer' for the purposes of establishing a RICO predicate act,” the judge wrote.

“In sum: Tuma's damage-her employment termination (and 'severe emotional distress resulting in physical injuries and harm to her professional reputation,')-does not directly flow from the alleged predicate acts of wire fraud, illegal gambling, and operating an

illegal gambling business. She fails to allege that her injury was directly related to the predicate acts,” the judge's order stated.

 

 

 

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Prominent Owner/Breeder Fipke Breaks New Ground In Japan

Mon, 2025-07-28 16:27

Kana Tape (Jpn), a 6-year-old mare by perennial leading sire Lord Kanaloa (Jpn), gave North American owner/breeder Charles Fipke–one of just a handful of foreign owners to be granted a full-time license in Japan–his first feature-race winner in the country when coming from far back in the final quarter mile to take out the 1600-meter G3 Sekiya Kinen at Niigata Racecourse on Sunday, July 27.

Ridden by the visiting Rachel King to a Tokyo allowance success Feb. 9, the mare–trained by Noriyuki Hori–returned from a 133-day absence to finish runner-up in the 1800-meter G3 Fuchu Himba Stakes back at headquarters on June 22. A tepid post-time favorite at 17-5 with King back in the saddle from gate 14, Kana Tape was void of early speed and raced fourth from last as American import Shin Forever (Complexity) was loose on the lead.

Asked to sprint on the grandstand side with just less than two furlongs to travel, the bay mare entered the final eighth of a mile in full flight and was along in the final couple of strides to score by a neck, covering her final 600 meters in a race-best :32.5 while stopping the clock in a course-record 1:31 flat. Godolphin's Off Trail (GB) (Farhh {GB}) and second choice Bond Girl (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), a daughter of Coasted (Tizway) and half-sister to GSW & MG1SP Danon Beluga (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), dead-heated for second.

Kana Tape is a daughter of 2004 GI QE II Challenge Cup and GI American Oaks victress Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}), who was purchased by Northern Farm's Katsumi Yoshida in foal to Giant's Causeway for $950,000 at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale and was exported to Japan.

Fipke, who has shopped the JRHA Select Sale off and on since 2016, acquired Kana Tape for ¥84 million (about US$772,800) at the 2019 Foal Sale and she gave her owner his first winner of any variety in Japan when breaking her maiden at first asking going 1800 meters at Tokyo in January 2022. Sunday's victory took Kana Tape's record to 5-4-3 from 17 starts for earnings of $975,617.

 

WATCH: Charles Fipke's Kana Tape (#14) flashes home in the G3 Sekiya Kinen

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Thistledown Resumes Racing and Horse Breaks Down in First Race Back

Mon, 2025-07-28 16:13

After a couple of lost training days last week because of escalating safety concerns with the dirt surface, racing resumed Monday at Thistledown, but another tragedy was not far behind. In the first race of the day, the 5-year-old mare Tayyara (Khozan) broke down and had to be euthanized. Thistledown canceled the remainder of the eight-race card.

According to a Horseracing Safety and Integrity Authority (HISA) spokesperson, HISA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Lazarus asked Thistledown to cancel after the first race and they agreed to do so. She also asked them to conduct an investigation and be prepared to discuss the results with her so that they can agree on next steps.”

The track was shut down for training as track officials looked to correct whatever problems there may have been. They resumed training on Saturday and Monday's card was the first day back for racing.

Tayyara stalked the pace early, took the lead entering the turn and then broke down in upper stretch. The Equibase chart also noted that Timely Secret (Commissioner) bumped into the distressed rival, Tayyara, and had to be vanned off the track.

It has been a tumultuous week for the Cleveland area track. On July 21, Thistledown fired its track superintendent, Sean Wright, and brought in outside racing surface consultants and began working with HISA. Images began to circulate on social media showing fist-sized rocks that were allegedly picked up from the track by jockeys and horsemen on Monday and Tuesday. Wright told the TDN's TD Thornton that he was fired for being a whistleblower because he took his concerns to HISA and the track stewards.

Wright also told Thornton that there have been eight catastrophic injuries at Thistledown since the meet began Apr. 21–five in races and three during training.

But at least one Thistledown executive was quick to defend the racing surface.

“We did not have problems with the track today by any stretch of the imagination,” said Racing Secretary Patrick Mackey. “We did have a horse that was pulled up in the first race. We're looking at that right now and investigating what happened. From what I was told, the jockeys were raving about the racing surface. We're still looking into everything but every report we've had on the track was positive.”

Mackey said meetings were on-going to decide whether the track will hold its regularly scheduled Tuesday card.

“The jockeys have told me that from their perspective, the track has never been better,” said a Thistledown jockey agent who asked that his name not be used. “With the work they've done on it the last few days the track was in great shape. I know that a horse breaking down in the first race is a bad look, but it's not the track.”

Ohio Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Executive Director Dave Basler was still another who defended the racing surface Monday.

“Obviously, we're concerned,” he said. “We resumed training Saturday morning after not training from Wednesday through Friday last week in order to get the track back in shape. I received nothing but positive reports from everyone about training on Saturday and Sunday. We did not have any concerns going into today. Unfortunately, there was an incident. No decision has been made on where we go from here. Management, the horsemen and the riders were all confident going into the day that the racetrack was safe.”

 

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Marc Holliday, Bret Jones Appointed Stewards of The Jockey Club

Mon, 2025-07-28 15:08

Marc Holliday and Bret Jones have been elected as stewards, according to a Jockey Club release Monday. Additionally, William M. Lear Jr. was reelected Secretary.

The remaining stewards are Stuart S. Janney III (chair), Ian D. Highet (treasurer), William S. Farish Jr. (vice chair), Louis A. Cella, Everett Dobson, Gary Fenton, Terry Finley, David O'Farrell, and Vincent Viola.

Holliday, a member of The Jockey Club since 2022, was elected chairman of the board of directors of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) in December 2021. In his capacity as chairman, Holliday oversees the design and development of the new Belmont Park scheduled to open in 2026. Appointed to the NYRA board in 2014, Holliday has chaired the NYRA Equine Safety Committee since 2015. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of SL Green Realty Corp, which is New York City's largest owner of office properties. An owner and breeder, Holliday operates Blue Devil Racing Stable.

Jones, a member of The Jockey Club since 2023, is the president of Airdrie Stud in Midway, Kentucky. A 2004 graduate of the University of the South (Sewanee) and an alumnus of the Irish National Stud Breeding Course, he has been an official member of the Airdrie Stud team since 2006. Jones has served on the Breeders' Cup board of directors since 2011 and was recently named to the board of directors of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. He also sits on the Keeneland Advisory Board as well as the board of trustees for the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Foundation. He formerly served as a commissioner on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission from 2016 to 2020.

 

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Power Play: Fasig-Tipton Digital Buy Malarchuk After ‘Celly’ Out West

Mon, 2025-07-28 15:02

Dubbed a 'celly' in hockey parlance–short for the celebration that comes after a goal–the Thoroughbred version takes place in the winner's circle where power plays and fist pumps are also welcome.

For those investors looking to ride the nearest glass elevator by punching the button that reads 'Up and Out', logging on the Fasig-Tipton Digital platform is one way to pursue a creditable Horse of Racing Age on the make.

Fasig-Tipton's July auction, which just wrapped online a week ago, once again offered potential owners the chance to win now and not wait till later. A racing prospect who was the second-highest return during the event is a case in point.

Four-year-old Malarchuk (Nyquist)–named after Clint Malarchuk, the NHL goalie who survived having his carotid artery severed during a game in 1989–was offered by owners Richard Schermerhorn, Jeff Drown and Michael J. Ryan. Trained and consigned by Chad Brown, the colt cleared a pair of optional claimers at Saratoga June 6 and July 12. It was Reddam Racing and ERJ Racing who paired to win the war of clicks by going to $525,000.

The man behind ERJ and doing the bidding online as the seconds ticked down on Malarchuk was professional hockey player & Stanley Cup champion Erik Johnson.

He said he has found Fasig-Tipton's platform to be incredibly easy to use. Since his partner Paul Reddam had not delved too much into the format it was Johnson who took the lead when it came to upping the ante.

Nyquist | Sarah Andrew

“It's a great platform Fasig-Tipton has built and what they do is hand bidders everything they need to make informed decisions because it is all there in front of you,” said Johnson. “Paul and I have partnered on some 2-year-olds in the past, but we just did not have much in the way of luck, so when Malarchuk came up we were very interested especially since he is by Nyquist (by Uncle Mo).”

Of course, the NHL has served as an inspiration for Reddam before when he named his GI Kentucky Derby winner after a Detroit 'Hockeytown' star. The colt began his racing career by rattling off eight wins in a row which was capped by the score under the Twin Spires in 2016. Now, Nyquist stands at Darley America.

Nyquist's ability has translated very well to his offspring,” the NHL defenseman said. “As a sire you are seeing versatile runners have success like Gosger, Randomized and Nysos, so we knew that Malarchuk being on the improve was something we wanted to get in on. His figures are strong and he's from a deep family.”

According to Johnson, Fasig-Tipton's digital platform countdown mirrors the clock in a hockey game with overtime as a prospect. The NHL star added that he is used to the challenges of managing time.

“You have to be ready to shoot out a bid when it gets tight after multiple days of watching,” he said. “I actually entered $510,000, but the increments go up when you are over half a million by $25,000, so Paul was teasing me that I actually owe him $15,000. When Malarchuk wins at Del Mar, I will make sure to pay him back.”

Colorado Avalache's star Erik Johnson hoists the Stanley Cup at Del Mar in 2022 | Benoit

Their purchase has left Chad Brown's base upstate and is already in the capable California hands of new trainer Michael McCarthy. Johnson says that the plan is point to the GI Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 30 where Malarchuk could potentially meet new stablemate Journalism (Curlin) and also 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos in what is tabbed as a 'Win and You're In' race for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Those big names do not phase Johnson one bit.

“In any sport you want to beat the best and it's shaping up to be a great race with Journalism and Nysos potentially being in there,” Johnson said. “It's a privilege to be able to compete against such quality horses. We are excited to see how our new acquisition will stack up.”

Reddam and ERJ won the war of clicks for Malarchuk during the Fasig-Tipton's July Digital Sale and now they are after an even bigger 'celly' with a month to go until the Pacific Classic. A fist pump in that winner's circle would definitely be in order.

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‘Rising Star’ Dazzle d’Oro Euthanized after Catastrophic Training Injury

Mon, 2025-07-28 11:12

'TDN Rising Star' Dazzle d'Oro (Bolt d'Oro) sustained a catastrophic training injury Monday morning, and had to be euthanized, trainer Tom Amoss announced via X.

According to the tweet, the colt received immediate attention and was sent to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital about a mile from Saratoga, but due to the severity of the injury had to be humanely euthanized to prevent further suffering.

The son of Bolt d'Oro earned the nod from the TDN after a sterling debut at Churchill Downs June 29 when he took a field gate to wire and completed his six-furlong journey just .04 slower than Romeo (Honor A.P.) did when he won the Listed Bashford Manor in stakes-record time later on the same card. Dazzle d'Oro had been entered for Saturday's GII Saratoga Special Stakes.

“I want to thank the track staff, the veterinarians, and the hospital staff for the immediate care and attention Dazzle received,” Amoss said in the post. “Everyone in our barn feels a deep loss & our thoughts and prayers are with the owners and all who worked with him.”

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C & S Thoroughbreds Hoping for the Next Catalog Cover Horse in Return to Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

Mon, 2025-07-28 10:32

The husband-and-wife team of Carlos Estrada and Sarah Estrada-Brok have been skillfully developing C & S Thoroughbreds into thriving pinhooking venture over the past eight years. Steadily picking up steam with a each carefully-crafted consignment, the couple makes only their second appearance at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, which will be held in Saratoga Springs Aug. 4-5.

After offering their very first consignment in 2017, they ventured out on their own thereafter, and in their initial season selling 2-year-olds under the Sterling Thoroughbreds banner in 2021, they hit pay dirt with a Brody's Cause colt–a $6,000 yearling purchase–for $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale.

The operation's yearling class has also steadily picked up steam over the course of the last five years, highlighted by a yearling colt by Justify out of Mahkama (Bernardini) who went to BBA Ireland for $250,000 at the venue last year. The duo also sold a Charlatan colt out of Brandons Danger (Into Mischief) for the same price following the sale.

“Last year, we had our first consignment in Saratoga, and this year, we are going back with what I think is a better group,” affirmed Carlos Estrada. “I think this group is going to turn out to be very nice.”

Hoping to raise the bar in Saratoga next month, C & S Thoroughbreds will provide a trio of yearlings in its first offering at the select venue. All the yearlings are made up of limited partnerships, that the Estradas also have a stake in.

Offering some intrigue to this maiden voyage is Hip 82, a filly by Cyberknife, who is represented by his first crop of yearlings in 2025. Bred by Dr. Jerry Bilinski, the New York-bred filly already made the headlines when selling for a sale-topping $230,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Mixed Sale last October. A March 28 foal, the dark bay is a half-sister to GIII Summertime Oaks winner Cash Call (McKinzie) and SW and GSP Strategic Dreams (Archarcharch). Her winning dam D'fashion (D'wildcat) is a half-sister to GSW and GISP Express Tour (Tour d'Or).

Trained by Bob Baffert, CSLR Racing's Cash Call will be making her next start in Saratoga's GI Test Stakes.

“She is fancy,” said Sarah Estrada-Brok. “She is beautiful and correct and keeps improving. She's probably one of the best Cyberknife's we've seen.”

Carlos Estrada added, “She's a lovely filly that anyone would love to have in the barn. She's a forward filly.”

Asked if it was always the plan to bring the New York-bred filly back to sell in Saratoga, Estrada said,  “We bought her with the idea of going back to the [select] sale with her.”

Also on the first day of selling, the consignment is represented by a colt by Olympiad, offered as Hip 41. Winner of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, Olympiad is also represented by his first crop of yearlings in 2025.

C & S Thoroughbreds offer a half-sister by Cyberknife to GIII Summertime Oaks winner Cash Call (pictured) at this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale | BENOIT

An Apr. 11 foal, the Kentucky-bred is out of SP Autonomous (Quality Road), who descends from the family of Grade I winners Monba, Secret Hello and Silent Account, the second dam of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Plum Pretty. Bred by Stoneriggs Farm, the colt was purchased for $150,000 at Fasig-Tipton in Kentucky last February.

“He is a very nice colt, very athletic. We went to [the February [sale] saying we needed a Saratoga [caliber] colt, and he was one,” said Estrada.

Selling on the second day, Hip 198, a filly by newcomer Golden Pal, rounds out the Saratoga C & S Thoroughbreds draft.

Bred in Kentucky by Hidden Springs Farm, the $92,000 Keeneland November weanling is the second foal out of the Orb mare Seeking Spirits, a half-sister to Grade III scorer Kirby's Penny (Macho Uno). This represents the extended family of GSW and graded producer Degenerate Gal.

“Like the stallion, she has a lot of substance to her,” Estrada added. “Everyone is loving the Uncle Mo-line stallions like Yaupon and Golden Pal would not be an exception.”

According to Estrada-Brok, the consignors plan to maintain 10-15 yearlings per season and they plan to focus their hands-on operation on quality over quantity.

The couple purchased their farm, an 18-acre tract of land in Georgetown, Kentucky, three years ago.

“It's the perfect size for us, because we try to keep it small,” she said. “We try to get better quality every year. We'd like to stay small so we can focus on them, because it's mostly just us. We want to represent the best horses that we can.”

The consignors sold several yearlings at Fasig-Tipton this past July, and they expect to sell a handful, under the banner of a different consignor, at Keeneland in September. C & S Thoroughbreds will also sell a few at Fasig-Tipton in October.

Asked if the couple might consider expanding the size of their operation in the future, Estrada-Brok replied, “We don't want to get any bigger. Right now, we are happy where we are at. It's manageable. We have three kids. We don't just want to focus on horses, we want to focus on our kids as well. At that number, we can do everything ourselves.”

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Saratoga Notebook, Presented By NYRA Bets: Fierceness The One For Pletcher In Whitney

Sat, 2025-07-26 18:55

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.-'TDN Rising Stars' Fierceness (City of Light) or Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI $1 million Whitney Stakes?

Will one of them be running or will it be both?

Those questions got definitive answers Saturday morning outside Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's barn on the Oklahoma Training Track.

When entries are taken for the meet's marquee race for older horses on Sunday, both horses names will be front and center, but it will be Fierceness who carries the flag for Pletcher and the ownership group of Mike Repole's Repole Stables, Derrick Smith, Michael B. Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier.

“We plan to enter both,” Pletcher said. “We want to make sure we have a good week and if everything goes smoothly, the plan is to run Fierceness,” Pletcher said. “We are fortunate to have two horses that are multiple Grade I winners that are capable of running in these kinds of races.”

Mindframe, who has won all three of his starts this year–all at different distances–will be pointed to the $1 million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at the end of the meet, Aug. 31. But he will be entered in the Whitney as a safeguard in case Fierceness ends up not running.

The two 4-year-olds both worked on the main track at Saratoga Saturday morning. Fierceness and exercise rider Danny Wright appeared at 7 a.m. and went in company with stablemate Dreamlike (Gun Runner), going four furlongs in :49.40 (104/167).

Mindframe (outside) at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

“All of his works have been excellent,” Pletcher said. “We tried to do a little less with him today than he did last week when he had such a big work (five furlongs in 1:01.70) and such a strong gallop out. This was more of a maintenance work.”

Mindframe, owned by Repole and Vinnie and Teresa Viola's St. Elias Stable, and exercise rider Carlos Quevedo appeared later at 8:45 a.m. and also went four furlongs in :49.22 (87/167) while working in company with stablemate Classicist (Curlin).

For now, Pletcher will be fine keeping his two stable stars away from each other. Fierceness has won six of 11 career starts and is coming off a second-place finish in the GI Met Mile at Saratoga June 7.

“I think, for a race like the (GI) Breeders' Cup Classic, I would look forward to having both of them in there and taking their best shot at it,” Pletcher said. “There is a good chance we'll keep them separated until that day.”

Joseph Mulling What to do With Skippy
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. knows that he will be running White Abarrio (Race Day) in next Saturday's Whitney. He's not sure what he is going to do with his stablemate Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator).

The 6-year-old horse, who seems to get better as he gets older, worked four furlongs in :49.22 (87/167) on the Saratoga main track in company with stablemate Wally World (More Than Ready) at 8:45 Saturday morning.

Joseph said he will decide on Sunday whether he will put Skippy's name in the entry box.

“We won't decide until we have to,” Joseph said outside his barn on the Saratoga backstretch Saturday morning.

The main goal for Skippy this summer, Joseph said, is the GII Charles Town Classic in West Virginia on Aug. 22. It's a race that Skippy, owned by Daniel Alonso, has won the last two years. Joseph would love a three-peat.

Skippylongstocking was entered to run in the GI Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 28, but Joseph scratched. He hasn't run since May 26 when he won the GII Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes at Santa Anita.

Joseph would like to get a race into Skippy before the trip to Charles Town, but the Whitney is a tough spot, he knows that.

“The cons are the competition,” he said with a laugh. “The pros are if we were to win it. We want to run in the Whitney. We did it last year (finishing fifth). If he runs in the Whitney and has a hard race and you mess up the Charles Town Classic … that is the drawback.”

Skippylongstocking has started 32 times and has 11 wins, three seconds and seven third place finishes. This year, he has two wins and two thirds in four starts.

“He is consistent,” Joseph said. “He has gotten better as he has gotten older. From his 4-year-old year on, he has been really, really good. Every track he goes to, he runs. Thankfully, he has been able to stay around and he has been a joy to have.”

Skippylongstocking works Saturday | Sarah Andrew

Jockeys Will Have a Song to Sing on Sunday
The not ready for prime-time jockeys will take center stage at Vapors Night Club in Saratoga Springs Sunday night. It's the annual Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund  (PDJF) “Riders Up!,” the annual karaoke contest and fundraiser. The East Coast jockeys will belt out their tunes while those on the West Coast will do the same on Aug. 10.

Those attending should not plan on hearing dulcet tones that will bring back memories of Sinatra or Elvis. But the jockeys promise they will give it the best they got.

“I love music, I just can't sing,” Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez said Saturday morning on the Oklahoma Training Track.

When asked to rate himself as a singer, he laughed.

“I am close to a minus-zero,” he said. “I do try. I will put in a good effort. I just can't sing.”

He said he will perform with his wife Leona but would not reveal what kind of number they are going to do.

Joel Rosario, another Hall of Famer, admitted he is pretty much tone deaf, too. But he'll give it a shot.

“Please don't ask me to sing,” he said on the Saratoga backstretch when asked for a preview. “I only sing in the house where no one can hear me.”

International riding star Frankie Dettori wants no part of the singing competition, but he'll be the to support his buddies. And have a few laughs, too.

“I am good, but I'm not singing,” he said. “Some people take it real serious. I am going to be a spectator. I'll watch everyone make a fool of themselves. I am going to take a back seat and have a good laugh.”

Doors open at 7 p.m., and the performances start at 8. For tickets and more information, click here.

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Thistledown Furor Raises Compliance Questions with Key HISA Track Safety Requirement

Fri, 2025-07-25 17:22

Thistledown Racino's firing this week of track superintendent Sean Wright followed reports of alleged safety issues with the track's one-mile dirt surface that led to lost days of training and racing. There have also been multiple racing and training equine fatalities since the meet began Apr. 21.

The ongoing autopsy on these events has raised compliance question marks (both at Thistledown and nationally) over a key component of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act's (HISA) racetrack safety program.

Under this program, tracks are required when operating a meet to submit a set of measurements daily made at all quarter-mile markers at distances of five feet and 15 feet from the inside rail. This includes moisture content and, for dirt and synthetic tracks specifically, cushion depth.

Officials say these timely measurements are necessary to help identify on a day-to-day basis any potential equine safety concerns with the track surface.

“If we see any problems at a track—catastrophic injuries, problems with soreness on the horses—we should be able to provide to the regulatory vets and HISA real-time data either to identify problems with the tracks or rule out any issues with the tracks,” said Mick Peterson, director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL) in Kentucky, to which these measurements are to be submitted.

According to HISA, there have been windows since Apr. 21 when Thistledown failed to file these daily reports.

While this track surface data was being collected, it was “not consistently manually uploaded to the system,” wrote HISA's senior communications manager Mackenzie Kirker-Head, in an email answer to a series of questions. She declined, however, to provide specific dates as to when the measurements weren't submitted daily.

“Thistledown did go back and upload the collected track surface data to the system after we reached out to them concerning the matter,” Kirker-Head added.

“To the extent that you want information on specific days missed, once the data is rectified, we no longer track information on which days were missed,” wrote Kirker-Head.

When asked Friday about this recording lapse, Wright—who had been in the track superintendent's position for about four months before his firing—said that for the first few weeks of the meet, he was unable to submit these records as he was without a computer, though he was recording the measurements in a notebook.

When Wright got a computer, he then uploaded the measurements as required, he said.

“I even had to go back and catch a lot of things up because it took a while from the time I got here working on the track to the time I actually got a computer. There was a gap in time there, and I had to go back and catch it up,” said Wright, adding that he wouldn't submit track moisture data on days of heavy rainfall, as it wasn't necessary.

Earlier in the week, Wright told TDN that a period of heavy rainfall in the spring—during which time the surface appeared safer, he said—was followed by much drier conditions this summer. This is when Wright's maintenance crew repeatedly failed to follow his orders on adding enough additional water to the track, he said.

“I don't mean to throw my guys under the bus, but a spade's a spade here,” Wright said, who told the TDN he has text messages which proves the alleged insubordination.

Reached Friday, Wright reiterated that he believes he did everything he could to safely maintain the track's surface conditions, and that he had consistently submitted to HISA a separate set of track maintenance data.

“I'm not going to defend myself any more because I did my job and I did my job well,” he said. “Because of this, I won't have a job like this any more—there's no way I'm going to be a track superintendent again. There's no way they're going to touch me with a 10-foot pole.

“Find somebody who cares for a racetrack more than I do,” Wright added. “I've spent 45 years in this business. My family's been in this business 100 years. I've spent blood, sweat and tears on these racehorses, and you've all done a hatchet job on me.”

National Reporting Standards

Racetracks are required to submit these daily surface condition measurements (during a race-meet) as part of HISA's accreditation program.

“Reporting compliance is one of many factors that are considered when evaluating racetrack accreditation, and we take compliance with those reporting requirements very seriously,” wrote Kirker-Head.

Sarah Andrew photo

It appears, however, that Thistledown hasn't been the only track failing to submit these daily reports since HISA went into effect.

Kaleb Dempsey, RSTL laboratory manager, told TDN last November that these requirements were not being uniformly met across all U.S. racetracks.

“We have a high number of tracks that are finally starting to provide their daily measurements thorough the maintenance quality system. That's a good thing—it's how we really pull this data together,” said Dempsey last November, about the connection between surface conditions and equine injury. “But the hardest step is to actually get people to take the daily measurements so we can have those links.”

When asked if all tracks currently operating a meet are now in compliance with the daily surface report mandate, Kirker-Head wrote that they're in “substantial compliance” with this requirement.

“If a track misses a day or two, we address it with them. HISA keeps the details of those reports between us and the track,” Kirker-Head wrote.

According to Peterson, while some tracks—particularly the larger facilities—are in strict compliance with this requirement, others (especially the smaller, more cash-strapped tracks) are still found wanting.

“What I would like to see is us having this information so we can avert problems, and that really takes having this data put in every day,” said Peterson. “We're not there yet, and I would like to get there.”

When asked if some tracks miss than a day or two's worth of data, Peterson said that “some of them are perfect. I can't emphasize that enough.”

However, “some of the smaller tracks just struggle to keep up,” he added, declining to give specific timeframes.

The question, therefore, is this: how best to bring all facilities up to speed?

In light of recent events, Thistledown has reportedly ordered a device called an Integrated Racetrack Surface Tester, to help streamline the data recording requirements.

“This machine will be able to take the required track surface data measurements, which are uploaded via GPS directly to the Maintenance Quality System, streamlining and automating the collection of track surface measurements for track superintendents,” wrote Kirker-Head.

Peterson also raised another endemic issue plaguing the sport—of the loss of institutional knowledge as an ageing workforce exits the sport, leaving behind a vacuum of experience and expertise.

“What I would really like to see is the industry continue to support those tracks, and part of this gets back to the struggle with these workforce issues,” he said. “This is as true of some of the vet issues as it is the track issues.”

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Aptly-Named Time to Dream A New ‘Rising Star’ For Todd Pletcher And Mike Repole At Saratoga

Fri, 2025-07-25 17:03

The aptly-named Time to Dream (Not This Time) impressed in her career unveiling Friday to become the newest 'TDN Rising Star' at Saratoga for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole. Racing as part of a coupled entry with stablemate Flighttown (Practical Joke), the 7-2 shot was drawn nearly widest of the field in this one-mile turf event and despite a clean beginning, was outrun was a host of rivals to her inside. Jose Ortiz guided his filly down to race a path off the hedge just outside of Curly Q Girl (Curlin) in fifth into the clubhouse turn. Second-time starter Maiora (Speightstown) had a loose lead onto the backstretch with Time to Dream following her stablemate who raced just ahead of her a little further out on the track. Stuck behind a wall of runners past the half-mile pole in :48.06, Time to Dream had to check briefly which left Flighttown to take first crack at Maiora midway around the far turn. Really picking up the bridle once swung out five wide, the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad quickly put this field behind her with an eye-catching final quarter-mile to come home 2 1/4 lengths ahead of the pacesetter.

Joining an illustrious list of 'Rising Stars' for Repole and Pletcher that includes the likes of Eclipse champion 2-year-olds Fierceness (City of Light) and Forte (Violence) along with recent GI Stephen Foster winner Mindframe (Constitution), Time to Dream is the eighth 'Rising Star' for Not This Time and his third this month alone. A $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad last year, the winner is a half to MGSW/GISP Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) who sold just last year for $1.5m at FTKNOV to Case Clay. First dam Wild Silk, though unraced herself, is a half-sister to GI Vosburgh Stakes winner Joking (Distorted Humor) and this is also the family of GSW/MGISP sire Fed Biz (Giant's Causeway). Wild Silk, purchased by Clover Hill Farm at KEENOV in 2017 for $70,000, produced a Cody's Wish colt this season and returned to Not This Time for a full-sibling to Time to Dream next year.

7th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-25, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:36.56, fm,
2 1/4 lengths.
TIME TO DREAM, f, 2, Not This Time
            1st Dam: Wild Silk, by Street Sense
            2nd Dam: Spun Silk, by A.P. Indy
            3rd Dam: Spunoutofcontrol, by Wild Again
Sales History: $750,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Repole Stable; B-Maggie Gieseke (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. *1/2 to Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance), MGSW & GISP, $799,175.

 

#2B TIME TO DREAM ($9.90) broke her maiden in impressive fashion in the 7th race at Saratoga. The juvenile filly by @TMStallions' Not This Time was piloted by @jose93_ortiz for trainer @PletcherRacing and owner @RepoleStable. She is a half-sister to MGSW Red Carpet Ready! pic.twitter.com/GtUg03X60D

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) July 25, 2025

The post Aptly-Named Time to Dream A New ‘Rising Star’ For Todd Pletcher And Mike Repole At Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Sovereignty A Beatable Favorite In the Jim Dandy?

Fri, 2025-07-25 15:36

Despite the fact that Journalism (Curlin) became the first of his generation to earn as many as three elite-level victories with his thrilling success in the GI NYRABets Haskell Stakes last weekend, Godolphin's Sovereignty (Into Mischief) remains at the head of this year's sophomore class by virtue of convincing head-to-head tallies in the GI Kentucky Derby on May 3 and when last seen in the GI Belmont Stakes right here at Saratoga on June 7.

But the argument can be made that Saturday's GII Jim Dandy Stakes at the Spa may not be a straight-forward task for the homebred son of Crowned (Bernardini), as four well-credentialed rivals will line up against him for a race in which they perhaps have more to play for than the deserving favorite.

Sovereignty has been made the 2-5 choice on David Aragona's morning line, a far cry from the ludicrous almost $18 mutuel he returned at Churchill and the $7 he paid when–somehow–not favored in the Belmont. But those two efforts, as much as they stand out on paper, do not necessarily mean that Saturday's contest is a fait accompli.

Having come from a near-impossible position to take the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes on his sophomore debut Mar. 1, locking up his spot in the field for the Derby for all intents and purposes, he was logically set for the GI Curlin Florida Derby four weeks later. Drawn widest and with Manny Franco subbing for an injured Junior Alvarado, Sovereignty made steady progress and was second home, extracting just what he needed from the race as it related to the Derby.

With the GI DraftKings Travers and its $1.25-million purse four weeks down the road, could the Jim Dandy be another means to an end for Sovereignty?

“Absolutely, that has been the goal,” Mott, a four-time winner of the Jim Dandy, said of the Travers. “It is just a matter of how you get there.

“We hope he has a good race and has a little luck. Anything can happen. They've got to go around there, and it's not over until those blinking lights say 'official.' They've got to hang those numbers up and say official.”

Baeza (McKinzie) makes his second trans-continental trip in seven weeks for trainer John Shirreffs, having trained brilliantly back home since finishing some 6 1/2 lengths behind Sovereignty in the Belmont. The $1.2-million Keeneland September yearling, who was a late addition to the Derby and just failed to catch Journalism for second, has registered no fewer than five breezes and looks to be holding his form. Shirreffs is of the belief that there is even better to come from the half-brother to the Classic-winning Good Magic full-brothers Mage and Dornoch.

“I didn't think he ran his best race in the Belmont,” said Shirreffs. “Talking to [jockey Flavien] Prat after the race, he said it took him a long time to engage down the backside. You can see that he had to ride pretty hard from maybe the half-mile pole all the way to the wire. I think he can run better than that.”

With Prat in California to ride 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in Saturday's GII San Diego Handicap, the underrated Hector Berrios will be in the saddle in the Jim Dandy.

Sandman (Tapit) cemented his spot in the Derby field with a going-away victory in the GI Arkansas Derby Mar. 29 and passed a handful of rivals in the lane to be seventh beneath the Twin Spires. A clear third to Journalism in the GI Preakness Stakes, the $1.2-million OBS March breezer gets the blinkers on for the first time on Saturday.

“I'm hoping the blinkers don't take some of his punch away, but you never know until you try,” Casse said. “We are looking for a good effort in the Jim Dandy, something to propel us to the Travers.”

Mo Plex (Complexity) could have taken a path of lesser resistance in a race like the Albany Stakes, but connections chart a more ambitious course with the last-out winner of the GIII Ohio Derby. 'TDN Rising Star' Hill Road (Quality Road) earned himself a crack at the Belmont with a 3/4-length score in the GIII Peter Pan Stakes and will need to make up 9 1/2 lengths on Sovereignty if he is to be in the Dandy discussion.

 

 

Trainer John Shirreffs with Baeza Friday morning on the Saratoga backstretch. Baeza is the 3-1 ML second choice in Saturday's Jim Dandy. Was third behind Sovereignty (2-5 ML Jim Dandy favorite) in ⁦@KentuckyDerby⁩ and ⁦@BelmontStakes⁩. pic.twitter.com/TIzyMLvN2G

— Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) July 25, 2025

 

Brown Barn Double-Fisted In Lake George

Chad Brown has saddled the winner of the GII Lake George Stakes an additional six times since Mrs McDougal (Medaglia d'Oro) gave him his first in 2015 and the barn is represented by a pair of live chances Friday afternoon.

Play With Fire (Oscar Performance) came from last in a field of eight to defeat Pretty Lavish (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) and Princess Attitude (Frankel {GB}) in Pimlico's Hilltop Stakes May 16 for Brendan Walsh and owner Fergus Galvin and was acquired thereafter by Randy Sarf's LSU Stables. In her first run for the new ownership, the bay was gaining late, but was forced to settle for second to the re-opposing all-the-way winner Classic Q (Classic Empire) in the one-mile July 3 Wild Applause Stakes over this course.

The latter is trained by Mark Casse, who sent out Pounce (Lookin At Lucky) to snap a five-race winning streak last year for Brown, who will also send out Lavender Disaster (Into Mischief).

Play With Fire schooling in the Saratoga paddock | Sarah Andrew

World Record Ships In For WAYI Bing Crosby

With an all-expenses-paid trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint over the Del Mar six furlongs in the offing, 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner) has made the trek west for a deep renewal of the GI Bing Crosby Stakes over the same course and trip.

The runaway winner of last-year's age-restricted GII Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga, the $410,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase led home a 'Rising Star' 1-2in Churchill allowance company May 1, defeating Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) by a solid 2 1/2 lengths. The 8-5 second choice for the GIII Aristides Stakes May 31, the bay carried the lead  into the final furlong, but was run down late and settled for second. He has shown the ability to take a sit off the pace, and that could come in handy in a heat that looks fast on paper.

Dr. Venkman (Ghostzapper) won the GII San Diego Handicap on this program 12 months ago, but sticks to the shorter trip this time around. Most likely in need of the run when a distant second to Nysos in the GIII Triple Bend Stakes May 31, the bay was sent to Churchill for the June 28 GIII Kelly's Landing Stakes, but couldn't quite reel in Roll On Big Joe (Prospective).

Crazy Mason (Coal Front) makes the cross-country journey for trainer Greg Sacco in career-best form. An Aqueduct allowance winner in January and February, the gra colt came from a mile back to win the GII Carter Stakes on Apr. 5 and was a late-on-the-scene third to Book'em Danno (Bucchero) in the GIII True North Stakes June 7.

The aforementioned Nysos carries top weight of 124 pounds in the San Diego, a lead-up to the GI Pacific Classic, and the 'TDN Rising Star' makes just his second trip around two turns, having crushed his fellow 3-year-olds by 7 1/2 lengths in the GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes last February.

A too-good-to-lose second to fellow 'Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Churchill Downs Stakes first off the 15-month hiatus May 3, the $550,000 OBS April grad never took a deep breath in the Triple Bend, scoring by 5 1/2 lengths.

Among the competition is Grade I winner Express Train (Union Rags), winner of this event in 2021 and third last year; Grade III scorer Midnight Mammoth (Midnight Lute); and GSW 'TDN Rising Star' Hall of Fame (Gun Runner), who races in the Claiborne Farm colors for Michael McCarthy for the first time.

Fondly Shoots For Third Oaks at Monmouth

Already victorious in the Virginia Oaks in March and in the GIII Delaware Oaks last month, Fondly (Upstart) will have her fair share of backers from the outside draw in a field of seven for Saturday's GIII Monmouth Oaks.

It will likely be pedal to the metal for the $50,000 Fasig-Tipton October purchase, who has trained well over the last six weeks at trainer Graham Motion's Fair Hill base.

Pink Ruby (Connect) had the consistent Rosieontheriver (Kantharos) back in third in a May 18 allowance at this venue, having finished fourth in the June 22 Wilton Stakes at Aqueduct. Rosieontheriver has put together a record of 2-0-2 from four starts going two turns on the main track.

Running Away (Gun Runner) does her best work on the engine and was the wire-to-wire winner of the Jan. 18 Busanda Stakes before faltering in the GI Central Bank Ashland Stakes in April. She was last seen 'running away' from her rivals in the Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap May 14.

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Grass Greener at New Belmont Park with Inner Turf Course on Cusp of Completion

Fri, 2025-07-25 15:24

By the time you're reading this article, the New York Racing Association (NYRA)'s years-long rebuild of Belmont Park that is on target to be finished by September 2026 will have reached or be very close to achieving a significant milestone.

“The inner turf course will be complete by possibly [Friday] if not Monday with all the sod,” Glen Kozak, NYRA's senior vice president of operations and capital projects, said July 25. “This was a big, big step for us, and now we're rolling right into the Widener turf course.”

Kozak's update on Belmont's four redesigned racing surfaces (from outside in: 1 1/2-miles main dirt track, grass courses at 10 and nine furlongs, one-mile Tapeta track) came during a Friday meeting of the New York State Franchise Oversight Board (FOB).

The FOB is the governor-appointed committee that represents the interests of New York State in the real estate at Belmont, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.

While construction concurrently occurs on the rebuilt grandstand and clubhouse, the big summer project in the infield has been laying down the turf course sod, which is grown offsite and trucked to Belmont every morning that the crews are working. It then gets placed atop 12 inches of growing medium that has been installed over drainage stone.

“That's been growing for now-and the sod company wants to kill us-for about 16 months,” Kozak said, underscoring that NYRA didn't want to cut corners, time-wise, to make sure the finished product is mature and robust.

“We're using a variety that is drought-tolerant, wear-tolerant, that was specific for what we're looking for,” Kozak said.

“It is Kentucky bluegrass,” Kozak said. “But what we were also looking at is the profile that we engineered for it [that is] specifically grown for us in a region [that will match Belmont Park]. It comes from Long Island. This sod is harvested anywhere from 2:30 to 4:00 in the morning, and the trucks [arrive] and are starting to install at 7:00.

“We use DeLea Sod Farms,” Kozak continued. “They do Yankee Stadium.”

“And the other thing that they're doing is they're cutting [the sod strips] very thin. So the root zone [has a] direct mesh. Watering is very, very critical. Obviously, we're putting sod down when it's ninety-something degrees. It's not optimal, so we're trying to get the water going to this as well.”

The watering, for the time being, has to be done manually because electrical power is not yet connected to the infield. Irrigation will eventually be achieved by a high-tech sprinkler system.

“It's gotten so technical with some of the new [sprinkler] heads that there's basically an [internet protocol] address for every head,” Kozak said.

That will allow NYRA to monitor exactly how much water flow goes out on each head.

“Right now it's currently municipal water, but we did apply for a well permit through the city, so we're currently in the step for that,” Kozak said. “It's the second-largest aquifer on Long Island. So we're told volume-wise it's not a problem.”

Some of that water will be held in an infield retention pond, Kozak said.

“The capacity of the pond is for a two-week period to be able to water not only the two [turf] racing surfaces, but also the infield. [Also] with this design there's irrigation set up for the synthetic track as well,” Kozak said.

Kozak said a key component of the design is uniformity across all four surfaces.

“The old Belmont racing surfaces were built in a different era,” Kozak said. “So you had different types of product, different types of natural sand or clay or areas, pockets, throughout. [Now] everything is consistent from the bottom up, so there's no area that will drain differently because of either a hedge or heavier soil that might be in place in a certain area.”

Drainage, as well as sightlines from the stands, are both expected to be improved because the four courses will be “stacked” atop one another.

Kozak said making those vertical changes for the four courses included “hundreds of thousands of yards of material that we moved on-site just to be able to establish not only the new height elevations of the racing surfaces for drainage and for the engineering required, but also for visibility.”

The widths and circumferences of the two turf tracks, plus the spacing between the courses, will also be different.

The inner course circumference went from 1 3/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles and the outer (Widener) course went from 1 5/16 miles to 1 1/4 miles, Kozak said.

“So basically we've got now a 102-foot wide turf course and a 118-foot wide turf course, [and] the difference with these racing surfaces is they're consistent width all the way around,” Kozak said.

“The old surfaces were similar to Saratoga. Much tighter on the turns, and unfortunately, that's where most of your wear happens, on the turns,” Kozak said.

Kozak explained that “the widths in between the tracks have all been contemplated so that way we maximize our distances for all of the racing surfaces. Meaning the five or six different running lanes that we have on the turf, we will be able to accommodate those and maximize those.”

Banking will be 2% on the straightaways and 4% on the turns “and everything is consistent across the surfaces,” Kozak said.

Grading during course construction “is all done by GPS,” Kozak said. “We have a survey company come in behind our work with the equipment to go through to check the grades.”

For all four courses, the finish line has been moved about 126 feet east (toward the first turn), Kozak said.

Although there aren't many 10-furlong dirt races at Belmont, the track will be running a big one in 2027 when it hosts the Breeders' Cup championships. This movement of the finish line helps with placement of the mid-first-turn starting point for that distance, which under the previous configuration appeared shoehorned into the turn and never seemed to meet the main track smoothly.

“The mile and a quarter [start] that will be used for the [GI] Breeders' Cup Classic, instead of that being an afterthought into the rail, it [will now be] in an engineered area that is set up where it breaks more to the center of the turn,” Kozak said.

As for the grandstand and clubhouse work, Kozak offered the following timeline:

“Generic numbers right now, the concrete will be done for the third deck by the end of August. Steel will be wrapping up the end of September for the framework. Roofing and everything won't specifically be dried in by the end of [the fourth quarter this year], but it's going to be darn close.”

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