Thoroughbred Daily News

White Hot (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), will be bred to superstar stallion Into Mischief in 2022, owner Bobby Flay reported Thursday.

“I wanted to take all the guesswork out of it,” explained owner Bobby Flay on selecting the Spendthrift stallion.

Pizza Bianca is currently at Christophe Clement's Payson Park base in preparation for her 3-year-old season. White Hot was originally a 1,250,000 gns yearling at Tattersalls October in 2014. She never made it to the races, but Flay held onto the half-sister to G1SW Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), and her first foal to hit the track was Pizza Bianca.

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TVG will televise live the announcement of the finalists in 16 horse and human categories for the 2021 Eclipse Awards this Saturday, Jan. 15 at 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) and Daily Racing Form announced Thursday.

The Eclipse Awards, honoring excellence in Thoroughbred racing, are voted upon by the NTRA, represented by member racetrack racing officials and Equibase field personnel, NTWAB and Daily Racing Form, and are produced by the NTRA.

TVG also will televise live the 51st Eclipse Awards ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 10 beginning with a “Green Carpet” Preview Show Presented by Keeneland at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Eclipse Awards broadcast at 8 p.m. ET. The ceremony also will be streamed on additional outlets. The evening will culminate with the announcement of the 2021 Horse of the Year. Finalists in the Horse of the Year category also will be announced earlier that evening.

Eclipse Awards ticket information is available at the NTRA website.

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by Christie DeBernardis & Jessica Martini

LEXINGTON, KY–Keeneland saved the best for last during Wednesday's second Book 1 session of their January Horses of All Ages Sale with the 3-year-old colt Belgrade (Hard Spun), a debut winner at Fair Grounds, topping the day's action at $700,000.

A total of 263 head changed hands Wednesday for $18,859,500 with an average of $71,709 and a median of $40,000. Sixty-four horses left the ring unsold for an RNA rate of 19.57%. During the equivalent 2021 session, which was boosted by the Paul Pompa and Sam-Son dispersals, 247 horses sold for $23,319,400 with an average of $94,411 and median of $40,000. There were 71 RNAs that day for a buy-back rate of 22.33%.

“On this day last year, we had Paul Pompa's dispersal, as well as the Sam-Son dispersal, so there were big shoes to fill,” said Tony Lacy, Keeneland's Vice President of Sales. “We actually maintained the median at $40,000 and came very close to last year [overall]. Not having those dispersals and just having the core group of horses that we had, it really went well. I think the quality horses were extremely popular. It was strong and solid all the way through. It was great to end with Belgrade for Randy and Sandra Bradshaw.”

Through two Book 1 sessions, 511 Thoroughbreds grossed $36,848,700 with an average of $72,110 and a median of $40,000. There were 150 horses who failed to meet their reserves, making the RNA rate 22.69%. During the first two days of the 2021 renewal, 453 head brought $35,414,800 with an average of $78,178 and median of $37,000. There were 167 horses that went home with their original owners for an RNA rate of 26.94%.

Aside from Belgrade, broodmares dominated the market Wednesday, filling eight of the top 10 slots. Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}), dam of GISW Search Results (Flatter), and well-bred, stakes producer Susie's Baby (Giant's Causeway) were the most coveted mares at $600,000 each. The former was purchased by Peter Blum carrying a full-sibling to Search Results and the latter went to Cypress Creek LLC with a Constitution foal in her belly.

The day's top yearling was a $310,000 son of top sire Uncle Mo, purchased by Nick de Meric, who signed under the name Sand Hill Bloodstock. He was the day's leading buyer, taking six yearlings home to Ocala for a total of $1.015 million.

“I'd say it's the old truism of it's very strong on the ones you want,” de Meric said of the January market. “We got three [Tuesday] that we are very happy with, but we were also bridesmaids on a couple of others we really loved. Such is life in the big city.”

Reiley McDonald of Eaton Sales, which led all consignors Wednesday with 18 head bringing $2.291 million, expressed similar sentiments.

“The market for the upper-end stuff is great,” he said. “The market for middle-end mares is very flat. The market for middle-end yearlings is even flat. The upper end is through the roof.”

The late, great Giant's Causeway was the session's top sire with seven offspring grossing $926,000. Thanks to Belgrade, Darley's Hard Spun was the leading sire for Book 1 with nine head bringing $1.128 million. Coolmore's Munnings was not far behind with nine of his progeny summoning $1.094 million.

The Keeneland January Sale continues through Friday with a pair of Book 2 sessions, both starting at 10 a.m.

The second day of the Keeneland January sale ended with a bang when impressive maiden winner Belgrade (Hard Spun) (hip 853H), the final horse through the ring, topped the session when attracting a final bid of $700,000 from bloodstock agent Jane Buchanan, acting on behalf of Carl and Yurie Pascarella. The newly turned 3-year-old will be trained by Graham Motion.

“We followed him after his last race,” Buchanan said. “I actually called [owner] Randy [Bradshaw] and [trainer] Brendan [Walsh] and we did try to buy him privately after his last race. We liked how he did it. He ran good numbers. Fingers crossed. It's all up to Graham now.”

While the Pascarellas now have a possible GI Kentucky Derby contender in Belgrade, the California-based already have a taste of Derby success. They were among the Team Valor partners on 2011 Derby winner Animal Kingdom.

“They were looking for a two-turn colt,” Buchanan said. “Brendan is a good friend and he does a great job. So he's a good trainer to buy from.”

Buchanan said there was plenty of competition for horses like Belgrade.

“It is terribly tricky to buy a horse like this,” she said. “We have been trying to buy privately all last year. [The price] was expensive, but that is what these horses are making right now.”

Belgrade was a delayed pinhooking score for Ocala horseman Randy Bradshaw. Bradshaw and his wife Sandra purchased the colt for $45,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. The youngster had originally been targeted for the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, but some baby issues kept him on the sidelines and the Bradshaws rerouted him to the racetrack.

Debuting Dec. 18 at the Fair Grounds, Belgrade romped home a six-length victor and was supplemented to the January sale.

“We are just super excited,” Bradshaw's daughter Ashley Franz, part of the team at Four Star Sales which consigned the colt Wednesday, said. “It was a great result and he was a great colt. We felt confident bringing him with that impressive maiden win.”

It was a formula that has worked for Bradshaw before.

“He had done this in the past,” Franz said. “He's taken horses on and raced them and then sold them at public auction and he's done very well doing it. So he was really confident coming into the sale.” @JessMartiniTDN

Bluewater Sales' Ryder Finney, who was bidding on behalf of Cyprus Creek, won a furious round of bidding late in Wednesday's session to acquire Susie's Baby (Giant's Causeway) (Hip 845) for $600,000. Consigned by Gainesway, the 10-year-old mare is in foal to Constitution.

“We expected her to be popular,” Finney said. “We were hoping to get her for a little bit less, but $600,000 was always a possibility for a mare like this with a pedigree like hers. It is what it is. If you want the good ones you have to pay a little bit extra sometimes.”

Out of SW Mekko Hokte (Holy Bull), Susie's Baby is a half-sister to MG1SW Coolmore stallion Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) and GSW My Jen (Fusaichi Pegasus). Her first foal stakes winner Family Way (Uncle Mo), who was purchased by Godolphin for $775,000 at KEESEP in 2018. The gray's 2018 foal Baby Blythe (American Pharoah), a $325,000 KEESEP buy, broke her maiden at Saratoga last summer. Susie's Baby's 2019 filly Sebago Lake (Tapit) was a $160,000 KEESEP purchase and her 2020 filly by Justify brought $325,000 at FTKOCT. She had an Uncle Mo filly in 2021.

“We just love the pedigree,” said Finney. “We thought it was first class. Physically, she's beautiful and obviously throws nice babies. She has a great sales record. Her first couple of foals can run and we are very big fans of Constitution. We have high hopes for her.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 492) will be joining Peter Blum's broodmare band after selling for $600,000 at Keeneland Wednesday. Blum's farm manager Bridie Harrison signed the ticket on the 11-year-old mare, who is already the dam of Search Results (Flatter) and sold carry a full-sibling to that Grade I winner.

“She is a Grade I producer, so when they win those kind of races, it's hard not to look at them,” Blum said.

Search Results was a narrowly beaten second in last year's GI Kentucky Oaks for Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown before earning top-level success in the GI Acorn S. She was also third in the GI Test S. and has recently returned to training with Brown in Florida.

“Search Results is back with Chad Brown, so hopefully she'll have a chance to do some more this year,” Blum said.

Co Cola, graded placed on the racetrack herself, RNA'd for $925,000 at the Fasig-Tipton November sale two months ago.

“It's too soon for that,” Blum said when asked about possible mating plans for the mare. “I frankly didn't think I was going to get her, so I hadn't thought about it, to be honest. But I'll breed her to something good. I thought she was a really nice mare and I am just happy to get her.”

Sandy Willwerth and her daughter and son-in-law Carrie and Craig Brogden co-bred Co Cola and purchased the mare back following her racing career. The family's Machmer Hall bred all of Co Cola's foals, including Search Results and her now 3-year-old full-brother Search Engine who sold for $625,000 at last year's OBS April sale.

“This mare throws nothing but runners,” Carrie Brogden said after selling Co Cola through James Keogh's Grovendale consignment Wednesday. “She was born in our foaling barn. The whole thing has come full circle for us. She has been the giving tree.”

Willwerth said it was a business decision to sell the mare.

“We had to decide to sell the mare or not,” she said. “Craig is always complaining we have too many broodmares. And with her update, this was a good opportunity to sell. It was my decision to sell, knowing that what she was going to bring takes some risk off. And I wish them all the luck with her. We are happy for other people to succeed with our horses and I am thrilled she is as good a producer as she is.”

Willwerth said the team had reevaluated its plan following Co Cola's RNA trip through the Fasig-Tipton sales ring last November.

“We had too high a reserve,” Willwerth explained. “Craig said, 'It's all about the new sports car, the new model.' And I think he hit it spot on. Yes, she is a Grade I producer and she has had a few other foals run well, but it just seems to be right now that it's all about the young stakes mares and mares carrying their first, or maybe second, foal. I'm not sure why the market shifted, but it has. We realized that and that we had overvalued her and it was a choice to make from there. So we came here and lowered the reserve.”

Keogh said Wednesday's result was a reflection of market conditions.

“I thought she would bring a little bit more than that,” Keogh admitted. “It was an excellent buy for Mr. Blum and we wish him the best of luck with her. She is a mare who excelled in the sales ring and clearly her foals are getting it done on the racetrack. The market is what the market is. It rarely gets it wrong. I wouldn't say we're happy with the result, but we accept it.” @JessMartiniTDN

Bella Vita (Bayern) (hip 462) was purchased by Narvick International's Emmanuel de Seroux, acting on behalf of an undisclosed client, for $500,000 Wednesday at Keeneland. The 5-year-old multiple stakes winner was purchased for her breeding potential, but will be returned to training in the meantime.

“She is a very good racing filly,” de Seroux said. “She's a beautiful type and she has an excellent female line. So altogether, she was very attractive for breeding, but we would like to race her for a little bit before we breed her.”

Bella Vita is out of the unraced Queenie Cat (Storm Cat), a half-sister to champion Vindication (Seattle Slew) and graded winner Scipion (A.P. Indy).

De Seroux said no trainer had been picked out for the mare.

Bella Vita was purchased by bloodstock agent Ben McElroy on behalf of Kaleem Shah for $400,000 at the 2019 OBS April sale.

“She breezed very good at the OBS sale,” McElroy recalled of the mare. “Robby Harris had her and Kaleem loved the video. He raced the sire and won the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with him, so he was partial to the filly. We went back to see her at the barn and she was a lovely filly. We got her and she's lived up to expectations. She has kept on progressing through her 3-year-old and 4-year-old years.”

Bella Vita had her best year on the track in 2021, winning the Spring Fever S. and Betty Grable S. and finishing second in the GII Great Lady M S. on the West Coast for trainer Simon Callaghan. She came into the January sale off a runner-up effort in the Dec. 4 GIII Go For Wand H. at Aqueduct.

“She just turned five and the 2-year-old sales are right around the corner,” McElroy said of the decision to sell the mare. “Hopefully Kaleem is thinking about restocking and hopefully we will find another Bellafina or Donna Veloce.”

Shopping the juvenile sales for Shah, McElroy purchased Bellafina (Quality Road) for $800,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale and acquired Donna Veloce (Uncle Mo) for that same price at that auction in 2019. Bellafina became a three-time Grade I winner and Donna Veloce was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and GI Starlet S. @JessMartiniTDN

Eduardo Terrazas of Terrazas Thoroughbreds was active throughout Book 1, buying mares for Mexican billionaire German Larrea's St. George Stables, which made plenty of headlines in 2021 thanks to the exploits of their star mare Letruska (Super Saver). Terrazas's biggest purchase on behalf of that operation came later in Wednesday's session when he went to $390,000 for the Scat Daddy mare Siempre Mia (Hip 752).

Consigned by Eaton Sales, the gray mare sold in foal to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

“She is a beautiful, strong mare,” Terrazas said. “She kind of looks like a bully, which I love. I remember her yearling last year was a really nice horse too, so you can't go wrong. She will definitely fit their program.”

As for the price, he said, “I thought we were going to be around $325,000, but luckily we were able to keep on going.”

Terrazas's KEEJAN purchases on behalf of St. George Stables include $200,000 I'm So Anna (Fast Anna) (Hip 589), $155,000 Santa Rita (Curlin) (Hip 318) and $37,000 Ojai (Verrazano) (Hip 685).

Out of MGSW Shaconage (El Prado {Ire}), Siempre Mia was purchased by Eaton Sales on behalf of Forging Oaks Farm for $185,000 at the 2017 KEENOV sale carrying her first foal by the late Malibu Moon. Her second foal is newly turned 3-year-old Consumer Spending (More Than Ready), who captured the Selima S. last term. She had an Empire Maker colt in 2020, who was purchased by Donato Lanni for $120,000 at KEESEP and is named Baba Voss, and her 2021 filly by More Than Ready brought $240,000 from Cavalier Bloodstock at KEENOV.

“Consumer Spending is probably a better filly than we even got to see last year,” said Eaton Sales' Reiley McDonald. “She has great foals. They bought a really nice, middle-aged commercial mare. She is a great cash cow. She was a great buy. I bought her carrying her first foal and she has done a little better every year.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Arkansas businessman Dash Goff continued to build his broodmare band Wednesday at Keeneland, purchasing Actually (Speightstown) (Hip 438) for $330,000. Consigned by Brookdale Sales on behalf of breeder Jack Swain, the chestnut is carrying her first foal by Nyquist.

“I liked her looks and her pedigree,” said Goff, who did his bidding alongside Chris and Bayne Welker. “She has an excellent female family. She is in foal early. I am putting together some more mares. I like the tax situations on them and everything.”

He added, “Bayne and Chris Welker keep my horses [at their Kentucky farm]. We bought one [Tuesday] and we are looking at one more.”

Goff's Tuesday purchase was MSW R Angel Katelyn (High Cotton) (Hip 288), who brought $240,000 carrying a foal from the first crop of champion Improbable. He also picked up I Do Declare (Declaration of War) (Hip 587) for $35,000 later in Wednesday's session carrying a foal by champion Accelerate.

Larkin Armstrong purchased Actually on Swain's behalf for $250,000 at Keeneland September and she was winless in four starts. A half-sister to MGSW Campaign (Curlin), the 4-year-old filly is out of the unraced Dynaformer mare Arania, who is a half to Grade I winners Acoma (Empire Maker) and Arch (Kris S.). This is also the family of dual champion Covfefe (Into Mischief).

“I wasn't surprised by the price because she is the perfect combination of Speightstown and Dynaformer,” said Brookdale's Joe Seitz. “She is elegant and has a lot of leg. She is from a good Helen Alexander family, so she really stuck out here. We are running out of time to get these really good broodmares before the breeding season, so I thought she stood out. She had a lot of interest.”

When asked why Swain chose to sell this mare, Seitz said, “He told me he needed to manage his numbers a bit. He hated to see her go, but he has to run it as a business, as do we all.”

—@CDeBernardisTDN

Ocala horseman Nick de Meric was quite busy during Book 1 of Keeneland January, securing a trio of yearlings on the first day and making his biggest splash on day two when purchasing a $310,000 colt by leading sire Uncle Mo (Hip 472). De Meric bought the colt on behalf of an undisclosed client and signed the ticket under his usual nom de course, Sand Hill Bloodstock.

“I bought him for a client that pinhooks and races, so to be determined,” de Meric said of future plans for the colt.

As for the price, he said, “We were stretched out there. My initial appraisal was a little lower than that, but every time I went to see him, we bumped it up a notch. We just had enough to get the job done.”

Consigned by Stuart Morris, the dark bay colt was bred in New York by Dr. Jerry Bilinski's Waldorf Farm. He is the second foal out of the unraced Smart Strike mare Canadian River, who Bilinski acquired for $27,000 in foal to West Coast at the 2019 KEENOV sale. Hip 472 hails from the family of GSW & G1SP Montgomery's Arch (Arch) and stakes winner Welcome Inn (Orientate).

“I have to say, I liked pretty much everything,” de Meric said. “I love the sire, but I love the colt. He is very mature. I liked his attitude every time I watched him show. He had a progressive, forward kind of attitude to his showing. He is beautifully balanced with a lot of size and substance. I have a hard time finding anything I didn't like about him.”

During the opening session of KEEJAN, de Meric purchased a $200,000 son of Street Sense (Hip 376), a $150,000 Ghostzapper colt (Hip 276) and a $100,000 colt by Upstart (Hip 397). The pinhooker was not done after buying Hip 472 Wednesday. He also secured a $210,000 colt by Vino Rosso (Hip 689), a $160,000 daughter of Twirling Candy (Hip 644), a $110,000 colt by Mineshaft (Hip 704) and a $75,000 Classic Empire filly (Hip 518). –@CDeBernardisTDN

Former Los Angeles Lakers player Robert Sacre enjoyed a career high in the racing game when he sold a short yearling by Gun Runner (hip 822) for $275,000 to the bid Peter Pugh, agent for Cherry Knoll Farm. Sacre co-bred the colt with Carl Grether, of Tom Grether Farms out of the only mare he currently owns, Usrah (Tiznow). The bay was consigned by Mulholland Springs.

“I knew Carl from college and he's been excellent at picking horses,” Sacre said. “I told him, 'Whatever you're doing, I want to be a part of it.' We sat down and made a plan and we executed it and it worked out great for us. I'm grateful to have Carl helping me and mentoring me through this whole process.”

Grether purchased Usrah for $25,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November sale and this is the second foal out of the mare the two men co-bred. The first, a filly by Collected RNA'd for $27,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale before selling for $40,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“It felt like when I was drafted by the Lakers,” Sacre said of watching the colt go through the ring Wednesday. “It was the closest thing to a draft pick. It felt like the NBA draft. You don't know what to expect. Everything is unknown. But it worked.”

Asked if Wednesday's success made him want to get more involved in the sport, Sacre smiled broadly and said, “Absolutely. I am not trying to get more involved today, hopefully, but you never know.”

Grether, the son of the late racehorse owner Tom Grether, campaigned multiple Grade I winner Intangaroo (Orientate). @JessMartiniTDN

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The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Board of Directors approved a 20% Purse Bonus on all overnight races through Feb. 27 at Laurel Park Wednesday. In addition, the Maryland Jockey Club, during a meeting with the MTHA, agreed to add three Thursdays in February to the live racing calendar and said it will card at least 10 races a day in January and February when possible. First post time has been moved to 12:10 p.m. in January to accommodate extra races.

Live racing at Laurel Park is scheduled to resume Sunday, Jan. 16, after the cancellation of six racing programs due to a project that involves recomposition of the cushion material on the dirt track. Racing also is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17. Six stakes planned for Saturday, Jan. 22, will move to Saturday, Jan. 29. The complete racing schedule under the updated calendar is as follows: Jan. 16-17; Jan. 20-23; Jan. 27-30; Feb. 3-6; Feb. 10-13; Feb. 18-21; and Feb. 24-27 for a total of 26 days.

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Jason Beem was just 23 years old when he had his first panic attack, but remembers it in excruciating detail to this day. “I was in law school at Gonzaga University. I was in constitutional law class and I didn't know what it was and walked out of class and freaked out in the hallway.” That episode was the beginning of over a decade-and-a-half struggle with anxiety and depression that caused him to leave racing for a period, and be hospitalized several times. The popular racecaller and podcast host talks openly about mental health on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland, with hosts Joe Bianca, Bill Finley and Jon Green, as the Green Group Guest of the Week.

He said that at times, the depression was so bad that he would have to lie down on an air mattress in the announcer's booth at River Downs because the effort to stay upright was too overwhelming. “My second year at River Downs, I really struggled,” he said. “And that was like the first time I had ever had a real depression and I didn't know what it was. I was in line at Chipotle one day, just crying and I didn't know why. And so I hadn't done a lot of therapy up until then, and so I started doing that and kind of learned what I was dealing with and also that it wasn't uncommon. I think that for me was one of the biggest helps early on was realizing that mental health issues are things that a lot of people struggle with.”

Currently the announcer at Tampa Bay Downs, he talks about being out of racing for a year and half and working as an Uber driver when BetAmerica saw his “Beemie Awards” on Twitter and reached out to see if he was interested in doing something with them. “I said I would love to do a daily podcast,” he recalled. “And that was that was literally like Christmas and we were up and going two weeks later. It really kind of came together pretty fast and, you know, just kind of took the model from what a lot of podcasts were doing; 20 minutes of chat, 25 minutes of interview and then you were out. And we've been really fortunate.”

In other segments on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horse Breeders, West Point Thoroughbreds, Legacy Bloodstock and XBTV, the writers discuss the news of the week, including: the ongoing story of California veterinarian Jeff Blea, the 2021 handle figures and how much of that could be from computer bettors, and the continuing legal battles between Bob Baffert and Churchill Downs.

Watch the video version of the podcast here.

Listen to the audio version here, or on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Grade I winner and longtime New York sire Frost Giant (Giant's Causeway–Takesmybreathaway, by Gone West) was euthanized from complications of laminitis Monday and buried not far from his paddock and barn at ReRun, Inc., a Thoroughbred retraining and adoption organization in East Greenbush, NY. He was 19 years old.

Bought by Coolmore for $600,000 at Keeneland September in 2004, the chestnut started his career in Europe with Aidan O'Brien, winning the G3 Killavullan S. as a juvenile and the G3 Kilternan S. the following year. He eventually was moved to the U.S., where he raced for various partnerships that included IEAH Stables, Andrew Cohen, Sanford Robbins, Pegasus Holdings Group. He reached his career pinnacle in 2008, pulling a 40-1 shocker in the GI Suburban S. for trainer Rick Dutrow and jockey Rudy Rodriguez. He entered stud in 2009 at Empire Stud in New York and later stood at Vinery, Keane Stud and Irish Hill Century Farms before being pensioned last January.

“If I was in the barn and shouted at him, he would always call back,” said Lisa Molloy, executive director of ReRun. “He would give you a run for his money, always want to jack with everybody. But not a mean bone in him though. He just liked to kind of spice life up a bit. He was a rock star. I'm pleased he came into our lives. I really, really enjoyed having him. It just sucks. I was hoping we'd have a little longer with Frosty, but once the spark had gone out you know that it was it.”

Frost Giant has sired 244 winners, 19 stakes winners and the earners of $22,537,016 in 12 crops. His most successful progeny is Giant Expectations, a multiple graded stakes winner who banked over $1.3 million in his racing career. He also sired Australian Group 2 winner and millionaire Valour Road.

The post Grade I Winner, New York Stallion Frost Giant Dies appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Attorneys for Seth Fishman and Lisa Giannelli, the first two defendants scheduled to face trial on Jan. 19 in the years-long alleged international horse doping conspiracy, Wednesday asked the judge in the case to delay the trial over concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a highly-redacted document filed Jan. 12 in the United States District Court (Southern District of New York), Fishman's attorney, Maurice Sercarz, wrote that he and Giannelli's lawyer “respectfully submit that the present trial should be adjourned until there has been a substantial reduction in the prevalence of this variant of the virus.”

Fishman, a Florida veterinarian, is charged with two felony counts related to drug alteration, misbranding, and conspiring to defraud the government. Giannelli faces a related charge that has to do with an online business called Equestology that was closely tied to Fishman's venture.

A footnote within the request is the most substantial part of the document that survived redaction.

It states that conducting a “trial before masked jurors implicates the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel from gauging jurors' facial reactions to questions and arguments counsel may advance and tailoring them accordingly.

“Insofar as the pandemic will reduce or eliminate the number of unvaccinated individuals available for jury service-and to the extent it disproportionately cognizable groups like the elderly and people of color-forcing a trial under these conditions may also implicate Dr. Fishman's right to a jury drawn from a fair cross-section of the community. The former prospect is especially fraught in a case instigated by the Food and Drug Administration.

“Finally, significant disruptions may ensue should key trial participants contract an infection [redacted] or another participant, creating substantial trail management problems and risking potential mistrial,” the footnote states.

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5th-Tampa Bay Downs, $25,800, Alw, 1-12, (NW1X), 4yo/up, f/m, 1mT, 1:34.64, fm, 4 1/4 lengths.
IN ITALIAN (GB) (f, 4, Dubawi {Ire}–Florentina {Aus} {GSW-Aus, $250,958}, by Redoute's Choice {Aus}), tabbed as a 'TDN Rising Star' out of a front-running graduation at second asking over the Belmont lawn last out May 8, was heavily supported as the 1-2 favorite to fire fresh off the bench here. Speeding right to the front from her inside draw, she clicked off fractions of :23.68 and :47.57 and was confidently handled approaching the top of the stretch. Samy Camacho hit the gas as they straightened and In Italian responded nicely en route to a good-looking, 4 1/4-length decision over Kitten Tales (Kitten's Joy. In Italian was a 475,000gns Tattersalls October yearling purchase by Mike Ryan on behalf of Peter Brant. A half-sister to Villa Carlotta (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), GSP-Aus; and Fasano (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), SP-Aus, In Italian was bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds and her dam Florentina was bred back Southern Hemisphere time to Juddmonte stallion Kingman (GB) in September 2018 before returning to Australia. That produce, a colt foaled Aug. 2, 2019, sold to Tom Magnier for A$1.8m at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale. Florentina returned to Banstead Manor to visit Kingman in the Northern Hemisphere autumn in 2019 and, returned to Australia, she was subsequently sold for A$650,000 at the 2020 Inglis Chairman's Sale. Her Kingman filly of 2020 is her most recent produce. Sales history: 475,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $69,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Peter M. Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB); T-Chad C. Brown.

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Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky.

Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public and where.

California
Track: Santa Anita
Date: 01/07/2022
Licensee: Andreas Psarras, trainer
Penalty: $500
Violation: Medication violation
Explainer: Trainer Andreas Psarras, who started the horse House of Targaryen, who finished fifth in the sixth race at Santa Anita Park Oct. 10, 2021, is fined $500.00 and assessed one half (1/2) point in accordance with California Horse Racing Board rule #1843.4 (Multiple Medication Violations–Expires 01/07/23) pursuant to rule #1887 (Trainer or Owner to Insure Condition of Horse) for violation of rule #1843(a)(d) (Medication, Drugs and Other Substances), and rule #1843.1(b) (Prohibited Drug Substance–Methocarbamol 4.7 NG/ML [Class 4]).

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 01/08/2022
Licensee: Keith Desormeaux, trainer
Penalty: $400
Violation: Late registration of Lasix
Explainer: Trainer Keith Desormeaux is fined $400.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1845 (Authorized Bleeder Medication–late registration) of Miss Everything in the eighth race Jan. 7, 2022, at Santa Anita Park.

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 01/08/2022
Licensee: Abel Cedillo, jockey
Penalty: $500
Violation: Excessive riding crop use
Explainer: Jockey Abel Cedillo is fined $500.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1688(b)(7) (Use of Riding Crop–more than two times in succession during a race–first offense in the last 60 days) during the third race at Santa Anita Park Jan. 7, 2022.

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 01/09/2022
Licensee: John Velazquez, jockey
Penalty: $500
Violation: Use of riding crop in post parade
Explainer: Jockey John Velazquez is fined $500.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board Rule #1688(b)(3) (Use of Riding Crop–during post parade–first offense in the last 60 days) while warming up for the first race Jan. 7, 2022–at Santa Anita Park.

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 01/09/2022
Licensee: Tyler Baze, jockey
Penalty: $1,000
Violation: Excessive riding crop use
Explainer: Jockey Tyler Baze is fined $1,000.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1688(b)(8) (Use of Riding Crop–more than six times–third offense within the past 60 days) during the second race at Santa Anita Park Jan. 8, 2022.

Track: Santa Anita
Date: 01/09/2022
Licensee: Mario Gutierrez, jockey
Penalty: $750
Violation: Excessive riding crop use
Explainer: Jockey Mario Gutierrez is fined $750.00 for violation of California Horse Racing Board rule #1688(b)(8) (Use of Riding Crop–more than six times–second offense within the past 60 days) during the eighth race at Santa Anita Park Jan. 8, 2022.

The post Weekly Stewards and Commissions Rulings: Jan. 3-10 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Trainer Bob Baffert told a federal judge Wednesday that a group of bettors who are suing him in a class-action lawsuit alleging a years-long pattern of racketeering based on his purported “doping” of Thoroughbreds have twisted their case so far from reality that their alleged misstatements amount to libel.

In a Jan. 12 filing in United States District Court (District of New Jersey), Baffert stated that the plaintiffs' recent attempt to portray him as the “Lance Armstrong of the horse racing world” is a “desperate conglomeration of highly inflammatory statements…designed to create a smokescreen in an effort to get the Court to take its eye off the ball. This Court should not be distracted.”

Baffert continued: “No matter how much outrageousness Plaintiffs throw on the wall in the hopes that something will stick, they cannot avoid three fundamental black letter law principles that mandate dismissal of their Amended Complaint.

“First, this Court lacks personal jurisdiction over the Defendants. Second, as disgruntled gamblers, Plaintiffs' have no standing and fail to present a justiciable claim. Finally, each and every court that has considered Civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) claims in the context of gambling losses has rejected those claims as a matter of law…

“Plaintiffs purposefully misrepresent Baffert's Hall of Fame record and make numerous libelous Statements,” Wednesday's filing alleged.

The original version of the suit, led by Michael Beychok, the winner of the 2012 National Horseplayers Championship, was filed four days after Baffert's disclosure that now-deceased Medina Spirit had tested positive for betamethasone after winning the May 1, 2021, Derby. Baffert, plus his incorporated racing stable, are the defendants.

Split-sample testing at two different labs approved by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has since confirmed the betamethasone overage. But even after eight months, no KHRC ruling has yet been issued over those findings. On Dec. 6, Medina Spirit collapsed and died after a workout at Santa Anita Park, and his sudden death is under investigation in that state.

The class members of the suit have alleged that they were “cheated out of their property” because they placed wagers on other horses and betting combinations that would have paid off had “the drugged horse” not won the Derby.

The plaintiffs have chosen the RICO Act as a tool to try and collect damages. In addition, they seek an order from the judge stating that Baffert must divest himself from the sport.

RICO is a sweeping and powerful 1970 federal statute initially designed to combat the Mafia. But in a legal sense, it has long since lost its “organized crime” stigma. Despite the statute's original intent, RICO today is only rarely used to go after stereotypical “godfather” figures. Instead, RICO has evolved as a key component in civil litigation, and is most often asserted by purported victims of white-collar crimes, such as mail and wire fraud.

The class-action complaint was subsequently amended and moved from California to a New Jersey federal court. In previous court documents, the plaintiffs explained that New Jersey should be the proper venue. They cited a legal precedent that involved a case in which the act of simulcasting a race into New Jersey from another state “permits the Court to exercise personal jurisdiction over it.” They also alleged that Baffert's purported fraud included his occasional starts at Monmouth Park.

Back in September, when Baffert first moved for dismissal of the suit, his court filing termed that switch from California to New Jersey “blatant forum shopping” because the new venue has “no meaningful connection to the allegations raised in their Complaint. The Defendants are all domiciled in California and the events detailed in the Complaint occurred entirely in either California or Kentucky.”

In the Jan. 12 filing, Baffert's legal team again asserted that the plaintiffs are off base in attempting to litigate the matter in New Jersey.

“The law is clear that there must be case-specific contacts with the forum state,” the filing stated. “That is not established by Baffert's rare and irrelevant New Jersey racing activities. Even if one were to accept Plaintiffs' tinfoil conspiratorial premise that Baffert engaged in a nationwide racketeering scheme to defraud individuals he never met, Plaintiffs would still have to establish that at least some of the alleged illicit conduct actually occurred in New Jersey. They have utterly failed to do so. This matter has zero connection to New Jersey and it must be dismissed.”

Baffert wants the suit thrown out “with prejudice,” which would mean that it can't be brought up again in another form or in a different court.

“Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint should also be dismissed because their claims are not justiciable,” Wednesday's filing stated. “As the Baffert Defendants have explained, there is no current case and controversy because 1) the entirety of Plaintiffs' claims rest on a speculative presupposition that Medina Spirit will be disqualified at some future date potentially years from now; and 2) their exact alleged injury is not recognized as a viable cause of action under both statutory and common law.

“Plaintiffs' state-law claims are equally doomed,” the filing stated. “Plaintiffs' fraud claims are not pleaded with particularity and they have not alleged, nor could they, that the Baffert Defendants intended to defraud them as gamblers and induce their reliance.”

The post Baffert Attacks ‘Tinfoil Conspiratorial Premise’ of Class-Action Suit appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Jeff Blea, California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) equine medical director, has been placed on administrative leave by UC Davis pending a formal review of his veterinary license, according to Blea's attorney, George Wallace.

The story was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

The California Veterinary Medical Board last week announced that an emergency hearing had resulted in an interim suspension of Blea's veterinary license for a number of alleged offenses, including purportedly administering “dangerous drugs” to racehorses without a prior examination, without forming a diagnosis and without medical necessity.

The veterinary board also claims that Blea presents a “danger to public health, safety and welfare,” due to his oversight of the high-profile investigation into the death of the Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit (Protonico), the Kentucky Derby winner who collapsed and died after a scheduled workout on Dec. 6 at Santa Anita.

A TDN investigation into the accusations leveled against Blea, however, found a broad consensus among veterinary medical experts that the infractions are largely matters of poor record-keeping which rarely, if ever, rise to the level of a suspended license.

Though the role of the equine medical director has not historically been contingent upon having an active veterinary license, the CHRB responded to Blea's emergency interim suspension by bringing in the executive associate dean of UC Davis's School of Veterinary Medicine, John Pascoe, to oversee the necropsy of Medina Spirit.

This, the CHRB said, “satisfies the VMB's stated reason for filing the temporary suspension petition and therefore requires it to consider its withdrawal.”

A formal hearing on the veterinary board's petition for an interim suspension of Blea's license is scheduled for Jan. 21

The equine medical director is first appointed by the dean of UC Davis. The CHRB then contracts with the university for the appointee's services.

According to Scott Chaney, the CHRB executive director, “if the [Equine Medical Director] was on administrative leave, UC Davis would appoint an interim person or persons to fulfill these statutory regulatory roles of the EMD, and we would amend our contract to reflect that.”

In response to questions about who UC Davis might appoint during Blea's administrative leave, a UC Davis spokesperson wrote that “UC Davis has sufficient personnel to ensure that the obligations of the position are fulfilled.”

As part of the TDN's investigation into the accusations leveled against Blea, Eric Peterson, former member of the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Board, told the TDN that had he been presented with the same set of accusations, he would have recommended issuing a fine of “at most” $100.

“I was on the Kentucky vet board for 10 years. This would be minimal,” Peterson said. “We might not even fine him for this.”

According to Brian Langlois, former president of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, while from a purely public perception standpoint, “there probably is some merit” in the veterinary board's argument to remove Blea from overseeing the Medina Spirit investigation, there appears no obvious conflicts of interest that might preclude him from the task.

“I would think there would be more merit to their argument if he was the one physically doing the necropsy or physically running the drug tests, or physically collecting the samples from Medina Spirit after his death,” says Langlois. “But from what I understand, he isn't.”

The equine medical director is the “primary advisor to the board on all matters related to medication and drug testing, the practice of veterinary medicine within the areas regulated by the board, and the health and safety of horses within the enclosure,” wrote former CHRB equine medical director, Rick Arthur, in a letter to Lourdes Castro Ramírez, secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.

In the letter to Castro Ramírez–secretary of the agency under which both the veterinary board and the CHRB sit–Arthur calls the actions by the veterinary board a “political hit-job.”

As such, Arthur urges Castro Ramírez to have inside counsel “review the obscene accusations against Dr. Blea and the politics behind their over-the-top accusations. Something needs to change at CVMB. This is a travesty for an exceptionally professional and ethical person.”

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Fasig-Tipton's catalogue for the Kentucky Winter Mixed sale, to be held Feb. 7-8, is now online. The main catalogue has 500 entries. Supplemental entries will continue to be accepted over the coming weeks. Sessions will begin each day at 10 a.m.

“Buyers looking to fill orders before the start of breeding season will be impressed with the quality of this year's catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “We have a deep assortment of stakes-credentialed racing and broodmare prospects and proven producers, and the covering sire and yearling sire power represented are the strongest in recent memory.”

Print catalogues, featuring GISW Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow)–who sold as a yearling at the 2019 Kentucky Winter Mixed sale–on the cover, will be available Jan. 19. The catalogue will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Online bidding and phone bidding will be available at the sale.

Click here to go directly to the catalogue.

The post Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky Winter Mixed Catalogue Online appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, delayed a day due to last week's blizzard, took some time to find its footing, but gained in strength throughout Tuesday's opening session to end the day with figures up compared to its 2020 opening session.

“We are very pleased with the way things ended up,” said Keeneland's vice president of sales Tony Lacy. “We were expecting a very solid day. There was some nice quality, especially towards the end. And that is the way it ended up. The numbers were pretty stable with last year's numbers until about halfway through the day and then we started creeping ahead. I think we ended up with $18 million in gross, so that's really strong for the first session.”

In all, 249 horses sold Tuesday for a gross of $18,015,200. The average of $72,350 was up 23.22% from a year ago, while the median rose 11.43% to $39,000. With 85 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 25.45%. It was 31.79% a year ago.

Three Chimneys Farm purchased the session's top-priced offering when going to $750,000 to dissolve its partnership with Hill 'n' Dale Farm on the 2-year-old filly Princess Lele (Quality Road), a daughter of Carina Mia (Malibu Moon). The operation teamed with Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm to acquire the mare Remedy (Creative Cause) for the session's second highest price of $470,000. Again buying out Hill 'n' Dale, Three Chimneys purchased Justly, a 2-year-old filly by Justify out of Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) for $410,000 to have three of the session's top four prices.

“It was great to see the domestic market very strong,” Lacy said. “There was a lot of positivity there again. The demand for quality was as eager as ever. We are looking forward to tomorrow and I think it will be more of the same.”

Adrian Regan of Hunter Valley Farm admitted the consignment was having just an average day before sending the top-priced short yearling through the ring late in the session. Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International purchased the colt by Gun Runner for $375,000.

“The middle market seems a little weaker than Novemeber,” Regan said. “But then we've been trying to buy and when we follow something in, we're not getting close. The good ones are making a premium.”

Becky Thomas of Sequel Bloodstock agreed some of the demand from the November sale was missing Tuesday at Keeneland.

“For me, I haven't felt the sense of urgency in the market that there was in November at the end of the tax year,” Thomas said. “I feel like it is a fair market, but there isn't the feeling of 'gotta have a horse, gotta spend money.' Everybody made money last year, so they kind of needed to spend money and there isn't that sense right now.”

Tuesday's session ended with a flurry of activity from a strong group of supplemental entries to the auction. Larry Best's OXO Equine purchased the final horse through the ring, multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful (Golden Lad), for $410,000.

“I think after the September sale, people had enough money that they didn't feel like that had to sell in January,” Lacy said. “So we felt the supplements brought back a little bit of quality that might have been lacking in the depth of the catalogue. I think people saw there was a real premium on quality in November and because of that they decided this might be a good opportunity to sell in this market.”

Keeneland's director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach added, “We had a lot of quality in the initial catalogue. Seven of the top 10 sellers came from the main part of the catalogue, but this freedom to accommodate fillies like Hello Beautiful added some quality to the back-end and finished the session strongly. Hopefully that creates some momentum in and of itself, too.”

At the end of the session, Keeneland sold a no-guarantee season of Gun Runner donated by Ron Winchell and Three Chimneys for $130,000. Proceeds from the season, which was purchased by Bill Layni, went to tornado relief efforts in Western Kentucky.

The Keeneland January sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Three Chimneys Farm bought out partner Hill 'n' Dale Farm on a pair of juvenile fillies from stellar families Tuesday at Keeneland and then added to another partnership to ultimately acquire three of the session's top four lots. Bidding on the internet, the Torrealba family's operation acquired Princesse Lele (Quality Road) (hip 276), a daughter of Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Carina Mia (Malibu Moon), for $750,000. Earlier in the session, Three Chimneys bought Justly (Justify) (hip 176), a daughter of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), for $410,000. Both fillies were offered by John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency. Three Chimneys and Whisper Hill Farm teamed up to purchase Remedy (Creative Cause) (hip 298) for $470,000.

Carina Mia was purchased by Three Chimneys for $410,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and she went on to win the 2016 GI Acorn S. in the farm's colors. Sold to Shadai Farm for $2.6 million while in foal to Uncle Mo at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale, she is also the dam of an unraced 3-year-old colt by Curlin and a yearling colt by that stallion, both of whom were bred in partnership by Three Chimneys and Hill 'n' Dale.

“She is a beautiful physical,” Three Chimneys' Doug Cauthen said of Princesse Lele. “I know a lot of people looked at her in the summer. She was one of the favorite yearlings of some high-end buyers, but unfortunately at the time she had a little issue that kept her out of the sale. So we waited and broke her and then, just to clean up the partnership, brought her to the sale.”

Carina Mia is a half-sister to Grade I winner Miss Match (Arg) (Indygo Shiner) and her unraced dam is a full-sister to Grade I winner Miss Linda (Arg) (Southern Halo).

“It's a family that has done so well,” Cauthen said. “We hope she can run and do well at the track, but she is such a good physical and with a great pedigree that we are always looking long term to the broodmare band. That's what the Torrealba family does–look at the long term.”

Of the filly's session-topping price, Cauthen said, “That exceeded expectations by quite a bit. As a buyer you always want to get them for less, but it's such an amazing family and there was a lot of active bidding amongst people well beyond the two partners.”

Cauthen added of the two fillies purchased out of the partnership, “They would have been on the list no matter what. Would you have paid full retail at 100%? It's a little easier at 50%, but it's still money no matter how you look at it. They were expensive, but hopefully in the long-term it will pay off.”  @JessMartiniTDN

In the final dissolution of a partnership between Three Chimneys Farm and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings on the mare Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), Three Chimneys purchased the champion's newly turned 2-year-old filly Justly (Justify) (hip 176) for $410,000 via an internet bid Tuesday at Keeneland, just 10 days after her 3-year-old half-brother Courvoisier (Tapit) won the Jerome S. at Aqueduct.

Three Chimneys and Hill 'n' Dale purchased Take Charge Brandi for $3.2 million at the 2019 Keeneland November sale to dissolve the Elevage partnership of Hill 'n' Dale and Glen Hill Farm. Three Chimneys purchased the mare, in foal to Uncle Mo, outright for $1.15 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last year and purchased her weanling filly by Quality Road in partnership with Glen Hill Farm for $450,000 at that same auction. Both the now-yearling and 2-year-old were purchased with an eye towards their future career as broodmares.

“This filly in particular, with that pedigree, was always an appealing prospect as a future broodmare,” Three Chimneys' Doug Cauthen said. “With the big update of Courvoisier winning the stakes and hopefully going on to get further black-type, that just added to the appeal of the filly.”

Justly has been broken and has been in training in Ocala with Eddie Woods.

“Eddie said she was a really good mover, tough, and had the right attitude,” Cauthen said. “That part was always there, obviously we will see what happens going forward, but the main focus was her future as a broodmare down the road. Whether she hits the track or not is not really a primary concern. It's a family that keeps on giving and hopefully down the road, she will prove to be a nice broodmare prospect for Three Chimneys.”

Of the Quality Road yearling, Cauthen added, “We are looking forward to racing her and she will be a broodmare for the partnership as well.”

Take Charge Brandi, named champion 2-year-old filly of 2014, is a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Omaha Beach (War Front) and her second dam is broodmare of the year Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who produced Will Take Charge, Take Charge Indy, and As Time Goes By.

The 10-year-old mare will be bred back to Three Chimneys' standout young sire Gun Runner this year, according to Cauthen.

“It's the final phase of the dispersal between Hill 'n' Dale and Three Chimneys, no other reason,” Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura said of Justly's engagement at the Keeneland January sale. “We had two 2-year-olds left and they are in this sale. It was not pre-arranged; it was the next venue. We had not come this far down the road yet so we were not prepared to sell them in September. Her dam sold in November and this is the last logical step.”

Sikura is co-owner of Take Charge Brandi's 3-year-old son Courvoisier, who won the Jerome S. on New Year's Day for trainer Kelly Breen, and he was underbidder on the 2-year-old Tuesday.

“She is a lovely filly, I tried hard to buy her, I was the underbidder,” Sikura said of Justly. “It's a lovely, active pedigree and there is a good current 3-year-old. Everything is positive.”

Of the juvenile's final price, Sikura said, “She wasn't perfect up front. I thought that might provide a little opportunity, but that pedigree is so strong. I thought she was full value for sure. Special fillies are hard to find. You have to chase to find and own them, but once you do, they are a valued commodity.” @JessMartiniTDN

Even as Three Chimneys Farm was dissolving one partnership, it was adding to another one when teaming with Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm to purchase Remedy (Creative Cause) (hip 298) for $470,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment Tuesday at Keeneland.

“That's been a real positive partnership,” Cauthen said. “We bought one in the November sale together and it's nice to get another one.”

Whisper Hill and Three Chimneys teamed up to purchase Magical World (Distorted Humor) (hip 203) for $5.2 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Remedy was purchased by Twin Creeks Racing for $200,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale. Racing for Twin Creeks, Medallion Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds, she was runner-up in the 2018 GIII Comely S. and GIII Remington Park Oaks. She sold to Twin Creeks Farm for $570,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton February sale and produced a colt by Constitution in 2021. She was not mated last year and sold empty Tuesday.

The 7-year-old mare is out of Daisy Mason (Orientate), an unraced daughter of Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek) and a half-sister to Beholder, Mendelssohn and Into Mischief.

“She is a good physical and from an amazing family,” Cauthen said. “It doesn't get better than Into Mischief and Mendelssohn. All reports are that, with a little luck, we should be able to get her in foal and get a great-looking Gun Runner out of her because that's who she will go to.” @JessMartiniTDN

Larry Best of OXO Equine acquired four broodmares during Tuesday's opening session of the Keeneland January sale and saved his biggest purchase for last when buying Hello Beautiful (Golden Lad) (hip 430G).

“Most likely she'll go to Instagrand,” Best said after signing the ticket on the multiple stakes winner, who was consigned by ELiTE. “But I have three stallions. I have Instagrand and I also have Instilled Regard and, kind of under the radar, I have Rowayton.”

Best said he remembered Hello Beautiful's career, which included eight stakes victories and earnings of over $580,000, becauase the 5-year-old finished behind his Mundaye Call in the 2020 Runhappy Audubon Oaks.

“We beat her at Ellis Park, but I forgot about her after that,” Best said. “When I looked at the record, she's a very fast horse and a multiple stakes winner. And I love the Medaglia d'Oro bloodline.”

Early in Tuesday's session, Best went to $220,000 to acquire Evil Lyn (Wicked Strong) (hip 118) and $210,000 to acquire Ego Trip (Ire) (No Nay Never) (hip 113). Just before securing Hello Beautiful, the last horse through the ring Tuesday, he purchased multiple graded stakes placed Reagan's Edge (Competitive Edge) (hip 430) for $220,000.

“I was really pleased with Reagan's Edge's price,” Best said. “She is a very fast horse. I own Center Aisle and Reagan's Edge beat her three times. Now Center Aisle is three for three and just won a graded stakes. But I couldn't beat the horse, so I bought her.” @JessMartiniTDN

Graded stakes producer Haunted Heroine (Ghostzapper) (Hip 148) sparked the first big fireworks during Tuesday's opening session, summoning $420,000 from Mike Cline, acting as agent for Andrew Warren, whose parents campaigned MGISW City of Light (Quality Road).

“He has a longstanding relationship with Lane's End,” said Cline, who is the former manager of that operation. “We bought her to breed to City of Light.”

A two-time stakes winner, Haunted Heroine is a half to Grade I winner Celestine (Scat Daddy) and stakes winner Silent Sting (Silent Name {Jpn}). The 11-year-old mare's second foal, Twin Creeks Farm homebred Law Professor (Constitution), captured the off-turf GII Santa Anita Mathis Mile S. Dec. 26 for City of Light's trainer Michael McCarthy. She was bred to City of Light on a late cover in June, but did not get in foal.

“She is a nice young mare and is proven,” Cline said. “She has already had a graded stakes winner. There are not that many of them around. She is pretty and we thought she mated well with City of Light. We are happy to have her and feel good about being able to buy one of that quality in January.”

Haunted Heroine was consigned to the sale by Taylor Made Sales Agency. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International purchased the highest-priced short yearling of Tuesday's opening session of the Keeneland January sale when going to $375,000 to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 365) from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment.

“He will race in the U.S.,” de Seroux said, while declining to name his client.

De Seroux said the yearling looked to be the complete package.

“First he is by Gun Runner,” de Seroux said. “Second, he is a very athletic colt. He walks very well. He's nice. We loved everything about him.”

De Seroux purchased a weanling colt by Gun Runner (hip 32) for $380,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale, so Tuesday's competitive price was no surprise.

“The good Gun Runners, you have a lot of people trying to get them,” he said.

The dark bay colt is out of Take a Memo (Empire Maker), a daughter of graded winner Memorette (Memo {Chi}). He was bred by Hunter Valley's Adrian Regan and Fergus Galvin.

“To be honest, we were having a fairly average day in the ring up until this and we were getting a little worried he wouldn't get his full value,” Regan admitted. “Thankfully, the right people showed up.”

Gun Runner's stellar start to his stud career with his first 2-year-olds last year led Regan and Galvin to call an audible with hip 365, who had originally been targeted at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“We had him here in November and we had a little bit of a mishap with him down at the barn,” Regan explained. “We weren't happy with the way he was moving afterwards, so we sent him home. We were thinking of keeping him to sell as a yearling, but Gun Runner was doing so good, we decided to send him in there. We knew he was a good horse.” @JessMartiniTDN

Becky Thomas's Sequel New York was absent from the Keeneland November Sale due to her son's wedding, causing her to re-route a group of November-quality horses to the Keeneland January Sale. That move proved to be a good one, as Sequel led all consignors by average at $161,833–aside from Clarkland Farm, who only sold one horse for $240,000.

“It was my son Zachary's wedding in November, so this is really a November consignment in January,” Thomas said.

The Sequel New York consignment was topped by the $350,000 mare Call to Service (To Honor and Serve) (Hip 424), who was purchased by Andrew Cary on behalf of Coteau Grove Farms. Cary purchased Munnings' Finest (Munnings) (Hip 235) from the Sequel consignment for $300,000 for Coteau Grove earlier in the session and she is also in foal to Authentic.

In foal to Horse of the Year Authentic, Call to Service was supplemented to the sale after receiving a timely update courtesy of her half-brother Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), who was third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and is currently prepping for a start in Gulfstream's GIII Holy Bull S.

Call to Service is also a half-sister to MGSW Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}) and GISP Gio Game (Gio Ponti). Thomas purchased the 6-year-old mare for $110,000 for a partnership consisting of herself, longtime partner Lewis Lakin and Spendthrift's Mark Toothaker at the 2020 KEENOV sale. She was carrying a foal from the first crop of champion Vino Rosso at the time and produced that colt Feb. 16 of last year.

“She is a half to a horse, who is on the Derby trail for Dale Romans,” Thomas said when asked what led to the decision to supplement Call to Service to KEEJAN. “He ran a really big third in the Breeders' Cup and we've been watching him fire bullet works every week. Plus, the average for mares in foal to Authentic was strong in November. We are very excited about Giant Game, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for us. We are all a group of pinhookers, so we are very happy.”

Thomas added, “I also have to thank Tim Hamlin and H. Allen Poindexter, who bred Call to Service and her talented siblings. I have seen this family year after year because of them, so when this mare became available in 2020, I already knew what the whole family looked like. When she went through the sale, Mark [Toothaker] said, 'Buy her!'”

Sequel New York was also responsible for the day's most expensive yearling filly in Hip 317, a daughter of Triple Crown hero Justify, who summoned $300,000 from Brian Graves.

Bred by Lakin's Lakland Farm, Hip 317 is the first foal out of San Saria (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is a daughter of GSW San Sicharia (Daggers Drawn).

“She was always fancy,” Thomas said. “She looks like a colt. She is really, really strong. We hand walk all of these horses and she walked my main yearling man Humberto every day. He couldn't really walk her because she was walking him. She is just a machine. I love her.”

“We will definitely bring her back through [the sale ring],” said Graves, who has enjoyed great success pinhooking yearlings in the summer and fall. “I just thought she was gorgeous, maybe the prettiest Justify I've seen yet. She just did everything right for me. She is drop-dead gorgeous and has an athletic walk. I liked everything about her.”

Sequel New York offered a total of 14 horses, all of which went through the ring during Tuesday's opening session. They sold 12 of those for a gross of $1.942 million.

When asked if her consignment stood out more in the much smaller January sale, Thomas said, “That is hard to tell because I do think there was a lot of money to spent in November. However, I think we stood out here because these were November horses. I thought Keeneland did a phenomenal job, moving the sale back and getting horses placed, giving people a chance to look at them and us an opportunity to show them. The horses were well received and we are happy to be here.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Bloodstock agent Andrew Cary was quite busy throughout Tuesday's opening session, scooping up three mares, two for Coteau Grove Farms and one for that operation's new stallion No Parole (Violence), who they stand in Louisiana in partnership with Whispering Oaks.

Both of Cary's acquisitions for Coteau Grove Farms were in foal to reigning Horse of the Year and GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic and both hailed from the Sequel New York consignment. The most expensive was Call to Service (To Honor and Serve (Hip 424), who is a half-sister to last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third Giant Game (Giant's Causeway). He takes his next step down the Derby trail in the Feb. 5 GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream.

“Obviously, there is a big potential update with the 3-year-old,” Cary said. “The mare is already a tremendous producer with what she's already done. She is also another mare in foal to Authentic, which was not by design. It is just the way it worked out, but you can't get too much of a good thing.”

He added, “It gives us a lot to root for in the spring. Giant Game just worked another bullet this morning [five furlongs in :59.85 at Gulfstream] and hopefully he will keep on trucking down the Derby trail.”

Earlier in the session, Cary bought Munnings Finest (Munnings) (hip 235) for $300,000. A half to MSW Baffle Me (First Samurai), she hails from the family of top sire Maclean's Music and GSWs Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo), Kentuckian (Tiznow) and Electric Forest (Curlin). The 6-year-old mare's first foal is a now-2-year-old filly by City of Light and she aborted her 2021 foal.

“She was another mare in foal to Authentic,” Cary said. “She is a great-looking mare with a nice family. Those are the types everyone wants. You just have to keep swinging and hope to get some of them.”

Cary also picked up Catenaria (Bernardini) (Hip 67) for $80,000. She is currently in foal to Complexity, but was purchased with the intention of sending her to No Parole.–@CDeBernardisTDN

Randy Gullatt and Steve Davison's Twin Creeks Racing campaigned MGISW Constitution (Tapit) in partnership with WinStar and he has gone on to be a very successful stallion. The operation returned to the well Tuesday, going to $260,000 to acquire a son of their former stable star (Hip 125).

“He has a lot of size and is a good, athletic colt,” said Gullatt after signing the ticket. “He has the same qualities as some of the good Constitution colts I have been around.”

When asked about Constitution's success as a stallion, Gullatt said, “It's pretty incredible. He is just over-achieving all of the time. It just gives you a lot of confidence that his [offspring] will over-achieve and do some good things.”

Consigned by Taylor Made, the chestnut colt was bred by Fred Hertrich, who had an outstanding year in 2021, breeding six Grade I winners either alone or in partnership. His operation had a hand in producing top-level scorers Americanrevolution (Constitution), Juju's Map (Liam's Map), Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy), Hit the Road (More Than Ready), Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) and Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate).

Out of Fifth Avenue Ball (Deputy Minister), Hip 125 is a half to SW Gotham Gala (Smart Strike) and SP Eastwood (Speightstown).

“He's an awful good Constitution and we really thought he would bring something in that $250,000 to $350,000 range,” Hertrich said. —@CDeBernardisTDN

A short yearling by Munnings (hip 128) brought a final bid of $240,000 from Joe Hardoon, racing manager for Al Gold's Gold Square LLC, during Tuesday's first session of the Keeneland January sale. The dark bay colt was owned and consigned by Clarkland Farm and is out of Forget Me Not (Uncle Mo), a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Needs Supervision (Paynter).

“He was a really classy, well-balanced colt,” Hardoon, who did his bidding alongside trainer Chad Summers, said. “He looks like he is going to be fast and can win early. We decided to take him to the races.”

Clarkland Farm purchased Forget Me Not, a winner of her lone career start for Fox Hill Farms in 2017, for $80,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare's first foal, a filly by Maclean's Music, sold for $115,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale.

The 23-year-old Hardoon purchased three yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale last August, going to $170,000 for a colt by Unified (hip 539) and a son of Bolt d'Oro (hip 513) and to $120,000 for a colt by Maclean's Music (hip 509).

“We're just picking our spots at this sale,” Hardoon said of Tuesday's purchase. “We're usually more active with yearlings in September and later in the fall, so we're just picking our spots here and looking to find quality horses.” @JessMartiniTDN

A season to 2021's leading freshman sire Gun Runner, donated by his owners Ron Winchell and the Torrealba family's Three Chimneys Farm, brought $130,000 from Peter Penny, who was acting as agent for Bill Layni, at the end of Tuesday's session. All proceeds from that sale will go directly to the victims of the deadly tornadoes that ravaged Western Kentucky last month.

“Everyone in Kentucky at every level wanted to do the right thing for those hit by the disaster,” said Three Chimneys Farm's Doug Cauthen. “This plus another $50,000 from Kentucky Downs and $50,000 from Three Chimneys is a step in the right direction. The whole horse community has done a great job. I have seen a million different donations. Gun Runner's owners, the Torrealba family and Ron Winchell, just wanted to do their part. It was a good way to do it with the sale being here. There are no more Gun Runner seasons around, so we thought it would bring a good number.”

Keeneland waived their commission on this offering so 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the cause.

“I thought it was a wonderful gesture by Ron Winchell and Three Chimneys, going to an amazing cause,” said Keeneland's Tony Lacy. “Having been able to support the effort and getting $130,000 for the victims of the Western Kentucky tornado–it's something that's great to see the industry getting behind. It's something that is very important to our state. We all talk about figures and numbers, but really the people of the state, it's a part of who we are as well. So this is great to be able to give back and support such a great endeavor. There is no commission, it is 100% going to the victims. We were just happy to facilitate the process. I think it was really well received. A lot of people showed a lot of interest.”

Gun Runner was bumped up to $125,000 for the 2022 breeding season after a record-setting freshman year in 2021 with two Grade I winners, six black-type winners and 31 individual winners. —@CDeBernardisTDN

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Irad Ortiz, Jr., who only recently returned from a 30-day suspension, will be sidelined 3-4 weeks with a knee fracture, according to a tweet from Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee.

The three-time reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey was given 30 days for separate riding infractions at Aqueduct Dec. 3 and 4 and returned to the saddle at Gulfstream Park Thursday, Jan. 6. Ortiz, Jr. was aboard Shea On a Mission (Mission Impazible) in Hallandale Jan. 7 and was injured when the 4-year-old filly became fractious in the gates. He took off his remaining two mounts Thursday and was ultimately forced to forego his mounts for Friday and Saturday as well.

Should he remain sidelined through the end of January, Ortiz, Jr. would miss the Pegasus World Cup meeting Jan. 29, at which he was booked to ride 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile hero Life Is Good (Into Mischief).

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Laurel Park, which hasn't hosted racing since Jan. 2 and was closed for 18 days in late autumn over safety and weather-related woes that have plagued its new multi-million-dollar dirt surface, is now scheduled to next card racing for Sunday, Jan. 16–but only if Mother Nature cooperates.

The Maryland racing community and Laurel executives traded updates and opinions on the controversial, work-in-progress track restoration project Tuesday afternoon in a 30-minute videoconference.

But when Mike Rogers, the president of the racing division for The Stronach Group (TSG), which owns Laurel's corporate parent, the Maryland Jockey Club, asked if owners and trainers wanted to opt for a conservative approach that pegged the return of live racing to Thursday, Jan. 20, or to try to resume racing this coming Sunday even if that meant running up against a predicted new storm system, the horsemen didn't hesitate to press for the quickest return possible.

“I think there's no question we should try to take the entries [on Thursday] for Sunday,” said Tim Keefe, the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (MTHA). “As long as the track's performing the way it's supposed to be performing…I absolutely think we give it a shot on Sunday.”

Backed by supportive comments from other trainers, Keefe didn't stop there. He advocated for Laurel to immediately add racing for next Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 18 and 19, which are normally dark days on the track's weekly calendar.

“What's to preclude us from running [makeup dates] next week?” Keefe asked. “If things are up and running on Sunday [and Monday], why not run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; all through next week to try to catch up some of these horses, get some races in?”

Trainer A. Ferris Allen agreed. “Horsemen have been very patient with all of this process, and there are lot of people that are hurting economically out here from the way all of this has been handled. And so we really need to get this back going, and we need some proactive behavior on the part of the Maryland Jockey Club for this situation,” he said.

Rogers said makeup days next week would be an issue that hinged on being able to properly staff the track with employees. He repeated several times that Laurel would eventually make up the lost dates, and seemed at least politely receptive to considering other ideas that horsemen suggested, like adding races instead of racing dates, adding bonus payments to help struggling outfits, or even raising purses.

“We know we have a horse population now,” to absorb makeup dates next week, Rogers said. “It's just whether it can sustain a continuation of running that many days week after week.”

Yet while Laurel seems poised in the near future to provide something that horseplayers crave but rarely get from winter racetracks in the Northeast–the prospect of large betting fields–Keefe urged track officials to go in the other direction, by slicing races that draw overflow entrants into split divisions that feature smaller fields.

“Rather than running a big, 14-horse field, split 'em up. Give us more opportunities to win races, more opportunities to run these horses,” Keefe said.

Alan Foreman, an attorney who represents the MTHA, said purse increases made the most sense for the near term.

“I think that's probably the appropriate direction, is either bump up the purses or you can certainly create some bonuses within the purse itself,” Foreman said.

After years of freeze/thaw and drainage troubles, Laurel's main track was in such bad shape last spring that Laurel ceased racing on it Apr. 11, 2021, to begin an emergency rebuild from the base up. The project was repeatedly delayed and had its scope expanded, and it ended up taking five months before racing could resume instead of the initially projected one month.

When racing resumed Sept. 9, the main track had no apparent safety issues. But the onset of cold weather revealed problems with seams in the base of the homestretch, then the cushion atop that layer needed substantial reworking to give it more body and depth.

Eight horses died from fractures while racing or training over Laurel's main track between Oct. 3 and Nov. 28, leading to a halt in racing through Dec. 16 while expert track surface consultants were hired to provide a fix.

One of them was Glen Kozak, who worked as Laurel's track superintendent in the 2000s decade before being hired away by the New York Racing Association and eventually promoted to its senior vice president of operations and capital projects. During the Jan. 11 conference, he provided a review of what maintenance crews have been doing to shore up Laurel over the past few days.

Kozak said that on Monday morning–after some Sunday rain–crews stripped back the dirt cushion, peeled off 2,000 tons of material, and moved it to the clubhouse parking lot so coarse sand could be more aggressively added to the mix.

“We got about 1,100 tons down [Monday], graded that out, conditioned that to be able to open the track for training [Tuesday],” Kozak said. “That entire process was repeated [after Tuesday training] from the 40-foot mark [out from the rail]. We're currently on the fifth [outer] band right now, with more material going on, and I think everybody's able to see how the inside of the track performed [Tuesday] morning, with 22 degrees and with the amount of moisture that was in it…. It's just getting this product [sand] into the cushion, so that way it can be maintained. But it's moving along very, very well.”

Rogers said horses would once again be permitted on the track for non-timed training on Wednesday, with the potential for published workouts to resume on Thursday, Jan. 13.

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WinStar Farm's former 'TDN Rising Star' Improbable (City Zip) was represented by his first reported foal when a colt was born the evening of Monday, Jan. 10 at Bluewater Farm near Lexington.

The colt is the first from his dam Dark Corner (Into Mischief), a half-sister to GI Spinaway S. heroine Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) and to GSP Noble Thought (Harlan's Holiday). Dark Corner was acquired by China Horse Club, who raced Improbable in partnership, for $175,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“We've been eagerly anticipating the Improbable foals since retiring him to stud in 2021,” said Liam O'Rourke, WinStar's Director of Bloodstock Services. “We're thrilled for our longtime partner CHC having his first foal. We look forward to welcoming many more foals out of quality mares like Dark Corner.”

Improbable, the only four-time Grade I winner by City Zip, posted consecutive victories in 2020 in the GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita, the GI Whitney S. and GI Awesome Again S. The chestnut, whose second dam is a half-sister to Hard Spun, was booked full for his first year at stud at WinStar in 2021, having covered 177 mares. His first in-foal mares sold for up to $550,000 and he was the second-leading freshman covering sire by average ($218,187).

An outcross in his first four generations, Improbable is standing his second season for a fee of $35,000 S & N terms.

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Buckland Sales agency, which has been operating as a partnership between Ro Parra and Zach Madden, will now be run solely by the latter, as Parra will be stepping back from his role with the consignment company. The announcement comes the year after Parra consolidated his commercial breeding, boarding and stallion operations at Millennium Farms in Lexington to focus on his family and his own racing and breeding portfolio.

“Ro has been a tremendous business partner and mentor to me over the years and I am thankful to also call him a friend,” said Madden. “We all have a handful of people we come across in our lives who have a profound impact on our thinking and the lens through which we view the world. Ro is one of those people for me. His business acumen and guidance has been a huge asset.”

Parra and Madden, who had previously worked at Three Chimneys, launched Buckland Sales in 2015.

“I am a big believer in Zach's skills and capabilities,” said Parra. “Zach has spent the past six years building the foundation of Buckland Sales and it was my honor to support him in that. This transition is something we have planned for a long time, and I will continue to consign my own horses under the Buckland banner.”

Since presenting its inaugural consignment at Keeneland November in 2015, Buckland has been represented at all major North American yearling and breeding stock sales, its graduates including the likes of Biddy Duke, Chocolate Martini and GI Runhappy Travers S. runner-up Caracaro.

“We have been measured about how to grow Buckland, focusing on quality over quantity. With Morgan [Kei] assisting our customers and staff, Gustavo [Calleja] and our team at the sales and now Lauren [Morgan] coming on this year as our director of bloodstock, I couldn't ask for a better, more capable team,” said Madden. “With a strong draft to present this week at Keeneland, I am excited about the future for sure.”

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The Board of Directors for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) has announced that Lisa Lazarus will serve as the body's Chief Executive Officer effective Feb. 15, 2022. Lazarus will oversee the implementation of the racetrack safety program July 1, 2022, engage a best-in-class independent enforcement agency to oversee the Authority's Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) program, and work with stakeholders across the U.S. to evaluate and improve both programs on an ongoing basis.

Lazarus established and leads the Equestrian Practice at Morgan Sports Law, where she provides counsel on health and safety issues and rule compliance in addition to representing athletes, owners and trainers in disputes before national and international governing bodies. Prior to joining Morgan Sports Law, she served as General Counsel and later Chief of Business Development & Strategy at the Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports. Prior to her focus on the equine sporting industry, Lazarus spent a decade at the National Football League where she served as the league's Labor Relations Counsel, representing the NFL's 32-member clubs in collective bargaining issues and in contested arbitrations, including anti-doping enforcement matters. She then became Senior Legal Counsel before taking the role of Senior Director of Partner Development for NFL International at their headquarters in London, England. Lazarus began her legal career working as an associate at Akin Gump for four years after graduating from Fordham University School of Law and clerking for a Federal District Court Judge in Memphis, TN.

“We are thrilled to have Lisa on board as we approach HISA's program effective date in six short months” said Charles Scheeler, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Her deep background in sports business and law will be on full display as she leads the racing industry into a new, safer era of clean competition under uniform rules and regulations.”

Added Lazarus: “I look forward to working with the impressive and diverse array of independent and industry experts at HISA to make racing safer and fairer for all. As someone who has worked with the industry over the course of my career, and as a horse lover, I'm honored to be taking on this role.”

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Registration for Track Superintendent Field Day at Gulfstream Park June 12-14 is now open. The Field Day brings together track superintendents and staff to discuss best practices relating to track maintenance, safety and operational issues for both racing and training facilities.

The event began on a small scale at the old Philadelphia Park and has since blossomed into one of the industry's largest and most important events that focuses on track safety.

With the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) set to begin this summer, part of the Field Day agenda will include a panel on ensuring that track superintendents are prepared for the hefty reporting requirements under the Act. The event is free of charge to track superintendents and staff, who must cover their own transportation and accommodations. A discounted rate will be made available at the Hampton Inn Hallandale Beach.

“Track Superintendent Field Day always provides extensive educational information and networking, so we are proud to support this for the betterment of the industry,” said Steve Andersen of Equine Equipment. “The panels and speakers we bring together are instrumental in cultivating the superintendents of tomorrow and in building the skillsets of current supers. We urge tracks to send their key people to demonstrate a willingness to invest in their future and get the annual training from the oldest track superintendent group in North America.”

To register, call (877) 905-0004 or email tracksuper@gmail.com. Additional information regarding registration and the agenda will soon be posted at www.tracksupers.com.

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Edited Press Release

The Jockey Club Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) announced Tuesday that it has approved more than 7,000 awards and classes at more than 1,400 shows in 46 states and six Canadian provinces in 2022.

Awards are available for multiple disciplines, including eventing, dressage, Western and English pleasure, hunter/jumper, endurance, barrel racing, and polocrosse. A full calendar of shows offering awards is available at tjctip.com/CalendarOfEvents and will be updated as show dates are confirmed.

In addition, T.I.P. will be splitting its T.I.P. Championships horse show into multiple events in 2022 and is announcing the dates and locations of two of the events at this time. After a successful Barrel Racing Championships in 2021, T.I.P. and the Retired Racehorse Project (RRP) are partnering to offer an expanded Western Championships and a Central Region Dressage Championships during the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America, which will be held Oct. 12-15, 2022, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. The Western Championships will include divisions in barrel racing, Western pleasure, Western halter, ranch riding, Western dressage, and competitive trail. Dressage Championships will be offered in levels from Introductory through FEI Test of Choice.

The championships' being held with the RRP Thoroughbred Makeover is being announced to assist those considering an application for the Makeover by the Jan. 21, 2022, deadline. Additional dates and locations for the T.I.P. Championships will be announced later this month, and prize lists will be made available for the events in the spring.

“Following the positive reception of the T.I.P. Barrel Racing Championships at the Thoroughbred Makeover, we're thrilled to further our working relationship with T.I.P. in 2022,” said Kirsten Green, interim executive director of the Retired Racehorse Project. “Participating in T.I.P. shows and classes is a great complement to Makeover preparation and a natural progression for Makeover graduates, so we're looking forward to hosting the expanded division offerings at the 2022 Thoroughbred Makeover and bringing more Thoroughbred lovers together for an amazing week.”

In addition, T.I.P. will be offering year-end or championship awards in association with the American Endurance Ride Conference, American Polocrosse Association, Equine Trail Sports, Interscholastic Equestrian Association, United States Eventing Association, United States Pony Club, and United States Dressage Federation.

“The popularity of and enthusiasm for T.I.P. has enabled us to expand to be larger than ever this year,” said Kristin Werner, senior counsel for The Jockey Club and administrator of T.I.P. “T.I.P.'s growth demonstrates the popularity and demand for Thoroughbreds across the country for careers in a variety of disciplines.”

T.I.P. is also announcing its youth ambassadors for the 2022 T.I.P. Youth Ambassador Program. The 13 ambassadors come from nine states and cover multiple disciplines. The following are the 2022 T.I.P. youth ambassadors: Julia Buytenhuys (VA), Lottie Crawford (Returning, VA), Karlie Dennis (PA), Brooke Galvin (FL), Emma Hill (SC), Rylee Koll (MI), Savannah Lacey (MD), Bella Anne Park (AR), Ashlynn Riley (IA), Madeline Rutledge (VA), Connor Stegeman (LA), Emilie Stevens (LA),

Anna Szefc (VA).

Additional information about the Youth Ambassador Program is available at tjctip.com/About/TBYPAM.

Created and announced in October 2011, T.I.P. recognizes and rewards the versatility of the Thoroughbred through sponsorship of Thoroughbred classes and high point awards at sanctioned horse shows, performance awards, and non-competition awards. In addition to the complete schedule of T.I.P.-sponsored shows, other information about the program is available on the T.I.P. website, tjctip.com. Those interested in T.I.P. can follow the program at facebook.com/tjctip.

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