Racing News

He was the victim of bad luck Monday (shuffled out of the last race) and bad weather Tuesday (Mother Nature snowed on his parade), but Jason Bartlett completed his appointed rounds Thursday night.

Bee A Magician, Father Patrick, and Maven were unanimous 2013 Dan Patch Award selections as the best harness racing horses in their respective divisions, the U.S. Harness Writers Association announced Thursday.

A total of 131 ballots were returned. Three-year-old filly trotter Bee A Magician and older female trotter Maven were named on all 131 while 2-year-old male trotter Father Patrick was named on 130 with one abstention.

Six other year-end champions were named Thursday in divisions that saw only one horse receive at least 10 percent of the vote. Three-year-old male pacer Captaintreacherous and older male trotter Market Share both received 130 votes and were declared winners in their divisions.

There are over 1,300 horses stabled and training at Gulfstream Park, but it’s remarkably easy to pick out Lady Valentine among the sea of shimmering bay and chestnut coats. A rare Thoroughbred registered as white, the 2-year-old filly has just a few dark freckle marks on her ghostly coat.

“This is the first white horse I’ve seen down here,” trainer Aubrey Maragh remarked. “She’s a track favorite; everybody loves her out there. She has two little black spots near her ears. When she has her bath, she gets pink.”

Lady Valentine is a daughter of Allamystique, a uniquely marked white stallion who is known for his colorful offspring. She is the first foal from the hard-knocking chestnut mare Evolutionary Lady, a winner of seven of 53 career starts.

When Erv Miller attended last year’s Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale, naturally he was concentrating on acquiring some yearlings from Swan For All’s first crop as he had conditioned the 2009 Matron Stakes victor.

After inspecting all the progeny of that stallion the sale had to offer, one of Miller’s selections was hip No. 149. The filly was then called Deal For All, but her new owners decided to rename her Andi’s Alana and in her first year of racing she was a dual Indiana Sire Stakes champion as well as her sire’s top performer to date.

“She fit the bill,” Miller said. “We were looking at some colts too, but they seemed to be a bit growthy and I think I have some that will be very good next year. This filly was exactly what we were looking for with her breeding and conformation.”

This holiday season, Frank Rende, Jr. is conjuring up every ounce of his faith, work ethic and positive energy to pull through a recent family disaster.

On Nov. 29, after celebrating Thanksgiving, the Rende family, Frank Rende, Jr., his wife Debbie, and their three children, Nicholas, 19, Vincent, 9, and Sofia, 8, were suddenly awakened just after 4:30 a.m. and forced to flee their burning home in Ringwood, N.J.

The Rende’s youngest son, Vincent, is credited with saving their lives by waking everybody up. Most of their possessions were destroyed and the house is uninhabitable due to the fire damage. Their insurance does not cover all of their needs, such as repairs, furniture, appliances and clothes. Donations as little as one dollar can be made anonymously at www.gofundme.com on the Rende Family Fire Fund page.

Flashback, favored in each of his five career starts, figures to be the choice again when he runs in the Malibu Stakes (gr. I) for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita Parkon opening day of the winter meet Dec. 26.

Trained by Bob Baffert for owners Gary and Mary West, the gray son of Tapit  has not raced since finishing second by a head at 30 cents on the dollar toZeewat in the Damascus Stakes Nov. 2. He drew the rail in that race, at seven furlongs, as he did in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) in April, when he finished second to Goldencents.

Winner of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 2 after winning his debut race last Dec. 8, Flashback worked six furlongs Dec. 16 in 1:11 2/5.

Smilin Eli has been selected as the New Jersey Sire Stakes Premier Division Horse of the Year for 2013.

The son of Muscles Yankee won all three of his NJSS starts at the Meadowlands, including the $150,000 championship final in a career best and stakes record matching 1:51.2.

The award for NJSS Green Acres Division Horse of the Year went to the 2-year-old pacing filly Ideal Helen, winner of all three of her major NJ-sired stakes races at Freehold Raceway, the $61,900 Lou Babic Memorial Filly final, $52,650 New Jersey Futurity and $25,000 NJSS Green Acres final.

At the age of 10, Kindly Poet could be considered the ultimate war horse on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit.

The veteran pacer has been a star at the Rexdale oval and has gone on to earn 44 career victories and is $61,958 shy of surpassing $1 million in career earnings.

On top of that great accomplishment, the talented pacer etched a new 1:49.4 career best this season at age 10.

On Tuesday evening (Dec. 17), trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. received a special proclamation and the key to the city from Grove City (Ohio) mayor Richard “Ike” Stage.

The presentation was made to recognize Morgan’s achievement as the first trainer, since the USTA has kept records, to reach 5,000 lifetime training wins (as of Tuesday evening, he had 5,051).

The 48-year-old lifelong Grove City resident was accompanied by his mother, Constance; children, Tre and Kiara; Scioto Downs’ General Manager of Racing, Stacy Cahill; Scioto’s Race Secretary, Jason Roth; and other family and friends.

Owner/trainer Bette Jean Calice admits that the 10-year-old trotter Sharpshootennorris is as much a pet as a member of her stable, which raises the question of how many pets can you buy for $8,000 and three years later they’ve put more than $85,000 in the bank?

That’s the scenario with Sharpshootennorris, who looks to add to his $422,000 in overall earnings when he suits up in Friday night’s headliner for Calice and regular pilot Steve Wiseman.

“He originally raced for my niece and was an Open trotter back then,” Calice said. “He lost a step and ended up in claimers and was taken by someone for $8,000. He raced for them for awhile, and then when they dropped him back in for $8,000, I claimed him.”

Sharpshootennorris banked $40,000 that first year for Calice and turned in a 1:55.3 mile at Pompano, adding another $45,000 to that total over the last two seasons. He currently makes up the entire barn for Calice, who considers herself to be semi-retired at this point.

An observational study has found that 2-year-olds racing without race-day furosemide at the 2013 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park had fewer and less severe instances of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage than juveniles who raced with the diuretic that same weekend at Santa Anita.

While the study was observational as opposed to scientific—and the sample size small—researchers observed a statistically significant higher percentage of EIPH frequency, and severity, in horses treated with furosemide Nov. 1 at Santa Anita compared with those who raced without it that weekend at the track. 

Furosemide (commonly called Salix or Lasix) is the only race-day medication permitted in the majority of North American racing states and it's used to treat EIPH, which at its most severe grade can include bleeding through the nostrils. Breeders' Cup has prohibited race-day Salix use in juvenile races in the two most recent World Championships. 

Bettor’s Edge nipped front-pacing Dynamic Youth and fast-closing Nova Artist in 1:50 to win the $30,000 Preferred pace at Dover Downs on Thursday, Dec. 19. Meet leading driver Corey Callahan added four wins to his to his total.

At Christmas time seven years ago, Kieron Magee was in his mid-40’s and working as an exercise rider at the Maryland tracks. Today, he ranks third in the Laurel Park fall trainer standings with 19 wins from 44 starters, an impressive 43 percent.

“I was getting too old to gallop horses for a living,” said Magee, now 52. “I broke my back twice and it was time. My heart was telling me it was time to do something else. Owner Bo Williams gave me Magic Maker and we went from there.”

Magic Maker won one-of-10 races for Magee in 2007 while earning $26,210 which helped the native of County Wicklow, Ireland get into the claiming game.

“The first horse my wife and I claimed (Simoom off John Fisher on Nov. 8, 2007), we maxed out three credit cards and I had to borrow $1,000 off my mother-in-law,” added Magee. “We won two races with her then eventually lost the horse for $10,000 at Philadelphia. My wife was in tears but I was excited because we could start building.”

Orlando’s Express has been under the care of James Kennedy for less than two months, but this could be the start of something big as the 3-year-old continues his march toward next week’s Bob Gordon Series final.

The Frank Nevarez-homebred son of Wicked Island only made it to the post one time last year and didn’t get to the races again this season until Nov. 15, but he’s doing his best to make up for lost time. He’s won two conditioned events, finished second to divisional powerhouse A Stitch In Time in a Sire Stakes and then captured his section of last week’s opening leg of the Gordon.

Sent off at a juicy 9-1 in the latter affair, he sat a stalking trip for Kennedy until the stretch, then unleashed a :27.3 final quarter to prevail by a half-length over favored Party Cove.

Bee A Magician, Father Patrick, and Maven were unanimous 2013 Dan Patch Award selections as the best harness racing horses in their respective divisions, the U.S. Harness Writers Association announced Thursday.

Canterbury Park officials Dec. 19 announced the 2014 stakes schedule which includes 24 races with purses totaling more than $1.8 million.

The third running of the $200,000 Mystic Lake Derby, the richest race of the season, will be held the final day of the 69-day race meet, Saturday, Sept. 13. The 21st Minnesota Festival of Champions, a day dedicated to horses bred in the state, is Sunday, Aug. 31.

"The Mystic Lake Derby was re-positioned to September in hopes of attracting horses that have returned to the Midwest after competing in major race meets on both coasts during the summer," Canterbury Park vice president of racing operations Eric Halstrom said in a release.

Wednesday’s (Dec. 18) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Dover Downs and The Meadows.

Jockey Patrick Valenzuela resumes riding at Santa Anita Park when it opens on Dec. 26 after taking some time off due to an illness. 

A fixture in Southern California since he began his career in 1978, the 51-year-old rider has overcome numerous injuries and substance abuse issues, but has never lost his zeal for the game.

His ability on horseback has never been questioned.

"I've been out here working every morning, just getting ready for the big meet," said Valenzuela. "I've got some good calls and hopefully we'll get lucky and get a couple winners right away and get rolling." 

Agent Tom Knust represents Valenzuela.

Trainer Chad Brown will saddle two promising juveniles in Pleuven, a two-time stakes winner in France making his U.S. debut, and impressive first-out winner Request in the $100,000 Dania Beach Stakes (gr. IIIT) Dec. 21 atGulfstream Park.

Pleuven began his career for breeder Jean de Cheffontaines by placing in his first two efforts before winning his next two starts, including the listed Prix Roland de Chambure at Longchamp July 13. The son of Turtle Bowl was purchased privately thereafter, and will make his first start on these shores while carrying the colors of Robert LaPenta and Gary and Bradley Finder.

In his first two-turn start, undefeatedSamraat extinguished any doubts about his ability to handle route racing with a scintillating 16 3/4-length score in the $100,000 Damon Runyon Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds Dec. 18 atAqueduct (VIDEO).

Away quickly from his inside post, the dark bay or brown colt by Noble Causeway   established command of the race just a few strides out of the starting gate and led the field through fractions of :24.55 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and :49.73 for the half. Leaving the far turn, the 7-10 favorite promptly bounded away from the field without being asked by jockey Jose Ortiz. Samraat continued to widen his advantage while under only light encouragement.

Bigger spots may be on the horizon for Samraat, a homebred for My Meadowview Farm.

The Raceway at Western Fair District wishes to advise horse people that qualifying races for this Friday morning (Dec. 20) have been cancelled.

Due to the impending inclement weather forecasted to move into the London area overnight Thursday, the track will be closed on Friday morning to allow the track crew time to perform maintenance ahead of Friday night’s live program. First post on Friday night is 7:05 p.m.

Last year's William Hill King George VI Chase runner-upCaptain Chris has taken his run in the Peterborough Chase so well he is likely to have another crack at next Thursday's showpiece, trainer Philip Hobbs said on Wednesday.

A delayed reappearance at Huntingdon this month had raised doubts about Captain Chris's participation at Kempton because the 14-day gap between races might not have given him sufficient recovery time for the King George, in which he was beaten a neck by Long Run last year and is a 14-1 chance with the sponsor this time.