Horse Racing

Eclipse Award winning trainer Bob Baffert and champion filly Silverbulletday were among those inducted Friday into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. Also enshrined were former Horse of the Year Tiznow, jockey Eddie Maple, steeplechase trainer Janet Elliot and steeplechase horse Ben Nevis II.

Retired jockey and Hall of Fame member Chris McCarron was the guest speaker at the induction ceremony.

Baffert is a three-time winner of the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer, capturing the award three consecutive years beginning in 1997. The 56-year-old trainer has earned more than $135 million in his career, which includes eight Triple Crown race wins, seven Breeders' Cup victories and 10 champions.


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Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Viewed spearheads an 11-horse team for trainer Bart Cummings who is aiming to win Australia’s most famous race for the 13th time in November.

Cummings’s other headline entries are AJC Australian Derby winner Roman Emperor, AJC Australian Oaks runner-up Think Money, VRC St Leger runner-up Precedence and 2007 Queensland Derby winner Empires Choice.

On Tuesday a total of 230 horses were entered for the Melbourne Cup and 227 for the Caulfield Cup, down significantly on last year’s entries of 297 and 282 respectively.

A reflection of the global economic downturn was the drop from 66 to 43 international nominations for the spring racing carnival’s three major races with 39 overseas entries for the Melbourne Cup, 18 for the Caulfield Cup and 11 for the Cox Plate.

Racing Victoria’s racing operations chief Leigh Jordon said that while numbers were down for the Cups the quality had held up well.

“All the main players are represented,” Jordon said.

He said global powerhouse Godolphin was as keen as ever after winning last year’s Caulfield Cup with All The Good.

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Perfect Shower, a 46-1 longshot, captured a stunning win in the 119th running of the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes on Sunday, giving trainer Attfield a record-setting eighth victory in the third and final jewel of Canadian thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown.

"No, I don't bet," a beaming Attfield said with a chuckle when asked if he had put any money down on his horse.

That's unfortunate because Perfect Shower became the longest-priced winner in Breeders' Stakes history, easily surpassing Social Wizard, which won in 1981 as a 20-1 longshot and paid $43.70.

Perfect Shower paid a whopping $95.30, $34.80 and $13.60 in winning the 1 1/2-mile event in 2:29.39 on a firm turf. Second-place finisher Guipago, a 29-1 longshot who was 1 3/4 lengths behind, returned $23 and $11.90. Reservoir took third in the 13-horse betting field, paying $5.90.

"Roger told me this morning he can't lose," Jones said, tongue firmly in cheek. "I saved him until the end.

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DEL MAR - Corey Nakatani passed his idol, Laffit Pincay Jr., and moved into second place on the all-time list for Del Mar stakes victories Saturday.

But he's hungry for more.

Nakatani, a Covina native, now is setting his sights on Chris McCarron's record 134 stakes victories at the seaside track.

"I'm 38 years old," Nakatani said after guiding 14-1 long shot Global Hunter to a one-length victory over Awesome Gem in the $350,000 Grade I Eddie Read Stakes. "I'm not that old, so I feel like I'm in my prime. I know what I'm doing on the horse's back, and hopefully I can get the horsemen on my side and give me the opportunity to break that record of McCarron's. I think I can do it."

Nakatani tied Pincay with a win in the CTBA Stakes for 2-year-old fillies Friday, and it took him less than 24 hours to record No. 96 and give trainer A.C. Avila the first Grade 1 win of his career since coming to the U.S. from Brazil in 1973.

Now that he's healthy and fixed an admitted attitude problem, Nakatani hopes he can return to winning jockey titles and winning the top Southland stakes races on a regular basis.

While he was sitting atop Global Hunter in the winner's circle, track announcer Trevor Denman informed the on-track crowd of 20,379 it was Nakatani's third win of the afternoon, something that hasn't happened with great frequency since his last Del Mar riding title in 2004.

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The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has suspended trainer Rick Dutrow 30 days after a horse he trained tested positive for twice the allowable level of Clenbuterol in 2008.

The Commission voted 6-5 to hand down the 30-day penalty to Dutrow, who had been intially suspended for 15 days. The vote followed a 6-5 vote to uphold the original 15-day suspension.

In addition, Dutrow will have to return all the earnings from Salute the Count, who finished second in the $100,000 Aegon Turf Sprint.

Dutrow has 10 days to file an appeal.

He was the trainer for Big Brown, who was the winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes in 2008.

Clenbuterol is a drug that allows for greater lung capacity; it has similar properties to steroids. Under horse racing rules, a violation regarding Clenbuterol could result in a suspension of up to 60 days and a loss of purse.

The Commission also approved a 15-day suspension of trainer Greg Fox, whose horse Iam Classic Quality tested positive for glycopyrrolate .

The big Democratic waves of the last two cycles have brought with them several seats that seemed implausible to switch at this point in the off-year. But even that far in advance of the 2010 contest, a few unlikely targets have emerged.

The Hill takes a look at the Top 10 dark-horse races to keep an eye on:

McCaul was technically a lower-tier Democratic target in 2008, but that was really only because his opponent, former TV judge Larry Joe Doherty (D), was raising money like gangbusters.

Doherty really didn’t have the right profile, and he wound up losing by a pedestrian 11 points — the exact margin of the presidential tally in the district. Now, Democrats have another big-money candidate, with businessman Jack McDonald raising $300,000 in the first quarter. We’ll see if he has the right profile, but the fact that he is vice chairman of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce suggests he might. The party has already put McCaul near the top of its target list.

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Hong Kong - Hong Kong will get five extra race days per season in an effort to reverse a fall in gambling revenue caused by the global financial crisis, officials announced Sunday.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club which organizes the city's world-famous races said the government gave permission to add five race days and 15 telecasts of overseas races for people to bet on.

The extra races come after total turnover for the 78 days in the season that finished last week was down 110 million dollars to 8.6 billion US dollars.

The twice-weekly horse races in gambling-mad Hong Kong are key sources of tax revenue for the former British colony's government.

Betting on horse races, along with betting on soccer matches through the Hong Kong Jockey Club and a weekly government-run lottery, are the only legal forms of gambling in the city of 7 million.

The 2008/09 racing season ended on a high note at Sha Tin on Wednesday as more than 63,000 racing fans flocked to the racecourses for the season finale, while a number of top horses and horsemen were honoured in the Champion Awards Presentation for their outstanding achievements in the season.

Total betting turnover for the 78 race meetings this season amounted to HK$66.82 billion, representing a decrease of HK$865 million compared with last term. The estimated racing betting duty due to the Government also slipped by two percent to HK$8.119 billion. Total attendance, however, has remained stable at 1,927,000 this season.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said he was pleased with the season's turnover figure in the light of the economic downturn. But he appealed to the Government to consider giving the Club more flexibility, so as to assist it in keeping its competitiveness against offshore and illegal operators.

"I wish the Government and the community would agree that the Club has the mandate to provide horse racing and betting entertainment for Hong Kong people, and this is, afterall, beyond making surplus," he said. By channeling gaming demand and betting revenue into tax contribution, the Club enables Hong Kong people to enjoy a low level of income tax rate. "However, this can only be done if our operating framework becomes more flexible in relation to racedays and simulcast overseas races."

"The current tax rate of at least 72.5 percent on gross margin is five times higher than in Britain. Having such a high betting tax rate has made our task very difficult in the light of maintaining competitiveness, thereby weakening our ability to vie with illegal bookmakers and operators," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges stressed.

As the racecourses are one of the tourist attractions and favourite destinations, the Club sees it important to provide world-class entertainment and racecourse facilities for visitors and local race goers. To maintain its status as one of the world leaders in the sport of horse racing and entertainment, the Club believes that it is crucial to enhance its standard of racing, the racecourse facilities and customer services. However, these critical business investments would not be made possible without a sustainable income.

While racing turnover dropped by one per cent in the current season, Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges warned that further falls in racing turnover could still be around the corner, as cutbacks in consumer spending often followed some months behind an economic downturn.

He also stressed that the fall in horse race betting turnover and its operational surplus was not a one-off issue that would have no effect on the Club's long-term viability, as some might suggest. "Horse racing is a way of life in Hong Kong, and a business for Hong Kong as a whole. The sustainability of horse racing business is not only vital for the Club but also for a wider interest of the community,"

"We see our mandates meaningful and exciting to make significant contribution to employment and to our charities and community beneficiaries not only for a short term, but also in the medium and long run," he emphasised.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges hoped the Club's proposal for adding five racedays and 20 overseas simulcast days could soon be approved by the Government and legislature. "These extra racedays and simulcasts will not only bring extra tax revenues to the public coffers, but can also create thousands of new jobs as well as protecting existing jobs and benefit more needy people through the Club's charitable projects," he said.

"But while we are determined to sustain our racing business and secure its growth and future development, we will remain very mindful of not encouraging more gambling in the community."

In the Champion Awards presentation today, veteran stayer Viva Pataca finally secured the coveted Horse of the Year title in his fourth consecutive year as a leading contender. He was also named Champion Middle-Distance and Champion Stayer after his spectacular victories in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and Citi Champions & Chater Cup, and his runner-up finish in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Prolific miler Good Ba Ba retained his Champion Miler title with his outstanding successes in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile and Citi Stewards' Cup.

Hong Kong runners performed well on the international front with Ricky Yiu-trained Sacred Kingdom conquering the KrisFlyer International Sprint in Singapore in May. This international success earned him the Champion Sprinter title as well as the local racing fans' vote as Most Popular Horse of the Year.

South African rider Douglas Whyte was crowned Champion Jockey for the ninth time, while he also won racing fans' vote as Most Popular Jockey of the Year.

Apart from enjoying the afternoon's 11 exciting races, Sha Tin racegoers received the free gift of a Most Popular Horse 2008/09 Season figurine set on entering the racecourse. They were also treated to a variety of special on-course programmes like a racing silks parade and a post-race show, at which popular local singers George Lam and Vincy bade farewell to another successful season.

The 2009/10 racing season will commence on 13 September with a variety of special programmes being planned to mark the Club's 125th anniversary. "I look forward for a meaningful and prosperous season next term," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

Michigan Racing Commissioner Christine White has resigned to take a post with the Obama administration.

White said her resignation is effective Friday. On Monday, she’ll become Michigan state executive director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. White will be based in East Lansing.



U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in a news release announcing White’s role, said she has “a solid understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our rural communities and will help build on the Obama administration’s efforts to rebuild and revitalize rural America.”

White, who in January 2005 was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to be racing commissioner, had previously held several USDA positions, including assistant deputy administrator for farm programs in the Farm Service Agency, and state executive director of the Michigan Farm Service Agency office.

White said she is “honored to have been chosen” as part of the Obama administration team and said “agriculture is near and dear to my heart, having grown up in the agricultural industry.”

She said that “as for leaving horse racing, it has many challenges, both with the national economy and especially with the Michigan economy.” White said she hopes the industry can be viable.

Megan Brown, deputy press secretary for Granholm, said the governor congratulates White on her appointment, wishes her the best and thanks her “for all the terrific work she’s done here.”

Brown said an interim director will be named for White’s office.

White leaves as the state’s horse racing industry tries to cope with the loss of live racing days mandated after Granholm cut the racing commissioner’s office $3.8 million budget by $1.4 million.

Because the office provides the personnel to oversee live racing at Michigan’s five horse tracks, the number days had to be cut. Track owners have been negotiating a deal to use some of their purse money to fund some of the lost race dates.

Unbeaten Zenyatta and Preakness Stakes winner Rachel Alexandra thrilled racing fans on different coasts Saturday with memorable performances in Grade I stakes that only enhanced their reputations as the best horses in training.



Rachel Alexandra, the 3-year-old filly who conquered the boys in the Preakness, faced only two horses in the $270,000 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park. It wasn't a race -- it was an annihilation. The daughter of Medaglia d'Oro, carrying 121 pounds, won by 19 1/4 lengths over Malibu Prayer under jockey Calvin Borel in a stakes-record time of 1:46.33 for 1 1/8 miles.

It was a cringe moment, and not the first.

During his June 22 presentation before the Kentucky Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, David Edmunds of the Family Foundation, in an attempt to show how bad gaming is, discussed how casino owner Louis DeNaples lost his license in Pennsylvania. Edmunds associated DeNaples with horse racing and called his operation the "Mt. Airy racetrack."

Wrong on both counts. Mt. Airy is a resort in the Pocono Mountains. DeNaples has nothing to do with racing in Pennsylvania.

Edmunds also failed to mention DeNaples lost his license temporarily. He was indicted for lying to investigators about mob ties, but the charges were dropped in April.

Earlier this year, during a hearing in the Kentucky House Licensing and Occupations Committee, The Innovation Group, working on behalf of the horse industry, gave out incorrect information pertaining to where Kentucky's tax rate on gaming fits in with other states.

In both cases, not one legislator questioned the mistakes. Not one legislator appeared to even know they were mistakes. Yet, votes were taken on public policy based on this information.

On June 22, Republican Sen. Charlie Borders, who voted against sending legislation to authorize racetrack VLTs to the Senate floor, said all 138 members of the General Assembly are committed to helping Kentucky's horse industry. The only plan he discussed is one that would increase taxes to support purses.

The Senate unanimously passed legislation to increase the pari-mutuel tax on out-of-state wagers. In effect, it would raise takeout, thus increasing the tax on bettors, a racing industry no-no. It also would put Kentucky tracks at a disadvantage in the simulcast marketplace.

Legislators probably don't know that, but they should if they are going to vote on such a plan.

I can count on two hands the number of legislators I've seen at Turfway Park in the past five years. Turfway races about 110 days a year and basically carries the year-round circuit in Kentucky. Start taking away pieces of that, and the dominoes start falling.

Maybe members of the General Assembly need to visit the place for some hands-on experience. Maybe they need to talk to horsemen and others who rely on Turfway and other tracks for year-round employment.

It wouldn't hurt, because clearly they need an education on the issues and the facts. Maybe it's time for a legislative horse industry summit. We need to find out just how important the horse industry is to Kentucky--in both houses of its legislature.

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Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird will remain in the care of trainer Chip Woolley for the foreseeable future after an offer to purchase the three-year-old has been rejected by his owners.

Woolley stated Friday that Mark Allen of Double Eagle Ranch and Dr. Leonard Blach of Buena Suerte Equine declined the purchase offer for Mine That Bird.

Mine That Bird went to the Churchill Downs oval Friday morning with regular exercise rider Charlie Figueroa.

Woolley plans to keep the gelding at Churchill Downs four more weeks before shipping to Mountaineer Park for the West Virginia Derby on Saturday, August 1.

"I'd like to get him up there (Mountaineer Park) early enough to have two breezes over the track," Woolley said. "We may leave around (July) 16th or 17th to give him time to gallop once there before he works." "I have had limited experience running horses at night, but if I had one running, I'd like them to see the lights. I took a horse to Remington Park one time for trials and he never had seen lights. When he went to the gate, he was just looking up and when they sprang the latch he was not ready. The whole way down the lane he had his head up and never straightened it out to look ahead." Mine That Bird won the Run for the Roses as a 50-1 longshot. Two weeks later he fell a length short of winning the Preakness Stakes when the filly Rachel Alexandra led wire-to-wire.

In the Belmont Stakes the gelding made a valiant effort only to finish third to his half-brother Summer Bird.

Just two weeks before this Sunday's Queen's Plate race, jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson – the 2007 winner – found herself without the most crucial element.

She didn't have a horse Race betting.

Southdale, the mount she'd been planning to ride, came second in the May 31 Plate Trial, but was injured in the race, ruling him out of the June 21 competition.

"He was one of the top choices [to win]," said the 27-year-old decorated jockey from Brampton, Ont.

Wilson and her agent, Mike Luiders, scrambled to secure a second horse, My Bad, but the day after the duo came together, that mount, too, suffered an injury.

Less than two weeks from race day, Wilson didn't panic.

"Injuries happen. Horses are athletes and things come up. It's the way it works," she said, noting her agent "hustled" to come up with plan C.

And did he ever.

When the starting gates burst open on Sunday, Wilson will be atop El Brujo, who, according to Wilson, is a "definite contender" for the top prize – the esteemed Queen's Plate title and the $1 million that comes with it.

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The showpiece of the 2009 Royal Ascot is set to run tomorrow at 3:45 as some of the hottest flat racers in England will do battle over an epic 2 miles 4 furlongs to contest the 2009 Ascot Gold Cup.

We have some very interesting stories happening here and there is no doubt that the race itself will contain a considerable amount of drama and excitement for all involved.

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Do Britons want to pay a £10.50 horse tax?

The British Horse Race Society is seeking the views of members on the possibility of a horse tax being imposed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of a wider livestock strategy for funding the response for tackling animal disease outbreaks.

Defra is currently consulting the wider livestock industry on what it calls a new independent body for animal health - a modern governance and funding structure for tackling animal diseases.

The proposals include:

* A new body for animal health in England, with a chief executive and an independent board including representatives from the livestock industry, which will take on everything that Defra currently does in relation to setting animal health policy except for animal welfare;

* Compulsory registration of livestock keepers and a levy to provide an additional source of funding to contribute initially to dealing with exotic disease outbreaks.

The latter would cover all main species of farmed livestock, but the consultation asks for views whether horses should be included in the new funding arrangements.

If extended to include horses, the proposed levy fee is £10.50 per horse.

As we close the book on another scintillating Triple Crown season, let’s take our hats off one more time to the courageous little gelding Mine That Bird. He made fools of all who so easily dismissed his Kentucky Derby chances, and on that day and over the next five weeks he demonstrated what guts and determination really are. He gave us an overpowering reminder that nothing is guaranteed in racing, even with horses that (seemingly) can’t possibly win. Those of us who gave him absolutely no shot the second day in May were seriously humbled. The few who did have faith in Mine That Bird at the KentuckyDerby looked like geniuses that day, and should be commended.

The time span in which this horse was transformed in people’s minds from one that had no business running in the Derby, to the solid favorite for the Belmont Stakes Betting just five weeks later, has been astounding.

And as Mine That Bird lagged some thirty lengths behind the leader early in the Derby, not many could have been surprised. But suddenly, into the far turn, a dirt-spattered little horse was scurrying up the rail and inhaling runners so fast that they didn’t seem to even be on the same track with him. The enigma seemed to scoff at a hole barely the width of himself between the rail and another horse, and plowed through without hesitation to culminate his assault on the leaders. “Who is that?” everyone seemed to shout at once. As the pint-sized Pegasus continued skipping over the track, struck the front, and broke the hearts of horses battling on so bravely in his mighty wake, television viewers received no help. It seemed he traveled so quickly that NBC announcer Tom Durkin didn’t even catch the move, and when he did the great commentator scrambled and fumbled to discern who it was himself. When he finally did utter Mine That Bird’s name, some thought he must be mistaken. But as the bold number eight became visible on the winner’s saddlecloth, fans looked down at their programs and discovered to their shock that the name had not been miscalled. By some mischievous whim of the racing gods, the 50-1 throwout had not only won the Derby, but had demolished the field.



By the time the Belmont rolled around five weeks after the gelding made his presence known to the world, he was doing so well that Calvin Borel guaranteed a victory. And many people believed he was justified. But, win or lose, Mine That Bird had produced the most dramatic rise from perceived goat to highly respected racehorse in memory. Things didn’t quite work out at Belmont, but he put in another fantastic effort, and cemented his newfound reputation of outstanding competitor.

Mine That Bird and his team have been far and away the greatest story and characters of the 2009 Triple Crown season.

The local horse racing betting community hopes when the excitement evaporates they'll discover a tangible long-term benefit: a graded-stakes race at Sunland Park.

The park has petitioned the American Graded Stakes Committee to consider the Sunland Derby for years to no avail. Mine That Bird finished fourth in this year's version, placing better at all three Triple Crown races. Now, Sunland Park publicity director Eric Alwan said the race could become graded within a year.

"There's been a tremendous infusion of emotion and excitement and a lot more interest in racing in New Mexico." Alwan said Sunday. "We're going to be on the radar of the national racing scene from here on out, I would think."

Alwan said Mine That Bird and Bloomfield trainer Bennie "Chip" Woolley Jr. injected financial vigor into an already-burgeoning decade for New Mexico horse tracks, packing out two of the state's prominent locales, including SunRay Park in Farmington, for simulcasts of all three Triple Crown races.

Jockey Kent Desormeaux, who finished second twice before at the Belmont Stakes, wins the 2009 Belmont Stakes riding Summer Bird. The other bird, Mine That Bird, hung back for most of the race and then made an early move — maybe a bit too early — to push for the lead but ended up taking third place and still in the money. Dunkirk finished in second place.

"He was fighting it just a little bit, " jockey Calvin Borel said on Mine That Bird. "I didn't want
to fight him too much."


Summer Bird, the 11/1 odds to win the 2009 Belmont Stakes, becomes the surprise winner of the Belmont Stakes betting and denies jockey Calvin Borel his own 'Triple Crown.'

"I had an armchair ride until I found some room. said winning jockey Kent Desormeaux "Well, I found some room."

Bred by owners Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman out of the mare Hong Kong Squall and a daughter of 1990 Preakness winner Summer Squall, Summer Bird has raced only four times in his entire career.

Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Preakness betting Stakes, remained in first-place as the votes were tabulated for the final NTRA three-year-old poll of 2009.

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird finished second with Belmont Stakes champ Summer Bird in third.

Undefeated in five starts this year, Rachel Alexandra received 18 of 19 first- place votes for a total of 189 points.

The filly had been a unanimous selection since her victory in the Preakness.

Mine That Bird garnered one first-place vote in the final poll with 171 points following his third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes Betting to Summer Bird.

With his victory in the Belmont Stakes, Summer Bird entered the poll in third- place with 140 points.

Rounding out the final three-year-old poll are Musket Man, Dunkirk, Quality Road, Pioneerof the Nile, I Want Revenge, Charitable Man and Papa Clem.

Santa Anita Handicap winner Einstein edged Rachel Alexandra in the ongoing general poll of thoroughbreds. Einstein received four first-place votes for 161 points, five points more than the filly, who got five first-place votes.

Dubai World Cup winner Well Armed is third with three first-place votes and 156 points. Reigning female champion Zenyatta received 154 points for the fourth spot while topping all with seven first-place votes.

Mine That Bird remained in fifth-place with 95 points.

Completing the top ten are Bribon, Gio Ponti, Fabulous Strike, Forever Together and Summer Bird.

The $1.4 million saved would have paid for track veterinarians, equine drug tests and track stewards to umpire races. Without it, 101 horse-racing dates across Michigan are to be canceled, including all in August and September, said state racing commissioner spokeswoman Liana Bennett, whose job ended Friday due to the cut.

Officials in towns with tracks said the cut actually works against a balanced budget because it will slice state income from a 3.5% tax on Simulcast wagers, in which track fans bet on horse races running elsewhere. The tax raised $7.45 million last year.