NTRA - THOROUGHBRED NOTEBOOK

News & Views
NTRA - THOROUGHBRED NOTEBOOK
By
Jun 27, 2003, 09:55

News and notes from around the Thoroughbred racing world, compiled by NTRA Communications, (212) 907-9280.

      IPI TOMBE READY FOR AMERICAN DEBUT SATURDAY AT CHURCHILL DOWNS

      International racing star Ipi Tombe, a winner over males in the $2 million Dubai Duty Free in Nad Al Sheba in late March, makes her American racing debut in Saturday's $150,000-added Locust Grove Handicap at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

      The 5-year-old Zimbabwe-bred daughter of Manshood is owned by Team Valor, WinStar Farm and Sunmark Partners and will be saddled in the Locust Grove for the first time by trainer Elliott Walden, who welcomed the South African champion into his barn at Churchill Downs in April.

      "I'm looking forward to running her," said Walden. "It's exciting."

      Walden said his mare's training for her American debut has been, for the most part, flawless. A couple of works over the turf course had to be rescheduled because of wet weather, but Walden said those scheduling problems did not interfere with her preparation.

      "We got the works in her that we wanted to get in her," said Walden. "It was just a question of when we were able to get them in. Since she's been over here we haven't had any setbacks."

      Ipi Tombe has eleven victories in 13 races and the victory in the

Dubai Duty Free on the Dubai World Cup undercard was her seventh

consecutive win. She has earned $1,427,871.

      FINAL NTRA SUMMER PICK 3 ON TAP SATURDAY

      For the third consecutive Saturday, CBS will again air a trio of top stakes races from around the country on “The NTRA Summer Racing Tour” (5:00-6:00 p.m. ET). Once again, the three races will be linked by a special NTRA Summer Pick Three wager, available nationwide (ask for Belmont Park’s race 9), challenging fans to select the winners of each race. Belmont Park will be the scene for the $300,000 Mother Goose, the nine-furlong first leg of the revised "Triple Tiara" for three-year-old fillies. Any filly that can sweep the Mother Goose; Belmont's $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks at a mile and a half on Saturday, July 19th; and Saratoga's Grade 1, $750,000 Alabama at a mile and a quarter on Saturday, August 16th will earn a $2 million bonus. Roar Emotion, winner of Pimlico’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes last month figures to be the favorite in the Mother Goose.

      The Mother Goose will be the first leg of the NTRA Summer Pick 3. The $1 minimum wager also includes the Arlington Classic (5:27 p.m.) and Monmouth's Grade 2 Molly Pitcher Breeders' Cup Handicap (5:44 p.m.). Lismore Knight is the tepid 3-1 morning line favorite among 10 entered for the Arlington Classic. Meanwhile, Summer Colony is expected to head a short but select field in the Molly Pitcher.

      TRIPS TO VEGAS AVAILABLE IN ONLINE CLAIMING CROWN CONTEST

      Fans may now register for the 2003 Claiming Crown Handicapping Contest at www.ntra.com . The Contest, keyed to the July 19 Claiming Crown Day card at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., challenges handicappers to pick one horse in each of the 11 live races run that day. The four entrants with the highest total parimutuel return—based on a mythical $2 win and place wager on each horse selected—will receive berths in the $212,000 Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship at Bally’s Las Vegas. The Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship, now in its fifth year, is slated for January 23-24, 2004 and awards a grand prize of $100,000—plus the title of “Handicapper of the Year”—to the winner.

      Round-trip airfare to Las Vegas and accommodations at Bally’s are included with the Claiming Crown Handicapping Contest prize. The Claiming Crown Handicapping Contest will be open for selections shortly after entries are taken for the 2003 Claiming Crown on Wednesday, July 16, and remain open until 1:00 p.m. (ET) on July 19. Entries are limited to one per person. There is also a limit of one entry per valid e-mail address. For complete rules, visit ntra.com.

      “Each year the Claiming Crown presents one of the most challenging and competitive race cards anywhere with horses shipping to Minnesota from coast to coast,” said Keith Chamblin, senior vice president of marketing and industry relations for the NTRA. “This makes it an ideal stage for a handicapping contest, accessible to all, that will increase fan participation in the 2003 Claiming Crown and culminate in the nation’s most prestigious handicapping competition next January in Las Vegas.”

      BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE, MILE NOW WORTH $1.5 MILLION EACH

      Purses for the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile, two of the eight races comprising the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, have been increased by $500,000, making the total purse value of each race $1.5 million. Purses and awards for the Breeders’ Cup – the richest day in North American Thoroughbred racing – now total $14 million.

      The purse increases on the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, run at 1 1/16 miles for two-year-old colts and geldings, and the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile, run at one mile on the turf for three-year-olds and up, take effect with this year’s Breeders’ Cup, which will be held during the Oak Tree Meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Saturday, October 25.

      “Boosting purses for the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile and the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile enables us to keep these races pre-eminent among other national and international events held during the fall season,” said Breeders’ Cup President D.G. Van Clief, Jr. “They are among our most attractive races, both to horsemen and racing fans, and historically produce large fields each year that combine the best horses from around the world.”

      This is the third purse increase to the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships since its inception in 1984 and the first time that purses have been raised on two Breeders’ Cup races in the same year. In 1996, the purse for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, run at 1 miles for three-year-olds and up, was increased from $3 million to $4 million. In 1998, the purse for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, run for fillies and mares three-year-olds and up, was increased from $1 million to $2 million.



      DODGE TO SPONSOR BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC

     The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Breeders’ Cup Limited has announced Dodge as its newest marketing partner as well as the title and divisional sponsor of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The partnership makes Dodge the leading sponsor of the $14 million Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, North America’s richest day of Thoroughbred racing. In addition, the automotive manufacturer will title the “Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships, Powered by Dodge” series of televised races leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, airing this summer and fall on ESPN.

      Dodge also becomes a group purchasing partner of the NTRA, offering automotive products and services to select NTRA members. Dodge will make available to NTRA racetracks and farms special discounts on the negotiated sales price of its full line of cars, minivans, trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

      The multi-year Dodge agreement is the largest sponsor commitment to date for NTRA/Breeders’ Cup.

         The Breeders’ Cup Classic will be renamed “The Breeders’ Cup Classic - Powered by Dodge.” This year’s event will be held on October 25 at the Oak Tree Meeting at Santa Anita Park near Los Angeles, as part of the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.

      “We are delighted to have Dodge as the title sponsor of our sport’s premier racing division and our marquee event, the Breeders’ Cup Classic,“ said NTRA Commissioner Tim Smith. “This partnership demonstrates the powerful appeal that the Thoroughbred industry has to national sponsors who are seeking both mass consumer and business-to-business marketing opportunities.”

         “Dodge is excited to be the first automotive company to partner with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association,” said Darryl Jackson, Vice President – Dodge Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Corporation. “This is a true partnership in that Dodge and the NTRA are committed to helping each other achieve their business goals. Dodge vehicles are perfect for meeting the needs of the hard-working men and women in the horseracing industry.”

      NEXTEL CONNECTS WITH BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF

      Nextel has joined the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) as a group purchasing partner and will become the title and divisional sponsor of the Nextel Breeders’ Cup Distaff, part of the $14 million Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, beginning in 2004.

      As the Official Wireless Telecommunications Company of the NTRA and the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships and a partner of NTRA Purchasing, Nextel will offer savings on Nextel products and services to NTRA supporters and members of American Quarter Horse Association.

      “Nextel’s commitment to horseracing as a group purchasing partner indicates the growing value that our 500,000-member industry has in the sports sponsorship marketplace,” said NTRA senior vice president of sponsorship, Chip Campbell. “We are pleased to be associated with the Nextel brand and its reputation for instant connectivity, which is vital in the fast-paced environment of Thoroughbred racing.”

      “The NTRA and its member organizations are extremely mobile business units, and we look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate Nextel’s wide array of products and services to this yet untapped business area,” said Michael Robichaud, director of sports and entertainment marketing, Nextel. “Very few sports offer the type of access that the NTRA provides to both its industry members and consumers, and we are excited to have the opportunity to partner with a sport so rich in history and tradition.”

      Nextel joins the growing list of NTRA sponsors, which includes marketing partners Dodge, John Deere, Bessemer Trust and NetJets, as well as Alberto-Culver, FedEx, Guinness and SEGA.

      RACING ON THE AIR (all times Eastern)

June 21 Wire to Wire, 5:30-6:00 a.m., ESPN

June 21 NTRA Summer Racing Tour; Ohio Derby (Thistledown), Ogden Phipps Handicap (Belmont Park) and Dallas Turf Cup (Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie); 5:00-6:00 p.m., CBS

June 24 Wire to Wire, 2:00-2:30 p.m., ESPN2

June 28 Wire to Wire, 5:30-6:00 a.m., ESPN

June 28 NTRA Summer Racing Tour; Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Handicap (Monmouth Park), Mother Goose Stakes (Belmont Park) and Arlington Classic (Arlington Park); 5:00-6:00 p.m., CBS

July 1 Wire to Wire, 2:00-2:30 p.m., ESPN2

July 5 Wire to Wire, 5:30-6:00 a.m., ESPN

July 5 NTRA Summer Racing Tour; Suburban Handicap (Belmont Park), Firecracker Breeders’ Cup Handicap (Churchill Downs) and American Oaks (Hollywood Park); 5:00-6:00 p.m., CBS

July 6 Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships, Powered by Dodge; Budweiser Irish Derby (The Curragh, Ireland); 3:30-4:30 p.m., ESPN

July 8 Wire to Wire, 2:00-2:30 p.m., ESPN2

RACING TO HISTORY

June 26, 1938: Nearco ended his career a perfect 14-for-14 by winning the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.

June 26, 1986: Jockey Sandy Hawley won his 5,000th career race, aboard Mighty Massa, at Canterbury Downs.

June 26, 1992: Jockey Dave Gall became the eighth rider in history to ride 6,000 winners when he rode Nana’s Nice Boy to victory at Fairmount Park.

June 26, 1994: Jockey Chris McCarron rode his 6,000th career winner, Andestine, in the Milady Handicap at Hollywood Park. He was the 11th rider to reach 6,000 and the third-youngest, behind Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay Jr.

June 26, 2000: Hall of Fame trainer Lucien Laurin, conditioner of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, died at the age of 88.

June 26, 2001: The NTRA and Breeders’ Cup announced that the Breeders’ Cup would now be known as the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships. It was also announced that Bessemer Trust Company had signed on as title sponsor of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

June 27, 1860: The Queen’s Plate, the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America, was first run. Don Juan was the winner, after winning two of the three heats that comprised the event.

June 27, 1932: Calumet Farm recorded its first victory in a Thoroughbred race with two-year-old Warren Jr., who won by a nose at Arlington Park to earn $850.

June 27, 1986: Jockey Kent Desormeaux rode in his first race ever, finishing third aboard a $2,500 claimer named Ducknest Coal Mine, at odds of 35-1, in the second race at Evangeline Downs.

June 28, 1977: Steve Cauthen, on his first day as a journeyman jockey, won with his first three mounts at Belmont Park.

June 28, 1989: Arlington International Racecourse opened in Arlington Heights, Ill. It had been rebuilt after a fire destroyed the old facility, July 31, 1985.

June 29, 1968: Jockey Eddie Delahoussaye won his first race, at Evangeline Downs, aboard Brown Shill.

June 29, 1968: Gamely, Princessnesian and Desert Law—all owned by William Haggin Perry and trained by Jim Maloney—finished 1, 1A and 1B, respectively, in the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park.

June 29, 1969: Jockey Ray Sibille won his first career race, at Evangeline Downs.

June 29, 1983: Jockey Angel Cordero Jr. won his 5,000th career race, aboard Another Rodger, in the ninth race at Belmont Park. He was the fourth rider in history, behind John Longden, Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay Jr., to hit that mark.

June 30, 1973: Three weeks after he won the Triple Crown, Secretariat scored another victory, a nine-length win in the Arlington Invitational Stakes at Arlington Park, where he was sent off at the shortest odds in his career, 1-20. With no place or show wagering on the four-horse race, which was run with a three-horse field against Secretariat, the track had a minus win pool of $17,941. More than 40,000 spectators turned out for the event.

June 30, 1978: Spectacular Bid won his first race, at Pimlico, by 3 1/4 lengths.

June 30, 1990: Retired jockey Bill Shoemaker won his first race as a trainer, sending two-year-old filly Tempest Cloud to her maiden victory at Hollywood Park.

June 30, 1991: One year after his first victory as a trainer, Bill Shoemaker recorded his first Grade I win, with Alcando in the Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park.

July 1, 1966: Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. won with his first mount in the United States, at Arlington Park, aboard two-year-old filly Teacher’s Art, owned and bred by Fred W. Hooper.

July 1, 1998: Hall of Fame jockey Sandy Hawley retired from race riding after competing in the Dominion Day Handicap at Woodbine Racecourse.

July 1, 2000: Jockey Mark Guidry became the 36th jockey in history to win 4,000 races when he rode Manitowish to victory in the fifth race at Arlington International Racecourse.

July 1, 2001, Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel won two Grade I races on opposite coasts, on different surfaces, both via disqualification. First, Senure was elevated to the top spot in the United Nations Handicap, a turf race at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., following the disqualification of With Anticipation for a bumping incident in midstretch. Then, just 30 minutes later and on the same CBS telecast, Aptitude was placed first after Futural was disqualified for a similar infraction in the Hollywood Gold Cup, a top dirt race at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.

July 2, 1989: Jockey Steve Cauthen became the first rider in history to sweep the world’s four major derbies after winning the Irish Derby with Old Vic. He had previously won the Kentucky Derby with Affirmed (1978), the Epsom Derby with Slip Anchor (1985) and Reference Point (1987) and the French Derby with Old Vic (1989).

July 3, 1937: The Del Mar Turf Club, with crooner Bing Crosby as president and actor Pat O’Brien as one of the club officers, opened for racing.

July 3, 1977: Seattle Slew’s nine-race winning streak came to an end in the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park, when he finished fourth, beaten 16 lengths by J.O. Tobin.

July 3, 1982: D. Wayne Lukas-trained Landaluce, ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., won the first of her five consecutive victories at Hollywood Park. The daughter of Seattle Slew, owned by Barry Beal and Lloyd French, died of a viral infection in November of that year, but was posthumously voted champion two-year-old filly of 1982.

July 4, 1954: Two-year-old Ribot won his first race, the Premio Tramuschio. He concluded his career in 1956, with 16 wins in as many starts.

July 4, 1972: Two-year-old Secretariat, ridden by Paul Feliciano, ran fourth to winner Herbull in his racing debut, blocked badly throughout the race, at Aqueduct. It was the poorest placing of Secretariat’s career.

July 4, 1976: Charlie Whittingham swept the top three spots in the American Handicap at Hollywood Park with his trainees King Pellinore, Riot in Paris and Caucasus. On July 26, he repeated the feat in the Sunset Handicap, with Caucasus first, King Pellinore second and Riot in Paris third.

July 4, 1978: Trainer D. Wayne Lukas won his first $100,000 stakes race—over the turf—taking the American Handicap with Effervescing, ridden by Laffit Pincay Jr., at Hollywood Park.

July 4, 1998: Elusive Quality ran the fastest mile in history in the Poker Handicap at Belmont Park. The five-year-old horse was timed in 1:31 3/5 over a firm turf course.

July 4, 2000: Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze scored his 7,000 career victory aboard This Is the Moment at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, Calif. Baze became the sixth jockey to join the 7,000-win club.

July 5, 1991: Jockey Ray Sibille won his 3,000th career race, aboard Sporting Surf at Pleasanton.

July 6, 1975: Locust Hill Farm’s undefeated filly Ruffian engaged Kentucky Derby winner Foolish Pleasure in a match race at Belmont Park. Racing on the lead, Ruffian sustained a severe leg injury and was pulled up by jockey Jacinto Vasquez. The filly was euthanized the following day when efforts to save her proved futile.

July 6, 1977: In the second of their 10 meetings, Alydar defeated Affirmed to win the Great American Stakes at Belmont Park. This was the first of Alydar’s three victories over Affirmed.

July 7, 1934: Mary Hirsch became the first female to be licensed as a Thoroughbred trainer, in Illinois. Hirsch subsequently was licensed in Michigan that year and two years later, on April 9, she was licensed by The Jockey Club to train in New York.

July 8, 2000: General Express set a world record when he went five furlongs on the turf in :54.60 in the Decathlon Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. General Express eclipsed the mark of :54.97 set by Klassy Briefcase in a Monmouth allowance race on June 8, 1991.

WEEKEND STAKES RACES (unrestricted stakes worth $75,000 and up)

SATURDAY, JUNE 28

Mother Goose Stakes, 3yo fillies, $300,000, Grade I, 1 1-8M, Belmont Park

Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $300,000, Grade II, 1 1-8M, Monmouth Park

Beverly Hills Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $200,000, Grade II, 1 1-4M (T), Hollywood Park

Arlington Classic, 3yo, $175,000, Grade II, 1 1-16M (T), Arlington Park

Susan’s Girl Breeders’ Cup Stakes, 3yo fillies, $175,000, 1 1-16M, Delaware Park

Locust Grove Handicap, 3&up (f&m), $150,000, Grade III, 1 1-8M (T), Churchill Downs

Tremont Stakes, 2yo, $100,000, Grade III, 5 1-2F, Belmont Park

J J’sdream Stakes, 2yo fillies, $100,000, 5 1-2F, Calder

Saylorville Stakes, 3&up (f&m), $100,000, 6F, Prairie Meadows

Burnaby Breeders’ Cup Handicap, 3yo, $75,000, 1 1-16M, Hastings Park

SUNDAY, JUNE 29

Cinema Breeders’ Cup Handicap, 3yo, $200,000, Grade III, 1 1-8M (T), Hollywood Park

Hanshin Cup Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, Grade III, 1M, Arlington Park

Astoria Stakes, 2yo fillies, $100,000, 5 1-2F, Belmont Park

H.A. Hindmarsh Stakes, 3&up (f&m), $75,000, 1 1-16M, Fort Erie

H.J. Addison Jr. Stakes, 3&up, $75,000, 1 1-16M, Fort Erie

MONDAY, JUNE 30

Dominion Day Stakes, 3&up, $200,000, 1 1-4M, Woodbine

TUESDAY, JULY 1

Lt. Governors’ Handicap, 3&up, $100,000, 1 1-8M, Hastings Park