THE scene is set for a mouthwatering Dante Stakes at York today.
John Gosden has the red-hot favourite in Too Darn Hot, but last season's champion two-year-old faces stiff competition from the likes of Japan and Surfman at 3.00.
Follow all the latest racing news, updates and gossip below...
For the second straight year, afternoon rainfall caused the Kentucky Derby track to be messy. That may or may not have influenced the unprecedented results of this year's controversial race.
If the most recent weather forecasts are any indication, the horses set to square off at Pimlico Race Course for the 2019 Preakness Stakes shouldn't have to worry too much about muddy lanes on May 18.
Kentucky Derby champion Country House and disqualified winner Maximum Security are among those who will not be running in Baltimore, but at least the tight field lined up for the second leg of the American Triple Crown should be able to coast on a clean track. Both AccuWeather and The Weather Channel predict a slight of rain for the day of the Preakness Stakes, with warmer weather projected to carry into the evening and Saturday's 6:48 p.m. ET post time.
Which horse is going to win the Preakness Stakes? What long shot hits the board? Visit SportsLine now to get Jody Demling's Preakness winner, see which huge long shot contends, and get the finish positions for every single horse, all from the man who's nailed 9 recent Preakness winners.
Here's an updated look at weather forecasts for the big day:
2019 Preakness Stakes forecastService: The Weather ChannelProjected weather: CloudyProjected temperatures: 80 degrees (high), 63 degrees (low)Race-time projection: Partly cloudyChance of rain: 20 percent
Service: AccuWeatherProjected weather: Some sunshineProjected temperatures: 79 degrees (high), 64 degrees (low)Race-time projection: Partly cloudyChance of rain: 14 percent
DAY 1 of the Dante Festival gets underway at York today and we are in for a treat.
John Gosden has the favourite in the big race of the day - the Musidora Stakes - as Sparkle Roll looks to continue her upward curve in the 3.35.
Follow all the latest racing news, updates and gossip below...
Santa Anita Charts Results for Sunday, May 12.
Copyright 2019 by Equibase Company. Reproduction prohibited. Santa Anita, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. 15th day of a 41-day meet. Clear & Fast
FIRST RACE.
6½ Furlongs. Purse: $32,000. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $12,500. Time 22.00 45.34 1:11.70 1:18.71
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ Str Fin Jockey $13 Best Two Minutes 123 3 3 4–5 3–1½ 1–½ 1–5¼ Desormeaux 0.90 4 Big Shanty 123 4 1 2–½ 2–1½ 3–5 2–1 Roman 1.50 2 Baby Bear's Soup 125 2 5 1–1½ 1–1 2–1½ 3–¾ Espinoza 6.40 1 Point Guard 125 1 4 5 5 4–1 4–23½ Fuentes 14.90 5 For the Hustle 125 5 2 3–hd 4–5 5 5 Maldonado 11.40 3 BEST TWO MINUTES 3.80 2.10 2.10 4 BIG SHANTY 3.00 2.20 2 BABY BEAR'S SOUP 2.40 $1 EXACTA (3-4) $3.8050-CENT TRIFECTA (3-4-2) $4.60Winner–Best Two Minutes B.g.7 by Successful Appeal out of Special One, by Point Given. Bred by Hinkle Farms &a mp; Ben Kessinger (KY). Trainer: Steve Knapp. Owner: Thomsen Racing, LLC. Mutuel Pool $127,960 Exacta Pool $53,904 Trifecta Pool $44,774. Claimed–Best Two Minutes by Johnny Taboada. Trainer: Reed Saldana. Claimed–Big Shanty by Frank Reynoso, Jr. Trainer: Javier Sierra. Scratched–none.
BEST TWO MINUTES between horses early, stalked inside, came out into the stretch, took the lead outside the pacesetter under urging in midstretch and pulled clear. BIG SHANTY stalked the pace between horses then off the rail, continued outside the winner leaving the turn and three deep into the stretch and outfinished the pacesetter for the place. BABY BEAR'S SOUP sped to the early lead, inched away and set the pace a bit off the rail then inside leaving the turn, fought back when challenged in the stretch then was no match for the winner and outfinished for second but saved the show. POINT GUARD saved ground off the pace, came out in upper stretch and put in a late bid at a minor award. FOR THE HUSTLE four wide early, stalked three deep then outside a rival, dropped back off the rail on the turn, gave way and was eased in the final furlong.
SECOND RACE.
1 Mile Turf. Purse: $43,000. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $25,000. Time 23.60 47.76 1:11.56 1:23.45 1:35.29
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ ¾ Str Fin Jockey $15 Silver Summer 123 5 1 1–2 1–hd 1–1 1–1½ 1–½ Figueroa 18.70 6 Crown the Kitten 123 6 3 5–½ 5–1 3–hd 2–1 2–3½ Fuentes 3.40 4 Play Hard to Get 123 4 7 6–hd 6–hd 6–½ 4–hd 3–2¼ Van Dyke 3.60 3 Kristi's Copilot 123 3 5 3–hd 2–1½ 2–1 3–1½ 4–¾ Talamo 1.50 8 Bird Is the Word 123 7 2 2–½ 3–hd 4–hd 5–1 5–¾ Flores 5.90 2 Jimmy the Juice 123 2 6 7 7 7 7 6–1¼ Bednar 20.50 1 Conquest Sabre Cat 123 1 4 4–1 4–½ 5–1 6–hd 7 Pereira 7.40 5 SILVER SUMMER 39.40 18.00 6.80 6 CROWN THE KITTEN 5.40 3.00 4 PLAY HARD TO GET 3.00 $2 ROULETTE (GREEN) $7.40$2 DAILY DOUBLE (3-5) $85.40$1 EXACTA (5-6) $71.4010-CENT SUPERFECTA (5-6-4-3) $70.73$1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (5-6-4-3-8) $1,573.2050-CENT TRIFECTA (5-6-4) $132.75Winner–Silver Summer Grr.g.7 by Siberian Summer out of All Night Long (IRE), by Night Shift. Bred by Goda & Huttinger (CA). Trainer: Anthony K. Saavedra. Owner: Pike, Stewart and Saavedra, Richard. Mutuel Pool $174,697 Roulette Pool $391 Daily Double Pool $38,171 Exacta Pool $93,458 Superfecta Pool $38,758 Super High Five Pool $4,123 Trifecta Pool $64,330. Claimed–Kristi's Copilot by Hollendorfer, LLC, Team Green LLC and Todaro, George. Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer. Scratched–Tribal Roar.
SILVER SUMMER sped to the early lead, angled in and set the pace inside, dueled on the backstretch, inched away on the second turn, kicked clear again and held under left handed urging. CROWN THE KITTEN forced out a bit on the first turn, stalked three deep to the stretch and finished well. PLAY HARD TO GET pulled al ongside a rival then between foes, was in a bit tight early on the backstretch, continued a bit off the rail then outside a rival, came out three deep into the stretch and bested the others. KRISTI'S COPILOT came out on the first turn, bid alongside the winner on the backstretch, stalked off the rail leaving the second turn, drifted in despite a left handed crack of the whip in midstretch and weakened. BIRD IS THE WORD pulled some and stalked a bit off the rail then between horses, was outside a rival into the stretch, steadied briefly in a bit tight and came in slightly in midstretch and lacked a rally. JIMMY THE JUICE saved ground chasing the pace, came out into the stretch and also lacked the necessary response. CONQUEST SABRE CAT stalked the winner along the inside, cut the corner into the stretch, steadied in tight off heels in midstretch and weakened.
THIRD RACE.
4½ Furlongs. Purse: $65,000. Maiden Special Weight. Fillies. 2 year olds. Time 23.48 48.39 55.03
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ Str Fin Jockey $12 Acai 122 2 2 1–hd 2–3½ 1–1¼ Gutierrez 5.30 3 Go Big Blue Nation 122 3 5 2–2 1–hd 2–2¼ Fuentes 0.80 5 A Thousand Dreams 122 5 3 3–hd 3–2½ 3–7¼ Prat 2.10 1 Billy K 122 1 1 4–1 4–1 4–2¼ Figueroa 13.50 4 Gracie's Girl 122 4 4 5 5 5 E Garcia 11.00 2 ACAI 12.60 3.20 2.20 3 GO BIG BLUE NATION 2.20 2.10 5 A THOUSAND DREAMS 2.10 $2 DAILY DOUBLE (5-2) $193.00$1 EXACTA (2-3) $11.3050-CENT TRIFECTA (2-3-5) $8.50Winner–Acai B.f.2 by Square Eddie out of Smoove, by Distorted Humor. Bred by Reddam Racing, LLC (CA). Trainer: Doug F. O'Neill. Owner: Reddam Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $157,571 Daily Double Pool $12,064 Exacta Pool $67,851 Trifecta Pool $58,365. Scratched–none.
50-Cent Pick Three (3-5-2) paid $102.30. Pick Three Pool $50,784.
ACAI had speed between horses then dueled outside a rival, battled inside on the turn and into the stretch, fought back to a short le ad under urging past the eighth pole, inched away a sixteenth out and proved best. GO BIG BLUE NATION hopped slightly at the start, split horses three deep into the turn then dueled outside the winner, put a head in front into the stretch, fought back in midstretch then could not match that one in the final sixteenth while clearly second best. A THOUSAND DREAMS went five wide into the turn then stalked outside a rival, came three wide into the stretch and bested the others. BILLY K had speed inside to duel for the lead then was shuffled back some in a bit tight into the turn, came off the rail in upper stretch and weakened. GRACIE'S GIRL four wide between horses early, stalked off the rail, angled to the inside entering the stretch and also weakened.
FOURTH RACE.
1 Mile. Purse: $35,000. Starter Allowance. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $12,500. Time 24.62 49.29 1:15.06 1:28.42 1:42.99
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ ¾ Str Fin J ockey $13 Sturdy One 123 3 1 3–1 2–hd 1–2½ 1–4 1–hd Fuentes 0.90 5 Road Test 116 5 3 2–hd 3–1½ 3–1 2–½ 2–4¼ Diaz, Jr. 6.40 4 Empress of Lov 123 4 2 1–1 1–hd 2–hd 3–8 3–12½ Talamo 13.30 1 Scathing 123 1 4 6 5–½ 6 4–hd 4–2¼ Pereira 6.40 6 Dahlia Azul 123 6 6 5–½ 6 5–1½ 5 5 Quinonez 11.00 2 Dannie Joe 123 2 5 4–hd 4–hd 4–2½ dnf Gryder 3.10 3 STURDY ONE 3.80 2.60 2.40 5 ROAD TEST 4.40 3.00 4 EMPRESS OF LOV 4.40 $2 ROULETTE (RED) $3.40$2 DAILY DOUBLE (2-3) $35.00$1 EXACTA (3-5) $7.9010-CENT SUPERFECTA (3-5-4-1) $10.1350-CENT TRIFECTA (3-5-4) $21.60Winner–Sturdy One Ch.m.7 by Langfuhr out of Summer Ally Cat, by Hold That Tiger. Bred by Gustav Schickedanz (ON). Trainer: Jerry Hollendorfer. Owner: Hollendorfer, LLC and Todaro, George. Mutuel Pool $238,941 Roulette Pool $424 Daily Double Pool $17,292 Exacta Pool $119,932 Superfecta Pool $44,246 Trifecta Pool $76,736. Scratched–none.
50-Cent Pick Three (5 -2-3) paid $170.90. Pick Three Pool $18,242.
STURDY ONE had speed a bit off the rail then stalked toward the inside, bid between horses on the backstretch, took the lead on the second turn, kicked clear under urging, drifted out a bit late and just held. ROAD TEST four wide into the first turn, stalked outside a rival then bid three deep on the backstretch, continued outside a rival leaving the second turn, came out some in the stretch and came back on at the winner late. EMPRESS OF LOV had speed three deep between foes then inched away and angled in, set the pace inside, dueled along the rail on the backstretch and into the second turn, continued inside on that turn and into the stretch and bested the others. SCATHING steadied along the inside on the first turn, saved ground chasing the pace throughout and weakened. DAHLIA AZUL tugged her way along five wide into the first turn, chased three deep to the stretch and also weakened. DANNIE JOE pulled outside a rival then betwe en horses and was in a bit tight early on the backstretch, continued outside a rival a half mile out, split horses leaving the second turn then was pulled up into the stretch and vanned off.
FIFTH RACE.
5 Furlongs Turf. Purse: $67,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $20,000. Time 21.23 44.67 56.71
Pgm Horse Wt PP St 3/16 3/8 Str Fin Jockey $12 Don't Sell 120 2 4 3–2 3–3 1–½ 1–1¼ Gutierrez 3.10 3 Sunrise Royale 125 3 8 6–hd 2–1 2–2½ 2–1¾ Franco 33.50 9 Wishful 125 9 6 5–hd 4–hd 4–hd 3–½ Prat 2.70 6 Moonshine Annie 125 6 5 9 9 7–2 4–nk Van Dyke 4.10 7 Christy Jackson 116 7 3 7–1 8–½ 6–hd 5–nk Diaz, Jr. 13.40 8 Shylock Eddie 125 8 2 8–1½ 6–½ 5–1½ 6–4¾ Gryder 2.80 5 Princess Pearl 120 5 7 4–hd 7–hd 8–10 7–½ Delgadillo 12.60 1 Ron's Cat 120 1 1 1–½ 1–½ 3–½ 8 Guce 35.70 4 Heaven Squared 125 4 9 2–1 5–1 9 dnf Payeras 37.20 2 DON'T SELL 8.20 5.40 4.20 3 SUNRISE ROYALE 27.60 12.40 9 WISHFUL 3.60 $2 ROULETTE (BLACK) $4.00$2 DAILY DOUBLE (3-2) $20.60$1 EXACTA (2-3) $77.7010-CENT SUPERFECTA (2-3-9-6) $119.2650-CENT TRIFECTA (2-3-9) $186.45$1 X-5 SUPER HIGH FIVE (2-3-9-6-7) Carryover $2,183Winner–Don't Sell Ch.f.3 by Square Eddie out of Too Much Excess, by In Excess (IRE). Bred by Reddam Racing, LLC (CA). Trainer: Doug F. O'Neill. Owner: Reddam Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $300,531 Roulette Pool $281 Daily Double Pool $35,374 Exacta Pool $170,731 Superfecta Pool $78,827 Trifecta Pool $125,506 X-5 Super High Five Pool $2,860. Scratched–Emmy and I, Wandering Patrol.
50-Cent Pick Three (2-3-2) paid $25.55. Pick Three Pool $73,359. 50-Cent Pick Four (5-2-3-2) 144 tickets with 4 correct paid $659.75. Pick Four Pool $124,490. 50-Cent Pick Five (3-5-2-3-2) 282 tickets with 5 correct paid $1,412.00. Pick Five Pool $462,070.
DON'T SELL stalked a bit off the rail then outside the ru nner-up, came three deep into the stretch, gained the lead, battled outside that one under urging in the stretch and inched away in the final sixteenth. SUNRISE ROYALE hopped some at the start, angled in and stalked inside, bid along the rail into the stretch, fought back inside the winner but could not quite match that one late. WISHFUL stalked four wide then three deep into the turn, angled in leaving the turn and edged rivals three deep for the show. MOONSHINE ANNIE saved ground chasing the pace, came out leaving the turn and three wide into the stretch and was edged for third between foes late. CHRISTY JACKSON chased three deep between foes then angled in a bit off the rail, found the inside on the turn, continued along the fence in the stretch and was edged for a minor award. SHYLOCK EDDIE chased outside then three wide on the turn and into the stretch and could not quite summon the needed late kick. PRINCESS PEARL stalked between horses then chased outside a rival on the turn and into the stretch and did not rally. RON'S CAT fractious in the gate, had speed inside then set a pressured pace a bit off the rail, got clear on the turn, was outside the runner-up leaving the turn and three deep into the stretch and weakened. HEAVEN SQUARED a half step slow to begin, pulled between horses then bid outside a rival leaving the backstretch, bore out badly on the turn and was pulled up in the stretch but walked off.
SIXTH RACE.
6½ Furlongs. Purse: $33,000. Maiden Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $30,000. Time 22.22 45.88 1:12.00 1:18.72
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ Str Fin Jockey $110 Bouncing Around 125 10 8 5–hd 4–1 1–1 1–4¼ Puglisi 9.50 6 Wicken Fen 125 6 1 3–hd 1–1 2–2 2–3¼ Delgadillo 2.90 8 Victor's Show 125 8 4 4–1 2–hd 3–hd 3–½ Prat 14.00 3 Mavericks 125 3 5 6–½ 5–1½ 4–4 4–1 Maldonado 7.20 1 Scrambled 125 1 9 10 9–1 5–1½ 5–6½ Pereira 2.70 7 Drink 120 7 7 1–hd 3–� � 7–½ 6–nk Pedroza 9.50 4 Temple Knights 125 4 2 7–1½ 7–hd 6–hd 7–2½ Talamo 41.20 2 Mr Classical 125 2 3 9–½ 8–1½ 8–2½ 8–2¼ Mn Garcia 5.00 5 Elite Motion 125 5 10 8–hd 10 9–4 9–10 Flores 12.10 9 Irish Ballad 125 9 6 2–hd 6–hd 10 10 Figueroa 65.10 10 BOUNCING AROUND 21.00 8.60 5.00 6 WICKEN FEN 4.60 3.20 8 VICTOR'S SHOW 7.60 $2 ROULETTE (BLACK) $9.40$2 DAILY DOUBLE (2-10) $102.60$1 EXACTA (10-6) $45.7010-CENT SUPERFECTA (10-6-8-3) $314.4350-CENT TRIFECTA (10-6-8) $221.00$1 X-5 SUPER HIGH FIVE (10-6-8-3-1) Carryover $4,367Winner–Bouncing Around Dbb.g.4 by Suances (GB) out of Miss Rebound, by Speightstown. Bred by Red Baron's Barn & Vaya Con Suerte (CA). Trainer: Jack Carava. Owner: Red Baron's Barn LLC and Vayaconsuerte, LLC. Mutuel Pool $348,832 Roulette Pool $799 Daily Double Pool $31,539 Exacta Pool $193,678 Superfecta Pool $93,919 Trifecta Pool $136,611 X-5 Super High Five Pool $2,862. Claimed–Wicken Fen by Drummon d, Lee, Schwartz, Paul and Xitco, John V. Trainer: Mark Glatt. Claimed–Scrambled by Randy Marriott. Trainer: Ryan Hanson. Scratched–none.
50-Cent Pick Three (3-2-10) paid $69.10. Pick Three Pool $67,156.
BOUNCING AROUND stalked four wide then moved up three deep on the turn to bid three wide into the stretch, took the lead, inched away under left handed urging in midstretch and won clear. WICKEN FEN had speed to duel a bit off the rail then angled in for the turn, inched away on the bend, fought back into the stretch but could not match the winner in the final furlong while clearly second best. VICTOR'S SHOW dueled between horses then stalked between foes or outside a rival on the turn, drifted in some in the stretch and held third. MAVERICKS stalked the pace inside, came out on the turn and three wide into the stretch and was edged for the show. SCRAMBLED came off the rail at the gap, chased between horses then just off the inside, went three wide into the stret ch and lacked the needed rally. DRINK dueled between horses then stalked a bit off the rail on the turn, angled to the inside nearing the stretch and weakened. TEMPLE KNIGHTS chased between horses then a bit off the rail, continued just off the inside into the stretch and also weakened. MR CLASSICAL stalked inside then came off the rail into the turn, entered the stretch four wide and lacked the needed response. ELITE MOTION broke slowly, settled off the rail then outside, came three wide into the stretch and was not a threat. IRISH BALLAD pressed the pace four wide, dropped back and angled in on the turn and gave way.
SEVENTH RACE.
1 Mile Turf. Purse: $100,000. 'Fran's Valentine Stakes'. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Time 22.62 46.16 1:10.35 1:22.38 1:34.70
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ ¾ Str Fin Jockey $11 Cordiality 125 1 2 1–2 1–1½ 1–½ 1–1 1–1¼ Talamo 2.50 4 Queen Bee to You 121 4 1 2–1 2–1½ 2–1½ 2–2 2–1¼ Fuen tes 14.10 3 Pulpit Rider 125 3 6 8–hd 6–hd 5–hd 5–2½ 3–1½ Gryder 5.60 9 Gypsy Blu 121 9 5 4–1 3–hd 4–1½ 3–1 4–1 Prat 1.80 8 Algorhythmic 121 8 4 3–hd 4–hd 3–hd 4–1 5–2½ Pereira 38.20 2 Sapphire Kid 121 2 7 6–hd 7–½ 7–½ 7–1½ 6–ns Roman 20.00 7 Bella Luma 125 7 9 9 9 6–1½ 6–hd 7–½ Van Dyke 18.10 5 Halo Darlin 121 5 8 7–hd 8–hd 9 8–6 8–20 Franco 43.30 6 Fiery Lady 123 6 3 5–hd 5–1 8–hd 9 9 Smith 4.40 1 CORDIALITY 7.00 4.40 3.20 4 QUEEN BEE TO YOU 10.20 5.40 3 PULPIT RIDER 3.40 $2 ROULETTE (BLACK) $2.60$2 DAILY DOUBLE (10-1) $72.00$1 EXACTA (1-4) $35.2010-CENT SUPERFECTA (1-4-3-9) $50.82$1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (1-4-3-9-8) $4,485.6050-CENT TRIFECTA (1-4-3) $66.70Winner–Cordiality Dbb.m.6 by Papa Clem out of Warmth, by Unusual Heat. Bred by Dr. Edward C. Allred (CA). Trainer: Tim Yakteen. Owner: Donnie Crevier. Mutuel Pool $328,130 Roulette Pool $675 Daily Double Pool $34,753 Exacta Pool $145,154 Super fecta Pool $72,781 Super High Five Pool $11,910 Trifecta Pool $104,916. Scratched–none.
50-Cent Pick Three (2-10-1) paid $106.05. Pick Three Pool $55,413.
CORDIALITY sped to the early lead, set the pace inside, responded when challenged on the second turn, inched away under urging in midstretch and held on gamely. QUEEN BEE TO YOU drifted out into the first turn, stalked just off the rail, bid outside the winner on the second turn and into the stretch, could not match that one in the final furlong but held second. PULPIT RIDER stalked between horses then a bit off the rail into the stretch and bested the rest. GYPSY BLU pulled outside early then stalked outside a rival to the stretch and lacked the needed rally. ALGORHYTHMIC stalked just off the rail then angled in and saved ground tracking the pace to the stretch and could not summon the necessary late kick. SAPPHIRE KID bobbled at the start, saved ground chasing the pace, cut the corner into the stretch and could not offer the needed response. BELLA LUMA five wide into the first turn, chased three deep then between horses on the second turn, came three wide into the stretch and did not rally. HALO DARLIN hopped some at the start, chased between horses to the stretch and lacked a further response. FIERY LADY four wide into and on the first turn, stalked four wide then three deep, dropped back leaving the second turn and gave way.
EIGHTH RACE.
6 Furlongs. Purse: $28,000. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $12,500. Time 22.07 46.23 59.13 1:12.90
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ Str Fin Jockey $15 Chay Up and Away 125 5 2 2–2½ 1–hd 1–4 1–ns Maldonado 2.90 6 Heloise 125 6 5 6–6 5–1½ 3–1½ 2–8¾ Fuentes 2.20 2 Caracortada 125 2 6 4–2½ 3–1 4–5 3–nk Pedroza 4.30 3 Purdue 118 3 1 1–hd 2–3½ 2–½ 4–4¼ Diaz, Jr. 9.40 1 Crackling Bread 125 1 7 5–1½ 6–8 5–½ 5–9¾ Franco 5.10 7 Songofthedesert 125 7 4 3–1 4–hd 6 6 Blanc 16.50 4 Lucky Val 125 4 3 7 7 dnf Flores 7.40 5 CHAY UP AND AWAY 7.80 4.00 3.00 6 HELOISE 3.00 2.40 2 CARACORTADA 3.20 $2 ROULETTE (BLACK) $4.20$2 DAILY DOUBLE (1-5) $36.20$1 EXACTA (5-6) $10.6010-CENT SUPERFECTA (5-6-2-3) $33.94$1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (5-6-2-3-1) $783.4050-CENT TRIFECTA (5-6-2) $31.60Winner–Chay Up and Away Ch.m.5 by Sway Away out of My Little Cokie, by Posse. Bred by Premier Thoroughbreds LLC, RichardMeister & Rusty Brown (CA). Trainer: Paul G. Aguirre. Owner: Hemaidan, Akram, Homeidan, Abe Malek, Pagano, Ray and Poppert, John J.. Mutuel Pool $220,846 Roulette Pool $593 Daily Double Pool $25,356 Exacta Pool $111,636 Superfecta Pool $63,315 Super High Five Pool $6,673 Trifecta Pool $86,444. Claimed–Heloise by John Tipton. Trainer: Isidro Tamayo. Scratched–none.
50-Cent Pick Three (10-1-5) paid $93.70. Pick Three Pool $41,579.
CHAY UP AND AWAY had good early speed and dueled outside a rival, put a head in front leaving the turn, kicked clear in the stretch and just lasted under left handed urging. HELOISE settled off the rail then outside a rival on the turn, angled to the inside and moved up some into the stretch, came out in upper stretch and closed willingly late to just miss. CARACORTADA stalked a bit off the rail, continued outside the runner-up into the stretch and just edged a rival for the show. PURDUE angled in and dueled inside, fought back on the turn, fell back in the stretch and was edged for third. CRACKLING BREAD chased a bit off the rail then inside on the backstretch and turn and into the stretch and weakened. SONGOFTHEDESERT stalked outside a rival, dropped back on the turn, came three wide into the stretch and gave way. LUCKY VAL dropped back off the rail then saved ground chasing the pace, fell back on the turn, came out while being pulled up into the stretch but walked off.
NINTH RACE.
1 Mile Turf. Purse: $65,000. Maiden Special Weight. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Time 21.67 45.36 1:10.61 1:23.40 1:36.07
Pgm Horse Wt PP St ¼ ½ ¾ Str Fin Jockey $12 Opus Won 120 2 3 2–1½ 2–1 1–1½ 1–1½ 1–½ Prat 3.30 4 Goodtingscominpink 120 4 6 5–½ 5–½ 3–1 2–3 2–3¾ Fuentes 11.00 5 Y Not Sizzle 120 5 8 8–4 8–2½ 5–2 3–1½ 3–7¾ Gryder 5.00 10 Lucky Lately 120 10 1 3–2½ 3–2 2–½ 4–1 4–¾ Van Dyke 1.90 3 Unusual Stuff 113 3 9 10 9–½ 9–1½ 8–hd 5–¾ Diaz, Jr. 15.10 6 La La Land 125 6 2 4–2 4–½ 4–1½ 5–4½ 6–½ Talamo 11.00 7 Sidepocket Charger 125 7 10 9–1 10 10 7–hd 7–nk Sanchez 62.60 8 Peace Pipe 125 8 4 6–1 6–1 7–hd 6–1½ 8–10¾ Figueroa 24.40 9 Radish 125 9 5 7–½ 7–1 8–1 9–5 9–7½ Gutierrez 14.80 1 Virginia Hall 120 1 7 1–hd 1–½ 6–hd 10 10 Franco 9.40 2 OPUS WON 8.60 5.00 3.60 4 GOODTINGSCOMINPINK 10.20 5.20 5 Y NOT SIZZLE 3.40 $2 ROULETTE (BLACK) $6.80$2 DAILY DOUBLE (5-2) $47.00$1 EXACTA (2-4) $37.8010-CENT SUPERFECTA (2-4-5-10) $68.11$1 SUPER HIGH FIVE (2-4-5-10-3) $4,705.8050-CENT TRIFECTA (2-4-5) $93.45Winner–Opus Won B.f.3 by Eddington out of Russian River, by Stravinsky. Bred by Frank Mermenstein & Tom McCrocklin (CA). Trainer: Richard Baltas. Owner: Little Red Feather Racing. Mutuel Pool $355,688 Roulette Pool $465 Daily Double Pool $94,634 Exacta Pool $195,713 Superfecta Pool $109,536 Super High Five Pool $12,332 Trifecta Pool $152,982. Scratched–none.
50-Cent Pick Three (1-5-2) paid $53.50. Pick Three Pool $145,128. 50-Cent Pick Four (10-1-5-2) 667 tickets with 4 correct paid $682.80. Pick Four Pool $596,984. 50-Cent Pick Five (2-10-1-5-2) 71 tickets with 5 correct paid $3,929.05. Pick Five Pool $365,521. 20-Cent Pick Six Jackpot (3-2-10-1-5-2) 26 tickets with 6 correct paid $5,276.14. Pick Six Jackpot Pool $254,311. Pick Six Jackpot Carryover $523,445.
OPUS WON had speed between foes then dueled outside a rival, took the lead on the second turn, inched away leaving that turn, kicked clear under urging and just held. GOODTINGSCOMINPINK stalked the pace inside, split horses on the second turn, came out some in the stretch and finished well to just miss. Y NOT SIZZLE saved ground chasing the pace, went around a rival on the second turn, angled back in entering the stretch and bested the others. LUCKY LATELY pulled three deep then drifted out into the first turn, stalked off the rail, came three wide into the stretch and weakened. UNUSUAL STUFF saved ground off the pace, came out on the second turn and three deep into the stretch, angled out in upper stretch and improved position. LA LA LAND stalked a bit off the rail then outside a rival leaving the backstretch, came out four wide into the stretch and weakened. SIDEPOCKET CHARGER broke out and bumped a rival, drifted out into the first turn, settled off the rail or outside a rival, also came four wide into the stretch and did not rally. PEACE PIPE bump ed at the start, was between foes early then drifted out into the first turn, chased outside a rival on the backstretch, split horses leaving the second turn and weakened. RADISH three deep early, was forced out some into the first turn, chased three deep then outside a rival, came three wide into the stretch and gave way. VIRGINIA HALL had good early speed and dueled inside, dropped back on the second turn and had nothing left for the drive.
AttendanceHandleOn-Track7,091$1,019,934Inter-TrackN/A$1,676,261Out of StateN/A$5,925,409TOTAL7,091 $8,621,604"Despite his horse racing success, his grave sat unmarked for more than 60 years until the 1960s, when a Kentucky researcher tracked down his burial site. Murphy was re-interred twice, and now lies 10 miles away at the Kentucky Horse Park, an educational farm dedicated to the state's equestrian culture. Since its opening, he's been the only man buried at the park, feet away from Man o' War, an American thoroughbred who won 20 of 21 races and is widely considered the best horse to ever race.
For the first time in the 145 years of the Kentucky Derby, the horse that crossed the finish first was not the winner.
Country House, a 65-1 longshot, was deemed the winner following a lengthy 20-minute protest and review after it appeared Derby favorite Maximum Security had won the race. Upon review it was determined that Maximum Security impeded War of Will on the final turn, forcing Country House to take the turn wider than it should have.
MORE: Watch the Kentucky Derby live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
The win was both trainer William Mott and jockey Flavien Prat's first Kentucky Derby win. At 65-1, Country House's win is the second largest upset in Kentucky Derby History, behind only Donerail's 1913 victory with 91-1 odds. The Preakness Stakes - the second leg of the Triple Crown will be held on May 18th.
Sporting News is tracked all the action live from the 2019 Kentucky Derby , with full race results and highlights from the "most exciting two minutes in sports." Follow along below.
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7:17 p.m.: Wow. Maximum Security has been disqualified. Country House has now been named the winner!
7:08 p.m.: This race is still under protest. Runner-up Country House may have been impeded on the outside as was War of Will a few seconds later on the rail by Maximum Security.
7:00 p.m.: The win is under protest. Maximum Security may have impeded others on the final turn.
6:54 p.m.: Maximum Security wins in wire-to-wire fashion.
6:52 p.m.: Horses are loaded. Here we go!
6:48 p.m.: Horses still parading around the track. Just a few minutes behind schedule.
6:37 p.m.: The University of Louisville marching band performs "My Old Kentucky Home."
6:35 p.m.: Riders up!
6:33 p.m.: Here come the jockeys. Hopefully they brought several pairs of goggles.
6:31 p.m.: A look at the odds before the race gets underway.
6:23 p.m.: Track conditions were just downgraded from "fast" to "sloppy."
6:15 p.m.: Kind of shocking to hear, but jockey Mike Smith says he has never been on top of Cutting Humor before, the horse he will be riding in 30 minutes. He was previously set to ride Omaha Beach.
6:09 p.m.: The horses have hit they track, as they begin their walks.
6:06 p.m.: Bold Kentucky Derby fashion is a real thing. Even for the men.
5:50 p.m.: It is an absolute washout at Churchill Downs. It's going to be muddy.
5:29 p.m.: Bricks and Mortar wins the Old Forest Turf Classic, the final race before the Kentucky Derby.
Here is the official finish following the DQ.
Finish Horse Trainer 1. Country House Mott 2. Code of Honor McGaughey 3. Tacitus Mott 4. Improbable Baffert 5. Game Winner Baffert 6. Master Fencer Tsunoda 7. War of Will Gargan 8. Plus Que Parfait Walsh 9. Win Win Win Trombetta 10. Cutting Humor Pletcher 11. By My Standards Calhoun 12. Vekoma Weaver 13. Bodexpress Delgado 14. Tax Gargan 15. Roadster Baffert 16. Long Range Toddy Asmussen 17. Spinoff Pletcher 18. Gray Magician Miller DQ: Maximum Security ServisMORE: How much do Kentucky Derby winners make?
Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome to our horse racing newsletter as we still continue to review the Kentucky Derby disqualification.
The results of the Kentucky Derby remained the biggest story since we last checked in. There have been no shortage of emails from you readers, with the slight consensus that the stewards made the right call.
I remember right after the race, my colleague Bryce Miller of the San Diego Union Tribune (our sister paper) was embedded with Gary and Mary West, who live near San Diego. Gary told Bryce he was not going to appeal, but, again that was immediately after the race.
I'm really not sure if this added attention is good or bad for the sport. I'll try and get the temperature of things when I'm in Baltimore next week. This is the first time since Grindstone in 1996 that the Derby winner has not run in the Preakness.
Until then we'll have Jon White monitoring the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Jon Whit e's Preakness rankings
The Kentucky Derbym may be behind us but the Preakness is right around the corner. As always, we're lucky to have the top expert Jon White take a look at what's happening on the Triple Crown trail. Jon makes the morning line at Santa Anita, he's a licensed steward, and he's the pre-eminent historian on racing. We're lucky to have him. So, let's continue with his analysis of the Triple Crown races, brought courtesy of Xpressbet.com. Jon, the floor is yours.
"A historic race held each year at Churchill Downs had a historic result last Saturday.
"For the first time in the 145-year history of the Kentucky Derby, a horse crossed the finish line first, then was disqualified. After Maximum Security prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths, the stewards at Churchill Downs disqualified him and placed him 17th for causing interference to War Of Will, Bodexpress and Long Range Toddy turning for home. As a result of the disqualification, Country H ouse, who originally had finished second, became the official winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby.
"Maximum Security is not the first Kentucky Derby winner to be disqualified. Dancer's Image finished first in 1968, but was subsequently disqualified when his post-race urinalysis showed the presence of phenylbutazone. At that time, phenylbutazone was a prohibited medication in Kentucky.
"Forward Pass, who had finished second, was declared the winner of the 1968 Kentucky Derby. While the mutuel payouts were not affected, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) ordered that first purse money of $112,600 and the winning trophy go to Forward Pass' owner, Calumet Farm. Peter Fuller, the owner of Dancer's Image, fought the disqualification in court for years, but to no avail.
"Maximum Security also is not the first horse in the history of the Kentucky Derby to be disqualified for committing a foul during the race. Gate Dancer finished fourth in the 1984 Kentucky Derby, but he was disqualified and placed fifth. Gate Dancer, racing with purple earmuffs, came in several times during the stretch run. He repeatedly slammed into Fali Time, who came in fifth.
"Before disqualifying Gate Dancer, the stewards at Churchill Downs posted the inquiry sign. Sandy Hawley, the rider of Fali Time, lodged a claim of foul against Gate Dancer and Eddie Delahoussaye.
"Following this year's Kentucky Derby, in which the winner was disqualified, the stewards did not post the inquiry sign. Not surprisingly, the stewards have received considerable criticism for not doing that. While the inquiry sign was never posted, it was announced shortly after the race that Flavien Prat, the rider of Country House, had lodged an objection against Maximum Security for alleged interference near the five-sixteenths pole.
"A second objection against Maximum Security was not publicly known until after Saturday's racing at Churchill Downs had been completed. The stewards certainly dropped the ball in that regard. Jon Court, the rider of Long Range Toddy, who originally finished 17th, also lodged an objection against Maximum Security. Court's claim of foul was not known publicly until it was mentioned about two hours after the Kentucky Derby when Barbara Borden, the KHRC's chief steward, read a statement to the media explaining the stewards' decision to disqualify Maximum Security.
"As Borden read the statement, she was flanked by the other two stewards, Butch Becraft and Tyler Picklesimer. After Borden finished reading the statement, the stewards took no questions from the media. The stewards also have received much criticism for that. That was in contrast to how stewards representing the California Horse Racing Board typically have dealt with the media following a controversial race in California, such as the 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita, a race in which Bayern was not disqualified when it had appeared that he ha d caused interference leaving the gate. A steward or stewards at a California track ordinarily will take questions from the media after a controversial race.
"It seems safe to say that the 2019 Kentucky Derby is the most controversial Triple Crown race since the 1980 Preakness Stakes. Codex won the Preakness that year by 4 3/4 lengths, but many felt he had impeded runner-up Genuine Risk coming into the stretch. As in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, the stewards did not post the inquiry sign after the 1980 Preakness. Genuine Risk's rider, Jacinto Vasquez, did lodge an objection against Codex and his jockey, Angel Cordero Jr.
"Daily Racing Form's esteemed Joe Hirsch wrote of the 1980 Preakness: 'As Codex passed the point of the turn, entering the stretch, Cordero turned in the saddle and spotted Genuine Risk. He then guided Codex out to a point just inside the filly and carried her even wider than she would have gone on her own momentum, while swinging his whip vigorously on the right side. There was light brushing, the filly's head seemed to nod sharply as though struck, and she lost her momentum for an instant. Gamely she recovered, pursued Codex to the wire, but the battle was lost by 4 3/4 lengths. ... Incredibly, the Pimlico stewards failed to post the inquiry sign, though many in the crowd of 83,455 and millions of television viewers, were aware there had been an incident. Vasquez claimed foul, however, and the stewards deliberated at length before the Preakness result was declared official.'
"Genuine Risk's owner, Diana Johnson Firestone, filed a formal complaint with the Maryland Racing Commission in an attempt to overturn the stewards' decision not to disqualify Codex. But by a 3-1 vote, the commission upheld the stewards' decision. One commissioner, Robert Furtick, recused himself after newspaper accounts suggested he had pre-judged the case in favor of Codex.
"Genuine Risk won the Kentucky Derby. If the stewards had disqualified Codex, Genuine Risk would have gone to the Belmont Stakes with an opportunity for a Triple Crown sweep, something no filly has ever done. Genuine Risk finished second in the Belmont, which Temperence Hill won on a muddy track in a 53-1 upset. Nevertheless, Genuine Risk has the distinction of being the only filly to ever finish first or second in all three Triple Crown events.
"As for this year's Preakness, trainer Bill Mott on Tuesday told Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman that the Kentucky Derby winner will not be running. Mott reported that Country House had 'developed a little bit of a cough' and had 'started to show signs of becoming ill.'
"In fact, this year's Preakness will not have any of the first four horses across the finish line in the Kentucky Derby -- Maximum Security, Country House, Code of Honor and Tacitus. It will be the first time this has happened since 1951.
"In 1951, Count Turf won the Kentucky Derby, then Bold was v ictorious in the Preakness. Counterpoint, who finished 11th in the Derby and second in the Preakness, won the Belmont and later also took the Jockey Club Gold Cup en route to being acclaimed 1951 Horse of the Year.
"Bold did not run in the Kentucky Derby prior to his Preakness triumph. A little more than a year after Bold won the Preakness, in a cruel twist of fate, he was struck by lightning and killed at Brookemeade Stud in Virginia.
"In terms of the upcoming Preakness, Improbable 'will be the program favorite, probably at 9-5 or 2-1,' Pimlico morning-line maker Keith Feustle told Daily Racing Form. 'Then it'll be War of Will in the 3-1 range.'
"Here now are my current rankings for the May 18 Preakness, courtesy of Xpressbet:
Santa Anita continues its three-day racing week with an eight-race card on Friday. Santa Anita really has a horse population problem. By one estimate, there are 400 fewer horses at the track than were here last year. That's significant. In some ways it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. For safety reasons, you've eliminated some racing, such as 6 ½ furlongs down the hill. But that also eliminates some of the horse population who are made for that course. Quite simply, for every action there is a consequence, and in an effort to save the sport in California you have to make moves that also hurt it.
Of Friday's eight races, four of them are on the turf. But the headline is the card will have the first 2-year-old racing of the year. Yes, in theory, we could be looking at next year's Kentucky Derby crop. Not likely from this bunch, six fillies going 4 ½ furlongs. Five of the six are homebreds.
There are two allowance races, the sixth and eighth, both on the turf.
Here are the field sizes, in order: 8, 6, 6, 6, 6, 11, 5, 9 (1 also eligible).
Ciarin Thornton's SA pick of the day
RACE SIX: No. 5 Be Lifted Up (8-1)
Be Lifted Up is ridden by F lavien Prat for trainer Jeff Mullins. Mullins is winning 33% second-time routing like Friday. This is the second start off the layoff and we have a sharp workout in preparation. The horse was steadied early in the last race before running on late and sets up perfect for the race profile today. At 8-1 on the morning line, it's a great value for a Prat horse and again this is an allowance race with the horse being protected in a sign of optimism. These allowance races have been yielding some nice longshot prices lately.
Sunday's Result: We had another big winner on Sunday with Ippodamia's Girl winning at 21-1 and paying $44 for the $2 win bet! An expert gate-to-wire ride by Rafael Bejarano brought home the huge slab of bacon for us. Trainer Andrew Lerner continues to rock at Santa Anita. Jockey Mike Smith kept the closer horse Siberian Iris a mile back and had no hope of catching our big winner. Shopping for value especially in allowance races will remain our strategy.
Ciarin Thornton is the handicapper for Californiapick4.com, which offers daily full card picks, longshots of the day, best bets of the day.
Golden Gate weekend preview
We're back with our weekly look at the best racing at Golden Gate Fields. As with the last couple meetings, we're delighted to have race caller and all-around good guy Matt Dinerman as our host for previews and other musings. So, take it away, Matt.
"First post at Golden Gate Fields on Friday is 12:45 p.m. while our Saturday and Sunday cards begin at 1:15 p.m. Friday's eight-race program has two maiden special weights and an allowance for fillies and mares on the turf.
"The second race is a maiden special for 3-year-olds and up going five furlongs on the grass. Among the major contenders are the John Sadler-trained pair of Persuasive Cat and Sneem. Persuasive Cat faces easier company in Northern California after a number of off-the-board finishes in Southern California. Sneem makes his U.S. debut after being privately purchased by Sadler and owners Hronis Racing LLC. The son of Sir Prancelot was last seen running third at Leopardstown Racecourse in Ireland on Aug. 10, 2017. Another colt that has not run since 2017, Way Gone, makes his first start for owner/trainer Librado Barocio. Interestingly enough, his last start resulted in a ninth-place finish behind City Of Light, eventual Breeders Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup Invitational winner. True Regards, from the Ed Moger Jr. barn, and the Jonathan Wong-trained Mercy Rule are two local horses that figure to get support.
"The fifth race is an allowance for fillies and mares going one mile on the turf, and is led by allowance winner and stakes-placed Gettin Sideways. The daughter of Grazen has finished second her past two starts. Stakes winner The Spiral Jetter, Southern California shipper Party Dancer, and the Manny Badilla trained pair of Ziarah and Kynance should challenge. Ziarah comes of f a gutsy win against high-level claiming company while Kynance most recently scored a dominant maiden victory. The fifth race is also Leg C of the $1 Stronach 5 wager, with a $100,000 guaranteed pool and 12% takeout.
"The seventh race is a maiden special for 3-year-olds going six furlongs. Emerald Magic comes off a fast-finishing second place finish for trainer Bill McClean and may be favored in the eight-horse field. First-time starters I Declare War, a $57,000 sale purchase by Decleration Of War and a half sibling to Grade 2 placed filly Dixie City, and the Steve Specht trained Lucky B Mine are also entered.
"Saturday's nine-race program features the first 2-year-old race of 2019, I'll give the nod to the Ellen Jackson-trained Bulletproof One, who has posted a series of fast workouts in preparation for this 4 ½ furlong debut. The California-bred colt is by Grade 1 winning sprinter Idiot Proof and out of the mare Onefunsonofagun, who was an eight-time sprint winner. Onefunsonofagun has produced two other foals to race: a 10-time winner and a four-time winner."
Los Alamitos weekend preview
It's time to turn things over to marketing and meda guru Orlando Gutierrez, who will tell us about the upcoming weekend at Los Alamitos. Orlando, the floor is yours.
"Following a great night of trials to the Grade 2, $362,300 Robert Adair Kindergarten Futurity on Sunday, many top caliber 2-year-olds will be running this weekend at Los Alamitos, preparing to compete in the trials to the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity on June 9. Horses must have at least one start in order to be eligible to race in the Ed Burke trials.
"There are two races for 2-year-olds on Friday. The seventh race will feature 2-year-old fillies headed by Geothermal, a half-sister to La Primera Del Año Derby winner Terrific First Down, and the Tres Seis filly Fuego De Pithia, a $48,000 purchase at the Heritage Place Yearling Sale. The eighth rac e will be led by the 2-year-old Sass Go Blue, a gelding out of champion aged mare Sass Me Blue. First post is 6 p.m.
"Saturday's eight-race program will have 23 juveniles racing at 300 yards. The top 2-year-olds to watch include Up And Coming and Tea Pod from the Chris O'Dell barn, Ed Allred's Up And Atem and Legacy Ranch's My Man Memo.
"The $30,000 La Pacifica Handicap is also scheduled for Saturday. Six of the 10 sophomore fillies in this race exit the running of the Grade 3, $210,000 La Primera Del Año Derby on March 30. No Telling, fifth in the La Primera final, is the 7-2 favorite in the La Pacifica. On Mother's Day, the stakes winning mares Love To Reason BR, Time To Leave and Just Walk By will square off in the running of the Grade 3, $50,000 Miss Princess Handicap at 350 yards.
"J. Francisco Diaz's Chayito Cartel, a homebred son of the Favorite Trick (TB) stallion Favorite Cartel, posted the fastest qualifying time to the Robert Adair Kind ergarten Futurity in Sunday's trials. Ridden by Jesus Rios Ayala, Chayito Cartel posted a 1 ¼-length win while covering the 300 yards in 15.444 seconds for trainer Lindolfo Diaz, the owner's son. For the Diazes' Chayito Cartel's victory was a special moment.
"'Without that man, I wouldn't be training right now,' said Lindolfo of his father, who has started quarter horses in 1,172 races at Los Alamitos since 2000. 'He has invested so much money and so much time in me just to have me here. He's everything to me.'"Allred became the first owner to win 100 quarter-horse stakes when his homebred Well Good won the Kaweah Bar Handicap at 350 yards here Saturday. Allred, who earlier this year became the first owner with 1,500 quarter-horse victories, is now less than $20,000 away from becoming the first owner to reach $20 million in earnings with quarter horses."
Ed Burgart's LA pick of the day
EIGHTH RACE: No. 7 A Mere Felix (3-1)
I liked the sharp improvement this 2-year-old colt showed in his latest 12.4 gate drill when lugging inward early before galloping out with big strides while under a tight reign. He lugged inward steadily in his first drill and the extra 80 yards of this race work in his favor. He also draws nicely and is by the hot sire Favorite Cartel, who sired four of the 10 finalists in next week's Kindergarten Futurity.
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Now, the star of the show, Friday's entries.
Santa Anita Entries for Friday, May 10.
Santa Anita, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. 13th day of a 41-day meet.
FIRST RACE.
1 Mile T urf. Purse: $46,000. Maiden Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $75,000.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1RightfulRuben Fuentes120Vladimir Cerin15-175,0002River GodKent Desormeaux120Vladimir Cerin3-175,0003Temple SecretFlavien Prat120Neil D. Drysdale4-175,0004Formal DudeAaron Gryder125Philip D'Amato5-275,0005Derby ChampAssael Espinoza125Ruben Gomez15-175,0006Will DancerTiago Pereira120Eddie Truman6-175,0007Springs EternalJoseph Talamo120Richard E. Mandella3-175,0008Third ArmyDiego Sanchez120J. Keith Desormeaux20-175,000SECOND RACE.
1 Mile. Purse: $30,000. 'POST TIME: 1:00 PM'. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $10,000.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1HarrovianEswan Flores125Dennis Givens10-110,0002Clear the MineRuben Fuentes125Steve Knapp5-210,0003Could Be the OneJ.C. Diaz, Jr.118Librado Barocio10-110,0004Sunset SevenMartin Pedroza125David E. Hofmans6-110,0005Bay AreaJorge Velez118Genaro Vallejo2-110,0006Comes the DreamAl onso Quinonez125Mike Puype9-510,000THIRD RACE.
4½ Furlongs. Purse: $65,000. Maiden Special Weight. Fillies. 2 year olds. State bred.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1Roses for LauraEdgar Payeras122Gary Sherlock4-1 2Indias LuteTiago Pereira122Lorenzo Campuzano5-1 3Goveness SheilaGeovanni Franco122Gary Sherlock4-1 4VeganMario Gutierrez122Doug F. O'Neill2-1 5Cheap Cheap CheapMartin Garcia122Doug F. O'Neill5-2 6A Dream Is a WishJoseph Talamo122Val Brinkerhoff8-1FOURTH RACE.
1 Mile Turf. Purse: $43,000. Starter Optional Claiming. Fillies. 3 year olds. Claiming Price $50,000.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1NorwegianRuben Fuentes118Michael W. McCarthy6-150,0002PersephoneFlavien Prat120Peter Eurton2-1 3AnonymouslyGeovanni Franco118Vladimir Cerin5-2 4Seaside DancerMartin Garcia120Doug F. O'Neill7-250,0005Had Enough K PAaron Gryder118Jeff Mullins8-150,0006Super KlausRafael Bejarano118Victor L. Garcia4-1FIFTH RACE.
1 Mile. Purse: $46,000. Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $35,000.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1I Belong to BeckyTiago Pereira118Hector O. Palma20-135,0002Cabin JohnRafael Bejarano125Jerry Hollendorfer3-135,0003Treasure HunterEswan Flores125Hector O. Palma5-235,0004Top of the GameAaron Gryder123Ryan Hanson4-135,0005Arch PrinceAlonso Quinonez123Brian J. Koriner2-135,0006Very Very StellaNorberto Arroyo, Jr.123Jeff Bonde4-135,000SIXTH RACE.
1 Mile Turf. Purse: $67,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $20,000. State bred.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1SmoovieMario Gutierrez125Doug F. O'Neill4-1 2Drop the MicTiago Pereira123Philip D'Amato8-1 3HotitudeMartin Garcia118Kristin Mulhall15-1 4ScathingNorberto Arroyo, Jr.123Michael Pender12-1 5Be Lifted UpFlavien Prat118Jeff Mullins8-1 6SedamarRuben Fuentes120Shelbe Ruis5-1 7Pied N TrueAlonso Quinonez123Matt hew Chew30-1 8LostintranzlationGeovanni Franco125Richard Baltas5-2 9Marjorie ERafael Bejarano125Patrick Gallagher9-2 10Miss VoluptuousDrayden Van Dyke125Patrick Gallagher12-1 11Kennedie SkyJ.C. Diaz, Jr.118Rafael DeLeon20-120,000SEVENTH RACE.
6 Furlongs. Purse: $41,000. Starter Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $25,000.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1ConvinceMario Gutierrez125Peter Eurton3-125,0002Baby IceAssael Espinoza123Steve Knapp8-1 3Be a LadyMartin Pedroza125Neil French8-1 4Uno Trouble MakerTiago Pereira123William Spawr6-5 5Big Red SevenAaron Gryder125Mike Puype2-1EIGHTH RACE.
5 Furlongs Turf. Purse: $67,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. 3 year olds. Claiming Price $80,000.
PPHorseJockeyWtTrainerM-LClaim $1Boa Nova Jorge Velez117Anna Meah8-1 2AllevaRafael Bejarano124Doug F. O'Neill5-1 3CarnivorousMario Gutierrez124Doug F. O'Neill15-180,0004Power Down Joseph Talamo1 24Ronald W. Ellis4-1 5Nice WorkVictor Espinoza122John W. Sadler4-1 6Rickey BJ.C. Diaz, Jr.117John W. Sadler5-180,0007My MandateDrayden Van Dyke124Mark Glatt7-2 8Miss That KatEfrain Hernandez124Brian J. Koriner8-1 9Unbridled's SkyeAaron Gryder124Mike Puype15-1 Also Eligible10Yes I Am FreeFlavien Prat124Steven Miyadi5-280,000The sport of horse racing is super competitive in two main areas.
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1. Take Every Race Factor Into Account Before Selecting a Horse• Rival Stars Horse Racing gives you the opportunity to actively push your horses to victory via races. Once you've made it to the horse selection menu, take note of the track's main factors – distance, track surface, and distance. You'll want to select a horse who's characteristics match up with the track you're about to race on.
• It's pretty easy to pick the right horse for each race since TJ always makes a great recommendation for you. You should also remember the preferred position of your current horse – play to your horse's strengths by placing them in that position so you have a better chance at getting ahead of the pack. And last but not least, don't use up all your "Sprint" energy before the final portion of a race. Use it sparingly, put it into action once your horse hoofs its way into that green lane, and hold down that Sprint button once you make your way to the final straight.
2. Hire Jockey's for Regular Races and Actually Play Out Live Events• If you love the actual racing mechanics behind this game, then you'll probably never tire of playing out each race. But if you're just looking to quickly rack up horse experience, Silver, lumber and more, just pay a jockey to simulate the race for you. "TJ's Pick" tends to have the highest odds of winning – once you choose that recommended horse for a normal race, spend some Silver to hire a jockey. Silver gets replenished pretty quickly just by playing/winning races. So if you want to hold onto your Gold and "Star Jockey Hires" coins for market purchases and tougher races, just choose the Seasoned or Expert jockey option to simulate a race for you.
• Simulating regular races works well if you're just trying to unlock the next race in a specific location – smart jockey hire's should help you finish in the top two for a races more often than not. "Live Events" can't be simulated, so be sure to master your active racing experience for these special races. The Roses you need in order to claim prizes from the Rose Wheel are mainly obtained by placing in a great position during Live Events. Strive hard to complete each Live Events' "Bonus Goals" if you really want to claim a bunch of extra goodies!
3. Carefully Manage Your Upgrades• So there's two main mechanics you can focus on upgrading – your Stables and horses' stats. Upgrading the "Breeding Stall" within your Stables helps increase the rate at which you breed horses, the max grade of each horse, and the chances of acquiring a higher grade horse via breeding. Breeding and Horse Stalls unlock as you complete more "Goals," so focus on completing those missions as quickly as possible.
• If you're desperate to make room for a new horse with awesome stats, go ahead and sell one of your horses. It's best to let a horse go that can only be maxed out at level five (just let that horse win a few races in the top position before you permanently send it out to pasture). And of course, train your horses as much as possible! The experience given to you for using a specific horse helps increase its overall level and allows you to further improve its Speed, Sprint Energy, and Acceleration.
4. Don't Claim Your Homestead Income Until the Payout Meter is Completely Filled• Another aspect of the game that you can pour upgrades material into is your Homestead. Improving your Homestead gives you more space to collect more items. Every few minutes, you can collect some extra Ranch Income (Silver) and possibly a free thank you gift. Don't collect your Homestead payout until the entire meter for it is full. It's best to be patient and wait for it to fill out completely instead of collecting freebies from it every time the ranch income option becomes available.
5. Free Video Ads are Your Best Friend• Time limits are attached to all the upgrade mechanics. As soon as you choose the option to improve upon something, you'll have to wait a few minutes before the current activity wraps up. Watching video ads is the best way to blast through those time limits and get the results you want in mere seconds.
• Once you run out of video ads to watch in order to speed up the wait for these activities, wait a whole day before you play the game again. The video ads viewing option should replenish the next time you log in. Oh and never skip the option to increase your Silver payout via video ads after finishing a race!
See Also
Find out the winners for each race at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Saturday is one of the biggest days in horse racing, as the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
While over 150,000 fans will gather at the track to take in "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports," the day is packed with 14 total races for spectators and bettors to watch. Gates at Churchill Downs open at 8 a.m. ET on Saturday morning, and the first race starts at 10:30 a.m. ET.
This post will be updated with live results for each race at Churchill Downs.
Full list of winners
1. 10:30 a.m.: Kowboy Karma
2. 11:01 a.m.: Thirstforlife
3. 11:31 a.m.: Kneedeepinsnow
4. 12:03 p.m.: Borracho
5. 12:35 p.m.: Hungry Kitten
6. 1:13 p.m.: Mia Mischief
7. 1:55 p.m.: Beau Recall (IRE)
8. 2:45 p.m.: Mitole
9. 3:37 p.m.: Digital Age (IRE)
10. 4:28 p.m.: Mr. Money
11. 5:25 p.m. (Old Forester Turf Classic): Bricks and Mortar
12. 6:50 p.m. (Kentucky Derby): Country House
13. 7:50 p.m.: Limonite
14. 8:20 p.m.: Rotation
2019 Kentucky Derby full finish order:
1. Country House
2. Code of Honor
3. Tacitus
4. Improbable
5. Game Winner
6. Master Fencer
7. War of Will
8. Plus Que Parfait
9. Win Win Win
10. Cutting Humor
11. By My Standards
12. Vekoma
13. Bodexpress
14. Tax
15. Roadster
16. Long Range Toddy
17. Maxiumum Security
18. Spinoff
19. Gray Magician
A controversial disqualification, a long shot being awarded the win and $9 million lost for bettors who thought they had a winning ticket highlighted the 145th Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Country House was given the win, but only after Maximum Security had been disqualified, despite crossing the line first. The latter was judged to have blocked the paths of several horses by changing lanes without clearance.
Reversing the decision proved costly for those who had backed Maximum Security. TwinSpires.com (h/t ESPN.com's David Purdum) detailed how $9 million would have been paid out to those bettors who lumped on "to win, place or show."
Naturally, the altered finish led to some intense reactions from those in attendance:
Finishing Order
Horse, Jockey, Trainer and Payouts
1 (DQ) Maximum Security: Luis Saez, Jason Servis
2. Country House: Flavien Prat, William I. Mott ($1.86 million)
3. Code of Honor: John R. Velazquez, Claude R. McGaughey III ($600,000)
4. Tacitus: Julian Pimentel, Michael J. Trombetta
11. Cutting Humor: Mike E. Smith; Todd A. Pletcher
12. By My Standards: Gabriel Saez, W. Bret Calhoun
13. Vekoma: Javier Castellano, George Weaver
14. Bodexpress: Chris Landeros, Gustavo Delgado
15. Tax: Junior Alvarado, Danny Gargan
16. Roadster: Florent Geroux, Bob Baffert
17. Long Range Toddy: Jon Kenton Court, Steven M. Asmussen
18. Spinoff: Manuel Franco, Todd A. Pletcher
19. Gray Magician: Drayden Van Dyke, Peter Miller
Kentucky Derby Betting Payouts (Win, Place, Show)
It's hardly a surprise the reaction of Country House's team has been tinted with as much contrition as euphoria. Trainer Bill Mott told Chuck Culpepper of the Washington Post how he's uncomfortable with describing his feelings about the events at Churchill Downs:
"I feel terrible that I have to apologize for winning. I really feel terrible for the connections, for the owners. I hate to sit there and apologize and, you know, saying something as foolish as, 'I'm sorry I won,' because I don't want to give (the owners) the impression that I'm unhappy with winning."
The sentiment was echoed by jockey Flavien Prat. He referenced the controversial finish and admitted he "did actually claim foul," per Mark Story of the Lexington Herald Leader. Prat noted how the horses between the two leaders had their races disrupted by Maximum Security's actions.
It makes sense for Mott and Prat to show defiance about the result, since the stewards taking action earned a first Derby win for both. Almost as rare was the win for a Bay Colt on the fringes of the odds prior to the race.
In fact, it's been over a century since outsider this big was deemed victorious:
Naturally, not everybody felt making history was worthy of overshadowing the ample controversy:
Predictably, chief among the naysayers was Maximum Security trainer Jason Servis. He and owner Gary West were quickly planning a response aimed at changing the amended outcome:
Servis was denied what looked like his maiden win at the second attempt in the Run for the Roses. Even so, the 60-year-old was calm after the dramatic events had unfolded, telling reporters: "It hasn't hit me yet, but it will," per AFP (h/t Yahoo Sports).
None of it should have surprised Bob Baffert, who has seen it all at Churchill Downs after five previous wins. The Hall of Fame trainer had three horses entered, but none of Roadster, Game Winner nor Improbable came close to giving him a sixth victory.
Bafftert was philosophical, even though he told Jon Hale of the Louisville Courier-Journal "I knew the first quarter of a mile, I was toast."
Baffert's colts and jockeys may have let him down, but it will be difficult to rue their misfortune after this race took some turns few could have predicted.
We live in the age of rules. Sports fans understand way too much about the minutiae of the games that were once enjoyed on their own merits without obsessive checking and re-checking of every critical play, all made possible by the omnipresence of extremely powerful cameras that seem to cover every square inch of action. Was it a catch? Block or charge? Did the leg beat the tag? Did Tiger drop in the correct place, or was the eagle-eyed dude watching at home right when he actually phoned CBS?
Like everything that technology has wrought in this world, it's both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it definitely results in more correct calls being made, so on balance you can argue that the games are "fairer." On the other, replays take forever, they absolutely kill end-of-game drama, and they shift focus from the skill of the athletes to the byzantine language and bylaws and corollaries of some dense rule book that nobody except an official should ever spend one minute of their precious lives considering.
And now the scourge of video replay has hit horse racing. For the first time in Kentucky Derby history—a history that encompasses 145 races—the winner was disqualified. It had something to do with the way the fastest horse Maximum Security (terrible name) went wide in his lane and forced another horse to check up, or "steady."
Mike Tirico can explain it better than I can. Start at the 2:56 mark for the thrilling video rules replay content:
Now, look, I have no idea if this is a good call. I can see how forcing one horse to slow down screws up his ability to maintain speed and costs him a chance at the race, but from the naked eye, these races are so crowded by the pole that it's impossible to understand how that doesn't happen all the damn time. I think it's magical that horses aren't falling over and killing jockeys on a regular basis. But people who know way more about horse racing than I do say it was the closest thing to justice (note: One of the stewards who made the call is named Tyler Picklesimer, and I thought you should know that), with one caveat: The horse that finished second and ended up winning by disqualification, Country House, was not affected by the foul. That's the weird thing here: Maximum Security broke a rule, but the victims still get screwed, because you can't declare an artificial winner based on how you think a horse might have finished. So in the end, the violator gets punished, but the re ward goes to some horse who had nothing to do with anything.
It's just the latest evidence that even in horse racing, rules are terrible and should be abolished in favor of total chaos. Everything should be Calvinball.
The Embarrassing Shot By a Really Good Player of the Week: Steph Curry, Amateur Dunker
One of the funniest things about the NBA is that there are Steph Curry truthers who still seem to believe (with probably 50% irony) that he can't dunk . . . even though there are many, many clips of him dunking.
However, he's not very good at it, and he doesn't do it very often.And we saw on Saturday night that there are times when Curry would be better off laying it in. Here he is on a fast break, down five in overtime against Houston, with 23 seconds left:
That's some rare humiliation for one of the coolest athletes in the world, and as Deadspin noted, his entire team just straight up conceded after the miss, even though there were 20 seconds left and crazier things have happened. There are some things you just don't come back from.
Bad Local Sports Person of the Week: Me, the Carolina Hurricanes Ignorer
The NHL playoffs are so fascinating because they depend so much on who gets hot. The best team in the league only wins the title about 33% of the time (this year's Presidents' Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning, got swept in the first round by the Blue Jackets, who were the last team to make the playoffs), and while it's still hard for a very low seed to win, the L.A. Kings managed it as the eight-seed in 2012—the only team in the NHL or NBA to ever do so. The format is wonky now, without eight true seeds, but the Carolina Hurricanes would have been the seventh seed in the east under the old system. After taking out the Capitals in the first round, they swept the Islanders to make the Eastern Conference Finals. Here in the Triangle of North Carolina, Twitter is blowing up about the Canes.
That said, here are some facts about me and the Carolina Hurricanes:
1. It would take me like 20 minutes to get to their stadium.
2. I have never been.
3. I can quite literally not name a single player on the team, even though I wrote a feature on the franchise just four years ago.
4. I haven't watched a single minute of any playoff series, including the (apparently) exciting Game 7 playoff win against Washington.
I wrote a couple weeks ago about my issues with hockey (I used to be a big fan, now I'm clueless), but even for a non-hockey guy, this is inexcusable. I am supposed to be a sports fan. And today, on the verge of the Eastern Conference Finals, I vow this: If a free ticket drops out of the sky and lands on my porch, along with a free parking pass and some beer vouchers, I will try to go to a game.
And I'll even learn a player's name RIGHT NOW: Brock McGinn! Here he is scoring the series-winning goal against the Caps:
The Game Highlights You Can Watch 1,000 Times and Still Be Amazed of the Week: Blazers-Nuggets
Four overtimes! That's a lot! The highlights package NBC Sports Southwest put together below is just endlessly entertaining, especially the quotes from both coaches, but if you want something longer and more comprehensive—which you definitely do—check out this video, in which the end of the fourth quarter comes at the four-minute mark...in a video that is ten minutes long.
Thoroughbreds provide many reasons to marvel.
The fastest can top 40 mph. Their speed-producing features â€" extraordinary concentration of muscle, body and lungs forming a natural bellows, oversized hearts circulating ten gallons of blood â€" inspire comparison to locomotives.
Yet the 1,100-pound animals, taking 20-foot-plus strides, gallop on ankles which have been likened to glass.
Suddenly, the entire sport of thoroughbred racing stands on fragile legs.
The crisis reared up at famed Santa Anita Park in California, where 23 horses broke down and had to be killed during a recent 14-week period.
It put a national spotlight on a hard reality the public normally doesn’t think about: horses commonly break down during racing or training and are put to death.
Race horses die of broken legs: Why?
The goal is to end the suffering, but a central Pa. horse vet argues it happens too often.
In Pennsylvania, 87 horses died at the state’s three thoroughbred racing venues last year, a rate of about 1.5 a week.
Forty-five of the deaths were at Penn National near Harrisburg; 34 at Parx near Philadelphia and eight at Presque Isle Downs in Erie. The figures, from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, include horses which died of racing and training injuries or other causes while at the track.
The good news is those numbers are far lower than they were less than less than a decade ago, when 187 horses died in one year at Pennsylvania thoroughbred tracks. While the decline is partly the result of fewer races, the death rate also has dropped.
The Patriot News
File photo shows horses coming down the home stretch at Penn National near Harrisburg, Pa. James Robinson, PennLive.com The Patriot News
But the Santa Anita spike is well outside the norm, and came at a particularly bad time â€" the leadup to this weekend’s Kentucky Derby. That's the horse racing equivalent of the Final Four, something the industry depends upon to attract casual fans and help keep the sport alive.
The Santa Anita deaths have shocked the track’s owners and people everywhere with a stake in the sport. They give new ammunition to activists who believe horse racing is cruel and should be outlawed.
As breakdowns mounted, Santa Anita shut down twice as a national expert probed and studied the dirt surface. Nothing seemed wrong. Deaths continued, although not since early April. The cause or causes remain a mystery.
But many say the root causes have long been obvious and rampant across horse racing: Drugs to make horses run faster and mask injuries. Whipping them down the stretch. Decades of breeding that have yielded maximum muscle and power, but relatively light bones. A decline in thoroughbred births, forcing horses to race more often.
Now powerful voices, including the owners of Santa Anita, are backing major change.
“We are taking a step forward and saying, quite emphatically, that the current system is broken,†said Belinda Stronach of the The Stronach Group, which also owns Pimlico in Baltimore.
The influential Jockey Club, a 125-year-old organization that works to improve racing and thoroughbred breeding, issued a damning white paper warning the sport must rid itself of drugs or face a public and political backlash that could kill it.
“This isn’t about a single track â€" horse fatalities are a nationwide problem, one that has shocked fans, the industry, the regulators, and the general public,†the Jockey Club wrote.
The Patriot News
File photo shows spread of racing forms used by spectators at Penn National on Kentucky Derby day in 2016. James Robinson, PennLive.com The Patriot News
Unlike the NFL or NBA, thoroughbred racing has no overall governing body. It’s regulated independently by each of the 38 states where the sport is legal. In Pennsylvania it’s governed by a racing commission within the agriculture department.
That’s a problem, according to the Jockey Club. It means, the organization says, “we lag behind cheaters and abusers and by the time we have caught up they move on to the next designer substance.â€
Unlike most sports, horse racing hasn’t changed much from its primitive days. Now it must change, say some major players, or face extinction. In Pennsylvania, the latter would mean a loss of 7,400 direct jobs and thousands of other related jobs, according to the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Association.
Interest in horse racing has already dropped dramatically since the early 1960s, when it could credibly claim to be America’s most popular spectator sport. Today, it ranks among sports such as men’s tennis and women’s professional basketball.
The decline is attributed to various forces, including widespread legalization of casinos, online gambling and greater concern for well-being of animals. There are also fewer tracks, sometimes because the land became more valuable for other uses.
Ray Paulick, who has written about horse racing for 40 years, says “I’ve never seen the sport in such peril as it is today.â€
Pennsylvania says it tightened the rulesA few years ago, Pennsylvania faced its own horse racing crisis, centered at Penn National in Grantville. It involved FBI and local investigations and witnesses who said rampant cheating stretched back decades. Much of it involved illegal drugging of horses.
“Almost everybody did,†trainer Stephanie Beattie testified in federal court in 2017. She was Penn National’s top trainer in 2009, with 222 wins and $3.4 million in earnings. “Ninety-five to 98%. It was a known practice. We wanted to win and they weren’t testing for those drugs at that time.â€
Penn National, while pointing out most of the cheating was done by people it didn’t employ or control, promised to do everything it could to stop it.
Pennsylvania also vowed to clean up the sport.
In 2016, legislators passed a law intended to give the Pennsylvania Racing Commission greater ability to catch and punish people who illegally drug horses or otherwise cheat.
So how is Pennsylvania doing?
Kate Papp is a Dauphin County-based horse veterinarian and a national voice on safe treatment of horses. She and her husband, a trainer, race thoroughbreds at Penn National. She cares for their horses and some owned by others at Penn National.
Not long ago, Papp says, she considered Pennsylvania the worst in the nation at protecting horses and catching what she calls “juice trainers†who illegally drug horses.
With its new regulations, it has “improved about 25 percent,†she said.
“I don’t think we’re doing well at all,†she says. “We’re not doing a good enough job of weeding out the horses that shouldn’t be allowed to race.â€
PENNLIVE.COM
Registered race horse, Swindler, gets x-rays by veterinarian Kate Papp. The horse was sent to Papp by a horse rescue for diagnosis. Most of the thoroughbreds recover from injury and prepare for their next phase of life after racing after spending time at her non-profit, PA Racehorse Rehoming, Rehabilitation & Rescue, at Hillcrest Meadow Farm in W. Hanover Township. April 18, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Papp expresses sympathy for the state racing commission, saying it faces a daunting task in catching cheaters. Pennsylvania has a state-of-the-art testing lab based at the University of Pennsylvania. It has new authority to conduct off-site, “out of competition testing.†Still, cheaters use “designer drugs†to beat the system, Papp says.
At her farm a few miles from Penn National, she reaches into a tote bag and pulls out stacks of race horse death reports obtained from the racing commission through right-to-know requests. She points to columns showing test results for dozens of drugs. But cheaters have access to far more drugs than the commission can test for at any given time, she said.
Papp further believes cheaters receive tips about what the lab will test for, enabling them to beat the tests. Her husband, trainer Monti N. Sims, says cheating trainers also “stack†legal drugs to get some of the effects of illegal drugs.
To truly clean up the sport, Papp says, Pennsylvania needs stiffer penalties for cheaters, with fines and suspensions extending to owners and horses. “You have to hurt their livelihoods,†she says.
As it stands, much of the evidence against cheaters amounts to what is seen and heard by fellow trainers and veterinarians, according to Papp. They are reluctant to testify. To overcome that, she says, cameras must be installed.
Another serious problem in Pennsylvania, according to Papp and Sims, stems from the approximately $240 million per year of casino money that flows into horse racing to bolster the industry. Much of the money has gone toward larger purses for claiming races â€" low level races where each horse is for sale for a “claim price,†sometimes well under $10,000.
When available purses are substantially higher than claim prices, critics say it creates an incentive for uncaring owners to buy cheap, possibly ailing horses, and run them hard for quick profit. The solution, Sims believes, is a rule that limits the gap between the claims price and the available purse.
Paulick is the publisher of The Paulick Report, which is based in Kentucky and has a national scope and a mission of “shining light†on the industry. Asked how Pennsylvania is doing, he says: “It’s hard to really gauge, because the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission is not very responsive to media inquiries … It’s hard to know what their policies are and what policies they have changed.â€
Concern over transparency isn’t new to the racing commission, which was revamped in 2016 to enable it to better police the sport. Around that time, lawmakers sanctioned a report which took a top-to-bottom look at Pennsylvania’s horse racing industry. The report concluded public reporting of penalties for doping and mistreatment of horses “could strengthen the public’s trust in the industry’s ability to care for these animals.â€
In 2016, Pennsylvania doubled the maximum fine to $10,000.
“We believe the increased fines, restructured commission staff, and increased checks and balances in our administrative and lab processes have been an effective deterrent for those who seek to skirt the law,†commission spokeswoman Shannon Powers said.
The racing commission drug tests the winner and a randomly selected finisher for each race. It also tests each horse that has a fatal breakdown or otherwise dies at Pennsylvania tracks.
The 2016 reforms further gave the commission authority to conduct unannounced “out-of-competition†tests at off-track locations. In 2017, the commission conducted 374 out-of-competition tests but found no violations, according to Powers. In 2018, it conducted 418 tests, with two violations.
Horses being worked out at Penn National. Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com
Powers says the commission is still staffing up for its expanded enforcement role. A new search feature will give the public more information regarding drug-related and other penalties. But due to a staff shortage, the feature isn’t up to date, according to Powers.
“Improvements are underway which will make information about penalties much more readily available,†she says.
Central Pa. tracks address deathsPenn National near Harrisburg is one of the only tracks in the United States that races year-round. That means horses are kept there, and trained there, year-round, creating maximum opportunities for horses to break down.
Christopher McErlean, Penn National’s vice president of racing, says the track’s 2018 fatality rate of 1.84 deaths per 1,000 starts reflects many things being done well. It’s better than the national rate of 1.86 deaths per 1,000 starts on dirt tracks. And with three racing-related deaths as of April 27 of this year, Penn National is on pace for its safest year -- knock on wood -- since 2001, he says.
“I think we have a good program in place. We are constantly trying to improve, learn,†he says.
Penn National can’t claim all the credit. As McErlean explains, horses at Penn National are largely under the control of others: owners, trainers, veterinarians. Penn National provides the “stage.†Its main responsibility is to provide a safe track surface.
However, Penn National, which owns five thoroughbred tracks, was one of the first to voluntarily report deaths to the Jockey Club, according to McErlean. It also was a pioneer in conducting in-house reviews of horse deaths. In a program now considered a “best practice†in the industry, Penn National’s director of racing and track veterinarian conducts mandatory reviews involving the trainer of each horse that dies, he says.
McErlean says “the vast, vast, vast†majority of horse-racing professionals at Penn National are competent and well-intentioned. Still, while they are licensed, some trainers aren’t as skilled as others. A lesser-skilled trainer or other horse professional can jeopardize the health of a horse, increasing the risk of a death. The death, however, tends to get blamed on the track.
Nor can Penn National necessarily ban someone whose practices it disagrees with. That was highlighted in its failed effort to eject Eduardo Rojas. His wife, Murray Rojas, is a former top trainer at Penn National who was convicted of illegally drugging horses. She transferred horses to her husband.
Penn National saw it as continuation of a troubled operation and permanently evicted Eduardo Rojas. He appealed to the state racing commission, which reduced it to three years. Rojas appealed to Commonwealth Court, which ruled his rights were violated.
“Our race tracks and company have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees defending our positions on not allowing unscrupulous individuals to race at our facilities, but frustratingly, we have not always been successful in that regard,†McErlean says.
He also points out testing for drugs and punishments for violators are the responsibility of the racing commission and its counterparts in other states. As it stands, Penn National would welcome greater “uniformity†regarding allowed drugs, testing and penalties, including “more extensive and aggressive out-of-competition testing,†McErlean said.
Still, Penn National has declined to support a bill before Congress, the Horseracing Integrity Act, that would create a private, independent organization to set and enforce national drug standards, similar to the Olympic anti-doping program.
Organizations that include the Jockey Club and the Santa Anita owners have come out in support of the bill, saying it’s needed to save the sport.
Penn National, however, has concerns about the financial sustainability of the organization and about federal involvement, McErlean says.
Marty Irby, the executive director of Animal Wellness Action, argues the bill could correct many of the ills that caused the scandal at Penn National.
He says Penn National is among the “few major tracks†which haven’t backed the bill. Penn National’s silence, Irby says, “has had a chilling effect on Pennsylvania lawmakers signing on to this important pro-animal, pro-horse racing legislation.â€
Fewer deaths, less racingThoroughbred racing, in terms of fatal breakdowns, has become safer over the past decade.
In the United States, there were 493 fatal breakdowns in 2018, according to the Jockey Club. Those figures take into account only deaths resulting from a race, not those related to training.
In tracking safety, the Jockey Club calculates the number of fatal breakdowns per 1,000 racing starts. In 2018, there were 1.68 fatal breakdowns per 1,000 starts in the United States. That’s down from 790 deaths in 2009, a rate of 2 fatal breakdowns per 1,000 starts.
In Pennsylvania, 38 of the 87 fatal breakdowns last year involved races, which equates to 1.40 deaths per 1,000 starts â€" better than the national average. The rates were 1.84 at Penn National, 1.49 at Parx and 0.51 at Presque Isle.
Presque Isle, however, can’t be directly compared to the other two tracks. It has a synthetic surface, which is considered safer than the more common dirt and turf tracks. Presque Isle also has considerably fewer races than Penn National and Parx. Still, its fatality rate is well under the national average for synthetic tracks of 1.23 per thousand starts.
A decade or so ago, there was a push toward synthetic tracks. Many tracks switched. But some eventually concluded they are prone to problems such as chemicals leaching into the soil below and causing instability, and maintenance problems in certain climates. Some tracks switched back, and they are no longer widely considered a key to preventing breakdowns.
At critical moment, a drug dividesMuch of the cheating involves “race day drugs†given to horses to enable an injured horse to race or otherwise aid performance. In general, horses can’t be given drugs within 24 hours of a race.
But there is a controversial exception: Lasix.
Lasix is a diuretic which causes fluid loss. It’s used to prevent lung bleeding that thoroughbreds often experience while sprinting.
Horse trainers and veterinarians are strongly in favor of Lasix. They argue that, in preventing the bleeding and resulting damage, it’s good for horses.
However, by making horses lighter, Lasix enables them to run faster. Some also believe that, by diluting the urine, it makes it harder to detect illegal levels of other drugs.
HAR
File photo shows horses making their way along the outside of the track at Penn National. James Robinson, PennLive.com HAR
As the Santa Anita death toll mounted, the owner announced it was backing an array of reforms, including a ban on Lasix. The Jockey Club also argued vigorously for a ban, noting race-day Lasix is rarely used outside the United States, where rates of catastrophic breakdowns are lower.
Organizations representing trainers, veterinarians and owners are objecting. It threatens to divide the industry on a subject many see as essential to erasing a public perception of a drug-riddled sport.
Two weeks ago, a national coalition of tracks and associations approved a ban on Lasix. Supporters include Churchill Downs, which hosts the Kentucky Derby. The ban will be phased in, beginning in 2020, when two-year-olds will race without Lasix. By the 2021, the three-year-olds in the Kentucky Derby and the other Triple Crown races will run without Lasix.
But it remains to be seen if the Lasix ban will filter down to lower level tracks, including Pennsylvania’s three thoroughbred venues. The coalition behind the ban consists of tracks which hold races involving the top horses. Such races comprise only a tiny fraction of races held in Pennsylvania, so the ban wouldn’t automatically apply to them.
A Lasix ban in Pennsylvania would require acceptance from assorted stakeholders.
The Pennsylvania Equine Coalition, representing owners, trainers and breeders, doesn’t believe it’s warranted.
“No correlation has been shown between the use of Lasix and the breakdowns at Santa Anita, so a ban in Pennsylvania based on the pretense of safety â€" a view not shared at this point by veterinary groups â€" would appear premature. We believe that policies related to the administration of Lasix should be based on what credible medical experts and national veterinary organizations say is best for the health of the horse,†spokesman Pete Peterson says.
Supporters of the ban warn that the average American associates horse racing with drugs and horse deaths. Unless the sport goes drug-free, including Lasix, public opinion will continue to swing against it, they contend.
“It just seems to me that if a horse requires a drug to race, you have to wonder should that horse be racing,†says Paulick, the veteran racing writer. “It’s disappointing to me that the rest of the world can do something we can’t do, and that is to race completely drug-free.â€
Proof it can be donePapp’s husband, Monti N. Sims, always uses his middle initial or middle name, Neal. It distinguishes him from his father and grandfather, each named Monti and each a horse trainer.
On recent day, power lines buzz above their farm in the countryside between Harrisburg and Penn National, where he spends part of every day training horses. Now, he hauls feed and otherwise tends their barn and stables. He works amid a menagerie of animals, most of them rescued from abuse or neglect: Tied up pit bulls. A horned steer Papp bought as a calf, on impulse, while shopping for vegetables. A goat with a paralyzed face that causes its tongue to hang out. Another goat which Sims steers into a pen, saying it “can be a handful.â€
About a dozen thoroughbreds loll in the pasture, most of them former racers being readied for a second life. An older horse ambles up to Papp. The horse was given to her as a two-year-old. He made noise during heavy breathing, indicating an obstruction. Papp spent thousands on surgery, hoping the horse could race. But it suffered medical complications and became incontinent. The constantly dripping urine has a corrosive effect on a hind leg. Still, Papp says the horse is capable of enjoying life, although she has little hope of placing him.
“If that’s his biggest problem in life, we're fine to manage him. But we wouldn’t ask anyone else,†she says.
PENNLIVE.COM
Kate Papp, left, and Mindy Githens, work with a race horse at Papp's barn near Penn National Race Course on April 18, 2019. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
On this day, she sits on an overturned bucket and uses a portable x-ray machine to examine the leg of a horse. Papp says she routinely performs x-rays, not only to evaluate known injuries but to look for the beginnings of injuries.
Papp and others say catastrophic injuries that end in euthanization often result from accumulated smaller injuries masked with drugs and not given time to heal.
She says she won’t use drugs to mask an injury or for any purpose other the therapeutic benefit of the horse. Sometimes the only fix is time away from training and racing. All too often, she contends, trainers use drugs to get horses to the starting gate.
Yet even Papp uses Lasix, despite believing most horses lack a medical diagnosis to justify it. Lasix is responsible for about a length-and-a-half in performance, she says. She doesn’t use it in a horse’s first races. But eventually they would risk losing the horse in a claiming race to someone who would undoubtedly give it Lasix. So she uses it.
However, Papp and Sims boast that in seven years of racing, including 100 or more starts per year, they have never put down a horse.
“We want to prove it can be done,†he says.
