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Updated: 11 hours 12 min ago

Rattle N Roll Punches Ticket To Saudi Cup With Towering King’s Cup Score

Sat, 2025-01-25 12:09

The Ken McPeek-trained Rattle N Roll (Connect) had just one horse beaten for the opening six furlongs of Saturday's $400,000 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup (King's Cup), a race carrying international Group 3 status for the first time and earning the winner a guaranteed spot in the field for the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup four weeks down the road.

Quietly ridden by Joel Rosario, who had earlier won the Riyadh Dirt Sprint qualifier for Jimmy Jerkens aboard Ancestral Land (GB) (Sioux Nation), Rattle N Roll was felt for about three furlongs out as the now Saudi-owned and Doug O'Neill-conditioned E J Won the Cup (Omaha Beach) blazed a trail up front beneath Mike Smith. Finding his best stride in upper stretch, Rattle N Roll was steered back down towards the inside by Rosario and slalomed his way home to a highly impressive 4 3/4-length victory accomplished largely against the track profile.

Wait To Excel (GB) (Postponed {Ire}) and Wootton'sun (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) rounded out an excellent afternoon for Prince Faisal's Red Stable in second and third. In addition to the aforementioned Ancestral Land, Prince Faisal's colours were also borne upon Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), who ran her record to three-from-three in the '1000 Guineas', a 1600-metre conditions test that could lead to a start in the G3 Saudi Derby. The Derby qualifier itself was taken out by Mhally (GB) (Sergei Prokofiev).

On Friday, Malyan (GB) (Twilight Son {GB}) took out the Turf Sprint Qualifier, while Bolide Porto (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) won the Listed Prince Khalid Abdullah Cup, the course-and-distance prep for next month's G2 Neom Turf Cup.

Rattle N Roll, last-out winner of the GII Clark Stakes in November and a Grade I winner at two, is campaigned by Lucky Seven Stables but carried the silks of Saudi businessman Sharaf Mohamad Alhairi, the same gentleman who leased Senor Buscador (Mineshaft) prior to his victory in last year's Saudi Cup.

A half-sister to the stakes-winning Rap Tale (Tale of the Cat), Jazz Tune is also responsible for the 3-year-old colt Map of Donegal (Liam's Map), placed once from three career starts; a 2-year-old colt by Quality Road and a yearling filly by Epicenter who was bought back on a bid of $95,000 at the recently concluded Keeneland January Sale. The mare is due to Epicenter once again for her 2025 foal.

Saturday, King Abdulaziz (Riyadh), Saudi Arabia
CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES CUP (King's Cup) (KSA-G1) (Saudi Cup 2025 Qualifier)-G3, SAR1,500,000 (£323,850/$399,900), King Abdulaziz, 1-25, 4yo/up, 1800m, 1:52.95, ft.
1–RATTLE N ROLL, 128, h, 6, by Connect
1st Dam: Jazz Tune, by Johannesburg
2nd Dam: Rap and Dance, by Pleasant Tap
3rd Dam: Dance Review, by Northern Dancer
($55,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $210,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Lucky Seven Stable & Sharaf Mohamed Alhairi; B-St Simon Place (KY); T-Ken McPeek; J-Joel Rosario; SAR750,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-US, 24-10-2-3, $.2,341,591 Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Wait To Excel (GB), 128, h, 6, Postponed (Ire)–Al Baidaa (GB), by Exceed and Excel (Aus). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. (35,000gns HRA '23 TATAUT). O-Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin A/Aziz; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited; T-T Aldaihani; J-N Almudaini; SAR300,000.
3–Wootton'sun (Fr), 128, g, 6, Wootton Bassett (GB)– Sous Le Soleil, by Tizway. 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. (€75,000 Wlg '19 ARQDEC; 100,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT; €80,000 HRA '22 ARQAUG; 170,000gns HRA '23 TATAUT). O-Prince Faisal Bin Khaled Bin A/Aziz; B-H Viallon; T-A M Al Kahtani; J-A Alsarhani; SAR225,000.
Margins: 4 3/4, NK, 1 1/4.
Also Ran: Mr Trinket (Ire), Almaan, E J Won the Cup, Almobeer (KSA), Final Destination (GB), Waqtuk, Carmel Road, Carracci, Jack Red Cloud (Ire), Akfeek, Scotland Yard, Uncle (GB), Ajwadi (GB), Badr, Off The Map, Power In Numbers, Raaed (Ire). Scratched: Defunded, Haqeet, Alia, Royal Mews (Fr).

 

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Services Set for Bassett

Sat, 2025-01-25 10:05

Services have been set for James E. “Ted” Bassett, who passed away Thursday at the age of 103.

Visitation will be held Monday, January 27, from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Keeneland Clubhouse, 4201 Versailles Road Lexington, KY.

Services are scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, at 11 a.m. at the Central Christian Church, 205 E. Short St. in Lexington.

Bassett will be laid to rest privately at the Lexington Cemetery.

The post Services Set for Bassett appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Game Winner’s Maysam Puts In ‘Rising Star’ Debut At Santa Anita

Fri, 2025-01-24 19:24

With the scratch of her stablemate Brilliantly from the race, Maysam (Game Winner) carried the load for the Bob Baffert alone Friday and clearly needed no additional help, cruising to an open-lengths win to become the first 'TDN Rising Star' for her young sire.

Bet down to 1-2 facing five rivals, the $500,000 OBS March grad was initially outrun from her rail draw but content to sit back behind the speedier Frog (Frosted) to her outside. Still a comfy second as the field swung into the far turn, Maysam was ready to move and tipped outside of the pacesetter, drawing alongside with ease past the half in :45.15, turning for home already clearly in front and opening up on the field inside the final furlong to lead in Surf Song (Maclean's Music) by six lengths. It was a further 13 lengths back to Mad Pursuit (Upstart) in third.

Trainer Bob Baffert has had his hands all over this family, training not only Maysam's sire to an Eclipse Award as a champion juvenile but also broodmare sire American Pharoah to a Horse of the Year, Triple Crown-winning 3-year-old season. Notably, American Pharoah was also the broodmare sire of Supa Speed (Justify) who won an allowance race just one race earlier. Maysam is the first foal out of $575,000 OBS April purchase Sefani who has since produced a 2-year-old Silver State filly purchased by Hoolie Racing/Blue Mist for $100,000 at KEESEP last year and a 2024 Epicenter filly. Game Winner was a top-10 freshman sire by earnings last year with 12 winners in his debut crop led by GISW Gaming who is entered in Saturday's GIII Southwest Stakes.

 

On debut #1 MAYSAM ($3) by Game Winner (@LanesEndFarms) was impressive easily winning race 8 at Santa Anita. @MaldonadoJockey
was in the irons for Bob Baffert.

Watch more on @FanDuelTV. pic.twitter.com/3a3b7lwMCF

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 25, 2025

8th-Santa Anita, $60,500, Msw, 1-24, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f, 1:17.88, ft, 6 lengths.
MAYSAM, f, 3, Game Winner
                1st Dam: Sefani, by American Pharoah
                2nd Dam: Seacrettina, by Sea of Secrets
                3rd Dam: Sha Hearah, by Dehere
Sales History: $140,000 Ylg '23 FTKJUL; $500,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-Seclusive Farm LLC, Chester Prince & Anne Prince (KY); T-Bob Baffert.

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Racing Industry Pays Tribute to Ted Bassett

Fri, 2025-01-24 19:01

With the news of the passing of industry titan James E. “Ted” Bassett III, tributes from the Thoroughbred industry recount the enormous impact Bassett had in shaping the sport for generations to come.

Elected president of the Breeders' Cup four years after the inaugural running in 1984, Bassett spearheaded the organization's growth and making the World Championships into the global affair it's known as, today.

“Mr. Bassett served the Breeders' Cup, Keeneland, and a multitude of Thoroughbred racing industry organizations with magnificent honor and distinction, and his legacy will continue to make an impact for generations to come,” said Drew Fleming, president and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. “Our thoughts are with the many people whose lives he touched as we honor his memory.”

Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, had similarly high praise.

“Unequaled. Magnanimous. Marine,” said Morris. “These words are the very definition of Ted Bassett, his service to the United States, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and its world-class Thoroughbred industry. His leadership of Keeneland was transformational. Our deepest condolences to his family.”

Terence Collier, too, fondly remembers his first meeting with Bassett as a junior member of the Stud and Stable publication and recounts the kindness, as well as wisdom, offered to his son.

“I was privileged to meet Ted Bassett at Keeneland more than 50 years ago, when I was a very junior member of the staff of the international racing and breeding magazine Stud and Stable.”

“Despite the fact that I went on to work for Fasig-Tipton at about the same time, our friendship never faltered. As was the civilized and generous manner he extended to almost everybody he met, there will be nobody in the Thoroughbred industry who will not be mourning his passing. My son Julian, was, like “Mr” Bassett, an alumnus of Kent School and had long wanted to meet the fabled head of Keeneland, whom I had often praised.”

“Fairly late one evening of the 1992 or 1993 Keeneland September Sales, Julian and I were in the pavilion and Ted was summing up the day's session with the press corps, which, in those days, was a much larger and august group. Ed Bowen and I think Ray Paulick, of the Blood-Horse, Mark Simon and John Sparkman of the Thoroughbred Record, plus a full crew of assistants, were compiling their reports for their next editions.”

“During a pause in the activity, I introduced Julian to Ted and told him of their common link to Kent School. He hushed the press-box and presented a somewhat shy and astonished Julian to the group and then asked Julian to join him in singing the old Kent school song. Ted's notes rang out loud and true, Julian offering an embarrassed accompaniment.”

“When I passed the sad news to Julian today, he vividly remembered the kindness and advice Mr. Bassett offered him…'Forget about the horse business, get yourself a job in the Disney Corporation. You'll make a lot more money!'”

“Ted, we all loved you and will miss you terribly.”

The post Racing Industry Pays Tribute to Ted Bassett appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Fluffy Socks Retired Due to Injury, Scratched from Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf

Fri, 2025-01-24 18:26

As first reported by the DRF's David Grening, MGSW & MGISP Fluffy Socks (Slumber {GB}), one of the likely favorites for the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Saturday at Gulfstream Park, has been retired due to injury.

Speaking to the DRF, owner Sol Kumin said Chad Brown informed him Thursday that Fluffy Socks was off in her left hind leg, and that X-rays showed a faint line which could lead to a condylar fracture. The decision was made to retire her, and she will be a scratch out of Saturday's contest.

Kumin also added that she will ship to Dell Ridge Farm to await a stallion selection for her.

“I'm bummed, but she did us right,” he told the DRF.

The DRF report included that also expected to scratch are GSW Ocean Club (Curlin) and SW, SW & GSP-Fr See You Around (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), leaving a field of 11.

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First Foal for Grade I Winner Doppelganger is a Filly

Fri, 2025-01-24 18:03

Grade I winner 'TDN Rising Star' Doppelganger (Into Mischief) was represented by his first foal, a filly out of Saucy Dame (Distorted Humor), at David Perrine's Perrine Time Thoroughbreds Friday morning, announced Pleasant Acres Stallions via a press release.

The filly was born 9:30 a.m. and is reportedly healthy and strong. Described as 'blessed with exceptional bloodlines' by Christine Jones, the director of stallion services, the foal is out of a winning half-sister to MSW & GSP Stormy West (Gone West) and GSW Buffum (Bernardini). Another of the dam's half-sisters, GSP Renaissance Lady (A. P. Indy), is responsible for GSW Oxy Lady (Oxbow) as well as MSP Elusive Schemes (Elusive Quality).

The second dam is the venerable Stick to Beauty (Illustrious), responsible for the likes of champion sprinter MGSW Gold Beauty and MGISW Maplejinsky (Nijinsky II)–in turn the dam of champion older mare and Filly Triple Crown victress MGISW Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom {Fr}) and the granddam of MGISW Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat) as well as GI Breeders' Cup Distaff heroine Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold). The female line is active on both hemispheres and in several countries.

Doppelganger won the GI Carter Handicap in 2023 and was multiple graded-placed as a sophomore in 2022 as well. He stands at Pleasant Aces Stallions for $10,000 in 2025.

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FTHA Statement on South Florida Racing

Fri, 2025-01-24 17:31

Edited Press Release

The board of the Florida Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association met to discuss the recent statements made by Keith Brackpool on behalf of the Stronach Group, 1/ST Racing, and Gulfstream Park. According to the press release sent Friday, all discussions with Gulfstream to date had been premised on continued racing, not shutting down Gulfstream Park with or without decoupling.

The statement continues that when representatives of Gulfstream Park approached the FTHA last summer, they proposed how to best save racing in South Florida as part of an overall plan. Closing Gulfstream in 2025, or at the end of 2028, was never mentioned or suggested, nor is that consistent with saving racing in South Florida.

As a result, the FTHA will immediately undertake steps to do the following:

  • Reassess the agreement entered with Gulfstream Park given the recent statements.
  • Conduct a comprehensive analysis of all alternatives for continued racing in South Florida.
  • Closely monitor all legislative or other steps that could put long-term racing in Florida at risk.

The FTHA has already reached out to Gulfstream to have further dialogue. The organization is planning another general meeting in the near future and will announce details soon.

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Graded Forecast Calls For Loaded Pegasus, Southwest Winds ‘Point’ To Oaklawn

Fri, 2025-01-24 17:14

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”

Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What we do know about the state of the weather is it has been rough across the lower 48.

In an attempt to focus on sunnier times ahead, if we are speaking of things delicious and exhilarating, how about the pending graded stakes slate on Saturday?

Leading off on a 'refreshing' afternoon, my colleague Christina Bossinakis brought us some well-timed historical perspective concerning Saturday's renewal of the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Reporting from Hallandale's backside, her story behind 'TDN Rising Star' Locked (Gun Runner) for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher tells us why the signature race for older horses was designed as such some nine years ago and how it has become a jumping off point for stallion prospects.

Of course we know this Pletcher's entry is not a lock. The 4-year-old is up against some formidable opponents in GI Breeders' Cup Classic hero White Abarrio (Race Day), Derby victor Mystik Dan (Goldencents), GISW Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) and GISW Mixto (Good Magic). Look for Locked's stablemate Crupi (Curlin), GI Santa Anita Derby hero from last year Stronghold (Ghostzapper) (covered yesterday by Bossinakis in TDN) and layoff runner Newgrange (Violence) to make some noise at odds in the double digits.

Nations Pride wins the Arlington Million at Colonial | Coady Media

If that forecast does not cheer you up, then do not forget about Gulfstream's undercard. The schedule is brimming with six other graded races.

The GI Pegasus World Cup Turf issued an invite to Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and the 6-year-old Godolphin homebred accepted. The potential race time favorite has a trio of Grade I wins in North America for trainer Charlie Appleby. The only question mark is his fitness level. If the homebred is ready to fire, then his class could win the day.

“He's [Nations Pride] always shown a good level of ability, progressing from 2 to 3 and from there on, he sort of progressed throughout his career,” Appleby said. “We found that the conventional tracks, the flat tracks of America and Dubai, suited him. So that's why he's mainly been internationally campaigned, really. I think 10 furlongs is probably his most ideal trip if you want to pigeonhole him into something like that, but I see no reason why the nine should be an inconvenience.”

There are others drawn in here with more than a fighting chance. Integration (Quality Road) will look to avenge his loss to Nations Pride that he suffered in the GI Arlington Million at Colonial Downs in August. He too has not been seen since the fall when he won the GII Red Smith Stakes at the Big A. Trainer Shug McGaughey entered Integration in this race last year and after going off as the favorite he finished fifth.

“I think he's [Integration] done well,” McGaughey said. “The Pegasus last year was kind of a last-minute thing. I had planned to give him some time off and run him at Keeneland and we decided to run here for the money. He didn't get the best of trips. Tyler [Gaffalione] rode him. He had him down inside and just couldn't get him out when he wanted to. I think with all the trouble he was in, it was a credible race.”

If you fancy a longshot in the Pegasus Turf who is getting a cutback in distance, then give Balnikov (Ire) (Adaay {Ire}) the once over. Conditioned by Phil D'Amato, the 6-year-old has raced mainly on the Southern California grass courses. However, last May he thoroughly enjoyed a soft turf course at Pimlico and won the GII Dinner Party Stakes.

Sticking with the same surface, the GII Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf promises to offer some real value when it comes to wagering because there is not a prescribed deserving favorite. Certainly, Shadwell Stables's Raqiya (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) has some English form that is inviting and Sacred Wish (Not This Time) boasts a win last out in the GI Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar Dec. 1.

Dona Clota in the Gulfstream paddock schooling | Lauren King

However, more intriguing is an entry like Dona Clota (Chi) (Ivan Denisovich {Ire}), who won a pair of Grade 1 races in her native Chile. Now she joins trainer Ignacio Correas's outfit for Resolute Racing. One other name to remember is See You Around (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). The filly began her career in France, shipped to race for the live barn of Christophe Clement and she took home a black-type over this course last month.

The rest of the Gulfstream undercard includes a bout between MGSW Mystic Lake (Mot Town) against MGSW Emery (More Than Ready) in the GII Inside Information Stakes, and a rematch ensues between the 1-2 finishers from the GIII Harlan's Holiday Stakes, Rocket Can (Into Mischief) and Tumbarumba (Oscar Performance). They square off once more in the GIII Fred W. Hooper Stakes. Finally, a couple of turf distance tests will be administered in the GIII La Prevoyante Stakes and the GIII W.L. McKnight Stakes.

Returning to issues skyward of the inclement variety, Oaklawn Park regularly deals with what Ruskin would call “different kinds of good weather.” Arkansas is particularly susceptible to a cold blast in January and Hot Springs was certainly on the receiving end of another good socking this time around. The Derby and Oaks series in 'The Natural State'–which both offer 20-10-6-4-2 on the path to Churchill in May–is back on track Saturday with the GIII Southwest Stakes and Martha Washington Stakes, respectively.

First, the Southwest has drawn a field of 10, and blowing into town for Bob Baffert is Eclipse nominee & GISW Gaming (Game Winner). Finishing in early November as the runner-up in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile to newly-minted champion 2-year-old male & stablemate Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), the dark bay is looking to get back on track after he ran a distant third in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 14.

Gaming working for the first time over the local strip at Oaklawn | Coady Media

“He [Gaming] went from the top 12 to nowhere,” said Baffert. “That's the way it is in this business. You're only as good as your last race. He ran a big race in the Breeders' Cup. I might have been a little too easy on him for the Los Al. I wasn't sure if I was going to run in there and then at the last minute decided I was going to run him there. He just didn't bring his 'A' game that day. Just got a little bit worked up in the paddock. He was too fresh. He didn't bring it and that's what happens.”

Gaming will have to contend with a pair of tough customers in GSP Sandman (Tapit) and Patch Adams (Into Mischief). The former–a $1.2-million OBS March buy–tuned for this spot by clearing an optional claimer at Oaklawn Dec. 13, while the latter earned a 'TDN Rising Star' at second asking when he won by an eye-catching 10 1/2 lengths at Churchill Downs in late November.

As for the Martha Washington, look for 'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) to take care of business for Shortleaf Stable and trainer John Ortiz.

The graded weekend also includes the salty GIII Houston Ladies Classic Stakes for older females at Sam Houston Race Park and at Santa Anita we have the GII San Pasqual Stakes going for older males.

In the spirit of Mr. Ruskin, here's to different kinds of good graded racing on Saturday.

The post Graded Forecast Calls For Loaded Pegasus, Southwest Winds ‘Point’ To Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Gulfstream Park’s Future: “It’s Become A National Issue”

Fri, 2025-01-24 17:07

A week and a half before Saturday's Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park's glitziest event of the year, former The Stronach Group (TSG) executive Keith Brackpool stood before an assembled group of industry stakeholders and warned them the event might not go ahead in 2029, even if a bill to decouple Thoroughbred horse racing from casino licenses passes the state legislature.

“We have said, this passes, this bill passes, that we will commit to racing here at Gulfstream at least through 2028,” Brackpool told the crowd, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by the TDN. The legislation was needed to help attract investors for redevelopment opportunities at the property, he said, like a new casino and hotel.

If the bill doesn't pass, however, “then there's no guarantee of when we will continue to race,” Brackpool said.

It was an ultimatum that has reverberated around the sport, raising once again serious questions about the company's long-term strategy for its real-estate holdings.

“I was caught off guard about it, but at the same time not shocked,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who has long maintained a string in Florida. “What everyone's looking for is some clarity and some assurances about having a reliable future for South Florida racing.”

Perhaps more pointedly, this inflection point in Gulfstream Park's future highlights broader practical and philosophical questions about the future of racing in Florida and California.

As industry coffers in these states flatline or shrink and real estate holdings only become more valuable, what is the commercial tipping point at facilities like Gulfstream Park? Do racetrack owners have any ethical obligations towards the sport as they seek to offload their real estate portfolios? And what role should private racetrack ownership play if the sport is to thrive well into the future?

“My process was, racetracks should really be owned by the stakeholders,” said Frank Stronach, who purchased Gulfstream Park in 1999, in an interview with the TDN earlier in the week.

No Decoupling? What Then?

The law as it stands right now requires Gulfstream Park to run live racing to operate its casino, a guaranteed slice of which goes for purses. TSG is required to run at least 40 days of racing. They currently run around 200 days. HB 105, filed on Jan. 6, would decouple the requirement for racing from the casino license. As written, the bill goes into effect July 1 if successful in the next session.

If the bill passes, TSG has promised to continue paying for an undetermined amount of time the current annual slice of casino revenues (around $6.2 million) into purses. The additional monies that TSG offered (for workers' comp and aftercare support) would increase the amount to $7.5 million annually. The workers' comp situation is an especially prickly one for Florida's trainers.

According to two sources who discussed the situation on background, the insurance carrier for dozens of trainers at Gulfstream Park last year refused to continue coverage if that included exercise riders. Last September, Gulfstream Park picked up coverage of the track's exercise riders under a general liability policy, according to these two sources.

Over a week ago, the TDN asked for an interview with either Belinda Stronach or Brackpool about the company's short and long-term business plans. In lieu of such an interview, TDN sent TSG a set of detailed questions. The company declined the interviews and did not respond to any of the questions.

Aidan Butler | Benoit

Instead, a spokesperson directed the TDN towards an interview that 1/ST Racing's CEO Aidan Butler conducted with Nick Luck. In it, Butler argued the fallout from last week's meeting has been twisted by the media, and that the company “has never said we want to stop racing.”

The ultimatum that Brackpool issued last week, however, mirrors what he outlined in a letter dated Jan. 2 to the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association (FTBOA), obtained by the TDN.

“If this Bill passes and is signed into law, we commit to continuing racing at Gulfstream Park through at least 2028,” Brackpool writes in the letter. “However, if the Bill does not pass, we cannot make any assurances about the future of racing at Gulfstream Park.”

According to Butler, the 2028 date was asserted to reassure the state's breeders of the company's intentions. The issuance of that date, however, will have only disincentivized breeding in the state, said Lonny Powell, CEO and vice president of the FTBOA, which has long opposed decoupling.

“The fact the bill was filed is going to have negative impacts on all aspects of the industry, not only in Florida. It's become a national issue,” said Powell.

What was also missing from both Brackpool and Butler's public statements are the kind of detailed specifics about the company's short and long-term objectives that many industry stakeholders are desperate for as they attempt to plot futures for their stables, broodmare bands, stallions, families and staff.

Perhaps the most important unanswered question is this one: If the decoupling legislation doesn't pass, what then?

Though Butler promised on the podcast the track wouldn't close “immediately,” Brackpool repeatedly emphasized at the horsemen's meeting the company's unilateral ability to discontinue racing.

“If this bill does not work, then we're not giving any obligation as to when we have to continue to run,” said Brackpool in the meeting. “Where we are at this stage is there is no obligation that we have to continue to race.”

At the same time, when asked about the company's financial footing in the state, Brackpool said in the meeting that “Florida is pretty break-even in this stage.”

Which begs the question: If the company is sincere about continuing racing at Gulfstream Park, what does it see as a viable business model?

Casino Revenues

According to the Paulick Report, Gulfstream Park casino's net revenues in the last fiscal year were $59.7 million from 523 slot machines. This is less than half the slot revenues generated by rival casinos (though with far fewer machines).

In the meeting, Brackpool admitted that the current casino “makes no sense” operationally. “It's on two floors. Casinos are never on two floors,” he said. Furthermore, “you can't find it,” he added. Some 20 years ago, TSG tore down the old Gulfstream Park and rebuilt it anew, including the current casino.

At the same time, Brackpool downplayed the potential purse revenues generated by any new casino, especially if iGaming becomes a reality in the state.

“The deal that exists between this organization and horsemen has a 2% of gross daily revenue, over $65 million,” said Brackpool, about the casino's slot revenues. Even if there was a “giant casino constructed here” making $100 million, he added, “that would add $2 million maximum to the purses. And we've already offered almost that amount.”

In background conversations with current and former TSG executives, they point out how the vertically integrated company's gambling assets-like ADW company Xpressbet and tote company AmTote-are profitable ventures.

Currently, ADW revenues are publicly unknown in Florida, with question marks hanging over how much flows back into the industry, said Powell. In addition, Powell said, “the breeders get no slice of the ADW revenues.”

Then there's Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) platform Elite Turf Club, another of the jewels in the company's gambling crown.

Last year, the TDN obtained data showing wagering behavior among several of Elite Turf Club's biggest players. In 2023, just eight CAW teams wagered over $2 billion on U.S. racing through Elite Turf Club alone, according to the data.

CAW platforms typically retain between 0.5% and 1.25% as a commission from the amount their players wager. According to the data, therefore, Elite Turf Club's possible slice from just those eight CAW teams that wagered on U.S. racing alone that year could be as much as $25 million.

While gambling appears to be a big revenue driver for the company, current and former TSG executives in their background conversations point out that deferred maintenance at the company's remaining tracks would require huge investments to get them up to par.

What is the financial tipping point, therefore, when an investment become a black hole?

Frank Stronach

Frank Stronach accepts Special Award of Merit at 2018 Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream Park | Horsephotos

After Belinda Stronach succeeded her father at the helm of TSG's racing operations, Frank and his wife, Elfriede, sued their daughter alleging mismanagement of assets and trust funds. They also sued their grandchildren, Nicole and Frank Walker, and TSG executive Alon Ossip. Belinda countersued, claiming Frank had squandered money on failed projects. The legal dispute was settled in 2020.

Frank, who in recent years has had several sexual assault allegations made against him, told the TDN he originally purchased the racetracks not as a long-game real-estate move but rather to eventually transition control of the facilities to the industry.

When asked if his daughter was now looking to cash in on the company's valuable real estate holdings, Frank said he needed to speak with her for clarity on the situation. “I hope not,” he said. “I hope it's bad advice. I hope we can do the right thing.”

Frank emphasized how much he invested in the sport over the years, propelled by his love of the game. Does his daughter also love horse racing? Frank hesitated. “I'm not sure,” he said.

“It's getting better,” Frank said, about his relationship with his daughter. “She was influenced by some people that were not that great,” he added.

When asked if Brackpool was one of those people, Frank claimed he doesn't know him “well enough” to answer.

The two have a long legal and professional history together, however. And as the Florida industry tries to forge a new path forward, several stakeholders have asked exactly who they're dealing with.

Brackpool's Return

Brackpool may be small in stature, but he wields an outsized political footprint in California.

The British immigrant, who was chair of the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) between 2010 and 2013, can boast former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former speaker of the California state assembly Fabian Nunez as either friends or business associates.

After leaving the CHRB, Brackpool joined TSG in a leadership role, but left the company in 2018, suing its founder, Frank, for $40 million claiming breach of agreement to provide him with an equity stake and profit sharing. In 2020, Brackpool and TSG announced they had resolved the lawsuit amicably, the terms of which weren't publicly disclosed.

Neither Brackpool nor TSG directly responded to questions about why he was chosen to lead the negotiations surrounding the future of Gulfstream Park. Nor did they respond to questions about any potential compensation package he might receive in the event of a redevelopment deal from the sale of any of the company's real estate holdings.

As the industry seeks solutions, however, what are some of the other key obstacles it faces?

The Issues

To justify the company's redevelopment plans for the property, Brackpool has highlighted tough finances without supplemental purse revenue relief. The Seminole Tribe has annexed sports wagering. Any future of iGambling is also unlikely to benefit horse racing in any tangible way.

Breeding-wise, Florida's share of the national foal crop has dropped to less than 6%, down from over 12% in 2002. At the same time, Florida plays a tremendously important role in the industry with major farms, training centers and sales companies based in the state. It still stands third in the nation for most mares bred in a year.

If a new model is to be found in Florida to help shore up the breeding industry, what about alternate racing venues?

Beyond Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah Park has been mooted as a possible option. TSG-owned training center Palm Meadows is another. Both would require massive capital investments to get them primetime ready.

In discussing these possibilities with stakeholders, a common refrain was this: How many times can the industry get burned by the same corporate entities? Golden Gate fields frequently came up.

After the initial announcement of the track's closure by the LA Times, it took nearly two weeks for Butler and former TSG executive Craig Fravel to outline the company's business strategy for concerned industry stakeholders. This included a near $32 million investment package into its Southern California properties.

So far, the majority of these promises haven't been met. One (a swimming pool) apparently never will be built, and others (like long-needed barn improvements) have been delayed indefinitely.

“Corporate-owned racetracks specifically negotiate and bully local horsemen's groups. They bully them for stall space. They bully them for workman's comp. They bully them for race dates. And the local horsemen's groups are always extremely weak,” said Craig Bernick, president and COO of Florida's Glen Hill Farm.

If Florida horse racing is to survive well into the future, therefore, bold decision-making needs to be taken now by the industry to assume control of its own product, Bernick said.

“The sport is going to need to make significant major investments in facilities and in racetracks that the industry can figure out how to control,” said Bernick.

At the meeting, Brackpool suggested a working group be formed to discuss the path forward (though others interviewed suggested this should have been done years ago).

Belmont Stakes-winning trainer Jena Antonucci, who has maintained a string in Florida for at least 10 years, said it's incumbent for major industry players to come to the table in a way that all stakeholders know the facts, their options and individual groups' motivations. “I think the horses deserve a transparency so that the industry can work towards smart solutions,” she said.

The post Gulfstream Park’s Future: “It’s Become A National Issue” appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Michigan Sues TwinSpires, Claiming ‘Blatant Defiance’ of Shutdown Order Could ‘Encourage’ Other ADWs to Violate Law

Fri, 2025-01-24 16:28

Five days after the Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI) subsidiary that operates the advance-deposit wagering (ADW) platform TwinSpires sued the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) in federal court, claiming that the Interstate Horseracing Act (IHA) pre-empts a state law that ADW providers be linked to a licensed racetrack, the executive director of the MGCB sued TwinSpires, alleging that the ADW's “blatant defiance” of a suspension order “constitutes an imminent threat to the public health, safety and welfare.”

The dueling lawsuits stem from the fact that Michigan's law requiring ADWs to partner with a racetrack in the state can't be fulfilled by any ADW right now. That's because there hasn't been any Thoroughbred racing in Michigan since 2018, and Standardbred races last ran in February 2024.

TwinSpires (and other ADWs) had previously partnered with the now-demolished and to-be-developed Northville Downs, whose license-holders are planning to, but have not yet received, approval for the required 30 days of Standardbred racing at a different location so that all parties can be eligible for ADW and simulcasting in 2025.

On Dec. 23, 2024, the MGCB notified all licensed ADWs to cease offering wagering for Michigan residents effective Jan. 1, 2025. The shutdown was to be temporary until the harness track licensing issue got resolved.

According to the MGCB, while Xpressbet, NYRA Bets, and TVG Network voluntarily complied with the order, TwinSpires did not.

After a week of continuing to operate against the order, the MGCB suspended the TwinSpires license Jan. 7.

According to the Jan. 17 suit filed by MGCB executive director Henry Williams, Churchill's ADW continues to flout the shutdown order and suspension.

“A summary suspension is not optional to the aggrieved party but rather is an immediate suspension pending a prompt hearing,” the Michigan lawsuit stated.

According to Geoff Zochodne, who reported on the conflict in a Jan. 23 story for the betting news site Covers, that administrative hearing went forward on Wednesday, but the presiding judge did not immediately issue a decision.

“Churchill's continuing violations of operating while its Michigan license is under an Order of Summary Suspension, in total disregard for the laws of the State of Michigan, is a violation of the Racing Act and, by extension, the Penal Code,” stated the Michigan lawsuit, which was initially filed in the State Circuit Court for Wayne County.

Four days later, on Jan. 21, the Michigan lawsuit got “removed” to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan at the behest of Churchill Downs Technology Initiatives Company, which preferred to contest the issue in a federal rather than state court.

The Michigan lawsuit alleged that Twin Spires' continued operation without state permission “may encourage other third-party licensees, and those persons not licensed, to violate the Racing Act by conducting internet wagering on horse racing.”

TwinSpires saw the situation entirely differently in its Jan. 12 lawsuit against the MGCB.

Requiring an ADW to have a partnership with a track, “is no different than if Michigan required any online retailer to partner with an in-state brick-and-mortar store before it could accept orders from individuals in Michigan,” the TwinSpires lawsuit stated.

The TwinSpires suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan further stated that, “The IHA contains no provision requiring the consent of the state in which an individual placing the wager happens to reside,” the complaint stated.

“This makes sense given the historic understanding that wagering is regulated in the location it is accepted, not where the individual placing the bet resides,” the TwinSpires lawsuit stated.

Now that the case has been removed to a federal court, Churchill is attempting to further get the MGCB director's lawsuit transferred to the same Western District federal court where its own lawsuit was filed because the two cases concern “the same parties and overlapping legal issues.”

Churchill is also asking the court to expedite its lawsuit and to issue a preliminary injunction in its ADW's favor.

The MGCB, by contrast, has filed opposing paperwork that asks for the federal judge to instead return the MGCB director's lawsuit to the state system, perhaps as a way for the agency to seek a “home court” advantage.

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Flight Of Fancy, Half To Flightline, Breaks Her Maiden At Tampa

Fri, 2025-01-24 16:09

8th-Tampa Bay Downs, $32,000, Msw, 1-24, 3yo, f, 1m 40y, 1:40.67, ft, 1 1/4 lengths.
FLIGHT OF FANCY (f, 3, Into Mischief–Feathered {GSW & MGISP, $577,474}, by Indian Charlie), the half-sister to 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit), Horse Of The Year, Ch. Older Dirt Male, MGISW, $4,514,800, broke her maiden second time out at Tampa Bay Downs Friday, holding off gutsy Klaravich Stables first-time starter Holding Company (Curlin). A Summer Wind Equine homebred, the 3-year-old filly was second on debut going six furlongs at Tampa Dec. 7. Stretched out to just over the mile Friday, the 9-5 favorite kept just off the pacesetter in a joint second with Holding Company through a half in :48.48. The pair split pacesetter Cottage Garden (Frosted) at the quarter pole in a joint move with Flight of Fancy keeping the momentum up widest of the three and staying safely clear of her rival to check in 1 1/4-lengths ahead. Summer Wind went to $2.35m to purchase GSW/MGISP Feathered at KEENOV in 2016 while she was in foal to War Front and, just one foal later, the Indian Charlie mare produced the sensational Lane's End stallion Flightline. Her now 4-year-old Curlin colt, Eagles Flight, was named a 'TDN Rising Star' in his own debut last year. Barren back to Tapit in 2023, she foaled a full-brother to Flightline last year and is due back once again to Tapit this season. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $25,600. Click for the Equibase.com echart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O/B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott.

 

Flightline's half-sister #5 FLIGHT OF FANCY ($5.80) soars to victory in the 8th race at @TampaBayDownsFL.

The three-year-old filly by @SpendthriftFarm's Into Mischief broke her maiden for trainer Bill Mott and owner/breeder @MoreSummerWind. @jockeydcenteno was in the irons. pic.twitter.com/50zipNN7ga

— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) January 24, 2025

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Parx Adds January 30 to Live Racing Schedule

Fri, 2025-01-24 14:47

With the recent winter weather-related cancellations, Parx Racing, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA), will offer live racing on Thursday, Jan. 30 in an effort to reschedule days which have been lost due to adverse conditions, the groups announced jointly Friday afternoon.

The long-term goal is to add race days in the coming weeks to assist horsemen who have been impacted by the card cancellations. Days will be added in the future using 10-day weather outlooks to determine the best dates, but in the interim, Parx will continue to add an extra race, field size permitting, to certain days–bringing the number of races from 10 to 11. Entries for Jan. 30 will be taken Monday, Jan. 27.

“I understand the frustrations from all of the horsemen here at Parx due to the weather induced cancellations of race days,” said PTHA executive director Jeff Matty. “While we cannot control mother nature–and the safety of our equine athletes and jockeys is paramount–we are taking steps to address the issue of lost days. I'm proud we could quickly add this day for the benefit of all.”

“Thank you to Parx, the State Racing Commission, and all others involved in making the logistics possible for such a quick addition to our schedule.”

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NYRA to Host Job Fair for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

Fri, 2025-01-24 14:13

The New York racing Association (NYRA) will host a job fair Thursday, Feb. 13 for individuals interested in employment opportunities during the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, the organization announced Friday afternoon.

Running just one day from 2-7:00 p.m. at the 1863 Club at the racecourse, prospective workers will be able to meet with a variety of groups representing several staffing positions, including mutuel clerks, cashiers, merchandise clerks, customer service, and restaurant staff. Applicants should enter through the Wright Street entrance (gate eight), and must be at least 15 years of age and have New York State Certified Working papers to apply. Prospective security guards, cashiers, and betting clerks must be at least 18 and all applicants must present a photo ID and Social Security card or I-9 alternative. Guards must have a high school diploma or GED.

More information may be found here.

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Saudi Cup Hero Senor Buscador To Stand At Lane’s End For $7500 LFSN

Fri, 2025-01-24 13:36

The G1 Saudi Cup hero from a year ago, Senor Buscador, will aim to continue the legacy of his sire Horse of the Year Mineshaft at Lane's End as he stands for $7,500 LFSN, the farm said via a press release on Friday.

Bred in Kentucky by Joe R. Peacock, Sr. and Joey Peacock, Jr., Senor Buscador retires from racing with $12,944,427 in earnings and was trained by Todd Fincher.

The 7-year-old had shipped last week to Gulfstream Park where he was set to make another start in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Joey Peacock tweeted that after a drill Jan. 19 at Gulfstream his team was not completely satisfied with the way the horse was working. The owner then made the decision to scratch Senor Buscador and make arrangements for him to head to Kentucky to begin his stallion career. Earlier this month, Peacock told TDN that he and Fincher were open to the Saudi Cup champ returning to Riyadh to take on the world's richest race once again.

Breaking his maiden at 2 on debut by 2 1/2 lengths, Senor Buscador jumped straight into stakes company winning with what would become his signature style–running from off the pace–the Springboard Mile by 5 3/4 lengths at Remington Park. That effort garnered him a 93 Beyer as a juvenile, the second highest Beyer of any 2-year-old colt at a mile in 2020.

Senor Buscador at Gulfstream Park last year | Lauren King

His stakes success continued with a win in the GIII Ack Ack Stakes at Churchill Downs. In his first start of 2023, he returned to the winner's circle in the Curribot Handicap, defeating the field by 4 lengths. The homebred also captured the GII San Diego Handicap at Del Mar earning a 101 Beyer. Senor Buscador placed in the GI Awesome Again Stakes and closed out the year with a runner-up finish in the GII Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.

Senor Buscador got off to a fast start in 2024 with a close second in the Pegasus World Cup, before traveling to Saudi Arabia where he made a splash winning the $20 million Saudi Cup. Defeating a deep field, he set a new stakes record–1:49.50.

The Peacock homebred's next start was in the UAE where he finished third in the G1 Dubai World Cup, contributing to him being the leading North American earner in 2024. He retires with four triple-digit Beyers to his credit–105, 103, 101, abd 101.

“We are honored that Senor Buscador will take up residence alongside his sire, Mineshaft, at the Farish family's Lanes End Farm now that he is retired from racing,” said owner and co-breeder Joe Peacock, Jr. “We will support him heavily with mares that we have been purchasing in anticipation of his career at stud. We look forward to breeding and racing the next generation of horses from this important Mineshaft/A.P. Indy sire line.”

Out of multiple stakes winner Rose's Desert, Senor Buscador is half to GSW Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper). Rose's Desert also produced stakes winners Our Iris Rose (Ghostzapper) and Sheriff Brown (Curlin). His sire, Mineshaft, has produced eight Grade I winners including Dialed In, himself a sire of three Grade I winners and 29 black-type winners. Mineshaft closed out 2024 as a top five sire.

Senor Buscador will be available for inspection starting Monday, Jan. 27.

To schedule an appointment or for more information, please contact Jill McCully or Chris Knehr.

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Keeneland Icon Ted Bassett Dies At 103

Fri, 2025-01-24 11:40

James E. “Ted” Bassett III, who led Keeneland through historic expansion during his 38-year tenure serving as President, Chairman and Trustee, died Thursday at his home in Lexington. He was 103.

So he was not immortal, after all. But those of us privileged to have known James E. Bassett III will know how rare it is not only for human life to stretch to so wide a span but yet to conclude with the emphasis so unequivocally on quality, rather than mere quantity.

It began [and ended] in Lexington, aptly for one of the great modern Kentuckians. But while “Ted” Bassett was cherished by our own community as, first and foremost, the presiding spirit of Keeneland, there was no parochial limitation on a personality forged between his own, inborn resources and the furnace of his times. Among many other attributes that might be compressed into the first part of that equation, we could highlight his dynamism, charm and absolute integrity. Throw into the mix an unusual receptivity to both duty and opportunity, and you find a remarkable man summoned to his full potential by the historic energies that made “the American century”.

Bassett was always in the front line of his epoch. Literally so, of course, as the Marine who nearly gave his life at what turned out to be barely a quarter of its eventual scope. But he was also in the vanguard of an evolving culture: first as a young salesman, relishing New York City in the postwar boom; then with the Kentucky State Police, at a time when civic strife was bringing the entire country to a momentous crossroads; and finally, in helping our own industry adapt to the expansion of American leisure.

His own story, in other words, overlaps with that of the modern nation. And perhaps it will only be to the extent that the same might be said of his character–how far, that is, that we might see Bassett not only as a model citizen, but also as a typical one–that the nation can aspire to a similar longevity in terms of leadership and respect.

It is standard, even in obituaries, to refer to the subject only by his surname. But it does go against the grain not to persist with “Mr.” Bassett. Certainly, it was the only address that would ever occur to you, running into him at the Keeneland track kitchen; and its use suggested the very reverse of undue formality. To the end, he remained as upstanding, in his bearing, as he had always been in the values he exuded. And to see such resolute dignity, in so venerable a figure, always gave heart to those of us who bleakly anticipate ageing only as a decline in all the satisfactions of life. If we felt humbled by his example, inclined to stand straighter and enunciate more clearly than usual, then that was not so much to manifest mere deference as affection and gratitude.

Yet even he was Master Bassett once. He was born on Oct. 26, 1921, to parents whose respective grandfathers gave the pedigree local distinction: one had been president of the Fayette National Bank, the other a Civil War general who had retired to Lexington to breed horses 50 years previously. When the Fayette closed, during the Depression, Bassett's father found work as superintendent of Greentree Farm and indeed became a vice-president of Keeneland, but young Ted was sent away to school in Connecticut and the closest he ever came to Thoroughbreds in those years was riding a mower at Greentree, at 25 cents an hour, during his school vacations.

He was in his final year at Kent School when his only sibling, Brooker, was killed in an automobile accident. It was a savage bereavement, and his parents' marriage did not survive it long. Hard to know for sure, but very possibly Mr. Bassett discovered in this loss some of his trademark determination to live his life to the full.

James E. Bassett in Japan, 1944 | courtesy of Keeneland

Not that he appeared to set his life at any great premium on the night in April 1942 when, carousing with fellow Yale students at Mory's in New Haven, someone was suddenly inspired to exclaim that they should all join the Marine Corps. With no more ado, they piled into a classmate's Ford convertible and drove straight to New York City to enlist. Fortunately, he was permitted first to complete his degree in History; and he also made the varsity basketball team in his senior year.

Entering boot camp on Parris Island, South Carolina, Bassett was exposed to what he remembered as a regime of “uncompromising perdition”. At the same time, however, he felt his confidence and capacities expand and he was fast-tracked to second lieutenant. In January 1945, he shipped to Guadalcanal and was allocated to the Fourth Marines. He was 23, “green as a gourd”, and the coming weeks would either make a man of him–or a corpse. It proved a close-run thing.

On Apr. 15, Bassett was leading his platoon at the head of a patrol probing the stealthy and redoubtable Japanese defense of Mount Yaetake on Okinawa. Many times, through the ensuring decades, he would think back to the moment when he was shot through a hand. Had he been saved by the interference of the wind, or maybe by some fortuitous sudden movement? He had been picked out, as an officer, but somehow the sniper had missed head and chest and so failed to add Bassett to 500 losses sustained on that accursed island by the Fourth Marines. As it was, Bassett was wounded again minutes later: a mortar fragment in his knee. But he viewed himself as terribly fortunate. Both were minor wounds that left superficial scarring and did not interfere with the long life he would now embrace with a Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.

Bassett recovered in time to join the initial landings on the Japanese mainland, after the armistice, by now promoted to first lieutenant. A striking photograph of this rugged, handsome young soldier, lighting up a cigarette with his helmet chinstrap loose, deservedly made the front page of Stars And Stripes (and the back cover of his autobiography).

There's no doubt that the culture of service Bassett absorbed as a Marines officer transformed the rest of his life. In his memoirs, he condensed the Corps ethic as a matter of pride, confidence, enterprise and fraternity: “In my case, at least, the Marine Corps took a nobody and tried its absolute best to make a somebody out of him.” In 1990 Bassett was presented with the Semper Fedelis Award, made to “a former Marine who has exemplified high principles and dedicated service to Country and Corps.” And in 2007 he further received the Department of the Navy Superior Public Service Award.

Ever after, Bassett viewed leadership and service as interchangeable concepts. The way to guarantee the loyalty of your men, out there in the front line, was to take care of their interests first. “They were fed first,” he explained, late in life. “They dug their holes first. Before you dug a hole, your men dug in, and you fed them. Because their welfare is absolutely essential to your survival. You take care of the men, they take care of you.”

Restored to civilian life, and profiting from his father's Greentree connection, Bassett got his start with a Whitney family business, the Great Northern Paper Company, whose forestry holdings comprised one-ninth of the state of Maine. Bassett traveled up and down the East Coast and into the South selling newsprint, but his base was in New York and his real priority was a courtship. He married Lucy Gay in 1950. How he enjoyed those first years of peace–and all 65 years of his marriage! Together they saw Edith Piaf at the Versailles on East 50th St; they took in each new Rodgers and Hammerstein musical on Broadway; and, though confined to an extremely small apartment on Park Avenue, it was not so small that they felt a butler would be impractical.

Nonetheless the newlyweds yearned for their home state and, at 32, Bassett quit the Great Northern. His father was not impressed when Bassett announced that he would be raising livestock and hand-harvesting 20 acres of tobacco. “You've got a Yale education,” he said. “And you're going to trade that in to become a dirt farmer?”

But that proved to be a brief experiment, and in 1956 Bassett was persuaded to sample a career in law enforcement, starting as director of driver licensing. His first week in that innocuous post coincided with the school integration crisis of Sturgis, which required the attentions of the National Guard and M-47 tanks. Bassett was perfectly aware that he had been raised to white privilege, and said later that watching that drama unfold changed his outlook. His whole upbringing and education, after all, had taught him that “whatever you got involved in, it wasn't acceptable to be merely a passive participant–you should strive to make a difference.”

Bassett was soon promoted and by 1964 was appointed director of the Kentucky State Police. Morale, pay and manpower were all low, and public relations deplorable. Bassett set to work to improve both the self-esteem of his troopers and the trust of the public. When he made a presentation to his men, and invited their questions or comments, there would be silence. But he knew why: the station sergeants and officers were all sitting there, too. He would point: “You. And you. And you.” And he would take them into another room, tell them to be candid. And they poured out their hearts.

He told them that they would get more respect: better pay, conditions, training. But they would have to start that process, by earning self-respect. No more slovenliness, no more slouching. “When you walk in, every eye is going to turn on you,” he said. “Now, look the part. Act the part.”

Bassett coined the concept of “the thin gray line”–a reference to the color of the troopers' uniform, and the cruisers they drove–that divided the state from lawlessness. He organized billboard posters of smiling troopers above the slogan, “It's My Job To Help You”. There was a lakeside kids' camp and eventually, overcoming much scepticism elsewhere, a law enforcement degree was introduced at what is now the College of Justice and Safety at Eastern Kentucky University.

Much of Bassett's impact was not about specific measures, but about ethos. If he saw a State Police vehicle parked on the roadside, he would pull over and walk up with a hand outstretched, introducing himself and congratulating his men on the job they were doing. One trooper told Bassett decades later that he “felt nine feet tall that day”–and, sure enough, had meanwhile been appointed director himself.

Bassett had made a vital difference but an impending shift in gubernatorial power was the cue for a new challenge in 1968. He was offered a huge contract by Kentucky Fried Chicken but, happily for our industry, accepted less than one-third of the salary to become assistant to Keeneland president Louis Lee Haggin II. Here was another institution ripe for modernisation, and more professional management.

Bassett was under no illusions. As an outsider to the sport, his advent was received by entrenched staff with “subdued resentment”. The sales and racing divisions were still discrete entities, with their own loyalties and fiefdoms. With the state police, Bassett had become accustomed to the clicking of heels; here, at first, even the sternest look would induce little more than a yawn. But restructuring prompted some helpful migration and a transformative period of recruitment.

Bassett and The Queen before the 1984 inaugural race in her name | Keeneland

The new, integrated Keeneland regime supervised a series of changes that together comprised a revolution: a new sales pavilion in 1969; a new grandstand in 1976; a turf course in 1984, with a royal visit to mark the inauguration of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup. In the sales ring, meanwhile, there were unprecedented fireworks as competition for yearlings between Coolmore and the Maktoums revolutionized the commercial possibilities of the Bluegrass: in 1981, a Northern Dancer colt set a new world record at $3.5 million; two years later Sheikh Mohammed paid nearly three times as much for another one, at $10.2 million. This was the famous occasion when the seven-digit bid display board reverted to zero, a first $10 million bid having taken the market to a place beyond anyone's wildest imaginings.

But those heady excitements were only the apex of a pyramid of services that were held together from the base up. Bassett always put himself in the shoes of the customers. On racedays, he would personally inspect every restroom. On sale days, he would walk through every barn, chatting with consignors and purchasers, checking that everyone had everything they needed. A lightbulb blown, a leaking tap, an error in the catalogue? “Okay, leave that with me–someone will be down right away.”

In 1986 Bassett stepped aside to become chairman of the board and was succeeded by Bill Greely, whom he had first hired as assistant back in 1971. If now taking a relative backseat, Bassett remained a seasoned counsellor as Keeneland continued to strive for the right balance between tradition and progress: simulcasting, Sunday racing, as late as 1997 a first track announcer, a magnificent new library.

In the meantime, however, others were able to tap into his experience and wisdom. In 1988, Bassett was approached by Will Farish about the possibility of taking the helm at the Breeders' Cup Ltd. As when he arrived at Keeneland, there were people to win over; there were many vested interests, entrenched against change. But he was able to identify with them. As an avowed Establishment figure, after all, this was a new kind of challenge for Bassett, too. At the time, remember, Keeneland still abjured corporate sponsorship. Here was a very different, fledgling enterprise that depended absolutely on a commercial agenda. Once again, then, Bassett's diplomatic skills proved invaluable. Someday, he urged, we will all benefit from short-term sacrifices to make this thing work together. Sure enough, the series had bedded down into the unrivalled climax of the international calendar by the time he stepped down in 1996.

Others to enlist Bassett's help during these years included Equibase and the World Series Racing Championship. It was in this latter cause that Bassett presented a trophy at Ascot every July. In 1983, he somehow managed to drop the silverware in transferring it from the hands of the Queen to the Aga Khan. It landed on his big toe and, as the bruising failed to clear up, he mentioned it to his doctor. A dangerous melanoma was diagnosed, the toe promptly amputated, and Bassett liked to credit a moment of excruciating embarrassment for averting far graver misfortune.

He was proud to have become familiar with the British monarch, to the extent of taking lunch at Windsor Castle before joining the royal procession to Royal Ascot. And his status, as a dignitary of the Turf, was underlined in 1986 when he was asked at short notice to present the Melbourne Cup, Australian Premier Bob Hawke having refused to wear the requisite top hat and cutaway.

But that was Ted Bassett–equally at home with royalty, or a state trooper, or the maintenance crew at Keeneland. An alphabet soup of decorations and awards did not alter him one jot.

He always owned to being of conservative stock and upbringing–but if he never needed to be interviewed for a job, nor did he ever want a contract. A word given in his favour would never be betrayed; and his own word was his bond. “I have never been a maverick or a rebel,” he confessed in his memoirs. “I am an establishment person…reflected in the way I talk, in my manner, in my dress, in just about every way I comport myself. But at the same time, I have never been fearful of buying into an environment of change.”

He found the perfect complement in his “jewel”, Lucy. She, too, represented the old school: her father was a founding vice-president of the Keeneland Association, a director for 48 years. Her natural elegance extended to a spell, in her youth, as a dancing instructor; and she was a successful breeder, too, from no more than a dozen mares–coming up, most notably, with GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Adoration.

What an apt name, to condense their partnership. And it's a word that will also serve, collectively, for how a whole community felt about the man who has been taken from them at last.

“I was not a miracle worker,” he said once, looking back at the nettles he had grasped in turn with the police, at Keeneland, at the Breeders' Cup. “It wasn't trying to jam some philosophy down anybody's throat. It was about what they believed they could do to make the organisation work better: the people who were actually doing the work, whose support we needed, whether it was a horse breeder or a trooper on the road. You could not do that by sending out memos and PRs. You had to reach out to them; make it feel like they had a voice. Really, I had no plan for any of these things I did. I wasn't smart enough to have a plan. But what I did have was the Marine Corps thing: 'How do you connect with you men?'”

Ted Bassett's Racing Hall Of Fame Indusction, 2019 | Horsephotos

Bassett always remembered peering over the crowd in New York to glimpse MacArthur in a passing motorcade. That afternoon he came back from the office to see the General make his famous speech, on the 12-inch black-and-white television back at the apartment. “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away,” MacArthur declared, before memorably describing himself simply as “an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty.”

If “Mr. Bassett” is going to fade away, it will not be before the youngest of his countless friends and admirers have themselves emulated his vitality at a great age. For so long as they, too, retain a strong memory and a sense of honor, then his example will endure for a new generation.

There simply isn't space here to record all the formal recognition Bassett received from those he served: his nation, his state, his community. But he needed no honorifics, medals or certificates to feel the devotion of all who knew him. He just needed to take breakfast as usual at the Keeneland track kitchen, and see how people lit up when he spoke with them: friends, strangers, staff. And that's why we can borrow the best epitaph of all from Bassett himself.

Every year Bassett's pastor would invite him to read some words of his own composition. This what he would recite: “One gets happiness from peace of mind. One gets peace from what one gives to others. This is where happiness resides: by being a giving person, a generous person, a kind person.”

Can't you just hear those rich, measured, husky tones? He would continue: “It is important to have honor, for it is honor that helps you stand by people when they are in trouble or need; it is honor that will help make you a loyal person; it is honor that makes you help people when you are really too busy, when you are really too tired and too distracted, and when no one else will even know or credit you with helping.

“Happiness comes not from your head, not from your intelligence, not from your ambitions; it comes from your heart. To emphasize service above self; by embracing the spirit of caring for others, and following the true instincts of your heart will be the pathway to genuine happiness.”

If that be so, we can comfort ourselves in our loss by reflecting that Mr. Ted Bassett did not just lead a remarkably long and rich life, but a remarkably happy one.

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OBS Adds 26 Horses To January Winter Mixed Sale

Fri, 2025-01-24 11:18

Ocala Breeders' Sales Company has added 26 supplemental entries to its 2025 Winter Mixed Sale which begins at 11 a.m. ET Jan. 28, according to a press release from the company on Friday.

The entries are catalogued as Hips 317-342 and feature short yearlings by Colonel Liam, Galilean, Instagrand, Mystic Guide, Roadster, and Solomini as well as mares in foal to Complexity, Early Voting, and Volatile. Eleven broodmare prospects have been supplemented to the sale, including a 4-year-old half-sister to champion and OBS graduate Kodiak Kowboy and multiple stakes winner Wilbo.

The supplemental entries are available online. OBS will again offer internet bidding and buyers may go to the OBS website and register to gain bidding approval, then access the OBS Bidding Screen with their credentials. For complete information on registration and internet bidding click here.

Bidding is also now live for the OBSOnline January Horses of Racing Age and Two-Year-Old Sale. Several of the horses will be available for inspection on the OBS sale grounds during the live sale. Bidding will close Jan. 30. Click here to view the sale.

The post OBS Adds 26 Horses To January Winter Mixed Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Letter To The Editor: The Case Against One Start Euro Raiders At The Eclipse Awards

Fri, 2025-01-24 09:28

Every few years the Eclipse Award goes to a horse (always a turf horse) who ships in from overseas–usually fresh–and wins a Breeders' Cup race and our designated voters make the horse an American champion.

I remember going down to New Orleans 25 years ago to watch the 9-year-old gelding John's Call (Lord At War {Arg})–a people's horse if there ever was–be named champion turf horse after watching him win the Sword Dancer (by nine lengths) and the Man o' War.

Unfortunately in the GI Breeder's Cup Turf he got trapped, but was flying to just come up a length short beaten by a horse who was making his only start in America that year. This was the only American stakes he ever won–some stayer named Kalanisi (Ire) (Doyoun {Ire}) was named champion turf horse of America!

I wrote a letter after that suggesting that to be an American champion you need to run in America three times that year. It happened again eight years later win when one-time American starter Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) upset Grade l American-raced Dancing Forever (Rahy).

It also happens occasionally in the Filly & Mare Turf–like when the Japanese bred, owned and raced, Loves Only You (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) won by a neck beating the hard-hitting War Like Goddess (English Channel) who was coming off five straight graded stakes wins!

This year the voters did it again when the stayer Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) won–he didn't even beat the two other nominees. Please NTRA leaders change the rule!

–John Stuart, Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services

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Golden Vekoma A Strong Winner of the UAE 2000 Guineas

Fri, 2025-01-24 09:26

Golden Vekoma (Vekoma) stretched out to the metric mile following up on his sound success in the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial over 1400 meters on Jan. 3, wrested command with about a furlong and a half to travel and held off the well-fancied Heart of Honor (Honor A.P.) to take out Friday's G3 UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan.

Drawn 13 in a full field of 16, the bay colt bounced well enough from out wide and took up a position just ahead of midfield as dirt debutant High Season (GB) (New Bay {GB}) took them along at a decent clip up front while chased by the four-start maiden and American import Rafid (Into Mischief). Fifth passing the 800-metre peg, Golden Vekoma was patiently handled in behind a wall of four rounding the turn, was produced five deep entering the straight, eased to the front at the 300 metres and kept on nicely to score by a length and a half. Heart of Honor missed the kick and spotted his rivals valuable real estate down the back. Left with plenty to do approaching the final 400 metres, the Jamie Osborne trainee was taken out to the grandstand side and steamed down the outside to finish a sound second. Royal Favour (GB) (Hard Spun) rounded out the placings.

“We have had good 3-year-olds before but none for this distance,” said trainer Ahmad Bin Harmash. “We will go to the Saudi Derby next, because when you have a class horse, you have to try something different.”

“He's a horse we've always thought a lot of and he's a horse who's only going to get better,” added jockey Connor Beasley. “He's got the size, scope and looks to go with it. The world's his oyster, really, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the second half of the season brings.

“He's seen the mile out well there and he wasn't stopping at the end. I think if something had come to him he'll have pulled out even more.”

Pedigree Notes:

OBS April graduate Golden Vekoma becomes the seventh stakes winner and second graded winner for his 2024 leading American freshman sire. The winner's dam, a daughter of the 2005 American champion 2-year-old male Stevie Wonderboy, was purchased by the Sticks Wondergirl Partnership for $60,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November Sale and is the dam of four winners from four to race, including the stakes-winning Midshipman's Dance. Sticks Wondergirl represents the only black-type in the second dam, but the third dam is full of runners that have come through the program of prominent US breeder Ramona Bass. The Grade I-placed third dam is responsible for Choreograph (Dynaformer), whose six winners include MGSW Goliad (War Front), SW Dancing To Town (Speightstown), MSW Welcome Dance (Henny Hughes) and MGSP Fredericksburg (Speightstown). Sticks Wondergirl did not produce a foal in 2023 or 2024 and is due to Tiz the Law for 2025.

Friday, Meydan, Dubai
UAE 2000 GUINEAS PRESENTED BY LONGINES-G3, AED700,000, Meydan, 1-26, 3yo, 8f, 1:37.08, fs.
1–GOLDEN VEKOMA, 121, c, 3, by Vekoma
                1st Dam: Sticks Wondergirl (SW-US, $198,048), by Stevie Wonderboy
                2nd Dam: Y Country, by Quiet American
                3rd Dam: Dance For Vanny, by Sovereign Dancer
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. ($145,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP; $90,000 2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-Mohammed Ahmad Ali Al Subousi; B-Woods Edge Farm, LLC (KY); T-Ahmad bin Harmash; J-Connor Beasley. AED420,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, AED617,500. *1/2 to Midshipman's Dance (Midshipman), SW-US, $178,589. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Heart Of Honor (GB), 121, c, 3, Honor A. P.–Ruby Love (Chi), by Scat Daddy. (USA). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€160,000 2yo '23 ARQMAY). O-Jim And Claire Limited; B-David Redvers Bloodstock (GB); T-Jamie Osborne. AED140,000.
3–Royal Favour (GB), 121, c, 3, Hard Spun–Cascanueces, by Smart Strike. 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (175,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-Sultan Ali; B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Simon & Ed Crisford. AED70,000.
Margins: 1HF, 3HF, 3/4.
Also Ran: Awab, Rafid, Force And Valour (Ire), Don Vaccaro (Uru), Nam Phrik (Brz), Giustino (Arg), High Season (GB), Midnight Thunder (GB), Nimble Boy, Baloban, Arlan, Proud Samaritan. Scratched: Desert Shadow (GB), Diamond Dealer, Nedawy, On The Way, Rammayy.
Click for the ERA chart & video.

 

 

What. A. Race!

gamely denies the fast-finishing HEART OF HONOR in the @Longines UAE 2000 Guineas! @HARMASHRACING | @connorbeasley9 #FashionFriday | #DubaiCarnival pic.twitter.com/6IwAKPirbB

— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) January 24, 2025

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On a Night Where the Best of Racing Was Celebrated, an Emotional Erik Asmussen Captured the Moment

Thu, 2025-01-23 23:11

In many respects, especially on the racetrack, it was a good year for the sport of horse racing. Controversies weren't the thorny issue they normally are and on the racetrack there were dozens of races that were memorable, some of the best we've seen in some time. That was the theme Thursday night at the 54th Eclipse Awards ceremony. The winners, the losers, and those who were there just to take in the show, made sure this would be a feel-good night about people who loved the sport and their horses.

But perhaps no one captured that theme better than an emotional Erik Asmussen, who was named the 2024 Eclipse Award winning apprentice. Asmussen is from one of the most successful racing families in the history of the sport and his career was given a huge boost by his father, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. But he obviously wasn't taking his Eclipse Award for granted.

“I want to thank God and thank all the owners and all the trainers, the grooms, the hotwalkers, the custodians, everybody who helped me with my dream,” he said, unable to fight back the tears. “I get emotional talking about it. This game means everything to me. Thank you to my family. I have the best group around me. Most importantly, thank you to the horses. They are special to me. This is an honor. Thank you.”

Hosts Britney Eurton and Lindsay Czarniak kept their promise, fast-tracking the ceremony so that it was over by 9:30 p.m. ET when Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) was named Horse of the Year. Along with Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro), Thorpedo Anna became only the second 3-year-old filly to be named Horse of the Year.

“It's been a fantastic ride and she's just getting started,” said her trainer, Kenny McPeek.

Team Thorpedo Anna | NTRA

In one of the closest Eclipse races, the one for champion trainer, Chad Brown beat McPeek by the margin of 101-88. Brown had a sensational year with 212 wins, $30.9 million in earnings and 47 graded stakes winners. But 88 voters seemed to think that McPeek deserved the award because he won the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Kentucky Derby on back-to-back days and guided Thorpedo Anna to the Horse-of-the-Year title and nearly won the GI Travers Stakes.

In his acceptance speech, Brown admitted that beating out McPeek for the award was no small task. It was his fifth Eclipse Award in the trainer category.

“It was far from certain that I'd be up here tonight,” he said. “That can only mean one thing: I finally beat Ken McPeek in a photo. If you want to trade photos, I will. You give me the Derby and I'll give you this. This is the most prestigious team award in all of horse racing and I am here tonight to accept it on behalf of my team.”

One of only a handful of winners who were permitted to speak for more than one minute, Frank Taylor was also emotional and gracious when it came to accepting his Special Eclipse Award. He was nominated by the TDN's Publisher and CEO Sue Finley. Taylor, along with Stable Recovery CEO Christian Countzler, is the driving force behind Stable Recovery and the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship, two programs that work in tandem to take recovering addicts, give them the ongoing support they need, and find them meaningful employment in the Thoroughbred racing industry.

Frank Taylor | NTRA

Taylor got the idea several years ago after learning of a Central Kentucky restaurant that only employed people in recovery. He launched the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship, a 90-day program that helps men to learn the essential tools needed for working on a Thoroughbred farm. Stable Recovery is a program that provides a safe and stable living environment along with a 12-step program for men in early recovery to regain control of their lives. In 3 1/2 years, the programs have assisted more than 100 individuals.

“I am accepting this award on behalf of the men and women at Stable Recovery, who have shown the courage to change their lives and to work so hard to become sober and successful,” he said. “Foremost, I want to thank God for His guidance, blessings and miracles he has bestowed on this program. I send a thank you to my parents for instilling faith in my siblings and I, showing us an example of how to give back and make this a better world.”

When accepting the trophy for 2-year-old male champion Citizen Bull (Into Mischief), co-owner Barbara Banke said the statue was being given to Bob Liewald and Lucy Lawrence, who own a piece of Citizen Bull through the Starlight Partnership. The couple lost their home in the fires that have devastated Southern California.

“We hope that this trophy can go in their new residence and give them something to look forward to,” Banke said.

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Jockey Gerardo Corrales Wins Milestone 1K Career Race

Thu, 2025-01-23 21:51

Gerardo Corrales, who guided Nobals (Noble Mission {GB}) to a win in the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, got the 1,000th win of his riding career Thursday night at Turfway Park aboard Michael Dubb's Unraptured (Uncaptured) in Race 7.

The Panamanian native has won six leading rider titles at Turfway, while his mounts have earned more than $5.5 million overall. Agent Cliff Collier represents Corrales, who began riding in the U.S. in 2015.

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