Trainer Brendan Walsh says Honorable Duty has been a new horse mentally over the last few months.

Fittingly, the gelded son of Distorted Humor   called up all his improved fortitude in the stretch of the $125,000 Mineshaft Handicap (G3) Feb. 25 when he held strong over International Star splitting horses in late stretch and a stubborn Dazzling Gem to take the 1 1/16 miles test by half a length at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Watch Video

Making his first start since winning the Tenacious Stakes at Fair Grounds Dec. 17, Honorable Duty turned his 5-year-old debut into his best outing yet in earning his first graded stakes win. The late-blooming bay runner showed talent last year when he broke his maiden fifth time out last April and followed that with two more victories, but an attitude adjustment became necessary—prompting Walsh and owners DARRS Inc. to geld Honorable Duty last fall.

Honorable Duty (left) won the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap at Fair Grounds on Risen Star Stakes Day. Photo by Hodges Photography.

“We gelded him at the end of the fall and I think that’s helped him mentally,” Walsh said. “He’s got the mental part right now and turned into a racehorse.”

Sent off at 5-1 odds in the seven-horse Mineshaft field, Honorable Duty rated kindly under jockey Julien Leparoux in third, then fourth in the three-path down the backstretch while Rise Up opened up a clear advantage up front through an opening quarter in :23.69 and half mile in :46.79.

With Rise Up coming back to his stalkers on the far turn, Leparoux had Honorable Duty advancing on the outside, ultimately taking command at the head of the lane as Dazzling Gem tried gamely to fight back on the rail. Honorable Duty wouldn’t yield his lead, however, not even when jockey Miguel Mena sent International Star diving between the two leaders in a gutsy attempt that did earn the multiple graded stakes winner runner-up honors.

Honorable Duty is shown winning at Keeneland last April, courtesy of Coady Photography.

“I know there were some closers coming at us at the end,” Leparoux said. “But he was trying hard the whole way.”

Honorable Duty hit the wire in a final time of 1:43.03 over a fast track and paid out $12.40, $5.40, and $4.00 across the board.

Dazzling Gem held for third with Eagle getting up for fourth. December Seven, Mo Tom, and Rise Up completed the order of finish.

Bred by Juddmonte Farms, Honorable Duty is out of the A.P. Indy mare Mesmeric and was purchased by David A. Ross for $130,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. He improves his record to five wins from 11 starts with $261,276 in earnings and has only been worse than third twice, including a fifth-place effort in the 2016 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs last Oct. 1.

(This article appeared in www.bloodhorse.com)

Rain in the Southern California area over the last two months has caused several interruptions to the training schedule, impacting the comeback of G1 winner Stellar Wind, reports drf.com. The 5-year-old, Hronis Racing-owned daughter of Curlin has not raced since a fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but had been scheduled to return in the G1 Santa Margarita on March 11 at Santa Anita. Rain has delayed her 2017 debut, and trainer John Sadler is now pointing the star distaffer to Oaklawn’s G1 Apple Blossom Handicap on April 15.

Stellar Wind and Victor Espinoza, left, hold off Beholder and Gary Stevens to win the Grade I $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA.
©Benoit Photo

“I don’t want it to sound like I’m taking everything to Oaklawn, but I am,” Sadler said.

The veteran trainer will likely also send handicap horse Accelerate to the nine-furlong Oaklawn Handicap on April 16, despite his nomination to the 1 1/4-mile Santa Anita Handicap on March 11.

“I’m going to work him [Thursday or Friday], and see how the Big Cap shapes up. I’m a little hesitant of a mile and one-quarter. I don’t know if that’s his distance,” Sadler said.

This article appeared in The Paulick Report

Off to the Races on The Racing Biz Radio Network returns to talk horse racing every Saturday morning with a big lineup of guests from around the racing world every week.

The one-hour program will air at 10:00 a.m. each Saturday on Richmond’s ESPN 950 AM and Sports FM 100.5.  Additional stations will be announced as they come online.

The show will focus on Thoroughbred racing and breeding around the mid-Atlantic region and across the country.

This show is a great way for Virginia horseplayers to prepare for each Saturday’s slate of great stakes races, especially Derby preps that lead up to the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs.

We’ll update the slate of guests each week on the Virginia Horse Racing facebook page.

Virginia-bred horses have been winning the past couple weeks in every part of the country except the Mid-Atlantic region. Many have come in impressive gate to wire efforts and many as betting choices.

American Dubai, who a year ago was on the Kentucky Derby trail, earned his second career triumph on Valentine’s Day in a one mile, $26,000 allowance optional claiming event at Sunland Park. The 4 year old E Dubai colt beat six other horses in gate to wire fashion by 2 1/2 lengths. The victory pushed his career bankroll to $115,714.

American Dubai, who was on the Derby trail as a 3 year old in 2016, captured his first race of 2017 Feb. 14 at Sunland. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.

A year ago, American Dubai finished third in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn, one of the early Derby prep races for 3 year olds. He went on to compete in the Rebel, also at Oaklawn, and in the Toyota Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland. He was bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin III, is trained by Rodney Richards, and is out of the Bates Motel mare, Smash Review.

Kody With a K saw his bankroll surge into the six digit range with a victory February 12th in a $23,500 claiming race at Oaklawn. Bred by the Corner Farm and Stormy Atlantic Syndicate, the 6 year old gelding had an easy time of it, wiring the field by 5 1/2 lengths. The win, which came at six furlongs, was his first in three starts this year and fourth overall. He is by Stormy Atlantic out of Privateers Bay by Allen’s Prospect. He has earned $104,024 from 23 outings.

Kody With a K pushed his bankroll over the $100,000 mark with a victory at Oaklawn Feb. 12. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.

Lenstar had a stellar gate to wire performance in a $46,000 maiden special weight race at Gulfstream on February 5th.  The 3 year old Shackleford gelding won the six furlong sprint by 6 1/4 lengths in 1:10.71. Bred by the Lazy Lane Farms and trained by Nick Zito, Lenstar had been winless in his first five but did collect a runner-up and third from that quintet. Jockey Luis Saez guided the winning effort up top. Lenstar, who has earned $44,281, is out of Cryptos’s Best by Cryptoclearance.

Chas’s Legacy did not lead his race all the way around, but did collect win number six and pushed his earnings over the $120,000 level with a claiming triumph at Sunland February 5th. The 6 year old Bernardini gelding raced in third through most of the one mile, 70 yard race, got to the front at the top of the stretch and won by 4 3/4 lengths in 1:41.83. He was bred by the Estate of Edward Evans and has now bankrolled $122,868. Chas’s Legacy is out of the Kingmambo mare, Our Legacy.

Chas’s Legacy scored his sixth lifetime win at Sunland in a claiming race on Feb. 5th. photo courtesy of Coady Photography.

Louden’s Gray, also bred by the Estate of Edward Evans, found success in a 5 1/2 furlong claiming sprint at Santa Anita February 9th. The 6 year old Street Sense gelding saved ground stalking the pace early, went inside to gain the lead in the stretch and won by 2 1/4 lengths over six others. In for a $16,000 claiming tag, Louden’s Gray crossed in 1:03.43 and paid $9.80. A winner of $84,190, he is by Minishaft out of Mineshaft.

KD’s Cat Bird and Louise’s Legacy also scored claiming wins in the past week — the former in a one miler at Tampa Bay Downs and the latter in a six furlong race at Fair Grounds.

KD’s Cat Bird, bred by Christopher Kuhn, led from start to finish and has now won three of his last five, all at Tampa dating back to last March. He is by Courageous Cat out of Rockalady by Birdstone. Louise’s Legacy, bred by Louise McLean, also wired the field in her six furlong sprint. The 6 year old daughter of Medalist earned her second lifetime score and paid $19.20 in a race where three entrants were claimed.

Four of the above victors went off at even money odds or less. Biggest upset winner was Kody With a K, who paid $34.60.

It’s been 47 years since legendary Triple Crown winner Secretariat was born at The Meadow in Caroline County, Virginia on March 30, 1970. Today his historic birthplace is the celebration destination for legions of devoted fans who wish to remember the great racehorse and meet members of the Meadow Stable team he took on the ride of their lives. The annual Secretariat Birthday Celebration takes place March 24-26 at the Meadow Event Park in conjunction with the Virginia Horse Festival.

Secretariat’s annual birthday celebration will be at The Meadow Event Park.

Slated to join the birthday festivities are Charlie Davis, Secretariat’s entertaining exercise rider; Otto Thorwarth, professional jockey and actor who portrayed Ron Turcotte in the Disney film “Secretariat;” and Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery and co-author of the award-winning Secretariat’s Meadow – The Land, The Family, The Legend with Leeanne Meadows Ladin.

Highlights of the weekend program include:

• Meet and greet with Groundshaker, resident Secretariat great-great granddaughter, and Covert Action, a grandson of Secretariat and “spokeshorse” for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at James River

• Mia, the resident miniature horse, who will be decked out like a “Little Big Red”

• “BARN APPETIT” farm-to-fork dinner designed by acclaimed chef Jason Alley of Pasture Restaurant, highlighting local artisan foods and craft beverages with a special surprise

• “Big Red on the Big Screen” – a showing of the Disney movie “Secretariat” with commentary by the Secretariat Team

• Narrated tours of Meadow Hall showcasing the Chenery Collection of rare Meadow Stable artifacts

• Ribbon-cutting ceremony for Groundshaker’s new barn with some exciting announcements for the Secretariat tour program

• Photo ops at the “World’s Largest Horseshoe,” a giant 600-lb. replica of Secretariat’s racing shoe located by his historic yearling barn

• An extensive selection of official Secretariat merchandise in the Exhibit Hall and more

The Secretariat Birthday Celebration, a collaboration with Secretariat.com of Louisville, KY, is a major highlight of the Virginia Horse Festival, which celebrates horses and riding disciplines of all types. Fans can enjoy three days of clinics and demonstrations with top clinicians such as Guy McLean; a parade of breeds; 60,000 square feet of indoor shopping for all horse lovers; and much more.

Tickets for the festival and Secretariat birthday events are now on sale. See VirginiaHorseFestival.com for complete ticket information and the full program schedule. And follow the Secretariat’s Meadow Facebook page for more updates on the birthday activities.

The Meadow Event Park is located off I-95 at exit 98 (Doswell) 1.5 miles east of King’s Dominion theme park.

Secretariat’s birthplace at The Meadow is now listed on the state and national historic registers and offers year-round narrated tours. See http://www.meadoweventpark.com/hoofprints-of-history-tour/ for more information.

On line horse racing wagers placed by Virginia residents showed positive gains from all four partner Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies as the new year began. Overall handle for January was up almost five percent from the same month a year ago — $6,053,361 in 2017 versus $5,771,148 in 2016.

Even more encouraging is the handle figures from the two new Off Track Betting (OTB) Centers that recently opened in Richmond. The OTB at Breakers Sports Grille, which made its debut November 2nd, handled $1,102,434 in January while Ponies & Pints, which just opened January 16th, handled $303,218. Breakers just completed its third straight month with a handle in excess of $1 million. Combined, the ADW and OTB handle for January was $7,459,014.

Arrogate and jockey Mike Smith win the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Photo courtesy of Eric Kalet.

ADW partner TVG attracted the most wagering dollars from Virginia in 2016 and that trend continued in ’17 with a monthly tally of $2,832,844. Twin Spires was second with $2,061,057 and XPressBet was third with $1,105,573. NYRA Bets, which just completed its first month of business in the Commonwealth, was fourth with $53,886. In terms of percent gains, XPressBet experienced a 6.4% boost in handle from the prior January with Twin Spires close behind at 5.69%.

The $12 Million Pegasus World Cup, which was held at Gulfstream January 28th, helped boost interest in racing by providing a showcase day for fans. Heading into February, Kentucky Derby prep races begin to populate weekend race calendars all of which lead up to the May 6th Kentucky Derby.

It was a Super Sunday for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and it was a pretty good Sunday for Virginia-bred horses too. Of the 7 that started in races around the country on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, 6 finished either first or second.

Congratulations to Chas’s Legacy and Lenstar, who won races at Sunland and Gulfstream respectively, and to runner-ups Talk Less, Nancy’s Gone Wild, Pardontori’sfrench and Tiz Unbeatable.

Pardontori’sfrench (outside) just missed on Super Bowl Sunday at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

Chas’s Legacy was sent off as the betting choice and he did not disappoint. The 6 year old Bernardini gelding, bred by the Estate of Edward Evans, raced in third through the first three fractions of the 1 mile, 70 yard claiming event, took control at the top of the stretch and won by 4 3/4 lengths. He is out of Our Legacy by Kingmambo, and has now won $122,868 from 26 career starts, with six victories.

Lenstar collected his first lifetime win convincingly in a six furlong, $46,000 maiden special weight race. The 3 year old son of Shackleford beat five others in gate to wire fashion and crossed 6 1/4 lengths ahead of the runner-up. Bred by the Lazy Lane Farms, Lenstar had started five previous times in the same class before connecting Sunday at Gulfstream. He is out of the Cryptoclearance mare, Cryptos’ Best.

Four Virginia-breds also reached the winner’s circle in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. All scores came in the Mid-Atlantic region so the owners of the quartet each received a 25% bonus courtesy of the HBPA/VTA incentive program.

Tiz Our Time and Wild Affair both won at Charles Town on back-to-back evenings. At first blush, the former appeared to lose to Dirty Laundry February 1st in a $23,000 maiden special weight race, but after a stewards inquiry, the winner was DQ’d and placed fifth. 5 year old Tiz Out Time, one half length shy at the wire, was elevated to first and bagged her first lifetime victory in 13 starts. She was bred by Sam E. English, is owned by Sam English, II, and is by Tiz Wonderful out of Exquisite Option by Silver Deputy.

Wild Affair avoided any drama in collecting her first lifetime score. She simply took control of her 6 1/2 furlong maiden claimer at the quarter mark and powered home to win by 4 1/4 lengths on Groundhog Day. The 4 year old daughter of Up Periscope was bred and is owned by the Vermont Farm. She is out of the Black Tie Affair mare, Vermont Gilan.

Aix En Provence, bred by James Falk, is shown in the winners circle at Laurel in 2014. The 9 year old got her 10th win February 3rd at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.

On the next afternoon, the classy Aix En Provence earned career victory number ten in her 57th start. The 9 year old daughter of Rock Slide went gate to wire in a six furlong claiming race at Aqueduct. Bred by James Falk and owned by Prestine Racing, the victor held on to win by three-quarters of a length in an event that saw three horses claimed out of the seven that started. Aix En Provence is out of Parisiana by Mutakddim, and has now earned $328,122 in purse winnings.

Desert Jewel gained her fifth straight “in the money” finish at Penn National that night courtesy of a strong final furlong. The 4 year old daughter of Include angled out sharply from third in the stretch and crossed handily by 4 1/2 lengths. Bred by the Morgan’s Ford Farm and owned/trained by Michael Salvaggio, Desert Jewel gained her third career score and increased her winnings to $73,794.

Congratulations to the latest Virginia-bred horses to score an owners bonus with a victory in the Mid-Atlantic region — Greek God, Bird Call and Start Winning.

Greek God had an impressive gate to wire triumph Saturday at Laurel in a one mile, $15,000 claiming race. The 6 year old son of Pleasantly Perfect beat a field of six others, and boosted his career earnings to $142,445. The victor was bred by Larry Johnson, is owned by Three M’s Racing, and is out of Grecian Wings by Mr. Greeley. He has amassed six wins, five runner-up finishes and eight thirds in 43 career starts.

Greek God collected his 19th “in the money” finish with a victory Jan. 28 at Laurel. Photo courtesy of Jim McCue.

Bird Call also beat six other foes in gate to wire fashion January 25th at Penn National. The 5 year old Birdstone gelding was solid in the $12,400, six furlong event, winning by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:11.46. He was bred by the Lazy Lane Farms and is owned by John Jacavone. Bird Call has earned $39,350 from a dozen starts but has really taken to Penn National, where he has a pair of wins and a second from a trio of efforts there. He is out of the Secret Hello mare, Silent Greeting.

Bird Call, bred by the Lazy Lane Farms, went gate to wire in a Jan. 25th claiming race at Penn National. Photo courtesy of B&D Photography.

Start Winning also beat a field of six others but didn’t replicate the same gate to wire vibe last Friday. The 4 year old daughter of Jump Start rated the pace outside early in her 6 1/2 furlong claimer at Charles Town, took  the lead at the 3/8ths mark and never looked back. She crossed a length ahead of Foolish Flower in 1:11.46 to gain her fourth career triumph. Those four have come in her last seven starts, all at Charles Town. Out of Ritual Dance by Runaway Groom, Start Winning was bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin and is owned by C and B Stable. The upset winner paid $18.60.

Four year old filly Start Winning has won four of her last 7 at Charles Town including this Jan. 27 triumph. Photo courtesy of Coady Photography.

The winning owners of the three will receive a 25% bonus on top of their respective horse’s purse earnings. The HBPA/VTA Mid-Atlantic incentive program continues through all of 2017 and rewards owners of Virginia-bred horses who win a race in either Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey or New York.

Virginia connected horses had a nice showing last Saturday on the high profile Pegasus Day race card at Gulfstream Park. Long On Value, bred by the Snow Lantern Thoroughbreds, took third in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes. The Bill Mott trainee finished a length behind the victorious Power Alert. A winner of $691,093, Long On Value was last in the 12 horse field halfway through the turn but powered six wide at the top of the stretch to finish in the money.

Homespun Hero, bred by Mrs. C. Oliver Iselin, had a tight runner-up in the afternoon’s kickoff race — a $58,000 allowance event. The Michael Maker trainee lost by a neck to Icatiro but with earnings of $10,000 for a second place finish, saw his bankroll move into six digit territory at $103,600.

Long On Value took third last Saturday in the $125,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes. Photo by Coglianese Photography.

Sadlers Joy, owned and bred by Virginians Rene and Lauren Woolcott, finished second in the Grade 3, W.L. McKnight Stakes. The 4 year old Kitten’s Joy colt did not race as a two year old but is making up for lost time. In seven career outs, he has three wins and a second now, good for earnings of $182,688.