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FLORIDA-BRED BEST BEYERS, ALL RACESPAGE 10

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Mucho Macho Man named Florida’s 2013 Horse of the YearThe Name’s Jimmy dies at age 25Half Ours filly tops Louisiana juvenile sale

Honor Code makes 2014 debut Wednesday

Young sire profile: Dunkirk

Breeder of the Week: Adena Springs

Best Beyers: Curlin

Beyer: Run-up distances add nothing but distortion

Shug McGaughey-trained son of A.P. Indy makes much-anticipated return in a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Gulfstream Park.

Leading freshman sire of 2013 has two runners to watch emerge at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park.

Perennial leading breeder off to a strong start in 2014 as Game On Dude and Judy the Beauty take down graded stakes at Santa Anita.

Lane’s End sire and Hall of Fame finalist represented by several good first-crop runners, led by Palace Malice.

Andrew Beyer examines the existence of run-up distances at American racetracks that skew final times and confuse handicappers.

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Ask trainer Shug McGaughey which one single factor was most responsible for Orb’s victory in the 2013 Kentucky Derby, and he’d likely say it was the way everything went perfectly for his horse from the time he arrived at Payson Park last winter right up until Derby Day.

“We never missed a work, never missed a race, never had a single setback with Orb all winter,” McGaughey said.

Unfortunately, such has not been the case for McGaughey in his quest to defend his Derby title this year. McGaughey encountered his first setback when Honor Code missed 10 days of training in January due to some bruising of the ankles. He suffered an even tougher blow

Saturday, when Top Billing cracked a cannon bone in his right front leg, taking him off the Derby trail.

McGaughey is hopeful that the road to Churchill Downs will be a smooth one from here on out for Honor Code, who makes his long-awaited 3-year-old debut Wednesday at Gulfstream Park against four rivals in a $75,000 allowance race at 1 1/16 miles.

Honor Code has not started since outgaming Cairo Prince, the likely favorite for the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Nov. 30. A son of A.P. Indy owned by the partnership of Lane’s End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm, Honor Code suffered his only defeat in three starts Oct. 5 when beaten

Honor Code makes long-awaited 2014 debut Wednesday

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AmericA’s Turf AuThoriTy since 1894

BarBara D. Livingston Honor Code will make his first start since winning the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes last fall in a Wednesday allowance at Gulfstream Park.

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a neck by Havana in the Grade 1 Cham-pagne Stakes.

Honor Code has worked five times since McGaughey brought him down to Gulf-stream from Payson Park to resume train-ing in late January. He went a strong five furlongs in company in 59.18 seconds with jockey Javier Castellano aboard March 2, then came back Sunday with another solid half-mile, going solo, in 47.99.

“There are a couple of horses in this race on Wednesday that are okay, and one of them has a lot of speed, which I’m glad about,” McGaughey said, referring to the undefeated Social Inclusion. “I’d like to have a target for Honor Code to run at. I breezed him sharp on Sunday because I wanted to get his mind on what he’s got to do, and hopefully he’ll break and be laying close, where you really need to be right now to win over this track.”

McGaughey acknowledged that winning is not his ultimate goal Wednesday but added that he believes he’s done enough with Honor Code for him to come out on top in his return.

“We don’t have to win. Obviously, that’s not our main goal, but we’re in the race to win, and it would sure take a lot of pres-sure off me if he does win,” McGaughey said with a laugh. “We have several options for him coming out of this race, and it would be a nice scenario if he were to win easily, if the race didn’t take a lot out of him, and we could bang another race out of him down here.”

McGaughey said he would prefer to bring Honor Code back in the Florida Derby on March 29, if possible. Orb used his victory in the 2013 Florida Derby as a final stepping-stone to his triumph five weeks later in the Kentucky Derby.

“It’s probably a longshot, as you know, to get him back in the Florida Derby,” McGaughey said. “But the works don’t seem to be taking much out of him,

so we’ll see. If you asked me the great scenario, I’d say I’d be very happy if I had another two more weeks after this race until his next start. But right now, the most likely options, assuming all goes well on Wednesday, for his final Derby prep would either be the Florida Derby or the [Grade 1] Wood Memorial the follow-ing week.”

Social Inclusion, a very impressive winner of his only start, could give Honor Code all he can handle in his return. The remainder of the field is We’re All Set, Specialnightaction, and Ta Bueno.

Social Inclusion overcame a bit of a slow start to lead at every call en route to a 7 1/2-length victory going six furlongs in a maiden special weight race at Gulf-stream Feb. 22. A son of Pioneerof the Nile trained by Manny Azpurua, Social Inclu-sion earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance that day, which equals Honor Code’s top number, posted in defeat in the Champagne.

We’re All Set, stakes-placed at 2 at Calder, has chased some top-class opposi-tion in his last three starts, which were won by Top Billing, Constitution, and Coup de Grace, although he remains winless since winning his maiden going a mile at Calder in late September.

Top Billing has surgery, might return to training in four months

McGaughey said surgery to repair Top Billing’s cracked cannon bone went off without a hitch Sunday in Kentucky, and the prognosis for his recovery is good.

“Everything went perfectly,” McGaughey said. “He’ll likely stay up there and recu-perate at WinStar [Farm]. If all goes well, we can probably have him back in training in about four months.”

Top Billing finished third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes after posting an

impressive allowance win at Gulfstream. He was expected to be one of the favorites in the Florida Derby until being injured during a routine workout at Palm Meadows on Saturday.

–Mike Welsch

Untapable, Gold Hawk work for AsmussenUntapable, who is bound for the Grade 2

Fair Grounds Oaks, and Gold Hawk, who’s being pointed for the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, worked in company on Monday at Fair Grounds, both getting a time of 1:01 for a five-furlong drill.

Untapable stamped herself as a leading contender for the Kentucky Oaks when she won the Feb. 22 Grade 3 Rachel Alex-andra Stakes at Fair Grounds, her first start at age 3, by 9 1/2 lengths, a perform-ance that produced a Beyer Speed Figure of 100. Untapable, a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred by Tapit, returned to the work tab with an easy half-mile on March 3, and picked up the pace Monday.

“I think she did it very nice, and we’re very pleased with where she’s at,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “The timing of the Fair Grounds Oaks to the Kentucky Oaks is ideal, with her running such a big number off a break.”

The Fair Grounds Oaks is March 29 on the Louisiana Derby undercard, and the Kentucky Oaks is May 2. Untapable was making her first start since Dec. 7 when she won the Rachel Alexandra.

Gold Hawk, meanwhile, was third in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes and fifth in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes after winning his first two starts late last year. Asmussen still believes Gold Hawk, a son of Empire Maker, has room to improve.

“He’s a great big Baby Huey type horse that I think is going to get better with expe-rience,” he said. –Marcus Hersh

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Young sire profile: DunkirkBy Daniel Illman

Led by Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner Havana and Grade 3 Sapling Stakes hero Dunkin Bend, Dunkirk was, far and away, America’s leading first-crop sire by progeny earnings in 2013. Dunkirk’s 2-year-olds earned $1,112,446, a whop-ping $386,226 more than the offspring by runner-up Pioneerof the Nile.

Dunkirk sired 14 winners from 47 runners in 2013, but has gotten off to a slow beginning this year. Through March 10, Dunkirk has four winners from 28 performers.

Havana, who finished his successful juvenile campaign with a gutsy second-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, had his seasonal debut delayed after a quarter crack forced his withdrawal from the Grade 2 Swale Stakes on March 1 at Gulfstream Park.

Dunkin Bend is winless from three starts following the Sapling and was a well-beaten second most recently in the listed Big Drama Stakes at Delta Downs.

One of Dunkirk’s leading performers this year is Oh Wise One, a $60,000 weanling purchase that has won both of her starts at Fair Grounds. A half-sister to Tropical Park Derby winner King Congie, Oh Wise One graduated in a $30,000 maiden claimer at about one mile on turf on Jan. 26. Last week, Oh Wise One dominated an off-the-turf, entry-level optional claimer by 9 1/4 lengths with a career-best 72 Beyer Speed Figure. Another filly to keep an eye on is Battle Tale, a $35,000 yearling purchase that graduated in her debut effort, a maiden special weight over 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 21.

Foaled on Jan. 23, 2006, Dunkirk was the highest-priced yearling at the 2007 Keene-land September auction. He was purchased for $3.7 million by the powerful Coolmore outfit and sent to trainer Todd Pletcher. Dunkirk didn’t race at 2 due to shin prob-lems, but made a winning career debut in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Gulfstream in January 2009.

Pletcher wasted no time in stretching the gray colt out in distance and Dunkirk received a 98 Beyer in downing nine others

in a nine-furlong, entry-level allowance event in February. Sent away the 11-10 favorite in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, Dunkirk ran a 108 Beyer, a number good enough to win 17 of the last 22 runnings of the prestigious Kentucky Derby prep. Unfortunately for Dunkirk, he faced Qual-ity Road, who freaked in victory to the tune of a 111 Beyer.

Dunkirk reportedly grabbed a quarter and suffered some superficial cuts when a troubled 11th in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. He returned with an excellent second-place finish to the rallying Summer Bird in the Belmont Stakes, defeating Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by a neck after setting solid early fractions in the 12-furlong “Test of the Champion.”

After the Belmont, it was discovered that Dunkirk suffered a non-displaced condylar fracture of his left hind cannon bone. He was retired to stand at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky., and currently commands a $15,000 fee.

Although both of Dunkirk’s graded winners have excelled around one turn, it is far too early to pigeonhole him as merely a sire of sprinters and milers. His sire, Unbridled’s Song, captured the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles and both the Florida Derby and Grade 1 Wood Memorial at nine furlongs, and was among the lead-ing stallions of the past decade before his death last July.

Dunkirk’s dam, Secret Status, by A.P. Indy, prevailed in such prestigious Grade 1 races as the Mother Goose Stakes and Kentucky Oaks, both at nine furlongs. Secret Status is a full sister to multiple Grade 3 route winner Alumni Hall.

This pedigree indicates that Dunkirk’s progeny should handle middle- and longer-distance races. Soundness could be the determining factor as to whether Dunkirk will succeed at stud. Some of the Unbri-dled’s Song’s best runners proved to be are brilliant, but brittle, and Dunkirk himself had his share of physical problems.

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Courtesy of ashforD stuD Dunkirk

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By DRF Breeding staff

Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs was represented by stakes-winning efforts last weekend from two of its 2013 stars, as 2014 continues to look bright for one of the sport’s most prominent breeding opera-tions of the past several decades.

Game On Dude embellished his already glittering résumé with arguably the best race of his career, unleashing a record-setting win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday. The 7-year-old son of Adena stallion Awesome Again snagged his third win in Santa Anita’s showcase event for older males, the only horse to ever do so, and earned a 116 Beyer Speed Figure for his very impressive, stakes-record final time of 1:58.17 over 1 1/4 miles. Game On Dude surpassed the $6 million mark in career earnings in the Big Cap and has now won eight Grade 1 races in his career, which was given a rejuvenating boost with Saturday’s effort, snapping a three-race losing streak.

Stronach bred Game On Dude, out of the stakes-winning Devil His Due mare Worldly Pleasure, and sold him privately after buying him back at the 2008 Keene-land September yearling sale. Wordly Pleasure was also sold privately by Stro-nach, and now resides in Korea.

Despite Game On Dude’s considerable credentials, most racing observers would identify 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper as Awesome Again’s best son on the race-track. At age 14, Ghostzapper has become another productive stallion for Adena. His daughter Judy the Beauty annexed her first start of 2014 with a facile score in the Grade 3 Las Flores Handicap on Sunday at Santa Anita, earning a 96 Beyer. The chest-nut mare, a six-figure earner in each of her three prior seasons on the track, picked up her first graded stakes victory in last fall’s Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes before falling just short of cham-pion Groupie Doll in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Trainer Wesley Ward bought Judy the Beauty from Adena for $20,000 at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale. She has since won six of 14 starts and never finished out of the money, earning over $825,000, and appears set for a very good 5-year-old campaign. Judy the Beauty is out of the stakes-winning Holy Bull mare

Holy Blitz.In addition to Awesome Again and Ghost-

zapper, Stronach’s Adena Springs stallion roster includes champion Macho Uno, sire of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man. It was announced last month that Adena purchased an undis-closed interest in Mucho Macho Man, who finished fourth in Saturday’s Big Cap, for both racing and breeding purposes.

Stronach’s biography needs little public-ity as he is one of the most well-known and influential figures in the contemporary Thoroughbred industry via his ownership of racetracks such as Santa Anita Park

and Gulfstream Park, the online wager-ing service Xpressbet, and stud farms in Kentucky and Ontario. The 81-year-old Stronach, a native of Austria, immigrated to Canada in the mid-1950s and over the subsequent decades built his automotive component manufacturing company into the successful international business Magna International. Stronach first delved into the horse business during the 1970s, opened his first stud farm in 1989, and has since been honored with the Eclipse Award as outstanding owner four times and as outstanding breeder a record eight times. He has also received 18 Sovereign Awards.

emiLy shieLDs Game On Dude, by Awesome Again, surpassed the $6 million mark in career earnings with his win in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

Breeder of the Week: Adena Springs

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By DRF Breeding staff

Lane’s End stallion Curlin did not waste time making a mark at stud when Palace Malice emerged from his first crop to take the 2013 Belmont Stakes. That colt would go on to win the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes and run well against older horses with a good second in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Palace Malice dominated the Beyer Speed Figure charts for Curlin’s progeny in 2013, and the Dogwood Stable-owned runner posted his sire’s best Beyer to date through the first nine weeks of the new year with a 105 in Saturday’s Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap.

Palace Malice returned from four months

on the shelf with a game win in the one-turn-mile Gulfstream Park Handicap, which should set him up nicely for the longer-distance events he excelled in last year. His best overall Beyer of 107 came in last July’s 1 1/8-mile Jim Dandy, and he earned a 106 while finishing fourth in the 1 1/4-mile Travers four weeks later; his Belmont Beyer was 98.

Palace Malice gets stamina influences from both his sire and his damsire, Grade 1-winning turf router Royal Anthem. The colt’s dam, Palace Rumor, won the 1 1/16-mile Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park.

Curlin had a very talented second-crop 3-year-old this winter in Top Billing, but that colt will miss the Kentucky Derby

due to a cannon bone injury suffered Saturday that could keep him sidelined for about four months. The colt, co-owned by Lane’s End’s Bill Farish along with E.J. Hudson Jr. earned Curlin’s third-best Beyer of this year through March 9 with a 97, tallied when finishing third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 22 at Gulfstream Park. He had posted Beyers of 91 and 90 in two optional claiming wins at Gulfstream in January, and appeared to have enough of a female-family founda-tion to withstand the Kentucky Derby’s mile-and-a-quarter challenge as he is a close relative to 2012 Derby and Preakness runner-up Bodemeister.

Curlin’s other current Derby trail horse,

Lee P. thomas Curlin

Best Beyers: Curlin

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Ride On Curlin, returned this year with a win in an Oaklawn Park allowance (74 Beyer) and a distant third in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes (80 Beyer). The colt, who is from the female family of Grade 1 winners Victory Ride and River Flyer, showed much promise last summer with a 91-Beyer maiden win at Ellis Park and a good third in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes (90 Beyer), but will have to improve off of his early sophomore efforts to capture one of the remaining Derby preps. He is likely to start in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday at Oaklawn.

Two other members of Curlin’s first crop have continued to run well early in their 4-year-old campaigns. Bold Curlin, a geld-

ing out of the stakes-placed Ascot Knight mare To the Brim, won the 1 1/16-mile Native Dancer Stakes at Laurel Park in late January (98 Beyer). Socialbug, a filly who won twice at Del Mar last summer, posted a 95 Beyer when second in a six-furlong optional claimer at Santa Anita on Jan. 2, and then followed with a 90 Beyer in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance win at the same track on March 1. The Mike Rutherford-owned, Bob Baffert-trained filly is out of the unraced Dehere mare Candytuft, best known as the dam of champion and hot young sire Midnight Lute.

It was announced last week that Curlin is among the finalists to join racing’s Hall of Fame this summer, and as a two-time

Horse of the Year and North America’s all-time leading moneywinner he is likely to be voted in as a first-ballot inductee. The phys-ically imposing son of leading sire Smart Strike, out of the unraced Deputy Minister mare Sherriff’s Deputy, wowed racing fans from the very beginning, when he earned a 102 Beyer in his maiden win at Gulfstream Park in early February 2007. Over the next two years, Curlin would win seven Grade/Group 1 stakes – including the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Preakness Stakes, and Dubai World Cup – earn over $10 million, and post a dozen triple-digit Beyers, with a high of 119 in his 2007 Breeders’ Cup score. He stands alongside his sire at Lane’s End for $25,000 in 2014.

BEST BEYERS FOR CURLIN1/1 THROUGH 3/9

BEYER NAME AGE SEX DAM CLASS STAKES NAME TRACK DATE DIST. SURF. FIN. STATE BRED

105 Palace Malice ...............4 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............Gulfstream Park H. (G2) ........................................ GP..............8-Mar ............ 1M ..................D.............1 ...................KY98 Bold Curlin ....................4 .........G ........ To the Brim................... STK ............Native Dancer S. ..................................................... LRL ............25-Jan .......... 1 1/16M ..........D.............1 ................... PA97 Top Billing .....................3 .........C ........ Parade Queen .............. STK ............ Fountain of Youth S. (G2) ...................................... GP..............22-Feb .......... 1 1/16M ..........D.............3 ...................KY95 Socialbug ......................4 .........F ......... Candytuft ..................... AOC ............................................................................................. SA ..............2-Jan ............. 6F ....................D.............2 ...................KY91 Bold Curlin ....................4 .........G ........ To the Brim................... AOC ............................................................................................. LRL ............1-Jan ............. 1 1/8M ............D.............1 ................... PA91 Top Billing .....................3 .........C ........ Parade Queen .............. AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............3-Jan ............ 1 1/8M ............D.............2 ...................KY90 Top Billing .....................3 .........C ........ Parade Queen .............. AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............25-Jan .......... 1 1/16M ..........D.............1 ...................KY90 Socialbug ......................4 .........F ......... Candytuft ..................... ALW ............................................................................................. SA ..............1-Mar ............ 6 1/2F .............D.............1 ...................KY88 Moulin de Mougin ........4 .........F ......... Cambiocorsa ............... ALW ............................................................................................. SA ..............9-Feb ............ 1 1/8M ............T .............1 ...................KY87 Curly Top .......................4 .........C ........ Top Notch Lady ........... AOC ............................................................................................. SA ..............4-Jan ............ 1M ..................D.............3 ...................KY86 Flash Forward ...............4 .........F ......... Magical Flash .............. STK ............ Top Flight H. (G2) ................................................... AQU ...........1-Mar ............ 1 1/16M ..........D.............3 ...................KY

BEST BEYERS FOR CURLIN2013

BEYER NAME AGE SEX DAM CLASS STAKES NAME TRACK DATE DIST. SURF. FIN. STATE BRED

107 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............ Jim Dandy S. (G2) .................................................. SAR ...........27-Jul............ 1 1/8M ............D.............1 ...................KY106 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............ Travers S. (G1) ........................................................ SAR ...........24-Aug .......... 1 1/4M ............D.............4 ...................KY104 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............ Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational S. (G1) ........... BEL ............28-Sep .......... 1 1/4M ............D.............2 ...................KY102 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) ................................... SA ..............2-Nov ............ 1 1/4M ............D.............6 ...................KY98 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............Belmont S. (G1) ...................................................... BEL ............8-Jun ............ 1 1/2M ............D.............1 ...................KY95 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............Risen Star S. (G2) ................................................... FG ..............23-Feb .......... 1 1/16M ..........D.............3 ...................KY95 Jay Eye See ...................3 .........C ........ England’s Rose ............ AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............10-Nov .......... 1M ..................D.............2 ...................KY91 Curly Top .......................3 .........C ........ Top Notch Lady ........... AOC ............................................................................................. BHP ...........28-Jun .......... 1 1/16M ..........AW .........2 ...................KY91 Ride On Curlin ..............2 .........C ........ Magical Ride................ MSW ........................................................................................... ELP ............13-Jul ........... 5 1/2F .............D.............1 ...................KY91 Bold Curlin ....................3 .........G ........ To the Brim................... AOC ............................................................................................. LRL ............18-Dec .......... 1 1/16M ..........D.............2 ................... PA90 Curly Top .......................3 .........C ........ Top Notch Lady ........... ALW ............................................................................................. BHP ...........30-May ......... 1 1/8M ............AW .........3 ...................KY90 Flash Forward ...............3 .........F ......... Magical Flash .............. STK ............My Flag S. ............................................................... SAR ...........28-Aug.......... 1 1/8M ............D.............1 ...................KY90 Socialbug ......................3 .........F ......... Candytuft ..................... AOC ............................................................................................. DMR ..........31-Aug .......... 6F ....................AW .........1 ...................KY90 Ride On Curlin ..............2 .........C ........ Magical Ride................ STK ............ Foxwoods Champagne S. (G1) ............................. BEL ............5-Oct ............. 1M ..................D.............3 ...................KY89 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............19-Jan .......... 7F ....................D.............2 ...................KY89 Palace Malice ...............3 .........C ........ Palace Rumor .............. STK ............ Toyota Blue Grass S. (G1) ...................................... KEE ............13-Apr........... 1 1/8M ............AW .........2 ...................KY89 Socialbug ......................3 .........F ......... Candytuft ..................... MSW ........................................................................................... DMR ..........21-Jul ........... 6F ....................AW .........1 ...................KY89 Liberated .......................3 .........F ......... Lady Melesi ................. ALW ............................................................................................. CD .............29-Nov ......... 1M ..................D.............1 ...................KY

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Run-up distances add nothing but distortionWhen Band of Joy was entered at

Gulfstream Park last week, most bettors understood that his stamina was a crucial issue in handi-capping the race. The horse’s best perform-ances had come in five-furlong sprints on the grass, and now he would be trying to run a much more chal-lenging distance, 7 1/2 furlongs.

Bettors thought he could do it and made him the 2-1 favorite. Band of Joy dueled around the track with Padilla and wrested command 10 strides from the finish line. But Padilla – a colt with more proven staying power – battled back in the final yards to win by a half-length. It might have seemed a reasonable post-mortem to say that 7 1/2 furlongs was a bit too far for Band of Joy.

Yet the distance of the race was not 7 1/2 furlongs; few handicappers or people in the racing community had any idea what the true distance was. In recent weeks the official Equibase charts have said that there was a 250-foot run-up for many 7 1/2-furlong races – meaning that the field covers 250 feet before the timing of the race begins. But the 250-foot figure happens to be the maximum number that the Equibase data system can accommo-date. (Presumably, the programmers thought that a longer run-up was unim-aginable.) For the Band of Joy race, the footnotes to the chart added this clari-fication: “The run-up for this race was 375 feet.”

In other words, the field traveled 375 feet – more than one-sixteenth of a mile – before it reached the official starting

point of the race. The total distance of the event was actually one mile and 45 feet, a significant difference for a horse who might be hard-pressed to go 7 1/2 furlongs effectively. Band of Joy prob-ably would have won the race but for the extra 375 feet. Though bettors were unaware of the crucial facts about the distance, they were surely affected. More than $1.6 million was wagered on the race, including $488,930 in the Rain-bow 6 pool.

Last week, I wrote a column about difficulties facing modern-day handi-cappers – including long run-ups – and was surprised that the esoteric subject touched a nerve in so many horseplay-ers. Many were unaware of the exist-ence of run-ups. (Equibase, the keeper of the sport’s data, didn’t start collect-ing run-up information until 2008.) Many didn’t know that tracks employ long run-ups so they can card races at distances that would otherwise be unfeasible – such as the 7 1/2-furlong turf races that start very close to Gulf-stream’s first turn. And they didn’t know where to get information.

The length of the run-up appears after the fact in the fine print of the Equi-base result charts and in Daily Racing Form’s Formulator past performances. But it is not listed in the program or past performance heading, so a handi-capper can’t be sure before a race what the true distance is.

Racetracks have a rationale for changing the length of run-ups and employing some extreme ones. Gulf-stream cards many 7 1/2-furlong races because horsemen like them. When Band of Joy was entered at the distance, owner Paul Pompa said, “Five furlongs to 7 1/2 furlongs was enough of an incre-mental move-up.” A mile seemed too far. Because 7 1/2-furlong races are run

so often, Gulfstream moves the start-ing gate to different locations so that it doesn’t inflict too much damage to the grass course. Chuck Streva, Equibase’s conscientious chart-caller, has exam-ined the different gaps through which the gate moves onto the turf, and he knows that one of them constitutes a 375-foot run-up.

“I’m totally confident of the number we put in the chart,” he said, adding, “These races aren’t even close to 7 1/2 furlongs.”

The whole system is preposterous. Because of run-ups, Thoroughbred racing is the only sport that can’t produce accurate timing of its own events.

It’s as if the Olympics started clock-ing a 1,500-meter race after the field had run half a lap. And it’s the only sport in which the participants cannot be sure of the distance at which they’ll be competing. Pompa and trainer Todd Pletcher had no idea that Band of Joy was running a mile and 45 feet instead of the distance they had planned on. It’s as if Usain Bolt stepped onto the track for a 100-meter championship and learned that he’d be running 115 meters today.

Tim Ritvo, president of Gulfstream Park, has come to recognize the absurd-ities produced by his track’s run-ups.

“Two hundred feet is definitely too far,” he said, and promised to make some changes in the 7 1/2-furlong races. But this isn’t a Gulfstream issue; it’s an industry issue. Del Mar runs a mile on dirt with a 200-foot run-up. Monmouth Park shows Equibase’s maximum 250-foot run-up for many turf races. In a perfect world, Thoroughbred racing would do what every other sport does: Run races at exact distances and time them from the start.

© 2014 The Washington Post

headline5

ANDREW BEYER

10

FLORIDA-BRED BEST BEYERS, ALL RACES3/3 THROUGH 3/9

BEYER NAME AGE SEX SIRE CLASS STAKES NAME TRACK DATE DIST. SURF. FIN. RECORD

100 Mucho Macho Man ......6 .........H ........ Macho Uno .................. STK ............Santa Anita H. (G1)................................................. SA ..............8-Mar ............ 1 1/4M ............D.............4 ........25-9-5-698 Sahara Sky ....................6 .........H ........ Pleasant Tap ................ STK ............San Carlos S. (G2) ................................................. SA ..............8-Mar ............ 7F ....................D.............1 ........18-8-3-497 Wild Dude .....................4 .........C ........ Wildcat Heir ................. STK ............San Carlos S. (G2) ................................................. SA ..............8-Mar ............ 7F ....................D.............4 ...........9-4-2-196 Joe Hollywood ..............6 .........H ........ Congrats ...................... AOC ............................................................................................. FG ..............4-Mar ............ 6F ....................D.............1 .........24-7-6-493 Old Time Hockey ..........5 .........G ........ Smarty Jones .............. AOC ............................................................................................. TAM ...........7-Mar ............ 1 1/16M ..........D.............1 ........20-4-3-393 Too Fast to Pass ...........4 .........G ........ With Distinction ......... CLM ............................................................................................ SA ..............7-Mar ............ 6 1/2F .............D.............1 ........20-6-3-393 Grande Shores ..............6 .........H ........ Black Mambo .............. SOC ............................................................................................. CRC ...........7-Mar ............ 6 1/2F .............D.............1 .........31-9-7-391 Don Tito .........................7 .........H ........ Trippi ............................ CLM ............................................................................................ AQU ...........9-Mar ............ 6F ....................D.............1 ........ 26-9-1-590 Escrow Kid ....................7 .........G ........ City Place .................... AOC ............................................................................................. LRL ............8-Mar ............ 7F ....................D.............2 ........ 43-9-7-689 United States Won ......4 .........G ........ Candy Ride (ARG) ....... AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............8-Mar ............ 7 1/2F .............T .............1 ...........8-2-2-188 Padilla ............................4 .........C ........ With Distinction ......... AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............5-Mar ............ 7 1/2F .............T .............1 .........10-3-1-288 Spring Up ......................4 .........C ........ Spring At Last .............. AOC ............................................................................................. SA ..............6-Mar ............ 1 1/8M ............T .............3 .........10-4-1-188 Card ...............................4 .........G ........ Spring At Last .............. AOC ............................................................................................. OP..............7-Mar ............ 6F ....................D.............2 ...........5-2-1-088 Just Win Baby ...............4 .........R ......... The Daddy ................... AOC ............................................................................................. GG .............9-Mar ............ 1 1/16M ..........AW .........3 .........14-3-1-187 Storm Warnings ...........6 .........G ........ Cimarron Secret .......... CLM ............................................................................................ GP..............6-Mar ............ 1 1/16M ..........D.............1 ........27-4-4-487 Spielberg .......................5 .........H ........ Simon Pure .................. CLM ............................................................................................ LRL ............7-Mar ............ 1M ..................D.............1 ........25-8-5-287 Blings Express ..............5 .........G ........ Too Much Bling ........... SOC ............................................................................................. CRC ...........7-Mar ............ 6 1/2F .............D.............2 ........ 33-7-9-487 Monty Haul ...................5 .........G ........ With Distinction ......... AOC ............................................................................................. PRX ...........9-Mar ............ 6 1/2F .............D.............2 ........ 15-5-3-386 Alley Oop Oop ...............6 .........H ........ Monsieur Cat ............... AOC ............................................................................................. GP..............5-Mar ............ 7 1/2F .............T .............4 .........32-7-5-386 Tapit’s World .................4 .........F ......... Tapit .............................. AOC ............................................................................................. OP..............6-Mar ............ 1 1/16M ..........D.............1 ...........8-3-3-186 Toasting .........................4 .........F ......... Congrats ...................... ALW ............................................................................................. GP..............8-Mar ............ 7F ....................D.............1 ........ 16-4-2-586 All Keyed Up .................4 .........G ........ Keyed Entry ................. OCL ............................................................................................. CRC ...........9-Mar ............ 1M ..................D.............1 ........23-4-0-186 Go Bernie Go .................4 .........C ........ Western Pride .............. OCL ............................................................................................. CRC ...........9-Mar ............ 1M ..................D.............2 .........13-2-5-1

FLORIDA DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICESAdam H. Putnam, Commissioner 850-617-7341 • Fax 850-617-7331 e-mail: Christopher.denmark@freshfromflorida.com407 S. Calhoun • 416 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399

FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONLonny T. Powell, CEO and Executive Vice President801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474 • 352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603www.ftboa.com • info@ftboa.com

Florida...the Best State for Business

www.ftboa.com • www.facebook.com/thefloridahorse

FLORIDA DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICESAdam H. Putnam, Commissioner 850-617-7341 • Fax 850-617-7331 e-mail: Christopher.denmark@freshfromflorida.com407 S. Calhoun • 416 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, FL 32399

www.ftboa.comwww.facebook.com/thefloridahorse

FLORIDA THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS’ AND OWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONLonny T. Powell, CEO and Executive Vice President801 SW 60th Ave. • Ocala, FL 34474 • 352-629-2160 • Fax: 352-629-3603 • www.ftboa.com • info@ftboa.com

Florida...the Best State for Business

11

CANADA-BRED BEST BEYERS, ALL RACES3/3 THROUGH 3/9

BEYER NAME AGE SEX SIRE CLASS STAKES NAME TRACK DATE DIST. SURF. FIN. PROVINCE RECORD

104 Uncaptured ...................4 .........C ........ Lion Heart ........................STK ........Gulfstream Park H. (G2) .............GP ..............8-Mar ..............1M ...................D ..................3 ........... ON .............18-7-3-395 Judy the Beauty ............5 .........M ........ Ghostzapper ...................STK ........ Las Flores S. (G3) .......................SA ...............9-Mar ..............6F ....................D ..................1 ........... ON .............14-6-7-186 Feisty Albert ..................5 .........G ........ North Light (IRE) .............CLM ..............................................................LRL .............7-Mar ...............1M ...................D ..................2 ........... ON ............ 23-5-2-384 Matador .........................3 .........C ........ Malibu Moon ..................STK ........ Tampa Bay Derby (G2) ................TAM ...........8-Mar ..............1 1/16M ..........D ..................5 ........... ON ...............6-1-0-182 Alpha Bullet ...................4 .........C ........ Kitalpha ............................STR ...............................................................SA ...............9-Mar ..............1M ...................T ..................2 ........... ON ...............3-1-2-081 Chelsea Road ................4 .........F ......... Speightstown ..................ALW ..............................................................FG ...............7-Mar ...............5 1/2F .............D ..................1 ........... ON ............ 14-4-2-379 I Want You to Know ......6 .........G ........ Dixie Union ......................CLM ..............................................................AQU ............6-Mar ..............1 1/16M ..........D ..................1 ........... ON ............26-5-2-478 Catch the Luck ..............9 .........G ........ A.P. Indy ...........................AOC ..............................................................CT ...............6-Mar ..............7F ....................D ..................1 ........... ON ............ 49-8-9-777 Mia’s Rocket ..................5 .........G ........ Trajectory .........................SOC ..............................................................GP ..............5-Mar ..............7F ....................D ..................2 ........... ON ............29-4-8-377 Victory Exchange .........4 .........C ........ Exchange Rate .................AOC ..............................................................OP ..............7-Mar ...............6F ....................D ..................4 ........... ON .............. 3-2-0-077 Ledokol..........................4 .........C ........ Purge ................................ALW ..............................................................CRC ............8-Mar ..............7F ....................D ..................5 ........... ON ............ 22-2-4-275 Big Wags .......................7 .........G ........ Posse ...............................CLM ..............................................................SA ...............9-Mar ..............1M ...................D ..................7 ........... ON .........52-10-11-473 Bobby Handy ................7 .........G ........ Joey Franco .....................SST ........Starter S. ......................................TUP ............4-Mar ..............1M ...................T ..................3 ............BC ...........42-15-7-373 Jade Prince ...................5 .........G ........ Survivalist ........................AOC ..............................................................CT ...............6-Mar ..............7F ....................D ..................4 ........... ON ............ 35-7-5-672 Mark ..............................4 .........G ........ Rosberg............................AOC ..............................................................TUP ............5-Mar ..............1M ...................T ..................5 ............BC .............20-4-1-272 Wailin’ Jack ...................6 .........G ........ Kiridashi...........................CLM ..............................................................TUP ............8-Mar ..............6 1/2F .............D ..................1 ............BC ............26-4-6-772 Exeter Road ...................6 .........G ........ More Than Ready ............CLM ..............................................................GP ..............8-Mar ..............1 1/16M ..........T ..................1 ........... ON ............26-4-0-371 Bear Famous Trip .........8 .........G ........ Trippi ................................CLM ..............................................................TUP ............3-Mar ..............1M ...................D ..................1 ........... ON ......... 58-11-7-1071 Do the Math ..................6 .........G ........ Flower Alley .....................AOC ..............................................................MNR ...........5-Mar ..............1M ...................D ..................1 ........... ON ............38-6-6-671 English Holiday .............4 .........F ......... English Channel ..............CLM ..............................................................GP ..............7-Mar ...............1 1/16M ..........T ..................1 ........... ON ............ 10-2-0-0

2014 LEADING FLORIDA GENERAL SIRES YEAR TO DATE THROUGH 3/10

RANK NAME (BORN, SIRE) 2014 FARM 2014 STUD FEE RNRS WNRS SWNRS SWINS CHIEF EARNER, EARNINGS 2014 EARNINGS TOP RUNNER-BEYER

1 Wildcat Heir (2000, Forest Wildcat) Journeyman Stud .................... $10,000 ........ 110..........33 ...........4 ...........4 ...............Wild Dude-$171,000 .................... $1,075,843 .......Wild Dude-1042 With Distinction (2001, Storm Cat) ....................................................$7,500 .......... 98..........32 ...........0 ...........0 ...............She’s Spooky-$48,325 ................... $763,992 .......Too Fast to Pass-93 Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds 3 Graeme Hall (1997, Dehere) Winding Oaks Farm ................................ $4,000 .......... 63.......... 19 ...........1 ...........1 ...............Tanzanite Cat-$99,000 .................... $539,591 .......East Hall-894 Montbrook (1990, Buckaroo) ..........................................................Died 2013 ........... 41.......... 12 ...........0 ...........0 ...............Schivarelli-$76,200.........................$355,990 .......Schivarelli-865 Harlington (2002, Unbridled) Winding Oaks Farm ..............................$1,500 .......... 34.......... 12 ...........0 ...........0 ...............Run a Dubb Dubb-$69,730 .............$318,626 .......Uzziel-826 Imperialism (2001, Langfuhr) Get Away Farm ................................... $3,500 .......... 42.......... 11 ...........0 ...........0 ...............Imperial Robyn-$44,985 ................ $284,596 ....... Imperial Czar-927 Circular Quay (2004, Thunder Gulch) Journeyman Stud ................... $2,500 .......... 38.......... 11 ...........0 ...........0 ...............Countercyclical-$28,000 .................$250,313 .......Countercyclical-1008 Concorde’s Tune (1989, Concorde Bound) ...................................Died 2011 ........... 35............ 9 ...........1 ...........1 ...............Wicked Tune-$73,350..................... $245,994 .......Wicked Tune-919 Value Plus (2001, Unbridled’s Song) Hallmarc Stallions ................... $4,500 .......... 40.......... 13 ...........0 ...........0 ...............Go Olivia Go-$36,167 ..................... $225,288 .......No Shenanigans-8510 High Cotton (2003, Dixie Union) Ocala Stud ........................................$7,500 .......... 35............ 9 ...........0 ...........0 ...............Tarpy’s Goal-$34,945 ......................$224,970 .......Tarpy’s Goal-85