Join now & win money today! Get Started

‘He’s Done His Job’: Hong Kong Superstar Golden Sixty, Now An 8-Year-Old, Readies For International Swansong

---

Ahead of what shapes as his fourth and final appearance at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, Golden Sixty was as enthusiastic as ever at Sha Tin this morning (Monday, 4 December) under former jockey Alex Yu – his regular work rider – while trainer Francis Lui watched on from his traditional vantage point in the trainers’ stand.

Aiming to join Good Ba Ba as the only three-time winners of the HK$32 million (US$4 million) G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile on Sunday (Dec. 10) after his wins in 2020 and 2021, the 8-year-old Golden Sixty warmed up in the sand ring, then on the inner dirt course before eagerly bouncing onto the main dirt course to work through a key gallop under Yu, clocking a time of 25.7s over 400m.

“He’s good. Everything is fine, it’s smooth and he’s improved with each barrier trial he’s had. His condition is very good now,” Lui said. “They’re all very happy – Vincent (Ho) and the whole team.”

A 25-time winner from 29 starts, Golden Sixty will commence his sixth season of racing in Sunday’s LONGINES Hong Kong Mile. It will be 224 days between runs when he reappears under race conditions with jockey Vincent Ho in front of an adoring home crowd against opposition from Japan, Ireland, France and Singapore.

“He likes to run fresh. His form and even this morning, he’ll have a turf gallop on Thursday (7 December). It’s been a long time, it’s a tough field, especially the Japanese horses. Hopefully he stays away from trouble and gets a clean run,” Lui said.

Golden Sixty has won all of his five seasonal reappearances, however, he’s yet to resume at Group 1 level against overseas raiders. The Medaglia d’Oro gelding’s last return run saw him defeat California Spangle at Group 2 level, before that horse sensationally reversed the result one start later in the 2022 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile.

Slated for probable retirement in Japan after only a handful of runs this season, Golden Sixty has banked HK$147.93 million (US$18.93 million) in prize money and boasts nine Group 1 wins.

“We’re just focused on the big race. We don’t know though – let the horse tell me (when it’s time to retire). I think so (last Hong Kong International Races) – he’s done his job,” Lui said.

Golden Sixty will face 13 rivals this weekend. California Spangle, Beauty Eternal, Serifos, Soul Rush, Tribalist, Voyage Bubble, Cairo, Encountered and Namur are among his opponents.

The post ‘He’s Done His Job’: Hong Kong Superstar Golden Sixty, Now An 8-Year-Old, Readies For International Swansong appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

New York Commission Votes To Uphold Forte’s Hopeful DQ, Pletcher’s 10-Day Suspension

---

The New York State Gaming Commission voted unanimously on Monday to upholds Forte‘s disqualification from the 2022 Hopeful Stakes (G1) over a positive test for meloxicam, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. The decision sustaining a hearing officer’s report also upholds a 10-day suspension and $1,000 fine for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

On May 9, 2023, just days after Forte was scratched as the favorite on the morning of the Kentucky Derby, the New York Times broke the news that the colt had a drug positive still pending from his juvenile season. Adjudication of the positive dragged on; a spokesperson for the New York State Gaming Commission told Drape the delays were “sought by the trainer’s counsel.”

Meanwhile, after his win in the Hopeful, Forte went on to capture the G1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, followed by the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, earning him the 2022 Eclipse Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Colt.

The NYSGC officially announced the disqualification on May 11, which owner Mike Repole appealed. Pletcher stated during a media conference that the colt had never been prescribed or knowingly treated with meloxicam.

A hearing was held on July 20, and the hearing officer issued his report on Sept. 30, upholding the disqualification and penalties.

Owner Mike Repole told the Thoroughbred Daily News on Monday that he plans to take advantage of his right to appeal the NYSGC decision in the New York court system.

“We plan on taking this further and we knew we were going to get to this point,” Repole told TDN. “Under HISA rules, this isn’t even a violation. We are super confident that common sense will prevail and people will realize we put in this governing body in HISA to make sure people are ethical and play by the rules of the sport. Any real process that follows common sense will easily see it the same way and we will prevail.”

Though HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control program was not in place at the time of the positive test (it launched on May 22, 2023), Repole’s statement appears to fit with a statement from HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus.

In May, Lazarus referenced a report in bloodhorse.com in which Steven Barker, a chemist, LSU professor, and expert witness for Forte’s connections, indicated that 500 picograms (or 0.5 nanograms) of meloxicam was found in the colt’s system after the running of the 2022 Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes. Lazarus told the TDN that amount would not have triggered a positive under HISA’s Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program rules, which launched May 22.

“I’m not going to talk about Forte specifically, but what I will tell you is that HISA’s screening limits from meloxicam track the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ screening limits,” Lazarus told TDN. “Therefore, our screening limit is one nanogram per milliliter in blood and 10 nanograms per milliliter in hydrolyzed urine. If what has been reported – and I haven’t verified this — but if that positive was [indeed] 500 picograms, that would be below our screening limit and would not ever be notified as a positive under HISA.”

Meloxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), according to Medlineplus.gov, which is used in human medicine “to relieve pain, tenderness, swelling, and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis (arthritis caused by a breakdown of the lining of the joints) and rheumatoid arthritis (arthritis caused by swelling of the lining of the joints).”

The Association of Racing Commissioners International classifies Meloxicam as a Class 4, Penalty Class B drug. Class 4 drugs are therapeutic medications that would be expected to have less potential to affect performance than those in Class 3. Drugs in this class includes less potent diuretics; corticosteroids; antihistamines, and skeletal muscle relaxants without prominent central nervous system (CNS) effects; expectorants and mucolytics; hemostatics; cardiac glycosides and anti-arrhythmics; topical anesthetics; antidiarrheals and mild analgesics. This class also includes the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), at concentrations greater than established limits.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post New York Commission Votes To Uphold Forte’s Hopeful DQ, Pletcher’s 10-Day Suspension appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Baffert Wants One Defendant in Defamation Suit Ruled in Default for Not Answering Complaint

---

The federal lawsuit initiated by trainer Bob Baffert that alleges civil extortion and defamation by two social media posters has been ordered to proceed to an “early neutral evaluation” (ENE) conference Jan. 10 that is designed to save time and money as a form of alternate dispute resolution before the case can proceed any further.

However, subsequent to that Nov. 29 ENE order, Baffert’s attorney, Clark Brewster, asked the United States District Court (Southern District of California) on Dec. 4 to enter a default judgment against one of the defendants for failing to file an answer to the complaint in a timely manner.

Back on Sept. 27, Baffert filed a suit that asked for compensatory damages in excess of $75,000, plus an award of punitive damages “to deter similar conduct by Defendants and others” after purportedly suffering “mental anguish, anxiety, and duress Defendants have caused by virtue of their repeated threats to Baffert’s business and family by means of their unlawful statements.”

As Baffert’s complaint put it, “This lawsuit is the response to a series of escalating threats and criminal conduct by Defendants Justin Wunderler and Daniel DiCorcia against Plaintiffs Bob Baffert and his family. Over the past several months, Defendants have urged others to engage in violent behavior toward Baffert and his family, baselessly accused Baffert of criminal conduct, and attempted to extort Baffert and his family under threats to his business, reputation, and occupational license.”

Baffert’s complaint stated that Wunderler “resides in Waretown, New Jersey, and is a part-time pari-mutuel Thoroughbred racing bettor. Mr. Wunderler has a substantial social media presence and following under the pseudonym ‘Swifthitter.’”

The complaint also stated that DiCorcia “resides in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, is a part-time pari-mutuel Thoroughbred racing bettor, and operates an apparel store called ‘BarShoeLife’ that sells racing-related apparel. Mr. DiCorcia also has a substantial social media presence and following under various pseudonyms related to that “Bar Shoe” handle.

Baffert’s complaint alleged that “[T]his escalating pattern of outrageous behavior is specifically intended to accrue more followers and personal monetary gain. Before the [GI] Belmont S. in New York, Mr. Wunderler specifically asked his followers to bring dangerous objects to hurl at Baffert and his family. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Wunderler posted a picture of Baffert’s house in California and claimed that he ‘slaughters horses on National TV.’”

The complaint further alleged that, “Mr. Wunderler and Mr. DiCorcia engaged in a conspiracy to extort money from Baffert, sent a text message demanding a certain sum of money, with specific payment instructions for wiring money, in exchange for a promise not to release information Defendants allege is so damaging that it will end Baffert’s career.”

DiCorcia, according to the court’s docket, filed a timely, one-page response Nov. 28 that denied Baffert’s allegations and asked for the claims to be dismissed.

Wunderler, however, did not file any response after being served, according to the motion filed Monday by Brewster on behalf of Baffert.

That motion cited Rule 55(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which states that a party can be found in default if they fail to plead or otherwise defend themselves from a party seeking relief via lawsuit.

The motion stated that Baffert “respectfully request[s] the Clerk to enter the default of Defendant Justin Wunderler for failure to plead or otherwise defend this action within the permitted time to respond.”

The motion attached an affidavit of service and stated Baffert’s legal team made “several attempts” to serve Wunderler personally with the complaint at his residence.

“The individual served was Mr. Wunderler’s mother, who confirmed that Mr. Wunderler lived at the residence,” Baffert’s motion for default stated. “Plaintiffs also mailed copies of the Complaint and Summons through regular and certified mail to Mr. Wunderler. Through his various posts and discussions on the social media platform ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Wunderler has confirmed that he is aware of the Complaint and has reviewed its contents.”

The post Baffert Wants One Defendant in Defamation Suit Ruled in Default for Not Answering Complaint appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

HISA and Palantir Develop AI-Enabled Tool to Help Identify At-Risk Horses

---

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has partnered with Palantir Technologies, a leading provider of artificial intelligence systems, to create a data-enabled tool to assist industry stakeholders in identifying horses at risk for injury before they race, according to a press release Tuesday morning from HISA. The tool will generate a daily report for each racetrack, flagging any horses entered in that day’s races who may present potential risk factors for injury. This enables identification of at-risk horses with increased efficiency and accuracy and will inform the hands-on pre-race inspections of each runner.

The new tool HISA and Palantir have developed reviews health information and historical entry data to determine whether each horse entered in a race is at increased risk for injury based on various factors. The tool accounts for such risk factors as the length of a horse’s previous layoff (if any), term with current trainer, history on the vet’s list and other indicators of previous injury or poor performance. The process for evaluating these records for each horse entered in a race had previously taken veterinarians an average of five hours per race. This same review can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes.

“HISA continues to work with leading partners like Palantir to utilize data and technology in its mission to reduce equine injuries and fatalities,” said HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus. “Our hope is that this revolutionary technology is used to more efficiently and accurately identify horses at risk of injury as part of the screening process for determining if they’re fit to race. This powerful, AI-enabled tool will streamline and automate a process that had previously taken significant time away from veterinarians’ hands-on care of horses. We’re excited to be working with the experts at Palantir on this and future initiatives.”

“Palantir is proud to support HISA in its embrace of technology to reduce equine injuries and fatalities,” said Palantir’s Head of Global Commercial Ted Mabrey. “HISA came to a Bootcamp for Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) this fall and has rapidly scaled its implementation independently. HISA is proving that real world outcomes, in this case equine safety, can be achieved in weeks with the acceleration that AIP and boot camps provide.”

“By leveraging Palantir’s technology, HISA is helping to significantly reduce the time it takes to identify horses potentially at risk,” said Steve Keech, Director of Data Usage and Technology Innovation for HISA. “We look forward to rolling this tool out to all racetracks under HISA’s jurisdiction. This collaboration with Palantir puts us at the forefront of sports technology, and I have no doubt this partnership will be a game-changer for the safety of equine athletes.”

HISA said they expected to begin using this tool in early 2024. It will send daily reports to racetracks and regulatory veterinarians around the country that will provide them with data and resources .

The post HISA and Palantir Develop AI-Enabled Tool to Help Identify At-Risk Horses appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.