A Shin Forward, a 50/1 chance, wins JRA Mile: Lookin At Lucky retired - By Tom Krish
Posted on - 24 Nov 2010
A Shin Forward, a 50/1 chance, wins JRA Mile: Lookin At Lucky retired
By Tom Krish in Chicago, November 21, 2010
There is a scandal rocking the sport of horse racing in Australia. Blake Shinn is one of the leading riders and he is the winner of the 2008 Melbourne Cup aboard Viewed. Peter Robl is well known though he has not had the high-profile success that Shinn has enjoyed. Shinn and Robl have been charged with illegal betting. Shinn has admitted to betting a horse at Randwick in August when he was riding a different horse in the same race. Giresun, Shinn’s pick, ran second and Diamond Jim. Shinn’s mount, ran fourth. Jockey Robl has also admitted to the transgression. Ray Murrihy, Chief Steward, said, “here we have one of the best jockeys in Sydney, a Melbourne Cup winner, having 2,500 (dollars) on the head of another horse in a race that he was riding in.”
In Australia, it is illegal for licensed jockeys to wager on races and that includes races in which they do not have mounts. The inquiry is continuing.
Should I remind you of the post-Breeders’ Cup Marathon scuffle involving Calvin Borel and Javier Castellano? Jockey Borel, winner of the Kentucky Derby three times in the past four years, was fined $5,000 for conduct unbecoming of a professional jockey. On Saturday, Borel ran into a problem of a different kind. He was riding Aces N Kings in the million-dollar Delta Downs Jackpot. Delta Downs is in Louisiana. Aces N Kings, Borel’s mount, dislodged him and Borel was kicked by a trailing horse. Borel’s jaw was broken and he’ll need surgery. He will be out of action until mid-January.
Jerry Hissam, Borel’s agent, stated, “a stifle (similar to the human knee) locked up on the horse and Calvin was pushed out. It was bad racing luck. It was fortunate in a way because if Borel had been kicked an inch or two lower, it would have been right in the larynx.”
The Japan Cup (turf) over 2400 metres will be run at (left-handed) Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday, November 28. It is a Grade I contest and will carry a purse of 5.8 million dollars. On December 5, the three million-dollar Japan Cup (dirt) will be run at Hanshin Racecourse. It is also a Grade I race and will be over 1800 metres.
Yesterday, the Grade I JRA (Japan Racing Association) Mile Championship was held at Kyoto Racecourse. There was a shocking result. It was a four-way photo finish. A 51-1 outsider, A Shin Forward struck the front early in the lane and withstood a cavalry charge to win by a neck. Danon Yoyo, the 27/10 favorite ridden by Christophe Soumillon, was late on the scene. Gorski was a nose behind in third. Another nose way and in fourth place was Sahpresa, the mount of Christophe Lemaire. Sahpresa, third in the Mile Championship last year, was coming off a successful defense of the Sun Chariot title at Newmarket.
The race carried a $2,344,000 purse and the mile was run in 1 31.8 seconds in firm going. A 100 yen ticket returned 5,240 yen on A Shin Forward. One dollar equals 90 yen. The attendance was 38,416.
Masato Nishizono trains the winner. Yasunari Iwata rode A Shin Forward who is by Forest Wildcat out of Wake Up Kiss by Cure The Blues. This was the first win at the Grade I level for A Shin Forward.
The big raceday at Sha Tin in Hong Kong is coming up. The four Group I races will be run on Sunday, December 12, 2010. Two trials were held yesterday. The Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Mile resulted in an easy win for Able One, the 27/20 favorite, ridden by Darren Beadman. Able One, from John Moore’s yard, won from the word ‘Go.’ Able One, despite giving weight to his rivals, won with a measure of comfort in a time of 1 34.37 seconds. The Caspar Fownes-trained Thumbs Up ran on to be second and was off three parts of a length. In the Mission Hills Trophy, Thumbs Up had beaten Able One and the Hong Kong Mile in three weeks will determine the number one miler.
The other trial was the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Sprint. The Sha Tin throng was treated to a nail-biting finish. One World, trained by John Moore and ridden by Darren Beadman, deadheated with Rocket Man, the Singapore sprinting sensation. Rocket Man, a Patrick Shaw pupil, was handled by Felix Coetzee. After a shaky start, Rocket Man ran on determinedly to force a photo. One World was a 145/10 chance and Rocket Man’s odds were 171/10. Half a length away in third was Little Bridge. A neck off in fourth was Dim Sum. Another shorthead off was Sacred Kingdom who took fifth. All of them will return to the Sprint Championship.
Trainer Patrick Shaw commented, “I was a little bit concerned when he was a bit green going into the first turn. He was switching leads and pricking his ears.”
A race with a million dollar purse was run at Delta Downs on Saturday. Gourmet Dinner, a Calder-based horse, had the last laugh in the 1700-metre contest. Sebastian Madrid was the jockey. Gourmet Dinner is trained by Steve Standridge. On Breeders’ Cup Saturday, Awesome Feather and Big Drama, two Florida-based horses, delivered the goods at Churchill Downs. Calder is a racetrack in Miami.
There are two retirements. Mine That Bird, winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2009, had a very poor race in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and has been retired. A 50/1 winner of America’s premier race, Mine That Bird did not win a race subsequently. Mine That Bird, a Chip Woolley trainee, returned the second highest payoff in Derby history. Mine That Bird will be paraded at Churchill Downs next week.
He was not a Kentucky Derby winner though he won other races of distinction. Lookin At Lucky, champion freshman in 2009, has been bought by Coolmore, the Irish breeding behemoth. Lookin At Lucky will stand at Ashford Stud, a Coolmore operation, in Kentucky. Lookin At Lucky was trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman. The three year old is by Smart Strike out of Private Feeling by Belong To Me.
Lookin At Lucky won nine races from 13 starts for earnings of $3,307,278. In 2010, Lookin At Lucky had post one in the Kentucky Derby and took fourth after overcoming serious traffic problems. He won the Preakness and the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. In The Santa Anita Derby, Lookin At Lucky was interfered with and failed to catch Sidney’s Candy. He won the Indiana Derby in pouring rain this year. No breeding plans have been revealed.
Trainer Baffert spoke. “He never ran a clunker. Even the Derby, after getting wiped out, he still tried to run. He ran every time. I wish I could have that with every horse I buy. We had a lot of fun with him.”
It has been confirmed that Midday will race in 2011. The Oasis Dream filly, second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly-Mare Turf at Churchill Downs, will be five next year. She is a multiple Group race-winning filly owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah and trained by Sir Henry Cecil.
