Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Russell Road, 12, dies of colic
Russell Road, one of only two West Virginia-breds to earn more than $2 million, died last weekend of colic at age 12, according to James W. Casey, who trained him for nine seasons.
Russell Road went over $2 million in earnings in his final career start, the $100,000 Northern Panhandle Stakes at Mountaineer Park in August 2016. He came out of that race with a “little suspensory pull,” according to Casey and was retired the next month when it was determined that he would not sufficiently recover to continue racing.
The only other West Virginiabred to win $2 million was Soul of the Matter, who was owned and bred by the songwriter and performer Burt Bacharach and trained by Richard Mandella from 1993 to 1996. But unlike Russell Road, Soul of the Matter, who earned $2.3 million, never raced in his home state.
Russell Road dominated the West Virginia-bred ranks at Charles Town for many years. A son of Wheaton bred by Robert Lloyd and owned by Mark Russell, he ran in the track’s richest race for statebreds, the West Virginia Breeders’ Classic, seven straight years from 2009 to 2015. He won the Classic in 2014, 2011, and 2009, and finished second in the race in 2013 and 2012.
“He had speed and could go a distance,” Casey said. “He was well behaved and reasonably sound. He was a good one, for sure.”
In all, Russell Road won 31 of 62 starts. He was 26 of 48 at his home base of Charles Town.
The Wild and Wonderful Stakes at Charles Town was named in Russell’s Road’s honor in 2017. He led the post parade for that race last April.
After his retirement, he was repurposed as a pony horse.
Laurel quarantine lifted
The Maryland Department of Agriculture lifted the quarantine of Barn 20 at Laurel Park on Tuesday evening after the horse English Tudor tested negative for the equine herpesvirus, according to Georganne Hale, vice president of racing for the Maryland Jockey Club.
“I received a call tonight from Dr. Stevens of the Maryland Department of Agriculture that English Tudor had tested negative,” Hale said. “Barn 20 at Laurel Park has been released from the quarantine.”
Veterinarian Marla Stevens is the field inspector for the Frederick, Md., laboratory of the Department of Agriculture.
The horses stabled in Barn 20 are now free to train with the general horse population and to race. Trainers Tony Aguirre, John Salzman Jr., Katie Voss, and Linda Albert are stabled in that barn.
Earlier this month, English Tudor was sent to the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa., to be gelded. While the horse was there, his owner decided to transfer him from King Leatherbury to Aguirre and vanned the horse to Aguirre’s stable.
The New Bolton Center has since had three horses – one who had recently been there and two that were there – test positive for the equine herpesvirus. They reached out to all of the horses who came in contact with the infected animals and recommended they be tested for the virus.
According to Aguirre, English Tudor was never sick and was training well. But he tested positive for the virus last Friday and was moved offtrack to a farm.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture placed the barn under quarantine until Jan. 30, which would have been three weeks after English Tudor left New Bolton, but agreed to retest him Tuesday and lift the quarantine if he was negative for the virus.
During the quarantine, the horses in Barn 20 were not allowed to train, race, or leave the barn.
Since the quarantine began, Parx Racing and Penn National have not been allowing horses who ship to Laurel to race to return home. Charles Town, Fair Hill, and Aqueduct have been allowing horses to race at Laurel and then return.
On Wednesday morning, Parx updated its policy to allow horses based at Parx to race at Laurel and return home, according to Sam Elliott, the track’s director of racing. Horses stabled at Laurel will be allowed to race at Parx, with the exception of horses from Barn 20, who will not be allowed to ship to Parx until Feb. 2.
“Our vets want to be a little more cautious with those horses,” Elliott said.
Eric Johnston, director of racing operations at Penn National, said his track has lifted all restrictions regarding the quarantine.
Horses stabled at Belmont Park have not been allowed to ship to Laurel since an equine herpesvirus quarantine was put in place there Jan. 10.
On Tuesday, the New Bolton Center began admitting horses for elective procedures for the first time since they had their first herpes positive Jan. 16. Two of their barns remain under quarantine.
Monmouth to offer bonuses
In an attempt to increase field size at its 2018 meet, Monmouth Park will offer starter bonuses to owners and trainers.
In non-statebred races, owners will be guaranteed to earn a minimum of $500 per starter and trainers will receive $300 per starter. The bonuses do not apply to stakes.
Monmouth also will continue to offer free workers’ compensation insurance for employees of trainers stabled at Monmouth. The blanket policy will be provided by the New Jersey Injury Compensation Board.
“The wagering public has made it clear that they want full, competitive fields,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth on behalf of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “Our bonus program and workers’ comp plan will help us deliver.”
Monmouth will begin its 52-day meet on May 5, Kentucky Derby Day, this year, a week earlier than usual. The meet will run through Sept. 9 and then be followed by six all-turf cards at The Meadowlands.
In another change, the Monmouth stable area will remain open through Oct. 31 to better correspond with the opening of the Tampa Bay Downs backstretch.
“I’ve heard from numerous trainers at Tampa that any lapse in stabling between our two facilities causes great hardship,” Drazin said.
The Monmouth barn area will open April 20.