Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1105396
C O N S T E L L A T I O N C O N S T E L L A T I O N WinStarFarm.com Green is Good 20 At the end of the day it all comes down to purse structure. Now racetracks are providing equal opportunity for turf horses to make money. Sean Tugel " More than 40 percent of the graded stakes that will be run in North America in 2019 are scheduled for the turf—270 of the 637—and that group includes several races upgraded, launched or revamped in the last few years. One of the three races elevated to Grade 1 status for 2019—the Jaipur Invitational at Belmont—is on the turf while three went from Grade 3 to Grade 2 and seven went from ungraded to Grade 3. The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, won in its inaugural running last year by Bulletin for the partnership of WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing, is one of the marquee races on that list of upgrades and goes to Grade 2 with its seven-figure purse. The Juvenile Turf Sprint became the latest major turf prize won by WinStar and its partners, along with Tourist's record-setting victory in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) and the score by Yoshida (JPN) in last year's $500,000 Old Forester Turf Classic (G1). The Juvenile Turf Sprint is one of 16 turf races in the U.S. to carry a purse of $1 million or more. Tourist, a son of Tiznow out of the Unbridled's Song mare Unbridled Melody standing his third season in 2019 at WinStar, is just one of several American stallions whose popularity f igures to rise thanks to the rising purses and proliferation of major turf stakes. "When there's more turf racing there's a need for more turf horses," Tugel said. "Agents and buyers are now willing to buy, and breeders are more willing to try and breed a turf horse. It's a trickle-down effect. "Tourist is a horse who people aren't shying away from just because he has what you might call a turf profile. And as we all know, just because you have a turf profile doesn't mean you are always going to throw just turf horses. Look at War Front, he's always been labeled as a turf sire but really, in all honesty, he never touched the turf. At the end of the day if you're an excellent sire you're going to throw horses that can run on all surfaces." A new slate of rich turf stakes will enhance the already strong racing schedule in 2019 in New York, including the addition of two seven- f igure stakes for 3-year-olds and two $750,000 events for 3-year-old f illies. Those additions, like others in recent years, are all part of the evolution of the ever-popular turf division. "We're all in this together," said Martin Panza, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations for the New York Racing Association. "If it helps the breeders, helps the stallion owners, helps the farms and creates more value for horses, that's a good thing. There are a lot of good things going on in our industry. There are always bumps in the road and there are things we need to address, but we're all hoping to move in a positive direction." The American draw toward more and richer turf racing is by no means a recent phenomena. The history of turf racing in the U.S. goes back well over 100 years although it didn't appear regularly—and def initely not as common by today's standards at major tracks—until around the late 1930s. Bulletin winning the inaugural Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Bo Derek leading Bulletin into the winner's circle.