Glyshaw ends training career with winner at Turfway

Tim Glyshaw concluded his training career in fitting fashion Saturday night at Turfway Park as the final horse he saddled, Leo’s Roar, sent him to the winner’s circle one final time.

Glyshaw, a native of Evansville, Ind., will assume the role of executive director of the Indiana Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association on Feb. 1. Leo’s Roar, a 1 1/4-length winner of the claiming race with a purse of $14,000, is an Indiana-bred, and is also owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable, for which Glyshaw trained one of his most successful runners, the multiple graded stakes-winning Indiana-bred Bucchero.

Glyshaw, whose other top runners included Grade 1 winner Bullards Alley, officially concluded his training career that began in 2004 with 553 wins and purse earnings of $15,802,249, according to Equibase statistics.

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“Horse racing is such a special sport and spending two decades as a trainer is something I’ll always cherish,” Glyshaw, 55, told Churchill Downs publicity this week. “Before my internship at Taylor Made, I had a job as a teacher. But every day when I walked into school, I always wondered what life would be like if I could get a job in horse racing. I took a chance and even though I’m stepping away from training, the sport continues to reward me in ways I never thought possible. My new job is going to allow me to continue to work doing what I love – being around horses and protecting those who help take care of them.”

B G Warrior wins

B G Warrior got things her own way in her rematch with Marissa’s Lady, coasting on the lead for a 5 3/4-length victory in the $125,000 Wishing Well Stakes for fillies and mares on Saturday night at Turfway.

B G Warrior ($11.88) was away alertly as Marissa’s Lady bobbled at the start. B G Warrior led by two lengths through a sharp opening quarter of 22.28 seconds on the Tapeta, and widened it to eight lengths through a half in 44.89. Despite the honest pace, the filly was unpressured, and had a nine-length lead in the stretch before being geared down to the wire by Albin Jimenez. She finished the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:17.32.

Marissa’s Lady was seeking her fifth stakes win at Turfway, after most recently besting B G Warrior in the Holiday Inaugural Stakes in December. But after bobbling at the start, the mare, who prefers to be on or tracking the pace, was left chasing and never got into a comfortable rhythm. She finished fourth as the favorite, beaten 10 3/4 lengths.

B G Warrior, trained by Hugo Andrade, has displayed an affinity for Turfway. She crossed the line first but was disqualified to second in the 2022 Gowell Stakes, then took the 2023 Valdale Stakes. She has placed in three other stakes here.

Botanical returns

Botanical, who was undefeated in the 2022-23 season at Turfway, returned to action off a layoff with a handy win in an allowance-optional claiming race on Friday night at the Florence, Ky., track.

Botanical, with Luan Machado in the irons for trainer Brad Cox, was an authoritative 1 3/4-length winner of the one-mile race over Grade 1-placed Chop Chop. The latter, also trained by Cox, has a recency edge, as she was coming off a win at a similar level in December.

Botanical, co-owned by LNJ Foxwoods and Clearsky Farm, won four races at Turfway by a combined 24 1/2 lengths last winter, including the Cincinnati Trophy and Bourbonette Oaks. She was not a factor while finishing 13th in the Kentucky Oaks last May at Churchill Downs, and that was the last time she was seen under colors in 2023. The filly was freshened at Margaux Farm, and returned to the worktab on Dec. 8 at Turfway for the first of six breezes leading up to her return.

Botanical earned a respectable Beyer Speed Figure of 83 off the layoff – the third-best figure of her career, behind her 91 in the Cincinnati Trophy and 90 in the Bourbonette. Her connections did not immediately mention a next target for her. Turfway’s stakes series for this division continues with the $125,000 Wintergreen at a mile on Feb. 24, and the $250,000 Latonia at 1 1/16 miles on March 23. Idiomatic, trained by Cox, won last year’s Latonia as part of a championship campaign.

The rescheduled, $125,000 Leonatus Stakes has drawn a field of eight 3-year-olds as the Friday night feature at Turfway, with Awesome Road (2-1) and Turfway Prevue winner Vote No (5-2) as the favorites on the morning line. The one-mile Leonatus was originally part of a Jan. 20 program that was scrapped due to frigid weather in the region. The race leads into Turfway’s Kentucky Derby points races, the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial (20-10-6-4-2) on March 2 and the Grade 3, $700,000 Jeff Ruby (100-50-25-15-10) on March 23.

Rich Strike, upset winner of the 2022 Kentucky Derby, is nearing an exam that will help determine next steps for his racing or breeding future. The 5-year-old, who has not won since the Derby and who has not raced since last May, is boarded at Margaux Farm while undergoing stem cell treatments for nagging suspensory ligament issues that initially led owner Rick Dawson to announce his retirement last November. Dawson said this week on his social media that Rich Strike is scheduled for an ultrasound at Rood and Riddle Equine in “the first part of February. Dr. [Larry] Bramlage’s findings and recommendations will determine our next actions.”

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