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Horse Racing: Arkansas Derby day recap: $41,000,000 bet, Nadal and Charlatan win Ky. Derby preps

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MiamiScreamingEagles

MiamiScreamingEagles

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Basic Information​
Horse Racing Sites, Tracks and Media Sources​
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INDIANA DERBY
What: A Grade 3 race.
Where: Indiana Grand Racing & Casino, Shelbyville, Indiana
When: Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 9
Post time: 10:02 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $500,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel).
History: Inaugurated in 1995. West coast connections have fared well in recent years. Among the best horses to win this race are Lookin At Lucky, Brass Hat and Perfect Drift.
​
[TR][TH]PPHorseJockeyWgtTrainerM/L
1Roiland (KY)Deshawn L. Parker122Thomas M. Amoss-
2Hero Tiger (KY)Ezequiel Lara118Gennadi Dorochenko-
3Gray Magician (KY)Ricardo Santana, Jr.118Peter Miller-
4Market Garden (KY)Santo Sanjur118Merrill C. Roberts-
5Frolic More (KY)Corey J. Lanerie122Dallas Stewart-
6Alwaysmining (MD)Julian Pimentel124Kelly Rubley-
7Eskenforit (KY)Julien R. Leparoux118Steve Margolis-
8Chess Chief (VA)Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.118Dallas Stewart-
9Long Range Toddy (KY)Jon Kenton Court124Steven M. Asmussen-
10Math Wizard (KY)Edgard J. Zayas118Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.-
11Mr. Money (KY)Gabriel Saez124W. Bret Calhoun-
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DIANA STAKES
What: A Grade 1 race. Sistercharlie looks to repeat last year's win in a small but classy field in which Chad Brown has four of six entered. That shouldn't be. Not for a Grade I in New York this time of year.
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, New York
When: Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 9
Post time: 5:46 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Inner turf
Purse: $500,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel). Also:
FS2 - 1-6:30 pm
MSG+ - 4-6:30 pm
ALT - 4-6:30 pm
FSPT - 3-6:30 pm
FSSD - 3-6:30 pm​
History: Inaugurated in 1939. Seven horses have won twice. Sistercharlie attempts to be the eighth.​
[TR][TH]PPHorseJockeyWgtTrainerM/L
1Thais (FR)Manuel Franco116Chad C. Brown-
2Rushing Fall (KY)Javier Castellano124Chad C. Brown-
3Mitchell Road (KY)Jose Lezcano116William I. Mott-
4Sistercharlie (IRE)John R. Velazquez124Chad C. Brown-
5Secret Message (KY)Trevor McCarthy118H. Graham Motion-
6Homerique (KY)Irad Ortiz, Jr.118Chad C. Brown-
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DELAWARE HANDICAP
What: A Grade 2 race. Elate tries to repeat her win from 2018. Escape Claus, bred in Manitoba, is 32 20-4-3 lifetime and will run on the east coast for just the second time in those 32 starts.
Where: Delaware Park, Stanton, Delaware
When: Saturday, July 13, 2019, Race 8
Post time: 5:25 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
Distance: 1 1/4 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $750,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel).
History: Inaugurated in 1937. Just in the last 8 years, Songbird, Royal Delta and Blind Luck have won.
[TR][TH]PPHorseJockeyWgtTrainerM/L
1Another Broad (MD)Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.118Todd A. Pletcher10/1
2Gotham Gala (KY)Daniel Centeno118Arnaud Delacour8/1
3Escape Clause (MB)Tyler Baze119Don Schnell5/1
4Queen Nekia (FL)Brian Pedroza112Anthony Pecoraro20/1
5Promise of Spring (KY)Carol Cedeno115Steve Margolis12/1
6Blue Prize (ARG)Joe Bravo120Ignacio Correas, IV7/2
7Elate (KY)Jose L. Ortiz122William I. Mott7/5
8Vente to Go (MD)Jose Angel Garcia113Cesar Nambo20/1
9Goodonehoney (MD)UNKNOWN117Michael M. Moore10/1
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S A R A T O G A
July 11, 2019
Opening Day​
[TR][TH]Race #PurseRace TypeDistanceSurfaceStartersEst. Post (ET)
Race 1$32,000 Claiming 1 3/16 MilesDirt91:00 PM
Race 2$90,000 Maiden Special Weight 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf121:36 PM
Race 3$92,000 Allowance 1 1/8 MilesDirt72:12 PM
Race 4$50,000 Claiming 1 MileTurf112:48 PM
Race 5$78,000 Maiden Special Weight 5 1/2 FurlongsDirt123:28 PM
Race 6$80,000 Allowance 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf164:03 PM
Race 7$83,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 1/8 MilesTurf134:39 PM
Race 8$150,000 Schuylerville S. 6 FurlongsDirt95:15 PM
Race 9$100,000 Quick Call S. 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf115:51 PM
Race 10$48,000 Maiden Claiming 1 1/16 MilesTurf136:25 PM
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July 11, 2019

Saratoga (New York):
  • Calendar: Today was opening day at the Spa. The meet concludes September 2. The two key races were won by California shippers.
  • Chalk was squelched: Favorites won just three of ten races.
  • Joel Rosario won three times with nine mounts.
  • Manny Franco, who was winless, also had a card-high nine mounts.
  • Javier Castellano won twice with just four rides.
  • Gary Gullo was the only trainer with multiple wins. He won twice with two starters.
  • Race 6: Junior Alvarado/Charlton Baker won and paid $31.20. It was the biggest win of the day.
  • Race 8: Comical (Javier Castellano/Doug O'Neill) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies. She ran previously at Santa Anita in her only other start and romped to a 6-length victory in May. Owned by NHL player Erik Johnson.


​

  • Race 9: Listing (Joel Rosario/Ben Cecil) won the $100,000 Grade 3 Quick Call for three-year-olds. The colt has eight prior starts, seven of which were in California.
​

  • Race 10: Ten of the 13 entered were scratched, mostly because the race taken off the turf due to persistent rain. The Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 paid out to an "all" bet in the final leg.
 
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S A R A T O G A
July 12, 2019
Day 2​
[TR][TH]Race #PurseRace TypeDistanceSurfaceStartersEst. Post
Race 1$40,000 Maiden Claiming 1 1/8 MilesDirt81:00 PM
Race 2$78,000 Maiden Special Weight 1 1/8 MilesTurf141:36 PM
Race 3$95,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 1/16 MilesTurf82:12 PM
Race 4$34,000 Claiming 7 FurlongsDirt92:48 PM
Race 5$90,000 Maiden Special Weight 5 1/2 FurlongsDirt83:28 PM
Race 6$70,000 Claiming 1 1/16 MilesTurf134:03 PM
Race 7$80,000 Allowance 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf164:39 PM
Race 8$80,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 1/8 MilesDirt75:15 PM
Race 9$150,000 Forbidden Apple S. 1 MileTurf105:51 PM
Race 10$48,000 Maiden Claiming 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf166:25 PM
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July 12, 2019

Saratoga (New York):
  • Junior Alvarado -- THE LEADING RIDER AT SARATOGA :nod: -- had a huge day winning all three of his mounts. He has not missed the board in six starts in two days at the meet and now owns a record of 6 4-1-1. Coming off a remarkable Belmont meet in which he had an exceptional return on the dollar and a high percentage, Alvarado brought home two bombs today and also the late daily double. He has more wins at the meet than Javier Castellano, John Velazquez, Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Manny Franco combined. Yes, I am enjoying this for the moment. That's why he is my go-to jockey. Junior owned the Spa today!
  • Race 10: Junior Alvarado rode the daily double on board a 20-to-1 morning line. He was aided by 10 of the 16 entered being scratched.
  • Race 9: Mr. Havercamp (Junior Alvarado/Catherine Day Phillips), despite a 7-month layoff, won the Grade 3 $150,000 Forbidden Apple for four year olds and up with the second largest price on the board at 13-to-1. The win paid $29.60. Junior has been bringing home prices all year in New York. The Ontario-bred is 13 8-1-0 including a near perfect 9 7-1-0 in Canada but had never hit the board in the USA prior to today.


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  • Race 8: Edwin Rivera, who rides at tracks such as Parx and Monmouth and who rode for the first time here this meet, beat local prosperous riders Jose Ortiz and Joel Rosario in a photo finish. Rivera-Ortiz-Rosario is not the expected finish at the Spa but it happened.
  • Race 6: The Ortiz brothers both picked up mounts on the entry which ended 1st and 2nd. I can't imagine that has happened too often in the history of racing that brothers picked up unscheduled mounts on an entry which finished 1-2.
  • Race 5: Vast (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) won at 12-to-1. Mott is expected to have a strong meet especially with 2-year-olds. This was a race composed of mostly first-time starters.
  • Race 3: Tyler Gaffalione, based at Saratoga for the first time, won.
  • Mike Luzzi won't win too many at the meet -- you can probably count his victories on one hand with room leftover -- but he hit the board with each starter including third place on board a 42-to-1 shot that returned $16.60. Luzzi never quit on any of his three mounts. That counts for those who used him in exotics. He deserves better.
  • Todd Pletcher (winless) and Chad Brown have a combined one win in 15 starts this meet.
  • Weather and track: A mostly pleasant day but four of six were removed from the turf due to prior rain.
Laurel (Maryland):
  • Race 9: Creepy the Crab is now 40 0-3-6. He will break his maiden, keep the faith.
Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Race 1: Luca Panici broke slow and appeared left in the dust but rallied strongly and won at 8-to-1.
  • Race 7: Cash Call Kitten (Miguel Vasquez/Michael Maker) won for the Ramseys. How many Kitten's Joy offspring has Maker trained for the Ramseys that have won? The number has to be mindboggling.
  • Race 8: Bird of Peace was claimed by Elizabeth Dobles after winning this race . She does well off claims. I will keep an eye on her addition.
Ellis (Kentucky):
  • Race 7: Florent Geroux won on board a 16-to-1 shot. Getting him at that price is rare. The $2 tri paid a whopping $7,300. The $1 super returned a staggering $60,000+.
Emerald Downs (Washington):
  • Gary Wales won twice and extended his winning streak to 24 straight racing days. The track record is 30 set by Kevin Radke in 2003.
California via New York:
​


Side note:
Word came today that Sea Hero, the oldest living Kentucky Derby (1993) winner, died in Turkey at the age of 29. Jerry Bailey rode for Mack Miller and paid $27.80. I didn't have him that year. Go for Gin, the 1994 Derby winner, now is the oldest living Derby winner. I did have him! Rest in peace to Sea Hero.

1993 Kentucky Derby:
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Nick Zito and Ed Olczyk with Go for Gin in 1994
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I didn't know Sea Hero was in Turkey. Then again, I'm always surprised by how many name horses end up in Turkey for breeding.

I think Go for Gin is at the Kentucky Horse Park so he's still accessible for the public to visit.
 
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^ I didn't know that either but had read just a few weeks ago that Sea Hero was the oldest living KY Derby winner. Interestingly, he was a Virginia-bred and there have been three others to win the Derby including Secretariat.
 
July 13, 2019
  • 10 graded stakes: Arlington: 3-3-3; Delaware: 2; Indiana 3-3; Los Alamitos: 3; Saratoga 1-3 and Woodbine: 3.
  • Mike Napoli: The former baseball player won twice with three starters. He won at Gulfstream and Monmouth and is now 63 27-10-9 in his first year as an owner. Someone tell him it's not supposed to be this easy.
  • Brad Cox was 8 3-2-2 at three tracks.
  • Steve Asmussen had horses entered at six tracks.
Saratoga (New York):
  • Handle: Over $28,000,000 from all sources and had the track had a crowd that exceeded 27,000.
  • Race 9: Sistercharlie (John Velazquez/Chad Brown) won the $500,000 Grade I Diana Stakes. She won last years edition as well. The 5-year-old Irish-bred mare is 12 8-3-0 and has earned $2.85 million. Brown had four of the six entered and prior to the race huddled with his four riders. He finished 1-2-3. Thais, Brown's fourth starter, set a blistering pace and finished last. Having four of six in a Grade I is not acceptrable but the field had quality.
​

  • Race 7: Stacy Torelli, the winning trainer, won at the Spa for the first time in 27 lifetime starts. She trains mostly at Finger Lakes and had not sent out a horse at Saratoga since 2016. She had been training since 1995.
  • Race 3: By Your Side (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Eddie Kenneally) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Sanford Stakes.
  • Races 1 and 2: The 4 was a late scratch at the gate in both races.
  • Card: Eight of the 11 purses were $90,000+
  • Leading riders: Junior Alvarado (4), Javier Castellano (4) and Jose Lezcano (4) have the most wins through three days.
  • Todd Pletcher is an unthinkable 12 0-1-0 at the meet.
  • Chad Brown is hitting the board but is struggling to find wins at 14 2-3-6.
  • Linda Rice is off to a hot start at 5 3-1-0.
Monmouth (New Jersey):
  • Card: 14 races, a doozy. Ten jockeys and 13 trainers won today.
  • Paco Lopez won four times and finished 9 4-1-3. He is 87 27-18-12 (315/66%) at the meet.
  • Race 7: Superling, who lost three times at the boutique meet (three weekends) at Suffolk Downs this year, won here.
  • Race 3: Andrea Rodriguez was victorious with her second lifetime start, at Camerero in Puerto Rico back in January, but had not won since, that is until today's 49-to-1 bomber which paid $101.00. The 21-year-old jockey lost her first 16 mounts in the US before the win.
Parx (Pennsylvania):
  • Race 7: A 13-to-1 and a 14-to-1 combined for a remarkable double of $1,030.80. I would say anyone who hit that should be thankful.
  • Race 8: The $1 Pick 3 paid $1,995.40.
Delaware Park (Delaware):
  • Jose Ortiz came from New York and won all four of his rides. It was almost unfair with the talented mounts he rode.
  • Race 8: Elate (Jose Ortiz/Bill Mott) won the $750,000 Grade 2 Delaware Handicap for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up by four and a half lengths. She is 16 7-5-2 and has passed the $2,000,000 mark in earnings. She has hit the board 14 of 16 starts. Escape Clause (Tyler Baze/Don Schnell), the Manitoba-bred who sizzled previously in Canada, finished second. Her record:
Canada 20 16-2-1
Assiniboia (Manitoba) 15 12-2-0
Century Downs (Alberta) 4 3-0-1
Northlands (Alberta) 1 1-0-0​
USA 13 4-3-2
Canterbury (Minnesota) 3 1-1-1
Oaklawn (Arkansas) 1 0-1-0
Sunland (New Mexico) 1 1-0-0
Zia (New Mexico) 1 0-0-0
Del Mar (California) 2 1-0-1
Santa Anita (California) 3 1-0-0
Belmont (New York) 1 0-0-0
Delaware (Delaware) 1 0-1-0​
Total 33 20-5-3​
  • Race 7: Parlor (Jose Ortiz/Eddie Kenneally) won the $100,000 Glasgow Stakes.
  • Race 6: Altissimo (Christian Pilares/Richard Zielinski) won the $100,000 Hockessin Stakes.
  • Race 5:Capla Temptress (Jose Ortiz/Bill Mott) won the $100,000 Just A Kiss Stakes.
  • Race 4: Bronx Beauty (Jose Ortiz/Anthony Margotta) won the $100,000 dashing Beauty Stakes.
  • Card: Five of the eight races were $100,000 or more including the $750,000 feature.
Laurel (Maryland):
  • Race 2: Naughty Thoughts (Ashley Castrenze/Anthony Farrior) was sent off 1-to-5 after being on the board at the invincible odds of 1-to-9 much of the time. When Ashley C. gets to the winner's circle it's free ice cream day in America... even at 1-to-5. :)
  • Payday: The $.20 Pick 6 paid $86,332.90. Someone will have an enjoyable evening.
Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Dead heats: Two races finished in dead heats for win and another for second place. An oddity.
Indiana Grand (Indiana):
  • Card: A colossal day for the track with six races at $100,000+ highlighted by the Oaks and Derby which are under the lights tonight.
  • Race 8: Street Band (Sophie Doyle/Larry Jones) won the Grade 3 $200,000 Indiana Oaks and paid $8.20 in an impressive performance. The 3-year-old filly won the Fair Grounds Oaks two races ago in Louisiana but flopped in the Grade I Kentucky Oaks in her prior outing. The ladies' man delivered once again as Jones excels with the fillies. He won with both his starters at two tracks today.
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  • Race 9: Mr. Money (Gabriel Saez/Bret Calhoun) won the Grade 3 $500,000 Indiana Derby and paid $3.80. The colt has won three in a row and has four wins in nine lifetime starts.
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Ellis Park (Kentucky):
  • Race 9: Libby Knows (Joe Rocco/Larry Jones) came from Ohio to win this race No, not literally but he was 8th at the 3/8th poll in this short 5 1/2 furlongs race.
  • Race 6: Calvin Borel brought home a bomb at 20-to-1.
Arlington (Illinois):
  • Card: A solid card with three races at $150,000 and deep fields throughout. Arguably the best card to date at the meet.
  • Visiting riders: Florent Geroux, Flavien Prat, Adam Beschizza, Miguel Mena and Drayden Van Dyke were among the riders visiting from other tracks. The first four combined to win six of the nine races.
  • Race 1: Eckersley (Miguel Mena/Chris Davis) won the opener and paid $21.60. It was his third win in 19 starts. Multiple horses crossed the wire nearly simultaneously.
  • Race 6: Juliet Foxtrot (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Modesty Handicap as second choice
  • Race 7: Bandua (Adam Beschizza/Jack Sisterson) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Arlington Handicap in a course-record time for 1 3/16 mile on turf at 1:53.16."He's a straightforward horse, he's never shown a loss of heart, and the class relief today helped him a lot," said the rider. The trainer, in his second year, has 14 lifetime wins and four which are graded stakes. Even with a small volume, that percentage is dazzling.
  • Race 8: Faraway Kitten (Adam Beschizza/Michael Maker) won the $150,000 Grade 3 American Derby in an upset win at 15-to-1. As mentioned yesterday, how many wins does Maker have for Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey with offspring from Kitten's Joy, one of North America's leading sires? Additionally, Beschizza enjoyed back-to-back graded stakes wins.


UPDATE PER THE DRF:
Source: Daily Racing Form | Horse Racing | Entries | Results | PPs (Past Performances)
Arlington stewards suspend jockey Beschizza three days for winning American Derby ride on Faraway Kitten

The jockey Adam Beschizza has been suspended three racing days by Arlington stewards for interference at the quarter pole of the American Derby on Saturday, July 13. Beschizza rode Faraway Kitten to victory in the Grade 3, $150,000 American Derby but the stewards sanctioned him for coming in on eventual last-place finisher Strong Will.

Strong Will already was fading out of contention after disputing the pace but jockey Chris Emigh had to take up when Beschizza allowed his mount to change lanes without clearance, the stewards judged. No objection was lodged nor an inquiry undertaken before the American Derby was made official.

The suspension covers July 21, July 25, and July 26. Beschizza, an English import who also won the Arlington Handicap on Saturday, is based right now at Ellis Park in Kentucky. Saturday was only the second Arlington card he'd ridden.
​

Emerald Downs (Washington):
  • Race 2: Gary Wales extended his streak to 25 straight racing days with a victory. The track mark is 30. Wales followed with a win in the next race.
Los Alamitos (California):
  • Race 6: Game Winner (Joel Rosario/Bob Baffert) toyed with the short field of four in winning the $150,000 Los Alamitos Derby at the indomitable odds of 1-to-9. The colt was last out in the Kentucky Derby and finished fifth. He is now 8 5-2-0 lifetime. Rosario, who knows he has something special, came from New York for this lone mount. This was a tune up, little or no extra energy spent. Up next: the Travers at Saratoga on August 24 and its $1.25 million purse.
Woodbine (Ontario):
  • Eurico Da Silva, the leading rider at the meet, was 8 3-2-2.
  • Race 8: Pamina (Luis Contreras/Michael Dickinson), one of just two starters of 11 who ran previously at a track other than Woodbine, won the $150,000 Grade 3 Ontario Matron Stakes at 6-to-1 in a photo finish.
 
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July 14, 2019

Saratoga (New York):
  • Race 1: Todd Pletcher's first win at the meet with his 13th starter. He is now 14 1-1-0 at the meet. Jose Ortiz rode the winner and stretched his winning streak to five straight rides after a 4-for-4 day yesterday at Delaware.
  • Race 2: Lacey Gaudet has struggled at Laurel and she recently sent a rare starter in New York. She lost by a flared nostril in this photo finish. Ouch!
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  • Race 3: Kelsey Danner, the winning trainer who is in her early 30s, had emergency abdominal surgery the prior day. She won here at 15-to-1 with Tyler Gaffalione riding.
  • Race 4: Junior Alvarado, riding for Bill Mott with a 2-year-old favorite, came up lame and was removed from his mounts the rest of the day due to a suspected ankle injury.
  • Race 5: Brenda McCarthy, who made her bones at Suffolk Downs and now trains much of the time at Tampa Bay and sometimes the mid-Atlantic, was the winning owner in a rare Saratoga start. She previously trained the horse but my assumption is she does not have a valid New York trainer's license and thus Mike Dini was the victor.
  • Race 6: The 4 caught the 11 at the wire, the latter at 15-to-1.
  • Race 7: T Loves A Fight (Irad Ortiz, Jr/Orlando Noda) won. The trainer has three lifetime wins, all with this horse. Junior Alvarado, the regular rider, was removed from the mount due to injury earlier in the day.
  • Race 8: Chad Brown's starter -- he had two -- led as the favorite but got caught by Jose Ortiz's mount. Brown has struggled in the opening week. Ortiz continued a hot run in which he won six of his last nine starts.
  • Race 9: Break Even (Shaun Bridgmohan/Brad Cox) improved to a perfect 6 6-0-0 in winning the $100,000 Coronation Cup. The 3-year-old filly has won at five tracks. She seems destined for bigger things.
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  • Race 10: Eric Cancel, as I have mentioned, seems to win finales often and once again here. He won with a 9-to-1 shot and as a replacement for rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. who opted to ride the 2. Trainers should give Cancel the finales as he seems to excel with them.
  • Chad Brown is 17 2-4-8 (12%/82%) at the meet. The wins are slow to date but will come, that in-the-money figure is excellent but overshadowed.
  • Bill Mott is 10 1-1-3 at the meet. I am not feeling it yet.
  • Julien Leparoux was off his mounts due to an ankle injury suffered in Indiana last night; however, he is expected to regain riding this week.
  • John Velazquez has just one win at the meet -- the Diana Stakes -- and is 15 1-2-0.
  • Luis Saez is off to a cold start at 33 3-6-2.
Monmouth (New Jersey):
  • Paco Lopez rode 11 of the 12 races and hit the board nine times. At the end of the day, his record read 11 2-5-2. He is having a strong meet as expected.
  • Nik Juarez, the meet's winningest rider, also rode 11 of 12 races. He got his only victory in the finale. He ended the day 11 1-0-4.
Laurel (Maryland):
  • Card: Maybe the most underappreciated track in America. Another solid card with deep fields.
  • Race 2: Sheldon Russell rode and his wife trained the winner. They hit the board with a high frequency as a team though in the next race they finished fourth.
  • Race 4: Late Night Pow Wow (Fredy Peltroche/Javier Contreras), a sensation in West Virginia with a 9 8-1-0 mark, improved to 14 12-1-1 including a perfect 4 4-0-0 at Laurel.
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  • Race 7: Lexitonian (Sheldon Russell/Jack Sisterson) won the $75,000 purse and at 19-to-1. The two highest odds on the board combined to pay $1020.50 for a $2 exacta. I mentioned the winning trainer in yesterday's review. He is young and trains mostly or only for Calumet Farms. He has 15 lifetime wins, a high percentage in stakes.
Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Race 1: A 50-to-1 bomber opened the day with a win and paid $109.60.
  • Race 6: Elizabeth Dobles had two entered -- 10-to-1 and 6-to-1 morning lines -- and she finished 1-2 with the all-Dobles exacta paying $66.60. :naughty: Imaginary Stables, the owners.
​

  • Race 8: Sir Seamus (Cristian Torres/Dennis Manning) wired the field at the stunning odds of 81-to-1. He paid $164.60 and was one of just two first-time starters in a field of 12. Torres could be a candidate for bug of the year. The trainer has been active since the early 1970s, if not earlier, and began his career at Suffolk Downs before heading to New Jersey and now mostly Florida.
  • Race 11: Hard Belle (Albin Jinenez/Elizabeth Dobles) was bet late and down to 9-to-5. another win for Dobles and Imaginary Stables though the owners did not appear to be in the winner's circle for either win.
  • Elizabeth Dobles ended the day 16 6-1-0 at the meet after a 4 2-1-0 day. While the in-the-money mark is nothing outstanding, she is winning at a 40% clip. :thumbu:
Ellis Park (Kentucky):
  • Tyler Baze, normally based in California, leads the meet with nine wins.
  • Adam Beschizza, who won two big races at Arlington on Saturday, has not won here in 25 starts.
Los Alamitos (California):
  • Closing day: The 9-day meet ended today.
  • Race 9: Magic At Midnight (Eswan Flories/Mark Glatt), a 3-year-old filly, won her maiden race by 13 lengths.
  • Leading rider: Jorge Velez with nine wins.
  • Leading trainer: Peter Miller (5 wins) edged Bob Baffert by one victory.
Emerald Downs (Washington):
  • Race 1: Gary Wales extended his streak to 26 straight racing days with a victory. The track mark is 30. Wales followed with a win in the next race. He rode the entire card of nine races.
  • Rocco Bowen, the leading rider at the meet the last three years, has been sidelined since September with shoulder separations and a concussion.
Woodbine (Ontario):
  • Race 8: Pink Lloyd (Eurico Da Silva/Robert Tiller) won the Grade 3 $125,000 Vigil Stakes. The Canadian star is now 24 19-4-1 including wins in five of seven lifetime graded stakes. The 7-year-old has earned over $1.1 million. He has never run in a Grade I or at a track other than Woodbine.
​
 
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D E L M A R
OPENING DAY
Wednesday, July 17, 2019

[TR][TH]Race #PurseRace TypeDistanceSurfaceStartersEst. Post (Pac. Time)
Race 1$36,000 Starter Allowance 1 MileDirt62:00 PM
Race 2$67,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 1/8 MilesTurf72:30 PM
Race 3$28,000 Claiming 1 MileDirt73:00 PM
Race 4$30,000 Claiming 6 FurlongsDirt63:30 PM
Race 5$64,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 5 FurlongsTurf144:00 PM
Race 6$32,000 Maiden Claiming 5 1/2 FurlongsDirt94:30 PM
Race 7$61,000 Maiden Special Weight 5 FurlongsDirt145:00 PM
Race 8$100,000 Runhappy Oceanside S. 1 MileTurf125:30 PM
Race 9$64,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 7 FurlongsDirt126:00 PM
Race 10$61,000 Maiden Special Weight 1 MileTurf146:30 PM
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SARATOGA's OPENING WEEK (July 11-14)
Saratoga handled close to $75 million the first four days the meet has opened. It was aided by mostly good weather. This year, the Spa's weekly cards have been reduced from six to five days (dark on Mondays and the usual Tuesdays) while extending the dates of the meet.

The total handle at Saratoga for these four dates was $73,441,101 which is an increase from 2018. Attendance was 105,690 total for four days which was slightly down from last year but that could be because the track opened on a Thursday rather than a Friday and the weather in New York was less than appealing to start. Field sizes were hurt due to initial slop conditions. The past three days have been beautiful and the usual big names have not exactly lit the place on fire which can be appealing to handicappers looking for value.

Belmont did approximately $25,000,000 on July 6 for its massive Stars and Stripes card which was the penultimate day of racing at the meet. That figure broke the track's mark for that date. If I did the math correctly, the past six racing days at New York (July 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14) have generated roughly $100,000,000.
 
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M O N M O U T H
THE HASKELL
Saturday, July 20​


Just a reminder that the Haskell this year is on a Saturday rather than the typical Sunday. First post is noon time. The race will be broadcast on NBC from 5-6 pm ET. Maximum Security, DQ'd in the Kentucky Derby, is expected to be entered. He last ran on June 16 but lost at insurmountable odds of 1-to-20 in what was called by some as a tune up. The Haskell is worth $1,000,000 and the winner gets an automatic spot in the $6,000,000 Breeders' Cup Classic on November 2.

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[TR][TH]Race #PurseRace TypeDistanceSurfaceStartersEst. Post (ET)
Race 1$50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf912:04 PM
Race 2$50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 Mile 70 YardsDirt812:29 PM
Race 3$25,000 Claiming 1 MileTurf1112:56 PM
Race 4$47,500 Maiden Special Weight 6 FurlongsDirt71:25 PM
Race 5$150,000 Oceanport S. 1 1/16 MilesTurf61:53 PM
Race 6$50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 6 FurlongsDirt72:28 PM
Race 7$47,500 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 1/16 MilesTurf92:56 PM
Race 8$150,000 Molly Pitcher S. 1 1/16 MilesDirt83:29 PM
Race 9$75,000 Wolf Hill S. 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf83:58 PM
Race 10$200,000 Monmouth Cup S. 1 1/8 MilesDirt74:31 PM
Race 11$150,000 WinStar Matchmaker S. 1 1/8 MilesTurf75:08 PM
Race 12$1,000,000 TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. 1 1/8 MilesDirt75:49 PM
Race 13$47,500 Allowance Optional Claiming 1 1/16 MilesTurf86:22 PM
Race 14$47,500 Maiden Special Weight 6 FurlongsDirt66:50 PM
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[TBODY][TR][TH]NBC is scheduled to broadcast 5-6 pm ET. Times could be adjusted due to the weather forecast.

Graded stakes on Saturday:
Del Mar: 2-2
Monmouth 1-3-3-3-3
Woodbine: 3​
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July 17, 2019
  • Delaware Park has canceled racing for Saturday due to expected high heat.
Saratoga (New York):
  • Conditions: Rains, heavy at time, required all turf races to be moved to dirt.
  • Good day: David Cohen made the best of his moment back at New York, riding two winners on three mounts. He is scheduled to return to ride at Ellis Park (Kentucky) later this week. Luis Saez and Ricardo Santana, Jr. also won twice. Robertino Diodoro trained two winners, both for owners M + M Stables, who dominated Oaklawn (Arkansas) earlier this year, and each time Cohen was the victorious jockey today.
  • Payouts: While no extraordinary bombs, six of the nine races paid double figures for a $2 bet.
  • Race 1: A 2 1/2 mile hurdle race was canceled due to the rainy conditions.
  • Race 2: Sky of Hook (Luis Saez/Rudy Rodriguez) won the $100,000 Rick Violette Stakes, named in honor of the recently deceased trainer. At 9-to-1, the 2-year-old was the longest shot on the board.
​

  • Race 3: David Cohen, who has been riding in Arkansas and Kentucky in recent months, returned to New York and won in his first try at the meet.
  • Race 4: Ricardo Santana, Jr., who entered the day with one win at the meet, won twice including a $30.60 winner. At 14-to-1, this was the longest shot on the board.
  • Race 5: Luis Saez rode his second win of the day. Lacey Gaudet had another runner up, two starters and two place finishes for the Laurel-based trainer at the Spa.
  • Race 6: The 2-to-5 shot barely ran under Joel Rosario. The $.50 Pick 5 returned more than $11,000.
  • Race 7: Nine horses scratched and only five ran. Jose Ortiz added to his win total and ended the day tied for second in victories at the meet.
  • Race 8: As called by track announcer Larry Collmus "(It is) Slimey (Jose Lezcano/David Cannizzo) in the slop." Lezcano won for a meet-leading sixth time.
  • Race 9: David Cohen/Robertino Diodoro/M + M Racing won for the second time. They were a perfect 2 2-0-0 as a team.
  • Race 10: Violent Point (John Velazquez/Mark Casse), a 2-year-old daughter to Violence, won. This was a second win today for a Violence offspring. The Hall-of-Fame rider won for the second time in 17 starts this meet.
  • Todd Pletcher is 16 1-2-0 at the meet. Chad Brown is 19 2-6-8. They have combined to win 3 of 35 opportunities. I doubt many saw those figures at this stage.
Mountaineer (West Virginia):
  • Luis Quinones won four times on six mounts. He finished 6 4-2-0.
  • Race 9: One Buck Roma (Yuri Yaranga/Osborne Smith) won the finale at 73-to-1. The winner paid $149.50/$47.20/$12.60. The 9-year-old was out for the 71st time.
  • Nighttime racing: The card began at 7:00 pm ET.
Thistledown (Ohio):
  • Canceled: The card was canceled prior to the opening race due to rain and track conditions.
Del Mar (California):
  • Opening day: The meet opener. The crowd was stylish as anticipated. Reported as 72 degrees and with an ocean breeze. Announced attendance exceeded 31,000.
  • Race 1: Julius (Rafael Bejarano/Doug O'Neill) won for the second straight time -- first with this trainer -- after starting a career under Bob Baffert and then Brad Cox with six straight losses. Baffert, Cox and O'Neill are three successful conditioners.
  • Race 8: Jasikan (Flavien Prat/John Sadler), an Irish-bred sent off as the prohibitive favorite, won the $100,000 Runhappy Oceanside Stakes in a field of twelve. Close call at the finish with the winner getting his nose down in time.


D_uHCgMUcAE_S24.jpg

​

  • Race 9: King Jack (Mike Smith/Dan Ward) improved to 2 2-0-0 lifetime. The trainer, substituting for suspended Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, won for the first time with his second starter at the meet. Smith, who has ridden infrequently the last three weeks, is 3-1-2 with his last nine starts since and including June 22.
 
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July 18, 2019

Saratoga (New York):
  • Handle: Over $10,000,000 bet. Two races were kept on the turf while the others were moved to dirt.
  • Jose Ortiz was the star of the day going 9 3-2-2. Ortiz now leads the meet with eight wins and has a wonderful 26% winning percentage. He won for three different trainers today but was 0-for-3 with Michael Maker.
  • Jose Ortiz (3), Javier Castellano (2), Luis Saez (2), Joel Rosario (2) and Irad Ortiz, Jr. (1) won the ten races. That is a fairly decent collection of talent.
  • Chad Brown won twice and was elevated to the trainer's standings lead with four wins.
  • Todd Pletcher is 18 1-3-0 at the meet.
  • Race 1: Luis Saez was determined in nipping Jose Ortiz in a solid opener.
  • Race 2: Ken McPeek finished 1-2, the trainer has just five starts at the meet.
  • Race 3: Luis Saez was successful yet again in a strong finish against Javier Castellano.
  • Race 9: Hofburg (Jose Ortiz/Bill Mott), who ran in the 2018 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes but had not been out since October or won since last July, kicked it up in the stretch to win by more than two lengths.

​

Delaware Park (Delaware):
  • Weather: It was rainy early but then precipitation came to a halt.
Laurel (Maryland):
  • Turf to dirt: Racing was off the turf.
  • Race 2: Seven of 13 were scratched.
  • Race 7: Lacey Gaudet's starter wired the field for her first victory at the meet. It took 19 starts to do it, an inexplicable figure from her form of last year.
Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Edgard Zayas won three times, all late on the card and twice for trainer Antonio Sano who sent out those two starters only.
  • Race 9: Five horses were singled in the finale, a high number, yet no unique bettor won the $.20 Rainbow Six though it paid out $15,900+ to all who hit.
Arlington (Illinois):
  • Race 1: A 30-to-1 shot won.
  • Race 3: The $.50 Pick 3 paid $724.
Del Mar (California):
  • Race 1: In a field of six, the winner was the only runner who had a previous start. Norberto Arroyo, Jr./Jeff Bonde are a perfect 2 2-0-0 as a team this meet.
  • Race 6: Hollywood Hills (Flavien Prat/Steve Sherman) won the $150,000 feature race at 8-to-1 in a dramatic finish, one in which I had to watch multiple times to see what the stewards called. Sneaking Out (Drayden Van Dyke/Keith Desormeaux) was sent off at insurmountable odds of 1-to-9 but caught just prior to the wire. Sherman won with both of his starters on the card. The northern California based trainer is the son of California Chrome's trainer Art Sherman.
​

  • Race 7: Make that win #2 for Mike Smith at the meet. He is now 2-for-4.
 
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Cancelled cards: A number of track have announced the cancellation of cards for the upcoming weekend. The tracks that have announced closings::

Friday:
Belterra (Ohio)
Ellis (Kentucky)
Woodbine (Ontario)​
Saturday:
Saratoga (New York)
Finger Lakes (New York)
Parx (Pennsylvania)
Delaware Park (Delaware)
Laurel (Maryland)
Belterra (Ohio)​
Sunday:
Laurel (Maryland)​

UPDATE:

Saratoga's Sunday card will be expanded after cancellation of Saturday's full card. The last time Saratoga canceled a race day was in 2006.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Due to a forecast that calls for excessive heat, Saturday’s 11-race card at Saratoga has been canceled, the New York Racing Association announced Thursday.

Saturday’s races will be moved to Sunday. The 13-race card will also include the Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee Stakes as well as a steeplechase race that was canceled from Wednesday.​

Source: yhttps://www.drf.com/news/saratoga-cancels-saturday-card-moves-races-sunday?type=
=======================

Delaware's card will move to October 3.

=======================

Monmouth: The Haskell Invitational is scheduled to go off at 5:47 p.m. Eastern and be televised live on NBC from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., but post times will be altered even if it impacts NBC being able to show the race, according to track officials. (Source: Jim Dunleavy, DRF)
========================
 
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Good. I've mentioned this over the last couple of years, but no reason to run in a heat index of 105-110.
 
It makes no sense for Monmouth to move forward with this card, Luicci was quoted by Horse Racing Nation as saying one of the dumbest things I've ever heard in recent memory:

“What makes us a little bit different — we do get an ocean breeze,” Luicci said. “That helps a little bit, unlike Delaware (Park), which is landlocked.”


Haskell 2019 show should go on with extreme heat in forecast
Click to expand...

Yeah that is true, we do get a nice little ocean breeze. But not when the wind is blowing 8 to 10 miles from the west like it will be on Saturday!! I work about 5 minutes from the track, it was actually tolerable the past few days with the temps in the 90s but a nice northeasterly wind, as soon as this front that is working these t-storms up and down the coast moves out its going to shift come from the west. Going to be like an oven in the grandstand with the building blocking any breeze. Would not shock me if the state steps in on Saturday.
 
Saratoga's revised 13-race card for Sunday. The finale will go off at 7:20 pm ET.

Again, Saturday's card has been canceled.

[TR][TH]Race #PurseRace TypeDistanceSurfaceStartersEst. Post (ET)
Race 1$65,000 Allowance 2 1/16 MilesHurdle812:20 PM
Race 2$35,000 Claiming 7 FurlongsDirt812:55 PM
Race 3$55,000 Maiden Claiming 1 1/8 MilesTurf91:30 PM
Race 4$500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks 1 1/8 MilesDirt52:07 PM
Race 5$90,000 Maiden Special Weight 1 1/8 MilesDirt72:44 PM
Race 6$48,000 Claiming 1 MileTurf163:20 PM
Race 7$90,000 Maiden Special Weight 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf163:56 PM
Race 8$90,000 Maiden Special Weight 6 FurlongsDirt114:32 PM
Race 9$92,000 Allowance 1 MileTurf115:09 PM
Race 10$95,000 Allowance Optional Claiming 7 FurlongsDirt95:43 PM
Race 11$200,000 Caress S. 5 1/2 FurlongsTurf96:16 PM
Race 12$80,000 Allowance 1 1/16 MilesTurf146:48 PM
Race 13$200,000 Shuvee S. 1 1/8 MilesDirt87:20 PM
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July 19, 2019
  • Through today, Irad Ortiz, Jr. (183) has the most wins in North America this year with Luis Saez trailing by one victory.
Saratoga (New York):
  • Race 9: Regal Glory (Luis Saez/Chad Brown) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Lake George with the longest shot on the board at 2-to-1. The field was reduced to three starters and Brown trained each. A Grade 3 with just one trainer is something almost unheard.
​

  • Race 2: Andretta (Jose Ortiz/James Bond) broke her maiden after starting her career 8 0-5-1. Irad Ortiz, Jr. finished second. The all-Ortiz $1 exacta -- made up of 5-1 and 13-1 shots - paid a hearty sum of $54.50
  • Todd Pletcher won two of three races in which he entered and suddenly is tied for third in wins at the meet with three. His mark is 22 3-4-0.
  • Luis Saez (10) and Jose Ortiz (10) have the most wins at the meet and lead the other riders by a minimum of three.
  • Junior Alvarado has not won on his last 17 mounts since putting up a 3-win day on the meet's second card.
Monmouth (New Jersey):
  • Paco Lopez added three wins. He is third at the meet in wins but has the best winning percentage of those top three.
Laurel (Maryland):
  • Feargal Lynch won both of his starts. In Race 6, he was the prohibitive favorite at 1-to-2 and held off Ashley Castrenze's 8-to-1 shot (20-1 morning line) comfortably in a shortened field.
  • Race 3: Battlebus (Ashley Castrenze/Jeremiah O'Dwyer) won. The second-time starter was the pre-race favorite at 2-to-1 even having odds as low as 3-to-5 at one point. However, the two track handicappers did not have the horse in a top three finish (one didn't in his top four selections) which was curious. Castrenze held off two challengers.
  • Race 9: Pictura (Jorge Ruiz/Donald Barr) wired the field and defeated a 2-to-5 shot with relative ease. The winning filly began her career 0-for-17 but has won her last two starts.
Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Race 2: Fuzzy Irish Rascal (Gaddiel Martinez/Vickie Smith) won for the first time since August and snapped a 10-race skid. The winning rider won for the third time in 155 starts. It was the trainer's seventh career win in 128 starts.
  • Miguel Vasquez won three times. He entered the day with just five wins in the meet.
Del Mar (California):
  • Race 7: Ahimsa (Rueben Fuentes/Peter Eurton) won the $85,000 feature race. It was the filly's fourth win in eight starts.
  • Race 8: The place horse paid $41.20. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $5,000. The $2 Pick 6 paid over $62,000.
  • Richard Baltas entered two races and won them consecutively.
Belterra (Ohio), Ellis (Kentucky) and Woodbine (Ontario):
  • Canceled cards: Cards were canceled today due to weather concerns.
 
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I guess NBC is just going to interview people for a whole hour.
 
July 20, 2019

Saratoga (New York):
  • Canceled.
Finger Lakes (New York):
  • Canceled.
Monmouth (New Jersey):
  • Summary: The heat played a role as races 3, 4, 6, 7, 13 and 14 were canceled in an announcement following the second race. The first two races were held but were delayed about a half hour each as precautionary measures took affect. Ultimately, there was about a 5-hour break in racing and the card picked up with 5th race around 6:00 pm. The last race was sent off just after 8:00 pm.
  • Handle: Only $8 million+ was wagered on the confusing day. It also didn't help that many tracks were closed for live racing and some for simulcast. Even Gulfstream in Florida, which was the lone east coast track to run in the US, garnered just $10,000,000 which tells me many bettors called it a day.
  • Trevor McCarthy, who did well against a group of top riders, and Luis Saez won two of the five graded stakes. No trainer won more than one.
  • Race 1: The longest shot on the board won at 14-to-1, a starter who was 0-for-7 on turf in 20 lifetime starts.
  • Race 2: I don't know how many, if any, times Mike Smith has ridden for Jorge Navarro but they connected here.
  • Race 5: Just Howard (Trevor McCarthy/Graham Motion) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Oceanport by a head. The top two horses in a field of four both came out of races at Laurel.
  • Race 8: Midnight Bisou (Mike Smith/Steve Asmussen) starred once again and improved to 16 10-3-3 in winning the $150,000 Grade 3 Molly Pitcher. She has won all five of her starts this year, has never missed the board in 16 starts and has earned over $2.7 million. She opened 1-to-9 and was sent off those odds. An impressive specimen.
  • Race 9: Justaholic (Jose Ferrer/Thomas Clark) won the $75,000 race.
  • Race 10: War Story (Luis Saez/Jorge Navarro) won the Grade 3 $200,000 Monmouth Cup in a thriller over Bal Harbour (Mike Smith/Todd Pletcher). War Story has earned $2.8 million even though he has lost 28 out of 35 races.
​

  • Race 11: I'm So Fancy (Trevor McCarthy/Arnaud Delcaour) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Matchmaker. Another winner coming out of a race at Laurel.
  • Race 12: Maximum Security (Luis Saez/Jason Servis) withstood a stewards' inquiry involving John Velazquez, who did not lodge an objection though seemingly upset after the race, on board the unplaced #1 and won the $1,000,000 Grade I Haskell. History did not repeat itself from the Kentucky Derby. The winner, who got an invite to the Breeders' Cup with this win, improved to 7 5-1-0 or 7 6-1-0 in the eyes of many. The race was supposed to be aired from 5-6 pm ET on NBC but was switched to NBCSN beginning at 8:00 after the revised card was finalized.
​


Parx (Pennsylvania):
  • Canceled.
Delaware (Delaware):
  • Canceled.
Laurel (Maryland):
  • Canceled.
Ellis Park (Kentucky):
  • Canceled.
Belterra (Ohio):
  • Canceled.
Indiana Grand (Indiana):
  • Race 2: The winner paid $72.20. The $2 exacta was a stunning $1,710.70 when a 35-to-1 and 33-to-1 topped the ticket. The $2 tri returned more than $12,000.
Arlington (Illinois):
  • Weather: Heavy rains late in the card forced the removal of the last two races from turf to dirt.
Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Cristian Torres, who I have mentioned as a possible leading candidate for bug of the year, won four times.
  • Race 9: Opportunist (Cristian Torres/Mark Casse) may be one to remember. The 2-year-old colt from a Ghostzapper mare won his debut race in a dead heat but with accelerated with an amazing kick that can be summarized with he was fifth in the stretch and maybe 14 lengths back. Also, a New York bred and perhaps Casse will bring the horse to Saratoga.
​

  • Race 5: Mike Napoli, former baseball player turned horse owner, won for the 29th time with 67 lifetime starters.
Del Mar (California):
  • Race 8: Mucho Unusual (Joel Rosario/Tim Yakteen) won the $200,000 Grade 2 San Clemente.
  • Race 4: Catalina Cruiser (Joel Rosario/John Sadler) won the $200,000 Grade 2 San Diego Handicap in a field of four at 1-to-9.
  • Joel Rosario, who visited from New York, won twice on seven mounts, both the two graded stakes.
Emerald Downs (Washington):
  • Gary Wales extended his win streak to 28 consecutive racing days, two shy of the track record.
Woodbine (Ontario):
  • Luis Contreras won both $100,000+ races, one for local trainer Barbara Minshall and the other for defending Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown.
 
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On the way out tonight, Frank announced over the PA that racing would be cancelled for tomorrow at Monmouth Park. Management totally messed this one up. The debacle that was today was shameful for this industry. Even TVG seemed to know ahead of time that they were going to push back to a twilight card as they flashed a countdown timer of roughly 8 hours just after 12:30 this afternoon, then quickly took it down, and made no mention of it whatsoever.

They knew it was gonna be this hot, they let the fans and the underage drinking crowd come anyways, as well as all the vendors and track workers....and then told them it's gonna be 5 hours between race 3 and 3....no sorry 5, followed by 8...(this is a whole other issue). I talked to a kid manning the parking booth at 5:45 pm and he told me he's been there since 7 am!! And the kid working with him goes, "Yeah but look we got free pizza, so...yeah?" I laughed and said, "Yeah nothing cools you down like hot cheese right? You guys need anything I got ice cold waters in the back?" "Nah we're good they've been stocking us up on that at least" SO yeah you get all these people there, run two races and then realize, "Yeah maybe we shouldn't do this". Drazin's interview on TVG was so bad, he was trying to blame PETA, trying to blame Murphy, trying to blame anyone but himself. He was still insistent that some magical ocean breeze would show up to save the day. The only breeze that saved the day was when the sun finally set behind the tree line and the west wind was no longer blowing 105 degree air, but 95 degree air. They should have just cancelled the non stakes races yesterday and originally planned to do a 6:30 post for the first stakes race, it would have been perfect and there would have been an actual crowd. It was dead there even for a regular Saturday of racing. All that aside, the abbreviated card "worked", I only lost about 80 bucks since I can never been on the right side of Bravo or Baffert, and we didn't have all those crappy claiming races I can never steer clear of, and the Haskell itself probably had the most picturesque backdrop of any race I've ever attended at Monmouth Park, which I've been a fixture at for about 30 years now.

Now, someone needs to explain to me how this happens:

I bet a pick 5, races 1 through 5.

Races 3 and 4 get cancelled.

They now say it's basically a pick 3 and give all players ALL in legs 3 and 4. I don't care if you have ALL, that's a losing bet since you need to pick a winner and no one won that leg.

Now for the pick 5 it wasn't that bad if your ticket was alive after the first 2 legs as a 30 dollar winner came home first, for 50 cents you got paid 149.80. Not great but you probably didn't lose money.

However, on the pick 4, which only had 2 legs run, a 50 cent bet paid 5.85. I think everyone who bet that early pick 4 lost money.

There needs to be a national racing commission so this sort of thing can be handled fairly and consistently across the board. Pun intended.
 
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^ Prior to race 1, there was a Pick 5 bet opportunity. The Pick 4 sequence began with the second race. The winning results were:

1. 5 (won the race; no late scratches)
2. 3456 (6 won the race and the 3-4-5 were late scratches but were available to bet prior to the first race when this bet was entered)
3. all (the race was canceled)
4. all (the race was canceled)
5. 6 (won the race; no late scratches)

Following the fifth race, the Pick 4 also paid out:
2. 3456 (6 won the race and the 3-4-5 were late scratches but were available to bet prior to the first or second race when this bet was entered)
3. all (the race was canceled)
4. all (the race was canceled)
5. 6 (won the race; no late scratches)

The $1 Pick 5 paid $299.60.
The $1 Pick 4 paid $11.70.

Tracks generally have rules of racing -- they can differ by jurisdiction -- but canceled races become "all" bets. I would imagine the bettor, who was alive following the first leg, has the chance to cancel the ticket and be issued a refund if he/she feels the payout could be minimal based on these special events but I gather that did not happen. If the 9-1 shot won the fifth race, the payouts would have been enhanced but with the reduced fields it likely would not have been sizeable.

I asked two longtime players today and they agreed that there should have been an opt-out based on the circumstances but also said that would never happen.
 
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