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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Canceled: Following the fourth race, the card was canceled due to icy conditions.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Jairo Rendon won four times. His seven wins is second most at the meet.
• Emisael Jaramillo (8 wins) and Jairo Rendon (7 wins) have combined to win nearly half the races at the meet. All other riders have compiled 16 wins.
• Luca Panici, Leonel Reyes and Miguel Vasquez are among those who are not riding presumably each due to injuries.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Closing day: The 25-day meet ended. The track is dark to live racing until April 25 for the spring meet which includes the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2... 153 days away.
• Kentucky racing: Turfway operates December 4 to March 28. Then Keeneland takes the reins from April 2 to April 24.
• Rider's title: Corey Lanerie won his third Churchill Downs riding title this year and the 19th of his career at CD.
• Trainer's title: Steve Asmussen won a CD trainer's title for the 25th time.

Del Mar (California):

• Record setting handle: Today was the closing day of the 13-day autumn meet. A record handle $146,000,000+ was wagered at approximately $11.2 million.
• Southern California racing: Onto Los Alamitos from December 2 to December 15. Santa Anita, which reopens the day after Christmas, operates until June 23.
• Race 5: Oscar Dominguez (John Velazquez/Richard Baltas) went from last to first under the perfect timing of the rider to claim the Grade 2 $200,000 Hollywood Turf Club at 11-to-1 odds. The race was a lengthy 1 1/2 miles. The 6-year-old Irish-bred was out for the 37th time. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $11k and the $.50 Pick 5 returned a sizable $31,000+.

​

• Race 7: Got Stormy (Tyler Gaffalione/Mark Casse) was sent off the favorite and won the $300,000 Grade I Matriarch Stakes. Gaffalione made a rare appearance in California but did what was asked. Gaffalione is ranked 10th in money earned this year among all riders in North America. The 4-year-old filly won for the 8th time in 18 starts and has earned $1.8 million. Earlier this year, she won a Grade I at Saratoga.

​

• Rider's title: Abel Cedillo edged Drayden van Dyke to win the rider's title. Cedillo moved his tack south earlier this year from northern California.
• Trainer's title: Richard Baltas led all trainers and won his first ever autumn title at Del Mar.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Canceled: The entire card was canceled due to unpleasant weather.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Shug McGaughey is sending 15 horses to Oaklawn, the first time he has committed to the track since the mid 1980s. That is another indication that Oaklawn is on the upswing. This is going to be an outstanding meet in Arkansas.

Also, Jerry Hollendorfer will bring 25 horses from California to Oaklawn. He is under suspension at the Stronach tracks (specifically Golden Gate and Santa Anita).

From my recollection, he could join Peter Miller, Richard Baltas, John Sadler, Phil D'Amato and Mark Glatt who are California-based, though some have a string in Kentucky, and head to Arkansas.

Select riders have already announced they are moving their tack to Oaklawn, too.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@Preds Partisan

Some chatter that the currently closed Balmoral could be transformed into a racino. Illinois is in an interesting time of life.

A link...

South suburban developer trots in with Balmoral Park racino revival

 

[Preds Partisan]

@Preds Partisan

Some chatter that the currently closed Balmoral could be transformed into a racino. Illinois is in an interesting time of life.

A link...

South suburban developer trots in with Balmoral Park racino revival

Yeah, that is interesting. I've got to say though having driven by it on the way to a brewery once, that place is way way way out in the middle of nowhere.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Yonkers Simulcast cancelled 12/02

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Some updates

• Steve Asmussen will serve a 30-day suspension from Dec. 20 through Jan. 18 for medicine violations. This was based on a ruling in Kentucky. He is the second to Karl Broberg in wins and second to Chad Brown in money earned in North America this year. Asmussen has sent out 585 starters this year with 2,068 starts, both of those figures lead North America. UPDATE: Asmussen plans on appealing the suspension.

GULFSTREAM

• Luca Panici has scheduled rides later this week. He has been absent presumably due to injury.
• Leonel Reyes remain sidelined due to injury. Through Nov. 20, Panici and Reyes were the two best betting options at Gulfstream Park West per the Dougherty Digit Index.
• Miguel Vasquez has not ridden since October. I assume that is due to injury but I don't recall the moment.
• Victor Barboza has nothing entered in his name but had an assistant listed in some GPW races which tells me that is related to suspension.

SARATOGA

• The Spa 2020: Saratoga's 2020 racing schedule will run from July 16 though September 7. There are 40 racing days and most weeks run each day except Mondays and Tuesdays.

AQUEDUCT

• Friday: NYRA has changed Friday's post time to 11:50 a.m. per David Grening. As of now, Equibase lists the opener as 11:30.
• Saturday is the conclusion of New York's 2019 graded stakes schedule. Saturday's opener is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. but the card is yet to be revealed. That day is a mandatory payout for the Empire 6. It will be a popular betting card unless weather wrecks it. There are four graded stakes listed. The star attraction will be Maximum Security who will be entered in the $750,000 Cigar Mile. He has a lifetime mark of 8 6-1-0 and that includes the DQ in the Kentucky Derby. His only other loss was a place finish at Monmouth (NJ) in June. He currently owns a 2-race win streak. The Cigar has unofficially ten horses entered.

​

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Scarborough Downs (ME) No simulcasting 12/3/19

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Only 13 jockeys have earned $10,000,000+ this year in North Ametica. Paco Lopez should reach the figure this weekend.

[TABLE="class: brtb_item_table"][TBODY][TR][TD]Rank*[/TD][TD]Jockey[/TD][TD]Wins[/TD][TD]Money earned in millions[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]1[/TD][TD]Irad Ortiz, Jr.[/TD][TD]290[/TD][TD]$32.7 million[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]2[/TD][TD]Jose Ortiz[/TD][TD]263[/TD][TD]$26.9[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]3[/TD][TD]Javier Castellano[/TD][TD]192[/TD][TD]$24.3[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]4[/TD][TD]Joel Rosario[/TD][TD]214[/TD][TD]$24.0[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]5[/TD][TD]Flavien Prat[/TD][TD]165[/TD][TD]$19.4[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]6[/TD][TD]John Velazquez[/TD][TD]137[/TD][TD]$18.5[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]7[/TD][TD]Luis Saez[/TD][TD]243[/TD][TD]$16.8[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]8[/TD][TD]Ricardo Santana, Jr.[/TD][TD]179[/TD][TD]$15.9[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]9[/TD][TD]Manuel Franco[/TD][TD]211[/TD][TD]$15.8[/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]10[/TD][TD]Tyler Gaffalione [/TD][TD]174 [/TD][TD]$14.6 [/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]11 [/TD][TD]Jose Lezcano [/TD][TD]188 [/TD][TD]$12.5 [/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]12[/TD][TD]Florent Geroux[/TD][TD]145 [/TD][TD]$11.3 [/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]13 [/TD][TD]Junior Alvarado [/TD][TD]149 [/TD][TD]$11.0 [/TD][/TR]
[TR][TD]14 [/TD][TD]Paco Lopez[/TD][TD]261 [/TD][TD]$9.9[/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE]
*in money earned

The three finalists for Jockey of the Year should be interesting again. The Ortiz brothers are probably certain although I don't see how Jose can beat out his brother.

The third rider could be Javier Castellano whose legacy doesn't hurt.

Could Joel Rosario make the cut? I have him on my list.

Luis Saez's Ky Derby misfortune could work against him and he is probably on the outside looking in; however, he has the winning totals in his favor but perhaps not elevated to top three status.

Among those whose 2019 has been a resurgence are Jose Lezcano and Junior Alvarado who have achieved much success in NY.

Don't over look what Tyler Gaffalione has accomplished; however, his winning percentage is lowest at 15%.

Johnny V. doesn't have the wins but has the brand name; however, he doesn't have the wins!

Ricardo Santana and Manny Franco are workmanlike. Santana's relationship with Steve Asmussen is as strong a team as exists. But again, neither will make the cut for top three.

Flavien Prat won the Ky Derby by default and with it the increase in money earned while his 23% is one of the best.

Florent Geroux is established but too down on the list to get attention.

Paco Lopez's year is something remarkable in many ways. His aggressive nature has been noted but winning multiple meets in NJ and FL should be highlighted. He is winning at 27% this year which leads the 14 riders mentioned. Less than half the riders are at 20%. But the minimal purse money earned will prevent him from consideration.

 

[GKJ]

Is Cigar Mile still a G1? Wondering if the plan is to get him a G1 win at a mile, as that'll be worth a ton, and then prime him for the Pegasus and if he wins there, probably retires.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Is Cigar Mile still a G1? Wondering if the plan is to get him a G1 win at a mile, as that'll be worth a ton, and then prime him for the Pegasus and if he wins there, probably retires.

Yes, the Cigar Mile remains a Grade I race. The option was to run Maximum Security last week at Churchill or in the Cigar Mile with the goal being the 2020 Pegasus World Cup. I don't know if the plan is to retire him after that race but 2020 is the inaugural running of the world's biggest purse of $20,000,000 in Saudi Arabia [Saudi World Cup]. That is scheduled to run in between the Pegasus ($9m) and Dubai World Cup ($12m). The money may be enticing or perhaps the breeding interests take control.

 

[Preds Partisan]

I saw this and was waiting for an explanation of why this includes a horse from June 2018. I have no idea why it took so long and from the comments section on various outlets, nobody else understands either.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I saw this and was waiting for an explanation of why this includes a horse from June 2018. I have no idea why it took so long and from the comments section on various outlets, nobody else understands either.

Asmussen Fined, Suspended for Ace Positives from 2018

Barbara Borden, the chief state steward for the KHRC, told TDN that the relatively long time lags of 17 months and 13 months between the positive test results and the issuance of the rulings were partially attributable to the legal discovery process initiated by an attorney on Asmussen’s behalf. “Sometimes these things just take a long time,” she said.​

 

[Preds Partisan]

Thanks.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

• Thursday at the Big A: NYRA announced that racing will be off the turf at Aqueduct tomorrow (Thursday).

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 7: The $.50 Pick 3 returned over $2,100. For a Wednesday especially, that is a high number.
• Race 6: The $2 double returned $1,943. For any day, that is an enormous total.
• Race 5: The winner paid $94.40.
• Daniel Centeno, a top rider at the oval in recent years, is off to a fast start at 12 6-1-1 (50%/67%).

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Paco Lopez won his first three mounts and finished with those victories on eight rides.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won two of his four starts. A predictable statement but I expect him to have a very successful meet.
• Emisael Jaramillo leads the meet with 10 victories.
• Party like its 1999: Don't look now but Edgar Prado is 11 4-1-2 (36%/64%). He had three consecutive wins spanning three days before suffering a loss today.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Race 4: Luis Quinones won a race on his sixth straight card and is the only rider in North America to have won in excess of 300 races in 2019.

Turfway Park (Kentucky):

• Opening night. This meet opened tonight. The track operates live racing until March 28

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Kent Deormeaux enters tomorrow's card 23 0-3-1 at the meet.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

CIGAR MILE HANDICAP

What: Grade 1. Maximum Security has a lifetime mark of 8 6-1-0 and that includes the DQ in the Kentucky Derby. His only other loss was a place finish at Monmouth (NJ) in June. He currently owns a 2-race win streak.
Where: Aqueduct Racetrack, South Ozone Park, Queens, NY
When: Saturday, December 7, 2019, Race 10
Time: 4:16 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $750,000
TV: TVG is the main racing network. Regional coverage on MSG+. National coverage on Fox Sports 2 (FS2). TV coverage will include the Cigar Mile (G1), Demoiselle (G2), Go For Wand Handicap (G3) and Remsen (G2), the latter is a Kentucky Derby prep race.
History: Inaugurated in 1988.
​

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Whitmore (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Ron Moquett	-
2	Bal Harbour (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	Todd A. Pletcher	-
3	Forewarned (OH)	Anthony Salgado	115	Uriah St. Lewis	-
4	Pat On the Back (NY)	Dylan Davis	118	Jeremiah C. Englehart	-
5	Maximum Security (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Jason Servis	-
6	Spun to Run (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Juan Carlos Guerrero	-
7	Nicodemus (KY)	Manuel Franco	117	Linda Rice	-
8	Network Effect (FL)	Javier Castellano	115	Chad C. Brown	-
9	Looking At Bikinis (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	114	Chad C. Brown	-
10	Tale of Silence (KY)	Junior Alvarado	117	Barclay Tagg	-
11	True Timber (KY)	Joe Bravo	116	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	-

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday's graded stakes by locals and levels:

• Aqueduct (New York): 1, 2, 2, 3
• Los Alamitos (California): 1, 2
• Kentucky Derby preps: Remsen (Aqueduct) and Los Alamitos Futurity (Los Alamitos) both of which are Grade 2.

Aqueduct and Gulfstream both have morning post times on Saturday and attractive cards. By my count, the two tracks are offering over $3.2 million in purses.

Los Alamitos has a couple of big races but the fields are short.

AQUEDUCT (New York):

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post ET
Race 1	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Dirt	10	11:30 AM
Race 2	$150,000	Winter Memories S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	12:00 PM
Race 3	$40,000	Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	9	12:30 PM
Race 4	$125,000	Autumn Days S.	6 Furlongs	Turf	16	1:00 PM
Race 5	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Dirt	10	1:35 PM
Race 6	$250,000	Go for Wand H.	1 Mile	Dirt	6	2:09 PM
Race 7	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	12	2:41 PM
Race 8	$250,000	Demoiselle S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	12	3:13 PM
Race 9	$250,000	Remsen S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	9	3:43 PM
Race 10	$750,000	Cigar Mile H.	1 Mile	Dirt	11	4:16 PM

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

GULFSTREAM (Florida):

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post ET
Race 1	$50,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	16	11:50 AM
Race 2	$110,000	Claiming Crown Express S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	12:18 PM
Race 3	$50,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	16	12:47 PM
Race 4	$110,000	Claiming Crown Glass Slipper S.	1 Mile	Dirt	10	1:17 PM
Race 5	$110,000	Claiming Crown Distaff Dash S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	9	1:47 PM
Race 6	$110,000	Claiming Crown Rapid Transit S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	10	2:20 PM
Race 7	$110,000	Claiming Crown Canterbury S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	11	2:52 PM
Race 8	$110,000	Claiming Crown Iron Horse S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	13	3:24 PM
Race 9	$125,000	Claiming Crown Tiara S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	3:56 PM
Race 10	$200,000	Claiming Crown Jewel S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	9	4:28 PM
Race 11	$125,000	Claiming Crown Emerald S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	5:00 PM

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

LOS ALAMITOS (California):

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post PT
Race 1	$12,000	Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	12:30 PM
Race 2	$15,000	Maiden Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	8	12:58 PM
Race 3	$25,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	7	1:28 PM
Race 4	$200,000	Los Alamitos Futurity	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	4	1:58 PM
Race 5	$45,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	2:28 PM
Race 6	$45,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	6	2:58 PM
Race 7	$300,000	Starlet S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	5	3:28 PM
Race 8	$40,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	3:58 PM
Race 9	$21,000	Maiden Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	12	4:28 PM

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 5: The longest shot on the board prevailed at 39-to-1 which led to a $.50 tri worth over $2,200.
• Mark Hennig entered today 1-for-31 at the meet. The trainer won with both his starters today.
• Friday's opener: A reminder that first post will go off at 11:50 a.m.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Paco Lopez won consecutive races early in the card. His 5 wins are third at the meet and he is winning at a 42% mark.
• Race 6: Jose Ortiz ended an inconceivable 28-race losing streak. He is second in North America this year in money earned.
• Todd Pletcher is 5 4-0-0 at the meet.

Delta Downs (Louisiana):

• Race 7: C.J. McMahon-Karl Broberg teamed to win for the 6th time in their last 11 opportunities.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Kent Desormeaux is now 0-for-25 at the meet. He has not won since his second to last start at Del Mar on Nov. 10.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Timothy Martin sent out two horses and both won.
• Race 7: As mentioned below, 65-year-old B.L. Goff, who has been riding sporadically since the 1980s, won for the 37th time in his career and celebrated his first win since 2015. His last win at Remington was 17 years ago.

• David Cabrera leads the meet, which closes Dec. 15, by 16 victories. He won the track's riding title last year.
• Steve Asmussen (71 wins) and Karl Broberg (53) wins have combined to win 124 races. They are the two winningest trainers in North America this year.

Golden Gate (California):

• Enchanting Eva was sent off the favorite despite a 2-year layoff in which she finished 9th in her only other start. Hmmm. She finished second here

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

From Portland Meadows to Kentucky.

She is a hockey fan. Her hubby has been involved with some of the horses Erik Johnson owns.

Trainer Anna Meah will move stable to Kentucky in early 2020

Anna Meah, who began training in late 2018, is planning to relocate the majority of her stable to Kentucky in early 2020.'

Meah said on Wednesday that she will send most of her 20-horse stable to Kentucky “at the end of February or beginning of March.” A few statebreds will remain in California.

She said the decision was based on the wishes of several of her clients, the attractive purses in Kentucky, and the uncertainty surrounding California racing, which has seen a decline in racing dates in the last nine months.

“I’ve got a lot of owners on the East Coast,” Meah said. “Obviously, they would like to have them over there. I’ll probably leave a few here. “It’s a big change and a scary and good feeling, I guess.”

Meah said she began informing her clients of her plans in November.

Meah, 27, opened her stable with her husband, David, a bloodstock agent, in the autumn of 2018. Through Wednesday, Meah has won seven races from 112 starters. The stable’s leading runner has been Excellent Sunset, who was second in the Grade 3 Robert Frankel Stakes at Santa Anita last December.

The Santa Anita winter-spring meeting begins on Dec. 26.

“We’ll run here at the start of the meeting and be quite active,” she said.​

 

[Cyclones Rock]

65 year old B.L. Goff won the 37th race of his career. He was one happy camper! I love seeing jockeys who are essentially exercise riders win races.

Equibase | Profiles

Race Replays - Remington Park Racing & Casino

Go to Dec 5 Race 7

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, December 6, 2019

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. added to his 2019 win total with five victories on board eight mounts. He is the second winningest rider in North America this year. You want consistency? He is winning at 21% each of the past five years. Six years ago he was at 20%. He is currently at 13 6-1-0 (46%/54%) at the GP meet.
• Edgar Prado, the ninth winningest jockey in recorded annals in North America with more than 7,000 victories, is 14 6-1-2 (43%/64%).
• Nagib Aboughaida won twice today and is 7 3-3-1 (43%/100%) at the meet. I wonder if Victor Barboza-- emphasis if -- was suspended if this trainer is an assistant. I don't recall reading that but Barboza has been dormant recently.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Daniel Centeno won twice and elevated his record to 16 8-1-1 (50%/63%) at the meet. He is one of the best there.
• Gerald Bennett is 14 4-2-5 (29%/79%) at the meet. He is the 15th winningest trainer in North America history. He has won this meet at least the past two years and probably before that. He is originally from Canada and has about 40 horses stabled at TB.

Turfway Park (Kentucky):

• Trainers: No trainer has won more than once this meet. By my count, 25 trainers have one victory.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Opening day: Today was the opening day to the short meet.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Part 1 of 3...

Saturday, December 7, 2019

• Jason Servis had a tremendous day. He had four winners with six starters at two tracks.
• Christophe Clement won races at Aqueduct and Gulfstream mere seconds apart to open the race day. He was 7 3-1-1 across three tracks.
• Bob Baffert had eight horses entered at Los Alamitos in five races and won all five.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Junior Alvarado rode three winners. He is one of three riders this meet with 20+ wins.
• Junior Alvarado-Bill Mott teamed for two winners.
• Races 3 and 4: Eric Cancel rode consecutive winners and the $1 double paid a healthy $313. He had a stretch covering two days in which he won four out of six mounts.
• Race 5: Moon Over Miami (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) won the opening sequence to the Empire Six (New York's version of the Pick 6). More than $3.6 million was bet into the Empire Six pool in which over half a million dollars already had been wagered. Each person who won collected over $6,300. The $1 Pick 3 paid $3,468.
• Race 6: Spiced Perfection (Javier Castellano/Peter Miller) won the $250,000 Grade 3 Go For Wand Handicap. The California-bred is 20 9-5-2, with 15 starts in her home state, and ran in New York for the first time.
• Race 8: Lake Avenue (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) is in the early stages of potential stardom. She wired the field from the furthest post -- #10 -- at 4-to-1 in her third lifetime start in winning the Grade 2 $250,000 Demoiselle. This filly is owned by Godolphin who bought her in a private sale.

​

• Race 9: Shotski (Luis Saez/Jeremiah O'Dwyer) was bet down from 15-to-1 morning line to about half those odds in winning the Grade 2 $250,000 Remsen which is a Kentucky Derby prep race. Shotski was supposed to run in the KJCS at Churchill Downs last week but was scratched due to inclement weather. The trainer is Laurel-based where the colt got his only other victory in four starts. The horse was purchased for the paltry sum of $25,000 in 2018. I would say the connections are quite proud.

​

• Race 10: Maximum Security (Luis Saez/Jason Servis) seemed to do what he does most often. He broke well, had a challenger and then opened it up in the stretch. He won the $750,000 Grade I Cigar Mile impressively. Neither NYRA handicapper that I saw picked him to win. The race appeared to be two strong competitors and the rest. The question to many was would the pair burn out each other. They didn't and finished 1-2. Maximum Security was much the best. What a horse just to overcome the illness earlier this year. He is now 9 7-1-0 and crossed the $1.8 million mark earned. Remember, in his third lifetime start, he won by more than 18 lengths in a $60,000 purse prior to the Florida Derby. For his efforts, he received a career-best 111 Beyer figure.

​

• Races 9 and 10: Luis Saez rode consecutive winners and both were graded stakes. That could be enough to give him Jockey of the Week.
• Handle: Over $18.5 million wagered. This is December racing in New York? Quite the card! It was mandatory payout day for the Empire Six but the card was solid up and down. Turf racing in New York should be coming to an end for the season though I am not sure if it this weekend or later in the month.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 8: Hockey Puck (Ty Conner/Erin McClellan) caught Golden Candy (Jeremy Rose/Anthony Pecoraro) before the wire to win the $100,000 feature race. Hockey Puck, a PA-bred, is 2-for-2 at Parx and raced for the fourth time.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Part 2 of 3...

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 6: Hello Beautiful (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) won the $100,000 race. The husband-wife team is immense. Brittany, as seems to be the norm, has a smile that could light up a big city in a brownout as was evidenced post-race. Great story and one the industry should promote. I have been rooting for them and will continue to do so. She is 26% as a trainer with 105 lifetime starts, mostly ridden by her husband. Powerful numbers. Sheldon is oft-injured and seems to have found a soul mate.

​

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 3: Zaino Boys (Daniel Centeno/Bobby Raymond) won the $100,000 Inaugural Stakes. Even though the horse may have been cheap by comparison to his competition, catching Centeno at 28-to-1 at Tampa Bay is a gift. He was mentioned in yesterday's review. He is 24 10-1-3 (42%/58%). The trainer has been active since the late 1970s and is from Rhode Island. Show prices were $20.40, $8.60 and $10.80.
• Race 9: Lucrezia (Daniel Centeno/Arnaud Delacour) won the $100,000 Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies as the even-money favorite. Centeno won both stakes races on the card.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Jason Servis sent out four starters and won with three. Each victory was a stakes race. He also won the day's biggest race which was held at Aqueduct.
• Paco Lopez: What more can be said of his 2019? Is he invincible? He was winless on nine mounts yesterday. How did he combat that? He won four times today with each coming after the fifth race. He is now second at the meet with nine wins. He became the 14th jockey this year in North America to reach $10,000,000 in earnings.
• Tyler Gaffalione rode the entire card including two winners. The south Florida native had been riding at Churchill Downs until that meet closed.
• Race 6: Royal Squeeze (Paco Lopez/Elizabeth Dobles) opened at 1-to-5 from a 6-to-1 morning line and won. Imaginary Stables up! The relationship between Dobles and the ownership gang from south Philly/NJ has been oft-mentioned by me. Lopez ended a 17-race losing streak which for him is shocking this year. Jorge Navarro had three entered in the race.
• Race 8: Yes I See (Rajiv Maragh/Peter Walder) stunned viewers at 68-to-1 -- the second longest odds on the board -- with a driving finish to pay $135.20 for the win. Walder, the trainer, and Ron Paolucci, the owner, put on quite the show in the winner's circle. Paolucci has been known to bet his horses. But... to make matters more interesting they finished in second place as well with their other horse. I would imagine that plenty of tickets were cashed. The $2 exacta was $1357.60.

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• Race 9: Lucky Long (Paco Lopez/Rohan Crichton) won. The $2 double was $1,422.40. Anyone who played an "all/Paco" double must have been exuberant.
• Race 10: Leitone (Jose Lezcano/Jason Servis) won the day's biggest prize, the $200,000 The 5-year-old Chilean-bred has been racing in the US since August 2018; previously, he ran at tracks in his country.
• Card: Nine of the 11 races had purses of $100,000+ each had to do with claimers.
• Handle: Over $13.8 million bet which established a track record for the event known as the Claiming Crown (stakes races for claimers).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Part 3 of 3...

Los Alamitos (California):

• Bob Baffert had horses entered in five races and won each. Incredible! He finished 8 5-0-1 with multiple starters in three races. He is within 20 victories of 3,000 lifetime.

• Race 4: Thousand Words (Flavien Prat/Bob Baffert), a $1,000,000 purchase, improved to 2 2-0-0 in winning the Grade 2 $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity in what is a Kentucky Derby prep race.

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• Race 7: Bast (Drayden van Dyke/Bob Baffert) handled Donna Veloce (Flavien Prat/Simon Callaghan) in winning the $300,000 Grade I Starlet Stakes. The 2-year-old Uncle Mo filly is now 5 3-1-1 and has won at each of three main southern California tracks. The filly is owned by Charles Chu whose company Baoma Corporation -- the listed ownership -- manufactures GPS navigational systems. This filly was directed to her destination today.

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Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 11: Toy Show (Sunny Singh/Ross Armata, Jr.) made instant headlines by winning at 89-to-1, the longest shot on the board in a field of 11. The winner paid $180.20. The 2-year-old filly broke her maiden in this her fourth start.
• Race 12: The $1 double paid $1383.20 after a 15-to-1 shot won the finale. The $.20 Pick 3 was over $1,600. The $.20 Pick 4 returned over $9,000.
• Eurico da Silva, the leading rider at the meet and who is retiring later this month when the track shuts its doors on Dec. 15 until springtime 2020, was honored prior to the race day. He placed four times on nine mounts.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Is Cigar Mile still a G1? Wondering if the plan is to get him a G1 win at a mile, as that'll be worth a ton, and then prime him for the Pegasus and if he wins there, probably retires.

This is a follow up from a few days ago. This quote is after yesterday's win. He could return home to south Florida and will get a hero's welcome. He's come a long way.

Career Best 111 Beyer Speed Figure For Maximum Security In Cigar Mile; Pegasus Next? - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Plans call for a possible start in the Grade 1, $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on January 25 at Gulfstream Park. Maximum Security's first four career starts, including a maiden claiming score for a thrifty $16,000 tag, took place at the Hallandale Beach oval. All were victories.

He will now likely ship to Servis' primary winter stable at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida on Tuesday.

“I would have to think about it. He's undefeated, four for four at Gulfstream,” Servis said. “We'll probably give him two or three days and if the weather looks good temperature wise, then we'll probably ship Tuesday.”​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 9: Happy Farm (Jorge Vargas, Jr./Jason Servis) won the Grade 3 $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at 7-to-1. The hot trainer won again. A sensational weekend for him.

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• Manny Franco added two wins and tied for third at the meet with 21 victories. His 14% strike rate is the lowest of those leaders, however.
• Closing day: Today was the final day of the meet.
• Leading jockeys: Irad Ortiz, Jr. (29 wins), Jose Lezcano (24), Junior Alvarado (21) and Manny Franco (21) were the four riders with 20+ wins at the meet.
• Leading trainers: Chad Brown (17 wins) won the trainer's division. Linda Rice (12) came in second place.
• Future racing: Thoroughbred racing continues at Aqueduct from Dec. 12 and runs through March 29. Turf racing has been discontinued for this meet due to the time of the season.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 6: Savvy Street (Tais Lyapustina/Christine Clagett) wired the field at 8-to-1. It was the largest odds to win this day. It was the trainer's first win with her 11th starter this year. Her last win came New Year's Eve....roughly 49 weeks ago.
• Races 7 and 8: Wes Hamilton, last year's Apprentice of the Year in North America, won both races.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. recorded a natural hat trick and had four wins on eight rides so far. He is the logical pick to win Jockey of the Year in North America. Irad is the second winningest rider this year in North America and one of two with 300+ wins.
• Race 7: Kukulkan (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Fausto Gutierrez) won the $100,000 race. This is the Mexican-bred who famously was 13 13--0-0 there, then won his U.S. debut before finishing 11th in the Pegasus World Cup. His lifetime mark, including seven starts in the U.S., is 20 16-1-1. Oddly, in a rarest of instances, there is a Florida-bred currently active (at last check) in the U.S. by the same name who is winless in 24 starts. It is allowed since non-US breds can run simultaneously with U.S.-breds of the same name.
• Race 10: The longest shot on the board won at 32-to-1.
• Race 11: The Brother Slew (Paco Lopez/Paul Valery) won the $300,000 feature race and finale known as the Clasico Internacional del Caribe Stakes. The staggering payout was not without heated debate as Lopez, known for controversy, came across in the stretch but won at 45-to-1. The Venezuelan-bred paid $92.80 to win. The $.50 tri paid over $2,000. The $1 double paid a remarkable $1,200+. The $.50 Pick 4 over $7,000. The $.50 Pick 5 over $16,000. The $.20 Pick 6 paid out $11,000+.
• Paco Lopez added two wins.
• Jose Ortiz failed to win with five mounts. One of the three likely finalists for Jockey of the Year has won just twice with his past 51 starts.

Turfway Park (Kentucky):

• Corey Lanerie, the leading rider at Churchill Downs' recent meet, is winless on 13 rides here.
• Kent Desormeaux is 30 0-3-4 at the meet.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Race 8: Queen Bee To You (Ruben Fuentes/Andrew Lerner) toyed with the field in the $100,000 Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes. The 5-year-old mare won for the 7th time in her 32nd start and was victorious in a graded stakes for the first time in her second attempt. At 5-to-2, she was sent off with the second shortest odds.

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