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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 21, 2019

• Mark Casse had horses entered at four tracks and won at three of them. He had maiden special weight winners at Saratoga, Woodbine and Gulfstream.

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: Over $20,000,000 bet.
• Card: 13 races which included some scheduled for the prior day but were canceled due to heat.
• Tyler Gaffalione rode three winners including back-to-back in the 5th and 6th. He entered the day with two wins at the meet but is now 7th in the standings with five victories.
• Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen combined to win twice.
• Jose Ortiz, who leads the meet with 12 wins, and Kendrick Carmouche, who won back-to back late in the card, also won twice.
• Bill Mott trained two winners. I mentioned a few days ago in a review, early in the meet, that I thought Mott would have a good meet. He was cold to start but is now 16 4-1-3 (25%/50%). He is tied for second in wins.
• Race 1: Hurdles.
• Race 3: Guarana (Jose Ortiz/Chad Brown) wired the short field in the $500,000 Grade I Coaching Club of America Oaks. The 3-year-old filly is a perfect 3 3-0-0 with two graded stakes wins.

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• Race 9: Junior Alvarado rode a winner for the first time since the second day of the meet and the victory snapped a skid of 20 straight losses.
• Race 11: Mominou (Kendrick Carmouche/James Toner) won the $200,000 Caress Stakes at 29-to-1 and paid $61.50.
• Race 13: Golden Award (Tyler Gaffalione/Bill Mott) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Shuvee Stakes and never relinquished an early lead. The $2 Pick 6 paid out $104,000+ and what made it an oddity is that every horse was played in the finale with the correct combinations. It was guaranteed that someone would win $104k despite who won the race.

Bill Mott told Tyler Gaffalione to be more aggressive and decisive when it was time to make his move aboard Golden Award in Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Shuvee at Saratoga. Source: DRF​

• Danny Gargan has the best winning percentage and in-the-money mark among the nine trainers with 3+ wins at the meet.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Canceled.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Canceled.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 10: Mary Eppler's starter won and gave her a 5 4-0-0 mark at the meet.
• Race 6: Cristian Torres won for the 6th time in his last 13 starts. A leading candidate for Apprentice of the Year as of now.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Race 8: Seven Trumpets (Channing Hill/Dale Romans) won the $75,000 feature. It was his first win in a graded stakes in eight tries and his fourth victory in 14 lifetime starts.

Lone Star (Texas):

• Karl Broberg , the winningest trainer in North America this year, won four times.

Del Mar (California):

• Flavien Prat, who is scheduled to ride Tuesday at Fort Erie (Ontario) in the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, won three times including both graded stakes.
• Race 8: The $2 Pick 6 paid $64,000+.
• Race 6: Bombard (Flavien Prat/Richard Mandella) won the $90,000 graded stakes race.
• Race 4: Bowie's Hero (Flavien Prat/Phil D'Amato) won the $250,000 Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes. He had lost five straight starts since last winning in March 2018.

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Emerald Downs (Washington):

• Gary Wales' attempt at the track record for consecutive racing days has ended at 28. Wales' feat is second best in track history to the record of 30.
• Race 8: The third of three straight stakes races and the $1 Pick 3 returned $1,221.40.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 9: Summer Sunday (Rafael Hernandez/Stuart Simon) won the Grade 2 $175,000 Royal North Stakes.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

PRINCE OF WALES STAKES

What: The second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. One Bad Boy, who won the first leg, the Queen's Plate, will try to get two in the book. Twelve horses have won the Canadian Triple Crown, last won by Wando in 2003.
Where: Fort Erie Race Track, Fort Erie, Ontario
When: Tuesday, July 23, 2019, Race 8
Time: 7:36 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 3/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $400,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel) and TSN.
History: Inaugurated in 1929.

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[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	One Bad Boy (ON)	Flavien Prat	126	Richard Baltas	7/5
2	Avie's Flatter (ON)	Javier Castellano	126	Josie Carroll	5/2
3	Tone Broke (ON)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	126	Steven M. Asmussen	5/1
4	He's a Macho Man (ON)	Patrick Husbands	126	Josie Carroll	8/1
5	Skywire (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	126	Mark E. Casse	3/1

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The full card:

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$17,000	Maiden Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	8	3:55 PM
Race 2	$17,000	Starter Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	5	4:24 PM
Race 3	$12,600	Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	8	4:54 PM
Race 4	$15,800	Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	5:24 PM
Race 5	$19,700	Allowance	About 7 Furlongs	Turf	6	5:54 PM
Race 6	$19,000	Starter Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	6:24 PM
Race 7	$19,700	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	8	6:54 PM
Race 8	$400,000	Prince of Wales S.	1 3/16 Miles	Dirt	5	7:36 PM
Race 9	$15,800	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	9	8:12 PM

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The Canadian Triple Crown:

1. The first leg, the Queen's Plate, is contested at 1¼ miles on Tapeta at Toronto, Ontario's Woodbine Racetrack,
2. The second leg Prince of Wales Stakes is a 1³/16 mile event run on dirt at Fort Erie Racetrack in Fort Erie, Ontario.
3. The third leg is the 1½ mile Breeders' Stakes in August which is run on Turf over one full lap of the E. P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine.

Source: Wikipedia[/TH][/TR][/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[Orr Fourever]

^Avie's Flatter should get it done today. You'll laugh all the way to the bank....

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 23, 2019

Presque Isle (Pennsylvania):

• Race 6: Won by trainer Jay Bernardini who excelled at New England tracks in the past and now mainly hones his skill at Mountaineer (West Virginia) and Mahoning Valley (Ohio). This is the first time I recall him sending horses to PA. If he is shipping, keep an eye for him.

Fort Erie (Ontario):

• Tone Broke (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen) won the $400,000 Prince of Wales with a strong rally to wear down the two primary challengers. Tone Broke had just two prior wins, both at Remington Park (Oklahoma) in nine lifetime races. The race was first run in 1929 and is the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 24, 2019

• Steve Asmussen, the second winningest trainer in North America this year, is 10 5-1-1 the past two days covering five tracks and two countries. Asmussen is the top money earner ($14,985m), to date, for any trainer in North America with approximately $75,000 more earned than Chad Brown ($14,910m) in an incredibly close tight race. Todd Pletcher is a distant third with $8.7m made.

Saratoga (New York):

• Javier Castellano won three times. His 10 wins at the meet is third best.
• John Velazquez is 31 2-3-4 (6%/29%) at the meet.
• Chad Brown was 4 2-0-2. He is warming after a frigid start and sports a 41 8-11-11 (20%/73%) record at the meet.
• Race 1: Hurdles, won by the favorite.
• Race 5: Frammento (Joey Martinez/Nick Zito) topped the ticket at 31-to-1 as the longest shot on the board and paid $65.00. It was the 7-year-old's third win in 29 lifetime starts and first since February 2017. Frammento finished 11th in the 2015 Kentucky Derby. The well-dressed Zito, who won the Kentucky Derby twice among his long list of victories, fist-bumped the rider twice.
• Race 8: Minit to Stardom (Alex Cintron/Jose Camejo) shocked the field as the longest shot on the board at 20-to-1 and won the Grade 2 $150,000 Miss Honorable Stakes. The winner, who last ran at Laurel -- yes, another winner coming in from Laurel which seems to have happened frequently at area tracks -- is a Louisiana-bred who paid $43.40, the largest price ever to win this race. I don't recall too many grades stakes winners for Cintron but this is among his largest in 1,000+ victories. The trainer has roughly 160 wins and this may be his most important. Larry Jones had a rare shipper to New York and finished third.

​

• Like mommy like son: A mare and her foal were scheduled to run today, different races, but a unique conversation nonetheless; however, the baby was scratched. The mare ran fourth.

Finger Lakes (New York):

• Race 8: Bankit (Eric Cancel/Steve Asmussen) won the $150,000 New York Derby.

​

• Race 7: Wait a Minute (Jose Baez/Jackie Stauffer) won the $75,000 New York Oaks.
• Race 6: A 97-to-1 shot placed and paid $77.00.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 7: A match race, the second off the day, following scratches due to a change of surface from turf to dirt. A 1-to-9 winner.
• Race 6: John Rigattieri had another winner, this time a 9-year-old. He has been training since the 1960s and this year's percentage of 28% is his highest since 2004. He must almost always be considered. He has won 6 times with the past 11 starters he has sent out. This winner paid $11.60.
• Race 2: A match race, the first of two this day, after seven of nine entered were scratched following a change of surface from turf to dirt. A 1-to-9 winner.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 8: The $2 Pick 4 paid $13,852.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $1,800.
• Race 6: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $1,500. Mystery Unbridled won and paid $63.60.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 4: Bob Baffert finished 1-2 and his 9-to-1 shot topped the 7-to-2 runner.
• Leading rider: Flavien Prat 11 wins.
• Leading trainer: Richard Baltas 4 wins. Peter Miller is 9 3-2-1

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saratoga's card for Thursday seems underwhelming by comparison to what is expected. Some weekend highlights are listed below, the two Del Mar races have "Win and You're In" invitations to the Breeders' Cup as does a third in England.

ALFRED G. VANDERBILT HANDICAP

What: Grade I.
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, New York
When: Saturday, July 27, 2019, Race 9
Time: 5:44 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds-and-up
Distance: 6 furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $350,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel) and:

FS2 - 1-6 pm
MSG+ - 4-7 pm
ALT - 4-6:30 pm
FSPT - 3-7 pm
FSSD - 3-7 pm​

History: Inaugurated in 1985.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Mitole (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	125	Steven M. Asmussen	1/1
2	Strike Power (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	Mark A. Hennig	6/1
3	Imperial Hint (FL)	Javier Castellano	123	Luis Carvajal, Jr.	3/1
4	Firenze Fire (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Jason Servis	9/2
5	Mr. Crow (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	116	Ben Colebrook	15/1
6	Diamond Oops (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	116	Patrick L. Biancone	12/1
7	Do Share (KY)	Luis Saez	116	Michael J. Maker	15/1

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JIM DANDY STAKES

What: Grade II. War of Will won the Preakness. Tacitus hit the board in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont.
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, New York
When: Saturday, July 27, 2019, Race 11
Time: 6:51 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $600,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel) and:

FS2 - 1-6 pm
MSG+ - 4-7 pm
ALT - 4-6:30 pm
FSPT - 3-7 pm
FSSD - 3-7 pm​

History: Inaugurated in 1964.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Laughing Fox (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	-
2	Tax (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Danny Gargan	-
3	Mihos (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	James A. Jerkens	-
4	Global Campaign (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Stanley M. Hough	-
5	Tacitus (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	William I. Mott	-
6	War of Will (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Mark E. Casse	-

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 25, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Canceled: The remainder of the card was canceled prior to the fifth race due to rains and sloppy track conditions. The feature race, one of seven canceled today, will be held next Thursday.
• Joel Rosario won twice. Even in a shortened card, if he wins early enough he will usually repeat.
• Leading riders: Jose Ortiz (13 wins) and Luis Saez (12).
• Leading trainers: Chad Brown (8 wins) and Bill Mott (5 wins; 26%).
• John Velazquez is 31 2-3-4 at the meet.
• Dylan Davis is 42 0-5-8, winless in 42 rides.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 6: There were two non-starters declared following the race.
• Side note: Jeremy Rose, who has been absent since June 20, is scheduled to ride Monday. He has a splendid 40 14-7-1 (35%/55%) mark at the meet.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy won three times and twice consecutively for a $1 double that paid a hearty sum of $84.70.
• Claudio Gonzalez won three times, the last two with Katie Davis riding.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Weather: Heavy rains preceded race 4 but the rest of the card was uninterrupted except for the removal of turf races to dirt.
• Cristian Torres, mentioned a few times as a leading bug candidate, won three more times. He trails Edgard Zayas by two wins for the meet lead.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• Race 1: McLean Robertson sent out starters for the first time since July 14 and finished 1-2 in the opener.

Del Mar (California):

• Flavien Prat won twice today to continue his strong meet: 33 13-3-5 (39%/64%).
• Pick 6: The single ticket jackpot carryover has reached $153,939 for Friday.

 

[Orr Fourever]

Tax day tomorrow... You'll laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 26, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Race 10: Dylan Davis won after an objection/inquiry went in his favor. He needed a win as much as any rider at the meet and ended the day 46 1-5-8. Original winner Irad Ortiz, Jr. was dropped to the place spot. Close call as to whether the horse should have come down but Irad has a history and that could have worked against him. Eight of the 16 entered were scratched, or ran if you are a cup-full person. The $2 Pick 6 paid over $64,000. The $.50 Pick 5 returned close to $6,000. James Bond, the winning trainer, is 11 4-1-10 (36%) at the meet which is the best percentage among trainers with 3+ wins.
• Race 9: Highest Honors (Jose Ortiz/Chad Brown) won the $100,000 Curlin Stakes. The 3-year-old colt improved to 3 2-1-0 and could run next in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on August 24. Brown had two entered and the higher price won which seems to happen frequently with top trainers. And another Tapit offspring performed admirably, now tied with Curlin I believe.

• Race 8: Dowse's Beach (Irad Ortiz. Jr./Jason Servis) likes the track. It was the 8-year-old's 11th win in 37 starts but 5th in 8 tries at the Spa.
• Race 3: Joel Rosario was the winning rider but my usual theory that he will repeat if he wins the first three races did not transpire today. An Iowa-bred won in New York, that doesn't happen too often.
• Races 1 and 2: Junior Alvarado won both ends of the early daily double. In the first race, his 10-to-1 morning line was bet down to 2-to-1 while in the following race he brought home a 9-to-1 first-time starter and hooked up in a thriller with Jose Ortiz who lost by a 1/2 length on the favorite. Orlando Noda, the 30-year-old winning trainer in the opener, is 18 4-3-2 lifetime in his first year of training. He was a former assistant to Mark Casse in Florida.
• Jose Ortiz won three times. He leads the meet with 16 wins. Two victories came in good duels against Junior Alvarado -- including one in which Alvarado was dead last and flew like the wind to almost nab the lead horse -- while another hookup went in Alvarado's favor..
• Bill Mott, who I expected to have a strong meet among trainers, is now 22 7-1-3 (32%). He is second in wins to Chad Brown's 9. Look for Mott's horses.
• John Velazquez is an unthinkable 35 2-4-4 (6%/29%).
• Handle: Approximately $17,000,000 was wagered. The track was sluggish and two races were removed from turf.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Nik Juarez, the meet's leading rider, hit the board with every starter and finished 7 3-2-2.
• Race 11: An old-fashioned butt-whoopin', a 21-length winner. Wow!
• Race 7: A $41.40 with no superfecta wagering in the reduced field of five.
• Race 4: A weird start in which the inside horses played bowling and bounced off one each other.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 8: Jenn's the Boss (Trevor McCarthy/Cathal Lynch) won, the only Florida-bred in the race of 2-year-old fillies.
• Race 3: Ashley Castrenze struggled and was one of two jockeys DQ'd from the top three original finish. She was all over the track and on a favorite. She's still learning but that was a tough ride to overlook.
• Claudio Gonzalez was 6 2-3-1. His last two days at the track, the trainer is 11 5-3-1.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Race 4: Truth Seeker (Florent Geroux/Rodolphe Brisset) was the longest shot on the board and paid $40.20. And that is with Geroux riding.
• Race 7: Majors Vindication (Jon Court/Earlie Fires) was caught at the wire but nearly wired the field at 38-to-1 in his second career start.

Belterra (Ohio):

• Race 7: The place horse paid $47. The $.10 super was over $15,000 which meant a hypothetical $1 win paid over $150,000.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 6: Mary Eppler trained her fifth winner in six starts at the meet. Very impressive.
• Race 5: A 10+ length winner.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 1: Bad Beat (Evin Roman/Adam Kitchingman), a Minnesota-bred, won the opener but as significantly:

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• Race 7: Peter Miller trained consecutive winners and his six wins at the meet is tops.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Leo Salles, who hails from Brazil, was today's star with three victories including a bomb. He concluded the day with just 15 lifetime wins -- 12 this year -- in North America in three years of racing.
• Race 7: Leo Salles won the finale. The $.20 Pick 4 paid $52,522.
• Race 6: The $.20 Pick 5 was $59,5230. The $.20 pick 3 approached $1,400.
• Race 5: The all-Leo Salles $2 double paid $1,072.
• Race 4: Tale of Vienna (Leo Salles/Laurie Silvera) won at 69-to-1, the longest shot on the board in a field of 10. The winner paid $141.90/$51.00/$20.90. The $1 trifecta paid $5,000.00 (I have never seen that exact figure). The $.20 super paid over $7,000.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 27, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: Almost $30,000,000 wagered including more than $6m on track.
• Attendance/Card: A great day of racing despite 23 pre-race scratches. Attendance surpassed 34,000.
• Race 12: The $2 Pick 6 was nailed for $133,832.
• Race 11: Tax (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Danny Gargan) won the $600,000 Grade 2 Jim Dandy. Tax snapped a 3-race skid with his second career graded stakes victory. Tacitus (Jose Ortiz/Bill Mott), who bumbled at the gate, rallied strongly for place.

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• Race 10: Channel Cat (Luis Saez/Todd Pletcher) won the $250,000 Grade 2 Bowling Green. The 4-year-old colt won a graded stakes for the first time and paid $29.20. Pletcher needed a big win at the meet with a substandard 33 4-6-4 (12%/42%) record. This was his only win with his last 18 starters. Chad Brown had three entered but failed to add to his meet lead.

​

• Race 9: Imperial Hint (Javier Castellano/Luis Carvajal, Jr.) won the $250,000 Grade I Alfred Vanderbilt Handicap and smashed the track record for six furlongs in a scorching 1:07.92. He improved to 22 13-2-3 and has earned over $2,000,000. Mitole (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen), the prohibitive favorite, had a winning streak ended at seven with his worst finish since his maiden race (3rd place) and now sports a 12 8-2-2 mark.

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• Race 7: Another battle between Jose Ortiz and Junior Alvarado, ala yesterday, the latter whom lodged an objection but seems to win very few of them. In this instance, there was little clamor.
• Race 5: Emaraaty (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown), bred in Great Britain, raced in the U.S. for the first time and won despite a one-year layoff.
• Javier Castellano won three times with 10 mounts. His 13 wins are third best at the meet.
• Jose Ortiz (18) and Luis Saez (14) are the winningest riders at the meet.
• John Velazquez, a Hall of Fame rider, is struggling mightily at the meet and is now 41 2-4-5.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Card: An extensive 14-race card.
• Riders: No rider won more than once until the ninth race and then repeat winners were prevalent. Nik Juarez (3), Paco Lopez (3), Angel Suarez (2) and Adam Beschizza (2), the latter making a rare New Jersey appearance, all won multiple times.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Races 5-6-7: Daniel Centeno concluded the trilogy with a natural hat trick.
• Race 5: The winner entered from a 14-month layoff.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Cristian Torres had a major resume-enhancer for Apprentice of the Year candidacy today by winning four times and hitting the board which each starter. He finished 8 4-3-1.
• No turf: Earlier wet weather prevented any turf racing. There were 34 scratched which affected handicapping.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Race 7: Dennis' Moment (Miguel Mena/Dale Romans) won by more than 19 lengths in winning his second start. He received a 97 Beyer, the highest figure for any 2-year-old in 2019.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 8: Cistron (Victor Espinoza/John Sadler) won the $300,000 Grade I Bing Crosby Stakes and received an invitation to the Breeders Cup' Sprint. The important victory was the first Grade I win for the 4-year-old colt who won for the 5th time in 19 starts.
• Peter Miller is having an outstanding meet at 18 7-3-3 (39%/72%). He is the winningest trainer.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 27... continued...

Del Mar (continued):

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Ascot (England):

• Enable (Frankie Dettori/John Gosden) received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup turf -- which she won last year in her only North America appearance -- after winning an epic battle with Crystal Ocean (James Doyle/Sir Michael Stoute) in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Enable has earned over $12,000,000 and has amassed a stunning 13 12-0-1 lifetime record including 11 straight victories. The runner up has hit the board in every start and owns a 16 8-6-2 mark including 1st or 2nd 12 straight times.

​

 

[Vasilevskiy]

As MSE just posted above, Enable won again (with lots in hand I should say IMO), and since Winx retired hard to argue there's a better one out there at the moment. Absolutely stunning mare and this race had very good rivals like 2nd and 3rd that should also be at the top of the betting for the Arc.

By the way, Frankie is hands down the best jockey in UK/IRE.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 28, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: Over $20,000,000 bet and the past two days the Spa raked in approximately $50,000,000.
• Race 12: Heartstrings (Jose Lezcano/Cherie DeVaux) returned $81.50 in a 39-to-1 shot victory in the last race of the day. Lezcano won three times on six mounts today and all three were on turf, his normal specialty. The trainer won for the 2nd time in her young career with 51 starts. She was formerly an assistant to Chad Brown. First-time starters can be a handicapper's dream. Yes, handicappers are famous for after the race but many signs were there. A first time starter, a hot rider who is good on turf in almost any time and crazy things can happen in New York finales.
• Race 11: Shancelot (Emisael Jaramillo/Jorge Navarro) took a major step up in class and decimated the field of 12 in the $200,000 Grade 2 Amsterdam. The 3-year-old colt was out for the third time after wiring fields in Monmouth and previously Gulfstream. The victory was more than 12 lengths and just .27 seconds off the track record. He recorded the highest Beyer Figure of any horse this year: 121 He also recorded the highest Beyer in a sprint since Midnight Lute in 2007. Even as the favorite, simply astonishing. Jaramillo doesn't ride in New York often, mainly stays at Gulfstream. Navarro indicated the Grade I H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on August 24 at the Spa would be Shancelot’s next date.

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• Race 10: Romantic Puruit (Dylan Davis/Kiaran McLaughlin) won at 17-to-1. The 3-year-old filly was winless in three starts on dirt before a shift to turf where she has a 4 2-2-0 mark. The jockey ended the day 55 2-7-8 and his only other win came via a DQ.
• Race 8: Gilda Marie (Junior Alvarado/Chris Englehart) was bet down from a 15-to-1 morning line to win at 2-to-1. The winner last ran in July 2018. It was an enthusiastic winner's circle.
• Race 3: John Velazquez won and fought back in a nice ride. He is 43 3-4-5 at the meet. No truth to the rumor that he needed a trail of bread crumbs to find the winner's circle.
• Race 1: Cleon Jones (Jorge A. Vargas, Jr./Jeremiah Englehart) broke his maiden in his second start. The jockey made a rare appearance in New York. Mets' fans rejoice again in the 50th anniversary of the Amazin's.

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Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Paco Lopez had a memorable afternoon in Oceanport. He rode 12 of 13 races and was a remarkable 12 5-3-1. He had a riding natural hat trick with races 2, 4 and 5 and then won consecutive races for the second time in 12 and 13. He is second in the meet's rider standings with 42 wins, 19 behind Nik Juarez but remember he missed the initial few dates due to a lengthy suspension which happened at Gulfstream. He has a solid 31% winning mark.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 11: Going to the Lead (Avery Whisman/Charles Frock), the only first-time starter in the race, won and paid $65.40. Whisman could be among those strongly considered for Apprentice of the Year finalist.

Belterra (Ohio):

• Race 3: A starting gate incident in which 65-year-old Perry Ouzts was tossed from his mount, The horse was fine but the rider was taken off the track via ambulance. Eventually, it was revealed that Ouzts had a shoulder injury which required surgery.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 7: Ollie's Candy (Kent Desormeaux/John Sadler) recorded a thrilling victory in the $300,000 Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares. The winner received an invite to the Breeders' Cup Distaff. The 4-year-old is 8 4-3-0 and snapped a 4-race skid; she started with three wins in three races. Sadler won both Grade I races at Del Mar this weekend and both earned him invitations to the Breeders' Cup.

​

• Bob Baffert sent out two starters and won both races. His entry in the Grade I was scratched.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 8: Tiz a Slam (Steven Bahen/Roger Attfield) won the $200,000 Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tax day tomorrow... You'll laugh all the way to the bank.

Next up: The Travers on August 24. The initial outlook is that appears to be a deep race and the card will be electrifying.

The Whitney this weekend will be a short field but loaded with talent including McKinzie, Preservationist, Thunder Snow, Vino Rosso and Yoshida. The winner goes to the Breeders' Cup Classic.

 

[GKJ]

Enable vs. Crystal Ocean - that has to be one of the all-time stretch drive duels. There's no shortage of great ones, but that's one of the best I've seen.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Enable vs. Crystal Ocean - that has to be one of the all-time stretch drive duels. There's no shortage of great ones, but that's one of the best I've seen.

"That was a horse race!" Basic words but intensely accurate.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

S H A N C E L O T​

Additional info regarding Shancelot's win on Sunday. He received the highest Beyer Figure, 121, recorded this year. Largest sprint Beyer since 2007. Just his third start.



More from David Grening:

"By early Monday morning, Shancelot and Imperial Hint were back at Monmouth Park after turning in two of the most impressive performances ever seen in the 156-year history of racing at Saratoga."
​

--------------------

More superlatives...

Shancelot earns spot in Beyer Speed Figures record book

Shancelot left the Saratoga starting gate at 6:39 p.m. Sunday. When he arrived at the finish line precisely 1:14.01 after passing the timing beam 82 feet in front of the gate, the 3-year-old colt had not only run out of the TV set, he had run right into Beyer Speed Figure history.

The 121 Beyer was the best by any 3-year-old sprinter in the 27-year history of the Beyer Speed Figures being published in Daily Racing Form. It was the third fastest by any 3-year-old doing anything in that period. Only Holy Bull’s 122 in the 1994 Met Mile and Arrogate’s 122 in the 2016 Travers have been better.

Just three 3-year-old sprinters had hit the magic 120 mark since 1993 – Kelly Kip in 1997, Xtra Heat in 2001, and Cajun Beat in 2003.

The 121 was the Best Beyer sprinting by horses of any age since Midnight Lute got a 124 in 2007. And, to think Shancelot got his 121 in just his third career start.

The margin of victory and the horses that finished second, third, and fourth in the Amsterdam told the Beyer story. Shancelot won by 12 1/2 lengths, which equals 26 Beyer points at 6 1/2 furlongs. Nitrous, who finished second, had just gotten a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in the Woody Stephens after getting a 93 in his prior race. He got a 95 Sunday. Honest Mischief just came off an 89 in the Woody Stephens and a 97 in his prior race. He got a 92 in the Amsterdam. Super Comet got an 86 for his fourth-place finish. His prior two Beyers were 88 and 85.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Goodwood Cup race was first run in 1812. No horse has won the event three consecutive times, until today. Only one prior time has a horse won the event three times in total. Stradivarius has won 12 of 17 races lifetime.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

WEST VIRGINIA DERBY

What: Grade III
Where: Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, New Cumberland, WV
When: Saturday, August 3, 2019, Race 8
Time: 5:35 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $500,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel)
History: Inaugurated in 1923
.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Chess Chief (VA)	Miguel Mena	118	Dallas Stewart	20/1
2	Grumps Little Tots (KY)	Reylu Gutierrez	118	Jason Servis	10/1
3	Conative (KY)	Luis M. Quinones	118	Marat Kozhomzharov	50/1
4	Plus Que Parfait (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	122	Brendan P. Walsh	7/2
5	Cornstarch (KY)	Charle Oliveros	118	Marat Kozhomzharov	30/1
6	Fluminense (KY)	Joe Bravo	118	Steven M. Asmussen	10/1
7	Top Line Growth (MD)	Julian Pimentel	118	Kelly Rubley	8/1
8	Math Wizard (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	5/1
9	Mr. Money (KY)	Gabriel Saez	120	W. Bret Calhoun	6/5
10	Chilly in Charge (PA)	Horacio Karamanos	118	Miguel Vera	15/1

[TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

​

[TBODY][TR][TH]
WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNOR'S STAKES

What: Grade III
Where: Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, New Cumberland, WV
When: Saturday, August 3, 2019, Race 7
Time: 4:55 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $200,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel)
History: Inaugurated in 1969
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Reride (KY)	Horacio Karamanos	119	Ignacio Correas, IV	20/1
2	Snapper Sinclair (KY)	Joe Bravo	124	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
3	Exclamation Point (KY)	Florent Geroux	124	Brad H. Cox	5/1
4	Sky Promise (KY)	Orlando Mojica	124	Robertino Diodoro	12/1
5	Sir Anthony (IL)	Pedro L. Cotto, Jr.	124	Anthony Mitchell	5/1
6	Silver Dust (KY)	Jack Gilligan	126	W. Bret Calhoun	3/1
7	Exulting (KY)	Luis M. Quinones	124	Michael J. Maker	8/1
8	Rocking the Boat (KY)	David Cohen	121	Dale L. Romans	12/1
9	Retirement Fund (KY)	Gabriel Saez	121	Steven M. Asmussen	15/1
10	Imperative (KY)	Jose A. Bracho	119	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1
11	Hawaakom (KY)	Miguel Mena	119	Wesley E. Hawley	15/1
12	Kukulkan (MEX)	Corey J. Lanerie	124	Fausto Gutierrez	6/1
AE	Apricot (KY)	Luis M. Quinones	119	Marat Kozhomzharov	-

[TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

[TBODY][TR][TH][/TH][/TR][/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

S A R A T O G A​

August 3, 2019​

The draw was held earlier tonight for Saturday's Whitney. The race is named for the Whitney family and with Mary Lou's passing two weeks ago, expect many tributes during the racing day.

THE WHITNEY STAKES

What: Grade I
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
When: Saturday, August 3, 2019, Race 9
Time: 5:46 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $1,000,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel)

FS2 & MSG+ - 3:30-5 pm ET
NBCSN - 5-6 pm ET
ALT - 3:30-5 pm ET
FSPT - 3:30-5 pm ET
FSSD - 3:30-5 pm ET​

History: Inaugurated in 1928
.

1	Imperative (KY)	Jose A. Bracho	118	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30-1
2	Forewarned (OH)	Dylan Davis	118	Uriah St. Lewis	30-1
3	Monongahela (PA)	Jose Lezcano	120	Jason Servis	12-1
4	Thunder Snow (IRE)	Christophe Soumillon	124	Saeed bin Suroor	3-1
5	Vino Rosso (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Todd A. Pletcher	6-1
6	McKinzie (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Bob Baffert	7-5
7	Yoshida (JPN)	Joel Rosario	124	William I. Mott	10-1
8	Preservationist (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	James A. Jerkens	3-1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	11	1:00 PM
Race 2	$92,000	Allowance	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	9	1:35 PM
Race 3	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 Furlongs	Dirt	11	2:10 PM
Race 4	$67,000	Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	14	2:46 PM
Race 5	$200,000	Troy S.	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	6	3:21 PM
Race 6	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	12	3:56 PM
Race 7	$100,000	Fasig-Tipton Lure S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	9	4:31 PM
Race 8	$500,000	Longines Test S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	7	5:06 PM
Race 9	$1,000,000	Whitney S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	8	5:46 PM
Race 10	$100,000	Fasig-Tipton De La Rose S.	1 Mile	Turf	14	6:22 PM
Race 11	$80,000	Allowance	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	12	6:56 PM

[TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[Preds Partisan]

The Goodwood Cup race was first run in 1812. No horse has won the event three consecutive times, until today. Only one prior time has a horse won the event three times in total. Stradivarius has won 12 of 17 races lifetime.

Has Frankie been the regular jockey on this horse during this run of wins? Doesn't seem fair.

Also, you were supposed to tell us BEFORE the race so we could all cash in on easy money.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Has Frankie been the regular jockey on this horse during this run of wins? Doesn't seem fair.

Also, you were supposed to tell us BEFORE the race so we could all cash in on easy money.

Then it would be 1-20 odds.

Yes, Frankie D. has ridden in the past. He picked up the mount in 2018, IIRC, following Andrea Atzeni who I recall reading is from Sardinia and his mother is a dentist. Some info we just retain for whatever reason. Back to Dettori, he has won 10 Grade I races in the past 60 days. That is nearly unparalleled. Excellent quote in a BBC article:

There can be few sportspeople - let alone jockeys - anywhere in the world performing better than Frankie Dettori at the moment.
​

Glorious Goodwood: Stradivarius wins third Goodwood Cup under Frankie Dettori

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The winner of the Sussex Stakes tomorrow at 10:35 a.m. ET gets invited to the Breeders' Cup Mile. It is worth more than $1.35 million U.S. and takes place at Goodwood in the UK.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

UPDATE, August 5: Too Darn Hot was retired due to injury.

The day after Frankie Dettori wins with Stradivarius, he achieves perhaps an even bigger stake with Too Darn Hot who gets invited to the Breeders' Cup Mile after winning the $1.35 million Sussex Stakes in the UK.

As said in the post above in the BBC article, there may not be a hotter athlete in the world right now though comparisons and contrasts are difficult for such a debate. Dettori IS THE hottest jockey in the world and very well could be the best at his craft. Eight Group I wins in England alone -- three in five says -- in 2019 is a storybook fable...no more.

Glorious Goodwood: Too Darn Hot and Frankie Dettori win Sussex Stakes

Dettori has won three consecutive Group Ones in Britain for the second time this summer and has a live chance to make it four in a row when he rides Mehdiyaah, the second-favourite, in the Nassau Stakes here on Thursday. He has also taken eight of the 20 Group Ones in Britain in 2019, three more abroad and needs another five to match his best total at the highest level in a single year.

“I was waiting for Too Darn Hot to come into the paddock and said to John, ‘I’ll probably need a heart transplant by the end of the week’,” Dettori said. “He said, ‘Shut up, you love it,’ and he’s probably right.
“I got him to settle and he showed what he can do. He’s finally got a proper Group One in this country and he’s back to where his reputation should be. John had said don’t panic and wait for the split and I didn’t have much choice. When Andrea [Atzeni, on Zabeel Prince] fell back I managed to pull him out and he was full of running. I passed Ryan [Moore, on Circus Maximus] with ease; he put up a bit of a fight but we got to the line well.

“He’s got a lot of pace and the Breeders’ Cup Mile [at Santa Anita in November] could be ideal, I’m sure that could be an end-of-season target.”​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

July 31, 2019

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. wins five in New York.
• Doug O'Neill wins five in California, ties track mark.

Saratoga (New York):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. put on a clinic. He had five victories, each for a different trainer, with seven mounts.
• Chad Brown won all three races in which he entered. He increased his margin as leading trainer at the meet.
• Race 4: Kid Is Frosty (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Brad Cox) won the $150,000 New York Stallion Series race.
• Race 9: Special Relativity (David Cohen/Robertino Diodoro) won the $100,000 Shine Again Stakes. The 4-yeasr-old filly is a perfect 4 4-0-0 lifetime at the Spa. Cohen is a brilliant 4 3-0-0 at the meet. The connections, including ownership M + M Racing, were phenomenal earlier this year at Oaklawn (Arkansas) and have made the best of their brief visits to New York.
• John Velazquez is 45 3-4-5 (7%/27%) at the meet. It boggles the mind.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Trevor McCarthy won three consecutive mounts among four total rides. He is third at the meet in wins but his 32% winning number is by far the best among the six winningest riders.
• Jeremy Rose is back! I have no idea why he had a prolonged absence but his 2019 is a Renaissance campaign. He won for the first time since June 20 when he last rode. He has a 36% winning mark at the meet.

Del Mar (California):

• Doug O'Neill had a dream day by winning five times which tied a track record for most wins by a trainer on one card. He entered horses in six of the seven races and finished 7 5-1-0 (1st and 2nd in one race). O'Neill's record tied his own mark of five set in July 2015. None of the five winners were sent off the favorite and ultimately went off at: 23-1, 11-1, 6-1,6-1 and 2-1.

​

• Race 1: So Gucci (Evin Roman/Doug O'Neill) paid $49.20 to win. O'Neill finished 1-2. How often does a handicapper cash in on O'Neill and get nearly $50 for a $2 win bet?!
• Race 3: Doug O'Neill returned to the winner's circle and paid $24.60.
• Race 6: Bulletproof One (Norberto Arroyo, Jr./Peter Miller) was sent off the favorite and won the California-bred stakes race and its $100,000 purse. The rider and trainer had a separation a few months ago from what I recall but have since reunited. Miller is the leading trainer at the meet and earlier this week moved into the top ten for victories by a trainer in the history of Del Mar.