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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 1, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: More than $14,000,000 was bet today.
• Joel Rosario won the opener. And the fair chance he would repeat occurred in race 4.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three more times. The last two days of racing, he is a superb 14 8-0-1. He is now second at the meet with 19 victories, one behind his brother Jose.
• Chris Landeros won twice. I am unsure if he has done that prior at the Spa where he doesn't ride regularly.
• Tyler Gaffalione's losing skid reached 30 after another winless day. He last tasted victory with his 3-win day on July 21.
• Christophe Clement trained two winners with two starters and both on turf, his specialty.
• Graham Motion entered today with two wins at the meet. He doubled that total when the card was concluded.
• Race 9: King Zachary (John Velazquez/Graham Motion) won the $100,000 Birdstone Stakes by 8 1/2 lengths at 8-to-1 and broke the track record for a 1 3/4 race with a 2:52/97 performance. The record was previously set in 1928. Johnny V. improved his unexpected terrible meet mark to 48 4-5-6. The 4-year-old colt snapped a 6-race skid and won for the first time in more than 13 months.

​

• Race 7: Rajiv Maragh found the winner's circle for the first time this meet. He is now 29 1-5-2.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Carol Cedeno rode winners in the final three races, the last two were Arabians. I don't believe those count in career win totals. She is second to Alex Cinton in wins at the meet, down by two.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy won his first two rides and leads the meet with 26 victories. He is 11 6-3-1 the past three days at Delaware and Laurel combined.
• Race 5: King of Egypt (Jorge A. Vargas, Jr./Graham Motion) won his maiden race. The 2-year-old colt is a son to American Pharoah. He is a Florida-bred.

Del Mar (California):

• Geovanni Franco won twice and ended the day with three wins in 31 rides. He needed a victory badly.
• Phil D'Amato, like Geovanni Franco, needed a win. He got one, with Franco riding, and now has two victories with 28 starters this meet.
• Peter Miller and Doug O'Neill share the meet's leader board with nine victories apiece among all trainers.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I added the full article in the above post pertaining to Shancelot and there is no way to determine his future success but this graphic is remarkably telling of his most recent race. Many people seemed hesitant to describe what they saw, just that it was something special and now we see the comparisons:

3-year-old Beyer Speed Figures since 1993

HORSE	RACE	DISTANCE	BEYER
Arrogate	2016 Travers	10F	122
Holy Bull	1994 Met Mile	8F	122
Shancelot	2019 Amsterdam	6 1/2F	121
Concerned Minister	2000 Tenacious	8 1/2F	121
Rock and Roll	1998 allowance	8 1/2F	121
Arrogate	2016 Breeders' Cup Classic	10F	120
American Pharoah	2015 Breeders' Cup Classic	10	120
Bellamy Road	2005 Wood Memorial	9F	120
Cajun Beat	2003 Breeders' Cup Sprint	6F	120
Medaglia d'Oro	2002 Jim Dandy	9F	120
Xtra Heat (f)	2001 Sweet n Sassy	6F	120
Kelly Kip	1997 allowance	6 1/2F	120

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Preds Partisan]

It's not like Irad is getting super short odds either. I don't bet jockeys, maybe I'll start.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

It's not like Irad is getting super short odds either. I don't bet jockeys, maybe I'll start.

Plenty of people I know have reluctantly accepted that philosophy while others adhere strictly to pedigree. The winds have changed in recent times. Certain riders excel at select tracks. I have my own style which includes lone first-time starters with prices, certain trainers on turf, hot riders/trainers, etc. but those who neglect to consider riders are fewer and fewer from what I interpret.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Illinois was in the doldrums. This can provide a much needed boost to an ailing industry inside the state. State breeding in a concern.

Iowa legalized sports betting and Prairie Meadows could benefit. Indiana seems to be booming. Parts of the upper Midwest area look promising.

Extended, Arkansas is going to reap a tremendous fortune in the upcoming years in my opinion. It will be a heavy player. Oaklawn is already a superb facility even without turf racing.

Churchill Downs added historical slots, too, this week and supposedly will build a hotel on the track property. What Churchill will do with their Arlington (Illinois) facility is unknown. There is history there and a scenic venue should not be overlooked. Fix Arlington!

Hawthorne to Cancel Spring 2020 Meet to Build Casino

Hawthorne Race Course will not conduct live Thoroughbred racing in the spring of 2020 while it builds casino and sports-betting facilities, leaving a nearly four-month gap in the Chicago-area schedule.

"This is going to be a hardship for Thoroughbred horsemen," said David McCaffrey, executive director of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "But it's a short-term pain, long-term gain situation, and Hawthorne has pledged to work with us while we get through it."​

Hawthorne to Cancel Spring 2020 Meet to Build Casino - BloodHorse

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 2, 2019

• Mike Napoli needs to take a breath. It isn't supposed to be this easy. He sent out starters at Monmouth and Saratoga today and batted a perfect 2-for-2. He is 75 36-11-9 (48%/75%) in 2019, his first year owning horses and that includes wins with eight of his last nine starters. Those numbers are nothing short of awesome. He sends out horses in New Jersey, New York and Florida and has winning streaks in each state.

Saratoga (New York):

• Jose Ortiz, the meet's leading rider, won three times and has a 4-win lead over his brother Irad.
• Junior Alvarado won the opener, closing from the outside, and one of the $200,000+ races.
• Race 4: Macagone (Jose Lezcano/Jason Servis) won and set a track record for a mile on the inner turf.
• Race 5: Tyler Gaffalione's losing streak ended at 32. He is an outsider and as such isn't going to get the prime mounts but to see him not win for such a long time is uncharacteristic. More so about the barriers of outsiders trying to penetrate the market than anything else.
• Race 7: Casa Creed (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) used every ounce of energy to hold off Luis Saez in winning the Grade 2 $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes. It was amusing to see Junior hold the large framed photo following the race.

​

• Race 8: Tom's d'Etat (Joel Rosario/Albert Stall) won the $100,000 Alydar Stakes. The horse is owned by the Benson Family, owners of the NFL's New Orleans Saints. And for a refresher course, Alydar, one of the greatest horses of all-time, finished 26 14-9-1 but seven of those losses were to Affirmed who won the Triple Crown in 1978.

​

• Race 9: Concrete Rose (Julien Leparoux/George Arnold) won the day's biggest race, the $750,000 Saratoga Oaks Invitational by opening it up in the stretch and toying with the small field. The jockey won for the 2nd time in 22 starts. The 3-year-old filly is 7 6-0-0 and has won four graded stakes races, has won at five tracks and has earned over $1.2 million.

​

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Paco Lopez won three more times and is second at the meet with 45 wins. His 31% winning mark is best among all jockeys with 6+ wins.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Conditions: Sloppy and off the turf, a forgettable day.
• Race 8: Slingin Sammy B (Fanny Olsson/Jorge Delgado) was sent off the favorite and wired the field by 12 1/2 lengths. The jockey won for the first time in the USA after four starts. She hails from Sweden.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 7: Square Deal (Norberto Arroyo, Jr.,/Simon Callaghan) ridden by a jockey suspended the prior day but who won earlier on the card, was DQ'd from 1st to 3rd in the $100,000 Graduation Stakes. Big Returns (Ruben Fuentes/Luis Mendez) was elevated to victory. I see it but... tough ruling... and that is the opinion of many others: TVG on Twitter

​

 

[Preds Partisan]

"He sent out starters at Monmouth and Saratoga today and batted a perfect 2-for-2."

Booo. Terrible pun.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

"He sent out starters at Monmouth and Saratoga today and batted a perfect 2-for-2."

Booo. Terrible pun.

If he wins three in a row, I will have to modify the usual lexicon of a natural hat trick and call it a triple.

 

[GKJ]

What a ridiculous DQ. Utter nonsense.

 

[Orr Fourever]

8. Preservationist scores in the Whitney. I bet him last out. No reason to stop now. Besides you don't F with a winning streak. You'll laugh all the way to the bank.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 3, 2019

• Bombers: The best way to describe today was about a 20 minute span in which bombs won very early at Parx, Finger Lakes, Monmouth and Gulfstream.
• Brad Cox: Huge day in which he shipped to five tracks -- Saratoga (NY), Mountaineer (WV), Ellis Park (KY), Indiana (IN), Del Mar (CA) -- and won at all. He finished the day 10 6-2-0. He won Grade I and Grade II races.
• Steve Asmussen had horses entered at seven tracks and won three times with 22 starters (22 3-3-4).
• Mountaineer's post time conflicted with key races at both Del Mar and Saratoga. It isn't always possible to consider handicappers especially on a Saturday with so much ongoing; however, a track's signature day should be maintained to be the focus during those important races. One example of a criticism, Marcus Hersh, DRF, on Twitter: "They really did it - MNR let their biggest race go off WHILE the Whitney was ongoing."

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: A record-setting $31,835,863 bet on a stellar Whitney card which featured five races with purses of $100,000 or more. Thunder Snow (Whitney) and World of Trouble (Troy) were important scratches in two of the day's largest events.
• Attendance: 40,791.
• Mary Lou Whitney: Sometimes known as the Queen Of Saratoga, she passed away last month and today's day reflected on her history. She was elected to the horse racing Hall of Fame earlier this year.
• Race 10: Got Stormy (Tyler Gaffalione/Mark Casse) won the $100,000 DeLaRose. It was the rider's second win of the day.
• Race 9: McKinzie (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert) looked flawless in winning the $1,000,000 Grade I Whitney Stakes and received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Classic. He is now 12 7-4-0 lifetime, including four Grade I victories, with over $2,200,000 earned. Smith had won one prior Whitney (1993) while Baffert celebrated for the first time. Yoshida (Joel Rosario/Bill Mott) fared well but had to settle for runner up.

​

• Race 8: Covfefe (Joel Rosario/Brad Cox) won the $500,000 Grade I Test Stakes in a thrilling duel with Serengeti Empress (Jose Ortiz/Thomas Amoss). The 3-year-old filly is 6 4-0-1 lifetime and won a Grade I for the first time. Bellafina (Flavien Prat/Simon Callaghan) was sent off the 2-to-1 favorite but finished third. Her history is she likes California and not much else. She is 3 0-0-1 at two tracks outside the state while 7 6-1-0 at three tracks inside Cali. Cox said a Breeders' Cup race is likely her next start.

​

• Race 7: Lucullan (Luis Saez/Kiaran McLaughlin) won the $100,000 Lure Stakes. He is a perfect 2 2-0-0 with Saez riding and since a long layoff from May 2018.
• Race 6: En Wye Cee (Jose Ortiz/Todd Pletcher) debuted to a win. Pronounce that as N.Y.C.
• Race 5: Leinster (Tyler Gaffalione/George Arnold) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Troy Stakes and set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. The 4-year-old colt had run almost exclusively in MSW races and was in a graded stakes for the first time in his 16th start. It didn't hurt that World of Trouble, a 3-to-5 morning line favorite who entered with a lifetime mark of 13 9-2-1 and a 5-race winning streak, was scratched.
• Race 3: Glory Road (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher) debuted to a win and with a frenzied finish.
• Jose Ortiz, who leads the meet with 25 wins, 6 more than second place, and Tyler Gaffalione rode multiple winners. Todd Pletcher, who trained two first-time starters to wins, is now tied for second with 8 victories at the meet and a respectable 16% after a sluggish start.
• Chad Brown, the winningest trainer at the meet, was winless at 9 0-3-3. He entered horses in five races and lost each and that includes three races in which he had multiple starters.

Finger Lakes (New York):

• Race 1: The biggest race on the card, a $42,500 purse limited to Massachusetts-breds in order to assist in that state's program. The winner paid $41.00.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Race 1: The winner paid $50.60.
• Race 11: The longest shot on the board won at 21-to-1.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Card: 12 races with the lowest purse at $66,000. Five races held purses of $100,000. Bridge jumpers galore in two races which helped describe the topsy-turvy day. All 116 horses entered were bred in Pennsylvania.
• Race 1: A 28-to-1 opened the day with a win.
• Race 4: 42-to-1, 36-to-1 and 28-to-1 topped the ticket. The $2 exacta was more than $1,500. The $.50 tri was an immense $8,000+. Show prices were standouts.

$86.60/$28.20/$23.20
--------/$26.00/$18.20
--------/----------/$15.60​

• Race 11: A close finish between a 12-to-1 and a 38-to-1 the latter which paid a staggering $61.80 for show. The $2 tri paid more than $6,200. The $1 super paid over $76,000+. The 3-to-5 favorite missed the board. That set the wheels in motion for one extraordinary payout with show prices...

$26.20/$9.20/$16.80
-------/$36.20/$61.80
-------/--------/$12.40​

Laurel (Maryland):

• Victor Carrasco won his first three starts, all within the first four races. The other race in the first four on the card was won by his brother Carlos.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Card: The track's biggest racing day of the calendar. Seven races at $75,000 or more.
• Bret Calhoun entered two horses and won both Grade 3 races. A thrilling day for him.
• Race 8: Mr. Money (Gabriel Saez/Bret Calhoun) romped in winning the $500,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Derby. The 3-year-old colt won for the fourth straight time, exceeded $1,000,000 in career earnings and is 10 5-2-0 lifetime. It appears the Pennsylvania Derby is next for the victor.

• Race 7: Silver Dust (Jack Gilligan/Bret Calhoun) withstood an objection and won the $200,000 Grade 3 West Virginia's Governor's Stakes. Kulkulkan (Corey Lanerie/Fausto Gutierrez), who was a perfect 14 14-0-0 in Mexico before getting trounced at January's Pegasus World Cup in Florida, finished second and is now 18 15-1-1 lifetime.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Weather: A day which started pleasant but rains eventually took racing off the turf.
• Race 7: Mike Napoli, owner and former baseball player, had his 8-race win streak end with a defeat for the first time since July 20. He had another loss in that time but finished 1st-2nd in that race.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick paid over $89,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid more than $34,000.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 3 was a stupefying $19,195.40.
• Race 3: The longest shot on the board won at 62-to-1 and paid $126.60. The $2 Pick 3 was a shocking $11,085.60. The $2 double returned $1,845.80.
• Race 2: A 31-to-1 shot won which in itself was a stunner but dwarfed by things that followed.

Albuquerque Downs (New Mexico):

• Race 7: Lookin At Lee (Alfredo Juarez, Jr./Steve Asmussen) paid $9.00 in winning the $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap. The horse ran in all three legs of the 2017 Triple Crown, including second place in the Kentucky Derby at 33-to-1, but had not won since May 2018.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 8: Beau Recall (Drayden Van Dyke/Brad Cox) was sent off the second choice and won the $200,000 Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap. The finish was one of the best of the day. I don't recall too many shippers from Cox's barn to California.

​

• Race 5: Amalfi Sunrise (Norberto Arroyo, Jr./Simon Callaghan) was sent off the favorite and won the Grade 2 $200,000 Sorrento Stakes. The 2-year-old filly is a perfect 2-for-r-2.
• Race 1: Lazy Daisy (Rafael Bejarano/Doug O'Neill), owned by NHL player Erik Johnson, won the $61,000 maiden special weight opener. Éclair (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert) looked nonexistent in debuting poorly after being sent off the favorite. She was purchase for $420,000 at sale.
• Doug O'Neill won twice. The winningest trainer at the meet, he is 16 8-3-1 the last four days.
• Handle: Roughly $16.5 million.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Next week's Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races are in Illinois (2), New York and France.

08/10/19	AP	Arlington Million	I	1 1/4 Miles (T)	3 YO & UP		Turf	Illinois
08/10/19	AP	Beverly D. Stakes	I	1 3/16 Miles (T)	3 YO & UP	F & M	Filly & Mare Turf	Illinois
08/10/19	Sar	Fourstardave H.	I	1 Mile (T)	3 YO & UP		Mile	New York
08/11/19	Dea	Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le Buffard - Jacques Le Marois	I	1 Mile (T)	3 YO & UP		Mile	France

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Cyclones Rock]

I love to bet New York tracks-Sar, Bel, Aqu and FL. But the New York stewards once again just showed how biased they are in favor of "name" jockeys.

In the just completed fourth race, the #3 horse ridden by no name Chris Landeros was DQd for interfering with the #5 ridden by one of the Ortiz brothers. The #3 did come in and cause a brief interruption in the momentum of the #5, but it did not do enough to cost #5 the race nor the 3rd place horse position. It didn't cost #5 position either as it finished second. Had the #3 been ridden by an Ortiz and the #5 by Landeros, no DQ would have happened. I've seen this type of "who's riding/training what horse based DQ or non DQ" in New York so many times that I would have lost count if I were counting.

FWIW, I was on the #2 horse and did not have the #3 anywhere on any ticket. The #2 might still be running and was not affected by the DQ incident.

I'll post the replay later in the day when it is available.

Race Replays

**go to Race 4**

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I love to bet New York tracks-Sar, Bel, Aqu and FL. But the New York stewards once again just showed how biased they are in favor of "name" jockeys.

In the just completed fourth race, the #3 horse ridden by no name Chris Landeros was DQd for interfering with the #5 ridden by one of the Ortiz brothers. The #3 did come in and cause a brief interruption in the momentum of the #5, but it did not do enough to cost #5 the race nor the 3rd place horse position. It didn't cost #5 position either as it finished second. Had the #3 been ridden by an Ortiz and the #5 by Landeros, no DQ would have happened. I've seen this type of "who's riding/training what horse based DQ or non DQ" in New York so many times that I would have lost count if I were counting.

FWIW, I was on the #2 horse and did not have the #3 anywhere on any ticket. The #2 might still be running and was not affected by the DQ incident.

I'll post the replay later in the day when it is available.

That suspicion is held by many. New York has a history of placating the bigger names and outsiders or lesser known riders don't seem to get the benefit of the doubt. I remember when Junior Alvarado moved his tack there, he alluded that a rider needs to be in a certain clique headed by a certain star which sounded as if it was directed to John Velazquez. It is easy to dismiss such statements as frustration but in a battle of Chris Landeros and Irad Ortiz/Jose Ortiz, it wasn't a shock to see who was DQ'd and who was elevated. Sad but true. I suppose all sports have that element of favoritism but you are not alone in what happened today.







Steve Byk (Sirius) on his Twitter: "...that’s as embarrassing and shameful a disqualification as anyone will ever witness."

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 4, 2019

• Brad Cox won twice. He has won with eight of his 17 starters the last two days across five tracks.

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: Over $23.6 million.
• Race 10: Perfect Alibi (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Mark Casse) won the $200,000 Grade 2 Adirondack. She won for the second time in three career starts.
• Race 9: A Thread of Blue (Luis Saez/Kiaran McLaughlin) won for the fifth time in 10 starts and wired the field in the $1,000,000 Saratoga Derby. This was the second leg of the Turf Trinity, a trio of races attached for the first time. The third leg, the $1 million Jockey Club Derby at 1 1/2-miles, is scheduled for September 7 at Belmont Park. The first leg was won by Henley's Joy on July 6 at Belmont.

​

• Race 5: Fools Gold (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown) won the Grade 3 1 1/2 mile Waya Stakes and its $200,000 purse.
• Race 4: Crystalle (Chris Landeros/John Kimmel) was sent off the longest shot on the board at 41-to-1 but DQ'd after a lengthy review and dropped to third. Sketches of Spain (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad Brown) and Sparkling Sky (Jose Ortiz/Todd Pletcher), the original 2nd and 3rd place finishers who lodged objections, were elevated to 1st-2nd, respectively. Certainly the most controversial moment today.
• Race 2: Danny Gargan is having a strong meet and ended the day 19 6-1-4 (32%/58%). Only four trainers have more wins.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times including the final two races.
• Jose Ortiz won twice and leads the meet with 27 victories.
• Chad Brown had multiple horses entered in five of his six races and won three times.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Card: The final five races all held purses of $100,000 and were billed as Kentucky Downs Preview Stakes. A good card, deep fields.
• Handle: Over $2,700,000 bet which was an increase of 36% compared to last year's card.
• Florent Geroux rode two winners and both set track records.
• James Graham/Keith Desormeaux brought home two bombs. It seems like an odd pairing, I am not sure of their history of being connected but they had a successful day.
• Race 1: Automate (James Graham/Keith Desormeaux) won with the second longest odds on the board at 21-to-1.
• Race 3: Juggermaut (James Graham/Keith Desormeaux) won with a first time starter at 26-to-1. The $2 tri was over $10,000.
• Race 8: Totally Boss (Florent Geroux/Rusty Arnold) won and set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs
• Race 10: Factor This (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won and set a track record for 1 1/4 miles.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Weather: Another sloppy day which necessitated the switch of turf racing to dirt.
• Race 3: Fanny Olsson, the jockey from Sweden who broke her U.S. maiden two days ago, won again with her lone starter. She is now 5 2-0-0 in North America. The 26-year-old has ridden in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
• Race 5: Deudis Pena-Mora was the winning rider. Per Equibase, he last had a mount in 2008.
• Race 10: The longest shot on the board won at 27-to-1.
• Race 11: The second longest shot on the board won at 34-to-1. The $1 double paid $675.
• Race 12: The $.50 Pick 4 paid $11,000+. The $2 Pick 6 paid over $35,000.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Mitchell Murrill, who rode three winners, is now one back of Jose Valdivia, Jr. (62 wins) in the leader's standings at the meet.
• Chalk: Favorites won six of the eight races.
• Race 6: The lone bomber to win today was sent off at 31-to-1.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 7: Kingly (Mario Gutierrez/Bob Baffert) won the Grade 3 $150,000 La Jolla Handicap and paid a handsome price of $18.60. The winner tried turf for the first time after seven starts at four California tracks.

​

• Race 5: Eight Rings (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert), a 2-year-old colt who was purchased for $520,000 at the Keeneland September 2018 sale, created quite the buzz with a 6 1/4 length victory in his maiden. The ownership group bought 24 yearlings in 2018 for a reported cost in excess of $11 million with the goal of having a horse good enough for the Triple Crown races. The colt received a wonderful Beyer of 94.
• Bob Baffert trained two winners. Since July 28, he is 8 5-0-0.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 3: Pink Lloyd (Eurico Da Silva/Robert Tiller), the track superstar, is now 25 20-1-1 lifetime after winning the $100,000 Shepperton Stakes. Of his 20 wins, 17 have been in stakes. Pink Lloyd, who won this stakes in 2017, lost the race last year and with it a winning streak of 11. All 25 career races have been at Woodbine.

Deauville (France):

• Frankie Dettori won a Group I for the 12th time this year when Advertise was victorious in the Larc Prix Maurice de Gheest.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

ARLINGTON MILLION
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Arlington International Race Course
Arlington Heights, Illinois
​

The signature day of racing in Illinois. Two races are part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Series. The card should be revealed tomorrow (Wednesday) and with it all post times and other info.

Fox Sports 2 (FS2) plans to cover some of the racing day.

30th running of The Beverly D. (GI)
Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Fillies and Mares Turf Division

1 3/16th miles (Turf)
$600,000
4:53 pm Central Time
1. Fleeting (IRE) – Ryan Moore – 5/2 ML
2. Awesometank (GB) – Florent Geroux – 8/1 ML
3. Competitionofideas – Javier Castellano – 6/1 ML
4. Oh So Terrible – Jose Valdivia Jr. – 30/1 ML
5. Remember Daisy – Mitchell Murill – 30/1 ML
6. Magic Wand (IRE) – Wayne Lordan – 3/1 ML
7. Sistercharlie (IRE) – John Velazquez – 8/5 ML
8. Thais (FR) – Irad Ortiz Jr. – 20/1 ML​

43rd running of The Secretariat Stakes (GI)

1 mile (Turf)
$500,000
5:28 pm Central Time
1. Clint Maroon (GB) – Channing Hill – 20/1 ML
2. Van Beethoven – Wayne Lordan – 8/1 ML
3. Never No More (IRE) – Ryan Moore – 6/1 ML
4. The Last Zip – Adam Beschizza – 6/1 ML
5. Ry’s the Guy – Chris Landeros – 15/1 ML
6. Fog of War – Irad Ortiz Jr. – 3/1 ML
7. Valid Point – Javier Castellano – 5/1 ML
8. Faraway Kitten – John Velazquez – 9/2 ML
9. Crafty Daddy – Florent Geroux – 5/1 ML
​

37th running of the Arlington Million (GI)
Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Turf Division

1 1/4th miles (Turf)
$1,000,000
6:12 pm Central Time
1. Robert Bruce (CHI) – Javier Castellano – 7/2 ML
2. Magic Wand (IRE) – Wayne Lordan – 5/1 ML
3. Bricks and Mortar – Irad Ortiz Jr. – 8/5 ML
4. Catcho En Die (ARG) – Sophie Doyle – 30/1 ML
5. Hunting Horn (IRE) – Ryan Moore – 12/1 ML
6. The Great Day (ARG) – Trevor McCarthy – 12/1 ML
7. Pivoine (IRE) – Silvestre De Sousa – 15/1 ML
8. Captivating Moon – Jose Valdivia Jr. – 20/1 ML
9. Intellogent (IRE) – Florent Geroux – 12/1 ML
10. Bandua – Adam Beschizza – 6/1 ML
​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (CT)
Race 1	$30,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	8	12:15 PM
Race 2	$30,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	9	12:48 PM
Race 3	$30,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	8	1:21 PM
Race 4	$32,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	8	1:55 PM
Race 5	$30,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	9	2:29 PM
Race 6	$30,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	10	3:12 PM
Race 7	$23,000	Waiver Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	12	3:45 PM
Race 8	$75,000	Bruce D. Memorial S.	1 Mile	All Weather Track	11	4:18 PM
Race 9	$600,000	Beverly D. S.	1 3/16 Miles	Turf	8	4:53 PM
Race 10	$500,000	Secretariat S.	1 Mile	Turf	9	5:28 PM
Race 11	$1,000,000	Arlington Million XXXVII S.	1 1/4 Miles	Turf	10	6:12 PM
Race 12	$100,000	Pucker Up S.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	12	6:55 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 6, 2019

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Race 2: Artland (Logan Holbrook/Ted Randolph) shocked the racing crowd when at 112-to-1, he broke his maiden in his 21st start and with a 5-length victory. The winner paid $226.00/$24.00/$25.60 (more to show than place). The $1 tri was over $6,000.

August 7, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: More than $11,000,000 for a Wednesday card.
• Race 9: Mr. Buff (Junior Alvarado/John Kimmel) won the $101,000 feature race effortlessly as the 3-to-5 favorite. The 5-year-old gelding has won six of his last eight starts and is now 10-for-30 lifetime.
• Race 8: Two of the most successful jockeys nationally in recent years -- Javier Castellano and Jose Ortiz -- combined to finished 1-2 with 11-to-1 and 17-to-1 shots, respectively. The $2 exacta paid $300. Ortiz rode the longest shot on the board. How often does that happen?
• Race 7: I don't know how often Anthony Pecoraro has won at Saratoga but the usually-based mid-Atlantic trainer -- Delaware -- won today as the favorite with his first starter at this meet. See below at Delaware for more info.
• Race 6: Archidust (Javier Castellano/Jorge Navarro) won for the third straight time and with it the the $100,000 race. The 3-year-old colt was out for the 8th time.
• Jose Ortiz (3), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2) and Javier Castellano (2) won multiple times as did trainers Rudy Rodriguez (2) and Jeremiah Englehart (2).
• The Ortiz brothers have combined to win 54 times at the meet and are 1-2 in the standings.
• John Velazquez -- who has an excellent chance of winning the 9th at Arlington on Saturday -- was winless with five mounts. He has won just 5 of 65 starts at the Spa (8%).

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 4: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $6,000.
• Race 3: The longest shot on the board wired the field at 30-to-1.
• Anthony Pecoraro won with two of his three starters and is 42 17-4-7 (40%/67%), strong numbers and the second winningest trainer at the meet.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Race 1: The $1 tri tonight paid over $10,000. That is the way to open a card.
• Races 2-3: Back-to-back winners as favorites for the combo of Luis Quinones-Jay Bernardini.
• Race 5: The 1-to-9 shot won like a 1-to-9 shot, by 16 1/2 lengths.

Louisiana Downs (Louisiana):

• Race 8: I don't know what to make of this but the $.10 Rainbow 6 paid over $330,000.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 4: The $.50 Pick 3 returned over $1,700.
• Race 7: In the Del Mar finale tonight, the winning horse was DQ'd to second place and with the decision a 17-to-1 shot topped the ticket which led to one handicapper winning over $373,000. Someone needs to send the winning connections, the stewards and the horse a gift or two and not necessarily in that order. Karen Headley, the winning trainer, won for the first time in 2019 and the 20th time in her career. She was formerly involved with hunters and jumpers equine.

​

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

FOURSTARDAVE HANDICAP

What: Grade I
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
When: Saturday, August 10, 2019, Race 9
Time: 5:46 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Inner turf
Purse: $500,000
Television: TVG (24/7 horse racing channel)

FS2 & MSG+ - 2:30-5 pm ET
FS2 - 6-7:30 pm ET
NBC - 5-6 pm ET
ALT - 2:30-5 pm ET
FSPT - 2:30-5 pm ET
FSSD - 2:30-5 pm ET​

History: Inaugurated in 1985. The Handicap is named after locally-bred superstar Fourstardave who won 21 times in exactly 100 races. He retired at the age of 10.
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	March to the Arch (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	119	Mark E. Casse	-
2	Dr. Edgar (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Barclay Tagg	-
3	Uni (GB)	Joel Rosario	117	Chad C. Brown	-
4	Raging Bull (FR)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Chad C. Brown	-
5	Ostilio (GB)	Andrea Atzeni	120	Simon Crisford	-
6	Got Stormy (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	114	Mark E. Casse	-
7	Krampus (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	William I. Mott	-
8	Hembree (KY)	Luis Saez	117	Michael J. Maker	-
9	Made You Look (KY)	Jose Lezcano	116	Chad C. Brown	-
10	Gidu (IRE)	Manuel Franco	116	Todd A. Pletcher	-

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.
Age/sex:
1. 4/gelding
2. 6/gelding
3. 5/mare
4. 4/colt
5. 4/colt
6. 4/filly
7. 5/gelding
8. 5/horse
9. 5/horse
10. 4/colt​

The full card for Saturday at Saratoga:

​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$52,000	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	9	1:00 PM
Race 2	$78,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	1:36 PM
Race 3	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	10	2:10 PM
Race 4	$35,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	2:45 PM
Race 5	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	9	3:21 PM
Race 6	$92,000	Allowance	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	9	4:01 PM
Race 7	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	4:36 PM
Race 8	$200,000	Saratoga Special S. Presented by Miller Lite	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	5:11 PM
Race 9	$500,000	Fourstardave H.	1 Mile	Turf	10	5:46 PM
Race 10	$92,000	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	6:21 PM
Race 11	$48,000	Maiden Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	6:55 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And now we have a new richest horse race. The Saudis introduced a $20,000,000 (US) race, of which $10 million goes to the winner, for February 29, 2020 in Saudi Arabia. It is to be run in between the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream (Florida) in January and the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in March, previously the largest purses in the world.

The top three finishers in the Pegasus will receive automatic bids. Purse money is distributed through 10th place with a maximum field size of 14.

It will be contested for 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

For the first time since 2013, Colonial Downs in Virginia will conduct thoroughbred racing starting tonight. The meet concludes Sept. 7.

C O L O N I A L...D O W N S

​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$30,000	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	14	5:00 PM
Race 2	$50,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	9	5:28 PM
Race 3	$65,000	Allowance	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	7	5:56 PM
Race 4	$50,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	10	6:24 PM
Race 5	$50,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	12	6:52 PM
Race 6	$60,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	8	7:20 PM
Race 7	$50,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 Furlongs	Turf	14	7:48 PM
Race 8	$60,000	Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	8	8:16 PM
Race 9	$70,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	11	8:44 PM
Race 10	$30,000	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	14	9:12 PM

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[Preds Partisan]

When I saw the news about the Saudi race I immediately wondered if someone would put up a bonus for winning/best overall finisher of those three big money races. They're spaced out enough that it's doable to run a horse in all three.

Also, I saw that the Saudis are paying the expenses for shipping, flights and accomodations for entries.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 8, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: $12,500,000+
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won the first three races, all on favorites. Junior Alvarado won the 5th and 6th races... not with chalk . Luis Saez won the 7th and 8th races. He could be an Eclipse Award finalist for Jockey of the Year.
• John Velazquez can't buy a win. He came close but he was caught or didn't finish and ended the day 4 0-3-1. He is now 69 5-12-9 (7%/38%) at the meet. he hasn't been the same since the gate incident at the Preakness and/or the suspension at Ascot in England.
• Race 10: A lengthy inquiry/objection was nullified and Joel Rosario's 10-to-1 won the finale. The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $37,000.
• Race 9: Good finish with three horses near the wire together. Luis Saez got it done.
• Race 8: Out of Orbit (Luis Saez/Phil Serpe) won the $100,000 feature race. How often is there a feature race in New York with both Ortizes available but neither has a ride? It happened here.

​

• Race 7: Benjamin Hernandez, a 7-pound bug, won for the first time in 32 rides this meet.
• Race 6: Restructure (Junior Alvarado/Christophe Clement) flew from the outside and closed furiously in his first time on turf in his 6th start. Good turf rider, excellent turf trainer. Why not, at 14-to-1?!
• Race 5: Tiz the Law (Junior Alvarado/Barclay Tagg) blew away the field in his maiden performance. A New York-bred, the horse seemed eerily composed. Owned by Sackatoga Stables who once had a New York gelding named Funny Cide that went onto win the Kentucky Derby among other races. I suggest this is one to follow as he is destined for greater things. And Junior looked extremely comfortable on this first-timer.

​

• Race 4: John Velazquez appeared destined to win but was caught by Rajiv Maragh who won for the second time in 35 starts this meet. It isn't always about riders of course, but something seems flawed with Johnny V. this meet.
• Races 1-2-3: Irad Ortiz, Jr. completed a rare natural hat trick by the third race. Even for a skilled and successful jockey, the feat is highly uncommon so early in the race day.
• Trainers: Ten trainers won and not one was named Chad Brown or Todd Pletcher.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Weather: Prior rains necessitated the removal of racing from turf.
• Race 1: A match race after scratches.
• Race 6: Avery Whisman, a bug, won at 31-to-1 as the longest shot on the board in a field of 10. He led most of the way.

Colonial Downs (Virginia):

• Welcome back: Re-opened and ongoing into the nigh. The track's first T-bred card since 2013.
• Card and handle: From 10 races with 93 starters, total handle reached $1,562,390.
• Opener: Charmn Charlie Ray (Mychal Sanchez/Alan Bedard) won the first race at the track since 2013. He paid $28. Horses coming out of Laurel races finished 1-2-3.

​

• Race 7: The only horse to have run in a prior race won.
• Race 10: Chuckie Lopez brought home a $50 winner and won the finale.
• Trevor McCarthy (3), Paco Lopez (2) and Mychal Sanchez (2) were multiple winners.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Cristian Torres added two more wins to his rookie resume. He should be an Eclipse Award finalist for Apprentice of the Year.
• Race 9: Grey Manners (Albin Jimenez/Efren Loza, Jr.) returned from a 2-year layoff and broke his maiden in a 10-length win in his first U.S. start. His three prior starts were in Mexico.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Race 7: One of the best finishes of the day in which a 35-to-1 barely eked out a victory. As the rider's crossed the wire, they fist-bumped in a show of appreciation. It was that good!
• Mitchell Murrill had four wins. He leads the meet's rider standings by three victories. He has a unique background for a rider having been raised in Alabama where he played baseball and football among other sports. He has only been riding for about seven years.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

When I saw the news about the Saudi race I immediately wondered if someone would put up a bonus for winning/best overall finisher of those three big money races. They're spaced out enough that it's doable to run a horse in all three.

Also, I saw that the Saudis are paying the expenses for shipping, flights and accomodations for entries.

Anything is possible with the cross-country wagering and now the top three at the Pegasus getting invites here. Good idea!

Off topic, but take a look at Saratoga's 6th on Friday. If you like baby races, this is one for fillies. Good collection of talent including big name owners such as Steve Cauthen.

http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SAR080919USA6-EQB.html

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 9, 2019

Saratoga (New York):

• Attendance: 30,000+
• Handle: $16,000,000+
• New York finales: There is something about a New York finale. It doesn't always shock but curve balls persist. The $.50 tri today paid $1,430.25 and that is with leading rider Jose Ortiz winning impressively on board Passing Out. Bombers followed and that included Antonio Gallardo, now riding mostly at Presque Isle (Erie, PA), coming in third with a 51-to-1 shot in his only ride of the day.
• Race 9: Irad Ortiz, Jr., the winningest rider this year in North America, closed exceptionally and won the $100,000 feature race on board an 8-to-1 shot.

​

• Race 6: I mentioned this race in the prior post as something that held my interest. All first-time starters and with some top connections. Chad Brown's two starters sandwiched a Todd Pletcher runner. Owners: Klaravich, Michael Dubb and Peter Brant. It must be Saratoga!
• Race 4: In a race of babies, only three of the ten starters had a race, one of the most intriguing moments of the Saratoga meet. A very long drawn out inquiry by stewards into the top two finishers who happened to be the Ortiz brothers. However, second place Jose never lodged an objection against Irad. The brothers were seated next to each other during the process. A very odd situation. No change was made.
• Race 2: Spinoff (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher) won this $95,000 allowance optional claiming race. He ran in two of this year's Triple Crown races including an 18th place finish in the Kentucky Derby.
• Javier Castellano (3) and Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2) won multiple times.
• Jose Ortiz (32), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (29) and Javier Castellano (22) are the riders with 20+ wins at the meet.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Bombers: Two of the last three races produced $40+ winners which led to a $.50 Pick 3 worth in excess of $1,100.
• Delayed opening: A 17-minute delay due to an equipment issue involving one of the mounts.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Three races today have "Win and You're In" connections to the Breeders' Cup (two at Arlington and one at Saratoga).

Arlington's signature day with multiple graded stakes. The 9th and 11th could have the expected win but the 10th and 12th may offer some value with wide open races based on morning lines.

Fox Sports 2 (FS2) will cover some of the racing day from Illinois. Today's handle should be very interesting.

Churchill Downs has some business-related plans regarding Arlington and the track's future and those have yet to be made public.

This time of year, Gulfstream can be overlooked but the Rainbow Six has exceeded half a million dollars and that should get the track some added attention.

Some key races today: