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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

IROQUOIS STAKES​

What: Grade III. This is the first prep race for the 2020 Kentucky Derby. The point scale is 10-4-2-1 for the top four finishers. It also serves as an automatic invitation for the winner to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
When: Saturday, September 14, 2019, Race 10
Time: 5:26 pm Eastern Time
Who: 2-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $200,000
TV: TVG (24/7 racing channel) and Fox Sports 2 from 2:30 pm-6:30 pm ET (other races and tracks included)
History: Inaugurated in 1982.
Note: Dale Romans' 2-year-old (Dennis' Moment) has been getting the pre-race pub. How can I not love a horse named Rowdy Yates? The #9 has my interest, too.
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Zyramid (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven Asmussen	10-1
2	Letmeno (KY)	Calvin H. Borel	118	Ian R. Wilkes	10-1
3	Scabbard (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Eddie Kenneally	5-1
4	Rowdy Yates (OK)	Tyler Baze	120	Steven Asmussen	7-2
5	Automate (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	J. Keith Desormeaux	30-1
6	Flute Maker (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	8-1
7	Juggernaut (KY)	James Graham	118	J. Keith Desormeaux	10-1
8	Dennis' Moment (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Dale L. Romans	9-5
9	Lebda (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	118	Claudio A. Gonzalez	10-1
10	January Won (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	15-1

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BREEDERS CUP Challenge Series (Sept. 14-15):

There are ten (10) Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races this upcoming weekend:

Sept. 14 (6 total)

3 - Leopardstown (Ireland)

2 - Churchill Downs (Kentucky, USA)

1 - Woodbine (Ontario, Canada)​

Sept. 15 (4 total)

2- The Curraugh (Ireland)

2 -- Woodbine (Ontario, Canada)​

CHURCHILL DOWNS
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Opening day card
Two races have Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" invitations​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)	​
Race 1	$38,000	Maiden Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	8	12:45 PM
Race 2	$54,000	Starter Allowance	1 Mile	Dirt	6	1:14 PM
Race 3	$60,000	Maiden Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	12	1:43 PM
Race 4	$95,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	13	2:14 PM
Race 5	$95,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	2:45 PM
Race 6	$97,000	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	3:16 PM
Race 7	$125,000	Open Mind S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	3:48 PM
Race 8	$200,000	Locust Grove S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	4:21 PM
Race 9	$200,000	Pocahontas S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	4:53 PM
Race 10	$200,000	Iroquois S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	10	5:26 PM
Race 11	$95,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Dirt	13	5:57 PM

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[TBODY][TR][TH]Upcoming graded stakes races listed by grade (1, 2 or 3):
Saturday

Churchill: 2-3-3
Woodbine: 1-1-2-3​

Sunday

Woodbine: 1-1​

Monday

Presque Isle: 2​

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Search Justify if you're mobile, or go Incognito in Chrome and you can read it.

I found the original article. Also, I just read today's rebuttal from Baffert's camp. The expected denial was in evidence. The allegations are tough to respond for the layman since there are complicated issues that the average person rarely contacts.

Connections React to Story on Justify Failing Drug Test - BloodHorse

This explanation is part of the learning process:

Baffert Responds to Allegations in New York Times

Scopolamine, though illegal, is generally not considered a performance-enhancing drug. Rather it is found in jimsonweed, which grows wildly, and has been known to inadvertently get mixed into a horse’s feed.

In a statement, the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium explained, “Scopolamine (also known as hyoscine) is conventionally used in human medicine for the prevention of motion sickness. It is available by prescription in tablet and transdermal patch formulations. It has also had limited use in conjunction with general anesthesia in reducing airway secretions. It is associated with side effects of dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision, nausea and dry mouth. Scopolamine has limited historical use in equine veterinary medicine to relieve intestinal spasms in the treatment of gas colic. However, gastrointestinal side effects, potential toxicity and the development of safer, more effective medications have rendered its use as a therapeutic medication obsolete.”

“…there was never any intentional administration of Scopolamine to Justify and any insinuation in your article otherwise is not only defamatory, but is also defies logic and common sense,” Robertson wrote to Drape. “No trainer would ever intentionally administer Scopolamine to a horse. It has a depressant effect and would do anything but enhance the performance of a horse. There is zero scientific evidence to suggest that Scopolamine has any performance-enhancing properties.

“… Scopolamine is a known environmental contaminant. It is contained within jimsonweed, which is a naturally growing substance in areas where hay and straw are produced in California. There is a long history of environmental contamination cases involving Scopolamine in the state of California. In the past, the CHRB has even issued official advisories concerning contaminated feed to horsemen. There is no doubt that, with regard to Justify, the alleged positive was the result of environmental contamination from hay or straw.”​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 12, 2019

• September Yearling Sale: No Keeneland sale today but it runs through September 22.
• Lightning strikes twice: Shockers in Race 9 at Keeneland and Race 9 at Gulfstream happened at almost identical times.
• Jorge Navarro has been sent out 33 horses and won 17 times this month. Only once did he send multiple starters in a race and with that he has won 17 of the past 32 races he has entered. He runs horses mostly at mid-Atlantic tracks.

Belmont (New York):

• Race 4: Conviction Trade (Jose Lezcano/Jorge Abreu) paid $50 in victory. It was the rider's fourth straight win on the card, a massive figure even with top riders like the Ortiz brothers. Javier Castellano and Luis Saez not riding in New York today. He had six rides today.
• Leading rider: Jose Lezcano has 10 wins already at the meet. Lezcano is over 20% in 2019, his highest figure since 2008.
• Joel Rosario is 21 8-1-7 (38%/76%) at the meet.
• Junior Alvarado is cold, 22 1-4-3.
• Leading Trainer: Todd Pletcher is hot with five winners but Jason Servis is sizzling at 7 5-0-0 (71%/71%).

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 3: A 1-for-32 lifetime runner won at 35-to-1.
• Race 7: Jorge Navarro trained the winner and is 27 13-5-6 (48%/89%) at the meet. Stunning numbers even if fields can be short at the track.
• Leading rider: A good race between Alex Cintron (54 wins) and Carol Cedeno (52). The meet concludes October 5.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 9: Silver Tunes (Dick Cardenas/Pernel Bagwendeen) shocked all at 86-to-1. Massive payouts with the $174.20 winner. The $2 double was over $5,522.20. That is as large as I remember in years if not decades. The $.50 Pick 3 paid over $4,000. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $17,000. The trainer has 12 lifetime wins and has been a conditioner on record since 2007 with limited starters.
• Race 8: One of the best races of the day when a 23-to-1 nipped the 6-to-5 favorite.
• Race 1: Heavy rains just as the opener went off. There was a slight delay prior to the race,then the skies opened but alas the wet weather didn't last; however, turf racing was suspended for the remainder of the day.
• Rainbow Six: The carryover will start at $1.29 million.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• Closing day: The popular annual 5-day meet ended. Ten races on the card, eight held purses of $100,000 or more.
• Record handle: $41,239,699 was bet in the five days which established a record-high.

Betting on Kentucky Downs in 2019
Day 1 (Sat. 8/31) $8,464,103
Day 2 (Thurs. 9/5) $6,609,217
Day 3 (Sat. 9/7) $11,321,492
Day 4 (Sun. 9/8) $7,564,345
Day 5 (Thurs. 9/12) $7,280,542
2019 TOTAL: $41,239,699​

• Average purse: $231,313 for 50 races.
• Winningest riders: Jose Ortiz (10 wins; 30% winning) and Julien Leparoux (7).
• Winningest trainers: Ian Wilkes (4 wins; 29% winning), Wesley Ward (4) and Joe Sharp (4). Michael Maker had won the prior four titles at the meet. Ward had won three prior titles with the most recent in 2008. Wilkes last won in 2011. Sharp had not won before 2019.
• Tyler Gaffalione had a good meet. He ended 35 5-8-3 and not always with the cream yet was one of four riders to amass $1m or more in earnings. He won today with a first-time starter for Wesley Ward named Alfie Solomons.

Leaders by earnings
Ortiz $2,053,366
Geroux $1,419,770
Gaffalione $1,235,686
Leparoux $1,019,697
Beschizza $614,386
Bejarano $592,810
Landeros $468,710​

• Race 9: Legends of War and Stubbins, both trained by Doug O'Neill, finished 1-2 in the $500,000 Grade 3 stakes and the all-O'Neill $1 exacta paid $218 with 23-to-1 and 10-to-1 shots topping the ticket. It was the first stakes win for the victor in his 13th start. The $2 tri returned over $9,300. The $1 super paid a staggering $95,709 and that was with the favorite finishing fourth.

​

• Onto Louisville: Churchill Downs operates as the Kentucky track from Sept. 13 to closes Sept. 29.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Woodbine is one of the feature tracks in North America this week. There are four graded stakes races on Saturday including two Grade Ones. On Sunday, there are two more Grade I races. Saturday has one Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race and Sunday has two such races.

WOODBINE RACETRACK
Saturday, September 14, 2019​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$35,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Turf	8	1:05 PM
Race 2	$65,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 Furlongs	Turf	8	1:40 PM
Race 3	$125,000	Bold Venture S.	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	7	2:14 PM
Race 4	$67,500	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Turf	11	2:47 PM
Race 5	$23,000	Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	9	3:22 PM
Race 6	$40,000	Maiden Optional Claiming	5 Furlongs	All Weather Track	9	3:55 PM
Race 7	$250,000	Canadian S. Presented by the Japan Racing Association	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	7	4:30 PM
Race 8	$40,000	Maiden Optional Claiming	5 Furlongs	All Weather Track	10	5:05 PM
Race 9	$1,000,000	Ricoh Woodbine Mile S.	1 Mile	Turf	11	5:42 PM
Race 10	$300,000	Northern Dancer Turf S.	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	6	6:17 PM
Race 11	$67,500	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Turf	12	6:47 PM
Race 12	$20,800	Maiden Claiming	7 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	10	7:16 PM

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RICOH WOODBINE MILE​

What: Grade I. The winner gets invited to the Breeders' Cup TVG Mile as part of the "Win and Your'e In" series.
Where: Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
When: Saturday, September 14, 2019, Race 9
Time: 5:42 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Turf
Purse: $1,000,000
TV: TVG (24/7 racing channel).
History: Inaugurated in 1988.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	El Tormenta (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	123	Gail Cox	20/1
2	Lucullan (KY)	Luis Saez	119	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	8/1
3	Silent Poet (ON)	Gary Boulanger	123	Nicholas Gonzalez	15/1
4	Synchrony (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Michael Stidham	6/1
5	Got Stormy (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	Mark E. Casse	8/5
6	Awesometank (GB)	John F. Egan	116	William J. Haggas	8/1
7	Raging Bull (FR)	Joel Rosario	123	Chad C. Brown	3/1
8	American Guru (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	119	Michael J. Doyle	30/1
9	Made You Look (KY)	Luis Contreras	119	Chad C. Brown	12/1
10	Emmaus (IRE)	Channing Hill	119	Conor Murphy	20/1
11	Admiralty Pier (KY)	Patrick Husbands	119	Barbara J. Minshall	30/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 13, 2019

• Lane Luzzi: Congrats for winning the rider's title at Retama (near San Antonio, Texas). I thought he had talent when he was a bug and then injury derailed his stride it seemed but also riding at tracks on the east coast perhaps proved difficult. He utilized tracks in this region at a young age and now he won the rider's crown with 26 victories (28%).

• Laurel and the Breeders' Cup? As I have touted often, Laurel could be a good spot for an upcoming Breeders' Cup -- aka thinking outside the box. While there have been indications of the track's interest, today comes word that the Stronach Group (owners of tracks in California, Florida, Maryland and elsewhere) made this news today: Craig Fravel, Breeders' Cup president and CEO since 2011, will depart the organization at the conclusion of this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 1-2 to accept a position as The Stronach Group's CEO of Racing Operations. ( Fravel to Leave Breeders' Cup for Stronach Group - BloodHorse ) Very interesting! Whether it is connected or not, California or Florida does not need help if seeking a Breeders' Cup but Laurel could be boosted. Of course, there are other issues including some managerial shifts within TSG in recent weeks.
• Keeneland Yearling Sale: Day four was conducted today.
• Junior Alvarado suffered a wrist injury yesterday and will be out of action until later this month.

Belmont (New York):

• Manny Franco matched Jose Lezcano's feat yesterday by winning the first four races but surpassed it with a fifth win later on the card. Franco had five wins on eight mounts and won for five different trainers.
• Manny Franco (11) and Jose Lezcano (10) are the winningest riders at the meet.
• Race 8: Sometimes, this sport! Last race of the day and John Velazquez is riding a horse with not so good form under the direction of Rob Atras for the first time. A California horse to boot who was 1-for-14 lifetime. New trainer, different geography, no problem. The old adage applied 'Why would Johnny V. ride this horse in the last race of the day?" Question answered at $9.60.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 7: When Warm (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) cruised home to win, the trainer's career mark improved to 91 19-14-10. More importantly, the married jockey-trainer tandem was in the winner's circle with their newborn. Sheldon rides much of the time for Brittany and they seem to have had a great deal of success. A heartwarming story amid the drivel especially with Sheldon's documented battered and bruised body from riding.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Rainbow 6 Carryover: $1.37 million. More than $325,000 was added today.
• Race 9: Ete Indien (Luca Panici/Patrick Biancone) tracked down a 55-to-1 shot ridden by Silvia Zapico who has two wins in about 80 starts the last three years. Awesome finish with much on the line for exotic bettors. Many smiles and frowns can emerge in finishes like this:

​

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Opening day: Today was the meet opener. It closes late this month.
• Rail bias especially early in the day. Maybe that will hold tomorrow.
• Race 1: A strong opener when James Graham hugged the rail, saved ground, and finished in a dead heat with a 44-to-1 shot ridden by Jesus Castenon.
• Race 3: Corey Lanerie won his second straight race when down by more than three lengths in the stretch he tracked down 21-1 shot ridden by James Graham who was caught in a switch. Great move by Lanerie.
• Julien Leparoux and Corey Lanerie, two of Kentucky's best, each won twice.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• Penultimate racing day: Following tomorrow's finale, the track is closed until 2020, perhaps May. Battles for trainer and rider titles are close. 14 races today and tomorrow.
• McLean Robertson went 16 5-2-4 and Robertino Diodoro went 19 5-6-5. The pair combined to hit the board (top three) 27 of a possible 35 times (combined entries). With 14 races, there were 42 opportunities (14 races, 14 x 3).
• McLean Robertson won 5 of 10 entered. Robertino Diodoro won 5 of 9 entered. Robertson won 3 of 5 in which both entered the same race. One or the other won 10 races.
• Trainer's standings McLean Robertson (70 wins) and Robertino Diodoro (67 wins).
• Rider's standings: Francisco Arrieta (75 wins) and Orlando Mojica (71 wins).
• Race 1: Won by McLean Robertson and paid $13. Robertino Diodoro finished second. Robertson finished third at 19-to-1 and paid $10.80.
• Race 4: Won by Robertino Diodoro.
• Race 5: Robertino Diodoro finished 1-2-3.
• Race 6: Won by McLean Robertson.
• Race 7: Won by McLean Robertson who also finished second. Robertino Diodoro in third.
• Race 10: Won by Robertino Diodoro
• Race 11: Won by McLean Robertson.
• Race 12: Robertino Diodoro finished 1-2-3.
• Race 13: Robertino Diodoro finished 1-2 with McLean Robertson in 3rd.
• Race 14: Won by McLean Robertson.
• Saturday: 12:45 pm CT post for the season finale. McLean Robertson sends out 18 starters while Robertino Diodoro has 13 entered. Francisco Arrieta has 13 mounts while Orlando Mojica rides 10 times.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KEENELAND SALES: Day four​

This year's sale goes through Sept. 22.

Sold: 561
Total: $214,692,000 [2018: $377 million final total]
Highest Price: $8,200,000. An American Pharoah filly out of Leslie's Lady.
Average: $382,695
Median Price: $300,000
Leading Sires: Into Mischief (36), Uncle Mo (36), Curlin (34) and American Pharoah (34).
Leading Gross Sire: Curlin at $21.5 million (34 sold)
Leading Buyer: Godolphin at $16.0 million (10 bought)
Highest average: Twirling Candy $950,000 (1 sold)
Highest average among those with 20+ sold: Curlin $633,000+
Million Dollar Sellers: Twenty-one horses have sold at $1,000,000 or more. Sires of those 21:

Curlin (5)
Medaglia d' Oro (4)
Pioneerof the Nile (3)
Union Rags (2)
War Front (2)
American Phraoah (2)
Tapit (2)
Empire Maker (1)​

 

[GKJ]

Starship Jubilee a big winner in the Canadian presented by the Japanese Racing Association. Let alone in the lead, no sure what everyone else was thinking

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 14, 2019

• Joe Bravo won the first two races at Monmouth then departed to race three times at Belmont. Bravo is closing in on 30,000 career starts.
• Multiple Breeders' Cup races today and the first Kentucky Derby prep.

Belmont (New York):

• Card: This card lacked the typical New York Saturday pizzazz.
• Chad Brown trained four winners. He finished 9 4-1-1 and won four of the five races he entered. Eight of his starters were ridden by John Velazquez and Javier Castellano.
• John Velazquez was one of the few top riders at the circuit not to be elsewhere this day and he dominated with four wins all consecutively. He finished 7 4-1-0. Johnny V. was the third jockey in three days to win four straight races on a Belmont card.
• Manny Franco and Eric Cancel won twice each.
• Mike Luzzi won the finale in a rare driving from the back. Most of his wins seem to come from the top end.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Joe Bravo won the first two races then departed for Belmont.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 4: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $10,000.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 10: A 10-year-old gelding, the oldest horse in the race, won for the 23rd time in his 90th start.
• Race 8: Barbara Gordon ran for the first time. Her daddy's name is Commissioner. Batman fans will understand. A very creative name.
• Alex Cintron won three times with five mounts including a bomber in the finale.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Rainbow Six: All winners received $39,000+ today. Sunday's card opens with a carryover in excess of $1.45 million.
• Race 11: The $2 exacta paid $1,064 in the $75,000 feature race due to 29-1 and 30-1 shots topping the ticket, two of the three longest shots in a field of ten. Luca Panici entered the stretch in 8th but finished strongly for runner up.
• Race 6: Mike Napoli, former pro baseball player, upped his record to 41 wins in 90 starts as a T-bred owner in his first year.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 10: Dennis' Moment (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Dale Romans) matched his pre-race pub with a comfortable win in the $200,000 Grade 3 Iroquois. My longshot pick Lebda (Trevor McCarthy/Claudio Gonzalez) finished third at 25-to-1. With the win, the connections receive 10 points towards the 2020 Kentucky Derby. This was the first Derby Prep race for next year. It also was a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

"This is just an amazing animal," Dale Romans said. "He goes out there and does it with his ears up like he is just galloping around there. The jock was shutting him down the last sixteenth of the mile there, and he still runs the time he did. He's something special."​

​

• Race 9: Lazy Daisy (Abel Cedillo/Doug O'Neill) won the Grade 2 $200,000 Pocahontas at 7-to-1. The winning owner is NHL player Erik Johnson. The winning connections got invited to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

​

• Race 8: Go Google Yourself (Brian Hernandez, Jr./Paul McGee) won the Grade 3 $200,000 Locust Grove.
• Race 7: Divine Queen (Calvin Borel/Buff Bradley) won the $125,000 race. She is 4-for-5 at Churchill but 2-for-12 elsewhere.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $96,000. The $2 Pick 3 returned more than $9,000.
• Julien Leparoux won three times. He leads the meet with five wins, 10 5-0-0. It has been said countless times, but he rides his best in Kentucky.
• Kenny McPeek and Stanley Hough are the lone trainers with multiple wins. Hough is based mainly in south Florida where he is a member of the Calder Hall of Fame. He is in his 70s and has trained since 1969. To see him atop the leader board even at this early stage is appealing.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• Closing day: Today was the last day of the meet.
• Leading jockey: Francisco Arrieta with 79 wins.
• Leading trainer: McLean Robertson (73 wins) edged Robertino Diodoro (71 wins). Robertson won three more times and became the first trainer to earn more than $2,000,000 in purse money at a Canterbury meet. Diodoro won four consecutive races late in the card.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 12: The $1 Pick 4 paid over $16,000.
• Race 10: Old Persian (James Doyle/Charles Appleby) won the $200,000 Grade I Northern Dancer as the 3-to-5 favorite in a field of six.
• Race 9: El Tormenta (Eurico Da Silva/Gail Cox) won the $1,000,000 Grade I Woodbine Mile and earned an invitation to the Breeders' Cup TVG Mile. The $2 double paid $948. The shocking winner paid $91.40. Da Silva is the leading rider at the meet with 96 wins but is retiring this year. He was genuinely ecstatic following the win and for an extended period of time. Cox had just six wins this year and slightly more than 100 lifetime but she is now on center stage. Onto the Breeders' Cup.

• Race 7: Starship Jubilee (Luis Contreras/Kevin Attard) won the $250,000 Canadian Stakes. Starship Jubilee, who won this race last year, improved to 13-4-3 from 30 starts, with earnings of $865,670. She is a Florida-bred.
• Race 3: Yorkton (Patrick Husbands/Stuart Simon) won the Grade 3 $125,000 Bold Venture. Canadian superstar Pink Lloyd (Eurico Da Silva/Robert Tiller) was declared a non-starter after a starting gate issue. The 7-year-old is 27 21-1-1 lifetime with all races run at Woodbine.
• Luis Contreras rode three winners.
• Handle: Over $9.8 million.
• Visiting riders included Tyler Gaffalione, Luis Saez and Joel Rosario but they were a combined 9 1-2-4 with only Gaffalione winning.

Leopardstown (Ireland):

• Magical won the Irish Championship Stakes and got an invite to the Breeders' Cup Longines Turf.
• Iridessa won the Rock Matron Stakes and got an invite to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
• Mogul won the Championship Juvenile Stakes and got an invite to the Breeders' Cup Juvemile Turf.

Doncaster (England):

• Logician (Frankie Dettori/John Gosden) won the William Hill St. Leger which gave the rider his 15th Grade I win in 2019.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday at Woodbine:

Weekend Lineup: Five Breeders’ Cup Berths Up For Grabs - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Sunday September 15
4:43 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine on FS2 and TVG
Following two outstanding efforts to launch his career, Ontario-bred Keep On Truckin faces his stiffest challenge to date when he goes postward in Sunday's Summer Stakes, a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” event for the one-mile Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. After a July 7 debut in a five-furlong race at Woodbine that resulted in an 11 3/4-length win, Keep On Truckin, who was a $110,000 purchase from the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society Yearling Sale, stepped up to the stakes ranks. On August 3, the Catherine Day Phillips trainee wowed the crowd and his connections again, this time in the Clarendon Stakes. At the wire, Keep On Truckin was 7 3/4-lengths ahead of his nearest rival in the 5 1/2-furlong main track sprint.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO091519CAN7-EQB.html

5:49 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine on FS2 and TVG
Fair Maiden was very impressive when romping by 7 1/2 lengths in the Catch a Glimpse Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs of yielding turf at Woodbine on August 17. On Sunday, the Godolphin homebred will be returning from her Chicago base seeking to extend her win streak to three in the Natalma Stakes over one mile. The Natalma is part of the Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” series with the winner receiving a fees-paid berth in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Fair Maiden, conditioned by Eoin Harty, had started twice on Arlington Park's Polytrack surface prior to the Catch a Glimpse, finishing second in her 4 1/2-furlong opener and then exploding for a double-digit maiden score at five furlongs.

Entries: http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO091519CAN9-EQB.html

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 15, 2019

Belmont (New York):

• Luis Saez won three consecutive races.
• Race 1: A $61 winner.
• Race 12: A very long wait to determine the outcome but for fourth place which resulted in a dead heat. The winner was victorious by the snout of the nose and that was close enough but then the placing judges determined a tie for fourth.
• Jockey leaders: Manny Franco (13 wins), Jose Lezcano (11), Joel Rosario (9) and John Velazquez (9).

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Default Rate (Hector Diaz, Jr./Chad Brown) was DQ'd from 1st to 4th and two Jason Servis runners were elevated included the winner. The DQ'd owners, Klaravich Stables, could be a finalist for the Eclipse Award. Brown is the probable winner for Trainer of the Year.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 8: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $10,000.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 3: A race limited to amateur riders.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 12: The $.20 Pick 6 paid out over $50,000.
• Race 1: A 42-to-1 shot was DQ'd from victory. However, the $.10 super was still a mammoth $20,000+. There was only $27,000 in the pool. Someone hit it. and after a DQ!
• Rainbow Six: The carryover for Thursday will be $1.54 million.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Rail bias seems to be holding.
• Florent Geroux was a star today going 7 3-2-1. he entered the day with just one win at the meet.
• Julien Leparoux is 12 6-0-0 at the meet.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won both Grade I races with each "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. He will (update: did) win Jockey of the Week due to his accomplishments.
• Race 7: Decorated Invader (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Christophe Clement) won the $250,000 Grade I Summer Stakes and received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. I mentioned this horse after he raced at Saratoga in August after a spectacular effort under Junior Alvarado. This was my bet of the year to date, at 9-to-2 though he was bet down to 2-to-1. A 109-to-1 shot, the longest odds on the board, came in second place and paid $55.20 in the middle.

​

• Race 9: Abscond (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Eddie Kenneally) won the $250,000 Grade I Natalma Stakes at 9-to-1 in a wonderful finish and received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The 2-year-old filly won for the second time in three lifetime starts.

​

Los Alamitos (California):

Abel Cedillo won four times, including a natural hat trick, on six mounts.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

NBC is covering Saturday's feature races from Parx. I am not sure if that is a first but I can't think of a time when NBC crews were at the track for the Pennsylvania Derby card. Maximum Security, Improbable and War of Will are likely to run in the 40th edition which is a $1,000,000 race.

Live broadcast of the Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion Stakes starts at 5:00 pm ET on Saturday and lasts about an hour.

UPDATE that Maximum Security has colic and will not run.Hopefully the horse recovers. A very tough break for Parx.

The revised line released by Parx oddsmaker John DaSilva since the defection of Maximum Security.

1. Math Wizard (6-1)
2. Improbable (8-5)
3. Shanghai Superfly (30-1)
4. War of Will (4-1)
5. Spun to Run (8-1)
6. Mr. Money (2-1)

There are nine graded stakes in North America on Saturday (8) and Sunday (1):

Graded stakes races this Saturday:

Belmont: 2 and 3
Charles Town: 3
Laurel: 3 and 3
Parx: 1, 1 and 2​

Graded stakes this Sunday:

Belmont: 2​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Keeneland sales: Into Mischief has sired 66 horses purchased at the important sales this month. American Pharoah is next on the list at 51. However, $23.8 million has been spent on American Pharoah offspring compared to $23.3 for Into Mischief. In third place is Curlin offspring with $22m+ sold.

In total, 1,309 horses have been sold for $314,829,500.

======================================
September 17, 2019

Presque Isle Downs (Erie, PA):

• Race 6: Hot Shot Anna (Antonio Gallardo/Hugh Robertson) won the Grade 2 $400,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes. The 5-year-old mare improved to 22 10-6-1 and has won seven of her last eight starts including this race the last two years. She is 4 4-0-0 at Presque Isle. The Illinois-based trainer is the father to McLean Robertson who won the Canterbury (Minnesota) meet this year. Talk Veuve To Me (Jose Ortiz/Rodolphe Brisset) came in second.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wow! Grab the popcorn, this just became interesting...

“Is Churchill Downs even a horse racing enterprise anymore?” McCauley asked Petrillo.​

Illinois Racing Board delays assigning 2020 dates, puts pressure on Arlington to operate casino

CHICAGO – The Illinois Racing Board declined to issue a 2020 Illinois racing schedule during its annual dates award meeting Tuesday, voting unanimously to reconvene Tuesday, Sept. 24 after giving Churchill Downs Inc. an opportunity to reconsider the possibility of turning Arlington International Racecourse into a racino.

CDI in late August announced it wouldn’t apply for a license to operate a casino at Arlington despite having sought such a chance for years, and the IRB, with commissioner Thomas McCauley at the vanguard, came down hard on that position.

CDI in an August news release and Arlington president Tony Petrillo on Tuesday said the conditions under which Arlington would operate a casino weren’t financially favorable enough to go forward. But McCauley chastened Petrillo for what he said was CDI’s attempt to pressure the Illinois legislature to alter those terms.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Now comes word that Belmont (NYRA) is seeking to finish its scheduled meet at the track rather than switch mid-stream to Aqueduct. Also, the post times could revert to 1:00 pm ET from the recent midweek change to 3:00 pm. This was done to accommodate the development project associated with the hockey arena. Horsemen have let it known that the construction and related activities has not affected racing and training as much as anticipated. The NY Gaming Commission has the ultimate say. The meet ends in late October and Aqueduct conducts late fall/winter racing as the norm.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 18, 2019

• A quiet Wednesday in racing.

Belmont (New York):

• Luis Saez was the star of the day winning with two bombs 16-to-1 and 18-to-1.
• Race 7: Naked Avenger (Luis Saez/Timothy Hills) won the $150,000 feature at 16-to-1. The New York-bred is 2 2-0-0 lifetime. The trainer has been active for what seems like 50 years -- in actuality -- and has over 2,000 victories but this has to be one of his biggest in recent years.

​

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 3: Jeremy Rose in the winner's circle yet again and for Anthony Pecoraro. Quite the team at the meet. Rose is 61 23-11-2 (38%/59%). The top winning percentage among riders with 10+ wins.
• Jockey standings: Alex Cintron (55 wins) leads Carol Cedeno by one win. Trevor McCarthy is third in wins but has the best wining percentage at 27% among the top three.
• Trainer standings: Jamie Ness leads with 25 wins. Anthony Pecoraro is a remarkable 43% 53 23-6-7.
• Closing day: October 5.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Race 1: Charlie Oliveros-Jay Bernardini won the opener for the second straight day.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 19, 2019

Belmont (New York):

• Race 1: A massive tri in the opener which was a hurdles race. The $.50 payout was over $3,000.
• Race 6: Blugrascat's Smile (Rajiv Maragh/Charlton Baker) won at 22-to-1 and snapped a 16-race skid. The 6-year-old last won 18 months ago.
• Back to normal: NYRA and horsemen got their wish from the Gaming Commission which means the meet will conclude at Belmont as originally scheduled and not change to Aqueduct which was announced a few weeks ago. Also, beginning Sept. 25 all weekday racing will start at 1:00 pm ET, revised from the 3:00 pm post recently put into effect to accommodate the concerns over construction and noise, the latter since deemed minimal, surrounding the racetrack. The meet concludes October 27 before Aqueduct takes center stage as scheduled.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Hugh McMahon is 5 4-1-0 the last two days. The trainer was a perfect 3 3-0-0 yesterday at Delaware.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 10: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $17,000. The $.50 Pick 5 was a staggering $263,341.80. The longest shot in the sequence was 13-to-1.
• Rainbow Six: Tomorrow's card will start at $1.6 million.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 3: A very adept finish by Corey Lanerie to pull out a victory.
• Race 5: Two longshots combined for a $2 exacta worth $947.60. The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $19,000.
• Race 8: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $72,000.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Bob Baffert won with one of his two starters. He is 9 5-1-1 since Sept. 6.
• Race 8: Quality Response (Joe Talamo/Bob Baffert) romped as expected in a field of four in winning the $75,000 Phone Chatter Stakes. Quality Response is a 2-year-old filly who is 2 2-0-0 lifetime

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

COTILLION STAKES​

What: Grade I. This serves as a "Win and You're In" to the Breeders' Cup Longines Distaff.
Where: Parx Racing, Bensalem, PA
When: September 21, 2019, Race 10
Time: 5:14 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-old fillies
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $1,000,000
TV: NBC (5:00-6:00 pm ET), TVG (24/7 racing channel).

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Serengeti Empress (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Thomas M. Amoss	7/2
2	Afleet Destiny (KY)	UNKNOWN	117	Uriah St. Lewis	30/1
3	Street Band (KY)	Sophie Doyle	122	J. Larry Jones	8/1
4	Jeltrin (KY)	Leonel Reyes	122	Alexis Delgado	12/1
5	Collegeville Girl (NY)	Angel Castillo	117	Richard Vega	20/1
6	Horologist (NJ)	Luis Saez	122	John F. Mazza	15/1
7	She Makes Me Smile (NY)	Wesley Torres	117	Trevor Gallimore	50/1
8	Guarana (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Chad C. Brown	9/5
9	Sweet Sami D (KY)	Paco Lopez	117	Patrick B. McBurney	20/1
10	Bellafina (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Simon Callaghan	6/1
11	Jaywalk (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	John C. Servis	6/1

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​

[TBODY][TR][TH]

PENNSYLVANIA DERBY​

What: Grade I
Where: Parx Racing, Bensalem, PA
When: September 21, 2019, Race 11
Time: 5:48 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $1,000,000
TV: NBC (5:00-6:00 pm ET), TVG (24/7 racing channel).
History: Inaugurated in 1979.
Note: Maximum Security, who was DQ'd from winning the Kentucky Derby, will not run due to a bout of colic.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Math Wizard (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	117	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	8/1
2	Improbable (KY)	Mike E. Smith	119	Bob Baffert	3/1
3	Shanghai Superfly (KY)	Frankie Pennington	117	Marcos Zulueta	30/1
4	War of Will (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Mark E. Casse	5/1
5	Spun to Run (KY)	Paco Lopez	122	Juan Carlos Guerrero	8/1
6	Mr. Money (KY)	Gabriel Saez	122	W. Bret Calhoun	4/1
7	Maximum Security (KY)	Luis Saez	124	Jason Servis	9/5

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​

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Laurel has a strong card this Saturday. Generally the track has deep fields and this card is no exception. Two Grade 3 races are the highlights but the undercard has excellent handicapping opportunities.

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$33,000	Waiver Maiden Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	10	12:25 PM
Race 2	$40,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	1:00 PM
Race 3	$200,000	Selima S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	7	1:30 PM
Race 4	$42,000	Allowance	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	2:00 PM
Race 5	$200,000	Laurel Futurity	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	9	2:30 PM
Race 6	$150,000	Bald Eagle Derby	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	10	3:00 PM
Race 7	$200,000	Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup S. (Grade 3)	1 Mile	Turf	8	3:30 PM
Race 8	$250,000	Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S. (Grade 3)	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	4:00 PM
Race 9	$100,000	Laurel Dash S.	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	10	4:30 PM
Race 10	$100,000	Sensible Lady Turf Dash S.	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	13	5:00 PM
Race 11	$100,000	Weathervane S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	11	5:30 PM
Race 12	$33,000	Waiver Maiden Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	8	6:00 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 20, 2019

• Dakota Wood, who has been riding about 10 years, recently suffered lung and rib damage. Among the injuries are a collapsed lung, four broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. He is expected back in action in 4-to-6 weeks. He moved his tack to Remington Park (Oklahoma) after Retama Park's (San Antonio, Texas area) meet has closed a few days ago. The 27-year-old Oklahoma native was a bronco and bull rider in rodeos, a welder and a crane operator.

Belmont (New York):

• Post times: This will be the final post time at 3:00 pm ET from how I understand the agreement reached last night.
• Handle: $6.7 million.
• Race 3: Cleon Jones (Irad Ortiz, Jr./jeremiah Englehart) won a 3-way photo finish. Amazin'

​

• Junior Alvarado is due back from wrist injury on September 25.
• Jockey standings: Manny Franco is leading rider with 17 wins.
• Trainer standings: Chad Brown (9 wins) and Todd Pletcher (7 wins) are 1-2. No shock here.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 4: Ashley Castrenze wired the field and nearly repeated victories with the following race when Naughty Thoughts lost by an inch or so. She had three rides.
• Katie Davis finished 3 2-1-0. She is a daughter to ex-jockey Robbie Davis who has three children riding.
• Hugh McMahon is 5 4-1-0 the last two days. The trainer was a perfect 3 3-0-0 yesterday at Delaware.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Paco Lopez had two mounts and won both in consecutive races. He will be riding at Parx (Philadelphia area) tomorrow. He had been riding most of the summer at Monmouth (NJ) but that meet has just a few more racing dates. Next week, he rises in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida. Lopez was suspended multiple times this year by Gulfstream for rough riding, he is known for being one of the most aggressive jockeys in North America.
• Race 9: The $1 super exceeded $29,000. The $.50 Pick 5 was over $9,000. The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $8,000.
• Rainbow Six: The $.20 Pick 6 carryover will start at $1.67 million. It should surpass $2,000,000 tomorrow.

Arlington (Illinois):

• High payouts: the second half of the card produced strong payouts.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $17,000.
• Race 6: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $1,500.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $5,000.
• Race 8: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $12,000.
• Jockey standings: Jose Valdivia, Jr. (99 wins) and Mitchell Murrill (94 wins) are closing in on 100 victories.
• Trainer standings: Fair to say Larry Rivelli will be the leading trainer. His 78 wins is 54 more than his closest challenger.
• Closing day: Tomorrow is the last day of the meet. To all involved: Fix this track! Hawthorne operates October 10 - December 28.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Jockey standings: Julien Leparoux (8 wins) and Corey Lanerie (6 wins), both known for their prowess in Kentucky, have the most wins at the brief meet.
• Trainer standings: It is hard to imagine but no one has more than two wins at this point. Eight trainers have won two apiece.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

CHARLES TOWN (West Virginia)​

Just to give one idea of tomorrow's frantic racing, Jose Ortiz, who rode in New York today, will ride in Philadelphia for 10 races at Parx Saturday afternoon/evening and then head onto Charles Town in West Virginia where he will ride three times into the deep night well past 10:00 pm. That could be 13 rides in about 11 hours of work.

Julian Pimentel is scheduled to ride at five tracks in five days including two (Laurel and Charles Town) today.

Charles Town (West Virginia) racing Saturday night:

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$11,000	Claiming	4 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	5:00 PM
Race 2	$27,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	11	5:29 PM
Race 3	$35,000	Last Enchantment S.	4 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	7	5:58 PM
Race 4	$50,000	Rachel's Turn S.	4 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	7	6:27 PM
Race 5	$50,000	Henry Mercer Memorial S.	4 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	7	6:56 PM
Race 6	$50,000	Sadie Hawkins S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	8	7:24 PM
Race 7	$28,000	Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	10	8:00 PM
Race 8	$50,000	Frank Gall Memorial S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	8	8:35 PM
Race 9	$75,000	Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	9	9:10 PM
Race 10	$100,000	Dickie Moore S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	8	9:40 PM
Race 11	$300,000	Charles Town Oaks	7 Furlongs	Dirt	10	10:15 PM
Race 12	$28,000	Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	14	10:45 PM

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[GKJ]

Attendance looks down from the last time I went a couple years ago, just by looking at that wide angle.

 

[GKJ]

Oh boy, what a strange race. 49:2 half mile and deep closer Math Wizard still scores at 30/1. Saffie Joseph in tears, you’d never know this is Parx. Favorites in these two races are often dead bets.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 21, 2019

• Changes: What is it lately with riders picking up assignments and winning with bombs?!
• Riders: Many riders were on unfamiliar turf today. Made for a different handicapping experience.
• Laurel: A big day but the posts went off against either Philly or New York seemingly each race especially early in the day. That is a no-no. Someone should have balked for the sake of the bettors.
• Todd Pletcher had horses entered in three tracks (Gulfstream, Parx and Belmont) and won at each. He ended the day 12 4-3-1.
• Jose Ortiz won at 1:30 pm (post time) at Philly and then at 9:45 pm ET (post time) in West Virginia. Think about that for a moment!

Belmont (New York):

• Race 11: Cirque (Pablo Fragoso/Bob Dunham) won as the longest shot on the board in a field of 12 at 64-to-1. The winner paid $131.50. The $2 exacta was a stunning $2,833. The $2 tri was over $16,000. The $.10 super was $11,000+.... or $115,000+ for $1. The $1 Pick 3 was over $7,000. The $.50 Pick 4 over $10,000. The $2 Pick 5 returned over $175,000. The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $38,000. Dunham, the trainer, turned 80 years old a year or so ago. And as I always say about New York finales, anything can happen. An incredible end to the day!
• Race 10: Pat On the Back (Dylan Davis/Jeremiah Englehart) won the Grade 2 $300,000 Kelso Handicap. The 5-year-old was the only New York-bred in the race and was out for the 26th time.
• Race 8: Significant Form (John Velazquez/Chad Brown) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Noble Damsel. Brown finished 1-2 in a stakes race for the third time this meet. Velazquez tied Jerry Bailey's record for most graded stakes win in a career at 660.

660​

• Race 7: Chad Brown finished 1-2 and repeated that finish in the next race.
• Summary: With many riders elsewhere, it was a day for some to shine. John Velazquez (3 wins), Dylan Davis (3 wins) and Joe Bravo (2 wins) combined to win 8 of the 11 races.
• Javier Castellano, one of the few stars who remained in New York, was a dismal 7 0-2-1.
• Handle: $10.5 million.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 11: Math Wizard (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Saffie Joseph) shocked the crowd with a $64.20 win in the $1,000,000 Grade I Pennsylvania Derby. Ortiz picked up the ride from Edgard Zayas who stayed home at Gulfstream where the Barbados-born trainer is based. The all-$1,000,000 daily double paid $578.60. Ortiz, who is the winningest jockey in North America this year and who won the 2018 Eclipse Award for best Jockey in North America, was elated.

​

• Race 10: Street Band (Sophie Doyle/Larry Jones) pulled a minor stunner- to some, ahem - in winning the $1,000,000 Cotillion at 7-to-1. Guarana (Jose Ortiz/Chad Brown) finished second as the favorite and suffered defeat for the first time. Jones, aka the Cowboy and aka the Ladies' Man, proved once again his mastery of fillies and Street Band improved to 12 5-0-3. Doyle was given an opportunity and she proved her mettle in winning a Grade I for the first time. She is winning at only 9% this year but delivered on the big platform. They are invited to the Breeders' Cup as this was a "Win and You're In" race for the Longines Distaff.

​

• Race 9: King Jack (Joel Rosario/Jerry Hollendorfer) won the $300,000 Grade 2 Gallant Bob. Landeskog (Abel Cedillo/Doug O'Neill), owned by Colorado Avalanche player Erik Johnson, was caught and finished second. Two late scratches at the gate delayed the start.
• Race 2: Independence Hall (Joel Rosario/Michael Trombetta) won as a first-time starter. How do you not bet Independence Hall at Philly and when sired by Constitution?!

• Joel Rosario won early which means...he will repeat and he did. Two wins on four mounts.
• Paco Lopez, who was 2-for-2 at Gulfstream yesterday, won three times including once as a replacement for Mike Smith at 5-to-1.
• Handle: Approximately $9,000,000.
• Card: Seven races worth $100,000+ including two at $1,000,000.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Card: Eight races with purses $100,000 or more. Excellent day of racing for the most underrated track in America.
• Race 8: Killybegs Captain (Eric Cancel/John Terranova) ended a 6-race skid and won the Grade 3 $250,000 DeFrancis Dash.
• Race 7: Caribou Club (Fergal Lynch/Thomas Proctor) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Baltimore/Washington International. The 5-year-old Florida-bred loves Laurel and is now 4 3-1-0 there in 21 lifetime races. Caribou Club set a new track record in completing a mile over a firm turf in 1:33.35.

Charles Town (West Virginia):

• Race 9: Yorkiepoo Princess (Jose Ortiz/Claudio Gonzalez) won the $75,000 race and snapped a 7-race losing skid. Ortiz won eight hours earlier at Parx.
• Race 10: Colby (Jose Ortiz/John Servis), a 2-year-old filly out for the third time, won the $100,000 Dickie Moore. Ortiz won his first two starts on this card after riding much of the day in Philly.
• Race 11: Lady T N T (J.D. Acosta/Joe Sharp), who was also entered on Laurel's card, won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks and paid $76.40 at 37-to-1. The 3-year-old filly ended a 6-race losing streak. The $2 exacta returned $277,40.

​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Rainbow Six: Exceeded $2,000,000. The carryover is in excess of $1.7 million.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 10: Covfefe (Shaun Bridgmohan/Brad Cox) was the runaway winner at 1-to-5 in the $125,000 feature. The 3-year-old filly is 7 5-0-1 and should have an even brighter future. Next could be a Breeders' Cup race.
• Race 7: Odds atop the ticket: 37-to-1, 23-1, 42-1 and 3-2. The $.50 tri was a remarkable $12,992.35. The $2 exacta was $1,073.60. The $.10 super paid over $17,000.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Rafael Bejarano-Doug O'Neill combined to win twice. No other jockey or trainer won more than once.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Rafael Hernandez and Eurico Da Silva both won three times.
• Patrick Husbands rode winners in both stakes races.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Attendance looks down from the last time I went a couple years ago, just by looking at that wide angle.

I don't know about attendance but all-source handle was a shade under $9 million. I am guessing that is a top five mark in track history since $10 million has been reached just once (2014).

 

[GKJ]

It’s free to get in, at least it was 2 years ago. I could walk from my car and be on the rail in about 5 minutes. When Chrome was there, it was packed all the way up that rail up to where the fence starts.