Horse Racing: Baffert's $3.2 million colt wins debut at Churchill; Laurel, Churchill and Gulfstream Park's opener with late morning posts on Thanksgiving

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Gun Party is a $1.7 million purchase. Second-time-out on Fair Grounds' Saturday card.

RACE 8 POST TIME - 4:15 PM CT​

PP (RACE 8)


Exacta / $0.50 Trifecta / $0.10 Superfecta / $0.50 Pick 3 (Races 8-10) Daily Double
Fair Grounds MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT
Purse $57,000. One And One Sixteenth Miles. (Includes $5,000 – Other Sources) (Plus $4,000 – ALBSS-Accredited LA Bred Slot Supplement). For Maidens, Three Years Old. Weight, 122 Lbs. (Preference To Horses That Have Not Started For Less Than $50,000 In Their Last 3 Starts).

P#	PP	Horse	A/S	Jockey	Trainer	M/L
1	1	Gun Party (KY)	3/C	E Morales	S M Asmussen	5/2
2	2	Patriarchal (KY)	3/C	J A Torres	A M Stall, Jr.	8/1
3	3	Cascade Cruiser (KY)	3/G	J Loveberry	L J Roussel, III	12/1
4	4	On My Honor (KY)	3/C	M Pedroza, Jr.	G D Foley	15/1
5	5	Falcon Quest (KY)	3/C	D Cohen	M Simms, Jr.	20/1
6	6	Elephants Ear (KY)	3/C	B J Hernandez, Jr.	K G McPeek	8/1
7	7	Kissthemoon (KY)	3/G	B Curtis	N L Pessin	15/1
8	8	Air It Out (KY)	3/C	C J Lanerie	J K Desormeaux	5/1
9	9	Cornishman (KY)	3/C	F Geroux	B H Cox	8/5

Owners: 1 - Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Goncalo B. Torrealba) and Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC (Ron Winchell) ; 2 - Hiram C. Polk, Jr. and Susan Galandiuk ; 3 - Louie Roussel, III and Ronald Lamarque ; 4 - West Point Thoroughbreds, LLC (Terrence Finley), Larry Craig and Y Not Stables, LLC (Larry Craig) ; 5 - Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) ; 6 - Fern Circle Stables (Paul Fireman) and Three Chimneys Farm, LLC (Goncalo Torrealba) ; 7 - Anthony Spinazzola ; 8 - Don't Tell My Wife Stables 2022, LLC (Kirk Godby) ; 9 - Godolphin, LLC (Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum)
Breeders: 1 - Three Chimneys Farm, LLC & Hill 'n'Dale Equine Holdings, Inc.; 2 - Dr. Hiram C. Polk & Dr. Susan Galandiuk; 3 - Nursery Place & Partners; 4 - Black Rock Thoroughbreds LLLP; 5 - Calumet Farm; 6 - William Humphries & Altair Farms LLC; 7 - Mike Heitzmann, Jeff Prunzik & JuanPiedra; 8 - Foxpointe Thoroughbreds; 9 - Godolphin
Pedigrees (Sire - Dam, by Dam Sire): 1 - Curlin - Carina Mia , by Malibu Moon ; 2 - Catholic Boy - Happy Motoring , by Harlan's Holiday ; 3 - Catalina Cruiser - Starstream , by Awesome Again ; 4 - Honor Code - Southern Classic , by Southern Image ; 5 - Honor Code - Falconry , by Unbridled's Song ; 6 - Vino Rosso - Sunbury , by Speightstown ; 7 - Malibu Moon - Kissin Kim , by Yes It's True ; 8 - Tiznow - Singing Hills , by Super Saver ; 9 - Curlin - Penwith , by Bernardini ;

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tampa Bay Downs is now seeking an independent review into the matter.

Tampa Bay handled about $12 million prior to the failure. Many tracks hurt this past weekend due to the power failure. Night tracks were hurt significantly.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

With the latest news from Ilinois regarding the Chicago Bears seemingly leaning towards the city rather than Arlington for their future home, more so disheartening that beautiful racetrack has been demolished.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Here we are on Tuesday and while the technical matter was solved by early Sunday morning, the existence of "why" is yet to be determined. There has been at least one report that stated the outage wasn't limited to horse racing. A system failure that touched other avenues.

Rules mandated 'all' paid out for Tampa Bay Derby in multi-race wagers

Races that are declared non-wagering events are required to be treated as “all” bets in multi-race wagers, officials with knowledge of bet-processing rules said Monday.

www.drf.com

The communications link between AmTote and Tampa was provided by Roberts Communication Network, a longtime data-services supplier for bet-processing companies in the United States. On Sunday, Roberts and the parent company of AmTote, 1/ST Racing, issued a joint statement contending that the outage occurred due to a loss of connectivity on both its main communications link and its back-up link to Tampa.​

​

Broadband connectivity is provided to Roberts by a company called Lumen, according to Todd Roberts, the founder and president of RCN. The connectivity contract with Lumen includes two links over separate lines and technologies to maintain redundancy in case one of the links goes down, Roberts said.​

​

In the Saturday incident, both of the links went down at the same time. The links were contained within the same building, Roberts said, but “were not on common paths, and they weren’t on common equipment.”​

​

Although Roberts said he has not yet received an official “reason-for-outage report” from Lumen, he said that the outage had nothing to do with the equipment or services used by either RCN or AmTote.​

​

“We know it was a hardware failure on [Lumen’s] part, but that’s all we know right now,” Roberts said.​

​

Although it’s extremely rare for both links to go down simultaneously, Roberts said bet-processing companies have been able to work around a simultaneous outage in the past by re-routing the data to another in-house network at the wagering site. That workaround was used for other tracks that also were affected by the Saturday outage, Roberts said, leading to delays on the order of 15 or 20 minutes until the data links could be re-routed.​

​

Officials also attempted to re-route the data to Tampa, but both of the track’s in-house networks – maintained by Comcast and Time-Warner – also were out, Roberts said, leading him to believe that the connectivity for those networks also was provided by Lumen.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Breeders' Cup Classic purse has been increased to $7,000,000 following an announcement today.

Some of the world's biggest purses:

• The Saudi Cup -- $20 million
• The Everest in Australia -- $13 million (but entrants put up a share)
• The Dubai World Cup -- $12 million
• The Japan Cup -- $7.4 million
• The Breeders' Cup Classic -- $7 million
• The Melbourne Cup in Australia -- $5.5 million (approx.).
• The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France -- $5.4 million (approx).
• The Kentucky Derby -- $5 million

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A 2-year-old son to Tapit was sold at the Florida sale for $1.2 million. A major sale ongoing in Ocala. Tapit remains a powerful stallion.

A Not This Time colt sold for $1.5 million the following day.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, March 15, 2024

• Junior Alvarado won the George Woolf Award, selected annually by jockeys for character among other qualities. Quite the year for Junior. Most deserving. Too bad the national media doesn't pick up stories like Cody's Wish or that fantastic race in Saudi Arabia with Senor Buscador winning the world's largest purse in a tremendous rush to the line.

Laurel (Maryland):

• NEWS: One step closer to the consolidation of racing at Maryland's two major facilities as the proposal entered the state's legislature yesterday. It looks as if the state of Maryland will accentuate the aging Pimlico in Baltimore to as much as $400,000 (state bonds) in renovations after a purchase from The Stronach Group which also possesses Laurel, the latter eventually to be redeveloped to interests not associated with horse racing. Laurel will probably host the Preakness in 2025 and 2026 while Pimlico is modernized. Sad to lose Laurel but we have been down this road too many times and with higher profiled tracks. Laurel holds plenty of personal good memories.

• Brittany Russell did today what Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher, arguably the two most successful trainers of the past 25 or so years, respectively, couldn't do with two horses today: win! I couldn't resist.
• Race 1: Magical Monarch (Jaime Rodriguez/Jamie Ness) romped to his third straight win, by more than nine lengths, in what was a short price but an absolute steal.

​

• Race 2: Good race and finish but unfortunately, the 1 placed by a nose.

​

• Race 5: Riley G (Jevian Toledo/Brittany Russell) finally broke her maiden, in her sixth try. I had high hopes for this filly, a $625,000 purchase who was once under the attention of Bob Baffert in California.

​

• Race 8: Overly Dramatic (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell), a $300,000 purchase once under the care of Todd Pletcher, broke her maiden in her third try.

​

​

• Race 9: No More Mask (Christian Maldonado/Jose Corrales) gave the 10-pound bug rider his first career win in the U.S.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $7.6 million.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: Exceeded $6.5 million.n September 11 onward.

​

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, March 16, 2024

• Steve Asmussen sent out 18 horses across America and seven returned winners. Asmussen finished 18 7-2-3.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 5: Edester (Jevian Toledo/Brittany Russell) broke her maiden in her second try. The 3-year-old Mosler filly is not only a rare horse owned by the trainer's BTR Racing Inc. but she is also named for Brittany's daughter Edy. Great stuff! The Russell hubby-wife team are a feelgood story. The trainer is 10 4-0-3 the past three days at Laurel.

​

​

​

​

​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 6: Staggering numbers when a 50-to-1 and 30-to-1 finished 1-2. The $.10 super returned over $10,000.

​

• Race 12: One of the best finishes of the day anywhere. The winner was sixth in the stretch.

​

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $8.8 million.
• Race 9: Jacon Traveler (Flavien Prat/Steve Asmussen) won the $250,000 Grade 3 Whitmore by a nose against a charging Tejano Twist (Chris Landeros/Chris Hartman). A small field after two scratches but nonetheless one of the best races in America today.

​

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 8: The Chosen Vron (Hector Berrios/Eric Kruljak) won the $100,000 Grade 3 San Carlos. The 6-year-old Vronsky gelding is a California sensation and now sports a record of 21 16-1-2 which includes nine wins in 11 tries at Santa Anita. He has won 11 of his past 12 starts. He has raced 20 times within his home start (exception was a race in Arizona). He is a hair away from $1.3 million in lifetime earnings.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Fair Grounds has cancelled Sunday racing (rain).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KENTUCKY DERBY PREPS (March 23) at Turfway and Fair Grounds.

Turfway (KY) hosts the Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday. Point distribution for the top five finishers are 100-50-25-15-10

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• All Weather Track
• $700,000 purse
• 6:25 PM (ET)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Freedom Principle (KY)	Adam Beschizza	123	Jose Garoffalo
2	Dancing Groom (KY)	Lanfranco Dettori	123	Antonio Sano
3	Lucky Jeremy (KY)	Gerardo Corrales	123	William E. Morey
4	Noted (KY)	Luis Saez	123	Todd A. Pletcher
5	Agate Road (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Todd A. Pletcher
6	Northern Flame (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	123	Kenneth G. McPeek
7	Woodcourt (KY)	Luan Machado	123	Cipriano Contreras
8	Otello (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Christophe Clement
9	Seize the Grey (KY)	Nik Juarez	123	D. Wayne Lukas
10	Endlessly (KY)	Umberto Rispoli	123	Michael W. McCarthy
11	Baytown Chatterbox (KY)	Albin Jimenez	123	Paul McEntee
12	West Saratoga (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	123	Larry W. Demeritte
13	Circle P (MD)	Tyler Conner	123	Flint W. Stites
14	Triple Espresso (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Todd A. Pletcher

Full card at Turfway

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	All Weather	11	12:45 PM ET
2	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	All Weather	14	1:13 PM ET
3	$74,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	All Weather	13	1:43 PM ET
4	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	All Weather	14	2:13 PM ET
5	$74,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	All Weather	11	2:43 PM ET
6	$74,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	All Weather	14	3:13 PM ET
7	$250,000	Animal Kingdom S.	6 F	All Weather	10	3:43 PM ET
8	$250,000	Rushaway S.	1 1/16 M	All Weather	14	4:13 PM ET
9	$250,000	Latonia S.	1 1/16 M	All Weather	10	4:43 PM ET
10	$300,000	TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic S.	1 1/8 M	All Weather	12	5:13 PM ET
11	$300,000	Bourbonette Oaks	1 1/16 M	All Weather	10	5:43 PM ET
12	$700,000	Jeff Ruby Steaks	1 1/8 M	All Weather	14	6:25 PM ET
13	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	All Weather	14	7:05 PM ET

Louisiana racing is unparalleled across the state when it comes to releasing cards well in advance. Here is next Saturday's (March 23) card highlighted by The Louisiana Derby which is a Kentucky Derby prep with the following points distributed: 100-50-25-15-10.

• Grade II
• 1 3/16m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000 purse
• 5:42 PM (CT)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Triple Espresso (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Todd A. Pletcher
2	Hall of Fame (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen
3	Antiquarian (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Todd A. Pletcher
4	Agate Road (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Todd A. Pletcher
5	Catching Freedom (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Brad H. Cox
6	Awesome Ruta (KY)	Mitchell Murrill	122	Joseph M. Foster
7	Honor Marie (KY)	Ben Curtis	122	D. Whitworth Beckman
8	Next Level (KY)	Jose Riquelme	122	J. Keith Desormeaux
9	Real Men Violin (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	122	Kenneth G. McPeek
10	Common Defense (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	122	Kenneth G. McPeek
11	Tuscan Gold (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Chad C. Brown
12	Track Phantom (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Steven M. Asmussen

Full card at Fair Grounds

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$75,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	15	12:00 PM CT
2	$100,000	Costa Rising S.	5 1/2 F	Turf	10	12:30 PM CT
3	$125,000	Crescent City Oaks	1 M 70 Y	Dirt	9	1:00 PM CT
4	$75,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	Turf	16	1:30 PM CT
5	$75,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	9	2:00 PM CT
6	$75,000	Allowance	1 M	Turf	16	2:30 PM CT
7	$125,000	Crescent City Derby	1 1/16 M	Dirt	8	3:00 PM CT
8	$150,000	Tom Benson Memorial S.	1 1/16 M	Turf	14	3:32 PM CT
9	$500,000	New Orleans Classic S. Presented by Relyne GI By Hagyard	1 1/8 M	Dirt	10	4:04 PM CT
10	$300,000	Muniz Memorial Classic S. Presented by Horse Racing Nation	1 1/8 M	Turf	13	4:36 PM CT
11	$400,000	Fair Grounds Oaks Presented by Fasig-Tipton	1 1/16 M	Dirt	8	5:08 PM CT
12	$1,000,000	Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby	1 3/16 M	Dirt	12	5:42 PM CT

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, March 17, 2024

• Steve Asmussen won twice today. The winningest trainer in North America history. his enormous stable finished 30 9-5-4 the past two days. He trains mostly in Louisiana-Arkansas-Texas region.
• Brad Cox, another of the so-called Super Trainers. is on a wildly exceptional run going 8 6-1-1 the past three days.
• "What's in a Name?": Ben Franklin and Tom Seaver, in these instances racehorses, both won. Tom Seaver, who is throwing a perfect game and is now 2-for-2, is owned by Californian Nick Alexander who has a history of naming horses after baseball players.
• Improbable, an Eclipse Award who won three Grade I stakes among seven lifetime wins and $2.7 million earned, fell and broke his tibia in a stall and was humanely euthanized. Improbable was retired since 2020.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Handle: $4.7 million.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Handle: $2.5 million.
• Brittany Russell trained two horses and both were victorious including one that paid $7.20 which is hitting the lottery with her figures. The past four days at Laurel. she is 12 6-0-3. Russell leads all trainers at the meet with 23 victories and her win percentage is now at 30%.
• Race 8: Be Better (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) teamed just once today and the result was nothing short of extraordinary. Be Better broke last and had to be more than 13 lengths back of the leader, still in 9th at the half mile, and flew like the wind to capture the 1 1/16 mile win.

​

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Jay Bernardini's streak of races won was halted at a remarkable seven in succession. Bernardini last loss on March 6 and that included a 3-for-3 day on March 11. He is one of the best conditioners to come from the now shuttered New England circuit and currently trains mostly in Ohio and West Virginia. He is succeeding at a 27% clip this year which would be his best season since he took out his license in 1988.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $10.1 million.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times on board five mounts.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Canceled: Announced on Saturday (yesterday), due to rain.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $6.5 million. What a track! Deep fields and sizeable purses.
• Axel Concepcion, Eclipse Award winning Apprentice Jockey of the Year for 2023, had two mounts and both won. He rode for Brad Cox who was also a perfect 2 2-0-0 today.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 4: Gavea (Antonio Fresu/Juan Landeros) won by a gigantic 16 1/2 lengths. Oddly, there is another Gavea running in the USA as recently as last year but that filly was foaled in Germany and names can be duplicated outside North America. Landeros, the trainer, won for the first time with his second starter. He is an assistant to suspended trainer Dan Blacker.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sad news from Maryland, 45-year-old trainer David Howard passed away moments after winning a race on Friday in which he was in the winner's circle. Howard succumbed to a heart attack. He was in his fourth year of training and had 28 lifetime wins.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thielen, a $1.75 million Curlin colt, will make his debut at Laurel on Friday, For Maryland, that is a staggering figure. The horse is under the care of Brittany Russell's barn and she has Victor Carrasco riding, an interesting choice in that it isn't her husband Sheldon or Jevian Toledo (same agents). She goes with Angel Cruz, too, occasionally. I don't recall Carrasco on board her horses lately. Horses making debuts in the 1-hole can act oddly as races can be lost at the break.

Multiple owners form a partnership including Don Rachel from Minnesota and CHP which seems to have ties to Chad Brown. Todd Pletcher makes a rare Laurel appearance. Brittany is going places! Good luck to all.

PP	Horse	A/S	Med	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Thielen (KY)	3/C	L1	V R Carrasco	124	B T Russell
2	Carolo Rapido (KY)	3/C	L	M J Sanchez	124	T A Pletcher
3	Vilaluz (KY)	3/C	L	J Torrealba	1195	J Corrales
4	No Foolin Mo (NY)	3/G	L1	J Barbosa	124	H A Smith
5	Intrepid's Legacy (MD)	3/C	L	J Rodriguez	124	G Capuano
6	Work Hard (VA)	3/G	L	J Barbosa	124	G Capuano
7	Without Pretence (KY)	3/C	L		124	R P Klesaris

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Penn Gaming, owners of many establishments, has stated an active interest in returning T-bred racing to Austin (TX). Currently Lone Star (Dallas area) and Sam Houston (Houston area) operate but nothing on a grand scale except an occasional card that attracts national interests.

Texas racing was hoping to get a boost from hosting the Breeders Cup 20 years ago. But with the lack of a support system similar to neighboring states Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, etc., Texas racing has been hurt. With the current conflict between the state and HISA (feds), Texas has not shipped simulcast signals to other US states for the past year or so.

Austin had a track close a few years ago. Land acquisition would be elsewhere, not the former Manor.

San Antonio has a small QH track and is the third track in the state. Three is also an annual. county fair.

Depending on legislature and a potential.vote on sports betting/casinos, Penn's plans would be to open a track by 2030 with gaming allowed prior.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

There are many factors that go into these statistics but that percentage for Flavien Prat is gigantic.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And now the Stronach Group is making veiled references to selling Santa Anita if northern California receives a significant portion of simulcast revenue. That could be decided at a meeting tomorrow with the request by the fairs of Northern Cal in essence to replace Golden Gate which Stronach is closing permanently this year.

Frank, the old man, and his daughter Belinda had a contentious legal matter about five years ago as to determine who controlled the company and he stated she could sell the real estate/track properties. Since then, she controls racing and gaming interest as president (his side breeding) and now Stronach will stop racing at Golden Gate and eventually Laurel (MD), will sell Pimlico (MD) to the state of Maryland and now threatening with Santa Anita. That would leave their playpen in Miami. All bets are off, excuse the pun.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Snow in the southeast part of New York state currently. Monticello harness is experiencing white-out conditions in terms of viewing but accumulation seems limited.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Fair Grounds enters its final week of the meet. The Louisiana Derby is one of the most important Kentucky Derby preps but there is an outstanding battle for rider supremacy ongoing.

Jareth Loveberry, who rode Two Phils to a second place finish in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, has 49 wins.

Jose Guerrero, a rare rider from Mexico and who is in his mid-20s, also has 48 victories. Bragging rights on the line.

Corey Lanerie, the well-established veteran, also has 48 wins. The last race of the meet, on Sunday, is named after his wife Shantel who passed away from cancer a few years ago at a tender young age

Shane Wilson, who trains mostly at Louisiana Downs and who pairs with Jose Guerrero often, is the runaway leader among trainers.

UPDATE ENTERING FRIDAY:

Jockey	Wins
Loveberry	50
Lanerie	48
Guerrero	48

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

New York canceled Saturday's race card and transferred it to Sunday.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Northern Cal seems one step closer to receiving at least a large chunk of their desire. This won't sit well with the team at Stronach. And now with volume...

California Horse Racing Board unanimously approves dates for 10-week season at Pleasanton

The California Horse Racing Board voted 6-0 on Thursday to allocate racing dates for a season beginning in October at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton that will serve as a replacement for Golden Gate Fields, which is scheduled to close in June.

www.drf.com

The California Horse Racing Board voted 6-0 on Thursday to allocate racing dates for a 10-week season beginning in October at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton that will serve as a replacement for Golden Gate Fields, which is scheduled to close in June.​

​

The dates allocation is the first stage of an approval process. Organizers of the proposed race meeting must submit a detailed license application to the racing board later this year, most likely in August, before receiving full accreditation for a 26-day meeting scheduled from Oct. 19 to Dec. 15.​

​

The Pleasanton meeting, which will be managed by the California Authority of Racing Fairs and called Golden State Racing, is designed to offer continuous racing in Northern California following the county fair circuit in the summer and early fall.​

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

A summary of the 3+-hours meeting held today. By state law, a region -- Northern and Southern -- has to conduct racing in order for simulcast money to stay there. Otherwise, simulcast money shifts to the other region. Southern Cal, consisting mostly of Del Mar and Santa Anita, the latter's owners (Stronach Group) who are redeveloping Golden Gate Fields in the north, hinted or threatened, depending on various perspectives, earlier this week that lack of additional revenue to Santa Anita could be a step towards redeveloping or selling that property. Today, the Group tried to justify that stance in more moderate tones but the meeting was nonetheless contentious.

This is a jigsaw puzzle but pieces constructed could look like this in northern California for the balance of 2024:

• Golden Gate Fields is expected to close permanently by June 11.
• Pleasanton -- built in 1858 -- could race from June 14 - July 7.
• Cal Expo (Sacramento) -- runs about three weeks.
• Sonoma County Fair (Santa Rosa) -- July 31 - August 20.
• Humboldt County Fair (Ferndale) -- August 21 - September 17.
• Big Fresno Fair (Fresno)-- September 18 - October 15.
• Pleasanton (2nd meet for 2024) -- October 19 - December 15 (26 race days).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Laurel has a $1.7 million horse debuting, Santa Anita has a $2.5 million horse debuting.

$2.5 million Metro makes debut in turf sprint

The most expensive yearling purchased at a North American auction in 2022 launches his career Friday at Santa Anita, and though a turf sprint for maidens is not the ultimate objective, it is a good place to start.

www.drf.com

ARCADIA, Calif. – The most expensive yearling purchased at a North American auction in 2022 launches his career Friday at Santa Anita, and though a turf sprint for maidens is not the ultimate objective, it is a good place to start.​

​

Metro, a Quality Road colt whose $2.5 million price tag topped the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale, will be well-backed in the first race Friday at six furlongs on turf. John Sadler trains Metro for owners Talla Racing, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

How are these payouts? Miami Valley (OH) harness today.

Win Place Show - $2 wager payouts​ HN​ Horse​ Driver​ Win​ Place​ Show​ 9​ Blazen River N​ Brett Miller​ 76.00​ 32.60​ 20.80​ 5​ Big Boss Hill​ Josh Sutton​ ​ 15.00​ 8.00​ 6​ Beyond Delight​ Austin Hanners​ ​ ​ 4.60​ Pools:​ $4,637.56​ $1,522.46​ $1,118.72​

​ ​ Exotics shown at min. wager​ Wager Type​ Numbers/Payouts​ Pool​ $2.00 Exacta​ 9/5 $1005.00​ $7,444.26​ $0.50 Trifecta​ 9/5/6 $1355.80​ $8,509.49​ $0.10 Superfecta​ 9/5/6/2 $7475.86​ $9,671.62​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, March 22, 2024

Saratoga (New York):

• Summertime: Arguably the most popular meet in America, certainly a top five. Here is the extensive stakes schedule released today. Reminder the Belmont Stakes will be held there but in a 4-day June festival.

SARATOGA Summer 2024 Meet

DATE	RACE	GRADE	PURSE	RESTRICTIONS	SURFACE	DISTANCE
Thursday, Jul 11	Schuylerville	$175,000.00	F2YO	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Friday, Jul 12	Coronation Cup	$150,000.00	F3YO	Turf	5 1/2
Friday, Jul 12	Wilton	$135,000.00	F3YO	Dirt	1 Mile
Saturday, Jul 13	Diana	I	$500,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	1 1/8
Saturday, Jul 13	Kelso	III	$175,000.00	4&UP	Turf	1 Mile
Saturday, Jul 13	Sanford	III	$175,000.00	2YO	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Sunday, Jul 14	Quick Call Presented by Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation	III	$175,000.00	3YO	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Wednesday, Jul 17	A. P. Smithwick Memorial (Steeplechase)	I	$150,000.00	4&UP	Turf	2 3/8
Wednesday, Jul 17	NYSSS Statue of Liberty Division	$150,000.00	F3YO	Turf	1 Mile
Thursday, Jul 18	NYSSS Cab Calloway Division	$150,000.00	3YO	Turf	1 Mile
Friday, Jul 19	Curlin (R)	$135,000.00	3YO	Dirt	1 1/8
Saturday, Jul 20	Coaching Club American Oaks	I	$500,000.00	F3YO	Dirt	1 1/8
Saturday, Jul 20	Lake George	III	$175,000.00	F3YO	Turf	1 Mile
Sunday, Jul 21	Shuvee	II	$200,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Dirt	1 1/8
Wednesday, Jul 24	Honorable Miss Handicap	II	$200,000.00	F&M 3&UP	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Thursday, Jul 25	Caress	III	$200,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Friday, Jul 26	Amsterdam	II	$200,000.00	3YO	Dirt	6 1/2 Furlongs
Saturday, Jul 27	Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap	I	$350,000.00	3&UP	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Saturday, Jul 27	Jim Dandy	II	$500,000.00	3YO	Dirt	1 1/8
Sunday, Jul 28	Bowling Green	II	$250,000.00	4&UP	Turf	1 3/8
Wednesday, Jul 31	De La Rose (R)	$135,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	1 Mile
Thursday, Aug 01	Glens Falls	II	$250,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	1 1/2
Friday, Aug 02	National Museum of Racing Hall Of Fame	II	$500,000.00	3YO	Turf	1 Mile
Friday, Aug 02	Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational	II	$400,000.00	F3YO	Turf	1 3/16
Saturday, Aug 03	Fasig-Tipton Lure (R)	$135,000.00	4&UP	Turf	1 1/16
Saturday, Aug 03	Test Presented by Ticketmaster	I	$500,000.00	F3YO	Dirt	7 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 03	Troy Stakes	II	$300,000.00	4&UP	Turf	5 1/2
Saturday, Aug 03	Whitney (BC)	I	$1,000,000.00	4&UP	Dirt	1 1/8
Saturday, Aug 03	Saratoga Derby Invitational	I	$600,000.00	3YO	Turf	1 3/16
Sunday, Aug 04	Adirondack	III	$200,000.00	F2YO	Dirt	6 1/2 Furlongs
Sunday, Aug 04	Birdstone	$150,000.00	4&UP	Dirt	1 3/4
Wednesday, Aug 07	Johnstone Mile (NYB)	$125,000.00	F&M 3&UP	Dirt	1 Mile
Thursday, Aug 08	John Morrissey Handicap (NYB)	$125,000.00	3&UP	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Friday, Aug 09	Evan Shipman Handicap (NYB)	$125,000.00	3&UP	Dirt	1 Mile
Friday, Aug 09	Union Avenue Handicap (NYB)	$125,000.00	F&M 3&UP	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 10	Fourstardave Handicap (BC)	I	$500,000.00	3&UP	Turf	1 Mile
Saturday, Aug 10	Saratoga Special	II	$200,000.00	2YO	Dirt	6 1/2 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 10	Galway	$150,000.00	F3YO	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Sunday, Aug 11	Mahony	$150,000.00	3YO	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Wednesday, Aug 14	Jonathan Sheppard (Steeplechase)	I	$150,000.00	4&UP	Turf	2 3/8
Wednesday, Aug 14	Suzie O'Cain (NYB)	$125,000.00	F3YO	Turf	1 1/16
Thursday, Aug 15	Rick Violette (NYB)	$125,000.00	3YO	Turf	1 1/16
Friday, Aug 16	Skidmore	$150,000.00	2YO	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 17	Alabama	I	$600,000.00	F3YO	Dirt	1 1/4
Saturday, Aug 17	Lake Placid	II	$200,000.00	F3YO	Turf	1 1/16
Sunday, Aug 18	Bolton Landing	$150,000.00	F2YO	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Wednesday, Aug 21	John's Call (R)	$135,000.00	4&UP	Turf	1 5/8
Thursday, Aug 22	Ballston Spa	II	$300,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	1 1/16
Friday, Aug 23	Personal Ensign	I	$500,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Dirt	1 1/8
Friday, Aug 23	Smart N Fancy	$150,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 24	Ballerina (BC)	I	$500,000.00	F&M 3&UP	Dirt	7 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 24	Forego	I	$500,000.00	4&UP	Dirt	7 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 24	H. Allen Jerkens Memorial	I	$500,000.00	3YO	Dirt	7 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 24	Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer (BC)	I	$750,000.00	3&UP	Turf	1 1/2
Saturday, Aug 24	Travers	I	$1,250,000.00	3YO	Dirt	1 1/4
Sunday, Aug 25	Albany (NYB)	$250,000.00	3YO	Dirt	1 1/8
Sunday, Aug 25	Fleet Indian (NYB)	$200,000.00	F3YO	Dirt	1 1/8
Sunday, Aug 25	Funny Cide (NYB) Presented by Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital	$200,000.00	2YO	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Sunday, Aug 25	Seeking the Ante (NYB)	$200,000.00	F2YO	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Sunday, Aug 25	West Point (NYB) Presented by Trustco Bank	$200,000.00	3&UP	Turf	1 1/16
Sunday, Aug 25	Yaddo Handicap (NYB)	$200,000.00	F&M 3&UP	Turf	1 1/16
Wednesday, Aug 28	P. G. Johnson	$150,000.00	F2YO	Turf	1 1/16
Thursday, Aug 29	With Anticipation	III	$175,000.00	2YO	Turf	1 1/16
Friday, Aug 30	Saranac	III	$175,000.00	3YO	Turf	1 1/16
Saturday, Aug 31	Flower Bowl (BC)	II	$500,000.00	F&M 4&UP	Turf	1 3/8
Saturday, Aug 31	Prioress	III	$200,000.00	F3YO	Dirt	6 Furlongs
Saturday, Aug 31	Spinaway (BC)	I	$300,000.00	F2YO	Dirt	7 Furlongs
Sunday, Sep 01	Bernard Baruch Handicap	$150,000.00	4&UP	Turf	1 1/16
Sunday, Sep 01	Jockey Club Gold Cup (BC)	I	$1,000,000.00	3&UP	Dirt	1 1/4
Monday, Sep 02	Harvey Pack	$150,000.00	4&UP	Turf	5 1/2 Furlongs
Monday, Sep 02	Hopeful	I	$300,000.00	2YO	Dirt	7 Furlongs

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 3: Thielen (Victor Carrasco/Brittany Russell), the $1.7 purchase, was a flop. He never made any effort and trailed the field the entire way. He was the only first-time starter and cold on the board at 4-to-1. Russell had a rare off-day, not hitting the board with all four starters. Others have asked if this was the most expensive purchase to debut at Laurel.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Opening Day Announced: The current meet, the biggest in the state, ends March 31. The following meet starts April 4.
• Edgard Zayas, the meet's fifth winningest rider, had three victories on board four mounts.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Closing Weekend: Jareth Loveberry (50 wins), Corey Lanerie (48) and Jose Guerrero (48) are battling for meet leader among all riders.
• Saturday's Weather: High in the 70s and sunshine per a weather forecast. Tomorrow is the state's biggest racing day of the year.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Florida Derby (Mar. 30) has been drawn. The next two weekends are enormous for Kentucky Derby preps.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, March 23, 2024

• Brad Cox had a brilliant day going 14 6-3-1 but more significantly won three graded stakes worth $2,000,000 in purses. Wow!
• Steve Asmussen, who likely possesses the biggest stable in the US, struggled to a 23 2-6-1 day but did have one important victory.
• Todd Pletcher, among the biggest names in the sport, was an unthinkable 9 0-0-0 today across four tracks.

Aqueduct + Saratoga harness (New York):

• Canceled: Heavy rain in New York.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $9 million.
• Race 2: A race that caught my attention early in the A.M. due to some high-priced young talent but the result was something spectacular. The result was topped by 17-to-1, 39-to-1, 50-to-1 and 105-to-1 shots and the resulting $.10 superfecta returned $25,500+ while the $.50 tri garnered over $6,400. Certainly not the expected.
• Chad Brown sent out three horses today and none won. He is at a shocking 11% this meet.

Turfway (Kentucky):

• Handle: Not released since Churchill Downs (properties) does not provide that info through Equibase.
• Favorites: Won just twice on a 12-race card.
• Repeat Winners: Jose Ortiz (3) and Luis Saez (2) with rare appearances at the facility.
• Michael McCarthy sent out two horses and both returned as winners.
• Race 10: Cellist (Luis Saez/Rusty Arnold) won the $300,000 Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes.

​

• Race 11: Everland (Abel Cedillo/Eric Foster) won the $300,000 Bourbonette Oaks and with it 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Oaks. Kudos to a local track handicapper who nailed the race at 11-to-1.

​

• Race 12: Endlessly (Umberto Rispoli/Michael McCarthy) won the $700,000 Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks and with it gained 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby. The race is run on synthetic. Despite the win, McCarthy stated afterwards the connections would point to another race on the Kentucky Derby card but not the feature race.

​

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Handle: Not released since Churchill Downs (properties) does not provide that info through Equibase.
• Walkin' To New Orleans: Fats Domino blasting on the simulcast feed made for a fun interruption of the race day.
• Favorites: Won just three times on a 12-race card.
• No Repeat Winning Riders: 12 races, 12 different jockeys won.
• Repeat Winning Trainers: Chad Brown, Brad Cox and Dallas Stewart with two apiece.
• Race 9: Red Route One (Joel Rosario/Steve Asmussen) won the Grade 2 $500,000 New Orleans Classic.
• Race 10: I'm Very Busy (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad Brown) won the Grade 2 $300,000 Muniz Memorial.
• Race 11: Tarifa (Flavien Prat/Brad Cox) won the $400,000 Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks and with the win received 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Oaks. This Bernardini filly is someone to watch.

​

• Race 12: Catching Freedom (Flavien Prat/Brad Cox) won the $1,000,000 Grade 2 Louisiana Derby and with the win received 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby.

​

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: Over $7 million.
• Florent Geroux rode three winners, all for Brad Cox.
• Brad Cox was stellar winning four times with six horses sent out.
• Race 9: First Mission (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the $600,000 Grade 3 Essex Stakes.

Santa Anita (California):

• Handle: $7 million+ and that is not a good showing for a southern Cal track on a Saturday. Wake up California, before its too late.
• Race 7: Missed the Cut (Antonio Fresu/John Sadler) won the $100,000 Grade 3 San Luis Rey.