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]

DUBAI WORLD CUP AND UAE DERBY

Dubai is eight hours ahead of ET

Race #	Purse	Race	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
1	$1,000,000		1 1/4 m	Dirt	13	7:30 AM
2	$1,000,000		1 m	Dirt	13	8:05 AM
3	$1,000,000		2 m	Turf	16	8:40 AM
4	$1,500,000		6 f	Turf	12	9:15 AM
5	$1,000,000	UAE Derby (Ky. Derby prep)	1 3/16 m	Dirt	13	9:50 AM
6	$2,000,000		6 f	Dirt	14	10:25 AM
7	$5,000,000		1 1/8 m	Turf	16	11:10 AM
8	$6,000,000		1 1/2 m	Turf	12	12:00 PM
9	$12,000,000	Dubai World Cup (second largest purse in the world)	1 1/4 m	Dirt	12	12:35 PM

US -based jockeys who are scheduled to ride are Dylan Davis, Luis Saez, Junior Alvarado and Frankie Dettori. Trainers include Todd Fischer, Bob Buffett, Todd Pletcher and Chad Summers.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

ARKANSAS DERBY

Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn is worth 200 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby including 100 points to the winner. Oaklawn has become one of America's most attractive race tracks and certainly among the most important Ky. Derby routes. Some of the biggest names in the business have been festive the past few years as Brad Cox, Steve Asmussen, Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert have won 11 of the past 13. American Pharoah is the most recent winner in this race to claim the Run for the Roses but that was in 2015.

The purse is $1,500,000.

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$150,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 M	Dirt	7	12:05 PM CT
2	$120,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 M	Dirt	11	12:36 PM CT
3	$120,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	9	1:08 PM CT
4	$80,000	Claiming	1 M	Dirt	8	1:39 PM CT
5	$120,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	Dirt	8	2:11 PM CT
6	$150,000	Allowance	6 F	Dirt	8	2:45 PM CT
7	$120,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 M	Dirt	10	3:20 PM CT
8	$150,000	Allowance	1 1/16 M	Dirt	12	3:55 PM CT
9	$500,000	Oaklawn Mile S.	1 M	Dirt	8	4:32 PM CT
10	$250,000	Matron S.	6 F	Dirt	10	5:12 PM CT
11	$750,000	Fantasy S.	1 1/16 M	Dirt	12	6:00 PM CT
12	$1,500,000	Arkansas Derby	1 1/8 M	Dirt	10	6:47 PM CT
13	$150,000	Allowance	1 M	Dirt	13	7:24 PM CT

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

FLORIDA DERBY

Florida Derby at Gulfstream is worth 200 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby with the winner receiving 100 points. Todd Pletcher has won this race six of the past 10 years. Recent winners include eventual Kentucky Derby winners Always Dreaming, Nyquist and Orb. Twenty-one times the winner of this race has gone onto winning a Triple Crown race.

The purse is $1,000,000.

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$89,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 1/2 F	Turf	16	11:30 AM ET
2	$60,000	Starter Handicap	1 1/8 M	All Weather	9	11:59 AM ET
3	$125,000	Cutler Bay S.	7 1/2 F	Turf	9	12:28 PM ET
4	$91,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 M	Turf	12	12:57 PM ET
5	$89,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 F	Dirt	11	1:26 PM ET
6	$200,000	Pan American S. Presented by Rood & Riddle	1 1/2 M	Turf	8	1:56 PM ET
7	$150,000	Ghostzapper S.	1 1/16 M	Dirt	8	2:26 PM ET
8	$125,000	Sanibel Island S.	7 1/2 F	Turf	10	2:56 PM ET
9	$125,000	Sir Shackleton S.	7 F	Dirt	9	3:31 PM ET
10	$150,000	Orchid S.	1 1/2 M	Turf	8	4:06 PM ET
11	$250,000	Gulfstream Park Oaks Presented by FanDuel TV	1 1/16 M	Dirt	9	4:40 PM ET
12	$150,000	Sand Springs S.	1 1/16 M	Turf	10	5:15 PM ET
13	$150,000	Appleton S.	1 M	Turf	11	5:57 PM ET
14	$1,000,000	Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa	1 1/8 M	Dirt	11	6:42 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, March 24, 2024

• Ortiz Brothers: Jose Ortiz has 81 wins and his brother Irad has 80 victories. They are 1-2 in North America this year and have separated themselves from the pack. It is an interesting barroom conversation I suppose but have two brothers succeeded almost equally at the same time in any sport in U.S. history to where they are among that game's elite. Manning Brothers?
• Steve Asmussen leads all North America trainers handily with 108 victories. He won just twice with 36 starters the past two days,
• Brittany Russell had arguably her worst weekend to date. Maryland's trainer of the Year for 2023 was 15 0-1-5 the past three days.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Handle: $6 million+. The course looked in good condition considering the cancellation due to rains the prior day.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Jaime Rodriguez had a grand slam going 9 4-2-0. All his wins were on board Jamie Ness starters.
• Jamie Ness, the second winningest trainer in North America in 2024, was a brilliant 5 4-1-0. He is 25% which is second best among the top dozen winningest trainers in 2024 (Brad Cox is 27%).

Tampa Bay Downs (Florida):

• Handle: $5 million+. Tampa Bay is long regarded as the best winter turf course in America outside of California and maybe now including Cali.
• Card: 12 races, six purses worth $100,000+
• South Florida Dominance: Of the six races valued at $100,000+ five winners came out of races at Gulfstream.
• Paco Lopez came from Gulfstream and rode four winners including three races valued at $100,000+.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Closing Day: I haven't seen the numbers as Churchill Downs (properties) tends to underplay daily handles but I will guess this meet has been extraordinary.
• Card: An incredible 15 races which is as high a total as I recall outside of greyhounds.
• Formidable Tandem: The duo of Jose Guerrero-Shane Wilson has shined throughout the meet. Wilson has called his top rider "the best router in state."
• Leading Jockeys: Jose Guerrero (three wins) nipped Jareth Loveberry (one win) on the meet's final day with a 52-to-51 advantage. Corey Lanerie finished third with 49 victories. Ben Curtis, in his mid-30s, finished fourth in his first full year of riding in America, having come late last year from Ireland. I believe this is the first title for Guerrero who comes from Mexico and his races has been limited to the Louisiana-Arkansas-Texas region.
• Leading Trainer: Shane Wilson, a Louisiana native, and his 50 wins was dominant but Brad Cox edged Wilson among the conditioners with $2 million earned. Wilson had his winningest year in 2023 with 91 victories, he has been training for approximately 25 years.
• Happy Retirement: Gerard Melancon, who won over 5,000 races in his career that began in the 1980s, retired. Declan Carroll also retired but at the young age of 24 to take a position within the industry in bloodstock.

Melancon​

• Race 10: Ova Charged (Jose Guerrero/Shane Wilson) won the $100,000 Page Cortez Stakes. The easy win by 12 1/2 lengths was later rewarded with a 113 Beyer, the highest mark in the US this year.

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• Race 11: Behemah Star (Jose Guerrero/Shane Wilson) won the $100,000 Star Guitar Stakes.
• Race 15: Free Like a Girl (Corey Lanerie/Chasey Pomier) won the $100,000 Shantel Lanerie Memorial Stakes, named for the former wife of the winning jockey. Shantel succumbed to cancer a few years ago but her memory has lived through the outstanding people in this sport and her husband's strength with their family. Good for the connections, an excellent story. Pomier has under 100 wins but this is inarguably her most successful horse with over $1.2 million in earnings as the Louisiana-bred is 37 17-10-5.

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Shantel Lanerie (right)​

Santa Anita (California):

• Handle: Over $6 million. Not a bad day but nothing spectacular.
• Status: We need California racing, this time of year especially. Hopefully all those individuals and groups with controlling and vested interests can manage some form of agreement with those whose livelihoods are hanging by a thread regarding the future of the sport. California is too important but is becoming a joke nationwide. If it means taking off the gloves and fighting, euphemistically, so be it. Golden Gate is lost. Santa Anita should not become a memory.
• Race 6: Ashcroft (Kent Desormeaux/Robert Hess), purchased through a private auction, broke his maiden in his eighth try to win the MSW. Lots of eyes on this race as three of the five entered were purchased in public sales for $1,000,000+ including Theismann who finished last.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Todd Pletcher, arguably the game's biggest name at least on the East coast, will serve a 14-day suspension ordered by the New York State Gaming Commission for medication overage stemming in 2022 at Saratoga to one of his horses. The original suspension was upheld. However, according to a lawyer in Pletcher's camp they will take their plea to state court. His ban is effective by decision for New York state and typically other jurisdictions honor suspensions but are not required.

Report: N.Y. gaming regulators uphold Pletcher suspension

Monday the New York gaming commission sustained a medication suspension for Todd Pletcher.

www.horseracingnation.com

Pletcher could continue his appeal by initiating an Article 78 proceeding, which would put the decision before a New York state court for review. Hegarty reported that Karen Murphy, Pletcher's attorney in the Capensis matter, said Pletcher would appeal and also seek an administrative stay. This is the same provision under which Pletcher appealed a 10-day suspension for a positive meloxicam finding for Forte in the 2022 Hopeful (G1), and that suspension is still stayed pending state-court review.

Both the Capensis case and the Forte case remain under the jurisdiction of New York State since they happened before the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's anti-doping and medication control program took effect.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Jamie Ness had a 3-win day. Ness has 39 wins at the meet, 22 more than his closest competitor. He is second to Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen in wins this year in North America. Only 11 trainers have more wins lifetime in North America history.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Richie Zielinski had a 3-win day and hit the board with all six starters in a 6 3-1-2 day. He is now second in wins at the meet with 23 victories, six behind Jay Bernardini who was winless today. Bernardini, one of the best conditioners to come out of the now-closed New England circuit, specifically Suffolk Downs (MA), has been training successfully at Mountaineer (WV) in recent years but Ohio is another step. The meet ends April 13.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

TELEVISION OPTIONS

150 countries to air racing from Dubai which will have the $2.5 million UAE Derby (8:50 am ET) and $12 million Dubai World Cup (11:35 am ET) among nine races.​

The UAE Derby is one of three Ky. Derby preps on Saturday.​

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Date	Program	Time	Network/Social Media
March 28	"America's Day at the Races"	3 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
March 28	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
March 28	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
March 29	"America's Day at the Races"	3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.	FS2
March 29	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
March 29	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
March 30	Broadcast of the Dubai World Cup, UAE Derby, and other races from Dubai	8 a.m.-1 p.m.	FS2
March 30	"America's Day at the Races" including broadcast of the Arkansas Derby	1 p.m.-8 p.m.	FS2
March 30	Curlin Florida Derby Live!	5 p.m.	Facebook, X/Twitter, and YouTube
March 30	Broadcast of the Florida Derby	6 p.m.-7-p.m.	CNBC and Peacock
March 30	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
March 30	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
March 31	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
March 31	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Mychel Sanchez rode three winners. He is the winningest rider at the meet. Parx runs into December 31.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 9: Canceled due to a T-storm.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Rainbow Six: The carryover will be $607,000. If the Rainbow Six goes unsolved the next two days, it should be gigantic on Florida Derby day. A mandatory payout will be established on Easter Sunday, March 31, in the meet's finale.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thursday, March 28, 2024

• Canceled: Santa Anita canceled racing for Saturday and Sunday due to potential rain in the forecast. It is a local mandate to act in such a way.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Dylan Davis rode four winners. He is the leading rider at the meet which ends March 30, five more than Kendrick Carmouche. He is scheduled to be riding in Dubai on Saturday.
• Ray Handal was a perfect 2-for-2 with Dylan Davis riding both winners. Handal entered today with seven wins in 2024 and last won over a month ago.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 6: Knightsbridge (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) won by a dominating nine lengths in his return. Knightsbridge got my interest late last year as my top pick for this year's Kentucky Derby pick but was then sidelined. We shall see what course the connections take from here. The son to Nyquist is 2-for-2 lifetime which is green for a Derby horse.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, March 29, 2024

Aqueduct (New York):

• Dylan Davis (54 wins), who is in Dubai, has a 3-win lead over Kendrick Carmouche for leading jockey at the meet which ends March 30.
• Linda Rice (22 wins) has a 3-win lead over Rudy Rodriguez for leading trainer at the meet.
• Christophe Clement (36%) and Rob Atras (34%) have had arguably the best meets among all trainers.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Jaime Rodriguez will win the meet's jockey title with ease. The meet ends March 30.
• Jamie Ness has clinched the trainer's title.
• Race 9: Brady Bear (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) ended the trainer's losing streak at 18. It is Friday after all. The hubby-wife team seem to win one almost every Friday.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $9 million.
• Rainbow Six: The carryover will begin at $685,000+ for the 73rd edition of the Florida Derby. It is estimated to grow to $1.75 million.
• Florida Derby Day: The program features 10 stakes, five graded, worth $2.425 million in purses. Doors to the track open at 8:00 a,m. to accommodate bettors for Dubai.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $8.1 million.
• Race 8: Tweetster (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Norm Casse) was sent off the favorite and won the $115,000 MSW by more than six lengths in a debut romp. The Practical Joke colt is owned by the stable of Hall of Famer Marylou Whitney who owned a number of outstanding horses.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Winners through four races at Dubai:

13

11 -- Trained by Doug O'Neill in California,.last ran in New Mexico.

16

2

Next is Race 5 starring Forever Young who is 4-for-4 lifetime.

 

[GKJ]

Make it 5 for 5

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, March 30, 2024

• Fierceness and Muth won Kentucky Derby preps though the latter is not eligible to run in that race due to a suspension imposed by Churchill Downs against trainer Bob Baffert. The horses finished 1-2 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last year.
• Bob Baffert is at 32%, which if stands, would be a career-tying best for one year. He is 23% lifetime.
• Todd Pletcher, who faces a suspension for medication overage in New York, had a 4-win day.
• Brad Cox sent out just five horses but won two MSW with Militant and Army Officer.
• Chad Brown sent out just four horses and finished 4 1-2-0.
• Steve Asmussen was 26 2-3-4 including 0-for-17 at Oaklawn.

Meydan (Dubai, UAE):

• Handle: The unofficial total bet in Dubai is $32 million. I don't believe that includes legal bookies in certain regions of the world.
• Race 5: Forever Young (Ryusei Sakai/Yoshito Yahagi), now 5-for-5 lifetime, won the UAE Derby and with it collected 100 points into the Kentucky Derby. Forever Young raced three times in Japan before racing in Saudi Arabia and now Dubai. He was purchase for the US equal of $720,000 and has earned over $2 million.

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• Race 9: Laurel River (Tadhg O'Shea/Bhupat Seemar) won the $12,000,000 Dubai World Cup. The $12 million purse is second largest purse in the world. The horse raced seven of 10 times in his career in California and his past three races in Dubai. He has won five of his past six starts. A decent showing for Cali today.

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Aqueduct (New York):

• Meet Closed: Racing continues at Aqueduct but the current meet ended. Dylan Davis (jockey) and Linda Rice (trainer) had the most wins.
• David Jacobson had one of the best days for a NYRA trainer in recent memory. He entered seven races and finished a 5-win day 9 5-0-1.
• Isaac-Castillo-David Jacobson teamed for a natural hat trick. Castillo rode seven times exclusively for Jacobson.
• Mychel Sanchez-Jamie Ness made rare trips to New York and won twice. Both horses entered from Laurel (MD). Ness is the second leading trainer in wins in North America this year.
• Race 7: Mystic Seaport (Mychel Sanchez/Jamie Ness) won by more than 11 lengths. She is 16 8-1-3 lifetime with wins in seven of her past eight starts.
• Race 8: Laughing Boy (Samuel Camacho, Jr./David Jacobson) was put up to victory following a long review but at 54-to-1 which gave the trainer his fifth win on the card. An extraordinary turn of events. Messier (Jose Gomez/Richie Dutrow) was DQ'd.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 10: The ticket was topped by a 23-to-1 shot followed by a 116-to-1. The $1 exacta was a staggering $1,300+. The $.50 tri returned more than $4,500.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: More than $33 million wagered on Florida Derby Day. More than $5 million was bet on the feature race. That figure is off by $5 million from last year. In 2020, $53,555,529 was bet.
• Card: Exceptional. 14 races, 10 stakes of which five were graded.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. rode five winners. His brother Jose won twice, meaning the pair won half of the 14 races.
• John Velazquez won three times including two photo finishes in graded stakes.
• Todd Pletcher trained three winners.
• Race 5: Mindframe (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Todd Pletcher), a $600,000 Maryland-foal, was sent off the favorite and rolled to a 13 3/4-length (official charts) victory in a debut performance that caught the attention of many observers. Owned by Mike Repole, the 3-year-old Constitution colt has been on many Watch Lists.

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• Race 11 Power Squeeze (Daniel Centeno/Jorge Delgado) won the Grade 2 $250,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks and with it earned 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Oaks. At 11-to-1, the winner offered significant value. The horse entered off a win at Tampa Bay. I don't recall the last time Centeno won at Gulfstream.
• Race 14: Fierceness (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher) may have vaulted into the top slot as a Kentucky Derby favorite following his record-setting win in the Grade I $1,000,000 Florida Derby. Fierceness was under a hand ride as he demolished the field by more than 13 lengths which is the largest in the 73-year history of the race. The connections gained 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby. Pletcher won the Florida Derby for the eighth time including seven of the past 11 years; however, only Always Dreaming went on to win the Kentucky Derby (2017). Fierceness, a son to City of Light, is 5 3-0-1 lifetime with wins at Gulfstream, Saratoga and Santa Anita.

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Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $23.6 million, slightly higher than last year.
• Attendance: Estimated at 60,000.
• Card: 13 races. The railbirds were out in full force which isn't abnormal for this track on Saturdays.
• Brian Hernandez, Jr.-Kenny McPeek teamed to win three races.
• Steve Asmussen was winless with 17 horses sent out. He finished 17 0-3-2.
• Race 13: The $.10 super paid over $4,200. The $.50 Pick 5 returned more than $57,000.
• Race 12: Muth (Juan Hernandez/Bob Baffert) won the Grade I $1.5 million Arkansas Derby. The connections collected zero points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby, despite this being a key prep, since Churchill Downs has suspended the trainer from this year's Run for the Roses. Muth, purchased for $2,000,000 last year, is 6 4-2-0 lifetime and raced today for the first time outside California.

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• Race 11: Thorpedo Anna (Brian Hernadez, Jr.-Kenny McPeek) received 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Oaks after winning the Grade 2 $750,000 Fantasy Stakes.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, March 31, 2024

• Happy Easter: To all who celebrate.
• Kentucky Derby Preps Approaching: Saturday will offer 100 points to the winners of the Blue Grass (Keeneland), Wood Memorial (Aqueduct) and Santa Anita Derby (Santa Anita). March 30 and April 6, on this year's calendar, are inarguably the biggest Derby prep weekends of the year. Tracks in Florida, Arkansas, California, New York and Kentucky in addition to Dubai offered 100 points to the winners.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Closing Day. The Gulfstream Championship Meet ended. The Royal Palm meet runs April 4 - September 1.
• Handle: $18.6 million on Easter Sunday.
• Leading Jockeys: Irad Ortiz, Jr. had 119 wins which was 25 more than his closest challenger brother Jose.

• Leading Trainers: Saffie Joseph was the leading trainer by a runaway total, 66 wins which was 29 more than his closest challenger Todd Pletcher who sent out approximately 150 less runners (they both had 21%). They were the lone trainers to reach $3 million in earnings but the closeness in money was around $12,000. Chad Brown had an off-meet with just 11 wins. His numbers were surprisingly weak from the onset.
• Rainbow Six: More than $5.4 million was bet into Gulfstream's Rainbow Six which exceeded $6.3 million. All winners collected $8,700+ based on a $.20 bet (20 cents).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

More than $2.5 billion bet in US racing through the end of March and that figure is up 4.5% per race compared to 2023. Last year, the summer handles were down due to events ranging from fires emanating in Canada to rains in the US. If weather cooperates this year, the third quarter should see sizeable growth. Until then, the Spring quarter awaits. I have high hopes yet again for Indiana, a track that is under-the-radar.

The south-central US, has seen the biggest increases as Oaklawn (AR) continues its impressive ways but also Churchill Downs' properties Fair Grounds (LA) and Turfway (KY) put up outstanding numbers, up 20% and 17%, respectively, from last year as each track closed meets.

Maybe shockingly, Hawthorne (IL) saw a 48% gain compared to 2023 in the opening of its T-bred season. Hawthorne envisions a big-time player down the road if and when their sports betting/casino entity gets operating.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday is the Spring opener at Keeneland which is annually one of the most anticipated. Riders include Frankie Dettori, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Jose Ortiz, Flavien Prat, John Velazquez, Javier Castellano, Luis Saez, Tyler Gaffalione, Joel Rosario, and Junior Alvarado. Other than that, not too much

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$57,000	Starter Allowance	About 7 F	Dirt	9	1:00 PM ET
2	$80,000	Maiden Special Weight	4 1/2 F	Dirt	13	1:32 PM ET
3	$120,000	Allowance	5 1/2 F	Turf	10	2:04 PM ET
4	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 F	Dirt	10	2:36 PM ET
5	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 3/16 M	Turf	13	3:08 PM ET
6	$400,000	Lafayette S.	7 F	Dirt	8	3:40 PM ET
7	$110,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 F	Dirt	12	4:12 PM ET
8	$400,000	Transylvania S. Presented by Keeneland Select	1 1/16 M	Turf	14	4:44 PM ET
9	$600,000	Central Bank Ashland S.	1 1/16 M	Dirt	8	5:16 PM ET
10	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 3/16 M	Turf	14	5:48 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The final Kentucky Derby Futures Pool was released. As a side note, Timberlake appears off the trail.

Horse	KDFW ML	Sire	Trainer
1. Be You	90-1	Curlin	Todd Pletcher
2. Catalytic	50-1	Catalina Cruiser	Saffie Joseph Jr.
3. Catching Freedom	8-1	Constitution	Brad Cox
4. Common Defense	80-1	Karakontie	Kenny McPeek
5. Deterministic	15-1	Liam's Map	Christophe Clement
6. Domestic Product	40-1	Practical Joke	Chad Brown
7. Dornoch	12-1	Good Magic	Danny Gargan
8. El Grande O	50-1	Take Charge Indy	Linida Rice
9. Encino	50-1	Nyquist	Brad Cox
10. Endlessly	40-1	Oscar Performance	Michael McCarthy
11. Epic Ride	60-1	Blame	John Ennis
12. Evening News	99-1	Nyquist	Mike Pino
13. Fierceness	7-2	City of Light	Todd Pletcher
14. Forever Young	10-1	Real Steel	Yoshito Yahagi
15. Good Money	90-1	Good Magic	Chad Brown
16. Grand Mo the First	99-1	Uncle Mo	Victor Barboza Jr.
17. Hades	50-1	Awesome Slew	Joe Orseno
18. Honor Marie	20-1	Honor Code	Whit Beckman
19. Just a Touch	30-1	Justify	Brad Cox
20. Just Steel	25-1	Justify	D. Wayne Lukas
21. Lat Long	90-1	Liam's Map	Kenny McPeek
22. Mc Vay	99-1	Constitution	John Shirreffs
23. Merit	99-1	Mastery	Saffie Joseph Jr.
24. Mystik Dan	30-1	Goldencents	Kenny McPeek
25. No More Time	90-1	Not This time	Jose D'Angelo
26. Resilience	99-1	Into Mischief	Bill Mott
27. Seize the Grey	50-1	Arrogate	D. Wayne Lukas
28. Sierra Leone	6-1	Gun Runner	Chad Brown
29. Society Man	99-1	Good Magic	Danny Gargan
30. Stronghold	60-1	Ghostzapper	Philip D'Amato
31. T O Password	60-1	Copano Rickey	Daisuke Takayanagi
32. Tapalo	90-1	Tapiture	John Sadler
33. Tessuto	99-1	Munnings	George Papaprodromou
34. Timberlake	30-1	Into Mischief	Brad Cox
35. Top Conor	80-1	Twirling Candy	Chad Brown
36. Track Phantom	30-1	Quality Road	Steve Asmussen
37. Tuscan Sky	30-1	Vino Rosso	Todd Pletcher
38. Uncle Heavy	50-1	Social Inclusion	Butch Reid
39. West Saratoga	60-1	Exaggerator	Larry Demeritte
40. All other 3-year-olds	30-1

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Amr Zedan had filed a lawsuit against Churchill Downs with the grounds being that it is unconstitutional to have any Bob Baffert trained horses banned from the Kentucky Derby. The suit was filed in Kentucky and will be heard Monday.

Zedan owns horses that Baffert trains.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Matt Dinerman, who called races at Golden Gate but most recently this year at Oaklawn, will be the new track caller at the two (Monmouth and Meadowlands) New Jersey T-bred tracks this year.

 

[GKJ]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^ Terrible news. Jockeys are some of the toughest competitors in some of the toughest work environments. Just 23 years of age. Rest in peace.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Bill Finley lists his Top Ten Kentucky Oaks contenders at the moment. The Oaks will be run at Churchill Downs on May 3.

The Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for April 4

It's come down to the last few preps. An outstanding field will meet Friday at Keeneland in the GI Ashland S. Four horses on our Top 10 list will take part in that race. At Aqueduct, they'll be vying for a spot in the field for the GI Kentucky Oaks in the GIII Gazelle S.

www.thoroughbreddailynews.com

Position	Horse	Trainer
1	Tarifa	Brad Cox
2	Impel	Brad Cox
3	Thorpedo Anna	Kenny McPeek
4	Just F Y I	Bill Mott
5	Jody's Pride	Jorge Abreu
6	Power Squeeze	Jorge Delgado
7	Kopion	Richard Mandella
8	Ways and Means	Chad Brown
9	Our Pretty Woman	Steve Asmussen
10	Leslie's Rose	Todd Pletcher

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KENTUCKY OAKS PREPS
Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6.

• Ashland at Keeneland on Friday
• Santa Anita Oaks at Santa Anita on Saturday.
• Gazelle at Aqueduct on Saturday.
• Each race has a 100-50-25-15-10 points distribution system to Oaks which is run at Churchill Downs on Friday, May 3.

KENTUCKY DERBY PREPS
Saturday, April 6.

• Aqueduct (Wood Memorial) -- 4:07 pm ET
• Keeneland (Blue Grass) -- 5:52 pm ET
• Santa Anita (Santa Anita Derby) -- 7:30 pm ET
• Each race has a 100-50-25-15-10 points distribution system awarded to the top five finishers unless a Bob Baffert-trained horse is involved then that entry receives nothing since he is under suspension by Churchill Downs.

WOOD MEMORIAL at AQUEDUCT

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $750,000
• 3 yo
• 4:07 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Resilience (KY)	John R. Velazquez	123	William I. Mott	-
2	El Grande O (NY)	Dylan Davis	123	Linda Rice	-
3	Lonesome Boy (WA)	Adam Bowman	123	Hugo O. Padilla	-
4	Deterministic (KY)	Joel Rosario	123	Christophe Clement	-
5	Protective (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	123	Todd A. Pletcher	-
6	Evening News (KY)	Jareth Loveberry	123	Michael V. Pino	-
7	Merit (KY)	Edwin Gonzalez	123	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	-
8	Elysian Meadows (NY)	Jose Lezcano	123	William I. Mott	-
9	Tuscan Sky (KY)	Manuel Franco	123	Todd A. Pletcher	-
10	Gettysburg Address (KY)	Emmanuel Esquivel	123	Dallas Stewart	-
11	Society Man (KY)	Luis R. Rivera, Jr.	123	Danny Gargan	-
12	Deposition (KY)	Dexter Haddock	123	Uriah St. Lewis	-
13	Uncle Heavy (PA)	Mychel J. Sanchez	123	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	-

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$80,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 F	Dirt	8	11:30 AM ET
2	$72,000	Allowance	6 F	Dirt	8	11:57 AM ET
3	$39,000	Claiming	1 M	Dirt	10	12:24 PM ET
4	$300,000	Carter H. Presented by NYRA Bets	7 F	Dirt	5	12:51 PM ET
5	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	10	1:20 PM ET
6	$175,000	Distaff S.	7 F	Dirt	6	1:53 PM ET
7	$82,000	Allowance	1 M	Dirt	11	2:26 PM ET
8	$200,000	Gazelle S.	1 1/8 M	Dirt	10	2:58 PM ET
9	$150,000	Bay Shore S.	7 F	Dirt	10	3:30 PM ET
10	$750,000	Wood Memorial S. Presented by Resorts World Casino	1 1/8 M	Dirt	13	4:07 PM ET
11	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	10	4:42 PM ET

======================================================================================
BLUE GRASS STAKES at KEENELAND
Purse $1,000,000. One And One Eighth Miles.
Race 10 is a Ky. Derby prep worth 100 points to the winner.

PP	Horse	A/S	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer
1	Top Conor (KY)	3/C	J L Ortiz	123	C C Brown
2	Be You (KY)	3/C	I Ortiz, Jr.	123	T A Pletcher
3	Seize the Grey (KY)	3/C	N Juarez	123	D W Lukas
4	Dornoch (KY)	3/C	L Saez	123	D Gargan
5	Good Money (KY)	3/C	J Castellano	123	C C Brown
6	Just a Touch (KY)	3/C	F Geroux	123	B H Cox
7	Lat Long (KY)	3/C	B J Hernandez, Jr.	123	K G McPeek
8	Epic Ride (KY)	3/C	A Beschizza	123	J Ennis
9	Mugatu (KY)	3/C	J Talamo	123	J Engler
10	Sierra Leone (KY)	3/C	T Gaffalione	123	C C Brown
11	Encino (KY)	3/C	F Prat	123	B H Cox

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 M	Dirt	8	1:00 PM ET
2	$110,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	7	1:32 PM ET
3	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 F	Dirt	12	2:04 PM ET
4	$130,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	7	2:36 PM ET
5	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 3/16 M	Turf	14	3:08 PM ET
6	$300,000	Commonwealth S.	7 F	Dirt	9	3:40 PM ET
7	$400,000	Appalachian S. Presented by Japan Racing Association	1 M	Turf	12	4:14 PM ET
8	$600,000	Resolute Racing Madison S.	7 F	Dirt	8	4:48 PM ET
9	$350,000	Shakertown S.	5 1/2 F	Turf	13	5:20 PM ET
10	$1,000,000	Toyota Blue Grass S.	1 1/8 M	Dirt	11	5:52 PM ET
11	$140,000	Allowance	1 1/16 M	Turf	8	6:26 PM ET

========================================================================================
SANTA ANITA DERBY at SANTA ANITA

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$65,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Turf	14	12:00 PM PT
2	$65,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	7	12:30 PM PT
3	$67,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Turf	10	1:00 PM PT
4	$125,000	Evening Jewel S.	6 1/2 F	Dirt	6	1:30 PM PT
5	$65,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	Turf	11	2:00 PM PT
6	$300,000	Santa Anita Oaks	1 1/16 M	Dirt	5	2:30 PM PT
7	$67,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	Turf	12	3:00 PM PT
8	$67,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	8	3:30 PM PT
9	$100,000	Monrovia S.	About 6 1/2 F	Downhill turf	8	4:00 PM PT
10	$750,000	Santa Anita Derby	1 1/8 M	Dirt	8	4:30 PM PT
11	$67,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	Turf	14	5:00 PM PT
12	$125,000	Echo Eddie S.	6 1/2 F	Dirt	11	5:30 PM PT

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

TV and Livestream Schedule

Date	Program	Time	Network/Social Media
April 4	"America's Day at the Races"	1 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
April 4	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
April 4	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
April 5	"America's Day at the Races"	1 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
April 5	Live coverage of horse racing including opening day at Keeneland	post time varies	FanDuel TV
April 5	“Keeneland Weekend Kickoff LIVE!”	4 p.m.	Facebook, X/Twitter, and YouTube
April 5	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
April 6	"America's Day at the Races" including broadcast of the Wood Memorial Stakes	11:30 a.m-1:30 p.m. on FS1, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. on FS2	FS1 and FS2
April 6	Live coverage of horse racing including broadcast of the Blue Grass Stakes	post time varies	FanDuel TV
April 6	Road to the Kentucky Derby featuring broadcast of the Santa Anita Derby	7 p.m.-8 p.m.	CNBC and Peacock
April 6	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
April 7	"America's Day at the Races"	1 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
April 7	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
April 7	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The latest in the racing situation at Maryland has a possible twist. Stronach is in the midst of selling Pimlico to the state of Maryland, keeping intellectual rights to the Preakness while eventually redeveloping Laurel for non-racing purposes. The State plans to redevelop Pimlico and make it the center track within Maryland. Laurel is expected to host the Preakness next year and 2026 while Pimlico is restructured into a modern facility. After that, Laurel becomes a memory. The House of Reps has passed the initiative. Now comes a Senate vote which is expected by Monday.

Now for the potential twist: Churchill Downs is interested in buying Pimlico. Stronach reports no direct contact with rival Churchill. Does that mean CD will wait for the State to formally get acquisition and then pursue through that manner? Not much talk publicly

Stronach will close racing at Golden Gate (CA) this year and eventually Laurel, while selling Pimlico.

Churchill sold Hollywood (CA) and Arlington (IL) and ended racing at Calder (FL) but has seen successes in the past couple of years at Ellis and Turfway in Kentucky as well as Colonial (VA) in addition to a booming presence at Fair Grounds (LA) at least this year.

Churchill buying Pimlico would give CDI Property two-thirds of the Triple Crown.