Horse Racing: BELMONT dates move to AQUEDUCT; SARATOGA opens July 11

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

November 25, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• The countdown to 6,000 wins: John Velazquez won the first two of his three starts to increase his career win total to 5,999. He will have plenty of chances in the upcoming week to become the 18th rider all-time to reach 6,000 wins in North America.
• Race 9: Mimic (Harry Hernandez/Rudy Rodriguez) romped in the finale by 9 1/2 lengths. Sent off at the unlikely odds of 37-to-1, the winner beat She's a Lumberjane (Mike Luzzi/John Morrison) who was sent off at 51-to-1. Luzzi, who is 18 4-4-3 at the meet, finished with authority, paid $34.80 and $15.40 and helped make this a remarkable $1,267 exacta. The $.50 tri was over $2,800. Hernandez isn't a regular rider at NYRA.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won twice. He leads all riders in North America with 314 victories this year. His brother Jose is third, one behind second place Timothy Thornton.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 5: D'yer Mak'er was the victor. Led Zeppelin fans rejoice.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Back in business: Reopened after closing on October 28 due to illness had spread on the backside.
• Luis Quinones won four times. He began his day with three consecutive wins in three straight races.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• The meet closed: Edgard Zayas (47) and Saffie Joseph (15) won the jockey and trainer titles, respectively. Onto Gulfstream!
• Race 4: The winner paid $127.60. The $2 exacta was $1,173.80. The $1 super paid over $56,000.
• Race 5: A 50-to-1 bomber came in second. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $15,000.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• The meet closed: What splendid races to the finish for both rider and trainer titles. The awesome Tyler Gaffalione (21) edged both Corey Lanerie (20) and Brian Hernandez, Jr. (20) for the rider's title. Steve Asmussen and Dallas Stewart shared the trainer's title with 11 wins. Gaffalione recently moved his tack from Florida to Kentucky though is expected to ride at Gulfstream for the upcoming winter-spring Championship Meet. He won the recent Keeneland (Kentucky) meet, too. At 24 years of age, he is 17 wins away from 1,000.

​

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Weather and track: Sloppy much of the day with the remnants of wet weather.
• Leading rider: James Graham leads the meet with 12 wins.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 7: Qahira (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert), a filly, won as a first-time starter. Mike Smith finished second on a South Carolina bred. I wonder how often he has ridden those.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Kent Desormeaux entered today nine wins shy of 6,000. He has not won with his last 20 mounts.
• Race 7: Bridge jumpers alert: Looks at those show prices with a 3-to-1 favorite off-the-board. The winner paid $45.50/$21.20/$13.40, the place horse $27.30/$13.70 and the show horse $28.40. The $2 double returned $1,043. The $2 tri was over $8,400. The $.20 super paid $11,000+. The $1 Pick 4 almost $7,000. The three longest shots on the board completed the trifecta in a field of 10.
• Eurico Da Silva won three more times. He has a 56-win lead in the rider's standings at the meet.

Florent Geroux:

• Was named Jockey of the Week.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Forever one of my favorites, Jones will always garner my support. He is a specialist with 2-year-old fillies but perhaps he has that special colt.

Kentucky Derby 2019 Radar: Ladies man Jones has a prospect

Larry Jones gained recognition more for his fillies in recent years, saddling a trio of Kentucky Oaks winners since 2008. But Jones, who has twice trained the runner-up on the first Saturday in May, has one to watch again on the 2019 Kentucky Derby Radar.

Super Steed broke his maiden Saturday against winners with a last-to-first charge that earned an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, best among all runners on Churchill Downs’ Stars of Tomorrow II card for juveniles. Comparably, Signalman registered an 84 while winning the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) — a points-paying Derby prep.

“I don’t think I’ve had a horse excite me or show me as much as a 2-year-old since probably Old Fashioned,” Jones said, comparing Super Steed to the multiple graded stakes winner of the 2008 Remsen (G2) and 2009 Southwest Stakes (G3). “Needless to say, Old Fashioned was pretty nice.”

Campaigned by Steed Jackson and Michael Pressley, who also bred the colt, Super Steed is a son of Super Saver out of a mare Jones trained, Totally Tucker. She’s a half-sister of routing Grade 1 winners Majestic Harbor and Danza, who was third in the 2014 Derby.

“We do think we have the pedigree to do this, and I understand his dad liked Churchill OK,” Jones quipped.

Super Steed lost his Oct. 25 debut at Keeneland by a head to Boldor, leveling off after a big middle move. On Saturday, he was squeezed leaving the gate but maintained momentum across the wire after rallying widest of all to the lead.

This time, Super Steed beat Boldor by six lengths while finishing six furlongs in 1:17.34 over Churchill’s sloppy, sealed surface.

“We definitely feel like distance is going to be his game, and thank goodness he showed us he likes Churchill Downs, which is important,” Jones said.

Super Steed will join Jones’ string at Oaklawn Park over the winter. Before hitting the Derby trail, he could sprint once more in Fair Grounds’ Dec. 22 Sugar Bowl Stakes, a $75,000 event at 6/8 of a mile.

“We feel like with that long straightaway that one more sprint race isn’t going to be the undoing of us,” Jones said.

“…I would like to race him like once a month to where I don’t have to train him super hard to be fit and keep him fit. The timing is so good on the (Sugar Bowl) race at Fair Grounds. It will match him well with the beginning of the Oaklawn meet.”

Jones won the Oaks in 2008 (Proud Spell), 2012 (Believe You Can) and 2015 (Lovely Maria). His most-recent Derby starter, Friesan Fire, finished 18th in 2009. Before that, Hard Spun and the ill-fated Eight Belles were second across the wire in consecutive years, 2007 and 2008.

With Super Steed, “We feel like he’s one that will just sit off the pace a little bit and be a mid-pack kind of running horse,” Jones said. “I think he’s showing he wants to go long.

“…It’s been a little while since we’ve had one where I feel like hey, we’re back in this.”

Source: Kentucky Derby 2019 Radar: Ladies man Jones has a prospect - Horse Racing Nation

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

November 28, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Junior Alvarado was the star of the day with three wins. He finished the day 5 3-0-2. Among the wins was in race 6 for a Japanese-bred for Japanese owners in which he picked up the mount. Alvarado has the fourth most wins at the meet.
• Race 3: The winner finished 17 1/2 lengths ahead of the runner up.
• Race 4: Little Song (Dylan Davis/Graham Motion) won by the hair on the nostril with a perfectly timed ride. The first-time starter was in 6th entering the stretch then flew like the proverbial wind to get the win.
• Race 6: Lundqvist, a first time starter, was scratched.
• Race 9: The $2 Pick 6 paid over $28,000.
• John Velazquez failed to win for the 6,000th time among his rides. He has two scheduled rides on Thursday.

Finger Lakes (New York):

• Closing day: The meet ended today among a picturesque landscape of snow. The fields were deep. Good card to bet.
• Race 4: The winner paid $62/27.80/21.20. The runner up paid $23.40/11.20. The $2 tri exceeded $9.700.
• Race 8: The Engleharts (father Chris and son Jeremiah) have outstanding numbers at the meet. They finished 1-2 in this race and the $2 exacta paid $267 which is high for them.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Luis Quinones is 23 10-3-2 since racing resumed at the track which is under the lights tonight.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 3: Watch a horse named Russian Roulette (Samy Camacho/Monte Thomas). She was impressive today and was claimed.
• Race 5: Zarina (Antonio Gallardo/Chad Stewart), one of two first-time starters, sizzled at 9-to-1. Gallardo is arguably the top rider at the track.

Turfway (Kentucky):

• Meet opener: Under the lights.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

November 29, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Broadcasting agreement: NYRA and Fox Sports announced a major deal: Fox Sports and NYRA Announce Expansive TV Agreement - BloodHorse
• Mike Luzzi's meet: There are 17 jockeys at the meet with at least four wins. There is only one jockey with an in-money percentage of 63% or more. His name is Big Money Iron Mike Luzzi. His lone ride today ended in third.
• John Velazquez remains at 5,999 victories. He has four scheduled rides on Friday. Only 17 riders have reached 6,000 wins in North American riding history. He will attempt to join that group tomorrow.
• Joel Rosario has been off his mounts the last two days due to illness.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Opening day is tomorrow. One of the most anticipated meets on the racing calendar.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Race 3: D.B. Fletcher, a jockey was who was 0-for-50 in his career, broke his maiden with a $137.20 winner.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 8: Someone collected $218,929 with a successful $2 Pick 6 ticket. The winning handicapper, who invested slightly more than $1,500, withstood a potential DQ which had some hearty comments. Sweating bullets.

From Privman:
Del Mar: single ticket hits pick six for $218,929, ticket purchased on-track for $1,536

I'm not sure how one could know that being interfered with at the start could not impact where the horse finishes, but there you go.

The rule stewards are supposed to use says they are supposed to determine if a horse was denied "the opportunity" of a better placing. I'd think getting severely interfered with at the start of a 5 1/2-furlong race might cost one the "opportunity" of a better placing.

For the record, I had no financial interest in the outcome of the race.

I just think it's a bad call, and it's been a bad policy to allow this situation in Southern California going back to l'affair Bayern in the Breeders' Cup Classic four years ago.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

CIGAR MILE HANDICAP

What: Grade I
Where: Aqueduct Racetrack, Queens, New York
When: December 1, 2018, Race 9
Post time: 3:45 pm ET
Who: 3-year-olds-and-up
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $750,000
History: Inaugurated in 1988. New York connections do very well in this race.
Preview: Mendelssohn will be the one to beat. However, Copper Town and Sunny Ridge could the prime candidates to pull this out.
Television: MSG+ in addition to TVG.
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Mendelssohn (KY)	Ryan L. Moore	118	Aidan P. O'Brien	2/1
2	Sunny Ridge (NJ)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Jason Servis	9/2
3	Pat On the Back (NY)	Dylan Davis	115	Jeremiah C. Englehart	15/1
4	Stan the Man (KY)	Eric Cancel	113	John P. Terranova II	30/1
5	Copper Town (KY)	Javier Castellano	116	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2
6	True Timber (KY)	Joe Bravo	116	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	12/1
7	Timeline (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	Chad C. Brown	10/1
8	Patternrecognition (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Chad C. Brown	7/2

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A rumor is that Saratoga will expand its summer schedule, in part by reducing racing days from 6 to 5. More weeks, less days-per-week. Generally the track is dark on Tuesdays. My guess is that Mondays could be affected but there are plenty of visitors/tourists who enjoy the extended weekend of racing. Wednesdays would be the next obvious choice for reducing days if it transpires.

This NYRA-Fox deal is non-exclusive and as such TVG and any local options (MSG) seem to be not affected.

Nearly every Belmont, Saratoga card to be shown on Fox Sports | Daily Racing Form

The New York Racing Association has reached a deal with Fox Sports that will put nearly every card at NYRA’s Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course on the company’s television networks for at least the next two years, the two companies announced on Thursday.

The multiyear agreement, which will result in 500 hours of live programming on Fox’s television networks in 2019 and over 600 hours in 2020, the companies said, is the most expansive television deal for a racing entity since the launch of TVG nearly two decades ago. Under the deal, NYRA will produce the broadcasts on a daily basis, using its talent and a Fox Sports host, Greg Wolf, with funding also provided through a presenting sponsorship by America’s Best Racing, the marketing company owned by the Jockey Club.
----------------------------------------
Because NYRA has not yet released its live racing schedule for 2019 and 2020, specific details on broadcast windows have not yet been hammered out, McKenna said. NYRA typically runs 225 live race cards annually at its three tracks, which, in addition to Belmont and Saratoga, also includes Aqueduct. NYRA also operates its own account-wagering network, NYRA Bets, which is expected to be heavily promoted during the broadcasts.​

 

[Preds Partisan]

More TV is a good thing.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

November 30, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• 6,000 wins: John Velazquez won for the 6,000th time and joins 17 other riders to reach the mark in North American racing annals. Next up is John Longden's 6,032. Appropriately enough, Singapore Trader, the winning horse in race 5 which was taken off the turf, is trained by Todd Pletcher. That duo has won so many races together.

​

• Luzzi!: Yes, I am milking this. Mike Luzzi had one mount and he finished second at 38-to-1. A fantastic $27.20/$12.40 return and close to $200 as part of a $1 exacta. He has been in the money a remarkable 65% of the time at the meet which tops the chart among riders with 4+ wins. He remains two wins shy of 3,500. Even some of his biggest detractors have taken notice especially that he has been given opportunities at times while finishing out exotics with bombs. Go get 'em Iron Money Mike.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times on seven mounts. He is second at the meet in wins (20) and winning percentage (62).
• Race 3: So much for that illness. Joel Rosario returned to the reins and won with his first starter on the day as he flew alongside the rail. He is scheduled to ride at Del Mar (California) Saturday and Sunday.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 8: Jeremiah Englehart, who has quietly put together a nice meet at 24 9-5-1 (38%/63%), won with his lone starter. His home base is in New York state.
• Lacey Gaudet has cooled recently with a 1-0-2 mark in her last 10 starts which dates back to November 11. It would have been virtually impossible for her to continue with her sizzling numbers but she is still having a tremendous meet.

Colonial Downs (Virginia):

• The shuttered track has re-opened: Colonial Downs plans rich 2019 fall meet to kick off revival | Daily Racing Form

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Canceled: Racing was canceled today and suspended until December 6 due to track conditions.

Del Mar (California):

• 5,993 wins: Kent Desormeaux won consecutive races and is now within seven victories of 6,000. He would become the 19th jockey to win 6,000 races in North America. He had three rides today.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

HOLLYWOOD DERBY

What: Grade I
Where: Del Mar Racetrack, Del Mar, CA
When: December 1, 2018, Race 7
Post time: 3:30 pm Pacific Time
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/8 mile
Surface: Turf
Purse: $300,000
History: Inaugurated in 1938. Bill Shoemaker won this race 8 times.
Preview: Instilled Regard Back at Del Mar for Hollywood Derby - BloodHorse
Television: TVG​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Have At It (KY)	David Cohen	122	Christophe Clement	6/1
2	Kazan (IRE)	Brice Blanc	122	Simon Callaghan	20/1
3	Risky Proposition (KY)	Joseph Talamo	122	William Spawr	20/1
4	River Boyne (IRE)	Flavien Prat	122	Jeff Mullins	5/2
5	Fight On (KY)	Alonso Quinonez	122	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
6	Raging Bull (FR)	Joel Rosario	122	Chad C. Brown	7/2
7	Instilled Regard (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Chad C. Brown	12/1
8	Desert Stone (IRE)	Tyler Baze	122	Richard Baltas	8/1
9	Platinum Warrior (IRE)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	John W. Sadler	12/1
10	Way Early (NY)	Angel Cruz	122	George Weaver	30/1
11	Carrick (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	122	Thomas Morley	8/1
12	Pubilius Syrus (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	122	Vladimir Cerin	30/1
13	Prince Earl (CA)	Tiago Josue Pereira	122	Philip D'Amato	20/1
14	Californiagoldrush (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	119	Neil D. Drysdale	12/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 1, 2018

• Summary: A fun day of racing; massive cards across North America.
• Three Stars?: Truly inspiring efforts from across the tracks in North America. If there was such a thing as "three stars" I would select Chris Landeros, Bob Baffert and Joel Rosario in some order.
  
• Bob Baffert won in both New York and California. He won three times with four starters.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Handle: Over $11,000,000.
• Race 4: Positive Spirit (Manny Franco/Rodolphe Brisset) romped at 11-to-1 to win the $250,000 Grade II Demoiselle.
• Race 6: Marley's Freedom (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert) paid the expected small $3.10 in winning the $250,000 Grade III Go For Wand in one of the most exciting races. A battle between Mike Smith and John Velazquez is rare but this was worthy of two Hall of Fame riders and their scrap books. A treat to watch.

​

• Race 8: Maximus Mischief (Frankie Pennington/Robert Reid, Jr.) basically wired the field as the second smallest set of odds in the $250,000 Grade 2 Remsen. This is a Kentucky Derby prep race. Philly connections visited and stole the show, same owners (Cash is King) as Afleet Alex.

​

• Race 9: Patternrecognition (Jose Ortiz/Chad Brown) was "outstanding," per the track announcer's call and won gate-to-wire in winning the $750,000 Grade I Cigar. He is now 11 5-5-0 but a perfect 3 3-0-0 at the Big A.
• Joe Bravo won two of his five mounts. He raced in Louisiana, California and New York in seven days. Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel!

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 4: Quick Man (Brittany Scampton/Cesar Nambo) won at 65-to-1 and paid $132.80/$51.60/$21.50. The rider won for the second time in her life; she won previously at Charles Town (West Virginia). The trainer has eight career wins.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Race 1: A 1-to-9 opening line won and gave away as many as 21 pounds to all foes including the high to a 50-to-1 ML.

Turfway (Kentucky):

• Luan Machado rode three winners including one for Wesley Ward. The rider is listed with five career wins. Brief research shows he is Brazilian. But he must have sound skills if he is riding for Ward.
• Night racing: The card began at 6:00 pm ET.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Gerald Bennett does well at the track and currently leads with 6 wins and 38%. He won the first two races and finished 1st and 2nd in the second race in which his 22-to-1 topped the ticket.
• Samy Camacho has had a wonderful breakout year. He leads the meet with 7 wins and 30%.
• Race 3: One of the longest race delays, which included the favorite being scratched, as I recall in recent months and maybe longer. BTW, Lane Luzzi, who had been rising in the Texas-Oklahoma-Louisiana region, had one mount and finished third at 51-to-1.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Opener: The opening day of the annually anticipated winter/spring meet. Nine of the 11 races had purses $110,000+. A big day for claiming racing.
• Handle: The track handled over $13,600,000.
• Chris Landeros had one of the best days in his career with three wins. He moved his tack to Gulfstream for this meet. One of the wins was for his father-in-law Ian Wilkes. All three of his wins were strong closers. Simply phenomenal for anyone who bet him. Simply frustrating for those who had other interests.
• Jorge Navarro can be a controversial figure based on past allegations. However, he is successful as a claimer. Today, Navarro was 14 3-2-2. He ran 14 horses in five races and won three. In one race, he finished 1st and 2nd with 16-to-1 and 22-to-1 shots which resulted in a$523.60 exacta. In another race, he finished 1st and 3rd and his 14-to-1 shot past his leader who finished third.
• Tyler Gaffalione and Paco Lopez, both whom had mounts in every race, combined to go 22 0-3-3. Yikes!
• Race 11: Aztec Sense (Emisael Jaramillo/Jorge Navarro) improved to a perfect 8 8-0-0 this year with another victory. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $80,000. The $2 Pick 4 resulted in $26,000+.
• Race 10: Uncle B (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Lilli Kurtinecz) won and paid $74.80. The trainer has only 12 starts this month and last won on October 28. She seemed to be exuberant in a post-race interview, too. Good stuff. She is one I follow in my under category.
• Race 9: An Arizona-bred finished third. Not too many AZ-breds venture to Florida.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• James Graham, who won today, is 66 14-14-13 (21%/62%) at the meet. He leads all riders in wins.
• Shaun Bridgmohan-Brad Cox teamed for consecutive winners.

Del Mar (California):

• Bob Baffert won twice with three starters. He is 12 8-2-0 since November 12. Fairly impressive stuff. Kingly, one of winners and a full brother to Mohaymen, paid $10.20 which was a gift! The first-time starter and colt is Baffert's 20th win with a 2-year-old maiden since the start of the Del Mar summer meeting on July 22.

• Joel Rosario is lightning it up with three wins (card is ongoing) including the Grade I Hollywood. I will maintain my constant vision that if Rosario rode consistently as well as when his game is on high, he would be in a class of few. The man can ride. He also is incredible when he rides in California.
• Race 7: Raging Bull (Joel Rosario/Chad Brown), a French-bred, benefitted from a perfectly timed ride by the skillful rider and won the $300,000 Grade I Hollywood Derby at 7-to-5. The Bull is now 7 5-1-0. Article: Jay Privman on Twitter

​

• Race 3: Eddie Haskell (Joel Rosario/Mark Glatt) won for the second time in eight days.
• Closing day is Sunday: The meet ends Sunday (tomorrow). Peter Miller appears to have won the trainer's title with 14 victories. The rider's title is up for grans. Drayden Van Dyke (17) and Flavien Prat (16) are in a battle.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Room 222: Eurico Da Silva snapped the track record for wins in a meet with 222. He held three #2 saddle cloths as part of a photo op. First time I have seen that. He was 4-1-2 on 9 rides today.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Eclipse Award Finalists for Jockey of the Year.

Last year, I felt Jose Ortiz would win the Eclipse Award for Jockey of the Year at some point around Labor Day. He did and dethroned Javier Castellano who had won the prior four years. Both were among my finalists. The question then was who would be the third finalist. I narrowed my choices to either Irad Ortiz, Jr. or John Velazquez who sizzled as the year progressed. Those latter two were not chosen as Mike Smith got the nod although I didn't think he merited consideration based on volume.

This year is more wide open. Who makes the final three?

JOSE ORTIZ: He is fourth in wins. He is a close second in purse money with a similar $26 million as his brother. I don't think he is a lock as was my feeling last year. His 2018 hasn't been as smooth as last year.

IRAD ORTIZ, JR.: His 321 wins leads all riders in North America. He has amassed over $26,000,000 in earnings. He is known to be more aggressive than his brother. He may lack the national pizzazz of others.

JAVIER CASTELLANO: He is 15th in wins. He is third in prize money. Still one of the all-time greats but has the torch been passed?

MIKE SMITH: Only 50+ wins compared to more than 300 for some riders. His $11 million in prize money pales to the others but that is mostly due to volume. However, he rode a Triple Crown winner. He has won the award twice, 1993 and 1994. He could very well be the chic pick.

FLORENT GEROUX: A smart outside pick who is third in prize money but others are ahead of him as far as making the cut to three.

JOEL ROSARIO: Has he accomplished enough to be mentioned among the final three? He has $20 million in prize money with about half the starts of Irad.

TYLER GAFFALIONE: Isn't quite there despite winning two important meets in Kentucky.

Tough call. Last year, there were two cinches and a guess. This year offers no guarantees though at least one Ortiz should be there. The rest of the month and certainly the Championship Meet at Gulfstream could affect the eventual final three.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

MATRIARCH STAKES

What: Grade I
Where: Del Mar Racetrack, Del Mar, CA
When: Sunday, December 2, 2018, Race 7
Post time: 3:30 pm Pacific time (6:30 pm Eastern Time)
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Turf
Purse: $300,000
History: Inaugurated in 1981. Joel Rosario has been the winning rider three of the last eight races.
Preview: Six countries represented in a field of 14 in Del Mar's closing day. Chad Brown, who specializes in turf, has three runners.​

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Excellent Sunset (IRE)	Rafael Bejarano	123	Anna Meah	30/1
2	Valadorna (KY)	Mike E. Smith	123	Mark E. Casse	15/1
3	Fahan Mura (PA)	Edwin A. Maldonado	123	Vladimir Cerin	12/1
4	Mopotism (KY)	Geovanni Franco	123	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
5	Quidura (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Chad C. Brown	8/1
6	Ms Bad Behavior (ON)	Tyler Baze	120	Richard Baltas	20/1
7	Daddy Is a Legend (PA)	Manuel Franco	120	George Weaver	20/1
8	Insta Erma (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	123	Richard Baltas	12/1
9	Vasilika (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Jerry Hollendorfer	7/2
10	Mission Impassible (IRE)	Florent Geroux	120	Rodolphe Brisset	5/1
11	Luminoso (KY)	Evin A. Roman	120	Doug F. O'Neill	30/1
12	Dona Bruja (ARG)	Declan Cannon	123	Ignacio Correas, IV	8/1
13	Uni (GB)	Joel Rosario	123	Chad C. Brown	9/2
14	Rymska (FR)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Chad C. Brown	5/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 2, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Cancelled: The card was canceled due to heavy fog.
• Closing day: Today was to be the last day of the fall meet. Winners include jockey Manny Franco (25 wins) and trainers Rudy Rodriguez and Todd Pletcher (12 each).

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Fog: Ran amid the fog.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $64,000.
• Race 9: Brahms Romp, a three-year-old Arkansas-bred trained by Jamie Ness ran for the 25th time. That is a high total for a 3-year-old. The gelding has 8 second place finishes in 16 races in 2018.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Tyler Gaffalione was 0-for-11 Saturday, Tyler Gaffalione won three times today. He is tied for the meet lead with three wins.
• Paco Lopez is a dreadful 20 0-3-3 through two days.
• Luis Saez, who won the meet last year is an abysmal 16 1-1-3.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Race 8: Joe Bravo had one mount. He won. Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel!

Golden Gate (California):

• Race 8: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $6,200. The $2 tri returned more than $6,600. The winner paid $62.80.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 7: Joel Rosario did it again in the winning the Grade I $200,000 Matriarch. Some chatter is he will move his tack to California. However, he has had a wonderful 2018 and I will be among the first to suggest he belongs in the final three riders for Jockey of the Year. He likely is still on the outside of that category but he belongs there. This was a game-changing ride. This horse was a gift at 5-to-1, a race in which Rosario historically achieves. Uni, trained by Chad Brown, was left in the pack before an exhilarating recovery by one of the game's best. Yes, an enigma but Rosario deserves some accolades. This was a competitive field. When you have something on the line and whether you follow the horse on the screen or tablet at the bottom and don't see your horse (the #13) that is cause for concern. Then comes that initial movement after the track caller's disheartening decription, then the change of his tone, then hope, the rush, then exuberance; few things can match it! The race finished 13-7-5 with three east coast connections lifting a $.50 trifecta to a $762 payout.

​

• Race 9: The $2 Pick 5 paid $240,955. The $2 Pick 4 returned over $15,000.
• Closing day: The 16-day meet handled over $165 million which is an increase of 7.3% from 2017. Trainer Peter Miller (15 victories) and jockey Drayden Van Dyke (17 wins) won their respective categories.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Norman McKnight won three times and broke the track record for wins by a trainer at any meet with 120; the meet concludes later this month. McKnight was 7 3-3-1 today. He won three of the five races in which he entered. The record-setter came in race 9 with Gold Lace ridden by bug Kazushi Kimona.

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I don't find fault with many of these weekly choices but this was a questionable decision. Rosario should have won this award hands down.

Velazquez’ Milestone Victory Nets Jockey Of The Week Title - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Becoming one of only a select few to win 6,000 career races, John Velazquez was selected as Jockeys' Guild Foundation Detox Jockey of the Week for November 26 – December 2, 2018. The award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 riders in North America. Jockey of the Week is sponsored by FoundationDetox.com, America's #1 Equine Toxin Remover.

It is unusual for a jockey with just one win in a given week to be voted Jockey of the Week, but it is even less common for a jockey to join the elite circle of riders who have won 6,000 or more career races. On Friday, Velazquez joined that circle, winning his 6,000th career race at Aqueduct.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Afleet Alex is probably number three on my all-time favorite horses list. Same owners have another possibility in Maximus Mischief. I mentioned the horse a few weeks ago as one who is garnering attention around Parx as an outsider in the Kentucky Derby trail. He did well in the Remsen in New York this past weekend. Onto Florida.

» Maximus Mischief AOK After Remsen

Maximus Mischief (Into Mischief) exited his victory in Saturday’s GII Remsen S. in fine shape and shipped back to his home base at Parx, according to trainer Butch Reid.

“It looked like he came out of the race perfectly and made good time, he was safely back in his stall by 9 p.m. or so,” Reid said. “He was a little tired, but he’s on his toes this morning.”
Owned by Cash is King Stable and LC Racing, Maximus Mischief improved his record to a perfect 3-for-3 with his Remsen win.

“The most impressive part was how he acted in the paddock and all the prerace stuff, because he can be a handful in the paddock,” Reid said. “In his new surroundings, he handled it very well. He stood perfectly in the paddock, which at Aqueduct can be a little foreboding. He handled it great and was cool as a cucumber and stood there perfectly when we put the tack on him. I was pretty confident with the way things were going to go after that.”

Reid said Maximus Mischief will be heading south in a few weeks.

“We’re going to give him a little break, but then we’ll be heading down to Florida,” Reid said. “We’ll be heading down to Gulfstream Park in the next few weeks and get him used to the weather down there and get him ready to start his 3-year-old campaign.”​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 5, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Schedule: The fall meet closed with Sunday's cancellation. The winter meet begins Friday. The track was dark today. Most of the bigger named jockeys will head to Gulfstream including Javier Castellano, John Velazquez, Irad and Jose Ortiz and more. This is the time of the year that other jockeys pad their records. Among those staying at least initially are Junior Alvarado, Rajiv Maragh, Jose Lezcano, Eric Cancel, David Cohen and Dylan Davis.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Luis Quinones won four times in seven rides. Each win came in the final five races.
• Race 7: The $2 exacta was twenty cents under $1,200. The $.50 tri was over $1,400.
• Race 8: The $.50 tri was over $1,100.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Daniel Centeno had a natural hat trick starting with race 5. He is second at the meet with five wins.
• Samy Camacho rode the entire card (nine races) and won twice. He leads the meet with nine wins. As I have mentioned earlier, this kid is having a breakthrough year. Comes from a riding family.
• Race 9: Some of the smallest payouts I have seen to end the day. The race finished in a dead heat which split the payouts and hurt some of the exotics. One winner ran as recently as November 30.
• Closers vs. speed: As seems to be the norm at the track, speed kills and closers fail.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez, the meet's leading rider last year who began cold this year, put on a show by winning four of six starts including an 18-to-1 bomber in race 7.
• Race 7: A 3-way photo finish enlivened the race day. The $.50 tri was over $1,200. The $.10 super paid over $5,800.

​

• Race 5: Kathleen O'Connell trained winners at Tampa Bay and Gulfstream in a matter of minutes.
• Luca Panici began the meet 9 0-0-0 but after being caught prior to the wire in race 8, he held on for victory in race 10. He is now 11 1-1-0.
• Paco Lopez is shockingly 25 0-4-3 after another winless day.
• Jose Ortiz missed the board in all five starts. If he is nominated as one of the three finalists for Jockey of the Year in an attempt to win the award in consecutive years, winning won't be as smooth as 2017.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 4: Rafael Hernandez, one of the top riders at the meet, was sent off at 56-to-1 and almost wired the field. He finished second with a horse that entered 40 2-4-4. The $.20 super paid over $12,000. The $2 tri returned a stately $5,400+.

Happy Valley (Hong Kong):

• International Jockeys Championship: A crowd of 30,174 attended. The total handle was HK$1.348 billion ($175.24 million).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 6, 2018

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: Over $7,000,000 handled as one of the few tracks running this Thursday.
• Emisael Jaramillo won three of his five starts. He is one behind Luis Saez's 6 wins for the meet lead.
• Paco Lopez, who entered today 0-for-25 at the meet, won twice. His skid ended for Elizabeth Dobles who has won with 5 of her last 15 starters.
• Race 10: The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $27,000 to those who won.
• Race 8: Paco Lopez's second win was on a 53-to-1 bomb that caught the favorite at the wire. The win paid $109. The $.50 tri was almost $1,500.

​

• Race 7: Luca Panici finished second with a 53-to-1 bomber for Larry Bates.
• Race 5: Tyler Gaffalione won with a 13-to-1 shot.
• Trainers: No one had more than one win in 10 races.

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Race 7: A 105-to-1 shot finished third.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• James Graham, the meet's leading rider, won twice.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Meet opener: Its brief meet opened as the southern California option. Santa Anita opens Dec. 26.
• Bob Baffert won with one of his two starters. Dating to Nov. 12, Baffert has won with 9 of his 15 starters.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 7, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Opening day: The winter meet opened today. The track handled over $6,000,000. It is the off-season in New York.
• Junior Alvarado won three times including two for Linda Rice. He could have won a fourth race on an entry favorite but got clogged on the inside and an opening never developed.
• Benjamin Hernandez, a bug, won twice. He entered the day with just one lifetime win.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy, who won twice today, leads the meet with 35 wins and $1.4 million earned.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 7: A 3-way photo finish surprised many with the 7 on top of the 8.
• Race 8: Jorge Urdaneta rode a 64-to-1 to second place. He has two second place finishes in two starts. Apparently, he is from Venezuela based on some research.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez, the leading rider at the meet last year, is in a groove. He won three times today. He leads the meet with 9 wins.
• Tyler Gaffalione won twice. He is tied for second with six wins at the meet.
• Jose Ortiz, the reigning jockey of the Year in North America, is 13 0-0-0 at the meet.
• Jose Ortiz, Irad Ortiz, Jr. and John Velazquez are a combined 32 2-2-2 (all 6 in the money belong to Irad) at the meet.
• Race 4: A good finish in which Tyler Gaffalione/Brendan Walsh topped Paco Lopez/Elizabeth Dobles in an exacta that paid $157.

​

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Race 5: A 32-to-1 shot topped a $.20 trifecta that returned $1,600+. The show prices were $15.20, $11.40 and an incredible $31.80 with a 60-to-1 in third. The superfecta did not pay out (not hit).
• Race 6: Even with the favorite winning the race, the $1 double was a stunning $1,266.70.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• James Graham won three times. He leads the meet with 20 wins, 8 more than second place.
• Race 10: Buggin Out (Corey Lanerie/Ronnie Ward) won the $50,000 Magic City Classic Stakes, which is limited to Alabama-breds, for the fifth straight year. The 7-year-old has 8 wins in 26 starts and five have come in this race in which he is a perfect 5 5-0-0. He had run just once, in October, since the 2017 edition of this race. Half of his last six races have been in this race. The last time he won a race other than this Stakes was in November 2015.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 9: A rare 16-1 exacta, the far outside and inside posts. The $.20 Super High Five paid $66,000+
• Race 7: The $1 Pick 4 was over $12,000. The $1 Pick 3 was over $8,000. The $2 double was $1,871.
• Race 6: A 58-to-1 winner paid $119.60.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

LOS ALAMITOS CASH CALL FUTURITY

What: Grade I
Where: Los Alamitos Race Course, Cypress, CA
When: Saturday, December 8, 2018, Race 5
Post time: 2:28 pm Pacific Time (5:28 pm Eastern Time)
Who: 2-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/16 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $300,000
History: Inaugurated in 1981. Bob Baffert has won this 10 times, including the last four. Among his winners were Lookin at Lucky and Pioneerof the Nile in consecutive years with Garrett Gomez.
Preview: All eyes will be concentrated on Baffert's two runners. Short field filled with talented connections but Baffert is sizzling with 2-year-olds not only historically at this race but in California this year.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Improbable (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Bob Baffert	6-5
2	Savagery (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	120	Peter Miller	8-1
3	Dueling (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Jerry Hollendorfer	6-1
4	King of Speed (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Jeff Bonde	15-1
5	Extra Hope (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard E. Mandella	7-2
6	Mucho Gusto (KY)	Joseph Talamo	120	Bob Baffert	3-1

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[TBODY][TR][TH]STARLET STAKES

What: Grade I
Where: Los Alamitos Race Course, Cypress, CA
When: Saturday, December 8, 2018, Race 7
Post time: 3:28 pm Pacific Time (6:28 pm Eastern Time)
Who: 2-year-old fillies
Distance: 1 1/16 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $300,000
History: Inaugurated in 1974.
Preview: This is a highly anticipated race for the baby girls. A short field with powerful connections. The Louisiana-bred is coming in off a 3rd place finish at 3-to-1 in the BC Juvy Fillies. We could see more than one of these fillies in the Kentucky Oaks.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Vibrance (LA)	Flavien Prat	120	Michael W. McCarthy	5/2
2	Mother Mother (KY)	Florent Geroux	120	Bob Baffert	2/1
3	Sold It (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
4	Oxy Lady (KY)	Declan Cannon	120	Jack Sisterson	5/1
5	Enaya Alrabb (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Doug F. O'Neill	12/1
6	Chasing Yesterday (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Bob Baffert	9/5

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 8, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Reylu Gutierrez, a bug, won four times including a natural hat trick beginning with race 2. He has the same agent as Jose Ortiz.
• Junior Alvarado added consecutive wins to his meet lead of five victories. Alvarado skimmed the rail, not his normal style, and rode one win to perfection. There have been 18 races run through two days this meet and Alvarado (5) and Reylu Gutierrez (4) have combined to win half.
• Post times: Adjusted so not to conflict with Gulfstream. Yes! That can be a pet peeve for handicappers especially on Saturdays. It isn't an easy task for some tracks to adapt but this was a good move.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 8: Creepy the Crab ran off the board and is now 29 0-2-4. I don't care: Creepy has one fan here.
• Speed: The opening quarter miles have been blistering paces at times.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Samy Camacho has 13 wins, 6 more than Daniel Centeno's seven victories, to lead the meet.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: The track handled close to $10,000,000 in a day that featured racing from Latin America and the Caribbean. Horses came from different parts of those regions.
• Track: The turf is noticeably more green and in better condition than in recent months.
• Leading riders: Luis Saez (10) and Tyler Gaffalione (8).
• Struggling rider: Jose Ortiz is 20 0-2-1.
• Javier Castellano, who was in Hong Kong earlier this week, was off his mounts.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times including race 11.
• Race 11: Kukulkan, a Mexican bred, improved to a perfect 14 14-0-0 in his first race outside his country.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Local racing: A big day for locals though on a sloppy track due to heavy rains.
• Purses: 10 of the 13 races had purses of $100,000 or more.
• Race 9: Underpressure (Corey Lanerie/Chris Richard) won the highest purse of the day at $150,000.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Bob Baffert swept the two Grade I races. Baffert is a perfect 5-for-5 in the Cash Call Futurity since the race was moved from Hollywood Park following the 2013 racing season.
• Race 5: Improbable (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert) toyed with the field in the $300,000 Grade I Los Alamitos Futurity. The colt, a son to City Zip, is now 3 3-0-0 and is en route to bigger things. He is good but has the ability to get better. Baffert had two horses entered and finished 1st and 2nd. The all-Baffert $1 exacta paid $2.80.

​

• Race 7: Chasing Yesterday (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert) is now 5 4-0-0 after she won the $300,000 Grade I Starlet. She is on the path to the Kentucky Oaks though it wasn't an extraordinary performance. A mediocre field with a bomber in second. Enaya Alrabb (Mike Smith/Doug O'Neill) finished second at 30-to-1. Baffert had two horses entered and finished 1st and 3rd.

​

• Mike Smith was not on any of the prime opportunities in either Grade I -- he was sent off at 11-to-1 and 30-1 in the two races -- but he lodged an objection for fourth place and got boosted from fifth in the Futurity-- and then took the bomber into second in the Starlet. That latter result prevented Baffert's two horses in each race from topping both exactas.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Recap: It seemed that stalkers and closers dominated every race. Speed was on the backburner.
• Kazushi Kimura, a bug, won three times.

Steve Asmussen:

• Won five times including three at Remington, one in Aqueduct and one in Fair Grounds. he has won 9 of his last 16 entered races at Remington.

Karl Broberg:

• Leads all North American trainers with 486 wins which is 105 more than Steve Asmussen in second place. The total is phenomenal, the distance between 1st and 3rd -- 235 wins -- is outrageous.

Bob Baffert:

• Dating back to November 12, he has with 11 of his last 20 starters. In that time, he has won 11 of his last 16 races (had dual entries in four races and won all four) in which he entered. Even for Baffert, that is a gaudy stat.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

VALEDICTORY STAKES

What: Grade III
Where: Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Ontario
When: Sunday, December 9, 2018, Race 8
Post time: 4:38 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 1/16 mile
Surface: All weather track
Purse: $125,000
History: Inaugurated in 1952. Patrick Husbands (5), Emma-Jayne Wilson (4) and Eurico Da Silva (2) have combined to win 11 of the last 12 editions of this race. Husbands is sidelined after surgery to his midsection.
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	English Illusion (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	119	Sylvain Pion	4/1
2	Bowsprit (MD)	Kazushi Kimura	115	Milan Milosevic	15/1
3	Bangkok (ON)	Gary Boulanger	115	W. Phillip Gracey	20/1
4	Vintage Matters (NY)	Emma-Jayne Wilson	115	Michael W. Dickinson	6/1
5	A. A. Azula's Arch (KY)	Omar Moreno	114	Kevin Attard	12/1
6	Seeking Albert (ON)	Alan Garcia	115	Michael P. De Paulo	10/1
7	Melmich (ON)	Luis Contreras	115	Kevin Attard	3/1
8	Ethical Funds (ON)	David Moran	115	George Billers	20/1
9	Pumpkin Rumble (PA)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	115	Kevin Attard	9/5

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 9, 2018

Aqueduct (New York):

• Dylan Davis, with four wins, and Luis Reyes, who had three victories, both had extraordinary days. Davis rode the entire card of eight races. Reyes won his last three, of five, mounts. Two jockeys winning seven of eight on a New York card is rare. It is the time of the year there for some to expand their resumes.
• Leading riders: Junior Alvarado (5 wins), Dylan Davis (4), Reylu Gutierrez (4) and Luis Reyes (4).
• Manny Franco, who was in Florida yesterday, was scheduled to ride once and for reigning Trainer of the Year Chad Brown, but was replaced by Mike Luzzi. I am not sure how often or the last time Luzzi has ridden for Brown. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.
• Off the turf: Saturday may have been the last day of turf racing until April. None was scheduled today and nothing shows on Wednesday's card.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy won twice and his 39 wins at the meet leads by nine victories.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won twice and is now 30 7-5-3 at the meet. North America's winningest rider in 2018 could be a finalist for Jockey of the Year.
• Race 8: Final Jeopardy (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Jason Servis) won his maiden by over 5 lengths at 4-to-1. He has Street Sense and Unbridled in the blood.

​

• Brian Hernandez, Jr. won twice, his first two wins at the meet. A good rider, this is among the best jockey colonies he has faced if he stays the entire meet.
• Jose Ortiz is now 21 0-2-2 at the meet. He is the defending Jockey of the Year.
• Jose Ortiz, John Velazquez (eight rides) and Javier Castellano (one ride) are a combined 30 0-3-2 at the meet. Of course, it is very early in the meet but I doubt anyone thought that figure could happen.

Fair Grounds: (Louisiana):

• Race 1: Albert Stall, a trainer with over 1,500 career wins, snapped an 0-for-30 skid to start this meet.
• Race 5: A $41.00 winner.
• Race 6: A $72.00 place horse when a 110-to-1 ran second. Imagine what that double would have paid?! I do not recall the most recent $72.00 place horse.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 8: Sometimes things go to script. In the $125,000 Grade III Valedictory Stakes, trainer Kevin Attard had three runners and two figured mightily. The third appeared to be the pacesetter. That is how it unfolded before Pumpkin Rumble (Eurico Da Silva) and Melmich (Luis Contreras) hooked up. The $2 exacta was $12.60 but that wasn't a disappointing return. Pumpkin Rumble improved to 42 9-8-8 with three straight wins. Da Silva is owning this meet with a 63-win lead (228 total) and over $8,000,000 earned. The always gamed Melmich is now 42 17-14-4 and has earned over $1.3 million.

​

• Race 9: Luis Contreras flipped the result of the previous race by beating Eurico Da Silva.
• Emma-Jayne Wilson won three times.
• Kazushi Kimura, a bug, won the opener and finale. It is his third straight multi-win day. Perhaps he is making a run to be considered as a finalist for Apprentice of the Year.

Sha Tin (Hong Kong):

• Handle: 10 races and the handle was $205,000,000+ (US).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who has won two Kentucky Derby(s) and two very well-documented upsets of potential Triple Crown winners in Belmont Stakes, is having a string of up to 20 horses at Oaklawn (Arkansas) beginning in January. He made a comment that he is 0-for-5 lifetime at the track. The 70-year-old Hall of Famer has not had much success in recent years on the East coast, especially New York. An interesting move nonetheless. This is always one of the most anticipated meets on the horse racing calendar and can prove very difficult but perhaps he feels as if he has little to lose. Oaklawn doesn't have turf.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 12., 2018

• A light day of racing. The two main Florida tracks were among the few running.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 3: Jesse Garcia, at the age of 59, won for the first time since June 2012 (Presque Isle) with his first mount since Feb. 2017.
• Race 6: A dead heat for win.
• Gerald Bennett, the leading trainer at the meet, won three times.
• Huber Villa-Gomez entered winless at the meet. Today, he won twice.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 5: Jose Ortiz finally won and on board a 23-to-1 shot. He ended the day with another win and is 26 2-3-3 at the meet.
• Race 7: A good collection of talents with 2-year-olds. Wesley Ward is one of the masters at the division. Onthewaytonevrland, ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., was the victor.
• Leading riders: A good race has developed to date and there is a long way to go for top rider at the meet the current standings show: Luis Saez (11), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (9), Tyler Gaffalione (8) and Emisael Jaramillo (8) at the top.

Maryland:

Maryland Racing Authority is scheduled to release a plan that calls for $424 million in renovations, following demolition, to Pimlico in hoping to keep the facility alive. The track, along with Laurel, is owned by the Stronach Group. That Group called on moving the Preakness Stakes to Laurel from Pimlico not too long ago. When the report is formally released tomorrow, we should learn about financing and other information. Pimlico ran about 12 days all of last year. Laurel runs nearly year round.

=================
UPDATE:

New Pimlico Would Emphasize Preakness, Versatility - BloodHorse

It's important to note that the report is preliminary and doesn't constitute a comprehensive master plan for Pimlico, but some of the ideas could be attractive, as any chance for the $424 million project becoming reality would likely require a partnership of The Stronach Group's Maryland Jockey Club, the city, and the state. That price tag includes demolition of all structures currently on the property, construction of new facilities, as well as complete reconstruction of the tracks.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

An this is why the Gulfstream winter meet is one of the best. A dizzying array of talent on display. Pre-scratches, some highlights are below (source: Brisnet)