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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 12, 2019 ...continued

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Javier Castellano rode winners in both Grade 3 races.

​

Turfway (Kentucky)

• Canceled: winter storm.

Delta Downs (Louisiana):

• Race 2: Under the lights, the top three went off at the remarkable odds of 15-to-1, 23-to-1 and 152-to-1. Anytime you can get $32.40 for finishing third that gets attention. But the prices included more than $7,000 for a $1 tri and $6,400+ for a $.10 super

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Race 10: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $21,000.

Santa Anita (California):

• Weather: raw and under 60 degrees at one point.
• Race 6: The $100,000 stakes race was removed from the turf due to the inclement elements and the field was slashed in half to four. Belvoir Bay (Flavien Prat/Peter Miller) was the victor. Mike Smith, in his only ride of the day, was second.
• Race 8: Escape Clause (Tyler Baze/Don Schnell) improved to a fantastic 28 19-3-3 and even done mostly at Assiniboia (Manitoba), the 5-year-old mare won a key race in California. To summarize: A Canadian-bred who runs mostly north of the border and a shipper from New Mexico finished 1-2 in California in a Grade 3 race. Good job by Roimes Chirinos, too, who I mentioned in an above post.

​

 

[Orr Fourever]

Thanks for the tip on the Manitoba mare MSE. I had a fiver on her. Easy money.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thanks for the tip on the Manitoba mare MSE. I had a fiver on her. Easy money.

Awesome. Sometimes these things do not go to script but every little bit helps. Good for you.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

At last check, the 12 likely runners for the Pegasus World Cup on January 26 at Gulfstream (Florida) It will have a purse of $9,000,000 with the winner getting $4,000,000.

Jan. 13 update: Castellano opts to ride City of Light over Audible.

Accelerate

[Lookin At Lucky – J. Sadler/J. Rosario – 22: 10-5-5 - $5,792,480]​

Audible

[Into Mischief – T. Pletcher/F. Prat – 8: 5-1-2 - $1,220,520]​

Bravazo

[Awesome Again – D. W. Lukas/L. Saez – 16: 3-4-3 - $1,303,528] ​

City of Light

[Quality Road – M. McCarthy/J. Castellano – 10: 5-4-1 - $1,662,600] ​

Gunnevera

[Dialed In – A. Sano/I. Ortiz Jr. – 19: 6-5-2 - $4,111,800] ​

Kukulkan

[Point Determined – F. Gutierrez/F. Dettori – 14: 14-0-0 - $73,650] ​

McKinzie

[Street Sense – B. Baffert/M. Smith – 7: 5-1-0 - $1,086,000] ​

Patternrecognition

[Adios Charlie – C. Brown/J. Ortiz – 11: 5-5-0 - $812,325]​

Seeking the Soul

[Perfect Soul – D. Stewart/J. Velazquez – 23: 6-5-6 - $1,701,042] ​

Something Awesome

[Awesome Again - J. Corrales/E.Prado - 26 9-3-6 - $1,093,601]​

Tom’s d’Etat

[Smart Strike – A. Stall Jr./S. Bridgmohan – 9: 6-1-0 - $278,492] ​

True Timber

[Mineshaft– K. McLaughlin/J. Bravo – 17: 4-4-4 - $550,550]​

 

[DaaaaB's]

I don't follow it closely but know people who have an active interest.

Right on. I definitely prefer thoroughbred racing. One reason for that is horses seem to pull up or bolt on the jockeys more often in harness racing. Nothing pisses me off more than a horse I bet on doing that.

One cool thing I saw at the local track was a couple seasons ago when John Campbell had his final race on legend's day. Hes like the Wayne Gretzky of harness racing. Over 300 million in career winnings. Was based out of the Meadowlands in Jersey for most of his career but started out at my local track as he grew up a half hour away. Unfortunately, his horse pulled up on him but apparently that happened in his first ever race too so he said it was a fitting end. Here's a YouTube video of the race


The town also has indoor barrel racing 2-3 times a month from October thru April which is fun to watch as well.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 13, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 2: The chalky double paid $4.00.
• Race 4: Mike Luzzi, in his lone ride of the day, flew from the back of the pack and at 18-to-1 nearly pulled off a miraculous finish but settled for second place.
• Dylan Davis won three times.
• Manny Franco and Junior Alvarado are now tied on top the meet's leading rider standings. Both riders won today.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled: High winds and an expected snowfall forced the cancelation of the entire card.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Samy Camacho won four times and finished the day 8 4-1-1. He leads the meet with 46 wins which is 19 more than Antonio Gallardo who is annually one of the best at the track.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 11: A 118-1 shot got third and paid $27.60.
• Race 9: Harvey Clarke, who bred 2012 Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another among others, owned Pagliacci who won this race. Clarke passed away two days ago.
• Race 8: Trainer Mark Casse had two in this race including the favorite but it was the other runner that was victorious. That seems to happen quite frequently with trainers who send two in a race and one is the top choice.
• Race 5: When the 4-to-5 favorite was scratched at the gate, potential confusion reigned. 30-1 and 40-1 shots finished 2nd and 3rd.
• Jorge Navarro, Todd Pletcher, Jason Servis and Bill Mott are the only trainers among the top ten at the meet with 20% winning percentage and 50% or better in the money.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Updates from today and the recent days:

Flavien Prat will ride Audible in the Pegasus World Cup in Florida later this month. Todd Pletcher was without a rider when Javier Castellano chose to rode City of Light instead. Prat, who rode not too long ago in France, normally rides in California. Prat and Pletcher don't have much of a history together that I recall; must be the owners' call.

Maximus Mischief, who has turned plenty of heads in Philadelphia as a 2-year-old in 2018, will be ridden by Jose Ortiz (rather than Frankie Pennington, one of the best at Parx), on February 2 in the Holy Bull at Gulfstream. The horse is garnering attention as a Kentucky Derby hopeful. The trainer is Butch Reid.

Bob Baffert expects Game Winner, by some accounts the leading contender for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, to run next in the March 9 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

Another Baffert Derby contender is Improbable who is next expected to run in the Rebel at Oaklawn (Arkansas) on March 16. The Oaklawn meet starts Jan. 25.

As of now, none of the top half dozen Derby contenders are expected to run in January though some of that is opinion and could change as the weeks progress. The LeComte at Fair Grounds (Louisiana) is January 19 and we could see potential Derby contenders there.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Pegasus World Cup has received attention (a likely field is within post #379 of this thread) but the new Pegasus World Cup Turf International with a $7 million purse hasn't been discussed as much since the field isn't as concrete.

Distance is 1 3/16 miles with a $3 million first prize. The field will be limited to 12 starters.

Per HorseRacingNation, a potential field could include:

Horse [TBODY] [/TBODY] Trainer [TBODY] [/TBODY] Pavel D. O'Neill Possible Channel Maker W. Mott Probable Magic Wand A. O'Brien Probable Delta Prince J. Jerkens Probable Yoshida W. Mott Probable Next Shares R. Baltas Possible Bricks and Mortar C. Brown Probable Aerolithe T. Kikuzawa Probable Catapult J. Sadler Probable [TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Judging by this large field and the morning line odds, this is a wide-open race as the group runs as 3-year-olds for the first time.

LECOMTE STAKES

What: Grade III, a Kentucky Derby prep race

Full Derby prep sched: Kentucky Derby Prep Races​

Where: Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots (New Orleans, Louisiana)
When: Saturday, January 19, 2019, Race 12
Post time: 5:49 PM Central Time
Who: 3 year olds
Distance: 1 mile 70 yards
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $200,000
Television: TVG
History: First run in 1970. Among those who won in the last dozen years are Oxbow, Friesan Fire and Hard Spun. No horse has won this race and the Kentucky Derby. It is used as a prep for the Louisiana Derby.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Wicked Indeed (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
2	Malpais (KY)	Adam Beschizza	122	Joe Sharp	12/1
3	Tackett (WV)	Joe Bravo	122	Michael Stidham	6/1
4	Mr. Money (KY)	Gabriel Saez	122	W. Bret Calhoun	5/1
5	Night Ops (KY)	Edgar Morales	122	J. Keith Desormeaux	30/1
6	Hog Creek Hustle (KY)	Florent Geroux	122	Vickie L. Foley	12/1
7	Roiland (KY)	James Graham	122	Thomas M. Amoss	12/1
8	War of Will (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Mark E. Casse	6/1
9	Mo Speed (KY)	Jerome Lermyte	122	Mark E. Casse	20/1
10	Chase the Ghost (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	122	Dallas Stewart	12/1
11	Tight Ten (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	122	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1
12	Plus Que Parfait (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Brendan P. Walsh	9/2
13	Manny Wah (KY)	Channing Hill	122	Wayne M. Catalano	10/1
14	Admire (KY)	Robby Albarado	122	Dale L. Romans	20/1
15	West Texas (KY)	Marcelino Pedroza	122	Bernard S. Flint	20/1

[TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thanks for the tip on the Manitoba mare MSE. I had a fiver on her. Easy money.

This one important insider website labeled her the Assiniboia Assassin. Outstanding.

» California Mares No Match for the Assiniboia Assassin

California Mares No Match for the Assiniboia Assassin

For much of her career, Escape Clause (Going Commando) has spent her time at Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, beating up on the outclassed rivals that dared to face her in small stakes on the Western Canadian circuit. Then, after her eighth straight win, one of which was in a two-horse field, trainer Don Schnell had a thought: why not see what she can do against stakes-quality mares in the U.S.?

Schnell sensed his mare had progressed so much last year that she was ready for a new challenge. He ought to know. He is her owner, trainer, groom, hotwalker, farrier and van driver.

“You’re right, you won’t see Bob Baffert driving the van when he ships a horse, but Bob Baffert has a lot more money than me,” Schnell said.

The first time Schnell tried her in a stakes race in Southern California, the betting public didn’t take her too seriously. They sent her off at 18-1 in the restricted Kathryn Crosby S. at Del Mar and she won via disqualification after crossing the wire second, a half-length behind Excellent Sunset (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}).

Schnell had his answer: Escape Clause belonged.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 16, 2019

• McKinzie (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert) is more likely to run in the Dubai World Cup (March 30, 2019) rather than the Pegasus World Cup per some indications.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Prices: 8 of the 10 races were won by horses that paid $10 or more.
• Race 10: A first-time starter looked like the an instant Hall of Famer with a romp at 40-to-1. The winner paid $83.40. The $2 Pick 4 was huge at $71,000+.
• Race 6: A $52.00 winner began the second Pick 5.
• Race 5: The first $2 Pick 5 was a stunning $177,000+

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez, the meet's leading rider, won four times on nine mounts. One win was on board a 17-to-1 shot in race 7.
• Todd Pletcher won three times with five starters and finished 1st-2nd in one of the races he lost.
• Chris Landeros's day began tough with a 9th place finish and then he finished second and lost an objection lodged against the winner in the fourth race; however, he recovered quite nicely and ended the day 6 2-1-3 and won consecutive starts following the failed attempt at a DQ.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 17, 2019

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez won three consecutive starts and ended the day with a mark of 8 4-1-1, his second consecutive 4-win day. He has had multiple winners on five straight cards and has won 10 of his last 21 starts.
• Race 1: This is an old-fashioned enjoyable horse race. Luca Panici and Luis Saez, the latter one of the best riders in all of North America and the leading rider at this meet, hooked up and tangoed. Panici worked his posterior off to get this victory. Kudos to both.

​

• Race 2: Some similarities to the opener with the horse on the rail getting a victory.
• Race 3: Finished with the numerical oddity 1-2-3-4-5-6
• Race 7: Yes I Am Free (Tyler Gaffalione/Mark Casse) earned a nice win as a first-time starter. The runner up Standup (Javier Castellano/Todd Pletcher), also a first-timer, came flying at the end and may be worth a look next time out.

Santa Anita (California):

• Bad weather: Due to excessive rains in the area, the card today was canceled.
• Pick 6: Santa Anita is guaranteeing a $2 million payout in the 20-cent Rainbow pick six for eight racing days beginning on Saturday and plans to have a mandatory payout day for the pool on Feb. 2. The Rainbow portion of the pick six is paid only if there is a single winning ticket, which has not occurred since the meeting began on Dec. 26. The carryover in the Rainbow pick six for Friday’s eight-race program is $883,200. Last Sunday, the most recent day of racing, the pick six paid $18,029 to 11 ticketholders (source: DRF -- Santa Anita guarantees $2M payout for Rainbow 6; mandatory payout Feb. 2 | Daily Racing Form).

 

[Preds Partisan]

Churchill Downs Inc. bought Presque Isle Downs & Casino for $178.9 million.
Gives them access to sports gambling/online betting. Local fans don't seem real enthusiastic about this.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Churchill Downs Inc. bought Presque Isle Downs & Casino for $178.9 million.
Gives them access to sports gambling/online betting. Local fans don't seem real enthusiastic about this.

Churchill Downs has a contentious reputation among many horse racing followers. Much of it is the reputation that the Oaks and Derby are presented on red carpets while much of the rest of the product is open for interpretation.

Churchill owns the former Calder (now called Gulfstream Park West for racing) in south Florida which Gulfstream currently leases for about 6 weeks in the autumn (though I believe there is just one year left on that pact). One indication is Churchill wants to make Calder a jai alai fronton, eliminate horse racing there completely and keep the money-making casino/entertainment complex. Horse racing at Calder (GPW) mainly exists to give Gulfstream Park (in Hallandale) a break from what is otherwise year-round racing.

Churchill is expanding its interest in Kentucky, too.

Sports betting will change the landscape of many tracks nationwide. Florida and California may be the most complicated as currently situated. Massachusetts is much less significant but in terms of viability it is imperative to fix the industry there while various competing interests will be heard from in 2019.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Add Iowa to the list as of today:

Prairie Meadows Prepared if Sports Betting Approved - BloodHorse

Should Iowa lawmakers approve sports gaming this year, Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino will be ready to launch in quick order.

Sports book operator William Hill issued a Jan. 16 release announcing it had reached a partnership agreement with Prairie Meadows to provide sports book operations at the casino should sports betting become legal. The sports book operation would be subject to the approval of Iowa gaming regulatory authorities.
​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 18, 2019

• Early word was issued that New York has canceled its Monday holiday card due to expected wintry conditions.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Manny Franco had a successful day going 8 4-2-1 including a natural hat trick beginning with race 2. He rode chalk throughout. Franco (37) leads Junior Alvarado by four victories at the meet.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Racing conditions: A sloppy track with evidence of snow on the perimeter.
• Race 8: Sometimes only one category matters. Sometimes horses like the slop. Eastern Bay improved to 6 5-0-0 on wet tracks. He is 10 0-2-0 otherwise. The winner paid $13.20.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez had multiple winners on a sixth straight card.
• Race 10: An 84-to-1 shot finished second and paid $84.20 which was the horse's exact odds. That is odd.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

At last check, the 11 probable runners for the Pegasus World Cup on January 26 at Gulfstream (Florida) The race will have a purse of $9,000,000 with the winner getting $4,000,000. McKinzie, once considered, is officially out of the race. A 12th horse will likely be announced at some point with the official draw on Tuesday.

Accelerate

[Lookin At Lucky – J. Sadler/J. Rosario – 22: 10-5-5 - $5,792,480]​

Audible

[Into Mischief – T. Pletcher/F. Prat – 8: 5-1-2 - $1,220,520]​

Bravazo

[Awesome Again – D. W. Lukas/L. Saez – 16: 3-4-3 - $1,303,528] ​

City of Light

[Quality Road – M. McCarthy/J. Castellano – 10: 5-4-1 - $1,662,600] ​

Gunnevera

[Dialed In – A. Sano/I. Ortiz Jr. – 19: 6-5-2 - $4,111,800] ​

Imperative

[Bernardini - A. Quartarolo/B. Hernandez, Jr. - 44 8-6-4 - $2,996,305]​

Kukulkan

[Point Determined – F. Gutierrez/F. Dettori – 14: 14-0-0 - $73,650] ​

Patternrecognition

[Adios Charlie – C. Brown/J. Ortiz – 11: 5-5-0 - $812,325]​

Seeking the Soul

[Perfect Soul – D. Stewart/J. Velazquez – 23: 6-5-6 - $1,701,042] ​

Something Awesome

[Awesome Again - J. Corrales/E.Prado - 26 9-3-6 - $1,093,601]​

Tom’s d’Etat

[Smart Strike – A. Stall Jr./S. Bridgmohan – 9: 6-1-0 - $278,492] ​

True Timber

[Mineshaft– K. McLaughlin/J. Bravo – 17: 4-4-4 - $550,550]

=========================
​

The inaugural new Pegasus World Cup Turf International has a $7 million purse with a $3 million first prize. Distance is 1 3/16 miles. The field will be limited to 12 starters.

PROBABLES:

Aerolithe -- Takanori Kikuzawa
Bricks and Mortar -- Chad Brown
Catapult -- John Sadler
Channel Maker -- Bill Mott
Delta Prince -- Jimmy Jerkens
Dubby Dubbie -- Robert Hess, Jr.
Fahan Mura -- Vladimir Cerin
Magic Wand -- Aidan O'Brien
Next Shares -- Richard Baltas
Yoshida.-- Bill Mott​

POSSIBILITIES

Hi Happy -- Todd Pletcher
Pavel -- Doug O'Neill
Unbridled Juan -- Jose Corrales​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 19 2019

• Mark Casse was four races including features at Gulfstream and Fair Grounds.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Jose Lezcano had his best day in quite some time going 6 4-0-0. His four wins included his 2,500th lifetime. He is riding with the physical scar of a broken nose suffered not too long ago.
• Race 8: Mike Luzzi, with the second longest shot on the board, nearly pulled a shocker as he led into the stretch. Then he initiated contact with Jose Lezcano's eventual winner and a stewards' inquiry was lodged. It was apparent upon first view that Luzzi caused the contact but at least the stewards opted to view and discuss.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 8: The $2 tri was more than $6,200. The $1 super was over $87,000. The $2 double was more than $1,200.
• Race 7: The $2 tri was more than $4,000.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 8: The $2 tri was more than $5,400.
• Race 5: Show prices were huge including $18.40 for the second place finisher. The $1 super paid over $33k. The $2 tri was more than $7,500.
• Race 3: The Pick 3 finished 1-1-1.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Snow: The opener was a romp in fallen snow. Snow intensified as the day advanced.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 9: Molto Bella (Luca Panici/Ian Wilkes) won the $125,000 feature race in record- setting time. Panici doesn't ride outside Gulfstream/GPW too often. Good for Luca!
• Race 7: Win Win Win (Julien Pimental/Michael Trombetta) also set a track record for winning time. The rider normally rides in Maryland. The victory was by more than seven lengths.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 11: Souper Tapit (John Velazquez/Mark Casse) won as the 3-to-1 favorite in the $200,000 Sunshine Millions.

​

• Race 4: The winner paid $48.60 and the show prices were as expected when X Y Jet, a $1.5 million earner, ran off the board as the prohibitive favorite. The top pick of many with 10 lifetime wins was caught in an impressive but probably unwise speed trap and was murdered with intense fractions. The winner was Irad Ortiz, Jr. at 23-to-1 who caught the fatigued horses.
• Race 1: Luis Saez, the leading rider at the meet, finished second on board a 22-to-1 shot. You don't see him at those odds often. I would not be surprised to see Saez as a finalist for the Eclipse Award 12 months from now. I sense he is ready to take his game to that level.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Race 12: War of Will (Tyler Gaffalione/Marl Casse) won the Lecomte, a Kentucky Derby prep race. It was his second straight race after beginning his career with four losses. He was absolutely magnificent in winning. Good for Gaffalione! Another Gulf jock making good outside the track today. WOW wowed them and at a 6-to-1 M/L he was sent off the favorite.

​

• Race 11: Needs Supervision (Joe Rocco, Jr./Jeremiah O'Dwyer) won the $150,000 Silverbulletday. I don't know much about O'Dwyer, other than his occasional starts at Laurel, but he could be in the early stages of making a name. This is his first stakes win.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 7: Dessman (Flavien Prat/Bob Baffert) kicked it into gear in the stretch and won as a first-time starter in a very impressive manner decimating the field by unofficially seven lengths.
• Race 9: Roy H. (Paco Lopez/Peter Miller), an Eclipse Award nominee, won as expected in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes. Yet another Gulf rider (well, it is the winter) who had a winner elsewhere today. Roy H., who is now 7-years-old, improved to 23 10-5-2 and earned more than $3.1 million.

​

Beholder gave birth to a Curlin foal. It is her second baby. She gave birth to an Uncle Mo foal prior.

Beholder retired from racing in 2016, won 18 of 26 starts and earned over $6 million. She also won FOUR Eclipse Awards.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 20, 2019

• Oaklawn opens this week: Five days to Oaklawn (Arkansas). Five days!
• Monday's holiday reminder: Plenty of track operating on Monday's holiday. Aqueduct (NY), Parx and Penn (PA), Mahoning Valley (OH) and Charles Town (WV) have canceled due to wintry weather but tracks in Maryland, Florida, Louisiana, California and elsewhere will have live cards.
• Carryover at Santa Anita: $1,139,327

Aqueduct (New York):

• Manny Franco, the meet's leading rider, won three more times. He is 28 9-9-3 the last four cards.
• Race 5: Jose Lezcano embarrassed the field winning by more than 15 lengths.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 2: The runner up paid $62.60.
• Race 1: An entertaining race, one of the best this day.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 5: I love when 91-to-1 shots open it up in the stretch. It happens so regularly, maybe once a year. The win paid $184.00 and a stupefying $75.20 for place. The $2 exacta paid $1,727.80. The $1 tri was a remarkable $31,000+ The winner was courtesy of a morning rider switch to Manny Jimenez who has 16 lifetime wins.
• Races 9 and 10: Scott Speith, who has over 4,700 wins, won consecutive races, his only two starts of the day. One win was for Kelsey Danner who entered with 10 all-time victories the first of which was almost exactly one year ago. She was an assistant to many top trainers including Carl Nafzger.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Paco Lopez, who rode his career gift Roy H, to victory yesterday in California, returned east and won three times. Is there anyone who doesn't like to bet on Lopez? So much for jet lag.
• Weather: Off the turf due to earlier precipitation.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Race 5: Interesting in that Chantal Sutherland from the far outside #13 post, in a 5 1/2 furlongs race, almost won at 7-to-1 but she made contact with the eventual runner up giving a third horse the victory. There was a review of the finish but it was unchanged. Unintended consequences for the runner up who maybe could have won if not for the bump.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 5: Flor de la Mar (Joel Rosario/Bob Baffert) toyed with the field at 1-to-5 in winning her debut for Godolphin. Be prepared, Baffert who finished second in this racewith another starter, has an additional talent with this winner. She worked out in company with Dessman who I mentioned in yesterday's summary. Get ready.

​

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

OAKLAWN PARK (Hot Springs, Arkansas)
Friday, January 25, 2019: opening day

Remember one thing about Oaklawn in the early stages, anything can go. Six races at $70,000+. Arkansas knows how to throw an opening day party.

Click on the race # for the card.

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (CT)
Race 1	$30,000	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	10	12:35 PM
Race 2	$77,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	1:03 PM
Race 3	$26,000	Starter Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	11	1:30 PM
Race 4	$77,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	1:58 PM
Race 5	$22,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	2:27 PM
Race 6	$77,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	11	2:56 PM
Race 7	$78,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	12	3:24 PM
Race 8	$150,000	Smarty Jones S.	1 Mile	Dirt	9	3:52 PM
Race 9	$77,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	13	4:19 PM

[TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Imperative replaces McKinzie as the 12th horse in the Pegasus World Cup. The official draw is Tuesday. Imperative has raced in 29 graded stakes races but has lost 38 of 44 though has earned in excess of $3,000,000. If owner Ron Paolucci ever wins this race, we could see a celebration ala Jim Valvano in 1983.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

MEGAHERTZ STAKES

What: Grade III
Where: Santa Anita Park (Arcadia, CA)
When: Monday, January 21, 2019, Race 8
Post time: 3:34 PM Pacific Time
Who: 4 year old and up fillies and mares
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Turf
Purse: $100,000
Television: TVG ​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Ms Bad Behavior (ON)	Mike E. Smith	120	Richard Baltas	4/1
2	Zaffinah (IRE)	Rafael Bejarano	120	Jack Carava	20/1
3	Vasilika (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Jerry Hollendorfer	6/5
4	Amandine (GB)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Jeff Mullins	3/1
5	Quebec (KY)	Geovanni Franco	120	Richard Baltas	6/1
6	Last Promise Kept (KY)	Joseph Talamo	120	Thomas F. Proctor	15/1
7	La Sardane (FR)	Joel Rosario	122	Neil D. Drysdale	6/1

[TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 21, 2019

• More tracks canceled as the day progressed. Mahoning Valley, Parx, Aqueduct and Laurel were among those who opted not to rum.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Luis Saez, the meet's leading rider, added three more victories to his total.
• Paco Lopez won his final two starts. He has five wins the last two racing days.
• Race 2: The $1 double was $2.80. Yikes.
• Race 3: The $.50 Pick 3 was $8.20 Yikes again.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 5 was $37.40. Make that a third yikes.
• Race 11: The second half of the card got juicier. The $.20 Pick 6 managed to pay over $16,000.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 8: Vasilika (Flavien Prat/Jerry Hollendorfer) won the $100,000 Grade 3 Megahertz for 4+ fillies/mares. The 5-year-old won for the 14th time in 29 starts and has a sizzling 11-1-0 in her last 14 starts. She entered today off her only non-place finish in that time, a 4th place finish in which she had her highest career Beyer. She is 9 8-1-0 at Santa Anita.

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• Race 2: Mike Smith rode the winner. His record in 2019 is 20 8-5-1 (40%/70%).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Video of the draw -- 2019 Pegasus World Cup Draw From Gulfstream Park

The full card is below and each race can be accessed by clicking on it.

The draw for the Pegasus World Cup and the Pegasus Turf International was drawn today. Much info will be added in this thread for Saturday's card at Gulfstream but the two highlights are as follows:

Pegasus World Cup:

1. Bravazo (12-1)— D Wayne Lukas, Luis Saez
2. Something Awesome (20-1)—Jose Corrales, Edgar Prado
3. City of Light (5-2) — Mike McCarthy, Javier Castellano
4. Seeking the Soul (12-1) — Dallas Stewart, John Velazquez
5. Accelerate (9-5) — John Sadler, Joel Rosario
6. Tom's d'Etat (20-1) — Al Stall, Jr., Shaun Bridgmohan
7. True Timber (30-1) — Kiaran McLaughlin, Joe Bravo
8. Gunnevera (8-1) — Antonio Sano, Irad Ortiz Jr.
9. Kukulkan (30-1)— Fausto Gutierrez, Frankie Dettori
10. Audible (10-1) — Todd Pletcher, Flavien Prat
11, Imperative (30-1) — Anthony Quartarolo, Tyler Gaffalione
12. Patternrecognition (10-1) — Chad Brown, Jose Ortiz​

Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational:

1. Magic Wand (9-2) — Aidan O'Brien, Wayne Lordan
2. Yoshida (5-2)— Bill Mott, Jose Ortiz
3. Channel Maker (12-1)—Bill Mott, Javier Castellano
4. Aerolithe (8-1)— Takanori Kikuzawa, Florent Geroux
5. Next Shares (15-1)— Richard Baltas, Tyler Gafflione
6. Fahan Mura (30-1) — Vladamir Cerin, Edwin Maldanado
7. Bricks and Mortar (5-1) — Chad Brown, Irad Ortiz. Jr.
8. Delta Prince — (15-1) Jimmy Jerkens, Frankie Dettori
9. Catapult (7-2)— John Sadler, Joel Rosario
10. Dubby Dubbie (30-1)— Bob Hess, Luca Panici
​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$60,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	11:30 AM
Race 2	$54,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	12	12:00 PM
Race 3	$150,000	Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	8	12:30 PM
Race 4	$60,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Dirt	13	1:00 PM
Race 5	$150,000	Ladies' Turf Sprint S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	10	1:30 PM
Race 6	$125,000	South Beach S.	About 7 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	2:00 PM
Race 7	$150,000	Fasig-Tipton Hurricane Bertie S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	8	2:30 PM
Race 8	$200,000	La Prevoyante S.	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	12	3:00 PM
Race 9	$150,000	Fred W. Hooper S.	1 Mile	Dirt	10	3:30 PM
Race 10	$200,000	W. L. McKnight S.	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	16	4:00 PM
Race 11	$7,000,000	Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S.	1 3/16 Miles	Turf	10	4:57 PM
Race 12	$9,000,000	Pegasus World Cup Invitational S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	12	5:36 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 23, 2019

• The two Florida tracks were the rare exception running on a quiet Wednesday.
• Less than two days to Oaklawn. Less than two days to Oaklawn. Less than two days to Oaklawn!

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Samy Camacho, who had three victories today, has won 233 races since January 2018. An exorbitant total. He has 167 wins prior to 2018. He was 7 3-2-1 today. He has hit the board with 16 of his last 19 starters.
• Race 5: The track caller said it perfectly: "A well-bred field of 10." Blowout (Antonio Gallardo/Chad Brown) won not by a rout but by a snout. Peter Brant, whose estimated net worth is beyond half a billion dollars and who is a finalist for horse racing owner of the year (to be awarded later this month), owns the winning filly who was out for the first time.
• Race 8: Walber Alencar was the winning rider. Per Equibase it was his first victory in North America though he is not a bug. I am unfamiliar with his past.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Roulette: Similar to Santa Anita, another Stronach Group facility, the roulette bet made its way east.
• Luis Saez is nothing but exceptional. He won four more times today all within the first seven races.
• Race 10: Three across-the-wire for second place. Good race.

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