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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

PEGASUS WORLD CUP TURF INTERNATIONAL STAKES

What: Grade I
Where: Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida
When: Saturday, January 26, 2019, Race 11
Post time: 4:51 PM Eastern Time
Who: 4 year olds and up
Distance: 1 3/16 miles
Surface: Turf
Purse: $7,000,000
Television: NBC from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm ET
Live stream: Live Stream
History: The inaugural edition.
Official link: https://www.pegasusworldcup.com/​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Magic Wand (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	112	Aidan P. O'Brien	9/2
2	Yoshida (JPN)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	William I. Mott	5/2
3	Channel Maker (ON)	Javier Castellano	117	William I. Mott	12/1
4	Aerolithe (JPN)	Florent Geroux	112	Takanori Kikuzawa	8/1
5	Next Shares (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Richard Baltas	15/1
6	Fahan Mura (PA)	Edwin A. Maldonado	119	Vladimir Cerin	30/1
7	Bricks and Mortar (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Chad C. Brown	5/1
8	Delta Prince (KY)	Lanfranco Dettori	124	James A. Jerkens	15/1
9	Catapult (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	John W. Sadler	7/2
10	Dubby Dubbie (KY)	Luca Panici	124	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	30/1

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[TBODY][TR][TH]PEGASUS WORLD CUP INVITATIONAL STAKES

What: Grade I. At last check, this is the world's second largest purse at $9m. The Dubai World Cup has increased to $12m and that will be run in March 2019.
Where: Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida
When: Saturday, January 26, 2019, Race 12
Post time: 5:36 PM Eastern Time
Who: 3 year olds and up
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $9,000,000
Television: NBC from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm ET
Live stream: Live Stream
History: The third edition.
Official link: https://www.pegasusworldcup.com/​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Bravazo (KY)	Luis Saez	124	D. Wayne Lukas	12/1
2	Something Awesome (ON)	Edgar S. Prado	124	Jose Corrales	20/1
3	City of Light (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	Michael W. McCarthy	5/2
4	Seeking the Soul (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Dallas Stewart	12/1
5	Accelerate (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	John W. Sadler	9/5
6	Tom's d'Etat (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	124	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	20/1
7	True Timber (KY)	Joe Bravo	124	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	30/1
8	Gunnevera (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Antonio Sano	8/1
9	Kukulkan (MEX)	Lanfranco Dettori	124	Fausto Gutierrez	30/1
10	Audible (NY)	Flavien Prat	124	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
11	Imperative (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1
12	Patternrecognition (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Chad C. Brown	10/1

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[TBODY][TR][TH]GULFSTREAM'S FULL CARD (click on the race for the entries)

[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 24, 2019

• Aqueduct has canceled today's card (Thursday) due to excessive winds in New York. Jockeys often complain about winds at the track almost more so than cold or other elements.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 7: The duo of Trevor McCarthy and Jamie Ness won consecutive races. This race was a thriller with a Linda Rice-trained runner up hooking up for a good stretch battle.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 10: Mybigitalianfriend was a repeat winner as the favorite. In his prior win, the DRF comment section said of the 11-length victory "Molto Bene." The roulette win paid more than the win bet.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Full 2018 Eclipse Awards Finalists (in Alphabetical Order):

Horse of the Year: Accelerate, Justify, Monomoy Girl
2-year-old male: Game Winner, Improbable, Knicks Go
2-year-old filly: Bellafina, Jaywalk, Newspaperofrecord
3-year-old male: Catholic Boy, Justify, McKinzie
3-year-old filly: Midnight Bisou, Monomoy Girl, Rushing Fall
Older dirt male: Accelerate, City of Light, Gun Runner
Older dirt female: Abel Tasman, Marley's Freedom, Unique Bella
Male sprinter: Imperial Hint, Roy H, Stormy Liberal
Female sprinter: Finley'sluckycharm, Marley's Freedom, Shamrock Rose
Male turf horse: Expert Eye, Glorious Empire, Stormy Liberal
Female turf horse: A Raving Beauty, Enable, Sistercharlie
Steeplechase horse: Jury Duty, Optimus Prime, Zanjabeel
Owner: Peter Brant; Hronis Racing; (one group) WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Starlight Racing, and Head of Plains Partners
Breeder: Mike Abraham, John D. Gunther, WinStar Farm
Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Bob Baffert, Chad Brown
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, Mike Smith
Apprentice jockey: Reylu Gutierrez, Weston Hamilton, Edgar Morales

Broadcast: https://www.tvg.com/live

Live stream: A livestream of the ceremony will be available online at Eclipse Awards partner websites NTRA.com, DRF.com, XBTV.com, and GulfstreamPark.com.

Host track: Gulfstream Park Racing | Casino | Dining | Shopping

The 48th Annual Eclipse Awards, presented by Daily Racing Form, Breeders' Cup and The Stronach Group, will air live on TVG, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) has announced.

Hosted by Jeannine Edwards and highlighted by the announcement of the 2018 Horse of the Year, the Eclipse Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. ET in the Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

TVG is in more than 45 million homes nationwide and also available via DirecTV Now, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.




Saturday's card at Gulfstream (Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus Turf International)

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Full 2018 Eclipse Awards Finalists (in Alphabetical Order):

The red indicates winners and the vote total (a max. of 249 per category) is mentioned when info was provided.

Horse of the Year: Accelerate (54), Justify (191), Monomoy Girl (2)

Undefeated Triple Crown winner. Broke the Apollo curse from 1882.​

2-year-old male: Game Winner (247), Improbable (0), Knicks Go (1)

No surprise here: Game Winner tops many 2019 Kentucky Derby lists at this moment.​

2-year-old filly: Bellafina (4), Jaywalk (213), Newspaperofrecord (31)

Jaywalk is the winner. Same trainer as Smarty Jones, same owner as Afleet Alex​

3-year-old male: Catholic Boy (0), Justify (249), McKinzie (0)

Triple Crown winner. He was the unanimous selection in this spot.​

3-year-old filly: Midnight Bisou (0), Monomoy Girl (247), Rushing Fall (1)

Considering she was up for Horse of the Year, Monomoy Girl was the clear pick and the votes supported that. The owner Sol Kumin exceeded the maximum speech limit and was cut off. Rules are rules.​

Older dirt male: Accelerate (245), City of Light (0), Gun Runner (2)

Accelerate was the easy pick, he is up for Horse of the Year. A near unanimous pick.​

Older dirt female: Abel Tasman (34), Marley's Freedom (14), Unique Bella (182)

Pennsylvania-bred who won three of four races in 2018.​

Male sprinter: Imperial Hint (3), Roy H (234), Stormy Liberal (2)

The obvious repeat winner.​

Female sprinter: Finley'sluckycharm (0), Marley's Freedom (113), Shamrock Rose (136)

I think the Canadian-based owner was shocked. Based on his speech. Good stuff.​

Male turf horse: Expert Eye (66), Glorious Empire (43), Stormy Liberal (85)

6-year-old won four straight races. Peter Miller had a successful night.​

Female turf horse: A Raving Beauty (0), Enable (119), Sistercharlie (130)

Four Grade I wins in five attempts. This was the closest vote.​

Steeplechase horse: Jury Duty (12), Optimus Prime (22), Zanjabeel (176)

Owner: 1. Peter Brant (27), 2. Hronis Racing, (142), 3. WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Starlight Racing, and Head of Plains Partners (25).

The owner of Accelerate among others.​

Breeder: Mike Abraham (21), John D. Gunther (102), WinStar Farm (68)

The winner bred Justify.​

Trainer: Steve Asmussen (6), Bob Baffert (94), Chad Brown (137)

Third straight win.​

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. (173), Jose Ortiz (25) , Mike Smith (40)

This was the correct pick.​

Apprentice jockey: Reylu Gutierrez (11), Weston Hamilton (115), Edgar Morales (87)

Hamilton earned it. I followed his career from nearly day one, as he was the son of a former jockey whose career may have ended in 2018. The kid seems humble.

​

 

[Preds Partisan]

Can't argue with any of the winners.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

OAKLAWN PARK (Hot Springs, Arkansas)

Friday, January 25, 2019: opening day [Closing day: May 4, 2019]​

• 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 entries.

[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

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[TBODY][TR][TH]SMARTY JONES STAKES[/TH][/TR][/TBODY]
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What: Kentucky Derby prep race which is the first of four held (the Southwest, the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby) come later in the meet.
Where: Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas
When: Friday, January 25, 2019, Race 8
Post time: 3:52 PM Eastern Time
Who: 3 year olds
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $150,000
Television: TVG
History: Inaugurated in 2008. Winners of this race have had very little success advancing to the KY Derby.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Long Range Toddy (KY)	Richard E. Eramia	122	Steven M. Asmussen	4/1
2	Sleepy Eyes Todd (KY)	David Cabrera	115	Miguel Angel Silva	30/1
3	Super Steed (KY)	Terry J. Thompson	119	J. Larry Jones	9/2
4	Six Shooter (KY)	Stewart Elliott	122	Paul E. Holthus	6/1
5	Boldor (VA)	Ramon A. Vazquez	115	Steven M. Asmussen	8/1
6	Forloveofcountry (VA)	Joe Bravo	119	James P. DiVito	12/1
7	Bankit (NY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	119	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2
8	Gray Attempt (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	119	William H. Fires	5/2
9	Jack Van Berg (KY)	Jon Kenton Court	115	Thomas L. Van Berg	20/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Can't argue with any of the winners.

True but my opinion remains that Joel Rosario should have been named a finalist for Jockey of the Year. There will always be questions when a category is limited to three.

Jose Ortiz had a rough ending to 2018 and though he won last year I didn't think he stood a snowball's chance of repeating.

Mike Smith was there for Justify. Winning the Triple Crown is something extraordinary but Smith is at a time in his life where he can pick and choose mounts and he lacks the volume of victories compared to many riders.

Rosario was a long shot, no doubt, but I think these awards should be based on the calendar year and not any memories of the past. One supporter as recently as yesterday was Jay Privman:

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 25, 2019

• Steve Asmussen, a finalist for Trainer of the Year at last night's Eclipse Awards, won at four tracks. He was perfect at Aqueduct (NY) 2 2-0-0 and Fair Grounds (LA) 1 1-0-0 and was 8 1-1-1 at Oaklawn (AR) in the day. He won at Sam Houston (TX) while finishing second with his only starter at Delta Downs (LA) tonight. His record was 14 5-3-2.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 8: Dawn the Destroyer (Junior Alvarado/Kiaran McLaughlin) won the $100,000 feature race.
• Reylu Gutierrez (3), who was up for Apprentice of the Year at last night's Eclipse Awards, Junior Alvarado (2), Jose Lezcano (2) and Eric Cancel (2). combined to win all nine races.
• Manny Franco, the meet's leading rider, had an off day going 8 0-3-0. Look for him to rebound tomorrow. Franco leads Junior Alvarado by four victories at the meet.
• Kiaran McLaughlin, winning at a 31% clip this meet, and Steve Asmussen, winning at 35% this meet, were both a perfect 2 2-0-0 today.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Scratches: A nice day of racing complimented by the weather. The pre-card scratches listed just one horse and that was in the finale. Full card galore.
• Race 9: Creepy the Crab finished fourth and nicely at 51-to-1 but missed the board. He is now 32 0-3-4. Creepy will be played until he breaks his maiden or is retired.
• Race 6: The track announcer at Laurel is one of the best in North America. However, he was caught today calling the lead horse "in the clear..." near the finish line before a remarkable charge along the rail by the eventual winner. The announcer wasn't the only one caught off guard.
• Race 1: Lacey Gaudet trained her first winner in 2019 with her 12th start. She was on fire at one point late last year but it is tough to continue with that roll.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Bombs: High prices mid-to-late card.
• Race 5: A 73-to-1 bomb paid $148.80.
• Race 6: The $2 double paid over $2,400. The $2 Pick 3 paid more than $6,900.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 3 was a monster at $36,872.40. Wow!
• Race 9: The $2 Pick 5 paid $12,300+ to those who won four legs. Not exactly an upsetting payment for those lost a race. The $2 Pick 4 paid a near identical $12,300+.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr, named the Eclipse Award Jockey of the Year last night, suffered no hangover as he was a tremendous 8 4-1-1 today.
• Javier Castellano won twice and has been victorious on five straight cards.
• Race 1: The winner was sent off at 14-to-1 and only after an announced rider change. The win paid $31.40. The newly created roulette bet paid $6.20 for the win. Horses are predetermined and grouped into colors of red, green or black. You select a color and your $2 bet gets multiple horses (some exceptions) assigned into that group; the pool determines payout.
• Race 6: One of the best races of the day. The winner got his nose down just in time. Jason Servis, the winning trainer, is 37 15-4-3 at the meet (41% winning).

​

• Race 7: Melmich (Jose Ortiz/Kevin Attard), who has raced 40 of 43 races at Woodbine, made a rare appearance in the U.S. and finished third. The 8-year-old millionaire is 43 17-14-5 lifetime.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Opening day of the meet which runs through May 4. Attendance was estimated at 20,000 and all-sources handle surpassed $4.6 million.
• Race 8: Gray Attempt (Shaun Bridgmohan/William Fires) won the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, a Kentucky Derby prep. Good luck to all who raced but none truly impressed me as KY Derby caliber.

​

• Race 7: The $2 tri paid over $4,800 thanks to a 63-to-1 runner up ridden by Stewart Elliott who oddly enough rode Smarty Jones in the 2004 Kentucky Derby. Elliott finished fourth in the following race which was named for the sensational headliner from 15 years ago. Brian Williamson, with his only two starters on the card, finished 1st-2nd in this race and the all-Williamson $2 exacta nearly paid $600
• Race 6: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $5,000.
• Larry Jones had a subpar day finishing no better than seventh with four starters. Super Steed, in the Smarty Jones Stakes, was a major disappointment. I am not sure why there was a rider shift from Jones' usual top rider Gabriel Saez who was in Louisiana this weekend.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 6: The $2 exacta was $1,200+. A 29-to-1 beat a 77-to-1.
• Race 1: Mike Smith won the opener for his 5,500th win. He is a superb 24 9-6-3 in 2019.
• Kent Desormeaux has 5,998 career wins. Two away from 6,000.
• Carryover: The Pick 6 exceeded $1.2 million and unless hit will continue to grow.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 26, 2019

The predominant races today will be the Pegasus Turf and World Cup at Gulfstream ($7m and $9m in purses, respectively). There are seven more races with $100,000+ purses at the host track. Gulf goes off at 11:30 a.m. ET. The first ten races will be aired on TVG until NBC picks up the two enormous races beginning at 4:30 p.m. Gulfstream's website usually offers a free live stream (no sign up required per my recollection): Live Stream

Increased handle should be a welcomed component at various tracks. I am guessing that the handle for the card will approach $40,000,000. It will behoove tracks to start races around the Gulfstream features. Santa Anita commences at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time.

 

[Orr Fourever]

I had 3 bucks left in the kitty. Put 2 bucks on the nose of Gray Attempt. Letting it ride on Bravazo today...

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I had 3 bucks left in the kitty. Put 2 bucks on the nose of Gray Attempt. Letting it ride on Bravazo today...

I don't think the Pegasus World Cup is a good betting race, at least by traditional norms, but in exotics it can be a factor. Gunnevera likes the Gulfstream track, it will be interesting to see how he does in a race of this magnitude; the trainer had an awful start to the meet. I am looking at Chad Brown's horse in addition to Yoshida in the turf. Good luck to everyone.

WEATHER: Weather could play a major role today. That changes all the dynamics for the card. It is rainy and expectations are that heavier precipitation could be occurring near post time.

Hourly Weather Forecast for Miami, FL - The Weather Channel | Weather.com

[TR][TH]Time	Description	Temp	Feels	Precip	Humidity	Wind
9:00 am Sat	Light Rain	58°	56°	90%	96%	N 8 mph
10:00 am Sat	Light Rain	60°	59°	60%	92%	N 9 mph
11:00 am Sat	Light Rain	62°	62°	60%	90%	NNE 8 mph
12:00 pm Sat	Showers	65°	64°	55%	87%	NNE 9 mph
1:00 pm Sat	Showers	67°	67°	55%	82%	NNE 11 mph
2:00 pm Sat	Showers	68°	68°	50%	80%	NNE 11 mph
3:00 pm Sat	Showers	67°	67°	55%	83%	NNE 11 mph
4:00 pm Sat	Showers	67°	67°	60%	84%	NNE 11 mph
5:00 pm Sat	Rain	66°	66°	60%	86%	N 10 mph
6:00 pm Sat	Showers	65°	64°	55%	88%	N 11 mph
7:00 pm Sat	Rain	64°	64°	65%	90%	N 11 mph

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[Orr Fourever]

I don't think the Pegasus World Cup is a good betting race, at least by traditional norms, but in exotics it can be a factor. Gunnevera likes the Gulfstream track, it will be interesting to see how he does in a race of this magnitude; the trainer had an awful start to the meet. I am looking at Chad Brown's horse in addition to Yoshida in the turf. Good luck to everyone.

WEATHER: Weather could play a major role today. That changes all the dynamics for the card. It is rainy and expectations are that heavier precipitation could be occurring near post time.

I gotta cousin who likes Gunnevera. So there you go Bravazo, Gunner boxed exacta.
I also like Yoshida. Seems better since Mott took over..

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I gotta cousin who likes Gunnevera. So there you go Bravazo, Gunner boxed exacta.
I also like Yoshida. Seems better since Mott took over..

Gunnevera was outclassed. My thought on the big race was one of only two horses could win unless it was freakish and those finished 1st and 3rd.

Chad Brown -- on turf -- almost always has to be considered and he won the Turf International.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 26, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Manny Franco (3), Junior Alvarado (2), Dylan Davis (2) and Reylu Gutierrez (2) won multiple times.
• Race 8: Mr. Buff (Junior Alvarado/John Kimmel) wired the field in the $100,000 feature race.
• Reylu Gutierrez, nominated for Apprentice of the Year at the Eclipse Awards chosen Thursday night, has won 5 of 17 races since the event. The five wins came for five different trainers.
• Handle: Approached $8 million.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 4: A $134.80 winner.
• Race 5: The $2 double was $1,034. The $1 Pick 3 was over $3,100.
• Chalk: Favorites won 7 times in 10 races and placed twice.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Chalk: Favorites won five times. Totaled, favorites went 5-3-1 in 10 races.
• Trevor McCarthy won three times.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Samy Camacho: He has surpassed even my expectations as someone to watch as mentioned a few times last year. Today, he was a remarkable 9 5-2-0. It was the second time in his career he won five times on one card. He had 211 wins last year of the 400+ in his career.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Total handle and weather: The all-sources handle surpassed $37,000,000. With three races removed from the turf due to inclement weather, the handle was slightly lower than the prior two editions of the Pegasus World Cup card. Post time for the opener was 11:30 a.m.
• Race 12: City of Light (Javier Castellano/Michael McCarthy) improved to 11 6-4-1 and won the $9,000,000 Pegasus World Cup. Castellano had his pick of two horses (Audible also). City of Light has now earned over $5.6 million. More than $8.5 million was bet on this race. Seeking the Soul (John Velazquez/Dallas Stewart) finished second at 34-to-1 and boosted the $1 exacta to $41 which was a fantastic return for anyone who bet against Accelerate (Joel Rosario/John Sadler), the favorite who finished third. Kukulkan, the Mexican-bred who was 14 14-0-0 (13 races in Mexico), never factored and finished second-to-last in a full field of twelve.

​

• Race 11: Bricks and Mortar (Irad Ortiz Jr./Chad Brown) improved to 8 6-0-2 in winning the inaugural $7 million World Cup Turf International. Nearly $5 million was bet on the race. Yoshida, the Japanese-bred sent off as the favorite, never threatened.

​

• Race 10: Michael Maker finished 1st and 2nd with the Ortiz brothers riding both of his horses.
• Race 9: Aztec Sense (Emisael Jaramillo/Jorge Navarro) won for the ninth straight time. Navarro won for the 1,000th time.
• Race 8: Si Que Es Buena (Chris Landeros/Graham Motion), an Argentinian-bred, finished strong and won the Grade 3 $200,000 race.
• Race 7: Dream Pauline (Javier Castellano/Kiaran McLaughlin) improved to 5 4-0-1 in winning this $150,000 Grade 3 by more than three lengths. She is the real deal.
• Race 4: Hidden Scroll (Joel Rosario/Bill Mott) was the talk of the nation following this race in a loaded field of 13. Superlatives included comparisons from Secretariat (let's assume in jest) to Justify. The first-time starter won by 14 lengths. He was nothing short of incredible in running a mile in 1:34.82, under wraps in the stretch. Now he is getting Kentucky Derby hype. It should be mentioned that no horse has won the Kentucky Derby without racing as a 2-year-old since Apollo.. in 1882. Justify in 2018.

Hidden Scroll's 104 is highest debut Beyer at mile or more last 10 years. Graydar earned 100 career debut, one mile GP, on April 8, 2012. (source: Brad Free)​

• Race 3: World of Trouble (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Jason Servis) basically wired the field in a test run and claimed the $150,000 purse. Three runners including chief competition Stormy Liberal were scratched.
• Race 1: Nine of the 17 entered were scratched. The race was one of three removed from the turf due to wet conditions.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. added three more wins.
• Paco Lopez brought home the early double by winning the first two races.
• Luis Saez, the winningest rider in North America in 2019, was an uncharacteristically 0-for-9 and has lost his last 14 starts.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Races 1-2-3: Each paid over $34 to win, the latter two paid over $40.
• Gabriel Saez won three times including a perfect 2-for-2 for trainer Gregory Foley.
• James Graham (39) and Adam Beschizza (38) are separated by one win for top jockey at the meet.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 8: Amy's Challenge (Alex Canchari/McLean Robertson) won the $100,000 feature race. It is races such as this why Robertson is one of my top trainers in America. He is based out of Canterbury (Minnesota) and can get overlooked among some of the bigger stables. Amy was sent off at 7-to-2 and paid $9.00 Robertson had his first starter since October. Not a bad introduction to 2019.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $16,000.
• Race 2: The winner paid $82.80. The $2 exacta was $1,980. The $2 tri was over $14,000.
• Attendance: Estimated at 28,000. Handle reached $6,000,000 from all-sources.

Santa Anita (California):

• Phil D'Amato won all four races in which he entered a total of seven horses. An incredible achievement any day to go 4-for-4 at such a historic track.
• Tiago Pereira rode four winners in 8 starts. Four wins for a rider at Santa Anita is tremendous.
• Race 11: Rye (Kent Desormeaux/William Morey) won the $200,000 feature race. Desormeaux won for the 5,999th time in his illustrious career. One more to go to become the 19th rider in history to win 6,000 races.

NOTE:

As a side note, some of the top riders will be at Sam Houston in Texas tomorrow (Sunday). Among those will be Mike Smith, Jose Ortiz, Florent Geroux and Joe Bravo.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 27, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 8: Ujjayi (Tyler Conner/Erin McClellan), sent off at 5-to-1, won the $100,000 feature race. The winner is a Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Smarty Jones. It was a rare starter for both the jockey and trainer at Aqueduct. One of the smaller racing facilities won a feature race at the Big A. The trainer, whose home is Penn National, beamed with pride, her smile could have lit up Manhattan. She has approximately 200 lifetime wins in about 10 years of training. The jockey, who tried California not too long ago, held off a fierce challenge from Manny Franco, the leading rider at the meet, who rode the 4-to-5 favorite.
• Manny Franco hit the board with all eight starters. He was 8 3-3-2.
• Reylu Gutierrez is taking advantage of the time of the season in New York. The apprentice won twice, seven wins the last three racing days.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 3: Lacey Gaudet won on a third straight card, three wins with five starters in that span. Forget about that cold start to 2019.
• Race 8: Kukulkan, the number 3, has the same exact name as the Mexican-bred which ran in yesterday's $9,000,000 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream. I do not ever remember seeing that. Even people around the sport were amazed by the oddity. Exactly similar names cannot be used (some are retired permanently) until a set amount of years from when said horse has been retired. This oddity occurred because two were bred in different countries. However, it was perhaps a first in my experience to see it on consecutive days.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Weather: A horrible, rainy day played with the card.
• Race 6: Reduced to three runners due to the wet weather.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Weather: Sloppy conditions with no turf racing.
• Race 9: Nine horses were scratched due to the weather.
• Race 7: With over $320,000 added, the $.20 Rainbow Six pool reached more than $1.05 million.
• Luis Saez added three wins to his meet leading figure.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• James Graham, the leading rider at the meet with 44 wins, was electric today with five victories. He rode the entire card of nine races: 9 5-0-1. Graham did not race Friday due to an illness.
• Thomas Amoss had three winners, all with James Graham riding.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 4: Nick Zito was victorious. He threw a curve ball by announcing weeks ago he was bringing about 20 horses to Oaklawn for a rare time. He normally winters in Florida.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 4 exceeded $11,000.
• Steve Asmussen won twice. He won four times in 13 entered races across four tracks.
• Attendance: Opening weekend attendance was estimated at 55,000 which is about a 60% increase from last year. The all-sources handle also rose significantly. Good track which will only get better.

Sam Houston (Texas):

• Summary: A big day of racing called the Houston Racing Festival. Visiting riders included Mike Smith, Jose Ortiz, Joe Bravo, Florent Geroux, Adam Beschizza and Gabriel Saez. Smith had never ridden at the track prior to today.
• Race 10: Susie Bee(Josie Ortiz/Michael Maker) won the finale.
• Race 9: Midnight Bisou (Mike Smith/Steve Asmussen) won the Grade 3 $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic as the 1-to-5 prohibitive choice. However, it wasn't easy as she entered the stretch in third and won by less than a length. The 4-year-old filly is 12 6-3-3 and has earned over $1.6 million. The horse could be challenging Monomoy Girl in a race as soon as April.

​

• Race 8: Bigger Picture (Jose Ortiz/Michael Maker) won the Grade 3 $200,000 race comfortably as the favorite.
• Race 6: The winner in the $75,000 race was ridden by Glenn Corbett, who is in his mid-50s, on board a 21-to-1 shot. With young Lane Luzzi in second on an 11-to- 1, the $1 exacta paid over $220. Other riders in the race included Jose Ortiz, Joe Bravo and Gabriel Saez.
• Danny Sorenson, who has been riding since the 1970s, won twice, his first victories of 2019. He is 60 years of age and gets periodic mounts. Much of his career was spent in California before a move to Texas less than ten years ago.
• Lane Luzzi was formidable today. He hit the board with two of his three mounts, both bombs. In race 3, he nearly wired the field at 20-to-1 and hung on for second place with a nice effort. In race 6, he finished second again with an 11-to-1 and held off visiting star rider Jose Ortiz on board a 2-to-1 with another superb effort.
• Sasha Risenhoover was another local rider who did a good job. She was 6 1-2-2.
• Jose Ortiz won twice and hit the board with all five starters. That is not unexpected, He is 14 3-6-2 (11 of 14 on the board) the last two racing days.
• Michael Maker won twice. He entered horses in 10 races, won four, across four tracks today.

Sunland (New Mexico):

• Luis Contreras is 66 23-9-12 (35%/67%) at the meet. He is one of the top riders at Woodbine.

Golden Gate (California):

• Race 1: The card opened with a $92.90 winner.
  Race 9: The card closed with a $138.60 winner. The $2 exacta exceeded $2,500. The $2 tri neared $28,000 or more than $6,900 for a successful $.50 bet. The $.10 super was more than $15,000. The $.50 Pick 4 was over $22,000. The $2 double was more than $1,100.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 1: Kent Desormeaux won the opener to become the 19th jockey in North American racing history to achieve 6.000 victories. X S Gold is trained by James Cassidy. If Desormeaux won the Triple Crown with Big Brown as most of the racing world envisioned, his 6,000th winner would have been on Rye (yesterday's 5,999th winner).
  
  
  
• Joel Rosario won three times.
• Leading riders at the meet: Flavien Prat (24 wins) and Joel Rosario (19).
• Leading trainers at the meet: Doug O'Neill (14 wins) and Peter Miller (12).
• Carryover: For the next racing card, the carryover will exceed $1.46 million.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Songbird, the popular champion runner who earned over $4 million, became a mother today to an Arrogate filly foal. Arrogate is the all time leading North American money earner at $17 million. Mandy Pope bought Songbird's rights for $9.5 million back in 2017.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

More info regarding Hidden Scroll in addition to the January 26 summary under Gulfstream...

» Mott Taking Wait-and-See Approach With Hidden Scroll

It used to be that when a 3-year-old colt makes his debut in late January, the connections would normally rule out a start in the GI Kentucky Derby, believing it was asking too much of a horse in too little an amount of time. But the rules changed last year when Justify (Scat Daddy), who didn’t make his first start until Feb. 18, not only won the Kentucky Derby but swept the Triple Crown. While Mott is not normally as aggressive with his young horses as Justify’s trainer Bob Baffert, he wouldn’t rule out a Derby appearance by Hidden Scroll.

“We made the nomination for the Triple Crown before he ran, so its not something we just came up with after the race,” Mott said. “Even if we don’t make the Derby, you want to be eligible for the Preakness and Belmont and, for a horse like this, it may turn out that he’s better suited for the Preakness than the Derby.”

Mott said his immediate focus will be on where to start Hidden Scroll next. He would normally prefer to go into an allowance race, but says there are none in the Gulfstream condition book that fit what would be a practical schedule. For that reason Hidden Scroll’s next race will likely come in stakes company.

“We’ve looked at the schedule and know when all the stakes races are,” he said. “New Orleans, Hot Springs, Tampa, Gulfstream, we know when they are available. We’ll see when the horse is ready and go from there.”

Mott admitted the next race will be a big test and give him a better indication of whether not it would be prudent to try to make the Kentucky Derby.

Owned by Juddmonte Farms, Hidden Scroll was a late arrival to the Mott barn, showing up at Churchill in the summer. Mott had hoped to run him there during the short September meet, but a freak accident kept him sidelined. He said the horse was spooked by a truck while walking the shedrow, reared up and kicked a fuse box in the barn. He injured a hock and needed time.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Three Kentucky Derby prep races will run Saturday and broadcast on Fox Sports 2 from 4:00 pm-6:00 pm ET. When the cards are released Wednesday, the races will posted in this thread.

Robert B. Lewis	Santa Anita Park	Feb 2, 2019	10-4-2-1
Withers	Aqueduct	Feb 2, 2019	10-4-2-1
Holy Bull	Gulfstream Park	Feb 2, 2019	10-4-2-1

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My interest will be at Gulfstream and the Holy Bull specifically how Maximus Mischief runs in his first ride with Jose Ortiz on the mount. The horse is getting much buzz in Philadelphia.

At Santa Anita, Jerry Hollendorfer and Bob Baffert are both expected to send runners.

At Aqueduct, Mark Casse could be entering multiple runners. Todd Pletcher, Dale Romans, John Servis and others could be entering.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 28, 2019

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 7: The $2 double was one of the biggest I have seen in recent years at more than $12,000. Winners went off at 36-to-1 and 15-to-1.
• Race 8: Trevor McCarthy, who normally rides at Laurel, was the winning rider. The $1 Pick 3 paid over $10,000. The $.50 Pick 4 was a stunning $22,000+.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

no Monticello OR Charlestown card today, Miami, season resumes tomorrow weather permitting

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Stronach Group has said that the Pegasus, in its third year, is such a success that there may be additional similar events at their other tracks. Any additional events wouldn't be replacing Gulfstream, they would be more so supporting the host track.

Tim Ritvo, the COO, recently reiterated what has been stated that Laurel (Maryland) is bidding for a future Breeders' Cup and as early as 2022. Some still have reservations about Maryland. But if Stronach can't get the B.C., Laurel could be hosting a Pegasus card though the time of the year has not been specified. Maybe, one year, Laurel gets both a B.C. and Pegasus. It is one of my favorite tracks.

With Gulfstream (Florida) all but willingly removed from any Breeders' Cup talk, and with south Florida weather usually ideal in January -- though not this past Saturday -- it was a natural fit to create the Pegasus for the track and region.

Things are happening.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Charlestown cancels second card in succession, should resume Friday

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

WITHERS STAKES

What: Grade III. Points awarded to the top four finishers for entry into the Kentucky Derby.
Where: Aqueduct Racetrack, Queens, New York
When: Saturday, February 2, 2019, Race 9
Post time: 4:30 PM Eastern Time
Who: 3 year olds
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $250,000
Television: Fox Sports 2 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET, one of three Kentucky Derby preps to air in this window.
History: One of the oldest horse races in North America, it was inaugurated in 1874.
Notes:

1. The Parx jockey who had early success on Maximum Mischief (at Gulfstream today) rides #5.
2. A finalist for bug rider of the year is on the #7.
3. The other riders are among the regular riders at Aqueduct.
4. While #3 will get attention, the #1 is my primary interest to watch.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Tax (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Danny Gargan	-
2	Sir Winston (KY)	Dylan Davis	120	Mark E. Casse	-
3	Moretti (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Todd A. Pletcher	-
4	Admire (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Dale L. Romans	-
5	Lucky Lee (KY)	Frankie Pennington	118	John C. Servis	-
6	Our Braintrust (MD)	Jose Lezcano	120	Mark E. Casse	-
7	Not That Brady (NY)	Reylu Gutierrez	118	Rudy R. Rodriguez	-

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

HOLY BULL STAKES

What: Grade II. Points awarded to the top four finishers for entry into the Kentucky Derby.
Where: Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida
When: Saturday, February 2, 2019, Race 11
Post time: 5:13 PM Eastern Time
Who: 3 year olds
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $350,000
Television: Fox Sports 2 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET, one of three Kentucky Derby preps to air in this window.
History: Inaugurated in 1990 and renamed for Hall of Famer Holy Bull, one of the best Florida breds ever. Go for Gin, Barbaro, Itsmyluckyday and Mohaymen are among the previous victors.
Notes: John Velazquez opted to ride the 6 instead of the 2. That is an indication that the 6 has abilities. The #8 has received much early attention at Parx but now has a rider switch to Jose Ortiz. Both seem to be the logical picks.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Garter and Tie (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	120	Ralph E. Nicks	-
2	Federal Case (KY)	Javier Castellano	116	Todd A. Pletcher	-
3	Epic Dreamer (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	116	Kelly J. Breen	-
4	Everfast (KY)	Chris Landeros	116	Dale L. Romans	-
5	Harvey Wallbanger (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	116	Kenneth G. McPeek	-
6	Mihos (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	James A. Jerkens	-
7	Come On Gerry (ON)	Robby Albarado	116	Dale L. Romans	-
8	Maximus Mischief (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	-
9	Gladiator King (KY)	Carlos Montalvo	120	Jaime Mejia	-
10	Going for Gold (KY)	Albin Jimenez	116	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	-

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

ROBERT B. LEWIS STAKES

What: Grade II. Points awarded to the top four finishers for entry into the Kentucky Derby.
Where: Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California
When: Saturday, February 2, 2019, Race 6
Post time: 2:30 PM Pacific Time
Who: 3 year olds
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $150,000
Television: Fox Sports 2 from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET, one of three Kentucky Derby preps to air in this window.
History: Inaugurated in 1935. Dortmind, I'll Have Another, Pioneerof the Nile and Ferdinand are among the winners.
Notes: The #4 and 5 seem to be the initial picks.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Kid Cantina (CA)	Geovanni Franco	120	Librado Barocio	-
2	Magnificent McCool (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Doug F. O'Neill	-
3	Easy Shot (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	120	J. Keith Desormeaux	-
4	Gunmetal Gray (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Jerry Hollendorfer	-
5	Mucho Gusto (KY)	Joseph Talamo	122	Bob Baffert	-
6	Nolo Contesto (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	John W. Sadler	-

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