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

[Orr Fourever]

I had a five spot on Avie's Flatter . Woodbine horse of course...

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

April 6, 2019

MY PICKS IN NUMERICAL ORDER (from the previous page and the results in the same order):
Wood Memorial -- 1-2-10 -- 1-2-4 (hit the exacta)
Blue Grass -- 1-3-11 -- 2-3-8 (hit reset, ugh!)
Santa Anita Derby -- 1-5-6 -- 1-5-6 (hit the trifecta)​

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 10: Tacitus (Jose Ortiz/Bill Mott) won the $750,000 Grade 2 Wood Memorial and received 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby. He improved to 4 3-0-0 lifetime including winning the Tampa Bay Derby. Like last year there was an objection and for a brief moment flashbacks ensued when Junior Alvarado got robbed by New York stewards when they later fined, but did not DQ, John Velazquez the winner. This time, there was much shenanigans at the starting gate not involving the top two finishers and there was no change there but was elsewhere. Alvarado finished in second with Tax (tr. Danny Gargan) who had a solid performance.

Per Mike Welsch (DRF): Final decision in roughly run Wood has Joevia disqualified and rightly so from 7th to last, the remaining order of finish stands as is with Tacitus now the official winner, Tax second and Haikal third

Per Andy Serling (DRF): It was not at all Tacitus's fault...it was Joevia, whose rider caused serious crowding cutting over, and interfered with both Overdeliver and Final Jeopardy. Tax came out a little, which forced out Tacitus a smidge, but it was Joevia and his rider that caused the early problems.

​

• Race 9: World of Trouble (Manny Franco/Jason Servis) improved to 11 7-2-1 after winning the $400,000 Grade I Carter Handicap.
• Race 8: Always Shopping (Manny Franco/Todd Pletcher) won the Grade 2 $300,000 Gazelle Stakes. She'll be going to the Kentucky Oaks.
• Race 7: Life's a Parlay (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Excelsior.
• Race 6: Mind Control (John Velazquez/Gregory Sacco) won the $250,000 Grade 3 Bay Shore with a reduced field of four runners. Much Better (Victor Espinoza/Bob Baffert) came in second.
• Race 1: A good opener in which Junior Alvarado and Jose Ortiz battled down the stretch and it appeared that Alvarado may have duped Ortiz at one point before being victorious.
• John Velazquez won his first three starts and ended 7 3-1-1.
• Handle: Approximately $14,000,000.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Attendance: The crowd was young, attractive, sizeable and well-dressed. The announced attendance of 34,775 was a record for an opening Saturday. An excellent day for Kentucky racing.

• Race 10: Vekoma (Javier Castellano/George Weaver) improved to 4 3-0-1 and received 100 points towards the Kentucky Derby after winning the Grade 2 Blue Grass. The $.50 Pick 5 was over $45,000.
• Race 9: Out for a Spin (Paco Lopez/Dallas Stewart) won the $500,000Grade I Ashland with a stunning 52-to-1 victory, by far the longest shot on the board. The winner paid $106.20.

​

• Race 8: Spiced Perfection (Javier Castellano/Peter Miller) battled and beat Amy's Challenge (Alex Canchari/McLean Robertson) in one of the best finishes of the day in the $300,000 Grade I Madison.
• Race 7: Imprimis Paco Lopez/Joe Orseno) improved to 9 7-0-0 in winning the $200,000 Grade 2 Shakertown.
• Race 6: Bobby's Wicked One (Miguel Mena/Albert Stall) won the $250,000 Grade 3 Commonwealth.
• Race 5: The longest shot on the board at 46-to- 1 and ridden by star jockey Florent Geroux.
• Javier Castellano is on fire! He is 14 7-2-2 (50%/79%) at the young meet.
• Rodolphe Brisset, who once galloped horses for Bill Mott, had two wins and both were with Florent Geroux riding. Brisset is 6 2-2-1 at the meet.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 6: Lee Cameron, the winning trainer, collected his first lifetime win. Cameron is 50 years old and from Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. Consecutive races won by first-time victors which has to be as unique as almost anything in recent years.
• Race 5: Tyler Rotstein, a former college football player at Bluffton University in Ohio was the winning trainer, his first victory.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 6: That was almost a 16 length win.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 8: The race went off during the Wood Memorial. That should not have happened.

Santa Anita (California):

• Card and handle: 11 races, the handle is estimated at $23,000,000!
• Race 11: Over $53,000 was delivered to winners of the $.20 Pick 6 which was a mandatory payout.
• Race 10: Gift Box (Joel Rosario/John Sadler) won the $600,000 Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in what developed as a "showdown" with McKenzie (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert).

Santa Anita Handicap (Grade I) April 6, 2019​

• Race 9: Hostess (Drayden Van Dyke/Simon Callaghan) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Providencia. The trainer won two of three races in which he entered.
• Race 8: Roadster (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert) won the $1,000,000 Grade I Santa Anita Derby and propelled himself into the Kentucky Derby after receiving 100 points towards entry. It was Smith's lone win on six mounts. Stablemate Game Winner (Joel Rosario/Bob Baffert), the 1-to-2 favorite, came in second. I mentioned weeks ago that this KY Derby could be wide-open and I wasn't sold on the top contenders. They could win, by default perhaps, but this may be a year to look at outsiders. One more major prep to go and that is next week at Oaklawn.

​

• Race 5: Vasilika (Flavien Prat/Jerry Hollendorfer) won the $200,000 Grade 2 Royal Heroine. She became a $1 million earner with her 11th win in her last 12 starts, 16th in 31 starts total.
• Race 3: Bellafina (Flavien Prat/Simon Callaghan) improved to 8 6-1-0 and exceeded $1,000,000 in earnings after winning the $400,000 Grade I Santa Anita Oaks. She is a leading contender for the Kentucky Oaks in May. The trainer is a remarkable 31 13-3-3 in 2019.
• Joel Rosario didn't win with Game Winner as many expected but he was 9 3-2-2. Three wins with nine mounts is a very good day for most riders.
• Bob Baffert hit the board with all five starters but with just one win. Combined with one runner at Aqueduct, he was 6 1-4-1 in total.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Due to limits in the above post, Bellafina's win is here...




…. and the 52-to-1 winner in the Ashland...



...and in one of the best showdowns of the day...

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

April 7, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 9: The winner, trained by Carlos Martin who is now 7 3-1-1 at the meet, was a 12-to-1 morning line sent off at 7-to-2. The $1 Pick 3 was over $6,700. The $.50 Pick 4 paid an astonishing $19,000+. The $.50 Pick 5 was an incredible $57,000+.
• Race 8: Vip Nation (Michael Luzzi/Michael Tannuzzo) wired the field on a 64-to-1 bomber which paid $130.50/$53.00 once again proving that Luzzi is the greatest athlete of our generation. Luzzi! Scores like this make the tough losses less painful. The $2 exacta was over $1,200, the $.50 tri was more than $1,100 and the $1 Pick 3 approached $4,000.
• Race 7: Heman Harkie was the winning rider at 17-to-1 with the second longest price on the board. He has now won twice on 56 mounts in North America.
• Race 5: Inspector Lynley (Jose Lezcano/Shug McGaughey) won the $100,000 feature race.

​

• Jose Lezcano won three times.
• Eric Cancel won the opener and finale.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 8: The Mackem Bullet (Tyler Gaffalione/Wesley Ward) won the $200,000 Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes. Wins like these are important for Gaffalione's national status. The Irish-bred was sent off at 6-to-1.

​

• Race 7: Fancy Dress Party (Luis Saez/Ben Colebrook) wired the field in the Grade 3 Beaumont in a good race.

​

• Race 6: The winner entered at 13 1-4-7. Always there and in deep fields but had trouble being on top. Thirteen out of 14 in the money is not too bad.
• Race 5: A good race in which the winner entered with five straight third place finishes, two involving DQs, but won for the first time since his maiden race.
• Javier Castellano won two of his three starts. He is a brilliant 17 9-2-2 (53%/76%) at the meet.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won one of his starts but the last three racing days he has found the winner's circle just twice in 22 starts. The reigning North America Jockey of the Year has missed the board with five of his seven starters the last three days (two at Keeneland and one at Aqueduct) in stakes races.
• Closers vs. Speed: Closers have a tough time in the early days of the meet. Speed kills.
• Track: Was a combo of muddy and sloppy.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luca Panici won twice including his 600th victory in North America.
• Emisael Jaramillo has a meet-leading seven wins, three of which came today.

Santa Anita (California):

• Danuska's My Girl (Geovanni Franco/Jerry Hollendorfer) won the $100,000 Grade 3 Las Flores Stakes at 20-to-1. Bob Baffert sent out two in the race.
• Geovanni Franco won three times and finished 7 3-0-3. He has five wins the past two days.
• Bob Baffert won twice with five starters. This month he is 12 3-6-2.
• Drayden Van Dyke won three times on seven mounts.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Two straight years of controversy in the Wood Memorial. Nik Juarez is a Florida rider who made a rare New York appearance but the general rule of thumb is the suspension is universal. Juarez is a Maryland 20-something who used to ride the mid-Atlantic circuit before relocating south. The issue at the gate caused much anxiety especially those who had the correct exacta. Rough race riding is always a variable in play.

While this year's debate was apparent at the starting gate. last year was in the stretch. John Velazquez got the benefit of the doubt and his reputation didn't hurt him with the non-DQ in 2018; however, the fine following the race was likely an attempt to assuage the irate handicapper and general public but that failed. No DQ but a fine: We still seethe.

Juarez Suspended 15 Days, Fined $2,500 For Wood Memorial Ride - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Jockey Nik Juarez has been suspended for 15 days by New York stewards, according to drf.com. The rider was disqualified from seventh to last in Saturday's G2 Wood Memorial, when he and his mount Joevia cut over to the rail from the far outside post position and impeded several riders.

Juarez was also fined $2,500 for the infraction. His suspension could be reduced to 10 days if he waives his right to appeal.

According to Jimmy Edwards, Aqueduct's Jockey Club steward, Juarez was “apologetic” and “knew he was wrong.”​

 

[Orr Fourever]

Saturday was a great day of horse racing. Not for me though. Hahahaha
I'm liking Tax for the Derby. Got a lot out of the wood.
Hope he draws in...

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday was a great day of horse racing. Not for me though. Hahahaha
I'm liking Tax for the Derby. Got a lot out of the wood.
Hope he draws in...

Saturday was one of the best perhaps overlooked racing days of the year.

Tax? That could mean Junior Alvarado as the KY Derby winning rider. I'm all for that.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday was a great day of horse racing. Not for me though. Hahahaha
I'm liking Tax for the Derby. Got a lot out of the wood.
Hope he draws in...

By the way you may like this....small town Saskatchewan...

source: Tampa Bay Downs...

Tyler Rotstein was trying to keep his emotions under control after his 4-year-old gelding Togie won Saturday's fifth race at Tampa Bay Downs, the 23-year-old trainer's first career victory in only three tries.

“It's probably the most thrilling experience I've had in a long, long time,” said Rotstein, a former strong safety-linebacker for the Bluffton (Ohio) University football team.

You know who could relate? Lee Cameron, a 50-year-old long-time exercise rider from Duck Lake, Saskatchewan, who saddled his first lifetime winner in the sixth race on the turf from his fourth lifetime starter, 7-year-old mare Ordinary Love.

No one could remember the last time trainers sent out their first career winners in back-to-back races at Tampa Bay Downs, but Togie and Ordinary Love created memories that will be cherished by their conditioners for a long time.

“It's the culmination of a lifelong dream for me,” said Cameron, who gallops and breezes horses for top trainer Mark Casse in Ocala. “Mark brought me down from Canada in the early 1990s, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do something I love.”​

 

[Orr Fourever]

^Thanks for the above post. I attended Stobart elementary for Grade 1 in Duck lake. We lived on the Rez, Beardys Okemasis Cree nation just outside Duck Lake. Just some Orr4 triva.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^Thanks for the above post. I attended Stobart elementary for Grade 1 in Duck lake. We lived on the Rez, Beardys Okemasis Cree nation just outside Duck Lake. Just some Orr4 triva.

I had no knowledge of that except the latter upon cursory research. Excellent stuff

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD and UPDATES:​

Here is the latest Kentucky Derby leaderboard based on the points system needed to participate. The top 20 are invited to the Derby. There is one major race remaining, the Arkansas Derby on April 13.

[TR][TH] Rank	Horse	Trainer	Points	Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.	Tacitus	Bill Mott	150	$610,000
2.	Vekoma	George Weaver	110	$747,600
3.	Plus Que Parfait	Brendan Walsh	104	$1,540,400
4.	Roadster	Bob Baffert	100	$636,000
5.	By My Standards	Bret Calhoun	100	$600,000
6.	Maximum Security	Jason Servis	100	$582,800
7.	Game Winner	Bob Baffert	85	$1,810,000
8.	Code of Honor	Shug McGaughey	74	$432,070
9.	Haikal	Kiaran McLaughlin	70	$322,500
10.	War of Will	Mark Casse	60	$440,840
11.	Long Range Toddy	Steve Asmussen	53.5	$830,000
12.	Tax	Danny Gargan	52	$307,500
13.	Cutting Humor	Todd Pletcher	50	$462,467
14.	Win Win Win	Mike Trombetta	50	$350,000
15.	Gray Magician	Peter Miller	41	$526,000
16.	Spinoff	Todd Pletcher	40	$224,000
17.	Bodexpress	Gustavo Delgado	40	$188,000
18.	Signalman	Kenny McPeek	38	$496,840
19.	Omaha Beach	Richard Mandella	37.5	$450,000
20.	Master Fencer (JPN)	Koichi Tsunoda	19**	$234,392
21.	Bourbon War	Mark Hennig	31	$137,200
22.	Somelikeithotbrown	Mike Maker	30	$371,655
23.	Instagrand	Jerry Hollendorfer	30	$276,000
24.	Anothertwistafate	Blaine Wright	30	$228,960
25.	Country House	Bill Mott	30	$120,000
26.	Sueno	Keith Desormeaux	28	$265,000
27.	Improbable	Bob Baffert	25	$389,520
28.	Mucho Gusto	Bob Baffert	24	$286,800
29.	Outshine	Todd Pletcher	20	$74,500

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[TBODY][TR][TH]** Part of the Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby...

​

FINAL MAJOR KENTUCKY DERBY PREP: ARKANSAS DERBY

Per HorseRacingNation this is a possible look at next Saturday's Arkansas Derby. Country House and Improbable likely need top four finishes to qualify for the KY Derby while Omaha Beach could use the points as a safety cushion. Long Range Toddy seems secured at this point.

1 1/8 m, Dirt; 3 M -- Saturday, April 13

Probables:
Omaha Beach R. Mandella
Improbable B. Baffert
Country House W. Mott
Long Range Toddy S. Asmussen
Galilean J. Hollendorfer
Gray Attempt W. Fires
One Flew South D. O'Neill
Six Shooter P. Holthus
Last Judgment T. Pletcher

Possibles:
Jersey Agenda S. Asmussen
Tikhvin Flew S. Asmussen
Laughing Fox S. Asmussen​

LATEST ODDS FOR THE KENTUCKY DERBY​

Here is the Kentucky Derby latest odds. One final key prep is on Saturday at Oaklawn, the Arkansas Derby and that will alter who is in the race based on the results. Going alphabetically based on the list below, Anothertwistafate, who is trained by Blaine Wright (Golden Gate Fields based), is currently 19-1. In the first pool, he was part of the 6-5 field bet. The current favorite is Roadster, trained by Bob Baffert, at 6-1. In the first of the four pools released weeks ago, he was 32-1.

Twenty horses make the KY Derby including one from Japan (based on new rules) who is not listed but is part of the current "mutual field."

There is no guarantee any of the horses will run and one negative to the bet is if a horse does not participate, the bettor does not get a refund. That is part of the risk but the benefit is the inflated odds for all especially the favorite(s).

Kentucky Derby Futures Pool 4

(Prog. no., horse, trainer, P1, P2, P3, P4)
1. Anothertwistafate, B.Wright, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 38-1, 19-1
2. Bodexpress, G.Delgado, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 65-1
3. Bourbon War, M.Hennig, 6-5(f), 31-1, 12-1, 32-1
4. By My Standards, B.Calhoun, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 32-1
5. Code of Honor, S.McGaughey, 18-1, 5-2(f), 14-1, 20-1
6. Cutting Humor, T.Pletcher, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 50-1
7. Galilean, J.Hollendorfer, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 22-1, 53-1
8. Game Winner, B.Baffert, 5-1, 5-1, 6-1, 7-1
9. Haikal, K.McLaughlin, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 35-1
10. Improbable, B.Baffert, 17-1, 7-1, 6-1, 8-1
11. Instagrand, J.Hollendorfer, 10-1, 10-1, 17-1, 65-1
12. Long Range Toddy, S.Asmussen, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 23-1
13. Maximum Security, J.Servis, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 7-1
14. Omaha Beach, R.Mandella, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 10-1
15. Outshine, T.Pletcher, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 111-1
16. Plus Que Parfait, B.Walsh, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 55-1
17. Roadster, B.Baffert, 32-1, 5-2(f), 16-1, 6-1
18. Signalman, K.McPeek, 30-1, 28-1, 38-1, 70-1
19. Spinoff, T.Pletcher, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 36-1, 35-1
20. Tacitus, B.Mott, 6-5(f), 5-2(f), 9-2(f), 8-1
21. Vekoma, G.Weaver, 36-1, 41-1, 37-1, 15-1
22. War of Will, M.Casse, 6-5(f), 17-1, 12-1, 23-1
23. Win Win Win, M.Trombetta, 6-5(f), 35-1, 34-1, 21-1
24. Mutuel field (all others), n/a, 6-5, 5-2, 9-2, 19-1

(f) – denotes field member.
Win pool: $344,418
Exacta pool: $155,988
Total handle: $500,406
4-pool aggregate: $1,678,235

LATEST KENTUCKY DERBY MEDIA POLL​

Right now, Bob Baffert has the top three horses for the Kentucky Derby based on the latest media poll. Roadster, who was number 9 last week, tops the poll.

Kentucky Derby Media Poll (Week 7)
Horse (1st-place votes)	Points	Previous
1. Roadster (8)	518	9
2. Improbable (6)	493	2
3. Game Winner (3)	492	1
4. Omaha Beach (5)	467	3
5. Tacitus (3)	457	6
6. Vekoma	373	17
7. Maximum Security (1)	363	5
8. Long Range Toddy (1)	326	4
9. Code of Honor	276	7
10. Win Win Win (1)	268	NR
11. By My Standards	257	8
12. Tax	241	20
13. War of Will	213	14
14. Haikal	176	13
15. Cutting Humor	162	12
16. Spinoff	155	11
17. Anothertwistafate	148	15
18. Bourbon War	127	10
19. Signalman	111	NR
20. Plus Que Parfait	81	19

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KENTUCKY OAKS LEADERBOARD​

https://www.kentuckyderby.com/uploa...407_Road_to_the_Kentucky_Oaks_Leaderboard.pdf

HOW TO GET INTO THE KENTUCKY OAKS STARTING GATE – The Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a 30-race series that awards points to the Top 4 finishers in each race. The Top 14 point earners nominated to the Longines Kentucky Oaks will earn a spot in the starting gate for the 145th running of the $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) on Friday, May 3, 2019. The 1 1/8-mile Oaks is the nation’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies.

1. Bellafina 132 Kaleem Shah Inc. Simon Callaghan $1,060,000
2. Champagne Anyone 113 Six Column Stables LLC (Brad Stephens) & Randy Bloch et al Ian Wilkes $197,150
3. Always Shopping 110 Repole Stable (Mike Repole) Todd Pletcher $220,000
4. Street Band 105 J. Larry Jones, Cindy Jones & Ray Francis Larry Jones $248,000
5. Out for a Spin 100 Commonwealth Stable Dallas Stewart $300,000
6. Chasing Yesterday 80 Summer Wind Equine (Jane Lyon) Bob Baffert $452,650
7. Liora 71 Coffeepot Stables (Bob Cummings and Annette Bacola) Wayne Catalano $246,280
8. Restless Rider 62 Fern Circle Stables (Paul Fireman) & Three Chimneys Farm LLC
(Zuleika B. Torrealba) Kenny McPeek $849,560
9. Serengeti Empress 60 Joel Politi Tom Amoss $313,270
10. Jaywalk 55 Cash is King LLC (Charles J. Zacney et al) & Leonard C. Green John Servis $1,409,800

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

LEXINGTON

What: Grade I. Points are distributed to the top four finishers based on a 100-40-20-10 scale. This is the last day of KY Derby preps in North America.
Picks in numerical order: 1-4-8.

​

ARKANSAS DERBY

What: Grade I. The winner earns 100 points to the Kentucky Derby. Points are distributed to the top four finishers based on a 100-40-20-10 scale. This is the last day of KY Derby preps in North America.
Where: Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas
When: Saturday, April 13, 2019, Race 11
Post time: 6:43 pm Central Time (7:43 pm Eastern Time)
Who: 3 year olds
Distance: 1 1/8 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $1,000,000
Television: 7:00 pm ET-8:00 pm ET on NBCSN; 5:00 pm ET-6:30 pm ET on Fox Sports 2 for earlier races on the card. Additional coverage on TVG
History: Inaugurated in 1936. American Pharoah and Smarty Jones were the most recent winners of this race to go onto victory in the Kentucky Derby. Curlin and Afleet Alex among others have also won.
Preview: » Mandella Back In Arkansas With ‘Omaha’
Picks in numerical order: 1-3-8-11 (the 8 and 11 could top my tickets)

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Improbable (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Bob Baffert	6-5
2	Six Shooter (KY)	David Cohen	122	Paul E. Holthus	30-1
3	Omaha Beach (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Richard E. Mandella	2-1
4	Tikhvin Flew (KY)	Tyler Baze	118	Steven M. Asmussen	30-1
5	Laughing Fox (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	20-1
6	Gray Attempt (KY)	Stewart Elliott	122	William H. Fires	8-1
7	Galilean (CA)	Flavien Prat	122	Jerry Hollendorfer	10-1
8	Country House (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	William I. Mott	12-1
9	One Flew South (KY)	Calvin H. Borel	118	Doug F. O'Neill	50-1
10	Jersey Agenda (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	118	Steven M. Asmussen	30-1
11	Long Range Toddy (KY)	Jon Kenton Court	122	Steven M. Asmussen	5-1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I have maintained for a while that Andy Serling does not like Junior Alvarado. I could be mistaken based on my experiences, it could be Alvarado's past comments (especially hinting that some riders get favoritism in New York, one being John Velazquez) and controversies (involving rides) and it could be limited to the rider himself.

Based on Twitter, Serling rarely seems to acknowledge Alvarado when he does well; winning three in a day as I once recall got overlooked. Manny Franco and Rajiv Maragh seem to be among Serling's favorites but again that could just be my conclusions but undoubtedly whether criticism was warranted or not: Case in point yesterday, compare the remarks by Serling to another New York analyst David Grening:

Grening:

"Some race by Dynamite Kitten to be second after blowing first turn. Meanwhile, Got the Gist ($8.40) went gate to wire under Carmouche." David Grening on Twitter​

Serling:

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

April 11, 2019

• Joe Bravo: What has happened? He is having an abysmal 2019. His numbers 117 7-15-11 (6%/28%). He last won on March 8, a string of 42 straight losses. This seems to be more than a slump.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Manny Franco (8 wins) and Jose Lezcano (8 wins) each lead the early stages of the short meet.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Javier Castellano won the finale on a 10-to-1 shot. He is now 18 10-2-2 (56%/78%) at the meet. Incredible!
• Joel Rosario won twice. He is 14 5-4-0 (36%/64%).

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Samy Camacho visited from Tampa Bay and won two of his three starts.
• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $14,000.
• Race 4: $27 was bet into the roulette pool. The gimmick struggles on days such as these.
• Nik Juarez's suspension issued at Aqueduct after an improper ride during Saturday's Wood Memorial was reduced from 15 days to 10 days since he did not appeal. Juarez rode today and finished in a dead heat for victory in race 4. The assumption by me is the suspension will begin later this week.

​

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 9: The only first-timer in the field won at 28-to-1. The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $17,000.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

April 12, 2019

• Joe Bravo had one mount at Aqueduct and was sent off 2-to-1 but finished last in the field of five. His surprisingly abysmal numbers this year are 118 7-15-11 (6%/28%). He last won on March 8, a string of 43 straight losses.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Jose Lezcano is the winningest rider at the meet after a natural hat trick and improved his mark to 32 11-6-5 (34%/69%).
• Race 9: An 0-for-24 5-year old mare finally broke her maiden. Junior Alvarado, who ended the racing day with a struggling mark of 36 4-4-4 at the meet was the winning rider James Bond the victorious trainer.
• Race 4: Nick Zito's losing streak on turf ended at 69 after winning here for the first time since November 2017 at Gulfstream Park West.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy rode four straight winners to end the racing day and had five victories on six mounts. McCarthy's impressive day was officially 6 5-1-0.

​

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Javier Castellano is on fire at the meet with a 24 13-3-2 (54%/75%) mark. He won three times today and finished 6 3-1-0. This is one of the top meets of the racing calendar.
• Race 10: Palomita (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown) topped a very hittable trifecta in a lofty $79,000 purse for maiden special weights. The runner up was bred by Violence who I like in these races. Third place was Doll Collection (Tyler Gaffalione/Ralph Nicks) who was sent off at 10-to-1 and is the first baby to run for mother Groupie Doll (who earned over $2.6 million).
• Race 9: Delta Prince (Javier Castellano/Jimmy Jerkens) won the $300,000 Grade I Maker's 46 Mile. The 6-year-old is lightly raced with a lifetime mark of 13 5-3-4.

​

• Race 7: Joel Rosario blew the break but finished strongly and won the $100,000 purse. It was his second straight winner of the day and fourth in two days. He is a sturdy 19 7-5-0 (37%/63%) at the meet.
• Tyler Gaffalione-Brendan Walsh teamed to go a perfect 2-for-2. Gaffalione hit the board five times with six mounts. Walsh is 11 4-0-1 at the meet in which he has won with four of his most recent five starters.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 was a remarkable $190,000+.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo, who won once today, is the leading rider at the meet with nine victories.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 8: In the $500,000 Grade III Fantasy Stakes, Lady Apple (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen) caught and likely surprised Mike Smith's mount. That is one Smith would like to have hit reboot. The winner paid $21.60.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And ...at 1:05 a.m. ET (Saturday, just after midnight in the eastern U.S.):

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Radio feed to live broadcast (1:00 a.m. ET, Saturday): Sky Sports Radio Programs - Sky Racing

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Among the excellent cards today are the attractive offerings at Keeneland (KY) and Oaklawn (AR). Each track's feature is a Kentucky Derby prep but both cards have depth and intrigue. Click on the race number for entries. TVG will have continual coverage of both cards.

Additional TV:

5:00 pm ET-6:30 pm ET on Fox Sports 2 -- Oaklawn Handicap (Race 9 at Oaklawn) and more
7:00 pm ET-8:00 pm ET on NBCSN -- Arkansas Derby (Race 11 at Oaklawn)​

KEENELAND

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)	Entries Plus
Race 1	$25,000	Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	7	1:05 PM	FREE
Race 2	$79,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 3/16 Miles	Dirt	6	1:39 PM	FREE
Race 3	$79,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	13	2:12 PM	FREE
Race 4	$33,000	Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	10	2:45 PM	FREE
Race 5	$83,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	12	3:18 PM	FREE
Race 6	$81,000	Allowance	1 Mile	Turf	16	3:51 PM	FREE
Race 7	$200,000	Ben Ali S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	11	4:24 PM	FREE
Race 8	$100,000	Giant's Causeway S.	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	11	4:57 PM	FREE
Race 9	$200,000	Stonestreet Lexington S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	10	5:34 PM	FREE
Race 10	$350,000	Coolmore Jenny Wiley S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	8	6:12 PM	FREE
Race 11	$79,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	15	6:45 PM	FREE

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[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (CT)	Entries Plus
Race 1	$96,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	12:30 PM	FREE
Race 2	$50,000	Starter Allowance	1 9/16 Miles	Dirt	10	1:06 PM	FREE
Race 3	$45,000	Starter Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	1:42 PM	FREE
Race 4	$500,000	Count Fleet Sprint H.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	5	2:18 PM	FREE
Race 5	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	2:54 PM	FREE
Race 6	$101,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	3:31 PM	FREE
Race 7	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	4:09 PM	FREE
Race 8	$97,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	8	4:47 PM	FREE
Race 9	$750,000	Oaklawn H.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	9	5:22 PM	FREE
Race 10	$96,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	10	6:05 PM	FREE
Race 11	$1,000,000	Arkansas Derby	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	11	6:43 PM	FREE
Race 12	$95,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	11	7:15 PM	FREE

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

April 13, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 7: Philly connections visited for a rare time and won at 32-to-1.
• Jose Lezcano added two more wins to his meet lead.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy won the opener which ran his consecutive race win streak to six including the final five opportunities from yesterday. He also won five straight races including the final four from yesterday. He won seven times total the last two days.
• Felix Pinero, a 7-pound bug visiting from Penn National, won both races including a 45-to-1 bomber.
• Race 9: A wild finish in which there was a double inquiry/objection nullified. The $2 double was a robust $1,077.
• Race 6: An Alberta-bred won for the second time in 40 starts.
• Race 5: Another good race in which Wes Hamilton nipped Trevor McCarthy.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 12: Valiance (Jeffrey Sanchez/Todd Pletcher) won her maiden race. She was purchased for $650,000 in 2017. She is a daughter to Tapit.

Gulfstream Park April 13, 2019 Race 12​

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 11: The $1 Pick 6 returned over $219,000.
• Race 10: Rushing Fall (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown) is professional as she won the Grade I $350,000 Jenny Wiley. She is now 8 7-1-0 lifetime, a perfect 4-for-4 at Keeneland, in her first start since October. Brown finished 1st, 2nd and 4th.

​

• Race 9: Owendale (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) took a major step up in class in winning the Grade 3 $200,000 Lexington at 12-to-1 and received 20 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby. He closed on the outside.

​

• Race 7: Bourbon Resolution (Chris Landeros/Ian Wilkes) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Ben Ali and paid $38.00
• Florent Geroux had three wins.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle and Attendance: Roughly $14,000,000 wagered. Track crowd was estimated at 45,000.
• Track: The track was sloppy due to earlier rains.
• Race 12: Verve's Humor (Mike Smith/Dallas Stewart) won the finale at 3-t0-1. Smith managed to focus following the huge win in Race 11.
• Race 11: Omaha Beach (Mike Smith/Richard Mandella) held off Improbable (Jose Ortiz/Bob Baffert) in winning the $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby and getting 100 points towards the Kentucky Derby. The two distanced themselves. The track announcer called improbable's actions in the starting gate as "cantankerous...running out of patience." He was backed out twice.

​

• Race 9: Quip (Jose Ortiz/Rodolphe Brisset) edged Lone Sailor (Flavien Prat/Tom Amoss) in an excellent finish to the $750,000 Grade II Oaklawn Handicap.

TVG on Twitter​

• Race 7: More evidence of the greatness of this track. A MSW race had a $100,000 purse. Breaking News (Joel Rosario/Ron Moquett) finished strongly in the slop in breaking his maiden. Perhaps one to seek in the future.
• Race 4: Mitole (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen) and Whitmore hooked up in an expected clash in the Grade 3 $500,000 race. Mitole improved to 7 5-2-0 at the track in a 6th lifetime win. The $1 exacta paid $1.80. The $10. super paid $.66. That is evidence of how the expected battle occurred.
• Ricardo Santana, Jr.-Steve Asmussen teamed to win four times on nine tries. Santana finished 9 4-1-1. Asmussen finished 16 4-3-1 and won four of the nine races in which he entered.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Per the DRF, here is the latest leaderboard. The top 20 make the cut into the Kentucky Derby. Other factors could determine the fate of those listed. But for now, the top 20 could be in the Derby:

Note: Some riders, including Mike Smith, are listed on multiple mounts. Some have yet to make commitments.

[TR][TH] Rank	Horse	Trainer/ Possible Jockey	Points	Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings
1.	Tacitus	Bill Mott/ Jose Ortiz	150	$610,000
2.	Omaha Beach	Richard Mandella/ Mike Smith	137.5	$1,050,000
3.	Vekoma	George Weaver/ Javier Castellano	110	$747,600
4.	Plus Que Parfait	Brendan Walsh/ Ricardo Santana, Jr.	104	$1,540,400
5.	Roadster	Bob Baffert/ Mike Smith	100	$636,000
6.	By My Standards	Bret Calhoun/ Gabriel Saez	100	$600,000
7.	Maximum Security	Jason Servis/ Luis Saez	100	$582,800
8.	Game Winner	Bob Baffert/ Joel Rosario	85	$1,810,000
9.	Code of Honor	Shug McGaughey/ John Velazquez	74	$432,070
10.	Haikal	Kiaran McLaughlin/ Rajiv Maragh	70	$322,500
11.	Improbable	Bob Baffert/Irad Ortiz, Jr.	65	$589,520
12.	War of Will	Mark Casse/ Tyler Gaffalione	60	$440,840
13.	Long Range Toddy	Steve Asmussen/ Jon Court	53.5	$830,000
14.	Tax	Danny Gargan/ Junior Alvarado	52	$307,500
15.	Cutting Humor	Todd Pletcher/ Undecided	50	$462,467
16.	Win Win Win	Mike Trombetta/ Julien Pimentel	50	$350,000
17.	Country House	Bill Mott/ Joel Rosario	50	$220,000
18.	Gray Magician	Peter Miller/ Undecided	41	$526,000
19.	Spinoff	Todd Pletcher/ Undecided	40	$224,000
20.	Master Fencer (JPN)	Koichi Tsunoda/ Julien Leparoux	Japan Road to Derby	$234,392
21.	Bodexpress	Gustavo Delgado	40	$188,000
22.	Signalman	Kenny McPeek	38	$496,840
23.	Anothertwistafate	Blaine Wright	38	$268,960
24.	Sueno	Keith Desormeaux	32	$285,000
25.	Bourbon War	Mark Hennig	31	$137,200
26.	Instagrand	Jerry Hollendorfer	30	$276,000
27.	Mucho Gusto	Bob Baffert	24	$286,800
28.	Knicks Go	Ben Colebrook	20	$675,085
29.	Owendale	Brad Cox	20	$124,000
30.	Outshine	Todd Pletcher	20	$74,500

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

APPLE BLOSSOM

What: Grade I.
Where: Oaklawn Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas
When: Sunday, April 14, 2019, Race 8
Post time: 4:42 pm Central Time (5:42 pm Eastern Time)
Who: 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $750,000
Television: TVG
History: Inaugurated in 1958. The last five winners were Unbrlded Mo, Stellar Wind, Forever Unbridled, Untapable and Close Hatches. Not a bad collection!
Notes:

• The Manitoba bred has won 20 of 30 lifetime races.
• This is Jose Ortiz's only scheduled ride of the day.
• Midnight Bisou is 13 7-3-3 lifetime with over $1.9m earned.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Elate (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	William I. Mott	6/5
2	Chocolate Martini (KY)	Jermaine V. Bridgmohan	116	Thomas M. Amoss	15/1
3	Escape Clause (MB)	Tyler Baze	117	Don Schnell	5/1
4	Viva Forever (ON)	Walter De La Cruz	114	Peter R. Walder	30/1
5	Wonder Gadot (ON)	David Cohen	118	Mark E. Casse	6/1
6	Midnight Bisou (KY)	Mike E. Smith	122	Steven M. Asmussen	7/5

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

April 14, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Manny Franco won for four different trainers and finished 8 4-0-2. He tied Jose Lezcano for the meet lead with 13 victories.
• April 17: American Pharoah's first two U.S. starters will be on the card. Look for Lady Delaware and Tesorina.

From Bloodhorse: Both runners in Wednesday's $100,000 opener—the first 2-year-old maiden race at the Big A this year—are fillies conditioned by Wesley Ward, who is well regarded for developing young horses. ​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Paco Lopez was DQ'd and eventually suspended 60 days for this ride:

​

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Steve Asmussen won three times. He won seven of the 15 races in which he entered the last two days at the track.
• Race 8: Midnight Bisou (Mike Smith/Steve Asmussen) has now earned over $2,400,000 after she narrowly defeated an incredibly gamed Escape Clause (Tyler Baze/Don Schnell) in the $750,000 Grade I Apple Blossom. The 4-year-old winning filly is now 14 8-3-3 including 2-for-2 at Oaklawn. In what was expected to be a clash between Midnight Bisou and Elate (Jose Ortiz/Bill Mott), the Manitoba-bred Escape Clause played the near-role of spoiler and is now 30 20-4-3 all-time. Smith won three of five starts the last two days.

​

Santa Anita (California):

• Flavien Prat recorded a trio of wins and was 6 3-1-1.
• Race 6: Campaign (Rafael Bejarano/John Sadler) won the $100,000 Grade III Tokyo City Cup.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

It is getting that time of the year when the spring/summer meets begin at some tracks.

Arlington (Illinois) -- May 3
Belmont (New York) -- April 26
Belterra (Ohio) -- April 26
Canterbury (Minnesota) -- May 3
Churchill Downs (Kentucky) -- April 27
Delaware (Delaware) -- May 4
Emerald Downs (Washington state) -- April 20
Finger Lakes (New York state) -- April 27
Indiana Grand (Indiana) -- April 16
Lone Star Park (Texas) -- April 18
Monmouth (New Jersey) -- May 4
Mountaineer (West Virginia) -- April 28
Pimlico (Maryland) -- May 9
Prairie Meadows (Iowa) -- May 3
Presque Isle (Pennsylvania) -- May 13
ThistleDown (Ohio) -- April 29
Woodbine (Ontario) -- April 20

 

[Orr Fourever]

No luck again. All I need is one good day... Hahahaha