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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Arguably the most popular meet for handicappers in the calendar year. Kentucky Downs offers such a unique vibe. Much action in just five racing days all year.

The track is hailed by many handicappers due to its small takeout, large fields and many factors in between. It gets such attention that big-time players rank it the number one track in North America in which to handicap. In 10 races, there are 139 horses entered (almost 14 on average per race).

The card for September 1, 2018 includes over $2,500,000 in purse money.

Web site: Franklin KY Live & Simulcast Horse Racing | Kentucky Downs Race Course

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	16	1:25 PM
Race 2	$42,000	Starter Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	13	1:57 PM
Race 3	$145,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	15	2:32 PM
Race 4	$140,000	Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	16	3:06 PM
Race 5	$140,000	Allowance	1 Mile	Turf	16	3:41 PM
Race 6	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	4:17 PM
Race 7	$250,000	One Dreamer S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	13	4:52 PM
Race 8	$750,000	Tourist Mile S.	1 Mile	Turf	8	5:26 PM
Race 9	$400,000	Kentucky Downs Juvenile S.	1 Mile	Turf	11	5:58 PM
Race 10	$400,000	Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies S.	1 Mile	Turf	15	6:27 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

This race should be a joy to handicap. So many options. Mike Smith-Todd Pletcher, a rare combo, but at 20-1 in a Grade I. A 4-to-1 favorite in a field of 14? Let the games begin.

WOODWARD STAKES

• What: Grade I
• Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
• When: Saturday, September 1, 2018, Race 11
• Post time: 6:47 p.m. Eastern Time
• Who: 3-year-olds and up
• Distance: 1 1/8 mile
• Surface: Dirt
• Purse: $750,000
• History: Inaugurated in 1954 and held at Saratoga since 2006, some of the all-time greats have won this race including Affirmed, Spectacular Bid and Forego. And one of the great storylines of all-time when Prove Out, trained by "Giant-killer" Allen Jerkens, defeated Secretariat.
• Television: FS2, FS San Diego, Prime Ticket, Altitude Sports & MSG+, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm ET; NBCSN, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm ET.
• Racing card: First post 1:00 pm. 12 races.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Yoshida (JPN)	Joel Rosario	122	William I. Mott	5-1
2	Imperative (KY)	David Cohen	118	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30-1
3	Patch (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	20-1
4	Tapwrit (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	6-1
5	Hence (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	20-1
6	Term of Art (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Brad H. Cox	30-1
7	Kurilov (CHI)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Chad C. Brown	10-1
8	Discreet Lover (FL)	Manuel Franco	120	Uriah St. Lewis	8-1
9	Gunnevera (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Antonio Sano	4-1
10	Seeking the Soul (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Dallas Stewart	9-2
11	Leofric (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	Brad H. Cox	20-1
12	Sunny Ridge (NJ)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Jason Servis	8-1
13	Zanotti (KY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Juan Carlos Guerrero	20-1
14	Rally Cry (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Todd A. Pletcher	20-1

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[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$85,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 Furlongs	Dirt	9	1:00 PM
Race 2	$50,000	Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	10	1:34 PM
Race 3	$85,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	11	2:08 PM
Race 4	$92,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	9	2:43 PM
Race 5	$87,000	Allowance	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	8	3:19 PM
Race 6	$85,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	11	3:54 PM
Race 7	$92,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	4:29 PM
Race 8	$87,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	11	5:05 PM
Race 9	$300,000	Saranac S.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	9	5:39 PM
Race 10	$350,000	Spinaway S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	12	6:13 PM
Race 11	$750,000	Woodward S. Presented by NYRA Bets	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	14	6:47 PM
Race 12	$250,000	Glens Falls S.	1 3/8 Miles	Turf	9	7:17 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 29, 2018

Saratoga (New York):

• Luis Saez (3) and Javier Castellano (2) won multiple times as did trainer Chad Brown (2) who is running away with the meet's title. Brown has 36 wins to Todd Pletcher's 18.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. has a comfortable margin atop the riders' standings with 46 wins. Javier Castellano has 35 and Jose Ortiz has 34.
• John Velazquez has just two wins in his last 35 starts. He has failed to hit the board in 17 of 21 starts. That is a significant funk.
• Race 9: Opry (Javier Castellano/Todd Pletcher) in the Grade 3 $150,000 With Anticipation Stakes for 2-year-olds. It was the second career start for the colt who tried dirt and finished third in his debut race.
• Race 10: The $.50 trifecta returned over $1,100. The $2 Pick 6 paid over $53,000.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 4: A $58.80 winner.
• Race 7: A $60.20 winner. The $.50 Pick 3 paid over $660.
• Race 8: The $,50 Pick 3 paid over $820. The $.50 Pick 5 returned more than $3,360.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Race 9: Ten horses entered from nine different states bred. That is a high number.
• Race 8: Lewys Vaporizer, who wired field in a race at Saratoga last year and raced at Santa Anita, won and paid $2.60.
• Race 7: Sunshine Valentino (Ricardo Barrios/Sherry Kirk) ended a 26-race losing streak which dated back to December 2016. The 9-year-old improved to 8-2-20- in his 99th start. The trainer won for the first time in 22 starts this year. The race included a 12-year-old out for the 98th time.

Thistledown (Ohio):

• A long weather delay preceded the sixth race.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 7: Creative Instinct (Tyler Baze/Peter Miller) won the $100,000 feature race. The 2-year-old California-bred filly has for all intents-and-purposes never trailed in two lifetime races.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Six of the eight races have purses $100,000 or more under the lights.
• Race 1: The $1 super paid over $21,000.
• Race 3: Pink Lloyd (Eurico Da Silva/Robert Tiller), the star attraction, won and improved his record to 19 16-1-1 including 13 of his last 14. He has earned more than $948,000.
• Race 5: The $1 super paid over $20,000.
• Race 6: Melmich, the favorite in a field of four, finished second for the sixth time in his last seven starts. Prior to that, he had won five in a row. He has won 16 of 39 career starts including 12 5-6-0 the last two years.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

One of the most anticipated races involving fillies. A battle of the "big three."

DEL MAR DEBUTANTE STAKES

What: Grade I
Where: Del Mar Racetrack, Del Mar, CA
When: Saturday, September 1, 2018, Race 4
Post time: 3:30 pm Pacific Time
Who: 2-year-old fillies
Distance: 7 furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $300,000
History: Inaugurated in 1951.
Television: TVG
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Boujie Girl (FL)	Geovanni Franco	118	Peter Miller	8-1
2	Brill (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Jerry Hollendorfer	8-5
3	Watch Me Burn (KY)	Alonso Quinonez	118	Val Brinkerhoff	15-1
4	Mother Mother (KY)	Joseph Talamo	120	Bob Baffert	3-1
5	Bellafina (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Simon Callaghan	9-5

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

SPINAWAY STAKES

What: Grade I
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
When: Saturday, September 1, 2018, Race 10
Post time: 6:13 p.m. Eastern Time
Who: 2-year-old fillies
Distance: 7 furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $350,000
History: Inaugurated in 1881, this is the 127th running of one of the most anticipated races for 2-year-old fillies.
Preview: Chasing Yesterday, half-sister to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, makes stakes debut in Saturday’s G1 Spinaway
Television: FS2, FS San Diego, Prime Ticket, Altitude Sports & MSG+, 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm ET; NBCSN, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm ET.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Cassies Dreamer (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Barclay Tagg	30/1
2	Baby Nina (OH)	David Cohen	120	Anthony T. Quartarolo	30/1
3	Virginia Eloise (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
4	Catherinethegreat (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Mark E. Casse	7/2
5	Nonna Madeline (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
6	Sippican Harbor (KY)	Joel Rosario	118	Gary C. Contessa	10/1
7	Chasing Yesterday (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Bob Baffert	5/2
8	Guacamole (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
9	Bella Ciao (KY)	Edgard J. Zayas	118	Antonio Sano	30/1
10	Reflect (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	J. Keith Desormeaux	10/1
11	Restless Rider (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	6/1
12	Love My Honey (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Michael J. Maker	12/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

August 30, 2018

Saratoga (New York):

• The meet is down to its final four days. The track handled over $10,000,000 today.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr., the meet's leading rider, won two more times.
• Race 10: A weird series of events as part of an entry, which was the favorite, was scratched at the gate. The remaining part of the pair by rule ran for purse money only. Refunds and consolation payoffs awaited. Then another late scratch at the gate. There were six $1 Pick 3 bets settled, including five consolations, or as track announcer Larry Colmus said "a bunch of them."
• Race 9: Dogtag (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown) was the victor in the $100,000 feature race.
• Race 8: The $2 trifecta paid over $4,000. The $1 super returned over $36,000.
• Race 5: Mike Luzzi wired the field and held on by a neck on board a 6-to-1 shot. Luzzi is now 2-for-34 at the meet. He doesn't get many opportunities.
• Race 3: John Velazquez won in a small field of four. He was 3 1-2-0 today. His terrible elongated skid of missing the board so often was put on hold today.

Finger Lakes (New York):

• Race 8: The finale had a $77.50 winner.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 10: If 474523 are your numbers, go to the window and cash. The $.20 Pick 6 paid close to $70,000 for the one winning ticket.
• Race 9: Bombs away! The winner paid $163.60. The exacta returned over $700. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,400.
• The combination of Luca Panici-Larry Bates was a perfect 2-for-2.
• Tyler Gaffalione is suspended for the second time this month and did not ride today and will not tomorrow. He is scheduled to ride in Kentucky, California and Indiana from Sep. 1 through 4. This kid has spunk and an abundance of talent. He leads the meet with 42 wins.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $12,000.
• Race 8: The 4.50 Pick 3 paid over $4,700.
• Race 7: A 28-to-1 shot ridden by Eddie Martin, who recently won for the 4,000th time, helped a $.50 Pick 3 pay out more than $2,400.
• Race 5: Two of the longest shots on the board finished 1-2 when a 13-to-1 and 42-to-1 topped the ticket.

Del Mar (California):

• Race 1: The winner paid $61.60, $22.60 and $10.80. The place horse paid $55.40 and $13.60. The $2 tri paid over $7,400. The $1 super returned over $19,000.
• Race 3 and 4: Both were won by the combo of Flavien Prat-Phil D'Amato.
• Race 7: Mrazek (Mario Gutierrez/Doug O'Neill/Reddam Racing), named after hockey player Petr Mrazek, won for the first time since 2016. The horse is 13 4-4-2 lifetime.
• Race 8: Just as the opener had an incredible payout for place, so did the finale. The place horse paid $57.20.

Derby (Lane (Florida) GREYHOUNDS:

• This is among the oddest payouts I have seen at any type of track: after a dead heat for win, one of the victors paid $6.40, $71.20 and $2.40. Yup, almost $65 more for second place than first place.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday should be an outstanding day of racing. Many important races but also some deep fields in which to handicap. Thinking caps abound.

Saratoga (New York):

• Chad Brown tied the all-time record for wins at a Saratoga meet with his 40th victory today. Only two trainers have won 40 at the Spa in any given year: Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown.
• Javier Castellano-Chad Brown combined to win three times, all with favorites, including a chalky double in the first two races.
• David Cohen snapped a 23-race losing streak with his most successful day at the meet. He had three wins and finished 6 3-1-1. He had just two wins in his last 56 starts.
• Race 9: Extravagant Bid (Jose Ortiz/Brendan Walsh) won the $100,000 feature race.
• Nine riders have 20+ wins at the meet.

Timonium (Maryland):

• Race 1: The margin of victory was officially recorded as 13 3/4 lengths.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luca Panici won once and rode lights in two second place finishes to form profitable exactas. The combo of Panici-Larry Bates has compiled a 4 3-1-0 mark the last two days.
• Sarah Nagle won again. She is now 4 3-0-0 since training for Reid Nagle. An exacta in which Luca Panici finished second by a nostril paid $128.80.

​

Del Mar (California):

• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 5 returned $168,872 on a bet with one winning favorite. The winners of the pick five were Flip the Coin Jan ($9.40), Listing ($46.40), Sueno ($50.40), Sense of Glory ($17.20), and Thalia ($6.60). Thalia was the only winning favorite. The $.50 Pick 4 was $22,000+.
• Race 3: The $2 double was $965. The $1 Pick 3 was a gigantic $5,855.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Kentucky Downs

Location: Franklin, KY
Website: Live Racing Schedule & Results | Kentucky Downs Race Track Franklin KY
Racing dates: September 1, 6, 8, 9 and 13​

Kentucky Downs runs live racing just five days annually. Today is opening day for 2018. The total purses is approximately $10,000,000. The track bills itself as shaped similarly to a European-style facility with all turf (no dirt) racing and right turns (which I believe only Santa Anita, on one course, can say the same in the USA). It has one of the lowest take outs which makes it an attraction to serious handicappers. To all handicappers, a plus is the average field size which includes close to 14 today.

I would expect Florent Geroux and Julien Leparoux to be among the most played jockeys. After Saratoga (NY) closes Monday, some of the top riders from there are expected to venture to Kentucky.

The card as is currently constructed:

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	16	1:25 PM
Race 2	$42,000	Starter Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	13	1:57 PM
Race 3	$145,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	15	2:32 PM
Race 4	$140,000	Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	16	3:06 PM
Race 5	$140,000	Allowance	1 Mile	Turf	16	3:41 PM
Race 6	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	4:17 PM
Race 7	$250,000	One Dreamer S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	13	4:52 PM
Race 8	$750,000	Tourist Mile S.	1 Mile	Turf	8	5:26 PM
Race 9	$400,000	Kentucky Downs Juvenile S.	1 Mile	Turf	11	5:58 PM
Race 10	$400,000	Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies S.	1 Mile	Turf	15	6:27 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 1, 2018

Saratoga (New York):

• Chad Brown set the all-time Saratoga meet record with a 41st win. Todd Pletcher is the only other trainer to reach 40 wins at any Saratoga meet. Brown trained three winners, two ridden by Javier Castellano. He won three of the nine races in which he entered and finished 11 3-3-2. He also won with his lone starter at Monmouth.
• Javier Castellano won four consecutive races, a natural hat trick plus one. He finished 11 4-4-0. At one point, he was 8 4-4-0. That is an enormous feat considering today's extensive card.
• Joel Rosario won three consecutive races, a natural hat trick, which followed Castellano's streak of four victories. Rosario finished 6 3-0-2. The two riders won seven straight starts.
• Race 12: Lady Montdore (Manny Franco/Tom Albertrani) won the $250,000 Grade II Glens Falls Stakes. Lady Montdore is 7 3-1-2 but 2 2-0-0 at the Spa after five races in France.
• Race 11: Yoshida (Joel Rosario/Bill Mott), a Japanese-bred, won the $750,000 Grade I Woodward Stakes. Yoshida is 11 5-3-0 lifetime, tried dirt for the first time and seemed to like the surface to say the least. The win paid $14.40 and topped a $1 super that paid over $14,000. Rosario became the second consecutive rider on the card to connect with a natural hat trick.

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• Race 10: Sippican Harbor (Joel Rosario/Gary Contessa) topped a mesmerizing ticket in the $250,000 Grade I Spinaway for 2-year-old fillies and got rewarded with an invitation to the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies. The top four finishers went off 16-to-1, 5-to-2, 68-to-1 (ridden by Junior Alvarado) and 128-to-1 (ridden by Gulfstream-based Edgard Zayas). The $34.00 winner topped a $3,595 $2 trifecta and $1 super that paid over $52,000. It was a disappointing day for Catherinethegreat (Jose Ortiz/Mark Casse) and Chasing Yesterday (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert).
• Race 9: Raging Bull (Joel Rosario/Chad Brown) played the role splendidly in winning the $300,000 Grade III Saranac Stakes. I thought Up the Ante (Javier Castellano/Charistophe Clement) could spring the mild upset but alas his wire-to-wire attempt was short-circuited prior to the finish. Castellano's attempt to win five straight wins was curtailed.
• Race 8: The controversy of the day and what was an exciting race. Jose Lezcano temporarily won on board a 25-to-1 but a rare double DQ changed the finish. The original order of 8-4-10 was altered to 10-8-4. Just like that, Javier Castellano had won his fourth straight race. Lezcano was dropped to second place. Joel Rosario, also DQ'd, was moved down a notch to third place. All he did was win the next three races.
• Race 6: Chad Brown's record-setter.
• Race 1: David Cohen won the exciting opener which made four wins in his last five starts. Trainer Ken McPeek improved to 25% at the meet which is third best among the 25 trainers with 6 or more wins.
• Junior Alvarado has been in a funk since winning on board the 50-to-1 shot a few days ago. He is 17 0-0-2 since then, though one third place finish was on board a 68-to-1 shot in a Grade I today.
• Jose Ortiz has won just one of his last 22 mounts. He hit the board just twice in nine starts and five times finished 9th or lower. Saratoga can humble the best.
• John Velazquez has just one win his last 17 starts, he is not having a good meet.
• All-sources handle was $31,030,032, an 11.3-percent increase over last year's Woodward card. That is almost $85,000,000 the last two Saturdays at the Spa.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Joe Bravo won three times including both Grade II races. He finished 6 3-1-0. Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel!... even to his home state.
• Race 11: Unionizer (Joe Bravo/Bill Mott) won the $75,000 purse. The 2-year-old colt is 3 2-0-0. Mott failed to hit the board with six of his eight starters across three tracks but managed to win twice. Monmouth didn't delay here and went off the same time as Saratoga 9, unlike what appeared to happen in the previous race.
• Race 10: Synchrony (Joe Bravo/Michael Stidham) won the $100,000 Grade II Red Bank Stakes as the overwhelming favorite. Synchrony is now 16 7-3-4. If Monmouth intentionally blinked with the apparent delay so not to go off the same time as Kentucky Downs 6, applause is due.

​

• Race 8: Elysea's World (Joe Bravo/Chad Brown) won the $100,000 Grade III Violet Stakes as the overwhelming favorite.
• Race 6: A dead heat for second including one horse ridden by Joe Bravo. Trainer Brenda McCarthy won for the 2nd time in 36 starts this year.
• Race 4: A dead heat for the win.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• A good 11-race card with every purse $75,000 or more. Five consecutive races of $100,000 or more.
• Every horse entered today was a Pennsylvania-bred.
• Scott Lake trained three winners with four starters. Lake has over 5,900 wins in his 30-year career.
• Race 1: A 15-to-1 morning line was sent off at 9-to-5 and won. Sometimes it pays to follow the money.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• The track was off the turf today.
• Race 7: 10 of 14 were scratched.
• Race 5: 10 of 14 were scratched.
• Race 3: 8 of 14 were scratched.

Timonium (Maryland):

• Race 10: 10-pound bug Urizar Velazquez, who is 26 years of age, is officially 5 3-0-0 after a win in the finale. Not a bad way to start a riding career.
• Speed kills. At this track, a fair meet, it seems that if you get the lead, you keep the lead.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• A 13-race card including four with purses $100,000 or more.
• Emisael Jaramillo won three times among 11 rides. He has 39 wins, three behind meet leader Tyler Gaffalione.
• Ralph Nicks trained three winners with seven starters.
• Race 13: Garter and Tie (Emisael Jaramillo/Ralph Nicks) won the $200,000 finale named for Affirmed after probably the best horse ever bred in the state of Florida. The $.20 Pick 6 paid out to those who hit 5 of 6 races. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $70,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $26,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $8,000.
• Race 12: Dakota's Dude (Jose Batista/Rory Miller) won at 22-to-1. The $1 Double paid over $700.
• Race 11: Cookie Dough (Jeffrey Sanchez/Stanley Gold) won the $200,000 Susan's Girl by more than six lengths. The 12-to-1 winner topped a $.50 trifecta that paid over $1,091. Capture Your Dream (Emisael Jaramillo/Mark Casse) retreated and finished a terrible sixth as the prohibitive favorite. She had two impressive wins in her career entering this race. Let's she how she rebounds.
• Race 6: Entirely (Emisael Jaramillo/Jonathan Thomas) withstood an objection to win the $100,000 purse.
• Eric Cancel left New York for the day which began promising but ended 8 2-0-0. He won two of his first three mounts. He won race 2 for Elizabeth Dobles. She is 9 4-0-2 since the beginning of August with her infrequent starters.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• The opener of the 5-day meet which ends Sept. 13. Over $2.5 million in purses today though none was a graded stakes. A spectacular venue in which to handicap. It has both charm and whimsy.

Thanks racing fans for one of the most successful days in #KyDowns history as you wagered $6,205,873 - second highest all time! Please join us again Thursday for America's Most Unique Race Meet & The Fastest Five Days in Racing. (source: Kentucky Downs' Twitter)​

• Favorites did not win until the sixth race then won four of the next five.
  
• Julien Leparoux (3) and Tyler Gaffalione (2) were repeat winners. Gaffalione returned from a suspension which concluded yesterday. He is scheduled to ride in California, Florida and Indiana the next three days; that is four states in four days. Trainer Michael Maker won two races with Gaffalione riding.
• Florent Geroux was 9 1-1-2 and raced in all but the finale. I expected him to have a better day.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $21,000.
• Race 8: Bound for Nowhere (Julio Garcia/Wesley Ward) improved to 8 5-0-1 after winning the $750,000 Tourist Mile. Garcia mainly rides sparingly for Ward for whom he gallops. The horse is 5 5-0-0 under Garcia and 3 0-0-1 under other riders. Wow!
• Race 9: Henley's Joy (Tyler Gaffalione/Michael Maker) was sent off as the favorite and won the $400,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Stakes.
• Race 10: Miss Technicality (Julien Leparoux/Christophe Clement) was sent off the favorite and won the $400,000 Juvenile Fillies Stakes.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 1: Under the lights. A $101.50 winner.
• Race 2: A $42.80 winner. The $2 double was a staggering $2,600.20.
• Race 3: The $2 Pick 3 was $2,550.20.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• Orlando Mojica won three times for the second consecutive day.
• McLean Robertson added two more wins to his total. He is 8-4-3 with his last 21 starters.

Del Mar (California):

• Flavien Prat won both graded stakes races and had three victories among his 10 rides. He trails Drayden Van Dyke 47 to 45 as the winningest jockey at the meet.
• Race 4: In a battle of the "Big Three," Bellafina (Flavien Prat/Simon Callghan) won the $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Debutante over young rivals Brill (Drayden van Dyke/Jerry Hollendorfer) and Mother Mother (Joe Talamo/Bob Baffert). Bellafina is 3 2-1-0 and was a steal in paying $6.60 for the win.

​

• Race 10: Vasilika (Flavien Prat/Jerry Hollendorfer) won the $200,000 Grade Ii John C. Mabee.
• Race 11: The $2 Pick 6 paid out over $57,000.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Close to $6 million handled.

Todd Pletcher:

• Entered at three tracks and had one of his worst days in quite some time: 12 0-1-0.

Mark Casse:

• Entered at four tracks and had a subpar day going 12 1-1-2.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

SUPER DERBY

What: Grade 3
Where: Harrah's Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack, Bossier City, Louisiana
When: Sunday, September 2, 2018, Race 11
Post time: 5:05 pm Central Time (6:05 pm Eastern Time)
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $300,000
History: Inaugurated in 1980.
Preview: Geroux Will Head To Louisiana Downs Sunday, Pilot Cox’s High North In Super Derby - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report
Television: TVG​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Autumn Warrior (LA)	Colby J. Hernandez	124	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	6/1
2	Charlie's Schiller (LA)	Aubrie Green	124	Tommy Ives	20/1
3	Lone Sailor (KY)	James Graham	124	Thomas M. Amoss	7/5
4	McFeely (KY)	Ashley Broussard	124	John Ney	20/1
5	Bode's Maker (KY)	Joel Dominguez	124	Allen Milligan	30/1
6	G's Turn (KY)	Thomas L. Pompell	124	Patricia G. West	20/1
7	Limation (KY)	Diego Saenz	124	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
8	High North (KY)	Florent Geroux	124	Brad H. Cox	5/2
9	Lionite (KY)	David Cabrera	124	Steven M. Asmussen	9/2

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 2, 2018

Saratoga (New York):

• The penultimate day at the meet. Attendance exceeded 44,000. The track handled over $20,000,000. Belmont opens Friday.
• Race 10: Dream Tree (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert) was much the best in winning the $250,000 Grade II Prioress at 6 furlongs for three-year-old fillies. She is among the leading contenders in the nation in that category after a sparkling win and left the competition in the dust after being tested. Dream Tree is 5 5-0-0 lifetime and won for the first time under new rider Smith after a perfect 4-for-4 mark with Drayden Van Dyke. She had raced just once since December and that was in February. This was her first trio outside California where she won at all three southern Cal tracks. The Uncle Mo daughter is out of an Afleet Alex mare.

​

• Race 7: Joe Bravo held off a charging Javier Castellano. Close call.
• Race 6: A first-time starter with a 10-to-1 morning line was bet down to 9-to-5 and won with David Cohen riding for Jeremiah Englehart.
• Race 5: Irad Ortiz, Jr., the leading rider at the meet, won on board a 13-to-1 with the longest odds for any winner this day.
• Race 3: New York stewards get a lot of heat and certainly can be their own worst enemy but they have been caught up in plenty of controversial decisions this meet and some tough calls. The latest today: the 5-2-3 closed quarters from outside to the rail. The race finished 5-3-1-2. The stewards opted to change the finish to 5-1-2-3.
• Race 1: Todd Pletcher began his day with a win, unlike the horror show yesterday. He ended today with one win with his last 21 starters.
• Jose Ortiz, who won once with his last 22 mounts, was 3-for-9 today.
• David Cohen won twice. He has won 6 of his last 19 starts.
• Leading jockeys: Irad Ortiz, Jr. (50), Javier Castellano (43), Jose Ortiz (39).
• Leading trainers: Chad Brown (43), Todd Pletcher (19).

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Albin Jimenez rode 11 races and won four. His victories were for four trainers including Chad Brown.

Timonium (Maryland):

• This tracks favors speed. Only twice did horses entering the stretch with the lead not prevail, races 7 and 8.
• Race 7: Anytime Ashley Castrenze wins, lions and hyenas hug. Cobras and mongoose jest. Owls and mice high-five. She is now 6-3-2 in her last 18 starts. This was the first race of the day in which the leader entering the stretch failed to hold when Angel Cruz finished second. The $2 exacta was $121. A very healthy number.
• Race: 8: Angel Cruz turned the tables on Ashley Castrenze who almost wired the field. This was the second consecutive race, of two in the entire card, that the leader in the stretch failed to hold. The hearty $2 exacta returned $152.60. As an aside, Creepy the Crab was in this race. I just like the name.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Race 1: This is the way to open a card. A 50-to-1 shot won and paid $102.80. The $2 perfecta was over $1,100. The $2 trifecta was a staggering $12,315
• Race 9: This is the way to close a card. A 51-to-1 shot won and paid $105.60. The $2 perfecta was over $1,700. The $2 trifecta was a staggering $12,245. The $2 Pick 4 was over $11,000.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Race 9: A dead heat for the win which included a 31-to-1 ridden by Robby Albarado with the longest shot on the board.

Arlington (Illinois):

• A 10-year-old maiden won in his third race off a 7-year layoff. Desani's Chance is now 8 1-3-0.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luca Panici won twice on his three mounts. One winner was Miss Unbridled Cat who not only broke her maiden but stifled a 3-to-5 favorite at the same time.
• Ralph Nicks is on fire in September. He is a combined 13 6-2-1 in both Saratoga (one win) and Gulfstream (five wins) combined.

Louisiana Downs (Louisiana):

• Diego Saenz won four times on six mounts and each win was among the seven stakes races on the card.
• Race 11: Limation (Diego Saenz/Steve Asmussen) was sent off at 26-to-1 and pulled the upset in the $300,000 Super Derby. Limation took the lead at the half mile pole and never looked back. Asmussen, who has the second most wins among trainers in North America this year, had two entered. Lone Sailor (James Graham/Thomas Amoss), the favorite, finished 8th in this year's Kentucky Derby and was runner up.

​

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• Many stakes races for Minnesota breds.
• McLean Robertson entered 11 in 7 races and won three.

Del Mar (California):

• The penultimate day of racing at the meet. Los Alamitos opens Thursday.
• Race 10: The $2 Pick 6 was nailed for over $271,000. That'll buy dinner.
• Race 8: Ride a Comet (Drayden Van Dyke/Mark Casse) won the $250,000 Grade 2 Del Mar Derby for three-year-olds. A 50-to-1 piloted by Martin Garcia finished second.

​

• Race 6: King of Speed (Gary Stevens/Jeff Bonde) won the $100,000 Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes and paid $32.20. It was the 100th career stakes win for the rider at Del Mar.
• Drayden Van Dyke won three times. He leads the meet in victories.
• Flavien Prat, second at the meet in wins, finished 8 2-3-3. he hit the board with all 8 mounts.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

HOPEFUL STAKES

What: Grade 1
Where: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
When: Monday, September 3, 2018, Race 10
Post time: 5:38 pm Eastern Time
Who: 2-year-olds
Distance: 7 furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Purse:$350,000
History: Inaugurated in 1903, many greats have won this race highlighted by Secretariat and Man o' War.
Preview: Mucho, Nitrous top contenders in Hopeful - Brisnet
Television:

FS2, FS San Diego, Prime Ticket, Altitude Sports & MSG+

4:00 - 6:30 pm ET

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​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Sombeyay (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
2	Mind Control (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Gregory D. Sacco	5/1
3	Nitrous (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2
4	Thatwouldbegrand (MD)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	118	Dale Capuano	20/1
5	Dream Maker (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	Mark E. Casse	4/1
6	Backtohisroots (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	John P. Terranova II	20/1
7	Mucho (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	William I. Mott	8/5
8	Derby Date (KY)	Luis Saez	116	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 3, 2018

Saratoga (New York):

• And just like that, another meet has concluded. Saratoga had at times a rocky 2018 but still managed to exceed $659 million in handle covering 40 dates. The figure is second only to the 2017 handle. Moving 50 turf races to dirt and reducing field size hurt the track. The dicey weather hurt handle especially among turf players.
• Races 1-2-3-5: The Ortiz brothers combined to win the first three races. Jose added a third win in race 5.
• Race 4: David Cohen outrode Joel Rosario in the stretch -- not the easiest of tasks -- to win on a fourth straight card. He is 20 7-1-2 in that time.
• Race 7: Sicilia Mike (Dylan Davis/Gary Sciacca) had one win and 11 place finishes through 27 starts until today when he improved to 28 2-11-5. He likes the Spa with a 3 1-1-0 mark.
• Race 8: Luis Reyes wired the field for his second win in 47 starts at the meet.
• Race 9: Qurbaan (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Kiaran McLaughlin) won a 3-way photo finish in winning the $250,000 Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap. The two longest shots on the board in a field five finished 1-2. The 5-year-old horse made his U.S. debut after a 13 5-1-2 mark in Europe (overwhelmingly France). The winner was off since October. The Linda Rice-trained Voodoo Song, who should be heard from again, finished dead last at 3-to-5.

• Race 10: Mind Control (John Velazquez/Gregory Sacco) was ridden professionally and won the $350,000 Grade I Hopeful Stakes at 10-to-1. The 2-year-old colt is now 3 2-1-0 and was ridden prior by Trevor McCarthy including at Monmouth (NJ) where the trainer is based. It was Sacco's only win at the meet in four starts. This was perhaps the shining moment for Velazquez at the meet, who to my memory, won only one other graded stakes at and that was the Diana Stakes in the second day of the meet..

​

• Race 11: The finale at the meet was won by Sunshine Gal (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Danny Gargan). The $2 Pick 6 was over $110,000. The $.50 Pick 5 was over $63,000. The $,50 Pick 4 was over $7,000.
• Jose Ortiz (3), Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2) and Ricardo Santana, Jr. (2) and trainer Chad Brown (2) won multiple times.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. (52) and Chad Brown (46) won the jockey and trainer titles, respectively.
• Joel Rosario ended the week with five wins, eight second-place finishes, and nine third-place finishes in 32 starts and with those numbers was named the Jockey of the Week. He won three graded stakes races.
• Junior Alvarado had abysmal number since delivering with the 50-to-1 winner. He made the board just three times in 28 starts (28 0-0-3) to finish the meet. The first tw0-thirds of the meet were excellent.
• Jose Lezcano won just once in his last 33 rides at the meets.
• Luis Saez was 9 0-0-0. Sometimes it isn't always about the horse or the rider but he ended the meet at 27 1-2-0. He is too talented for numbers like that. Saratoga is tough.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Race 7: Jeremy Rose doesn't win often but it is still a rush for Afleet Alex fans when he does. Fair or not, there will always be that connection.
• Jose Ferrer, the leading rider at the meet, added four more victories.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 8: You're to Blame (Paco Lopez/Todd Pletcher) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Greenwood Cup. The favorite, ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, finished second and appeared to drift needlessly too far wide.
• Race 9: Pure Sensation (Kendrick Carmouche/Christophe Clement) won ther $300,000 Grade 3 Turf Monster at 7-to-2. Carmouche made amends for what appeared to be a subpar ride in the prior race.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 3: Congrats to trainer M.C. Reardon who snapped a 68-race losing streak dating back to June 2017. She was winless in 50 tries this year and hit the board just twice. Her stock was in Massachusetts before being transferred to the much tougher meets in Florida while summering in Delaware. Nines Wild Frankie, a 7-year-old gelding, was an 0-for-15 maiden with 8 second place finishes. The Florida-bred was a 10-to-1 morning line sent off as the 8-to-5 favorite.

Timonium (Maryland):

• Race 3: Urizar Velazquez, a 10-pound bug at the age of 26, won and is now 11 4-0-0. A quick start. Apparently, he was meant to ride at Gulfstream but suffered an injury at some point in the recent past.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $10,000.

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• Erik Barbaran won three of his four starts.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 1: The day opened with an old-fashion whoopin'. A 16-length romp in the slop.
• Race 3: Luca Panici won for the third time in his last four starts covering two days.
• Race 7: Rajiv Maragh went south from New York and rode five times for Ricko Maragh. He had one winner, this race. I lost track of the different relationships in the Maragh riding family. Ricko is subbing for Aubrey as trainer who is temporarily on the sidelines for a violation involving suspended rider Tony. Meanwhile, Romero, who is based at Gulfstream, rode at Saratoga today.
• Race 9: Tyler Gaffalione and Luca Panici topped a ticket in a field of eight, after scratches, in which the order was 10 and 11 in a 5 furlongs race. Outside posts in short races don't always excel at Gulfstream.
• Race 12: The $,20 Pick 6 paid out $12,000 to all winners.
• The Tyler Gaffalione road show hit a third state in three days. His journey of Kentucky-California-Florida-Indiana continues tomorrow. Gaffalione won twice in four starts to boost his meet lead to three (44 to 41) over Emisael Jaramillo.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Corey Lanerie and Brad Cox won the rider and trainer titles at the meet, respectively.
• Churchill Downs opens September 14 after the Kentucky Downs meet closes September 13. Keeneland then becomes the Kentucky track from October 5-27 then back to Churchill Downs through Nov. 25 and then onto Turfway to close the calendar year.

Del Mar (California):

• Today ended the summer meet. Over $17 million was wagered today. The track averaged $13 million per race day which was an increase from the prior year.
• Race 10: The $2 pick 6 was hit for over $130,000. The $,50 Pick 5 was nailed for over $16,000.
• Race 9: Game Winner (Tiago Pereira/Bob Baffert) won the $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Futurity. The 2-year-old colt is 2-for-2 and was previously ridden by Joel Rosario. Among the defeated was Roadster (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert) who finished third in his second start. Baffert won the race for an incredible 14th time including seven of the past 11.

​

• Race 5: The $1 Pick 3 was hit for $9.10. Think about that for a moment. Chalk central. The $,50 Pick 5 paid less than $70. Re-read the prior remark.
• Race 4: Summering (Drayden Van Dyke/Thomas Proctor) was the prohibitive favorite in a field of 11 in winning the $100,000 Del mar Juvenile Fillies Turf.
• Bob Baffert's record with 2-year-olds at the Del Mar meet is truly remarkable. He went 20 12-2-2 (60% wins, 70% in the money).

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Eurico Da Silva rode four winners on board seven mounts. Da Silva leads the meet with 125 wins.
• Norman McKnight trained three winners among four starters. McKnight is having an awesome meet. He leads Mark Casse by two victories (70 to 68) but is an extraordinary 34%.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KENTUCKY DOWNS: Day Two

When: Thursday, September 6
Where: Franklin, KY
What: A brief but extraordinarily unique track and meet in the U.S.
Web site: Franklin KY Live & Simulcast Horse Racing | Kentucky Downs Race Course
​

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$53,000	Maiden Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	12	1:25 PM
Race 2	$42,000	Starter Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	1:55 PM
Race 3	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	2:25 PM
Race 4	$145,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	12	2:55 PM
Race 5	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	3:25 PM
Race 6	$140,000	Allowance	1 5/16 Miles	Turf	16	3:55 PM
Race 7	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	4:25 PM
Race 8	$145,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	4:55 PM
Race 9	$250,000	Old Friends S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	15	5:25 PM
Race 10	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 5/16 Miles	Turf	14	5:55 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Joel Rosario was named the most recent winner of Jockey of the Week.

The weekly NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll was also released today.

Rank, Horse Points (first-place votes) -- Last rider -- Trainer
1. Accelerate 343 (8) -- Joel Rosario -- John Sadler
2. *Justify 333 (28) -- Mike Smith -- Bob Baffert
3. Diversify 266 (2) -- Irad Oritz, Jr. -- Richaerd Violette
4. Monomoy Girl 230 (0) -- Florent Geroux -- Brad Cox
5. Abel Tasman 190 (0) -- Mike Smith -- Bob Baffert
6. Catholic Boy 143 (0) -- Javier Castellano -- Jonathan Thomas
7. Yoshida (JPN) 117 (0) -- Joel Rosario -- Bill Mott
8. Sistercharlie 88 (0) -- John Velazquez -- Chad Brown
9. Mind Your Biscuits 82 (0) -- Joel Rosario -- Chad Summers
10. Catalina Cruiser 69 (0) -- Drayden Van Dyke -- John Sadler

*Retired

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 5, 2018

A quiet day with New York (Saratoga to Belmont), southern Cal (Del Mar to Los Alamitos) and Maryland (Timonium to Laurel), among others, in transition periods. Gulfstream, Kentucky and many others were dark.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 8: Mr. Ritz (Jose Valdivia, Jr./Josie Carroll) shipped in from Woodbine (Ontario) to win the $200,000 Caesars Stakes at 10-to-1.
• Race 9: Beyond Blame (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the $200,000 Indiana Grand Stakes as the 4-to-5 favorite. A bomber came in second, the second highest price, at 45-to-1.
• Tyler Gaffalione completed his 4-states-in-5-days tour with rides in the two feature races.

Notes:

• Always Dreaming, who won the 2017 Kentucky Derby, has been retired.
• Sharp Azteca, who earned over $2,000,000, was retired. He was won the 2017 Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. Jose Lezcano and Luis Saez are all scheduled to start Friday's Belmont meet serving suspensions. The length and dates have yet to be confirmed. Ortiz and Lezcano are not listed with any starters per Equibase; however, Saez is scheduled to ride at Kentucky Downs which means that could change or he appealed and a delayed schedule/suspension is part of the process.
• Victor Espinoza will have 30 more days of therapy before a determination can be made on his racing future. He was injured July 22. His neck brace was removed today.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 6, 2018

Finger Lakes (New York):

• Race 1: With the only T-bred track running in New York, the card opened with a $43,20 winner.

Presque Isle (Pennsylvania):

• Race 6: The $.10 super paid over $13,000. The $.50 tri paid over $1,400.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 6: Ashley Castrenze won her only ride of the day. Make that 7 wins on her last 20 mounts going back to August 16. When Ashley Castrenze wins, birds play with worms, sharks and seals banter, chickens amuse fox and cheetahs and zebras mingle playfully.
• Race 3: Dr. Blarney (Tammi Piermarini/Karl Grusmark) won again. The very successful Mass-bred (there are few) improved to 22 16-0-3 and is a perfect 5 5-0-0 in 2018.
• Race 1: Jeremy Rose had a rare chance to ride a favorite and sparkled in the opener at 4-to-5.

Belterra (Ohio):

• Canceled after the sixth race due to powerful rains.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• Race day two in the books. Eight of the ten races had purses of $130,000 or more. The annual 5-day meet continues Saturday.
• Tyler Gaffalione was the only rider with multiple wins. Michael Maker had three wins, two with Gaffalione riding. Maker, who won once in Indiana, had a profitable day at 10 4-1-0.
• Favorites won just two of the 10 races.
• Race 9: Next Shares (Drayden Van Dyke/Richard Baltas), the 2-to-1 favorite, won the card's biggest purse at $250,000.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $23,000. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $7,300.
• Race 4: The $.50 Pick 3 paid over $1,300.
• Race 3: Baytown Jimbo (Jack Gilligan/Paul McEntee) was the highest winner of the day at 24-to-1 and the third longest shot on the board in a field of 12.
• Race 2: Julien Leparoux won at 11-to-1. there likely won't be too many opportunitied to get him at that price this meet.
• Tyler Gaffalione and Julien Leparoux each have four wins to lead all jockeys through two racing days.
• Michael Maker (5) and Wesley Ward (2) are the only trainers with multiple wins to date.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $14,000 despite the biggest winner being just $19.
• Race 6: The 65-to-1 shot winner returned $133, The $2 tri paid over $4,000.
• Race 8: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $16,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $2,000.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $26,000. The $2 Pick 4 returned $5,400+.
• Race 8: The winner paid $67.70.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 9: A 64-to-1 shot, second largest on the board, won at 64-to-1. The win paid $130.40, place paid $41. The $1 super paid over $34,000.
• Entering the finale, favorites won six times and placed twice in the prior eight races.

Remington Park (Oklahoma):

• Race 1: Rise Up (Ramon Vasquez/Steve Asmussen) won for the 11th time in 40 starts and romped to an 11-length victory. I gave serious early consideration for this horse to be a 2014 Kentucky Derby contender. He has earned over $1.2 million but entered with losses in 12 straight races.

Los Alamitos (California):

• The meet opened today.

New York (Suspensions and appeals and fines, oh my):

• I mentioned in a post above that this seemed to be a meet fraught with controversial calls and the stewards seemed to be in the midst of much angst with handicappers.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr., the leading rider at the meet, will miss the opening three days at Belmont from Sept. 7 through 9. Careless riding Aug. 22 was cited in a race in which he was DQ'd to fourth.
• Luis Saez was hit with a 5-day suspension which will be served Sept. 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20. He will likely ride at Kentucky Downs prior to that.
• Jose Lezcano will miss Sept. 7, 8, 9, 14 and 15 for careless riding in a race on July 27.
• Javier Castellano, Manny Franco, Dylan Davis and David Cohen were all fined for riding infractions. Franco had two violations which resulted in separate fines. The race in which Davis was fined, he originally won but was DQ'd to second.
• Junior Alvarado -- you know he had to figure some place, we are talking suspensions and DQ's in New York after all -- was suspended five days for a race in which he was the original victor before being DQ's to third. Alvarado is appealing the suspension. As I have mentioned periodically, Alvarado seems to have a personality conflict with some in New York and at one point in the recent past hinted at being an outsider as he one regularly rode in Florida and Illinois. His vigor is one reason why I often play him. However, I doubt his appeal leads to anything other than a delay in the process.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Belmont's Friday opening day card

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$55,000	Starter Allowance	1 Mile	Dirt	6	1:30 PM
Race 2	$46,000	Maiden Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	2:04 PM
Race 3	$40,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	2:37 PM
Race 4	$44,000	Claiming	7 Furlongs	Turf	12	3:09 PM
Race 5	$28,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:41 PM
Race 6	$70,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	8	4:14 PM
Race 7	$75,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	13	4:46 PM
Race 8	$100,000	Christiecat S.	6 Furlongs	Turf	11	5:18 PM
Race 9	$30,000	Maiden Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	9	5:50 PM

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[TBODY][TR][TH]Kentucky Downs' card for Saturday (Day 3 of 5)

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	16	1:25 PM
Race 2	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	1:55 PM
Race 3	$140,000	Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	2:25 PM
Race 4	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	2:55 PM
Race 5	$140,000	Allowance	1 5/16 Miles	Turf	16	3:25 PM
Race 6	$500,000	Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S.	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	11	3:55 PM
Race 7	$500,000	Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S.	1 Mile	Turf	10	4:26 PM
Race 8	$450,000	Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint S.	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	10	4:57 PM
Race 9	$500,000	Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint S. Presented by Coca-Cola	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	12	5:29 PM
Race 10	$750,000	Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup S.	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	16	5:59 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 7, 2018:

Belmont Park (New York):

• The fall meet opened today. Track handle exceeded $6,000,000
• Javier Castellano, who won the feature race and was a perfect 3 3-0-0, and Manny Franco, who won the finale on board the lone bomber of the day, each had three victories.
• Junior Alvarado had a respectable 6 1-0-4 day. His victory ended a 30-race losing streak.
• Favorites won five times and finished second three times in the 9-race card.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Jose Lezcano both began their suspensions from riding incidents at Saratoga. Junior Alvarado appealed his suspension. Luis Saez had his suspension delayed. The latter two rode today.

Laurel Park (Maryland):

• Race 1: The aptly named Yowsa Yowsa Yowsa opened the meet with a 16-to-1 win.
• Race 2: A terrific finish by Carol Cedeno who was down 5 lengths in the stretch and eked out a win.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Samy Camacho won three times with five starters. He entered this year with 170 career wins. He has almost surpassed that total with 147 wins in 2018. A coming out party perhaps.
• Luca Panici won two of his four rides. He has won 5 of his last 12 rides.
• Tyler Gaffalione (44) and Emisael Jaramillo (43) are close on top the leader board for most wins by a jockey at the meet. Samy Camacho is closing the gap with 37 wins. The latter two don't travel as much as Gaffalione.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 7: A $68.60 winner. The exacta paid $1,044. The tri was a stunning $17,419. The $1 super was over $26,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,000. The $2 double was a remarkable $2,705.
• Race 8: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,600.
• Race 9: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $7,100.

Los Alamitos (California):

• The meet opened today. The meet continues through September 23. Santa Anita then becomes the main southern Cal track from Sept. 27 through November 6. Del Mar follows.

 

[Preds Partisan]

It blows my mind to see what KyDowns has become. Absolutely insane. Hundreds of times driving by that place and now look at those purses. Crazy.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 8, 2018

• Rain impacted most of the tracks in the mid-Atlantic.

Belmont (New York):

• Javier Castellano (4) and Manny Franco (3) combined to win seven of the 10 races. Through two days of the meet, they have won 13 of the 19 races held. Castellano is 12 7-2-1. Of course, many riders were either absent due to suspensions or the card at Kentucky Downs but those numbers are formidable.
• Race 4: World of Trouble (Manny Franco/Jason Servis) won the $100,000 Allied Forces Stakes by over five lengths. Third place was 18 lengths behind the winner. The Florida-bred is 7 4-1-1. He is a perfect 2 2-0-0 on turf and took so well to the surface in his last two starts that he is a leading candidate for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

​

• Chad Brown had just one horse entered at Belmont, his lone starter across North America.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Jorge Navarro won with both of his starters. Navarro is 185 83-28-26 (45%/74%).

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 2: A $75.70 winner.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 3 paid $5,545.70.
• Race 5: A $71.40 winner but the exacta returned only $110.20 (that seems low). The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,500.
• Race 6: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,900.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $2,700.
• Race 8: Divine Miss Grey (Junior Alvarado/Danny Gargan) won the Grade 3 $180,000 feature race at 1-to-9 in a shortened field of three. It was Alvarado's lone ride of the day as he awaits the appeal of his suspension in New York. He was scheduled to ride in Kentucky today in addition to Philly.
• Four of the ten winners paid $20.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Jevian Toledo rode three winners.
• Race 9: The longest shot on the board in a field of five paid $71.90.
• Race 12: The $,50 Pick 4 paid over $10,000.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo had an awesome day with five victories on board seven rides. He leads the meet with 48 wins, four more than Tyler Gaffalione who was in Kentucky today.
• Race 12: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $15,000.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• Handle: For the first time in track history, handle exceeded $10,000,000. The total through three days surpassed $22,000,000.
• Purses: Over $3.3 million in purses in day three of five scheduled race days.
• Florent Geroux began the day terribly with three dismal outcomes but he rallied for a strong afternoon including winning two of the largest purses in North America this day. He finished 10 2-3-0. If he gets the customary 60% of the purse, that means he personally won $450,000 + $270,000 for $720,000 with the two victories. Julien Leparoux also won twice as did trainer Michael Maker.
• Julien Leparoux (6), Florent Geroux (5), Tyler Gaffalione (3) and Jose Ortiz (3) have the most wins.
• Michael Maker is dominating the trainer standings with 7 wins. He won twice today.
• Race 10: Arklow (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the $750,000 Grade 3 1 1/2 mile Kentucky Turf Cup feature race.

​

• Race 9: Proforma (Joe Bravo/Michael Stidham) won the $500,000 Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint with a 20-to-1 morning line sent off at 8-to-1. Proforma had lost his last four including two at Monmouth. Joe Bravo: Have whip, will travel! Undrafted, owned by Wes Welker, finished fourth in his 37th lifetime race.
• Race 8: Ruby Notion (Florent Geroux/Darrin Miller) won the Grade 3 $500,000 Ladies Sprint Stakes. The 5-yerar-old West Virginia-bred mare entered off a win at Saratoga. She set a track record at the distance with this win; the feat was stablished earlier on the card. I believe the trainer works exclusively for the owners. He sends out horses infrequently.
• Race 7: Insta Erma (Drayden Van Dyke/Richard Baltas) won the Grade 3 $500,000 Ladies Turf Stakes.
• Race 6: Moonlight Romance (Jose Ortiz/Wesley Ward) won the $500,000 purse in what was my bet of the day. The win offered little value but the horse seemed to be the most logical play of the day. Ward excels with 2-year-olds and with turf sprints.
• Race 3: Linburgh's Kitten set a track record at the distance of 6 1/2 furlongs. The feat didn't last too long as it was broken later in the day.
• Race 1: Tyler Gaffalione and Jose Ortiz finished 1-2 with the two smallest odds on the board in a field of 13.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Races 8 and 9: Both were $75,000 purses for maidens. Big Drink of Water (Jose Valdivia, Jr./Larry Rivelli) and Into Trouble (Christopher Emigh/Ben Colebrook) won races 8 and 9, respectively. The latter was a two-year-old filly who won at 14-to-1.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• McLean Robertson won twice and has been victorious six times in the last 15 races he has entered. He has taken over the meet lead by three victories with 53 total.

Remington Park (Oklahoma):

• Race 9: The $1 super paid $22,000+. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $7,800.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Race 9: A 45-to-1 shot was DQ'd, the longest shot on the board, from a win and placed second. The $1 Pick 4 paid $18,000.
• Race 8: Gas Station Sushi (Mario Gutierrez/Richard Baltas) romped in the feature race at even money. Next up is likely an undetermined graded stakes race. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $5,000.
• Race 7: The $2 double was a jaw dropping $5,223.60. The $1 Pick 3 paid over $2,800.
• Race 6: An 80-to-1 won a stakes race and paid $162.60 to win and $43.80 in the middle.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 5: A $70.00 winner. The $1 tri paid over $3,000.
• Eurico Da Silva won three more times. The last four race cards he is 28 11-6-4. Per Equibase, he is 4 away from 2,000 career wins.
• Norman McKnight won with one of his two starters and is an exceptional 13 9-0-2. He is the leading trainer at the meet.

Hastings (British Columbia):

• Race 8: Sky Promise (Rico Walcott/Robertino Diodoro), the favorite in a field of twelve, won the $150,000 British Columbia Derby.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

It blows my mind to see what KyDowns has become. Absolutely insane. Hundreds of times driving by that place and now look at those purses. Crazy.

My one criticism is the lack of graphics during the pre-race show especially no displayed content of scratches or rider changes during that segment of the broadcast. Also, the shown race picks by the track handicappers are not accompanied by the race number being discussed. Some of these tracks need to realize that audio isn't always available to handicappers across the various facilities. Otherwise, this is a fun meet with its oddities and peculiarities engrossing.

Separately, did you see that Keeneland and Churchill may partner to restore a defunct standardbred track in Kentucky with historic racing machines a primary function?

 

[Cyclones Rock]

97 year old trainer Jerry Bozzo just collected a win in the 8th at Gulfstream. Gusty Wind paid $15.80 and keyed a $120.80 exacta.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

97 year old trainer Jerry Bozzo just collected a win in the 8th at Gulfstream. Gusty Wind paid $15.80 and keyed a $120.80 exacta.

I applauded when I saw him stand from the wheelchair. Awesome story: and my boy Luca Panici won the race for him.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Luca has gotten it going again. It's so brutally tough on the regular journeymen in the south Florida circuit when all the big boys come down. I've been guilty of not using him in bets for bad reasons. Fortunately, I had him in this race.