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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 9, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• John Velazquez had his best day in quite some time. The Hall of Famer was 5 3-1-1 and won three of the final four races including a romp in the $100,000 Royal Delta with Come Dancing for trainer Carlos Martin.
• Javier Castellano won twice. He is leading the rider standings with 9 victories. Castellano (9), Manny Franco (6) and John Velazquez (4) have won 19 of the 28 races held at the meet so far..
• Joel Rosario won twice with his second victory coming in the third race. As mentioned many times, if he wins early enough he tends to repeat.
• Joe Bravo, America's Guest, won consecutive races. Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel! Bravo's winning percentage in 2018 is 23%, his best total since 2006.
• Only four riders won today.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• The 2018 meet ended today: During the 52 live race days, average attendance was 8,986. Wagering was down slightly from last year but the area had many rainy days and that reduced field size and eventually interest across the simulcast feed.
• $.20 Pick 6 Jackpot: Mandatory payout day and each winner received over $1,200.
• Jose Ferrer, the meet's leading rider with 94 victories, won four times and finished 10 4-1-1.
• Paco Lopez won three of the first four races and finished 9 3-1-2.
• Jorge Navarro set a record with an incredible 85 winners from 190 starters to claim his sixth trainers' title.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 1: Emile Finckenhagen was the victor in a race limited to amateur riders. All jockeys carried 138 pounds.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Track conditions: Once again racing was hampered by inclement weather.
• Race 8: The two longest shots on the board finished 1-2 and paid $337 for a $2 exacta.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 8: Gusty Wind (Luca Panici/Jerry Bozzo) provided the trainer with another record-breaker as the oldest T-bred trainer to win a race. Bozzo won with this 3-year-old Florida gelding in July and repeated today to break his own mark at the age of 97.
• Emisael Jaramillo now has a 6-race lead over Tyler Gaffalione as the winningest rider at the meet.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• Day Four: Canceled today's events which was postponed to Wednesday. The annual 5-day meet ends the following day.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 8: Gamble's Ghost (Eurico Da Silva/Josie Carroll) won the $100,000 feature race. The mare won for the 10th time in 20 starts and has a winning streak of three. Da Silva has a 132 wins to lead the meet.
• Eurico Da Silva has hit the board with 23 of his last 28 mounts. He is 28 12-6-5. He could achieve his 2,000th career victory the next card or two.

Note:

• Kendrick Carmouche, who is based in New York, suffered a hairline fracture of his right femur during a race at Kentucky Downs on Saturday and is expected to be sidelined for about eight weeks. UPDATE: Following surgery on Sept. 10, the diagnosis was changed to approximately four months.
• Steve Hamilton, who returned to racing following retirement and then rode with his son Weston, is having back surgery later this month in what has been described as tumors near his spine. The Hamiltons ride in the mid-Atlantic, mainly Maryland.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

KENTUCKY DOWNS

What: All-turf racing on America's only European-style race course.
When:

Wednesday, September 12: Day 4 of the meet which was rescheduled from Sunday due to heavy rains.
Thursday, September 13: Day 5 which is the closing day of the 2018 meet.​

Where: Franklin, Kentucky.
Basic betting strategy: Give extra attention to Florent Geroux and Julien Leparoux among the riders and Michael Maker among trainers. Wesley Ward excels with 2-year-olds and sprints. Some of the top riders and trainers in America also make visits.​

Day 4: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

[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	$140,000	Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	1:55 PM
Race 3	$100,000	Starter Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	8	2:25 PM
Race 4	$100,000	Starter Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	10	2:55 PM
Race 5	$100,000	Starter Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	10	3:25 PM
Race 6	$100,000	Starter Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	13	3:56 PM
Race 7	$145,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	16	4:27 PM
Race 8	$300,000	Fifth Third Insurance Dueling Grounds Oaks	1 5/16 Miles	Turf	12	4:58 PM
Race 9	$400,000	Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Derby	1 5/16 Miles	Turf	10	5:27 PM
Race 10	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	16	5:57 PM

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[TBODY][TR][TH]Day 5: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (ET)
Race 1	$55,000	Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	14	1:25 PM
Race 2	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	1:55 PM
Race 3	$145,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	Turf	10	2:25 PM
Race 4	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	2:55 PM
Race 5	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	16	3:25 PM
Race 6	$140,000	Allowance	1 Mile	Turf	16	3:56 PM
Race 7	$130,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	16	4:27 PM
Race 8	$300,000	Franklin-Simpson S.	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	12	4:58 PM
Race 9	$400,000	Ramsey Farm S.	1 5/16 Miles	Turf	11	5:27 PM
Race 10	$50,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	16	5:57 PM

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

This is some heavy cash invested at Keeneland.

Lawrence Best is a newbie but he is not shy; former head of Boston Scientific.

American Pharoah colt tops opening session of Keeneland September at $2.2 million | Daily Racing Form

LEXINGTON, Ky. - With yearlings representing major sire power and principals of major international operations converging in the sale pavilion, the Keeneland September yearling sale, North America’s bellwether auction for the market, opened Monday with solid figures for all economic indicators, fueled by five seven-figure offerings.

Leading the action was a $2.2 million son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, sold to Godolphin. The auction's other top lots were a $1.8 million Curlin colt sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine; a Tapit half-sister to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Liam's Map sold for $1.4 million to Don Alberto Stable; a $1.3 million Medaglia d'Oro colt also bought by Godolphin; and a $1.1 million Tapit half-brother to two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome purchased by the Coolmore partnership.
========================================
​

Tatweej, a Tapit baby whom was out of a Tiznow mare and whom was purchased for $2.5 million at the Keeneland September 2017 sale, had his most recent workout at Saratoga on August 24. No indication as to whom will train though I suspect Kiaran McLaughlin will get a call. I am anticipating this horse's debut; hopefully, there is no disappointment.

8/24/2018

Dirt

4F

48.09

Breezing

5/90

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​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Florent Geroux was named Jockey of the Week. This was pretty much a certainty after he won two of the biggest purses at KY Downs on Saturday.

Geroux’s Kentucky Downs Double Scores Jockey Of The Week Title - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Florent Geroux won more stakes than any other eligible jockey and was named Jockeys' Guild Foundation Detox Jockey of the Week title for September 4 – 9, 2018. The award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 riders in North America. Jockey of the Week is sponsored by FoundationDetox.com, America's #1 Equine Toxin Remover.​

With $917,440 earned in eight stakes starts last week, Geroux led all North American jockeys by stakes earnings. He was also the leading jockey by total earnings, adding $977,010 to his 2018 total of $16.5 million. His career earnings to date exceed $76 million.
​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 12, 2018

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Kathleen O'Connell notched career victory 2,000 as a trainer.
• Jorge Navarro had two entered and won both. He has the last five races in which he has been entered, combined at both Philly and Delaware.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 2: Country Chick (Carlos Esquilin/Floyd Cobb) was sent off at 123-to-1, 99-to-1 on the board, looked like a champ and paid $248.00 for the win. The 4-year-old filly entered 7 1-1-1. The $1 exacta was $654.50. The $.50 tri was over $4,480. The $1 super exceeded $36,000. The $1 double was $613.60. Incredible payouts. And oddly, the 123-to-1 was NOT the biggest possible price among the 12 in the field. I don't know much about the trainer but his record goes back to the 1970s with just 61 lifetime wins. The rider won for the 100th time. He will never forget that milestone. He last won on August 17 and snapped a 30-race skid.

​

• Race 3: The $.50 Pick 3 paid over $2,400.
• Race 4: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $26,000. Wow.
• Race 10: A DQ in the finale elevated Tyler Gaffalione to victory.
• Jose Ortiz won three consecutive starts. Mark Casse has two winners among the trainers.
• The track handled over $7,000,0000. An extraordinary sum for a Wednesday. The track is approximately $1,000,000 shy of breaking its mark for any annual meet. Quoting a rep from the track “It's the best week-day handle we've ever had and the third highest all-time at Kentucky Downs.”

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

That stat for Arlington is hideous. First-timers (FTS) aren't faring much better.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

It is that time of the year. The first Kentucky Derby prep race for 2019 is this weekend. The full schedules for the Derby and Oaks are below.

2018-19 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE (35 Races)
Kentucky Derby Prep Season (19 races)

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)	Winner
Sept. 15	Iroquois	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)	Cairo Cat
Sept. 29	American Pharoah	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 6	Champagne	Belmont Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 6	Breeders’ Futurity	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Nov. 2	Breeders’ Cup Juvenile	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
Nov. 24	Kentucky Jockey Club	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 1	Remsen	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 8*	Los Alamitos Futurity	Los Alamitos	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 16	Springboard Mile	Remington Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 1*	Jerome	Aqueduct	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 5*	Sham	Santa Anita	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 12*	Lecomte	Fair Grounds	1 Mile 70 Yards	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 25	Smarty Jones	Oaklawn Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Withers	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Robert B. Lewis	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Holy Bull	Gulfstream Park	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 9*	Sam F. Davis	Tampa Bay Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 16*	El Camino Real Derby	Golden Gate	1 1/8 Miles (S)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 18	Southwest	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)

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Kentucky Derby Championship Series (16 races)

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Feb. 16*	Risen Star	Fair Grounds	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Fountain of Youth	Gulfstream Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9*	Tampa Bay Derby	Tampa Bay Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9*	Gotham	Aqueduct	1 Mile	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9*	San Felipe	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 16*	Jeff Ruby Steaks	Turfway Park	1 1/8 Miles (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
March 16	Rebel	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 23*	Louisiana Derby	Fair Grounds	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
March 24*	Sunland Derby	Sunland Park	1 1/8 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 30*	UAE Derby	Meydan Racecourse	1 3/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
March 30*	Florida Derby	Gulfstream Park	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Wood Memorial	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Blue Grass	Keeneland	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Santa Anita Derby	Santa Anita	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 13*	Lexington	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
April 13	Arkansas Derby	Oaklawn Park	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)

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Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.
2018-19 EUROPEAN ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE
7 Races

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Sept. 29	Juddmonte Royal Lodge	Newmarket (GB)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Sept. 30	Juddmonte Beresford	Naas (Ire)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 7	Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère	Chantilly (Fr)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 27	October Trophy	Doncaster (GB)	1 Mile (T)	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
March 6	Road to the Kentucky Derby Condition Stakes	Kempton Park (GB)	1 Mile (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
March 8	Patton (Listed)	Dundalk (Ire)	1 Mile (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
April 11	Cardinal Condition Stakes	Chelmsford City (GB)	1 Mile (S)	(30)	(12)	(6)	(3)

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Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.
2018-19 JAPAN ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY SCHEDULE
3 Races

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st (Points)	2nd (Points)	3rd (Points)	4th (Points)
Nov. 24	Cattleya Sho	Tokyo Racecourse	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 19	Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun	Kawasaki Racecourse	1 Mile	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
Feb. 17*	Hyacinth	Tokyo Racecourse	1 Mile	(30)	(12)	(6)	(3)
March 31*	Fukuyru	Nakayama Racecourse	1 1/8 Miles	(40)	(16)	(8)	(4)

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Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.

2018-19 ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY OAKS SCHEDULE (30 Races)
Kentucky Oaks Prep Season (15 races)

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Sept. 15	Pocahontas	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Sept. 29	Chandelier	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 5	Alcibiades	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Oct. 7	Frizette	Belmont Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Nov. 2	BC Juvenile Fillies	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
Nov. 24	Golden Rod	Churchill Downs	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 1	Demoiselle	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Dec. 8*	Starlet	Los Alamitos	1 1/16 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 6*	Santa Ynez	Santa Anita	7 Furlongs	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 12*	Silverbulletday	Fair Grounds	1 Mile 70 Yards	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Jan. 20*	Busanda	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2*	Forward Gal	Gulfstream Park	7 Furlongs	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 2	Martha Washington	Oaklawn Park	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 3*	Las Virgenes	Santa Anita	1 Mile	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
Feb. 9*	Suncoast	Tampa Bay Downs	1 Mile 40 Yards	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)

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Kentucky Oaks Championship Series (15 races)

Date	Race	Racetrack	Distance	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Feb. 16*	Rachel Alexandra	Fair Grounds	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
Feb. 28*	UAE Oaks	Meydan Racecourse	1 3/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Davona Dale	Gulfstream Park	1 Mile	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Busher	Aqueduct	1 Mile	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 2*	Santa Ysabel	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 9	Honeybee	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 16*	Bourbonette Oaks	Turfway Park	1 Mile (S)	(20)	(8)	(4)	(2)
March 23*	Fair Grounds Oaks	Fair Grounds	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
March 24*	Sunland Park Oaks	Sunland Park	1 1/16 Miles	(50)	(20)	(10)	(5)
March 30*	Gulfstream Park Oaks	Gulfstream Park	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Gazelle	Aqueduct	1 1/8 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Ashland	Keeneland	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 6*	Santa Anita Oaks	Santa Anita	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)
April 7*	Beaumont	Keeneland	7 Furlongs	(10)	(4)	(2)	(1)
April 12	Fantasy	Oaklawn Park	1 1/16 Miles	(100)	(40)	(20)	(10)

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Schedule subject to change. … (T) = Turf … (S) = Synthetic … * = race dates and distances to be announced by host track; date based on recent historical placement.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

IROQUOIS STAKES

What: Grade 3. The winner receives 10 points towards the 2019 Kentucky Derby as this is a prep race.
Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
When: Saturday, September 15, 2018, Race 10
Post time: 5:26 pm Eastern Time
Who: 2-year-olds
Distance: 1 1/6 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $150,000
History: First run in 1982, not too many winners have had an impact on the following year's Derby.
Preview: Tight Ten Returns to Churchill for Iroquois Stakes - BloodHorse
​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Mr Wrench It (FL)	Euclyn E. Prentice, Jr.	120	Coty Davidson	-
2	Royal Urn (NJ)	Leonel Reyes	118	Michelle Nihei	-
3	Drunk as a Skunk (KY)	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	118	Doug L. Anderson	-
4	Tight Ten (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	118	Steven M. Asmussen	-
5	My Sixth Sense (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	118	Mark E. Casse	-
6	Tobacco Road (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	120	Steven M. Asmussen	-
7	Pole Setter (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Brad H. Cox	-
8	Cairo Cat (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Kenneth G. McPeek	-
9	Manny Wah (KY)	Channing Hill	118	Wayne M. Catalano	-
10	Hog Creek Hustle (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Vickie L. Foley	-
11	Synthesis (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	118	J. Keith Desormeaux	-
12	Everfast (KY)	Robby Albarado	118	Dale L. Romans	-

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[TBODY][TR][TH]
There are eight Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races today. Three of the races are in North America including two at Churchill.

9/15 Churchill Downs Iroquois Stakes Juvenile
9/15 Leopardstown Matron Stakes Filly & Mare Turf
9/15 Leopardstown Irish Champion Stakes Turf
9/15 Leopardstown Watson Champions Juvenile Stakes Juvenile Turf
9/15 Woodbine Woodbine Mile Mile
9/15 Churchill Pocahontas S. Juvenile Fillies
9/16 Curragh Flying Five Stakes Turf Sprint
9/16 Curragh Moyglare Stud Stakes Juvenile Fillies Turf​

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 13, 2018

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo, the meet's top rider, was 4 3-0-1. Among the wins was for Jonathan Thomas with chalk. Thomas is going to be a solid trainer in the years to come.

Kentucky Downs (Kentucky):

• Record-setting meet: The annual popular 5-day meet concluded today. This was a record-breaking handle for the track with $36,421,721.78 bet in 50 races.
• Race 9: Tricky Escape (Chris DeCarlo/Lynn Ashby) won the $400,000 feature. It was the rider's and trainer's only appearance all meet. DeCarlo doesn't ride often but should almost always be considered. He is a smart jockey with years of wisdom and rode lights out today. Ashby, who had health concerns recently, got her start in the state of Washington and has under 60 lifetime wins, this is among her biggest. The 5-year-old mare is 19 7-5-3, has won three in a row including a Grade 3.

​

• Cheers: Any day in which two of my favorites Chris DeCarlo and Joe Bravo win is a happy day. Bravo rode a 7-to-1 winner in one of his two rides. Joe Bravo: Have Whip. Will Travel!
• Jose Ortiz won three times today and claimed the rider's title at the meet with 9 wins (29%). Julien Leparoux had 7 victories followed by Tyler Gaffalione who had 6 wins. Joe Bravo was 2-for-6 (33%).
• Michael Maker ruled the trainer standings with 9 wins (20%). Mark Casse was second with 4 wins.
• Eddie Kenneally won twice today with his only starters.
• Kentucky racing: Onto Churchill Downs.

Remington Park (Oklahoma):

• Ramon Vasquez was 6 3-3-0. He teamed for three wins in five starts for Steve Asmussen.

Eurico Da Silva:

• 2,000: He has 1,999 career wins. He should reach 2,000 on Friday at Woodbine, he is loaded.

Winningest riders and trainers in North America in 2018:

• Jockeys: Irad Ortiz, Jr. (249), Antonio Gallardo (214), Timothy Thornton (206) and Jose Ortiz (202).
• Trainers: Karl Broberg (392) and Steve Asmussen (261). Those numbers are correct.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 14, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Race 1: Joel Rosario won the opener but he did not repeat which is his usual character.
• Race 3: Mike Luzzi is within 10 wins of 3,500 after a victory on board a rare favorite. Luzzi battled near co-favorite Jose Ortiz the entire race then buried the competitor with a 7-length win.
• Race 4: John Velazquez rode the winner gate-to-wire. Velazquez is 14 5-3-3 at the meet but a more impressive 12 5-3-3 (11 of 12 in the money) the last three race days at Belmont.
• Race 6: L.A. Page (Eric Cancel/Jeremiah Englehart) was 8th at the 1/2 mile and shot out like a cannon en route to a 2 1/2 length win.
• Race 10: David Cohen finally won at the meet in his 26th attempt. It was on board the even-money favorite. Mike Luzzi was the place finisher at 10-to-1.
• Jose Ortiz, who is one of four riders in North America this year with 200+ wins, won twice. He entered today without a victory at the meet. He now has two wins in 13 starts.
• Gary Contessa won the first and third races. The trainer is one win behind leader Jeremiah Englehart in the very early stages of the meet.
• Suspensions: Irad Ortiz, Jr. was reinstated after serving his 3-day suspension. Jose Lezcano served the fourth of his five-day suspension. Luis Saez served the first of his five-day suspension. Junior Alvarado did not ride today and has none scheduled for the immediate future which leads me to believe the appeal to his suspension was heard and nullified.

Meadowlands (New Jersey):

• Meet opener canceled: The “Monmouth at the Meadowlands” all-turf meet will now consist of just five programs–the first of which is scheduled to be held Saturday - after today's card was canceled due to weather issues.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 2: Taylor Hole, who rides infrequently but has over 2,100 lifetime wins, was DQ'd after cutting past multiple horses after exiting the gate. He was placed second.
• Race 6: Katie Davis was the victor in her first race since November 2017. The daughter of former rider Robbie Davis and who has a brother and sister who ride, she last won the same month. She was sidelined by a shoulder injury.
• Race 9: Congrats Gal (J.D. Acosta/Cathal Lynch) was sent off at the prohibitive favorite at 1-to-9 and won by 14 lengths. The rider has over 20,000 starts lifetime and more than 3,100 wins. A total of $250,232 was wagered to show, an extraordinary sum.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Paco Lopez won his first two starts and finished 5 2-1-1 in his first day at the meet after relocating following the end of Monmouth's (New Jersey) summer program.
• Tyler Gaffalione won twice and closed the gap behind meet leader Emisael Jaramillo to seven.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Meet opener: Favorites won just two of 10 races in the opening day of the meet.
• 10 races, 10 jockeys, 10 trainers. No jockey or trainer repeated as a winner in the 10-race card.
• Race 1: Will Ye Go Lassie (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Gregory Foley) set the tone as a 9-to-1 winner.
• Race 4: Yes I See (Julien Leparoux/Matt Kordenbrock) won. The West Virginia-bred gelding is 2-for-2 in 2018. He has raced 36 times at 10 tracks including a win at Suffolk Downs last year. I am not sure the last horse to win at Suffolk and Churchill in consecutive years. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $1,400.
• Race 7: Firehorn (C.J. McMahon/Willian Van Meter) win as the longest shot on the board at 38-to-1. The $.50 tri paid over $1,500. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $5,600.
• Race 9: Kowboy Karma (Gabriel Saez/Larry Jones), who ran in last year's Grade I Champagne Stakes, won for the polished trainer and is now 9 3-4-0 lifetime.
• Race 10: A 13-to-1 and 46-to-1 topped a $2 exacta ticket that paid $871.20. The tri paid over $1100. The $1 super was over $26,000. The $.50 Pick 4 over $10,000.

Belterra (Ohio):

• Race 2: The longest shot on the board won at 30-to-1.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• The meet closes Saturday. A good race is developing between trainers Robertino Diodoro and McLean Robertson to see which has the most wins.
• Robertino Diodoro sent out an incredible 18 starters. He finished 18 5-3-2. He won five of the eight races in which he entered.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Eurico Da Silva did indeed win for the 2000th time during today's card. He was also DQ'd from #2,001 before officially winning number 2,001 in the very next race.

Royal Randwick Racecourse (Australia):

• Winx won her 27th consecutive start which extends her record feat in Australia. She now holds the world record for Group 1 wins at 20. Her lifetime record is 38 32-3-0. The race was run at 1:10 a.m. ET Saturday (approx. 3:10 p.m. in Australia).

​

Jonathan Thomas:

• I have mentioned him as an up-and-coming trainer. He won again today and has now won all six races in which he entered this month. His lone loss...was to himself. He is officially 7 6-0-0. He has won at Belmont, Kentucky Downs and Gulfstream. Thomas is based out of Florida.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

This race should liven an otherwise mundane Monday at the races.

PRESQUE ISLE DOWNS MASTERS STAKES

What: Grade II
Where: Presque Isle Downs, Erie, PA
When: Monday, September 17, 2018, Race 6
Post time: 7:40 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-olds-and-up, fillies and mares
Distance: 6 1/2 furlongs
Surface: All weather track
Purse: $400,000
​

PP	Horse (place bred)	Age/Sex	Jockey	Wgt.	Trainer	M/L Odds
1	Browse (KY)	5/M	F Prat	117	C R McGaughey III	6/1
2	Crazy Sweet (KY)	4/F	E M Walker	114	G S Wismer	8/1
3	Tulsa Queen (PA)	4/F	H Villa-Gomez	114	R D Walsh	50/1
4	Ami's Mesa (ON)	5/M	L Contreras	114	J Carroll	7/2
5	Jean Elizabeth (IL)	3/F	J Valdivia, Jr.	113	L Rivelli	20/1
6	Miss Gossip (IRE)	5/M	A Jimenez	114	E Caramori	12/1
7	Let It Ride Mom (KY)	4/F	J Lermyte	125	M E Casse	10/1
8	Code Warrior (FL)	5/M	J M Campbell	125	M P De Paulo	6/1
9	Hotshot Anna (KY)	4/F	A A Gallardo	125	H H Robertson	3/1
10	Princess La Quinta (KY)	4/F	C H Marquez, Jr.	125	J M Gulick	15/1
11	Noted and Quoted (FL)	4/F	J Bravo	114	M Stidham	30/1
12	Lady Alexandra (KY)	4/F	J L Ortiz	120	H G Motion	8/1
13	Broken Bridle (KY)	5/M	J Toledo	114	G Capuano	30/1
14	Lady Oak (IRE)	5/M	A J Ayala	114	G S Wismer	50/1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 15, 2018

Suffolk Downs (Massachusetts):

• This was day one of their final four weekend boutique meet. The season wraps tomorrow. Some indications are the track will conduct a race meet, perhaps similar to 2018, during 2019.
• Attendance was estimated at slightly more than 7,000.
• Pre-race 1: An exhibition, non-betting race.
• Race 1: Jay Bernardini, as a good a trainer the past few years here, finished 1st and 2nd in a 5-horse field. It was his lone victory of the day, however, as he finished 7 1-3-1.
• Race 4: It was evident that the eventual winner had a terrible morning line of 10-1. The 4-year-old colt was winless in six starts but raced at Belmont, Aqueduct and Oaklawn. He won at 8-to-5.
• Race 6: M.C. Reardon, who snapped her winless skid earlier this month at 68 in Delaware, is now 54 2-0-3 this year after training a winner that paid $44.40. Kaiser's d'Light is a 10-year-old mare who likes the track with a 19 8-6-2 mark. She was out for the 75th time and won for the 15th time. Reardon, who trained regularly at the track when it had a full time meet, used Tammi Piermarini who is a local success story who has won almost 2,500 rides. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $4,700.
• Race 7: The winner, a 10-year-old gelding, was out for the 91st time.
• Race 8: Lucky Six won out of the six hole.
• Race 10: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $11,000.

Belmont (New York):

• Race 10: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $18,000. The $2 Pick 3 returned more than $4,500.
• Race 9: Californiagoldrush (Flavien Prat/Neil Drysdale) improved to 4 3-0-1 after winning the Grade 2 $400,000 feature for 3-year-old fillies. Mostly California-based connections came east and won. The winner was sent off the favorite among three horses with nearly identical 3-to-1 odds. Prat held off John Velazquez, at 9-to-1, for the win. The $1 Pick 3 paid over $2,200.

​

• Races 5 and 6: Irad Ortiz, Jr. won for the 1,999th and 2,000th time in his career. He is only 26.
• Races 2, 3 and 4: John Velazquez scored a natural hat trick. He is an exceptional 20 8-4-2 at the meet (40%/75%).
• Javier Castellano, who rode at Woodbine today, is 24 9-6-3 (38%/75%) at the meet.
• John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Manny Franco have won 23 races at the meet, the rest of the jockeys have won 24.
• John Velazquez-Todd Pletcher was a perfect 2 2-0-0. Pletcher had nine starters across four tracks and these were his lone winners.
• Among the visiting riders were Trevor McCarthy, Tyler Gaffalione and Flavien Prat.

Meadowlands (New Jersey):

• Opened its brief meet tonight with six races.
• Three riders each won twice.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 8: Liz's Cable Girl (Jose Ferrer/Patrick McBurney) was sent off the favorite in the $100,000 feature and won by four lengths.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Races 4, 5 and 6: Carol Cedeno had a natural hat trick.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 6: Katie Davis won again. She ended the day 5 2-2-1 for 2018. She returned to riding on Friday following an absence to injury which dated to November 2017.
• Races 9 and 10: J.D. Acosta won consecutive races, his only two starts. The rider has over 3,100 wins.
• Race 9: A $58.40 winner.
• Race 10: Creepy the Crab is now an 0-for-25 maiden. Based on name alone, this horse needs to win.
• Race 11: Ashley Castrenze was sent off at 1-to-5 in the finale and won a key race for her as she is closing in on 100 lifetime in her young career. She doesn't get too many chances with overwhelming favorites but she delivered here.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Paco Lopez was 9 4-1-1-. He is 16 6-2-2 at the track since heading south after Monmouth closed.
• Race 12: The $.20 Pick 6 was nailed for $244,000+. The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $12,000.
• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $4,900.
• Race 8: A 15-to-1 first-time starter who broke his maiden in his 8th start, at Evangeline in Louisiana, repeated a win. The once 7 0-0-0 mark is now 9 2-0-0.
• Race 7: A 45-to-1 first time starter topped the ticket.
• Race 1: Carlo Vaccarezza trained the winner. He dropped over $1.7 million in one day at the recent Keeneland sales.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 11: Serengeti Empress (Corey Lanerie/Thomas Amoss) won the $200,000 Grade 2 Pocahontas. The winner got an invitation into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies race.
• Race 10: Cairo Cat (Brian Hernandez, Jr./Ken McPeek), a 2-year-old colt, won and paid $26.20 in his 3rd start in the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes, a Kentucky Derby prep race. The winner got an invitation into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile race.
• Race 9: Blue Prize (Julien Leparoux/Ignacio Correas), bred in Argentina, was sent off the favorite and won the $100,000 Grade 3 race. She has the interesting record of 15 6-7-1.
• Race 1 and 2: Each won by Robby Albarado who later won for a third time. A good day for him.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Race 10: Exceptional prices in the finale. The winner paid $43.20. The runner up paid $54.00 in the middle. The 20-to-1 and 70-1 that topped the ticket paid $2,411 for a $2 winning exacta. The $2 tri was over $13,000. The $1 super returned more than $185,000. The $2 Pck 6 paid over $60,000. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $13,000.
• Jose Valdivia, Jr. had an exceptional dat winning five times. He began the day with a natural hat trick, had four wins by the fifth race and ended 8 5-1-1.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• The 69-day race meet ended with a 14-race card.
• Ry Eikleberry had the most wins among jockeys with 87.
• Robertino Diodoro and McLean Robertson tied for the trainer's title with 57.
• McLean Robertson sent out 15 starts covering 10 races in the finale. He finished 15 3-2-1. He entered the final two races with opportunities to win the title as Robertino Diodoro did not have any starters in races 13 and 14.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Race 5: Kim K. (Heriberto Figueroa/Peter Miller) won the $100,000 debutante by three lengths at 3-to-1 in a field of five.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• A strong 12-race card.
• Among the visiting riders were Javier Castellano, Jose Ortiz and Joel Rosario. Ortiz was 6 2-1-2 and hit the board with all four starters in graded stakes.
• Luis Contreras led all riders with three wins. He won two of the three graded stakes races in which he had mounts.
• No trainer won more than once.
• Race 11: Johnny Bear (Luis Contreras/Ashlee Brnjas) won the 1 1/2 mile $300,000 Grade I Northern Dancer at 10-to-1. The $1 Pick 5 paid over $41,000. The $1 Pick 4 returned over $9,000.

​

• Race 10: Yorkton (Jesse Campbell/Stuart Simon) improved to 10 5-1-2 at the track in his 18th race after winning the Grade 3 $125,000 Bold Venture. Pink Lloyd ran off the board as the even money favorite and dropped his lifetime mark to 20 16-1-1.
• Race 9: Starship Jubilee (Luis Contreras/Kevin Attard) improved to 23 11-2-2 in the $250,000 Grade 2 Canadian Stakes.
• Race 8: Oscar Performance (Jose Ortiz/Brian Lynch) improved to 14 8-0-1 in the $800,000 Grade I Woodbine Mile. The 4-year-old colt has earned over $2,3 million. The winner got an invitation into the Breeders' Cup Mile race.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 16, 2018

Suffolk Downs (Massachusetts):

• Ended its 8-day schedule today. It appears racing next year is a viable option. Racing in Massachusetts is in a state of flux.
• Hector Diaz, Jr. won three times.
• Race 5: He's Special ran on Sept. 13 at Charles Town; that is a very brief rest. The horse has run 42 times including 40 in West Virginia and twice in Massachusetts and is 0-for-13 this year.
• Jay Bernardini led all trainers with 10 wins in 2018 at the track.

Belmont (New York):

• Race 4: Joe Bravo won twice including bringing home a 52-to-1 bomber in a field of 10, the second longest price on the board. The win paid $107. The $2 exacta was $998. The $.50 tri was over $1,000. Magical Tale, trained by James Ryerson, is a 2-year-old colt who was out for the third time. This has to be the ultimate and is the latest episode of Jersey Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel!
• Race 7: Eric Cancel nipped Joe Bravo in what was a good finish.
• Race 8: Joe Bravo followed the near-win with his second victory of the day.
• Jose Lezcano, suspended for the first few days of the meet dating back to Saratoga, won the opener and three times among his seven rides. Perhaps he was riding with an added purpose.
• Dylan Davis won races 2 and 3.
• Jose Ortiz is having a terrible start to the meet at 22 2-7-1. He rode the entire card and was 9 0-2-0.
• Javier Castellano and John Velazquez, the two top riders to date at the meet, were both at Woodbine. Castellano (9), Velazquez (6), Manny Franco (6) and Dylan Davis (5) have combined to win exactly one half of the races at the meet, 28 of 56.
• Junior Alvarado is due back Thursday presumably his suspension will have ended.

Presque Isle (Pennsylvania):

• Race 5: Amy Farah Fowler (Huber Villa-Gomez/Ron Potts) won the $100,000 pot for Pennsylvania-breds. The 2-year-old filly is now 5 3-2-0.
• Race 6: Decorated Soldier (Willie Martinez/Norman McKnight) won the $200,000 feature Presque Isle Mile. The 5-year-old gelding has won 5 of 8 this year and entered with two straight wins at Woodbine.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 11: Ashley Castrenze won the finale for the second straight day. It was her 100th lifetime win and she sports a lifetime mark of 100-101-99 (top three only). Congrats. She has been a personal favorite since day one. She struggled immensely at one point earlier this year but recovered nicely. When Ashley Castrenze wins...I am out of exaggerated and descriptive superlatives.
• Race 9: Todd Pletcher sent out a starter for just the second time at the meet. He was nosed out by a 7-to-1 starter from Kelly Rubley who won for the first time in seven starts at the same meet.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Paco Lopez won the finale, his first win of the day and his seventh start. He was on fire entering today since relocating to the track from Monmouth.
• Edgard Zayas rode three winners.
• Kathleen O'Connell entered horses in three races and won each. Her only loss was to herself in the 10th. She finished 4 3-0-0. I am not sure the last time she won three times on a card. She recently won for the 2,000th time.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Corey Lanerie won three times including the final two races on the card.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 9: Fog of War (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown) was sent off the favorite in a field of 12 and won the $250,000 Grade I Summer Stakes and an entry into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

​

• Race 7: La Pelsosa (Gary Bouslanger/Charles Appleby) ran down the competition to win the $250,000 Grade I Natalma Stakes at 7-to-2 in her first race in the USA. The 2-year-old filly had raced exclusively in Europe with the Euro connections. The win gave the filly an entry into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

​

• Javier Castellano rode twice and won both.
• Rafael Hernandez rode three winners.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

2018 Breeders Cup TV Schedule

2018 Breeders Cup Challenge Series​

• What is the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: 82 automatic qualifying stakes races. Twelve nations will host at least one race. Full schedule and dates throughout 2018: The Breeders’ Cup Challenge | Breeders' Cup
• What is the Breeders' Cup?: A culmination of the year's best race horses with a 14-race schedule spread over two days in November. The purse money is in excess of $30,000,000.
• When: 35th Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held on November 2-3.
• Where: Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky
• Link to website: http://www.breederscup.com/races
• Link to the Challenge Series: Challenge Series | Breeders' Cup
• Additional link to which races NBC will cover: Challenge Series TV Schedule | Breeders' Cup
• Due to changes, the list below could have inconsistent dates.

DATE	TRACK	RACE NAME	WINNER	DIVISION
1/6	Kenilworth	Paddock Stakes	Oh Susanna (AUS)	Filly & Mare Turf
1/7	Kenilworth	L'Ormarins Queen's Plate	Legal Eagle (SAF)	Mile
2/18	Tokyo	February Stakes	Nonkomo Yume (JAP)	Classic
4/7	Royal Randwick	Doncaster Mile	Happy Clapper	Mile
4/7	Royal Randwick	Legacy Stakes	Alizee (AUS)	Filly & Mare Turf
5/1	Palermo	Gran Premio Criadores	Sinfonía Fantástica (ARG)	Distaff
5/25	San Isidro	Gran Premio 25 de Mayo	La Extrana Dama (ARG)	Turf
5/21	Club Hípico de Santiago	Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella	Nuevo Maestro (CHI)	Mile
5/28	Santa Anita	Shoemaker Mile	Hunt (IRE)	Mile
6/3	Tokyo	Yasuda Kinen	Mozu Ascot	Mile
6/9	Belmont	Metropolitan Handicap	Bee Jersey	Dirt Mile
6/9	Belmont	Jaipur	Disco Partner	Turf Sprint
6/9	Belmont	Ogden Phipps	Abel Tasman	Distaff
6/10	Hipódromo da Gávea	Grande Premio Brasil	Quarteto De Cordas (BRZ)	Turf
6/16	Churchill Downs	Fleur de Lis H.	Blue Prize (ARG)	Distaff
6/16	Churchill Downs	Stephen Foster	Pavel	Classic
6/19	Ascot	Queen Anne	Accidental Agent (GB)	Mile
6/20	Ascot	Prince of Wales	Poet's Word (IRE)	Turf
6/21	Ascot	Norfolk	Shang Shang Shang	Juvenile Turf Sprint
6/23	Ascot	Diamond Jubilee	Merchant Navy (AUS)	Turf Sprint
6/24	Hanshin	Takarazuka Kinen	Mikki Rocket (JPN)	Turf
6/24	Hipódromo de Monterrico	Gran Premio Pamplona	Smart Choice (ARG)	Filly & Mare Turf
6/30	Woodbine	Highlander Stakes	Long On Value	Turf Sprint
6/30	Gulfstream	Princess Rooney Handicap	Stormy Embrace	Filly & Mare Sprint
7/7	Belmont	Belmont Sprint Championship Stakes	Limousine Liberal	Sprint
7/28	Del Mar	Bing Crosby	Ransom the Moon	Sprint
7/28	Ascot	King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes	Poet's Word	Turf
7/29	Del Mar	Clement Hirsch	Unique Bella	Distaff
7/29	Monmouth	Haskell Invitational	Good Magic	Classic
8/1	Goodwood	Sussex Stakes	Lightning Spear	Mile
8/4	Saratoga	Whitney	Diversify	Classic
8/11	Arlington	Beverly D.	Sistercharlie	Filly & Mare Turf
8/11	Arlington	Arlington Million	Robert Bruce	Turf
8/12	Deauville	Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques le Marois	Alpha Centauri	Mile
8/18	Del Mar	Del Mar Handicap	Fashion Business	Turf
8/18	Del Mar	Pacific Classic	Accelerate	Classic
8/22	York	Juddmonte International	Roaring Lion	Turf
8/23	York	Yorkshire Oaks	Sea of Class	Filly & Mare Turf
8/24	York	Nunthorpe Stakes	Alpha Delphini	Turf Sprint
8/25	Saratoga	Sword Dancer	Glorious Empire	Turf
8/25	Saratoga	Personal Ensign	Abel Tasman	Distaff
8/25	Saratoga	Ballerina	Marley's Freedom	Filly & Mare Sprint
8/25	Saratoga	Forego	Whitmore	Dirt Mile
8/25	Del Mar	Pat O'Brien Stakes	Catalina Cruiser	Dirt Mile
9/1	Saratoga	Spinaway	Sippican Harbor	Juvenile Fillies
9/15	Churchill Downs	Iroquois Stakes	Cairo Cat	Juvenile
9/15	Leopardstown	Matron Stakes	Laurens (FR)	Filly & Mare Turf
9/15	Leopardstown	Irish Champion Stakes	Roaring Lion	Turf
9/15	Leopardstown	Champions Juvenile Stakes	Madhmoon (IRE)	Juvenile Turf
9/15	Woodbine	Woodbine Mile	Oscar Performance	Mile
9/15	Churchill	Pocahontas S.	Serengeti Empress	Juvenile Fillies
9/16	Curragh	Flying Five Stakes	Havana Grey (GB)	Turf Sprint
9/16	Curragh	Moyglare Stud Stakes	Skitter Scatter	Juvenile Fillies Turf
9/16	Woodbine	Natalma Stakes	La Pelosa (IRE)	Juvenile Fillies Turf
9/16	Woodbine	Summer Stakes	Fog of War	Juvenile Turf
9/28	Newmarket	Shadwell Rockfel		Juvenile Fillies Turf
9/29	Belmont	Joe Hirsch Turf Classic		Turf
9/29	Belmont	Vosburgh		Sprint
9/29	Newmarket	Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes		Juvenile Turf
9/29	Santa Anita	FrontRunner Stakes		Juvenile
9/29	Santa Anita	Zenyatta Stakes		Distaff
9/29	Santa Anita	Chandelier Stakes		Juvenile Fillies
9/29	Santa Anita	Rodeo Drive Stakes		Filly & Mare Turf
9/29	Santa Anita	Awesome Again Stakes		Classic
9/30	Nakayama	Sprinters Stakes		Turf Sprint
10/5	Keeneland	Phoenix Stakes		Juvenile
10/5	Keeneland	Alcibiades Stakes		Juvenile Fillies
10/6	Keeneland	First Lady Stakes		Filly & Mare Turf
10/6	Keeneland	Throughbred Club of America Stakes		Filly & Mare Sprint
10/6	Keeneland	Breeders' Futurity		Juvenile
10/6	Keeneland	Shadwell Turf Mile		Mile
10/6	Belmont	Frizette		Juvenile Fillies
10/6	Belmont	Jockey Club Gold Cup		Classic
10/6	Belmont	The Futurity		Juvenile Turf Sprint
10/6	Santa Anita	Yet to be named through June 25		Juvenile Turf Sprint
10/6	Santa Anita	Santa Anita Sprint Championship		Sprint
10/7	Keeneland	Yet to be named through June 25		Juvenile Turf Sprint
10/7	Chantilly	Prix Marcel Boussac		Juvenile Fillies Turf
10/7	Chantilly	Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere		Juvenile Turf
10/7	Chantilly	Longines Prix de l'Opera		Filly & Mare Turf
10/7	Belmont	Flower Bowl		Filly & Mare Turf
10/7	Belmont	Champagne		Juvenile
10/7	Keeneland	Spinster Stakes		Distaff
10/7	Keeneland	Bourbon Stakes		Juvenile Turf
10/7	Keeneland	Jessamine Stakes		Juvenile Fillies Turf

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 17, 2018

Presque Isle Downs (Erie, Pennsylvania)

• Race 6: Hotshot Anna (Antonio Gallardo/Hugh Robertson) won the Grade 2 Presque Isle Masters Stakes and paid $6.80. Let it Ride Mom (28-to-1) and Crazy Sweet (24-to-1) finished the trifecta which paid $252.05 for $.50. Hotshot Anna is 17 6-5-1 and won her third straight. Her prior 16 races were run in Louisiana (Fair Grounds), Minnesota (Canterbury), Illinois (Arlington) and Arkansas (Oaklawn). The trainer is the father to the exceptional McLean Robertson who is based in Minnesota.

Disciplined Hotshot Anna Much the Best in Masters - BloodHorse

For Hotshot Anna, the Masters marked the most lucrative victory of her career and earned owner-trainer Hugh Robertson a trophy as winning owner and the Masters Stakes jacket as the race's winning conditioner. Robertson loved seeing how Hotshot Anna finished the race.
"When she got a chance, she went through it and finished fine," Robertson said. "I didn't think anyone was going to beat her once she got through."

Hotshot Anna secured a fourth straight stakes win in the Masters following an allowance score on the dirt at Canterbury Park in May, a victory in the Chicago Handicap (G3) on the Arlington International Racecourse Polytrack in June, and a win in the Satin and Lace Stakes in August at Presque Isle Downs. The combined margin of victory in those four wins is 15 1/2 lengths.

Winning jockey Antonio Gallardo said throughout the early going of Monday's test, as Code Warrior raced through a quarter-mile in :22.30 and a half-mile in :44.73 while shadowed by Lady Alexandra, he was confident Hotshot Anna would respond with more when asked.
"I wasn't worried at all, I knew I had a lot of horse," Gallardo said.
​

September 18, 2018

Mountaineer (West Virginia):

• The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $15,000.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 19, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• The $2 Pick 6 paid $67,000+ to all winners.
• Race 8: In the $150,000 feature race, Cartwheelin Lulu (John Velazquez/Jeremiah Englehart) improved to a perfect 2 2-0-0 with the victory. In her debut, Lulu won at Finger Lakes as a New York-bred running against open company.
• Race 7: Three across the wire at the finish produced a tight ending.
• Race 6: Jose Ortiz, on board his second winner of the day, gave a great effort in out-riding Manny Franco in the stretch. It was classic if not dirty.
• Race 5: Weston Hamilton, who possesses a 5-pound bug, hugged the rail with a first-time starter in an impressive win in what I believe -- could be wrong -- his New York debut. Hamilton rides mostly in the mid-Atlantic and has caught my attention at many races especially at Laurel. He could be a finalist for Apprentice of the Year. Comments like this abound but for those of us who follow Maryland and to a lesser extent Delaware racing were not surprised.

​

• Javier Castellano (10) and John Velazquez (9) are the leaders in wins among jockeys this meet. Velazquez is an outstanding 41% at the meet.
• Jose Ortiz and his brother Irad each have just four wins at the meet but those numbers should appreciate in the coming days.
• Many scratches on the Wednesday card.

Presque Isle (Pennsylvania):

• Race 7: A rare Alabama-bred ran and finished third.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Reylu Gutierrez, who recently moved his bug to the mid-Atlantic following a stint at Gulfstream, was a perfect 3-for-3.
• Race 8: The winner of the finale, a race limited to Arabians, has hit the board in all 11 starts ( 3-3-5). Kirsten Swan rode the horse in all 11 starts.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 9: In a race of quarter horses, there were 10 different states represented among the breeds including a rare Missouri-bred.
• Race 6: The ticket was topped by 36-to-1, 4-to-1 and 64-to-1 which produced a tri worth over $14,000. The $2 super paid an astronomical $87,000+.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 20, 2018...more to come

Belmont (New York):

• Races 1 and 2: The first two races were steeplechase and each was won by favorites; however, both exactas were healthy. The second race had a $175,000 purse.
• Race 7: Junior Alvarado, who returned from a suspension today, was involved in an inquiry/objection. Whether there was ample evidence or not, I had a feeling Alvarado would not get the benefit of the doubt; he rarely does. He did pay $8.80 in the middle.
• Race 9: Agreeable (John Velazquez, rider), who broke her maiden last time out in her sixth start, ran a big race and won again.
• Race 10: Awesome finish in which Hector Diaz, Jr. rode lights out in winning for the 100th time in North America. Bob Dunham, who has been training since the 1970s, won. The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $23,000.

Belterra (Ohio):

• Race 1: A 35-to-1 placed.
• Race 2: A 70-to-1 placed.
• Perry Ouzts goes for win number 7,000 Friday at the track in Cincinnati. Only eight jockeys have reached 7,000 career wins. He won three times with seven starters today. Ouzts is 64 years of age.

​

Arlington (Illinois):

• Sophie Doyle rode four winners with seven starters. Born in England, she has raced in the U.S. since 2013 and tied her North Americans career best win total today.
• Brian Williamson trained three winners with five starters.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Here is the lineup of the key races for Saturday in Philly.

On the undercard, the $300,000 Gallant Bob (G3) for three-year-olds at six furlongs occasionally serves as useful prep for the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G3). Among the entries are multiple graded stakes winner Firenze Fire, Woody Stephens (G2) victor Still Having Fun, and the multiple graded-placed Seven Trumpets and Engage.

Collected, winner of the Pacific Classic (G1) and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) last season, was entered in the $150,000 Pennsylvania Derby Champion (“West Coast”) at 1 1/16 miles. The Bob Baffert trainee has not raced since a disappointing seventh-place effort in the January 27 Pegasus World Cup (G1).

COTILLION STAKES (Grade I)

• Parx Racing (Pennsylvania)
  
• Saturday, September 22, 2018, Race 10
  
• Grade I
  
• 1 1/16m
  
• Dirt
  
• $1,000,000
  
• 3 yo Fillies
  
• 4:55 PM (local)

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Norma's Charm (KY)	UNKNOWN	117	Uriah St. Lewis	20/1
2	Monomoy Girl (KY)	Florent Geroux	124	Brad H. Cox	3/5
3	Jump Ruler (KY)	Albin Jimenez	119	Kelly J. Breen	20/1
4	Wonder Gadot (ON)	John R. Velazquez	119	Mark E. Casse	6/1
5	Separationofpowers (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	117	Chad C. Brown	10/1
6	Chocolate Martini (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Thomas M. Amoss	12/1
7	Midnight Bisou (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Steven M. Asmussen	5/1
8	Dixie Serenade (PA)	Mychel J. Sanchez	117	Edward J. Coletti, Jr.	15/1

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

 

[Preds Partisan]

Congratulations. He picked up the mount right before race 3. No way he was going to be denied today so good for the connections giving him an extra ride.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 21, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• This was a very entertaining day at times with some terrific rides and close finishes.
• Junior Alvarado had a roller-coaster day. He had two wins in four rides, was a late scratch in a possible fifth start, was uninjured in the opener on the prohibitive favorite when his four-year-old filly was unfortunately euthanized after a severe leg injury and in the sixth race was hospitalized with back pain and facial lacerations after being dismounted and a trailing horse nearly stomped him but thankfully missed him. He was replaced by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Javier Castellano in his remaining two rides. Alvarado is scheduled to ride seven times at Belmont and twice at Charles Town (WV) on Saturday.
• Race 1: Joey Martinez, who rode mainly at Monmouth, won the opener. In race 5, he finished third on board a 32-to-1 shot. Those were his only two rides. He has less than 100 lifetime starts.
• Race 5: Junior Alvarado rode what I thought was one of the best rides all meet and with the second longest odds on the board. An excellent performance after a subpar start. Indy Union (trained by Jeremiah Englehart) was very game and Alvarado sensed this with perfect timing.
• Race 6: A photo finish for the win with Irad Ortiz, Jr. riding the 7-to-2 favorite to victory..

• Race 7: Jose Ortiz barely held on after John Velazquez was flying towards the finish line. Too close to call, many thought Johnny V. had nipped the eventual winner.

​

• Race 8: Flat Calm (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Linda Rice) coming off a 10th place finish in April won at 20-to-1. How often do those connections send out winners at the price of $42.40? In a field of eight, this was one of three horses sent off at 20-to-1, the longest odds on the board.
• Race 9: Frosted Ice (Joel Rosario/Ron Moquett) took home the $150,000 feature race. Moquett is an Arkansas-based trainer. Big win for him.
• Race 10: John Velazquez did succeed in chasing down Irad Ortiz, Jr, this time in what was almost a mirror to race 7.
• Ortiz Brothers: One of the two finished first or second in seven of the ten races. Each won twice.

Meadowlands (New Jersey):

• Lady Cavalier, a rare Mississippi-bred, ran for the first time at the track and fifth time lifetime.
• Race 1: Matinee Babe (Ashley Castrenze/Jeremiah O'Dwyer) won the opener at 5-to-2. She is expanding her horizons as the year advances.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 1: Weston Hamilton rode the opener to victory. He had a streak of three straight wins, at three different tracks in three days. He went 5 2-2-0. Both wins were for Dale Capuano.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 10: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $27,000.
• Race 9: A 44-to-1 bomber made things interesting with a $90.20 winner. The $2 Pick 3 paid more than $2,300. The $2 Pick 4 paid $11,557.40. The $2 Pick 5 paid $150,479. The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $10,000.
• Race 2: Jonathan Gonzalez rode the early double.
• Race 1: The photo for place was much disputed and discussed.

​

Belterra (Ohio):

• Race 2: Perry Ouzts attempted to win for the 7,000th time but came up short with a second place finisher.
• Race 3: Perry Ouzts joined a select group of eight others in winning 7,000 lifetime races. He was on board a 1-to-5 favorite originally scheduled to be ridden by Cheyanna Patrick for her father, Gary, who trains the horse.

Jockeys with 7,000 wins in North America history:

1. Russell Baze ... 12,842
2. Laffit Pincay … 9,530
3. William Shoemaker ... 8,833
4. Pat Day ... 8,803
5. David Gall ... 7,396
6. Chris McCarron ... 7,141
7. Angel Cordero … 7,057
8. Edgar Prado (active) ... 7,015
9. Perry Ouzts (active) ... 7,000

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Race 10: The top four finishers were sent off at 8-1, 97-1, 5-1 and 11-1. El Ahijado (Carlos Esquilin/Sal Guerrero) nearly pulled one of the shockers of the year but settled for second and paid $65.40 to place. The exacta was $1,077.20. The tri paid over $5,100. The $1 super paid more than $20,000. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $65,000. The 97-1 led approaching the stretch.
• Race 3: Calvin Borel snapped a 35-race losing streak dating back to August 25. Thomas Trione, the winning trainer, had his first win, with his second starter of 2018.
• Julien Leparoux won three times, three straight starts, with five mounts.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 9: A $93.60 winner. The exacta paid $881.60. The tri paid over $8,000. The super paid over $15,000.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $2,600.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 3 paid $7,270.60. The $2 double was over $1,500.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Larry Rivelli was the winning trainer three times. He has 74 wins at the meet, 49 more than the second place competitor. Rivelli is 32% at the meet.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Canceled much of its card due to strong winds.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, September 22

Belmont (New York):

• Two graded stakes races.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Three graded stakes races including two grade ones.
• The Pennsylvania Derby is loaded and deep. Million dollars purses are expected to attract top caliber horses and connections but Philly did well with this race and card.

Laurel (Maryland):

• One grade three race.

Charles Town (West Virginia):

• One grade three race.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Closing day. Racing shifts to Hawthorne for the winter meet which begins October 5 where it runs sporadically through late April. Arlington is dark until opening day on April 29.

CHARLES TOWN OAKS

What: Grade 3
Where: Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, Charles Town, WV
When: Saturday, September 22, 2018, Race 11
Post time: 10:15 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3-year-old fillies
Distance: 7 furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $300,000
Preview: Some of the top riders are expected to travel to WV for tonight's race with Javier Castellano, John Velazquez, Irad Ortiz, Jr. among them. Take Charge Paula was assigned the top weight yet has a 6-1 morning line. At least initially, this is a good race to handicap with a 7-to-2 morning line favorite.
Television: TVG​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Split Time (NY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Linda Rice	15/1
2	Sower (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Linda Rice	4/1
3	Late Night Pow Wow (WV)	Fredy Peltroche	118	Javier Contreras	12/1
4	Take Charge Paula (KY)	Jose Lezcano	123	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	6/1
5	Alberobello (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Todd A. Pletcher	5/1
6	Awesome Mass (FL)	Jose C. Ferrer	118	Jorge Navarro	12/1
7	Devine Mischief (KY)	J. D. Acosta	118	Joe Sharp	8/1
8	Alter Moon (KY)	Javier Castellano	118	Chad C. Brown	7/2
9	Sense of Bravery (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Brad H. Cox	5/1
10	Bronx Beauty (PA)	Joel Rosario	120	Anthony R. Margotta, Jr.	15/1
11	Diamondcoat (KY)	Arnaldo Bocachica	118	Kellyn Gorder	20/1
12	Chauncey (KY)	Jevian Toledo	118	Lacey Gaudet	20/1
13	She's Quiet (NY)	Antonio Lopez	118	Jeffrey S. Allen	15/1

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

September 22, 2018

• This race day had intrigue written all over it and it didn't disappoint.

Belmont (New York):

• Chad Brown had a superb afternoon winning the first four races among his five victories. Two of the five wins came with favorites ridden by Joel Rosario while two came on prices under Tyler Gaffalione.
• Tyler Gaffalione, Jose Lezcano and Joel Rosario each won twice. Gaffalione's wins paid $15.00 and $13.20.
• Race 10: The $2 Pick 6 paid over $39,000.
• Race 8: Patternrecognition (Tyler Gaffalione/Chad Brown) improved to 10 4-5-0 after winning the $300,000 Grade 2 Kelso.
• Race 6: War Stroll (Flavien Prat/Robert Falcone) was fourth in the stretch but finished with an impressive rally to claim victory.
• Race 4: Uni (Joel Rosario/Chad Brown) improved to 13 6-3-2 in winning the $200,00 Grade 3 Damsel. It was the second straight race in which the combo of Rosario-Brown was victorious
• Race 1: Tyler Gaffalione tracked down Manny Franco and won three across-the-wire. The first-time starter was for Chad Brown whose favorite finished in last. The higher priced of two horses won for the trainer.
• Junior Alvarado was off his mounts due to injury suffered the prior day.
  
  Yesterday I took a hard spill which has left me very sore today. I have a minor fracture in my lower back but should be able to resume normal activities sometime soon. I will be following up with a spinal specialist early this week. (Alvarado's Twitter)​
• The ten race hard had eight races with purses of $75,000 or more. Belmont handled over $11,000,000.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Mike Smith was the winning rider in both races with $1,000,000 purses but not without the assistance of a reversal in the stewards' booth.
• Race 11: McKinzie (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert), who was on last year's Kentucky Derby trail before being sidelined, returned from a six-month layoff and improved to 5 4-1-0 with a victory in the $1,000,000 Grade I Pennsylvania Derby. It was the first time the colt ran outside of California. Axelrod (Joe Bravo/Michael McCarthy) finished second.
• Race 10: Monomoy Girl (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) was DQ'd following what appeared to be her 9th win in 10 starts but the stewards reversed the initial call and awarded Midnight Bisou (Mike Smith/Steve Asmussen) the victory in the $1,000,000 Grade I Cotillion. Monomoy Girl is 10 8-2-0 and has earned over $1,800,000. The official winner is 10 5-3-2 lifetime.

​

• Race 9: Firenze Fire (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Jason Servis) became a million dollar winner and improved to 13 6-1-1 in the winning the $300,000 Grade 3 Gallant Bob. The race had an element of unexpected intrigue when Whereshetoldmetogo (Jeremy Rose/Anthony Pecoraro) tried to bite the lead horse after sensing defeat. Whereshetoldmetogo was a perfect 3-for-3 (wins at Laurel and Delaware) since a rider change to Rose. You know, just know, I had to play him especially at 15-to-1 morning line and sent off at 17-to-1. The horse didn't take too well to a loss and ended second. The official chart reads "savaged foe." When I think of biting horses, Bob Baffert's War Emblem immediately comes to mind but... I had this horse and it was my bomb special of the day. Some things cannot be predicted.

The sixth career win for Mr. Amore Stables' homebred colt proved to be a fight in every sense of the word. After emerging from a three abreast battle and fighting back to gain a short lead in the lane, Firenze Fire had his nerve further tested when eventual runner-up Whereshetoldmetogo tried to bite his rival in deep stretch—a piece of savagery that went for naught, as the grade 1 winner remained unfazed en route to a neck victory.

"He tried to bite me," Irad Ortiz Jr., rider of Firenze Fire, said of the late-race antics. "(Jockey) Jeremy (Rose aboard Whereshetoldmetogo) told me he tried to bite me, but nothing happened."

Firenze Fire Shows His Mettle in Gallant Bob - BloodHorse

• Race 8: Aztec Sense (Emisael Jaramillo/Jorge Navarro) pulled a minor upset in winning this race and a purse of $150,000. He won for the 11th time in 35 starts including an amazing 6 6-0-0 in Philly. The 5-year-old gelding is undefeated in seven starts in 2018 and has won nine of his last 10 starts. Collected (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert), sent off as the overwhelming favorite at 2-to-5, fell to 15 8-2-1 as he was off-the-board in his first race since January's Pegasus at Gulfstream. Collected is on a 4-race losing streak since defeating Arrogate in the 2017 Pacific Classic.
• Chad Brown had a dismal day missing the board with all six starters. He had a diametrically different day in New York.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times in seven starts.
• Visitors: Riders coming in from elsewhere included Robby Albarado, Joe Bravo, Chris DeCarlo, Florent Geroux, Emisael Jaramillo, Corey Lanerie, Jose Oritz, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Edgar Prado, Joel Rosario, Jeremy Rose, Luis Saez, Mike Smith and John Velazquez.
• It appears the track handled over $9,000,000 today. An exceptional card, fun day.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 5: M.C. Reardon won for the third time in 56 starts this year and the win paid $50.00. The $2 exacta paid over $1,200. The $2 tri over $7,100. The $1 super returned over $24,000. She now has five wins in her last 134 starts the last two years combined. She snapped a 69-race losing streak a few days ago.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 13: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $90,000.
• Race 10: Switzerland (Feargal Lynch/Steve Asmussen) won the $250,000 Grade 3 DeFrancis. The colt has won five of six starts in 2018. Lynch won three times today.
• Race 8: A 115-to-1 shot nearly pulled off a miraculous win but paid a stunning $71,20 for place. Rider J.D. Acosta has over 20,000 starts.
• Race 6: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $10,000. It was the 5th of six races to pay better than $19.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $52,000.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $8,200.
• Race 3: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,000.
• Race 1: The $1 super paid more than $55,000. The $2 tri was a remarkable $12,000. King Leatherbury won for the 6,500th time. The Hall of famer last won on July 1 and ranks third in wins among all North American trainers.
• Maryland racing: The Festival of Racing card helped the track handle over $5 million which was an increase of more than 35% from last year's card.

Charles Town (West Virginia):

• Twelve races, six at $50,000 or more and one at $300,000.
• Race 11: Late Night Pow Wow (Fredy Peltroche/Javier Contreras) won the Grade 3 $300,000 Charles Town Oaks at odds of 9-to-1. The lone West Virginia-bred in the race is now 8 7-1-0 lifetime, all at the track. Chauncey (Jevian Toledo/Lacey Gaudet) nearly pulled the shocker at 42-to-1 as she led in the stretch but was relegated to second place and a healthy $23.80 payout. Two of the three highest odds in a field of eight finished 1st-2nd and the $1 exacta returned $287.10
  
• Among the visiting riders: Javier Castellano, Jose Lezcano, Irad Ortiz, Jr., Joel Rosario and Luis Saez. Ashley Castrenze also rode.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 6: An 0-for-35 5-year-old gelding won for the first time and under new trainer Ricko Maragh of the Maragh horse racing family. Veteran Chuckie Lopez with the winning ride and he is closing in on 30,000 career mounts.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Adam Beschizza returned from suspension and won three times.
• Julien Leparoux won three times with nine starters.
• Race 4: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $4,700.
• Race 10: Calvin Borel won for the second straight day, this time on a 51-to-1 shot with Divine Queen (trained by Buff Bradley) in the $100,000 Dogwood. The win paid $105.40. The tri returned over $6,600. With the sloppy conditions at Churchill, this reminded a few of Super Saver's Kentucky Derby win but the bomb was reminiscent of Mine That Bird's Derby victory, both under Borel.
• Race 11: The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $33,000. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $78,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $39,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $6,900.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Closing day: The meet closed today. Onto Hawthorne until late April when Arlington reopens.
• Jose Valdivia, Jr. won five times in eight starts. He had the most wins at the meet with 112, which is 31 more than the second place finisher. Valdivia won his fourth consecutive rider title at Arlington, earning 141 total wins in 2017, 100 in 2016, and 84 in 2015.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Heriberto Figueroa and Asa Espinoza, two bugs, lead the meet with 12 wins.
• Bob Baffert leads all trainers with six wins.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Continued from prior post (space limitations)



Bob Baffert’s McKinzie wins Pennsylvania Derby; Cotillion features controversial disqualification

It was a chaotic Saturday at Parx, with a horse trying to bite a jockey in the final yards of one race and a controversial disqualification in another before order was restored in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby that was won by a colt trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Mike Smith, the most dangerous big-race combination in modern American horse racing history.

Let's start at the end.

McKinzie had not raced in six months, but the colt who was Baffert's Derby horse in January, came right back to the form he displayed early this year when he stalked the early Pa. Derby pace, took over on the far turn and ran away from a challenge by Axelrod in the stretch.

Baffert, of course, won the Derby and the Triple Crown with Justify, one of the great substitutes ever. McKinzie had to miss all those spring and summer races with a hind end injury, but, deliberately, Baffert and his team brought the colt back to his top form and, on the first day of fall, McKinzie won Baffert's third Pa. Derby in five years​

Between the DQ in PA Derby, the bomb at Churchill under Borel and the attempt to bite in this race, the day had so much to offer and it seemed I had plays in each.

Then I watched with exhilaration Lacey Gaudet's 40-to-1 charge in the Charles Oaks late last night. For a moment, it appeared... but that is horse racing. I said it a few times, but she will be a good one.

​

WV-Bred Late Night Pow Wow Wins Charles Town Oaks - BloodHorse

After a slight check in the second turn under jockey Fredy Peltroche, Late Night Pow Wow still had plenty left for the short stretch run at Charles Town, but Chauncey was not done yet. Although Late Night Pow Wow appeared to have all the momentum on the outside, Chauncey dug in but could not quite hold off her rival, who finished the distance in 1:24.37. Sower, who set a pace of :22.97 and :46.78 through a half-mile, held third, well behind the top two.
Trip may have ultimately been the difference, as Late Night Pow Wow had inside position behind Sower through much of the race, while Chauncey was wide throughout.

=====================
​

And there is Borel on the bomber:

 

[Preds Partisan]