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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 12, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times and increased his lead at the meet to four over Manny Franco who was suspended for today's card for a violation while riding.
• Race 8: Gary Contessa is 55 14-5-4 (25%) at the meet, perhaps slightly under the radar when discussing top trainers this meet.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 1: Forest Boyce was DQ'd for cutting off the trailing horse but she won race 7.
• Races 2 and 8: Weston Hamilton won twice. He may be the top bug rider on the east coast.
• Race 9: Ashley Castrenze winning is akin to a picture-perfect summery day no matter when on the calendar. Olive Kay (tr. Jeremiah O'Dwyer) basically wired the field at 7-to-2. The trainer is a relative newbie with under 30 lifetime wins.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• No repeats: No trainer or jockey won more than once
• Race 1: Five horses were claimed.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $29,000.
• Race 9: Chanteline (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen) won for the 9th time in 26 starts and topped the Grade 3 $100,000 for fillies and mares.

​

• Race 10: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $15,000.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Race 8: Luca Panici won for the first time, with his 8th starter, at the meet. He was without starters until yesterday.
• Edgard Zayas won twice to boost his meet lead to 12, four ahead of second place.
• Trainers: Fifteen trainers have 2 or more wins at the meet, no one has more than four.

Santa Anita (California):

• Early double: Gary Stevens-Bob Hess, Jr. teamed to win the first two races.

Fresno (California):

• The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $98,000. That is a significant return especially for a fair meet which, in this instance, conducts live racing from October 3 through 14.. The track handled under a million dollars.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Kazushi Kimura, an apprentice, won 5 times and finished 8 5-2-0. He teamed with leading trainer Norman McKnight to go a perfect 3 3-0-0. He will be considered for leading bug in North America at the end of the year and eventually the contenders will be whittled to three for the Eclipse Awards. Among those in contention, and there are others:

Weston Hamilton (mainly Maryland): 773 104-92-100
Asa Espinoza (mainly southern Cal): 564 77-65-77
Heriberto Figueroa (mainly southern Cal): 371 67-60-46
Kazushi Kimura (mainly Ontario): 391 63-48-41
​

Woodbine riders have been represented among winners for the Eclipse Awards Apprentice Riders of the Year. Some go onto much better careers than others but here are the recent bug riders who were selected as best by each year:.

2017	Evin A. Roman
2016	Luis Ocasio
2015	Tyler Gaffalione
2014	Drayden Van Dyke
2013	Victor Carrasco
2012	Jose Montano
2011	Kyle Frey
2010	Omar Moreno
2009	Christian Santiago Reyes
2008	Paco Lopez

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

E.P. Taylor Stakes

What: Grade I. First run in 1956, it traditionally draws horses from North America and Europe.
Where: Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Ontario
When: Saturday, October 13, 2018, Race 10
Post time: 6:18 pm Eastern Time
Who:3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
Distance: 1 1/4 miles
Surface: Turf
Purse: $500,000
Television: TVG​

Post	Horse (Location)	Jockey	Wt.	Trainer	M/L
1	Sky Full of Stars (GER)	Adam Beschizza	124	Henk Grewe	15-1
2	Santa Monica (GB)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Chad C. Brown	5-2
3	Pollara (IRE)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Chad C. Brown	6-1
4	Sheikha Reika (FR)	Andrea Atzeni	120	Roger Varian	12-1
5	Golden Legend (FR)	Alexis Badel	124	H. F. Devin	4-1
6	Summer Luck (KY)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	124	Mark E. Casse	20-1
7	Starship Jubilee (FL)	Luis Contreras	124	Kevin Attard	8-1
8	Elysea's World (IRE)	Joe Bravo	124	Chad C. Brown	7-2
9	Proctor's Ledge (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Brendan P. Walsh	8-1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Pattison Canadian International Stakes

What: Grade I. Another deep field with North Americans and European runners.
Where: Woodbine Racetrack, Toronto, Ontario
When: Saturday, October 13, 2018, Race 9
Post time: 5:41 pm Eastern Time
Who:3 yo's & up
Distance: 1 1/2 miles
Surface: Turf
Purse: $800,000
Television: TVG
Pick: Chad Brown's duo is worth an extra look, especially at those odds, and if either can upset Thundering Blue I will opt for #4 with Johnny Velazquez on board.​

PP	Horse (Location)	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Markitoff (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Michael J. Maker	20/1
2	Thundering Blue (KY)	Fran Berry	126	David Menuisier	2/1
3	Khan (GER)	Clement Lecoeuvre	126	Henk Grewe	10/1
4	Funtastic (KY)	John R. Velazquez	126	Chad C. Brown	8/1
5	Tiz a Slam (ON)	Steven Ronald Bahen	126	Roger L. Attfield	20/1
6	Spring Quality (PA)	Edgar S. Prado	126	H. Graham Motion	4/1
7	English Illusion (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	126	Sylvain Pion	15/1
8	Bandua (KY)	Adam Beschizza	121	Jack Sisterson	20/1
9	Johnny Bear (ON)	Luis Contreras	126	Ashlee Brnjas	8/1
10	Desert Encounter (IRE)	Andrea Atzeni	126	David Simcock	6/1
11	Focus Group (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Chad C. Brown	10/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Woodbine's card for Saturday. The Nearctic offers value from what I can see. A good race to bet.
WOODBINE

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$22,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	10	1:00 PM
Race 2	$39,800	Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	9	1:39 PM
Race 3	$125,000	Ontario Derby	1 1/8 Miles	All Weather Track	6	2:14 PM
Race 4	$24,100	Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	11	2:49 PM
Race 5	$45,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	12	3:24 PM
Race 6	$61,000	Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	10	3:57 PM
Race 7	$250,000	Nearctic S.	6 Furlongs	Turf	11	4:30 PM
Race 8	$45,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	11	5:05 PM
Race 9	$800,000	Pattison Canadian International S.	1 1/2 Miles	Turf	11	5:41 PM
Race 10	$500,000	E. P. Taylor S.	1 1/4 Miles	Turf	9	6:18 PM
Race 11	$20,000	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	13	6:48 PM

[TBODY]
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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 13, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Mostly a chalky day but both feature races featured longshots.
• Race 9: Stella di Camelot (Eric Cancel/Chad Brown) won the $200,000 Pebbles. The Irish-bred ran in North America for the first time after seven lifetime races in France and Italy combined.
• Race 8: Fire Key (Julian Pimental/Patrick Kelly) won the $100,000 Floral Park and paid $16.60. The rider is based in Maryland and is 2-for-2 with the mare who is 23 7-7-1 lifetime.
• Manny Franco (1 and 2) and Luis Saez (3 and 4) combined to win the first four races. Eric Cancel also won twice as did trainer Chad Brown.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 6: Sunman (Ashley Castrenze/Claudio Gonzalez) was DQ'd from first place to last place after a three-horse collision in which Charging Lion and rider Angel Suarez spilled but fortunately both appeared fine. Castrenze and the far outside horse squeezed the middle horse, then her horse made contact with the lead runner in the stretch. A very obvious DQ. Ashley remains a personal favorite. Jeremy Rose was then put up to victory and paid a solid $24.60.
• Race 7: Jeremy Rose had back-to-back victories for the almost-Triple Crown winning rider. The daily double paid $143.80.

Penn National (Pennsylvania):

• Race 1: The place horse paid $50.60.

Charles Town (West Virginia):

• The track had eight races with $875,000 worth of purse money.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 5: Lacey Gaudet won yet again and this time she offered valued at 5-to-1. She has track streaks of 15 5-5-3 and 22 8-5-3. Very impressive.
• Weston Hamilton won three times with five mounts. The bug continues to put up solid numbers and was 9 5-1-0 the last two days.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Paco Lopez, who won three straight rides, and Miguel Vasquez each won three times.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 9: Rushing Fall (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown) was extraordinary today and improved to 7 6-1-0 after winning the $500,000 Grade I QE II Cup. She faced a stern challenge but dismissed it with vigor and a powerful kick. She has earned over $1.3 million. We have a superstar in the making. And in case anyone thinks Castellano lost a step: forget it at least for today. He is less than ten wins away from 5,000 in his career, look out for that milestone.

​

• Javier Castellano won three times on board seven starters.
• Gabriel Saez had a nice day at 4 2-1-1.
• Corey Lanerie is 44 0-6-5 at the meet.
• Speed and closers: The track seemed to favor speed again on dirt while closers benefitted on turf.
• Attendance: Exceeded 23,000 for a crisp but sunny day.

Thistledown (Ohio):

• Five races of $150,000 or more.

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Race 4: Hawthorne pays out on $.20. The tri returned $384 or close to $2,000 for $2.

Turf Paradise (Arizona):

• The meet opened today.

Santa Anita (California):

• Off the turf: Inclement weather.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Andrea Atzeni won the two biggest races of the day in a rare North American appearance. Atzeni, who hails from Sardinia off Italy, rides mostly in Europe especially England, Ireland and France. He excelled today winning both starts, his first two wins in North America among 14 starters. If you played the all-Atzeni daily double, you got $281.40 for every $2 bet.
• Race 10: Sheikha Reika (Andrea Atzeni/Roger Varian) won the $500,000 Grade I E.P. Taylor. The winner paid $14.10.
  
  ​
• Race 9: Desert Encounter (Andrea Atzeni/David Simcock), an Irish-bred, won the $800,000 Grade I Canadian International. The winner paid $18.20.

​

• Race 7: Hembree (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Michael Maker) won the $250,000 Grade II Nearctic. The winner was 0-for-10 in 2017 but is 4-for-8 this year.
• Race 6: The $1 Pick 5 paid over $14,000.
• Race 3: Lookin to Strike (Gary Boulanger/Mark Casse) won the Grade III $125,000 Ontario Derby.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Andrea Atzeni's double:

Desert Encounter, Sheikha Reika give Atzeni Grade 1 double at Woodbine - Brisnet

Jockey Andrea Atzeni wasn’t riding the most heralded of the English imports that invaded Woodbine Saturday for the Canadian International (G1) and E.P. Taylor (G1), but he did ride the best.

In the 1 1/2-mile International, worth $623,914, Atzeni had to make up only six lengths to pass all 10 rivals in the final quarter-mile aboard Desert Encounter, who wore down compatriot and 3-1 favorite Thundering Blue to win by a length in a time of 2:28.88 on the good turf.​

Desert Encounter, trained by David Simcock and ridden by Andrea Atzeni, beats Thundering Blue as British raiders dominate the finish of the Pattison Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine. pic.twitter.com/yfCimWQDVV
— Racing UK (@racing_uk) October 13, 2018

Bettors allowed Desert Encounter to drift to 8-1 from his 6-1 morning-line price, and he paid $18.20 to win for owner Abdulla Al Mansoori and trainer David Simcock. Finishing 4 1/2 lengths behind Thundering Blue was second choice Focus Group, who was followed by Tiz a Slam, Spring Quality, Markitoff, Johnny Bear, Bandua, English Illusion, Khan, and Funtastic.

“He traveled good into the race and I followed the favorite all the way through, Thundering Blue. I thought he was the one to beat and he’s a horse that’s got such a high cruising speed and then when he saw me, he actually got a very good turn of foot as well,” Atzeni said. “You can’t get to the front too soon because once he gets to the front, he thinks he’s had enough, but he’s a horse that has a lot of ability and it’s great for the team at home, great for David and the owner and everybody involved.”​

========================
Rushing Fall:

The owner is obviously excited. He has a special one. Next up: Breeders' Cup Filly and Mares Turf.

Rushing Fall too good for Queen Elizabeth II rivals - Brisnet

Rushing Fall’s class showed in Saturday’s $500,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland as the outstanding three-year-old filly made all the pace recording a comfortable 1 1/4-length victory. With regular rider Javier Castellano up, the Chad Brown-trainee completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.42 on the firm turf.

She’s owned by Bob Edwards’ e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and left the starting gate as the 2-5 favorite in a seven-horse field. None of her three-year-old rivals wanted the lead and Rushing Fall showed the way through unpressured splits in :23.91, :49.22 and 1:14.82.

Mission Impassible launched a menacing rally into the stretch but Rushing Fall dug in to turn back her challenger, surging away to win easily late.

“She’s a good filly,” Castellano said. “We discussed with the owner, Mr. Edwards, and Chad Brown how (I) can ride the horse in the race. We handicapped the race. I didn’t see much speed. That’s the reason I dictated the pace with slow fractions. She’s just a good filly. I just enjoyed the ride and am very lucky and blessed to enjoy those kind of horses.”

Now a five-time stakes winner, the More Than Ready filly has captured six-of-seven career starts, a neck second in the May 4 Edgewood (G3) at Churchill Downs being the only setback. She was exiting a 2 3/4-length romp in the August 18 Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga and also captured the Appalachian (G2) at Keeneland earlier this season.

The bay lass won all three outings at age two, including the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) at Del Mar and Jessamine (G3) at Keeneland, and Rushing Fall has now earned $1,308,000.

“The filly’s phenomenal. We’ve had an unbelievable run with her,” Edwards said. “Super happy to be here at Keeneland. It’s all about the team. I had a Hall of Fame rider (Javier Castellano) give a Hall of Fame ride. (She’s) an unbelievable filly picked by (bloodstock agent) Mike Ryan, trained by Chad Brown – the connections are phenomenal. She’s well-bred. (Co-breeder) Fred (Hertrich III) and his team have done a great job breeding horses. Just really happy to be here.”​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 14, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Race 2: Mike Luzzi won at 5-to-1 and used a good deal of skill in controlling the 4-year-old gelding who was lugging in the stretch. Unfortunately, Luzzi was taken to local hospital for X-rays to determine an injury which happened in the winner's circle when the horse made contact with the rider's foot.
• Race 4: Julio Hernandez, the winning rider, made a rare visit to New York. He usually rides at Penn National.
• Race 5: Stephen Lyster was the winning trainer. I do not know how many starts he has had in New York but this has to be one of the few. The second-time starter was ridden by Javier Castellano. The trainer mostly does his work at midwest tracks and Tampa Bay.
• Race 6: Youngster Brandon Boulanger rode a 93-to-1 bomber into second place and paid $70.50. The $1 exacta paid $861. The $2 tri paid over $16,000. The $1 super paid over $53,000. Boulanger's father currently rides at Woodbine.
• Race 10: A late addition to off-the-turf when rider's were concerned about the surface. 10 of the 16 runners were scratched. The winning trainer is Bruce Grossman who, according to Equibase, won for the first time.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 2: Led Zeppelin fans rejoice. D'yer Mak'er was the winner.
• Race 5: Jeremy Rose was scheduled to ride once and for John Servis. They won. Rose picked up two other mounts. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,300.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Lacey Gaudet is hot! The trainer is 17 6-5-4, in the money with 15 of her last 17 starters.
• Trevor McCarthy had the natural hat trick beginning with race 5. He won 3 of 4 starts.
• Weston Hamilton was 6 1-1-3.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Race 6: The $2 tri paid over $1,900. The $1 super paid over $51,000.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 5: Adam Beschizza and Corey Lanerie appeared to have had a conversation just as the race concluded. Lanerie lodged an objection against the winner. A long review ensued but the result was verified as a win for Beschizza. Lanerie can't catch a break this meet; that is, until the 7th race. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $22,000.
• Race 7: Corey Lanerie snapped his hideous winless streak at the meet. He ended the day 47 1-7-5.

​

• Race 8: Curate (Calvin Borel/Brad Cox) wired the field and the typical ride of Borel along the rail helped. The 4-year-old has just two starts but has won both.

​

Santa Anita (California):

• Bob Baffert won with both of his starters, has four straight wins, and has won on four consecutive cards. Rumor has it he may make it as a trainer.
• Race 5: Chasing Yesterday (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert) won for the second time in three lifetime starts. She is half-sister to American Pharoah. Mike Smith rode the filly in her prior two starts. Itsjustanillusion (Mike Smith/Jerry Hollendorfer) finished second. I would imagine Smith made the decision to ride for Hollendorfer and not Baffert in this race.
• Father-daughter-trainers: Karen Headley won race 2 and Bruce Headley won race 8.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 15, 2018

• A typical light Monday. But the ingenuity of the Stronach Group in promoting the sport is something else.

The Stronach Group announced that tickets for the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, to be held on Saturday, January 26 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL, are now on sale.

Tickets range from $60 to $1,000+ USD per person and offer something for every race-day enthusiast and entertainment seeker. There is a perfect race-day experience for every guest including, exciting views of the finish line from the Grandstand and the Apron, to luxurious suites and VIP dining experiences. Tickets for the classic Apron experience will be available only to the first 1,000 guests at $60 per person after which the price will increase to $75 per person.

The Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, to be run on the turf at 1 3/16 miles, will offer a $7 million purse with $3 million awaiting the winner. The Pegasus World Cup Invitational, contested at 1 1/8 mile on the dirt, will offer a $9 million purse with a $4 million prize awarded to the winner of the twelve-horse field.

The Stronach Group will also introduce a new wager, the Pegasus Pick 24. The Pegasus Pick 24 will offer up the chance to bet on the exact finish order for both the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, adding another layer to the race-day excitement. A whopping $5 million bonus awaits the lucky fan who hits the Pegasus Pick 24.
​

2019 Pegasus World Cup Tickets Go On Sale - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report​

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Luis Castro opened the day with a natural hat trick and he won for trainer Harold Brown in the first two races.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Michael Catalano is sizzling. The trainer is 23 11-2-1 at the meet and 66 19-11-4 in 2018. He won with his lone starter today and has won four in a row.
• Jamie Ness, one of the best on the east coast, won three times with four starters.
• Trevor McCarthy did it again. His second consecutive natural hat trick. He did it yesterday at Laurel.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wednesday, October 17

Belmont (New York):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three consecutive starts.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Race 8: Unbridled Juan (Alex Cintron/Jose Corrales), who liked to finish second, defeated Dr. Blarney (Tammi PiermariniKarl Grusmark), who preferred winning and avoided second place finishes, in a $50,000 Black Type race. Unbridled Juan is now 25 6-8-8. He began his career hitting the board 17 times but with just four wins. Dr. Blarney fell to 24 17-1-3 lifetime, his first runner up spot in 24 races. Dr. Blarney had won six straight races and has been in the money in 15 consecutive races.
  Race 9: Beauziggity won at 2-to-5 . He entered with a 0-for-15 record in 2018 and losses in 19 straight.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Steve Asmussen tied a track record with five wins. He entered horses in six races.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 8: The $1 Pick 3 paid over $4,000.
• Race 7: The $1 Pick 4 paid over $50,000. That was with the favorite winning the last leg.
• Race 6: The $.20 Pick 5 almost reached the $10,000 mark.
• Race 4: The $2 tri paid over $5,000 with a 40-to-1 topper.
• Handle: The track handled over $2,000,000.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 18, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Joey Martinez were both injured in different races. The former was removed from his mounts. Both could be precautionary but an update wasn't provided enter the next morning.
• Joel Rosario and Jose Lezcano each won twice.
• Race 1: Mary Black, winning trainer, won for the second time in her career per Equibase. She has 51 starts dating back to 2008.
• Leading rider: Irad Ortiz, Jr. with 33 wins.
• Leading trainer: Chad Brown with 30 wins.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 4: A helluva ride by Sheldon Russell who finished second to Trevor McCarthy. Russell was 12 lengths back at the 1/2 mile. A terrific finish despite not winning.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 8: Zulu Alpha (Channing Hill/John Ortiz) won the $100,000 Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes. Arklow, the betting favorite, continued a now 12-year streak of the post-time favorite losing.
• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $23,000.
• Leading riders: Tyler Gaffalione, Jose Ortiz and Julien Leparoux each have seven wins.
• Leading trainer: Todd Pletcher is 16 7-2-1 (44%). Strong numbers.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

November 3 at Santa Anita. Breeders' Cup Classic, $6 million, 1 1/4 miles, 3-year-olds and up
Preview on DRF.com

HORSE	TRAINER	LAST 3 BEYERS	ODDS	LAST RACE	NEXT RACE	COMMENTS
Accelerate	John Sadler	100-115-111	3-1	Awesome Again, SA, 1st	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Didn't have the easiest of trips, prevailed anyway, won't get away with that next time
West Coast	Bob Baffert	96-NA-117	5-1	Awesome Again, SA, 2nd	BC Classic, Nov. 3	A notoriously indifferent work horse, he looked very sharp last weekend
McKinzie	Bob Baffert	107-101-98	6-1	Pa. Derby, PRX, 1st	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Strong work last week, has regained lost weight, don't think he's peaked yet
Catholic Boy	Jonathan Thomas	104-99-96	8-1	Travers, SAR, 1st	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Back on tab after missing work with minor illness; will face elders for first time
Mind Your Biscuits	Chad Summers	108-104-109	8-1	Lukas Classic, CD, 1st	Breeders' Cup, Nov. 3	Versatile and talented, he's earned a shot at taking on the best in Classic IMO
Mendelssohn	Aidan O'Brien	100-99-90	10-1	JC Gold Cup, BEL, 3rd	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Chased scalding pace in JC Gold Cup, benefits from Diversify's defection from this
Thunder Snow	Saeed bin Suroor	103-NA-NA	12-1	JC Gold Cup, BEL, 2nd	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Tough to get a line on him. Believe he needs lead for best, CD experience was a disaster
Yoshida	Bill Mott	102-96-NA	12-1	Woodward, SAR, 1st	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Made successful transition to dirt, but question overall quality of Woodward field
Gunnevera	Antonio Sano	99-85-NA	15-1	Woodward, SAR, 2nd	BC Classic, Nov. 3	Always a threat from behind; doing all his serious training for this in So. Florida
Pavel	Doug O'Neill	98-101-97	30-1	Pacific Classic, DMR, 2nd	BC Classic, Nov. 3	As with Catholic Boy and Gunnevera, bypassed a final prep to train into race

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Others: Axelrod, Bravazo, City of Light, Collected, Discreet Lover, Lone Sailor, Roaring Lion, Seeking the Soul, Toast of New York, War Story

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

British Champioins Day is Saturday and TVG will air races within the 8:25 am ET - 11:00 am ET window. (Ascot) Follow the Brit results on this link: ITV Racing (@itvracing) | Twitter

Later in the day, Laurel (Maryland) and Belmont (New York) have exceptional cards scheduled, much of it for local breds.

LAUREL
Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$50,000	Maryland Million and/or Registered Maryland-Bred Distaff Starter H.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	12	12:00 PM
Race 2	$60,000	Maryland Million and/or Registered Maryland Bred H.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	12	12:36 PM
Race 3	$100,000	Maryland Million Distaff H.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	9	1:12 PM
Race 4	$125,000	Maryland Million Ladies S.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	13	1:48 PM
Race 5	$100,000	Maryland Million Sprint H.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	2:22 PM
Race 6	$100,000	Maryland Million Nursery S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	2:56 PM
Race 7	$60,000	Maryland Million and/or Registered Maryland-Bred Turf Starter H.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	11	3:29 PM
Race 8	$50,000	Maryland Million and/or Registered Maryland Bred Starter H.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	14	4:03 PM
Race 9	$100,000	Maryland Million Lassie S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	13	4:34 PM
Race 10	$125,000	Maryland Million Turf S.	1 Mile	Turf	14	5:05 PM
Race 11	$150,000	Maryland Million Classic S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	13	5:37 PM
Race 12	$33,000	Waiver Maiden Claiming	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	12	6:08 PM

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BELMONT
Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$62,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Turf	13	12:30 PM
Race 2	$150,000	Iroquois S.	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	10	1:00 PM
Race 3	$200,000	Mohawk S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	11	1:30 PM
Race 4	$150,000	Hudson H.	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	9	2:03 PM
Race 5	$200,000	Ticonderoga S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	8	2:36 PM
Race 6	$62,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Turf	14	3:09 PM
Race 7	$250,000	Maid of the Mist S.	1 Mile	Dirt	12	3:42 PM
Race 8	$250,000	Sleepy Hollow S.	1 Mile	Dirt	16	4:15 PM
Race 9	$250,000	Empire Distaff H.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	12	4:48 PM
Race 10	$300,000	Empire Classic H.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	11	5:23 PM
Race 11	$66,000	Allowance	7 Furlongs	Turf	16	5:54 PM

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Lexus Raven Run Stakes

What: Grade 2.
Where: Keeneland Racecourse, Lexington, Kentucky
When: Saturday, October 20, 2018, Race 9
Post time: 5:30 pm Eastern Time
Who: 3 year-old fillies
Distance: 7 furlongs
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $250,000
Television: TVG

I have been waiting for this race and then for the PP to be drawn and see my pick get possible hindered by the #1. Then again, it could work out with the right maneuver. I'm all in. Some exotics will be played. Great race to handicap.​

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Amy's Challenge (KY)	Jareth Loveberry	118	McLean Robertson	8/1
2	Everyonelovesjimmy (KY)	Chris Landeros	118	Ian R. Wilkes	20/1
3	Blamed (MD)	Julien R. Leparoux	118	William I. Mott	15/1
4	True Royalty (FL)	Robby Albarado	120	John W. Sadler	12/1
5	Alter Moon (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	118	Chad C. Brown	7/2
6	Kelly's Humor (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	118	Brad H. Cox	6/1
7	She's Pretty Lucky (TX)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Eddie Kenneally	20/1
8	Chauncey (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	118	Steven M. Asmussen	15/1
9	Moonshine Memories (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Simon Callaghan	3/1
10	Divine Queen (KY)	Calvin H. Borel	118	William B. Bradley	15/1
11	Take Charge Paula (KY)	Florent Geroux	118	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	12/1
12	Shamrock Rose (PA)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Mark E. Casse	15/1
13	Bronx Beauty (PA)	Albin Jimenez	118	Anthony R. Margotta, Jr.	12/1
14	Nootka Sound (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Wesley A. Ward	15/1
15	Criminal Mischief (KY)	Gabriel Saez	118	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
16	She's a Gypsy (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	118	Helen Pitts	30/1

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

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Champions day, yay!
Possibly best racing day in UK along with Royal Ascot 1st day.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 19, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Irad Ortiz, Jr., the winningest rider at the meet, won three times in 8 starts (8 3-1-1). His brother won three times at Keeneland. Ortiz, Jr. won the opening two races, for trainer David Donk, and the $1 double paid $33. That is a high number for a potent rider. Ortiz, Jr. was removed from his remaining mounts yesterday due to a possible neck injury. So much for that.
• Race 1: Mike Luzzi pulled a first-time starter just steps into the race. Something went awry and the veteran rider must have sensed difficulty.
• Race 6: Junior Alvarado and Mike Luzzi don't finish 1-2 often but they did here. Another good job by Luzzi to finish out a ride. Fun race and not just because two of the riders are among my favorites.
• Race 7: Benjamin Hernandez, a bug, rode for the first time in New York and finished second. Equibase lists his prior rides all at Camarero (PR).
• Race 8: A three-way photo finish.
• Joey Martinez is out 2 to 4 weeks with broken jaw. The bug rider was taken to the hospital after his mount was antsy near the starting gate.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 10: The place horse paid $43.80 Pretty good for not winning. The $2 tri returned over $5,600.
• Race 6: Lacey Gaudet won with her only starter. She is 7-5-4 with her last 18 starters (16 times in the money) and 26 10-6-4 (38%/77%) at the meet. Wonderful numbers for the up-and-coming trainer.
• Race 5: The top two runners distanced themselves significantly from the rest of the pack. A good stretch battle.
• Race 3: Claudio Gonzalez is another trainer who has put up strong numbers this meet. He leads with 20 wins and is 50 20-8-6 (40%/68%).

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo won three times.
• Leonel Reyes won twice with two bombers at 16-to-1 and 20-to-1.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Jose Ortiz, the winningest rider at the meet, won three times in 7 starts (7 3-1-1). His brother won three times at Belmont.
• Eddie Kennelly was a very successful 3 2-0-1. Jose Ortiz rode all three starters.
• Rodolphe Brisset, a former assistant to Bill Mott and Patrick Biancone, won with both his starters. He has under 25 lifetime wins and began his current career last year.
• Race 9: Colonia (Joe Bravo/Graham Motion), a French-bred, won the $150,000 Grade 3 Pin Oak Valley View. The winner paid $16.00 and was directed by a patient ride by the victorious jockey. The place horse paid $50.20 and $23.00. The $2 tri retuned more than $7,900. The $1 super paid over $29,000. Manny Franco's mount ran through the railing, safely, but caused some excitement if not temporarily. Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel!

​

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Race 8: The winner paid $147 after being sent off at 72-to-1. The $.20 tri paid $745.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• $1,000,000: An extensive card under the lights with purses totaling over $1,000,000. Incredible payouts at the bottom the card prevailed. The track handled approximately $1.8 million.
• Race 10: The $.50 Pick 3 paid $1,405. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $78,000. The $2 double returned over $1, 122. The $.50 tri paid $1,654. The $10. super returned over $5,700.
• Race 9: Starting (Garrett Steinberg/Megan Houser) won the $100,000 Oklahoma Classic Juvenile Stakes at 66-to-1 and the longest shot in the field of 10 in his second career start. The young rider won with his only start on the card and for the 69th time lifetime. The winning trainer won for the first time in her fourth start, per Equibase. The winner paid $135.80. The $.50 Pick 3 was a dynamic $5,857.00.
• Corey Lanerie and David Cabrera both won twice. No trainer repeated wins.

Golden Gate Fields (California):

• Race 1: In the meet opener, the winner paid $58.00.

Additional Note:

• Stronach 5 (which incorporates different tracks owned by Frank Stronach in about an hour's time): paid $88,286 to one ticketholder. This was the highest return since the bet was introduced on September 28. It will be offered through Nov. 2.

Friday's races and sequence was:
· Leg One – Gulfstream West Seventh Race: Crumb Bun $3.40
· Leg Two – Santa Anita Third Race: Swamp Souffle $9
· Leg Three – Gulfstream West Eighth Race: Hogan's Holiday $42.40
· Leg Four – Laurel Park 10th Race: Can Do Anything $11.20
· Leg Five – Golden Gate Fields Fifth Race: Everybody Does It $48.20
​

Also, Santa Anita is offering the following on Saturday:

Santa Anita Offering Guaranteed $750,000 Single Ticket Jackpot For Rainbow Pick Six - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Santa Anita Park will offer fans a $750,000 guaranteed Single Ticket Jackpot in Saturday's 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six, which will cover the final six races on a nine-race program.

With first post time on Saturday set at 12:30 p.m., the Rainbow Six will begin with race four, which has an approximate post time of 2 p.m. PT.

The $100,000 California Flag Handicap, for three year olds and up at five furlongs on turf, has been carded as race five and it has attracted a field of six, with the Peter Miller-trained Richard's Boy installed as the 3-5 morning line favorite.

The 20 cent Rainbow Pick Six, which enables players to use 10 times as many horses as the original two dollar minimum wager, has produced consistently generous payoffs dating back to opening day of the current Autumn Meet on Sept. 28.

With $172,141 in “new money” wagered into Friday's Rainbow Six, there was a total “live money” pool of $733,888, which resulted in 11 winning tickets, each worth $8,360.20.
​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Champions day, yay!
Possibly best racing day in UK along with Royal Ascot 1st day.

There should be extensive attention given to some Euros for the Breeders' Cup in different turf races.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 20, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Javier Castellano, without a doubt one of the great riders in history, won for the 5,000th time. He had the natural hat trick beginning with race 3 and then celebrated his milestone victory the following race. Only 33 other riders have reached that number in North America. "I won my 1,000th, 2,000th, 3,000th and 4,00th races in Florida, so to win my 5,000th race in New York is special," he later said.

• Junior Alvarado finished 9 1-5-1. To finish second place five times is uncommon and he did so with some prices including a 21-to-1. He exerted and utilized every drop of his energy today. His lone win went off at 15-to-1 in race 7:

​

• Manny Franco failed to win on any of his ten rides and now has lost 24 straight at the track. He led the meet in wins not too long ago. He was involved in a spill yesterday at Keeneland.
• Weston Hamilton had a couple of rides and finished third in one race. The mid-Atlantic, mainly Maryland-based, bug is perhaps trying to enhance his resume and profile for Apprentice of the Year in 2018.
• Summary: A big card for New York-breds and those sired by New York stallions. Eight races were held with purses $150,000 or more. Over $12.3 million was wagered.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 4: Maximus Mischief (Frankie Pennington/Robert Reid) improved to 2 2-0-0 and wired the field as the overwhelming favorite in a field of three. The 2-year-old Into Mischief colt is getting some buzz as a potential runner for Kentucky Derby prep races.

Maximus Mischief Wins Again 10 20 18​

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Closing Day: The track is dark for live racing until some point next year, likely late May. The overall handle of $112 million for the 81-day meet was an increase of 17% from 2017.
• Leading Jockey: Carol Cedeno won the meet with 86 wins.
• Leading Trainer: Jamie Ness won the meet with 41 wins.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 11: Edgar Prado rode a winner in the Maryland Million for a record-setting 18th time. The event is in its 33rd year. He is the 7th winningest rider of all-time with 7,017 wins.
• Race 8: The top four were sent off at 11-to-1, 34-1, 53-1 and 30-1. The $1 tri paid over $16,000. The $1 super returned over $174,000. The $.50 Pick 3 paid over $2,500. The $.50 Pick 4 returned more than $5,400. The exacta was an astonishing $1,156.
• Race 3: Crabcakes won. Appropriate for a day featuring Maryland racing.
• Race 2: Unbridled Escape wired the field at 11-to-1 and won by a commanding 10 lengths.
• Claudio Gonzalez, the leading trainer at the meet, was 4 2-1-0. He is now 54 22-9-6 (41%/69%).
• Jevian Toledo rode three winners.
• Turf racing: There has been an issue with the turf at Laurel recently, weather playing a role. It was very noticeable that the path closer to the rail was more worn than the outside.
• Summary: Excellent card in which to handicap with Maryland-breds and sires among those featured for Maryland Million Day ($1,000,000 in purses). Seven races with p[urses $100,000 or more. Over $5.7 million was wagered, an increase of 30% from 2017 and the highest for this event since 2007.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Race 10: An unextraordinary card had an extraordinary payout to finish out the day. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $20,000.
• Edgard Zayas is dominating the meet with 21 wins (25%).

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 9: Shamrock Rose (Tyler Gaffalione/Mark Casse) helped blow up the Tote board at 18-to-1 in $250,000 Grade 2 Raven Run for 3-year-old fillies. I waited for this race sensing an opportunity for value in a deep field. However, my bomber looked overmatched and the others didn't do so well either. Right philosophy, wrong result. The order of finish was 12-3-11-13. A $39.40 winner. The $2 tri was a stunning $12,071.60. The $1 super was an astronomical $123,400.

​

• Race 3: A 52-to-1 shot paid $106.40 and helped set the tone for the feature race.
• Father-son Daily Double: Mark Casse and his son Norm won the last two races, respectively. The $1 double paid $229.70.
• Leading riders at the meet: Jose Ortiz (10), Tyler Gaffalione (8) and Julien Leparoux (8).
• Leading trainers at the meet: Todd Pletcher (7), Eddie Kenneally (6) and Michael Maker (6).

Santa Anita Park (California):

• Geovanni Franco had a natural hat trick beginning in race 6.
• Leading riders: Flavien Prat and Drayden Van Dyke each have 12 wins.
• Leading trainers: Peter Miller has 13 wins.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 6: The $1 super paid over $39,000.
• Eurico Da Silva, the track's top rider, won four times. Da Silva has 37 more wins than his closest rival at the meet and is winning at a 27% clip. He has more than twice as many wins as every other rider at the meet except Rafael Hernandez.

Ascot (England):

• Winners on Champions Day (source: BBC.com):
  • 13:25 Stradivarius (John Gosden/Frankie Dettori) Evens
  • 14:00 Sands of Mali (Richard Fahey/Paul Hanagan) 28-1
  • 14:40 Magical (Aidan O'Brien/Frankie Dettori) 5-1
  • 15:15 Roaring Lion (John Gosden/Oisin Murphy) 2-1
  • 15:50 Cracksman (John Gosden/Frankie Dettori) 5-6
  • 16:30 Sharja Bridge (Roger Varian/James Doyle) 8-1
• Roaring Lion won the QE II Stakes.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 21, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Richard Violette: Ugly news in which to start the racing day in that the highly respected trainer succumbed to cancer. The Massachusetts-native began training in the late 1970s. He was just 65 years of age. He most recently trained Diversify.
• Race 8: Rymska (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad Brown) won the $200,000 Athenia Stakes.
• Race 4: The place and show horses were MTO and finished second and third. Both were bombs, ridden by David Cohen and Luis Saez at odds of 27-to-1 and 32-to-1, respectively.
• Race 2: One of the best rides of the day was given by Joel Rosario who found a seem and split multiple horses just before the line.
• Favorites and near favorites excel: A very chalky day in New York. The $.50 Pick 4 at the end of the day paid $38.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 8: Claudio Gonzalez, the leading trainer at Maryland, won with his lone starter at Philly. He is 15 5-5-4 (44%) at this meet.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Alex Cintron had three rides and three victories.
• Julien Pimentel, the meet's leading rider, had his second consecutive 2-win day.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Race 8: Beach Flower (Chris Landeros/McLean Robertson) went gate-to-wire with a 9-to-1 shot (15-to-1 morning line) in the Grade 3 $125,000 Dowager. Celebration ensued by those of us who had the long shot. Until the objection was lodged by the third place horse for being cut in the stretch. The review was lengthy. Needless to say the decision to DQ was met with chagrin and shock by some. Robertson, of course, is a trainer I follow not just in his home base of Minnesota but when he ships. He doesn't have the stock of other big name trainers and Canterbury may lack the eminence of other facilities but offers value at top tracks such as Oaklawn and Keeneland. To go gate-to-wire in a 1.5 Grade 3 is difficult and he almost did it. Robertson went 6 1-2-2 the last two days at Keeneland; pretty good but 6 2-2-1 would have been much preferred. Vexatious (Florent Geroux/Neil Drysdale) was given the win. Florent Geroux, the rider who was elevated to victory after initially finishing second, said “I thought I ran a winning race. The horse on the lead was very stubborn, and I couldn’t pass her. Unfortunately for her she drifted and caused some trouble for the horse who finished third.” The third place horse, whose rider Brian Hernandez, Jr. lodged the objection, was placed second. Beach Flower is now 30 7-6-8 lifetime and the smaller 5-year-old mare ran her heart out. DQs are always difficult to lose.

​

• Brian Hernandez, Jr. is now 65 6-6-10 at the meet after two wins today. He had one win entering this past Friday's card.
• Race 2: Corey Lanerie won for the 3rd time. He ended the day with three wins in 71 starts.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Leading trainer: Jaime Mejia and Marcus Vitali each top the board with six winners.
• The former Calder: There is a significant loss of interest between the Gulfstream summer meet and the Gulfstream winter meet when the focus shifts to the former Calder Racecourse. The turf here is worn, too, perhaps similarly to earlier this year at Gulf.

Santa Anita (California):

• The 20 cent Single Ticket Jackpot Pick Six will begin at $724,807 for Thursday's card.
• Race 9: Pitino, purchased for a whopping $950,000 by trainer Doug O'Neill's brother Dennis, is 0-for-4 lifetime after another loss.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Apparently, Todd Schrupp was critical on TVG regarding the DQ at Keeneland yesterday though I didn't hear it. Comments seem to fall down the middle from what I have read while private discussions overwhelmingly disagreed with the ruling. There will never be agreements on such calls. While I do think a graded stakes race should be reviewed the same way as a non-graded stakes race, there are too many inconsistencies in these rulings. I have yet to see a quote from Chris Landeros or McLean Robertson on the matter. Around the 16-17 second mark is evidently when the infraction occurred. A pan shot and head-on offer differing views of the same race. That is needed but this result has to singe for some. Ecstasy turned into frustration.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 24, 2018
Some fantastic prices especially for a Wednesday.

Belmont (New York):

• Race 1: Dylan Davis drilled the longest shot on the board at 21-to-1 for a $44.80 eye-opening winner in the opener.
• Race 2: Manny Franco narrowly defeated Javier Castellano in a terrific stretch battle. Trainer Timmy Hills won the double, a rarity for him, which paid $315 for a deuce.
• Race 3: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $1,700.
• Race 4: Another photo finish:

• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 was an astronomical $147,215.
• Race 7: A good collection of talent showcased mostly unraced 2-year-olds. Break Curfew (Javier Castellano/Chad Brown/Klaravich Racing) won by more than three lengths over Alisio (Luis Saez/Kiaran McLaughlin/Godolphin), the latter who finished more than nine lengths in front of the third place finisher.
• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 was an extraordinary $16,000.
• Handle: Total betting approached $5,000,000.

Finger Lakes (New York):

• Race 2: A $117 winner. The $2 exacta was a whopping $1,133. The $.50 tri paid over $1,600.

Gulfstream Park West:

• Emisael Jaramillo rode a natural hat trick beginning with race 6.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Chris Hartman entered three horses and won with each. Going 3-for-3 at Keeneland is extraordinary.
• Edgar Morales, an apprentice, rode the card and finished 8 2-2-0. He finished second on board 10-1 and 61-1 shots in races 4 and 5, respectively. Then won race 6 at 8-1 and race 8 at 15-1. That is an excellent performance.
• Race 4: The $2 tri paid over $2,200.

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 3: A $167.80 winner who paid $46.40 for place. The $2 double paid $622.60.
• Race 4: The $2 double paid $896.60. The $2 Pick 3 paid $5,056.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid a stunning $245,517. The $2 Pick 4 paid $14,683. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $5,800.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 25, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Manny Franco rode the card and won four times in nine starts including a natural hat trick beginning with the sixth race.
• Race 4: Jose Lezcano won this race and ended the day 6 1-2-2. He has won on four straight cards.
• Race 7: Manny Franco rode a $59 winner. The $.50 trifecta paid $2,069.25.
• Race 8: Nisha (Manny Franco/Jeremiah Englehart) improved to a successful 12 8-0-1.
• Race 9: Junior Alvarado was bottled and caught in traffic. He found a hole and used every bit of energy to find the narrow victory. Winning handicappers appreciate rides like this. Gary Contessa, the winning trainer, is second at the meet in victories and has a very respectable winning percentage of 24%.
• Leading riders: Irad Ortiz, Jr. (39) and Manny Franco (36) are the top two leaders entering the meet's final three days.
• Leading trainers: Chad Brown (35 wins) is running away with the meet title.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 1: Lacey Gaudet won with her only starter. She has won nine of her last 18 starts at the track. She is also 9-6-4 with her last 23 starters. Once again, an up-and-coming trainer.
• Leading trainers: Claudio Gonzalez (39%), Michael Trombetta (23%) and Lacey Gaudet (40%) are the top three trainers in terms of wins.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Races 5 and 6: Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen teamed to win consecutive races.
• Leading riders: Tyler Gaffalione and Julien Leparoux lead with 11 wins. Gaffalione moved his tack from Florida for this meet and has either met or even exceeded expectations. Good rider, still in his early 20s.
• Leading trainer: Todd Pletcher is having a brilliant meet at 17 8-2-1 (47% wins).
• Kentucky racing: This meet ends Saturday. Onto Churchill Downs.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

There is very early chatter about Maximus Mischief as a potential Kentucky Derby starter. Of course, that is a long process to consume and there are hurdles coming from Parx but not something that is unprecedented. A recap of his first two races and now some publicity on TDN's Rising Stars column has raised awareness.

​

TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions

Maximus Mischief

Cash Is King LLC & LC Racing’s Maximus Mischief (c, 2, Into Mischief–Reina Maria, by Songandaprayer) proved that his 8 3/4-length debut romp with an 82 Beyer Speed Figure Sept. 29 was no fluke, breezing home to remain perfect in two career appearances at Parx while becoming a no-brainer ‘TDN Rising Star.’ Favored at a nickel on the dollar in a scratched-down field of three, the bay raced a bit awkwardly through the opening couple of furlongs, his head cocked to the right, but fleet enough to establish an early lead while chased along by Absentee (Fed Biz), himself a good-looking first-out winner at Parx Sept. 22. Bowling along well within himself around the turn, he was held together into the stretch, then widened at will while just being shown the whip by Frankie Pennington and scampered in by six lengths. A $165,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase, Maximus Mischief was led out unsold on his next two trips through the ring, first when bidding stalled at $170,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale last year and again at $245,000 at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale. Entered back for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in May, he drilled an eighth of a mile in a very racy-looking :10 1/5 and was hammered down for $340,000. The winner’s dam, a half-sister to the ill-fated GISW Secret Compass (Discreet Cat), is also represented by a Flatter filly of 2017. She was most recently bred to Lord Nelson.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Florida racing at that time of year is basically center stage across the nation. That is a significant leap to go from Louisiana to South Florida. Good luck to a good rider.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Brian Hernandez Jr., who has become a perennial top-five rider on the Kentucky circuit, is making a major change in his winter schedule. Hernandez will ride at the Gulfstream Park championship meet, which starts Dec. 1, forgoing his annual pilgrimage to Fair Grounds in his native Louisiana.
​

Source: DRF

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 26, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Joel Rosario shined with a 6 3-2-0 day.
• Brad Cox was a perfect 2 2-0-0 with Joel Rosario riding both wins.
• Kelly Breen had a starter at both Belmont and Keeneland and won each. Not the easiest task.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Opening day: The meet opened today.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Tyler Gaffalione won twice and now leads the meet entering the final day. Gaffalione has 13 wins followed by Julien Leparoux's 12 victories. Indications are Gaffalione could return to Kentucky this winter after a stay in south Florida..
• Jose Ortiz has been mired in a funk with 28 straight losses.
• MacLean Robertson is 14 2-4-3. While the win percentage is decent, the in the money mark is one of the best at the meet.
• Race 2: Declan Carroll, whose father trains with Mark Casse, won for the first time as a jockey.
• Sloppy: The track was sloppy today and off the turf.
• Graphics: Now that the meet is ending, a plea to Keeneland to change its difficult color combination for some graphics. White on sand-color does not work well. Put a darker color somewhere, either in text or the background.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 7: Divina Dharma won a maiden claiming race by 15 1/2 lengths.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 27, 2018

Australia:

• Winx improved her win streak to 29 races with historic fourth Cox Plate victory.

Winx, the Australian super mare, won the Group 1 Cox Plate for a record fourth time, and her 29th consecutive race, at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Australia on Saturday.

Ridden with supreme confidence by Hugh Bowman, Winx closed from fifth with a four-wide move to take the lead turning into the stretch and win by about two lengths over Benbatl, a Group 1 winner in Dubai, Germany and Australia earlier this year. The $3.53 million Cox Plate is run at 1 1-2 miles on turf.

Winx surpassed Kingston Town (1980-82) as the only horse to win four runnings of the Cox Plate, Australia's leading weight-for-age race.

Speaking to a television commentator after Winx was pulled up, Bowman said the sensation of guiding Winx to the lead left him overwhelmed.

"The electricity that came through my body turning into the straight just then was something I guess I only get to feel," he said. "Everyone watching gets so much joy and pleasure out of the superb ability of this wonderful horse. The fact that she's been able to do it so many times consecutively speaks volumes of the management of her."

Australia: Winx the Wonder Mare wins historic 4th Cox Plate​

Belmont (New York):

• Cancelled: The card was canceled due to heavy rains and high winds. Some races were moved to Friday's opener at Aqueduct.
• Closing day: The meet ends tomorrow.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 1: Anthony Black, at the age of 67, won the opener in a rare ride. It was his 5,211th career victory.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Race 10: Magnificent payouts after a 3-way photo finish -- called "impossible to tell..." enabled someone to nail the $.20 Rainbow Six which paid $161,143.62. The $2 Pick 5 paid $157,161.40. The $2 Pick 4 returned $45,453,80.

​

• Race 9: A $59.80 winner. The $2 exacta paid $980.60. The $2 tri returned over $7,600. The $1 super paid over $35,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid $3,000+.
• Race 3: Everton Bennett, in his first ride of 2018, won. He rode mostly at the now-shuttered Hazel Park in Michigan. He last won in July 2017.
• Race 1: Nik Juarez won the opener. He returned yesterday after being sidelined by surgery last month. Luca Panici was runner-up with a 57-to-1 bomb.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Closing day: The meet ended. Churchill Downs opens tomorrow.
• Leading jockey: Tyler Gaffalione with 15 wins. He won at least one race on the last six cards.
• Leading trainer: Todd Pletcher narrowly defeated Michael Maker 9 wins to 8; however, Pletcher had 25 less starters.
• Jose Ortiz, the defending North American Jockey of the Year and who is second in wins in 2018, ended the meet with 34 consecutive losses.
• Race 9: Leofric (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the Grade 2 $200,000 Fayette Stakes.

​

Indiana Grand (Indiana):

• Race 2: A $77.50 winner. The $2 tri paid over $4,100.

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Race 4: The rare Kansas-bred Konza Kandy broke her maiden in her debut race.

Golden Gate (California):

• Race 5: A $71.40 winner. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $14,000.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 10: Toinette (Flavien Prat/Neil Drysdale) won the Grade 3 $100,000 Autumn Miss as the second choice in a field of 14. The 3-year-old filly is now 6 4-0-0.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 8: Thor's Rocket (Alan Garcia/Paul Buttigieg) won the $100,000 feature in thrilling style. The 5-year-old had lost 13 straight and found the winner's circle for the first time since October 2016. He topped a $1 tri that paid over $1,100. Pink Lloyd fell to 21 16-1-1 after missing the board for just the third time.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Long-range weather forecast for Louisville this Friday and Saturday shows high temperatures in mid-50s with clouds. This is the ongoing concern for having the Breeders' Cup in much of the eastern part of the nation; hopefully, rain doesn't interrupt the event.

Entries will be drawn Monday.

A record 221 horses were entered in 14 races (5 on Friday, 9 on Saturday) with a total purse sum of $30,000,000. The total increases to 246 when cross-entries 9such as Bravazo) are included. The entries will be confirmed on Oct. 29. The race order for each day is listed below. Both cards have additional races not part of the Breeders' Cup.

Championships Race Order (All Times Eastern)
The first Championships race on “Future Stars Friday” will be the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (3:21 p.m.); the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (4:00 p.m.); the $2 million Tito’s Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (4:40 p.m.); the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (5:22 p.m.) and the $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (6:05 p.m.)

Championship Saturday begins with two undercard races followed by the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (12:00 p.m.); the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (12:38 p.m.); the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (1:16 p.m.); the $2 million Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (2:04 p.m.); the $2 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (2:46 p.m.); the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (3:36 p.m.); the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (4:16 p.m.); the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (4:56 p.m.) and the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (5:44 p.m.).

Some horses were listed in multiple races. The link attached shows what potential preferences the dual-entries could hold: 2018 Breeders' Cup Pre-Entries - Brisnet


2018 Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2018: FUTURE STARS FRIDAY

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF SPRINT
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE (G1)​

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2018

BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP TURF SPRINT (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP FILLY & MARE TURF (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP MILE (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP DISTAFF (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP TURF (G1)
BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC (G1)

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POST TIMES AND WAGERING MENU

Special Daily Doubles (SPDD) consist of leg one on Friday and leg two on Saturday.

Friday’s Pick 6, Pick 5’s and Jackpot Super High-5 may carryover to Saturday.

Any Pick 5 carryover from Friday or Saturday will carryover to the late Pick 5on Saturday.

Saturday’s Pick 6, late Pick 5 and Jackpot Super High-5 will have a mandatory payout in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday.

Bet Minimums

$10 Head2Head
$2 WPS, Daily Double, Pick 6
$1 Exacta and SPDD
$.50 Trifecta, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and SH-5
$.10 Superfecta
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FRIDAY

Juvenile Turf Sprint
Conditions: 5 ½ furlongs on turf for 2-year-olds. Purse: $1 million. Post time: 3:21 p.m. Friday.

In the field (horse, trainer)
Bulletin, Todd Pletcher (first preference)
Its Gonna Hurt, Brian Koriner
Pocket Dynamo, Robert Cowell,
Queen of Bermuda (IRE), William John Haggas
Sergei Prokofiev, Aidan O’Brien
Shang Shang Shang, Wesley Ward
So Perfect, Aidan O’Brien (first preference)
Soldier’s Call (GB), Archie Watson
Stillwater Cove, Wesley Ward
Strike Silver, Mark Casse
Uncle Benny, Jason Servis (second preference)
Well Done Fox (GB), Richard Hannon
Not selected, in order of preference (horse, trainer)
Chelsea Cloisters, Wesley Ward
Moonlight Romance, Wesley Ward
Big Drink of Water, Larry Rivelli
Comedy (IRE), Karl Burke
Van Beethoven, Aidan O’Brien
Legends of War, John Gosden
Stellar Agent, Jorge Abreu (second preference)
Whooping Jay, Doug O’Neill
Mae Never No (IRE), Wesley Ward
Backtohisroots, John Terranova
Never No More (IRE), Aidan O’Brien
Tracksmith, Joe Sharp (second preference)
Dragic, Wesley Ward
Order and Law, Louis Linder Jr. (second preference)
Sovereign Impact, William Denzik Jr.
All About It, George Weaver​

Juvenile Fillies Turf
Conditions: 1 mile on turf for 2-year-old fillies. Purse: $1 million. Post time: 4 p.m. Friday.

In the field (horse, trainer)
Belle Laura, Norm Casse
Concrete Rose, George Arnold
East (GB), Kevin Ryan
Hermosa (IRE), Aidan O’Brien
Just Wonderful, Aidan O’Brien
La Pelosa (IRE), Charlie Appleby
Lily’s Candel (FR), Fabrice Vermeulen
My Gal Betty, Roger Attfield
Newspaperofrecord (IRE), Chad Brown
Pakhet, Todd Pletcher
So Perfect, Aidan O’Brien (second preference)
Summering, Thomas Proctor
The Mackem Bullet (IRE), Brian Ellison
Varenka, Graham Motion
Not selected, in order of preference (horse, trainer)
Stellar Agent, Jorge Abreu (first preference)
Lady Prancealot (IRE), Richard Baltas
Pivottina (FR), Graham Motion
Princesa Carolina, Kenny McPeek
Winning Envelope, Chris Block​

Juvenile Fillies
Conditions: 1 1/16 miles for 2-year-old fillies. Purse: $2 million. Post time: 4:40 p.m. Friday.
In the field (horse, trainer)

Baby Nina, Anthony Quartarolo
Bellafina, Simon Callaghan
Cassies Dreamer, Barclay Tagg
Cookie Dough, Stanley Gold
Jaywalk, John Servis
Reflect, Keith Desormeaux
Restless Rider, Kenny McPeek
Serengeti Empress, Tom Amoss
Sippican Harbor, Gary Contessa
Splashy Kisses, Doug O’Neill
Vibrance, Michael McCarthy​

Juvenile Turf
Conditions: 1 mile on turf for 2-year-old colts and geldings. Purse: $1 million. Post time: 5:22 p.m. Friday.

In the field (horse, trainer)
Anthony Van Dyck (IRE), Aidan O’Brien
Arthur Kitt (GB), Tom Dascombe
Broome (IRE), Aidan O’Brien
Current, Todd Pletcher
Forty Under, Jeremiah Englehart
Henley’s Joy, Mike Maker
King of Speed, Jeffrey Bonde
Line of Duty (IRE), Charlie Appleby
Marie’s Diamond (IRE), Mark Steven Johnston
Opry, Todd Pletcher
Somelikeithotbrown, Mike Maker
The Black Album (FR), Jane Soubagne
Uncle Benny, Jason Servis (first preference)
War of Will, Mark Casse
Not selected, in order of preference (horse, trainer)
Much Better, Bob Baffert
Louder Than Bombs, David Fawkes
Bulletin, Todd Pletcher (second preference)
Tracksmith, Joe Sharp (first preference)
Order and Law, Louis Linder Jr. (first preference)
Flying Scotsman, Jerry Hollendorfer
Empire of War, Todd Pletcher
Pico Entry, Dale Romans​

Juvenile
Conditions: 1 1/16 miles for 2-year-old colts and geldings. Purse: $2 million. Post time: 6:05 p.m. Friday.

In the field (horse, trainer)
Code of Honor, Shug McGaughey
Complexity, Chad Brown
Dueling, Jerry Hollendorfer
Game Winner, Bob Baffert
Gunmetal Gray, Jerry Hollendorfer
Knicks Go, Ben Colebrook
Mind Control, Gregory Sacco
Mr. Money, Bret Calhoun
Signalman, Kenny McPeek
Standard Deviation, Chad Brown
Tight Ten, Steve Asmussen
Topper T, Bill Mott
Trophy Chaser, Juan Carlos Avila
Well Defined, Kathleen O’Connell
Not selected, in order of preference (horse, trainer)
Derby Date, D. Wayne Lukas​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

October 28, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Closing day: The meet closed today. It was an underwhelming meet mainly due to dismal weather which adversely affected turf racing. The total handle was $269,002,237 which is 11% less than the autumn meet of 2017.
• Aqueduct: Opens Friday. Among the runners on Friday's card will be Cloud Computing … in an allowance race … He won the 2017 Preakness.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. scored a natural hat trick beginning with race 6.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. (44) and Chad Brown (38) won the jockey and trainer titles, respectively.
• Manny Franco finished second in rider wins but he had one of the most impressive meets of any jockey.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Race 9: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $8,400. The biggest winner in the sequence was $19.40. Remarkable!
• Race 8: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $3,600.
• Race 6: The $2 tri paid over $6,400. The $1 super returned more than $66,000.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Race 1: The third place horse paid $18.60. It set a trend for the day at the former Calder.
• Race 3: The third place horse paid $30.00 (amazing). The $ tri paid over $6,000. The $1 super paid over $34,000.
• Race 4: The third place horse paid $21.40. I do not recall if I have seen three of the first four races paying that much for third place finishes.
• Race 8: Prodigious payouts beginning with a $1 super that paid $445,712.30. The $2 tri was a stunning $75,440. The $2 Pick 3 paid $2,960.80. The show prices for the first three finishers were $10.00, $10.00 and $27.60.

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• Race 10: The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $20,000. The $2 Pick 5 was a phenomenal $55,969.20.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Opening day: Brian Hernandez, Jr. won three times including twice for trainer Dallas Stewart. The duo teamed to go 3 2-0-1. Hernandez has won 7 of his last 18 rides. Remember, he is going to Gulfstream later this year.
• Race 11: The $2 Pick 5 paid a stupefying $495,898.60 ($123,000+ for $.50) The $2 Pick 4 paid over $20,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $5,200.
• Race 9: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $49,000. The tri retuned over $1,800. The $58 winner caught the 2-1 in the stretch.
• Race 8: Mother Mother (Florent Geroux/Bob Baffert) won the $100,000 feature. Baffert has high hopes for the 2-year old filly who is 3 2-1-0 especially now that she stretched to a mile.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $60,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $24,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid more than $5,300.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 3 paid over $9,200.
• Race 8: Battle of Midway (Flavien Prat/Jerry Hollendorfer) did what was expected of an even money favorite and won the $75,000 feature. The colt has earner over $1.3 million.

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• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $26,000. The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $31,000.
• Carryover: Rainbow jackpot pool carryover rises to $992,979. It exceeded $1,000,000 today.

Woodbine (Ontario):

Race 8: Silent Sonet (David Moran/Nicolas Gonzalez) pulled a stunning upset in the $125,000 Grade 3 Ontario Fashion Stakes. The win paid $114.80 and $54.90 for place. The exacta returned $1,220.60. The $2 tri paid over $6,400. At 56-to-1, the winner was the third longest price on the board in a field of 12. The filly has raced only at Woodbine and sports a 12 5-0-1 record. The 66-year-old trainer won his first race in 1976.


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About that Gaffalione kid

Tyler Gaffalione was named Jockey of the Week for his impressive performance at Keeneland. I have said often this kid is going to be a star. He may be one now.​