Horse Racing: I. Ortiz/B. Cox/Godolphin/Into Mischief top 2023; J. Rodriguez/B. Russell win Laurel titles on final day; L. Rice sets NYRA record for wins in a year

[CHRDANHUTCH]

reminder: Oaklawn will not race on Easter

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, March 31, 2023

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 1: Randomized (Manny Franco/Chad Brown) broke her maiden in her second try. The $420,000 purchase by the usually astute Klaravich Stables, wasn't even sent off the favorite despite the high success rate of the connections.
• Race 8: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $22,000. No favorites won the final five legs but no bombers won either.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Closing Day: The meet ended today with Jaime Rodriguez (jockey) and Jamie Ness (trainer), often a tandem, winning their respective titles.
• Jevian Toledo won three times on four mounts, twice victorious for Brittany Russell.
• Brittany Russell sent out three hoses and two were victorious. Another solid day. However, she had a $300,000 horse from the powerful Mike Repole/Vinny Viola duo Run for Your Life, the only first-time starter in the race, barely made an impact.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $8 million.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Tornado Watch: A lengthy interruption early in the card due to a tornado watch in the area.
• Race 9: Wicked Halo (Tyler Gaffalione/Steve Asmussen) won the $250,000 Matron Stakes in a reduced field of four. A daughter to Gun Runner, she is now 12 7-0-4 lifetime and officially a millionaire in earnings. She has won five of her past six starts with a third place finish in the Breeders' Cup the lone blemish.

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Sam Houston (Texas):

• Race 5: Meant for Me (Stewart Elliott/Henry Johnson, Jr.) gave the 58-year-old rider his 5,500th career win.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The handle for tomorrow's Florida Derby should exceed $40 million comfortably and could approach $50 million. Beautiful day in store.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Fast and firm at Gulfstream. Looks to be an electrifying afternoon.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Race 1 in the books at Gulf. Luis Saez in the center of the track was caught by Jose Ortiz, riding for Todd Pletcher, along the rail.

The turf course looks sandy.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

At 3-to-1, an 0-for-26 winner in Race 2 and comfortably.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Oaklawn is already crowded. Hopefully the locals can overcome the devastation related to the tornadoes.

Larry Jones has a nice horse to win the opener as chalk.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Race 5 at Gulf and the oldest horse -- age 8 -- wins the lengthy 1.5 mile distance.

 

[John Price]

Forte with a late run to win it!

 

[Marco 85]

Forte with a late run to win it!

Absolutely magnificent.
Both him and Mage ran great.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Absolutely magnificent.
Both him and Mage ran great.

Mage may be the Sham of 2023,

 

[Marco 85]

Race 5 at Gulf and the oldest horse -- age 8 -- wins the lengthy 1.5 mile distance.

That was Therapist. A New York bred who was a turf sprinter
until Maker claimed him.
He turned a horse who couldn’t go 7 furlongs into a marathoner.
Maker is as good as anyone on the turf.
But doesn’t get the regally bred horses.
Just turns high priced claimers Into stake horses.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, April 1, 2023

• Derby Day: $60 million bet combined on the Oaklawn and Gulfstream cards.

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Laurel (Maryland):

• Jevian Toledo rode four times and three were victorious.
• Race 6: Sister Cloudy (Jevian Toledo/Brittany Russell) debuted to a win. Among her exceptional figures, Russell is 31% in MSW.

Tampa Bay Downs (Florida):

• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $12,000.
• Jennifer Paragallo entered today entered today 1-for-22 lifetime but won twice with three starters on this day, Daughter to Ernie Paragallo who owned Unbridled's Song. Both wins today came with 21-year-old Argentinian Laureano Sosa.
• Kerri Raven is now 32% at the meet. The Canadian-born trainer who performed her craft at Canterbury Downs (MN) is a having a good meet. She sent out two horses and hot the board with both including a winner.
• John Rigattieri is a New England legend but his skills have defied the hands of time. Rigattieri began in the 1960s. He is 23%/61% at the meet and 27% in 2023 which is his best figure in almost 20 years.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Card: Ten of the 14 races were graded stakes including five graded highlighted by the signature event of the meet the Florida Derby.
• Handle: $38 million.
• Race 5: Therapist (Irad Ortiz. Jr./Michael Maker). the oldest horse in the field at the age of 8, went the distance of 1.5 miles to win the Grade 2 $245,000 Pan American Stakes. Therapist is a multiple-time claimer.
• Race 7: Clapton (Emisael Jaramillo/Juan Alvarado) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Ghostzapper Stakes. This is just the second graded stakes win for the trainer.
• Race 8: Amazing Grace (Joel Rosario/Christophe Clement) won the $150,000 Grade 3 Orchid Stakes in typical Rosario style with a flair for the dramatic in closing to a victory.
• Race 12: Affirmative Lady (Luis Saez/Graham Motion) won the $250,000 Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks.
• Race 14: Forte (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Todd Pletcher) won the $1 million Florida Derby and perhaps cemented the role of 2023 Kentucky Derby m/l favorite. The son to Violence is 7 6-0-0 lifetime with five straight wins and his lone blemish came in his first graded stakes try which was at Saratoga. Violence raced just four times and his only loss came to eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb.

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• Irad Ortiz, Jr. had another remarkable day riding six winners in a day that ended 12 6-2-1 with a natural hat trick beginning in the fourth.

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• Jose Ortiz had a 4-win day, He ended 13 4-1-4.
• The Ortiz Brothers finished their day 25 10-3-5. They won 10 of the 14 races. At some point, they have to be mentioned in the greatest brother combo in North America sports history for near-equal greatness. Even if they are awarded prime talent, they deliver more often than not.
• Todd Pletcher ended the day with four wins. The Hall of Fame trainer was 11 4-0-1.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $22 million.
• Attendance: 65,000.
• Race 1: Into Love (Gabriel Saez/Larry Jones) broke her maiden by more than 11 lengths. I would love to see Jones have one more brilliant filly in his career; perhaps, this is one. A daughter to Into Mischief was out for the sixth time.
• Race 5: Hopper John Velazquez/Bob Baffert) won the $400,000 Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile Stakes.

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• Race 10: Wet Paint (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the $600,000 Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes. The daughter to Blame has won three straight in a 6-race career.

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• Race 12: Angel of Empire (Flavien Prat/Brad Cox) won the Grade 1 $1.25 million Arkansas Derby and collected 100 points towards entry into the Kentucky Derby. The Pennsylvania-bred colt improved to 6 4-1-0. He was purchased for the paltry sum of $70,000 in 2021.

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• Race 13: Two of the race's longest shots finished 1-2 as a 21-to-1 and 54-to-1 comprised a $1 exacta that returned $782.70. The $.10 super returned more than $4,000.
• Flavien Prat finished the day 6 3-1-0 and won three straight times he rode.
• Brad Cox finished 5 3-0-0 and each of his three wins were stakes including two graded.
• John Velazquez rode three mounts and delivered twice.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 7: Closing Remarks (Joe Bravo/Carla Gaines) won the Grade 2 $200,000 Royal Heroine Stakes.
• Race 3: Ultimate Gamble (Frankie Dettori/Mark Glatt) broke his maiden in his second try. The Medaglia d'Oro colt was purchased for $1.75 million.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Vinny Viola's heart was pumping through his chest. He was delirious in an ever-so respectful way. Good man, good story.

If he wins a second Kentucky Derby and the Panthers somehow make a deep run in the NHL Playoffs... all bets are off.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Forte got a 98 Beyer, seventh best this year for 3-year-olds. Nothing great. Watching the replay though, Irad Ortiz made no panic decisions and that may have been the difference in win or loss.

Update:

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The handle for tomorrow's Florida Derby should exceed $40 million comfortably and could approach $50 million. Beautiful day in store.

$38 million was low for the event.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Fly on the wall time when owners see a $70,000 Pennsylvania-bred right there with a $775,000 purchase.

And the inexpensive PA-bred delivered. Half full, half empty ticket. Red Route One was a dud.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Cripes. First race at Laurel, the only first-time starter wins and beats a 2-to-5 shot in the process. My favorite betting angle: lone first-timers. Grrr, a 70-1 finished third.

Sheldon Russell rode the chalk, his first race since December. He needs some time. It was his lone scheduled ride.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Irad Ortiz picked up where he left off from yesterday. A win on board a 7-to-2 shot. A different stratosphere.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, April 2, 2023

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Closing Day: The Championship Meet finished today. Meet leaders were Irad Ortiz, Jr. (jockey) and Saffie Joseph (trainer).
• Handle for the Meet: $707,541,509
• Handle: $17.9 million.
• Pick 6: Exceeded $6.5 million. Each winner received more than $8,000.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. won three times.
• Luis Saez rode a natural hat trick beginning with the fourth race as part of a 3-win day.
• Race 11: Shootoutthelights (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Wesley Ward) debuted to a nice win. The filly looked like a stick out especially with the trainer's propensity of success with first-time starters.

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Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 8: Calibrate (Francisco Arrieta/Coty Rosin) won the $150,000 Temperence Hill Stakes as the longest shot on the board at 30-to-1 in a 1 1/2 mile race. The trainer, based in the upper Midwest, gave a heartfelt response following the victory “We had no expectations, really. It was just the horse, to see if he could go a mile and a half. Kind of seems like he’s just been a grinder and we just thought about taking a shot. Did we expect to beat Warrant and Lone Rock? No. The horse has been training great. But did I have any aspirations about winning? No. We were just seeing if he could get the trip and he did. So, it kind of opens up some doors for him.”

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• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $166,000. A phenomenal payout.
• Francisco Arrieta-Coty Rosin teamed twice and won both times. The jockey had a 3-win day. The young trainer has less than 100 lifetime wins.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 7: Exaulted (Juan Hernandez/Peter Eurton) won the Grade 3 $100,000 American Stakes. The turf race saw a Bob Baffert starter go off the favorite. The trainer has little history and even less success on turf.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Perhaps the biggest weekend of all awaits as Aqueduct, Keeneland and Santa Anita host major Ky. Derby preps on Saturday.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

FTC Cumberland Raceway setting up Sarurday 4/8 for season opening month w/ Qualifiers;

First Tracks Cumberland – Maine Harness Racing

www.firsttrackscumberland.com

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Handle Up 62 Percent During Turfway's Winter/Spring Meet - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Horses will remain stabled at Turfway Park throughout the spring and summer. Racing is set to resume on Wednesday, November 29.

paulickreport.com

Turfway Park Racing & Gaming's memorable 48-day Winter/Spring Meet concluded Saturday with a massive 62% gain in all-sources handle and 43% increase in purse money awarded.​

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In total, more than $145 million was wagered at the Winter/Spring Meet, nearly $56 million more than 2022. Along with the sizable handle increase, the connections who raced at Turfway Park were handsomely rewarded with more than $19 million in prize money, an increase of more than $5.5 million (includes funds from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund). Turfway Park ran nine additional days than 2022 and had an increase of more than 900 starters.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@Marco 85
There is little opportunity for value with Wesley Ward first-timers but look at his numbers for 2023:

17 7-1-5 (41%/76%).

FWIW, Bill Mott is 21% in 2023 with first-timers. His career mark is 8%.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday is opening day at Keeneland. A sure sign that Spring is here.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$80,000	Maiden Special Weight	4 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	16	1:00 PM ET
Race 2	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 Furlongs	Dirt	16	1:32 PM ET
Race 3	$110,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	2:04 PM ET
Race 4	$140,000	Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	2:36 PM ET
Race 5	$110,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	16	3:08 PM ET
Race 6	$120,000	Allowance	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	9	3:40 PM ET
Race 7	$400,000	Lafayette S.	7 Furlongs	Dirt	7	4:12 PM ET
Race 8	$400,000	Kentucky Utilities Transylvania S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	4:44 PM ET
Race 9	$600,000	Central Bank Ashland S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	7	5:16 PM ET
Race 10	$100,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	16	5:48 PM ET