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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A bit disappointing that Mage is the only Derby runner here, but so goes the reality of running horses with only a 2-week layoff.

The current setup for Triple Crown races began in 1969 and according to David Grening of the DRF, just one Kentucky Derby entrant running in that year's Preakness has never occurred...until this year if Mage dies start.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Gulfstream is a rare U.S. track that operates 12 months a year.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Here is an interesting stat per the DRF:

2023 Preakness: For Velazquez to get off the schneid, National Treasure must focus

Prior to the Kentucky Derby, John Velazquez walked from the Churchill jockeys' room to the paddock with Javier Castellano. NBC had just shown a graphic detailing Castellano's 0-for-15 record in the Derby. Entering Saturday's Preakness Stakes, the roles are reversed. Castellano is a two-time...

www.drf.com

John Velazquez, who has won 6,503 races, is winless with 12 mounts in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Since 1909, according to the Preakness media guide, only Edgar Prado (14) has had more mounts without a Preakness win.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Horseshoe Indianapolis (Indiana):

• Handle: $5.1 million set a track record.
• Graphics: One of the best in the land. Good colors, easy-to-read fonts. Not too cluttered yet informative.
• Card: Four of the 10 races held purses of $100,000 or more.
• Star Riders: Among those in attendance were Irad Ortiz, Jr., Luis Saez and Florent Geroux.
• Star Trainers: Brad Cox, Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen, Michael Maker and more.
• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 returned over $85,000.
• Race 8: Gigante (Joe Ramos/Steve Asmussen) was the second longest shot on the board at 33-to-1 and was the winner of the $150,000 Caesers Handicap. The gigantic upset came in part as the $120,000 Virginia-bred entered after two sound defeats in two graded stakes appearances. Asmussen won for the 10,105th (depending on when the counter is updated) time

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• Race 7: Safeen (Luis Saez/Eddie Kenneally) was sent off at 4-to-1 and eventually took the $150,000 Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap.

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[John Price]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a double "like."

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

New York Panther, formerly under the direction of Todd Pletcher and owned by powerhouse Michael Dubb, won today under the care of Brittany Russell. At 1-to-2, no surprise. The young rider on the runner-up appeared to have lost his whip in the stretch.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Brittany Russell went back-to-back. Sent out two horses today and won both races. Good job, Brit!

Double paid $2.80 with. $5.20 winner. D'oh!

 

[Marco 85]

@MiamiScreamingEagles

Jonathan Thomas. Had a good day today.
Won with his only starter at both Horseshoe and Belmont.

His winner at Horseshoe was magnificent.
A little bump at the start and blocked the whole race.
Trailed coming into the stretch.
Swung wide and powered through the stretch.
They came home in 24.1
He closed in under 23 under wraps.
The final time wasn’t impressive 138.4.
But his performance was.
Big time future.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@MiamiScreamingEagles

Jonathan Thomas. Had a good day today.
Won with his only starter at both Horseshoe and Belmont.

His winner at Horseshoe was magnificent.
A little bump at the start and blocked the whole race.
Trailed coming into the stretch.
Swung wide and powered through the stretch.
They came home in 24.1
He closed in under 23 under wraps.
The final time wasn’t impressive 138.4.
But his performance was.
Big time future.

I hope you cashed.

He has an interesting background having trained for Todd Pletcher and then onto Bridlewood in Ocala where he has access to the training facility there. He doesn't seem to spread himself ala some bigger named conditioners.

 

[Marco 85]

I hope you cashed.

He has an interesting background having trained for Todd Pletcher and then onto Bridlewood in Ocala where he has access to the training facility there. He doesn't seem to spread himself ala.some bigger names conditioners.

Yes I did.
Wasn‘t expecting to as I thought he would be the favorite.
His last race at Delaware. He was boxed most of the race.
No mention of it in the form.

Also helped that Cox and Walsh had horses in the race.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Yes I did.
Wasn‘t expecting to as I thought he would be the favorite.
His last race at Delaware. He was boxed most of the race.
No mention of it in the form.

Also helped that Cox and Walsh had horses in the race.

I had a $55 winner to start a Pick 3 at Pimlico. Won the second leg. Needed the chalk single in the finale. You know how this story ends.

 

[Marco 85]

I had a $55 winner to start a Pick 3 at Pimlico. Won the second leg. Needed the chalk single in the finale. You know how this story ends.

I saw that 55 winner.
1 turf race but not on the chart.
A winning jockey and trainer combo.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I saw that 55 winner.
1 turf race but not on the chart.
A winning jockey and trainer combo.

My guess is Maryland minimized turf racing this week intentionally in preparation for the big events.

Friday in one turf, heavyweights arrive including Paco Lopez, Johnny V., Luis Saez. Irad Ortiz and Joel Rosario.

 

[GKJ]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Both Todd Pletcher horses entered in the Black-Eyed Susan have been scratched.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Good handicapping in the opener: only horse with multiple wins on turf was the 8-to-1 winner with Tyler Gaffalione a late substitute rider.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

An old-school match race at Belmont's third. Vet missed the deadline to administer Lasix.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Two wins for Brittany Russell today including with a $550,000 former trainee of Bob Baffert first-time under her care. Horse was on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Go Brit.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, May 19, 2023

Belmont (New York):

• Scratches: About those scratches and the eventual match race. According to one report, the last prior match race at Belmont was in 1975:

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Pimlico (Maryland):

• Handle: $28.2 million which is the most bet on a Black-Eyed Susan card. Today's edition had 14 races and that total helped the handle. But Maryland racing needed a little a jolt and hopefully the good news continues today.
• Stakes: Three races were graded among the six stakes.
• Race Caller: Dave Rodman is among the best nationally.
• Luis Saez was off his mount in the opener which could have been due to flight problems as he rode Thursday night in Kentucky. He ended with three mounts, all late in the card. He is loaded on Saturday. Top riders Irad Ortiz, Jr., John Velazquez and Saez combined to win just once with 18 total mounts.
• Brittany Russell won three of the seven races in which she entered. She was the only trainer (or jockey) to win more than twice on the 14-race card. She has 12 wins this meet and her closest challenger has just three victories. Russell is 22 12-1-1 (55%).
• Race 13: Taxed (Rafael Bejarano/Randy Morse) won the $300,000 Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at the value price of 11-to-1. A daughter to Collected, she was originally purchased for $105,000 and claimed for $50,000. She won for just the second time in eight starts. This was her first start outside of Kentucky or Arkansas. Taxed battled Hoosier Philly (Edgar Morales/Tom Amoss) in a battle of grays. Flight problems from Kentucky almost prevented the winning jockey from attending to his mount. Faiza (Flavien Prat/Bob Baffert), the overwhelming pick as seen by the graphic below, was a perfect 5 5-0-0 entering the race but factored little. Kudos on picking the 10, the ultimate winner, even for place.

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• Race 12: Rattle N Roll (Flavien Prat/Kenny McPeek) won the $250,000 Grade 3 Pimlico Special in a thriller in an epic battle with Speed Bias (Luis Saez/Ron Moquett). The 4-year-old son to Connect has earned over $1.3 million and won for the 7th time in 17 starts.

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• Race 10: Maple Leaf Mel (Joel Rosario/Jeremiah Englehart) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes. Owned by former NFL coach Bill Parcells. The New York-bred, who cost $150,000, raced in open company for the first time. Mel is a perfect 4 4-0-0. The horse is named after Melanie Giddings the trainer's assistant who is fighting cancer.

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• Race 8: Fort Warren (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) entered off a four month layoff and was under the trainer's care for the first time following a switch from the Bob Baffert barn -- there was a Kentucky Derby hope at one point -- and won this $60,000 OC race. The winner cost $550,000 at auction. The trainer may have a star in her waiting.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@Marco 85

Any horror stories? I had L Street Lady (Jevian Toledo/Brittany Russell) at 48-to-1 but she finished third though paid $11.80. I have followed her with higher expectations.

Good start to the day, bumpy mid-card, slumped and then held check until tomorrow.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Horse racing is filled with compassionate stories and heroes who fight through difficult times. While that isn't unique from an entertainment entity, the publicity isn't as pronounced through typical means. However, here is one article from earlier in the week that mentions Maple Leaf Mel and the young assistant trainer's battle with cancer,

TAG at the Track: Maple Leaf Mel’s fans impressed by filly and touched by namesake’s story

By TERESA A. GENARO Since New York-bred Maple Leaf Mel arrived in Jeremiah Englehart’s barn last spring, she’s seldom been… Read more »

dailygazette.com

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Giddings was diagnosed with stage 4b cancer of the ovary and uterus. An ovarian tumor was pushing into her rib cage, inhibiting her breathing, and a uterine tumor had spread to her colon. No wonder Dr. Takimoto didn’t understand Giddings’ reaction.​

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“I was just so grateful to her,” Giddings said. “I had felt so horrible for so long, and I knew that something was really wrong. And by the grace of God, I didn’t have any cancer in my lymph nodes.”​

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Following the surgery, Giddings underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and 28 rounds of radiation. Her final chemo treatment fell on Feb. 12, 2021 — her birthday. At her most recent medical appointment, she was told that she can go to a six-month check-in schedule, instead of the three-month schedule that she’s been on for the last two years.​

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Despite having been involved in horse racing for more than a decade, Giddings hadn’t considered becoming a trainer until she got sick; in fact, she maintained that she would never go out on her own.​

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Delaware opens May 24:

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$16,000	Maiden Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	7	12:30 PM ET
Race 2	$13,000	Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	6	1:00 PM ET
Race 3	$38,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	10	1:30 PM ET
Race 4	$19,000	Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	6	2:00 PM ET
Race 5	$38,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile 70 Yards	Turf	11	2:30 PM ET
Race 6	$38,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	7	3:00 PM ET
Race 7	$28,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	11	3:30 PM ET
Race 8	$22,000	Starter Allowance	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	10	4:00 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, May 20, 2023: Preakness Stakes Day
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD

The number 8 has scratched from the Preakness. Baltimore weather forecast shows cloudiness today with occasional showers.

All scheduled broadcast outlets

May 20	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.-11 p.m.	FS2
May 20	Preakness Stakes undercard races from Pimlico	1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.	CNBC
May 20	Broadcast of the 148th Preakness Stakes	4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.	NBC
May 20	"Preakness LIVE Pre-Game Show"	4:30 p.m.	Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
May 20	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
May 20	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

Saturday's card:

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$60,000	Allowance	5 Furlongs	Turf	10	10:30 AM ET
Race 2	$64,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	11:05 AM ET
Race 3	$57,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	13	11:41 AM ET
Race 4	$100,000	Sir Barton S. sponsored by Brandon and Diannah Perry to Benefit The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	6	12:16 PM ET
Race 5	$60,000	Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	12:51 PM ET
Race 6	$200,000	Chick Lang S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	1:29 PM ET
Race 7	$100,000	Gallorette S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	7	2:08 PM ET
Race 8	$200,000	Dinner Party S.	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	7	2:49 PM ET
Race 9	$100,000	Skipat S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:31 PM ET
Race 10	$100,000	Jim McKay Turf Sprint S.	5 Furlongs	Turf	13	4:12 PM ET
Race 11	$100,000	Maryland Sprint S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	4:53 PM ET
Race 12	$100,000	James W. Murphy S.	1 Mile	Turf	9	5:51 PM ET
Race 13	$1,500,000	Preakness S.	1 3/16 Miles	Dirt	8	7:01 PM ET
Race 14	$100,000	UAE President Cup S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	7:43 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Brittany!

Repole Stables owns, private sale Uncle Mo the sire. Winner #1.

Good way to start this day.