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

[GKJ]

@GKJ

I found video of Olczyk's win. Degenerate! (The ultimate compliment to a horse player).

Hawthorne doing the PR angle...

Damn, Edzo fired up.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Damn, Edzo fired up.

Last year, I suggested to a heavy bettor to look at a Maryland shipper in a graded stakes in New York. The person is an animated type and acted similarly to Olczyk here after we watched the horse charge at the end and win at 42-1, by far the longest shot available. To say we may have been the only players with the winner wouldn't be an understatement. It is New York after all and shippers aren't supposed to disrupt.. A nearby customer said, amid the shock and quiet, to my friend "You had him?" which I think was said at the end of this clip. Some things are just commonplace to the point of repetitiveness comedy.

 

[GKJ]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

• Cancellatios: Many tracks (at last check seven) have canceled today including Wheeling (WV) greyhounds. Air quality due to fires from Canada is the culprit. Tracks from West Virginia, Ohio, western PA, Illinois and Indiana canceled.

Parx (PA):

• The $1 Pick 5 paid over $613,000. The day began with a $115 winner.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Woodbine (ON) has a card worthy of betting interests.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$36,300	Maiden Claiming	5 Furlongs	Turf	9	1:10 PM ET
Race 2	$111,600	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	10	1:44 PM ET
Race 3	$65,900	Maiden Optional Claiming	5 Furlongs	Turf	9	2:18 PM ET
Race 4	$111,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Turf	10	2:52 PM ET
Race 5	$150,000	Marine S.	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	8	3:26 PM ET
Race 6	$111,600	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Turf	12	3:59 PM ET
Race 7	$150,000	Selene S.	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	10	4:31 PM ET
Race 8	$200,000	Highlander S.	6 Furlongs	Turf	10	5:03 PM ET
Race 9	$150,000	Dominion Day S.	1 1/8 Miles	All Weather Track	9	5:35 PM ET
Race 10	$175,000	Nassau S.	1 Mile	Turf	9	6:05 PM ET
Race 11	$32,800	Maiden Claiming	7 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	12	6:35 PM ET

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

• Cancellatios: Many tracks (at last check seven) have canceled today including Wheeling (WV) greyhounds. Air quality due to fires from Canada is the culprit. Tracks from West Virginia, Ohio, western PA, Illinois and Indiana canceled.

Parx (PA):

• The $1 Pick 5 paid over $613,000. The day began with a $115 winner.

Thanks. Came here to see why there were so many cancellations. As always, the information was here!

Delaware cancelled today and it looks like Thistle is in that process now. Ellis is in a "weather delay" so they might be as well.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wheeling (WV) dogs canceled.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Wheeling (WV) dogs canceled.

Did you mean Mountaineer?

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Did you mean Mountaineer?

No, Wheeling greyhound. Mountaineer runs at night and yesterday the track canceled at a later hour than this time (as I type).

 

[Cyclones Rock]

No, Wheeling greyhound. Mountaineer runs at night and yesterday the track canceled at a later hour than this time (as I type).

Bad joke. Poking fun at the "dogs" who run at The Mountain. I love Mountaineer. I'll be staying there and taking in live racing for a couple of days over the summer. Great memories of when I owned a horse there in its glory days (25k msw purses vs. 15k now).

Thistle did cancel. Belterra is running. Ellis has a legit weather delay due to storms. Indiana looks like its "on" as well.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Charles Town canceled. Another WV track.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

While in the starting gate, jocks and horses were called out due to a wind storm/potential rough weather. A delay there has ensued.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tampa Bay Downs has a good news-PR center. The track's annual 2-day festival is this weekend. Stats for the current meet, which unofficially ended in early May, will conclude with Friday's results. The fall-winter meet that extends into May 2024 officially starts Saturday and then goes on break until late November.

Tampa Bay conducts this schedule annually.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Bad joke. Poking fun at the "dogs" who run at The Mountain. I love Mountaineer. I'll be staying there and taking in live racing for a couple of days over the summer. Great memories of when I owned a horse there in its glory days (25k msw purses vs. 15k now).

Thistle did cancel. Belterra is running. Ellis has a legit weather delay due to storms. Indiana looks like its "on" as well.

A friend went on a similar trip not too long ago to Wheeling (WV) and raved about the hospitality. Enjoy your time and be thankful for the first-hand experience. Racing can be such a magnetic joy. Smiles can go a long way, saw another at Woodbine with a young rider named Rachel Slevinsky. She has less than 10 lifetime wins, all in Canada, but just her second at Woodbine.

Indiana and Ellis both experienced multiple delays due to inclement weather today.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

A friend went on a similar trip not too long ago to Wheeling (WV) and raved about the hospitality. Enjoy your time and be thankful for the first-hand experience. Racing can be such a magnetic joy. Smiles can go a long way, saw another at Woodbine with a young rider named Rachel Slevinsky. She has less than 10 lifetime wins, all in Canada, but just her second at Woodbine.

Indiana and Ellis both experienced multiple delays due to inclement weather today.

Thank you for your well wishes.

When I go to Mountaineer I only bet the live races. I'll sit in the old grandstand, outside on the terrace and I'll watch a few (weather permitting) on the grass near the beginning of the far turn.

I'll also go up to the rail for the post parades and stand outside of the Winner's Enclosure a few times.

I try to experience the evenings as I would have prior to full card simultcasting. It's a bygone era, but it can come close to being replicated at any race track if one only bets the live races.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thank you for your well wishes.

When I go to Mountaineer I only bet the live races. I'll sit in the old grandstand, outside on the terrace and I'll watch a few (weather permitting) on the grass near the beginning of the far turn.

I'll also go up to the rail for the post parades and stand outside of the Winner's Enclosure a few times.

I try to experience the evenings as I would have prior to full card simultcasting. It's a bygone era, but it can come close to being replicated at any race track if one only bets the live races.

Excellent!

Have that thirst quenched. Racing can offer a pleasant trip back in time. My most recent trip to Saratoga was on a Wednesday and during what can be described as unspectacular weather. But it was the best experience on a rare day the venue wasn't packed. And I hit the last race because Brittany Russell trained and so I walked out a winner.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, June 30, 2023

• Cancellations: Belmont, Woodbine and Laurel canceled Friday cards. Air quality is the reason.

​

Belmont (New York):

​

Laurel Park (Maryland):

• Canceled: The card will be moved to July 6.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Big Daddy Dave (Miguel Vasquez/Peter Walder) gave the trainer his 1,000th winner. His first win came in 1994 at Woodbine. He is a native of Montreal and spent much of his training career on the east coast of the US and said yesterday he considers Gulfstream his "home track."

​

• The Rainbow Six had over $1.4 million in the pool on a mandatory payout day.
• Georgina Baxter is back to training. She is 0-for-7 this year and was 1-for-8 last year. She went without any starters from part of February 2022 until May 2023. No specific reason for her absence that I recall but she hit at a high rate of 30% in 2020 in her third year and in August 2021 won the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks (WV); however, she was DQ'd ($230,400 in purse money) from that win the following February a positive test through a split sample. She was suspended three times in 2020 and in October 2021 in Florida. R Adios Jersey, the horse DQ'd in West Virginia, is running July 1 at Gulfstream.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Steve Asmussen added three wins to his all-time leading total that stands at 10,180.
• Brad Cox, off a two-win day, is 6 4-2-0 the past three racing days at Ellis. He has used Luis Saez and Florent Geroux.
• Race 5: Copper Em (Florent Geroux/Steve Asmussen) romped by more than four lengths at 15-to-1 and topped a $2 exacta that paid over $1,500 and $.10 super that paid in excess of $7,000. The winner was sold at auction for the small sum of $48,000.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Weather in North Henderson, KY, home of Ellis Park and roughly 10 miles south of Evansville, IN, is as follows for today:

https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/Henderson+KY?canonicalCityId=da6a12bfb5b6854acfc1cbc7735bb27f8c920ef7722062e1bedd8ffe5bf7b657

Partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms, possibly severe. Damaging winds and large hail with some storms. High 92F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.​

==============================================
Looking into Air Quality measures, this morning, I came across the following numbers. Anything above 150 is considered "unhealthy" and that is where regulations are recommended through HISA and local officials including vets.

• 151 for New York City, NY (which is much higher than Elmont, home of Belmont)
• 148 for Philadelphia (not scheduled to race)
• 118 for Wilmington, DE
• 112 for Laurel, MD
• 105 for Cicero, IL
• 102 for Monmouth, NJ
• 97 for Elmont, NY
• 58 for Cincinnati, OH
• 35 for Indianapolis, IN
• 35 for Henderson, KY (though unrelated weather is a concern)

Indianapolis cancelled due to inclement weather. The track had a deep card.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Interesting tidbit. Today's Grade I at Ellis is the first time in the 100-year history of the track that it has hosted such a race. I don't know when Grade I races originated but still a big moment; hopefully, weather cooperates and all are safe.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday. July 1, 2023

• Graham Motion sent out seven horses at four tracks and three times, all at different venues.
• Steve Asmussen added four wins to his all-time leading total.

Belmont (New York):

• Handle: $17 million.
• Jose Ortiz rode four winners. His brother Irad was off, serving a suspension.
• Race 6: Fort Bragg (John Velazquez/Bob Baffert) nosed Saudi Crown (Javier Castellano/Brad Cox) in a battle of superstar connections to win the Grade 3 $200,000 Dwyer Stakes. A great job by the winning rider who is as heady as any. He knew the rail was off today and basically pinned Castellano there, at least that is how it appeared. Johnny V. can frustrate at times, even with his phenomenal legacy but he reach heights of the few. Of course, riding for Baffert has its own merits. The $700,000 horse won for the second time in eight starts, In 2022, Charge It (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher) won this race by 23 lengths. What a difference a year makes. The rider has won this race three of the past four years.

​

• Race 9: Three Technique (Javier Castellano/Jason Cook) won the $250,000 Grade 2 John A. Nerud. The small-stable trainer has under 150 lifetime wins since he began in 1991 and scored his first graded stakes victory. Cook won a 27-way shake when he claimed Three Technique in November 2021 for $40,000.

​

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Card: Nine races, two graded stakes.
• Handle: $3.3 million.
• Race 7: Sopran Basilea (Jorge Ruiz/Graham Motion), an Irish bred who ran her first 15 races in Italy before coming to the U.S. where she has raced the past two starts, won the Grade 3 $250,000 Robert E. Dick. That is unofficially the first career graded stakes win for Ruiz, the rider. Motion also sent out the favorite (Frivole) who finished last.

​

• Race 8: Foggy Night (Paco Lopez/Butch Reid) won the Grade 3 $300,000 Delaware Oaks in a thriller and yet at 14-to-1. Nice effort, the winner didn't want to quit. The Parx-based trainer had a good day including a win at Laurel. Among the defeated were horses sent out by Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, the latter who fizzled as the favorite.

​

• Paco Lopez rode three winners.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Sheldon Russell rode three winners with just five mounts. He also won for three different trainers.
• Race 8: Prince of Jericho (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) withstood a trainer's objection but managed to win the $100,000 Concern Stakes.

​

Ellis (Kentucky):

• Card: 11 races, three graded stakes.
• Brad Cox was 6 2-3-1 which made him 12 6-5-1 (50%/100%) the past four racing days.
• Greg Foley sent out two horses and both returned winners, one in a graded stakes and the other in a non-graded stakes.
• Flavien Prat rode three winners including two in graded stakes.
• Race 8: Pauline's Pearl (Joel Rosario/Steve Asmussen) won the $400,000 Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Stakes in a reduced field of three.
• Race 9: Stitched (Flavien Prat/Gregory Foley) won the $400,000 Grade 2 Wide Dan Stakes at 46-to-1.

​

​

​

• Race 10: West Will Power (Flavien Prat/Brad Cox) won the $1,000,000 Grade I Stephen Foster Stakes. This is a Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" race. West Will Power is 8 4-3-1 since the start of 2022. The 6-yar-old son to Bernardini was sent off the favorite at 2-to-1; he has been out 17 times.

​

Lone Star (Texas):

• Steve Asmussen finished 12 1-1-2. He had consecutive races in which he finished last and dead last with all four horses sent off at high odds ranging from 17-1 to 36-to-1.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Card: Five graded stakes races of 11 run.
• Mark Casse had four wins including three graded stakes. He sent out 13 horses in eight races.
• Patrick Husbands rode three winners including two graded stakes.
• Kazushi Kimura rode three winners.
• Sahin Civaci rode two graded stakes winners, both for Mark Casse. Civaci, from western Canada via Turkey, had arguably the best day of his riding career.

​

• Race 8: Lucky Score (Sahin Civaci/Mark Casse) won the Grade 2 $200,000 Highlander Stakes.

• Race 10: Fev Rover (Parick Husbands/Mark Casse) won the Grade 2 $175,000 Nassau Stakes. Among the defeated was runner up Moira (Kazushi Kimura/Kevin Attard) who placed at 4-to-5 odds. She was Canadian Horse of the Year in 2022.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Irish Derby is scheduled for 10:40 am ET today at Curraugh. First post is 8:50 am ET. The 8th and final race is scheduled for 1:00 pm ET.

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TH]Race #[/TH]
[TH]Purse[/TH]
[TH]Race Type[/TH]
[TH]Distance[/TH]
[TH]Surface[/TH]
[TH]Starters[/TH]
[TH]Est. Post[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 1[/TD]
[TD]$127,500[/TD]
[TD]Gr2 - Gain Railway Stakes[/TD]
[TD]6F[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]8:50 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 2[/TD]
[TD]$106,000[/TD]
[TD]Listed Stakes[/TD]
[TD]6F[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]9:25 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 3[/TD]
[TD]$106,000[/TD]
[TD]Premier Handicap[/TD]
[TD]5F[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]19[/TD]
[TD]10:00 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 4[/TD]
[TD]$1,327,500[/TD]
[TD]Gr1 - Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby[/TD]
[TD]1 1/2M[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]10:40 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 5[/TD]
[TD]$106,000[/TD]
[TD]Premier Handicap[/TD]
[TD]1M[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]23[/TD]
[TD]11:15 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 6[/TD]
[TD]$106,000[/TD]
[TD]Fillies Premier Handicap[/TD]
[TD]7F[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]11:50 AM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 7[/TD]
[TD]$106,000[/TD]
[TD]Listed Stakes[/TD]
[TD]1M[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]12:25 PM[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Race 8[/TD]
[TD]$106,000[/TD]
[TD]Premier Handicap[/TD]
[TD]1 1/2M[/TD]
[TD]Turf[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD]1:00 PM[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Johnny V. has one ride all day and it is in the finale at Belmont on a 12-to-1.

EDIT: He was replaced on the mount.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, July 2, 2023

Curraugh (Ireland):

• Race 4: Auguste Rodin (Ryan Moore/Aidan O'Brien) won the Irish Derby at the odds of 2-to-5. It was O'Brien's 100th European classic victory.

​

Belmont (New York):

• Race 9: The $1 Pick 6 paid an immense $75,000+.
• Race 3: Evvie Jets (Javier Castellano/Mertkan Kantamaci) won the $150,000 feature race, in a field of five in which Chad Brown had three runners. Brown's barn is just 1-for-15 since June 29.

​

Laurel (Maryland):

• Angel Cruz rode three winners.
• Race 10: Freestanding (Sheldon Russell/Brittany Russell) trounced the small field.

​

Ellis (Kentucky):

• Closing Day: The Churchill Downs-Ellis Park meet ended today.
  • Leading Jockeys: Luis Saez and Tyler Gaffalione shared with 20 wins.
  • Leading Trainer: Steve Asmussen with 22 wins.
• Next Meet: 7/7/2023-8/30/2023 at Ellis Park.
• Luis Saez rode four winners. He had a mount on nine horses, every race but the opener.

​

• Cristian Torres-Steve Asmussen teamed three times and each was a winner.
• Steve Asmussen had his third straight three-win day. He has won with nine of his past 15 starters at Ellis and is a perfect 4 4-0-0 with Cristian Torres riding.

Los Alamitos (California):

• What was that?! An even-money favorite won the finale at Los Alamitos tonight and with it gave a lucky bettor a $161,000 $2 Pick 6. Seeing these payouts would not lead me to believe a Pick 6 could pay that amount of cash. There had to be a massive price-drop on one of these horses. Curious minds want to know.

Pick 6 winning odds:​

• Race 9: 1-1
• Race 8: 5-2
• Race 7: 7-2
• Race 6: 13-1
• Race 5: 3-1
• Race 4: 5-1

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Prairie Meadows (IA) has its biggest annual card on Saturday, July 8.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$15,500	Optional Claiming	300 Yards	Dirt	7	6:00 PM CT
Race 2	$89,900	Hawkeye Futurity	330 Yards	Dirt	10	6:25 PM CT
Race 3	$157,243	Prairie Meadows Gold Futurity	350 Yards	Dirt	10	6:50 PM CT
Race 4	$43,243	Maiden Special Weight	5 Furlongs	Dirt	6	7:16 PM CT
Race 5	$43,243	Maiden Special Weight	5 Furlongs	Dirt	8	7:42 PM CT
Race 6	$100,000	Prairie Gold Juvenile S.	5 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	6	8:11 PM CT
Race 7	$225,000	Iowa Oaks	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	7	8:40 PM CT
Race 8	$300,000	Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	10	9:09 PM CT
Race 9	$250,000	Iowa Derby	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	14	9:38 PM CT
Race 10	$34,000	Allowance	6 Furlongs	Dirt	6	10:04 PM CT
Race 11	$27,800	Starter Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	7	10:30 PM CT

 

[GKJ]

Don’t agree with this at all. There’s been no evidence of further malfeasance.