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]

34 scratched today at Saratoga (Friday).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday magic works again. Sheldon Russell is a wise man. First mount for his wife. LOL.

Vinny Viola and Mike Repole own.

EDIT: The Russells nearly wired the field on the second-half of back-to-back but got picked up prior to the wire. Grrr.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, August 18, 2023
Brad Cox finished 6 4-1-1 across three tracks.

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: $15 million.
• Off The Turf: More than 30 horses scratched for at least the third time this meet. A disconcerting meet for the Spa.
• Race 1: Corey and Quinn (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) debuted to victory. Another win for the Uncle Mo offspring. Owned in part by NHL player Erik Johnson and his ERJ Racing.

​

• Race 2: T Max (Jose Lezcano/Linda Rice) won by more than 15 lengths.
• Race 7: A nose and then a neck separated the first three finishers.
• Race 10: The $1 Pick 6 paid more than $20,000. The card was filled with chalky winners early but settled later in the day.
• George Weaver has had an exceptional meet, going 29% to date. He has the best percentage among the 11 trainers with 6+ wins. Additionally, he is a dazzling 25 11-3-2 (44%) with 2-year-olds in 2023.

Belterra (Ohio):

• Perry Ouzts had one mount and delivered at 13-to-1. Eleven months away to his 70th birthday. And so it goes.

Ellis Park (Kentucky):

• Gerardo Corrales rode five winners. He had eight rides and finished 8 5-0-2. Three wins came for Brad Cox who had a 4-win day including one victory at Saratoga.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Races 2-6-11 are off the turf at Saratoga today (Sat.).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Del Mar has canceled Sunday racing (potential storm). Second time in 84 years Del Mar has lost a race day.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I don't think I have ever seen what was announced a few moments ago about the $1 million King's Plate at Woodbine on Sunday. A horse previously listed among the starters was placed on the AE list and one from the AE elevated as a starter due to a mistake or discrepancy on Equibase with career earnings.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: More than $31 million wagered even though three races were removed from turf.
• Chad Brown, the meet's leading trainer, entered six races and won half including both graded stakes. He sent out 11 runners at the Spa.
• Tyler Gaffalione wired the field with two maiden winners. He is having a dream meet.

• Race 1: Risk It (Tyler Gaffalione/Steve Asmussen) cost $500,000 but wired the field in the Saratoga opener. The Gun Runner colt is a among list of success stories for the sire who may go down as the best horse on the track and in the shed, combined, for the past 25 years.

​

• Race 6: Pretty cool moment as siblings Katie and Dylan Davis walked the path familiar to Spa goers, en route to boarding their mounts. Perhaps it was done for TV or other reasons, but the playful nature of the pair was more so in evidence than the competitive relationship which eventually ensued like any other race.
• Race 7: Aspray (Flavien Prat/Chad Brown) won the Grade 2 $200,000 Lake Placid Stakes at 3-to-1. 1980 U.S. Hockey Olympians John Harrington and Mark Johnson informed "Riders' Up." For Brown, who had four of the eight starters, it was the fifth time in the last six years that he has won the race,

​

​

​

• Race 9: Randomized (Joel Rosario/Chad Brown) wired the field at 7-to-1 to win the Grade 1 4600,000 Alabama Stakes. Rosario rode for the first time on board the colt's fifth start, Wet Paint (Flavien Prat/Brad Cox), a millionaire, was heavily bet but she was coming in off a tough race and offered little value. Randomized was stepping up in class but the formidable New York regulars from trainer to owner (Seth Klarman) made the horse the true pick as he was ice cold on the board at 9-to-2 m/l.

​

​

​

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Race 8: Whelan Springs (Jose Ferrer/Lindsay Schultz) won the $250,000 Grade 3 Philip Iselin in a shortened field of five. The Arkansas-bred was under the trainer's care for just the third time and has taken a likening to the New Jersey track after racing in spots such as Oaklawn (AR) and Indianapolis (IN). Ferrer was celebratory following the win, Schultz, who seemed reserved after the win, won for the first time last year and today secured her first graded stakes victory. She is a former assistant to Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey.

​

Laurel (Maryland):

• Penultimate Day of the Meet: After tomorrow, the Maryland State Fair at Timonium races 8/25/2023-9/4/2023 and then Baltimore's historic Pimlico 9/8/2023-9/24/2023. Laurel then finishes the year from 9/29/2023-12/31/2023.
• Race 9: Field Pass (Axel Concepcion/Michael Maker) won the $75,000Find Stakes by a neck. At 4-to-1, this offering was a steal even though the 6-year-old, at 2-to-1 to start the betting interests, was 1-for-11 since the start of 2022.

​

• Race 8: Gold Digging Broad (Carlos Lopez/Miguel Vera) was elevated following a lengthy stewards' review to win the $75,000 All Brandy Stakes. Downtoiwn Katie (Jaime Rodriguez/Mike Gorham) was DQ'd.

​

• Axel Concepcion, who could be a leading contender for Apprentice of the Year in North America, had a 4-win day. He finished 8 4-0-1 and among the wins was three consecutive victorious mounts. Still a teenager, the young jock is consistent with successful bug riders in and around the Maryland tracks in recent and even not-so recent history.

Colonial Downs (Virginia):

• Mychel Sanchez rode three winners including 2-for-2 on board Michael Tromebetta horses.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 10: More than $1.8 million was added to the Pick 6 pool in a mandatory payout.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 5 produced a gigantic $55,000+ payout.
• Race 2: Make Decisions (Emisael Jaramillo/Todd Pletcher) was out for the second time and won this $22,000 purse. However, at $650,000, the purchase price by Mike Repole and Vinny Viola is enormous.
• Race 1: Brawn (Jesus Rios/Ruben Sierra) opened the card as a victor at 30-to-1 in a debut performance to remember for at least one lucky ticket-holder. It began what would be an unforgettable early Pick 5.

Louisiana Downs (Louisiana):

• Race 5: The $.50 tri returned more than $5,700. A gigantic total with the second longest odds at 23-to-1 winning.

Del Mar (California):

• Handle: Roughly $19 million.
• Race 7 Tamara (Mike Smith/Richard Mandella) debuted to a win. The 2-year-old filly is a product of hot young sire Bolt d'Oro and $6 million-earning dam Beholder who now has two babies that have won on the track.

​

• Race 9: Anisette (Umberto Rispoli/Leonard Powell) broke last and stayed there until a final thrush to win the $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Oaks.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 7: Canadiansweetheart (Leo Salles/Renico Lafond) won the $125,000 Sweet Briar Too Stakes at the exorbitant odds of 36-to-1, by far the longest shot on the board. Salles, from Brazil, seemed on the verge of an emotional moment, but composed himself mightily. Chris Manohar, the winning owner, stated afterwards about his victorious horse "Just like us. Young with a lot of heart." The winning trainer has just 12 lifetime wins in more than 12 years of training. Other than that, I do not know much about his past. A small barn was huge in this race.

​

• Race 9: War Bomber (Rico Walcott/Norm McKnight) won the Grade 2 $200,000 King Edward Stakes by a neck. Good performance.

​

 

[Jovavic]

Wife and I went to Scioto Downs and walked out 50 bucks richer after 7 races, not bad for our second time there with some of my family. We hope to hit it up again it closes down for the season in a month.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Apparently he had it in all 4 feet, which I don’t know how common that is. Just never seen it made a point of, so I assume that’s rare much less sudden.

Cave Rock, a star 2-year-old from the Arrogate progeny, passed due to the dreaded laminitis as we discussed, within the past few hours.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saratoga Sunday: on turf except Race 9 which is to be run at a mile.

Del Mar has canceled due to the expected arrival of a hurricane.

Woodbine has a massive card today.

 

[GKJ]

Cave Rock, a star 2-year-old from the Arrogate progeny, passed due to the dreaded laminitis as we discussed, within the past few hours.

Very sad and unfortunate

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

That didn't take long. A son to Nyquist races at Woodbine (ON) today. The name? Bedard.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Saratoga (New York):

• Handle: Roughly $20 million.
• Two Wins Each: Ricardo Santana, Jr. Manny Franco and Irad Ortiz, Jr. rode two winners apiece and Todd Pletcher had a couple of winners as well. Flavien Prat-Chad Brown teamed to win consecutive races late in the day.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Closing Day/Meet Leaders: Today marked the finale of the Laurel meet. Jaime Rodiguez (39 wins) and Jamie Ness (27 wins) won the jockey and trainer tiles, respectively.
• Maryland Racing:

• The Maryland State Fair at Timonium 8/25/2023-9/4/2023
• Baltimore's historic Pimlico 9/8/2023-9/24/2023
• Laurel then finishes the year from 9/29/2023-12/31/2023

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Adrenaline on Display:

​

Del Mar (California):

​

Emerald Downs (Washington):

• This looks like fun!:

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Handle: $18,127,726.73 bet which is the highest wagered on a King's Plate card.
• Race 10: Paramount Prince (Patrick Husbands/Mark Casse) wired the field at 8-to-1 to win the $1,000,000 King's Plate which is the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Prince entered off another gate-to-wire win which was his second victory in five starts. Elysian Field (Sahin Civaci/Mark Casse), one of two fillies in the race, placed giving the Hall of Fame trainer a 1-2 score. Separately, I nailed the exacta cold at $92 which I thought was a bit low considering a field of 17 and the favorite off the board. This is the oldest continuously run race in North America at 164 years,

​

• Race 9: Miss Dracarys (Javier Castellano/Neil Drysdale), based in New York, won the Grade 2 $200,000 Dance Smartly Stakes.

​

• Race 7: Patches O'Houlihan (Daisuke Fukumoto/Robert Tiller) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Bold Venture Stakes. The 3-year-old gelding is 7 6-0-0 lifetime including 5-for-5 this year.

​

• Sihan Civaci rode three winners and Mark Casse and Kevin Attard both trained a trio of victors.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

New York will post an opening time for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with its biggest race on the Saratoga calendar. The Travers will likely be drawn tomorrow (Wedn.) but here is a possible expected field:

---------------------------

​

Date	Program	Time	Network/Social Media
Aug. 23	Broadcast of the Juddmonte International Stakes	9 a.m.-11 a.m.	FS2
Aug. 23	"Saratoga Live"	1 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
Aug. 23	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Aug. 23	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
Aug. 24	"Saratoga Live"	1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.	FS2
Aug. 24	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Aug. 24	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
Aug. 25	"Saratoga Live"	1 p.m.-5:30 p.m. on FS2, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on FS1	FS2 and FS1
Aug. 25	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Aug. 25	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
Aug. 26	"Saratoga Live" and "FOX Saratoga Saturday"	11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on FS2, 1:30 p.m.-3 p.m. on FS1, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m. on FOX, 6:30 p.m.-7 p.m. on FS2	FOX, FS1 and FS2
Aug. 26	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Aug. 26	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
Aug. 27	"Saratoga Live"	1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.	FS2
Aug. 27	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Aug. 27	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Indiana has adjusted post times for Wednesday's card. Deep fields and 14 entered in both $100,000 Handicaps. First post is 10:00 a.m..

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$18,000	Maiden Claiming	1 M 70 Y	Dirt	10	10:00 AM ET
2	$16,000	Maiden Claiming	6 F	Dirt	11	10:30 AM ET
3	$14,000	Claiming	6 F	Dirt	9	11:00 AM ET
4	$34,000	Maiden Special Weight	5 F	Turf	10	11:30 AM ET
5	$40,000	Allowance	1 M 70 Y	Dirt	10	12:00 PM ET
6	$36,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	Turf	11	12:30 PM ET
7	$41,000	Allowance	6 F	Dirt	13	1:00 PM ET
8	$100,000	Peony H.	1 1/16 M	Turf	14	1:30 PM ET
9	$100,000	Bucchero H.	1 1/16 M	Turf	14	2:00 PM ET
10	$18,500	Allowance	300 Y	Dirt	11	2:30 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Del Mar's reported condition from at least one track local:

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday night is the St. Louis Derby from FanDuel (southern IL). Corey Lanerie is four wins away from 5,000 in his career. Heavyweight trainers such as Asmussen, Cox and McPeek are sending horses

RACE 6 - POST TIME - 9:50 PM CT St. Louis Derby Presented by FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK​

Purse $250,000.
For Three Year Olds.
One And One Sixteenth Miles.

P#	PP	Horse	A/S	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1	Tabeguache (KY)	3/C	E Esquivel	119	B H Cox	6/1
2	2	Billy Jack (KY)	3/C	C A Torres	119	S M Asmussen	4/1
3	3	Carcano (KY)	3/C	M Garcia	119	V H Oliver	8/1
4	4	Denington (KY)	3/C	C J Lanerie	119	K G McPeek	7/2
5	5	Slip Mahoney (KY)	3/G	G Corrales	121	B H Cox	3/1
6	6	Hayes Strike (KY)	3/C	B J Hernandez, Jr.	123	K G McPeek	5/2
7	7	Shouldaboughtdabar (KY)	3/C	C Murphy	119	T S Murphy	6/1

Owners: 1 - Jeff Drown ; 2 - Halona PH, LLC (Marvin Boyd) ; 3 - BBN Racing, LLC (Ann Braxton Lynch) ; 4 - Fern Circle Stables (Paul Fireman) and Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) ; 5 - Gold Square LLC (Al Gold) ; 6 - Dixiana Farms, LLC (William Shively) ; 7 - Travis Swan Murphy, Matt Trent and Triple V Racing, LLC (B. Valentini)
Breeders: 1 - Kindred Stables, Inc; 2 - Forging Oaks Farm; 3 - Scott and Debbie Pierce & Dermot andEmma Quinn; 4 - Fern Circle Stables LLC &Magdalena Racing; 5 - Hill 'N' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc. &Philip J. Steinberg; 6 - Dixiana Farms, LLC; 7 - Edward "Beau" Lane
Pedigrees (Sire - Dam, by Dam Sire): 1 - Into Mischief - More Mojo , by More Than Ready ; 2 - Uncle Mo - C. S. Royce , by Unbridled's Song ; 3 - Bolt d'Oro - Nite in Rome , by Harlan's Holiday ; 4 - Gun Runner - Stronger Than Ever , by Congrats ; 5 - Arrogate - Got Lucky , by A.P. Indy ; 6 - Connect - Plaid , by Deputy Commander ; 7 - Alternation - Gallery Girl , by Gio Ponti ;

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Luis Saez recorded a natural hat trick by winning three straight stakes worth $100,000+ from 9 through 11. Saez could be one of three finalists for Jockey of the Year but the competition starts with Flavien Prat and Irad Ortiz, Jr. and goes from there. Prat's strength is as follows:

​

• Butch Reid won three times.
• Race 9: Nobody Listens (Luis Saez/Tim Eggleston), a 5-year-old, won for the 13th time in 28 starts, won the $100,000 Parx Dash Stakes. The Indiana-bred had won 11 times at Horseshoe Indianapolis (IN) but now sports a solid 2-for-5 record at other ovals. Sold for $40,000 at auction, the gelding has now recorded over $500,000 in earnings. Eggleston is a small-stabled trainer with under 100 lifetime wins.

​

​

​

• Race 10: Foggy Night (Luis Saez/Butch Reid) won the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes. The Florida-bred is 10 4-5-0 lifetime including 6 3-3-0 at Parx.

​

• Race 11: It Miracolo (Luis Saez/Antonio Sano) won the $300,000 Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes his third win in 13 lifetime starts. Il Miracolo is based at Gulfstream (FL) and was one of a five in a field of eight who had entered from another track other than Parx. Chad Brown and Bill Mott finished in the bottom three. Another victory from the Gun Runner family. As mentioned a few days ago, Gun Runner will go down as one of the greatest horses on n off the track combined. His talents stretch from the track to the stable. What a horse!

​

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday night at Charles Town (WV) includes the signature races at the track the Charles Town Oaks and Classic.

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$26,500	Maiden Special Weight	7 F	Dirt	6	5:00 PM ET
2	$27,400	Allowance	4 1/2 F	Dirt	6	5:32 PM ET
3	$28,400	Allowance	1 1/16 M	Dirt	10	6:02 PM ET
4	$28,400	Allowance	7 F	Dirt	9	6:32 PM ET
5	$75,000	Last Enchantment S.	4 1/2 F	Dirt	7	7:02 PM ET
6	$75,000	Autumn S.	4 1/2 F	Dirt	10	7:32 PM ET
7	$250,000	Russell Road S. Presented by Triple Crown Nutrition	7 F	Dirt	11	8:02 PM ET
8	$250,000	Misty Bennett Pink Ribbon S.	7 F	Dirt	9	8:32 PM ET
9	$350,000	Robert Hilton Memorial S.	7 F	Dirt	14	9:05 PM ET
10	$750,000	Charles Town Oaks	7 F	Dirt	12	9:44 PM ET
11	$1,000,000	Charles Town Classic S.	1 1/8 M	Dirt	11	10:25 PM ET
12	$75,000	Sadie Hawkins S.	7 F	Dirt	11	10:55 PM ET
13	$75,000	Frank Gall Memorial S.	7 F	Dirt	13	11:25 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Maryland racing is on shaky ground and with the Stronach Group (1/ST Racing) closing Golden Gate (CA), anything is possible in MD. Whether Pimlico or Laurel lasts is debatable and certainly there seems to be a push for Baltimore rather than Laurel from certain corners. The public remarks from TSG pertaining a possible move of the Preakness Stakes is another matter.

Key Players Surprised, Unmoved About Preakness Comments

As much as 1/ST Racing may want to change the date of the Preakness Stakes (G1), public comments made by 1/ST Racing and Gaming CEO Aidan Butler have not moved the needle with key Maryland and Triple Crown partners.

www.bloodhorse.com

"The face of Maryland could be changed and is under study. If the redevelopment plan is to go forward, then Maryland racing is going to change," said Alan Foreman, a member of the TROA and longtime counsel for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "All of this is being done around the Preakness and having the Preakness in Baltimore. That is what is driving the entire redevelopment plan. It was due to (1/ST Racing) suggesting moving the race to Laurel and consolidate racing there while closing Pimlico."​

​

With the fate of both Pimlico and Laurel in such limbo, questions have been raised about the timing and appropriateness of Butler's remarks about moving the second jewel in the Triple Crown from two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont.​

​

"No one in Maryland was consulted about those remarks, not the horsemen's group, the breeders, the state, anyone in regards to it," Foreman said. "Any movement of the Preakness could have an impact on the Preakness, Triple Crown, and redevelopment plan."​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Travers Stakes has been drawn. The card will be released tomorrow.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I'd like to see Chad Brown's numbers in graded stakes outside NYRA tracks. I don't think it nears that percentage.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Among tracks adjusting post times or canceling cards and re-scheduling dates this week and/or into next week due to heat concerns:

• Presque Isle (PA)
• Belterra (OH)
• Horseshoe (IN)
• Hawthrone (IL)
• Ellis (KY)
• Canterbury (MN)

 

[RosensRug]

I have two horses running Sunday at Saratoga....First time on the grass for one (super star susan) and Three Unions who's won twice on the grass downstate at NYRA...Hoping to get a good trip from unions and my first Saratoga winners circle picture.