Horse Racing: MOJO RISING wins debut, IRAD ORTIZ wins 5x at Gulf; JOURNALISM wins Ky. Derby prep; Breeders' Cup tie-in with electrifying call in Argentina

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Flavien Prat 2024:

• 80 stakes won (prior record Irad Ortiz, Jr. with 79 in 2022).
• 55 graded stakes won (tied record with Jerry Bailey's total in 2003).

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Todd Pletcher named University of Arizona "Alumnus of the Year" for 2025.

https://paulickreport.com/news/people/todd-pletcher-named-university-of-arizonas-alumnus-of-the-year

Clearly, Pletcher's grit and determination have paid off in spades. This year, Pletcher will add yet another award to his considerably packed trophy shelf - we are pleased to name Todd Pletcher the 2025 CALES Alumnus of the Year.​

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Each year, the University of Arizona Alumni Advisory Council has the privilege of conferring recognition upon individuals for outstanding achievement and contributions to their professions, their communities and the University of Arizona. Todd will be honored among alumni from other colleges who are changing the world. We're honored to celebrate Todd's incredible achievements and dedication to his sport this February.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Aqueduct (NY) has morning post times for Friday and Saturday, part of a canceled race day.
FRIDAY

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$35,000	Maiden Claiming	6 F	Dirt	9	11:40 AM ET
2	$65,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/8 M	Dirt	7	12:10 PM ET
3	$65,000	Claiming	1 M	Dirt	8	12:39 PM ET
4	$90,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	Dirt	9	1:08 PM ET
5	$70,000	Maiden Optional Claiming	1 M	Dirt	9	1:37 PM ET
6	$32,000	Claiming	6 F	Dirt	9	2:07 PM ET
7	$75,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	10	2:36 PM ET
8	$28,000	Claiming	6 F	Dirt	10	3:06 PM ET
9	$92,000	Allowance	7 F	Dirt	8	3:35 PM ET
10	$45,000	Maiden Claiming	7 F	Dirt	12	4:04 PM ET

SATURDAY

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$48,000	Claiming	6 F	Dirt	8	11:40 AM ET
2	$28,000	Claiming	1 M	Dirt	8	12:10 PM ET
3	$52,000	Claiming	6 F	Dirt	10	12:39 PM ET
4	$36,000	Claiming	7 F	Dirt	9	1:08 PM ET
5	$85,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 M	Dirt	8	1:37 PM ET
6	$75,000	Maiden Special Weight	7 F	Dirt	10	2:07 PM ET
7	$40,000	Claiming	1 M	Dirt	12	2:36 PM ET
8	$500,000	New York Stallion Series S.	7 F	Dirt	10	3:06 PM ET
9	$500,000	New York Stallion Series S.	7 F	Dirt	12	3:35 PM ET
10	$35,000	Maiden Claiming	1 1/8 M	Dirt	10	4:04 PM ET

===============================================
TELEVISION
Friday through Sunday TV info:

Dec. 13	"America's Day at the Races"	3 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
Dec. 13	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Dec. 13	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
Dec. 14	"America's Day at the Races"	3 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS1
Dec. 14	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Dec. 14	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network
Dec. 15	"America's Day at the Races"	2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.	FS1
Dec. 15	Live coverage of horse racing including closing day at Woodbine	post time varies	FanDuel TV
Dec. 15	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	Racetrack Television Network

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Gulfstream (FL) has low MSW purses on Saturday but the card is deep for turf players...

Race	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
1	$41,000	Maiden Claiming	1 M	Turf	10	12:20 PM ET
2	$25,000	Claiming	1 1/16 M	All Weather	9	12:49 PM ET
3	$40,000	Maiden Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	8	1:18 PM ET
4	$26,000	Claiming	1 1/16 M	All Weather	13	1:49 PM ET
5	$41,000	Maiden Claiming	1 1/16 M	Turf	16	2:19 PM ET
6	$43,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 F	Dirt	7	2:49 PM ET
7	$65,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 F	Dirt	10	3:18 PM ET
8	$140,000	Tropical Park Oaks	1 1/16 M	Turf	15	3:53 PM ET
9	$60,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 M	Dirt	9	4:21 PM ET
10	$25,000	Claiming	1 1/16 M	All Weather	9	4:51 PM ET
11	$140,000	Tropical Park Derby	1 1/16 M	Turf	14	5:21 PM ET

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Two Kentucky Derby preps on the docket this weekend: Friday in Oklahoma and Saturday in California.

REMINGTON (OK) -- Friday night
Race 12 POST Time - 10:26 PM CT Remington Springboard Mile S.

P#	PP	Horse	A/S	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1	Coal Battle (KY)	2/C	J P Vargas	121	L Briley	10/1
2	2	Blue Angel (KY)	2/C	D Cabrera	121	S M Asmussen	15/1
3	3	Speed King (KY)	2/C	R Bejarano	121	R Moquett	7/2
4	4	Dominant Spirit (KY)	2/G	J L Alvarez	121	W B Calhoun	15/1
5	5	Brooklyn Alley Cat (KY)	2/G	I V Diego	121	D Pish	20/1
6	6	Essay (TX)	2/G	R E Eramia	121	W B Calhoun	20/1
7	7	Jolly Samurai (TX)	2/G	R Diaz	121	D Pish	4/1
8	8	Complex Music (KY)	2/C	S Elliott	121	S M Asmussen	8/1
9	9	Dr Ruben M (KY)	2/C	E A Maldonado	121	D F O'Neill	6/1
10	10	Medicine Dog (KY)	2/G	F Wethey Jr.	121	S N Davidson	20/1
11	11	Mister Omaha (OK)	2/C	L S Quinonez	121	J S Offolter	5/1
12	12	Keeno (KY)	2/C	J V Bridgmohan	121	S M Asmussen	12/1

LOS ALAMITOS (CA) -- Saturday night​

Race 8 Los Alamitos Futurity (Grade II) POST Time - 3:54 PM PT​

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1	1	Gaming (KY)	​	2/C		F Prat	120	B Baffert	2/5
2	2	Mellencamp (KY)	​	2/C		K Kimura	120	B Baffert	15/1
3	3	Getaway Car (KY)	​	2/C		J J Hernandez	120	B Baffert	3/1
4	4	Rank (KY)	​	2/C		A Fresu	120	D F O'Neill	15/1
5	5	Journalism (KY)	​	2/C		U Rispoli	120	M W McCarthy	6/1

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Two Triple Crown winners passed away per announcements today

• 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid at the age of 28 due to age.
• 2017 Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming passed due to colic. He was the post time favorite that year.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The first 2025 Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In" race is to be held today in Argentina at 5:00 pm ET. The race has 20 entered. The winner advances to the Breeders' Cup turf and a $5 million purse.The race will be shown in the USA as part of Laurel's (MD) extended simulcast feed.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, December 13, 2024

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Closing Night: The meet concluded with a $2.8 million handle.
• Steve Asmussen added four wins to his all-time North America record of 10,700+.
• Race 12: Coal Battle (Juan Vargas/Lonnie Briley) won the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile and with it earned 10 points towards entry into the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

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Saturday, December 14, 2024

• Highlights: A Kentucky Derby prep in California and a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race in Argentina.
• Turf Racing: Fair Grounds (LA), Tampa Bay (FL) and Gulfstream (FL) hold the most appeal for turf players this time of year. California kicks in with Santa Anita later this month. Other jurisdictions such as New York and Maryland close the surface for the winter. Oaklawn (AR) has large purses but no turf course.
• Steve Asmussen added eight wins the past two days to his all-time North America record of 10,700+. He sent out 26 horses across five tracks.
• Get Well Wishes Sent: Vernon Bush suffered a potential life-altering injury at Tampa Bay a few days ago. There is a Gofundme page in his name and among the injuries is multiple fractures including his spine. Bush, now in his 60s, is one of the most successful riders in the now closed New England racing circuit. He won a national perseverance award last year and among the words scripted back then were as follows:

Bush returned to riding at 61 after back-to-back injuries. He sat out two years while recovering from a broken femur, which required 12 screws and a plate above his kneecap to repair. Prior to that, he was off the previous two years from a broken ankle, which required 12 screws and two plates. Bush also went through two hip surgeries, including a hip replacement. When he won at Belterra Park in May 2022, it marked a more than four-and-a-half-year wait to return to the winner's circle. Source: bloodhorse​

San Isidro (Argentina):

• Race 14: Intense For Me (Martin Valle/Nicolas Martin) pulled an upset in the first 2025 Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Series race (the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini) at 17-to-1. The Grade I race is the country's biggest event. Among the beaten was the 5-to-2 favorite in the stretch with a terrific energetic call by the local track announcer. The field of 20 finished 18-20-12, the only horses in the race with more than four lifetime wins.

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Woodbine (Ontario):

• Penultimate 2024 Card: Racing ends for the year tomorrow (Sunday).
• Race 4: Mojo Rising (Sahin Civaci/Kevin Attard) stuck his head out and debuted to win by mere inches in what was a very entertaining race. It will be interesting to see if the connections send the horse south based on the dark days in Canada the next few months. Whether or not named for Jim Morrison, who would have celebrated a birthday last week, the colt was born in Florida just like the singer. Oddly, the bubbles at the bottom of the screen seemed to indicate the 8 was in the lead nearly the entire race even when trailing the field.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Hot Barns: Richie Dutrow and Brad Cox have better than 40% winning marks and are both in the top three in wins at the meet. James Ryerson, perhaps best known as the trainer of Unbridled's Song, is at 28% and perhaps under-the-radar.
• Race 9: Finished a rare 12-11-10.

Gulfstream, (Florida):

• Handle: $10.9 million.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. had an extraordinary finish to his 5-win day with victories on board the final four races including the day's two biggest races the $140,000 Tropical Parks Oaks and Tropical Park Derby. He began the day without hitting the board on his first four rides. He is dominating the meet at 34% and 20 victories.
• Pick 6 Sunday: Estimated to be over $500,000.

Dayton (Ohio):

• Race 5: The top three finishers at this harness track were sent off at 35-to-1, 42-to-1 and 75-to-1.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Card: 10 races of which seven held purses $100,000 as part of Louisiana Champions Day.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 7: Brodeur, a son to Nyquist, broke his maiden second-time-out. Owned by a family in New Jersey who once had ties to the original New Jersey Nets (ABA) basketball team.
• Tyler Bacon, a 17-year-old jockey from Montana, rode. He had been riding in Nebraska and Iowa. Oaklawn is a major advancement, especially for a teen.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Schedule: The second-to-last day on the racing calendar. Southern Cal racing returns with a much-anticipated opening day at Santa Anita on December 26. That meet ends April 6, 2025.
• Race 6: Polythene Pam (Kyle Frey/Librado Barocio) was sent off 7-to-1 but was "killer-diller in her jackboots and kilt." Beatles' fans rejoice!

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• Race 8: Journalism (Umberto Rispoli/Michael McCarthy) defeated three Bob Baffert runners -- in a field of five -- to win the $200,000 Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity and gain 10 points towards entry into the 2025 Kentucky Derby. Baffert has won this race a record 14 times but today he suffered including Gaming, ridden by Flavien Prat, who finished third at 1-to-2.

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The Eclipse Award for Trainer of the Year voting seems to be polarizing in some circles. The top ten ranked by both wins and then money earnings are listed below.

Brad Cox and Chad Brown seem to be cinches for two of the three finalists with Kenny McPeek (just nine graded stakes wins but $9m in earnings) mentioned by some. Cox would get my vote but eventually graded stakes and stakes tend to sway voters.

Graded Stakes

Starts	Per Starter	1st	2nd	3rd	Earnings	Per Start	Win %	WPS %

Brown:

198

2.39

47

29

21

$ 18,811,299

$ 95,007

24%

49%

Cox:

119

2.16

33

19

20

$ 15,307,899

$ 128,638

28%

61%

Most wins in 2024:

Rank	Trainer Name	Starts	Starters	1st	2nd	3rd	Earnings	Per Start	Win %	WPS / Start	WPS / Starter
2	Steven M. Asmussen	2,222	599	395	335	293	$28,589,304	$12,866​	18%	46%	1.7
12	Jamie Ness	1,383	300	353	236	223	$10,849,947	$7,845​	26%	59%	2.7
6	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	1,018	291	253	158	124	$15,937,685	$15,656​	25%	53%	1.8
3	Brad H. Cox	880	337	234	166	121	$27,787,485	$31,577​	27%	59%	1.5
5	Mark E. Casse	1,256	358	227	158	171	$17,460,138	$13,901​	18%	44%	1.6
46	Anthony Farrior	879	258	211	172	119	$3,918,492	$4,458​	24%	57%	1.9
1	Chad C. Brown	908	340	210	155	127	$30,775,545	$33,894​	23%	54%	1.4
8	Michael J. Maker	1,278	369	187	177	175	$15,547,397	$12,165​	15%	42%	1.5
19	Brittany T. Russell	623	220	148	99	88	$7,285,247	$11,694​	24%	54%	1.5
4	Todd A. Pletcher	776	276	139	118	105	$19,629,054	$25,295​	18%	47%	1.3

Highest earnings in 2024:

Rank	Trainer Name	Starts	Starters	1st	2nd	3rd	Earnings	Per Start	Win %	WPS / Start	WPS / Starter
1	Chad C. Brown	908	340	210	155	127	$30,775,545	$33,894​	23%	54%	1.4
2	Steven M. Asmussen	2,222	599	395	335	293	$28,589,304	$12,866​	18%	46%	1.7
3	Brad H. Cox	880	337	234	166	121	$27,787,485	$31,577​	27%	59%	1.5
4	Todd A. Pletcher	776	276	139	118	105	$19,629,054	$25,295​	18%	47%	1.3
5	Mark E. Casse	1,256	358	227	158	171	$17,460,138	$13,901​	18%	44%	1.6
6	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	1,018	291	253	158	124	$15,937,685	$15,656​	25%	53%	1.8
7	Kenneth G. McPeek	615	187	83	60	96	$15,788,613	$25,673​	13%	39%	1.3
8	Michael J. Maker	1,278	369	187	177	175	$15,547,397	$12,165​	15%	42%	1.5
9	Bob Baffert	322	111	92	69	53	$14,209,636	$44,129​	29%	66%	1.9
10	Christophe Clement	622	192	118	94	104	$12,591,251	$20,243​	19%	51%	1.6