Wednesday August 21, 2024
Cross Country Pick 5 bet available for Friday, Aug. 23
- Leg A: Woodbine - Race 8 Bold Venture (G3)
- Leg B: Monmouth - Race 8
- Leg C: Woodbine - Race 9 King's Plate
- Leg D: Saratoga - Race 10 Personal Ensign (G1)
- Leg E: Woodbine - Race 10 Catch A Glimpse
- Chalk: Favorites won five of the nine races. The $1 Pick 6 paid slightly more than $1,200.
- Leading Jockeys: Irad Ortiz over Tyler Gaffalione by just five victories.
- Leading Trainers: Chad Brown over Michael Maker by six victories.
- Christopher Clement has just six wins this meet and at 11% that mark, too, is low; however, he has $1.2 million in earnings and that ranks fifth best.
- All Right! A Korea War vet named "Rusty," who has been coming to Saratoga since 1933 (per one report), celebrated a birthday at the oval today.
Delaware Park (Delaware):
- Race 7: The Grey Wizard (John Velazquez/Graham Motion) won the $200,000 Cape Henlopen in a rare ride for the Hall of Fame rider at Delaware. It was his lone mount. Velazquez was issued a suspension today for an August 16 race at Saratoga in which he was DQ'd from a victory. The suspension will be served August 28-30.
Horseshoe Indy (Indiana):
- Handle: Exceeded $3 million. This card last year handled $1.4 million.
- Race 8: Demolisher (Emmanuel Esquivel/Cipriano Contreras) won the $100,000 Bucchero Stakes. Strong Tide (Edgar Morales/Michal Lauer) was sent off the prohibitive favorite at 1-to-5 but was vanned off following an injury that prevented the horse from becoming the richest Indiana-bred ever; thankfully, the injury isn't life threatening though serious.
York (England):
- Ryan Moore-Aidan O'Brien teamed for three straight wins two of which were part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.
- Race 2: The Lion in Winter (Ryan Moore/Aidan O'Brien) won the $209,000 Group 3 Acomb Stakes which is part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Series.
- Race 3: Los Angeles (Ryan Moore/Aidan O'Brien) won the $339,000 Group 2 race.
- Race 4: City of Troy (Ryan Moore/Aidan O'Brien) set a course record in a wonderful performance to win the Group I $1.5 million Juddmonte International Stakes which is part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge Series. The son of Triple Crown winner Justify is 7 6-0-1 lifetime and has won four Group I races.
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Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s City of Troy recorded a spectacular success Wednesday under Ryan Moore in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York. With his victory in the 1 1/4-mile contest for 3-year-olds and up, City of Troy earned an automatic starting position into the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.
Earlier in the program, The Lion in Winter (IRE) was an impressive winner of the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes (G3) over 7 furlongs for 2-year-olds, landing an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).
The Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.
It was to the surprise of many that Ryan Moore made the running on City of Troy in the Juddmonte International. Sent off as the 5-4 favorite, the son of Justify broke sharply from the stalls with Moore eager to take control early. He quickly seized the lead, showing too much speed for his intended pacemaker, Hans Anderson (GB).
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