Horse Racing: The end of 2022

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Check out the Paulick report to read the winners firsthand account
on his pick 6 hit.
Absolutely unbelievable.

That is one detailed account.

"The payout was about $912,000 after taxes were withheld."

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, January 9, 2022

Aqueduct (New York):

• Handle: $7 million.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled: Snow. There will be a clearer indication as to when the track re-opens following consultations with track experts, horsemen and others during the early stages of the week. Laurel has absorbed an assortment of setbacks within the past year.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Pablo Morales added to his 5-win day yesterday with three victories today. He concluded the past two days 15 8-3-2.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $8.7 million.
• Card: Both races scheduled for turf were moved to Tapeta.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• This meet: There are few meets I anticipate more than this gift and even in moments of despair the payouts can be exhilarating.
• Card: It was such a tough day to handicap, that the two track handicappers combined to win twice (out of 18 chances).
• Handle: $5 million. This is a dirt-only oval.
• Race 9: League of Legends (Jon Court/Jinks Fires) won the finale at 24-to-1. What was a common theme much of the day was the high odds. What was uncommon was the horse closed to victory and began near the outside. Speed and inside factored heavily much of the day. Court is 61 years of age. Fires is 81 years age. The $1 exacta was $231.50. The $1 double was $457.30.
• Race 8: Strong Tide (Geovanni Franco/Michael Lauer) won as the longest shot on the board at 17-to-1.
• Race 7: Sarah Harper (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Ron Moquett) wired the field at 1-to-2 and was the lone chalk to win.
• Race 6: Ego (Geovanni Franco/Paul Holthus) won at 3-to-1, second lowest odds.
• Race 5: Ojitos (Alex Canchari/Miguel Silva) stunned the audience at 90-to-1 as the longest shot on the board in a field of 11. The winner paid $182.20/$51/$21.20. The $1 exacta paid $475.60. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $19,000. The $1 daily double paid $1,036.70, a sum that could be among the top ten as 2022 expires (long ways off). The winner was out for the first time.

​

• Race 4: Catania (Francisco Arrieta/Scott Becker) entered from Hawthorne (IL) and won at 18-to-1.
• Race 3: Richness (Chel-c Bailey/Thomas Swearingen) wired the field at 43-to-1. The winning rider is a former MMA participant.
• Race 2: Living for Today (David Cabrera/John Ortiz) won as the favorite.
• Race 1: Drifter (David Cabrera/Genaro Garcia) won at 5-to-2.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 7: Zero Tolerance (Flavien Prat/Ruben Alvarado) won the $100,000 Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stake at 2-to-1. Prat ended the day 8-2-0 aboard his last 13 mounts after winning four of six today.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And away we go....

The $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Saturday, Jan. 29, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The card will be released at a later date but for now the horses invited...

$3 MILLION PEGASUS WORLD CUP (G1) INVITATIONS
Dr Post
Eight Rings
Express Train
Flightline
Ginobili
Happy Saver
Knicks Go
Life Is Good
Mandaloun
Midnight Bourbon
Sir Winston
Super Stock
AE – Chess Chief
AE – Concert Tour
AE – Endorsed
AE – Fearless
AE – Officiating
AE – Stilleto Boy
AE – Title Ready

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Laurel (MD) has canceled Friday and Saturday but plans to re-open Sunday.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Irad Ortiz, Jr. suffered a minor knee injury on the second day of a return from suspension and will be sidelined 3-to-4 weeks. He may miss the Pegasus World Cup card to be held January 29. Life Is Good was to be his mount. The colt is 6 5-1-0 lifetime and is my pick to win the feature race.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Hello Beautiful (Brittany Russell) sold for $410,000 to Larry Best, the former CFO of Boston Scientific who has been known to drop a dollar or two, at the Keeneland sale.

Hello Beautiful was the toast of Maryland sporting a 20 10-3-1 mark with over $500,000 earned. All 10 wins came in Maryland.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Laurel added racing dates including upcoming Thursdays also extending cards to 10 races. Post times will start at 12:10 pm.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

One day out of COVID Protocol, Tyler Gaffalione had a 4-bagger at Gulf today. The local boy is purdy good.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 5: Champagne Poetry (Dylan Davis/Chad Summers) won at 3-to-1 but set up phenomenal payouts in the $.50 Pick 5 ($36,000+) and $.50 Pick 4 ($29,000+).
• Race 4: An 11-length winner for the favorite.
• Race 3: Lady by Choice (Jose Gomez/Oscar Barrera) swallowed the competition as the longest shot on the board at 32-to-1. The jockey is a 10-pound bug who won for the fourth time in his career.

NYRA's 2021 Handle:

Total handle on U.S. races in 2021 topped $12 billion, reaching the highest figure since 2009. That number represents an 11.86 percent increase over wagering in 2020 ($10.9B), and an increase of 10.74 percent compared to 2019 ($11B).​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sounds as if construction could make NYRA switch its brief Belmont fall meet to Aqueduct.

Winter racing, ongoing, has its own pursuits at NY. Today, two 10-pound bugs won.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Now with some certainty, a review of what happened at NYRA today:

NYRA gets OK for Tunnel at Belmont, Mile Chute at Spa - BloodHorse

The New York Racing Association received financial approval Jan. 14 for construction plans involving a mile chute at Saratoga Race Course and an infield tunnel at Belmont Park, but remains unable to say if the work at Belmont will impact the fall racing schedule at the Elmont, N.Y., racetrack.

While securing approvals for several items Friday at a meeting of NYRA's Financial Oversight Board, the possibility of conducting Belmont Park's fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack was raised. But afterwards a NYRA official said it would be premature to comment on that possibility since a timeline for the work at Belmont has yet to be announced.

"There has been no final decision made on moving the Belmont Park fall meet to Aqueduct," NYRA vice president of communications Pat McKenna said. "NYRA is required to make certain assumptions for budgeting purposes, and those assumptions were discussed today with the Franchise Oversight Board. While it is possible the Belmont fall meet will be conducted at Aqueduct, there will be no final decision on the fall meet until we have a clear picture of the permitting process and construction timeline for the infield tunnel at Belmont Park. Should the tunnel project not allow for the fall meet to be safely conducted at Belmont then it will be moved to Aqueduct."

The infield tunnel is a first step in NYRA's plans to renovate Belmont Park so that it can conduct winter racing. Those plans are expected to include the construction of a synthetic racing surface. Among the other numerous possibilities for the project is a reconfiguration of the racing surface.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, January 14, 2022

Aqueduct (New York):

• Dylan Davis is tied for the meet lead with Kendrick Carmouche with 23 wins apiece. Davis is on fire in 2022 with a 36 12-3-7 (33%/61%) record.
• Jose Gomez and Ailsa Morrison, two 10-pound bugs, won. Gomez's fifth win drops his allowance to seven pounds. Morrison won for the third time.
• Winners: 6-5-6-5-6-5-6-2B-11.
• Saturday: Canceled due to excessive cold weather and related winds.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Todd Pletcher is 45 19-8-2 (42%/64%) this meet.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 9: The stunning result was topped by 32-to-1, 33-1, 32-1 and 30-1. The $1 exacta was $557.20. The $.50 tri was over $4,500. The $.10 super returned more than $18,000.
• Race 3: Hamazing Lace (Kelsi Harr/Al Cates) was sent off the favorite but the jockey got every bit of effort to win. Terrific race.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Eclipse Awards nominees released and the three finalists for Jockey of the Year are:

Flavien Prat
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Joel Rosario.

I think Rosario will win. I am a little surprised by the omission of Luis Saez but there are too many good riders to please all.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Trainer of the Year:

Steve Asmussen
BRAD COX
Chad Brown

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

2021 Eclipse Awards Finalists Announced - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

The 2021 Eclipse Awards Finalists, with the exception of Horse of the Year, listed (in alphabetical order) are:

Two-Year-Old Male: Corniche, Jack Christopher, Modern Games (IRE)

Two-Year-Old Filly: Echo Zulu, Juju's Map, Pizza Bianca

Three-Year-Old Male: Essential Quality, Life Is Good, Medina Spirit

Three-Year-Old Filly: Clairiere, Malathaat, Santa Barbara (IRE)

Older Dirt Male: Knicks Go, Maxfield, Mystic Guide

Older Dirt Female: Letruska, Marche Lorraine (JPN), Shedaresthedevil

Male Sprinter: Aloha West, Flightline, Jackie's Warrior

Female Sprinter: Bella Sofia, Ce Ce, Gamine

Male Turf Horse: Domestic Spending (GB), Space Blues (IRE), Yibir (GB)

Female Turf Horse: Loves Only You (JPN), Santa Barbara (IRE), War Like Goddess

Steeplechase Horse: Baltimore Bucko (GB), Snap Decision, The Mean Queen (IRE)

Owner: Godolphin LLC, Juddmonte Farms Inc., Klaravich Stables Inc.

Breeder: Calumet Farm, Godolphin LLC, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC

Trainer: Steve Asmussen, Chad Brown, Brad Cox

Jockey: Irad Ortiz, Jr., Flavien Prat, Joel Rosario

Apprentice Jockey: John Hiraldo, Charlie Marquez, Jessica Pyfer

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Belmont (New York):

• Canceled: Wind and cold.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled: Track conditions related to weather.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Handle: $8 million+.
• Race 9: Nantucket Red (Olaf Hernandez/Michael Wright) won the $50,000 Wayward Lass Stakes at 15-to-1. The trainer is a brilliant 6 6-0-0 at the meet. He is based at Woodbine (ON). He arrived in Canada from England when he was 14 years of age and has been training since 1967. His wife Gina is a member of the prominent Capuano family in Maryland (Dale and Gary). A significant success story, he was named Trainer of the Month at Tampa Bay for December.

​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $13.5 million.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $8 million.
• Race 8: Rated R Superstar (David Cabrera/Federico Villafranco) won the $150,000 Fifth Season Stakes. The oldest horse in the race, the mare is 9 years old and was sent off 25-to-1 which was the second largest odds in a field of nine.

​

Santa Anita (California):

• Handle: Over $17.2 million which is the largest for this event -- Cal Cup Day -- since 2007. The day featured California-breds throughout.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Luzzi!!

8-to-1 in the frigid cold to win the New York opener.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, January 18, 2022

Aqueduct (New York):

• Handle: $7.5 million.
• Trevor McCarthy won the final four races on the card. The former Maryland rider is a client to Richie Migliore's brother Joey and has been establishing himself upon his return to New York from California.
• Race 1: R Doc (Mike Luzzi/Rachel Keithan) entered off a bullet work but was cod on the board. yet, the veteran rider oozed confidence in settling the 3-year-old gelding to his first career win in eight starts. The trainer is from Maryland. Luzzi has the face of a veteran rider and he earned it in the frigid cold.

​

• Race 8: Battle Bling (Trevor McCarthy/Rob Atras) won the $100,000 Ladies Stakes.
• Rudy Rodriguez won twice and leads all trainers with 12 wins at this meet.
• Rob Atras was 3 2-1-0 today and his 10 wins is second most among trainers. He hails from Manitoba.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $8.2 million.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 7: Oaklawn doing Oaklawn things. The $1 exacta paid over $500 with two-first-time starters -- 18-to-1 and 43-1 -- topping the ticket.
• Joel Rosario, perhaps the favorite to win 2021 Eclipse Award Jockey of the Year, won three times. He recently returned from injury and entered with just one win in 2022.
• Handle: Exceeded $6 million.

Santa Anita (California):

• Handle: Exceeded $9 million.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Monday, January 17, 2022

• Canceled: Mahoning Valley (OH) and Laurel (MD) canceled today's cards. Weather was the motivating factor.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Some important racing dates:

• January 29 -- Pegasus World Cup -- Gulfstream Park (Hallandale Beach, FL)
• February 10 -- 51st edition of the Eclipse Awards (Live from Santa Anita)
• February 19 -- Risen Star (Kentucky Derby prep) -- Fair Grounds (New Orleans, LA)
• February 20-- Hong Kong Gold Cup -- Sha Tin Racecourse (Sha Tin, Hong Kong)
• February 26 -- Saudi Cup -- King Abdulaziz Racetrack (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) -- $20 million
• February 26 -- Rebel Stakes (Kentucky Derby prep) -- Oaklawn Park (Hot Springs, AR)
• March 5 -- Fountain of Youth (Kentucky Derby prep) -- Gulfstream Park (Hallandale Beach, FL)
• March 5 -- Gotham Stakes (Kentucky Derby prep) -- Aqueduct Racetrack (Queens, NY)
• March 5 -- San Felipe (Kentucky Derby prep) -- Santa Anita Park (Arcadia, CA)
• March 26 -- Dubai World Cup -- Meydan Racecourse (Dubai, UAE) -- $12 million

Jose Ortiz, who has not ridden in the US since January 9, has mounts on January 20 following a brief stay in Saudi Arabia where he rode for and won for Prince Faisal.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Mahoning Valley (OH) shifted today's card to Friday.

Penn National (PA) canceled tonight.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Horses currently trained by Bob Baffert are ineligible to compete at any tracks owned by Churchill Downs. They also will not be permitted to receive points needed to gain entry into the Derby via the preps.


Here’s the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 field with trainers and morning-line odds:

KDFW Pool 2	Trainer	ML
1. Chasing Time	Steve Asmussen	20-1
2. Classic Causeway	Brian Lynch	30-1
3. Commandperformance	Todd Pletcher	50-1
4. Courvoisier	Kelly Breen	30-1
5. Dash Attack	Kenny McPeek	20-1
6. Emmanuel	Todd Pletcher	50-1
7. Epicenter	Steve Asmussen	15-1
8. Giant Game	Dale Romans	30-1
9. High Oak	Bill Mott	50-1
10. Jack Christopher	Chad Brown	10-1
11. Major General	Todd Pletcher	50-1
12. Make It Big	Saffie Joseph Jr.	50-1
13. Mo Donegal	Todd Pletcher	12-1
14. Pappacap	Mark Casse	20-1
15. Rattle N Roll	Kenny McPeek	30-1
16. Simplification	Antonio Sano	30-1
17. Slow Down Andy	Doug O'Neill	15-1
18. Smile Happy	Kenny McPeek	8-1
19. Tiz the Bomb	Kenny McPeek	20-1
20. Trafalgar	Al Stall Jr.	50-1
21. Varatti	Todd Pletcher	50-1
22. White Abarrio	Saffie Joseph Jr.	50-1
23. Zandon	Chad Brown	12-1
24. All other 3-year-olds		7-5

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Delaware Park appears set for 88 racing dates beginning May 25. That is an increase in dates from 2021.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

There will be seven graded stakes for the January 29 Pegasus World Cup card at Gulfstream (FL).

Purses will range from $150,000 to $3 million, the latter for the feature event which is restricted to 4 year-olds and up.

In: Knicks Go, Life Is Good, Sir Winston, Chess Chief, Stilleto Boy, Title Ready, Commandeer (also eligible), Endorsed (also eligible).

Possible: Law Professor, Happy American (also eligible).

Out/unlikely: Olympiad, Happy Saver, Fearless, Super Stock, Ginobili, American Theorem (also eligible), Forewarned (also eligible).

Source: HorseRacingNation​

Irad Ortiz, Jr. is ahead of schedule and will ride this weekend. If all goes well with Gus knee, he could retain the mount in Life is Good in the feature.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A large day at Fair Grounds (New Orleans) with a Kentucky Derby prep race carded in the last of 14 races.

Fair Grounds has handled $94 million+ to date this meet. More than $110 million was bet through comparable dates in the 2020-21 racing calendar with bigger fields and that latter mark is distressing. However, this current meet is ahead of 2019-20 when $89.2 million was bet through similar dates.

Saturday's date should get a measured interest.

Depending on how the question is asked. Fair Grounds is one of the three oldest T-bred horse tracks in North America as it first held a race in 1838 but continually is behind Pleasanton (CA) which began in 1858 and Saratoga (NY) in 1863.

Race 9 has a million dollar seller as Gunoe tries to break his maiden in his fourth try. He is a son to Into Mischief and is owned by Larry Best's OXO. The familiar connections of Florent Geroux and Brad Cox.

Mandaloun and Midnight Bourbon hook up in Race 13 and that will be an intriguing matchup.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$58,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	11	12:00 PM CT
Race 2	$58,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	8	12:30 PM CT
Race 3	$58,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	7	1:00 PM CT
Race 4	$58,000	Allowance	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	14	1:29 PM CT
Race 5	$58,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	1:58 PM CT
Race 6	$58,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 Mile	Turf	14	2:27 PM CT
Race 7	$58,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	12	2:56 PM CT
Race 8	$100,000	Duncan F. Kenner S.	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	8	3:25 PM CT
Race 9	$58,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	3:54 PM CT
Race 10	$100,000	Marie G. Krantz Memorial S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	4:23 PM CT
Race 11	$150,000	Silverbulletday S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	6	4:52 PM CT
Race 12	$100,000	Colonel E. R. Bradley S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	12	5:20 PM CT
Race 13	$150,000	Louisiana S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	7	5:49 PM CT
Race 14	$200,000	Lecomte S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	6:20 PM CT

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]