Horse Racing: Sat. Belmont's card (post #1134), NBC coverage begins at 4:30 pm ET

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GKJ

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Feb 27, 2002
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Now that the racing career chapter has been closed on California Chrome, full marks and due credit to all the interests for keeping Chrome around, it would have been a very easy decision to retire him after he was injured in 2015, and a great training job by Art Sherman to bring him back up to the Horse of the Year form. It's easy to say that Chrome has the talent, it's a lot harder to them to regain that form after they've been injured for that long, and also stay healthy. If not for that, we might not have this race today.
 

kducks

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Sep 19, 2007
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Sad to see Chrome go out that way, but props to Arrogate on a great race. I was worried something happened to Chrome there, but glad to see everything seems to be okay. Will miss seeing him on the track but I'm glad he gets to enjoy retirement now. Can't wait to see baby Chromes out on the track in the future.

Side note, I got a few extra prints of the Chrome print they gave out at Santa Anita a couple weeks ago. Any big Chrome fans that need one, let me know.

Edit: Guess he may have had something wrong. :(

 

GKJ

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He wasn't sharp to break, and I didn't think he galloped out comfortably, so that wouldn't surprise me.
 

MiamiScreamingEagles

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January 28, 2017

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • An exceptional day of racing. The handle was extraordinary with a track-record $40,217,924 including over $15,600,000 bet on the Pegasus. When the first race of the day exceeded $1.5m, we knew this would be something remarkable. A photo gallery from a south Florida newspaper has some fantastic images: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/horseracing/fl-pegasus-world-cup-scene-20170128-story.html
  • Too bad Chrome's career ended on a downer. Arrogate is starting to look like his old man, hopefully sounder physically. Prior to the race, a veteran horse racing observer told me he thought Arrogate was second to Secretariat in horses he has seen. I thought it was hyperbole and still could be an exaggeration but that is lofty praise.
  • The Pegasus had a nice exacta payout at $32. I stayed away from playing but 1-7-12 (numerical order) were my picks. Mike Smith just has the knack.

    460x1240.jpg

    12-million-pegasus-world-cup-invitational.jpeg

  • In race 11, which led into the Pegasus, Tyler Gaffalione won on Taghleeb which paid $12.20. The rider should have a solid future. The last two races were won by the inside post.
  • In the Poseidon, which was race 5, Antonio Gallardo, on a 7-to-1, tracked down John Velazquez, on a 3-to-5, in a thriller.
  • Corey Lanerie won race 4 on a second time starter which paid $100.00 for the victory. The $.10 superfecta returned over $8,000.
  • A $2 pick 5 following the fifth race paid $49,856.10.
  • A $2 Pick 3 returned $7,758.50.
  • Julien Leparoux won three times. Jose Ortiz visited from New York and won twice. No trainer won more than once in the 12-horse card. This day was loaded.


Aqueduct (New York):
  • Irad Ortiz, Jr. was noticeably absent from the Gulfstream card but apparently decided to stay in New York where he won four times.
  • Cournoyer, a first-time starter perhaps named after Yvon Cournoyer, was sent off at 34-1 and because Mike Luzzi was on board became a sentimental pick. However, the horse had difficulty at the gate and was declared a non-starter after exiting oddly. All wagers refunded.
  • Next race: the power of Mike Luzzi was in full effect. A 33-1 was ridden to victory and paid $68.50. :naughty: Another sentimental pick. Luzzi's fifth win of the meet.
  • A $2 Pick 5 returned $11,495.
  • Bavaro tired and failed at the longer distance in the $100,000 feature race in which he was sent off 3-to-5. The horse is a sprinter judging from today's loss and his prior two wins.
  • In race 4, an entry was Chelios and Jeter, the latter who came in second.

Parx (Philadelphia):
  • The $1 superfecta in race 8 paid $84,845.10.

Laurel (Maryland):
  • Played Lacey Gaudet's horse which paid $7 in the middle after being sent off at 5-1. However, a 25-1 ridden by Fergal Lynch was the victor.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):
  • It isn't often the same jockey/trainer win the first two races on any card but it did here today. Eduardo Perez (5 2-2-0) and Kim Puhl (4 2-1-0) combined for the rare distinction. In the $125,000 feature race, Joe Rocco, Jr.prevailed on Athena.

Santa Anita (California):
  • A very good card with five races having purses in excess of $150,000.
  • Favorites won the first seven races on the 10-race card. The streak ended in loud fashion when in the eighth race a 21-1 topped a 19-1.
  • In a $250,000 race, California Diamond (now with a career record of 5-5-0 in 10 races), ridden by Kent Desormeaux, was caught at the wire by Rafael Bejarano who picked up the mount for Drayden Van Dyke who suffered a broken arm earlier in the week.
  • In race 7, another $250,000 purse, Ashleyluvssugar won again and is now 9-for-20 lifetime. Flavien Prat replaced the injured Gary Stevens. The 6-year-old gelding has earned well over a $1,000,000.
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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California Chrome's injury appears minor, will fly to Ky today

California Chrome's injury to his right knee does not appear to be anything major, so he will depart Gulfstream Park later this morning for Kentucky, where he begins stud duty soon.

California Chrome had swelling in that knee after finishing ninth on Saturday in the Pegasus World Cup. On Sunday morning, Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Farm said, "He's not that bad," certainly fine to fly and be X-rayed after arrival at the farm.

Taylor said Dr. Larry Bramlage would examine the X-rays. Barring something unforeseen, Taylor said California Chrome is perfectly sound to be bred to mares, and he's scheduled to be bred to test mares as soon as Wednesday.

"He's got some heat and some filling. He's sound to walk, but he's off at the jog. If he's sound to walk, he's sound to breed mares," Taylor said.

Source: Jay Privman, DRF.

==============================

Some leftovers from the big day of racing:

Highlights of Saturday's wagering included:
* $11,114,341 on the 12th race (excluding multiple-race bets)
* $4,697,843 in win, place, and show pools in the 12th race
* $2,023,813 on the late Pick 4. It paid $102.80 on the minimum 50-cent bet.
* $1,105,296 on the late Pick 5. It paid $342.60 on the minimum 50-cent bet.
* $469,172 on the Rainbow 6. It paid $3,145.34 on the 20-cent only bet, with a carryover in the jackpot wager.

While there has been some talk of moving the event to Santa Anita Park in 2017, The Stronach Group president Belinda Stronach said the goal will be to keep the event at Gulfstream next year. She was thrilled with the racing and the event, which included entertainment by Thomas Rhett and Trombone Shorty. Other celebrities attending included Vanessa Hudgens, Usher, Maria Menounos, Mike Ditka, and Gene Simmons.

The day featured a North American-record price for a general-admission ticket of $100. It was the first time Gulfstream has charged for general admission to the racing facility it opened in 2006.

Source: https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-ra...egasus-registers-record-handle-for-gulfstream
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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January 29, 2017

Sam Houston (Texas):
  • The track has a very attractive turf course from what can be seen through the simulcast feeds.
  • The handle was about $2.8 million for what can be considered the track's signature card.
  • And right on cue, Unbridled Mo pulled the upset on 2-to-5 I'm a Chatterbox, trained by Larry Jones, in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic which is the richest race in the state. And she won by pulling away, rather convincingly to up her career mark to 5-0-0 in 7 races. She had a dud in her debut, which isn't uncommon, and also came into this race off a sixth place finish in a Grade III at Aqueduct. A handsome reward returned $24.40 for the exacta and $11.40 for the win. Ridden by Jose Ortiz and trained by Todd Pletcher. Replay can be located here in race 9: https://www.shrp.com/horsemen-info/livereplay-videos

    Here is info about the latest offspring from the family of behemoths:

    Red Oak Stable's homebred Unbridled Mo played the upsetter Jan. 29 in the $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3).

    Three-time grade 1 winner and odds-on favorite I'm a Chatterbox loomed during the stretch run to the wire, but the Uncle Mo filly turned away her older, more accomplished rival with determination to win the 1 1/16-mile dirt test by 2 3/4 lengths at Sam Houston Race Park.

  • Jose Ortiz had three wins (5 3-0-0) including in a 1 1/2 mile turf race.
  • Florent Geroux won the finale on turf.

Aqueduct (New York):
  • Kendrick Carmouche won four times (6 4-0-0) including the $100,000 feature race.
  • Irad Ortiz, Jr. continued his exceptional weekend as he was 3-0-2 in 7 races. He had seven victories the last two days.
  • Carmouche and Ortiz, Jr. combined to win seven of the eight races, the exception won by Cornelio Velasquez.
  • Sometimes numbers don't matter. In race 2, a 6-year-old mare with a lifetime record of 0-0-3 in 34 starts (highest finish was third in 34 races) finished second at 13-1. Ridden by Jackie Davis, she paid $10.40 for place. That is almost a winner's circle moment.

Laurel (Maryland):
  • In race 9, Lacey Gaudet had her lone entry of the day and it won race 9 at 6-to-5. Not much value but she is rounding her stable into form.
  • In race 6, what appeared to be an imposing 7-year-old mare in terms of size finished second at 16-1 a result confirmed after an objection was nullified following the race. An exciting finish despite the desired outcome. The runner-up was ridden by Steve Hamilton, I ... hoped. Can't get them all, however.

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Edgar Prado was dropped at the gate by his mount but landed favorably in what became a sloppy track as the day proceeded..
  • In race 7, a first-time starter won at more than 50-1 and paid $114.00. The $1 superfecta paid $10,087, the $2 exacta returned $1,005 and the $.50 trifecta paid $761.50.
  • And forget a flared nostril. This photo finish was the hair on the top of the nose of a flared nostril. Corey Lanerie got the rail (sent off 4-1) and edged Luca Panici who was on the lead. Around 13:00 of this video, as close a photo finish as imaginable:


Tampa Bay (Florida):
  • Following race 5, the $2 Pick 4 paid $11,555,80.
  • An Indiana June-bred, generally late in the season for North American thoroughbreds, who was 0-for-10 lifetime, paid $53.80 in victory. But the real story was the little-known winning rider Sue Martin, who is a 62-year-old great-grandmother, and trainer/husband Wayne Martin. A video of the race can be found here: http://www.drf.com/news/martin-62-year-old-great-grandmother-rides-25-1-winner
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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Here's stat to further show how special Arrogate is: he's first to get Beyers of 116 or more in 3 straight races since Ghostzapper ... Ghostzapper's races came over space of 11 months in 2003-2004; 2 of 3 were sprints. Arrogate all routes, 5 months. Best figs in decade.

Source: Jay Privman, DRF

Ultimately, the Beyer was changed to a fantastic 119.
------------------


Arrogate's win in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup was no doubt impressive; the big gray son of Unbridled's Song crossed the wire geared down to win by 4 3/4 lengths over some of the best dirt horses in training. According to the official Equibase chart, the final time for the 1 1/8-mile contest was 1:47.61, as recorded by Trakus. The track record at Gulfstream Park is a bit faster: Lea won the Donn Handicap in 2014 in a final time of 1:46.86. However, a closer look at the race by TimeformUS‘s Craig Milkowski revealed that Arrogate may have covered the distance quite a bit faster than the time he is officially credited with.

Arrogate appears to have run a much faster race than is designated by the official charts, and Milkowski plans to adjust his TimeFormUS speed figure in the coming days. He was originally give a 134 for the effort, which was a bit lower than his previous races but still in the appropriate range. As the numbers are analyzed further over the coming days, it may even be determined that Arrogate did set a new track record in the world's richest race, or, at the very least, that he was quite close to doing so.

http://www.paulickreport.com/horsep...y-arrogate-actually-set-track-record-pegasus/

====================================

Update issued February 2:

Arrogate set a track mark.

The official time of the $12 million Pegasus World Cup has been lowered nearly four-fifths of a second following a review by Gulfstream Park and its official timer, Trakus, according to an amended chart that was available late Thursday.

The official time of the 1 1/8-mile race will now be 1:46.83, according to the chart, 0.78 seconds faster than the 1:47.61 that was announced after the race, according to the track. The new time is a record for the distance at the track, faster than the 1:46.86 that was posted by Lea in the 2014 Donn Handicap.

Gulfstream Park officials had asked Trakus on Wednesday to perform an exhaustive analysis of the official time of the Pegasus, citing decisions by prominent speed-figure producers to modify their ratings for the race based on their belief that the official time was too slow.

Gulfstream officials said early in the day that they expected to announce a new official time by Thursday afternoon, but no announcement preceded the changes to the chart.

Source: http://www.drf.com/news/official-time-pegasus-lowered-sets-gulfstream-record
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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An update on Chrome who was deemed mostly healthy today:

X-rays taken of the knee revealed no major injuries, Frank Taylor reported on Monday afternoon.

“No injury, x-rays were good, scoped good,” Taylor said. “We don't know if he just wrenched it or strained it, but it had a little filling, fluid and heat in it. We gave him bute and got him home, and it was cold and good.

“Actually, after the race the chiropractor came back and went all over him,” Taylor continued. “He thought there was something in that knee. He kind of stretched it and worked on it and he got some relief from it, got a little pop or adjustment out of it. I don't know if he did something coming out of the gate or what he did.”

California Chrome is scheduled to begin breeding test mares as soon as Wednesday.

Late on Monday afternoon, California Chrome was allowed to spend the first few hours outside in his paddock at Taylor Made, and the farm released a video of his first steps toward retirement:

http://www.paulickreport.com/news/p...ia-chrome-x-ray-reveals-no-injury-right-knee/
 

MiamiScreamingEagles

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An update on fallen rider Laurent Beaucamp who has since returned to his native France. Beaucamp was severely injured Labor Day weekend at Monmouth in New Jersey.

He had injuries to and/or surgeries for:
  • several fractured vertebrae in his spine and neck,
  • shearing of the spinal cord,
  • fractured ribs,
  • bilateral flail chest (parts of his rib cage broke away from the chest wall, requiring metal plates to stabilize),
  • a punctured lung,
  • lacerated liver,
  • and a badly broken left arm.
  • He underwent a number of surgeries to stabilize his spine and his rib cage, repair his liver, remove a part of his lung, and to install screws in his left arm.

source: Paulick Report.
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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February 1, 2017

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Luis Saez won three times.
  • Joel Rosario, with a hideous 6% winning percentage at the meet, won twice today. Whether injury or otherwise, his game has been inconsistent recently.
  • Jose Ortiz won the finale. He is scheduled to ride at the track through at least the next two days.

Tampa Bay Downs (Florida):
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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February 2, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):
  • Rudy Rodriguez, trainer, won four races. Rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. won four more times. The duo teamed three times.
  • A 1-to-9 romped in the first race.
    In the third race, a 17-1 beat a 28-1. The $1 exacta paid what could be perceived as a short price at $182.50.
  • In the finale, a $21.80 winner named Peaches And Spice. But what stood out was this 0-for-7 lifetimer won by 5 1/2 lengths after trailing in last place by what appeared to be 20 lengths. The rider, Addiel Ayala, picked up a rare win. He rode six wide with a burst of energy that was uncommon and visually appealing. The trainer, John Quiles, has just 33 lifetime wins, his first since 2011 and the last time he won in New York was ten years ago.

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • The Rainbow Six will begin at more than $423,000 for Friday's card.

Santa Anita (California):
  • Bridge jumpers saved face. Conquest Fahrenheit, sent off as the overwhelming favorite at 2-to-5, had $141,939 of $162,058 bet to show. He finished third.
  • One person hit the Pick 6 for in excess of $319,000.
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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ROBERT B. LEWIS STAKES (Grade III)
  • What: One of three Kentucky Derby prep races this day. An extremely short field and one trainer monopolizes with three horses. However, one of the two non-Doug O'Neill horses may be in the winner's circle.
  • When: Saturday, February 4, 2017, Race 2 of 9, 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (4:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
  • Where: Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California
  • Distance: 1 1/16 mile
  • Surface: Dirt
  • Purse: $150,000
  • Runners (age, sex): Three-year-olds, open
  • Preview article: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/219545/oneill-sends-three-out-for-robert-b-lewis

PP​
| Horse (location bred) |
Age/Sex​
|
Jockey​
|
Weight​
|
Trainer​
|
Morning Line​
1 |Royal Mo (KY) |3/colt| Victor Espinoza |120 |John A. Shirreffs | 5-2
2| Irap (KY) |3/colt| Mario Gutierrez |120 |Doug F. O'Neill| 3-1
3| Dangerfield (KY)|3/colt| Kent J. Desormeaux |122| Doug F. O'Neill| 7-2
4| Term of Art (KY) |3/colt| Tyler Baze| 124 |Doug F. O'Neill| 9-2
5| Sheer Flattery (KY)|3/colt |Mike E. Smith |120 |Jerry Hollendorfer|2-1

WITHERS STAKES (Grade III)
  • What: One of three Kentucky Derby prep races this day. The #4 will get a bulk of attention in this race. The connections on #2 will be bet simply for that reason.
  • When: Saturday, February 4, 2017, Race 8 of 9, 4:20 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Where: Aqueduct Racetrack, Queens, New York
  • Distance: 1 1/16 mile
  • Surface: Dirt, inner track
  • Purse: $250,000
  • Runners (age, sex): Three-year-olds, open
  • Preview article: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac...areeb-aims-to-continue-roll-in-withers-stakes

PP​
| Horse (location bred) |
Age/Sex​
|
Jockey​
|
Weight​
|
Trainer​
|
Morning Line​
1| True Timber (KY)|3/colt| Kendrick Carmouche| 116 |Kiaran P. McLaughlin |8-1
2| Apartfromthecrowd (FL)|3/colt| Irad Ortiz, Jr. |116| Chad C. Brown| 5-1
3| Jaime's Angel (NY)| 3/colt|Alan Garcia| 116| Richard Metivier| 50-1
4| El Areeb (KY)| 3/colt|Trevor McCarthy |122| Cathal A. Lynch| 6-5
5| Bonus Points (MD)| 3/colt|Manuel Franco |116 |Todd A. Pletcher |12-1
6| Fillet of Sole (KY)| 3/colt|Rajiv Maragh| 116 |Todd A. Pletcher |10-1
7| Always a Suspect (KY)| 3/colt|Antonio A. Gallardo|116 |Kiaran P. McLaughlin| 20-1
8| Small Bear (KY)| 3/gelding |Dylan Davis| 118 |Gary Sciacca| 30-1
9| Square Shooter (KY)|3/colt| Frankie Pennington |118 |Michael Lerman|12-1
10| J Boys Echo (KY) |3/colt|Robby Albarado |116 |Dale L. Romans| 4-1

HOLY BULL STAKES (Grade II)
  • What: One of three Kentucky Derby prep races this day. Classic Empire, arguably the top contender for the 2017 Kentucky Derby, heads the field with a 3-to-5 morning line. Irish War Cry may offer some value and certainly has an outsider's label for this time of year.
  • When: Saturday, February 4, 2017, Race 12 of 12, 5:35 p.m. Eastern Time
  • Where: Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, Florida
  • Distance: 1 1/16 mile
  • Surface: Dirt
  • Purse: $350,000
  • Runners (age, sex): Three-year-olds, open
  • Preview article: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac...-eyes-on-champion-classic-empire-in-holy-bull

PP​
| Horse (location bred) |
Age/Sex​
|
Jockey​
|
Weight​
|
Trainer​
|
Morning Line​
1 |Gunnevera (KY)|3/colt| Javier Castellano| 122| Antonio Sano| 9-2
2 |Perro Rojo (KY)|3/colt| Nik Juarez |116| Nicholas P. Zito| 30-1
3| Classic Empire (KY)|3/colt| Julien R. Leparoux |122 |Mark E. Casse| 3-5
4| Talk Logistics (FL)|3/colt| Paco Lopez| 116 |Edward Plesa, Jr.| 12-1
5| Irish War Cry (NJ)|3/colt| Joel Rosario| 120| H. Graham Motion |15-1
6| Fact Finding (KY) |3/colt| John R. Velazquez |120| Todd A. Pletcher| 6-1
7| Shamsaan (KY)|3/colt| Luis Saez |116| Kiaran P. McLaughlin| 20-1
8| Cavil (KY)|3/gelding| Jose Lezcano| 116 |Kiaran P. McLaughlin| 15-1
9| Fire for Effect (KY) |3/colt| Corey J. Lanerie |116| Dale L. Romans|20-1
 
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Soliloquy of a Dogge

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An update on fallen rider Laurent Beaucamp who has since returned to his native France. Beaucamp was severely injured Labor Day weekend at Monmouth in New Jersey.

He had injuries to and/or surgeries for:
  • several fractured vertebrae in his spine and neck,
  • shearing of the spinal cord,
  • fractured ribs,
  • bilateral flail chest (parts of his rib cage broke away from the chest wall, requiring metal plates to stabilize),
  • a punctured lung,
  • lacerated liver,
  • and a badly broken left arm.
  • He underwent a number of surgeries to stabilize his spine and his rib cage, repair his liver, remove a part of his lung, and to install screws in his left arm.

source: Paulick Report.

That list of injuries reads like a morgue report. It's a miracle to survive that. Hopefully his rehab goes successfully and regains the ability to walk.
 

MiamiScreamingEagles

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^ I watched the race as it unfolded. The rider tried to hug the rail and the result was grisly.

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

February 8, 2017

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • Battalion Runner, who is on the Kentucky Derby futures list, was sent off at 1-to-5 and in his third lifetime race, held off a gamed challenger in this 1 1/16 mile optional claiming race. The colt is now 2-for-3 lifetime. Eventually hand-ridden at the end by Johnny Velazquez, trained by Todd Pletcher. The times were relatively unimpressive but that could be an exercise of proceed with caution. Pletcher took it slowly with this colt today but obviously bigger things await as the stakes races become available. The $.50 trifecta paid $4.05 which is indicative of the expectation.
  • In race 7, the solid Tyler Gaffalione took home a 14-to-1 shot who was 0-for-18 lifetime.
  • In race 9, in which the pool had over $1,000,000 bet, trainer Nick Zito continues his rebound with a 21-1 shot winning. A 70-1 came in second. The result was $1,206 for a $2 exacta, $2,204.85 for a $.50 trifecta and $25,000+ for a $1 superfecta. Zito's winning percentage is about 19% at the meet, last year he was under 8% overall.
  • In race 10, Jose Ortiz had the 8-to-5 favorite but in the 8-hole of a 5 furlong race. That is a bad post for a short race. The runner didn't come close to making the board. The ever-consistent Trevor McCarthy, making a rare Gulfstream appearance and who replaced Paco Lopez, the latter who had a personal day off according to a report, was the victor.
  • In the finale, Jose Lezcano won a turf race on an 11-1 shot. Lezcano should almost always be used in exotics on turf.
  • In all, 10 jockeys and 11 trainers were victorious today in the 11-race card.
  • The handle was listed at in excess of $9,900,000. For a Friday!

Tampa Bay (Florida):
  • Trainer Thomas Proctor won his only entry and is now 11-for-20 at the meet. A remarkable figure.
  • Trainer Mark Casse won with Captain Genius, an 8-year-old horse ridden by Canadian Gary Boulanger who has over 3,000 career wins. Casse is a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame. He doesn't enter into Tampa Bay often, and is now 1-for-2 at the meet. The Captain is now 11-for-23 lifetime and hadn't been out since April 2015.

Aqueduct (New York):
  • Irad Ortiz, Jr, Kendrick Carmouche and Angel Arroyo each won twice.
  • An oddity in race 5 in that the post time was changed after a late switch of riders from Arroyo to Eric Cancel, announced it seemed after the horses finished the post parade. Something obviously happened to Arroyo in between his wins in races 2 and 3 and the start of the fifth race but he rode later in the afternoon. EDIT: Reports say Arroyo was dizzy and needed attention but was eventually cleared to ride in later races, just removed for this one race.
  • Chuckie Lopez won his lone ride and is now 3-for-3 at the meet. And yes, he did his patented flex to the camera following the victory. Lopez is nothing else if not a personality.

Laurel Park (Maryland):
  • A thrilling end to the ninth race. Bailey's Island (yes, he was played), who went off around 6-to-1, was dead last at the eighth pole but finished with a sizzle though he couldn't catch the eventual winner, losing by a bob. The finish should catch the attention of many. The trainer Jay Bernardini is 1-1-0 in 2 races at the meet. He spends most of his time at Mountaineer (West Virginia) or lately Mahoning Valley (Ohio) after winning the most recent full meet at Suffolk Downs (Massachusetts). The exacta returned $173.60.
  • In the opener, bug rider of the year Luis Ocasio won and is now 2-for-3 at the meet.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):
  • Why Oaklawn can be awesome. A 2-to-1 won a race with a 27-1 as the runnerup. The $2 exacta returned over $150. With a 2-1 winning.

Freehold (New Jersey):
  • At the harness track, a 23-to-1 defeated a 1-9 shot in a photo finish. That doesn't happen often at any type of horse track.
===========================

As if Gulfstream won't get enough attention tomorrow (Saturday), guarantees of:
  • $750k in Pick 6
  • $500k in late Pick 5 and
  • $250k in the Late P4.
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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February 4, 2017

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • A terrible performance for the connections of Classic Empire turned into a vibrant afternoon for those with Irish War Cry. Bet down from a morning line of 15-1 to 4-1, he looked sensational. His driving victory in an otherwise insignificant race at Laurel (Maryland) on New Years' Eve was important in that he proved he can accept a challenge. Today, he showed he can beat the best. As noted in the above post, he got attention as an outsider and perhaps a late bloomer. The owner is Isabelle de Tomaso whose husband produced the Pantera sports car. Her father is the former president of Monmouth Park (New Jersey) in which the Haskell Invitational is named. The most recent Jersey-bred to win the KY Derby came in 1934. This 2017 Kentucky Derby prep season just got its first sizable jolt. Edit: Trainer Graham Motion did not specify a next race for the colt who received a 95 Beyer following the race.
  • Todd Pletcher's colt Fact Finding was a scratch and will be pointed toward Saturday's Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs.
  • In race 4, the $100,000 Kitten's Joy, Luis Saez rode a 8-to-1 to victory which was sired by...Kitten's Joy.
  • In race 6, Luis Saez won on a 14-1 with Luca Panici in third on a 45-1 bomb. The $2 tri paid $1,183.20, though that figure seemed a little short of the expected payout.
  • Javier Castellano won three races, all early on the card.
  • I would imagine Joel Rosario will get serious consideration for Jockey of the Week after winning the races with the two largest purses on the card. Flavien Prat, for his efforts today at Santa Anita, could be the prime competition. EDIT: It was later announced that Prat won Jockey of the Week.
  • Chad Brown won the Grade III Sweetest Chant, race 11, for the sixth straight year and interestingly he had Rosario on the favorite and Castellano ride another with higher odds.
  • The handle was over $19,700,000.
  • The Rainbow Six rollover for Sunday is $572,495.


Aqueduct (New York):
  • In race 8, El Areeb won as expected in the Grade III Withers Stakes. He received a 92 Beyer. This was a Kentucky Derby prep race. The duo of Trevor McCarthy and Cathal Lynch are not part of the New York crew but rather Laurel (Maryland) regulars and that is the home base of the colt. Next up could be the Wood Memorial on April 8.
  • Kendrick Carmouche won the opening two races. He finished second place three times.
  • A good day for the Davis family. Brother Dylan and sister Jacqueline won consecutive races (4th and 5th) and following that pair, Dylan was elevated to third on a 76-to-1 shot after a DQ. Because of that result, the sixth saw a $2 trifecta return over $2,600.

Santa Anita (California):
  • As mentioned above, the trio of Doug O'Neill horses in a 5-horse race seemed to be secondary to the two non-O'Neill runners. The #1 Royal Mo won and the #5 finished third. This was a Kentucky Derby prep race, a short field and the winner was ridden by Victor Espinoza and trained by John Shirreffs.
  • Hoppertunity won the Grade II San Antonio. He is now 7-6-4 in 25 races. Don't write him off just yet. He has earned over $4,000,000. Mike Smith cannot be too happy in his 9-to-5 favorite being chased down like that! Bob Baffert-trained horses finished first and second.
  • Isotherm, ridden by Flavien Prat, won the Grade II San Marcos and paid $17.20.
  • Flavien Prat won the last four races on the card, an extreme rarity for any rider at any circuit. Which also means he was the only rider to win all four races of the Pick 4.
  • Payouts included $57,000+ for the $1 Super High Five and $40,000+ for the $1 Pick Six.

Tampa Bay (Florida):
  • An absolute freak show today in the latter half of the card.
  • The winner in race 7 paid $58.80 and the super returned over $19,000 for $1.
  • The winner in race 8, paid $82.20. The $2 Pick 3 paid $5,954. The double paid $2,180.
  • In race 9, payouts included $9.720 for the $2 Pick 3, $21k for a $1 super, $8,740 for a $2 tri and $1,359.80 for the double.
  • Yes, consecutive doubles paid over $2k and $1k.
  • In race 10, the $2 Pick 3 returned $38,592.60 and the $2 Penta delivered $62,510.40.

Delta Downs (Louisiana):
  • The opener saw a $.50 tri return $1,786. The winner went off at 29-1.

Penn National (Pennsylvania):
  • Chuckie Lopez made one appearance and won race 3. The runner was shipped from Parx and Lopez was on top the prior outing.. He won at Aqueduct yesterday.
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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February 5, 2017

Gulfstream (Florida):
  • The Rainbow 6 was nailed today for in excess of $800,000. The location of the winner has yet to be issued, whether on track or elsewhere. The odds on the winners in the sequence, which ran from races 7 through 12, were 6-1, 7-2, 10-1, 18-1, 5-2, and 4-1. The winning numbers were 5-5-2-8-8-7.
  • Prior to race 7, the Rainbow 6 pool had $827,384 wagered into it. Halloween Horror, ridden by Javier Castellano who won twice today, started the sequence.
  • Luis Saez won the 4th race with a first-time starter, odds 20-to-1, for Michael Matz.
  • Luis Saez won the 8th race in which an 80-1 came in second place to return $435.40 for a $2 exacta. Saez, who won four times today, is nearing the upper echelon of riders if he isn't there yet.
  • Tyler Gaffalione recorded a victory with Frammento, a 2015 Kentucky Derby participant who was sent off today at odds of 18-to-1 and was 1-for-14 lifetime. Trainer Nick Zito, who won twice today, is getting noticed for his success and rebound at this current meet. There was a lengthy objection/inquiry posted but the contact seemed minimal, ahem!

Tampa Bay (Florida):
  • An odd start to the day with two runners scratched at different points near the starting gate. The original post time was set for 12:25 but 20 minutes later the race finally began.
  • In the 7th race, a 14-1 and 30-1 finished first and second. The exacta returned $703.80. There was a dead heat for third.

Laurel (Maryland):
  • Three New York shippers won races today.

Aqueduct (New York):
  • The day began with Mike Luzzi getting the lead and defeating a challenging Irad Ortiz, Jr. Luzzi's only other mount for the day was a 44-1 shot that got edged for third place.
  • In the $100,000 feature race, in a 6-horse race, if there was such a thing as an obvious trifecta, it was here. The order of finish was open to opinion, however. The $.50 trifecta paid slightly more than $7.00.

Santa Anita (California):
  • In the sixth race, the Grade II Las Virgenes, the race was limited to just four runners after a scratch. The 1-to-9 Unique Bella, a Pennsylvania-bred now 3-1-0 in 4 starts, won in a romp. Ridden by Mike Smith and trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, the 3-year-old filly is on a 3-race wins streak including two Grade II victories. She looks tiptop, a physically impressive beast with impeccable pedigree with Tapit, Pulpit, A.P. Indy and Unbridled in the bloodline, the last of those four shows on both the male and female side. Champagne Room, the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner at 33-to-1, finished third. The $2 double paid a very nice $35.40 with a $26.00 winner in the previous race.

    Unique Bella, at 1-to-9, received a 98 Beyer figure for the race which puts her on top of the 3-year-old list for any race in 2017.
  • There was one winning Pick Six ticket and that returned $106,209 to the victor. The winning ticket was purchased for $216 through a TVG account, according to the track.
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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IWR is my Derby horse now. Not a bad day at the track yesterday. Still playing with track money. Hoppertunity was a cinch. he was the only millionaire in the field.

I will grant Classic Empire one bad performance but I hope he isn't this year's Mohaymen. I didn't have a 2-year-old preference for this year's Derby as I have had most of the past few years. Irish War Cry certainly fills the void of an intriguing story. Only two NJ-breds have won the Derby. It is still a long time to May but if the colt can produce efforts like that, he will be billed as an outsider of sorts. Mastery, trained by Bob Baffert and 3-for-3 lifetime, could run next in the San Felipe Stakes on March 11 and will probably grab the temporary tag of leading Derby contender if he already doesn't have it.

Trainer Mark Casse was at a loss to explain Classic Empire's defeat in the Holy Bull as the odds-on choice, but said last year's 2-year-old champion was fretful during the Saturday van ride from Palm Meadows Training Center in Palm Beach to Gulfstream Park.

"He's fine today," Casse said Sunday morning of Classic Empire, who was washy in the post parade and reluctant to enter the starting gate. "Yesterday morning he was as happy and good as I've ever seen him. He just did not take the trip down there well. He's run in the Bashford Manor (G3) with the crowd and the lights, and we flew him to the Breeders' Cup, and those things didn't bother him, but yesterday was the first time he ever had to ship and run (in the same day).

"He's shipped all the time and never fretted before, but yesterday he really fretted. I don't know what was going on with him. Yesterday was also the first time I ever saw him balk about going into the gate. This horse wasn't happy yesterday and we really don't have a good answer. He ate last night. He's happy as he can be now, standing in his stall."

While Casse has not mapped out any plans for the next start for John Oxley's Classic Empire, he said it's unlikely the son of Pioneerof the Nile will run back at Gulfstream.

"I would say more than likely you won't see him back at Gulfstream again," he said. "We're already thinking about where we want to go, but wherever it is it will be somewhere he will train a little bit there before he runs. Yesterday came as a complete surprise to us, but the battle is far from over."

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac...h-war-cry-classic-empire-fine-after-holy-bull
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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An update to the following riders:

Junior Alvarado, a favorite in New York especially on turf, underwent shoulder surgery in December and will be sidelined into March or so.

Ashley Castrenze, who suffered multiple (4) rib injuries in October, will be sidelined into March or so. She maintains her bug.

Lane Luzzi, runner up to Luis Ocasio for 2016 Apprentice Jockey of the year, lost his bug and is no longer riding at Gulfstream according to his Twitter. I am not sure his destination, Laurel would be the obvious track, but perhaps he can race against his old man at Aqueduct again. Cool story. He struggled this meet but that is not to be unexpected with the crew of riders at Gulf.

=======================

And to an award-winning mare, Tepin will not run this weekend. She was scheduled to run at Tampa Bay. Mark Casse has not had the best weekend on record.

Two-time champion mare TEPIN had a touch of colic yesterday at her Palm Meadows training base and had to be treated for it, eliminating her from consideration for what trainer Mark Casse had planned to be her 6yo debut, the G3 Endeavour Stakes on Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs.

We'll have full details up soon on www.drf.com, but Casse emphasized that the mare is fine and should be able to return to training soon to point for other races. "We definitely intend to run her this year," he said. "Whether this means we'll miss going to Dubai, I don't know. Regardless, there are plenty of other races for her this year."

Source: DRF
 
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MiamiScreamingEagles

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Jan 17, 2004
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Another reality check as the years advance:

http://www.drf.com/news/battalion-runner-may-be-last-standout-unbridleds-song

Unbridled’s Song has continued to make headlines more than three years after his death, as he has been posthumously represented by champions Will Take Charge and Arrogate. The stallion’s final runners are 3-year-olds this year, and he appears to have another chance at a standout with Battalion Runner, the winner of an allowance/optional claimer last Saturday at Gulfstream.

Unbridled’s Song, who died in July 2013, had covered 113 mares that season, resulting in 80 live foals, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred. One of those mares was the Tapit daughter Tamboz, a full sister to Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Tapizar. The mare is already the dam of Grade 2-placed Oceanwave and stakes-placed Tiznoble.

Battalion Runner is likely to become the next of her runners to graduate to stakes company after his allowance win, his first try around two turns and his second victory from three starts. The colt has won his last two races by a combined 10 lengths.

And Unbridled would have turned 30 next month. Yet the pedigree offers so much virility and stamina and the success thrives through many runners including young guns like Unique Bella (summary in an above post), another potential star.
 
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