Horse Racing: Horse racing (through 2021)

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Velazquez split from long-time agent Angel Cordero a few months ago and now this tidbit. He is obviously one of the most skilled riders of all-time and though aging, still has a high command for big races. Maybe he will get more of an opportunity in California than Florida this time of year. He has a recent relationship with Bob Baffert. Most top east coast/NY jocks go to Florida this time of year but Jose Ortiz will stay home.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Gulf is shooting for 40% dirt, 30% turf and 30% Tapeta this meet. That surprises me. I thought Tapeta would be used mainly as a substitute for off-turf-racing

 

[Marco 85]

Velazquez split from long-time agent Angel Cordero a few months ago and now this tidbit. He is obviously one of the most skilled riders of all-time and though aging, still has a high command for big races. Maybe he will get more of an opportunity in California than Florida this time of year. He has a recent relationship with Bob Baffert. Most top east coast/NY jocks go to Florida this time of year but Jose Ortiz will stay home.

Johnny V going to California for the winter.
Rosario going to Oaklawn.
Jose Ortiz staying in N.Y.

Irad, Saez and Gaff will dominate but hopefully there
will be bigger field and good prices.

Good riddance to Jason Servis and Navarro and their short priced loaded sprinters. Hope they don’t get off lightly.

 

[Marco 85]

Gulf is shooting for 40% dirt, 30% turf and 30% Tapeta this meet. That surprises me. I thought Tapeta would be used mainly as a substitute for off-turf-racing

That’s what I thought also.
Hopefully, they will run the lower level turf sprint races on the Tapeta.
Saving the grass for the better horses.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Johnny V going to California for the winter.
Rosario going to Oaklawn.
Jose Ortiz staying in N.Y.

Irad, Saez and Gaff will dominate but hopefully there
will be bigger field and good prices.

Good riddance to Jason Servis and Navarro and their short priced loaded sprinters. Hope they don’t get off lightly.

Vasquez and Jaramillo are established locals who could pick up mounts in the absences of others. A jockey who seems to bring home prices is Leonel Reyes.

 

[Marco 85]

Vasquez and Jaramillo are established locals who could pick up mounts in the absences of others. A jockey who seems to bring home prices is Leonel Reyes.

Yeah. M. A. Vasquez is an underrated jockey. If Luca Panici could stay healthy. He would get some live mounts.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Yeah. M. A. Vasquez is an underrated jockey. If Luca Panici could stay healthy. He would get some live mounts.

I had high hopes for Panici. He excelled on turf but injuries got the better of him.

Keep an eye on E. Gonzalez, too. Good turf rider.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Woodbine's (Ontario) 2022 dates pending approval: 133-dates from April 16-Dec. 11.

The Queen's Plate -- the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown -- will be run August 22. That is the oldest continually run stakes race in North America. 2022 will be the 163rd running.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Kent Desormeaux named Jockey of the Week in North America.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Laurel Park is having surface issues again. The signs are foreboding. Racing may be suspended at the track at some point the next few days. EDIT: Racing has been canceled Friday through Sunday this weekend.

Separately, Maryland has awarded summer dates to Pimlico for the first time in 17 years. The 2022 calendar looks like this for Maryland spread over seven meets:

Laurel (147 dates):
Jan. 1 - Mar. 31
Apr. 1 - May 8
June 1 - July 31
Sep. 6 - Dec. 31

Pimlico (21 dates):
May 8 - May 31
Aug. 1- - 25; Aug. 30

Timonium (7 dates):
Aug.,25 - Sep. 5

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thursday, December 2, 2021

• Gun Runner has a set a worldwide record for first-crop sires as his progeny have earned over $3,7 million this year. I predicted greats things for this stallion but even that was beyond my comprehension.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Luis Saez had a natural hat trick to sum up his 3-win day. Two of the wins were for James Bond, the veteran trainer associated with Behrens, a personal favorite all-time horse.
• Race 9: The $50 Pick 5 returned over $41,000.
• Race 4: Radio Days (Dylan Davis/Shug McGaughey) was sent off the favorite at 1-to-5 and did not disappoint in his second outing. The Gun Runner filly was purchased for $750,000, is 2-for-2 and won by more than eight lengths today.

​

Turfway (Kentucky):

• Meets: Opening day of the H9liday Meet which extends into December 31. The Winter Meet runs January 1, 2022 - April 2, 2022. The feature race, held on April 2, is the Jeff Ruby Steaks which offers a massive 100 qualifying points to the winner towards the Kentucky Derby.
• Race 4: Rhett Thomas (Gerardo Corrales/Felipe Salas) won at 60-to- 1 and paid $123.00.
• Race 6: Granite Candy (Gerardo Corrales/Jesus Esquivel) won but most noteworthy was bred in New Hampshire. I do not recall the last New Hampshire bred to win anywhere in North America. There can't be more than one or two running.
• Gerardo Corrales had a 4-win night including a natural hat trick. He was his last three mounts in a sequence that began with the bomber in race 4.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And this is what will be known as the first time in the history of horse racing in any country that a track has carded races for three different surfaces. Gulfstream has a dirt, turf and now all-weather track. History will be made tomorrow in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

The Championship Meet runs into April with the Florida Derby the signature race.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$23,000	Maiden Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	11	12:00 PM ET
Race 2	$29,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	12:30 PM ET
Race 3	$23,000	Maiden Claiming	About 5 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	10	12:58 PM ET
Race 4	$32,000	Maiden Claiming	About 1 Mile 70 Yards	All Weather Track	8	1:26 PM ET
Race 5	$62,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	5 Furlongs	Turf	8	1:55 PM ET
Race 6	$75,000	Wait a While S.	1 Mile	Turf	9	2:28 PM ET
Race 7	$28,000	Claiming	About 5 Furlongs	All Weather Track	8	2:58 PM ET
Race 8	$61,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	3:28 PM ET
Race 9	$39,000	Starter Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	9	3:59 PM ET
Race 10	$75,000	Pulpit S.	1 Mile	Turf	12	4:32 PM ET
Race 11	$24,000	Claiming	About 1 Mile 70 Yards	All Weather Track	16	5:05 PM ET

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Oaklawn's stakes schedule for its meet which begins tomorrow and runs into Kentucky Derby day. Kentucky Derby preps in green.

Date	Purse	Race	Conditions	Distance
December 3	$150,000	Advent	2YO	6 F
December 4	$150,000	Mistletoe	3YO F	1 1/16 M
December 11	$150,000	Poinsettia	3YO	1 1/16 M
December 18	$200,000	Tinsel	3&UP	1 1/8 M
January 1	$250,000	Smarty Jones	3YO	1 M
January 8	$150,000	Pippin	4&UP, F&M	1 M
January 15	$150,000	Fifth Season	4&UP	1 M
January 22	$150,000	American Beauty	4&UP, F&M	6 F
January 29	$750,000	Southwest (G3)	3YO	1 1/16 M
January 29	$200,000	Martha Washington	3YO F	1 M
January 29	$150,000	King Cotton	4&UP	6 F
February 5	$250,000	Bayakoa (G3)	4&UP, F&M	1 1/16 M
February 12	$600,000	Razorback Handicap (G3)	4&UP	1 1/16 M
February 19	$150,000	Dixie Belle	3YO F	6 F
February 26	$1,000,000	Rebel (G2)	3YO	1 1/16 M
February 26	$300,000	Honeybee (G3)	3YO F	1 1/16 M
March 5	$150,000	Nodouble	3&UP (AR)	6 F
March 5	$150,000	Downthedustyroad	3&UP, F&M (AR)	6 F
March 12	$350,000	Azeri (G2)	4&UP, F&M	1 1/16 M
March 19	$500,000	Essex Handicap	4&UP	1 1/16 M
March 19	$200,000	Whitmore	4&UP	6 F
March 26	$150,000	Purple Martin	3YO F	6 F
April 2	$1,250,000	Arkansas Derby (G1)	3YO	1 1/8 M
April 2	$600,000	Fantasy (G3)	3YO F	1 1/16 M
April 2	$400,000	Oaklawn Mile	4&UP	1 M
April 2	$200,000	Carousel	4&UP, F&M	6 F
April 2	$150,000	Temperence Hill	4&UP	1 1/2 M
April 9	$150,000	Rainbow Stakes	3YO (AR)	6 F
April 9	$150,000	Rainbow Miss Stakes	3YO F (AR)	6 F
April 16	$500,000	Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3)	4&UP	6 F
April 23	$1,000,000	Apple Blossom Handicap (G1)	4&UP, F&M	1 1/16 M
April 23	$1,000,000	Oaklawn Handicap (G2)	4&UP	1 1/8 M
April 23	$150,000	Oaklawn Stakes	3YO	1 1/8 M
April 30	$150,000	Bachelor	3YO	6 F
May 6	$150,000	Natural State Breeders' Stakes	3&UP, F&M (AR)	1 M
May 7	$200,000	Arkansas Breeders' Championship	3&UP (AR)	1 1/16 M

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, December 3, 2021

Aqueduct (New York):

• Luis Saez rode a natural hat trick to start the day. It was his second straight day with a 3-fer. At one point, he won six of eight mounts spanning two days. He should be a lock to be one of the three finalists for Jockey of the Year in North America and could very well win the prestigious award.
• Race 10: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $47,000.
• Race 8: The $1 Pick 3 returned over $22,000. I am not sure the record at a NYRA track but that has to be in the mix.
• Race 6: Lost My Sock (Raul Mena/Derek Ryan) at 51-to-1 nipped a 15-to-1 shot at the wire which resulted in a $104.50 win, a $1 exacta for $511.50 and a $.50 tri for over $2,200. The $1 Pick 3 was a massive $9.200+ and then began an extraordinary Pick 3 culminating with the 8th race.

​

• Joel Rosario, injured yesterday, has broken ribs and will be sidelined for multiple weeks. Too bad, Rosario was trying to break multiple single-season records for a jockey in North America history. Rosario is another candidate for Jockey of the Year in North America and should be a finalist along Saez and Irad Ortiz, Jr. in my book. Rosario has 69 stakes wins which is seven shy of Garrett Gomez’s record set in 2007. Rosario has earned 49 graded stakes victories in 2021; the record is 55 by Jerry Bailey in 2003. Rosario’s mounts banked a total of $32,944,478 this year, just over a million shy of Irad Ortiz, Jr.’s 2019 record of $34,109,019.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Gerald Bennett is 18 0-2-2 this meet. He won the last meet by 22 and the prior meet by 29.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Opening Day Handle: $6.9 million. The meet runs to April 3.
• Card: History was made today as this is the first known track in the world to card races for three different surfaces. Dirt, turf and Tapeta (synthetic) comprised the three surfaces.
• Tyler Gaffalione, born in south Florida, was one of three riders to earn multiple win days. Emisael Jaramillo won the day's first two races.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Francisco Arrieta recorded a natural hat trick-plus one to end the day in what was a wonderful performance at an otherwise unpredictable track. Arrieta finished 8 4-2-0 with wins on the card's final four races.
• Race 5: Unbridled Twister (Jon Court/Al Cates) gave the jockey his 700th lifetime win at Oaklawn, sixth best in the 177-year history of the track.
• Opening Day Handle: Approached $6 million. The meet runs into Kentucky Derby weekend.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Opening Day: The meet runs until December 12. Southern Cal is then dark until Santa Anita opens December 26.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Unless Baffert's attorney/representative jumped the gun, this appears to be good news for his camp and perhaps racing.

Baffert attorney: Test shows ointment led to failed Derby test

First, from Baffert attorney Craig Robertson:

"The testing of the split urine sample of Medina Spirit has now been completed by Dr. George Maylin, director of the New York Drug Testing & Research Program. By Order of the Franklin Circuit Court in Kentucky, this urine was tested 'to determine if the alleged topical administration of Otomax could have resulted in the finding of betamethasone' in Medina Spirit following the 2021 Kentucky Derby. Those results have now definitively confirmed that the betamethasone present in Medina Spirit's system did indeed come from the topical ointment Otomax and not an injection.

"In other words, it has now been scientifically proven that what Bob Baffert said from the beginning was true – Medina Spirit was never injected with betamethasone and the findings following the Kentucky Derby were solely the result of the horse being treated for a skin condition by way of a topical ointment – all at the direction of Medina Spirit's veterinarian.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

First time I have ever seen that, at New York today. Consecutive races, both graded stakes, and the same jock lodged objections against the same winner. Wow. Johnny V. lost both objections to Irad Ortiz.

 

[Marco 85]

And this is what will be known as the first time in the history of horse racing in any country that a track has carded races for three different surfaces. Gulfstream has a dirt, turf and now all-weather track. History will be made tomorrow in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

The Championship Meet runs into April with the Florida Derby the signature race.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$23,000	Maiden Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	11	12:00 PM ET
Race 2	$29,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	12:30 PM ET
Race 3	$23,000	Maiden Claiming	About 5 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	10	12:58 PM ET
Race 4	$32,000	Maiden Claiming	About 1 Mile 70 Yards	All Weather Track	8	1:26 PM ET
Race 5	$62,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	5 Furlongs	Turf	8	1:55 PM ET
Race 6	$75,000	Wait a While S.	1 Mile	Turf	9	2:28 PM ET
Race 7	$28,000	Claiming	About 5 Furlongs	All Weather Track	8	2:58 PM ET
Race 8	$61,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	3:28 PM ET
Race 9	$39,000	Starter Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	9	3:59 PM ET
Race 10	$75,000	Pulpit S.	1 Mile	Turf	12	4:32 PM ET
Race 11	$24,000	Claiming	About 1 Mile 70 Yards	All Weather Track	16	5:05 PM ET

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

Real nice picture. I can see my condo. Lol

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Aqueduct (New York):

• Handle: $17 million.
• Card: A brilliant card especially considering the time of the year. Four graded stakes among the highlights.
• Todd Pletcher won all three of the four graded stakes he entered. He finished 7 3-2-1.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. rode four winners and finished 9 4-2-1. Twice he was the subject of objections lodged by runner up John Velazquez. Ortiz is as aggressive rider as exists in New York. Johnny V. has reached god-like status in the eyes of many. It was truly interesting to see how these objections would play. Both come from Puerto Rico and have Angel Cordero (Johnny V.'s former agent, too) in their backgrounds -- also known for his aggressiveness when he rode -- but the difference in styles was on full display. One wonders if any rivalry exists behind-the-scenes.
• John Velazquez was runner up in all four graded stakes and he rode for four different trainers.
• Race 7: Lady Rocket (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Brad Cox) was sent off the favorite and obliterated the field in a 9-length win to claim the $250,000 Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap. The 4-year-old filly was sold for $420,000 two years ago after an original sale price of $27,000. She has won six times in 11 starts including 4-2-0 in her past six. She was sensational today and earned a 106 Beyer figure which was the high for the card.

​

• Race 8: Mo Donegal (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Todd Pletcher) won the Grade 2 $250,000 Remsen Stakes in an extremely close battle. The race is a Kentucky Derby prep and with the victor received 10 points to the race in May. Zendon (John Velazquez/Chad Brown) placed and an inquiry-objection was nullified. Ortiz, Velazquez, Pletcher and Brown are arguably the four biggest names in New York racing. Mo Donegal is a son to Uncle Mo and was purchased for $250,000. He is 3 2-0-1 lifetime.

​

• Race 9: Nest (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Todd Pletcher) won the Grade 2 $250,00 Demoiselle Stakes by a neck against Venti Valentine (John Velazquez/Jorge Abreu). The winner, a 2-year-old Curlin filly, was purchased for $350,000 and improved to 3 2-0-1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMAMO5DbZUk​

• Race 10: Americanrevolution (Luis Saez/Todd Pletcher) won the Grade I $750,000 Cigar Mile Handicap. Following Sea (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher) placed in a 1/2-length defeat. Americanrevolution was purchased for $275,000 and has already earned over $900,000. The 3-year-old son to Constitution is 7 5-0-1 lifetime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCBP4LDz_6M​

• Meet: This is the second-to-last day of the Aqueduct Fall Meet. Aqueduct's Winter Meet runs December 9 - March 27. The 15-day Aqueduct Spring Meet runs March 31 through April 24.
• Leaders: Irad Ortiz, Jr. appears to be on solid ground with a 4-win lead among all riders, Luis Saez is second best. Todd Pletcher has a 2-win lead among all trainers. Chad Brown follows. Christophe Clement is next three behind the leader.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $11.4 million.
• Race 10: Twelve Volt Man (Edwin Gonzalez/Saffie Joseph, Jr.) won the $125,000 Claiming Crown Jewel Starter Stakes at 10-to-1. The trainer entered two. The higher odds won.
• Saffie Joseph, Jr. trained three winners. He is the lone trainer at the meet - through two days - with more than one win.
• Paco Lopez was 10 5-2-0, including a natural hat trick early, and among the wins were four stakes. A 5-win day for Paco Lopez!

• Full replay show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPIN0iNM7J0​

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Handle: $6.5 million.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Race 8: Eda (Juan Hernandez/Bob Baffert) won the Grade I $300,000 Starlet Stakes. Baffert entered three of the six who ran and his others were overpowered but Eda was sent off the favorite and did not disappoint as she wired the field to improve to 6 4-1-0. The 2-year-old was purchased for $550,000.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Handle: $7.5 million.
• Penultimate Day of Racing: Tomorrow closes the meet. Kazushi Kimura (jockey) and Mark Casse (trainer) both dominated their categories.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Woodbine closes shop until some point next Spring. How about this for a finale? Over 160 horses entered.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$60,300	Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	8	12:55 PM ET
Race 2	$32,700	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	10	1:25 PM ET
Race 3	$48,300	Maiden Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	9	1:54 PM ET
Race 4	$33,400	Starter Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	2:23 PM ET
Race 5	$48,300	Maiden Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	13	2:55 PM ET
Race 6	$126,800	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	3:24 PM ET
Race 7	$101,200	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	10	3:53 PM ET
Race 8	$108,700	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	8	4:23 PM ET
Race 9	$101,200	Allowance	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	15	4:53 PM ET
Race 10	$64,300	Maiden Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	15	5:23 PM ET
Race 11	$150,000	Valedictory S.	1 1/2 Miles	All Weather Track	15	5:53 PM ET
Race 12	$63,900	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	11	6:23 PM ET
Race 13	$60,300	Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	9	6:53 PM ET
Race 14	$29,600	Maiden Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	16	7:23 PM ET

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

While horse racing is best seen at a live venue first, then a simulcast facility, TV rights for the Belmont Stakes could be shifted from NBC to Fox Sports. NYRA has boosted its presence through Fox and this could be a parallel move or likely something better. The NYRA simulcast feed itself is solid. Horse racing as a whole has excellent simulcast feeds where the talent basically makes it about the sport and not about individuals or themselves.

One thing to remember about the Belmont Stakes and what New York tried to accomplish a few years ago. When there is a possible Triple Crown winner, the Stakes is enhanced. But the card is almost always attractive to handicappers and has been called a mini-Breeders' Cup even without the presence of a potential Triple Crown winner. That plays to dedicated horse players and fans and not so much to the general audience. That is where simulcast parlors excel.

Fox Sports Makes $12M Bid For Belmont Stakes

Fox Sports is poised to break into Triple Crown thoroughbred horse racing with a pending deal to acquire the Belmont Stakes media rights from NBC Sports.

Fox is expected to quadruple combined rights fees and sponsorship spending for the Belmont to $12 million, sources told Front Office Sports.

Fox is promising an annual rights fee of $5 million vs. $3 million to renew with NBC, said sources. Sister company Fox Bet is then expected to spend an additional $7 million to title sponsor the oldest of the three Triple Crown races.
Formed in 2019, Fox Bet is a partnership between Fox Sports and Flutter Entertainment, the global gaming giant that owns FanDuel and PokerStars.

Fox’s new deal could kick in with the 2023 Belmont Stakes, said sources, but NBC could also sell Fox rights to the 2022 race, scheduled for June 12 in Elmont, New York.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Irad Ortiz, Jr. Jose Ortiz and others are in Puerto Rico riding at Camarero. Among the races is a $400,000 purse. They should return to New York for the start of the Aqueduct Winter Meet later this week. Then comes the post-Christmas changes.

John Velazquez heads to California.
Irad Ortiz to Florida.
Jose Ortiz will stay in NY.​

They could all travel during the winter months but that will be their home bases as listed.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Irad Ortiz, Jr. given a 30-day suspension.

Irad Ortiz Jr. Gets 30-Day Suspension For Careless Riding At Aqueduct - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

Three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. received a 30 calendar- day suspension from the board of stewards at Aqueduct on Sunday for two careless riding incidents at the South Ozone Park, N.Y., track on Friday and Saturday, Daily Racing Form's David Grening reported. Grening reported Ortiz Jr. does not plan to appeal and will begin serving the ban this week after signing a waiver.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday, December 5, 2021

Aqueduct (New York):

• Closing Day: The meet ended. The Winter Meet starts Thursday.
• Title Holders: Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Todd Pletcher for jockey and trainer, respectively.
• Javier Castellano won three times, twice picking up mounts, IIRC.
• Race 9: Justintimeforwine (Luis Rodriguez Castro/Patrick Reynolds) won the last scheduled turf race at a NYRA track until some point in 2022 and at 50-to-1. The winner paid $103.

​

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled: The weekend racing was canceled due to track maintenance and concerns. The Maryland Juvenile Championship and the Juvenile Fillies Championship will be run at a later date perhaps later this month. The issues at Laurel all but will remove the track from serious consideration as a Breeders' Cup host as early as 2023. The rotation of Kentucky and California is likely.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $7.8 million.
• Luca Panici rode $20 and $50 winners.
  
• Eddie Plesa, Jr., who got his first win in 1982 at the shuttered (to T-breds anyway) Hialeah Park, sent out one mount and won. The same as yesterday. He is 3 2-0-1 at the meet.
• Saffie Joseph, Jr., who is possibly the most recognized local trainer the past five years, was a dreadful 13 0-2-2 and nine times finished seventh or lower.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Marcelino Pedroza, Jr. rode five winners to complete a perfect day going 5 5-0-0 and trainer Sam David, Jr. was also perfect with a 4 4-0-0 afternoon. The two combined to win all four times they teamed. An impressive afternoon. David has been training over 50 years.

• Chalk: Favorites won the first five races.

Oaklawn (Arkansas):

• Race 4: Dr. Forman (Kylee Jordan/Paul Holthus) gave the 19-year-old Iowan jockey perhaps her biggest win of her young career. She is based at Prairie Meadows.
• Race 9: Lady Astrid (Kelsi Harr/Robert Cline) won the finale at 60-to-1, the second longest odds on the board in a field of 11. The $.50 Pick 3 paid over $3,000. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $13,000. The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $33,000. Harr, who was raised in a small Arkansas town near Oaklawn, is engaged to Cline. They had another reason to celebrate this evening!

​

Los Alamitos (California):

• Race 9: As Time Goes By (Flavien Prat/Bob Baffert) won the $100,000 Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes. Baffert swept the weekend's graded stakes at his home track.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Closing Day: The track is closed until around Spring 2022.
• Title Holders: Kazushi Kimura (jockey) and Mark Casse (trainer) both dominated their categories.
• Card: A lengthy 14 races.
• Race 5: Ethnic Soul (Jodeien Anderson/Randy Thompson) won at 105-to-1 and paid $212.10/$81.50/$24,20. The enormous payout included a $1 exacta worth over $1,300 and a $.20 super that paid over $15,000. The exacta was as high as I remember in North America this year.
• Race 6: Abitibi (Daisuke Fukumoto/Darwin Banach) won at 12-to-1 which led to a $1 double worth over $1,100.
• Race 7: The $.20 Pick 3 was worth over $7,800.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Yeah. M. A. Vasquez is an underrated jockey. If Luca Panici could stay healthy. He would get some live mounts.

Did you catch Luca Panici yesterday? Two winners: $20 and $50, the latter on turf.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Just as an aside, why is it some of the best tracks have some of the worst simulcast graphics?

Oaklawn is a tremendously popular track. The new graphics are too condensed. I wonder if these tracks conduct focus groups with real horse players to determine color schemes and fonts. The copper (if that is the color) and blue combo is acceptable but the layout at the bottom is too compact. Also, who in their right mind put dark red on navy blue for such things as scratches?

Again, Hawthorne in Illinois has one of the best color schemes. Why not put white on a dark color background? Odds change quickly but more so the amount of betting interests is abundant, and it is imperative to be able to read such things clearly. Style and size of fonts is important.

The Stronach Tracks ruined their feeds with the color co-ordinated themes at the various tracks: sea green for Santa Anita, pinkish for Laurel, butternut yellow for Golden Gate, etc.