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

[Preds Partisan]

Audible disappears off the Triple Crown trail.... will not race in the 150th Belmont Stakes

WinStar made that call.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

May 25, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Jose Ortiz won three times including race 3 in a dead heat with his brother.
• Chad Brown won twice to boost his lead to seven over Todd Pletcher among trainers.
• Race 2: The $2 tri paid over $,000 with a $75.00 winner.
• A rare bad day for trainer Wesley Ward who failed to hit the board with three starters including two ridden by John Velazquez. Still, Ward's record at the meet is 23 8-5-3.

Pimlico (Maryland)

• Race 1: The $2 tri paid over $2,800.
• Race 4: Alex Cintron won for the first time in 2018. He suffered severe injuries in the jaw and face after falling in a race, last November, which was declared no contest since he remained in a prone position on the track.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $12,000.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Florent Geroux had three wins, including the opener and the closer, in five starts. In his last two days, he has won 5 times in 10 starts.
• James Graham won consecutive races.
• Race 6: An 11-year-old horse was entered. Officially a horse not a gelding. I don't recall seeing too many 11-year-old horses entered to race.
• Race 8: This would have made for an interesting call. Entered were Bella Bella and Bella Belle, the latter of whom was scratched. They had different sires and dams, too.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• The finale saw a $78.00 winner.
• The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $16,000.
• The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $12,000 following the finale.
• The $.50 Pick 4 paid an astronomical $34,000+ following the finale. There was also a bomb in race 6 to start the sequence.
• The $.50 tri in the finale paid $1,500+.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• Race 3: This will get attention. The $2 exacta paid over $1,000. The $.50 tri over $1,100. The $.10 super paid over $4,500+.
• Race 4: The $2 double paid over $800.
• Race 5: The $1 Pick 3 paid in excess of $2,200.

Lone Star (Texas):

• Karl Broberg and Steve Asmussen, the two winningest trainers in North America in 2018, both won three times in the 8-race card.

Santa Anita (California):

• Geovanni Franco won the opener. It was his first race since serving a four-day suspension.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 1: Remarkably, the lowest payout of the day was a 5-to-1 shot that paid $12.00.
• Race 4: The $1 super paid over $23,000.
• Race 6: The $1 Pick 5 paid in excess of $12,000 to those who hit four legs. The $1 Pick 3 paid over $3,400.

 

[GKJ]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^ A simply fantastic race. All I could think about was Desormeaux's quote from a couple or so years ago regarding photo finishes:

"I don't believe in the validity of the photo finish system, not at all as a matter of fact," Desormeaux said to Linnell. "I know I've been deprived of wins—or the other way around—but I'm pretty certain that we, and you as the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, need to find a better way to make sure that photo finish was accurate."

"I believe they can make the wire where they want."​

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

May 26, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Favorites won six of the ten races. Chalk players rejoice.
• Race 1: The opener featured a 13-length romp for the winner. The distance between second and third was 10 lengths. The third place horse lost by more than 23 lengths.
• Race 2: Joel Rosario won in his only mount at New York. He then headed to Monmouth (New Jersey) where he rode later in that card. Trainer Nick Zito won for the third time in 76 starts this year.
• Race 5: The biggest winner of the day was Junior Alvarado on board a 3-to-1 shot. Alvarado had won just once in his last 21 starts.
• Race 6: The winner broke his maiden in his 11th start. He had a record of 0-3-6. One of the oddest scenes in recent memory: the outside horse bolted for the outer turf course and was never a consideration. The official chart stated "left course." File under: something new.
• Race 9: The 4100,000 feature race included top trainers Bob Baffert, Todd Pletcher, Mark Casse and Christophe Clement. Gidu (John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher), an Irish-bred, was victorious.
• Wesley Ward won with his only starter. The trainer is an impressive 24 9-5-3 at the meet. Both winning percentage and hitting board mark are better than those of Chad Brown and Todd Pletcher who are having their usual strong New York meet.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• New York-based Eric Cancel was a perfect 3-for-3. He won races 3. 7 and 8.
• New York-based Trevor McCarthy won twice.
• Race 12: Jersey Joe Bravo said stop the madness. He won the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup for trainer Chad Brown on board Money Multiplier at 4-to-1. Bravo is 18 5-5-2 at the meet. Brown is 9 3-3-3.
• Race 11: The Grade 3, $100,000 mile. A most fascinating storyline and certainly one of my favorites, Page McKenney (Horacio Karamanos/Mary Eppler) won again. Today's win is enhanced since Maryland-based rider Karamanos replaced national star Jose Ortiz who had ridden the last two times. Page went off at 7-to-1 and now sports a lifetime mark of 56 22-15-4. The 8-year-old Pennsylvania-bred won a graded stakes race for the second time in eight tries and has a record of 2-2-2. Page, who is approaching $2,000,000 in lifetime earnings, is 19-10-3 in his last 36 starts and was once in the money 28 straight races. Today's win a first at Monmouth but the seventh track in which he has been victorious (Laurel 8, Parx 7, Penn 3, Gulfstream 1, Pimlico 1, Colonial Downs 1, Monmouth 1). This is a former claimer. Excellent story!

"He just tries so hard. He's all heart—just an amazing horse," Mary Eppler.​

• Kelly Breen was off the board with three starters. Breen was 12 7-2-0 to start the day at the meet.

Parx (Pennyslvania):

• Frankie Pennington won his first three starts. He had four mounts.

Penn National (Pennsylvania):

• Race 2: The $,50 tri returned close to $900.

Charles Town (West Virginia):

• Race 2: The show prices were $17.80, 419.80 and $58.00 That is what happens when the overwhelming favorite runs off the board.
• Race 9: The $1 Pick 6 paid over $32,000.

Pimlico (Maryland):

• Race 6: Eleven of the 16 horses were scratched. Once again, elements messed with a weekend card at the track.
• Race 10: The $2 Pick 4 was over $21,000.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• A sloppy track, many scratches throughout the card.
• Race 5: Turned into a match race when two horses separated themselves from the pack.
• Race 8: A horse named Knucklehead won.
• Emisael Jaramillo won with his first four starters including the natural hat trick beginning with race 4. He was a perfect 4-for-4 through the 6th race with five more mounts; however, he hit the board just one more time.
• Trainer Roger Laurin, son of Lucien Laurien who trained Secretariat, won for the 696th time in his career. The 82-year-old native of Quebec has been training since the 1960s.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Corey Lanerie won three times and hit the board eight times in 11 starts.
• Not the best of days for Florent Geroux who entered with wins in 5 of his last 10 starts. He hit the board just twice in 10 starts (1-0-1).
• Race 7: A $63.00 winner.
• Race 9: The $2 Pick 5 was more than $65,000. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $6,000.
• Race 10: In the Grade III $100,000 Winning Colors, Miss Kentucky (Brian Hernandez, Jr./George Arnold) was victorious at 7-to-2.
• Race 11: The $2 Pick 5 was $383,089.40

Arlington (Illinois):

• Race 7: Carlos Marquez, Jr. won for the 3,000th time and was honored with the usual frivolity and hijinks. It was the second straight day Arlington saw a rider win a 3,000th career race. Julio Felix got the treatment yesterday.
• Race 8: The $100,000 Grade 3 Arlington Classic was won by Ezmosh (Jose Valdivia, Jr./Brad Cox).

Evangeline Downs (Louisiana):

• In the Louisiana Legends Stakes, Social Misfit (Timothy Thornton/Karl Broberg) won at 8-to-1 and topped a $1 exacta which returned $114. The 9-year-old Social Misfit was out for the 63rd time and sports a mark of 17-5-16 and won a stakes race for the first time. Thornton is third in North America in victories this year. Broberg is number 1.

Golden Gate (California):

• Jockey Irving Orozco won four times. He finished 8 4-2-1. He won three consecutive starts though not three straight races.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 8: In the $300,000 Grade I Gamely Stakes, veterans Kent Desormeaux and Corey Nakatani hooked up in a thriller (video in the above post). Sophie P. (tr. James Cassidy) is a Great Britain-bred who ran in the U.S. for the second time after 19 starts in Europe. Desormeaux's winning ride was with a 14-to-1 shot and paid $30. Cassidy won for the second time in 26 starts at the meet. Uni (Irad Ortz, Jr./Chad Brown) was scratched which was the apparent impetus that Ortiz, Jr. not travel across country to California. He was scheduled to ride the eventual winner in the opener was replaced by Drayden Van Dyke.
• Race 6: In a $200,000 Grade II, Itsinthepost (Julien Leparoux/Jeff Mullins) was sent off as the favorite in a 6-horse field and scored a victory for the 10th time. Leparoux picked up the mount for the injured Tyler Baze.
• Race 5: In the $500,000 Gold Cup, Accelerate (Victor Espinoza/John Sadler) won for the 7th time in 19 starts. A solid performance worthy of a 111 Beyer Figure.

​

• Mike Smith completed his suspension for a racing violation a few days ago at the track. He last rode when he won the Preakness Stakes with Justify. He has one mount tomorrow, in Lone Star (Texas).

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 8: In the $175,000 Grade 2 feature, Are You Kidding Me (Rafael Hernandez/Roger Attfield) was victorious. Hernandez is by far the leading rider at the meet with 41 wins and sports percentages of 32 and 62 with a record of 127 41-23-15. Attfield is 12 6-3-0 at the meet. Very solid numbers for both rider and trainer.
• Race 7: The $1 Pick 4 was over $6,000.
• Race 6: The $1 Pick 5 was over $20,000.
• Norman McKnight won twice. He is now 8-3-0 with his last 15 starters. He is 46 25-7-8 at the meet. His winning percentage is 54%. He has been in the money 87% of the time. Stunning figures.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

May 27, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Off the turf and many scratches throughout the card.
• A chalky day again. Favorites won 5 times, finished 2nd twice and third once in the nine races. There has not been a winner to pay more than $10 the last 19 races.
• Race 9: If there is such a tactic as rope-a-dope or playing possum in horse racing, the number 2 seemed to fool many en route to victory. The 3-year-old filly looked game, then beaten, before recovering.
• Despite the updated graphics from the beginning of the meet, New York needs to adjust the odds at the bottom of the screen. The font/size is unappealing and difficult to read through the simulcast feed.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Off the turf and many scratches throughout the card.
• Trainer Jorge Navarro improved to 32 16-3-6 at the meet after a 4-win day with five starters. He won the first three races on the card. It is very infrequent that any trainer wins the opening three races. He holds the track record with 5 wins on a card.
• Trainer Kelly Breen is now 18 8-3-0 at the meet after winning once with three starters.
• Race 11: Maikol Tunon, a 10-pound bug, won for the first time in his career.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Steve Asmussen shipped for the first time and won. I don't recall him sending too many horses to Philly.

Pimlico (Maryland):

• In the penultimate day of racing at the track, the card was abbreviated due to weather. The fifth race was delayed by about 90 minutes before cancellation was announced. Pimlico was one of the few tracks to have racing on the turf as racing day began. The Rainbow 6 carryover should be extensive with it starting at $279,000+.
• Race 2: A good race that ended with Michael Matz defeating Todd Pletcher. Two of the best trainers in the land. Matz was a perfect 2-for-2 today.
• Alex Cintron won two of four races held and both for Michael Matz. Cintron has recently returned from a serious facial injury. He is 10 4-2-0 in 2018 including 4-1-0 in his last 6 races.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Off the turf and many scratches throughout the card.
• Tyler Gaffalione won three of his six starts. He has moved atop the jockey leader board with 42 victories at the meet. Nik Juarez (41), Miguel Vasquez (38), Emisael Jaramillo (38) and Edgard Zayas (36) follow among a tight group.
• Jonathan Gonzalez won three times with four starters. He rode three straight winners though not in consecutive races.
• Race 11: The finale had a finish of 15-12-13-14-16. It isn't often those numbers make the top five. However, seven of the 11 entered for a turf race were scratched. The five were main track only runners.
• Race 6: The lone first-time starter went gate-to-wire and had less than impressive training times entering.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Off the turf and many scratches throughout the card.
• Corey Lanerie was 9 3-3-1. The last two days he is a combined 20 6-6-3. He is second to Brian Hernandez, Jr. (26 to 22) with win at the meet.

Prairie Meadows (Iowa):

• The combination of Ramon Vasquez/Karl Broberg was 2-for-2. Broberg leads North America in wins.

Lone Star Park (Texas):

• Mike Smith returned from his suspension of four racing days and his lone ride was in the Grade III $300,000 Lone Star Handicap. However, Shotgun Kowboy (Luis Quinonez/C.R. Trout) pulled the upset with the second longest price on the board in a shortened field of four entered. The winner paid $11.20. Mubtaahij (Mike Smith/Bob Baffert), the heavily bet Irish-bred, finished second and never looked comfortable. The 5-year-old failed to win for the 16th time in his last 17 starts and now sports a lifetime mark of 24 5-6-4 though he has earned the fantastic sum of more than $5,000,000.

​

• It isn't often Stee Asmussen goes 0-for-5 but he did today.
• Karl Broberg won just once with 10 starters. Broberg and Asmussen are the two winningest trainers in North America in 2018.

Emerald Downs (Washington):

• Kevin Orozco had the natural hat trick beginning with race 5.

Golden Gate Fields (California):

• Jockey Irving Orozco won four times in seven starts. He had the natural hat trick and won four times in a span of five races. He finished 4-2-0. The last two days, he totaled a record of 15 8-4-1.

Santa Anita Park (California):

• Race 8: The $100,000 Grade III feature went to Marley's Freedom (Drayden Van Dyke/Bob Baffert), a 4-year-old filly, in a romp of more than seven lengths.

​

• Pick 6 was hit and paid $217,702.
• Doug O'Neill won three times with four starters.
• Gary Stevens replaced the injured Tyler Baze and won the $75,000 Black Pearl on board Factorofwon for trainer Mark Glatt. A fine photo with the mountains and trees in the background:

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Gary Boulanger had three wins including on Niigon's Eclipse for trainer Rachel Halden in the Grade II Nassau Stakes. The winner paid $26.70 and was the longest shot on the board. The trainer has only 67 wins and this is her second graded stakes victory.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Monday's card on the Memorial Day holiday will feature many competitive races with Belmont among the most impressive.

NEW YORK:

Diversify leads Belmont's New York-bred Memorial Day showcase - Horse Racing Nation

New York-breds will take center stage on the Memorial Day holiday slate Monday at Belmont Park as the New York Racing Association hosts its annual New York Showcase Day, featuring an 11-race all New York-bred card, including six stakes races worth $900,000 in purses and highlighted by the $200,000 Commentator including Grade 1 winner Diversify.

The day's stakes action will begin in Race 3, the $125,000 Mount Vernon. Peter Brant's ultra-consistent Fifty Five, who has finished on the board in 10 of her 11 career starts, will return to Belmont for the first time since winning the Ticonderoga last year as part of a field of nine in the 40th running of the Mount Vernon for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at one mile on the Widener turf.

Carded as Race 3 with the Mount Vernon will feature Fifty Five making her second start of her 4-year-old campaign after running second in the Plenty of Grace on April 14 at Aqueduct. The Chad Brown trainee won the Grade 3 Florida Oaks as a 3-year-old as part of a year in which she was second in the Grade 3 Wonder Again, third in the Grade 3 Lake George and posted a one-length score in the Ticonderoga. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride from post 9.​

Here is what's happening at Pimlico after Sunday's abbreviated card:

MARYLAND:

Weather Forces MJC to Cancel Six Pimlico Races May 27 - BloodHorse​

Nine races are scheduled for the May 28 Memorial Day holiday card, which concludes the 12-day Preakness Stakes (G1) meet at Pimlico and features mandatory payouts in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, 50-cent Late Pick 5, and $1 Super Hi-5 wagers. The Rainbow 6 will have a jackpot carryover of $279,837.20.

The carryover jackpot, under normal circumstances, is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60% of that day's pool goes back to bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 40% is carried over to the jackpot pool. On mandatory-payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the holders of tickets with the most winners.

After Monday, racing will move to Laurel Park for the 40-day summer meet, which begins June 1.
​

CALIFORNIA:

Shoemaker Mile Stakes

• What: Grade I stakes race
• Where: Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California
• When: Monday, May 28, 2018
• Time: 3:46 pm Pacific Time 6:46 pm Eastern Time
• Surface: Turf
• Purse: $400,000
• Who: 3-year-olds and up
• Distance: Mile
• History: Inaugurated in 1938. Once run at Hollywood Park. Named in honor of Willie Shoemaker.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Om (KY)	Joseph Talamo	121	Dan L. Hendricks	5/1
2	Bowies Hero (KY)	Corey S. Nakatani	125	Philip D'Amato	5/2
3	Pavel (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	121	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
4	Colonist (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	121	Jerry Hollendorfer	15/1
5	Hunt (IRE)	Flavien Prat	123	Philip D'Amato	8/1
6	Heart to Heart (ON)	Julien R. Leparoux	125	Brian A. Lynch	2/1
7	Arms Runner (FL)	Geovanni Franco	121	Peter Miller	15/1
8	Next Shares (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Richard Baltas	6/1
9	Blackjackcat (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	121	Mark Glatt	6/1

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

May 28, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• The day was filled with New York-state bred races. Six races had purses of $125,000 or more.
• More than $12,000,000 was handled.
• Two of my NY favorites delivered admirably.
  • Race 5: Mike Luzzi and Junior Alvarado finished 1-2 and the $1 exacta returned $87.50. Luzzi played catch me if you can and they couldn't. The race was 12 deep and Luzzi went gate-to-wire. Massive applause here!
  • Race 7: Junior Alvarado brought home a 20-to-1 bomb in his typical swagger, closed from the outside. A $42.00 winner for every $2 wagered. The $1 Pick 3 paid over $1,000 in the sequence that began with race 5.
• Race 3 and 4: Irad Ortiz, Jr. won consecutive races, both stakes.
• Jose Ortiz won three times including two stakes races and a third time with a 10-to-1. He finished a solid week at 30 10-4-3. UPDATE: He was named Jockey of the Week.
• Trainers Jason Servis and Linda Rice each won two of the six stakes races.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. (21), Manny Franco (21), Jose Ortiz (20) and John Velazquez (20) lead the meet in wins.
• Manny Franco had zero wins with nine mounts and has just one victory in his last 29 rides.
• Javier Castellano, whose streak as the Eclipse Award-winning Outstanding Jockey ended this year, recently hired a new agent for the second time in three years. There seems to be concern about his career on the national stage. This week, he was 25 3-5-2 which is weak.
• Joe Bravo received the Mike Venezia Award, given by the NYRA for among other things sportsmanship, in a ceremony held during the card. Joe Bravo, Have Trophy Will Travel!

Pimlico (Maryland):

• More than $1.3 million was added to the Rainbow 6 Jackpot. Each winner got over $8,100.
• The brief meet closed today. Onto Laurel.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luca Panici won consecutive races 9 and 10 and Tyler Gaffalione came in second place in both. Panici won with Bingo Bango Bongo (tr. Joe Catanese) in the first leg in what was an uneasy DQ review. He followed with a victory on board Bella Vincenza (tr. Kathleen O' Connell) in the next leg. Luca, oh yeah! My two Gulf riders did A-OK here.

​

• Race 7: Millionaire Runner, who finished 5th in the Florida Derby after being sent off at 115-to-1, won here at 25-to-1.
• Race 6: Todd Pletcher doesn't win all the baby races. He had two entered in a race of 2-year-olds. One failed, the other was second.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Robby Albarado has had a terrible 2018 but he won today and snapped a 33-race skid.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 1: Bob Baffert won with his only starter of the day, an 0-for-10 maiden.
• Race 7: The $400,000 Grade I Shoemaker, Hunt (Flavien Prat/Phil D'Amato), an Irish-bred, won and paid $21.80. The rider deserves A++.

​

• Race 10: The $200,000 Grade II Monrovia, Belvoir Bay (Victor Espinoza/Peter Miller) won and paid $5.60 as the favorite.
• The $2 Pick 6 paid over $48,000.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

This is an extraordinary three-day event enhanced by the possibility of Justify's Triple Crown.

Belmont Stakes Racing Festival Draws 308 Nominees - BloodHorse

New York Racing Association reports 308 horses have been nominated for its three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that features 18 stakes worth $9.4 million, including the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1).

Other headliners during the festival June 7-9 are the $1.2 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1), which is a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), and the $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan Stakes (G1T).

The 125th running of the Met Mile June 9 has attracted 23 nominations, led by three-time grade/group 1 winner and reigning New York-bred horse of the year Mind Your Biscuits and 3-year-old multiple grade 1 winner Bolt d'Oro. The Manhattan, also to be run June 9, has drawn 19 nominees for its 117th iteration, including 2015 Argentina Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year and recent Man o' War Stakes (G1T) victor Hi Happy and Man o' War runner-up Sadler's Joy. Other nominated Manhattan contenders are multiple graded stakes winners Beach Patrol, Divisidero, and Oscar Nominated.

The June 9 Belmont Park card will also feature the $700,000 Acorn Stakes (G1), the $750,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes, and the $700,000 Longines Just a Game Stakes.

The Acorn field is expected to include Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Monomoy Girl among its 14 nominees. The Ogden Phipps Stakes (a qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, G1) has attracted Abel Tasman and Unbridled Mo among its 16 competitive nominees, while the Just a Game has 19 nominees that include recent grade 2 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes winner Proctor's Ledge and grade 3 Beaugay Stakes heroine A Raving Beauty.

Rounding out the Belmont Stakes day card is the $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun Stakes (G2); $400,000 Jaipur Invitational (G2T), which carries an all-fees-paid berth into the Breeder's Cup Turf Sprint (G1T); $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational (G2) at the Belmont's 1 1/2-mile distance; and, the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

Horses eligible for the Belmont Stakes are part of the Triple Crown nominating series. Entries for Belmont Stakes day will be taken June 5. The undercard will be drawn early in the afternoon with the draw for the Belmont Stakes taking place at Citi Field at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

​

PENN MILE STAKES

• What: Grade II
  
• Where: Penn National Race Course
  
• When: Saturday, June 2, 2018
  
• Time: 7:45 PM Eastern Time
  
• Surface: Turf
  
• Purse: $500,000
  
• Distance: 1 mile
  
• Age: 3-year-olds
  
• Full card: Equibase | North American Entries
• Television: TVG

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Coltandmississippi (KY)	Joel Rosario	116	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
2	Encumbered (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Simon Callaghan	6/1
3	Maraud (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Todd A. Pletcher	5/2
4	Therapist (NY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Christophe Clement	3/1
5	Way Early (NY)	Kendrick Carmouche	116	George Weaver	10/1
6	Hawkish (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	James J. Toner	5/1
7	Smart Remark (KY)	Jose Lezcano	116	Victoria H. Oliver	12/1
8	He's Bankable (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	122	Mark E. Casse	6/1

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[TBODY][TR][TH]BEHOLDER MILE STAKES

• What: Grade I
  
• Where: Santa Anita park, Arcadia, California
  
• When: Saturday, June 02, 2018, Race 9
  
• Post Time: 4:30 pm Pacific Time; 7:30 pm Eastern Time
  
• Distance: One mile
  
• Surface: Dirt
  
• Purse: $400,000
  
• Age/Sex: 3-year-olds & up, fillies and mares

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Munny Spunt (FL)	Kyle Frey	121	Doug F. O'Neill	-
2	Mopotism (KY)	Geovanni Franco	121	Doug F. O'Neill	-
3	La Force (GER)	Drayden Van Dyke	121	Patrick Gallagher	-
4	Paradise Woods (KY)	Flavien Prat	123	Richard E. Mandella	-
5	Vale Dori (ARG)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Bob Baffert	-
6	Unique Bella (PA)	Mike E. Smith	121	Jerry Hollendorfer	-

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

May 31, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Race 1: An 0-for-18 maiden ridden by Dylan Davis (one of his two wins) with eight second place finishes finally won. Paco Lopez had one scheduled ride and finished third at 36-to-1.
• Race 2: Brad Cox won with his only starter. The trainer has won six times with 14 starters at the meet. Overall. he is winning at a 28% rate this year
• Race 3: Make The Rules (Paco Lopez/Gary Gullo) won as a first time starter. Paco Lopez picked up the mount for Andre Worrie and won with the longest shot on the board.
• Race 4: A close finish in an exciting stretch battle between Pablo Fragoso and Javier Castellano. Fragoso caught the rail and won.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $26,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $8,500. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $2,600.
• Race 7: Another terrific finish with Javier Castellano riding the rail to victory over Joe Bravo.
• Race 9: Junior Alvarado, on board a 27-to-1 bomb with just his second ride of the day, was edged for second place by John Velazquez yet still paid $10 to show. If he got second, that would have been a healthy place price. This was the last race on the card.
• Manny Franco won the finale to jump into the top spot for most wins at the meet with 22. The victory snapped a 21-race losing skid. The tight race for winningest rider at the meet sees four riders separated by one win.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• The meet opened to less than stellar reviews yesterday. The card was more appealing today.
• Jeremy Rose, in his only start of the day, was lifted from third to second after the original fourth place finisher lodged an objection against second place. With the chalky favorite off the board, the exacta was a considerably fortuitous $120.
• Graham Motion was 2-for-2 today and joined fellow trainer laudio Gonzalez with a perfect record after two racing days.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• James Graham won both ends of the early double which paid $133 for a $1.
• Trainer John Hancock, who was winless this year and had a 71-race losing skid, won race 2.
• Trainer Larry Jones finished third with his lone starter and while he has just two wins at the meet, he has been in the money 78% of the time (9 2-3-2)

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 8: In the Christmas Past, $75,000 feature, Lipstick City was left the entire inside open and galloped to a win that paid $9.20.

Golden Gate (California):

• The entire card was on turf.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A possible field for the 2018 Belmont Stakes. The field will be confirmed early next week:

Horse Trainer Jockey Last race/finish
Bandua Dermot Weld undecided Cork alw, 1st (Will not run in this race)
Blended Citizen Doug O’Neill Kyle Frey Peter Pan, 1st
Bravazo D. Wayne Lukas Luis Saez Preakness, 2nd
Free Drop Billy Dale Romans Robby Albarado Ky. Derby, 16th
Gronkowski Chad Brown Jose Ortiz Burradon, 1st
Hofburg Bill Mott Irad Ortiz Jr. Ky. Derby, 7th
Justify Bob Baffert Mike Smith Preakness, 1st
Noble Indy Todd Pletcher Javier Castellano Ky. Derby, 17th
Restoring Hope Bob Baffert Florent Geroux Pat Day Mile, 12th
Seahenge Aidan O’Brien Ryan Moore Pat Day Mile, 7th
Tenfold Steve Asmussen Ricardo Santana Jr. Preakness, 3rd
Vino Rosso Todd Pletcher John Velazquez Ky. Derby, 9th​

Source: DRF ( Geroux to ride Restoring Hope in Belmont; here's a link to updated prospective field, including jockeys )

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

As an adjunct, I expect Jamie Ness to have a solid meet at Delaware. Indications are Larry Jones will remain at Churchill Downs. McLean Robertson looks to be staying at Canterbury in Minnesota. They were a strong 1-2 punch in the past for me at Del.

Also, MGM has apparently acquired Yonkers Raceway and affiliated casino for over $800,000,000. That could put them in the lead for any sports betting in New York state.

A how-to guide for sports betting produced through Delaware: How To Play | Delaware Lottery

Delaware likely to begin single-game sports betting Tuesday | Daily Racing Form

Delaware is likely to become the first state to offer wagering on single-game professional sports outside of Nevada since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law prohibiting states from authorizing sports betting, according to a Thursday announcement.

The state’s three casinos, all located at racetracks, can begin taking single-game bets early in the afternoon Tuesday, according to an announcement made by the state’s Department of Finance and attorney general. That includes Delaware Park in Stanton, which opened its 2018 live-race meet Wednesday.

“Delaware has all the necessary legal and regulatory authority to move forward with a full-scale sports gaming operation, and we look forward to next week’s launch,” Delaware Gov. John Carney said in a press release. “We’re hopeful that this will bring even more visitors into Delaware to see firsthand what our state has to offer.”

Delaware was one of four states that had an exemption from the 1992 federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, that was struck down by the Supreme Court in its May 14 ruling. Under that exemption, the state has offered parlay betting on sports games, administered by its lottery division, with a number of retail sites throughout the state. Scientific Games, the company that has a parimutuel bet-processing division, is the state’s primary sports-betting contractor.
Betting for now will be limited to the state’s three casinos, but the state’s lottery division is working on a mobile application to take bets from people who are verified to be within the state’s borders at the time the bet is taken, according to the lottery division. The lottery division will continue to administer the new sports-betting operations.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

June 1, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Another thrilling day at Belmont. Yesterday was exciting as well.
• Jose Ortiz won three times and his 24 victories is now two ahead of Manny Franco and Irad Ortiz, Jr. at the meet. Franco has won just two of his last 39 starts.
• Race 9: The $.50 Pick 5 returned over $18,000. The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $6,000.
• Race 8: The $1 double paid over $416.
• Race 7: Bombs away! David Cohen/Robertino Diodoro combined for an $84.50 winner. The $.50 tri paid over $2,500. The $.10 super paid over $1,600. The $1 double was more than $300.
• Race 6: Cumberland Rover (Joe Bravo/Kiaran McLaughlin) paid $17.80. Jersey Joe was marvelous escaping the one post and being pinned on the rail. He showed why acumen is an important trait. Woo. Joe Bravo, Have Whip Will Travel!

Laurel (Maryland):

• Today was opening day of the summer meet.
• Race 9: Nine of the 12 horses were scratched. Steve Hamilton and his son Weston were both in the finale. Son Steve was dismounted early and seemed to escape any significant injury. His dad went gate-to-wire though fell behind by a nose in the stretch then recovered to win.
• Race 5: Nine of the 13 entered were scratched.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo won three times and combined with Luca Panici they won the last four races.
• Luca Panici almost won three straight races but was DQ'd in the third leg for rough riding in the stretch against Emisael Jaramillo in race 8. Having a dog in the fight, I was hoping against hope. A little aggressive can lead to unwanted results but this could have gone either way and the inquiry was lengthy. At no point did an objection light indicate any claim of foul but that is secondary,

​

• Race 7: Luca Panini was a replacement rider and delivered for Kathy Ritvo with an 18-to-1 bomb.

​

• Race 9: The $.,50 Pick 5 was an intense $22,000+ The $.20 Pick 6 paid over $13,000.
• I don't know much about trainer Oscar Gonzalez but he has won with his lone starters on three straight cards. He is 77 23-12-9 (30%/57%) in 2018. He was a successful trainer in Venezuela prior to his recent arrival to Gulfstream.

Canterbury (Minnesota):

• McLean Robertson is hitting the board at a potent 68% clip but has won just 4 of 25 (16%). That needs to improve.
• Trainer Robertino Diodoro was 5 1-2-2.

Lone Star (Texas):

• Richard Eramia could have been 4-for-4 through six races but was DQ'd and placed fourth in race 5. He ended with three victories on six mounts.
• Race 4: The $.50 tri paid over $1,699.
• Race 5: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $11,000.

Santa Anita (California):

• Mike Smith was 0-for-2 today. He has not won since the Preakness Stakes though only with four rides. He completed a suspension since then.

Karl Broberg:

• Since May 28, the leading trainer in North America is 19 10-2-1 at four tracks: Lone Star (Texas), Prairie Meadows (Iowa), Evangeline (Louisiana) and Louisiana Downs (Louisiana).

Robertino Diodoro:

• Had horses at four tracks from Belmont (New York) to Assiniboia (Manitoba). He is fourth in victories among North American trainers in 2018.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

June 2, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• Javier Castellano won three times including twice for trainer Jonathan Thomas who has won his last three at Belmont. Thomas, the former assistant to Todd Pletcher, is 9 6-1-1 at Belmont and Gulfstream combined since May 26. He has 39 lifetime wins and has been on his own mostly since 2017.
• Race 10: The $2 Pick 6 was hit for over $87,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid more than $5,000.
• Race 9: In the $200,000 Grade 3, Catholic Boy led, trailed and fought back in an incredible race. The runner up looked to be a lock after taking the lead but Javier Castellano rode with a vengeance. Jose Ortiz filed what appeared to be a frivolous objection which was dismissed. An outstanding finish, one for the archives. Also, the field was reduced to five runners. And while you are supposed to play the horse, how often does Luis Saez/Todd Pletcher pop up at 31-to-1 in a stakes race with four competitors? It happened here and they finished third as the longest shot on the board. Review: Catholic Boy rallies late to win G3 Pennine Ridge

​

• Race 8: Rajiv Maragh chased down Mike Luzzi (14-to-1, $13.60 to place) in a good finish.
• Race 7: Trainer Christophe Clement, who specializes on turf, and Joe Bravo combined for a $27.00 winner. What added to the intrigue was a first-time starter trained by Chad Brown dismounted Javier Castellano twice prior to the race and in the gate both the 1 and 12 seemed edgy. That can lead to anxious moments on the track and an element of doubt for handicappers. However, all went off without a splash. Joe Bravo: Have Whip, Will Travel!

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Race 12: The $2 Pick 5 was more than $15,000.
• Albin Jimenez won three times including twice for Kelly Breen.

Penn National (Pennsylvania):

• A huge day at the track which handled over $3,000,000. Many jockeys rode at Belmont earlier. The purses in seven of the eleven races were $100,000 or more with the feature race doling out $500,000.
• Races 3 through 9 were stakes. Belmont and/or Gulfstream based riders John Velazquez (3), Jose Lezcano (5 and 6), Tyler Gaffalione (7), Paco Lopez (8) and Manny Franco (9) won six of those seven races. Julio Hernandez (4) was a victorious local rider.
• Race 4: There were three entries in the race which meant 1A, 2B and 3C were entered. 3C was the winner in a field of 11.
• Race 7: In the $200,000 Penn Oaks, Got Stormy (Tyler Gaffalione/Mark Casse), at 5-to-1, beat a 3-to-5 entry with Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Kendrick Carmouche riding.
• Race 8: In the Pennsylvania Cup, Oak Bluffs, the lone New Jersey-bred was victorious as Paco Lopez/Mary Eppler teamed.
• Race 9: In the Grade II $500,000 Penn Mile, Hawkish (Manny Franco/James Toner) was sent off the favorite and improved to 4 3-0-0 with an astounding kick in the stretch to bury the competition. Video: Ramon Dominguez on Twitter

• Race 10: The original winner was DQ'd from first to last when the rider veered and knocked the entire field like pins in bowling.

Laurel (Maryland):

• A note was made yesterday about the finale at Laurel regarding Steve Hamilton and his son Weston. Today, the horse racing gods continued to shine a light on the pair. Steve won the opener, one of two races. Weston, who is an apprentice, won four times. The pair won 6 of the 10 races. They combined for a $300 exacta in race 3. Weston is a candidate for 2018 Apprentice Rider of the Year.
• Race 11: The $2 Pick 5 paid over 18,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $6,600.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Calvin Borel won two of the first four races. The most recent time he bagged two on a card was April 18 at Keeneland.
• Race 9: The $.20 Pick 6 paid out over $90,000. The $.50 Pick 5 paid out over $36,000. The $.50 Pick 4 paid out over $1,800.

Arlington (Illinois):

• Race 10: The winner paid $42.60. The $2 Pick 4 was over $12,000. The $2 Pick 3 was in excess of $6,300.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 12: The $2 Pick 4 paid over $7,500.
• Race 11: The 8-to-5 favorite was DQ'd which put Richard Mitchell in the winner's circle on board an 18-to-1 shot. He had not won since last year and was on a 57-race losing skid.
• Race 8: A 120-to-1 shot finished second behind the chalky winner and paid $36.40 in the middle.
• Nik Juarez won three times. He now is tied with Tyler Gaffalione on top the jockey standings at the meet with 44 wins. Five riders have 41+ wins.

Lone Star (Texas):

• The combo of Richard Eramia and Karl Broberg won four times in five chances. Broberg is putting up tremendous figures in 2018 and is by far the winningest trainer in North America in terms of victories.

Santa Anita (California):

• Race 9: Unique Bella (Mike Smith/Jerry Hollendorfer) continues to be near flawless as she improved to 11 8-2-0 overall and 8 7-1-0 at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter to Tapit has now earned over $1,000,000 with the win. Smith won for the first time since the Preakness. It would have been interesting to see the most recent Preakness-winning rider who entered the Belmont Stakes without a win in between those races. Smith had not won in his few rides since then. Bella looks more and more like her maternal granddad every time I see her race. Somewhere Unbridled's Song is smiling.

​

2017 photo​

• Race 6: Competing, the Bob Baffert trained horse owned by Ed Olczyk, lost and is now 0-for-5

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 10: The $1 Pick 4 paid over $4,400. There was a rare double dead heat involving second and fifth place.
• Race 8: In the Grade II, $125,000 feature, Caribou Club (Gary Boulanger/Thomas Proctor) pulled a mild surprise at 8-to-1. Boulanger had three wins.
• Race 6: The $1 Pick 5 paid in excess of $60,000 for a successful $.20 bet. The pool contained slightly more than $100,000.

Todd Pletcher:

• Has one win with his last 24 starters.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

ACHIEVEMENT STAKES

• What: An attempt by Pink Lloyd to win an unprecedented 11th straight stakes race at Woodbine. He has the shortest odds possible as the morning line favorite. With a win, he passes $1,000,000 in career earnings. The 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year is 15 13-1-0 lifetime and has not lost since November 2016. He is on a 10-race win streak, 2-for-2 this year and a perfect 8-for-8 in 2017.
• Where: Woodbine Racetrack (Toronto, Ontario)
• When: Sunday, June 3, 2018, Race 8 of 11
• Post time: 4:57 pm Eastern Time
• Purse: $125,000
• Surface: All weather Tapeta (synthetic)
• Age: 3-year-olds and up

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Yorkton (ON)	Steven Ronald Bahen	125	Stuart C. Simon	6/1
2	Conquest Lemonraid (ON)	Patrick Husbands	118	Mark E. Casse	20/1
3	Occasional View (ON)	Chantal Sutherland	118	Kevin Attard	15/1
4	Lokinforpursemonee (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	120	John A. Ross	12/1
5	Pink Lloyd (ON)	Eurico Rosa Da Silva	125	Robert P. Tiller	1/9

[TBODY]
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[CHRDANHUTCH]

take Bandua off the Belmont entry list this upcoming weekend, MSE..... he's remaining in Ireland......

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^Thanks, I will update with more notes later this evening.

June 3, 2018

Belmont (New York):

• This has been one entertaining week at New York in what can be considered the NYRA's second biggest meet of the calendar year.
• Race 5: Mike Luzzi had his best performance in quite some time when he skyrocketed with a 61-to-1 bomb which paid $124.00 to win. He went gate-to-wire in a 6 furlongs turf race. As I mentioned many times in this thread, Luzzi doesn't win often but he remains a personal favorite. Some converts are seeing the light...

​

Mike Luzzi hadn't won a race this year until he came to Belmont Park.

In this spot, Luzzi picked up his fourth win of the meet by guiding Foolish Ghost to a 61-1 upset, creating a potential carryover in the late pick-5 and pick-6 into Thursday's program. We'll have to see how the remainder of the card plays out.

Luzzi and Foolish Ghost broke on top, then sat second while Barefoot Angel took over. Barefoot Angel weakened in the stretch and Foolish Ghost came back on along the inside to spring the upset.

Foolish Ghost is trained by Bruce Brown who is living large right now as a major Washington Capitals fan.

Source: David Greening, DRF​

• Race 5 (continued): The bet paid $124/$34.20/$13. The exacta was $744. The trifecta was $5,403. The $1 super was over $5,100. The $2 Pick 5 was $14,818. The $2 pick 4 was over $4,700. The $2 Pick 3 was more than $1,600.
• Race 6: The $2 double paid $777.00. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $1,693.
• Race 7: Jose Lezcano, who has seemingly always been known as a better turf than dirt rider, won for exceptional grass trainer Christophe Clement and as a replacement for apprentice Hector Diaz, Jr. The bomb paid $74.50. The $2 Pick 3 was over $4,800.
• Race 8: Tapwrit, who won the 2017 Belmont Stakes, raced for the second time since that date and finished third. He was among three in a photo finish for the two runner up spots. Winning trainer Wesley Ward improved to a remarkable 28 11-5-3 (39% winning, 68% in the money) at the meet.

• The Ortiz brothers are first and second at the meet in victories. Jose has 26 and Irad has 24 including starting the days with wins in races 1 and 2.
• Junior Alvarado has won just twice in his last 33 starts though he has a very good in-the-money percentage. He was blazing at the start of the meet.

Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Race 11: The $.50 Pick 5 paid over $22,000. The $2 pick 4 paid over $10,000.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Was off the turf which damaged the card yet again. Maryland racing has been blemished due to the weather in recent weeks.
• Race 9: Good finish in which apprentice Weston Hamilton defeated veteran Feargal Lynch. Ten of the 15 horses entered were scratched.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Tyler Gaffalione won four times in eight starts and took a 3-race lead in the rider standings with 48 victories. He is at 26%, the best percentage for any rider with at least two wins.

Churchill Downs (Kentucky):

• Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen teamed to win three of their four starts. Asmussen had starters at four tracks and finished 13 4-3-0.
• Trainer Brad Cox won two of three starts and is a white hot 8 5-2-0 in recent days.

Lone Star (Texas):

• Mere minutes after his father's 61-to-1 bomb in New York, Lane Luzzi delivered with a 4-to-1 shot in Texas.
• Steve Asmussen, who is second in wins at the meet and among trainers in North America this year, failed to win in six starts and has lost 19 of his last 21 starts at the track.

Santa Anita (California):

• The $2 Pick 6 paid over $48,000.
• Doug O'Neill was a stellar 8 3-3-1. One winner was Occam's Razor, a 2-year-old colt who made his debut, may be someone to watch as the summer progresses. That also is a suggestion for Mr Paytience who also won his debut, by more than seven lengths, and paid $14.20. Article: » McShane Hoping Paytience Pays Off
• The trainer won with three different riders. He also has five wins this meet with 2-year-olds.
• In the $200,000 feature race, Loving Lynda (Geovanni Franco/Phil D'Amato) closed with authority. Franco also won a $100,000 stakes race. He was the winning rider on the card's two largest purses. UPDATE: Franco was named North American Jockey of the Week.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Race 4: The $2 tri paid close to $4,000.
• Race 7: The $1 Pick 4 paid over $12,000.
• Race 9: Eurico da Silva completed the natural hat trick and won for the fourth time.
• Pink Lloyd joined the millionaire ranks in Canada. He is now 16 14-1-0 after an 11th straight stakes victory in a reduced field with only three competitors. Spectacular career numbers for the reigning Canadian Horse of the Year.

Pink Lloyd Claims 11th Straight Stakes in Achievement - BloodHorse

"He's half-horse, half-freak," said winning trainer Robert Tiller. "He just wants to run. He wants to go after them, and you (saw Lokinforpursemonee's jockey) Rafael (Hernandez) do a little :44 and change half to try to get us beat, but that's horse racing.

"He won with his ears up, eased, and he didn't have any horses left to run at. I'm so proud of him. This horse put a huge hole in my heart. I'm so in love with him. I really, truly am. I'm so affected by this horse."

The win in 1:09 pushed Pink Lloyd's earnings to US$817,284, and he has a 14-1-0 record from 16 starts. His stakes win streak began in April 2017 when he took the Jacques Cartier Stakes, and it includes graded scores in the Vigil (G3) and Kennedy Road (G2). All of his starts have been over the Woodbine synthetic main track.

"We're enjoying this run," Tiller said. "It's going to end one day. I've said it many times, but, you know, the party is still on."
​

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Northern Afleet euthanized at age 25

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^ And he was still breeding at the age of 25. Here's to him!

​

One of the greatest photographs in the history of sports, 45 years ago:

The last four Triple Crown winners...

1973:

​

1977:

​

1978:

​

2015:

American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown - 2015 Belmont Stakes (G1)​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

A brief note about NBC's coverage for this weekend:

• Friday at 5:00 pm ET on NBCSN, Race 9 (Grade 2 New York Stakes which is worth $600,000) and Race 10 (Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup which is a 2-mile race worth $400,000) will be aired.
• Saturday's coverage begins on NBCSN at 2:00 pm ET and then switches to NBC at 4:00 pm ET.
• Also, and separately, the draw for the Belmont Stakes will be held early Tuesday evening (June 5, 2018). A field of 10 is the most recent expectation.

NYRA's 3-day spectacular:

The $1.5 million Belmont Stakes provides the centerpiece, but it is not the only quality racing action available at Belmont Park this week.
The New York Racing Association opens the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival with three stakes races Thursday and five more Friday as a buildup to Saturday, when there will be 10 stakes races, including six Grade 1 events, culminating in undefeated Justify’s bid to become the 13th Triple Crown champion.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will offer $9.4 million in purses for the 18 stakes races. The festival was first established in 2015 and represents a concept that is working well for NYRA. On-track wagering handle for Thursday and Friday was $4.13 million last year, an increase of 18 percent over the $3.49 million wagered on those first two days the year before.

All-source handle for the entire festival last June reached $124.7 million compared to $122.8 million 2016. The presence of American Pharoah, who became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, spiked the 2015 all-sources handle to $161.0 million.

Christopher Kay, NYRA’s chief executive officer, said of the strategy of filling Belmont Stakes Day with so many other major races: “We’re saying to the world if you only pay attention to racing a couple of days a year, this is one day you should pay attention, whether we have a Triple Crown possibility or not.”

https://nypost.com/2018/06/03/belmont-park-wants-you-to-bet-on-more-than-just-its-biggest-race/​

Until Saturday's card is revealed in a few hours, a look at Friday's massive day of racing at Belmont:

Equibase | North American Entries

Races to be aired on NBCSN:

Race 9: New York S. Presented by NYRA Bets (Grade 2)

Purse:	$600,000, Stakes
Time:	5:14 pm Eastern Time
Distance:	1 1/4 Miles on Inner Turf

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

INNER TURF FOR FILLIES AND MARES, FOUR-YEAR-OLDS AND UPWARD.

[TR][TH]Program	PP	Horse	Med/Eq	A/S	Jockey	WGT	Trainer	ML
1	1	Fahan Mura Pennsylvania	L	4/F	Edwin A. Maldonado	117	Vladimir Cerin
2	2	Holy Helena Ontario		4/F	Manuel Franco	121	James A. Jerkens
3	3	Snowy Winter Kentucky	M	4/F	Javier Castellano	115	Archie Watson
4	4	Empressof the Nile Kentucky	L	4/F	Jose L. Ortiz	115	H. James Bond
5	5	Sistercharlie (IRE) Ireland	L	4/F	John R. Velazquez	123	Chad C. Brown
6	6	Daddys Lil Darling Kentucky		4/F	Mike E. Smith	123	Kenneth G. McPeek
7	7	Esquisse (GB) Great Britain	L	4/F	Flavien Prat	115	H. Graham Motion
8	8	Fourstar Crook New York	L	6/F	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	121	Chad C. Brown
9	9	Mom's On Strike Florida	L	5/F	Adam Beschizza	119	Joe Sharp

[TBODY]
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[TBODY][TR][TH]Race 10: Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Stakes (Grade 2)[/TH][/TR][/TBODY]
[TBODY][TR][TH]

Purse:	$400,000, Stakes
Time:	5:46 pm Eastern Time
Distance:	2 Miles on Turf

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

[TR][TH]Program	PP	Horse	Med/Eq	A/S	Jockey	WGT	Trainer	ML
1	1	Call To Mind (GB) Great Britain		4/C	Javier Castellano	115	William J. Haggas
2	2	Cooptado (ARG) Argentina	L	8/G	Dylan Davis	115	Thomas Morley
3	3	Prince of Arran (GB) Great Britain	M	5/G	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	117	Charlie Fellowes
4	4	Funny Kid Kentucky		5/H	Maxime H. Guyon	121	Christophe Ferland
5	5	Canessar (FR) France	L	5/G	Feargal Lynch	115	Arnaud Delacour
6	6	Nessy Kentucky	L	5/G	Mike E. Smith	121	Ian R. Wilkes
7	7	Run Time Kentucky	L	5/C	Luis Saez	115	Michael J. Maker
8	8	Postulation Kentucky	L	6/G	Florent Geroux	121	Edward L. Graham
9	9	Focus Group Kentucky	L	4/C	Jose L. Ortiz	117	Chad C. Brown
10	10	Rocketry Kentucky	L	4/C	John R. Velazquez	117	James A. Jerkens

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[TBODY][TR][TH][/TH][/TR][/TBODY][/TH][/TR][/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

My feeling on this race is Justify with all the New York connections in various spots. In a race with the Ortiz boys, Johnny V. and Castellano, even Luis Saez, there is much value to be found with some of the game's best. Tenfold has been getting some attention, too.

BELMONT STAKES Presented by NYRA Bets

• What: The third leg of the Triple Crown. Justify will attempt to become the 12th horse to win the event established in 1875.
• Where: Belmont Park, Elmont, New York
• When: Saturday, June 09, 2018, Race 11
• Post Time:6:46 PM Eastern Time
• Purse: $1,500,000
• Surface: Dirt
• Distance: 1 1/2 miles (12 furlongs)
• Television: 2:00 pm ET on NBCSN. Coverage switches to NBC beginning at 4:00 pm ET until the race concludes.
• The full card: Equibase | North American Entries

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Justify (KY)	Mike E. Smith	126	Bob Baffert	4/5
2	Free Drop Billy (KY)	Robby Albarado	126	Dale L. Romans	30/1
3	Bravazo (KY)	Luis Saez	126	D. Wayne Lukas	8/1
4	Hofburg (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	William I. Mott	9/2
5	Restoring Hope (KY)	Florent Geroux	126	Bob Baffert	30/1
6	Gronkowski (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Chad C. Brown	12/1
7	Tenfold (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	126	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
8	Vino Rosso (KY)	John R. Velazquez	126	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
9	Noble Indy (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	Todd A. Pletcher	30/1
10	Blended Citizen (KY)	Kyle Frey	126	Doug F. O'Neill	15/1

[TBODY]
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[Orr Fourever]

The only way Justify loses is if he gets struck by a bolt of lightning.

 

[John Price]

 

[YEM]

The only way Justify loses is if he gets struck by a bolt of lightning.

well...if the Preakness was about 50 yards longer he was going to get pipped, and this one is longer