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

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

• What: Springboard Mile Stakes (Kentucky Derby prep race, full listing in post #1 of this thread)
• Where: Remington Park, Oklahoma City, OK
• When: Sunday, December 17, 2017, Race 11
• Time: 7:40 PM Central Time (in Oklahoma). 8:40 PM Eastern Time
• Distance: 1 mile
• Surface: Dirt
• Purse: $400,000
• Age: 2 year-olds.

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Combatant (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Steven M. Asmussen	4/1
2	2Major Brown (KY)	Deshawn L. Parker	121	Michael R. Whitelaw	20/1
3	3Brangelina (KY)	Danny Sorenson	121	Danny Pish	30/1
4	4Bode's Maker (KY)	Floyd Wethey, Jr.	121	Allen Milligan	20/1
5	5Flip the Coin Jan (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	121	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
6	6Night Strike (OK)	Iram Vargas Diego	121	W. Bret Calhoun	30/1
7	7Soul P Say (KY)	Jareth Loveberry	121	Allen Milligan	20/1
8	8Flat Lucky (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	121	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
9	9Redatory (TX)	David Cabrera	121	Allen C. Dupuy	12/1
10	10Believe in Royalty (KY)	Robby Albarado	121	J. Larry Jones	5/1
11	11Kingsville (TX)	Luis S. Quinonez	121	Danny Pish	30/1
12	12Greyvitos (VA)	Victor Espinoza	121	Adam Kitchingman	6/5

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 17, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• Bombs away in the feature race. Two-year old colt Aqua Bel Sar (Trevor Simpson/Bisnath Parboo), out for the second time, won the $150,000 purse. The unlikely combination was sent off at 37-to-1. The rider is a champion in Jamaica but is listed with just 299 North American victories and this could very well be his biggest earned purse to date. The trainer is from Trinidad-Tobago, has only 131 wins in North America and same as the jockey, this is perhaps his biggest to date. The duo yesterday finished second with a 115-to-1 runner in one stakes race. The top four today went off at 37-1, 4-1, 56-1 and 8-1. The win paid $77, the exacta returned $462, the tri $5,246 and the $1 super was more than $9,700. The Pick 3 paid over $3,400.

​

• In the 6th race, the winner was out for the 62nd time. That doesn't happen often in New York.
• Jeremy Rose has returned. He has been absent since Labor Day weekend at Presque Isle.
• Chris DeCarlo is one of my favorite riders but he had a rough start to a race today in which his aggressiveness caused much conflict. He was removed from his second place finish, in which he led near the wire, and moved to the bottom. He also let the inside horse beat him which is generally unacceptable, prior to the DQ. A tough series of events.
• Martin Garcia won the race described above. He is just 4-for-68 at the meet, however.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr. was off today. He finished 7 1-0-2. Not a good day for the leading rider in North America.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Feargal Lynch had one of his best days since moving to the U.S. from Europe. He had four winners in six starts.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• The $2 Pick 5 following race 5 paid over $15,000.
• The fourth race had a $25,000+ $1 super.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• The meet closed tonight with the Springboard Mile, a Kentucky Derby prep race . The handle was $2,775,655 on its 12-race Day card, the second highest all-sources handle in track history.
• Race 11: Greyvitos (Victor Espinoza/Adam Kitchingman) played the part smoothly. Sent off at 3-1, he walloped the field and beat the 2-to-1 #1 favorite in the $400,000 Kentucky Derby prep race. The Virginia-bred is 2-for-4 lifetime. There have been just 4 Kentucky Derby winners bred in Virginia, only Kentucky and Florida have produced more. Third and fourth place were both sent off at 85-1 which led to a $.10 super of $307.51. It was a new stakes record.

​

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

thanks for all the updates

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 20, 2017

Most of the circuits were dark this Wednesday some of which was due to the adjustments made for the Christmas holiday. Two tracks in Florida, Mahoning in Ohio and Fair Grounds in Louisiana were among the few operating.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez, often touted here as one of the best riders in North America, had a fantastic day with 6 wins on 8 mounts in 10 races. In his lone non-win finish that hit the board, Saez was second with a 24-to-1 bomb. He finished 8 6-1-0. He leads the rider standings this meet by 9 wins and is at 28% covering 78 rides. The track record is seven victories on one card by Jerry Bailey and Tyler Gaffalione.

​

• Trevor McCarthy returned from a prolonged absence today. He hadn't been out since a shoulder injury required surgery in May. One of the top riders in the mid-Atlantic, specifically in Maryland, he is expected to move his tack to New York.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• A 15-to-1 and 77-to-1 topped a $1200+ exacta. Four digit exacta are rare but always dazzling.
• Jonathan Thomas was sent off at 7-to-1 in one race and he finished second. Keep an eye on this trainer. He was once an assistant to Todd Pletcher, runs a farm in Florida, and has been quite good in 2017 which can be labeled a breakout year. He only has 34 starters but is 31% this year.

Turfway Park (Kentucky):

• Under the lights in race 7, a $.10 super paid $5,000+ ($50k for $1) while the $2 tri exceeded $9,000.
• The $.50 Pick 5 Jackpot was nailed for $225,246.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Seeking the Gold and not Forever Unbridled appears to be headed to the Pegasus World Cup. Forever Unbridled is probably my favorite current horse but she'd have to have an ample amount of fortuity to win this race. While there is no guarantee Gun Runner will win -- strange things can happen -- he is the best horse in North America right now and that isn't debatable. Forever Unbridled stands a better chance of winning in whatever race she is entered. Again, no guarantees but there are other major events -- maybe in Dubai -- in which she can capture the glory for someone of her magnitude.

Gun Runner will likely retire following this race and if victorious could be feted as the greatest horse of this generation. Certainly in discussion with a precious few. He is that good. But he needs to finish the job.

The second annual Pegasus won't have the luster of the event held in January 2017 but that isn't unexpected. Arrogate vs. California Chrome was a marketing masterpiece even though the latter fizzled.

Right now, nine of the 12 slots in the Pegasus World Cup have been sold to unique investors and the remaining three have been purchased by the Stronach Group, owners of Gulfstream, the host track, who are searching through potential interests.

Collected

• Owner: Speedway Stable LLC
• Trainer: Bob Baffert
• Note: The son of City Zip has won eight of 12 starts and is currently training at Santa Anita.

Gunnevera

• Owner: William C. Gallo, et al
• Trainer: Antonio Sano
• Note: Won the Fountain of Youth (G2) and was second in the Travers (G1) at Saratoga this summer.

Gun Runner

• Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC/Three Chimneys Farm
• Trainer: Steve Asmussen
• Note: expected to be named 2017 Horse of the Year at the 47th Eclipse Awards at Gulfstream next month.

Seeking the Soul

• Owner: Charles E. Fipke
• Trainer: Dallas Stewart
• Note: Will enter Pegasus off his biggest win, the Clark Handicap (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Stellar Wind

• Owner: Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith (Coolmore)
• Trainer: Chad Brown
• Note: The only filly or mare currently entered, the 2015 Eclipse Award as champion 3-yearold filly won three consecutive Grade 1 races earlier this year.

Toast of New York

• Owner: Al Shaqab, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, R.A. Hill, Eric Young
• Trainer: James Osborne
• Note: Toast of New York returned from a three-year layoff earlier this month to win at Lingfield Park in Surrey, United Kingdom where he remains.

To Be Announced

• Owner: Adena Springs (Frank Stronach)
• Trainer: TBA
• Note: Adena Springs is owned by the Stronach Family, the innovators behind the Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The slot has been purchased but no indication of which horse will run here.

Game Over or War Story

• Owner: Ron Paolucci and Ashley Quartarolo.
• Trainer: Jorge Navarro
• Note: The connections are still considering which one of two horses they will have in the Pegasus starting gate. War Story is a graded-stakes winner. Game Over is lightly raced.

West Coast

• Owner: Gary and Mary West
• Trainer: Bob Baffert
• Note: Winner of the Travers Stakes and third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, this 3-year-old has won six of nine starts and has never finished worse than third.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 21, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• It was a mostly chalky day. An exception was the finale when trainer Michelle Nevin finished 1st and 2nd with her two entered horses and the $1 exacta returned $121.50. She also won the second race. The last two race cards she is 4 3-1-0 with the only loss the race in which she entered multiple runners. She has just 52 victories all year, three on the last two cards.
• Manny Franco (3) and Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2) rode multiple winners.
• One of the owners who won today is Louie Lazzinnaro who operates a restaurant near the Saratoga race track called Nove, the number nine in Italian. His winning horse today was #7, however.
• The $2 Pick 6 was hit for $17,000+.
• New York, dark on Wednesday, handled over $5,000,000.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo (3) and Tyler Gaffalione (2) rode multiple winners. Trainer David Fawkes won twice, the first and last races on the card.
• The track handled well over $5,000,000.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• The track was dark today, however John Velazquez is listed on one mount Friday in a rare visit to Tampa Bay. In race 3, he rides Vino Rosso a 1-to-2 morning line favorite for Todd Pletcher who has two horses entered in this allowance optional claiming race. Vino Rosso is 1-for-1 lifetime with a win at Aqueduct.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 22, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• It was a good day for jockeys who don't normally win at the circuit. Victorious riders included Martin Garcia, Joshua Navarro, Abel Lezcano, Rafael Hernandez, Dylan Davis and Luis Reyes. No rider won more than once.
• The combo of Irad Ortiz, Jr./Linda Rice won for the 13th time in the last 21 times they have teamed.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid over $13,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $5,700. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $1,600.
• The $2 Pick 6 paid out to those who won four races. That is the second time in the last few days no one hit 6 of 6 or even 5 of 6.
• The track handled more than $6.2 million.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Race 4: A 40-to-1 bomb paid $84.80 to win. The next largest price on the board was 15-to-1.
• Race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid more than $51,000. The $2 Pick 4 paid more than $3.300.
• Race 6: The $2 Pick 3 paid more than $2,500.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 4 paid more than $3,800.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• That comment made under the December 21 posting regarding Johnny Velazquez going to Tampa Bay... now we know why. The horse was sent off at 1-to-9 and won even if a lackluster performance. Todd Pletcher's other starter finished second. The all-Pletcher exacta paid $7.20. Vino Rosso, translated to Red Wine from Italian to English, is a 2-year-old colt who is 2-for-2 lifetime and is owned by Mike Repole (who once sold his Vitamin Water beverages to Coca-Cola for more than $4 billion) and Vinny Viola (Florida Panthers). The horse has Kentucky Derby possibilities.

​

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 3: A good stretch duel between the two longest shots on the board. The exacta returned $113.60. That pay out is massive considering the short field of six.

​

• Race 4: Another good stretch battle between Tyler Gaffalione and Jose Lezcano with the 6 flying on the outside to settle for third.

​

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• The track handled over $2.35 million, the largest of the meet. Illinois racing needs to be saved and somehow bolstered. Too much history to toss into the scrap heap.
• Race 7: A 108-to-1 shot finished second. The $.20 superfecta paid more than $26,000 which would translate to $130,000 for a successful $1 bet. The $.20 trifecta was more than $1,100. A $2 tri would have returned more than $11,000. Illinois allows $.20 bets.

 

[Preds Partisan]

It's not horse racing but I'll share this in here anyway. Apparently some trainers are dosing Greyhounds with cocaine and a judge threw out the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering suspensions because they relied on incorrect testing protocols.

Bizarre.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^Tough to comment without knowing too much detail. But eventually, I will search.

December 23, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• The $2 Pick 6 was hit for $103,890. The $2 Pick 4 paid over $13,000.
• In the $150,000 feature race, Philly connections shocked the crowd when 38-to-1 Zanotti (Jorge Vargas/Juan Guerrero), by far the longest shot on the board, rallied with a furious rush on the outside to get the head bob at the wire. He paid $78.50 for the win. The 4-year-old gelding has the odd form of winning twice, finishing second and repeating the act covering his last nine races. He is 9 6-3-0 in that time.

​

• In a $100,000 race, Irad Ortiz, Jr. apparently had his choice between two horses, one for Steve Asmussen and the other for Linda Rice. He chose Asmussen which left the available mount for another rider and along came Junior Alvarado who rode as impressive race as anyone today. Alvarado caught Ortiz, Jr. at the wire. Fantastic and exciting finish. The win paid $10.80. This quote is so representative of an Alvarado win:
  
  “He was running fine, but as soon as I passed the half a mile pole he started acting like he didn't want to be on the inside,” Alvarado said.” [Trainer] Linda [Rice] said that you can save ground but make sure when you make the move you are outside. I thought it was a little early to move outside but at the three-eighths pole I just took him outside to see what I have because he was not giving me anything. “As soon as I put him in the six path he start picking it up, and I was just working with him, then he is running hard but he was on the wrong lead, but he was still coming. Then past the eighth pole I was like I have to try and make him switch leads to make sure I get the job done and as soon as he switched leads he gave me that little extra and we got there right on time.”
  ​
• Irad Ortiz Jr. had five second place finishes today without a win. He finished 7 0-5-0.
• Off the turf today with the inclement elements.
• Track handled more than $7,000,000.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• The biggest winner of the day was rider Frankie Pennington who suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic injury in a Grade II race at Churchill Downs a few weeks ago. Pennington was sidelined but won a race today.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Some horses like tracks. Final Form is now 4-for-6 at Laurel but just 8-for-27 lifetime. Winning on a track is a good philosophy for handicappers.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Welcome to Florida. In a race in which there were horses bred in 6 states plus the province of Ontario, an Illinois bred who was 0-for 11 lifetime there won at 16-to-1.
• A rare finish in race 5: 11-10-14.
• John Rigattieri, who I mentioned in the past, had one starter and nearly won at 10-1. Nipped at the wire.
• Ashley Castrenze has been mostly dormant since losing her bug but she rode lights out in a 9-to-1 victory. The last time she won was her 2-win day on November 4.
• The $2 Pick 5 after race 10 paid $36,920. The $2 Pick 4 was $9,617.60.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• The track handled over $11,000,000.
• Trainer Marcus Vitali is back. He recently returned after a lengthy suspension and was 2-for-2 today and currently rides a 3-race win streak. He won with a New York bred -- the lone non KY or FL bred -- who was 0-for-27. Later, a second-time starter won at 24-to-1 and paid $50.00 to win. That is a way to make an impression.
• In the latter win for Marcus Vitali, the $2 tri was a stunning $13,975.40. The $1 super was over $25,000.

​

• Following the finale, the $2 Pick 5 returned $47,000+. The $2 Pick 4 was more than $12,000.
• How to hit an exacta with chalk? John Velazquez won with a 4-to-5 and a 35-to-1 came in second. $86.40 for an exacta hit with a $3.80 winner is quite a feat.
• Michael Matz had starters in two races on won both.
• In the $150,000 feature race, X Y Jet (Emisael Jaramillo/Jorge Navarro) didn't miss a beat and won as the prohibitive favorite. He was sidelined for 13 months and hadn't won since February 2016. He is 10 4-4-1 lifetime at Gulfstream, 7-for-18 overall.

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• After race 5: The $2 Pick 5 paid $11,553.80. The $2 Pick 4 was $6,439.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• The $2 Pick 3 after race 4 paid $4,387.40.

Turf Paradise (Arizona):

• In the finale, the even money favorite topped a 109-to-1 shot for a $2 exacta that returned $300. A huge receipt considering the winner paid only $4.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 24, 2017

Within the U.S., only Gulfstream in Florida and Sunland in New Mexico have cards today.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Merry Christmas to all horse racing fans and posters, y'all keep us informed

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Merry Christmas to all horse racing fans and posters, y'all keep us informed

Thank you. That is a nice sentiment. I love this sport and the oddballs through it I have met over the years. It is a unique endeavor. Merry Christmas to all.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 24, 2017

Gulfstream (Florida):

• The track handled over $6.5m as a rare facility operating this day.
• Emisael Jaramillo (3), Edgard Zayas (2) and Tyler Gaffalione (2) each won multiple times to account for seven wins in the 10 races.
• Marcus Vitali found the winner's circle yet again. He has now won his last four starts. He is 5-for-11 at the meet (45%).
• Another trainer off to a hot start is Gilberto Zerpa who is also 5-for-11 but in the money 82% of the time.
• Todd Pletcher has twice as many wins as any other trainer, 16 to Michael Maker's 8.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Santa Anita (California) opens its winter meet Tuesday, Dec. 26. I am especially liking this La Brea matchup.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac.../collected-to-prep-for-pegasus-in-san-antonio SAN ANTONIO STAKES

• Santa Anita Park
• Tuesday, December 26, 2017
• Race 3
• Grade II
• 1 1/16 miles
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 year olds & up
• 1:00 PM Pacific Time; 4:00 PM Eastern Time

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Hoppertunity (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Bob Baffert	5-1
2	Top of the Game (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Vladimir Cerin	6-1
3	Giant Expectations (NY)	Gary L. Stevens	120	Peter Eurton	15-1
4	Prime Attraction (KY)	Victor Espinoza	122	James M. Cassidy	6-1
5	Accelerate (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	John W. Sadler	5-1
6	Collected (KY)	Mike E. Smith	124	Bob Baffert	3-5

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

La BREA STAKES

• Santa Anita Park
• Tuesday, December 26, 2017
• Race 7
• Grade I
• 7 furlongs
• Dirt
• $300,000 purse
• 3 year old Fillies
• 3:00 PM Pacific Time; 6:30 pm Eastern Time

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Miss Sunset (CA)	Julien R. Leparoux	122	Jeff Bonde	5-1
2	Marley's Freedom (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	20-1
3	Unique Bella (PA)	Mike E. Smith	122	Jerry Hollendorfer	9-5
4	Mopotism (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Doug F. O'Neill	12-1
5	Faypien (FL)	Drayden Van Dyke	122	Bob Baffert	6-1
6	Just a Little Hope (KY)	Gary L. Stevens	120	Dan L. Hendricks	12-1
7	Paradise Woods (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Richard E. Mandella	8-5
8	Princess Karen (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Jeff Bonde	12-1

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

MALIBU STAKES

• Santa Anita Park
• Tuesday, December 26, 2017
• Race 8
• Grade I
• 7 furlongs
• Dirt
• $300,000 purse
• 3 year olds
• 3:30 PM Pacific Time; 6:30 PM Eastern Time
  

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	City of Light (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Michael W. McCarthy	8-1
2	Edwards Going Left (CA)	Tyler Baze	120	John W. Sadler	8-1
3	Irish Freedom (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Bob Baffert	5-1
4	Favorable Outcome (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Chad C. Brown	3-1
5	The Street Fighter (CA)	Edwin A. Maldonado	120	Bruce Headley	30-1
6	Pavel (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	122	Doug F. O'Neill	4-1
7	Heartwood (KY)	Hector L. Rosario, Jr.	120	James K. Chapman	15-1
8	Dabster (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Bob Baffert	6-1
9	C Z Rocket (FL)	Jose Lezcano	120	Albert M. Stall, Jr.	7-2

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 26, 2017
Some tracks were dark, one canceled (Parx near Philadelphia) while others ran, some unique for a Tuesday, in this day after Christmas. Among those who were open:

Laurel (Maryland):

• Steve "Cowboy" Hamilton and his 19-year-old son both won twice today. Son Weston is a 10-pound bug who has eight lifetime wins, all this month. That has to be a proud moment
• Trainer Lacey Gaudet won consecutive races. She is 2-1-1 in her last five starts.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Emisael Jaramillo joined Luis Saez and Tyler Gaffalione as riders to win 20 times at this meet. One of the most anticipated meets of the year, the winter Gulfstream schedule is especially difficult on weekends in the early part of the new year.
• Luis Saez was named the Jockey Guild's rider of the week in North America for the period ending December 26.

Golden Gate Fields (California):

• The 92-day Winter-Spring meet opened today.

Santa Anita (California):

• The winter meet opened today. That turf course is beautiful. Attendance was listed at over 40,000. The track handled an incredible $17,000,000.
• Race 2: In a MSW, Kanthaka (Rafael Bejarano/Jerry Hollendorfer), a 2-year-old colt, broke his maiden in his second start and caught the eyes of many in the process. At 9-2, he beat 55-1, 20-1 and 10-1 runners up to top a $1 super that returned more than $26,000.
• Race 3: New York-bred Giant Expectations (Gary Stevens/Peter Eurton), the longest shot on the board in the field of five in the $300,000 San Antonio Stakes, defeated higher profiled horses such as Collected, Hoppertunity and Accelerate. That can't do much for the marketing of the Pegasus if we were going to see a Gun Runner vs. Collected setup unless of course the wily connections of Mike Smith and Bob Baffert are playing possum. Smith had a very questionable ride. He better recovery later in the day when Unique Bella runs

​

• Race 4: This will sting. Javier Castellano traveled 3,000 miles for the bigger purses today and just won on a 27-to-1 bomb for Neil Drysdale. It isn't often Castellano, the winner of the last four Eclipse Awards for outstanding rider in North America, pays $56.80 for a victory in his more familiar turf on the east coast. Going out west to do it, is a stunner especially on a 2 year-old filly named Californiagoldrush in her maiden performance. The coastal rivalry continues. The Gary Stevens-Javier Castellano double paid $843.00. Let that one sink in for a moment. Two Hall of Famers.
• Race 5 and 6: Another Hall-of-Famer gets a gold star. Kent Desormeaux won consecutive races including a $200,000 purse in race 6 on board Bowie's Hero for Phil D'Amato. Per Equibase, Gary Stevens, Javier Castellano and Desormeaux, winners of the last four races, have found the winner's circle more than 15,000 times combined.
• Race 7: Pennsylvania-bred Unique Bella (Mike Smith/Jerry Hollendorfer) rebounded in style and won her first Grade I race. She was the prime reason why I anticipated this race a few days ago as mentioned in the post above. After her 7th place failure in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, she was exceptional today and is now 8 6-1-0. A daughter to Tapit, she has Unbridled's DNA on both her male and female side. Looks like we have another in the remarkable pedigree of Unbridled. Unique Bella and Paradise Woods, who was runner up, have a potential rivalry budding.

​

• Race 8: Bombs away in the $300,000 Grade I Malibu Stakes. City of Light (Drayden van Dyke/Michael McCarthy) paid $17.00. The 1-2 exacta returned $131.00.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Another rider heading to Oaklawn (Arkansas) for next month's opener in one of the best, albeit short, meets of the year.

Mike Luzzi, a longtime rider in the New York circuit, hasn't ridden outside NY since the early 1990s. His son was at Remington (Oklahoma) until the track's recent closure. Perhaps, they will join and that is a reason. Go get 'em Luzzi!

He joins Gary Stevens, Alan Garcia and many others who plan on riding at the annually impressive meet.

=====================
UPDATE:
Journeyman rider Mike Luzzi, who has been a fixture on the New York circuit for over 20 years, is moving his tack to Oaklawn Park this winter.

The Daily Racing Form reports that Luzzi, 48, will begin the drive from his home on Long Island to Oaklawn on Thursday. Luzzi plans to work horses this weekend in Hot Springs.

Luzzi told the Form that said a lack of business in New York and the fact that his children are older led him to the decision to try somewhere new. Mike's son, Lane, will be riding at Sam Houston this winter.

Luzzi will be represented by agent Gene Short at Oaklawn. Luzzi told the DRF that the change “has been in the works for a little while. I've been wanting to try something different, the timing was never right.”

Luzzi ‘Wanting To Try Something Different’, Moving Tack To Oaklawn Park - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 27, 2017
Most tracks were dark today due in part to readjusting schedules for the holidays.

Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg passed away. Among his more than 6,500 winners was the 1987 Kentucky Derby with the awesome Alysheba who excelled as a 4-year-old. That awkward stretch moment with the "stumble" will forever be remembered in racing history as an exasperating split second. The favorite Demons Begone was vanned off but lived to the ripe of age of 17.

​

Earlier this month, Hall of Fame trainer LeRoy Jolley passed away. Among his winners were two in the Kentucky Derby: Foolish Pleasure in 1975 and the filly Genuine Risk in 1980.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Races 7, 8 and 9 were won in order by 30-1, 33-1 and 16-1 shots.
• Luis Gonzalez rode winners in races 8 and 9 on board 33-1 and 16-1 shots.
• Two Pick 3's paid over $5,000.
  
  Beginning with Race 6, a 2-to-1 favorite was followed by 30-1 and 33-1 winners and that returned $5,119.40 for a successful $.50 bet.
  Beginning with Race 8, a successful $.50 Pick 3 returned $5,296.40 when 33-1, 16-1 and 4-1 won consecutive races.​

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• An uncommon feat in that 10 different jockeys and 10 different trainers won on the 10-race card.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

AMERICAN OAKS

• Santa Anita Park
• Saturday, December 30, 2017
• Race 7
• Grade I
• 1 1/4 miles
• Turf
• $300,000 purse
• 3 year old Fillies
• 3:30 PM Pacific Time; 6:30 Eastern Time

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Madam Dancealot (IRE)	Corey S. Nakatani	122	Richard Baltas	-
2	Kathy's Song (KY)	Brice Blanc	120	Richard Baltas	-
3	Bernina Star (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	James M. Cassidy	-
4	Daddys Lil Darling (KY)	Mike E. Smith	120	Kenneth G. McPeek	-
5	Pantsonfire (IRE)	Rajiv Maragh	120	Richard Baltas	-
6	Beau Recall (IRE)	Joseph Talamo	120	Simon Callaghan	-
7	Desert Duchess (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	120	Michael J. Maker	-
8	Rymska (FR)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Chad C. Brown	-
9	New Money Honey (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	Chad C. Brown	-
10	Coachwhip (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Richard E. Mandella	-

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

It's that time of the year. The Rainbow Six carryover at Gulfstream Park is more than $397,000 entering today.

December 28, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• The track canceled racing due to extreme cold weather.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Jockey Emisael Jaramillo escaped what looked to be a potentially significant injury in the finale. He was on the lead and looked golden until his horse bucked and the rider was dismounted. What is additionally horrifying for a certain handicapper is if Jaramillo's mount carried onto victory, that person would gave won $571,744 in the Rainbow Six as that horse was singled. The jackpot will begin at $449,447.85 with tomorrow's card.
  
  
• ​
• Jose Ortiz, who had surgery earlier this month, rode his first mount since December 3 and won the opener. He is my pick for top rider of 2017 when the awards are distributed next month.
  
  
  ​
• Trainer Armando de la Cerda won three times including the final two races on the card.
• 21-year-old Luis Sanchez won his first career ride in the U.S. He had 147 wins in Panama.
• The $.50 Pick 5 returned more than $8,800.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Calvin Borel won the opener, his first win in 16 attempts at the meet. he last won on November 17 at Churchill Downs.
• Adam Beschizza has won 14 times in 65 starts (22%). The 25-year-old rode in England and won in the U.S. for the first time in late November.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 29, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• Following the 8th race, the $2 Pick 6 paid $18,982, the $2 Pick 4 was $19,978 and the $2 Pick 3 was $1,730.
• $20+ winners in each of the last three races.
• In the seventh race, two 12-to-=1 shots ended in a photo finish for the win.
• In the sixth race, a 20-to-1 caught a 3-to-1 and 1-to-2 in the stretch rather sensationally.
• In the second race, an 0-for-18 maiden was in the money 13 times. A strange record of 18 0-5-8.

Laurel (Maryland):

• The $2 Pick 5 paid over $15,000.
• A criticism of the broadcast: Why does Laurel -- and the track isn't alone -- take off the dots designating the horses when they enter the stretch? Gulfstream keeps the dots for the entire race. Sometimes it is tough to see who is approaching in the stretch when audio is an issue.

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Luca Panici opened the day with a 25-to-1 bomb.

​

• What a finish in the second race when the 6-to-5 favorite barely held off the 15-to-1 challenger.

​

• Following the finale, the $2 pick 5 returned $84,591.60, the $.20 Pick 6 (Rainbow 6) paid $31,821.52, the $2 Pick 4 paid $11,216.50, the $2 Pick 3 was $2,141.80 and the double was $771.60.
• The turf course is already worn and sandy.
• The Rainbow Six is expected to begin at half a million dollars or so for tomorrow's card.

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Some postcard images with the snow falling heavily at times.
• The meet closed today. The track is dark until March 2, 2018.

Golden Gate (California):

• The $2 Pick 4 was $56,000, the highest payout in North America.

Santa Anita (California):

• Trainer Vladimir Cerin won three times including with riders Kent Desormeau and Evin Roman each of who won twice. Desormeaux/Cerin teamed for the feature race win. Leave it to Desormeaux to use extensive vocabulary such as "scintillating," "ascended" and explosive" in a post-race interview.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

UPDATE: CANCELED. New York canceled cards on December 31 and January 1 due to weather.

This is a Kentucky Derby prep race, the first in the calendar year of 2018. All runners in the race officially turn three-years-old with the shift to 2018. A complete list of Derby prep races is located in the first post of this thread.

JEROME STAKES

• Aqueduct Racetrack (Queens, New York)
• Monday, January 1, 2018
• Race 7
• 1 mile
• Dirt
• $150,000 purse
• Limited to 3 year olds
• 3:34 PM Eastern Time

[TR][TH]PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Honor Up (NY)	Junior Alvarado	116	William I. Mott	-
2	Diamond King (KY)	Frankie Pennington	118	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	-
3	Regalian (KY)	Luis R. Reyes	116	Chris J. Englehart	-
4	Old Time Revival (FL)	Paco Lopez	116	Kenneth Decker	-
5	Firenze Fire (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Jason Servis	-
6	Smooth B (PA)	Joseph Rocco, Jr.	118	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	-
7	Seven Trumpets (KY)	Robby Albarado	118	Dale L. Romans	-
8	Millionaire Runner (KY)	Luis M. Ocasio	116	Jaime Mejia	-

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[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 30, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• The card was canceled after the fourth race due to bitterly cold weather and potentially hazardous conditions.
• Dylan Davis was approaching what could have been a career day with three wins in four starts. One of the wins was as a replacement for veteran Julio Garcia who generally only rides for Wesley Ward and in Kentucky.
• Trevor McCarthy won for the first time since returning from a lengthy absence due to injury. He rode for Todd Pletcher. That speaks volumes about McCarthy's skill set.

Parx (Philadelphia):

• The opener had a rare 1-2-3-4 finish.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Frankie Pennington, who returned after an injury in early November, won a $100,000 race on board the horse that tossed him in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club. Diamond King is now 3-for-4 with the blemish the race in he clipped heels and lost his rider. Same owners as Afleet Alex.
• Canceled after the 7th race due to unsafe track conditions especially near the finish line. Too bad, the track had a very pla nice card today.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• No one hit the Pick Six which will have a carryover of $616,000+.
• On a gorgeous day, the track handled in excess of $14,000,000. The card had five black type races.
• Following the finale in race 11 in which the finish was 11-13-14 (the 12 was last), some staggering results. Old-time baseball fans must have been floored with Durocher and Mr.Cub finishing first and second, respectively.
  • $39.40 for the win
  • $654.20 for the exacta
  • $2,513.40 for the trifecta
  • $989.80 for the double
  • $.20 Pick 6 paid $83,169.20.
  • $2 Pick 5 paid $250,928.40
  • $2 Pick 4 paid $44,811.80
  • $2 pick 3 paid $3,844.60.

• Injured Emisael Jaramillo will be out about a week. His replacement riders won races 1 and 3.
• Race 4: A lightly raced 8-year-old won in just his 25th lifetime start. Again, an 8-year-old.
• Race 5: Tyler Gaffalione/Michael Maker won a rare 2 mile race. Their 10-to-1 beat the 6-5 favorite in the stretch in a wildly exciting finish. "After two miles, they are separated by two inches." Great call. Gaffalione will probably finish second to Irad Ortiz, Jr. in wins during 2017.

​

• A Woodbine shipper Ghostly Presence (Rafael Hernandez/Roger Attfield) with Woodbine connections won race 9 and the $75,000 purse. Hernandez rode briefly in south Florida in the recent past.
• Jose Ortiz won twice and is 14 4-1-3 since his return from knee surgery performed earlier this month.
• Trainer Michael Maker was 6 2-1-2 at the track and 12 3-2-4 with runners spread over three tracks.
• Trainer Todd Pletcher had an unsuccessful last three days running out of the money in all five starts.

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• In both $100,000 stakes races, the favorite proved best. In the latter, Pay Any Price (Edgard Zayas/Ralph Ziadie), a 7-year-old gelding who raced mostly at Gulfstream continued his impressive year with a record of 8 6-1-0 and is 6 5-1-0 under Zayas. It was the 11th win in 18 starts for the gelding.

Mahoning Valley (Ohio):

• Beautiful scenery with the snow however racing was canceled midway due to the conditions.

Hawthorne (Illinois), Penn National (Pennsylvania), Turfway (Kentucky):

• Canceled.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Sometimes the surface matters most. In a $75,000 race, Mr. Misunderstood is now a perfect 8 8-0-0 on turf and 13 9-1-0 overall. He likes the turf.

Turf Paradise (Arizona):

• Shane Doan won for the second straight time and is now 7 2-4-0.

Santa Anita (California):

• In the Grade I American Oaks, Daddys Lil Darling (Mike Smith/Kenny McPeek) won at 2-to-1 though wasn't sent off the favorite. The 3-year-old filly is now a $1,000,000+ earner. She is 15 4-5-1. The hard-charging #1 finished second. Not a good race for Chad Brown whose #9 was sent off the favorite but finished fourth and his other runner was scratched.

​

• Mike Smith also won on a 2-year-old colt named Peace (trained by Richard Mandella) who may be making bigger noise as 2018 progresses.
• Silent Bird (Kent Desormeaux/Mark Glatt) won the Grade III $100,000 Midnight Lute.
• Midnight Crossing, a 22-to-1 Woodbine shipper, the longest shot on the board, won a Grade III $100,000 purse earlier in the day under new trainer Richard Baltas. The horse was 2-for-17 and really didn't figure much. Had $71,000 lifetime earned in 17 races. And now won a Grade III at Santa Anita. The top three finishers in the short field were Irish-breds.
• Irad Ortiz, Jr, who does the bulk of his riding in New York, won twice including the opener to solidify his lead as North America's winningest rider in 2017. He also won on board Donworth who ran in Grade I races but was in this optional claiming and the most talented runner in the field for at least today.
• California-based trainer William Morey won twice and is 4 3-0-1 at the meet.
• Bob Baffert has had a ghastly start to the meet at 11 0-1-2 to date.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

NYRA cancels final 2017 card and opening 2018 card due to extreme cold

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 31, 2017

Aqueduct (New York):

• Canceled

PARX (Pennsylvania):

• Cancelled

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled
• The fall/winter meet came to an end.

Turfway (Kentucky):

• Canceled

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Antonio Gallardo had the natural hat trick with wins in races 7, 8 and 9.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• The $20 Pick 6 paid $112,183.38 to two people. The carryover into Monday will start at $712,977.
• Race 11: The $.50 Pick 5 paid more than $14,000.
• Race 10: Tyler Gaffalione had a $19 winner.
• Race 9: Watch John Velazquez and the gray horse who trailed by 10 lengths in the opening 1/4 mile. Just an amazing performance by Pennsylvania-bred Tasit, a Tapit 4-year-old gelding who was seemingly unruly at one point but managed to do a 23.3 in the final 1/4 mile.

​

• Race 8: The $2 pick 3 paid over $3,000. The winner was another Woodbine shipper. Pulled the Goalie was ridden by Jose Lezcano.
• Race 7: The $2 Pick 3 paid close to $7,000.
• Race 6 began the $.20 Pick 6 (Rainbow Six) sequence and $400,000 was added to the pot. A total of $1,600,000 was wagered in this race. The $2 Pick 3 paid over $2,900 following the race. The $2 Pick 5 paid over $10,000. A John Velazquez/Todd Pletcher 2-year-old seemed unwilling to enter the starting gate in the race. And it showed with a rare poor performance for a Pletcher 2-year-old. Another poor performer in the race was a Javier Castellano/Chad Brown runner who was purchased by Klaravich Stables for $300,000.
• Trainer Todd Pletcher had an unsuccessful last four days running out of the money in all seven starts.
• Rider Chris Landeros finally won after a 0-for-36 start to the meet. He won for his father-in-law trainer Ian Wilkes. Landeros ended the day with two second place finishes including being caught by John Velazquez in race 9 before winning race 11.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Race 8: The $1 super paid close to $10k. The $2 Pick 3 returned over $2,600. The $2 exacta paid $741. The $2 tri paid $4,498.80. But the most notable return was the daily double which paid $1,385.80.

Turf Paradise (Arizona):

• In race 6, a 1-to-9 favorite played the part and more with a 17-length victory.

Golden Gate (California):

• Veteran rider Aaron Gryder won three times.
• The day opened with a $61.80 winner.
• The early daily double paid $811.40.
• The $1 Pick 3 following the third race paid $1,708.40.

Santa Anita (California):

• Trainer Peter Miller won three times and became the leader at the meet with 4 wins. Star trainers Bob Baffert (13 0-1-2) and Doug O'Neill (13 0-0-2) are a combined 26 0-1-4. That is unthinkable.
• Six tickets hit Pick Six for $39,442 apiece. The jackpot stands at $113,815.62 for the next card.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

January 1, 2018

Many tracks have full cards today.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Canceled.

Parx (Pennsylvania):

• Canceled

Laurel (Maryland):

• Canceled