Horse Racing: 2020 conclusion: $323,000 (Santa Anita) and $106,000 (Aqueduct) Pick 6 hit on New Year's Eve

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

PREAKNESS STAKES

What: Grade I. The 2020 third leg of the Triple Crown.The race will also provide a "Win and You're In" berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland
When: Saturday, October 3, 2020, Race 11
Time: 5:36 pm ET
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 3/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $1,000,000
TV: TVG (all-day coverage of racing) and NBC
History: The 145th running, it was inaugurated in 1873. Bob Baffert has won the Kentucky Derby in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2020 and is looking to go 6-for-6 in Preakness Stakes with such runners.
Card: Features 12 stakes, 11 for Thoroughbreds of which six are graded, and one for Arabians. ​

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Excession (KY)	Sheldon Russell	126	Steven M. Asmussen	30-1
2	Mr. Big News (KY)	Gabriel Saez	126	W. Bret Calhoun	12-1
3	Art Collector (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Thomas Drury, Jr.	5-2
4	Swiss Skydiver (KY)	Robby Albarado	123	Kenneth G. McPeek	6-1
5	Thousand Words (FL)	Florent Geroux	126	Bob Baffert	6-1
6	Jesus' Team (KY)	Jevian Toledo	126	Jose Francisco D'Angelo	30-1
7	Ny Traffic (NY)	Horacio Karamanos	126	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.	15-1
8	Max Player (KY)	Paco Lopez	126	Steven M. Asmussen	15-1
9	Authentic (KY)	John R. Velazquez	126	Bob Baffert	9-5
10	Pneumatic (KY)	Joe Bravo	126	Steven M. Asmussen	20-1
11	Liveyourbeastlife (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	126	Jorge R. Abreu	30-1

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

Still the best Preakness moment in my eyes. Forever exhilarating. Afleet Alex!



The full card for Pimlico on Saturday:

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post Eastern Time
Race 1	$150,000	Selima S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	8	11:00 AM
Race 2	$150,000	Gallorette S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	8	11:35 AM
Race 3	$100,000	Skipat S. Presented by RUNHAPPY	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	12:10 PM
Race 4	$100,000	Hilltop S.	1 Mile	Turf	13	12:46 PM
Race 5	$150,000	Miss Preakness S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	1:22 PM
Race 6	$250,000	Dinner Party S.	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	7	2:01 PM
Race 7	$200,000	Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	8	2:42 PM
Race 8	$150,000	Laurel Futurity	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	10	3:22 PM
Race 9	$100,000	James W. Murphy S.	1 Mile	Turf	14	4:02 PM
Race 10	$250,000	Black-Eyed Susan S.	1 1/8 Miles	Dirt	11	4:41 PM
Race 11	$1,000,000	Preakness S.	1 3/16 Miles	Dirt	11	5:36 PM
Race 12	$100,000	UAE President Cup S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	12	6:23 PM

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Viewing options for the week is below.

There are 16 Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" berths to be held this weekend including 11 in the U.S.:

Friday (2):
Keeneland 2

Saturday (6):
Keeneland 4;
Belmont 1;
Pimlico 1

Sunday (8):
Keeneland 3;
ParisLongchamp Racecourse (France) 5*

* coverage begins on FS1 at 9:30 a.m. ET as well as coverage on TVG.

Darley Alcibiades		Oct 2	Juvenile Fillies
Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix		Oct 2	Sprint
Thoroughbred Club of America		Oct 3	Filly & Mare Sprint
First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare		Oct 3	Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf
Shadwell Turf Mile		Oct 3	FanDuel Mile presented by PDJF
Claiborne Breeders' Futurity		Oct 3	TVG Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance
Belmont Derby		Oct 3	Longines Turf
Preakness Stakes		Oct 3	Longines Classic
Prix de L'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines		Oct 4	Turf Sprint	ParisLongchamp
Prix de L'Opera Longines		Oct 4	Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf	ParisLongchamp
Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe		Oct 4	Longines Turf	ParisLongchamp
Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere		Oct 4	Juvenile Turf	ParisLongchamp
Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac		Oct 4	Juvenile Fillies Turf	ParisLongchamp
Bourbon		Oct 4	Juvenile Turf
Juddmonte Spinster		Oct 4	Longines Distaff
Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select		Oct 4	Juvenile Turf Sprint

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Date	Program	Time	Network/Social Media
WEDNESDAY Sept. 30	"Betting After Dark"	7:30 p.m.	Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube
THURSDAY Oct. 1	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.	FS2
Oct. 1	Live coverage of horse racing	post time varies	TVG
FRIDAY Oct. 2	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.	FS2
Oct. 2	Live coverage of horse racing including Keeneland's opening day	Keeneland first post 1:05 p.m.	TVG
Oct. 2	Preakness Preview Show hosted by Joy Taylor	3:30 p.m.	Facebook Live and Twitter
Oct. 2	Broadcast of the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes and the Darley Alcibiades Stakes	5 p.m.-6 p.m.	NBCSN
Oct. 2	"La Trifecta"	7 p.m.	Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube
SATURDAY Oct. 3	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
Oct. 3	Live coverage of horse racing including Keeneland's FallStars Saturday	Keeneland first post 1:05 p.m.	TVG
Oct. 3	"Preakness Live"	5 p.m.	Facebook Live, Twitter and YouTube
Oct. 3	Broadcast of the 145th Preakness Stakes	4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	NBC
SUNDAY Oct. 4	"America's Day at the Races" broadcast of racing from Longchamp including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.	FS1
Oct. 4	"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
Oct. 4	Live coverage of horse racing including Keeneland's meet	Keeneland first post 1:05 p.m.	TVG
Oct. 4	Broadcast of the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes and the Bourbon Stakes	4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	NBCSN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

PRINCE OF WALES STAKES

What: The second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Leg three is Oct. 24 at Woodbine.
Where: Fort Erie Race Track, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada
When: Saturday, October 3, 2020, Race 11
Time: 5:37 pm ET
Who: 3-year-olds
Distance: 1 3/16 miles
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $400,000
TV: TVG (all-day coverage of racing)
History: Inaugurated in 1929.
Preview: Queen’s Plate champion Mighty Heart continues OLG Canadian Triple Crown chase in Prince of Wales Stakes - Woodbine Racetrack
​

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Truebelieve (ON)	Keveh Nicholls	126	Cole Bennett	30/1
2	Mighty Heart (ON)	Daisuke Fukumoto	126	Josie Carroll	7/5
3	Dotted Line (ON)	Justin Stein	126	Sid C. Attard	8/1
4	Red Mercury (ON)	Simon P. Husbands	126	Paul D. Lepiane	30/1
5	Enchant Me (ON)	Luis Contreras	126	Santino C. DiPaola	20/1
6	Bold Victory (ON)	Patrick Husbands	126	Mark E. Casse	12/1
7	Tecumseh's War (ON)	Emma-Jayne Wilson	126	Catherine Day Phillips	4/1
8	Muskoka Giant (ON)	Kazushi Kimura	126	Mark E. Casse	12/1
9	Clayton (ON)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	126	Kevin Attard	5/2

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

MIDNIGHT BISOU: The only blemish is she is 0-for-2 in Breeders' Cup races. She has never finished out of the money in 22 starts --- 13-6-3 --- and has earned $7.4 million including over $3.7 this year. Midnight Bisou is a probably #2 on my list for older dirt females after Monomoy Girl. She was an $80,000 purchase in 2017. It may be premature to talk retirement but if the 5-year-old goes to the breeding shed or not here is wishing one of the game's stars all the best on her road to recovery.

Midnight Bisou sent to Rood and Riddle, will miss Spinster

Midnight Bisou, the reigning champion older female, will miss Sunday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland after coming out of a Monday workout at Saratoga a bit off, according to her connections.

Midnight Bisou was to be sent to Dr. Larry Bramlage at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., for a complete evaluation, according to Jeff Bloom, head of Bloom Racing, which owns Midnight Bisou in partnership with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing. Midnight Bisou is scheduled to leave Saratoga by van on Tuesday and be examined on Wednesday, Bloom said.

On Monday at Saratoga, Midnight Bisou worked a half-mile in 50.15 seconds over what was a fast Oklahoma training track before rain arrived.

Bloom said that assistant trainer Scott Blasi noticed Midnight Bisou was off in her right foreleg while she was cooling out back at the barn.

“She’s not in distress, she’s bright-eyed, happy, eating,” Bloom said. “Clearly, she’s not going to run Sunday. She’ll be seen by Dr. Bramlage on Wednesday morning. He’ll do a full set of diagnostics. We’ll take every precaution and look after her as best we can and make some decisions after he evaluates her.”

 

[Cyclones Rock]

^^^^^^^^
Still unreal to me that Jeremy Rose stayed aboard Afleet Alex. Probably the best/luckiest athletic moves by horse and jockey in Triple Crown history for the winner.

Trainer Tim Richey was awesome in the clip of him during the race. "Son of a b**** he's still going to win" while watching the eventful turn into the stretch.

Jeremy Rose has seemingly disappeared from the racing scene. I recall him surfacing at Presque Isle a few years ago.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Just listened to another great call by Finger Lakes track announcer Tony Calo. He is exceptional in reading the race and catching moves by late runners. He tells an exceptional and often humorous tale of a race. Here's an example I found on youtube:

Have you seen this? Tom Durkin on Match Game (late 1970s).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^^^^^^^^
Still unreal to me that Jeremy Rose stayed aboard Afleet Alex. Probably the best/luckiest athletic moves by horse and jockey in Triple Crown history for the winner.

Trainer Tim Richey was awesome in the clip of him during the race. "Son of a b**** he's still going to win" while watching the eventful turn into the stretch.

Jeremy Rose has seemingly disappeared from the racing scene. I recall him surfacing at Presque Isle a few years ago.

Jeremy Rose developed an addiction to prescription meds. It can happen with jockeys, as you know, with the bumps and bruises and broken bones they endure on small frames. Rose's career flamed out. His personal life rebounded when he met his future wife who helped stabilize him. And professionally Anthony Pecoraro gave him mounts which led to an awesome 2019. Supposedly, he wanted to stay nearby home to ride. He is a mid-Atlantic guy (PA/DE) and Delaware was where his tack remained for 2019. He was at 30% or so which is phenomenal even if it was Delaware and a weaker than normal meet. I am not sure what happened this year. He has not ridden. Could be the uncertainties of 2020 or maybe, like other riders, he couldn't make the weight.

Still he had a good career. That maneuver in the Preakness was something chilling. Tom Durkin's call painted it perfectly. The entire ordeal with Rose that year and of course the association of Afleet Alex and the little girls with cancer was something inspiring. The children were heroes. I sometimes called the horse "a poor man's Affirmed" -- two Florida breds who were undersized but exhilarating. I was held captive from almost day one. The story of the Alex's Lemonade Stand charity was mesmerizing.

Rose was taken off the mount for the Rebel Stakes, replaced by John Velazquez, despite winning the prior race. Following a massive fail in that race, the connections returned Rose to the mount for the Arkansas Derby where he rocketed like a champion. Despite that, Rose had to battle the perception of many that he wasn't good enough to ride a Ky. Derby horse... and those suspicions were validated when he had an error in judgment in the Derby. That was the year of the stunning upset led by Giacomo and what was that supefecta, $850,000? One of the wildest payouts in any Derby. However the connections stuck with Rose.

Everything was forgiven and forgotten following the Preakness. Then came the Belmont and arguably the greatest kick in the stretch ever seen outside of 1973 and we know what happened that year.

These are the Preakness winners from 2000-2009:

Red Bullet
Point Given
War Emblem
Funny Cide
Smarty Jones
Afleet Alex
Bernardini
Curlin
Big Brown
Rachel Alexandra​

What a list! If -- and I say if -- Red Bullet was the least known or successful on that list, he is part of an interesting trivia question. Who was the last Kentucky Derby winner to sire three different winners in the Derby (Grindstone), Preakness (Red Bullet) and Belmont (Empire Maker)? Answer Unbridled.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

• Steve Asmussen has 9,020 wins in his career, 425 behind Dale Baird and first place.
• Todd Pletcher is 18 wins away from 5,000.
• Tammi Piermarini, who made much of her success at the shuttered Suffolk Downs (Mass.), has 2,535 wins. She is unofficially the third winningest female jockey in North America history behind only Julie Krone (3,704) and Rosemary Homeister, Jr. (2,784).

Belterra (Ohio):

• Perry Ouzts has 7,133 wins which is eight shy of Chris McCarron and sixth place in North America riding history. He has not won with his past 16 rides.

Fort Erie (Ontario):

• Handle: $3,028,600 -- On this race day in 2019 the handle was $2,014,296. More than a million dollar increase.
• Race 8: Mighty Heart (Daisuke Fukumoto/Josie Carroll) won the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown with a 2 1/12 length win in the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes. The top four finishers were the lowest odds on the board in order. Mighty Heart will try to become the 13th winner of the Canadian Triple Crown which dates to 1959. The most recent winner was Wando in 2003. The final leg, the Breeders’ Stakes, will be competed at 1 1/2 miles on the E.P. Taylor turf course on Oct. 24 at Woodbine (Toronto).
  • MIGHTY HEART: Is a 3-year-old son to Dramedy and is 6 3-0-1 lifetime. He is owned by Larry Cordes who created Lawrcon Electric and Machinery Corporation in Scarborough.
  • FUKUMOTO: The 22-year-old jockey is from Kagoshima, Japan.
  • CARROLL: Was selected to the Canadian Hall of Fame in 2019.

​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

MIDNIGHT BISOU: The only blemish is she is 0-for-2 in Breeders' Cup races. She has never finished out of the money in 22 starts --- 13-6-3 --- and has earned $7.4 million including over $3.7 this year. Midnight Bisou is a probably #2 on my list for older dirt females after Monomoy Girl. She was an $80,000 purchase in 2017. It may be premature to talk retirement but if the 5-year-old goes to the breeding shed or not here is wishing one of the game's stars all the best on her road to recovery.

Midnight Bisou sent to Rood and Riddle, will miss Spinster

Midnight Bisou, the reigning champion older female, will miss Sunday’s Grade 1, $400,000 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland after coming out of a Monday workout at Saratoga a bit off, according to her connections.

Midnight Bisou was to be sent to Dr. Larry Bramlage at the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., for a complete evaluation, according to Jeff Bloom, head of Bloom Racing, which owns Midnight Bisou in partnership with Madaket Stables and Allen Racing. Midnight Bisou is scheduled to leave Saratoga by van on Tuesday and be examined on Wednesday, Bloom said.

On Monday at Saratoga, Midnight Bisou worked a half-mile in 50.15 seconds over what was a fast Oklahoma training track before rain arrived.

Bloom said that assistant trainer Scott Blasi noticed Midnight Bisou was off in her right foreleg while she was cooling out back at the barn.

“She’s not in distress, she’s bright-eyed, happy, eating,” Bloom said. “Clearly, she’s not going to run Sunday. She’ll be seen by Dr. Bramlage on Wednesday morning. He’ll do a full set of diagnostics. We’ll take every precaution and look after her as best we can and make some decisions after he evaluates her.”

She had been retired. I had a suspicion that was a possibility despite the suddenness. Onto her next stage of life to breed.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

The first two cards at Keeneland's meet (Oct. 2-24) have been released. Friday and Saturday are below.

Purple = Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races.

FRIDAY

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post EASTERN TIME
Race 1	$25,000	Maiden Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	6	1:05 PM
Race 2	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	1:39 PM
Race 3	$73,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	6	2:12 PM
Race 4	$71,000	Allowance	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	8	2:45 PM
Race 5	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:20 PM
Race 6	$71,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	10	3:55 PM
Race 7	$71,000	Allowance	1 1/8 Miles	Turf	8	4:30 PM
Race 8	$200,000	Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	12	5:05 PM
Race 9	$350,000	Darley Alcibiades S.	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	7	5:40 PM
Race 10	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Turf	16	6:15 PM

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

SATURDAY

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post EASTERN TIME
Race 1	$34,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	6	1:05 PM
Race 2	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	1:37 PM
Race 3	$71,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	7	2:09 PM
Race 4	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	2:41 PM
Race 5	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	15	3:13 PM
Race 6	$150,000	Woodford S. Presented by TVG	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	9	3:45 PM
Race 7	$200,000	Thoroughbred Club of America S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	4:18 PM
Race 8	$350,000	First Lady S. Presented by UK HealthCare	1 Mile	Turf	6	4:51 PM
Race 9	$400,000	Claiborne Breeders' Futurity	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	5:24 PM
Race 10	$750,000	Shadwell Turf Mile S.	1 Mile	Turf	11	5:57 PM
Race 11	$73,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	11	6:32 PM

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

In a poll of experts released in 2000 asking for the top 100 T-breds of the 20th century (source: Bloodhorse), the two below finished 31st and 34th. The two were 34th and 35th in another poll.

It was called Affirmed-Alydar part 2. East coast vs. West coast. New York vs. California. All the labels were there.

They will forever be attached and this race, one of the best duels in history, cemented that relationship. The 1989 Preakness Stakes: Sunday Silence vs. Easy Goer.



How good were these two beasts?

Sunday Silence was 14 9-5-0.
Easy Goer was 20 14-5-1.
They were a combined 34 23-10-1.

Never finished off the board, only once (Easy Goer's second to last race) did one not finish 1st or 2nd.

 

[Orr Fourever]

^ Afleet Alex should have been a triple crown winner.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

QATAR PRIX DE L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE

What: The winner gets invited to the Breeders' Cup Longines Turf.
Where: Longchamp Racecourse, Paris, France
When: Sunday, October 4, 2020
Time: 10:05 a.m. ET
Who: 3-year-olds and up
Distance: 1 1/2 miles
Surface: Turf
Purse: $3,000,000.
TV: TVG (all-day coverage of racing) and Fox Sports 1 (FS1) from 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 am ET
History: Inaugurated in 1920. Enable won this race in 2017 and 2018. She is 18 15-2-1 lifetime with over $14 million earned. She has won her past two races.
Preview: Eight vital questions ahead of the 2020 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and QATAR PRIX DE L'ARC TRIOMPHE

More here including riders: Daily Racing Form | Horse Racing Entries | Live Odds & Scratches​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

^ Afleet Alex should have been a triple crown winner.

There are a few of those as we have witnessed. Point Given was one that Gary Stevens called the best he ever rode. Afleet Alex lost in the Derby but yes, should have won the TC.

I guess the subconscious remembers those horses which failed in the Belmont as being the "Should have won the Triple Crown..." more so. Spectacular Bid tops the list. Smarty Jones followed.

But Alex was an awesome and unique story from birth . How a child bottle-fed Alex at birth since his mother was ill and unable to nurse, the association with pediatric cancer and the fund that led to millions and millions in donations (the young child with cancer selling lemonade in front of her house), the embryonic stages of eventual stardom but the switching of jockeys for the Rebel Stakes to a more prominent rider. After that failed, Jeremy Rose re-established as the jockey. And history was made. I mentioned the kick in the Belmont Stakes being second to that of Secretariat in 1973. But just watch it here in the Arkansas Derby. This horse was gritty, athletic and fierce and lovable.

The owners had never owned a horse. They did this as a kick. Just a bunch of co-workers from the Philly area.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thursday,. October 1, 2020

Belmont (New York):

• Javier Castellano rode four winners on seven mounts. He is third at the meet in wins.
• Handle: More than $7.5 million.
• Junior Alvarado is in a funk with a 31 1-5-10 (3%/52%) mark. That is a huge difference between a winning percentage and in-the-money mark. He is hitting the board but can't get Ws.
• Bill Mott has yet to win with 23 starts.

Delaware Park (Delaware):

• Carol Cedeno, the meet's leading rider, rode a natural hat trick.

Pimlico (Maryland):

• Race 6: Hollis (Gabriel Saez/John Ortiz) won the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint at 11-to-1. Hollis is a 5-year-old so to Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense.
• Race 8: A Great Time (Julian Pimentel) won the $100,000 Very One Stakes at 10-to-1. The $1 exacta paid $330. The $1 super returned over $44,000. The 6-year-old Maryland bred mare won in her home state for the first time since breaking her maiden in her debut at Laurel in 2016. She is 4-for-19 lifetime.
• Race 9: Yaupon (John Velazquez/Steve Asmussen) won the $200,000 Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes at 3-to-5. The 3-year-old colt is emerging as a star with a perfect 4 4-0-0 record including two graded stakes. Yaupon got six furlongs in 1:09.10 which tied the stakes record set in 2008 by Lantana Mob who was also trained by Asmussen. The trainer won this stakes for the fourth time.

​

Belterra (Ohio):

• Perry Ouzts won for the 7,135th time which is six behind Hall of Famer Chris McCarron and sixth place on the victory list in North America.

Hastings (British Columbia):

• Race 1: Here's Hannah (Scott Willians/John Morrison) won the $50,000 Delta Colleen Stakes and improved to 18 15-2-1 lifetime.
• Efrain Hernandez went 13 5-1-2 and ended the racing meet with a natural hat trick.
• Handle: $931,000+.
• Closing day: Dark until 2021.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, October 2, 2020

• Steve Asmussen won the first two races at Remington (Oklahoma). He has four wins this day including two in Kentucky.That makes a total of 9,026. Maybe he will catch Dale Baird's 9,445 by the end of 2021.
  
• Todd Pletcher remains 18 wins shy of 5,000.
• Perry Ouzts remains six wins behind Chris McCarron and sixth place all-time.

Belmont (New York):

• Junior Alvarado's four-win day: I mentioned this in yesterday's summary: Junior Alvarado is in a funk with a 31 1-5-10 (3%/52%) mark. That is a huge difference between a winning percentage and in-the-money mark. He is hitting the board but can't get Ws. For the second time in the last month or so, when Alvarado struggled I pointed it out and the following day he had multiple wins (one a 3-win day, the other a 4-win day). Junior is too good of a rider to be at 3% but the indication that he was hitting the board at a large frequency offered hope.
• Race 9: Hold the Salsa (Junior Alvarado/Richard Lugovich) won the $100,000 feature race and paid $17.60. It was a patented ride where Alvarado came from behind and closed. https://twitter.com/TheNYRA/status/1312141199516430336 . The trainer has three wins with seven starters in 2020, tied for his most wins in any year since 1993.
• Race 7: Bill Mott snapped his winless skid at the meet. The Hall of Famer is now 1-for-26.
• Race 2: Saratoga Love (Junior Alvarado/Christophe Clement) wired the field and held on for dear life to pay $19.20. Holding off Jose Ortiz, that is.
• Jose Lezcano (13 wins) and Jose Ortiz (12 wins) are 1-2 among all riders.
• Chad Brown leads all trainers with 10 wins.
• Handle: Over $8.3 million.

Pimlico (Maryland):

• Racing: Off the turf as the track prepares for tomorrow's massive day which begins at 11:00 a.m.
• Race 11: Harpers First Ride (Angel Cruz/Claudio Gonzalez) pulled an upset in the 50th edition of $250,000 Grade 3 Pimlico Special defeating the overwhelming favorite Owendale (John Velazquez/Brad Cox) who had earned over $1.2 million in 17 starts. The winner is 14 8-1-1 lifetime and oozed confidence in the post parade. It must have been an enormous thrill for the rider who has three graded stakes wins in his career, defeating the all-time leader in the category with 679 (at last check).

​

• Race 8: Little Skiff (Paco Lopez/Ann Merryman) wired the field at 19-to-1.
• Race 2: Show prices were excessive at $12.60/$7.20/$18.20 as Belfour at 1-to-5 was eased and finished last. Bridge jumpers took the fall.
• Trevor McCarthy rode three winners. His 8 wins -- 4 better than the nearest -- all but ensures him the rider's title at the brief meet.
• Claudio Gonzalez is 16 5-4-1 at the meet. More needs to be said of this trainer who is as successful as any in the state in recent years.
• Jamie Ness, a resurgent 2020, is having a good meet at 6 3-2-0. His 26% this year is a high since 2012.
• Closing day: Tomorrow is the sixth and final day of racing for 2020.
• Laurel: Back to Laurel for a meet that begins October 8 and extends into 2021.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Opening day: The meet runs 10/2/2020-10/24/2020.
• Bombers: Long shots placed in five of the ten races, that is 20-to-1 or more. A couple of 50+-to-1 shots placed including 52-to-1 in the finale.
• Tyler Gaffalione, Joel Rosario and Luis Saez won twice on opening day.
• Steve Asmussen and Tom Amoss trained two winners.
• Race 8: Diamond Oops (Florent Geroux/Patrick Biancone) won the $200,000 Grade 2 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes and with it received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Sprint. It was the 5-year-old gelding's 7th win in 16 starts and he officially became a millionaire with $1.058 million earned. A 51-to-1 bomber placed.

​

• Race 9: Simply Ravishing (Luis Saez/Kenny McPeek) won the Grade I $350,000 Darley Alcibiades and with it received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. It improved the 2-year-old's record to 3 3-0-0. The New York bred was purchased for $50,000 the cheapest horse in a field of seven with competitors bought for $850,000 and $950,000.

​

Hawthorne (Illinois):

• Opening day: The meet runs 10/2/2020-12/27/2020
• Graphics: Easy to read simulcast feed.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Races 1 and 2: David Cabrera-Steve Asmussen teamed to win.
• Race 5: Canonize (Ezequiel Lara/Lynn Chleborad) won at 57-to-1 and paid $117.00
• Race 6: Back-to-back for Ezequiel Lara.

Santa Anita (California):

• Handle: Roughly $6.5 million.
• Flavien Prat won three times and ended the day 6 3-2-0.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Races 1 and 2: Daisuke Fukumoto-Robert Tiller won the first two races.
• Races 3 and 4: Justin Stein-Kevin Attard won the next two races.
• Races 5 and 7: Sunny Singh and Ashlee Brnjas won two of the next three races.
• Handle: More than $4,000,000.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

@Orr Fourever

Re: Jeremy Rose and Afleet Alex

With no previous knowledge was I aware this article would appear in today's Philadelphia Inquirer; however, my words above (post #813) were validated in this story which offered additional information.

He is retired and working in a pizza shop. He still rides at tracks but not in races.

Jeremy Rose rode Afleet Alex to victory at the ’05 Preakness. Then he had to make a greater comeback.

Once a week, he drives 150 miles from Lewistown, Pa. — where he lives with his wife, Brittany, and stepdaughter, Harper, and owns a pizza shop — to Delaware Park, just to work horses for a couple of trainer friends, just for the slight buzz that being on horseback, remembering the thrill of competition, gives him. That’s all. It’s not a race, but it’s something. It’s enough.

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

He won some major races, atop Bullsbay in the 2009 Whitney Handicap and Havre De Grace in the 2010 Cotillion Stakes, and averaged 150-200 victories a year, but the joy of riding had been drained from him. It was just a job now, one that he couldn’t give up. Jockeys ride through unimaginable injuries, and Rose rode through his share: concussions, broken bones in his back, a broken collarbone. He’d head to a doctor’s office near Delaware Park, get a prescription for some painkillers, and keep climbing in the saddle.

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

He bounced in and out of rehab, finally weaning off the oxy in 2013 only to resume socially drinking. “I started figuring that one of the biggest problems I had with withdrawal wasn’t pain or the diarrhea or s--- like that,” he says. “It was that I couldn’t sleep.”

So socially escalated to daily. He’d work horses in the morning, race in the afternoon, then go home and start. Vodka, straight. Grey Goose, usually. The top-shelf brands took the edge off his morning hangover. In 2015, he won just 17 of his 187 starts.

He married Brittany in September 2018, and often, when he was away, riding, she’d call to check up on him, and the phone would ring and ring as he slept off a bender. He went back to rehab and has been sober since last year, when he rebounded a bit, finishing first or second in 56 of his 115 starts.​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

If you want a card, here is a card!

Keeneland on Saturday.

Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post EASTERN TIME
Race 1	$34,000	Starter Allowance	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	6	1:05 PM
Race 2	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	1:37 PM
Race 3	$71,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	7	2:09 PM
Race 4	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	2:41 PM
Race 5	$70,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	15	3:13 PM
Race 6	$150,000	Woodford S. Presented by TVG	5 1/2 Furlongs	Turf	9	3:45 PM
Race 7	$200,000	Thoroughbred Club of America S.	6 Furlongs	Dirt	7	4:18 PM
Race 8	$350,000	First Lady S. Presented by UK HealthCare	1 Mile	Turf	6	4:51 PM
Race 9	$400,000	Claiborne Breeders' Futurity	1 1/16 Miles	Dirt	9	5:24 PM
Race 10	$750,000	Shadwell Turf Mile S.	1 Mile	Turf	11	5:57 PM
Race 11	$73,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	11	6:32 PM

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Perfect day for racing at Pimlico with temps to be mid 60s and sunny.

Early scratches are in. Remove the 10 in the 10th race. Preakness is clean so far.

 

[Orr Fourever]

@Orr Fourever

Re: Jeremy Rose and Afleet Alex

With no previous knowledge was I aware this article would appear in today's Philadelphia Inquirer; however, my words above (post #813) were validated in this story which offered additional information.

He is retired and working in a pizza shop. He still rides at tracks but not in races.

Jeremy Rose rode Afleet Alex to victory at the ’05 Preakness. Then he had to make a greater comeback.

Once a week, he drives 150 miles from Lewistown, Pa. — where he lives with his wife, Brittany, and stepdaughter, Harper, and owns a pizza shop — to Delaware Park, just to work horses for a couple of trainer friends, just for the slight buzz that being on horseback, remembering the thrill of competition, gives him. That’s all. It’s not a race, but it’s something. It’s enough.

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

He won some major races, atop Bullsbay in the 2009 Whitney Handicap and Havre De Grace in the 2010 Cotillion Stakes, and averaged 150-200 victories a year, but the joy of riding had been drained from him. It was just a job now, one that he couldn’t give up. Jockeys ride through unimaginable injuries, and Rose rode through his share: concussions, broken bones in his back, a broken collarbone. He’d head to a doctor’s office near Delaware Park, get a prescription for some painkillers, and keep climbing in the saddle.

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

He bounced in and out of rehab, finally weaning off the oxy in 2013 only to resume socially drinking. “I started figuring that one of the biggest problems I had with withdrawal wasn’t pain or the diarrhea or s--- like that,” he says. “It was that I couldn’t sleep.”

So socially escalated to daily. He’d work horses in the morning, race in the afternoon, then go home and start. Vodka, straight. Grey Goose, usually. The top-shelf brands took the edge off his morning hangover. In 2015, he won just 17 of his 187 starts.

He married Brittany in September 2018, and often, when he was away, riding, she’d call to check up on him, and the phone would ring and ring as he slept off a bender. He went back to rehab and has been sober since last year, when he rebounded a bit, finishing first or second in 56 of his 115 starts.​

Always liked him as a rider.

 

[GKJ]

Swiss Skydiver, with the early move, the filly grinds it out over the Derby winner at 11/1 in the Preakness

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, October 3, 2020 (part 1)

• Chad Brown won three times at four tracks with 22 starters.
• Brad Cox won three times across multiple tracks.
• Steve Asmussen won for the 9,028th time.

Belmont (New York):

• Handle: $11.8 million.
• Junior Alvarado had three winners, including two stakes, to make it seven victories in two days. He was feted with more plaques than a dental office. Just like that, he is fifth in wins at the meet. He entered yesterday at 3%. You know it was a good day for Junior when the New York stewards left him up following an objection.
• Bill Mott may have just three wins at the meet but he has earned $411,000+ which is third best.
• Race 5: Frank's Rockette (Junior Alvarado/Bill Mott) was like a rocket and could have won by double the margin in a cruise control victory at 1-to-5 to take the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom Handicap.
• Race 6: Fire At Will (Kendrick Carmouche/Michael Maker) won the Grade 2 $150,000 Pilgrim.
• Race 7: Channel Maker (Manny Franco/Bill Mott) won the Grade I $250,000 Joe Hirsch Turf.
• Race 8: Complexity (Jose Ortiz/Chad Brown) won the Grade 2 $150,000 Kelso Handicap.
• Race 9: Gufo (Junior Alvarado/Christophe Clement) improved to 7 5-1-1 in winning the Grade I $250,000 Belmont Derby. and with it received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Longines Turf. Alvarado withstood an inquiry-objection.

​

Meadowlands at Monmouth (New Jersey):

• Opening day: Today began the "Meadowlands at Monmouth" annual meet. Don't blink: the meet last nine racing days and concludes later this month.
• Jorge Vargas, Jr. rode three winners.
• Chris DeCarlo rode two winners with three mounts.
• Race 4: The $.50 Pick 4 paid over $12,000 helped by a $70.20 winner in the last leg.

Gulfstream Park West (Florida):

• Opening day: Today began the annual GPW meet at the former Calder Racecourse. Following this meet, which lasts until next month, the track will be converted into a Jai Alai fronton unless a last minute stay is executed.
• Samy Camacho rode three winners.

Keeneland (Kentucky):

• Card: Eleven races of which five were graded stakes with four connections to the Breeders' Cup.
• Race 6: Leinster (Luis Saez/Rusty Arnold) won the Grade 2 $150,000 Woodford.
• Race 7: Inthemidstofbiz (Martin Garcia/Cipriano Contreras) won the Grade 2 $250,000 Thoroughbred Club of America and with it received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. The 4-year-old filly won for the fifth time this year including third straight race -- the last two held at Indiana Grand and Presque Isle (Erie, PA).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiNbYm1R3UU​

• Race 8: Uni (Joel Rosario/Chad Brown) won the $350,000 Grade I First Lady and with it received an invitation to the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf. The 6-year-old mare returned to the winner's circle for the first time in 2020 and has earned over $2.5 million covering 21 starts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i5NoSRp4gs​

• Race 9: Essential Quality (Luis Saez/Brad Cox) won the Grade I $400,000 Breeders' Futurity to improve to 2 2-0-0 lifetime. The connections received 10 points towards entry into the 2021 Kentucky Derby. The 2-year-old colt is a son to Tapit and received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup TVG Juvenile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n7JZvK6peA​

• Race 10: Ivar (Joe Talamo/Paulo Lobo) won the Grade I $750,000 Shadwell Turf Mile. The Brazilian-bred is 7 5-0-1 including two wins in four starts in the USA after a perfect 3 3-0-0 in his home land. The win came with an invitation to the Breeders' Cup FanDuel Mile.

​

Santa Anita (California):

• Handle: Over $9 million.
• Race 8: Mo Forza (Flavien Prat/Peter Miller) won the $200,000 Grade 2 City of Hope Mile Stakes.

​

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Card: Five of the races held purses $100,000+.
• Handle: $6.6 million.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, October 3, 2020 (part 2)

Pimlico (Maryland):

• Handle: Over $51 million bet today down about 50% off the record set in 2019 but the absence of 120,000 spectators is partly a cause as well as other factors. Total wagering for the Preakness was $31,744,019 which was half of the $62 million last year with spectators.
• Card: 12 races of which all were stakes and each worth $100,000 or more.
• Race 12: Paddy's Day (Alex Cintron/Nicole Ruggeri) won the Grade I $150,000 UAE Presidents' Cup which was Arabian-breds. The trainer is 3-for-4 this year winning in Colorado, Texas and Maryland. The California-born Ruggeri is relatively new to training and has recently been based in Dubai.
• Race 11: Swiss Skydiver (Robby Albarado/Kenny McPeek) won the Grade I $1,000,000 Preakness in its 145th edition and received an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Classic She became the 6th filly to win the race and just the second (Rachel Alexandra in 2008) to win since Nellie Morse in 1924. Albarado, who is a 5% rider the past two years and has struggled to get anything near where his career once was, did an exceptional job today as a replacement rider for Tyler Gaffalione who had commitments in Kentucky. Albarado's most recent win was in Indiana on August 20. It was the right pick by the trainer and connections to secure Albarado, who I thought was exasperated as a rider but proved naysayers wrong; however, good for him. McPeek has had plenty of graded stakes winners but this winner could go down as his top money earner ever. Swiss Skydiver was purchased for $35,000 in 2018 and has earned over $1.79 million and is 11 6-3-1. Her breeding rights should be increased exponentially after today's gamed victory.

​

• Race 10: Miss Marissa (Daniel Centeno/James Ryerson) won the Grade 2 $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. This was her first graded stakes win in three tries. The 3-year-old filly has won her last three, at three tracks with three different riders, following a 1-for-8 lifetime start. She has earned over $323,000 after being purchased for $11,000 in 2018.

​

• Race 7: Laki (Horacio Karamanos/Damon Dilodovico) won the Grade 3 $200,000 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial in one of the closest finishes of the day. The 7-year-old gelding won for the 10th time in 28 starts and just the second win in nine starts outside of Laurel.

​

• Race 6: Factor This (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) wired the field to win the Grade 2 $250,000 Dinner Party. He widen the lead in the stretch after a challenge and looked confident in doing so. Factor This is 7 5-1-1 in 2020 with earnings over $1.2 million lifetime in 32 starts. He was an $11,000 purchase in 2017.
• Race 5: Wicked Whisper (Joe Bravo/Steve Asmussen) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes. The winner ended a 3-race losing streak and went nearly a full year without victory since winning a Grade I at Belmont. The 3-year-old filly was a $500,000 purchase in 2018 by Arkansas millionaires Alex and JoAnn Lieblong.
• Race 2: Juliet Foxtrot (Florent Geroux/Brad Cox) won the Grade 3 $150,000 Gallorette. The 5-year-old mare won for the 5th time in 18 starts and ended a losing streak that dated six races and 15 months.
  
• Race 1: Fluffy Socks (Trevor McCarthy/Chad Brown) won the $150,000 opener at 6-to-1. The 2-year-old mare won for the second time in three starts.
• John Velazquez finished second in four of his past six starts.
• Closing day: The brief 6-day meet ended. Trevor McCarthy (9 wins) and Claudio Gonzalez (5 wins) won the jockey and trainer titles, respectively.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday's TV schedule:

"America's Day at the Races" broadcast of racing from Longchamp including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.	FS1
"America's Day at the Races"	12:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	FS2
Live coverage of horse racing including Keeneland's meet	Keeneland first post 1:05 p.m.	TVG
Broadcast of the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes and the Bourbon Stakes	4:30 p.m.-6 p.m.	NBCSN

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Sunday's Breeders' Cup schedule:

Prix de L'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines			Turf Sprint	ParisLongchamp
Prix de L'Opera Longines			Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf	ParisLongchamp
Qatar Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe			Longines Turf	ParisLongchamp
Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere			Juvenile Turf	ParisLongchamp
Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac			Juvenile Fillies Turf	ParisLongchamp
Bourbon			Juvenile Turf
Juddmonte Spinster			Longines Distaff
Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select			Juvenile Turf Sprint

[TBODY] [/TBODY]