Horse Racing: Arkansas Derby day recap: $41,000,000 bet, Nadal and Charlatan win Ky. Derby preps

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Lake Avenue, who I mentioned in Saturday's recap, could race next in Arkansas, Louisiana or New York but is prepping for the Kentucky Oaks. She is the real deal. She broke bad and still won convincingly. Junior Alvarado, as much as I tout him, can be troubled at the gate but that isn't always on the rider. That shouldn't prevent Bill Mott from using Junior if the filly travels. Alvarado and Mott may have something special. Getting her at 4-1 though may be a thing of the past. And her daddy is Tapit.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Paco Lopez was named Jockey of the Week for the second consecutive week. As said a few times in this thread, what a remarkable year for him.

Paco Lopez’ Six Stakes Wins Net Him Back-To-Back Jockey Of The Week Titles - Horse Racing News | Paulick Report

With six stakes wins over the weekend at Gulfstream Park, Paco Lopez was voted Jockeys' Guild Foundation Detox Jockey of the Week for December 2-8, 2019. The award is voted on by a panel of experts for riding accomplishments by members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 riders in North America. Jockey of the Week is sponsored by FoundationDetox.com, America's #1 Equine Toxin Remover.

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

Not only did Lopez win more stakes than any other rider in North America last week, he was the leading rider by overall wins as well. Lopez won 12 of his 42 starts for the week and finished in the money in half of his races. He is now 273 for 998 in 2019, with 2,704 wins in 13,177 career starts.

Among North American jockeys last week, Lopez was second by stakes winnings with $515,770 and second by total earnings of $662,020. With this week's earnings, he passed the $10 million mark in 2019 and has career earnings of nearly $96 million.
​

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Umberto Rispoli, a champion jockey in Italy who has won Grade I races in his home country, France, Japan and where he currently rides in Hong Kong, is moving his tack to Santa Anita beginning with opening day Dec. 26.

He will have the same agent as Joel Rosario.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

I have a few comments regarding Paco Lopez in this thread alone. He is arguably the most aggressive rider in North America, certainly a reputation that is indisputable. As mentioned a few days ago, he crossed $10,000,000 in earnings this year, the 14th rider to join that club and his win percentage of 27% is the best of those riders and few others can come close to matching that. Some numbers are skewered because he rides in New Jersey part of the year while others are competing at deeper tracks in Florida, New York and Kentucky but he has won multiple meets in different states. He almost certainly won't make the final three cut for Eclipse Awards Jockey of the Year but it sure would be an interesting caveat.

All that said, Paco got suspended for a ride in which he won on Sunday....at 45-to-1 in a $300,000 feature. He won, was not DQ'd and now got suspended. It doesn't happen often but in this case the winning bettor was not punished. That isn't always the issue and this topic has a history in racing. How much is too much punishment? The Gulf stewards ruled similarly to what the New York stewards did in the 2018 Wood Memorial but Lopez's history including multiple suspensions this year in Florida (including one initially for 60 days) played a role.

He is riding at Gulf today.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

December 11, 2019

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Race 9: The day ended with a $1 double that returned $703.30.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez won three times. I expect him to battle it out with Irad Ortiz, Jr. into April for top rider this meet.
• Emisael Jaramillo won consecutive races and leads the meet with 14 victories.
• Paco Lopez is second in wins with 13. He won on board a 22-to-1 shot.
• Jose Ortiz won twice. He ended a funk that saw him enter today with two wins in his past 51 starts.
• Todd Pletcher is 10 6-1-1 (60%/80%) this meet. He leads all trainers in victories.

 

[Preds Partisan]

Where was the careless riding? The first turn squeezing in or the homestretch drift? I'm not seeing it.

Or is it because he's Paco?

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Where was the careless riding? The first turn squeezing in or the homestretch drift? I'm not seeing it.

Or is it because he's Paco?

The stretch. Paco Lopez was admonished twice (at least) by Gulf stewards this year including a lengthy suspension and fine, the former was reduced by him doing charitable works at hospitals from what I understand. What they told him then? I don't know but I assume he was read the book and that included cutting off riders. That is my guess. One of the situations resulted in a teen (Maragh family) who has yet to re-ride and at one point was suffering from a potential career injury.

Also, from what I gather, the suspension from this race includes a decision similar to the 2018 Wood. The stewards felt the winner should not be DQ'd because the perception is the other horse would not have won the race.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

NYRA reported their handle for the recently concluded 25-day meet at Aqueduct and the numbers were almost a 50% improvement from the same period last year.

2019: $205,249,710
2018: $137,213,915 ​

On-track handle was up about 28%.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

the Big A in New York, its days are growing short..... the winter meet at Aqueduct could be its finale, NYRA is informing trainers, etc.... to plan to move to Belmont Park by the New Year

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Junior Alvarado had three wins including a 12-to-1 shot in the 6th race which was the second consecutive race he won.

​

• Opening day: Today was opening day of the meet.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Luis Saez had his second consecutive 3-win day.
• Paco Lopez is now tied atop the rider's standings with Emisael Jaramillo with 14 wins after a victory.
• Mark Casse has sent out 13 starters this meet but has no winners.
• Todd Pletcher is now 11 6-2-1 after a runner up with his lone starter.
• Nagib Aboughaida is now 11 4-4-1 after another win. I am not familiar with this trainer.
• Race 2: Tony Maragh and Rajiv Maragh finished 1-2. There are multiple members of the Maragh family in racing, riding and training, but not often they finish 1-2 in a race.
• Race 9: Won by the second longest shot on the board at 55-to-1. The winner paid $112.60.
• Off the turf: No grass racing today due to the conditions.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Mitchell Murrill, one of the few riders from Alabama, won three times including on board a 48-to-1 shot which paid $98.60.
• Kent Desormeaux, a Hall of Fame rider with more than $285 million earned and over 6,000 wins, is now 32 1-3-4 at the meet after finally winning, He rode a 1-to-2 favorite.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Race 5: Joe Talamo won for the 2,000th time. He will move his tack to Oaklawn in January.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

REMINGTON PARK: closing day of the meet

REMINGTON SPRINGBOARD MILE STAKES

What: Grades stakes. A Kentucky Derby prep race.
Where: Remington Park, Oklahoma City, OK
When: Sunday, December 15, 2019, Race 12
Time: 8:19 pm Central Time
Who: 2-year-olds
Distance: 1 mile
Surface: Dirt
Purse: $400,000
TV: TVG
History: Inaugurated in 2001
Kentucky Derby prep schedule: Kentucky Derby Prep Races .
​

Post - Horse - Trainer - Jockey - M/L Odds

1. Piece Of Work: Allen Milligan, Luis Quinonez, 12-1

2. Alternate Time: Bret Calhoun, Stewart Elliott, 20-1

3. Rowdy Yates: Steve Asmussen, Richard Eramia, 7-2

4. Answer In: Brad Cox, Javier Castellano, 5-2 (morning-line favorite)

5. Jungle Runner: Steve Asmussen, Ramon Vazquez, 15-1

6. Shipman's Song: Michael Biehler, Lori Keith, 30-1

7. Southgate: Scott Young, Floyd Wethey, 30-1

8. Embolden: Michael Stidham, Brain Hernandez, 9-2

9. Shoplifted: Steve Asmussen, Ricardo Santana, 5-1

10. Maximiliano: Wesley Ward, Martin Garcia, 5-1

11. Kirkcules: Kari Craddock, Lane Luzzi, 30-1

12. Slew Tang Clan: Kevin Scholl, Dakota Wood, 50-1

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post (Central Time)
Race 1	$33,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	12	3:00 PM
Race 2	$11,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	Dirt	14	3:29 PM
Race 3	$42,075	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	Dirt	10	3:58 PM
Race 4	$34,000	Allowance	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	11	4:27 PM
Race 5	$34,000	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	Dirt	7	4:56 PM
Race 6	$20,337	Claiming	7 Furlongs	Dirt	8	5:25 PM
Race 7	$19,125	Maiden Claiming	1 Mile	Dirt	8	5:54 PM
Race 8	$100,000	Trapeze S.	1 Mile	Dirt	9	6:23 PM
Race 9	$100,000	She's All In S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	8	6:52 PM
Race 10	$70,000	Useeit S.	1 Mile	Dirt	12	7:21 PM
Race 11	$70,000	Jim Thorpe S.	1 Mile	Dirt	12	7:50 PM
Race 12	$400,000	Remington Springboard Mile S.	1 Mile	Dirt	12	8:19 PM
Race 13	$100,000	Jeffrey A. Hawk Memorial S.	1 Mile 70 Yards	Dirt	12	8:48 PM

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Friday, December 13, 2019

Aqueduct (New York):

• Jose Lezcano has won two of the first three races. Depending on who goes south and who stays in New York, Lezcano could win this meet. IIRC, he stayed in New York last year when he previously went to Florida for the winter.
• Eric Cancel won the final two races. My theory about him winning the last race of the day hasn't been very fruitful lately but it paid over $28 today.
• Empire Six: One lucky bettor hit $67,613 on the New York version of the Pick 6. I am not sure the last time it was hit by one person in NY.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Weston Hamilton, last year's Eclipse Award winner for Apprentice of the Year, won twice and is 11 4-2-3 the past three days.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Race 1: The opener was ridden by Tracy Hebert who is in his upper 50s and has been riding since the late 1970s. I did not know he moved his tack to Gulfstream (assuming so, anyway). It was his second mount in two days. He is from Louisiana but has ridden in most parts of the country from Ohio to Arizona to Kentucky to New Mexico to Minnesota to Colorado, yes, Colorado where he rode at Arapahoe. As I recall, he lost vision in one eye when he was a teen. He once won with a horse who also had usage of one eye. Hmmm. The winning trainer is Donald Hunt who is 2-for-3 this year, the other victory came at the Ocala Training Center where I am not sure wagering is taken. Not exactly what we expect at Gulfstream's championship meet: Tracy Hebert/Donald Hunt but this is what makes horse racing unique.
• Race 2: Smell of Roses (Rajiv Maragh/Elizabeth Dobles) won at 40-to-1 and a Carlo Vaccarezza trained horses placed at 20-to-1. Dobles was an assistant to Jeremiah Englehart and has developed a good reputation since she went solo. The winning horse is owned by Imaginary Stables, the hot outfit from Philly/south Jersey who have been making quite the name. John Guarnere, the head of the Stables, made his living in a paper company based in NJ. His uncle, from what I understand, was the inspiration of the HBO miniseries "Band of brothers." Vaccarezza is a small-time trainer who owns a restaurant in south Florida but has recently been successful as a rep in racing's bloodstock sales. The exacta was $791.20.

​

• Emisael Jaramillo won twice and now leads the rider standings with 16 victories.
• Nagib Aboughaida is now 14 5-4-2 after another win. He is second behind Todd Pletcher in wins by trainers.
• Handle: Over $7.5 million bet.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Mitchell Murrill, one of the few riders from Alabama, won three times. Yes, I wrote that yesterday, too. Not a bad 48 hours.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

And look what happened in the second race! This is a major win for the... connections. Woo!

$83+ winner... my girl Elizabeth Dobles who has quickly become one of my top five favorite trainers in America. And yes she won for the boys from Philly/South Jersey as has been often mentioned in these threads by me. Imaginary Stables. There will be a party tonight.

And Carlo Vaccarezza came in second place undoubtedly one of my top five conditioners. I can't wait to see this exacta.

I love Gulfstream this time of year!

Holy... $800 for a $2 bet.

It doesn't get much better than this. Sometimes playing the connections works. Makes up for the losses.

Race 2 at Gulfstream

• 4 Smell of Roses Rajiv Maragh 124 Lbs Elizabeth Dobles 83.60 29.80 18.60
• 7 Duellist Paco Lopez 121 Lbs Carlo Vaccarezza 22.20 11.80
• 2 South Pointe Drive J. Rendon 124 Lbs M. Lerman 4.20
  
• Winning Trainer: Elizabeth Dobles | Owner: Imaginary Stables

Pay offs:
$2.0 EXACTA (4-7) Paid: $791.20 ,
$2.0 QUINELLA (4-7) Paid: $506.40 ,
$0.5 TRIFECTA (4-7-2) Paid: $1,609.90 ,
$0.1 SUPERFECTA (4-7-2-1) Paid: $970.61 ,
$2.0 DAILY DOUBLE (1-4) Paid: $354.80

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday's card at Woodbine (Ontario) is being billed as the biggest card in the history of the track.

[TR][TH]Race #	Purse	Race Type	Distance	Surface	Starters	Est. Post
Race 1	$20,800	Maiden Claiming	1 Mile 70 Yards	All Weather Track	8	1:05 PM
Race 2	$32,500	Maiden Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	11	1:34 PM
Race 3	$71,000	Maiden Special Weight	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	9	2:04 PM
Race 4	$16,600	Maiden Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	15	2:34 PM
Race 5	$40,000	Maiden Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	12	3:08 PM
Race 6	$45,000	Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	12	3:38 PM
Race 7	$23,500	Starter Optional Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	12	4:08 PM
Race 8	$72,500	Allowance Optional Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	9	4:38 PM
Race 9	$125,000	Valedictory S.	1 3/4 Miles	All Weather Track	11	5:08 PM
Race 10	$42,500	Optional Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	11	5:38 PM
Race 11	$23,500	Starter Optional Claiming	1 1/16 Miles	All Weather Track	13	6:08 PM
Race 12	$23,000	Claiming	6 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	6:38 PM
Race 13	$67,500	Allowance	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	7:08 PM
Race 14	$67,500	Allowance	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	7:38 PM
Race 15	$16,500	Claiming	6 1/2 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	8:08 PM
Race 16	$16,600	Claiming	7 Furlongs	All Weather Track	14	8:38 PM

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Saturday, December 14, 2019

• Chad Brown won three times (tw0 at Gulfstream and one at Tampa Bay) with six starters.
• Georgina Baxter won with starters at the two Florida tracks in a matter of a few minutes. She is 26% in the two years she has trained.
• Weather: Much of the northeast/mid-Atlantic was under sloppy conditions.
• Luis Quinones (311 wins) and Irad Ortiz, Jr. (304 wins) are the only two riders in North America with 300+ wins this year. Ortiz, racing at much larger circuits, has earned approximately $30,000,000 more.
• Paco Lopez needs 24 more wins to reach 300 victories in 2019. He was issued a 5-day riding suspension earlier this week. It will be tough for him to get to 300 if he fills the suspension but not impossible.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Jose Lezcano won four times [6 4-1-0] including a natural hat trick late in the day. At one point, he won six of 10 starts spanning two days.
• Junior Alvarado won three times [6 3-0-2] including the first two races. At one point, he won six of nine starts spanning two days.
• Jose Lezcano and Junior Alvarado combined to win seven of the nine races.
• Manny Franco was 9 0-2-5 and ended the day winless with 21 mounts this meet.
• Race 7: Sicilia Mike has a peculiar lifetime mark of 45 3-16-9 after another place finish. He doesn't win but has a penchant to hit the board.
• Race 8: Bank On Shea (Jose Lezcano/Jason Servis) won the $500,000 New York Stallion Series for 2-year-olds in a brilliant conclusion to the race. The winner was sent off at 10-to-1 and narrowly beat the 6-to-5 favorite. My pick Captain Bombastic (Junior Alvarado/Jeremiah Englehart) disappointed with a third place finish. He was 2-for-2 lifetime.

`
​

Tampa Bay (Florida):

• Favorites dominated the 10-race card with seven wins. Each favorite hit the board. The biggest price was the opener at $8.60.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: Over $17,000,000 bet.
• Race 2 Untitled (Emisael Jaramillo/Ralph Nicks) wired the field in his debut and won by 11 lengths. He received a 98 Beyer. The Florida-bred was sent off at 3-to-1.
• Race 6: Lady's Island (Emisael Jaramillo/Georgina Baxter) was among my locks of the year and she delivered at 7-to-2 with a 7-length victory in the $100,000 Grade 3 Sugar Swirl. She is 26 13-3-3 lifetime and that includes 8 5-1-1- at Gulfstream and 9 8-1-0 in 2019. She also had one of the best active front-running jockeys -- he doesn't get caught often -- and a trainer who has been sizzling since taking over for the Ziadie father and son operations.
• Race 8: Pink Sands (Jose Ortiz/Shug McGaughey) caught the #11 ridden by Paco Lopez at the wire and won the $100,000 Grade 3 Rampart at 9-to-2.
• Race 9: Instilled Regard (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Chad Brown), purchased for more than $1,000,000 in 2017 by Boston-based businessman Larry Best of OXO Equine, won the $200,000 Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes. The 4-year-old colt is 14 3-3-3 lifetime.
• Race 10: War Story (Luis Saez/Elizabeth Dobles) has earned over $3,000,000 in winning the Grade 3 $100,000 Harlan's Holiday. It was the first time Dobles trained the horse. Owners: Imaginary Stables. See yesterday's entry. The winner paid over $21. There are rumblings the 7-year-old could go to the Pegasus World Cup again. Elizabeth Dobles and the boys from south Philly/New Jersey in the World Cup. Woo!

​

• Race 11: The finale had one of the best finishes of the day

​

• Ralph Nicks won the first two races with his only two starters. He is 6 4-2-0 the last three racing days, powerful numbers.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Louisiana card: A day restricted to Louisiana breds. Ten of the 13 races had purses of $100,000 or more.
• Florent Geroux is 22 7-1-3 (32%) following a 3-win day.
• Ron Faucheux is 28 10-8-0 (36%), an odd but successful mark for the conditioner.
• Allan Landry entered his first two horses at the meet and both won.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Canceled: Following the third race, the jockeys opted not to race amid the fallen snow.
• Closing day: Sunday is the meet's final day with an extensive 16-race card. Approximately 192 horse are entered.
• Eurico da Silva will retire following the race day. He is the meet's top jockey. His last scheduled mount will be in the 15th race.
• Luis Contreras and Justin Stein are each listed on 14 horses tomorrow.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

This is fairly significant but the elimination of the entry fee could make this a more appealing race. The sensation has fallen since the first year or two.

Pegasus World Cup races to see major format changes in 2020

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The Stronach Group on Sunday announced major changes to its Pegasus World Cup Championship format including purse reductions and a medication-free format on race day for both the Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus World Cup Turf.

The Pegasus World Cup program will be run at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 25.

The purse for the World Cup has been reduced from $9 million in 2019 to $3 million, while the World Cup Turf has been slashed from $7 million for its inaugural running earlier this year to just $1 million in 2020. All entry fees for the two races, which ran as high as $1 million per slot for the first two renewals of the Pegasus World Cup, have been waived. Entries for both races will be by invitation only.

Instituting the medication-free format on race day essentially translates to no Lasix, which the Stronach Group says is “consistent with the international Federation of Horse Racing Authorities standards.” In addition, two percent of the purse winnings from the two races will be donated to Thoroughbred aftercare.

“The Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series is evolving towards a single goal, to provide a level of safety deserving of every horse and rider, reflecting the new standard of care, on race day and beyond, while providing a lucrative opportunity for horse owners,” said Craig Fravel, chief executive officer of racing for the Stronach Group.

The 2020 renewal of the World Cup will be the fourth in the event's history. Arrogate, Gun Runner, and City of Light make up its roster of winners. Bricks and Mortar, among the favorites for Horse of the Year honors in 2019, won the inaugural Pegasus Turf in January.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who is strongly considering running Channel Cat in the Turf, had the following comments when asked to discuss the changes to the World Cup format.

“In some ways it’s more owner friendly, more attractive, structured this way as an invitational with no fees,” said Pletcher. In the past there was such a significant payment necessary to get into the race, which was favorable if you had a Gun Runner or Arrogate, but not if you were taking a shot with one.”

Pletcher also addressed the event's new policy prohibiting Lasix.

“That’s the direction the industry is heading,” said Pletcher. “In that regard, it will be interesting to see how it plays out, how it will affect entries, since it’s something we’re going to be seeing more and more of.”​

 

[Preds Partisan]

So they're matching the Saudi Cup which is no entry fee and free transportation/accommodations. We'll have to cycle through this in 2020 to see how it all falls out.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Sunday. December 15, 2019

• Michael Maker had an outstanding day winning three of the four races he entered and finishing 5 3-0-1. He has earned over $99.5 million lifetime. He could go over $100 million by the end of the year depending on where and what he enters.

Aqueduct (New York):

• Race 8: In the $500,000 New York Stallion Series Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, an upset of major proportions as A Freud of Mama (Jorge Vargas, Jr./Michael Maker) concluded a furious rally with a driving victory and paid $48.20. It was her second win in five starts. The trainer finished 1st and 3rd, the latter which led much of the way.

​

• Race 1: Manny Franco rode the winner and ended his surprising 0-for-21 start to the meet. He ended the day 2-for-29.

Laurel (Maryland):

• Trevor McCarthy and Sheldon Russell are tied with 41 wins apiece atop the rider standings.

Gulfstream (Florida):

• Handle: $26.088 million bet the past two days which established a December weekend record for the track. We haven't hit January yet. Strap yourself in.
• Paco Lopez won three times and has tied Emisael Jaramillo with 18 victories atop the rider standings.
• John Velazquez is 11 0-3-2. It isn't meant to pile on but he has been more miss than hit for much of the second part of this calendar year.
• Nik Juarez, who has had a decent 2019, is 57 1-5-7 this meet. This can be a difficult time of the year in Florida for some based on the larger names getting the top horses.

Fair Grounds (Louisiana):

• Race 2: The longest shot on the board won at 40-to-1.
• Races 6 and 7: James Graham-Thomas Amoss hooked up for consecutive wins.

Remington (Oklahoma):

• Closing day: Hall-of-Fame trainer Steve Asmussen won his 15th Remington title. David Cabrera repeated as the winningest jockey at the meet.
• Handle: A record one-day handle for the track at $3.3 million.
• Steve Asmussen had 19 horses entered and he finished 4-2-4 . He won four of the nine races in which he entered.
• Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen, one of the most formidable tandems in North America, went 9 4-0-2. Santana rode nine of his ten mounts for Asmussen.
• Race 1: A DQ to Sasha Risenhoover elevated the duo of Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen to victory.
• Race 4: The $2 exacta paid $854.80. The $.50 tri was a bewildering $7,900+ as the ticket was topped by 32-to-1, 12-to-1 and 71-to-1 shots. The $.10 super paid over $4,000
• Race 6: The $,50 Pick 3 paid over $5,600.
• Race 8: Steve Asmussen had four entered in this $100,000 race and finished dead last. Oh, he also finished 1-2-3. The all-Asmussen $1 trifecta paid $91.
• Race 9: Magical (Ricardo Santana, Jr/Steve Asmussen) won the $100,000 race at 19-to-1. That duo at those odds? Remedy (Javier Castellano/Brad Cox), with the Hall-of-Fame rider's first mount of the day, finished second-to-last on board the favorite. Asmussen entered two and finished 1-2 and the $2 exacta paid $153.50. Boxing Castellano and the two Asmussen runners, not exactly an ingenious proposition, would have paid handsomely.
• Race 12: Shoplifted (Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steve Asmussen) won the $400,000 Springboard Mile which is a Kentucky Derby prep and paid $10.60 in doing so. A good race with nearly three across-the-wire.

​

• Stewart Elliott, who will always be remembered for nearly winning the Triple Crown in 2004 with Smarty Jones, finished first or second with his first five mounts. He won three times.

Los Alamitos (California):

• Closing day: Today was the finale for the brief meet. Southern Cal racing picks up December 26 at Santa Anita. Los Al is dark to T-bred racing until June 25.
• Jorge Velez, who has under 100 lifetime wins, had three victories today including the $100,000 feature. He has won all three Los Alamitos meets this year. this e edition was won with nine victories. He is 21-years-old.
• Bob Baffert won the trainer's title with a 16 7-1-1 mark. It was the tenth time he won a meet at Los Al.

Woodbine (Ontario):

• Card: A 16-race card billed as the biggest in the history of the track. Today was the closing day of the meet. The track is void of T-bred racing until some point around May.
• Handle: Over $8.2 million bet.
• Eurico da Silva, the leading rider at the meet who has decided to retire following today's racing, ended his final day 10 1-2-1 and was off the board in the 15th which was his last ride.
• Race 9: Pumpkin Rumble (Eurico da Silva/Kevin Attard) won the $125,000 Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes. It will be the last stakes race in da Silva's career and it finished with success.

​

• Race 13: A dead heat for the win. One of the winners, Where's Anthony, was sent off at 68-to-1 and paid $60.80/$46.10/$16.20. Thems da breaks with a dead heat. The $1 double paid a staggering $1,384.85.
• Sid Attard, a member of the Canadian Hall of Fame, trained three winners. He went 5 3-0-1.
• Kevin Attard, a nephew to Sid Attard, trained two winners.
• Kazushi Kimura rode three winners.
• Dual winners: Jockeys David Moran and Emma-Jayne Wilson and trainers Martin Drexler and Norm McKnight (he who won races 14 and 15).

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Is Cigar Mile still a G1? Wondering if the plan is to get him a G1 win at a mile, as that'll be worth a ton, and then prime him for the Pegasus and if he wins there, probably retires.

Based on the owner's remarks today, the Pegasus will be secondary to the races in either Saudi Arabia or Dubai. I thought last week or so, Pegasus and then maybe Saudi but the drastic reduction in purse money announced yesterday for Pegasus changes everything.

 

[GKJ]

Based on the owner's remarks today, the Pegasus will be secondary to the races in either Saudi Arabia or Dubai. I thought last week or so, Pegasus and then maybe Saudi but the drastic reduction in purse money announced yesterday for Pegasus changes everything.

Yeah, I saw that about the Pegasus, what’s that all about? Owners can’t find a million dollars?

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Yeah, I saw that about the Pegasus, what’s that all about? Owners can’t find a million dollars?

The novelty wore off to many. It wasn't that good of an investment. Plus, there was isolated chatter that some of the later additions, more so last year, were assisted with the fee in order to fill out the field. Some had the moxie but not all. There seemed to be a veil when it came to money ponied.

Also, there is a power struggle ongoing at the Stronach Group with the daughter and father pitted against each other. Basically the father had relinquished his control to her but now to his dismay on how she has handled the business. There have been recent managerial changes within the structure, too, including hiring a big Breeders' Cup exec which likely can't hurt their future bidding for that event (more so at Laurel than Gulf).

The medication-free race tells me that they want a more international flavor than in the past. But with the issues TSG has faced at Santa Anita, I sense this provides an opportunity to show their future intentions regarding the sport.

With Arrogate/California Chrome and then Gun Runner as headliners, the first two installments were solid. Last year, not so much. City of Light didn't carry the same measure. Maximum Security is firing on all cylinders now and the hometown connection would have been something special.

While a $3 million purse is nothing to overlook, it does pale compared to the race's infancy of $12m. Ultimately, this looked good as a winter showcase but look at what the track handled this past weekend.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Tapit keeps firing...

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Mandy Pope set a record by purchasing an American Pharoah filly for $8.2 million in September. Her outfit announced today the girl's name: American Joy. The filly won't run until late next year, it seems. At the time of the purchase, it was the highest price paid for a yearling at the all-important Keeneland September sale when she adorned hip number 498. She was born April 25, 2018 at 10:30 p.m. ET in Kentucky out of 22-year-old mare Leslie's Lady.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Woodbine (ON) handled $516,189,880.80 during its 131-day meet, the second largest in track history. Only 2018, with 45 more races, was the handle larger.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Gulfstream Park (Florida):

• Top jockeys: The four winningest riders at the meet combined to win eight of the ten races. The riders (wins today/meet): Paco Lopez (3/21); Emisael Jaramillo (2/20); Irad Ortiz, Jr. (2/16) and Luis Saez (1/15).
• Jason Servis, Todd Pletcher and Ralph Nicks lead all trainers with six wins. The first two have a brilliant winning percentage of 43%.