Month: October 2020

NYRA’s Empire 6 To Have Mandatory Payout On Oct. 10 Jockey Club Gold Cup Day

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced the Saturday, October 10, Jockey Club Gold Cup Day card will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $352,831 following Sunday's 10-race card at Belmont Park.

Live coverage of all the races in the sequence will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

The lucrative October 10 card features five graded stakes including a quartet of Grade 1 Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” events headlined by the $250,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, a 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds and up offering a berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

The stakes-laden card includes the Grade 1, $250,000 Champagne, won last year by eventual Belmont Stakes and Runhappy Travers hero Tiz the Law, at one-mile for 2-year-olds providing a spot in the starting gate for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Also featured is the Grade 1, $250,000 Flower Bowl at 10-furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up with a berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on the line.

A great day of racing at beautiful Belmont Park is bolstered by the Grade 1, $250,000 Frizette, a one-turn mile for juvenile fillies offering a berth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; and the Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point for sophomore fillies at one mile on the turf.

The Empire 6 requires the bettor to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. On non-mandatory payout days, if one unique ticket exists, then 100 percent of the net pool, plus the jackpot carryover if applicable, will be paid to the winner. If there is no unique wager selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, then 75 percent of the day's net pool will be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races. The remainder will be added into the jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

For more information on the Empire 6, please visit http://www.nyrabets.com.

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Woodbine Community Mourns Passing Of Martha Gonzalez

The horse racing community at Woodbine racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, is mourning the loss of long-time assistant trainer Martha Gonzalez, who passed away Sunday morning at the age of 58.

As a beloved member of the Woodbine community, Martha was a dear friend to many, and a loving wife, mother and grandmother. Her 35 years working as an assistant trainer to her husband, Nicholas Gonzalez, is representative of her passion for the sport and the horses and people within it.

Together, Nick and Martha Gonzalez enjoyed many successes over the years, including two Queen's Plate victories, with Big Red Mike in 2010 and Midnight Aria in 2013. The stable's most recent major wins came with Stronach Stable's Silent Poet, winner of the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes in 2019 and this year's G2 Connaught Cup Stakes.

On behalf of the entire Woodbine horse racing community, Woodbine Entertainment sends heartfelt condolences to her family and friends.

Details for a Celebration of Martha's Life will be shared soon.

 

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Wet Your Whistle Avoids Loose Horse, Wins Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational

David Palmer's Wet Your Whistle had already registered a Grade 1 win on the grass in addition to a stakes win on a synthetic surface. On Sunday, the versatile 5-year-old again produced a professional effort, powering home a 3 1/4-length winner in the Grade 3, $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Out of the gate, Backtohisroots stumbled and unseated rider Jose Lezcano running loose at the front of the pack. Under jockey Jose Ortiz, Wet Your Whistle was still forwardly placed, staying in second position behind Battle Station before taking command with the opening quarter-mile in 22.47 seconds on the firm outer turf. Ortiz kept pressing his charge, with the half-mile going in 45.15.

The Michael Trombetta trainee maintained the edge out of the turn, with five furlongs going in 56.03, before outkicking Chewing Gum to complete the six-furlong course in a 1:07.87 final time.

“The loose horse broke and kind of kept the two speed horses, Big Wonder and Battle Station, way out on the track,” Ortiz said. “My horse broke very sharp out of the gate, so I just played it by ear. I'm just really glad it worked out.

“He was doing it very nicely the first half-mile, he was just on the beat,” he added. “Past the quarter pole, I asked him to go and had the loose horse right next to me and he just engaged with him. He started running. I think 1:07 and 4 is pretty fast for this kind of track. It's been a little heavy all day.”

Wet Your Whistle did not make his first graded stakes start until his 4-year-old campaign, when he won in his first attempt in the 2019 Grade 1 Highlander at Woodbine. Off an 11-month break, the gelded son of Stroll won the Karl Boyes over the synthetic track at Presque Isle Downs in August in his seasonal bow.

After an off-the-board finish in the Laurel Dash last month, he won his first race at Belmont in three tries.

“He had been training well. When I ran him last time the turf was soft, and he just didn't enjoy it at all,” Trombetta said. “He jumped on the bridle and had a little bit of a target. Jose took advantage of the situation. A lot of times in these races, you want to try to get the best trip possible. One thing about putting them up there, is your either good enough or you aren't.”

Off at 8-1, Wet Your Whistle returned $19 on a $2 win bet and increased his career earnings to $420,653.

“When Mike Trombetta ships here, he doesn't come here to play games,” Ortiz said. “His horses are 100 percent ready.”

Wet Your Whistle could potentially target the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 7 at Keeneland, though Trombetta did not commit to that spot yet.

“I'll have to talk to the owner and see what's involved. In these kinds of races, especially the turf sprinters, it's a select group that all run against each other and all beat each other here and there,” Trombetta said. “If you're going to take a chance, these are the kind of horses to do it with.”

Chewing Gum, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, edged Archidust by a nose in his first start since running off the board in the Grade 1 Fourstardave on August 22 at Saratoga Race Course.

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who rode Chewing Gum, was second in all three of Belmont's graded stakes races, with Caldee the runner-up in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo in Race 7 and Point of Honor in the Grade 2 Beldame in Race 8.

“I had a beautiful trip,” Castellano said. “I have no complaints. I felt like they didn't go that fast because everyone was screaming 'Loose horse' and everyone had to control their race and take a hold. I wish there could've been more pace, but it is what it is. We still finished up strong and well.”

Fog of War, Holiday Stone, Battle Station and Big Wonder completed the order of finish. Pulsate was scratched, as was main-track only entrant Chateau. Lezcano, aboard Backtohisroots, said he was in good order following evaluation by EMS after the race. Backtohisroots was apprehended by the outrider and walked home under his own power.

Live racing will resume Thursday at Belmont with a 10-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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