January, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

2021 Woodbine Stakes Schedule Released

Woodbine Entertainment unveiled its stakes schedule for the 2021 Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario, set to open Apr. 17 (subject to the latest Ontario Government COVID-19 protocols).

“Last year was obviously a challenging year for the industry due to COVID-19,” said Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. “While Woodbine Entertainment and the horse racing industry continue to be impacted, we are hopeful that the pandemic in Ontario improves in the coming months, allowing businesses and industries to safely re-open, including our ability to start our 2021 meet as planned on Saturday, Apr. 17.”

The 2021 Thoroughbred stakes program will offer more than $16.5 million in purses across 87 stakes and feature a pair of $1 million events, including the Aug. 22 Queen's Plate, as well as the Sept. 18 GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile, a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” race. The GI Pattison Canadian International, cancelled in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, will be featured on the Woodbine Mile card along with the GII Canadian S. The GI Natalma S. and GI Summer S., both designated as Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” races, have each received a purse hike in 2021 to $400,000 from $250,000. The Woodbine Cares and Ontario Racing Stakes, juvenile Inner Turf stakes introduced in 2019, will be contested on the same Sunday with purses of $125,000 each.

The GI Highlander S., with an increased purse of $350,000 (up from $300,000), also returns after a year hiatus due to the pandemic and will be featured on The Queen's Plate undercard. The GI E.P. Taylor S. headlines the Oct. 17 card, serving as the final leg of Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn Series, which offers $75,000 in bonuses to the top performers based on points accumulated in the designated graded turf routes for fillies and mares.

Purses for all Grade III Stakes races at Woodbine Racetrack will receive a 20% increase to $150,000 this season. Also of note for 2021, Listed races have increased purses to $125,000, boosted from $100,000.

“We are excited to bring back the Pattison Canadian International as part of our world-class stakes schedule for the 2021 Thoroughbred meet at Woodbine Racetrack,” said Lawson. “The 2021 stakes schedule includes several significant purse increases, including the G I Natalma S. and GI Summer S., as well as all Grade III stakes. These increases, along with a strong complement of stakes races for all ages, and robust Ontario-bred stakes offerings, will deliver exciting racing, competitive fields, and an abundance of wagering options available on Woodbine's outstanding live racing product.”

For the complete stakes schedule, visit www.woodbine.com.

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NYRA Announces 2021 Handicapping Challenge Series Schedule

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced a lucrative schedule for the 2021 Handicapping Challenge series, anchored by the two-day Belmont Stakes Challenge slated for June 4-5.

NYRA Handicapping Challenge entrants will be able to register and compete online in all contests via NYRA Bets. The leaderboard for all of these contests will be posted throughout the day on America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports.

In order to enter and play online, contestants must be registered NYRA Bets account holders. To learn more, visit www.NYRA.com/challenge.

Entrants for the two-day Belmont Stakes Challenge will compete for one seat to the 2022 Belmont Stakes Challenge, four seats to the National Handicapping Championship (NHC) and two seats to the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC).

The 2021 Belmont Stakes Challenge has an entry fee of $10,000, of which $2,500 will go directly to the prize pool, with the remaining $7,500 comprising each participants' bankroll. Eligible tournament races at Belmont Park will start on Friday, June 4, and end with the 153rd running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 5. Contest players can make win, place, show, exacta, and trifecta wagers.

Online registration for the Belmont Stakes Challenge will open in May.

Over the course of the 2021 season, NYRA will offer six NYRA Bets live-money handicapping challenges featuring a $3,000 buy-in with each event offering cash prizes, a seat in another 2021 $3,000 NYRA Bets contest and two 2022 NHC seats.

The $3,000 NYRA Bets handicapping challenges will kick off on Saturday, March 6 with the Gotham Challenge.

The one-mile Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, which provides 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers, headlines a stacked Big A card that includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs; the $250,000 Busher Invitational for 3-year-old fillies offering 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers; and the $125,000 Stymie for 4-year-olds and up.

The $3,000 NYRA Bets handicapping challenge series:
Saturday, March 6 – Gotham Challenge
Saturday, April 3 – Wood Memorial Challenge
Saturday, July 3 – Stars & Stripes Challenge
Saturday, Aug. 7 – Whitney Challenge
Saturday, Sept. 4 – Woodward Challenge
Saturday, Dec. 4 – Cigar Mile Challenge

Each Saturday throughout the racing season – with the exception of the NYRA Bets challenge series dates and also May 1, May 15, and Nov. 6 – NYRA Bets will offer a $300 live-money handicapping challenge.

The unique NYRA Bets $300 live-money handicapping challenge ($200 live bankroll / $100 prize pool) offers cash prizes to the top seven finishers, while players that land eighth through tenth in the standings will receive an entry in next week's contest ($300 value).

New NYRA Bets members are currently eligible to receive a bet $200 get $200 bonus. NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of The New York Racing Association, Inc. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post NYRA Announces 2021 Handicapping Challenge Series Schedule appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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What’s in a (Race) Name? The Brilliance of Holy Bull

On Jan. 30, Gulfstream Park in Florida will host the $200,000 Holy Bull Stakes, a major prep race on the road to the Kentucky Derby. It’s only fitting that the Holy Bull should be a race of such significance, for Holy Bull was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant horses we have seen in the last 30 years.

Goffs London Sale To Return In 2021

After a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Goffs will stage its London Sale on June 14, on the eve of Royal Ascot. A format and location for the boutique horses-in-training and breeding stock sale will be announced early in the flat season.

“Our intention is to hold the London Sale on its scheduled date at the start of Royal Ascot week,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. “Covid restrictions look set to continue further into 2021, and while it is hoped that the vaccine rollout and lockdowns should improve by June, we are exploring some creative alternatives making use of our online platform should it not be feasible to deliver a fully outdoor event. That may result in a combination of some live auction activity alongside an innovative online offer, and we are looking at a whole range of ideas and options at the moment.

“The London Sale is a truly unique event on the global sales circuit and one that has evolved year on year to offer an international bloodstock platform and an unrivaled experience for all attendees. So, while we are in very different times, our aim remains the same regardless of format and we look forward to working with our London Sale partners to deliver a spectacular sale this summer before returning to our traditional setting in 2022.”

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