Justify, California Chrome, Sunday Silence, Winning Colors, Affirmed, and
Month: April 2021
All Graded Stakes Edition Of Cross Country Pick 5 Features Action From Aqueduct, Keeneland, Oaklawn
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-graded stakes edition of the Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Keeneland Race Course and Oaklawn Park.
Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.
The sequence kicks off at Keeneland with the Grade 2, $200,000 Shakertown [Race 8, 4:57 p.m. ET], a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and upward led by 3-1 morning-line favorite Bound for Nowhere, who won the 2018 renewal for trainer Wesley Ward. A field of 13 turf sprinters includes Imprimis, who captured the 2019 Shakertown for trainer Joe Orseno; and the speedy Pennsylvania-bred The Critical Way, who will look to go gate-to-wire in search of a first graded stakes win.
Action switches to the Big A for the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle [Race 9, 5:20 p.m.], a nine-furlong test featuring eight sophomore fillies offering 100-40-20-10 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-four finishers. Four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle stakes winners Search Results and The Grass Is Blue, while the Graham Motion-trained Mia Martina tries dirt for the first time after closing from deep to finish fourth last out in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks.
A field of nine sophomores assemble for the third leg of the wager in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino [Race 10, 5:58 p.m.], a nine-furlong test with 100-40-20-10 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line. The Brown-trained Risk Taking and Crowded Trade offer a strong one-two punch for Klaravich Stables.
Risk Taking, the last-out Grade 3 Withers-winner, will have the services of champion rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 4 as the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Crowded Trade, runner-up by a nose in the Grade 3 Gotham, will be piloted by Big A winter meet leading rider Eric Cancel. Steep opposition will be provided by Prevalence, the undefeated Godolphin homebred son of Medaglia d'Oro for trainer Brendan Walsh; New York-bred Brooklyn Strong, the Grade 2 Remsen-winner trained by Danny Velazquez; and Canadian-bred Weyburn, who earned a dramatic nose win in the Gotham for trainer Jimmy Jerkens.
The penultimate leg, the Grade 1, $300,000 Madison [Race 10, 6:02 p.m.], will offer a field of seven older fillies and mares sprinting seven furlongs on the Keeneland main track led by the Ward-trained Kimari. Owned by Ten Broeck Farm, the 4-year-old Munnings filly has won 5-of-9 starts including a last-out score in the Spring Fever in the slop at Oaklawn Park. The Group 1-placed filly romped to a 15-length victory on debut in her lone start at Keeneland. Bell's the One is the 2-1 morning-line favorite, boasting a record of 15-7-2-2 and purse earnings of $880,040 for trainer Neil Pessin. The 5-year-old Majesticperfection mare finished third in this event last year ahead of a nose score in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs. Grade 1-winner Fair Maiden and Grade 2-winner Sconsin add class to a talented field.
Closing out the sequence is the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy [Race 11, 6:54 p.m.], a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomore fillies at Oaklawn Park offering 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. The two-turn test will see a rematch between the second and third-place finishers from the Grade 3 Honeybee in Pauline's Pearl and Sun Path.
Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen for Stonestreet Stables, Pauline's Pearl was dismissed at odds of 18-1 on the tote board in the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee on March 6, but closed between rivals to complete the exacta behind the victorious Will's Secret. Juddmonte Farms' Sun Path, trained by Brad Cox, earned a career-best 83 Beyer Speed Figure in an allowance win three starts back at Fair Grounds and has since finished fourth in the Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds and a flat third last out in the Honeybee. Ava's Grace, third in the Grade 2 Adirondack last summer at Saratoga, could offer a lone speed threat stretching out for the first time for trainer Robertino Diodoro.
The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit www.NYRABets.com.
Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday April 3:
Leg A: Keeneland-Race 8 (4:57 pm) Shakertown (G2)
Leg B: Aqueduct-Race 9 (5:09 pm) Gazelle (G3)
Leg C: Aqueduct- Race 10 (5:58 pm) Wood Memorial (G2)
Leg D: Keeneland-Race 10 (6:02 pm) Madison (G1)
Leg E: Oaklawn Park-Race 11 (6:54 pm) Fantasy (G3)
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America’s Day At The Races To Showcase Stacked Wood Memorial Card
America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air six hours coverage on Saturday, with action at Aqueduct Racetrack and Oaklawn Park.
Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 1-7 p.m. Eastern on FS2.
Saturday is one of Aqueduct's signature days, with five stakes on the offering, highlighted by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino. The Grade 2 Kentucky Derby prep will see nine 3-year-olds compete in the nine-furlong contest with 100-40-20-10 qualifying points available to the top-four finishers.
The 96th running of the Wood Memorial will air on NBSCN as part of a live national broadcast beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET and scheduled to include the Grade 2, $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass from Keeneland and the Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby from Santa Anita Park.
Prior to the NBCSN broadcast, national television coverage of the Wood Memorial Day card on FS2 will showcase exciting stakes action, including the first Grade 1 of 2021 on the New York circuit with the $300,000 Carter Handicap for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs in Race 6 at 3:25 p.m.
The five-horse Carter will see 4-year-old Mischevious Alex try to go 3-for-3 for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Other contenders include Mind Control, Souper Stonehenge, Shoplifted and Chateau.
The Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies going nine furlongs in Race 9 at 5:09 p.m. will see an eight-horse field compete in a 100-40-20-10-point qualifier to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30.
Brown will saddle stakes winners Search Results and The Grass Is Blue, while the Graham Motion-trained Mia Martina tries dirt for the first time after closing from deep to finish fourth last out in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks.
A stacked undercard will also include the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs in Race 3 at 1:51 p.m., while 4-year-olds and up will contest at nine furlongs in the $150,000 Excelsior in Race 8 at 4:31 p.m.
Saturday will also see America's Day at the Races showcase action from Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which includes the $200,000 Purple Martin for 3-year-old fillies in Race 6 at 4:09 p.m.
Oaklawn's 12-race card will be highlighted by the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles in Race 11 at 6:54 p.m. Like the Gazelle, the Fantasy is also a 100-40-20-10-point qualifier to the Kentucky Oaks, and the road to Churchill Downs will see the respective second, third and fifth-place finishers in last month's Grade 3 Honeybee matchup again in Pauline's Pearl, Sun Path and Coach. Pauline's Pearl, trained by Hall of Famer Steve
America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.
Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
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Sending Rombauer To Blue Grass ‘Was Primarily An ABB Decision: Avoid Bob Baffert’
John and Diane Fradkin's homebred Rombauer is back at Keeneland to run in Saturday's $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2), marking his first start here since finishing fifth in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in November. Between the two Keeneland races, the Twirling Candy colt won the Feb. 13 El Camino Real Derby (L) over the all-weather surface at Golden Gate Fields
“Our decision to run in the Blue Grass was primarily an ABB decision: avoid Bob Baffert,” John Fradkin said.
While he will evade the successful trainer in the Toyota Blue Grass, Rombauer faces a rematch with undefeated Essential Quality, who won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile en route to being named champion 2-year-old male. Essential Quality is the 3-5 morning line favorite, and Rombauer is 15-1.
“At the time we made the decision (to run in the Toyota Blue Grass),” Fradkin said, “we thought it would be a relatively short field, but others must have felt the same way as Hush of a Storm, Keepmeinmind and Untreated all became late additions to the field. It should be an interesting race. I think the race will be run somewhat like a European turf race. It will be all about acceleration in the stretch, and that's not a bad thing for Rombauer. Hopefully, (jockey) Florent Geroux can work out a good trip for us.”
Fradkin, who is retired as an institutional bond salesman for Citigroup, was in his late 20s when he learned to handicap while attending the races where he lived in Southern California. He acquired his first racehorse in 1993 when he claimed the 7-year-old Raise a Man gelding Ruff Hombre at Del Mar for $25,000.
Not long afterward, he and Diane attended the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and purchased a filly by Afleet for $10,500. Named Ultrafleet, she went on to produce Grade 1-winning millionaire and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (L) winner California Flag and Grade 3 winner Cambiocorsa, who is the second dam of European champion Roaring Lion.
Ultrafleet is Rombauer's second dam.
“This family is so good that there really should be a stallion representing it going forward, and we are hoping that maybe Rombauer will someday take on that role,” Fradkin said.
The Fradkins live in Santa Ana, California, and have a small broodmare band in Kentucky. Rombauer was foaled at Machmer Hall in Paris, Kentucky, and as a youngster spent time at Ben Berger's Woodstock Farm in Lexington. For several months at Woodstock, he shared a paddock with Hot Rod Charlie, who was second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and won the March 20 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2).
“Rombauer was always a nice mover, and he's an intelligent, curious horse,” Fradkin said. “We had a lengthy memorable interaction with him in September of his yearling year in his paddock where he chose to play with us for a lot longer than most horses will do. I think he likes humans more than most horses. My wife says she thought he had the look of eagles that day.”
Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer will start from post 5 in the Toyota Blue Grass. He is 15-1 in the morning line.
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