April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Steve Kornacki Joins NBC Sports’ Kentucky Derby Coverage

Steve Kornacki, NBC News' and MSNBC's celebrated national political correspondent, will join NBC Sports' 2021 Kentucky Derby coverage this Saturday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Kornacki, who has been widely lauded for his ability to easily communicate the complex election process, will apply his unique analytical perspective in “Meet the Contenders” segments on the Kentucky Derby field. In addition, he will offer insight on notable betting trends.

Last fall, Kornacki brought his election-style coverage to Football Night in America, breaking down the NFL playoff picture.

“After successfully tackling FNIA, we're excited to have Steve join our Kentucky Derby team,” said Rob Hyland, Coordinating Producer of NBC Sports' Kentucky Derby coverage and Football Night in America. “We expect he will be right at home working a sport that includes terms like neck-and-neck, down-to-the-wire, and dead heat.”

“It's going to be a thrill to be at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, something I've wanted to do since the very first Derby I watched as a kid in 1987,” Kornacki said. “To get to play a role with the NBC Sports team, which I've been a fan of for years, is an honor.”

Kornacki, who will be making his first trip to Churchill Downs, is a native of Groton, Massachusetts, and regularly attended races at nearby Suffolk Downs and Rockingham Park in his teens and as a Boston University student. One of his earliest horse racing memories came when an uncle took him to the harness races at Scarborough Downs in Maine. He picked five consecutive winners. It's a performance he's spent the last three decades trying to replicate.

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Cup World Championships, Royal Ascot, and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

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$310,000 Crew Dragon Tops Keeneland April Horses Of Racing Age Sale

D.M.I. paid $310,000 for Crew Dragon, a 3-year-old stakes-placed, winning colt by Exaggerator, to record the highest price of today's Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale.

Lane's End, agent, consigned Crew Dragon, who is out of the Malibu Moon mare Go Go Dana.

For the one-day sale, 37 horses grossed $2.44 million, for an average of $65,946 and a median of $45,000. Thirteen of those horses sold on the internet for a total of $415,000.

“We are happy with how well the sale was received,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said. “We wanted to give people who raced here an opportunity to sell some of their horses before they go to other parts of the country.”

The April Sale featured an enhanced digital catalog on Keeneland.com that included pedigrees, Equibase past performances and race videos, Daily Racing Form past performances, and Ragozin and Thoro-Graph figures. Consignors were able to upload photographs and walking videos.

“The digital catalog allowed us to be more flexible and accept entries later than we typically can with a paper catalog,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “We are able to provide a lot more updated information that you cannot do with a paper catalog.”

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo signed the ticket for Crew Dragon on behalf of clients in California. D.M.I. led all buyers with the purchase.

“Keeneland did a great job putting this sale together,” Ingordo said. “The timing of it is good: right before the summer meets. I have been impressed with the trade and the quality of horses. The way they put the catalog together quickly was impressive. I hope they continue to build on this.

“(Keeneland) did a really good job of providing credible videos and information for potential buyers to see remotely,” Ingordo added. “If there is a good thing that came out of COVID for the horse business, it is the speed of producing quality videos. We weren't doing that before. I had to do amateurish videos with my phone and (now) the videos are professional. Most of my clients (did not attend the sale because they) are training horses or running businesses. They appreciate that videos are provided.”

The sale's leading consignor was ELiTE, agent, which sold eight horses for $803,000. Topping ELiTE's consignment were the second- and third-highest priced offerings, Brooke Marie at $210,000 and Secret Time (GER) at $170,000.

Castleton Lyons acquired Brooke Marie, a 5-year-old daughter of Lemon Drop Kid who won a Keeneland allowance race on April 17. She is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Mamasez and from the family of Grade 1 winner Marylebone and Grade 2 winner Alpha Kitten. Brooke Marie has three wins in 11 starts with earnings of $180,430.

Secret Time, a 4-year-old daughter of Camacho who was Group 3-placed in France, sold to Thorne-Spedale Family, John Fahey, agent. Secret Time is out of Song of Time, by Kheleyf.

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McIngvale to Make Largest Bet in Derby History

Owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is planning to bet at least $2 million to win on Essential Quality (Tapit) in Saturday's GI Kentucky Derby as a hedge to cover the costs of a furniture promotion underway at his Gallery Furniture stores. It is believed that McIngvale's bet will be the largest ever placed on the Derby or any U.S. horse race.

McIngvale has already launched the “Kentucky Derby Fave Wins, You Win” promotion. Anyone buying a mattress that costs $3,000 or more will receive a 100% refund if the favorite wins the race. Costumers will also have the option of receiving a store credit of 150% of the price paid for the mattress. McIngvale won't know until Saturday exactly how many mattresses his stores will have sold in relation to the promotion but says it will likely be around “a couple thousand.”

Once he has determined how many mattresses have been sold, McIngvale will bet enough on Essential Quality to cover the losses incurred by the promotion. He says he will bet at least $2 million and could bet as much as $4 million.

“The favorite has won the Derby six out of the last seven times and if that happens this year the people who bought the mattresses will get 100% of their money back,” he said. “We have gotten a lot of response so far and expect a lot more response over the next five days.”

It is expected that Essential Quality will go off at about 5-2. At that price, a $2-million win bet will return a profit of

$5 million, which will pay for an awful lot of mattresses.

“In this day and age of Amazon, we bricks and mortar guys have to do something to be different, something to stand out,” he said.

In 2019, the last time the race was run on the first Saturday in May, there was $41.8 million in the win pool. A $2-million bet would account for about 5% of the pool, more than enough to lower the odds on Essential Quality. The race favorite that year, Improbable (City Zip), had $6.9 million wagered on him to win. He went off at 4-1.

“I'm going to wire the money into Churchill, probably on Thursday,” McIngvale said. “When it gets closer to the race I will figure out how many mattresses we have sold, add up the total, and then I'll figure out how much to bet on the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. It's going to be great for the other people too because it will make the other 19 horses a better value than they would be if I hadn't made a big bet.

“I'm better off if the horse wins, by a 10-1 margin because people will tell all their friends about this and the word of mouth publicity if he wins will be off the charts. The good thing about horse racing is you can bet as much as you want to because it is pari-mutuel wagering and the Derby is a race with huge handle.”

McIngvale is confident Essential Quality can get the job done.

“He's won all his races, was the champion 2-year-old and is by Tapit, the best sire in the country,” McIngvale said. “So you have to like the horse. There's nothing not to like about him.”

McIngvale is used to making huge wagers, many of which he ties in with store promotions. He made a huge, losing bet on the Houston Astros to win the 2019 World Series. Earlier this year, he successfully bet $3.5 million on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the spread in the Super Bowl. Does he still get nervous when betting that much?

“I'm more nervous watching one of my horses run in a $10,000 claimer,” he said. “I don't get nervous doing this. To me, it's fun and exciting and it's exciting for the customers.”

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Lil Indy, Dam of Maximum Security, Dies While Foaling

Lil Indy (Anasheed–Cresta, by Cresta Rider), the dam of champion Maximum Security (New Year's Day), died Saturday night while foaling a filly by Curlin, Summer Wind Farm's Jane Lyon reported in a Facebook post.

“It is with deep sadness I have to announce the passing of Lil Indy, the dam of Maximum Security. She died foaling a beautiful Curlin filly Saturday evening,” Lyon said. “While she graced Summer Wind Farm for a far too short time, she captured our hearts with her sweet demeanor and beautiful spirit. She will always remain in our hearts. Godspeed Lil Indy, you were loved here.”

Just a $2,200 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky purchase who won twice in 19 starts on the track, Lil Indy became a household name when Maximum Security put together a championship season as a sophomore in 2019, a campaign that also famously featured his disqualification from first in the GI Kentucky Derby. Bought for $11,000 at Keeneland November the previous year, she summoned $1.85 million from Lyon's Summer Wind Equine at the same sale in 2019.

Lil Indy's remaining produce is an unraced 3-year-old Flashback colt named Stand Proud, an unnamed juvenile full-sister to Maximum Security who sold to Four Star Sales for $65,000 this year at Keeneland January, a yearling Quality Road colt named Qualified and the Curlin filly born Saturday night.

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