August, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breeders’ Cup Possible For Sacred Bridge

Friday's G3 Round Tower S. heroine Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), who races in the colours of breeder Juddmonte, is a possible starter in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, as long as her European campaign concludes in satisfactory fashion, trainer Ger Lyons revealed to the Nick Luck Daily Podcast. The four-for-four bay's next target is the G1 Cheveley Park S. on Sept. 25.

Lyons, who saddled his 1,000th winner on Monday, told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast, “The little filly gave me a 'wow' feeling on Friday–it was her fourth win, but I didn't get a 'wow' off her until Friday. That was a 'wow' performance.

“She literally goes through the motions at home and does what she's done. Every time I've gone to the races I've kept thinking 'is she up to this?', and every time she's produced.

“I love training 2-year-olds, and it's for that reason–you don't know what you're uncovering. It's when they hit the ceiling you go on to the next one, but she's still on the rise.

“Subject to us talking to the [Abdullah] family and everybody being on the same page, that's [Cheveley Park] where you would go with her.”

Sacred Bridge saluted at Naas when unveiled on June 23 and captured Tipperary's Listed Coolmore Ten Sovereigns Tipperary S. just seven days later. A winner of the €300,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane S. on Aug. 2, she was 3 3/4 lengths ahead of her rivals in the Round Tower.

Lyons added, “There's a lot of options open with her, including a trip to the States at the end of the year. If she stays in this form why not, that would have to come into the conversation that we'll be having close to the time.”

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Knicks Go: An Appreciation

2018 B.C. (Before Covid) was a simpler time. A time where no one considered color matching their mask to their seersucker. It also was a time when one of the all-time horse racing underdogs flashed an ability rarely seen in the sport, and even more rarely took time to develop that ability into habit.

‘A Fascinating Exercise For The Handicapper’: Kentucky Downs’ Average Win Payoff $16.73 In 2020

When it comes to Kentucky Downs making its case as the best betting product in America, the proof is in the payoffs.

Last year's average return for a $1 exacta at Kentucky Downs was $65.32, $75.99 for the $1 double, $269.20 for the 50-cent trifecta, $374.06 for the 50-cent Pick 3 and $23,076 for the 50-cent Pick 5. Even the $2 win payoff average was a healthy $16.73.

The all-grass FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs runs this Sunday, Labor Day Monday and Sept. 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12. First post is 12:20 p.m. Central.

“One of the highlights for handicappers and for fans is that you get this amalgamation of horses from different racing circuits around the country that you normally only get at a meet like the Breeders' Cup,” said Ken Kirchner, Kentucky Downs' Director of Wagering Development: “When you have more than $2 million a day in purses, not only are your stakes races this mix of New York, Kentucky, Florida, California and other horses, you have that in the maiden and allowance races across the board. It's just a fascinating exercise for the handicapper to say, 'Gosh, I can find great value every single race of this meet.'”

Kentucky Downs offers full fields and large betting pools — the formula for big payouts. Last year Kentucky Downs averaged a $3,295 payoff for its 50-cent Pick Four, with the betting pool averaging $357,778, according to an Equibase analysis. With the Pick 4 one of racing's most popular bets, Kentucky Downs has added a third daily Pick 4 to its betting menu for 2021.

Kirchner said there “is not another meet in the country that matches up with Kentucky Downs” as far as betting value. Kirchner is an internationally recognized expert on simulcasting and wagering who, as a senior vice president for both industry organizations, was instrumental in creation of the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) for the Breeders' Cup and the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

“I would almost equate this one-week meet at Kentucky Downs to Royal Ascot, where it is so unique in terms of the racing surface, the mix of horses and horsemen, the top jockeys all coming in from around the country,” Kirchner said. “This has that Royal Ascot meets county fair-type feel at Kentucky Downs.”

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Kirchner also was involved in expanding Kentucky Downs' 2021 King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge presented by Daily Racing Form into a trio of two-day handicapping contests spanning the entire meet.

Seats at the 2022 NHC will be awarded to the top finishers in all three individual competitions, with seats for the 2021 BCBC also up for grabs in the final two contests. The overall winner who participates in all three contests over the six dates will be crowned National Turf Handicapping Champion and earn additional prize money, along with the National Turf Handicapping Champion Trophy presented by BetMakers.

The separate online tournaments are live-money events, meaning that entrants use a real bankroll and get to keep whatever they might earn. All contest bets must be placed through the TVG, 4NJBets or Xpressbet advance-deposit wagering platforms.

“We're excited about the new tournament format,” Kirchner said. “It's a very unique format. With the betting value and being a live-money contest, players have a chance to turn a small bankroll into a big reward.”

For more information or to sign up, contact tournament director Brian Skirka at bskirka@monmouthpark.com.

Click here for complete rules

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Gamine Jumps Up To Fourth In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

For the fourth consecutive week, Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go is the No. 1 ranked horse in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, while the 4-year-old filly Gamine, winner of Saratoga's Grade 1 Kettle One Ballerina Stakes, moved into fourth place.

Knicks Go, trained by Brad Cox, received 19 first-place votes and 325 points. This year, he has won the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, and the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in his most recent start on Aug. 7.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska remained in second place with six first-place votes and 307 points. Letruska won her fifth race of 2021 on Saturday, taking the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga by a half-length. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska also has won two other Grade 1 stakes in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park and the Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality retained third place in the poll following his half-length win over Midnight Bourbon in Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality, who won the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in June and took Saratoga's Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes earlier this month, has 10 first-place votes and 294 points.

Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine rose from seventh to fourth place with 183 points. Trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine remained unbeaten in four starts this year when she scored a 1 ¾-length triumph in the Ballerina. Last year's champion female sprinter also has 2021 wins in the Grade 3 Las Flores at Santa Anita Park, the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs, and the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and second in the Whitney, drops one spot to fifth place. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield has 166 points.

Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending is in sixth place with 119 points. Trained by Chad Brown, this year Domestic Spending finished in a dead heat for first in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park, and finished second in the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 14.

Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior defeated the previously unbeaten Life Is Good by a neck in Saturday's Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga, and rose from 11th to seventh place in the poll with 115 points. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior won the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1 and the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on May 1.

Shadwell Stable's 3-year-old filly Malathaat stayed in eighth place with 90 points. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat won the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 21 to go along with her two other Grade 1 scores in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State dropped three places to ninth with 69 points. Also trained by Asmussen, Silver State has four wins this year, including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.

Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie dropped one spot to 10th place with 43 points. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, was third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and finished second in the Belmont Stakes. He crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17 but was disqualified for interference and was placed seventh.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.

The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-august-30-2021/

Full accounting of top 10 votes by voter can be found at: https://mk0ntrauj6jy9vera.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Polls-week28-by_voter-2021.pdf

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