The upcoming holiday weekend in horse racing is annually one of the busiest on the calendar, and this year will be especially exciting as both Saratoga Race Course and Del Mar will have fans in attendance for the final days of their summer meets. Two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races are on tap, both set for Saturday, Sept. 4 at Saratoga, and important 2-year-old races will follow at both tracks on Sunday, Sept.
Month: August 2021
League Two Betting Review – 1 May 2006
Northampton followed Carlisle into League One after beating Chester 1-0. Scott McGleish scored the winning goal for the 6/10 Cobblers after 26 minutes, his 24th goal of the campaign. The win saw Northampton five points clear of fourth-placed Grimsby Town with one match left to play.
Leyton Orient played for 70 minutes with 10 men, but saw off Peterborough to keep their hopes of automatic promotion alive. Matt Lockwood gave the 4/5 O’s the lead from the penalty spot after 15 minutes before Paul Connor saw red on 21. Orient went further ahead after 70 minutes through Wayne Corden before Lloyd Opara pulled one back for Posh five minutes before the end.
Grimsby’s hopes of automatic promotion were dented as they could only manage a 12/5 draw at Macclesfield. Gary Jones gave the Mariners the lead after 40 minutes but Marcus Richardson equalised three minutes later for the Silkmen.
Rushden & Diamonds became the first team in League Two to have their relegation confirmed as they lost 2-0 at Boston. Lawrie Dudfield broke the deadlock with a minute to go and Danny Thomas secured victory for the 6/5 Pilgrims a minute later.
Torquay boosted their chances of escaping the drop with an unlikely victory at Carlisle, denying the Cumbrians the chance to clinch the League Two title. Kevin Hill gave Ian Atkins’ side an eighth minute lead and Jo Kuffour doubled the 5/1 Seagulls’ lead on 41. Zigor Aranalde pulled one back for Carlisle three minutes after the break but Torquay held out to win.
Oxford slipped into the bottom two following a draw at Wrexham. Matt Crowell gave the Dragons the lead after 28 minutes but Tcham N’Toya equalised from the penalty spot on 64 to set up a 5/2 draw.
Cheltenham guaranteed themselves a place in the play-offs following a 2-0 victory over Notts County. Steve Guinan gave the 8/15 Robins the lead after three minutes and Ashley Vincent rounded off the win with a second on 82.
Lincoln edged closer to a fourth successive play-off spot with 1-0 victory at Shrewsbury. Defender Gareth McAuley scored the decisive goal for the 9/5 Imps after 62 minutes.
Darlington kept their outside chance of a play-off spot alive by beating faltering Wycombe. David Duke got the winner for the 23/10 Quakers five minutes into the second half.
Rochdale preserved their League Two status and ended Bristol Rovers’ hopes for a play-off berth in the process. Rickie Lambert scored from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time and Ernie Cooksey sealed a 7/4 home win in stoppage time.
Bury’s third goalless draw in four matches edged them ever closer to survival with opponents Mansfield doing well to earn a point. Draw hunters will have picked up on the 11/5 available on the match ending all square.
A goalless draw at Underhill keeps both Barnet and Stockport in danger of relegation with 23/10 available before kick-off.
Texas Summer Yearling Sale Posts Gains Across the Board
Monday's Texas Summer Yearling and Horses of Racing Age Sale at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie recorded sizable increases in gross sales, average and median with a Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling topping the auction.
A total of 228 yearlings went through the ring with 176 selling for $3,219,600, a 138.9 percent increase from last year when 106 of 137 sold for $1,347,700. The yearling average this year came in at $18,293, a jump of 43.9 percent from last year's $12,714. The median soared to $10,000 this year, up 96.1 percent from $5,100. The buy-back rate was 22.8 percent this year compared to 22.6 percent last year.
There were also three horses of racing age in the sale this year, which sold for a total of $17,500. Last year's auction had 15 older horses sell for a total of $162,500.
“The numbers are almost overwhelming compared to last year, and this sale exceeded even our very high expectations,” said Tim Boyce, sales director. “The recent gains in purses and breeding incentives in Texas, along with the strong programs in place in Louisiana and Oklahoma, have helped make this a very powerful regional marketplace. This is truly one of the best sales we've ever had in Texas.”
“We recently announced increased purses of $300,000 for sale horses to run at in the two divisions of the Texas Thoroughbred Association Futurity, and we added a total of $200,000 for a Derby and Oaks race, so that has attracted some extra interest,” added Mary Ruyle, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association.
Proving the point about the resurgence of interest in Texas racing, the sale-topper was Hip 101, an accredited Texas-bred colt by Too Much Bling, who stands at Valor Farm and is a perennial leading sire in the state. Consigned by Benchmark Training Center, agent, and purchased by Finisterre Racing, the April 3 foal sold for $175,000. The colt is out of Swifterthantaylor, a multiple winning daughter of another top Texas stallion at Valor Farm, My Golden Song. Swifterthantaylor's first starter is a stakes-placed winner.
Two other horses sold for six figures, both Louisiana-bred colts. A son of Not This Time named Star Redemption sold for $120,000 from Clear Creek Stud, agent, to Al and Bill Ulwelling, and a son of Violence sold for $100,000 from 4M Ranch, agent, to Set-Hut LLC.
For complete results, go to www.ttasales.com.
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Run Away And Hide Filly Leads Minnesota Yearling Sale
The Minnesota Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale posted across-the-board gains on Sunday, topped off by a $46,000 filly by Run Away and Hide.
Twenty eight Minnesota-bred yearlings sold during this year's auction for revenues of $383,500, marking a 6.5 percent increase from the 2020 renewal, when 34 horses sold for $359,800.
The average sale price rose 40 percent to $13,696 from $9,724, while the median of $9,000 was a 125 percent improvement from last year's figure of $4,000. The buyback rate finished at 22 percent, compared with 33 percent the previous year.
The partnership of John Mentz, Jeff Larson, and Hugh Robertson secured the sale-topper, a $46,000 filly by Run Away and Hide named Checkcashingconnie.
Offered as Hip 32, Checkcashingconnie is out of stakes-winning Dazzling Falls mare Sheso Dazzling, who is the dam of two winners. Multiple Peruvian Group 1 winner Fletcher is in her extended family.
Bred in Minnesota, the filly was consigned by Mary and Eric Von Seggern, and Kurt and Melanie Kindschuh.
Dove Hill Farm was the auction's leading consignor, with four horses sold for a combined $80,000.
Leading the way among the Dove Hill horses was Hip 34, a Cinco Charlie gelding who sold to Barry Butzow for $35,000. The gelding, out of the Added Edge mare Smarty Prance, was consigned as agent for Richard Bremer and Cheryl Sprick.
Xtreme Racing Stables was the sale's top buyer, with three purchases totaling $105,000. A pair of $40,000 purchases led the way: Hip 10, a filly by Danza, and Hip 14, a Cupid filly named Cupids Crush.
To view the auction's full results, click here.
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