Major General battled for a close victory in the $300,000 Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes while Hidden Connection powered away in the $299,700 Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes in front of a crowd of 20,204 Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs.
Month: September 2021
Shedaresthedevil Holds Off Crystal Ball In Locust Grove
Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing Stables and Big Aut Farms' 2020 Longines Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) hero Shedaresthedevil broke fast from the gate, dictated the pace throughout and determinedly held off Crystal Ball by a neck to win Saturday night's 37th running of the $400,000 Locust Grove (Grade III) for fillies and mares at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Florent Geroux, Shedaresthedevil, the odds-on favorite in the field of six fillies and mares, clicked off comfortable fractions of :24.32, :48.30 and 1:12.17 en route to a final time of 1:42.86 for the 1 1/16 miles.
“She's a very classy filly,” Geroux said. “Tonight we got the lead and she was moving comfortably. This was a good prep race for the Breeders' Cup. She has seven weeks until then and I think she'll get a lot out of this race.”
Shedaresthedevil, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Daredevil out of the Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed, returned $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10. Crystal Ball, ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, returned $3.40 and $2.20 with Envoutante another 1 ½ lengths back in third under Brian Hernandez Jr. and paying $2.10 to show.
Matera, Our Super Freak and High Regard completed the order of finish.
The victory was worth $244,140 to Shedaresthedevil and increased her earnings to $2,291,458 with a record of 9-2-4 from 16 starts. Shedaresthedevil, the 15-1 upset winner of last year's Kentucky Oaks, is perfect in five starts beneath the Twin Spires.
In her previous start, she won last month's $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch (GI) at Del Mar. Now 4-for-5 this year, her 4-year-old campaign includes a one-length score in the $500,000 La Troienne (GI).
“Congratulations to all of the partners who are involved in this filly,” Cox said. “Florent gave her a really good trip. She's a very classy filly and knows how to fight to get things done. She's proven how well she's done here at Churchill and this was a good spot to get her ready for the Breeders' Cup.”
The Locust Grove is named after the 1790 Georgian mansion in Louisville that played home to ancestors of Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark.
The post Shedaresthedevil Holds Off Crystal Ball In Locust Grove appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Looking Into Live Dealer Casinos
One of the newest phenomena in the online casino world is that of live dealer casinos. This is interesting for several reasons. One of the main detriments to playing online is the lack of human interaction and the idea that the gaming program might not be replicating real game play. A person would log onto a cold computer program and play against some algorithm for hours and hours possibly without ever feeling like they were part of the true gaming experience.
Live dealer casinos have alleviated this problem by putting actual human beings behind the tables and dealing the cards. Because of faster Internet connections and technology that makes meetings and the like possible, players are able to play against a dealer literally a world away.
Live dealer casinos are not without its detractors though. Some players that have played on live dealer casinos complain at the speed in which the dealers deal, or the fact that they take breaks, talk, etc… These are some of the pitfalls that accompany playing with a live human being. Human beings are going to talk, take breaks, etc… If a player is looking for a game in where there are no game interruptions they should simply stay with the computer gaming programs and quit complaining. I hate to break it to them but every single time that I’ve played on a gaming table in Reno or Las Vegas there was a live dealer and they took breaks, talked, some were slower, and hey, some barely even spoke English. But that’s part of the entire experience that someone has got to expect if they are looking for the genuine experience, plain and simple.
One of the genuine downsides to live dealer casinos, though, is the problem encountered by many players in where the dealer is dealing unfairly or is simply cheating. In Las Vegas, for example, the dealers are very strictly monitored by both the casino in the event that they are skimming and by the gaming commission in the event that they are violating the law. Additionally, if a player has a complaint against the dealer they can also tell the pit boss who will hear their complaint. None of these safeguards are in place for the player in a live dealer casino. If they are monitored by the casinos themselves those safeguards are not necessarily as strictly enforced as they are in the traditional casinos. A player has to be especially wary when entering a live dealer casino to play a game that they aren’t necessarily very experienced at.
Live dealer casinos are a great alternative for online casino players looking for a little more traditional experience and they are a great place to look. Just keep in mind that like everything in the online world they aren’t without their possible pitfalls.
Major General’s Bold Move A Winning One In Iroquois, Earns BC Juvenile Spot
Javier Castellano made a bold move with Major General on the far turn in the Grade 3 Iroquois, moving up quickly on the outside of horses to challenge front runner Stellar Tap entering the stretch. Under the Twin Spires, the son of Constitution dueled with Stellar Tap, took the lead in the final sixteenth of a mile, and held off Tough to Tame to win the G3 stakes by a neck and grab a guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
In a crowded field of 10, Magnolia Midnight and Roger McQueen were one-two early, with Stellar Tap and Tough to Tame just back in third and fourth. Major General sat in the middle of the pack fifth on the backstretch, but Castellano in the white silks of WinStar Farm did not wait for the stretch to bid for the front, moving up quickly on the outside of the leaders as they entered the far turn. Just before the field hit the stretch, Stellar Tap took over the lead, with Major General to his outside, the two on even terms as they straightened out into the race's final furlongs.
In the Churchill Downs straight, Major General dug in, dueling with Stellar Tap and then pulling away late, his final surge enough to hold off surging Tough to Tame and Red Knobs in the race's last yards.
The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.88. Find this race's chart here.
Major General paid $11.80, $6.60, and $4.80. Tough to Tame paid $23.40 and $11.60. Red Knobs paid $9.00.
The G3 Iroquois is a Win and You're In race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The winner earns a fees-paid guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.
As an early prep race for the 2022 Kentucky Derby, Major General earns 10 points toward a spot in the starting gate for the Run for the Roses.
Bred by Circular Road Breeders, Major General is out of the Uncle Mo mare No Mo Lemons. He is trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by WinStar Farm and Siena Farm. With this win in the G3 Iroquois, Major General remains perfect in his short career, with two wins in two starts and career earnings of $232,525.
The post Major General’s Bold Move A Winning One In Iroquois, Earns BC Juvenile Spot appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
