December, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Park Avenue Chasing Third Straight Win In La Canada

In search of her third consecutive win in what will be her first stakes assignment, John Sadler's Park Avenue rates a big look in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 La Canada Stakes as six older fillies and mares go a mile and one sixteenth.

Fresh off a game victory in the G3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos, Bob Baffert's As Time Goes By, the leading money earner in the field, looms as the probable post time favorite.

A disappointing third in the Bayakoa Dec. 5, Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro will try to regain the form that saw her win the G3 Las Virgenes Stakes here three starts back on Feb. 6.

Owned by Hronis Racing, LLC, Park Avenue pressed the pace and went on to an impressive five length maiden win going one mile two starts back on Oct. 29 and she followed that up with another five-length score going a flat mile in a first condition allowance Dec. 12 at Los Alamitos when ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, who sticks with her on Saturday.

A $450,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase in 2019, Park Avenue is a 4-year-old filly by Quality Road out of the Indian Charlie mare Remarkable. With an overall mark of 6-2-2-1, she has earnings of $104,700.

The likely post time favorite, multiple graded stakes winning As Time Goes By enters the La Canada fresh off an impressive 1 ¼ length win as the even money favorite in the Bayakoa going 1 1/6 miles. A winner of two G2 stakes here earlier this year, the Santa Maria on May 22 and the Santa Margarita on April 24, As Time Goes By has three wins and as many second from six Santa Anita starts.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor and Derrick Smith, this 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah is 12-5-3-1 with earnings of $535,600 and will be ridden back by Flavien Prat.

Second two starts back after stumbling at the break of an ungraded one mile stakes at Del Mar Nov. 3, Moonlight d'Oro fetched $620,000 out of the same Keeneland sale Park Avenue graduated from. With her Las Virgenes victory, she's 6-2-2-2 overall with earnings of $195,790 and will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith.

THE GRADE 3 LA CANADA STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

Moonlight d'Oro—Mike Smith—122
Cowboys Daughter—Kyle Frey—120
Fi Fi Pharoah—Umberto Rispoli—120
Velvet Slippers—John Velazquez—120
Park Avenue—Juan Hernandez—120
As Time Goes By—Flavien Prat–122

First post time for a 10-race card that will include four graded stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Emerald Downs Boosts Purse For Longacres Mile To $150,000 In 2022

Emerald Downs has announced 21 stakes worth $1,245,000 in purses for its 2022 live racing season that begins Sunday, May 15.

The track's signature race, the Grade 3 Longacres Mile, has been boosted to $150,000 and anchors an Aug. 14 stakes quadruple-header also featuring the $75,000 Emerald Distaff, $75,000 Muckleshoot Derby, and $75,000 Washington Oaks. The purse for the Mile is $50,000 larger than last year while the Distaff, Derby and Oaks are all up $25,000 from 2021.

The older horse division begins with the $50,000 Budweiser Stakes (six furlongs) on Sunday, June 26, followed by the $50,000 Governor's Stakes (6 ½ furlongs) on Sunday, July 24, and the 87th running of the Longacres Mile.

The stakes schedule features six stakes twin bills, along with two quadruple-headers, and a closing day triple-header on Sunday, Sept. 18, featuring the $70,000 Gottstein Futurity, the track's top race for 2-year-olds.

The $50,000 Seattle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and $50,000 Auburn Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings kick off stakes action on Sunday, June 19.

Seven stakes are offered for 2-year-olds—three apiece for colts and geldings and fillies—climaxing with the Gottstein Futurity at a mile and one-sixteenth.

Washington Cup features four stakes—$50,000 Washington Cup Juvenile Colts & Geldings and $50,000 Washington Cup Juvenile Fillies on Sunday, Aug. 28; $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic and $50,000 Washington Cup Fillies & Mares on Sunday, Sept. 18. Both 2-year-old races are restricted to Washington-breds while the older horse events are open to both Washington and British Columbia-breds.

In addition to 21 Thoroughbred stakes, Emerald Downs offers two stakes races for Quarter Horses—$30,000 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship for 2-year-olds at 350 yards and the 12th running of the $40,000 Bank of America Emerald Championship Challenge for 3-year-olds and up at 440 yards.

Opening day for the 2022 season is Sunday, May 15. The 52-day meet concludes Sunday, Sept. 18.

2022 EMERALD DOWNS STAKES SCHEDULE
Date. . . . . .Stakes. . . . . .Distance. . . . . .Purse
Sun June 19 Seattle Stakes (3YOF) 6F $50,000
Sun June 19 Auburn Stakes (3YO) 6F $50,000
Sun June 26 Hastings Stakes (3&UP F&M) 6F $50,000
Sun June 26 Budweiser Stakes (3&UP) 6F $50,000
Sun July 10 Angie C Stakes (2YOF) 5 ½ F $50,000
Sun July 10 King County Express (2YO C&G) 5 ½ F $50,000
Sun July 17 Kent Stakes (3YOF) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun July 17 Irish Day Stakes (3YO) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun July 24 Governor's Stakes (3&UP) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun July 24 WA State Legislators Stakes (3&UP F&M) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun Aug 7 Barbara Shinpoch Stakes (2YOF) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun Aug 7 WTBOA Lads Stakes (2YO C&G) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun Aug 14 Muckleshoot Derby (3YO) 1 1/16 M $75,000
Sun Aug 14 Washington Oaks (3YOF) 1 1/16 M $75,000
Sun Aug 14 Emerald Distaff (3&UP F&M) 1 1/16 M $75,000
Sun Aug 14 Longacres Mile (G3) (3&UP) 1M $150,000
Sun Aug 28 Bank of America Emerald Downs Challenge** (3&UP) 440Y $40,000
Sun Aug 28 John Deere Juvenile Challenge** (2YO) 350Y $30,000
Sun Aug 28 Washington Cup Juvenile Filly (2YOF WA) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun Aug 28 Washington Cup Juvenile Colts & Geldings (2YO WA) 6 ½ F $50,000
Sun Sept 18 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic* (3& UP) 1 1/16 M $50,000
Sun Sept 18 Washington Cup Filly & Mare Stakes* (3&UP F&M) 1 1/16 M $50,000
Sun Sept 18 Gottstein Futurity (2YO) 1 1/16 M $70,000
*Washington & British Columbia bred
**Quarter Horse

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Third In Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Mackinnon Will Try Out For Derby Trail In Saturday’s Sham

A multiple stakes winner on turf and most recently a close third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Doug O'Neill's Mackinnon transitions to dirt as he heads a group of five newly minted sophomores going a flat mile in Saturday's G3, $100,000 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. A qualifying race to the 2022 Kentucky Derby, the Sham winner will receive 10 qualifying points, with four to second, two to third and one point to the fourth place finisher.

Owned by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's ERJ Racing, LLC, Madaket Stables, LLC, out of the Scat Daddy mare Scat Means Go, Mackinnon will try the main track for the first time since a fourth place finish going 4 ½ furlongs in his debut six starts back on May 9 here at Santa Anita.

Third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths by Modern Games in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 5 at Del Mar, Mackinnon is a colt that has always trained well on dirt and will thus be given an opportunity to the early Derby waters on Saturday. Easily the leading money earner in the field with $327,860, Mackinnon has three one mile turf wins to his credit and is 6-3-1-1 overall.

A recent G3 stakes winner going a one turn mile in New York, Bob Baffert's Rockefeller will no doubt contend for favoritism in what will be his fourth career start.

A 2 ¼ length first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 28, Rockefeller was a well beaten fourth by his stablemate and eventual Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Corniche in the G1 American Pharoah Stakes going 1 1/16 miles here on Oct. 1. Sent to Belmont Park for his third start, Rockefeller, who is by Medaglia d'Oro, out of the Speightstown mare Dance to Bristol, was off as the 4-5 favorite in the G3 Nashua Stakes and responded with 2 ¾ length win accomplished in gate to wire fashion.

Owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, LLC, Stonestreet Stables, LLC and Robert Masterson, Rockefeller, who was purchased for $750,000 out of the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

Baffert will also be represented by Newgrange, a first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Nov. 28 at Del Mar. By Violence out of the Empire Maker mare Bella Chianti, he's owned Golconda Stable, Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Starlight Racing, Stonestreet Stables, LLC, Waves Edge Capital LLC, and partners and will be ridden back by John Velazquez.

THE GRADE 3 SHAM STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 10 Approximate post time 3 p.m. PT

Mackinnon—Juan Hernandez—124
Oviatt Class—Kent Desormeaux—120
Newgrange—John Velazquez–120
Rockefeller—Flavien Prat—124
Degree of Risk—Umberto Rispoli–120

First post time for a 10-race card, which will include four graded stakes on Saturday is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Festivus Contest Winners Rolled The Dice With Hunch Play At Tampa

Like most horse racing handicappers, Steve Tucker and Henry Walthert have faced the question of “how did you pick that horse?” countless times.

After finishing 1-2 in the “10 Days of Festivus Challenge Handicapping Contest,” it's one they don't mind answering.

Even though Tucker was in third place entering Friday's final day of the online contest conducted through Tampa Bay Downs, the high school biology teacher from Hillsborough, N.J., decided a hunch play was too strong to ignore in the fourth race on the turf.

“My college roommate at Rutgers University was named Skip, so I decided to play Skipperini,” Tucker said of the 2-year-old gelding who was 8-1 on the morning line. “Whether you're doing the stock market or playing the horses or gambling on sports, there are so many different angles you can take.”

Walthert, a retired association executive from Ottawa, Canada, had a more logical reason to select Skipperini in the free online contest: He was in 18th place entering the last day and needed to gain lots of ground to finish first or second and collect a cash prize.

“The guys in front of me were probably going to play the favorite, so I wouldn't be able to make a big enough jump otherwise,” he said.

By the time the race started, Skipperini's odds had climbed to 19-1 – the longest shot in the race – and Tucker and Walthert seemed to be grasping at straws. But when Skipperini and jockey Antonio Gallardo rallied for the victory, their two big contest backers collected $63.40 on their mythical $2 across-the-board wagers – enough to defeat more than 1,300 entrants.

At the conclusion of the contest, Tucker sported a bankroll of $247.60 and Walthert stood at $223.20. Tucker took home first-place money of $1,000 and Walthert earned $500. In an interesting twist, Skipperini had won his previous start two weeks earlier, breaking his maiden as a 2-1 favorite.

“It's an exhilarating feeling,” said Tucker, who won $5,000 playing an online handicapping event through Remington Park in Oklahoma several years ago. “I've been following horse racing for 20 years, and to come out on top is really something. It's humbling because there are a lot of people who know more than I do.”

Skipperini wasn't the only hunch horse to help Tucker win. He played Bens Malice on Dec. 10 because his brother's name is Ben, and the 2-year-old gelding won at odds of 27-1 while returning $82 in mythical contest winnings.

Walthert, reached Monday during a ski vacation at Sommet Edelweiss north of Ottawa, was already having a great time playing the contest when Dame Fortune smiled on him Friday.

“It's always a challenge to pick winners, and when you're able to, it's rewarding,” he said. “It makes you look forward to the next race. It's fun to follow along and see how you're doing.”

Walthert's general strategy through the contest was to look for hot jockeys and trainers connected to horses with odds he felt would reap enough profit to climb in the standings.

“I tried not to go with the favorites,” he said.

While Walthert and his wife Monique have visited Tampa Bay Downs, Tucker and wife Diane have not. The Festivus champion says that is likely to change.

“I'm thinking about (retiring) next year, and I have a couple of buddies who are retired in Florida,” Tucker said. “I really hope to get to Tampa Bay Downs. Everyone I've talked to who has been there says it's a beautiful place.”

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