January, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

MTHA Approves Purse Bonus, Addition of Racing Days

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Board of Directors approved a 20% Purse Bonus on all overnight races through Feb. 27 at Laurel Park Wednesday. In addition, the Maryland Jockey Club, during a meeting with the MTHA, agreed to add three Thursdays in February to the live racing calendar and said it will card at least 10 races a day in January and February when possible. First post time has been moved to 12:10 p.m. in January to accommodate extra races.

Live racing at Laurel Park is scheduled to resume Sunday, Jan. 16, after the cancellation of six racing programs due to a project that involves recomposition of the cushion material on the dirt track. Racing also is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17. Six stakes planned for Saturday, Jan. 22, will move to Saturday, Jan. 29. The complete racing schedule under the updated calendar is as follows: Jan. 16-17; Jan. 20-23; Jan. 27-30; Feb. 3-6; Feb. 10-13; Feb. 18-21; and Feb. 24-27 for a total of 26 days.

The post MTHA Approves Purse Bonus, Addition of Racing Days appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Santa Anita Kicks Off Friday’s Stronach 5 Wager

Turf races from Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park, two competitive maiden events, and a low 12-percent takeout highlight Friday's Stronach 5.

The popular wager will feature races from Santa Anita, Gulfstream, and Golden Gate Fields.

The sequence starts off at 4:33 ET with Santa Anita's third race, a $75,000 maiden event for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs. The nine-horse field includes first-time starters from trainers John Sadler, Michael McCarthy and George Papaprodromou. Loma Vista makes her second start for trainer Philip D'Amato after a sixth-place finish on the turf against maiden special weight company in October.

The second leg of the sequence shifts to Gulfstream and the ninth race, an allowance optional claiming event at 5 ½ furlongs for fillies and mares. American of Course enters off a third-place finish against similar after a four-month layoff for trainer Kathleen O'Connell. Rakasa goes out first off a claim for trainer Aubrey Maragh who is 25-percent off a claim. Domineer also goes out first off a claim for trainer Jose D'Angelo, who is 31-percent off a claim.

Golden Gate's third race is next, a maiden event for fillies and mares at six furlongs with a field of nine going to post. Leading trainer Jonathan Wong sends out Feel This Moment, fifth in her debut Dec. 11. Here Comes Ralphie takes a drop in class for trainer Steve Sherman. The filly makes her first start since March and comes into the race off a 'bullet' work. Lady Skywalker gets blinkers on, Sugar Plum has blinkers off.

It's back to Santa Anita for Race 4, a 1 /8-mile turf event for $50,000 maiden claiming 4-year-olds and up. Nothngoodcomseasy goes out for trainer Doug O'Neill. The son of Medaglia d'Oro lacked room when finishing fifth by three lengths on the turf Nov. 7. Street Ruckus gets back on the turf where he finished fourth, beaten two lengths, in October. Vladimir Cerin trains. Hulk, 0-for-3 on the turf, gets John Velazquez in the saddle for trainer Jeff Mullins. World Cruiser goes out for trainer Eddie Truman after a second-place finish on the turf in November at Del Mar.

The Stronach 5 will conclude with Gulfstream's 10th race, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 4-year-olds and up with a $35,000 claiming tag. The field of nine includes Alley Oop Johnny, who goes out first off the claim for trainer Mike Maker after a fourth-place finish on the turf Dec. 2 at Aqueduct. Stakes winner Archer Road goes second time out after a two-year layoff. Leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. sends out Hail to the Chief, third in his last two starts by less than two lengths against similar company. Stirling Drive will go out first time off the claim for trainer Dany Gargan after a third-place finish in November at Del Mar.

Friday's races and sequence

Leg One –Santa Anita Race 3: (9 entries, 6 furlongs) 4:33 ET, 1:33 PT
Leg Two –Gulfstream Race 9: (9 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 4:42 ET, 1:32 PT
Leg Three –Golden Gate Race 3: (9 entries, 6 furlongs) 4:59 ET, 1:59 PT
Leg Four – Santa Anita Race 4: (8 entries, 1 1/8-mile turf) 5:04 ET, 2:04 PT
Leg Five –Gulfstream Race 10: (9 entries, 1 1/16-mile turf) 5:14 ET, 2:14 PT

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

The post Santa Anita Kicks Off Friday’s Stronach 5 Wager appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Beem Talks Racecalling, Anxiety, on Writers’ Room

Jason Beem was just 23 years old when he had his first panic attack, but remembers it in excruciating detail to this day. “I was in law school at Gonzaga University. I was in constitutional law class and I didn't know what it was and walked out of class and freaked out in the hallway.” That episode was the beginning of over a decade-and-a-half struggle with anxiety and depression that caused him to leave racing for a period, and be hospitalized several times. The popular racecaller and podcast host talks openly about mental health on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, presented by Keeneland, with hosts Joe Bianca, Bill Finley and Jon Green, as the Green Group Guest of the Week.

He said that at times, the depression was so bad that he would have to lie down on an air mattress in the announcer's booth at River Downs because the effort to stay upright was too overwhelming. “My second year at River Downs, I really struggled,” he said. “And that was like the first time I had ever had a real depression and I didn't know what it was. I was in line at Chipotle one day, just crying and I didn't know why. And so I hadn't done a lot of therapy up until then, and so I started doing that and kind of learned what I was dealing with and also that it wasn't uncommon. I think that for me was one of the biggest helps early on was realizing that mental health issues are things that a lot of people struggle with.”

Currently the announcer at Tampa Bay Downs, he talks about being out of racing for a year and half and working as an Uber driver when BetAmerica saw his “Beemie Awards” on Twitter and reached out to see if he was interested in doing something with them. “I said I would love to do a daily podcast,” he recalled. “And that was that was literally like Christmas and we were up and going two weeks later. It really kind of came together pretty fast and, you know, just kind of took the model from what a lot of podcasts were doing; 20 minutes of chat, 25 minutes of interview and then you were out. And we've been really fortunate.”

In other segments on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horse Breeders, West Point Thoroughbreds, Legacy Bloodstock and XBTV, the writers discuss the news of the week, including: the ongoing story of California veterinarian Jeff Blea, the 2021 handle figures and how much of that could be from computer bettors, and the continuing legal battles between Bob Baffert and Churchill Downs.

Watch the video version of the podcast here.

Listen to the audio version here, or on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

The post Beem Talks Racecalling, Anxiety, on Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Ken McPeek Plotting Courses For Four Kentucky Derby Hopefuls

Trainer Ken McPeek has four Kentucky Derby hopefuls in his barn, his largest number in 37 years of conditioning Thoroughbreds. According to the Daily Racing Form, two of those four have become workmates: G2 Kentucky Jockey Club winner Smile Happy and G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Tiz The Bomb.

The pair has breezed in unison at Gulfstream Park for the past two weeks, both earning a four-furlong time of :48.90 on Jan. 8, and Tiz The Bomb recording a slightly-faster three-furlong time of :37.84 on New Year's Day (Smile Happy was clocked in :38.46).

Smile Happy (Runhappy) will be aimed at the G3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 5, while a prep race has not been decided upon for Tiz The Bomb (Hit It A Bomb).

Dash Attack (Munnings), winner of the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park, will remain in Hot Springs to point toward the G3 Southwest Stakes on Jan. 29.

Meanwhile, G1 Breeders' Futurity winner Rattle N Roll (Connect) has not yet returned to breezing since missing the Breeders' Cup Juvenile due to a minor injury, but McPeek believes there will be plenty of time to get the colt on the Derby trail.