Robin Goodfellow’s Racing Tips: Best bets for Monday, January 10
Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Monday's meetings at Ludlow, Taunton and Wolverhampton.
Month: January 2022
Barese Returns From Layoff To Win Aqueduct’s Rego Park
Paradise Farm and David Staudacher's Barese came home the best of nine state-bred sophomores to win his first stakes in Sunday's 6 1/2-furlong $100,000 Rego Park at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.
Trained by Mike Maker, the son of Laoban was making his first start since a debut maiden special weight win at Belmont Park on May 21, taking a five-furlong sprint for state-breds by a half-length under Irad Ortiz, Jr. from just off the pace.
Eight months later, Barese, piloted by Dylan Davis, was kept a bit farther off the pace than in his debut, breaking last in the field of nine and unhurried by Davis to track in sixth behind pacesetter Unique Unions through an opening quarter-mile in 22.64 seconds over the good and harrowed main track.
Barese continued to hold in fourth going four-wide down the backstretch as Unique Unions held his lead a length the better of Daufuskie Island and 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Agility with Kendrick Carmouche up.
Barese began to kick into gear entering the turn with slight urging from Davis, who was still content to bide his time with plenty of horse underneath him. Swinging wide to the center of the racetrack, Davis showed Barese a right-handed crop and gave him one tap as the field straightened for the drive to the wire, grinding away to the outside of Agility as Unique Unions began to toil along the rail.
Matching strides with Agility and Daufuskie Island just before the sixteenth pole, Barese pulled away under left-handed encouragement from Davis and secured the second win of his career by 2 3/4 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:19.13. Agility held on to finish second by a neck over Daufuskie Island.
Davis, who rode Barese for the first time in the Rego Park, said the bay colt was full of run.
“He's a big boy and coming off the layoff, I was just trying to get a nice, comfortable break and that's what he got,” Davis said. “They ran away from him which I thought would happen, but he was handling the kickback well.
“Nearing the five-eighths pole, he started getting a little aggressive with me and I thought it was better to not keep him behind those horses,” Davis added. “I gave him a nice, clear spot in the four-path and just let him do his thing into the turn. Turning for home, he had plenty left and his big stride was able to keep going and going. He might want to handle more distance, but he handled this great.”
Davis, who currently sits in second behind Carmouche [22 wins] in the jockey standings at the Big A winter meet with 19 wins, gave credit to agent Mike Migliore for his success this meet.
“I'm doing the best I can. I want to win this title,” said Davis. “I've been top-three or top-four for the past five years and I really want to get this title. It would be a real accomplishment for me. Mike has been working really hard behind the scenes.”
The Jorge Abreu-trained Agility stayed on well for place honors, holding off a stubborn Daufuskie Island, who finished third a head in front of Unique Unions in fourth.
“The horse ran a great race,” Carmouche said of Agility. “He lugged in a little, but I think he needs blinkers. Maybe that will straighten him up and get him going, but I thought he ran a game race. The whole way I was in good position, just second best today.”
Completing the order of finish were Cut the Cord, Doin'ittherightway, G Munning, Always Charming, and Bali's Shade.
Bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Lakland Farm, Barese earned $55,000 in victory and improved his record to a perfect 2-2-0-0. A $2 wager on Barese returned $11.
Live racing returns to the Big A on Thursday with a nine-race card. First post is 12:20 p.m. Eastern.
America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.
NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.
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Steve Wolfson Jr. Continues Family Tradition With High Rollers Contest Win At Tampa Bay Downs
Steve Wolfson Jr., and his father, Steve Wolfson Sr., had one of those afternoons Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs that horseplayers file away in their memory banks for a lifetime.
The high school social studies teacher and the long-time horseman made the three-hour drive from Ormond Beach on Florida's east coast to enjoy an afternoon of racing at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar and, not coincidentally for Steve Jr., to compete in the High Rollers Handicapping Contest Presented by HorseTourneys.
“We haven't traveled much the last couple of years because of COVID,” said the younger Wolfson, “so it was a chance enjoy great racing, and it was a glorious day to be outdoors. It never gets old, but it's best when it's shared.”
And by coming home with the top prize of $23,000, plus his final contest bankroll of $1,779.20, Wolfson Jr., couldn't have had a more fulfilling day. “It was a wonderful time with the person who introduced me to racing,” he said. “It was a really good ride over, and better coming back.”
Both Wolfson Jr., and second-place finisher John Kaiser of Krotz Springs, La., qualified for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association/National Handicapping Championship from Jan. 28-30 at Bally's Las Vegas. Kaiser's final bankroll was $1,690, and he earned an additional $9,200 for finishing second (top-10 below).
Individuals who play handicapping contests are rarely lacking for confidence, but many in the field of 112 players with an appreciation for the challenge involved were respectful – if not fearful – of the Wolfson name. Steve Jr., and his dad, who did not compete, are members of the National Handicapping Championship (NHC) Hall of Fame.
Wolfson Jr., won the 2001 NHC Championship at Bally's Las Vegas, collecting a cool $100,000, while his father finished fourth. In 2017 at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, the younger Wolfson finished second, earning $250,000.
Wolfson Sr., had put on some handicapping tournaments in the 1990s that were the forerunner of the NHC events, setting the standard for subsequent contests in terms of player hospitality and amenities. Wolfson, Jr., praised Saturday's Tampa Bay Downs event as a first-class production, with all the intensity, camaraderie and ups and downs serious players thrive on.
“Whenever you bring people together like that, there is so much energy flowing that it's tremendous fun. It's just nice to have people there in person sharing the excitement and not at home behind their computers,” Wolfson Jr., said.
The High Rollers champion comes by his love of racing, and his knowledge of handicapping, through vast experience around Thoroughbreds. Wolfson Sr., and his brother, the late Gary Wolfson, were prominent Florida breeders and owners who owned 497-acre Happy Valley Farm in Marion County, and young Steve often traveled with them to major racetracks for big races throughout the country. Another uncle, Marty Wolfson, was a successful trainer from 1972-'18.
Going back another generation, Wolfson's grandfather, the late Louis Wolfson, owned Harbor View Farm, which bred and owned 1978 Triple Crown winner and two-time Horse of the Year Affirmed. Young Steve attended the 1978 Kentucky Derby as a 10-year-old and the 1978 Belmont Stakes nine days after turning 11, wondering like so many others how the heck 18-year-old jockey Steve Cauthen did it.
“That was a wonderful introduction to the highs of horse racing. It has been in my blood a long time,” Wolfson said.
In Saturday's contest, Wolfson displayed his bona fides in the fourth race, placing $100 of his bankroll to win on Dos Vaqueros. “It was such a weak condition (horses 4-years-old-and-upward who had never won two races, sprinting six furlongs for a claiming price of $8,000), and he showed a bullet workout and a five-furlong workout in (1:00 1/5). It seemed like that was enough,” Wolfson said.
It was, but hardly anyone else followed suit, both in the contest room and elsewhere. Dos Vaqueros, 5-1 on the morning line, paid $24 to win.
Wolfson managed his bankroll judiciously after that big score, and his $60 win wager in the ninth race on Cajun Casanova, who paid $5.80 to win, clinched the top position.
John Kaiser staged a whirlwind rally to finish second, hitting the last three races on the card at $100 to win a pop. He will be making his seventh appearance at the NTRA/NHC and hoping to cash big for the first time.
“I didn't have that early long shot, so I had to stay patient,” Kaiser said. “I didn't want to reach too far, and I was able to stay consistent.” He won four of his five wagers on the day, with his score on first-time starter In the Union, a Todd Pletcher-trained colt who paid $13.60 to win in the eighth race, fueling his comeback.
“The atmosphere was excellent and having HorseTourneys step up to sponsor the tournament was really nice,” Kaiser said. “I really enjoyed it, and the people who ran the contest did a great job.”
Here are the top-10 finishers, along with their final bankroll figures and additional earnings in parentheses:
Steve Wolfson, Jr., $1,779.20 ($23,000); John Kaiser, $1,690 ($9,200); Evan Trommer, $1,590 ($6,900); Jose Giron, $1,356 ($4,600); H. Vincent Griffo, $1,200 ($2,300); Edward Enbong, $1,180; Andy Muhlada, $1,145; Brody Wolfgram, $1,070; Andrew Hennosy, $1,010; Henry Gruss, $1,000.
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Happy Medium, Venti Valentine Work Toward Next Starts
Jay Em Ess Stable's Happy Medium (Runhappy) posted his first breeze since his 'TDN Rising Star' performance Dec. 18, which was his third consecutive daylight win. The freshly minted 4-year-old was out for a half-mile work Sunday over the Belmont training track, getting the four furlongs in an easy :51.22.
“He worked well this morning,” said trainer Michelle Nevin. “It was just an easy breeze, which was what I wanted.”
A $300,000 Keeneland September yearling, Happy Medium had debuted with a third at Aqueduct last March before heading to the sidelines for six months, then reappeared to scorch a six-furlong maiden special weight at Belmont Sept. 30 by 9 1/4 lengths. An allowance in the slop at the Big A Nov. 13 resulted in a five-length score and the bay continued his tour de force Dec. 18, again at Aqueduct but this time over a fast track, by seven lengths. In addition to earning 'Rising Star' status, he also earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
Nevin said no specific plans have been made for the gelding's next start.
Also working–albeit in Florida–toward her next start was another New York star from this past fall in SW & GSP Venti Valentine (Firing Line). Campaigned by NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds, the now 3-year-old worked a half-mile in :50.80 Saturday at Palm Meadows Training Center.
“She's doing really good and that was a great run from her last time,” said Edgar Estevez, assistant to trainer Jorge Abreu. “Jorge is very pleased with the way she came out of the race and he decided to give her a little bit of a rest and start her back up down at Palm Meadows. She's taking it easy right now.”
After breaking her maiden on debut Sept. 26 going six panels at Belmont, Venti Valentine captured the Maid of the Mist S. at a mile Oct. 30 and was second by a neck in the GII Demoiselle S. Dec. 4 at Aqueduct at nine furlongs. In the Demoiselle, she earned four qualifying points toward the GI Kentucky Oaks, to be held May 6. Estevez indicated her next start on the path to the Oaks is yet to be determined.
The post Happy Medium, Venti Valentine Work Toward Next Starts appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
