January, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

TAA Offers Bucket List Race-Day Auction

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) has launched “Off to the Races,” an online auction providing opportunities to bid on VIP packages for 12 upcoming race days/weekends over the next 12 months. Each package gives the winner a unique experience of tickets to a major race combined with a range of racing-related “bucket-list” activities.

“The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is thrilled to present the inaugural 'Off to the Races' online auction,” said TAA president and managing director of Bloom Racing Stable Jeff Bloom. “Featured items include VIP access to the racing industry's most sought-after premier events. This is a huge opportunity to increase the awareness of aftercare while raising critical funds for the ongoing support of retired racehorses. All of this made possible by the support of our wonderful racetrack and industry sponsors.”

The featured race days begin with the 2022 GI Florida Derby and continue with the GI Arkansas Derby, GII Blue Grass S., GI Santa Anita Derby, GI Kentucky Oaks and Derby, GI Preakness S. GI Haskell S., GI Whitney S., Queen's Plate, GI Pacific Classic, the Breeders' Cup World Championships, and next year's GI Pegasus World Cup.

“The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is excited to kick off the new year with a brand-new auction campaign to support our growing number of accredited organizations and the thousands of Thoroughbreds in their care,” said TAA funding and events manager Emily (Dresen) Scandore. “We are thrilled with the support we've received from our auction donors and look forward to sharing some of racing's best days with industry participants and fans.”

Bidding opens Friday, Jan. 28, and closes Thursday, Feb. 10. For details and to bid on the packages, visit TAA's auction page.

The post TAA Offers Bucket List Race-Day Auction appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Online Poker Strategy Tip: The Art Of Folding The Cards

While many players spend hour perfecting their bluffing skills and learning to look for tells in other players, the art of folding is often overlooked. Believe it or not, it is possible to fold every hand and end up in the top 50% in any given online poker tournament! Human nature makes many of us believe that the other players at the table are bluffing and that your Ace/King draw is enough to win you the big pot but the art of folding is based on smart, conservative play. Folding with cards you don’t have full confidence in will help minimize your losses, which funny enough, increase your profits made on your strong hands.

Developing a consistent strategy is crucial in winning at online poker. Whether it be Texas Holdem, Seven Card Stud or any other form of poker it is always best to condition yourself to play only the hands you have a strong chance of winning and decreasing your chance of losses with weaker hands.

If you have established a solid bluffing skill and are able to quickly spot the tells of other players, the art of folding is the third tool in making you a better player. Establishing yourself as a player who will fold on first site of a weak hand can be beneficial in later play when you decide it is time to use your well rehearsed bluffing skills. Players will think twice before continuing to raise the pot when they know of your high fold rate. The longer the game goes the less likely they are to challenge you when you are aggressively raising, which translates into more wins coming your way by simly mastering the art of folding!

Another benefit to the art of folding is it gives you more opportunity to study the behavior of the other players at the table. You can make notes on who is a “maniac”, who uses the bluff too often and who is playing the same strategy as yours. Knowing the behavior patterns of the others at your table will help you determine how far you can take your strong plays and when it is best to execute your bluff.

This is the art of folding and how it improves your overall chances at a successful round of online poker. As with any part of your strategy, use the fold smartly and play smart to win big!

Culture Of Respect Working Party Established

A cross-industry working party has been established to agree an action plan that will pave the way for improving the culture of respect in British racing. In the wake of the Bryony Frost/Robbie Dunne case, in which Dunne was banned from riding for 18 months for prolonged bullying and intimidation of Frost, racing's major stakeholder bodies issued a statement last month reiterating their commitment to take wide-ranging action to offer support and education to industry participants around behaviours.

The representatives of the culture of respect working party, which will meet monthly and be chaired by the BHA's Head of Industry Training and Retention Adam Green, is also made up of the BHA's Head Of Diversity Rose Grissell, Legal Regulation Advisor Tomas Nolan and Communications Consultant Emma Rouse; National Trainers Federation Chief Executive Paul Johnson; Professional Jockeys Association Acting Chief Executive Dale Gibson and jockey representatives Page Fuller and Andrew Mullen; National Association Of Racing Staff Chief Executive George McGrath; Racehorse Owners Association Executive Assistant Ruth Diver; the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's Colin Bryce; the Racecourse Association's Raceday Experience and Communications Manager Paul Swain; Racing Welfare's Director Of Welfare Simone Sear; and independent representative Dr. Eleanor Boden.

“There has been progress in racing in recent years towards improving a culture of respect, but it is important that we all acknowledge that there is more to be done,” said Green. “Having been a part of conducting the Code of Conduct consultation across the industry, I am left in no doubt that there is an overwhelming appetite from all quarters to improve the culture of respect and make sure that everybody involved in the sport is supportive of one another. The working party reflects the commitment from everyone to effect meaningful change for the future of racing.”

The post Culture Of Respect Working Party Established appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Second Chances: Quality Road Midlantic Topper ‘Could Be Real Deal’

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar.

After getting checked sharply in the early stages of his belated unveiling at Fair Grounds last weekend, $1.5-million Fasig-Tipton Midlantic topper Vinco (c, 3, Quality Road–Stormy Welcome, by Storm Cat) produced a serious rally from last to finish a strong second Jan. 22 (video).

Off at a well-supported 7-2 sporting a 13-strong worktab for the patient Dallas Stewart barn dating back to late October, the West Point Thoroughbreds and Gervais Racing, LLC colorbearer was away in good order from his rail draw, but after taking a bump from a rival approaching the five-eighths marker and subsequently steadying beneath Brian Hernandez, Jr., dropped back abruptly to caboose the field of nine through an opening quarter in :22.15.

Finally re-emerging in the picture while still trailing by plenty as they straightened, Vinco began to roll in the stretch, impressively threading his way through the pack to come home in a field-best :12.65 and finish 2 3/4 lengths adrift fellow firster Ferociously (Violence). Vinco earned a 59 Beyer Speed Figure in the six-furlong affair.

“It was a situation where I'm glad he didn't get hurt,” Stewart said. “One horse hit another horse and that horse hit us, and knocked us up against the rail and we had to check out of there. It's just one of them things, but he came back running. He ran a big race just like we thought he would. I think he would've won easy if it didn't happen, but that's neither here nor there.

Looking ahead, Stewart added, “We're gonna stretch out probably for his next start. If you watch the replay, he galloped out with the winner. We'll see how he trains first and see how it goes. If everything goes good, we'll come back on [GII] Risen Star day [Feb. 19]. If he needs more time, I'll give him more time. We took a lot of time with him coming out of the sale. We think he's a really nice horse. Like I was telling [West Point's] Terry Finley, let's make a career of it. He could be the real deal.”

Vinco topped last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale after breezing an eighth in a powerful :10 from the Eddie Woods consignment on behalf of breeder Jon Clay's Alpha Delta. His third dam is bluehen mare Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), who, of course, produced the breed-shaping sire and Horse of the Year A.P. Indy.

Alpha Delta purchased Vinco's dam Stormy Welcome (Storm Cat) for $600,000 at the 2015 KEENOV sale. The unraced daughter of Welcome Surprise (Seeking the Gold) was previously a $1.6 million KEESEP yearling.

The Quality Road over Storm Cat cross is also responsible for three-time graded winner and young sire Blofeld. Vinco is bred similarly to Quality Road's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny; MGSW & MGISP Dr Post; and GSW & GISP Great Stuff, who were all produced by daughters of Storm Cat's Hennessy.

Previous standouts featured in 'Second Chances' include: two-time Breeders' Cup winner Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby winner and Lane's End stallion Honor A. P. (Honor Code), MGISW and 'TDN Rising Star' Paradise Woods (Union Rags), GIII Las Virgenes S. heroine Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), GII Los Alamitos Futurity winner and MGISP Spielberg (Union Rags), GSW Backyard Heaven (Tizway), MSW and 'TDN Rising Star' Gidu (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), GI Frizette S. third-place finisher A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo) and Discovery S. runner-up Speaker's Corner (Street Sense).

The post Second Chances: Quality Road Midlantic Topper ‘Could Be Real Deal’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post