June, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Belmont Stakes Card Generates Total Wagering Of $98,766,906

Saturday's blockbuster Belmont Stakes Day card, highlighted by Mo Donegal's thrilling victory in the 154th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, generated all-sources handle of $98,766,906

On-track handle for the 13-race Belmont Stakes Day card at the Elmont, N.Y., track, which included eight Grade 1 races among nine total stakes, was $9,530,303.

All-sources handle for the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, carded as Race 11, was $50,248,624.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which featured 17 stakes and 33 races in total from Thursday through Saturday, June 9-11, generated all-sources handle of $127,810,604.

The construction of UBS Arena, which opened its doors to the public in November, has significantly altered and reduced the size of the Belmont Park backyard. As a result of this change to the property, Belmont Park is currently operating at fan capacity of 50,000.

Paid attendance on Belmont Stakes Day was 46,301.

The Belmont Park spring/summer meet continues through July 10. For additional information, visit NYRA.com.

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Belmont Day Generates $98 Million In All-Sources Handle

Edited Press Release

Saturday's Belmont S. Day card, highlighted by Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo)'s victory in the 154th running of the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets, generated all-sources handle of $98,766,906.

On-track handle for the 13-race program, which included eight top-level races among nine total stakes, was $9,530,303. All-sources handle for the Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets alone was $50,248,624.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which featured 17 stakes and 33 races in total from Thursday through Saturday, June 9-11, generated all-sources handle of $127,810,604.

Paid attendance on Belmont Stakes Day was 46,301.

The post Belmont Day Generates $98 Million In All-Sources Handle appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Making Stakes Debut, Hopper Romps From Gate To Wire In Affirmed At Santa Anita

With the legendary former jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. on hand to present the trophy for the race named in honor of racing's 1978 Triple Crown winner, trainer Sean McCarthy was set to pass the proverbial baton back to Bob Baffert following Saturday's $100,000 Affirmed Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita, as his one-two finishers, Hopper and High Connection, will be returning to the currently suspended Baffert early next month.

As for Saturday's results, Hopper, in only his third career start and stakes debut, made short work of three rivals, two of them originally conditioned by Baffert, as he showed the way from gate to wire for an emphatic 5 ¼ length score under Abel Cedillo, covering 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.83. He set early fractions of :23.37, :46.74, and 1:10.99 through six furlongs.

Quick from gate, Hopper was in total command from his rail post with Doppelganger in close attendance in the run up the backside, but even with Drayden Van Dyke asking him, Doppenganger could never get on terms around the far turn and Hopper strode clear through the lane with High Connection just up for the place.

“I saw Juan (Hernandez) asking the other horse (High Connection) at about the 3 ½ mark to get into contention and Doppelganger was moving at the same time, but Hopper was just cruising on the front end, so I had pretty good feeling,” said McCarthy, who also addressed the pending return of Hopper to the Bob Baffert Stable in early July.

“With either one of these two, Hopper and High Connection, it'll be a Del Mar plan I would imagine. What it is, I don't know, but I would assume that's where they're going to be heading and you know, by that time, I'm out of the picture.

“But it was really neat for me today, because I was just a huge Affirmed fan. He was one of the greatest horses of all time. On the bus to school, half the guys were Alydar fans and half of them were Affirmed fans. I know it's a Grade 3 and a $100,000 (purse), but it's really special, especially with Laffit here to present the trophy.”

Well beaten in his six furlong turf debut for Baffert on Feb. 25, Hopper, in his first start for McCarthy, switched to the main track at Santa Anita on May 7 and responded with a 2 ¼-length maiden score with Hernandez up.

With Cedillo aboard for the first time Saturday, Hopper was the third choice in the wagering among four sophomores and paid $8.60.

A $90,000 Keeneland September Yearling from the Paramount Sales consignment, Hopper, who is by Declaration of War out of South African-bred Irridescence, by Caesour, is owned by Lanni Bloodstock, SF Racing, LLC, and Madaket Stables, LLC. He was bred in Kentucky by Green Lantern Stables. With the $60,000 winner's share of the Affirmed purse, he increased his earnings to $100,700.

“I never rode the horse; Sean, he doesn't use jockeys to work in the mornings,” said Cedillo. “I watched his last race and he was sharp. So the key was just to get a good break and take it from there. When I left the gate, he was just so relaxed, I was confident with him.”

Off at even money, High Connection finished a half length in front of Doppelganger.

Trained by Tim Yakteen, 7-5 second choice Doppelganger finished 35 lengths in front of Pioneering Papa, fourth and last.

Hopper's Affirmed win marked Cedillo's first stakes score of the meet and his third win on the day, giving him 43 total.

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Hopper Tops Affirmed Exacta for McCarthy at Santa Anita

While the 3-year-old picture was focused primarily in New York Saturday with the GI Belmont S. and the GI Woody Stephens S., Hopper (Declaration of War) threw his hat into the ring from the other coast with a facile victory in the GIII Affirmed S. at Santa Anita. It was a short field, but the exacta horses both hailed from the Sean McCarthy barn while the trifecta was filled out by three former Bob Baffert pupils.

When the stall doors flew, Hopper immediately hightailed it the front from the one post. He stayed on the inside, moving easily and getting the first quarter in :23.37. 'TDN Rising Star' and GSP Doppelganger (Into Mischief) drafted in second, just off his flank and to the outside as Hopper threw down a half in :46.74, still moving smoothly. Abel Cedillo roused him in the stretch, leaving Doppelganger far behind, and the dark bay drew clear to win by 5 1/4 lengths while stablemate High Connection (Connect) passed Doppelganger late. Hopper gave the impression of being out for a morning breeze, making it look easy as he dominated the field.

“I saw Juan [Hernandez] asking [High Connection] at about the three-and-a-half to get into contention and Doppelganger was moving at the same time, but Hopper was just cruising on the front end, so I had a pretty good feeling,” said McCarthy.

Owned by Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables, and SF Racing, Hopper debuted for Baffert Feb. 25 in a six-furlong maiden special weight over this surface, getting bumped at the start and again just after the three-eighths pole. He didn't reappear again until May 7 after that troubled beginning, and by then he'd been transferred to the McCarthy barn. Going seven furlongs that day, he went wide to win by 2 1/4 lengths and register an 87 Beyer. The Affirmed was only his third career start. McCarthy has indicated both Hopper and the runner-up will return to Baffert when the Hall of Famer returns from his suspension next month.

Pedigree Notes:
War Front's European champion and MG1SW Declaration of War is the sire of Hopper and 32 other Northern Hemisphere-bred black-type winners. Among his 17 graded winners are Canadian champion Mr. Hustle, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Fire At Will, GISW Decorated Invader, French G1SW Olmedo (Fr), and MGISW Gufo, who was also third in the GI Manhattan S. Saturday. Declaration of War stood at Coolmore in Ireland, America, and Australia before moving to Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan ahead of the 2019 season.

Hopper is out of Irridescence (SAf), a champion and MG1SW in her native country. She traveled all over the world for major races, winning Hong Kong's G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup, and placing in the GI Beverly D. S. in the U.S., the G1 Falmouth S. in England, and the G2 Haafhd Jebel Hatta in Dubai. Hopper is her first stakes winner. She did not produce foals in 2020 or 2021 after being bred to Noble Mission (GB) both times, and was last bred to Air Force Blue. Her sire, the Nureyev stallion Caesour, has 16 stakes winners out of his daughters, including the 2020 GI Jaipur S. winner Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), a mare who beat the boys more than once.

Saturday, Santa Anita
AFFIRMED S.-GIII, $98,000, Santa Anita, 6-11, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.83, ft.
1–HOPPER, 120, c, 3, by Declaration of War
1st Dam: Irridescence (Saf) (Ch. 3-year-old Filly-SAF, MG1SW-SAF, G1SW-HK,
SW & GSP-UAE, G1SP-Eng, GISP-USA, $1,578,910), by Caesour
2nd Dam: Meretricious (Saf), by Dancing Champ
3rd Dam: Capitoline (Saf), by Elevation (Saf)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000 Ylg
'20 KEESEP). O-Lanni Bloodstock, Madaket Stables LLC and SF
Racing LLC; B-Green Lantern Stables, LLC (KY); T-Sean
McCarthy; J-Abel Cedillo. $60,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0,
$100,700. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–High Connection, 120, c, 3, Connect–Forest Legend, by Forest
Camp. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($75,000
Ylg '20 KEESEP; $290,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR). O-HRH Prince
Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-G. Watts Humphrey (KY); T-Sean
McCarthy. $20,000.
3–Doppelganger, 120, c, 3, Into Mischief–Twice the Lady, by
Quiet American. ($570,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). 'TDN Rising Star'.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC,
Robert E. Masterson, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge
Capital LLC, Catherine M. Donovan, Golconda Stable, Siena
Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-Tim Yakteen. $12,000.
Margins: 5 1/4, HF, 35. Odds: 3.30, 1.00, 1.40.
Also Ran: Pioneering Papa. Scratched: Fast Draw Munnings, Newgrange.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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