After Oak Hill (Odin) and my first show, I sat down to look at the schedule of local shows and map out a path that concluded with the Thoroughbred Makeover in October.
Month: July 2022
Reasons To Play Blackjack
Blackjack is by far the most popular table game at online casinos. The reason for this is that if blackjack is played to a correct strategy, the house edge is less than one percent. This is the lowest house edge of any table game. However, most casinos plan based on a house edge of around two per cent. This is simply because they know that most people will not play a correct strategy. Many players give the house a massive advantage by playing erratically (“I know the blackjack has to come right now!”). So, betting decisions made by the player actually affect the advantage that the house holds. In games like roulette, the house edge is 5.26%. Each spin is a completely independent event. The house edge therefore does not change, and cannot be influenced by the player.
In blackjack, events are dependent. This is because as each card is drawn, the possible outcomes of future draws change, as the deck has changes. The more big cards remain in the deck, the more the player is favored. Advantage constantly shifts back and forth between the player and the dealer. Herein lies the basis of card counting. Successful card counters know when the odds favor them, but card counting is a subject all on its own. The issue is that you do not need to be a card counter to bring the house edge down to near one percent.
A mathematically strategy is possible because the dealer and the player are constrained to a set of rules. Basic blackjack strategy has been known for years and many simulations have been run by experts to devise a strategy. With a basic strategy, the player will decide the action to take based on the exposed cards. This will involve hitting or standing on that basis.
In blackjack you want to beat the dealer and get as close as possible to 21. As the player always acts first, you want to sometimes stand on a lower hand in the hope that the dealer will draw a card that will result in a bust. Even if the dealers bust, players who have already bust always lose. Therefore, players have to learn how to play a hand correctly to insure the best outcome based on the mathematically correct strategy.
Blackjack is fun and allows for a correct mathematical strategy, and it is not hard to learn. The great thing about online blackjack is that you can play with the strategy chart right next to you, and make correct decisions on that basis.
Maryland Track Surface Meeting: Communication, Consistency Stressed By All Parties
A meeting to provide an update on the racing surfaces at Laurel Park last Wednesday included a discussion on ensuring trainers and regulatory veterinarians regularly communicate when horses are injured during training hours.
During the June 29 meeting hosted by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and held via Zoom, several trainers said they've had horses suffer injuries—some minor and others more serious—during training hours at Laurel. Trainer Lacey Gaudet, a member of the MTHA Board of Directors, said some trainers are scared to breeze horses, and that some horses “don't come back well” after doing so.
Mike Rogers, Acting President of the Maryland Jockey Club, said the MJC is “not getting that information in real time. A few trainers voluntarily report right away but obviously others do not. The data will help identify problems and modify (surface) maintenance practices. We're clearly trying to look for trends.”
David Hayden, a member of the Maryland Racing Commission, said at least one trainer indicated he was unaware of the need to report injuries as well as the status of the horses. Hayden suggested redesigning a “departure form”—used when horses leave the premises—to include where a horse is going and the name of the attending veterinarian, who can provide health information on a horse. That information can then be given to the association and regulatory veterinarians.
Regarding the surface, Track Superintendent Chris Bosley said a representative of Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory was on site the third week of June to shoot grades, take dirt samples and perform a depth analysis. He said the Laurel Park surface was deemed in compliance with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's Racetrack Safety Program, which was launched July 1.
“There are always a few things we can do a little better,” Bosley said, “but for our current meet we are compliant with HISA.”
In response to feedback from jockeys and trainers on the consistency of the dirt surface during morning training Bosley said the maintenance crew began watering the surface after the first break, not just after the second break, depending on weather and other conditions.
“It's definitely something you will see us continue to do,” Bosley said. “Whatever we are doing, we want to be consistent with it. Obviously the weather will dictate that, but the more we get into a rhythm and do the same things day in and day out, the better it will be.”
“We want to make sure the track is kind and safe,” Rogers said. “I won't cut any costs. Whatever has to be done, I'll do it.”
The goal is to hold meetings on the Maryland racing surfaces every few weeks going forward. Participants will work on improving the information reporting system based on Hayden's suggestion and those of others.
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Stephen Foster Win Propels Olympiad To Third Position In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings
Following his convincing win in Saturday's Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable, LLC, and LNJ Foxwoods' Olympiad has risen from seventh place to third in the latest Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 5.
Hronis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing, LLC's undefeated 4-year-old Flightline remains at No. 1 in the rankings with 260 votes, which includes 21 first-place votes. CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC's 4-year-old Life Is Good, a 6-length winner in Saturday's 7-furlong John A. Nerud Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park, improved from third to second place in the poll, with 201 votes.
Olympiad, a 4-year-old son of Speightstown, is now five for five this year. His 2 ¼-length victory over Americanrevolution in the Stephen Foster was his second consecutive score at Churchill Downs, having won the Alysheba Stakes (G2) on May 6. Olympiad earned 192 votes, including three first-place votes.
Country Grammer, owned by Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, LLC, WinStar Farm LLC, and Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., dropped one spot to fourth place. Winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1), the 5-year-old son of Tonalist registered 185 votes. Boat Racing, LLC, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing and William Strauss' 4-year-old Hot Rod Charlie (127 votes), runner-up in the Dubai World Cup, dropped one spot to fifth place.
Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC's 3-year-old Epicenter (83 votes), second in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Preakness Stakes (G1), jumped two spots from eighth place to sixth this week. Also moving up two spots is Klaravich Stables Inc.'s 3-year-old Early Voting, who won the Preakness Stakes. Early Voting is now in seventh place with 75 votes. Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant's undefeated 3-year-old Jack Christopher, winner of both the Pat Day Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Woody Stephens (G1) at Belmont Park this year, is now in eighth place with 70 votes.
Three new horses entered the top 10 this week, beginning with CRK Stable LLC's 5-year-old Express Train. Winner of the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), Express Train comes into the rankings in ninth place with 43 votes. Tied for 10th place with 37 votes apiece are CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC's 4-year-old Americanrevolution, and Jeff Drown's 3-year-old Zandon, who captured the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, and finished third in the Kentucky Derby.
Godolphin's Mandaloun, fourth in the Stephen Foster, and Donegal Racing and Repole Stable's Mo Donegal, who has been taken out of training due bone bruising, have both dropped out of the top 10.
The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.
In the Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – July 5, 2022*
| Rank | Horse | Votes | First-Place Votes | Previous Week |
| 1 | Flightline | 260 | 21 | 1 |
| 2 | Life is Good | 201 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Olympiad | 192 | 3 | 7 |
| 4 | Country Grammer | 185 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Hot Rod Charlie | 127 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Epicenter | 83 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Early Voting | 75 | 0 | 9 |
| 8 | Jack Christopher | 70 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Express Train | 43 | 0 | 11 |
| 10 | Americanrevolution | 37 | 0 | Not rated |
| 10 | Zandon | 37 | 0 | 12 |
The post Stephen Foster Win Propels Olympiad To Third Position In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
