Month: August 2022

Pennsylvania’s Day At The Races Draws 142 Entries For Monday’s 13-Race Card

The date of the 21st annual Pennsylvania Day at the Races was circled on many calendars as a total of 142 entries were taken for the 13-race extravaganza for Pennsylvania-breds worth over $1 million, including seven $100,000 stakes, to be run on Monday, Aug. 22, at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn.

This year's card of stakes offerings was expanded from five to seven with the addition of two restricted to Pennsylvania-bred and -sired 2-year-olds, which have proven extremely popular, each attracting 12 entries. Going off as the ninth and 10th races, the first up will be the $100,000 Miss Blue Tye Dye for fillies. The 2/1 morning-line favorite is Flor de Sombra (by Social Inclusion), winner of her only start on July 26 at Parx by nearly eight lengths. The morning-line favorite at 7/2 for the $100,000 Whistle Pig is the Weigelia colt Ninetyprcentmaddie, winner against open company in his only start on July 9 at Parx.

Chub Wagon, the 2021 Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year, headlines the six-furlong $100,000 Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial, going off the seventh race at 3:47 p.m. The only loss of her 13-start career came in last year's Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial where she finished second. Daniel J. Lopez and George Chestnut's 5-year-old mare has won four stakes since.

Winners of the past two runnings of the $100,000 Marshall Jenney Handicap, Admiral Abe and The Critical Way, come in as the top two choices this year. The Critical Way is the morning-line favorite at 6/5 for the turf sprint going off as the eighth race. The last time he ran at Parx was a win in last August's Gr.3 Parx Dash Stakes at the same distance.

A highly-competitive field of fillies and mares are set for the second turf race of the day, the $100,000 Mrs. Penny Stakes, the sixth race and first stakes on the card run at about a mile and a sixteenth. The slight 5/2 favorite in the field of 10 (with one on the also eligible list for main track only) is Love in the Air, who was last seen finishing third in the Gr.3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes at Parx in July. Maldives Model, who defeated Love in the Air in the Lyphard Stakes at Penn National in June, is the 3-1 second choice.

The $100,000 Banjo Picker Sprint at six furlongs (race 11) sees defending champion Fortheluvofbourbon making a return. The 5-year-old has won nine of his 15 career starts at Parx, but is the morning-line second choice at 3-1 behind Beren (5/2), who comes in off a dazzling performance in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes at Laurel Park in July.

The final stakes on the card is the $100,000 Storm Cat, run at one mile and 70 yards. Too Boss (3/1), a dominating winner last out in allowance company at the same distance, leads the wide-open affair for older runners.

Two $70,000 allowance races and four $60,000 maiden special weights round out the card, with 2-year-olds seeking their first win in three of the races, including the oversubscribed fourth race for fillies, with a full field of 12 and two also-eligibles.

First post is 12:55 p.m.

The remaining 2022 schedule for Pennsylvania-bred stakes races is available here.

The post Pennsylvania’s Day At The Races Draws 142 Entries For Monday’s 13-Race Card appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Rosario Set For Record-Breaking Saratoga Meet

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – It's not your imagination that jockey Joel Rosario is having a big summer at Saratoga.

Rosario, 37, is very much in the hunt for the overall title, a competition led by Irad Ortiz, Jr. Through Thursday's program, Ortiz had 37 wins, eight more than Rosario. However, in graded stakes races, Rosario is far and away the leader with 10 victories from 19 starts, a remarkable 53% win rate. Ortiz is next with five.

With the 10, Rosario is in position to smash the current record of 11 graded stakes wins in a Saratoga season. According to Equibase stats, Hall of Famers Javier Castellano and John Velazquez share the record of 11. Castellano won 11 of 31 graded stakes starts in 2015 and Velazquez, who is nearing 1,000 wins at the track, finished first in 11 of 23 graded stakes in 2005. At 10, Rosario is on level with Castellano (2016) and Jerry Bailey (2001).

“It's unbelievable what we've done early,” Rosario said. “Thanks to all the people who gave us the opportunity. My agent, Ron Anderson, has done a really great job for me. We appreciate the opportunities from the owners and the trainers.”

Rosario is no stranger to success. The native of the Dominican Republic has finished in the top 10 in North American jockey earnings for 13 years, has a resume filled with graded stakes wins, including 13 in the Breeders' Cup. Last year, he had a career year, riding horses that earned $32,956,215 and secured his first Eclipse Award as champion jockey.

In 2020, Rosario was the leading graded stakes winner at Saratoga with seven. Last summer, he finished in a tie with Luis Saez for the top spot at six. This year, he had seven graded wins in the first 13 days of the 40-day season.

“We always are looking for a good meet,” Rosario said, “But, we've been doing really well this year.”

During the first four days of the meet, Rosario won the July 15 GIII Forbidden Apple S. with City Man (Mucho Macho Man) for trainer Christophe Clement; the GI Diana S. on In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) for Chad Brown July 16; and the GIII Quick Call S. on Big Invasion (Declaration of War) for Clement July 17. He completed the month with three wins for Steve Asmussen: the GII Shuvee S. on Clairiere (Curlin) July 24, the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt S. on Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) and the GII Jim Dandy S. on Epicenter (Not This Time).

In August, he won the GII National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame S. on Ready to Purrform (Kitten's Joy) for Brad Cox Aug. 5 and the next day won the GI Test S. on Chi Town Lady Verrazano) for Wesley Ward and the GII Glens Falls on War Like Goddess (English Channel) for Bill Mott.

Six trainers. Dirt. Turf. Sprints. Routes.

Starting on Saturday with the GI Alabama and the GII Lake Placid, there are 17 graded stakes left in the Saratoga season. Rosario has the mount on Haughty (Empire Maker) for Brown in the Lake Placid and will ride Gerrymander (Into Mischief) for Brown in the Alabama. He is likely to be up on contenders in most of the remaining graded stakes, including the Asmussen triumvirate of Epicenter in the GI Runhappy Travers S., Jackie's Warrior in the GI Forego S. and Clairiere in the GI Personal Ensign.

In 2015, six of Castellano's 11 wins were in Grade I races. Velazquez had five Grade I winners in 2005. So far, Rosario has three.

The post Rosario Set For Record-Breaking Saratoga Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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CHRB Votes To Recognize Santa Anita’s 2019 Agreement With California Thoroughbred Trainers

The California Horse Racing Board conducted a public meeting at the Del Mar Hilton on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022. Chairman Gregory Ferraro chaired the meeting, joined by Vice Chair Oscar Gonzales and Commissioners Dennis Alfieri, Damascus Castellanos, and Wendy Mitchell.

The audio of this entire Board meeting is available on the CHRB Website (www.chrb.ca.gov) under the Webcast link. In brief:

  • The Board approved the license for Los Angeles Turf Club II to conduct a Thoroughbred race meet at Santa Anita Park that will operate from Sept. 30 through Nov. 6. By a 4-1 vote (Chairman Ferraro the minority) the Board recognized Santa Anita's 2019 agreement with the California Thoroughbred Trainers while the two parties continue to negotiate the terms of a new agreement.
  • The Board approved the license for Los Alamitos Horse Racing Association to conduct a two-week Thoroughbred race meet at Los Alamitos that will operate from Sept. 16 to Sept. 25. This day meet will run concurrently with the night Quarter Horse meet at Los Alamitos. In conjunction with this license, the Board approved an agreement between Los Alamitos and the Thoroughbred Owners of California regarding entry conditions.
  • The Board approved the nominations of Camilla Yakteen, Ken Smole, and Rick Gold to continue serving as directors of the California Thoroughbred Horsemen's Foundation. CTHF provides medical and dental services as well as other benefits to workers in the California horse racing industry, partly funded by a share of revenue from pari-mutuel wagering.
  • The Board approved the distribution of revenue from Advance Deposit Wagering for a continuing marketing program at Sonoma County Fair.
  • CHRB Executive Director Scott Chaney reminded the Board that the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) is slated to introduce measures on January 1 involving uniform medication and classification standards, as well as adjudication protocols. These will differ from the safety measures introduced by HISA on July 1. Chaney anticipates HISA naming the Maddy Laboratory at UC Davis as an approved testing site, and the CHRB is working with HISA to ensure such approval.
  • Public comments made during the meeting can be accessed through the meeting audio archive on the CHRB website.

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