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Month: March 2023
FanDuel TV’s Weekend Coverage Highlighted By Four Derby Preps, Big ‘Cap
This weekend, FanDuel TV will showcase world class horse racing from coast to coast featuring major stops on the road to the Kentucky Derby including the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) from Gulfstream, the San Felipe Stakes (G2) from Santa Anita, the Gotham Stakes (G3) from Aqueduct and the John Battaglia Stakes from Turfway Park. The broadcast will also include exclusive coverage of the prestigious Santa Anita Handicap (G1) on Saturday.
FanDuel TV's Simon Bray, Mike Joyce, Caleb Keller, Joaquin Jaime, Christina Blacker and Kurt Hoover will be live from Santa Anita with exclusive interviews, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes coverage and the coverage will also include the utilization of the popular Jockey Cam as well as a drone camera.
With 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby points on the line in the $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2), the race has drawn a field of eleven Triple Crown hopefuls. Tim Yakteen will saddle five contenders including Practical Move, the winner of the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). The $500,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) has attracted a field of eleven older horses including Proxy, a homebred for Godolphin for trainer Michael Stidham. The Grade 1 winner was last seen finishing fifth in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and will be ridden by John Velazquez.
The stakes-laden card from Gulfstream Park on Saturday features nine stakes races culminating in the $500,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) with 50-20-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line for the top five finishers. FanDuel TV will have expanded coverage of the fourteen-race card with insights, analysis and interviews from Todd Schrupp, Scott Hazelton, Andie Biancone, Matt Bernier, Larry Collmus and Caton Bredar. There will be on-track reporting from horseback from Biancone as well as the Jockey Cam and Drone Cam to give fans watching at home an in-depth experience.
The $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), a stepping stone on the way to the Florida Derby (G1) on April 1, has a field of ten headlined by FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and Eclipse champion Forte. The dark bay son of Violence is a four-time winner and will have Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard for trainer Todd Pletcher. His rivals include Grade 1 winning juvenile Blazing Sevens who will be making his first start of the year for trainer Chad Brown.
In addition to racing from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, FanDuel TV will also be featuring Aqueduct, Turfway Park and more.
The post FanDuel TV’s Weekend Coverage Highlighted By Four Derby Preps, Big ‘Cap appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Jockey Alex Canchari Passes Away
Midwest-based jockey Alex Chanchari passed away Wednesday at the age of 29.
His passing was confirmed in a tweet by Canterbury Park, where Canchari had 334 career winners.
“Alex Canchari achieved his dream as a jockey, following in the footsteps of his father and brother,” the tweet read. “The news of this talented and genuine young man's death has deeply saddened the Canterbury Park family.”
Though no cause of death had been revealed by Thursday morning, it appears that Canchari's death involved mental health issues.
“My heart physically hurts,” his sister, Ashley, wrote on Facebook. “I'm so sorry you were in so much pain Alex and thought there was no other way out. I know you're happy again with Dad. I don't even know what else to say, this is an unbelievable loss.”
The Canchari family has had to deal with a number of devastating setbacks in recent years. Family patriarch Luis Canchari, who came to the U.S. from Peru and was a jockey and a trainer, passed away in December of 2020. That same year, Canchari's brother Patrick suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car wreck near Turf Paradise. Doctors told his family the injury could keep him in a vegetated state the rest of his life, but he has made notable progress in recent months.
“This family has gone to hell and back several times,” said Terry Meyocks, president and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild.
Canchari, a native of Shakopee, Minnesota, where Canterbury Park is located, began his career in 2011. He had one of his best years in 2012, winning 101 races. He had 1,044 wins during his career and has career earnings of $28,619,989. Canchari had not ridden since Oct. 2 at Prairie Meadows.
Canchari's death came about seven weeks after jockey Avery Whisman passed away at 23. Whisman's family also brought up mental health issues when discussing his death.
“We've been talking to HISA about jockeys and the mental health issues they face since November,” Meyocks said. “It's on the top of our list and is something that needs to be discussed. This is a tough game. Hall of Fame jockeys win at 18-20 percent and regular jocks when less than that. They get taken off of horses. The foal crop is down and there's fewer opportunities for them. With the daily trials and tribulations of being a jockey it's clear to see why depression sets in.”
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Del Mar Aiming to Take Record Purses Higher
Edited Press Release
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club projected its most lucrative racing season ever last summer, then backed it up with a record-breaking meet that saw purse levels total above $25 million for the session resulting in an unprecedented average purse payout of more than $800,000 per day. Those numbers, the highest in California racing history, are in the track's sites once again with the aim to go even bigger for this year's 31-day stand, which will be the iconic track's 84th season.
As it did in 2022, the seaside oval will present 39 major stakes, six of which are designated as Breeders' Cup Challenges races, offering a total of $8,275,000 during its eight-week summer run. It also will continue its “Ship & Win” program to attract more horses to come and take part in the summer festivities and continue with its well-received Maiden Dirt Bonus plan, which was fully implemented last summer.
Del Mar's summer meet set records in 2022 with more than $18.7 million in daily average handle and a robust 9.1 average field size, ranking it high up among the nation's elite racing programs.
“We were absolutely thrilled by the huge response last year from our horsemen and horsewomen and our fans,” said Del Mar's executive vice president and director of racing Tom Robbins. “The racing throughout the summer was extremely safe and first-rate. Obviously, 2022 set a very high bar on all levels; we're excited for the challenge of continuing these very strong trends.”
“Del Mar is the pinnacle of racing in the United States,” said Thoroughbred Owners of California chairman Gary Fenton. “And the success is enjoyed by and trickles down to all of California. Every summer gets bigger and better and it's all due to the tremendous work put in by DMTC and our horsemen and horsewomen.”
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