May, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘I Doubt There’s One With A Better Turn Of Foot’ – Foxes Team High On Derby Chance

International bloodstock agent Alastair Donald, who purchased Thursday's G2 Dante S. winner The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) on behalf of the King Power team, is backing the colt to get the Derby trip at Epsom.

The Foxes was cut into a general 8-1 chance for Derby glory after winning the key trial at York for trainer Andrew Balding and the in-form jockey Oisin Murphy.

He hails from a family the connections know well, given the half-brother Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) carried the blue and white silks of King Power with great distinction, and Donald had to go to 440,000gns to secure him at Book 1 at Tattersalls from his breeders Barronstown Stud.

Donald recalled, “We had a natural affiliation towards the pedigree with Bangkok being a good horse for the King Power team but, even without Bangkok being in the pedigree, the mare is faultless. To be honest, he was a better-looking horse than Bangkok was as a yearling. Bangkok is a very elegant horse but this fella is even more so.

“He had more scope than Bangkok, however, he is still quite an old-fashioned and pretty horse–he almost looks like a show horse in the ring, accentuated by the flashiness of his white socks etc. But, walking around the paddock, he's a horse who naturally catches the eye.”

Thursday proved that The Foxes, who hails from that outstanding broodmare Tanaghum (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), dam of six black-type performers including Matterhorn (Ire) (Raven's Pass), has an engine to match his looks.

His progression has delighted Donald, who put forward the colt's potent turn of foot as a key asset with a view towards winning the Derby.

He said, “From the moment he won the Royal Lodge, it was always going to be the plan for him to run in the Craven as a stepping stone towards the Dante. Now it's on to the big one, all being well.

“The fact that he switches off and relaxes so much more than Bangkok used to–he was very much a 10-furlong horse and was always on it a bit–gives him a great chance of getting the Derby trip.”

Donald added, “He relaxes a lot better than Bangkok did and, obviously, his full-sister Perotan (Ire) stayed two miles. I wouldn't go to Epsom beating the drum saying, yes, he'll definitely get the 12 furlongs, but I think there are plenty of things to suggest that he will. And, if he does, I doubt there will be a horse in the Derby with a better turn of foot than he has.”

Asked what victory at Epsom would mean to the team, Donald concluded, “King Power have put a lot of money into the game and this is what it is all about–winning big races. We've had some nice horses and winners at Royal Ascot. We've had Group 1 winners and Winter Power (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) has been great for us, but the Derby is everyone's dream and it's very hard to get a runner in the race, let alone one with a decent chance.”

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‘I Needed A Challenge’: Tom Durkin Returning To Announcer’s Booth For Fox Sports’ Belmont Stakes Broadcast

Legendary announcer Tom Durkin will return to the booth for the first time since 2014 to call this year's Belmont Stakes for the Fox Sports television broadcast, The Athletic reports.

Fox Sports secured the broadcast rights for the third leg of the Triple Crown for the next eight years, taking over from NBC. Durkin said he was approached by Fox Sports executives Mike Mulvihill and Pete Macheska at last year's Belmont Stakes about calling the race when the network picked up the broadcast, and after a week of deliberation, he took the deal.

“I really hadn't given it that much thought until they raised the possibility,” Durkin told The Athletic. “I was pretty good retired, but I didn't have many challenges in my life. Calling races was the driving force of my adult life. That was my identity. It's what I did until I didn't. So I needed a challenge.”

Durkin told The Athletic that he is only contracted for the Belmont, and he did not have visions of returning to announcing full-time, though the Belmont could spark other temporary appearances down the road. Performance anxiety was a significant factor toward Durkin's retirement, and he said he has already begun self-hypnosis therapy to help manage the stress.

Durkin, 72, was the announcer for NBC's broadcast of the Triple Crown from 2001 to 2010, and he was in the booth for every Breeders' Cup card from its inaugural event in 1984 to 2005. He spent the final 24 years of his 43-year career calling the races as the lead announcer on the NYRA circuit.

Australia: Big Fields For Doomben Cup Card

Zaaki seeks to avenge a shock defeat in the 2022 Doomben Cup when he heads a fascinating renewal of the Group 1 feature this Friday night. Zaaki's shot at redemption includes a rematch with last year's surprise winner, Huetor, plus the challenge of overcoming some intriguingly spotted fresh opposition. While America's racing fans lament the size and quality of the Preakness field and some of Pimlico's supporting stakes, the Doomben Cup's 13 entrants make it the smallest field this Friday night at Brisbane's Doomben Racecourse. There were 137 horses (not counting also eligibles) entered across nine races, ensuring great spectacles and unparalleled wagering value. The first post is at 9:43 p.m. Eastern or 6:43 p.m. Pacific.

Regardless of how many Group 1 winners pass through the stables of Annabel Neasham, Zaaki will always hold pride of place in the young trainer's heart. Both English imports, it was Zaaki who put Neasham on the map Down Under. Within a year of attaining her license, Neasham's star was on the rise as Zaaki burst onto the scene with wins during the 2021 “Queensland Winter Carnival” – including the Doomben Cup by a whopping seven lengths.

In last year's renewal, Zaaki could manage only third as the odds-on favorite behind 15-1 winner Huetor. While Huetor has been winless since, Zaaki tuned up for the Doomben Cup by winning the G2 Hollindale Stakes for the third straight year (his 10^th stakes victory, pushing his career earnings north of AU$10 million). Huetor ran him to a half-length at the finish, but Zaaki's performance was meritorious after being forced to work hard early in the race from a wide gate. The enduring 8-year-old gelding continues to perform at a high level for a trainer barely into her 30s and is a clear favorite again this year at 6-5.

Splitting Zaaki and Huetor (10-1) in the wagering is an intriguing addition to the field, Kovalica (7-1). The highly promising 3-year-old was scratched from a stakes race last weekend against his own age, due to a hoof abscess. Kovalica recovered quickly and, while his target race is next week's G1 Queensland Derby, trainer Chris Waller has entered him in the Doomben Cup against older horses in a stiff test of his potential. Bookmakers are showing Kovalica and his master trainer great respect (Waller has also entered the mare Atishu, who shares the third line of wagering with Huetor at 10-1).

Several other excellent stakes races adorn Friday night's card, including the highly competitive BRC Sprint (Race 8 at 6-3/4 furlongs), in which the top four horses in wagering are priced between 9-2 and 8-1. The winner will punch a ticket to Queensland's premier race, the AU$3 million Stradbroke Handicap, at seven furlongs on June 9. The last of nine races, The Roses, is a key prep for the the G1 Queensland Oaks on June 2. Brisbane's “Winter Carnival” of racing will see 28 stakes races (18 Graded) contested across the next four Friday nights.

The Doomben card will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV this Friday night (First Post: 9:43 p.m. ET / 6:43 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Newcastle and Belmont. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, FanDuel and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances, and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

The post Australia: Big Fields For Doomben Cup Card appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Tom Durkin Returns to Call the Belmont Stakes on Fox

Tom Durkin will return to the announcers booth to call the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10, according to a press release from FOX Sports.

In addition to calling the Belmont Stakes, Durkin will announce all races aired during the network's Belmont Stakes Day coverage on FOX–scheduled for 4:00-7:30 p.m. Eastern. FOX Sports presents the Belmont Stakes for the first time in 2023 as part of the agreement establishing the network as the home of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival through 2030.

“This is yet another example of FOX' commitment to producing a dynamic broadcast of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets,” said NYRA Chief Revenue Officer Tony Allevato. “Tom Durkin's calls are synonymous with the very biggest moments in the sport, and his return to the announcer's booth will be a thrill for sports fans around the country.”

One of the most respected announcers in the sport, Durkin called some 80,000 races during his storied 43-year career, the last 24 years of which he spent as the NYRA announcer before his retirement in 2014.

“The Belmont Stakes has been an iconic part of sports culture for more than 150 years, “said Durkin. “There is nothing like the energy and enthusiasm around Belmont Park with a Triple Crown on the line. It is the apotheosis of excitement.”

“We are honored to have the legendary Tom Durkin return for the Belmont Stakes this year,” said FOX Sports President of Production/Operations and Executive Producer Brad Zager. “When it became official that an iconic piece of the historic Triple Crown would air on FOX, we knew it could only be complete with Tom's voice as the soundtrack.”

Born in Chicago, Durkin studied theatre at St. Norbert College and began calling races at county fairs in Wisconsin in the summer of 1971. In 1975, he moved on to announce at a string of small Midwestern tracks, before landing the job at famed Hialeah Race Course in 1981. Three years later, Durkin became the announcer for the Breeders' Cup, a position he held until 2005, and gained further prominence calling the Triple Crown for a decade beginning in 2001.

“The stretch duel of the 1998 Belmont Stakes remains the most thrilling race I have ever had the privilege to call,” added Durkin. “Those are the kinds of races and individual moments that stay with us forever, and I can't wait to give it another go come June 10.” Victory Gallop got up for a narrow victory to deny Real Quiet the Triple Crown, with Durkin saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words. This photo is worth five million dollars,” referring to what would have been Real Quiet's bonus payout for winning the Triple Crown.

Just prior to his retirement, The New York Times referred to Durkin as “the man widely considered the greatest race caller in the history of thoroughbred racing.” In 2015, Durkin was honored with the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the sport of thoroughbred racing.

This year's Belmont marks the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown and his track-record setting performance in the Belmont, which he won by 31 lengths.

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