July, 2023 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Old Friends To Host Retirement Part For Hall Of Fame Jockey Edgar Prado On July 15

Old Friends' Belmont Stakes winners, Sarava and Birdstone, are pleased and honored to host a retirement celebration for their Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado.

When: Saturday, July 15, 2023 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. It will be held rain or shine.

Where: Old Friends Dream Chase Farm, 1841 Paynes Depot Rd., Georgetown, Ky.

Admission: Free. Interested attendees must RSVP to: barbara@oldfriendsequine.org

Prado, 56, who announced his retirement via a tweet on June 20, rode Old Friends resident stallions Sarava and Birdstone to Belmont Stakes victories in 2002 and 2004, respectively. He has been a longtime supporter of the farm and its mission of Thoroughbred aftercare.

Prado looks back on a prestigious 37-year career. After relocating from his native Peru to the United States in 1986, he began riding first in Florida and then in Massachusetts and Maryland, where he became the leading rider in that state in 1991-1993, and 1997-1999.

He got his big break in 1999 when an accident sidelined jockey Richard Migliore and trainer John Kimmel offered Prado his mounts.

His career highlights include the 2006 Kentucky Derby aboard Barbaro, the two Belmont Stakes riding Sarava and Birdstone, and five Breeders' Cup victories, including the 2010 Breeders' Cup Sprint aboard Runhappy.

He has been awarded numerous accolades, including the 2006 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey, the 2006 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, and the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 2003.

Prado leaves the sport as the eighth winningest jockey in the sport's history with a record of 7,119 wins, 6,245 seconds, 5,490 thirds, and over $272 million in purse earnings in 39,725 career starts.

He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2008.

“It's an honor to be present at Old Friends,” said Prado. “They really take care of the horses after their careers, giving them the best life possible every single day. I'm very proud to be part of that organization.

“It's an honor for me, also, to share this celebration with my buddies, Birdstone and Sarava,” Prado added. “I'm very excited to see them again. I wish them a good, long life. I know they are in a very beautiful place, surrounded by beautiful people who really care about the horses.”

Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends, has known Prado for a long time and is looking forward to holding the event in honor of his friend.

“Edgar Prado has exuded class and integrity ever since I first met him at Suffolk Downs in the mid-80s,” Blowen said. “When he decided to retire sound, I thought it'd be a lot of fun to share his decision with his Belmont buddies Sarava and Birdstone. Like all of his other fans, I can't wait to see him.”

Celebration Highlights

Meet jockey Edgar Prado
Add your name to a book of well wishes
Edgar Prado collector card giveaway
Lite lunch and beverages
Trivia contest
Items available for purchase:
- Sarava and Birdstone bookmarks: package of 2, $10 each.
- Sarava and Birdstone cards: package of 2, $10 each
Old Friends Edgar Prado Commemorative T-Shirt Fundraiser
- Limited Number Available
- To purchase a T-Shirt, click here
- or go to the following URL: https://www.customink.com/fundraising/edgarprado

The celebration is free and open to the public.

Please RSVP to: barbara@oldfriendsequine.org

The post Old Friends To Host Retirement Part For Hall Of Fame Jockey Edgar Prado On July 15 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fifth Annual ‘Beat Byk NHC Challenge’ Set To Launch On July 15

For the 5th consecutive year the “Beat Byk NHC Challenge” will return this summer as the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and Steve Byk, host of the Thoroughbred radio news magazine “At the Races” on Sirius XM, once again partner to send one NHC Tour member to Las Vegas to compete in the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) in March 15-17, 2024.

The “Beat Byk NHC Challenge” will be conducted over eight weeks beginning July 15 and concluding September 4. The popular promotion drew more than 2,000 entries in 2022.

“I am always excited for the 'Beat Byk' season because it means some of the best racing of the year and a chance for a NHC hopeful to earn a free seat to Vegas,” Steve Byk said. “It's become a great introduction to contest play for many players and I'm proud to be part of the NTRA's ongoing effort to bring people into the sport.”

Each Thursday throughout the promotion, Byk will select the weekend stakes races to comprise that week's promotion and announce them on “At the Races” and on his twitter page, @Steve_Byk. Byk's selections will be announced no later than each Friday. There will be 17 chances to qualify to the Beat Byk NHC Online Qualifier on September 16 during the promotional period. Listeners will be encouraged to log into https://www.ntra.com/beatbyk/ where they will either use Byk's selection to win the featured race or try to 'Beat Byk' by selecting another horse.

All who correctly select the winning horse in each round will advance to a NHC “Beat Byk” online qualifier on September 16. Participants may qualify only once during the promotional period. The winner of the “Beat Byk” online qualifier will represent “At the Races” at the 2024 NHC where qualifiers will be celebrating the NHC's 25^th anniversary at the Horseshoe Las Vegas.

NHC Tour membership is required to compete in the September NHC online qualifier. Complete rules for the Beat Byk Challenge can be found at https://www.ntra.com/beatbyk/. “At the Races with Steve Byk” is Thoroughbred racing's only national daily news and talk show. The show also streams live on www.stevebyk.com.

About the NHC

The NHC is the most important tournament of the year for horseplayers and is the culmination of a year-long series of NTRA-sanctioned local tournaments conducted by racetracks, casino race books, off-track betting facilities, and horse racing and handicapping websites, each of which sends its top qualifiers to the national finals. There are no bye-ins to the NHC. Each year, the NHC winner joins other human and equine champions as an honoree at the Eclipse Awards and is named Horseplayer of the Year. For more information on the NHC, visit NTRA.com/nhc.

ABOUT THE NTRA

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky. and Washington, D.C., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. For more information visit NTRA.com.

The post Fifth Annual ‘Beat Byk NHC Challenge’ Set To Launch On July 15 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Beginner’s Guide to the 2023 Saratoga Race Course Meet

Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has long been a summer playground for sports fans: the upstate New York town is home to Saratoga Race Course, one of the most storied racetracks in the world, and it’s been mecca for horse racing fans for hundreds of years. If you’re planning a trip to the Spa this summer (and don’t worry, we’ll explain why it’s called the Spa!) you’re in the right place for a quick guide on everything the town and track have to offer.

Cancer Trials Ireland to Create Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer Trials Ireland, the national organisation dedicated to advancing cancer clinical trials, will create a new position to anchor expertise in pancreatic research in Ireland with the ambition of creating a global centre for treatment and research for a form of cancer with some of the poorest outcomes–the Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer at University College Dublin.

The position will require shared time between clinical work as a treating physician at St Vincent's University Hospital–the national surgical centre for pancreatic cancer–and research work at University College Dublin (UCD). Candidates from Ireland and abroad are expected to apply.

The role is named in memory of Pat Smullen, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2020. Through his efforts, the Irish horse racing and breeding industry over Irish Champions Weekend in September 2019 raised €2.6 million for Cancer Trials Ireland's pancreatic cancer trials and awareness.

“The Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund arises from various fundraising endeavours undertaken by champion jockey, Pat Smullen, his family, and the horse racing community, following his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer in March 2018. The inaugural fundraising event raised €2.6 million with further fundraising events having raised an additional €367,000 to date,” said Eibhlin Mulroe, CEO of Cancer Trials Ireland. “Sadly, Pat died in September 2020, but his legacy lives on and the fund he created has now provided new treatment options for 174 patients with pancreatic cancer, at no cost to themselves, or to the State.”

For more information on the Pat Smullen Pancreatic Cancer Fund, visit Cancer Trials Ireland.

The post Cancer Trials Ireland to Create Pat Smullen Chair in Pancreatic Cancer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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