Horse Racing News | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Two Turns Is Better For Him’: Code Of Honor Tunes Up For Aug. 1 Whitney

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey breezed two-time Grade 1 winner Code of Honor over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Saturday morning in his first work since running third in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile on July 4 at Belmont Park.

Owned by William S. Farish, the 4-year-old chestnut son of Noble Mission went five furlongs in company with stable mate and first-level allowance winner Creed, with both horses completing their moves in 1:01.93.

McGaughey plans on running Code of Honor in the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney on August 1.

“They both worked excellent,” McGaughey said. “Code of Honor worked really, really well, I was really pleased. I was just looking to do a little something with Creed.”

McGaughey said that the Grade 2, $150,000 Jim Dandy on September 5 would be a target for Creed. Owned by Edward J. Hudson, Jr. and Lynne Hudson, the son of second-crop stallion Honor Code broke his maiden by 7 ¾ lengths on June 11 at Belmont Park before defeating winners over Big Sandy on July 2. Creed was purchased for $650,000 from the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

In the Met Mile, Code of Honor was a late-closing third, finishing a 1 1/2 lengths to Vekoma.

McGaughey believes that Code of Honor, winner of last year's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers and Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, is more suited for the Whitney's 1 1/8-mile distance.

“He didn't get the best trip,” McGaughey said of the Met Mile. “Two turns is better for him, especially now that he's older, but I thought he ran really well. They went really fast, he had a wide trip. The winner had a dream trip over a speed-favoring track, so I thought it was all good.”

Code of Honor will attempt to become the first horse to win the Travers and the Whitney since Medaglia d'Oro did so respectively in 2002 and 2003. McGaughey will go for his fourth Whitney triumph having saddled Honor Code (2015), Easy Goer (1989) and Personal Ensign (1988) to victory.

A Kentucky homebred, Code of Honor is out of the graded stakes-winning Dixie Union broodmare Reunited.

The post ‘Two Turns Is Better For Him’: Code Of Honor Tunes Up For Aug. 1 Whitney appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

All Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Pays $584

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, encompassing all graded stakes across Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine Racetrack, paid $584 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. The total pool was $194,618.

Monmouth, located in Oceanport, N.J., hosted the first two legs of the sequence, starting when favorite Global Campaign ran down Bal Harbour in the stretch and outkicked Math Wizard by 1 ½ lengths to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup in Race 10. Trained by Stanley Hough, Global Campaign, the winner of the 2019 Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park, returned $7 on a $2 win wager. Jorge Vargas, Jr. was the winning jockey.

In the second leg, 10-1 Aquaphobia pulled off the upset, posting a one-length victory in the Grade 1 United Nations going 1 3/8 miles on the turf. The Mike Maker trainee paid $23.40, hitting the wire in 2:12.63 in Race 11 under New Jersey-born rider Joe Bravo.

An international flavor was added to the Cross Country Pick 5 in the third leg, when Lady Grace won the Grade 2 Royal North, contested at six furlongs on the turf, in Woodbine's Race 9. Conditioned by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, an 11-time Sovereign Award winner as Canada's top trainer, Lady Grace, under jockey Kazushi Kimura, was seventh in the eight-horse field at the half-mile mark before making up ground entering the stretch and surging home in a 1:06.90 final time at the Rexdale, Ontario-based track. She returned $14.80.

Monmouth's signature race, the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell, lived up to its billing in an exciting fourth contest of the sequence in Race 12. Authentic, who gained notoriety early this year while on the Triple Crown prep trail, moved himself back into contention for September's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, edging Ny Traffic by a nose to win the 1 1/8-mile race, securing an all-fees paid berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Keeneland in addition to 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. With Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and Mike Smith handing the training and riding responsibilities, respectively, Authentic posted a final time of 1:50.45 as the favorite, paying $3.20.

Historic Saratoga rounded out the loaded Cross Country Pick 5 with the wager's third Grade 1 in the $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for sophomore fillies in Race 10. A pair of contenders owned by WinStar Stablemates finished 1-2, with Paris Lights pulling ahead of Crystal Ball by a head to earn 100 qualifying points to September's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks. Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Paris Lights [$6.00] went off as the 2-1 second choice behind favorite Tonalist's Shape, tracked Crystal Ball in second position and finished strong, potentially setting up a next start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Alabama on August 15 at the Spa.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

The post All Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 Pays $584 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

NYRA Report 9.4% Increase In Handle On Saratoga’s Opening Weekend

The New York Racing Association announced on Sunday that all-sources handle for opening weekend of the 2020 Saratoga summer meet totaled $80,325,660, a 9.4 percent increase over last year's opening weekend, which generated $73,441,101 from all sources.

Saratoga's recently completed opening weekend, Thursday, July 16, through Sunday, July 19, corresponds with the four-day period in 2019 from Thursday, July 11, to Sunday, July 14.

Under New York State guidelines, Saratoga Race Course is currently operating without spectators in attendance.

Closing weekend at Belmont Park for the 2020 spring/summer meet generated all-sources handle of $41,452,573 from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 12.

Wagering funds the majority of the NYRA purse account, which supports the racing ecosystem by sustaining horsemen and hundreds of small businesses across New York state. Thoroughbred racing in New York is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual economic impact to the state, including $240 million alone in the Capital Region during a traditional Saratoga meet.

Racing at Saratoga resumes Wednesday, July 22 with the first steeplechase of the meet at 12:50 p.m. Post time for the day's first Thoroughbred race is 1:21 p.m. Wednesday's card features the inaugural running of the Lubash for New York-breds on the turf.

Saratoga Live presents daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit NYRA.com/SaratogaLive. .

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at NYRABets.com.

NYRA Bets Gift Cards are now available at more than 150 Stewart's Shops across the greater Capital Region, including Warren County. The gift cards, which are available in $50 denominations, can be used to deposit funds automatically into a NYRA Bets account for betting Saratoga Race Course online this summer.

NYRA Bets Gift Cards can be used to fund both active and new NYRA Bets accounts. Fans who open a new NYRA Bets account with a NYRA Bets Gift Card are eligible for a new member bonus. For a complete list of participating Stewart's Shops locations, visit StewartsShops.com/participating-nyra-shops/.

With the conclusion of opening weekend, racing at Saratoga will now be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays. Closing week will run Wednesday, September 2 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7.

For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com.

The post NYRA Report 9.4% Increase In Handle On Saratoga’s Opening Weekend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Unbeaten Whistle Stop Cafe Finds ‘Perfect Path’ To Victory In $1-Million Rainbow Futurity

Whistle Stop Cafe broke clean and found another gear in the last 150 yards to win the Grade 1, $1-Million Rainbow Futurity by three-quarters of a length over morning line favorite Mister Illusion at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico on Sunday. Seven ran third, and post time favorite and Ruidoso Futurity champion Cyber Monday finished fourth taking away any chance of a Triple Crown winner in the Quarter Horse division in 2020.

Undefeated Whistle Stop Cafe, who ran the 400 yards in :19.492, returned $14.40 on a $2 win ticket. The race was run under partly cloudy skies on a fast track.

Whistle Stop Cafe is owned by the Whitmire Ranch/Lainie Whitmire et al and was bred in Texas by Bobby Cox. The gray filly by Freighttrain B out of Sinuous by Mr Jess Perry hails from the barn of Blane Wood and was purchased for $42,000 at the Heritage Place Sale.

“When they broke, both horses on either side of her sort of split and gave her a perfect path. She's a fast filly and knows exactly what to do,” said trainer Wood.

Jockey Rickey Ramirez was aboard for the win today, as he has been for all of her other victories, including her first place finish in the 2020 Heritage Place Juvenile.

“She been a terrific filly from the start. We knew we had something when she performed so well at Remington in the spring, but she's blossomed even more this summer,” said jockey Ramirez. “I saw a horse coming at me on the side and right at the same time I felt my horse re-break about half-way through. She's perfect so far. I hope we can keep her that way.”

In the other feature race of the day, the $100,000 Rainbow Juvenile Stakes, the barn of Sergio Ibarra had the first and second place finishers with For The Irony and One Eagles Delight who ran in the race as an alternate after Jess Cindy was scratched earlier in the day. For The Irony won handily by 1 ¼ lengths over the 400 yards with a time of :19.968 beating out his stable mate.

“He just keeps knocking on the door,” said trainer Ibarra. “He's been a little unlucky with his times in the trial races, but has done everything right. That's four in a row versus some very nice horses.”

Owned by Diamond Racing Stables/Julietta Torres et al, For The Irony by Valiant Hero out of Dare You To Beat Me by Tres Seis is a California-bred black gelding. He was ridden today by Ibarra's go-to jockey, Sergio Becerra, Jr., who also rode him to victory in the Ruidoso Juvenile earlier this summer.

“He gave me a little trouble in the starting gate but then settled down. Once he broke everything was okay,” said jockey Becerra, Jr.

Live racing continues next weekend at Ruidoso Downs Race Track with the Zia Festival and three days full of races dedicated to New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. Friday's race card features trials for the Rio Grande Señor and Rio Grande Señorita Futurities. Saturday's program includes the Grade II Zia QH Derby, and Sunday's highlights include the GI Zia Futurity along with six additional stakes races.

Post time is 1:00 PM MDT on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. At this time, the Turf Club and the Jockey Club are limited to 50% capacity due to the Public Health Order from the State of New Mexico. For more information on how to watch online, place your bet with your favorite online wagering provider, or conduct drive-thru wagering, please visit RaceRuidoso.com.

The post Unbeaten Whistle Stop Cafe Finds ‘Perfect Path’ To Victory In $1-Million Rainbow Futurity appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post