Robin Goodfellow’s racing tips: Best bets for Saturday, June 20
Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Saturday's meetings at Ripon, Kempton and Newmarket.
Triple Crown News Minute Presented By Kentucky Equine Research: Mining The Belmont Stakes Undercard
Saturday's 152nd Belmont Stakes highlights a 12-race card at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., which has an 11:45 a.m. ET first post. The Belmont itself, now the opening leg of the Triple Crown and run at nine furlongs instead of its traditional mile and one-half, goes as the 10th race, with a scheduled post time of 5:42 p.m. ET, and will offer qualifying points for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby on the basis of 150-60-30-15 to the first four finishers.
The Belmont can be seen on NBC, which will also be airing the final day of the Royal Ascot meeting on Saturday morning beginning at 9 a.m. ET
Prior to the NBC telecast, many of the Belmont undercard races can be seen on “America's Day at the Races” on the FOX Sports networks.
In today's Triple Crown News Minute, Ray Paulick and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth look at some of the horses competing in the five other graded stakes on the Belmont card, including the 9-year-old gelding Pure Sensation, making his fourth appearance in the now-Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes, a race he won in course record time in 2016.
Watch today's Triple Crown News Minute below:
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Alabama Casinos
Alabama is a southern state located in “the Heart of Dixie”, with a rich history dating back to the Civil War. It is known for its Magnolia trees, lush gardens, grand old historic homes, and southern hospitality. Alabama, with a population of over 4,500,000, is adjacent to Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. The capital of Alabama is Montgomery, which was the first capital of the Confederacy.
Alabama casinos are for the most part bingo casinos, which are run by Native Americans. Casinos can only be run on Native American land, since there is no legalized gambling as such in the state of Alabama. The revenue from the Alabama casinos, as a result, is not taxed by the state of Alabama, since Native American tribes own them. The majority of gambling in Alabama can be found at the horse racing tracks and dog races, in addition to a few slot machines, video gambling machines, and pull-tab cards at these locations.
There are three Alabama casinos, all located within 20 minutes from the capital of Montgomery, that do a thriving business. The Creek Entertainment Center in Atmore is open for gambling Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12 Midnight, and Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. There are 1,000 bingo seats for live games, 200 electronic bingo machines, a number of pull-tab card selections, and one restaurant at the Creek Entertainment Center. The largest of the three Alabama casinos is the Tallapoosa Entertainment Center in Montgomery. The Tallapoosa is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for casino gambling. There are 480 electronic bingo seats in 21,000 square feet of gaming space, with a full bar and grill for added convenience. The list of Alabama casinos also includes the Riverside Entertainment Center, located in Wetumpka, which is run by Native Americans as well. The Riverside casino is open 24 hours a day, Monday through Saturday, from 12:00 Noon to closing time, and Sunday, from 1:00 p.m. to closing time. This Alabama casino has 16,000 square feet of gambling area, a large selection of over 530 slot machines, and an onsite restaurant.
Alabama could profit enormously from having casinos located along the Gulf Coast, both onshore and on riverboats. This would encourage competition between Alabama and its neighboring state, Mississippi. The revenue to be gained from legalizing Alabama casinos and the boost it would provide to the economy may hopefully spur the state government to open Alabama to legalized gambling in the near future.
Cohen, Magic Star Fine After Harrowing Hedge Jump Caught On Film
A jockey never quite knows what to expect when the gates open, whether it's in a Grade 1 stakes race or a routine turf allowance. Rider David Cohen got an unusual reminder of that on Sunday, when he found himself doing a somersault over the hedges at Churchill Downs.
Cohen's ride in the eighth race, a 4-year-old Chad Brown trainee named Magic Star, had five other races under her belt, all of them without incident, so he didn't expect anything unusual. The pair broke from the insidemost gate, and settled along the rail toward the middle of the pack. Suddenly, as they began rounding the first turn, Magic Star leapt forward and to her left, then propped and dove into the thick evergreen hedge to her left. The upward hop after her first bobble dislodged Cohen, who was then propelled straight into the air and did a somersault over the filly's head as Magic Star careened into the bushes.
“It wasn't anybody's fault,” he said, noting she was surrounded by horses at the time, but wasn't squeezed or bothered. “I don't know if it was a case of it just being a hedge. Maybe she's used to seeing a rail next to her. I really don't know what she did, she just kind of bailed and didn't want to be in that tight spot.
“I believe my arm got caught up in the rein a little bit, and I believe that's what may have dragged her into the bushes. It looks like she may have jumped into it as well. But her first initial jump was not into the bushes. It happened so quick. It was over before I even knew what happened.”
Fortunately, there is no railing on the inside of the Churchill turf course, so the mare had nothing other than the vegetation to pose a hazard to her on her way in or out of the hedge.
Cohen also landed in the hedge and after a few moments, realized he was unharmed. Magic Star got out of the hedge and galloped away, eventually getting picked up by an outrider. Cohen said he knew the field would be coming back around to finish the race soon, but with no inside rail to duck under, he had to hustle to get off the course.
David Cohen and Magic Star go careening into the hedge at Churchill June 14. Both were unharmed.
“Churchill is one of those turf courses where the wire is maybe about 50 feet to the turn,” he said. “I had to make it across the turf course or they would've had to cancel the race. I don't want anyone to cancel a race when they don't have to. I was very happy to see her continue to run away. She didn't stand there and not want to move, and I knew that was a good sign that she was still able and willing and capable to run with no issues.”
David Cohen and Magic Star go careening into the hedge at Churchill June 14. Both were unharmed.
Renee Gallagher, a photographer with Coady Photography based at Churchill, had her camera ready at just the right moment to catch the incident.
Cohen reported that he checked in on Magic Star the following morning and learned that while a little body sore, she was not seriously hurt. He expects to see her back in the entries in due course, and said he'd have no problem riding her again.
David Cohen and Magic Star go careening into the hedge at Churchill June 14. Both were unharmed.
“In some cases, there's a little bit more warning and normally that's because, for example, another rider or horse causes something by coming down and you've clipped heels, but I was never put in that position,” he said. “It's just one of those very fluke type of situations. I don't foresee her doing that ever again. I don't think she's a dangerous type of horse. I think it's just one of those weird situations, and we're blessed that the horse made it out and I did as well.”
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