Horse Racing Free Tips

Monmouth Park Unveils Haskell Weekend Trainer Bonus

Monmouth Park will offer a weekend-long trainer bonus totaling $150,000 around the track's signature race, the GI Haskell S. Trainers will accumulate points covering races from from July 19 through 21, with $75,000 awarded to the winning trainer.

“This is a great way to expand Haskell Day into Haskell Weekend and provide our fans with an amazing racing experience for three straight days,” said Monmouth Park director of racing and racing secretary John Heims. “While Haskell Day is already circled on many conditioners' calendars, this new bonus will hopefully attract more of the nation's top Thoroughbreds to the Jersey Shore this summer.”

The $150,000 in total bonuses will be awarded as follows: $75,000 (1st); $25,000 (2nd); $20,000 (3rd); $10,000 (4th); $7,500 (5th); and $2,500 (6th-10th).

With over $4 million in purses for the three days, the Haskell Weekend Trainer Challenge will feature eight stakes races: the July 19 Jersey Shore S.; July 20 Haskell, GII United Nations S., GIII Molly Pitcher S., GIII Monmouth Cup, GIII WinStar Matchmaker S., and Wolf Hill S.; as well as the July 21 Regret S.

Points will be awarded based on the race, led by 25 points to the winner of the Haskell, 20 to the runner-up, 15 to third-place finisher, 10 to fourth-place finisher and seven for fifth to last-place finishers.

For all other graded races, points will be awarded to first through last finishers: 18, 15, 10, 8, and 5. All other stakes will offer points of: 12, 9, 7, 5, 4.

Maiden special weights, allowances and handicaps will offer points of: 8, 6, 4, 2 and all other races will offer points of: 5, 3, 2, 1.

The post Monmouth Park Unveils Haskell Weekend Trainer Bonus appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Equinox Named 2023 World’s Best Racehorse, Sets Standard for Japan

Moments after Equinox was named the Longines World’s Best Racehorse of 2023, his regular rider fielded what may have been the toughest question on a festive day when asked to describe Japan’s two-time Horse of the Year in one word. After a great deal of thought, and a couple of starts and stops, jockey Christophe Lemaire landed on “superstar.”

Pinatubo And Sergei Prokofiev Head First-Season Sires’ Betting

Paddy Power have had their say on the first-season sires' championship and the betting giants are unable to separate Pinatubo (Ire) and Sergei Prokofiev at the head of the market at odds of 6-4.

It was Blue Point (Ire) who dominated the first-season sires' championship last year in recording 50 individual winners in Europe including two Group 1 scorers. According to Paddy Power, Darley are in a strong position to scoop the prize for the second successive year as, not only can the powerful operation call on joint-favourite Pinatubo, but Earthlight (Ire) is also prominent in the betting at 2-1.

Whitsbury Manor Stud, where Sergei Prokfiev is based, has a good reputation for getting young sires up and running with their first crop and famously landed this prize in 2022 with sire sensation Havana Grey (GB).

The Starfield Stud-based Far Above (Ire) is another stallion that the betting firm seemingly gives a chance to while Mohaather (GB) is frictionally bigger at odds of 10-1. Ballyhane Stud resident Sands Of Mali (Fr), whose stock has caught the attention of trainers Richard Fahey, Johnny Murtagh, Michael Dods and more, is one of the more interesting outsiders at odds of 33-1.

Paddy Power's Paul Binfield commented, “We are unable to separate Pinatubo and Sergei Prokofiev at the front of the market. The former was a revelation as a two-year-old with his National Stakes victory a joy to behold and while he didn't quite live up to expectations during his Classic season, he still won a Group 1 and was placed in three others.”

He added, “While he was never beaten over seven furlongs and was a very decent miler, Sergei Prokofiev brings electrifying speed to the table-he won three times as a juvenile, including a comfortable success in the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes, and was a gallant third in the Coventry Stakes over six furlongs.”

Pinatubo won three times at the highest level. His brilliant juvenile campaign culminated with a spellbinding performance in the Goffs Vincent O'Brien S. at the Curragh followed by the Dewhurst at Newmarket while he won the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville as a three-year-old.

He stands at Dalham Hall Stud for £35,000 and, of 49 yearlings sold in Britain and Ireland in 2023, they averaged £146,488 and included a £380,000 colt and a £500,000 filly.

Meanwhile, Sergei Prokofiev stands for just £6,000 and, of the 97 yearlings of his to sell at public auction last year, they averaged £37,203.

The post Pinatubo And Sergei Prokofiev Head First-Season Sires’ Betting appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Gokhan Kocakaya, Leading Rider in Turkey, Looking to Make It In New York

Gokhan Kocakaya understood that this would be a challenge. In his native Turkey, he has won 2,910 races, was the leading rider for four straight years starting in 2019. He was riding in all of the major races and making a good living. But here he was on a chilly Monday morning galloping horses at Belmont Park, some 5,000 miles from home and in a place where almost nobody knows who he is.

“I am new here,” the 37-year-old jockey said through an interpreter. “I am not expecting to ride the best horses. I will try my best. But I know I am starting from the bottom. I think I will build my business little by little.”

He doesn't have much to lose. If things don't work out, he can always go back to Turkey. But that's not what he wants. He wants to prove to people that he belongs here and can compete against what is, even in the winter, a very good riding colony at Aqueduct. He's hoping to make New York his new home base.

Kocakaya, who began his career in 2006, got the idea of riding in the U.S. when he came here to visit trainers Ilkay and Mertkan Kantarmaci, brothers who also emigrated from Turkey to New York. He has also ridden in Macau, Dubai, France and Germany.

“I made the decision to come here because I like how the racing is here,” he said. “I think that it's as good as anywhere in the world.”

He said he also wanted his children, who are six and 12, to have the chance to get an education in the U.S.

“I always wanted to raise my kids in a different country and I chose here,” he said. “That has nothing to do with Turkey. I just wanted them to see other parts of the world.”

Kocakaya spent a few weeks here last winter and failed to win a race in from 10 mounts. He returned in December and has gone 1-for-7 since. His win came on Jan 4. with Bustin Shout (Bustin Stones), who is trained by Rudy Rodriguez. Rodriguez's son, Rudy Jr., is Kocakaya's agent. It is believed that he became the first Turkish-born jockey to win a race in the U.S.
“I won around 3,000 races when you include other countries I rode in,” he said. “But I'm new here. No one knows me and I don't get many chances. So I was happy to win that race and am still excited about it. It was a special win.”

It is Rodriguez's job to find him mounts. He will get some from his father and will ride for the Kantarmaci brothers. He also picked up a mount from John Kimmel.
“It has been tough, especially because we're here in New York, one of the premier jockey colonies in country,” Rodriguez Jr. said. “It's definitely not easy. People have been very kind to him. They want him to work horses in the morning. I do understand there are some issues, including him still learning English. He's trying. He's taking English courses. I think he's starting to gain people's trust.”

Over the last five years, Kocakaya has averaged 246 winners a year in Turkey, tops among all riders.

There's very little chance he'll reach those numbers here in the U.S. But his goals are far more modest. He just wants to be given a chance.

The post Gokhan Kocakaya, Leading Rider in Turkey, Looking to Make It In New York appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post