arlington | Horse Racing Free Tips

Arlington: Former President’s Racing Preservation Bid Reported To Be One Of Three Finalists

Mike Campbell, president of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, told the Chicago Daily-Herald that former Arlington president Roy Arnold's bid to purchase the iconic racetrack from Churchill Downs is one of three finalists under consideration. He added that the Chicago Bears and another group seeking to preserve racing are the other two finalists, but Churchill Downs has not confirmed the information.

Campbell helped organize the consortium led by Arnold, and revealed that there have been three rounds of bidding since Churchill's initial June 15 deadline. Arnold has increased his offer several times, Campbell said.

“They have the ability to close immediately, which nobody else does. And they have a plan for the future of racing in Illinois that I think is just remarkable,” Campbell said during the ITHA's annual general membership meeting, held virtually on Saturday. “We think it's nice now. Just wait. If we can get Churchill Downs to say yes, you will have a world-class venue for horse racing like no other.”

Read more at the Chicago Daily-Herald.

The post Arlington: Former President’s Racing Preservation Bid Reported To Be One Of Three Finalists appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

CDI Releases Statement About Arlington Press Box Incident

Two and a half weeks after it occurred, Churchill Downs, Inc. has finally released a statement about the press box debacle at Arlington Park on the eve of the track's annual feature race, the $600,000 Mister D. Stakes, reports the Chicago Daily Herald.

Arlington president Tony Petrillo, buoyed by members of the security staff, cleared out the press box less than two hours after the feature race, while writers and photographers were trying to finish their assignments and send their stories and pictures to their respective publications. Petrillo even told one photographer, who happened to be on assignment for a Churchill Downs Inc. subsidiary, that she was “banned for life” from Arlington Park.

CDI's statement blames the incident on an unspecified issue of “safety” and a “miscommunication,” but media members present at the time call that excuse “disingenuous.”

Tonya Abeln, a media relations spokesperson on the staff of CDI CEO Bill Carstanjen, sent the following statement to the Daily Herald:

“Following the running of the Mr. D. at Arlington Park, we are aware that there was behavior in the press box that was in direct violation of our Media Guidelines. The Media Guidelines ensure safe and responsible operations and help maintain decorum for all journalists to complete their job in a healthy, safe and respectful environment.

“Because this behavior compromised the safety of track personnel, a security team was dispatched to de-escalate the interaction. Part of the planned response was to reduce the number of people in the immediate area.

“During this fluid situation, in the early moments, the goal to have all credentialed media relocated to an alternative location at the track to finish their work was clearly miscommunicated. We regret this incident impacted several journalists' work, even as we appreciate that the security team did what they felt was in the best interest of safety for those in the room.

“We share with Mr. Petrillo a deep admiration and appreciation for the work of journalists who chronicle, document and transfer the excitement of horse racing through their talents. This isolated incident is not a reflection of the values we place on that work and the relationships we share with those professionals.”

Read more at the Chicago Daily Herald.

The post CDI Releases Statement About Arlington Press Box Incident appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

James Graham Voted Jockey Of The Week After Mr. D. Stakes Upset

Jockey James Graham made a successful return to Arlington Park last Saturday, winning the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes to earn Jockey of the Week honors for Aug. 9 through Aug. 15. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 950 active riders in the United States as well as retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Arlington Park had been home to Graham, a native of Dublin, Ireland, for more than a dozen years before moving his tack to Kentucky tracks and Fair Grounds in Louisiana. He returned on Saturday for the first time since 2018 to ride on what may be Arlington Park's last premier day of racing. Trainer Hugh Robertson, a mainstay at Arlington Park for decades and very familiar with Graham, entered long-shot Two Emmys in the G1 Mr. D. Stakes and gave simple instructions to Graham, “Go to the front and slow it down.”

Graham followed those instructions faithfully.

Breaking from post position four in the field of eight, Graham and Two Emmys went straight to the front and controlled the pace around the first turn and down the backstretch with his half-mile in a pedestrian 52.43 seconds. In upper stretch, Graham asked Two Emmys for his best and held on when confronted late by the favorite Domestic Spending and Flavien Prat to win by a neck in 2:03.34 for the mile and one-quarter turf race.

“When I didn't see anyone behind me at the quarter pole, I knew they would really have to run to catch me,” said Graham. “He's shown he can do it before and he did it today.”

With the win, Graham posted his fifth career G1 win.

Weekly statistics for Graham were 15-2-2-2 for an in-the-money rate of 40 percent and total purses of $407,668.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Alex Birzer with an in-the-money rate of 55 percent, Tyler Gaffalione who won the G1 Fourstardave, Antonio Gallardo with nine wins for the week, and John Velazquez who won two stakes races at Saratoga.

The post James Graham Voted Jockey Of The Week After Mr. D. Stakes Upset appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Live Coverage From Arlington, Del Mar Highlights TVG’s Weekend Broadcast

TVG will be live on site from Arlington Park this weekend with full coverage of the final major day of racing in the track's storied history featuring the $600,000 Mr. D Stakes (G1), formerly the Arlington Million, one of three Grade 1 turf events on the card. The weekend will also feature live coverage of racing from Del Mar.

TVG's Mike Joyce and Scott Hazelton, both of whom with longtime family ties to horse racing in Illinois, will be live on site at Arlington Park with coverage including expert analysis and interviews as the track hosts eight stakes races including the $600,000 Mr. D. Stakes (G1), formerly the Arlington Million.

The Mr. D. Stakes (G1), renamed in honor of longtime track owner Richard L. Duchossois, has attracted a field of ten turf horses including Domestic Spending, the morning line favorite at odds of 6-5 for trainer Chad Brown who has saddled four winners of the Arlington Million including the last three winners. The 4-year-old gelding has won six of his seven lifetime starts and was last seen winning the Manhattan Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park in June. Flavien Prat will be in the irons.

At Del Mar this weekend, Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Britney Eurton, Joaquin Jaime, and Larry Collmus will be trackside with exclusive interviews, insights and handicapping selections throughout Saturday's ten-race card. The featured event is the $80,000 PT, CTT and TOC Stakes for fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles on the main track. Richard Mandella will saddle Tapwater, a homebred daughter of Tapit for LNJ Foxwoods. The five-year-old mare will have Umberto Rispoli aboard as she tries to earn her first stakes victory.

In addition to racing from Del Mar and Arlington Park, TVG will also be featuring Monmouth Park, Gulfstream Park, Pimlico and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

The post Live Coverage From Arlington, Del Mar Highlights TVG’s Weekend Broadcast appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post