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NYRA To Extend Cross Country Pick 5 Wager With Churchill Through November

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced a series of Cross Country Pick 5 wagers that will extend the popular feature to days throughout November when there is thoroughbred racing from both Aqueduct Racetrack and Churchill Downs.

In contrast to previous years when the Cross Country Pick 5 wager ended in October, November will feature 12 Cross Country Pick 5 wagers from the fall meets at Aqueduct Racetrack and Churchill Downs. The wager will return on Sunday, Nov. 8 and end on Sunday, Nov. 29, which is closing day of Churchill's fall meet.

After this Sunday, the wagers will take place on subsequent days when both tracks are racing. Those Cross Country Pick 5 days will be:

– Thursday, Nov.12 – Sunday, Nov. 15 (four days);
– Thursday, Nov. 19 – Sunday, Nov. 22 (four days); and.
– Friday, Nov. 27 – Sunday, Nov. 29 (three days).

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. Free Equibase past performances for all Cross Country Pick 5 sequences will be available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Every day will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The 2020 fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack will begin on Friday, November 6 and continue through Sunday, December 6. Highlighted by the 32nd renewal of the Grade 1, $250,000 Cigar Mile on Saturday, December 5, the 18-day fall meet at Aqueduct features 29 stakes, including 11 graded events, worth $3.41 in purses.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the 18-day fall 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 www.NYRABets.com.

The post NYRA To Extend Cross Country Pick 5 Wager With Churchill Through November appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bumper Books For Busiest Stallions of 2020

The coronavirus pandemic may have come into full force halfway through the 2020 covering season but, generally, breeders appear to have stuck to their plans and carried on with their matings. The total number of coverings did drop slightly to 19,961 (from 20,819) with 19% of the mares in production being sent to a stallion with a book in excess of 200.

This year, according to the recently published Return Of Mares from Weatherbys, there were 17 stallions in Britain and Ireland in that bracket, 12 of which are standing at National Hunt studs. Of the Flat stallions, Coolmore’s dual Guineas winner Churchill (Ire) was kept busiest, with 250 mares on his list, and he was one of three sons of Galileo (Ire) in the top 20 on book sizes, along with Frankel (GB) on 175 and Gleneagles (Ire) on 173.

One freshman sire, Tally-Ho Stud’s Inns Of Court (Ire), commanded more than 200 mares, and was second overall with 218. His fellow first-season sires Blue Point (Ire), Magna Grecia (Ire), Calyx (GB) and Soldier’s Call (GB) all made the top 20, with the latter all but matching his sire Showcasing (GB) for popularity.

Building on his success as the champion first-season sire of 2019 was Night Of Thunder (Ire), who led the Darley stallions with 213 mares.

Sea The Stars (Ire) and his son Sea The Moon (Ger) both made the top 20 on 206 and 164 and, notably, another son of Sea The Stars, the 2016 Derby winner Harzand (Ire) received some decent support from a number of National Hunt breeders and covered 142 mares in total, up from 95 last year.

Just outside the top 20 on numbers was Dubawi (Ire) on 155, while champion sire Galileo (Ire) covered 120, including the champion miler Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), crack sprinters Mecca’s Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), as well as Darley’s Eastern Joy (GB) (Dubai Destination) and the Niarchos family’s Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) among a predictably star-strewn book.

Middle-distance Flat stallions often find a boost in popularity once switched to the National Hunt sphere and the latest to have benefited from that change of fortune is the former Gestut Fahrhof stallion Maxios (GB). Sons of Monsun (Ger) have long been prized assets in the jump sire world and Maxios was the most active of all stallions in Britain and Ireland this season, covering 298 mares.

There was a fair bit of gnashing of teeth when Sir Evelyn de Rothschild’s Crystal Ocean (GB), the joint-highest-rated horse in the world last year, was retired straight to The Beeches Stud without being given a chance among the Flat sires, but it’s hard to argue with the commercial sense of this decision as the son of Sea The Stars covered 280 mares in his first season—30 more than the busiest of the Flat boys.

Poet’s Word (GB) lasted just one season at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud, where he covered 30 mares, and once transferred to Boardsmill Stud in Ireland he was another to enjoy a boost in support, with 221 mares covered in 2020. Similarly, the Derby winner Wings Of Eagles (Fr) received limited support in his debut season at his home stud of Haras de Montaigu, where he covered 62 mares in 2018. Switched to The Beeches Stud he has covered more than 200 mares in the last two seasons. Eight of the 12 jump stallions with books in excess of 200 stand under Coolmore’s National Hunt division, which consists of 17 sires in total.

Berkshire (Ire) is another to have benefited from a switch of codes, as did his late sire Mount Nelson (GB). When he started out at Haras de Gelos in France in 2018, Berkshire covered 22 mares. This year, in his second season at Kedrah House Stud, he sneaked into the 200 Club on 201.

The 20 Busiest Flat stallions

Churchill                     250
*Inns Of Court            218
Ten Sovereigns          214
Night Of Thunder       213
Sea The Stars            206
*Blue Point                 198
*Magna Grecia          180
Kingman                    179
Lope De Vega           178
Frankel                      175
Gleneagles                173
Footstepsinthesand 169
Saxon Warrior           166
Kodiac                        66
Showcasing               165
Sea The Moon           164
*Soldier’s Call            164
*Calyx                        163
Dark Angel                 163
Dandy Man                159

Jump Stallions With 200+ mares

Maxios                        298
Jet Away                     288
*Crystal Ocean           280
Order Of St George    250
Getaway                     242
Wings Of Eagles        241
Walk In The Park       235
Soldier Of Fortune     224
Poet’s Word               221
Affinisea                     209
Idaho                          204
Berkshire                   201

* denotes first-season sires

The post Bumper Books For Busiest Stallions of 2020 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Cox-Trained ‘Future Stars’ Log Final Workouts Ahead Of Breeders’ Cup

With one week remaining until “Future Stars Friday” at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, trainer Brad Cox's 2-year-old trio of Abarta (Juvenile Turf), Aunt Pearl (Juvenile Fillies Turf) and Essential Quality (Juvenile) logged their final works on Friday morning at Churchill Downs.

Godolphin's undefeated $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (Grade I) winner Essential Quality was the first of the Cox workers at 9 a.m. (all times Eastern). With Florent Geroux aboard, Essential Quality worked five furlongs in 1:01 outside of Flurry Racing's multiple graded stakes winner Mr. Misunderstood. The duo clipped through early fractions of :12.2 and :24.1, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols.

Moments later, Donegal Racing and Newton Anner Stud Farm's $200,000 Bourbon (GII) runner-up Abarta worked a half-mile in :47.60 outside of Juddmonte Farm's stakes winner Set Piece (GB). Abarta breezed through splits of :11.60, :23.80 and :35 with a five-furlong gallop out of 1:00.40.

Geroux returned to the track about 10 minutes later aboard Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber and The Elkstone Group's $150,000 Jessamine Stakes (GII) winner Aunt Pearl (IRE) and worked a half-mile in :48.60 outside unraced 2-year-old filly Palm Cottage. Aunt Pearl started two lengths behind her workmate and worked through fractions of :24.80 and :36.80.

“We have some really nice 2-year-olds in our barn this year,” Cox said. “A lot of them have already shown early promise. Essential Quality is growing up well. He's continuing to learn and I'm very pleased with how he's progressing. He has a ton of raw talent which he's shown in both of his starts. We added blinkers to him over the summer to help him focus a little bit more and they've really helped. We have experience around two turns and we have experience at Keeneland, which is always helpful. It's 1 1/16 miles, so it's a short stretch. You need to be in position when you turn for home.

“Abarta had a really nice late kick in the Bourbon to run second. He didn't have the best of trips but really showed some adversity that afternoon. I think it's good he has already run well over that course.

“Aunt Pearl acted like she could really run at the start. She and Essential Quality were two of them that really jumped out to us early in their training and showed they have some ability. The good ones kind of do that – they'll let you know there is a lot of talent there. Given the pedigree we were optimistic she'd be able to carry her speed around two turns. We thought about taking her to Saratoga over the summer but when Churchill's condition book came out I thought it might be better to keep her at home. It's turned out really well so far.”

Also on the Friday work tab was trainer Dale Romans trio of juvenile contenders: Girl Daddy (four furlongs, :48.20), Sittin On Go (four furlongs, :47.40) and Smiley Sobotka (four furlongs, :47.60). Trainer Mark Casse also worked Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI) contender Spanish Loveaffair four furlongs in :48.60.

More than two inches of rain fell in the Louisville area on Thursday and it caused several trainers to alter their training for their Breeders' Cup contenders. There are 27 Breeders' Cup contenders scheduled to work Saturday at Churchill Downs (with race): Arklow (Turf), Art Collector (Dirt Mile); Beau Recall (Mile), Bell's the One (Filly & Mare Sprint), By My Standards (Classic), Casa Creed (Mile), Crazy Beautiful (Juvenile Fillies), Factor This (Mile), Global Campaign (Classic), Got Stormy (Turf Sprint), Harvey's Lil Goil (Filly & Mare Turf), Hog Creek Hustle (Sprint), Knicks Go (Dirt Mile), Lady Kate (Distaff), Manny Wah (Sprint), Monomoy Girl (Distaff), Mr Freeeze (Dirt Mile), Mr Money (Dirt Mile), Owendale (Dirt Mile), Sally's Curlin (Filly & Mare Sprint), Sconsin (Filly & Mare Sprint), Silver Dust (Dirt Mile), Simply Ravishing (Juvenile Fillies), Swiss Skydiver (Distaff/Classic), Title Ready (Classic), Tom's d'Etat (Classic), War of Will (Dirt Mile).

In total, there are 43 Breeders' Cup contenders based at Churchill Downs and Trackside Louisville. That is the most of any location pre-entered into this year's event. Next is Keeneland with 39 contenders followed by 38 international runners, 25 from Belmont Park and 21 based at Santa Anita.

The post Cox-Trained ‘Future Stars’ Log Final Workouts Ahead Of Breeders’ Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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2021 Kentucky Derby: Churchill Hoping For 40-50 Percent Fan Capacity

Churchill Downs is hoping to welcome fans at as high as 50 percent capacity at the 2021 Kentucky Derby, CEO Bill Carstanjen told investors on Thursday's third-quarter earnings call. According to the Courier-Journal, Churchill's regular capacity is 165,000 people, so there could be as many as 82,500 fans at the Run for the Roses.

“We are starting with the assumption that we will limit the number of reserved seats to 40 to 50 percent of capacity, and we will delay selling any general admission tickets … until we are closer to the date of the Derby,” Carstanjen said.

Carstanjen added that he expects the company to retain the first Saturday in May date for the 2021 Kentucky Derby.