Santa Anita, Thoroughbred Owners Of California Announce 10 Percent Purse Boost For Fall Meet

Santa Anita's 2021 Autumn Meeting, which opens Friday, Oct. 1, will now offer owners and horsemen a 10 percent increase in all overnight races as Santa Anita and the Thoroughbred Owners of California (TOC) have reached an agreement that will enable Santa Anita to provide a comprehensive purse increase for the third consecutive race meeting, dating back to the 2020 Autumn Meet.

“This is a very significant development and we want to thank everyone at TOC for helping to make this happen,” said Chris Merz, Santa Anita Director of Racing and Racing Secretary. “To be able to offer a purse increase for the third meet in-a-row clearly demonstrates we are trending in the right direction and that's important when owners and horsemen are making plans not only for racing, but breeding as well.

“Our Autumn stall applications are very encouraging as is the success of the current meet at Del Mar. I think people around the country and here in California are realizing this is a tremendous place to race and train and we hope to keep the momentum going into the new year.”

With the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships scheduled for Nov. 5 & 6 at Del Mar, there will be added interest in a variety of Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” qualifying races, the first of which will be contested on opening day, Oct. 1.

With four stakes planned, three of them, the Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah, the Grade 2, $200,000 Chandelier and the $100,000 Speakeasy, are all Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” events and they'll be complemented by the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up at 6 ½ furlongs on turf.

“This purse increase is significant not only to our owners and horsemen, but to all of us in the Thoroughbred industry here in California,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “There's no question we're moving in the right direction and we're hopeful this is going to help with field size which will provide better gambling opportunities for our fans.”

For additional information, including complete details on overnight purse increases for the 2021 Autumn Meet, please visit santaanita.com or call the Santa Anita Racing Office at (626) 574-RACE.

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XBTV Bypasses Video Milestone for Saratoga and Del Mar Meets

Edited Press Release

One month into this summer's Saratoga and Del Mar meets, XBTV.com has already uploaded more than 1,000 morning video workouts for racing's marquee meets. This milestone provides handicappers with 'behind the scenes' access to the nation's top horses and future stars and remains available without cost to 1/ST account holders. XBTV's workouts are also available on TDN's homepage.

“You can refer to published workouts and form assumptions based only on final time, but the opportunity to view the video and gain an understanding of how the drill was accomplished can turn an educated guess into a confident wager,” said Jeff Siegel, Xpressbet.com handicapper and analyst. “Especially at Saratoga and Del Mar, where fitness, quickness and readiness among 2-year-olds and layoff runners must be accurately evaluated, the videos at XBTV.com provide the missing link to the handicapping process that the serious horseplayer simply cannot be without.”

XBTV's video workout library is available at no cost for 1/ST account holders. To setup a free 1/ST account, simply visit www.XBTV.com and provide your name, email address and date of birth. A 1/ST account also allows customers to access the 1/ST BET and Xpressbet betting platforms as well as BETMIX handicapping software.

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Del Mar: Thursday’s Pick Six Carryover At $1,645,118

Long-winded allowance horses will stretch out to a mile and three-eighths Thursday at Del Mar for a $74,000 allowance purse that will serve as the feature attraction on the day's eight-race card. It goes as Race 7 on the program and has lured eight runners to test their legs and lungs over the demanding 11-furlong distance.

Along with the feature, there will be an extra buzz to the day's card as the track's Pick Six Single Ticket Jackpot wager will be up for grabs once more this time with a $1,645,118 carryover to serve as extra incentive. The bet has carried forward for 16 straight racing days and its prize just grows more and more lucrative. If it is not “hit” on either Thursday or Friday of this upcoming week, it goes to TVG Pacific Classic Day on Saturday and that's a “mandatory” afternoon when all money in the pot gets paid out to those holding tickets with the highest number of winners.

The feature is an interesting betting affair with the likely favorite being an old pro named Ward 'n Jerry, a homebred 8-year-old gelding who races in the silks of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Williams. The Mike Puype-trained veteran has run the most races – 29 – won the most – 8 – and banked the most money — $474,759 – in the lineup.

There's little doubt that Ward 'n Jerry can get the trip. In eight of his last 12 outings he's run farther than the Thursday headliner, so the old boy has a lot of things in his corner. Leading rider Flavien Prat signs on the ride, so there's yet another thing in his favor.

Here's the full lineup for the feature from the rail out with riders: Bran Jam Stable and Firsthome Thoroughbreds' Big Buzz (Jessica Pyfer); Reddam Racing's Parsimony (Mario Gutierrez); Three Diamonds Farm's Ocean Atlantique (Trevor McCarthy); Alfred Pais' Margot's Boy (Juan Hernandez); Ward 'n Jerry; Karl Pergola's K P All Systems Go (Tyler Baze); Slam Dunk Racing or Nentwig's Rijeka (Joe Bravo), and Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Warren, Jr.'s Seven Charms (Kyle Frey).

First post on Thursday is at 2 p.m.

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Casse ‘All Smiles’ After Get Stormy’s Fourstardave Victory, 104 Beyer Speed Figure

Trainer Mark Casse was all smiles on Sunday morning at Saratoga Race Course after securing his first Grade 1 victory as a newly enshrined Hall of Famer when Got Stormy bested males to win the $500,000 Fourstardave for the second time on Saturday.

Owned by Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse Stable, Got Stormy set a course record over the inner turf capturing the 2019 Fourstardave in a time of 1:32 flat with Ricardo Santana, Jr. up.

After finishing second in last year's running to pacesetting Halladay, the 6-year-old chestnut daughter of 2010 Fourstardave victor Get Stormy vindicated herself with a sharp 1 ½-length triumph under Tyler Gaffalione.

The victory registered a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, a tenth lifetime triple-digit number for the talented mare, and included a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Mile on November 6 at Del Mar.

Despite last week's Hall of Fame induction, the summer campaign had been a frustrating one for Casse, who was winless at the current Saratoga meet before Got Stormy's Fourstardave coup.

“It's been a rough meet, but my wife [Tina] said it best: 'It's been gloomy in Saratoga until the storm blew through,'” Casse said.

Got Stormy arrived at the Fourstardave off two fifth-place finishes at graded stakes level after making her seasonal bow a winning one in the Grade 3 Honey Fox on February 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Sent off at 12-1 odds, Casse said he nevertheless felt confident in his mare because of her demeanor in the paddock.

“It's her. She just gets happy,” Casse said. “She was walking around after I had saddled her and I told Tyler, 'She's got her game face on today, they better be ready,' I could tell she just wanted to go out there and do it.”

Casse said Got Stormy, a seven-time graded stakes winner with graded scores at six different tracks, will appreciate a return to Del Mar, where she captured the Grade 1 Matriarch in her final start of 2019.

“The good news for us is she's 1-for-1 at Del Mar,” Casse said. “We should have hard and fast [turf] there, and the turns aren't quite as tight as they are here but they're sharp. I want to get one race into her, I just haven't figured out where I want to do that yet.

“She just loves training here so much. Most horses do,” Casse added regarding Got Stormy's affinity for Saratoga. “She enjoys the tight turns. She can run around a turn like most horses can't, so that helps.”

Casse mentioned the possibility of attempting a dual conquest in the $600,000 Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint on September 11 at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky.

“I can go to Kentucky Downs just as a prep, run her at 6 ½ [furlongs] and we don't care about the weather,” Casse said. “If it rains, it's okay. Where the soft ground hurts us is when she's trying to get a mile.”

Previously owned by Gary Barber, Got Stormy was purchased for $2.75 million by Spendthrift Farm at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

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Ned Toffey of Spendthrift Farm said he was delighted to see the superstar mare secure a Grade 1 victory when sporting Spendthrift's orange and purple silks.

“Mark was very confident. He said she was doing so well,” Toffey recalled. “I think clearly, she really likes Saratoga. It was just great to see. This was so gratifying because when Mr. [B. Wayne] Hughes decided to get involved with MyRacehorse, he really believed that this was something that would be successful, but what they need are really good horses.

“She didn't appear to have lost any steps yesterday so that was great to see,” Toffey continued. “She's such a gutsy, hard trying mare. You just love to see that kind do well.”

Toffey said he felt gratified to be able to provide the multiple MyRacehorse partners a prestigious victory at Saratoga.

“To get a Grade 1 and to be able to see a project like this come full circle, work out this way, and have a bunch of enthusiastic MyRacehorse fans to be there and share it with us was a great feeling,” Toffey said.

Casse said that maiden Volcanic, a two-time starting son of Violence owned by Breeze Easy, could race back in the $300,000 Grade 1 Hopeful on September 6. The $230,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase finished third last out in a six-furlong maiden event on July 24 at the Spa.

The Hall of Fame trainer said Live Oak Plantation's graded stakes-winner Souper Sensational, who finished second in the Grade 1 Longines Test here on August 7, could race back in the $250,000 Grade 2 Prioress on September 4 at the Spa.

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