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Weekend Lineup: Five Graded Stakes On Tap At Woodbine

Throughout the year, the NTRA will provide a guide to the best stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). Full previews when available can be found through the link for each race.

Woodbine plays host to five graded stakes this weekend highlighted by Canadian Triple Crown standouts Mighty Heart and Belichick meeting again in the $125,000 Ontario Derby Stakes.

Racing from Aqueduct and Churchill Downs is televised on “America's Day at the Races.” The NYRA-produced show runs through Sunday this week on FS1 and FS2.

Racing from Del Mar and other tracks will be shown on TVG as part of its coast-to-coast coverage.

Saturday November 21

3:45 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct on FS2

Woodslane Farm's Sadler's Joy will face fellow 7-year-old Grade 1 winner Aquaphobia in pursuit of a second straight triumph in the 60th running of the Red Smith Handicap going 1 3/8 miles over the inner turf. Trained by Tom Albertrani, Sadler's Joy has amassed the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $2,648,160 through a record of 33-7-4-11 consisting of four graded stakes triumphs. The veteran son of Kitten's Joy notched graded wins during his 4, 5 and 6-year-old campaigns. In addition to last year's Red Smith, Sadler's Joy boasts triumphs in the G1 Sword Dancer Invitational in August 2017 at Saratoga and Gulfstream Park's G2 Pan American in April 2017 and the G2 Mac Diarmida in March 2018.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU112120USA9-EQB.html

4 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar on TVG

C R K Stable's Midcourt, the defending champion in Saturday's $100,000 Native Diver Stakes, looms as the one to catch and the one to beat in the 42nd edition of the nine-panel headliner. Midcourt, a gelded 5-year-old by Midnight Lute, has won five of his 14 starts, including his five and three-quarter length triumph in last year's Native Diver. The John Shirreffs-trained runner – a winner of $546,695 in purses — has been handled by Victor Espinoza in most of his career starts and will have the Hall of Fame rider in the tack again Saturday.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR112120USA2-EQB.html

4:58 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine on TVG

Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes winner Mighty Heart will meet up with stablemate and Breeders' Stakes victor Belichick in the Ontario Derby, set for 1 1/8 miles on the Woodbine Tapeta. After Mighty Heart took the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown series, Belichick turned the tables on the bay colt in the 1 ½-mile Breeders' Stakes on Oct. 24, putting an end to Mighty Heart's quest to become the country's first horse to sweep all three races since Wando achieved the feat in 2003. The Ontario Derby, for 3-year-olds, will mark the first race for both since the Breeders'.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112120CAN8-EQB.html

5:06 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs on FS2

Multiple graded stakes winner Finite tops the 35th running of the Chilukki Stakes run at one mile. Finite, a 3-year-old filly by Munnings, was the narrow runner-up finisher behind Venetian Harbor in last month's G2 Raven Run at Keeneland. Previously, the Steve Asmussen-trained Finite was on the Kentucky Oaks trail after victories in the G2 Golden Rod and G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes. Following her fourth-place effort in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks, Finite underwent minor ankle surgery but returned to Asmussen's stable a few months later.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CD112120USA9-EQB.html

5:28 p.m.—$175,000 Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Multiple stakes winner and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, Pink Lloyd, looks to add to his black-type bonanza with a win in the Kennedy Road Stakes. Pink Lloyd will seek to top the Kennedy Road charts for the third time, having won the event in 2017 and 2019. Trained by Robert Tiller for Entourage Stable, the 8-year-old gelded son of Old Forester is unbeaten in four starts – all stakes – this year. His latest tour de force was a victory in the Gr3 Vigil Stakes on Sept. 5, an effort that pushed Pink Lloyd's career earnings over $2 million (CDN). It was also his fourth straight Vigil Crown.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112120CAN9-EQB.html

5:58 p.m.—$175,000 Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

The $175,000 Bessarabian Stakes for fillies and mares contested at seven furlongs on the Tapeta features defending race winner Amalfi Coast. The chestnut filly won last year's edition of the race to earn her first graded stakes score and enters off a victory last time out in the Oct. 23 Sweet Briar Too Stakes.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112120CAN10-EQB.html

Sunday November 22

5:58 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Grey Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Nine 2-year-olds, including impressive first-time winner Haddassah, are set to contest Sunday's Grey Stakes. Haddassah, a bay son of Air Force Blue, didn't fly under the radar in his curtain-raising effort on Nov. 1. Trained by Kevin Attard, the Ontario-bred went off as the 9-5 choice in the 1 mile and 70-yard main track maiden special weight event, a race that was originally scheduled for the turf.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112220CAN10-EQB.html

6:28 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Mark Casse, who has seven Mazarine titles, has two opportunities to add to that impressive total, Sunday. The 1 1/16-mile Mazarine has attracted a field of seven 2-year-old fillies, including Casse charges Souper Sensational and Sleek Lynx. Owned by Live Oak Plantation, Souper Sensational has lived up to her name over two starts, including a fantastic four-length display in the Glorious Song Stakes on Oct. 17 at Woodbine. Sent on her way as the 3-5 choice, the chestnut daughter of Curlin widened her advantage down the lane, going on for the easy score in a time of 1:21.84 over seven furlongs on the Woodbine Tapeta.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112220CAN11-EQB.html

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Stronach 5 Returns Friday With Races From Laurel And Gulfstream

Races from Laurel Park and Gulfstream Park West, including two on the turf, highlight Friday's popular Stronach 5.

The Stronach 5, with an industry-low 12-percent takeout, kicks off with Laurel's seventh race, a $42,000 allowance event at a mile. Trainer Steve Asmussen sends out Break Curfew, a 4-year-old Into Mischief filly who ships in from Belmont Park. Trainer Mike Trombetta will send out Savedbythebelle, trainer Shug McGaughtey Pilot Episode, Michael Matz Global Ambition, and Kelly Rubley One Last Trial.

After heading to the turf for the second leg and Gulfstream's seventh race, an optional claimer for fillies and mares going a mile, Laurel's eighth race will feature a $50,000 optional claimer at a mile on the main track. Golden Brown is the morning-line favorite. The 5-year-old comes from Monmouth Park where he finished second in the Dan Horn Handicap, fifth in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile, and won the Irish War Cry in July.

The fourth leg of the sequence is Laurel's ninth race, a $10,000 maiden claimer at 5 ½ furlong. The Stronach 5 remains on the turf at Gulfstream for the ninth race, a claiming event for 4-year-olds and up

Friday's races and sequence

Leg One – Laurel Park 7th Race: (11 entries, 1 mile) 3:24 ET, 12:24 PT
Leg Two –Gulfstream West 7th Race: (12 entries, 1 mile turf) 3:38 ET, 12:38 PT
Leg Three –Laurel Park 8th Race: (11 entries, 1 mile) 3:54 ET, 12:54 PT
Leg Four –Laurel Park 9th Race: (13 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 4:24 ET, 1:42 PT
Leg Five –Gulfstream West 9th Race: (12 entries, 1 1/16 mile turf) 4:42 ET, 1:42 PT

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The Stronach 5 In the Money podcast, hosted by Jonathan Kinchen and Peter Thomas Fornatale, will be posted by 2 p.m. Thursday at InTheMoneyPodcast.com and will be available on iTunes and other major podcast distributors

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

The post Stronach 5 Returns Friday With Races From Laurel And Gulfstream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Equibase Analysis: Ride A Comet May Be Able To End Pink Lloyd’s Win Streak In Kennedy Road

The field for Saturday's Grade 2, $175,000 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine is led by Pink Lloyd, a fan favorite who has racked up 26 wins from 32 races all on the all-weather main track at Woodbine, including all four during his 2020 campaign. Among the other six in the Kennedy Road field, three have been victims to Pink Lloyd's tremendous will to win, while three others are facing him for the first time.

Leading that group is Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes winner Silent Poet, with an accomplished record consisting of 10 wins in 18 races. Then there's Ride a Comet, winner of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in the summer of 2018. Ride a Comet returned from a 25 month layoff last month at Woodbine and won as if he had never been away. Souper Stonehenge is another horse never seeing the back end of Pink Lloyd to date. He's never run in a stakes race but enters the race off a win in his second start back from 11 months off.

Dixie's Gamble has won six of nine races when Pink Lloyd wasn't in the race, including the Overskate Stakes last fall but he has been soundly defeated in four confrontations with the likely favorite. Similarly, Eskiminzin has been defeated in all five matchups against Pink Lloyd and has won six times from 26 other races. Roaring Forties has finished fourth and seventh behind Pink Lloyd this year and was fifth in the Grade 3 Durham Cup Stakes in his most recent start.

Ride a Comet may be the right horse to end Pink Lloyd's perfect four-for-four streak this year. This talented horse won five of his first 10 races, including the Del Mar Derby in September, 2018, defeating multiple stakes winner River Boyne in the process. With whatever put him on the sidelines from that race until his comeback last month behind him, Ride a Comet returned in extraordinary fashion with a visually impressive effort that saw him go from seventh and six lengths behind the leader on the turn to the front of the field by the eighth pole. Considering he was ridden out to victory, it appears there's a lot of gas left in the tank and logically the horse should improve markedly second off the layoff.

Since that race, Ride a Comet has put in three exceptional workouts at Woodbine including one which was the second best of 41 on the day. When he won the Del Mar Derby at the end of his three year old season, Ride a Comet earned a 110 Equibase Speed Figure which is comparable to the 111 figure Pink Lloyd earned winning this race in 2019, and therefore Ride a Comet gets top billing.

Silent Poet and leading Woodbine jockey Justin Stein should be able to take advantage of an otherwise paceless race and go to the front easily at the start of the race. Silent Poet has earned nearly all of his wins when leading or pressing the pace in second from the start, including his last two races. The first of the two was an allowance race with a stakes level $100,000 purse and the second was the Nearctic Stakes at this distance on grass. Those efforts yielded 103 and 104 figures which, with slight improvement, put Silent Poet in the thick of the action down to the wire in the Kennedy Road. I'm not concerned about his duplicating those efforts on the main track as he was second in the Sir Barton Stakes the last time he ran on the main track at Woodbine.

Pink Lloyd's accomplishments speak for themselves, as he's dominated the sprint stakes ranks at Woodbine for many years. With streaks of five in a row in 2019 and five in a row coming into this race, including all four races this year, he's proven to have an attitude about winning which matches his ability. Pink Lloyd was second in the 2016 edition of this race, won it in 2017, skipped it in 2018 and won it again in 2019. Still, except for last year's Kennedy Road in which he earned a 111 figure, his four wins this year earned 103, 102, 92 and 101 figures, which aren't dominant in any way when compared against Ride a Comet (99 last race and 110 before the layoff), Silent Poet (104 last race) and Souper Stonehenge (102 last race). All three of those horses have never faced Pink Lloyd previously and all appear to be as capable of winning as the likely betting favorite. That's not to say Pink Lloyd can't rise to the occasion and win just as he's done time and time again.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures in a similar race, is Dixie's Gamble (105), Eskiminzin (98), Roaring Forties (93) and Souper Stonehenge (102).

Win Contenders, in preference order:
Ride a Comet
Silent Poet
Pink Lloyd

Kennedy Road Stakes – Grade 2
Race 9 at Woodbine
Saturday, November 21 – Post Time 5:28 PM E.T.
Six Furlongs on All-Weather
3-Year-Olds and Upward
Purse: $175,000

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Fair Grounds Replaces ‘Jackpot’ Pick 5 With Traditional Early, Late Pick 5 Wagers

When the Fair Grounds' 149th season of racing kicks off Thanksgiving Day at the New Orleans, La. track, a traditional early and late Pick Five will replace the Black Gold Five, a jackpot wager that had been in place for the past several years.

On a regular basis, the early Pick Five will encompass races 1-5, and the late Pick Five will be offered on the final five races of the card. The 50-cent minimum wager will pay 100% of the day's pool plus any carryover coming into the day to those who correctly select 5-of-5 winners. Should no one pick 5-of-5, 25% of the pool will be paid to those who select the most winners, with the remaining 75% of the pool carrying over to the following day's late Pick Five sequence.

In addition to the newly implemented early and late Pick Five, Fair Grounds will also offer an early Pick Four, which will now move to races 2-5, as well as two other Pick Fours later on the card. Rolling Pick Threes and daily doubles remain a staple of the wagering menu.

Fair Grounds will also make a key change to their horizontal wagering platform. Beginning this meet, any race that is taken off the turf after a sequence has started will revert to ALL on any live tickets. This rule only applies to turf races moved to the main track. Any scratch in a race that did not switch surfaces will result in the bettor getting a replacement of the post time favorite.

A complete list of wagering information, special wagers, and with key racing dates for the meet can be found at: https://www.fairgroundsracecourse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020-2021-Thoroughbred-Racing-Season-Wagering-Info-FINAL-.pdf

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