Horse racing news | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Cherry On Top Of The Sundae’; Winchell’s Pneumatic A ‘Go’ For Belmont

Solid training in addition to changes made to the list of probable entrants for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes has given the connections of graded stakes-placed Pneumatic enough confidence to send the sophomore son of Uncle Mo to the Empire State for the American Classic run June 20 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who saddled Creator to a 16-1 upset victory in the 2016 Belmont Stakes, Pneumatic was recently third in the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs, where he was forwardly placed along the rail, battled down the stretch with Ny Traffic but was passed up by Maxfield, who won under a hand ride.

Pneumatic last appeared on the work tab on Monday, June 8, where he drilled through five furlongs in 59.80 over the Churchill Downs main track.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' racing and bloodstock manager David Fiske said Pneumatic had also been under consideration for the Grade 3 Ohio Derby, slated for June 27,

“A couple of things went into the decision. In addition to the fact that he's been training really well and worked well last week, the changes that have been made in terms of defections and horses going to other races also are reasons why we're going,” said Fiske. “It was either this or Ohio and the Belmont is an American classic. To have some Grade 1 black type in a Triple Crown race would be highly beneficial.”

A Kentucky homebred, Pneumatic is out of the stakes-placed Tapit broodmare Teardrop and comes from the same family as multiple-graded stakes winning millionaire Pyro and is a direct descendant of Carol's Christmas, who has been a foundation mare for Winchell's racing operations having produced Grade 1-winners Olympio and Cuvee as well as graded stakes-winner Call Now.

“It would be the cherry on top of the sundae,” Fiske said of a Belmont victory with the Winchell homebred. “He's a direct descendant of Carol's Christmas who might be the best $25,000 claim ever made.”

Pneumatic will be Winchell's second starter in the Belmont Stakes. In 2018, Tenfold represented Winchell when running fifth to Triple Crown-winner Justify.

Prior to his graded stakes debut in the Matt Winn, the lightly-raced Pneumatic broke his maiden at first asking over the Oaklawn Park main track defeating next-out winners Skol Factor and Liam's Pride en route to a victory against winners over the Hot Springs oval defeating stakes-winner Captain Bombastic by 2 ½ lengths.

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. will have the mount aboard Pneumatic for the Belmont Stakes.

The post ‘Cherry On Top Of The Sundae’; Winchell’s Pneumatic A ‘Go’ For Belmont appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

$88,940 Payout In Cross Country Pick 5 Featuring Belmont, Churchill Downs

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5, featuring racing from Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., returning a whopping $88,940 for correctly selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager, with $104,659 wagered in total.

The sequence started when Cost Benefit rewarded his status as the favorite in winning a maiden special weight going one mile on firm turf in Belmont's Race 7. The Chad Brown trainee returned $5.20 on a $2 win bet.

Action alternated between the tracks, with Dance Rhythms besting allowance company in a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint in Churchill's Race 8. Trained by Gregory Foley, Dance Rhythms paid $23.

Switching back to Belmont for the third leg, Quality Stones, under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, took the six-furlong main track sprint in Race 8. Conditioned by Roddy Valente, Quality Stones returned $12.20.

Churchill served as the site for the concluding two legs, with big-priced winner Sconsin winning Race 10 at 19-1 odds. Trained by Foley, Sconsin paid $41 and set up the exciting finale in the Cross Country Pick 5 in the following race.

Race 11, the sequence's lone stakes, saw Admission Office win the Grade 3 Louisville, returning $9.20. Trained by Brian Lynch, Admission Office won for the first time since April 2019, edging Arklow by a head in the 1 ½-mile turf contest.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

The post $88,940 Payout In Cross Country Pick 5 Featuring Belmont, Churchill Downs appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Talking Horses’ Race-Day Previews Now Available On NYRA’s YouTube Channel

The New York Racing Association, Inc. reminds viewers that Talking Horses is now available on NYRA's YouTube channel, in addition to its regular home on the daily simulcast feed every race day during the 2020 Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

Hosted by Andy Serling, Talking Horses lowers the curtain on each day's live racing program on the NYRA circuit. For more than a quarter-century, the show has previewed the full card of the day's racing and provided insight and in-depth analysis of the handicapping process from experts. Serling has served as the lead NYRA handicapper on the NYRA TV broadcast team since 2008 and provided commentary on Talking Horses for most of its history.

“Talking Horses, which has been a part of the NYRA Simulcast experience for over 25 years, is in many ways simply two horseplayers arguing handicapping opinions,” said Serling. “It's also the first show of its kind to add replays and statistics to its production in an attempt to broaden the viewer's appreciation of the day's races. We're pleased that is now more widely available than ever before.”

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national horse racing telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel, which boasts more than 36,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a number of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

The 2020 Belmont spring/summer meet continues through Sunday, July 12. Live racing is offered Thursday through Sunday with a first post of 1:15 p.m. The 25-day meet features 22 graded stakes and 40 stakes races in total worth $7 million in purses.

The post ‘Talking Horses’ Race-Day Previews Now Available On NYRA’s YouTube Channel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

The Week in Review: Why Jerry Bailey is No Fan of the Whip

The whip issue, which never seems to go away, was front and center last week as the California Horse Racing Board approved language that would severely limit the use of the whip. Under the new rules, horses can be hit on the shoulders and hindquarters, no more than two times in a row without waiting for a response and no more than six times total.

That led the Jockeys’ Guild to issue a stinging press release that expressed its displeasure with the new rules, calling the new rules “unsafe” and arguing that they “jeopardize the integrity of the sport.” The Guild also said the decision was typical of a sport that “has a long history of disrespect for jockeys, going back many, many decades.”

Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey no longer has a dog in this fight. Though a former president of the Jockeys’ Guild, he’s been retired since 2006. But his opinion should matter. Not only did he ride in over 30,000 races, but, as an analyst on NBC’s racing broadcasts, he has been able to take a step back and observe racing from something other than an insider’s view. Trying his best to understand all sides of the issue, he keeps landing in the same place. Bailey doesn’t agree with his former colleagues. He says racing would be better off if whips were not allowed.

“If I were still riding, I’d probably have a different attitude,” he said. “I was probably a jockey who used the whip more than I should have. I see it from a different perspective now. I see it from somebody on the other side of the fence.”

Bailey agrees with the current riders when they say the new padded whips don’t hurt the horses, but he says the issue is bigger than that. What Bailey sees now, but couldn’t when he was riding, is a sport that has a difficult time explaining to the public why whips are necessary.

“I have heard from many people outside the sport and they say that if those horses really love to run like you say they do, then why do you whip them?” Bailey said. “That’s what I hear. I am not talking about core fans, but many people, people who watch five or six races a year, tell me they find it offensive that horses are being whipped. Are they right or wrong? I don’t know. But that’s what they think and how they feel.”

Bailey said that racing is losing out on the opportunity to cultivate new fans because of the whip.

“If we can do away with the whip and that leads to drawing in fans who are now offended by it, that’s a small price to pay,” he said.

Whips have been part of racing since the beginning because it is assumed that their use can make the horse try harder and run faster. Bailey says that just isn’t the case.

“I have said for probably seven or eight years now, that I only had a very small percentage of horses run faster when hit,” he said. “It only works on a very few. Most horses give you all they have without hitting them. I don’t think the times of races would change much if you didn’t have whips. If everybody were on a level playing field, I don’t think a significant number of horses would be at a disadvantage. I think you would do fine without them.”

The Guild’s chief complaint with efforts to take the whip out of racing is the safety factor. Riders say the sport becomes more dangerous without the whip.

“We will continue to fight for the livelihoods and safety for our members and the betterment of our sport,” the Guild said in its statement.

Again, Bailey does not agree.

“I feel the reins are the best tool to keep your horse straight,” Bailey said. “Absolutely and without a doubt, the reins are your steering mechanism, not your whip. There are jockeys who feel you need the whip as a safety device. If a horse is out of control and is going to go over one fence or another or go over a pack of heels in a race the whip is not going to help you. You need to use the reins in that case. The reins are the tools to use and in my opinion, the whip is not going to do you much good.”

The post The Week in Review: Why Jerry Bailey is No Fan of the Whip appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post