Tag: Horse Racing

Champion Jockey Irad Ortiz Set To Return Thursday At Gulfstream Park

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Gulfstream Park's record-setting leading rider the past three years, is entered to make his 2021-2022 Championship Meet debut Thursday.

Ortiz is named in six of 10 races starting with Macedonian in Race 2 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who leads the Championship Meet with 21 wins through the first 23 days including Unsociable ($6.80) and Novo Sol ($23.80) Wednesday. Ortiz also has mounts in nine of Friday's 10 races.

Last winter, Ortiz set a Championship Meet record with 140 wins, breaking the mark of 137 set by Luis Saez in 2017-2018. Ortiz reached the milestone by riding Known Agenda to victory in the Curlin Florida Derby (Grade one) presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa.

Only Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, who did it a record five times between 2011-2012 and 2015-2016, has won as many as four consecutive Championship Meet titles. Ortiz spotted his competition a sizeable head start while serving a 30-day suspension for careless riding aboard Gran Casique Dec. 3 at Aqueduct.

Ortiz has not ridden since notching three victories on the Dec. 5 Clasico Internacional del Caribe program at Camarero Racetrack in Puerto Rico. He also finished second in the Copa Invitacional de Importados (G1) with Luna Fortis.

Saez, Gulfstream's leading rider in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, led the Championship Meet with 40 wins, 145 mounts and more than $1.4 million in purse earnings through Wednesday's card.

                        Thursday's Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $1.2 Million

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed at $1.2 million for Thursday's 10-race program at Gulfstream Park.

Multiple tickets with all six winners were sold Wednesday, each worth $3,635.62. The popular multi-race wager was last solved for a $407,067.66 jackpot payout Dec. 11, a span of 16 racing days.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Thursday's Rainbow 6 sequence begins in Race 5, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds scheduled for one mile where the narrow 3-1 program favorite is Fiery Heart. West Point Thoroughbreds, St. Elias Stable and Repole Stable's Fiery Heart, purchased for $475,000 last Mach as a 2-year-old in training, will be racing with Lasix for the first time after finishing third in his Dec. 4 debut Dec. 4 on the Aqueduct turf for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Race 7 is a maiden special weight for Florida-bred 3-year-old fillies sprinting 5 ½

The post Champion Jockey Irad Ortiz Set To Return Thursday At Gulfstream Park appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Under The Stars Chasing Oaks Points In Saturday’s Santa Ynez Stakes

An impressive maiden winner in her most recent start, Bob Baffert's Under the Stars heads a field of six sophomore fillies going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade one, $200,000 Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita.

Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte, a close second in a one mile turf stakes on Nov. 27, rates a big look as does California-bred stakes winner Big Switch and recent turf maiden winner Miss Mattie B.

A respectable third, beaten three quarters of a length by the well regarded Tonito's in the 6 ½ furlong Desi Arnaz Stakes two starts back on Nov. 13, Under the Stars came back earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 80 when registering an impressive three length maiden win at Los Alamitos going six furlongs on Dec. 11.

Bet down to the 2-5 favorite in a field of 12, the Kentucky-bred daughter of Pioneerof the Nile, out of the Storm Cat mare Untouched Talent drew away from her competition like a filly of considerable promise for owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, in what was her third career start.

A $320,000 March 2-year-old in training sale purchase, Awake At Midnyte pressed the pace and came away a game neck first-out maiden winner going six furlongs on Oct. 31 here at Santa Anita and then stretched out to a mile on turf in the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes at Del Mar Nov. 27.  A close second early, she wrested control a sixteenth of a mile out but lost a desperate photo by a nose in a huge effort.  By Nyquist out of the Union Rags mare Midnight Union, Awake at Midnyte should be forwardly placed under regular rider Mario Gutierrez.

A California-bred by hot sire Mr. Big, John Sadler's Big Switch, a first-out maiden winner going six furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 20, followed that up with a 2 ¾ length win going seven furlongs in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5, earning an 80 Beyer Speed Figure.  In what will be her first try in open company, she'll get the services of John Velazquez.  Owned by her breeder, George Krikorian, Big Switch is out of the Malibu Moon mare Two Faced Moon.

Trained by Bob Hess, Jr., Miss Mattie B rallied from far back to break her maiden going one mile on turf Nov. 27 and will hope to have a similar late kick as she switched back to dirt and shortens up a furlong.  Owned by Westlake Racing, Stable, Miss Mattie B, who will be ridden back by Mike Smith, is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Tonalist out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Traffic Blimp.

Trainer Jonathan Wong's speedy Mimajoon also rates a look, as she comes off a gate to wire score on synthetic Tapeta in the Golden Gate Debutante Stakes Nov. 26.  A front-running maiden winner going five furlongs on turf Nov. 13, Mimajoon, a Florida-bred by Fed Biz, out of the Indian Charlie mare Sister Charlie, is owned by her breeder, Scott Herbertson and will be ridden for the first time by Kyle Frey.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA YNEZ STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9  Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

  1. Under the Stars—Flavien Prat—120
  2. Big Shamrock—Abel Cedillo—120
  3. Big Switch—John Velazquez–122
  4. Mimajoon—Kyle Frey—122
  5. Awake At Midnyte—Mario Gutierrez–120
  6. Miss Mattie B—Mike Smith—120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m.  Admission gates open at 10:30 a.m.

The post Under The Stars Chasing Oaks Points In Saturday’s Santa Ynez Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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NTRA Conference To Focus On Racing, Training and Event Surfaces

The NTRA Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be held Sunday through Tuesday, Mar. 6-8, at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

An opening reception Mar. 6 will be followed by a day and a half of discussions and demonstrations. The full agenda for the conference will be released later this month, but confirmed speakers and topics include:

  • Dennis Moore, Racetrack Consultant and Superintendent, will demonstrate the use of lasers for grade measurements and how to check grades on horse racing and arena surfaces;
  • The Equine Sports Turfgrass Alliance, a group of university and industry professionals developing education and research for the equine sports turfgrass industry, will host a session on the development of testing methods for surface testing of cross-country courses in British and North American Eventing;
  • Glen Kozak, Senior Vice President of the New York Racing Association (NYRA), will lead a panel that discusses the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act Surfaces Regulations and the process for implementation and reporting;
  • Oliver Hoberg, Footing Expert for the Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sports, and Lars Roepstorff from the Swedish University of Agriculture, a veterinarian and equine surgeon and one of the world's leading experts on equine footing surfaces, will discuss the use of FEI criteria and practical implications for FEI 5* events and Olympic equestrian facilities;
  • Kaleb Dempsey, Materials Engineer at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL), will demonstrate the integrated track tester which can measure moisture and cushion depth on dirt tracks as well as monitor the condition of turf tracks; and
  • Mackenzie Rockefeller, Manager at Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, will demonstrate the new Maintenance Quality System (MQS) database developed by The Jockey Club which will allow reporting for the HISA data to be produced automatically.

The Racecourse Managers' Conference and Workshop will be offered free of charge to all registered attendees. For additional information and to register for the event, contact Danae Fryman at dfryman@NTRA.com.

The post NTRA Conference To Focus On Racing, Training and Event Surfaces appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Rivalry Between My Boy Tate, Lobsta Continues In Saturday’s Say Florida Sandy

Lobsta and My Boy Tate, the respective one-two finishers last out in the NYSSS Thunder Rumble, will square off once more in Saturday's fifth running of the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy for New York-breds 4-years-old and up going seven furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Both Lobsta and My Boy Tate will carry 124 pounds Saturday, six more pounds than each of their four rivals in the six-horse Say Florida Sandy field.

Last out, in the seven-furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble on Dec 5 at the Big A, the Gary Sciacca-trained Lobsta, carrying 118 pounds, took command from Post 10 and battled with stablemate and full-brother Chowda to his inside.

My Boy Tate, assigned a co-field high 124 pounds, raced along the rail down the backstretch and launched a menacing bid in upper stretch briefly capturing command. But Lobsta responded to Hall of Famer Javier Castellano's right-handed encouragement, getting the better of his foe by a half-length.

Owned by Eddie Fazzone's Eddie F's Racing, Lobsta earned three stakes placings prior to his last out victory, which came off a nearly five-month layoff.

Following a successful sophomore debut last January at a flat mile, the 4-year-old son of Emcee was a distant second to Nicky the Vest in the Gander before completing the trifecta in the Mike Lee at Belmont Park and the New York Derby at Finger Lakes.

“I thought Chowda was going to get the lead, but Lobsta dragged Castellano to the front. I couldn't believe it,” Sciacca recalled. “I was surprised Lobsta broke like he did off a layoff and come out of there like a rocket. Both runners have a lot of fight in them.”

Sciacca said his friendship with Fazzone dates back over three decades.

“He's a good friend that I've known for over 30 years,” Sciacca said. “We just became good friends along the years. Nobody loves racing more than him. He's a loyal, great guy. More owners like him would make the game easier.”

Bred in the Empire State by Fedwell Farm, Lobsta sports a consistent ledger of 8-3-1-2 with earnings of $221,400.

Castellano will pilot Lobsta once more from post 4.

My Boy Tate will seek a second non-consecutive win in the Say Florida Sandy, capturing the event in 2018. Trained, bred and co-owned by Michelle Nevin in partnership with Little Red Feather Racing, the 8-year-old son of Boys At Tosconova arrives as the most accomplished horse in the field with six stakes victories and a field-best $717,788 in earnings.

With 5-of-6 stakes wins taking place at Aqueduct, including dual victories in the Hollie Hughes [2018 and 2021], My Boy Tate will attempt an eighth career win over the Big A oval. He currently boasts a record of 14-7-3-1 when competing at Aqueduct.

Nevin, who has captured three of the four runnings of the Say Florida Sandy saddling Honor Up [2019] and Our Last Buck [2021] to respective victories, said My Boy Tate produced a game effort last out.

“He went out and ran his race. He didn't do anything wrong and he was giving it his best,” Nevin said. “Hopefully, this time he has a better day and gets the best of them. He's a determined horse. He's definitely a fun horse to have around.”

Eric Cancel, who rode My Boy Tate to victory in last year's Haynesfield, will return to the irons from post 5.

Seeking his first stakes coup since the 2020 Albany at Saratoga is Chestertown, a royally-bred son of Tapit out of Grade 1-winner Artemis Agrotera, for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Chestertown, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Chester and Mary Broman, Woodford Racing, Siena Farms and Robert Masiello, kicked off his 2021 campaign with a four-length victory in a nine-furlong allowance at Aqueduct. In his lone stakes start last season, he was a distant second in the Hudson on Oct 30 over a sloppy and sealed Belmont Park main track.

Returning pilot Jose Lezcano will ride from post 2.

Completing the field are Alpha Chi Rho [post 1, Jose Ortiz] – who arrives off two straight wins; graded-stakes placed Battle Station [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche], and five-time winner Saratoga Pal [post 6, Trevor McCarthy].

The Say Florida Sandy honors the late multiple graded stakes winner whose lengthy career saw 98 starts and spanned from 1996-2003. Say Florida Sandy earned New York-bred championship honors multiple times, including three New York champion sprinter titles and New York Horse of the Year honors in 2001-02. Following a 10-year career at stud, Say Florida Sandy was pensioned and retired to Old Friends in 2014.

The Say Florida Sandy is carded as Race 8 on Saturday's nine-race card at the Big A. First post is 12:20 p.m.

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