Tag: Horse Racing

Maxfield Sitting On Go For Whitney

Godolphin's once-beaten Maxfield (Street Sense) tuned up for next Saturday's GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Saturday morning, breezing a five-eighths of a mile in 1.01.61 (16/34) before turning in a strong gallop out.

Working in the company of the commonly owned Churchill maiden winner Business Model (Candy Ride {Arg}), Maxfield covered his opening quarter-mile in :24 3/5 and the half in :48 2/5 and pulled up six furlongs in a shade over 1:13, according to trainer Brendan Walsh.

“I just wanted the company to take him to the wire,” Walsh said. “I think the best part of it was the gallop out from the wire to an eighth out. He's doing good. I couldn't ask for more than that.”

Having tasted defeat for the first time when third behind Idol (Curlin) in the GI Santa Anita H. in March, the son of Velvety (Bernardini) has since posted facile scores in the GII Alysheba S. Apr. 30 and in the GII Stephen Foster S. June 26, securing a spot in the field for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The Whitney also serves as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for that championship event.

A veteran of just eight racetrack appearances, the 4-year-old Maxfield will be making his Saratoga debut next weekend and for his part, Walsh believes his charge is enjoying his time at the Spa.

“He's doing as well as he's ever done right now,” Walsh said. “I hope he can run at least as well as he's done these last couple times and maybe even a little bit better. He likes it up here and is in a great frame of mind.”

Happy Saver Gearing Up…

Wertheimer et Frere's 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver), who defeated Godolphin 'Rising Star' Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) in last year's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup last fall, could contest the Whitney after drilling a half-mile in :49.25 in the company of last-out GIII Monmouth Cup hero Dr Post (Quality Road).

Trainer Todd Pletcher indicated that both 4-year-old colts are also being considered for the GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 21 as he tries to keep the pair separated.

“I thought the work was solid,” Pletcher said. “We'll see how he [Happy Saver] bounces out of it. I haven't quite decided on the Whitney yet.

“There's also the Pacific Classic in-between,” he continued. “I just have to weigh my options. It might give me an opportunity to split the two of them up if I don't run Happy Saver in the Whitney.”

Winner of a one-mile Belmont allowance on seasonal debut May 28, Happy Saver is exiting an even third to Max Player (Honor Code) in a sloppy-track renewal of the GII Suburban S. downstate July 3.

The post Maxfield Sitting On Go For Whitney appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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CDI Doesn’t File for ’22 Dates for Arlington

The July 30 deadline for applying for Illinois 2022 race dates came and went with no surprise move that might have buoyed the near-future fate of Arlington International Racecourse.

If anything, suburban Chicago's landmark Thoroughbred track inched closer to permanent closure Friday, because Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), the gaming corporation that owns the up-for-sale landmark, failed to file even a placeholder application to race next year that could have been transferred to a buyer willing to keep the sport afloat.

Nor did CDI ask the Illinois Racing Board for race dates at any other location in the state, which corporate officials had hinted at doing as far back as a year ago.

If granted, such an application to race elsewhere could have given Illinois horsemen another venue at which to race while CDI reaped entitlements related to live racing licensure, like off-track-betting and advance-deposit wagering.

CDI had sparked a glimmer of hope within the racing community earlier this month when it was revealed that the gaming corporation had requested a 2022 dates application from the IRB.

But requesting a blank application never meant a track owner had to actually fill it out with requested dates and file it.

CDI continues to pursue what company officials believe are bigger-picture casino endeavors at two lucrative locations where CDI wants to expand its gaming footprint in and near Chicago.

Arlington and any associated gaming endevaors there by another operator would be viewed as a competitive threat to CDI's casino ventures, and CDI officials disclosed earlier this year that the corporation's preference is to sell the valuable 326-acre parcel to a dveloper who won't keep the property as a rcetrack, which it has been since 1927.

Hawthorne Race Course, the Chicago area's lone remaining Thoroughbred venue, also runs Standardbred meets, so tranferring all of the Thoroughbred dates to Hawthorne's work-in-progress racino is not currently workable.

Pretty much as expected, Hawthorne's management filed blanket Jan 1-Dec. 31 applications for both breeds, with the understanding that the details will be worked out later, largely contingent on what happens with the Arlington sale

CDI's sale process which is believed to have finished its bidding period with four known offers. Only one of them proposes keeping the track operational for racing.

A likely scenario for 2022 could call for Hawthorne to essentially flip its exisitng schedule of running Thoroughbreds in the spring and fall, instead picking up the warmer weather dates Arlington used to have while switching harness racing to the autumn through spring months.

The post CDI Doesn’t File for ’22 Dates for Arlington appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Weekend Lineup Presented By NYRA Bets: Grade 1 Sprinters To Line Up On Both Coasts

A pair of Grade 1 sprints on opposite coasts highlight this Saturday's stakes action, with the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt taking place at Saratoga and the G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar. In addition, juvenile champion and Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality will return to action in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at the Spa, and 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil will ship west to contest Sunday's G1 Clement Hirsch.

The Vanderbilt features reigning sprint champion Whitmore seeking his first win of his 8-year-old campaign, while Firenze Fire will attempt to turn the tables after finishing third behind Whitmore in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint. Morning-line favoritism goes to Michevious Alex, the G1-winning sprinter who shortens back up to six furlongs after running third in the Met Mile.

Meanwhile, the Bing Crosby offers a deep field of nine including divisional leader C Z Rocket. After twice defeating Whitmore at Oaklawn Park over the winter, C Z Rocket will race without Lasix for the first time in his career during this “Win and You're In” contest for the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring action from historic Saratoga Race Course as well as competition from Woodbine Racetrack and Monmouth Park.

Here's a quick snapshot of this weekend's graded stakes schedule (all times Eastern):

Saturday

5:03 p.m. – $350,000 Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. at Saratoga

Champion Whitmore faces eight rivals in this spot, most notably Grade 1 winners Firenze Fire and Mischevious Alex, both of whom are listed at lower odds on the morning line. Special Reserve has been facing lesser company but has won four of his five starts this season, while live longshot Lexitonian ran extremely well to finish second in his last start at six furlongs, in the G1 Churchill Downs Stakes, and returns to the sprint scene after a poor start and sixth-place finish in the Met Mile.

Vanderbilt Entries

5:39 p.m. – $600,000 Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga

Essential Quality has done little wrong thus far in his career, and it would take a monster effort from one of the five rivals in this race to defeat him on Saturday. That said, Masqueparade is an improving sort for the very patient Al Stall, Jr., and Weyburn being entered in this race instead of the Plate Trial (he's Ontario-bred) should say something about what trainer Jimmy Jerkens thinks of his chances. Keepmeinmind would benefit from a hot pace up front, should one develop.

Jim Dandy Entries

6:12 p.m. – $250,000 G2 Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga

Three sons of English Channel make up three of the top four choices on the morning line in the Bowling Green, a 1 3/8-mile contest over the Saratoga lawn. Channel Maker is the favorite, making his first start since running a big second in Saudi Arabia's Neom Turf Cup and then finishing off the board a month later in Dubai; the Bill Mott trainee, one of three in this race, was third in this race last year and usually seems to hit his best form around the fall. The ever-dangerous Chad Brown enters a pair in Rockemperor and Breakpoint, while the red-hot Mike Maker has New York-bred Cross Border in with a chance.

Bowling Green Entries

9:30 p.m. – $300,000 G1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar

Even if C Z Rocket proves he can run without Lasix, it may not be enough to secure him the victory in this “Win and You're In” contest for the Breeders' Cup Sprint this fall. Eight others are signed on for the six-furlong affair, with a trio from the barn of Mark Glatt including last year's winner, Collusion Illusion. Brickyard Ride will try to steal the race on the front end, while the Glatt-trained Dr. Schivel would seem likeliest to take advantage of a hot early pace.

Bing Crosby Entries

Sunday

5:39 p.m. – $200,0000 G2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga

Restricted to 3-year-olds, the Amsterdam features a rematch between Drain the Clock and Jackie's Warrior, the 1-2 finishers separated by a neck last out in the G1 Woody Stephens. They'll have a sixteenth of a mile less to travel this time, which should give the advantage to the speedy and determined Jackie's Warrior as his Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen approaches Dale Baird's all-time leading trainer record.

Amsterdam Entries

9:00 p.m. – $300,000 G1 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar

Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil ships in from Ellis Park to contest the 1 1/16-mile Hirsch for trainer Brad Cox, chasing the expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Distaff granted to the winner. The regally-bred local divisional leader As Time Goes By, an American Pharoah half-sister to Will Take Charge and Take Charge Indy, will enter off a two-race win streak for trainer Bob Baffert. Venetian Harbor has won a pair of graded stakes races sprinting in the past year, but stretches out here, and Warren's Showtime switches to the dirt after winning the G3 Wilshire last out.

Hirsch Entries

The post Weekend Lineup Presented By NYRA Bets: Grade 1 Sprinters To Line Up On Both Coasts appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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COVID-19: Prairie Meadows Reinstitutes Mask Mandate

Effective Aug. 1 at 8 a.m., Prairie Meadows' guests and employees must wear a face mask or covering while on property. Prairie Meadows will be continue to do their part to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Prairie Meadows safety measures include:

• Face masks or coverings are required to be worn at all times on property.
• 100% of the air is exchanged every 15 minutes through a two-stage filtration process that includes an anti-microbial treatment.
• High-grade disinfectants and electrostatic sprayers are used on a rigorous cleaning schedule to sanitize the property daily.

To review Prairie Meadows entire health and safety measures plan, visit https://www.prairiemeadows.com/safety.

About Prairie Meadows
Prairie Meadows began operations as a nonprofit organization in 1989 with the goal of promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa. Through taxes, grants, and charitable donations, Prairie Meadows has given more than $1.9 billion to the state of Iowa, Polk County, City of Altoona, City of Des Moines, and Polk County Schools, and numerous other local and state charities. Prairie Meadows offers slot machines, table games, sports wagering, live and simulcast racing, hotel accommodations, entertainment, and more.

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