Tag: Horseplayers

Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is set to begin racing in the new year on Wednesday, January 4, following another successful season in 2022. Wednesday's card is the first of 164 live days scheduled at Charles Town for 2023. The track's two graded stakes – the Charles Town Classic (G2) and Charles Town Oaks (G3) – are expected to take up their usual places on the calendar in late August, pending finalization of the track's stakes schedule in January. State-breds will tentatively take center stage on October 14 as Charles Town will host the 37th renewal of the West Virginia Breeders Classics.

2022's Charles Town Classic (G2) saw Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector become the first horse since Researcher to win back-to-back editions of Charles Town's premier race. Piloted for the second year in a row by Luis Saez and sent out by trainer Bill Mott, the Grade 1-winning son of Bernardini took the Classic field gate-to-wire, while local hopeful Muad'dib finished a respectable second.

The 2022 Charles Town Oaks (G3) had its own gate-to-wire winner, as Tyler Gaffalione, Steve Asmussen, and Peter Blum Thoroughbreds teamed up to take the Oaks with Society in a stakes record time of 1:23.42 for the seven furlongs. The three-year-old daughter of Gun Runner went on to capture the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx in her next start.

West Virginia Breeders Classics XXXVI took place on October 8, and the aforementioned Muad'dib pulled off a repeat of his own, taking his second consecutive Sam Huff West Virginia Breeders Classic, a race bearing the name of Breeders Classics co-founder, late NFL Hall of Famer Sam Huff, for the first time. The son of top West Virginia stallion Fiber Sonde is owned by David Raim, trained by trainer Jeff Runco, and ridden by Arnaldo Bocachica. In the richest race for fillies and mares on the Breeders Classics card, Hessica scored a mild upset in the West Virginia Cavada Breeders Classic.

For the fifth time in his career, Bocachica topped the annual jockey standing at Charles Town in both wins and earnings. Winning at a 28% rate in 2022, Bocachica's 175 winners from 618 starts allowed him to bank $4,231,973 in earnings over the course of the year. Apprentice Marshall Mendez's 143 victories were enough to claim the runner-up spot on the list with Carlos Lopez, Reshawn Latchman and Christian Hiraldo rounding out the top five.

Jeff Runco's 16-year run as leading trainer came to an end in 2022, with conditioner Anthony Farrior claiming the top spot with 140 wins, 22 more than runner-up Ronney Brown. While Runco's 79 wins were only good for third in the standings, he made the most of his 431 starters as he produced $2,843,991 in earnings, allowing him to take the earnings title as one of only three trainers to hit the $2-million mark in winnings, joining Farrior and Brown.

The post Charles Town’s 2023 Racing Season Kicks Off Dec. 4 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Thursday's eight-race card at Aqueduct Racetrack will feature a Late Pick 5 carryover of $189,194 after the multi-race wager went unsolved on Sunday's nine-race program.

Sunday's $1 Pick 6 featured a mandatory payout and returned $4,780.50 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 correctly.

Sunday's Late Pick 5 sequence kicked off in formful fashion in Race 5 with O'Trouble [No. 2, $3.10*] rallying up the rail under Jose Gomez to score a claiming sprint win for trainer Antonio Arriaga.

The Luis Rodriguez Castro-piloted Ricelle [No. 6, $13.20] notched the first of two winners in the sequence for conditioner Ricardo Legall, taking Race 6, a six-furlong maiden claiming sprint for older New York-bred fillies and mares.

Gaslight [No. 7, $29.60] prevailed in Race 7, a starter-allowance sprint for older horses, with Heman Harkie in the irons for Patrick Quick ahead of an impressive score by multiple stakes-placed Milton the Monster [No. 3, $10.80] in Race 8, winning first off the claim in a seven-furlong optional-claiming sprint for older horses under Manny Franco for trainer Tom Morley.

Prince of Joy (No. 8, $66) was the only horse uncovered in the Race 9 finale – a one-mile claiming tilt for older horses – and the 5-year-old Laoban gelding rallied impressively to score the upset victory under Jacqueline Davis for Legall as the longest shot on the board.

Thursday's Late Pick 5 kicks off in Race 4 at 2:16 p.m. Eastern. First post is 12:50 p.m.

America's Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Aqueduct winter meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Aqueduct Racetrack winter meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

The post Aqueduct: Thursday’s Card Features $189,194 Late Pick 5 Carryover appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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With a big 10-race card planned for California Cup Day on Saturday, Santa Anita Park has announced there will also be a mandatory payout in the 20 cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot, with the likelihood of a $3-million total Rainbow Six pool.

A total of five California-bred races, highlighted by the $200,000 Cal Cup Derby and the $200,000 Unusual Heat Turf Classic, will be included in the 10-race card which will begin with first post time at 12 noon (PT).

Entries will be taken Wednesday and the Rainbow Pick Six will be comprised of races five through 10, with fifth race post time scheduled for approximately 2 p.m.

The Cal Cup Derby, which was won in 2014 by eventual Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner California Chrome, will be contested at a 1 1/16 miles.  The Unusual Heat Turf Classic, for older horses at 1 1/8 miles on grass, is presented by City National Bank.

Additional Cal Cup races for Saturday are the $150,000 Leigh Ann Howard California Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf, the $150,000 Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint, for older horses at six furlongs, and the $150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint at about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course.

Admission gates will open Saturday at 10 a.m.

The post Mandatory Payout: Santa Anita’s Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool Expected At $3 Million Cal Cup Day Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Santa Anita Park canceled the New Year's Day racing program as steady rain soaked the Southern California area throughout Saturday night and into early Sunday morning. The rain began as a light drizzle Saturday morning but increased in strength throughout the completion of the program, continuing throughout the night.

Racing will resume at Santa Anita on Monday, Jan. 2, with 10 races and a first post at 12 noon Pacific. The program kicks off with the Grade 3 Las Cienegas Stakes for fillies and mares scheduled to run about 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course.

The popular Corgi Winter Nationals, which was set to be held in the infield on Sunday, has been rescheduled for Sunday, Feb. 19.  Pre-purchased tickets have already been transferred to the new date.

Horsemen and horseplayers have been incredibly supportive of Santa Anita's 2022-23 Classic Meet.  An all-time handle record was set for an opening day with over $26 million wagered all sources. The December 26th crowd of 41,446 was the largest gathering on-track for a non-Breeders' Cup day since 2016. The strength of the handle continued Friday and Saturday, with more than $10.6 million Friday and over $11.4 million Saturday all sources.  Combined with Opening Day, Santa Anita Park has handled nearly $50 million over the first three days of the season.

The post New Year’s Day Racing Cancelled At Santa Anita; To Resume With Holiday Program On Monday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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