Tag: Horseplayers

Racing officials in Pennsylvania have suspended jockey Paco Lopez 30 days for his ride aboard Ridin With Biden in the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup Stakes at Parx on Sept. 23. Lopez waived his right to appeal and began serving his sentence Sept. 28.

The ruling indicates that Lopez was cited for “failure to give his best effort and failure to use the proper diligence” in the race, where he finished third. It cites Pennsylvania regulations requiring horses be ridden out to the finish, as well as one requiring “a licensee shall not … engage in inappropriate, illegal, or unethical conduct which violates the commission's rules and regulations of racing, is inconsistent with the best interests and integrity of racing, or otherwise undermines the general public's faith, public perception, and confidence in the racing industry.”

According to the Equibase chart, Lopez and Ridin With Biden stalked eventual winner Next until midway through the final turn, when the favorite proved too much for him. Then, the chart indicates the horse was then “eased in the final stages, costing the place.” My Imagination (84-1) popped up for second by a nose over Ridin With Biden.

Ridin With Biden won the Greenwood last year and came to the race off an allowance victory at Parx on Aug. 22. He went off at odds of 3-1.

A message to Lopez's agent was unreturned Friday.

Lopez's suspension runs through Oct. 27.

The post Pennsylvania Stewards Hand Paco Lopez 30-Day Suspension For ‘Failure To Give Best Effort’ In Greenwood Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Heavy rains with the potential for flash flooding in the Northeast are wreaking havoc with racing schedules, with Aqueduct's Friday program and Friday and Saturday's all-turf Monmouth-at-Meadowlands cards cancelled.

Following are the press releases from those tracks:

AQUEDUCT: The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled Friday's live racing program at Aqueduct Racetrack due to significant rainfall forecast to create hazardous weather conditions in the New York metropolitan area.

With as much as five inches of rain expected, Ozone Park is under a flash flood warning and flood watch throughout the day on Friday. As a result, Friday's 11-race card has been canceled in the interest of the safety of all participants.

Aqueduct Racetrack will remain open for simulcasting on Friday, and online wagering is available through www.NYRABets.com.

NYRA has yet to determine a new schedule for Friday's featured Grade 3, $150,000 Noble Damsel and $125,000 Ashley T. Cole.

Live racing at Aqueduct is scheduled to resume on Saturday with an 11-race card featuring the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, the Grade 2, $400,000 Woodward, the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom and the Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh, a “Win and You're In” for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

For additional information on the Belmont at the Big A fall meet, as well as a complete stakes schedule, visit NYRA.com.

MONMOUTH-AT-MEADOWLANDS: The all-turf Monmouth-at-Meadowlands cards for Friday, Sept. 29, and Saturday, Sept. 30, have been canceled due to inclement weather.

Last Saturday's card was canceled due to rain and windy conditions as well.

The abbreviated meet will resume Friday, Oct. 6 with a six-race card. First race post time is 7 p.m.

When live racing does return the program will feature a carryover of $18,488 for the Jackpot Pick 6.

The Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet, originally scheduled for 10 days, runs Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 14.

After the first three racing days of the meet, Paco Lopez leads the jockey standings with six wins from 10 mounts. Kent Sweezey, Rob Atras and Jose Delgado are tied atop the trainer standings with two wins apiece.

The post Heavy Rain In Northeast: Aqueduct Friday, Meadowlands Friday/Saturday All-Turf Cards Scrapped appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A week after Brazilian superstar Joao “Magic Man” Moreira pulled a rabbit from a hat to land the G1 Golden Rose on Militarize for champion Sydney trainer Chris Waller, the pair will combine in another feature race this Friday night. Moreira, who set multiple riding records during a dazzling decade in Hong Kong, will partner 8-1 shot Kovalica in the time-honored G1 Epsom Handicap.

First run in 1865 and now worth AU$1.5 million, the Epsom underlines the tremendous wagering value provided by Australian racing: the 20-strong field has a 6-1 favorite. The one-mile Epsom Handicap is the eighth on a 10-race card at Royal Randwick, which includes seven stakes (three Group 1) and will be broadcast live by FanDuel TV and Sky Racing World (First post 9:55 p.m. Eastern / 6:55 p.m. Pacific).

Ongoing hip problems saw Joao Moreira hand in his Hong Kong jockey's license last year, with a view to undertaking a six-month global farewell tour before retirement. In April, Moreira linked with Chris Waller's emerging 2-year-old star, Militarize, winning back-to-back Group 1's at Randwick. Dedication to a strict regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises, in concert with medical assistance, has stabilized his hip to the point that Moreira eagerly accepted Waller's invitation to reunite with Militarize last weekend in the Golden Rose.

From a seemingly impossible position in the first half of the home stretch, Moreira extricated and ignited Militarize for a last-gasp victory which exemplified his Hong Kong nickname of Magic Man. Moreira turned 40 on Tuesday, and the prolonging of his career is a blessing for global racing.

One key stat suggests he's landed on the right horse in Friday night's Epsom Handicap: Kovalica makes his second start following a layoff and is undefeated in such circumstances. Kovalica is part of a seven-pronged Waller attack on the Epsom, which also includes the former Phil D'Amato-trained Going Global (25-1).

Countdown to The Everest

Randwick's card includes the G2 Premiere Stakes, final prep for the world's richest race on turf which is now just two weeks away on Friday night, Oct. 13 (U.S. time).

• Think About It, a winner of nine from 10 career starts, heads wagering at 6-5 for the Premiere (Race 7). Think About It is already guaranteed a start in The Everest, and was promoted to 7-2 favorite in future book wagering following the injury-enforced withdrawal of 2022 winner, Giga Kick.
• The slot-holder who had Giga Kick has snapped up 3-year-old Godolphin-owned colt, Cylinder, on the strength of his close second off a tough trip to Militarize in last week's Golden Rose.
• Several slots remain available for horses who impress in Friday night's Premiere, run at the same six-furlong distance as The Everest. The most intriguing runner is Alcohol Free (9-1), who won at Group 1 level in England at 2, 3 and 4 years of age. In November of last year, she became the second-highest priced horse ever sold at a European auction, bringing approximately US$7.3 million. Alcohol Free has made only one Australian start, in April. The 5-year-old mare resurfaces as a potential wild card for The Everest, and will be ridden in the Premiere by … Joao Moreira.
• Nature Strip, recently retired two-time Australian Horse of the Year and winner of The Everest in 2021, will make a special appearance at Randwick to lead the Premiere Stakes field onto the track.

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV this Friday night (First Post: 9:55 p.m. ET / 6:55 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Eagle Farm, Newcastle and Belmont. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, FanDuel and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances, and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

The post Australia: The Magic Man Man Has More G1’s In His Hat appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Fans will be greeted by a pair of all-new state-of-the-art paddock video boards beginning on opening day of Santa Anita's 19-day Autumn Meet, Friday, Sept. 29. The meet will be highlighted by the 40th annual two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships, which Santa Anita will be hosting for a record 11th time on Nov. 3 & 4.

Manufactured by US-based Daktronics, a worldwide leader in LED displays, the video boards each measure nine feet tall by 16 feet wide and will significantly enhance the on-track experience for both fans and horsemen.

While the previous paddock video boards had a pixel pitch of 15mm, the new boards provide much higher quality viewing, with a finer 6mm pixel pitch.

First installed and operational in 2012, the paddock video boards have become a popular component of Santa Anita's overall audio/video presentation, enabling fans to watch races live while enjoying the track's picturesque Paddock Gardens area.

To view time-lapse of installation click here. For additional information regarding the 2023 Autumn Meet and the two-day Breeders' Cup Championships on Nov. 3 & 4, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

The post Santa Anita: State-Of-The-Art Paddock Video Boards To Greet Fans Beginning With Autumn Meet Opener appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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