Tag: Horseplayers

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring stakes action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park and King Abdulaziz Racetrack.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

The sequence kicks off with the Group 1 Saudi Cup [Race 8, 12:40 p.m.], the world's richest race with a $20 million purse from Kingabdulaziz Racetrack. The nine-furlong test boasting 14 horses is headlined by defending champion Mishriff and includes an international field of contenders led by multiple Grade 1-winner Mandaloun, who was recently elevated to victory in the 2021 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby following the disqualification of Medina Spirit.

Live coverage of the lucrative Saudi Cup card will air Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern on FS2. For more info, visit this link.

Action switches to Aqueduct for the second leg [Race 7, 3:57 p.m.] as a field of 13 older horses travel a one-turn mile in a loaded allowance optional-claimer featuring the seasonal debut of last year's Grade 3 Withers-winner Risk Taking. Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, the 4-year-old Medaglia d'Oro bay is 2-for-3 at the Big A and will be reunited with Withers-winning pilot Eric Cancel. Brown will also send out the improving Sound Money, a 4-year-old Flatter colt, who has won two of his last three starts led by a last-out allowance romp that garnered a 97 Beyer Speed Figure. A salty group of rivals includes graded stakes-placed Too Boss; and multiple stakes winner Captain Bombastic.

The middle leg will see a field of seven square off in the $125,000 Stymie [Race 8, 4:30 p.m.], a one-turn mile for older horses at the Big A led by graded-stakes winner Green Light Go. Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, the 5-year-old Stronach Stables homebred enters from a nine-length score in a one-turn mile optional claimer that registered a career-best 101 Beyer. Steep opposition will be provided by the improving Waxman, who makes his stakes debut for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher out of a nine-furlong allowance score at the Big A.

The sequence will be completed by a pair of races at Oaklawn Park, starting with an allowance mile [Race 9, 5:18 p.m.] featuring 12 older horses. The field will be led by four-time winner Palace Coup, who will cut back slightly after finishing a pace-setting second last out in an Oaklawn allowance. A wide-open group of contenders includes recent allowance winner Prioritization, the well-bred Calibrate and ultra-consistent Pats Property, who boasts a record of 5-2-2-0.

Closing out the sequence is the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel [Race 11, 6:22 p.m.], a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomores offering 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers. The talented field features the top-five finishers from last month's Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn led by the undefeated Newgrange and the late-rallying runner-up Barber Road. Newcomers include one-eyed Grade 3 Withers runner-up Un Ojo; Saratoga maiden winner Stellar Tap; and Cairama, a $525,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available 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, which features a low 15 percent takeout, will continue each Saturday throughout the year.

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

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

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, February 26:
Leg A: King Abdulaziz Racetrack – Race 8, G1 Saudi Cup (12:40 p.m.)
Leg B: Aqueduct Racetrack – Race 7, allowance (3:57 p.m.)
Leg C: Aqueduct Racetrack – Race 8, $125K Stymie (4:30 p.m.)
Leg D: Oaklawn Park – Race 9, allowance (5:18 p.m.)
Leg E: Oaklawn Park – Race 11, G2 Rebel (6:22 p.m.)

The post Saudi Cup Kicks Off Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Hosted By NYRA appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The $1 million, Grade 2 Rebel Stakes, the local prep at Oaklawn Park for the Arkansas Derby, drew a field of 11 3-year-olds trying to earn the winner's share of 50 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points system, not to mention the minimum $600,000 which goes to the winning owner.

Newgrange will undoubtedly be the public betting favorite on the strength of being undefeated in three races including the G3 Southwest Stakes, the local prep for this race four weeks ago.

The only other two-turn stakes winner in the field is Dash Attack, who was victorious in the Smarty Jones Stakes on New Year's Day. However, it must be noted Dash Attack draws a potentially disadvantageous far outside post in the gate.

Barber Road finished fast from 11th of 12 in the Southwest to get second behind Newgrange and may be considered to have a shot particularly as he also finished second in the Smarty Jones Stakes behind Dash Attack prior to that. Ben Diesel was second with an eighth of a mile to run in the Southwest before being passed by Barber Road and ended up third.

Un Ojo is named such as he has just one eye but that has not kept him from running two big races in a row, first when second in the New York Stallion Series Stakes and then when second in the G3 Withers Stakes three weeks ago.

Kavod won the Advent Stakes around one turn in December but finished fourth after leading with an eight of a mile to go in both the Smarty Jones and in the Southwest.

Two recent winners by many lengths step into stakes for the first time and both may deserve attention. Chasing Time won his most recent start, at Oaklawn, by 7 3/4 lengths, while Ethereal Road won by four lengths over the track.

Texas Red Hot returns from three months off and was last seen finishing 10th in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. Cairama was third behind Kavod in the Advent in December but could only manage a sixth place finish in the Smarty Jones. Stellar Tap rounds out the field and may have ability to improve off a third place effort five weeks ago when returning from nearly four months away from the races.

Main win contenders:

Chasing Time could be the horse most capable of posting the upset over heavily favored Newgrange in this year's Rebel Stakes. Except for a fourth place debut effort last September, the colt has done little wrong in winning two and finishing second in his other two races. His best effort came when stretched out to two turns for the first time on Jan. 14 at Oaklawn. Leading for the first quarter mile, Chasing Time relinquished the lead for the next half-mile before retaking the front with a quick burst of speed to pull away by 2 1/2 lengths before coasting home by nearly eight lengths in “ridden out” fashion, which is like having nearly a full tank of gas even after the race. The result was a 91 Equibase® Speed Figure which could have been higher and puts him in range of the 98 figure Newgrange earned in the Southwest Stakes, which followed a 93 figure effort.

It just so happens 93 was the figure Chasing Time earned two before last when winning easily as well. Chasing Time is by relatively new sire Not This Time, whose first foals hit the track in 2020. Yet, two of the sire's newly turned 3-year-olds like Chasing Time are strong contenders on the 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby, with Epicenter having just won the Risen Star last weekend and Simplification recently second in the Holy Bull after winning the Mucho Macho Man.

Trainer Steve Asmussen goes to jockey Tyler Gaffalione to ride Chasing Time for the first time and that is of no concern as they have a strong record together of 10 for 39 in the past year. As such, Chasing Time appears to have what it will take to beat the favorite and win the Rebel.

Eighty-six year old trainer D. Wayne Lukas, affectionately known as “The Coach” and a Hall-of-Fame inductee more than two decades ago in 1999, has won the Kentucky Derby four times. He may have a candidate for this year's edition in Ethereal Road, who is likely to go to post in the Rebel at high odds. The son of Quality Road got to run on a fast track around two turns for the first time last month, in the fourth start of his career. The result was a visually impressive rally from 12th in the early stages, more than 15 lengths back. At the top of the stretch Ethereal Road was still almost three lengths back before drawing off easily to win by four lengths.

The 88 figure earned is 10 points, or about five lengths, slower than the 98 figure Newgrange earned in the Southwest, but the colt is projected to improve at least five points in his second route and if the favorite does not improve, Ethereal Road could run a lot better than his high odds suggest he will.

An interesting Race Lens angle is in play here as well. Since Jan. 1, 3-year-olds in graded stakes routes on dirt which just earned their first wins have won four of 11 times. This is because these types of horses must get on the Derby trail now and some of them can improve dramatically from one race to the next, which is what I'm hoping Ethereal Road will do in this race.

Newgrange earned an 89 figure in his debut, sprinting three-quarters of a mile, and then improved to 93 when stretched out to a mile around two turns in the Sham Stakes on New Year's Day. Shipping to Oaklawn four weeks later on Jan. 29, Newgrange relaxed in third in the early stages then rallied from fourth early in the stretch to draw off by a length and one-half, improving to a career-best 93 figure. John Velazquez has been aboard in all three starts and rides back. The colt put in a very strong five furlong workout before leaving his home base at Santa Anita which was the best of 46 on the day at the distance. There is no question Newgrange is fit and has the physical and mental ability to win this race.

The rest of the field, with their best representative Equibase® Speed Figures, is Barber Road (95), Ben Diesel (93), Cairama (86), Dash Attack (90), Kavod (91), Stellar Tap (87), Texas Red Hot (85) and Un Ojo (76).

Win Contenders:
Chasing Time
Ethereal Road
Newgrange

Rebel Stakes – Grade 2
Race 11 at Oaklawn Park
Saturday, February 26 – Post Time 6:22 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Sixteenth
Three Year Olds
Purse: $1 Million

The post Equibase Analysis: Chasing Time, Ethereal Road Candidates To Upset Newgrange In The Rebel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Another class action lawsuit has been filed by horseplayers over the 2021 Kentucky Derby. A complaint filed by multiple horseplayers in Kentucky's Jefferson Circuit Court on Feb. 21 names trainer Bob Baffert, his racing stable, and Churchill Downs, Inc., on charges of negligence (Baffert entities and CDI), breach of contract (CDI), violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act (CDI), unjust enrichment (CDI), and permanent injunctive relief (CDI).

The suit seeks damages, the amount of pari-mutuel wagering payouts, and legal costs.

The plaintiffs point out that according to Kentucky Administrative Regulations, “[e]ntries or subscriptions for any horse … may be refused or cancelled by the association without notice or reason given,” meaning, they say, that CDI could have refused to accept Baffert's entry into the 2021 Kentucky Derby, given his well-documented history of medication violations.

They also assert that Baffert entered an ineligible horse into last year's Derby, given that Medina Spirit had undergone treatment with betamethasone. The defendants say they hold “winning but unsettled pari-mutuel wagers” after a stewards' ruling on Feb. 21 officially changed the order of finish in the race, removing Medina Spirit from the placings and making Mandaloun the winner.

The stewards specified in the ruling that the disqualification did not impact pari-mutuel wagers, which were paid out on the day of the race.

The lawsuit suggests that CDI could have had its own out-of-competition testing system apart from that of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and that if it had, it would have discovered “Medina Spirit's ineligibility, likely, but not necessarily, resulting in his scratch from the race.”

Plaintiffs also zeroed in on the fact that one of the three stewards in Kentucky is the track association steward, and that Churchill erred in allowing its “employee, ostensible employee, agent or ostensible agent” to declare the race official after Medina Spirit crossed the wire and issue payouts.

“After declaration of a race as official on the day of the race, if a disqualification of an entrant occurs, Kentucky laws and regulations specific to Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering do allow for, and mandate, the redistribution of purse money to the owners of the entrants,” the suit read. “Thus, on race day, races are really only official as it concerns horseplayers who wager, but not for trainers and owners racing for purse money. Kentucky laws and regulations specific to Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering provide for precisely zero penalties, sanctions, or consequences for racetrack associations, including Defendant CDI, who accept entries from trainers and/or owners it knows, or should know, enter unqualified and ineligible horses in races.

“Racetrack associations, including Defendant CDI, continue to accept entries of Thoroughbred horses from trainers and/or owners it knows, or should know, enter unqualified and ineligible horses in races. Without any downside to their actions, racetrack associations, including Defendant CDI, can accept entries of unqualified and ineligible horses with impunity from Kentucky laws and regulations specific to Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, escape any consequences for their actions, or inactions, and leave horseplayers with no recourse under Kentucky laws and regulations specific to Thoroughbred horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering.”

Baffert and CDI had not yet filed responses at the time of this writing. A civil complaint represents only one side of a dispute.

The suit and its principals are similar to a suit filed by lead plaintiff Anthony Mattera in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Mattera voluntarily dismissed that action in September. Baffert is still defending an active civil case in New Jersey District Court which also comes from horseplayers seeking payback from losing money on Medina Spirit in the Derby.

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The 20-cent Rainbow 6 gross jackpot pool will be guaranteed for $1.25 million Wednesday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where the popular multi-race wager has gone unsolved for 15 racing days in a row following a mandatory payout on Jan. 30.

Wednesday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 3-8, highlighted by a five-furlong optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds on turf in Race 5. Wesley Ward-trained American Starlet, a daughter of Twirling Candy who is coming off an impressive debut victory over males at Gulfstream Jan. 7, is slated to take on nine colts and geldings.

Ward is also scheduled to saddle Just Say When, who is unraced since debuting with a victory at Keeneland in October. Rohan Crichton-trained Brit's Candyman, who rolled to a dominating victory in his turf debut in his second career start, Jose D'Angelo-trained Classicstateofmind, who followed up a strong maiden victory in his turf debut with a solid second-place finish against winners, appear to be among the biggest threats to American Starlet.

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.

Who's Hot: Hot Peppers won her third straight race in Sunday's featured Race 10 at Gulfstream Park.

Purchased privately by Michael Dubb following a maiden score by 14 ½ lengths and an optional claiming allowance win by 5 ½ lengths against Florida-breds, Hot Peppers had to dig deep to prevail in Sunday's six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies in open company. The daughter of Khozan showed the way into the stretch before receiving a serious challenge from Mouffy. The Ron Spatz-trained filly responded to jockey Emisael Jaramillo's urging during a stretch-long battle to claiming victory by a head while completing six furlongs in 1:09.75.

Hot Peppers finished second, beaten by a neck, in her debut on Tapeta before winning her last three starts.

Junior Alvarado doubled aboard Coop Tries Harder ($5) in Race 3 and Lucago ($3.80) in Race 9.

The post Gulfstream Park: Wednesday’s Rainbow 6 Gross Jackpot Pool Guaranteed at $1.25 Million  appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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