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South Africa: Little Separating Top Five Runners In Saturday Morning’s Cape Town Met

The Cape Town Met this Saturday morning is a weight-for age event but despite that, there is no obvious stand-out in this year's Grade 1 race over 1 1/4 miles at Kenilworth Racecourse. The feature South African card begins early Saturday morning (First Post: 5:00am ET / 3:00am PT) ahead of The Pegasus Invitational at Gulfstream Park which means it is a huge day of racing for International horse racing fans. World Pools are also being hosted by Hong Kong Jockey Club and you can live stream the racing action from Kenilworth, South Africa at skyracingworld.com, via the Sky Racing World App or on TVG.

L'Ormarins Queen's Plate winner Jet Dark is the best weighted runner based on merit ratings, but only by 1lb. In fact, there is very little separating the highest rated five runners.

The Justin Snaith trained 3-year-old Double Superlative, who last month won the G1 Cape Guineas, could be substantially better than his current merit rating of 113 and is joint favorite for the race. But while Double Superlative may have won the Guineas, there is a question about the ability of this current crop of 3-year-olds and it could be wise to look elsewhere for the winner.

The horse who ticks almost all of the boxes is Kommetdieding. Trained in Cape Town by the father and daughter team of Harold Crawford and Michelle Rix, this 4-year-old son of Elusive Fort won the country's biggest handicap, the G1 Vodacom Durban July at Greyville last year.

He has had the perfect preparation with two really good build-up races, finishing third in the Cape Mile and then second to Jet Dark in the Queen's Plate. Both those races were over one mile, and he will improve markedly over the additional two furlongs.

He won his first four races and was then targeted at last year's Cape Derby, but an injury forced him out and he was not seen in action until May.

Everything is on track for this colt this time.

“Right now, we could not have asked for a more sound and fitter racehorse, and I'm looking forward to Saturday,” said Rix.

He is owned by charismatic Ashwin Reynolds, and the name, Kommetdieding, is Afrikaans for “bring it on.”

Gavin Lerena picked up his first Durban July winner on this horse and will be hoping Kommetdieding will give him his first triumph in the Met.

Meanwhile, Jet Dark could not have been more impressive in winning the Queen's Plate for the second successive year and trainer Snaith is very confident this son of Trippi will see out the trip.

“I don't see 1 ¼ miles a problem for him,” said Snaith. “For a champion racehorse the distance is elementary, and Jet Dark sets the bar very high in the Met.”

However, Jet Dark is racing against other horses who have no stamina doubts, and it will be interesting to see whether he can produce the same finishing burst over 1 ¼ miles as he does over 1 mile.

S'manga Khumalo is unbeaten in two Grade 1 races on him and he is back aboard on Saturday.

Critics may knock Linebacker's somewhat dull performance in the Queen's Plate when beaten out of the placings three lengths back. His jockey on that occasion, Craig Zackey, explained that Linebacker was off the bit early and out of his comfort zone.

It is conceivable Linebacker, winner of the G1 Cape Derby and G1 Daily News 2000, reverts to his usual high-class form in a race likely to be run to suit, especially with regular rider Grant van Niekerk back in the irons.

The Kenilworth card 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, DRF Bets 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.

The post South Africa: Little Separating Top Five Runners In Saturday Morning’s Cape Town Met appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Turf Racing From Gulfstream, Santa Anita Highlights Friday’s Stronach 5

Turf races from Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park lead a competitive Stronach 5 Friday afternoon with a low 12-percent takeout.

The Stronach 5, which continues to offer a strong return on investment, will start at 4:16 ET and will also include races from Laurel Park and Golden Gate Fields.

Laurel's ninth race, a $10,000 claimer for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 mile, starts the popular wager, and it drew a wide-open field of 10 with four horses running for new barns off claims. Dr. Ferber breaks from the rail after being claimed last time out by Kieron Magee, who is 28-percent off a claim. Pay The Kid goes out first time for Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, 50 percent first off the claim, and Souper Emperor returns to the barn of Mike Trombetta, 12 percent off the claim.

The Stronach 5 moves next to California and Santa Anita's third race, a mile event for filly and mare maiden claimers. Awesome Pamela comes into the race off a second-place finish last time out against similar company at the distance. A neck behind Awesome Pamela last time out was Medusa's Gaze, who breaks from the rail and has placed in six of nine starts at the distance, and a length back was Glory of Chrome, who closed well despite a wide trip. Cayton Kid goes out first time off the claim for Gary Stute.

Gulfstream's ninth race, a mile turf event for fillies and mares with a $35,000 tag, will serve as the third leg of the sequence. Una Luna gets Paco Lopez in the saddle and will make her first start for trainer Steve Klesaris since finishing off the board in the Claiming Crown Tiara. My Sweet Wife enters off a second-place finish last out against similar company. Chose to Be Happy, first or second in seven of 10 turf starts, goes out for the first time in five months for Eddie Plesa Jr.

The fourth leg of the sequence, Golden Gate's third race, is a starter allowance at six furlongs for fillies and mares. Holy Zags will break from the rail and will make his first start for a new barn and trainer Jonathan Wong off an eighth-month layoff. Wong also saddles She Said Yes, fifth last time out. Daniela Bella broke her maiden last out against maiden special weight company and enters with a record of 6-1-4-0.

Santa Anita's fourth race, a starter optional claimer at six furlongs on the turf, concludes the Stronach 5. Cherubic Factor and Algeria are the only starters in the seven-horse field with a win on the turf. Doug O'Neill will saddle two horses for the first time in Explosive and Cotopaxi, who was claimed for $50,000 last time out.

Friday's races and sequence

Leg 1 –Laurel Race 9: (10 entries, 1 1/16 mile) 4:16 ET, 1:16 PT
Leg 2 –Santa Anita Race 3: (8 entries, 1 mile) 4:33 ET, 1:33 PT
Leg 3 – Gulfstream Race 9: (12 entries, 1-mile turf) 4:42 ET, 1:42 PT
Leg 4 – Golden Gate Race 3: (8 entries, 6 furlongs) 4:49 ET, 1:49 PT
Leg 5 –Santa Anita Race 4: (7 entries, 6 furlongs turf) 5:04 ET, 5:04 PT

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

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Handicapping Heavyweight: Kenny Mollicone To Receive First King Of The Turf Championship Belt

Kenny Mollicone established himself as the National Turf Handicapping Champion by winning the King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge last September during the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. Now he'll have the belt to prove it.

Mollicone, a 47-year-old real-estate developer from Somerset, Mass., will be presented the Global Tote King of the Turf Championship Belt during Sunday's awards dinner that wraps up the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) at Bally's Las Vegas. The Global Tote belt was designed to mimic boxing's iconic world championship belts.

“I love it!” Mollicone enthused recently when texted a photo of the Global Tote Championship Belt. “Never had a trophy quite like that. Never had a championship belt. I'm going to put it right in my office. Put it right in a case.”

Asked if he's been getting the proper respect for being King of the Turf, he said with a laugh, “Believe it or not, I've had more than a few people who bet horses stop me and go, 'Hey, King of the Turf!' It's pretty funny.”

Mollicone won the six-day competition based on Kentucky Downs' races with an aggregate bankroll total of $5,783.90 after playing in all three of the individual two-day, live-money contests. That gave him a comfortable $1,163.90 advantage over runner-up Christy Moore of Fishers, Ind. Mollicone also earned $20,000 as the overall winner.

“Like Kentucky Downs, the King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge is one-of-a-kind in American racing,” said Dallas Baker, Head of International Operations for Global Tote's parent company, BetMakers Technology Group. “We wanted our King of the Turf to get a champion's trophy as unique as the tournament format and its venue. It's especially appropriate to use boxing's fabled world-championship belts as our inspiration for an event in Kentucky, which of course gave us Muhammad Ali.”

Eleven competitors earned Kentucky Downs-sponsored berths for the NHC, which runs Jan. 28-30. Moore, who already had earned the maximum two NHC qualifying seats, instead received an entry for the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, in which she finished fourth out of 522 entries.

“It's taken just two years for the Kentucky Downs King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge to become one of the most coveted prizes in the world of handicapping contests,” said Brian Skirka, Monmouth Park's marketing manager who has served as the Kentucky Downs' King of the Turf tournament director the past two years. “Andy Muhlada was a great inaugural champion in 2020, and 2021 champ Ken Mollicone – with the introduction of the new Global Tote King of the Turf Championship Belt – will literally carry his title into 2022.

“An unmatched layout and quality of turf racing gives Kentucky Downs such amazing content that serves as the ultimate ingredient with which to concoct a world-class contest series. I'm excited to work with the team to create this year's contest series.”

While the King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge features live money, with players keeping their final bankroll in addition to any prize money, the NHC's format utilizes mythical $2 win and place wagers on a single horse in mandatory and optional races. Competitors must play 18 races each of the first two days, after which the top 10 percent of entries based on mythical bankroll qualify for the third day's semifinals, where players pick their 10 races to play. The subsequent top 10 players advance to the Final Table, featuring seven mandatory races.

Mollicone finished 194th in last year's NHC out of 563 entries, his first time qualifying for the world's most prestigious handicapping competition.

“I had a horse that was 16-1 in the last race at Saratoga and got disqualified,” he said of the COVID-delayed 2021 NHC. “If he hadn't been taken down, I'd have been in the semifinals. I'm still sick about it. Watch the replay.”

Also qualifying for the NHC through Kentucky Downs, with hometowns are Marikate Carter (Saratoga Springs, NY), George Chute (Dedham, MA), Erin Doty-McQuaid (Nicholasville, KY), Gary Gristick (Lebanon, PA), Lawrence Kahlden (St. Petersburg, FL), Chris Larmey (Kennewick, WA), Nick Noce (Rochester, NY), Joseph Regan (Marlboro, MA), David Rink (Bannockburn, IL) and Gary Wright (Staten Island, NY). In addition to Moore, Ed Deicke (Lido Beach, NY) earned a Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge berth at Kentucky Downs after being double-qualified for the NHC.

With Kentucky Downs picking up a seventh racing day for 2022, the format for the King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge has not yet been set. Kentucky Downs will race Sept. 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11 and 14. Mollicone says he's participating however it's structured.

“One hundred percent,” he said. “I've got to defend myself. Have to go for another belt.”

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Bavlish, Beychok, Gallo, Gutfreund, And Matties To Be Inducted Into NHC Hall Of Fame

Stanley Bavlish, Michael Beychok, J. Randy Gallo, David Gutfreund, and Paul Matties Jr. have been selected for induction into the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship's Hall of Fame, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Tuesday. The five esteemed handicappers represent the eighth class of NHC Hall of Fame inductees and will be recognized during the NHC Champions Dinner on Sunday evening at the conclusion of the 22nd NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) Presented by Racetrack Television Network, Caesars Entertainment and Bally's Las Vegas.

Bavlish won the 2007 NHC and made the Final Table in 2016. Beychok won the 2012 NHC and is the event's all-time leading money earner. Gallo was one of the “founding fathers” of the NHC while also serving as a tournament host through his Bettor Racing OTB and a Final Table participant in 2019. Gutfreund won the 2018 NHC Tour, has qualified 15 times, and boasts two top-10 finishes. Matties won the 2016 NHC and has qualified 13 times.

More on 2022 NHC Hall of Fame Class

Bavlish, of Frederick, Md., has remained among the most consistent and respected contest players since he won the 2007 NHC in his first year of qualifying. A three-time finisher in the top 10 percent at the NHC, Bavlish finished ninth at the Final Table in 2016. He is the longtime owner of multiple Subway restaurants and director of the Independent Purchasing Cooperative for Subway franchisees. Bavlish is a 14-time NHC qualifier, a member of the NHC Players' Committee and an NHC Mentor.

“I am honored and humbled to be inducted into the NHC Hall of Fame,” said Bavlish. “I want to thank the NTRA for creating this event that I love. I also want to thank everyone that supported me with Hall of Fame votes.”

Beychok, of Baton Rouge, La., became the first and only person to win $1 million at the NHC in 2012 when Glorious Dancer scored a nose victory in the final race of the contest to give him a one-dollar advantage, a life-changing payday, and an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year. Beychok, who later claimed Glorious Dancer and retired her to a farm in Louisiana, is a strong advocate for racehorse aftercare as well as horseplayers. A political consultant who also contributes picks as a public handicapper for The Advocate newspaper in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Beychok is the NHC's all-time leading money earner and a 12-time qualifier.

“I'm honored and humbled by this recognition,” said Beychok. “The NHC experience opened up new adventures and introduced me to lifelong friends. I'm proud to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to a deserving class of inductees and thank you to all that voted for me and helped me earn this distinctive honor.”

Gallo, who passed away in November in Jupiter, Fla., at age 72, was not on this year's Hall of Fame ballot and instead was unanimously inducted by the NHC Players' Committee and the NTRA. A friend, mentor and advocate for all horseplayers and one of the founding fathers of the NHC, Gallo made the Final Table in 2019 and was a seven-time qualifier. The most well-known member of a horse-loving and gambling family synonymous with the NHC and contest play around the country, Gallo was a popular tournament host through his Bettor Racing OTB operation in South Dakota as well as a highly successful handicapper and gambler.

Said Gallo's brother, and fellow handicapping contest player, Ross Gallo: “On behalf of my brother Randy, I wish to sincerely thank everyone at the NTRA for inducting him into the Hall of Fame. I know he would've been honored and humbled to be recognized. He loved the NHC, but most of all he loved seeing all his friends and fellow handicappers. He felt the camaraderie was unparalleled anywhere else in our game.”

Gutfreund, of Chicago, Ill., is one of the most accomplished horseplayers in the history of the NHC. He captured the 2018 NHC Tour after winning five contests in less than six months. A 15-time qualifier, Gutfreund has two top 10 finishes at the NHC and has finished in the top 20 four times. Gutfreund, who once won $90,000 on a 20-cent multi-race wager, also is a highly skilled card player with more than $1 million in career poker earnings.

“What an amazing induction class to be a part of with three outstanding NHC Champions along with the legendary Randy Gallo,” said Gutfreund. “Congrats to Stan, Michael, and Paul. I am very appreciative of this recognition.”

Matties, of Ballston Spa, N.Y., is widely regarded as one of the nation's foremost handicappers. Part of a family deeply involved with horses and betting, Matties captured the 2016 NHC the same year his brother, Duke, finished fourth. He also won the $50,000 NHC Consolation in 2019. In addition to being a successful professional gambler, Matties is an original member of Beyer Associates, which produces speed figures for Daily Racing Form, a former Racing Times columnist, and founder of horseplayer services company NHPlays. Matties is a 13-time qualifier and formerly served on the NHC Players' Committee. The Matties brothers have combined to win hundreds of multi-race wagers at racetracks from coast-to-coast and can be found every summer in their favorite spot in the “backyard” at Saratoga.

“I want to thank everyone associated with the NHC and the NTRA,” said Matties. “I also want to thank Steve Crist and everyone at the Daily Racing Form and elsewhere who had the early vision of a national championship for horseplayers. Competing against the best handicappers in the world is the ultimate challenge and I will forever be proud of winning the NHC and the consolation tournament. To me, horseplayers are the smartest and toughest people in the world and to be recognized by them in their premier community is a tremendous honor.”