Tampa Bay Downs, HorseTourneys Teaming Up For Jan 8 High Rollers Handicapping Contest

The annual High Rollers Handicapping Contest Presented by HorseTourneys is Jan. 8 at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar, Fla., with first prize (based on 100 players) of $20,000. Players are required to deposit $1,000 to enter, with $500 serving as the player's bankroll for wagering and the remaining $500 going to the prize pool. At the conclusion of the tournament, any dollar amount remaining in the bankroll remains the property of the player.

Wager types permitted are win, place and show only, with each player making five $100 win, place and/or show bets during the tournament. The player with the highest bankroll takes top prize (50 percent of the prize pool), plus a seat in either the 2022 or 2023 National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas, plus accommodations.

To enter, register at www.tampabaydowns.com and make the required $1,000 payment by noon on Jan. 8. For details, contact Margo Flynn at mjflynn@tampabaydowns.com or (813) 855-4401, extension 1368.

Thoroughbred racing continues Sunday, Dec. 26, with a nine-race card beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET. Sunday is also the first day of the track's annual “Calendar Giveaway,” with the 2022 edition given away free to the first 5,000 patrons. The calendar features a variety of images certain to enhance fans' enjoyment of the track and the horses.

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Weekend Lineup: Santa Anita’s Opening Is The Day After Christmas Present For Racing Fans

The only graded stakes in North America this weekend fall on Santa Anita's traditional day after Christmas opening day, when the Arcadia, Calif., track unwraps six graded stakes on an 11-race card that gets under way at 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern.

Three of the six stakes are G1: the Runhappy Malibu for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs on dirt, the La Brea for 3-year-old fillies going the same distance, and the American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles on turf in a race scheduled to begin on the reopened Santa Anita downhill turf course.

New to the expansive Santa Anita betting menu is a special opening day mid-pick 4 wager offered on races five through eight and featuring a 50-cent minimum. The bet will be offered on days when 11 races are carded.

Following Sunday's opening-day program, Santa Anita will offer a special nine-race Monday card that kicks off with a 12 noon PT first post.

While Santa Anita's day after Christmas opening is the gift many horseplayers and fans have been waiting for, there is non-graded stakes action on Sunday at Laurel Park in Maryland, Florida's Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.

Here's a brief preview of Santa Anita's opening day graded stakes:

Sunday

4:08 p.m. ET – G2 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita

The fifth race on the card, the San Gabriel will see Dan Blacker-trained Hit the Road, a More Than Ready colt who earlier this year won the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes at Santa Anita going one mile, stretch out to nine furlongs for the first time. Umberto Rispoli, a perfect three-for-three aboard Hit the Road, will be back aboard the 4-year-old colt after Florent Geroux handled him in his last four starts. Look for Michael McCarthy-trained Friar's Road to be flying late under Jose Ortiz, who traveled west to ride several horses for McCarthy on the opening day card. The Quality Road colt has yet to win a stakes but was third, beaten a head, in the G2 John Henry Turf Championship Stakes two starts back at Santa Anita.

San Gabriel entries

4:40 p.m. – San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita

G1 Pennsylvania Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie was not disgraced when fourth behind likely Horse of the Year Knicks Go in his first try against older horses in the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 6. He's the heavy morning line favorite in the San Antonio under regular rider Flavien Prat, and trainer Doug O'Neill is removing blinkers from the Oxbow colt's equipment after they were added for the Breeders' Cup. Kiss Today Goodbye defends his San Antonio title for trainer Eric Kruljac and Bob Baffert has two runners – Eight Rings  and Azul Coast – in the field of seven.

San Antonio entries

5:12 p.m. – Santa Anita Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes

With Hit the Road opting to stretch out in the San Gabriel, the Mathis Brothers Mile came up a very competitive race, with Del Mar's G1 Hollywood Derby upset winner Beyond Brilliant the 5-2 morning line favorite for trainer John Shirreffs and jockey Kent Desormeaux. Du Jour is the second choice at 3-1 on the morning line for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Flavien Prat. The Temple City colt is two-for-two over the Santa Anita turf, breaking his maiden and adding an allowance win there earlier this year. He also won the G2 American Turf Stakes on Kentucky Derby day at Churchill Downs.

Santa Anita Mathis Brothers Mile entries

5:44 p.m. – La Brea Stakes at Santa Anita

Private Mission threw down ridiculously fast fractions before hitting the wall on the stretch turn and finishing last in the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff going 1 1/8 miles at Del Mar. The Into Mischief filly trained by Bob Baffert showed the ability to win against good company going two turns  in the G2 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in October, but she might find the elongated seven-furlong sprint distance even more to her liking here. The 8-5 morning line favorite will be ridden by Flavien Prat. None of the other six fillies have faced as tough a competition as Private Mission has, though the other Baffert filly in the line-up, Kalypso, did win the G2 Santa Ynez over the same distance at Santa Anita last January.

La Brea entries

6:49 p.m. – Runhappy Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita

How good is Flightline? The Tapit colt earned respective Beyer Speed Figures of 105 and 114 while winning his first two starts by a combined 18 lengths – a maiden race at Santa Anita in April and a Sept. 5 allowance race at Del Mar – but this will be the first stakes test for the John Sadler runner. The $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase hasn't missed a beat in his training and gets leading West Coast rider Flavien Prat, also the regular rider of Dr. Schivel, the second choice in the morning line for the Malibu. Dr. Schivel, who lost the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint by a nose to Aloha West, always brings his “A” game, and the Mark Glatt-trained colt by Violence figures to be right in the thick of things. Rising Southern California star Juan Hernandez, who rode Dr. Schivel to a maiden victory in 2020, will be aboard. An interesting wild card is Baby Yoda, a Bill Mott-trained invader from the East who received a 114 Beyer Speed Figure for an allowance race win at Saratoga on Sept. 4 the day before Flightline won at Del Mar. He's had two disappointing runs since then but gets Jose Ortiz back aboard.

Runhappy Malibu entries

7:20 p.m. – American Oaks at Santa Anita

It's impossible to overlook Going Global's perfect four-for-four record over the Santa Anita turf course or her overall mark of seven wins in 11 starts. The five-time graded stakes winner is one of two Phil D'Amato runners in the line-up for the American Oaks, which begins midway down the hillside turf course and takes one lap around the infield oval. Michael McCarthy has four entered in the 11-horse Oaks field, none of them stakes winners but all capable of improvement. The best of his quartet might be Nicest, an Irish-bred daughter of American Pharoah who was good third in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and third in the G1 Irish Oaks a month later. She will have John Velazquez aboard for her third U.S. stakes try. Two other shippers, Chad Brown-trained Fluffy Socks, a two-time graded stakes winner, and Victoria Oliver-trained Core Values, make the American Oaks a challenging race to handicap.

American Oaks entries

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Santa Anita’s Opening Day Wagering Menu To Include Special 50-Cent Mid-Pick 4

With an 11-race card highlighted by six graded stakes, including three Grade 1 events, Santa Anita's traditional Winter/Spring Meet opening day this Sunday, Dec. 26, will offer players a treasure trove of betting opportunities including the popular 20 cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six Jackpot. Santa Anita's comprehensive betting menu will include a special Opening Day Mid-Pick 4, a 50 cent bet offered on races 5, 6, 7 & 8, as well as a wide variety of other wagers, including a North American-low takeout of 15.43 percent on all $2 Win, Place and Show wagers.

In addition to the Opening Day Mid-Pick 4, Santa Anita will again offer the 50 cent Early Pick 5, which features a low 14 percent takeout, as well as the 50 cent Late Pick 5.

With the Jackpot provision in place, the 20 cent Single Ticket Rainbow Pick Six requires a perfect single ticket in order to key a potentially life changing payoff. Providing there is no single ticket winner, consolation tickets with the highest number of winners receive a payoff on 70 percent of the net pool. The remaining 30 percent is carried over to a Jackpot pool, which will continue to accrue until there is a single ticket winner or there is a designated mandatory payoff day.

The $1 Stronach Five will again be offered each Friday and will consist of a fast paced series of five races from Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park and Golden Gate Fields. The Stronach Five offers players a low takeout of 12 percent.

Santa Anita will also continue to offer the $5 Golden Hour Double, and the $1 Golden Hour Pick 4. Both wagers embrace late races at both Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields.

On most race days, there will be an Early and Late 50 cent Pick Four. On opening day, and all other days on which 11 races are carded, there will also be a 50 cent Mid-Pick Four. With 11 races on opening day, this Saturday, the Early Pick 4 will start with Race 2, the Mid-Four with Race 5 and the Late Pick Four will start with Race 8.

Players will also once again be offered one dollar exactas, two dollar rolling Daily Doubles, 50 cent rolling Pick 3s, as well as 10 cent Superfectas on all races with a minimum of six runners.

Additionally, the One Dollar Super High 5 is again available in all races with seven or more declared starters. The wager is available on all races that have seven or more declared starters. There is a 100 percent payout on all tickets selecting five winners, no consolation and a 100 percent carryover to the next race (including to the next day, if applicable).

Santa Anita Park estimates paying out over $18 million on Opening Day, based on historical pari-mutuel handle numbers.

Players that use the wagering app 1/ST BET or Xpressbet will get a bonus $10,000 in *splits:

* For instance, a “split” on a $5,000 prize pool will be evenly distributed among all players making winning bets. If four winning players are to share the split, each would receive $1,250.

–A $2,000 split on the Early Pick 5

–A $3,000 split on the Late Pick 5

–a $5,000 split on the Late Pick 4

Santa Anita offers the most information for players including:

–Free Video workouts at xbtv.com

–Free Analysis from Jeff Seigel

–Free Analysis from other handicappers

–Free trip notes from the Trip Note Pros. Players can sign up at santaanita.com/tripnotepros

Special early first post time on opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26, is at 11 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Parx Schedules Mandatory Payout Of Philly Big 5 For Dec. 29

On Wednesday, Dec. 29, Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn. will have a mandatory distribution in the Philly Big 5 carryover jackpot.

The Philly Big 5 was added to the wagering menu this year at Parx. The jackpot wager is a Pick 5 format and is always held on the last five races of the day.

The current carryover jackpot is $323,542.55 going into the next week of live racing which begins on Monday, Dec. 27 with a ten-race card. Post time is 12:10 p.m. ET.

The Philly Big 5 will also be offered as a wager on Monday and Tuesday next week but will not carry a mandatory distribution designation.

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