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Full Fields On Tap For Thanksgiving Weekend At Laurel

Thanksgiving weekend continues at Laurel Park with a strong Saturday program featuring full fields and competitive racing led by a trio of post-holiday stakes worth $300,000 in purses.

A total of 97 horses were entered for the nine-race card, an average of 10.7 starters per race, all scheduled for Laurel's recently refurbished main track. Post time is 12:25 p.m.

Race 2 is a 6 ½-furlong claiming sprint for maidens age three, four, and five that attracted a field of 14 including Gold Fellow from fall meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez and Damon Dilodovico-trained stablemates Divine Proportion and Creative Storm.

Eleven fillies and mares three and up were entered in Race 4, a six-furlong claimer, including Fudge Cake, exiting the Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap. A field of 12 will contest Race 5, a 6 ½-furlong claiming sprint for 3-year-olds and up, where Interesting Legacy (12), Stroll Smokin (10), Getoffmyback (15) and Mr. Pete (11) combining for 48 career victories.

The stakes come in succession – the seven-furlong, $100,000 City of Laurel for 3-year-olds in Race 6, where stakes winner Everett's Song goes after his fourth straight victory and Pickin' Time seeks to regain his graded-stakes winning form; seven-furlong $100,000 Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies in Race 7 featuring stakes winners Street Lute, Prodigy Doll and Malibu Beauty; and 1 1/8-mile, $100,000 Richard W. Small for 3-year-olds and up in Race 8.

Friday's nine-race card at Laurel, featuring a pair of $75,000 stakes, attracted 96 entries. Laurel's world-class turf course has closed for the season, meaning Races 3 and 6 will be contested over the main track. Race 3 is a 5 ½-furlong claiming sprint for fillies and mares three and up, while Race 6 is a Maryland-bred/sired allowance for 3-year-olds and up to be run at one mile.

Hello Beautiful will go after her fourth straight win and ninth career stakes victory in Race 4, the six-furlong Politely for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and up, where the 4-year-old filly drew Post 1 in a field of eight and was installed as the 1-2 morning line favorite.

Brittany Russell-trained stablemate Whereshetoldmetogo is the narrow 3-1 program favorite in Race 8, the seven-furlong Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds and up. The 6-year-old gelding is a 12-time career winner, nine in stakes.

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Bender Memorial Among Five Sprints In Friday’s Stronach 5

Five sprint races, including the $75,000 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial featuring multiple graded stakes-placed Double Crown and nine-time stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo, comprise Friday's Stronach 5.

The popular wager with a low 12-percent takeout begins at 3:32 ET at Laurel Park and will conclude at Golden Gate Fields at 4:48 ET.

Laurel's seventh race will kick off the sequence, a $40,000 waiver claiming event for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs. The tepid 3-1 favorite is Lael Stable's Hand Gesture, who will break from post 11 after finishing third in his debut at 5 ½ furlongs earlier this month at Laurel. The son of Diving Rod will have Mychel Sanchez riding. Mugsy Malone, trained by Gary Contessa, goes out after a third-place finish last time out at Delaware. Baton goes first time out after being claimed at Keeneland for $50,000 by Michael Pino. Highland Dream is a first-time starter leaving from the rail for trainer James Lawrence and jockey Victor Carrasco.

The Stronach 5 stays at Laurel for the second leg, the $75,000 Bender Memorial at seven furlongs. Whereshetoldmetogo is the 3-1 favorite. The Brittany Russell-trained 6-year-old has won five of seven races at Laurel and is three for five at the distance. The son of El Padrino won the New Castel at Delaware last out. Jevian Toledo has the mount. Double Crown placed in last year's Chick Lang (G3) and Smile Sprint (G3) and was fifth in this summer's Smile. The 4-year-old finished second last time out in the Maryland Million Sprint. Air Token, the winner of the sprint at odds of 7-1, also returns in the Bender. Multiple stakes winner Alwaysmining will break from the rail for trainer Cathal Lynch.

The third leg of the sequence will be Golden Gate's second race, a claiming event at 5 ½ furlongs for fillies and mares. Miss Ski goes out first time off the claim for trainer Jonathan Wong after winning against similar earlier this month. Lyrically Violent returned from a near year layoff to win earlier this month for trainer Bill McLean, who will also saddle Lacey's Rainbow.

The Stronach 5 returns to Laurel for Race 9, another $40,000 maiden waiver event for 2-year-olds. Royal Spy, second in his debut Nov. 6 for trainer Linda Albert, is the 9-5 favorite. Lacey Gaudet saddles Free Square, who cuts back in distance after finishing third last time out around two turns. Wired In makes his debut breaking from the rail for trainer Mary Eppler.

Golden Gate's third race serves as the conclusion to the Stronach 5. Maiden claimers 3-year-old and up will go six furlongs. Mystic Traveler and Mr Botanicals enter off second-place finishes last time out against similar while Union Bliss drops a bit in company while hoping the eighth start is the charm to break your maiden.

Friday's races and sequence

Leg One –Laurel Race 7: (11 entries, 7 furlongs) 3:22 ET, 12:22 PT
Leg Two –Laurel Race 8: (10 entries, 7 furlongs) 3:53 ET, 12:53 PT
Leg Three – Golden Gate Race 2: (7 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 4:18 ET, 1:18 PT
Leg Four – Laurel Race 9: (11 entries, 7 furlongs) 4:25 ET, 1:25 PT
Leg Five –Golden Gate Race 3: (11 entries, 6 furlong) 4:48 ET, 1:48 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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Hong Kong Racing Study Guide: A Key To Understanding Barrier Trials

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's form guide for their races does not include workout information in a format that American horseplayers are used to. It is much better.

Horses that are racing at Sha Tin and Happy Valley participate in barrier trials throughout the season. They can be on the Sha Tin turf, Sha Tin all-weather track, Happy Valley turf, Conghua turf and Conghua all-weather track. Horses coming off long layoffs and those making their first start show their readiness in barrier trials over various surfaces and distances.

The barrier trials are televised and archived for viewing.

https://racing.hkjc.com/racing/information/english/Horse/Btresult.aspx

Before each barrier trial is shown, the opening screen shows the site, the date, the trial number, the post position (draw), name of the horse, rider and rating. At Sha Tin and Happy Valley, most of the riders are recognized jockeys. At Conghua, most of the riders are exercise riders.

The rating gives you a key to understanding the quality of the horses in the barrier trial. You can see horses that are group stakes quality all the way down to class five handicap. In a barrier trial on November 11, 2021, there were five horses rated over 100 in it.

After the barrier trials are finished, charts are published that are race-like and list the horses in their order of finish, the equipment they wore, how far behind the winner they finished, their running position at each sectional, their final time, whether they passed their test if they were required to do so by the stewards and a short synopsis of the trial.

At a glance, you can tell if a horse has natural speed, how they finish, and how much exertion their rider was asking for. The times of the barrier trials are surprisingly fast and you want to see the horse running well without much encouragement.

In the form guide, after the last page of past performances, there is a page titled “Barrier Trial Information” that lists every barrier trial since a horse's last start. If they are making their career debut, it will list all their barrier trials.

Class 4 handicaps will have horses making their career debuts – usually rated at 52 and carrying 125 pounds. Their barrier trials will be then listed in chronological order. The ones nearest the debut will probably be the fastest.

One handicapping angle I like to use is to compare the current odds of the debut runners. They are available for every horse in every race 24 hours before the first race post time. https://bet.hkjc.com/racing/pages/odds_wp.aspx?lang=en&dv=local

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With Baffert Horses Omitted From List, ‘All Others’ Likely Favorite In Derby Future Wager Pool 1

The pari-mutuel field of “All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2019 Foal Crop” is likely to be a strong even-money favorite in Pool 1 of the 2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which kicks off a four-day run at Churchill Downs on Thanksgiving Day. Jack Christopher, the impressive Champagne (G1) winner for trainer Chad Brown expected to resume training in early 2022, is anticipated to be the 10-1 second choice.

Pool 1 assumes that horses under the care of trainers suspended from competing in the 2022 Kentucky Derby will not be under consideration. To that end, prospects Corniche, Messier, Pinehurst and Rockefeller (currently trained by Bob Baffert) are not among the 22 individual betting interests and are included within the pari-mutuel field.

Jack Christopher, who was expected to be the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) favorite, was scratched from the Nov. 5 race, and had a screw inserted into his left shin due to a stress fracture shortly thereafter.

“So we will start him back (training) in early 2022 at WinStar Farm and then ship him to Palm Meadows and start his campaign in South Florida.” Bradley Weisbord, the racing manager for co-owner Jim Bakke, told BloodHorse on Tuesday.

Here's the complete Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 field (with trainer, sire and morning line odds):
#1 Ben Diesel (Dallas Stewart, Will Take Charge, 30-1);
#2 Classic Causeway (Brian Lynch, Giant's Causeway, 15-1);
#3 Commandperformance (Todd Pletcher, Union Rags, 15-1);
#4 Double Thunder (Todd Pletcher, Super Saver, 30-1);
#5 Epicenter (Steve Asmussen, Not This Time, 30-1);
#6 Forced Ranking (Chad Brown, Mastery, 30-1);
#7Giant Game (Dale Romans, Giant's Causeway, 15-1);
#8 Graphic Detail (Bill Mott, Practical Joke, 50-1);
#9 Gunite (Steve Asmussen, Gun Runner, 20-1);
#10 Howling Time (Dale Romans, Not This Time, 20-1);
#11 Jack Christopher (Chad Brown, Munnings, 10-1);
#12 Major General (Todd Pletcher, Constitution, 20-1);
#13 Mo Donegal (Todd Pletcher, Uncle Mo, 20-1);
#14 Osbourne (Ron Moquett, Tapiture, 30-1);
#15 Oviatt Class (Keith Desormeaux, Bernardini, 30-1);
#16 Pappacap (Mark Casse, Gun Runner, 12-1);
#17 Rattle N Roll (Kenny McPeek, Connect, 15-1);
#18 Smile Happy (Kenny McPeek, Runhappy, 50-1);
#19 Tiz the Bomb (Kenny McPeek, Hit It a Bomb, 20-1);
#20 Trafalgar (Al Stall Jr., Lord Nelson, 50-1);
#21 Varatti (Todd Pletcher, Into Mischief, 50-1);
#22 Zandon (Chad Brown, Upstart, 30-1);
#23 All Fillies from the 2019 Foal Crop (50-1);
#24 All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2019 Foal Crop (1-1).

The pool, which features $2 Win and Exacta wagering, opens Thursday at noon and will close Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be offered concurrently with the seventh annual Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager, which provides bettors with a unique opportunity to wager on select breeding stars and their entire crop of juveniles with the hope of winning next year's Kentucky Derby.

Offspring sired by Quality Road, including Corniche, was made the individual 8-1 favorite by oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. “All Other Sires” is the 6-1 early choice.

Here's the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager field (with morning line odds):
#1 American Pharoah (20-1);
#2 Candy Ride (ARG) (30-1);
#3 Curlin(15-1);
#4 Empire Maker (12-1);
#5 Giant's Causeway (15-1);
#6 Gun Runner (15-1);
#7 Into Mischief (20-1);
#8 Mastery (30-1);
#9 Medaglia D'Oro (30-1);
#10 Munnings (12-1);
#11 Not This Time (15-1);
#12 Nyquist (30-1);
#13 Pioneerof the Nile (30-1);
#14 Practical Joke (20-1);
#15 Quality Road (8-1);
#16 Runhappy (20-1);
#17 Speightstown (30-1);
#18 Street Sense (20-1);
#19 Tapit (15-1);
#20 Twirling Candy (30-1);
#21 Uncle Mo (20-1);
#22 Union Rags (30-1);
#23 Violence (30-1); and
#24 “All Other Sires” (6-1).

This marks the ninth consecutive year that Churchill Downs has hosted Future Wager pools in November on closing weekend of its Fall Meet.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wagers provide fans of Thoroughbred racing with opportunities to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade 1) at odds that could be far greater and more attractive than those available on the day of the race. The 148^th running of Kentucky Derby, America's greatest race and the first leg of the Triple Crown, is set for Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs.

Bets can be placed at Churchill Downs Racetrack, online wagering outlets and satellite wagering centers across North America.

There are no refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager. Should Churchill Downs officials determine during the duration of this week's four-day pool that one of the wagering interests has experienced an injury, illness or other circumstance that would prevent the horse from participating in the Kentucky Derby, betting on the individual horse will be suspended immediately.

More information, Brisnet.com past performances and real-time odds on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager will be available before the pool opens Thursday online at https://www.kentuckyderby.com/wager/future-wager.

The post With Baffert Horses Omitted From List, ‘All Others’ Likely Favorite In Derby Future Wager Pool 1 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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