Horseplayers | Horse Racing Free Tips

TVG Features Extended Broadcast Of Saturday’s Pacific Classic

With a purse recently increased back to $1 million, the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) headlines a eleven-race card on Saturday at Del Mar featuring five graded stakes races with year-end championship implications. Graded stakes winner Express Train will take on eight rivals as he tries to earn a spot in the starting gate in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) which will be held at Del Mar on November 6.

TVG will feature an expanded broadcast of the marquee race for older horses this Saturday at Del Mar with exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes features and expert analysis. TVG's Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker, Britney Eurton, Simon Bray, Scott Hazelton, Mike Joyce and Joaquin Jaime will be live throughout the card with insights and handicapping selections. Jockey Mike Smith will join Christina Blacker and Simon Bray on set before the fifth race to discuss his Pacific Classic entrant, Royal Ship, as well as reflect on his past success in the race.

Express Train, the morning line favorite at odds of 3-1 for trainer John Shirreffs, will be ridden by Juan Hernandez. The 4-year-old son of Union Rags won the San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar in July. His rivals include Royal Ship (BRZ) and Tizamagician for trainer Richard Mandella as well as East Coast invader Dr. Post from the Todd Pletcher barn.

The undercard will also include the $300,000 Del Mar Handicap(G2), a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifying race for the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1). The race has drawn a competitive field of eleven including United, a homebred for LNJ Foxwoods and the runner-up in this race in 2020. Trained by Richard Mandella, the 6-year-old gelding will be ridden by Flavien Prat.

The award-winning network will also air several special features throughout the day including an interview with trainer Richard Mandella who will saddle Tizamagician and Royal Ship as he attempts to win his fifth edition of the Pacific Classic. His son, Gary, will conduct the interview. Other features include a spotlight on jockey Juan Hernandez, rider of Express Train as well as a look at Del Mar Mile contender Mo Forza.

There will also be the utilization of the expanded technology TVG has introduced to the Del Mar meet this season including drone footage, in-race Jockey Cams and Touchscreen Technology.

Thoroughbred Aftercare will also take center stage this weekend as the annual CARMAthon online fundraiser culminates on TVG Pacific Classic Day. TVG will be amplifying the message and will be showcasing stories of retired racehorses thriving in second careers. The donations from this fundraiser will help fund CARMA's (California Retirement Management Account) grant program which offers assistance to more than 20 Thoroughbred aftercare charities.

In addition to racing from Del Mar, TVG will also be featuring Monmouth Park, Gulfstream Park, Pimlico and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.

The post TVG Features Extended Broadcast Of Saturday’s Pacific Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

EquinEdge Named Sponsor Of National Horseplayers Championship

The newest and most user-friendly handicapping tool serving the parimutuel wagering market will be a featured sponsor at NTRA's National Horseplayers Championship at Bally's Sports Book next weekend.

More than five hundred of the best horseplayers on the planet will gather and match their skills in a high stakes, three-day tournament that will ultimately crown the Eclipse Award Champion Handicapper and award nearly $3 million dollars in prize money. (Go to https://www.ntra.com/nhc2021/ for info).

EquinEdge will be on-site, providing free access to the unique handicapping platform to all competitors and supporting multiple customers competing in the event. Additionally, EquinEdge is offering a $10,000 bonus to any player that uses the platform to win the event and $1,000 to a top-ten finisher.

The founder and face of the EquinEdge product, Scotty McKeever, used the platform to win his way into the NHC tourney and vouches for its efficacy.

“The patented algorithms we have developed, combined with the super-friendly user interface, make this a great tool not only for novice players getting into the game, but for seasoned players like these NHC contestants,” said McKeever. “I use the platform every day.”

McKeever is the only player eligible for a $1 Million NHC tourney winner's bonus by virtue of the Pegasus World Cup win earlier in the year.

EquinEdge is a mobile and web-based platform that utilizes multiple data sets and unique, artificial intelligence-driven algorithms to develop values that enable players to quickly analyze a horse race from competitive, genetic, and odds-value angles. These values are combined with useful navigation and sorting tools and a unique wager generator tool to design tickets that win.

“The EquinEdge platform is designed to cut down on the time required to analyze races and to provide multiple, data-driven metrics,” said Chris Province, Director of EquinEdge. “The ticket generator will give you a budget-specific wager and enable you to customize the tickets.”

“For horseplayers and professional gamblers of any kind, data is king,” said Fritz Widaman, vice president NTRA Advantage & Business Development. “The more data they can wrap their hands around the better for our industry.”

EquinEdge offers new subscribers an initial week of free service to try out the platform and to learn about its data. Go to EquinEdge.com for more details.

The post EquinEdge Named Sponsor Of National Horseplayers Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Equibase Analysis: Dr Post Poised To Upset Pacific Classic

Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar, a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic, drew a field of nine this year. It's a strong group consisting of three recent graded stakes winners and another four who were in-the-money in their most recent races.

Leading the field in career earnings, with $700K banked, is the lightly raced 4-year-old Dr Post, who ships in from Todd Pletcher's summer base at Saratoga off a strong win in the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup Stakes last month. Next in career success and earnings is Express Train, who has earned $659K, much of it when victorious last month in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.

Tripoli was a half-length back in that race in his first ever stakes try and must be respected as a contender. Royal Ship was another three-quarters of a length back in the San Diego and two races prior to that won the Grade 2 Californian Stakes to prove he belongs at this level.

Tizamagician and Cupid's Claws finished first and second, respectively, in the mile and one-half Grade 2 Cougar II Stakes last month and both will attempt to run as well or better shortening up by a quarter mile. Independence Hall was a top three year old early last year when winning the Jerome Stakes on New Year's Day but has only won once in seven races since and was soundly defeated in the Californian when last seen four months ago.

Sheriff Brown, a former claiming level horse, has won six of 21 races lifetime and three of his last five but finished a far back in fifth and seventh in his two recent graded stakes races. Magic On Tap rounds out the field. Winner of the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs in May, Magic On Tap enters the Pacific Classic off a non-threatening fifth-place effort in the San Diego Handicap last month.

Most of the nine entrants in this year's Pacific Classic have been taking turns beating each other:

Express Train beat Tripoli and Royal Ship in the San Diego Handicap last month but Royal Ship finished in front of Express Train seven weeks earlier when second in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. Express Train beat Tizamagician in the San Pasqual Stakes this past January, then one day after the San Diego Handicap, Tizamagician beat Cupid's Claws in the Cougar II Stakes. However, Cupid's Claws had beaten Tizamagician when winning the Tokyo City Stakes last summer. When winning the Californian Stakes in April, Royal Ship beat Independence Hall ,and Express Train finished in front of Independence Hall when second in the Malibu Stakes last December. Sheriff Brown was far back in the San Diego, as was Magic On Tap, who also we well beaten by Royal Ship in the Californian.

With all that turn-taking to consider, the race is ready to be won by a new face. That new face is Dr Post, with a career-best and field high last race 108 ™ Equibase® Speed Figure. That figure is likely to be improved upon as this will be Dr Post's second start since adding blinkers as well as his second with Joel Rosario in the saddle. Dr Post made his third start following an eight month layoff in the Monmouth Cup Stakes last month, run on the same day as the San Diego and won more easily than the one and one-quarter length margin of victory makes it appear as he was “ridden out” in the final stages. Given that his first two races this year were at the distance of a mile around one turn, the stretch out to a mile and one-eighth around two turns in the Monmouth Cup sets the stage for an even better effort in the Pacific Classic.

Express Train is the next most probable winner of this year's Pacific Classic, but unlike Dr Post (who has never run this mile and one-quarter trip), Express Train is winless in two tries at the distance. His best effort of the two tries came when beaten a half-length in the Santa Anita Handicap in March, in which he led by two lengths with an eighth of a mile to go and was caught near the wire. It's just unclear whether he can run his best at this distance, but coming off a big win in the San Diego Handicap last month with a 107 ™ figure, and having run so well in the Santa Anita Handicap, Express Train has every right to win this race, particularly as he may have the early lead all to himself from the start.

There's no doubt Royal Ship, Tripoli, Tizamagician and Cupid's Claws have some chance to win, but each as one negative factor in my opinion which makes that must more improbable than the top two win contenders. Royal Ship earned a 113 ™ figure winning the Californian in April and finished in front of Express Train by a head in the Gold Cup (111 figure) but disappointed badly in the San Diego when a non-threatening third as the betting favorite with no excuse. Tripoli earned a 109 ™ figure one before last in an allowance race and nearly duplicated the effort when second to Express Train in the San Diego Handicap but his six pound difference is not in effect here as they are at even weight and there's no indication he wants to run this far, having never run farther than one mile and one-sixteenth on dirt. Tizamagician (career-best 106 winning figure) and Cupid's Claws (career-best 100 figure) both sport graded stakes wins at a mile and one-half, but that doesn't mean they can run this well at the classic distance of one mile and one-quarter.

The rest of the field, with their best ™ Equibase Speed Figures, is Independence Hall (110), Magic On Tap (106) and Sheriff Brown (104).

Win Contenders:
Dr Post
Express Train

TVG Pacific Classic Stakes – Grade 1
Race 10 at Del Mar
Saturday, August 21 – Post Time 9:30 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Quarter
Three Years Olds and Upward
Purse: $1 Million

The post Equibase Analysis: Dr Post Poised To Upset Pacific Classic appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Saratoga, Del Mar Team Up For All-Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 featuring all graded stakes action from Saratoga and Del Mar. The sequence will include three Grade 1s and a pair of Grade 2 contests.

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

Saratoga will host the first two legs of the sequence, starting with the Grade 2, $200,000 Lake Placid for 3-year-old fillies competing at 1 1/16 miles on the Mellon turf course in Race 9 at 5:39 p.m. Eastern. The Chad Brown-trained Technical Analysis will look to duplicate her effort from when she won the Grade 3 Lake George on July 23 over the Saratoga inner turf. Spanish Loveaffair, who faced top-flight competition last out in running eighth in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational in the opening leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series on July 10, will be sent out by Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. New York-bred Runaway Rumour won her first three starts for trainer Jorge Abreu, including an off-the-pace half-length victory in the Wild Applause in June at Belmont Park going one mile. After running fourth in the Lake George in her first run over the Saratoga grass, the Flintshire filly will return to the Spa.

The featured race at Saratoga, the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama, will see Malathaat out for revenge against Maracuja after the latter's last-out win in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 24 at Saratoga. Malathaat was a hard-fought winner of the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks on April 30 at Churchill Downs and captured the Grade 1 Ashland on April 3 at Keeneland. A victory in the Alabama would make Malathaat the fifth filly in the past decade to capture the Kentucky Oaks-Alabama double. For Maracuja, a win in the Alabama would make her the fifth horse in the last decade to score the CCA Oaks-Alabama double. Crazy Beautiful, the winner of the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks on March 27, ran 10th in the Kentucky Oaks. But the Kenneth McPeek trainee rebounded to win the Grade 3 Summertime Oaks on May 30 at Santa Anita ahead of a six-length romp in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 3 at Delaware Park.

Del Mar will host the concluding three legs, starting with the Grade 1, $300,000 Del Mar Oaks for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/8 miles on the turf in Race 9 at 9 p.m. Eastern. The Brown-trained Fluffy Socks, the Lake George runner-up last month, will be returning to the track where she won the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante in November. Madone, a winner of 5-of-7 starts for trainer Simon Callaghan, enters from a rallying win in the Grade 2 San Clemente on July 24 at Del Mar. The Irish-bred Feathers, trained by Peter Miller, will make her graded stakes debut, while fellow Irish-bred Soaring Sky will make her North American debut for conditioner Jessica Harrington.

The Grade 1, $1 million Pacific Classic for 3-year-olds and up will be contested in Race 10 at 9:30 p.m. as a nine-horse field competes at 1 1/4 miles on the main track. Express Train, winner of the San Diego Handicap, was installed the 3-1 morning line favorite. The Union Rags colt, trained by John Shirreffs, has posted a 4-4-2 record in 12 career starts as he enters the “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Breeders' Cup Classic in November, also held at Del Mar. Royal Ship, trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, has won six of his 14 starts with earnings of $293,305 and will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. Dr Post, the 2020 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes runner-up who last out won the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, will also look to make an impact shipping to the West Coast.

Concluding the Cross Country Pick 5 will be the Grade 2, $300,000 Del Mar Handicap in Race 11 at 10 p.m. The 11-horse field for 3-year-olds and up running at 1 3/8 miles on the turf will see Shirreffs send out Astronaut, second in the Grade 3 San Jan Capistrano, square off with the Brad Cox-trained Arklow, who won the Grade 2 Hollywood Turf Cup in November in his previous start at Del Mar.

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 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, August 21:
Leg A: Saratoga – Race 9, G2 Lake Placid (5:39 p.m.)
Leg B: Saratoga – Race 10, G1 Alabama (6:13 p.m.)
Leg C: Del Mar – Race 9, G1 Del Mar Oaks (9:00 p.m.)
Leg D: Del Mar – Race 10, G1 Pacific Classic (9:30 p.m.)
Leg E: Del Mar– Race 11, G2 Del Mar Handicap (10:00 p.m.)

The post Saratoga, Del Mar Team Up For All-Graded Stakes Cross Country Pick 5 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post