Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., will offer the “Pacific Classic Betting Challenge” on Saturday, August 22, TVG Pacific Classic Day at the seaside oval when five graded stakes will be presented on a stellar 11-race card.
The “live money” Challenge is offered online for the first time through TVG.com only and is expected to draw as many as 200 players.
Those interested in competing can sign up at the Handicapping Contest link at DMTC.com/PCBC. Registration opens this Thursday, August 13, at 9 a.m. (Pacific).
Here are the rules and facts around the Challenge:
The Sunday, August 9, card at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $1,393,463 heading into the 10-race card at the Spa.
Live coverage of all the races in the sequence will be available with Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the Saratoga Live broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.
Sunday's Empire 6 sequence kicks off in Race 5 at 3:28 p.m. Eastern with a maiden special weight at 1 1/16-miles on the inner turf for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. The field of nine includes L'Indiscret, trained by Runhappy Travers-winning conditioner Barclay Tagg, who is listed at 4-1 on the morning-line as she tries to break through in her third career start.
In Race 6 [4:07 p.m.], a field of 10 filly and mare sprinters battle over 6 ½-furlongs on the main track with Timely Tradition, trained by Ray Handal, looking to extend her three-race winning streak.
The third race of the sequence [Race 7, 4:43 p.m.] is a vexing maiden claiming sprint on the Mellon turf featuring a field of 10 fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward. In Race 8 [5:17 p.m.], a classy field of nine turf routers will contest nine furlongs on the inner turf, featuring the graded-stakes placed Our Country and Shamrocket for leading trainer Christophe Clement.
In the penultimate leg [Race 9, 5:50 p.m. Eastern], Bodexpress will look to break through against stakes company in the $85,000 Alydar at nine furlongs on the main track. Endorsed, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, will look for his first stakes win and is listed as the 7-5 morning-line favorite.
A field of 10 maiden claiming sprinters will line up to conclude the Empire 6 in Race 10 at 6:22 p.m. with Brunate, trained by H. James Bond, listed at 5-2 as he looks to break through in his eighth career start.
The Empire 6 requires the bettor to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. On non-mandatory payout days, if one unique ticket exists, then 100 percent of the net pool, plus the jackpot carryover if applicable, will be paid to the winner. If there is no unique wager selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, then 75 percent of the day's net pool will be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races. The remainder will be added into the jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.
Sunday's program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., will feature a mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 pool that includes a carryover of more than $1.137 million.
The Rainbow 6 pool on is expected to swell to more than $4 million Sunday after the popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 24th consecutive racing program Saturday.
Gulfstream analysts and hosts Ron Nicoletti and Jason Blewitt take a look at Sunday's Rainbow 6.
The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is usually only 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 usually goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool. However, on mandatory-payout days, the entire pool is paid out to the bettor or bettors with the most winners in the six-race sequence.
Sunday's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, kicked off by a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on turf that drew a full field of fillies and mares in Race 6.
The field includes two from the barn of trainer Patrick Biancone. Champagne Train, a $125,000 yearling, draws the three post after breaking from the 11 post in a mile turf event last time out. Lipslikecherries, a daughter of Dark Angel who brought $117,968 as a 2-year-old in France, will make her North American debut.
A full field of 12 was assembled for Race 7, a six-furlong sprint for $10,000 claimers that have not won two races lifetime.
A five-furlong optional claiming allowance for Florida-bred fillies and mares on turf drew 12 entries and two also-eligibles for Race 8. The race includes the return of Arindel's homebred Nacho Mama, who set a track record in her debut at 4 ½ furlongs in 2018. This will be the filly's first race since October.
The second half of the six-race Rainbow 6 sequence will start in Race 9 with a $10,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares at 6 ½ furlongs.
The $60,000 Dayatthespa, a 1 1/16-mile turf overnight stakes for fillies and mares carded as Race 10, will be headlined by multiple-stakes winner Kelsey's Cross, who will seek to rebound from a disappointing effort last time out. The field also includes stakes winner Great Sister Dane, stakes placed Bienville Street, and Lagertha, a daughter of Scat Daddy making her first start outside South America for trainer Amador Sanchez.
An optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares at a mile on turf will close out the Rainbow 6 sequence in Race 11.
Jockey Paco Lopez, leading rider at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., was taken by ambulance to Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch for X-rays and evaluation after suffering an apparent right elbow injury following a spill in the 10th race on Saturday's card, according to Dr. Angelo Chinnici, the track's medical director.
Lopez, whose 31 winners at the meet are more than double that of his next closest competitor, went down after his mount, Pretendant, appeared to clip heels in tight quarters and fell midway through the final turn of the mile and a sixteenth race.
Pretendant was in the middle of a condensed pack with four other horses when the colt appeared to clip heels with Bob In Our Midst.
Lopez, seeking a seventh riding title at Monmouth Park, also leads all riders in earnings this meet with $1,377,980.
