Tag: Horseplayers

With average field size in Santa Anita's Hollywood Meet closing day's Rainbow Pick 6 at better than 10 horses per race, the table is set for a tremendous 12-race program that will start with a special early Father's Day first post time of 12 noon.

With a Rainbow 6 carryover from Saturday of $346,135.92, track officials project Sunday's total Rainbow Six pool could exceed $3 million.

The 20 cent Rainbow Pick 6, which will be comprised of races seven through 12, attracted 67 entries, with 63 horses eligible to run.  With first post time at 12 noon, approximate post time for Sunday's seventh race is at 3 p.m. PT.

In addition to the Rainbow Six, there will be mandatory payouts in all exotic wagers.

The 12-race program will start fast, with the $100,000 Possibly Perfect Stakes, for fillies and mares at a mile and one quarter on turf, carded as race one.  Defending Possibly Perfect champ Neige Blanche, who is trained by Leonard Powell and Phil D'Amato's consistent Buzz of New York have been installed as co-favorites at 9-5 on Jon White's morning line.

Sunday's main event is the iconic San Juan Capistrano Stakes, for 3-year-olds and up at about a mile and three quarters over Santa Anita's one-of-a-kind Camino Real Hillside Turf Course.  Carded as race five, the 84^th running of the San Juan has attracted a field of six, with trainer Michael McCarthy's Offlee Naughty, a winner of two consecutive graded stakes here this year, serving as the 4-5 morning line choice.

For additional information on closing day, including late changes and complete morning line information, please visit santaanita.com.

The post Santa Anita Closing Day: Rainbow Pick 6 Has $346,136 Carryover With Mandatory Payout appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Due to the very heavy rain that hit the area shortly before noon, Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del. has cancelled the live racing card scheduled for today, Friday, June 16.

Live racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow Saturday, June 17.

2023 LIVE RACING DATES— Live racing is conducted on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the exception of Friday, on the following days –July 28th, August 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and October 27th. The Grade 3 Delaware Oaks is scheduled for Saturday, July 1st, the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap will be run on Saturday, July 8th and the twin 3-year-old route features of the Kent Stakes for the boys and the Christiana for the girls will be contested on Saturday, July 15th. The 31st Owners Day will be on Saturday, September 9th. The 85-day meet is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, October 28th. Daily first race post time is 12:30pm unless otherwise noted.

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The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring action from Belmont Park and Haskell Preview Day at Monmouth Park.

The Cross Country Pick 5 requires bettors to pick the winner of five select races from tracks across the country. The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country with each week featuring a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5, boasting a low 15 percent takeout, offers sequences with races from Belmont Park and partner tracks across the country.

Saturday's sequence kicks off in Race 10 at 4:44 p.m. Eastern from Monmouth Park with the $150,000 Pegasus, a 1 1/16-mile test for sophomores led by a pair of top contenders for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher in Kingsbarns and Classic Catch.

Kingsbarns, by Uncle Mo, captured the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March at Fair Grounds to complete a three-race win streak ahead of a 14th-place finish in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby where he attended the pace before fading.

Classic Catch, by Classic Empire, won a nine-furlong optional-claimer in March at Gulfstream Park ahead of a rallying fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack. He enters from a distant fourth-place finish on May 13 at Belmont in the nine-furlong Peter Pan which was won by next-out Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets winner Arcangelo.

Challengers include multiple stakes-winner Howgreatisnate for trainer Elizabeth Dobles and the Jorge Duarte, Jr.-trained Subrogate, who graduated impressively in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on May 6 at Belmont.

The second leg will see a field of eight fillies and mares travel 1 1/16-miles over the turf in the Grade 3 Eatontown [Race 11, 5:12 p.m.] topped by a strong pair from four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown in Consumer Spending and Gina Romantica.

Consumer Spending won 2-of-4 starts last year, taking the Memories of Silver at the Big A and the Grade 2 Wonder Again at Belmont ahead of a closing third in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational. She made her seasonal debut in the Grade 3 Beaugay on May 7 at Belmont Park, finishing second to stablemate Marketsegmentation, who exited that effort to win the Grade 1 New York on Friday here.

Gina Romantica, who will make her seasonal debut, closed out a four-win campaign last year by taking the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in October at Keeneland. The 4 year-old Into Mischief bay, who made her first four starts over the main track, also captured the restricted Riskaverse in August at the Spa. A talented group includes the oft-prominent Scottish Star for Pletcher; graded-stakes winning closer Surprisingly for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey; and the multiple graded-stakes placed Vergara for conditioner Graham Motion.

Action switches to Belmont for the middle leg with the Grade 2 Bed o' Roses [Race 9, 5:19 p.m.], a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares highlighted by the reigning Champion Female Sprinter Goodnight Olive.

The Brown-trained Goodnight Olive, a 5-year-old Ghostzapper mare, went 4-for-4 last year topped by Grade 1 wins at seven furlongs in the Ballerina Handicap at Saratoga and the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Keeneland. She won her seasonal debut in the Grade 1 Madison in April at Keeneland but was thwarted last out in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on May at Churchill Downs, settling for third when boxed in by returning rival Wicked Halo, who completed the exacta behind Matareya.

A compact field of five includes the aforementioned multiple Grade 2-winner Wicked Halo for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen and Caramel Swirl, who rallied to victory last out in the Grade 3 Vagrancy for Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott.

Action shifts back to Monmouth for the final two legs, starting with a wide-open field of 10 3-year-olds and up in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile [Race 12, 5:40 p.m.] featuring the seasonal debut of the Brown-trained Artorius.

The 4-year-old Arrogate colt was an impressive winner of the restricted nine-furlong Curlin last summer at the Spa before coming up empty when sixth in the Grade 1 Travers. Butch Reid, Jr. will send out graded stakes-winner Ridin With Biden for his first appearance since finishing last-of-12 in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park. A diverse field includes the multiple stakes-placed pair of Empty Tomb and Far Mo Power, who will look to make the grade on the Jersey Shore.

The sequence concludes with the Grade 3 Monmouth [Race 13, 6:08 p.m.], a nine-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds and up featuring the Brown-trained multiple Grade 1-winner Tribhuvan.

The 7-year-old Toronado gelding, who will make his seasonal debut, captured the 2021 Grade 1 United Nations at Monmouth and added the Grade 1 Manhattan to his ledger last year. Tribhuvan finished fourth in his United Nations title defense which was won by stablemate Adhamo. A compact field of six includes the streaking Never Explain, who has won his last three starts for McGaughey topped by a last-out half-length score in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Dinner Party at Pimlico. Another threat to Tribhuvan is last year's deep-closing Grade 1 Hollywood Derby-victor Speaking Scout – the Motion trainee will need some pace to develop if he is to arrive on time.

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

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Belmont spring/summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, June 17

Leg A: Monmouth Park, Race 10 – Pegasus (4:44 p.m. Eastern)

Leg B: Monmouth Park, Race 11 – G3 Eatontown (5:12 p.m.)

Leg C: Belmont Park, Race 9 – G2 Bed o' Roses (5:19 p.m.)

Leg D: Monmouth Park, Race 12 – G3 Salvator Mile (5:40 p.m.)

Leg E: Monmouth Park, Race 13 – G3 Monmouth (6:08 p.m.)

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The Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile Stakes drew a strong field of 10 older horses with more than $4 million in combined earnings between them.

Leading the field in career wins, with 10, is Nimitz Class, who has won five in a row including the Native Dancer Stakes in April. Ridin With Biden has won one-third of his 21 races, seven to be exact, including the Kris Kringle Stakes in January. Artorius won the Curlin Stakes last summer before a sixth-place finish in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes and he returns from an eight-month layoff. Petulante has run just five times but has never finished worse than second and moves into the stakes ranks for the first time.

Far Mo Power finished first but disqualified for interference in the Parx Dirt Mile Stakes last September and was third in the Stymie Stakes in February so appears to fit at this level. Octane is another who has been competitive in stakes as he finished second in the Grade 3 Fred W. Hooper Stakes in January. He also enters the race off a strong win at the end of April. Trademark won the Commonwealth Turf Stakes last November by four lengths when that race was moved to dirt because of weather and although winless in three races this year may have a say in the outcome. Empty Tomb has run well recently with a win and a runner-up finish in allowance optional claiming ranks, but did show stakes form when second in the Queens County Stakes in December 2021.

Bourbonic is best known for winning the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in April 2021 before a 13^th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby one month later, but he has won just one of 11 races since. Bourbon Calling rounds out the field, with a pretty good record of 15 first or second place finishes in 36 races including three wins in a row earlier this year.

Analysis and top contenders:

It's going to be tough for the rest of the field to beat Nimitz Class based on the way he's been running since last December. Nimitz Class has won five in a row, and in the last four races has been dominant in the last eighth of a mile by being in front by at least three lengths then coasting home the rest of the way. Jockey Jevian Toledo has been in the saddle for all five wins after never having ridden the horse previously and that speaks volumes for the horse and jockey relationship that could lead to Nimitz Class securing his 11^th career win in his 17^th race. He's also run faster than the rest of the Salvator Mile field, and more than once, as the 118 Equibase Speed Figures earned winning the John B. Campbell Stakes in February and the 113 figure earned winning the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Stakes in March are better than any figure earned at any point by the other horses in the race.

In securing his last four victories, Nimitz Class has shown the ability to lead from the start or to sit in second for the opening half-mile before taking over and drawing away, and that is likely to be the strategy employed by Toledo here for this 4-year-old who may still not have run his best race.

Even with Nimitz Class being the horse to beat, Ridin With Biden is no slouch, having earned $475,000 to date in his career compared to $464,800 for Nimitz Class, while winning seven of 21 races and finishing second in five others. Ridin With Biden proved stakes worthy starting in the summer of 2021 when leading late before settling for second in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont. Then after six defeats and possibly as the result of returning to the races as a gelding, Ridin With Biden really got good, winning or placing in six of eight straight stakes races, including back-to-back wins in November of last year and January of this year. The best three of those efforts earned him consistent 106 and 107 figures which aren't as good as the two best figures Nimitz Class earned recently. On the other hand, considering Nimitz Class earned 106, 103 and 105 figures in three of his five recent wins and if he repeats those efforts, any of the best recent races Ridin With Biden has run might be good enough to win the Salvator Mile if repeated.

Petulante appears ready for his first stakes try as he returned from a 3 1/2-month layoff and made short work of a tough allowance field at this distance last month at Churchill Downs. This 4-year-old got a late start as he made his career debut last July but every race he's run has been an “A” effort, particularly his race in January of this year at the same distance of the Salvator Mile, winning by four lengths with a 101 figure. Off the layoff last month Petulante earned a 100 figure which might have been higher but there was no need for jockey Luis Saez (who rides again) to ask him for more speed as he had easily broken clear of the rest of the field in the stretch. As a 4-year-old with only five races under his belt, Petulante has a lot of upside and can use the rail draw to his advantage to save ground while either trying for the early lead from the start of relaxing as far back as fourth in the early stages, which he's done in his previous victories.

The rest of the field, with their best Equibase Speed Figures, is Artorius (101), Bourbon Calling (105), Bourbonic (103), Empty Tomb (110), Far Mo Power (114), Octane (105) and Trademark (106).

Win Contenders:

Nimitz Class

Ridin With Biden

Petulante

Salvator Mile Stakes – Grade 3

Monmouth Park, race 12

Saturday, June 17 – Post Time 5:40 PM E.T.

One Mile

Three Year Olds and Upward

Purse: $150,000

Ellis Starr is national racing analyst for Equibase.

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