Tag: Horseplayers

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled training on Thursday at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course due to poor air quality conditions forecast to impact New York State overnight and into Thursday morning.

Training ordinarily takes place daily at Belmont from 5:30-10:30 a.m. and at Saratoga from 5:30-11 a.m.

A decision regarding Thursday's live racing program, which has a first post of 3:05 p.m., will be made Thursday morning following a review of the air quality conditions and forecast.

The post Training Cancelled At Belmont, Saratoga Due To Air Quality; Decision About Racing To Come June 8 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Live racing cards have been cancelled at both Finger Lakes in Farmington, NY, and at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., due to ongoing air quality concerns caused by Canadian wildfires.

Finger Lakes cancelled the final five races of Tuesday's card and the entirety of Wednesday.

“Acting upon the recommendation of the Delaware Thoroughbred Racing Commission (DTRC) veterinarians in conjunction with the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) air quality guidelines, Delaware Park has cancelled the live racing cards scheduled for today and tomorrow due to the very unhealthy air quality levels in the area. Live racing is scheduled to resume this Friday, June 9.”

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There are many ingredients that go into a stew and when brought to a simmer, it can be quite tasty. Each individual ingredient might be boring on its own but when occupying the same pot at the right temperature for the right time, the results can be delightful.

The G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin race course in Hong Kong on May 28 saw a heavy favorite go down and understanding how it happened provides us with a few teachable moments.

Run at 2,400 meters (about 1 1/2 miles), it is the last Group 1 stakes race of the season. Without any other targets left this season, Danny Shum decided to enter Romantic Warrior despite the horse having never gone farther than 2,000 meters in his stellar career. The bettors agreed and didn't see much risk in the extended distance at level weights and sent off Romantic Warrior as the 1-5 betting favorite.

But there are two handicapping axioms that come to mind in this situation. They are both attributed to the late Harvey Pack, legendary New York handicapping personality. Talking about odds-on favorites, Pack would repeat the axiom that “there's hardly a man alive that paid the mortgage at 3 to 5.”  The other was “never bet a horse trying to do something for the first time as the favorite.”

For Romantic Warrior, both axioms applied. He was undervalued at 1-5 and being asked to do something he never did before with little pari-mutuel return even if he could do it.

Russian Emperor won the Champions & Chater Cup last season and has had an ambitious campaign this season. Doug Whyte took him to Qatar in February where he won the US$2.5 million HH Amir Trophy going 2,400 meters. He came back two weeks later in the G1 Jebel Hatta at Meydan in Dubai and was beaten less than three lengths going only 1,800 meters. Stretched back out to 2,400 for the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, he lost by just over 11 lengths to Japanese superstar Equinox.

After arriving back from the Middle East and time running out, Doug Whyte entered him in the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Handicap back here at Sha Tin on May 7. No matter what the result, this would serve as the perfect prep race to defend his Champions and Chater Cup crown.

There were a couple of teachable moments from the race, all of which can be added to our handicapping stew. First, Russian Emperor was assigned high weight of 135 pounds. Second, the race was contested on “soft” ground, which resulted in a slow running time of 2:31.16 seconds for the 2,400 meters. And third, the winner only carried 117 pounds.

Dismissed as the 9-1 third betting choice in the Champions and Chater Cup, Russian Emperor sat off a slow pace for the first 1,600 meters. Cruising along on an easy lead was Romantic Warrior. Zac Purton was in full control until Derek Leung pulled Money Catcher from second place on the rail to challenge Romantic Warrior on his outside. The pace quickened as the fifth 400 meters was run in 23.18 seconds and while the war against Money Catcher looked like it was settled, the war was not over.

With 100 meters to run, Romantic Warrior  still had a clear lead but the energy used in the fifth 400-meter sectional was going to drain him for the sixth and final. Romantic Warrior ran his final 400 meters in 24.28 while Russian Emperor threw a 23.75 final at him and it was just enough to seize victory by a nose.

The energy that Purton used to battle Money Catcher's early move paid dearly as the champ shortened stride in the final yards. Russian Emperor rewarded his backers with a tasty $18.60 win price. And, even if you didn't bet him, there was much to learn from the race.

The post Hong Kong Racing Study Guide: Channeling Harvey Pack In Hong Kong Handicapping Stew appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced a selection of special wagers to be offered during the 2023 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

A total of six two-day wagers are highlighted by the return of the popular two-day Pick 6, which will open on Friday, June 9 and concludes with the 155th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10. There will be five special “Double” wagers on offer, each with a $5 base and 18.5 percent takeout.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 8 and will feature 16 stakes in total, including nine Grade 1 races. The Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets headlines Saturday's stacked card in Race 12 with a post time of 7:02 p.m. Eastern.

Day 1 of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Thursday, June 8 is a twilight racing program with a first post of 3:05 p.m. Eastern for the 10-race card. First post on Friday, June 9 is 12:50 p.m. for a stacked 11-race card. First post on the 13-race Belmont Stakes Day card is 11:20 a.m.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will offer a host of special two-day special wagers including:

Two-day Pick 4

The Two-day Pick 4 kicks off Thursday in Race 8 at 6:45 p.m. with the $150,000 Jersey Girl and the Grade 2, $200,000 Wonder Again in Race 9 and concludes on Friday with the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn in Race 9 and the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10.

The base wager is $2 with a 24 percent takeout.

Two-day Pick 6

Returning to the wagering menu is the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival two-day Pick 6, which features a low 15 percent takeout and $0.20 base wager. The two-day Pick 6 opens on Friday and continues Saturday, ending with a mandatory force out in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The sequence begins with a pair of races on Friday in Race 9 at 5:14 p.m. with the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn and the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10. The wager concludes with four races on the Saturday card, including the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur in Race 9, Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday in Race 10, the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan in Race 11 and the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in Race 12.

The New York/Met Mile Double

The New York/Met Mile Double opens with the Grade 1, $600,000 New York on Friday in Race 8 at 4:41 p.m. and concludes with the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday in Race 10 at 5:04 p.m. The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Belmont Gold Cup/Belmont Stakes Double

The Belmont Gold Cup/Belmont Stakes Double opens with the Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10 at 5:47 p.m. on Friday and concludes with the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday. The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Two-day Filly and Mare Double

The Filly and Mare Double opens on Friday with the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn in Race 9 at 5:14 p.m. and concludes with the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps in Race 7 on Saturday.

The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Two-day Sprint Double

The two-day Sprint Double opens with the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental at six-furlongs on turf in Race 11 at 6:19 p.m. on Friday and concludes on Saturday with the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun in Race 8.

The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Triple Play ($3 Pick 3)

The special all-turf Triple Play ($3 Pick 3) will be offered on both Friday and Belmont Stakes Day.

Friday's sequence kicks off with the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game in Race 4 at 2:28 p.m. and includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental in Race 11.

Saturday's sequence includes a trio of turf stakes, leading with the Grade 3, $200,000 Poker in Race 5 at 1:44 p.m. ahead of the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur in Race 9 and the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan in Race 11.

The base wager is $3 with a 19 percent takeout.

Met Mile/Belmont Stakes Double

The Met Mile/Belmont Stakes Double on Saturday opens with the Grade 1, $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan in Race 10 at 5:04 p.m. and concludes with the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

A mandatory payout middle Pick 5 will be offered on all three days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The traditional $1 Pick 6 will also be offered on each day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The Pick 6 on Saturday, June 10, will conclude with the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The FOX Sports family of networks will present expansive coverage and analysis of Belmont Stakes Day beginning with America's Day at the Races on FS1 at 11 a.m. Coverage then shifts to FOX, where America's Day at the Belmont and Belmont Day on FOX will air from 3-7:30 p.m.

America's Day at the Belmont Stakes will complement the FOX broadcast with parallel coverage geared to the avid and experienced horseplayer from 4-7:30 p.m. on FS1. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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