StrideSAFE is 'a biometric sensor mechanism that slips into the saddle cloth to detect minute changes in a horses's gait at high speed.' The changes are said to be undetectable to the naked eye and are recorded in a stoplight fashion–green for all clear, varying shades of amber as warnings for possible lameness issues and red for the most potentially serious injuries.

In a study conducted by the New York Racing Association of 6,600 starters in 2022, it was reported that the StrideSAFE technology accurately detected 90% of all the catastrophic injuries. The Rillito study aims to identify horses the Track Regulatory Veterinarians should examine before they run.

The testing of 1,000 Thoroughbreds and American Quarter Horses during the meet is estimated to cost $45,000. Though the technology has only been applies to Thoroughbreds thus far, Quarter Horses will be included at Rillito. Following the research, American Quarter Horse tracks could employ the StrideSAFE sensors across the country.

The post McIngvale To Help Defray Costs of StrideSAFE Technology at Rillito appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“Runhappy won at Ellis Park during the summer of his Eclipse championship season, so we're happy and excited to support the upcoming race meet again, especially on the 100th anniversary of the track,” said Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, CEO of Gallery Furniture and owner of Runhappy.

Ellis Park will also offer “Runhappy Dollar Days” every Sunday of racing, with $1 hotdogs, $1 popcorn, and $2 beer. The backside is also slated to receive new sports equipment and the track will sell t-shirts throughout the meet with 10% of profits donated to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), courtesy of Runhappy.

The post Runhappy Returns as Title Sponsor of Ellis Park Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The 1 1/16-mile main track test is a Breeders' Cup Challenge race with the winner earning a fees-paid berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to be held Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

The Darley Alcibiades will go as the ninth race on Friday's 10-race program with a 5:45 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Owned and bred by James McIngvale, Runup has won both of her starts on dirt highlighted by the three-length victory at Monmouth in the one-mile Sorority in her first two-turn test. Trained by Laura Wohlers, Runup will be ridden by Joseph Ramos and leave from post position 12.

Another entrant with two-turn experience is Mama Rina, runner-up in the Pocahontas (G3) last month while going 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs. Owned by the partnership of Harold Lerner, AWC Stables, Nehoc Stables, Scott Akman and Paul Braverman et al, and trained by five-time Alcibiades winner Kenny McPeek, Mama Rina will be ridden by Julien Leparoux from post position six.

Three runners coming out of Grade 1 tests are in the field: Sequist and Dream Lith, the fourth- and fifth-place finishers in the 7-furlong Spinaway Sept. 5 at Saratoga, and Myfavoritedaughter, fourth in the 7-furlong TVG Del Mar Debutante Sept. 5.

Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, Lori Gervais, Charles Pigg, Tom Andres and Karen Kraft and trained by Dallas Stewart, Sequist won on debut at Colonial Downs before going to the Spinaway. Junior Alvarado has the mount from post position three.

Cypress Creek Equine and Arnold Bennewith's Dream Lith won her debut outing by 2¼ lengths at Saratoga prior to the Spinaway. Robertino Diodoro trains Dream Lith, who will exit post position four under Adam Beschizza.

Average Joe Racing Stables' Myfavoritedaughter took three tries to notch her first victory, which came by 25 lengths over a sloppy track going 7 furlongs at Gulfstream Park prior to going to Del Mar. Trained by Jeff Engler, Myfavoritedaughter will be ridden by Corey Lanerie out of post position five.

The field for the Darley Alcibiades, with riders from the inside, is:

1. Juju's Map (Florent Geroux)
2. Miss Interpret (Jose Ortiz)
3. Sequist (Albarado)
4. Dream Lith (Beschizza)
5. Myfavoritedaughter (Lanerie)
6. Mama Rina (Julien Leparoux)
7. Matareya (Joel Rosario)
8. Distinctlypossible (Tyler Gaffalione)
9. Pipeline Girl (James Graham)
10. Penny Saver (Brian Hernandez Jr.)
11. Diamond Wow (Mike Smith)
12. Runup (Ramos).

All starters carry 122 pounds.

The post Stakes Winner Runup Headlines Field Of 12 In Friday’s Alcibiades appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Trained by Laura Wohlers and ridden to victory by Joseph Ramos, Runup outhustled Jumeirah to her immediate outside to grab the early lead, cruised through fractions of :23.73, :47.69 and 1:12.74 en route to an unchallenged three-length victory clocked in 1:39.82 on a fast main track.

Jumeirah held second, with 6-5 favorite Gimmick third and Microbiome fourth, You Look Cold fifth and Kingdom Queen rounding out the field of six juvenile fillies. Maestria was scratched.

Produced from the Street Cry mare Up the Street, Runup was bred in Maryland and began her racing career on turf at Colonial Downs in Virginia, finishing third in a maiden race behind Cavalier Cupid. who came out of that race to win the Keswick Stakes at Colonial.

Runup graduated next out in a $40,000 maiden claiming event at Pimlico on Aug. 13, going wire to wire to win by 6 1/4 lengths. She is from the second crop by sprint champion Runhappy, who stands at Claiborne Farm.

“She ran a big race,” said Wohlers. “She's still a little green and she has a lot of improvement to make but she ran a nice race. I really didn't worry about her trying two turns. She's one of those fillies that, in the morning, in her gallops or at a clip, she's still in the bridle at the end. So I really wasn't worried about the distance. I was more concerned about her stepping up into this company with her still being green. She's a little hard to gallop. She's always on the go, like her dad (Runhappy) was. I think she is going to improve the more she runs. We're really happy today. Of course, we're happy for Runhappy. He's our boy.

“She's very fast,” Wohlers added. “You always wonder if they're going to be able to convert that into a distance and going two turns. With the exception of her dad she probably has more speed than any horse we've had in our barn since then. I think she does want to go long and I think she showed today she can do it.”

“I rode a filly at Indiana Grand for Laura and she told me she had another filly she liked and asked me if I would go to Monmouth Park to ride her,” said Ramos. “That's how I wound up getting the mount. I came in just for this race. It's my first time at Monmouth Park. There was a lot of speed in this race but my filly also has good speed and they felt she would have no trouble going long. She broke out of there so sharp. I kept her relaxed and started talking to her at the quarter pole and she responded for me. I was thinking then that maybe I had this race because they were not coming at me. She's a nice filly. She loves to run. I was a little worried about the two turns because she had only sprinted in her two races before this one. But she went right to the front and just kept going.”

The post Runhappy Filly Runup Upsets Sorority Stakes At Monmouth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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As handicappers and racing enthusiasts across America prepare to dive into this week's sensational Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, keep this in mind: Where you bet matters.

It took 25-plus years of horse ownership and a $2.4 million wager for me to fully appreciate the huge difference it makes where a bet is placed. It was a wake-up call for me, and it should be for you. Everyone in horse racing whenever possible should put their money through the windows or self-bet machines at the racetrack.

If you're like I was, you've never really thought about how each dollar gets chopped up. A bet is a bet, you probably think. You get the same payoff if you bet on-track, through simulcasting or online. Even at a casino that is booking the bets, you get track odds, albeit with caps.

But the return to the industry — for the owners whose horses put on the show and for the track that provides the venue — wildly varies depending on where a bet is made. For the long-term viability of the sport, those who work in and/or love horse racing should learn where the money goes and take seriously betting where it maximizes purses.

I was committed to placing at least $2 million on Essential Quality in the Kentucky Derby in order to cover my Gallery Furniture promotion where customers would get their money back if the Derby favorite won. The casinos worked hard to get my action, which they had received for promotions tied to the outcome of the World Series and Super Bowl. It was an eye-opener to learn what it meant in additional dollars to horse owners if I made the largest Kentucky Derby bet in history at the home of the Derby instead of a casino or online.

I lost my $2.4 million total in win bets when Essential Quality finished fourth but sold a boatload of mattresses and had a lot of customers snapping their fingers during the Run for the Roses. But a big winner was Churchill Downs' purse account for horsemen, which accrued $240,000 from my bets alone.

Purses are the lifeblood of American racing — it's what makes our racing unique and is vital to its sustainability. There's a substantial difference in the money that goes to horse owners if a bet is placed onsite at the track or if it's bet through an online platform, simulcasting, a casino or off-shore. It also makes a big difference to the track staging the races, with the significant costs entailed in building, maintaining and staffing the facility.

Had I made my wager in Las Vegas, where the casinos do not have a contract with Churchill Downs and therefore could not bet into the parimutuel pools, no money would have flowed back to Kentucky horsemen. If bet anywhere but on track, at best the funding to purses would have been would have about half. At worse, zero.

If we care about the industry, the last place we should bet is offshore or with casinos that book the bets and don't contribute anything to our mutuel pools or purse account. Offshore sites might offer lucrative rebates – but they can do that because they have no outlay for the cost of putting on the product.

I'm not bashing reputable online betting operations or simulcasting. The pandemic proved how vital ADW operations are to racing, how we were able to stay in business with spectator-less racing while other sports were shut down.

Millennials and Generation Z's office is their phone, so ADWs are expanding our reach but at the same time should pay an equitable rate to racetracks and horsemen. Kudos to ADWs that have worked with various tracks and horsemen's groups in California, Kentucky and elsewhere to make sure ADW betting on-site returns the same amount to purses as if the bet were placed with a mutuel clerk or self-bet machine.

Of course, if we're asking horseplayers and racing participants to bet at the track where possible, tracks likewise must make their facilities and the experience inviting for fans. Every day, and not just on select days.

Horse racing has a great opportunity to step up our game and attract new fans. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness ratings showed people are interested in horse racing. Heck, my Gallery Furniture promotion shows that the Kentucky Derby and racing resonate with the guy and gal on the street.

We've got to attract younger people. We need to attract the followers of Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, Action Network. We need to embrace sports-betting content.

There is no easy fix. It takes commitment, effort and ingenuity. But our sport and industry are worth it. Excluding football games, the Kentucky Derby was the third-most watched sporting event since the pandemic hit in March 2020, trailing only the NCAA men's basketball championship game won by Baylor and Gonzaga's semifinal victory over UCLA, according to Sports Media Watch. That's impressive.

The Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown and horse racing are still relevant. But you've got to flame the fire — and also be smart about where we bet. Cumulatively, it makes a huge difference.

The post McIngvale: Where You Bet Matters appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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It took 25-plus years of horse ownership and a $2.4-million wager for me to fully appreciate the huge difference it makes where a bet is placed. It was a wake-up call for me, and it should be for you. Everyone in horse racing whenever possible should put their money through the windows or self-bet machines at the racetrack.

If you're like I was, you've never really thought about how each dollar gets chopped up. A bet is a bet, you probably think. You get the same payoff if you bet on-track, through simulcasting or online. Even at a casino that is booking the bets, you get track odds, albeit with caps.

But the return to the industry–for the owners whose horses put on the show and for the track that provides the venue–wildly varies depending on where a bet is made. For the long-term viability of the sport, those who work in and/or love horse racing should learn where the money goes and take seriously betting where it maximizes purses.

I was committed to placing at least $2 million on Essential Quality in the Kentucky Derby in order to cover my Gallery Furniture promotion where customers would get their money back if the Derby favorite won. The casinos worked hard to get my action, which they had received for promotions tied to the outcome of the World Series and Super Bowl. It was an eye-opener to learn what it meant in additional dollars to horse owners if I made the largest Kentucky Derby bet in history at the home of the Derby instead of a casino or online.

I lost my $2.4-million total in win bets when Essential Quality finished fourth but sold a boatload of mattresses and had a lot of customers snapping their fingers during the Run for the Roses. But a big winner was Churchill Downs' purse account for horsemen, which accrued $240,000 from my bets alone.

Purses are the lifeblood of American racing–it's what makes our racing unique and is vital to its sustainability. There's a substantial difference in the money that goes to horse owners if a bet is placed onsite at the track or if it's bet through an online platform, simulcasting, a casino or offshore. It also makes a big difference to the track staging the races, with the significant costs entailed in building, maintaining and staffing the facility.

Had I made my wager in Las Vegas, where the casinos do not have a contract with Churchill Downs and therefore could not bet into the parimutuel pools, no money would have flowed back to Kentucky horsemen. If bet anywhere but on track, at best the funding to purses would have been about half. At worst, zero.

If we care about the industry, the last place we should bet is offshore or with casinos that book the bets and don't contribute anything to our mutuel pools or purse account. Offshore sites might offer lucrative rebates–but they can do that because they have no outlay for the cost of putting on the product.

I'm not bashing reputable online betting operations or simulcasting. The pandemic proved how vital ADW operations are to racing, how we were able to stay in business with spectator-less racing while other sports were shut down.

Millennials' and Generation Z's office is their phone, so ADWs are expanding our reach but at the same time should pay an equitable rate to racetracks and horsemen. Kudos to ADWs that have worked with various tracks and horsemen's groups in California, Kentucky and elsewhere to make sure ADW betting on-site returns the same amount to purses as if the bet were placed with a mutuel clerk or self-bet machine.

Of course, if we're asking horseplayers and racing participants to bet at the track where possible, tracks likewise must make their facilities and the experience inviting for fans. Every day, and not just on select days.

Horse racing has a great opportunity to step up our game and attract new fans. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness ratings showed people are interested in horse racing. Heck, my Gallery Furniture promotion shows that the Kentucky Derby and racing resonate with the guy and gal on the street.

We've got to attract younger people. We need to attract the followers of Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, Action Network. We need to embrace sports-betting content.

There is no easy fix. It takes commitment, effort and ingenuity. But our sport and industry are worth it. Excluding football games, the Kentucky Derby was the third-most watched sporting event since the pandemic hit in March 2020, trailing only the NCAA men's basketball championship game won by Baylor and Gonzaga's semifinal victory over UCLA, according to Sports Media Watch. That's impressive.

The Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown and horse racing are still relevant. But you've got to flame the fire–and also be smart about where we bet. Cumulatively, it makes a huge difference.

Jim McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack, is an entrepreneur, furniture mogul, philanthropist and horse owner based in Houston. McIngvale campaigned 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and Eclipse Award champion male sprinter Runhappy and has become a major racing sponsor while promoting his horse as a stallion at Claiborne Farm. McIngvale can be reached at (281) 844-1963 or mack@galleryfurniture.com.

The post Letter to the Editor from James McIngvale: Where You Bet Matters appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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McIngvale has bet through casinos on similar promotions on the World Series and Super Bowl, where he is able to secure fixed odds. But he is committed to placing the bet at Churchill, which allows local horsepeople to benefit most.

“This is the first horse-racing event I've been able to use as a promotion,” said McIngvale. “The people at Churchill Downs have been great working with me on using their trademarks and this and that. Of course, I've been receiving calls from across the country, legal bookmakers wanting me to bet with them, people in some states where they don't contribute much if anything to the [betting] pool. Their pitch is that $2 million won't effect the pool, but you'll get the same odds as you would at Churchill.

He continued, “Well, I don't want to do that, because I'm a horseman. I know what pays those purses is the handle. So all the money I'm betting will be at Churchill Downs. Let's face it, Churchill Downs has to make some money, too, to put on the show. So it's good for Churchill, which is a tremendous track and promoter of horse racing, but most of all it's good for the owners, trainers, jockeys, the backstretch workers who put their life into the game. I didn't want to bet someplace else or offshore. I wanted to go where the track's dollars were maximized and the horse owners' dollars were maximized to support the ecosystem of the entire game.”

The purse account at Churchill receives about 10% of all on-track wagering, so a bet of $2 million will contribute about $200,000 to purses. That number would be half–or less–if the wager were placed through other means.

McIngvale has already wired $4 million to Churchill Downs and plans to spend Derby day at the track.

Ready to bet on the favorite@ChurchillDowns @KentuckyDerby 147 – hope lots of @GFToday customers win a FREE @TempurPedic mattress! pic.twitter.com/8giPoFMFZ8

— @MattressMack (@MattressMack) April 28, 2021

“I haven't decided how much I'm going to bet. It depends on how many mattresses we sell,” he said. “But it will be at least $2 million. I have to figure whether to bet it all at once, or bet $500,000 three or four different times. How to structure it, whether I want to bet any exactas or just win bets or any place and show bets. I've got a lot of people advising me. I'm just worried about Essential Quality. I hope he wins. He's deserving. It should be a great event. I'm just glad that whatever money I'm betting will go mainly to the horsemen and Churchill Downs, where it deserves to go.”

Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association, applauded McIngvale's move to bet on track.

“When people see these monstrous numbers in total handle wagered on a track's card, they think the horsemen get a tremendous split from all of that,” Maline said. “But there's a huge difference between $100 bet on a racetrack and $100 bet off-track as far as what goes to purses. I certainly don't want to denigrate the ADWs, because that's broadened the market and allowed people to bet who otherwise couldn't. But a bet at the track contributes far more to purses than anywhere else it might be placed. Good for Mattress Mack.”

The post McIngvale To Place Derby Bet On Track appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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McIngvale is famous for tying major sporting events into marketing promotions at his Gallery Furniture mega-stores. Customers who spend $3,000 or more on certain mattresses and bed sets in a given time frame get their money back (or 150 percent of what they spent in in-store credit) if the promotion's featured team — or in this case, horse — wins.

Also making headlines are the millions McIngvale has wagered to hedge his bet against giving away so many mattresses. Mack has bet through casinos to cover previous promotions on the World Series and Super Bowl, locking into fixed odds. However, he's making a point to put his money on Essential Quality through the Churchill Downs mutuel windows, where horsemen receive the biggest cut for purses.

McIngvale has a large racing operation best known for 2015 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and Eclipse Award champion sprinter Runhappy, now a stallion at Claiborne Farm. While no individual has been more heavily involved in horse-racing sponsorships than McIngvale, he said this is the first time he's used the outcome of a horse race as a Gallery Furniture marketing ventures.

“This is the first horse-racing event I've been able to use as a promotion,” said McIngvale. “The people at Churchill Downs have been great working with me on using their trademarks and this and that. Of course, I've been receiving calls from across the country, legal bookmakers wanting me to bet with them, people in some states where they don't contribute much if anything to the (betting) pool. Their pitch is that $2 million won't effect the pool, but you'll get the same odds as you would at Churchill.

“Well, I don't want to do that, because I'm a horseman. I know what pays those purses is the handle. So all the money I'm betting will be at Churchill Downs. Let's face it, Churchill Downs has to make some money, too, to put on the show. So it's good for Churchill, which is a tremendous track and promoter of horse racing, but most of all it's good for the owners, trainers, jockeys, the backstretch workers who put their life into the game. I didn't want to bet someplace else or offshore. I wanted to go where the track's dollars were maximized and the horse owners' dollars were maximized to support the ecosystem of the entire game.”

Churchill Downs' purse account — which funds the money for which owners' racehorses compete at any given track — receives approximately 10 percent of all on-track wagering. So $2 million bet on Essential Quality will reap about $200,000 for purses. The amount would be half or far less if the money were wagered off track through simulcasting, online or at a casino.

McIngvale said he's already wired the funds to Churchill Downs and plans to spend the day at the track.

“I haven't decided how much I'm going to bet. It depends on how many mattresses we sell,” he said. “But it will be at least $2 million. I have to figure whether to bet it all at once, or bet $500,000 three or four different times. How to structure it, whether I want to bet any exactas or just win bets or any place and show bets. I've got a lot of people advising me. I'm just worried about Essential Quality. I hope he wins. He's a deserving. It should be a great event. I'm just glad that whatever money I'm betting will go mainly to the horsemen and Churchill Downs, where it deserves to go.”

Marty Maline, executive director of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent Protective Association, applauded McIngvale's move to bet on track.

“When people see these monstrous numbers in total handle wagered on a track's card, they think the horsemen get a tremendous split from all of that,” Maline said. “But there's a huge difference between $100 bet on a racetrack and $100 bet off-track as far as what goes to purses. I certainly don't want to denigrate the ADWs (online betting platforms), because that's broadened the market and allowed people to bet who otherwise couldn't. But a bet at the track contributes far more to purses than anywhere else it might be placed. Good for Mattress Mack.”

McIngvale, a philanthropist who sheltered storm victims in his furniture showrooms in the wake of Houston's 2019 flooding, also collaborated with Churchill Downs to bring about 300 foster-care parents, alumni and social-service workers to Saturday's Derby.

The post ‘I’m A Horseman’: McIngvale Makes Point To Place $2 Million Derby Bet On Track appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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To cover his liability for the promotion, “Mattress Mack” told the Thoroughbred Daily News he plans to make at least a $2 million wager on Essential Quality to win the Kentucky Derby, and could bet as much as $4 million.

“In this day and age of Amazon, we bricks and mortar guys have to do something to be different, something to stand out,” McIngvale told the TDN. “When it gets closer to the race I will figure out how many mattresses we have sold, add up the total, and then I'll figure out how much to bet on the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. It's going to be great for the other people too because it will make the other 19 horses a better value than they would be if I hadn't made a big bet.”

The TDN reports that the 2019 Kentucky Derby win pool (the last time the race was run on the first Saturday in May) had $41.8 million bet into it. A $2 million wager would account for approximately five percent of that pool, certainly lowering the odds on the favorite. For example, that year's 4-1 favorite, Improbable, had $6.9 million wagered on him to win.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Largest Derby Wager Ever? Mattress Mack Plans To Bet At Least $2 Million On Essential Quality appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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