leading trainer | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mahoning Valley Closes Season on a High

The 2020-21 racing season at Hollywood Gaming Mahoning Valley Race Course came to a record-setting close last Saturday. The 2020-2021 season concluded with an average handle per race of $121,770, a 4.43% increase in average handle per race over the 2019-2020 racing season. During the 2021 Winter/Spring meet portion of the racing season, average handle per race came in at $131,411 with the wagering highlight coming Mar. 29.

In a mandatory payout of the Buckeye Jackpot Pick 6, which had grown to $343,876, the single day handle record was shattered by over $1 million. The new record is $3,095,044. The 2021 meet also saw the introduction of the 15% takeout Pick 5, with an average pool size of nearly $30,000.

Jeffery Radosevich took his 11th training title with 2021's Winter/Spring meet, winning with four of his final five starts giving him 23 wins in the meet.

Taking his second Mahoning title, Sonny Leon claimed the 2021 Winter/Spring leading jockey championship with 74 wins, 17 ahead of the runner up. Earlier this year he made trip number 500 to the winners circle and his mounts have surpassed $9 million in earnings.

Last fall, Mahoning Valley hosted the Best of Ohio stakes on Oct. 31, five restricted Ohio Bred stakes valued at $500,000. Forewarned, for trainer Uriah St. Lewis and owner Trin-Brook Stables, Inc, successfully returned to defend his title in the mile and a quarter Best of Ohio Endurance S. Just over a week after the Best of Ohio Stakes Nov. 10, Mahoning was shutdown due to the pandemic, losing seven live racing days. Despite the setbacks, Mahoning returned Nov. 23 in time to host the sixth running of the Steel Valley Sprint, won by Vertical Threat.

Racing will return at Mahoning Valley Friday, Oct. 22.

The post Mahoning Valley Closes Season on a High appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

‘He Loves The Horses’: 76-Year-Old Gerald Bennett Named Tampa’s Trainer Of The Month

Gerald Bennett skipped the winner's-circle photograph after Wednesday's second race at Tampa Bay Downs. It wasn't that winning races has become old hat; while his 4-year-old homebred filly Princess Livia received the plaudits, Bennett attended to his other entrant in the race, 5-year-old mare Rattlesnakerose, who finished last of six.

“(Jockey) Danny (Centeno) said the ground broke out from under her on the back end – probably trying to get away so quick,” Bennett said after hosing down Rattlesnakerose and assuring himself she was no worse for the experience.

Meanwhile, Princess Livia was led away, having been claimed from the race for $10,000 by owner-trainer Victor Carrasco, Jr. The $10,000 price tag was the lowest Princess Livia has ever run for. Both runners were owned going into the race by Bennett's Winning Stables enterprise, Rattlesnakerose in partnership.

The horses may be Bennett's babies, but sentiment isn't going to take him where he wants to go.

“A lot of owners get afraid to lose their horses (through the claims box), but the name of the game is to win races,” said Bennett, who won today's first race with still another Winning Stables horse, 2-year-old Florida-bred gelding Foreman.

Bennett knows the name of the game. With 15 victories this meeting, he sits atop the trainer standings and is the inaugural 2020-2021 Salt Rock Tavern Trainer of the Month Award winner.

Bennett has a rapport with horses few trainers achieve. As he walks through his barn at Tampa Bay Downs in the pre-dawn hours, some nicker in recognition, while others get close enough for a nudge they hope will be rewarded with a peppermint candy. All are alert, tuned in and eager to heed the man's teachings.

“He loves the horses. He loves the business,” said his wife, trainer Mary Bennett. “He got in the trailer (on a recent off-day) to take horses to Ocala to be laid up, and when he's there he'll watch horses train to see if he can get another good one. He loves everything about it. Racing is his adrenaline rush,” she said.

His numerous followers often get a rush at the betting windows. Turning beaten horses around is a Bennett trademark, and those caught unawares are often kicking themselves in the parking lot – as on Nov. 28, when a couple of Bennett-trained long shots combined for a $2 late daily double payoff of $181.40.

Bennett, a 76-year-old product of Springhill, Nova Scotia, is off to a typically strong start in his bid for a sixth consecutive Oldsmar training title and seventh title overall. Only Jamie Ness has won more (nine in a row, from 2006-2007 through 2014-2015). With 15 victories, Bennett has earned the inaugural Salt Rock Tavern Trainer of the Month Award of the 2020-2021 meeting.

“We kind of plan for this meeting all year, keep our horses fresh and hopefully everything goes well,” said Bennett, who has a string of 45 runners here. “When you keep your horses happy, they'll run for you. Happy horses enjoy the competition.”

There are going to be setbacks – horses get sick, incur injuries or are claimed by another trainer unexpectedly. Photo-finish losses and disqualifications are a downer, but Bennett always bounces back stronger.

“When that other stuff happens, you have to keep going, keep working hard,” Bennett said. “You try to keep things on an even keel and do the job the right way.”

Bennett races many of his horses as an owner under his Winning Stables, Inc., banner, and last season he captured his first Tampa Bay Downs owners title with 24 victories.

Bennett may call Tampa home, but he has enjoyed many big days and excellent horses elsewhere. His top horses includes Grade 1 winner and millionaire Beau Genius, Secret Romeo, Banker's Jet, Fast Flying Rumor and R Angel Katelyn.

Bennett has 3,935 career winners, 14th on the all-time North American list. He trails only the late Frank H. Merrill, Jr. (3,974 victories) among Canadian-born trainers. Then, hopefully, the 4,000-victory milestone and another reminder that somewhere on the Tampa Bay Downs backstretch exists Bennett's private Fountain of Youth.

The post ‘He Loves The Horses’: 76-Year-Old Gerald Bennett Named Tampa’s Trainer Of The Month appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trainer Brittany Russell Could Make History In Race For Laurel’s Fall Title

The 2020 Thoroughbred season is drawing to an historic close in Maryland, and not just for a pandemic that paused racing for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May.

With three racing days left in Laurel Park's fall meet that began Oct. 8, Brittany Russell and Claudio Gonzalez are tied atop the trainer standings with 22 wins apiece. Live racing returns Saturday, Dec. 26 with the Christmastide Day program of eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses led by the $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3).

Laurel will also host live cards Sunday, Dec. 27 and Thursday, Dec. 31 before opening its 2021 winter meet Friday, Jan. 1. Post time is 12:25 p.m.

Gonzalez, a 44-year-old cancer survivor, has won 11 of the last 12 meets in Maryland dating back to Laurel's 2017 spring stand, and owns or shares 14 titles overall. He will finish with the most wins in the state for a fourth consecutive year.

Russell, meanwhile, is in position to join an exclusive club in just the third year since going out on her own. Only two women have ever led the trainer standings in Maryland – Karen Patty (1992 Pimlico Race Course spring) and Mary Eppler (2016 Laurel fall).

“It's funny, because a lot of people ask us about it. We're just trying to stay humble. We're trying to focus on the horses and walk them over there ready to go,” Russell, 31, said. “Each individual getting a win is more the goal as opposed to winning a meet. Yeah, it would be fantastic to win the meet and a huge feat for me from a career standpoint, but we're just trying to stay humble and focus on each horse.”

Russell has three starters on Laurel's nine-race card Saturday – Out of Sorts in the $100,000 Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, Reassured in the $100,000 Howard County for 2-year-olds, and Whereshetoldmetogo in the $100,000 Dave's Friend for sprinters 3 and up – and one starter on Sunday.

Gonzalez will run Miss Leslie in the $100,000 Anne Arundel County for 2-year-old fillies, Lebda in the Dave's Friend, Harpers First Ride in the $100,000 Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles and Landing Zone in the du Pont. Leading the meet in starters (116) and purse earnings ($794,790), he has three more entered for Sunday.

Russell's wins have come with just 45 starters at the meet (49 percent).

“It's fun, it's satisfying. This is why we all do it. We all work very hard and we try and have the horses as right as we can every time they walk over,” Russell said. “If I enter a horse, we're entering it because it's doing well and we're trying to put it in a spot where we think it can win. It's rewarding for the team. Everybody wants to win. That's' why we show up every day, to try and help this horses win. Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”

Russell worked for trainers Brad Cox, Jimmy Jerkens, Ron Moquett and Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard before going out on her own, winning with her first career starter, Oh My, on Feb. 25, 2018 at Laurel. A former amateur rider married to Laurel's leading jockey Sheldon Russell, she has seen her number of starters, winners and purse earnings increase each year, topping the $1 million mark in 2020.

Brittany Russell has 43 wins from 153 starters in 2020 led by stakes winners Hello Beautiful and Whereshetoldmetogo. She has enjoyed particular success with 2-year-olds, going 15-for-39 (38 percent) this year and finishing in the top three 31 times (79 percent).

“I was lucky this year, they just sent me some nice horses. We do have some good stock in the barn,” Russell said. “I'm not the type to try and push a horse to have them ready for when the first 2-year-old races come out. In 2020, with the first 2-year-old races kind of showing up later, they were just kind of all coming around and getting ready when those races were starting to be written anyway.

“It hasn't been anything special, just good horses and they're ready at the right time. I have good clients and they let me take my time,” she added. “When you start getting pressure and feeling anxious about getting a horse to the races that's when you start doing things and I think if you just let the come along the way they want, it just pays off.”

Sheldon Russell holds a 42-33 lead over Jevian Toledo in the race for the fall meet riding title. Toledo has won with seven of his last 16 mounts, including a four-win day Dec. 20, to close the gap.

Both riders are represented by agent Marty Leonard. Russell was Maryland's overall leading rider in 2011 and owns seven meet titles, the most recent being Laurel winter 2015. Toledo led all local riders in wins in 2015 and 2017 and five meet titles, all at Laurel, the last coming in spring 2018.

The post Trainer Brittany Russell Could Make History In Race For Laurel’s Fall Title appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Caldwell, Asmussen, Cabrera On Top Of Final Remington Park Standings

It took all but the last six races of the 66-day season at Remington Park to determine the top owner race, but Danny Caldwell of Poteau, Okla., won his 11th crown when Steve Asmussen's Don't Forget ran third in the fourth race Tuesday.

Asmussen, as an owner this meet, was three behind Caldwell, going into the final day and needed to win with all three of his horses, and for Caldwell to lose with all five of his entrants, in order to gain a tie. Each won one race on closing day, giving Caldwell his top-end 28th victory of the meet to Asmussen's 25. Caldwell, the all-time winningest owner in Remington Park history, has won 371 thoroughbred races here.

In the past 11 years, it was the 10th finish on top (at least tied for most wins) for Caldwell. End Zone Athletics (Karl Broberg and Matt Johanson), ended the Caldwell runaway train last year or the streak would have been 11 seasons in a row, dating back to 2010. Caldwell also was top owner in 2008 by himself. His biggest year at Remington Park was 2016 when he won 50 times and earned the most money during his title run with $862,830.

Caldwell also was top owner by earnings in 2009 and from 2013-2018. He had a huge lead in earnings going into the final day of racing Tuesday – $603,386 to Asmussen's $303,217, and finished the meet with $612,751, earning $9,365 on closing day.

“I want to thank Remington Park for its hospitality and the six different trainers I've used to win all over the country this year and it doesn't stop there,” said Caldwell, a former high school coach. “It's a big team effort with everyone in the barn and I still use my coaching philosophy to recruit the talent (in claiming horses). A lot goes into the formula.”

Caldwell's biggest win of the season came in the $175,000 Oklahoma Classics Cup on Oct. 16 with Dont Tell Noobody.

Caldwell earned the Ran Ricks, Jr. Award, as the leading owner. The award is named in honor of the track's all-time leading owner at the time of his passing in late 1996. Ricks was the first owner to stable a horse at Remington Park in 1988.

The top five Remington Park owners by wins: 1) Danny Caldwell, 28; 2) Steve Asmussen, 25; 3) Bryan Hawk, 14; 4) Clark Brewster, 12, and 5) End Zone Athletics, 11.

Top five by earnings: 1) Danny Caldwell, $612,751; 2) Steve Asmussen, $312,938; 3) Bryan Hawk, $292,811; 4) C.R. Trout, $265,343; 5) End Zone Athletics, $261,229

Jockey David Cabrera won his third riding title in a row, improving off his two previous seasons with his most victories in a meet yet – 96.

Cabrera won 95 races in 2018 and 83 last year. His horses also won the most money during his three-year streak – $2,377,944 in 2018; $2,159,916 last year, and this season he finished with $2,033,449. His mounts brought home $6,595 on closing day.

“I want to thank God for the opportunity he has given me here and in life,” Cabrera said. “Thank you to every person, my wife, my kid and trainers who have helped me. I love my job. And especially one person who got me started at Remington, (trainer) Marti Rodriguez (his aunt).”

The top jockey at Remington Park earns the Pat Steinberg Award, named after the track's all-time leading jockey at the time of his passing in 1993.

The top five Remington Park Jockeys by wins: 1) David Cabrera, 96; 2) Stewart Elliott, 66; 3) Ramon Vazquez, 62; 4) Sophie Doyle, 47, and 5) Richard Eramia, 43.

The top six jockeys by seasonal mount earnings: 1) David Cabrera, $2,033,449; 2) Stewart Elliott, $1,431,759; 3) Richard Eramia, $1,303,806; 4) Ramon Vazquez, $1,081,297; 5) Luis Quinonez, $1,064,201; 6) Sophie Doyle, $1,016,877.

The trainer standings race was a much easier one for National and Oklahoma Horse Racing Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, taking his 16th conditioning crown and fifth in a row. He had three wins Tuesday, taking the early daily double, winning race one with Princess Asya ($2.40 to win), the second race with Salaciousacusation ($5.80) and Dixie Mo ($4.60) in the eighth. That gave Asmussen 75 trips to the winner's circle this meet, far below his all-time best here of 104 in 2018. He also surpassed 100 in 2009 with 102. He was an amazing 48 wins ahead of second-place trainers Austin Gustafson and Scott Young, who had 27 wins each.

Asmussen won training titles in the fall of 1991-92, fall of 1995, and then when the Thoroughbreds went to one meet a year, from 2007-2014. Karl Broberg won in 2015, followed by Asmussen taking the crown from 2016-2020. It was also the 10th year Asmussen-trained horses have been leading money earners for a season. His top year was 2018 when they brought in $2,994,719. This year, Asmussen's horses banked $1,529,824. His horses earned $40,767 on closing day.

It was the fifth meet in a row that Asmussen has led in horse earnings at Remington Park.

Asmussen earned the Chuck Taliaferro Award, named in honor of one of Remington Park's top trainers in its formative years until his passing in 1994.

The top five trainers by wins: 1) Steve Asmussen, 76; 2) Austin Gustafson, 27; 2) Scott Young, 27; 4) Bret Calhoun, 25, and Danny Pish, 25.

Top five trainers by stable earnings: 1) Steve Asmussen, $1,529,824; 2) Donnie Von Hemel, $540,741; 3) Danny Pish, $527,021; 4) Scott Young, $523,191; 5) Bret Calhoun, $491,922.

Welder, owned by Ra-Max Farms (Clayton Rash of Claremore, Okla.) was the top earning horse for the season. The 7-year-old gray millionaire gelding, trained by Teri Luneack, and ridden by Cabrera, won the most money at the meet with $187,024. He won three stakes races – the Remington Park Turf Sprint, the Oklahoma Classics Sprint, the Silver Goblin (all for Oklahoma-breds) and then scored against stakes-quality rivals in an open-company allowance, beating Share the Upside, who had defeated Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Whitmore in this year's King Cotton Stakes in February at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Tracked by more than 164,000 fans on Facebook and 10,500 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $254 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park is open daily for casino gaming and simulcast horse racing. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

The post Caldwell, Asmussen, Cabrera On Top Of Final Remington Park Standings appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post