Maryland Jockey Club | Horse Racing Free Tips

Friday’s Stronach 5 Features Four Tracks In Under 60 Minutes

The Stronach 5 returns Friday with five competitive races from four tracks in less than 60 minutes.

The popular wager, which continues to produce a strong return on investment, will begin at 4:11 ET and end approximately 49 minutes later and feature races from Gulfstream Park, Laurel Park, Santa Anita Park and Golden Gate Fields along with a low 12-percent takeout.

A look at Friday's Stronach 5:

Leg A: Gulfstream Race 8, 4:11 ET

6 furlongs Allowance Optional Claimer, fillies and mares

It was 4 ½ months ago that Alecka Star won her debut by 14 ½ lengths. The 4-year-old returns for the first time since for trainer Michael Yates and draws the rail. The second and third-place finishers from Alecka Star's debut won next time out. The speedy Domineer, a winner of five of 14 starts at Gulfstream, looks for her fourth win in her last five starts. Luis Saez rides. Kozy Dreams has finished second to Domineer in two of her last three starts. She's placed in 10 of 12 starts (five wins) at the distance.

Leg B: Laurel Race 9, 4:27 ET

6 furlongs, Maiden Claiming ($40,000), 3-year-olds

Full of Mischief, a $140,000 2-year-old purchase, goes out first time after being claimed for $25,000 by Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, who is 40-percent first off a claim. The gelded son of Into Mischief goes out first-time Lasix. Must be Love was game when finishing third in his debut Jan. 23 for Dale Capuano. Same can be said for Goldenize, who finished second over a sloppy track in his debut Jan. 20 for trainer Tim Keefe. Michael Trombetta sends out Mocephus, third against $25,000 claimers last out and a possible pacesetter here, and Whenigettoheaven, second against $25,000 claimers last out.

Leg C: Santa Anita Race 3, 4:37 ET

6 furlongs turf, Allowance Optional Claimer, 3-year-olds

Franklin One Star goes out for trainer Doug O'Neill in this event for Cal-breds after finishing fifth in the restricted Baffle Stakes. Smuggler's Run comes out of the same race. The Richard Baltas-trained gelding finished a troubled sixth in the Baffle after being steadied and lacking room down the stretch. Who's Candy was impressive breaking his maiden Jan. 1 against restricted company.

Leg D: Golden Gate Race 3, 4:53 ET

1 Mile, Maiden Claimer ($8,000), 3-year-olds

Lassie Cat and Savage Love drop from a $25,000 claimer Jan. 22 to this $8,000 level. Lassie Cat was third and Savage Love fourth after getting steadied. Rock N Roll Song goes out second time off the claim for trainer Quinn Howey. Ball Lass drops the blinkers and could be the speed.

Leg E: Laurel Race 10, 5 ET

About 1 1/16-mile, Claimer ($5,000), 4-year-olds and up

A wide-open $5,000 claimer. Only four of the 10 starters have won at the distance, and Cox's Ledge (Jeremiah Englehart) and Shoulda Had It (Linda Albert) are the only two with multiple wins at the distance. Both drop slightly Voltamour goes second out off a slight layoff for Kieron Magee. Has hit the board in six of his last eight. Magee's other starter, Paint Music for Me, is the only starter who won last out.

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

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Six Stakes Worth $550,000 Comprise Laurel’s 10-Race Card On Saturday

Grade 3 winner Hibiscus Punch, multiple stakes winners Wondrwherecraigis and Cordmaker, and promising 3-year-old H P Moon are among the horses to watch on Laurel Park's stakes-filled Saturday program.

Six stakes worth $550,000 in purses help comprise Laurel's 10-race card, which begins at 12:10 p.m.

Stakes action begins in Race 3, the $75,000 Jennings for Maryland-bred/sired horses, where Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker chases his 13th career win, ninth in a stakes and third in row. Maryland-bred/sired females follow in Race 4, the $75,000 Geisha featuring Mike Trombetta-trained stablemates Kiss the Girl and Lookin Dynamic.

K E M Racing Stable and Five Hellions Farm's H P Moon will make just his second career start and first since an eye-opening debut triumph last August at Pimlico in Race 6, the $100,000 Spectacular Bid. The seven-furlong Spectacular Bid is Maryland's first stakes race of the season for 3-year-olds. Stakes winners Buff My Boots and Luna Belle headline the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies in Race 7.

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's homebred Hibiscus Punch ends an 8 ½ month break between starts in Race 8, the $100,000 What a Summer, just her second race since pulling a 41-1 upset in the 2021 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) last February at Laurel. Among the competition are stakes winners Princess Kokachin, Prodigy Doll, Kaylasaurus and Don't Call Me Mary.

Race 9 is the $100,000 Fire Plug featuring Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables' Wondrwherecraigis, last out winner of the Bold Ruler (G3) Oct. 31 at Belmont Park, the first career graded-stakes win for trainer Brittany Russell. Maryland-bred multiple stakes winner Jaxon Traveler, 2-0 lifetime at Laurel, is also entered.

The post Six Stakes Worth $550,000 Comprise Laurel’s 10-Race Card On Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Sanchez Suspended, Gambling an Outlet for Depression

Jockey Mychel Sanchez, who has been suspended 60 days by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission for betting on horses other than the ones he rode, is not a cheat or a race-fixer, his attorney told the TDN Friday. Rather, said lawyer Alan Pincus, Sanchez was dealing with a serious case of depression and took to gambling as an outlet. Pincus said that in all instances Sanchez tried his best to win the races in question, whether he had bet against his own horse or not.

“It was clear he was giving his best effort,” Pincus said. “He was not fixing races. He won several of the races in which he bet against his horses. The horse paid $37 in one race, $27 in another. He was just doing something crazy that only a psychiatrist can explain.”

With Sanchez's main track, Parx, dark Friday, the jockey was listed on two mounts at Laurel. After the Maryland Racing Commission learned of the Pennsylvania suspension, Sanchez was taken of his mounts. The Maryland Jockey Club and 1/ST RACING issued a statement later in the day in which it said Sanchez has been banned indefinitely.

“After learning of the serious allegations of illegal wagering on the part of jockey Mychel Sanchez, effective immediately 1/ST RACING will institute an indefinite ban against him from training or racing at any 1/ST RACING venue,” read a statement issued by 1/ST RACING. “Any decision regarding Sanchez's reinstatement will be made at a later time. 1/ST RACING stands on the principles of integrity and accountability, and we believe there is no place in our sport for this kind of unethical and illegal activity.”

Tom Chuckas, the director of the Thoroughbred division of the Pennsylvania Racing Commission, was not available to the media. A call to his office went to voice mail and no one returned the call from the TDN seeking comment. There was nothing related to Sanchez's suspension on the page on the Pennsylvania Racing Commission's website listing rulings. An official ruling will likely be issued following a regularly scheduled commission meeting next week.

Should Chuckas ever make himself available, he will likely be asked to explain what appears to be a serious offense resulted in a suspension of just 60 days.

“Mychal is a straight shooter and he has worked hard and with skill and talent has risen to a very strong position,” Pincus said. “He is the sole support for his family both here and in Venezuela and life, on the surface, was great for him. But, he was feeling depressed. And he was not doing anything to deal with it. He was just turning inward. He turned to gambling on the races for a very short period of time. I'm not a psychiatrist, but he was doing this to numb the pain.”

Pincus said that Sanchez opened a TVG account in his own name and began betting Dec. 23 and made his last bets Jan. 3. He went six for 28 during that period. During that time, he also rode at Aqueduct and at Laurel. Pincus said he was not sure whether or not Sanchez also bet against his mounts in New York and Maryland or just at Parx. If he bet against himself in New York or in Maryland, he could face additional penalties from those states.

“We will look into this,” said J. Michael Hopkins, the executive director of the Maryland Racing Commission. “But right now he's suspended in Pennsylvania, so there's no need to be in a rush because he doesn't ride here regularly. But we will definitely take a look at it.”

TVG employees noticed that the jockey had been betting against his own horses and notified the appropriate racing commissions.

Having, through his lawyer, admitted that he bet against his own horses, Sanchez will not fight the suspension.

“He was suspended 60 days starting [Friday] to the 21st of March,” Pincus said. “Obviously, it was warranted. We are not going to appeal this.”

Pincus said that Sanchez has already enrolled in a problem gambling program and has also sought out psychiatric help.

“He just did something because of a mental problem,” Pincus said. “People are responsible for their own actions, but he has to be viewed with sympathy.”

Sanchez began riding in the U.S. in 2013 and was the leading rider at Parx in 2020. According to Equibase, he's won 940 races from 6,097 mounts.

The post Sanchez Suspended, Gambling an Outlet for Depression appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Eclipse Finalists Marquez, Hiraldo Continue Tradition Of Maryland Apprentice Riders

Teenage sensation Charlie Marquez, Maryland's second-leading rider by wins and purse earnings last year, is among three finalists for the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice jockey of 2021.

Joining Marquez as finalists are John Hiraldo, who spent more than half his apprenticeship in Maryland, and California-based Jessica Pyfer. Hiraldo led all apprentice riders with 81 wins while Pyfer was tops with more than $2.7 million in purses earned.

“It's unbelievable,” Marquez said. “I was kind of surprised to be honest with you. I only had my bug last year for five months, so me being able to put up the numbers to even be nominated is kind of crazy and awesome to me.”

Marquez ended 2021 with 102 wins and $3,500,448 in purse earnings at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course, second only to Jevian Toledo, and led Pimlico's Preakness Meet with 49 victories. He also won his first two Maryland Million races, including Buff Hello in the Nursery.

A native of Columbia, Md., near Laurel, Marquez ranked fourth with 50 wins and $1,454,210 in purses earned as an apprentice in 2021, his last day coming May 29. During that time he won his first stakes, the March 15 Private Terms at Laurel with 21-1 long shot Shackled Love.

The son and grandson of successful jockeys in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Marquez was not among the Eclipse Award finalists for champion apprentice of 2020, won by Maryland-based counterpart Alexander Crispin. He led all Maryland bug riders with 58 wins and ranked seventh in the state overall despite having his apprenticeship interrupted for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May when Maryland racing was paused amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Marquez has 211 wins and more than $6.5 million in purse earnings from 1,433 career mounts. He won his first race at the age of 16 on Jan. 9, 2020 with Sierra Leona at Laurel.

“Whether I win or lose, it's a pretty big deal that I was even nominated especially after only having my bug for a few months,” Marquez said. “You have to go into it happy. You never know what could happen.”

Maryland-based riders have captured 12 of the 50 Eclipse Awards as champion apprentice. Winners before Crispin were Chris McCarron (1974), Ronnie Franklin (1978), Alberto Delgado (1982), Allen Stacy (1986), Kent Desormeaux (1987), Mike Luzzi (1989), Mark Johnston (1990), Jeremy Rose (2001), Ryan Fogelsonger (2002), Victor Carrasco (2013) and Weston Hamilton (2018).

“It's huge. It's the dream of all apprentice riders. I can't even wrap my head around it,” Marquez said. “It's just huge. I can't really explain it.”

A 20-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Hiraldo ranked second among all apprentice riders with $2,178,769 in purse earnings from 638 mounts. With 89 seconds and 94 thirds, the son of ex-jockey Joel Hiraldo whose cousin, Angel Cruz, rides on the Maryland circuit finished in the money at 41 percent clip.

Hiraldo worked as an exercise rider for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut Dec. 10, 2020 at Laurel Park. He won his first career race with 33-1 long shot Flat Rate on Laurel's 2020 New Year's Eve program.

In 2021, Hiraldo ranked 14^th in Maryland with 35 wins from 365 mounts to go along with $1,171,150 in purse earnings. He has been riding at Oaklawn Park since the opening of its winter meet in early December.

Pyfer, 23, rode as an apprentice through Nov. 13 of last year, ranking second with 56 wins from 535 mounts. The stepdaughter of trainer Phil D'Amato graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in political science and minor in constitutional law and put off law school to become a jockey, winning her first race Oct. 9, 2020 at Santa Anita.

All Eclipse Award winners will be announced Thursday, Feb. 10 at Santa Anita Park.

Notes: Live racing continues Monday with a special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program. Post time for the first of 10 races in 12:10 p.m. The feature comes in Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs. Among the field of eight are Sweet Gracie, third in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Dec. 18; Click to Confirm, third in the Smart Halo Nov. 13; Moody Woman, third in the Gin Talking Dec. 26; and Mama G's Wish, second in the Blue Hen and third in the Small Wonder last summer at Delaware Park.

The post Eclipse Finalists Marquez, Hiraldo Continue Tradition Of Maryland Apprentice Riders appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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