nyra | Horse Racing Free Tips

Oklahoma Training Track Renovation Complete

The renovation of the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course has been completed, according to a press release from the New York Racing Association, Inc.

Horses and riders, who were welcomed to jog and gallop over the surface beginning Wednesday morning, were met with a completely reconstructed Oklahoma track featuring a limestone base, renovated surface layer and modernized drainage systems. The training track has been widened by 10-to-14 feet in most areas to address the increasing population of horses training over the Oklahoma annually from April to October.

Additionally, to enhance safety for exercise riders and jockeys, the inner rail at the Oklahoma has been replaced with a rider protection system designed by Horsemen's Track and Equipment.

The work at the Oklahoma mirrors the work performed on the Saratoga main track in 2020, which was universally supported by horsemen and riders. As at the Oklahoma, the main track renovation involved general improvements to the base and surface of the track, as well as a complete overhaul of the drainage system and installation of a new rider safety rail.

“The renovation of the Oklahoma Training Track is an investment in the future of Saratoga Race Course that reflects NYRA's ongoing commitment to safety,” said Glen Kozak, NYRA Senior Vice President for Operations and Capital Projects. “Just like the work done to the main track last year, the Oklahoma will now recover quickly from summer storms resulting in a consistent and high-quality training surface for horses and riders.”

It was also announced that, beginning Monday, May 17, a limited number of owners licensed by the New York State Gaming Commission will be permitted in the barn area and to observe morning training at Saratoga.

The post Oklahoma Training Track Renovation Complete appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Between The Hedges: Picking Apart The Pick 6

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) launched the return of a traditional Pick 6 – at a $1 base with 15 percent takeout –for the current 48-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet.

The Pick 6, part of the latest stage of NYRA's pilot project, replaced the Empire 6, a jackpot style wager featuring a $0.20 bet minimum first offered in August 2019 at Saratoga Race Course. Prior to the Empire 6, NYRA had offered a Pick 6 with a $2 base.

There were three sets of unique circumstances used as comparison points to prompt this change, which resulted after analyzing data covering the months of February and March from the last three years.

In 2019, 31 race days were covered during February and March offering the Pick 6, at a $2 base, posting a handle of $3,333,022 and 1.9 percent of the total handle over this time frame. The average daily pool was $170,517. Of those 31 days, 10 featured carryovers. Removing the carryover impact, the handle was $673,569 and the daily average was $32,075, representing 0.6 percent of total handle.

The Empire 6 was in place for the same time frame in 2020. There were 22 days of racing, with a handle of $5,296,389 for an average daily pool of $240,745. That marked 3.8 percent of our total handle over this time frame. There were three mandatory force-out days that accounted for $3,852,771, or 73 percent of the total handle. Removing this mandatory figure, the handle was $1,443,618 and the daily average was $75,980, representing 1.2 percent of total handle.

This year, in the months of February and March, the Empire 6 was still in place. But the pool had a retail-only restriction and was forced out every race day. Over 28 race days, the total handle was $2,295,755, the daily average was $81,991, representing 1.4 percent of our total handle.

What was the lesson?

Customers look to participate in pools where they can expect to get a player advantage. In this case, the carryover constitutes an effective takeout reduction. It is common to see large multipliers on these pools and could be the difference in making a banner day of handle. The lower base of $0.20 also opened the pools to a completely new demographic of customer that previously did not participate due to the prohibitive cost of coverage at a $2 base.

So, what is the reason for the change back to the Pick 6, but at a $1 base?

The data showed that customers bet back in races within the sequence having handicapped the races already. When the Pick 6 was in place and had a natural carryover, it generated a significant amount of interest. In the year prior to the start of the Empire 6, there were 96 carryovers with the $2 Pick 6 in place. Those carryover cards accounted for 72 percent of the total Pick 6 handle despite being only 40 percent of the sample size.

Through twelve race days of the $1 Pick 6 at the current meet, a total of $1,494,647 has been wagered. The average daily pool has been $124,554. Three one-day carryovers of $61,085, $58,516, and $41,572 took place with new money wagered into the pool the next day ranging anywhere from a multiplier of 3x through 9x.

By comparison, the $2 Pick 6 over twelve race days in 2019 handled $963,566 for a daily average of $80,297. There was a two-day carryover of $23,659 and $87,484 with a 5x multiplier on each day. There was no racing this time last year to compare the Empire 6.

By bringing back the Pick 6 at an accessible $1 base and keeping it a retail-only pool, the wager has already led to three carryovers which should continue as the meet progresses.

Under the daily force-out schedule for the Empire 6 in the previous pilot program, there was no chance for a carryover and the benefit associated with it. The 15 percent takeout on the non-carryover days also falls in line with our Pick 5 that has been sharply trending upwards over the years and proving very popular with our customers.

Is this change permanent?

This format is another variation in the pilot program to find the right size in the Pick 6. Something important to keep in mind is that each of our meets are separate and distinct. One variation of the Pick 6 may work for the Aqueduct fall/winter meet but not for the Belmont fall meet. As such, NYRA will continue to monitor the results going forward.

Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

The post Between The Hedges: Picking Apart The Pick 6 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Sisterson: ‘Thankful For Everyone Behind The Scenes’ After Third Grade 1 Win

In a little more than nine months, trainer Jack Sisterson went from searching for his first Grade 1 win to achieving one at all three NYRA-operated tracks, with Calumet Farm homebred Channel Cat's victory by a nose over Gufo in Saturday's $700,000 Man o' War at Belmont Park checking the final box.

Channel Cat earned the highest Beyer Speed Figure in three starts of his 6-year-old campaign with a 98 number for the effort, which added to Sisterson's 2020 wins with Vexatious in the Personal Ensign at Saratoga Race Course and True Timber in the Cigar Mile Handicap in December at Aqueduct Racetrack.

“It's very humbling,” Sisterson said. “I grew up with a dream but every time I dreamed, the alarm clock went off. Fortunately enough, there wasn't an alarm clock that got in the way yesterday. But I can't take any credit for this. I have to thank Channel Cat, and Calumet Farm for all they do. Unfortunately, I can't have all 50 staff members who do all the hard work in the winner's circle. The microphones are on me, but I just represent the staff, because they do all the hard work.

“It's not me winning the Grade 1. It's a big team effort,” he added. “You'd like to win a Grade 1 anywhere, but in New York, I used to read about races like the Man o' War and the Personal Ensign and the Cigar Mile. To be in a position to even compete in them, it's an honor. I'm just thankful for everyone behind the scenes who work to allow our horses to compete at this level.”

Sisterson, who worked under prestigious trainers Doug O'Neill and newly named Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, went out on his own in 2018. He's had success with Channel Cat, who started his career under Pletcher's care, before being transferred to Sisterson late in 2020.

After running fifth in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight to start his 2021 campaign in January at Gulfstream Park, the son of English Channel ran a competitive second to Say the Word in the Grade 2 Elkhorn going 1 1/2 miles on the Keeneland turf on April 17.

Sisterson worked Channel Cat once on the Keeneland main track before shipping to New York for the Man o' War, where Hall of Famer John Velazquez sent him to the front, setting the pace before the half-mile mark while having enough in reserve to fend off favorite Gufo's late charge to win the head bob in the 1 3/8-mile route.

“We were coming back in three weeks, but we had monitored him coming out of the Elkhorn and breezed him on the dirt and he breezed very well over it,” Sisterson said. “He had put on weight and looked good and we had to go for the Man o' War yesterday because he was doing so well. It was a tough field but we had an advantage with Velazquez riding. We couldn't have asked for a better setup going into the race.”

Channel Cat has primarily used his late-closing ability in recent starts, but Velazquez changed tactics on Saturday, dueling Field Pass at the front before leading the eight-horse field while finishing strong enough to complete the course in 2:13.34 under heavy pressure. Velazquez added another Grade 1 win to his ledger a week after posting the Kentucky Derby-Kentucky Oaks double with Medina Spirit and Malathaat.

“Going from the barn to the paddock, Channel Cat definitely looked energetic leading into the race,” Sisterson said. “There's been a spark in his training. It didn't surprise me that he was forwardly placed. I don't tell jockeys what to do, I can only make mistakes and mess it up for them. All the credit goes to John Velazquez for winning that race yesterday.”

Another quick turnaround could be a possibility with the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan going 1 1/4 miles on the turf a potential spot for Channel Cat on Belmont Stakes Day June 5. Sisterson said he'll see how Channel Cat comes out of his victory before deciding to enter, leaving open the possibility of targeting the Grade 1 United Nations on Monmouth Park's Haskell Day card July 17.

Channel Cat ran fifth, just 3 3/4 lengths back to winner Bricks and Mortar, in the 2019 Manhattan in a year in which he ran third in the United Nations, won the Grade 2 Bowling Green and finished third in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at the Spa. Overall, Channel Cat is 6-3-5 in 26 career starts and upped his career earnings past the $1 million mark with his Man o' War score [$1,373,522].

“It took us awhile to figure him out,” Sisterson said. “I take the blame for his poor performance in the McKnight. I was breezing the horse too fast in the mornings and he ran a flat race, so I gave him two weeks off and I backed off him and slowed his works right down. I have a great staff and we figured out the way Channel Cat likes to be trained. We usually don't run them back that quick, so I just want to make sure I'm not running him back too quick. We're not going to count out the Manhattan and we'll leave it up to Channel Cat.

“We'll get him back home to Keeneland and turn him out in the paddock,” he added. “If we don't feel the Manhattan is the right spot for him, we might try the United Nations at Monmouth and come and wait for Saratoga for him. We have options; he's won the Bowling Green at Saratoga, so he likes the turf course up there. I don't want to get greedy and be selfish here. We have to put it in Channel Cat's hands now.”

Sisterson also singled out Calumet's farm manager Eddie Kane for praise, with the Kentucky-bred Channel Cat just one of the operation's many success stories.

“The one person I'd like to dedicate Channel Cat's victory yesterday to is Eddie Kane, because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in this position,” Sisterson said. “He does everything. To be able to represent Eddie and Calumet with a homebred and win a race like that, I have to give credit.”

The post Sisterson: ‘Thankful For Everyone Behind The Scenes’ After Third Grade 1 Win appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Belmont Park: Saturday’s Pick 6 Boosted By $41,572 Carryover

Saturday's Pick 6 will be boosted by a $41,572 carryover, as the multi-race wager went unsolved on Friday at Belmont Park. The $1 Pick 6, implemented at the current 48-day Belmont spring/summer meet, returned $685.50 to bettors who selected 5-of-6 winners correctly.

Friday's sequence kicked off in Race 4 with Barista Vixen [No. 7, $6.30] capturing a 6 ½-furlong claiming sprint on the main track under Hector Diaz, Jr. for trainer Wayne Potts.

Joel Rosario guided Christophe Clement-trainee Proper Grammar [No. 5, $9.70] to victory in Race 8, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for maiden claimers.

Matty's Marauder [No. 3, $24.80] provided the biggest price in the sequence when finding the wire first in Race 6, a six-furlong maiden claiming sprint, for jockey Luis Saez and trainer David Donk.

My Lips Are Sealed [No. 4, $8.50] went gate-to-wire in Race 7 as Eric Cancel engineered the frontrunning trip for trainer George Weaver.

The Rosario-Clement tandem struck again in Race 8 as La Dragontea [No. 2, $5.30] outlasted Caen Na Coille in a 1 ¼-mile turf route.

Clement conditioned his third winner in the sequence [and fourth on the card] when Sport Model [No. 4, $24] closed out the card in the ninth race finale, a six-furlong state-bred maiden claiming sprint under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

Featuring a $1 bet minimum and 15 percent takeout, the Pick 6 wager requires bettors to select the first-place finisher of six designated races on the card. A total of 75 percent of the full pool, minus takeout, will be distributed to bettors who select the first-place finisher of all six races. A consolation payout of 25 percent of the net pool will be distributed to tickets selecting 5-of-6 winners.

In the event there are no tickets with six winners, there will be a carryover of 75 percent of the net pool into the next day of the meet with the remaining 25 percent of the net pool distributed as a consolation payout to tickets selecting the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races on the card. On carryover days, the Pick 6 is offered with a 24 percent takeout.

The $1 Pick 6 replaced the Empire 6, a jackpot style wager featuring a $0.20 bet minimum first offered in August 2019 at Saratoga Race Course.

Saturday's Pick 6 will include four graded stakes, kicking off in Race 6 at 3:34 p.m. Eastern with the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay at 1 1/16-miles on turf for older fillies and mares. The sequence will also include the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy for older filly and mare sprinters in Race 7; the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan at nine-furlongs on Big Sandy for sophomores in Race 9; and the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o' War at 11 furlongs on turf for older horses in Race 11. First post on Saturday's 11-race card is 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

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

The post Belmont Park: Saturday’s Pick 6 Boosted By $41,572 Carryover appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post