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Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation Seeking Donations For ‘Lucky Horseshoe’ Drive

The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), an equine retirement facility accredited by the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), is asking horsemen to drop off their used horseshoes at trainer Rick Schosberg's barn as part of a fundraising drive.

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and its horsemen are committed supporters of the TAA, which accredits, inspects, and awards grants to approved aftercare organizations to retrain, retire, and rehome thoroughbreds using industry-wide funding.

The TRF is asking that horsemen collect their used horseshoes and drop them off in the blue barrels located outside Barn 42 on the Belmont Park backstretch. The drive ends on Friday, March 12.

Following March 12, the TRF will gather the horseshoes, clean them, and tie ribbons to them in preparation for a St. Patrick's Day fundraiser that will see donors who give $30 or more to the horses of the TRF receive a “lucky horseshoe” from the NYRA racetrack community.

For more information about the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, or to sponsor a horse at Wallkill or at one of the 500+ retired racehorses in the TRF Herd, please visit https://www.trfinc.org/you-can-help.

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America’s Day At The Races Telecast Features Coast-To-Coast Derby Preps

America's Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, will air coverage both Saturday and Sunday showcasing live racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Santa Anita Park and Fair Grounds.

Presented by America's Best Racing and Claiborne Farm, America's Day at the Races will broadcast Saturday from 5-6 p.m. Eastern on FS2, while Sunday will feature coverage on FS2 from 1:30-6:30 p.m.

Saturday's show will offer coverage of a trio of exciting Kentucky Derby prep races, beginning with the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham as a talented eight-horse field line up in Race 9 at 5:07 p.m at Aqueduct. The one-turn mile will offer 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to the top-four finishers, with the Chad Brown-trained Highly Motivated enters off back-to-back wins following a runner-up debut effort behind stablemate Founder in August at Saratoga Race Course. Brown and owner Klaravich Stables will also send out Crowded Trade. The chestnut colt registered an 83 Beyer in his winning debut.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert entered graded stakes-placed Freedom Fighter after finishing a close second to stablemate Concert Tour in the Grade 2 San Vicente on February 6 at Santa Anita. Capo Cane, third in the Withers last out, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Atlantic Road will also comprise the field.

In Tampa, another 50-20-10-5-point “Road to the Kentucky Derby” prep will see a stocked 12-horse field compete in the Grade 2, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby at 5:25 p.m.

Candy Man Rocket, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, won the Sam F. Davis on February 6 at Tampa and will return in the 1 1/16-mile race at the same track.

Other contenders in the race include the unbeaten Helium, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, as well as Pletcher sending out Promise Keeper and Unbridled Honor, both last-out maiden winner. Conditioner Saffie Joseph Jr. also will saddle a pair of challengers in Moonlite Strike and Super Strong.

The third of the three 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby prep races on the day will be the Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe in Santa Anita's Race 6 at 5:30 p.m. Baffert, who has dreams of a history-making seventh overall win in the “Run for the Roses,” will look to see if Life is Good can remain unbeaten. Stablemate Medina Spirit, who was the runner-up in the Sham and won the Robert B. Lewis, will give Baffert coast-to-coast challengers on the Derby trail.

Sunday's racing action will feature the $100,000 Biogio's Rose for New York-bred fillies and mares 4-year-olds and up at Aqueduct. Espresso Shot has won a stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack at ages 2, 3 and 4 and will look to register a win at the Big A for a fourth consecutive year she competes against five other contenders going a one-turn mile on Sunday. The Sunday broadcast will also feature live racing from Oaklawn, Tampa Bay Downs and Fair Grounds Race Course.

America's Day at the Races is also broadcast on NYRA's YouTube channel which boasts more than 65,000 subscribers. Fans can subscribe to NYRA's channel and set a reminder to watch the show on YouTube Live. NYRA's YouTube channel also hosts a plethora of race replays, special features, America's Day at the Races replays and more.

Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the America's Day at the Races broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

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

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Aqueduct, Tampa Derby Preps Feature In Saturday’s All-Stakes Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring Kentucky Derby qualifiers from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs.

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

The sequence begins at 4:25 p.m. Eastern at Tampa Bay with the Grade 2 Hillsborough, a nine-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares headlined by last year's Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational-winner Magic Attitude. The 4-year-old Galileo bay, trained by Arnaud Delacour for Lael Stables, will face steep opposition from Grade 1-placed opponents Micheline and Court Return.

Action then switches to the Big A for the Heavenly Prize Invitational [Race 8, 4:36 p.m.], a one-turn mile for older fillies and mares featuring a well-balanced field of eight. Godolphin homebred Lake Avenue, a 4-year-old Tapit chestnut trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, has won 2-of-3 starts at Aqueduct, including a score in the 2019 Grade 2 Demoiselle. Trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero sends pace threat Portal Creek, who just missed in the Grade 3 Go for Wand two starts back when second to Sharp Starr over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track at the Heavenly Prize distance.

The middle leg will see sophomore fillies contest 1 1/16-miles on the Tampa Bay turf in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks [Race 10, 4:55 p.m.]. Delacour and Lael Stables team up once more with the multiple stakes placed Be Sneaky, who makes her turf debut following a runner-up effort in the Suncoast on Feb. 6. Be Sneaky, an Into Mischief bay, is out of the Big Brown mare Bella Castani who won the 2013 Tweedside on the Belmont turf.

Four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle Domain Expertise, fresh off a third in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park; while Graham Motion will send out a pair of undefeated contenders in Mia Martina and Oyster Box, a royally-bred daughter of Tapit out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Dynaformer mare Starformer.

Kentucky Derby points will be on the line in the penultimate leg, the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham [Race 9, 5:07 p.m.] at a one-turn mile offering 50-20-10-5 points to the top-four finishers. Brown will send out a strong duo for Klaravich Stables in last-out Nyquist champ Highly Motivated and impressive maiden winner Crowded Trade. West Coast-based shippers include Freedom Fighter, runner-up last out in the Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert; and Wipe the Slate, a maiden winner who will remove blinkers and cut back in distance while looking to make amends for an off-the-board effort last out in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita for trainer Doug O'Neill.

Closing out the sequence is the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby [Race 11, 5:25 p.m.], which drew a field of 12 to contest 1 1/16-miles with 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line.

The Mott-trained Candy Man Rocket will look to build on an impressive one-length score last out in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis on Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs against returning rivals Hidden Stash [third] and Boca Boy [fourth]. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will saddle undefeated Helium, last out winner of the Display in October at Woodbine for his two-turn and dirt debut.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, March 6:
Leg A: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 9, G3 Hillsborough (4:25 pm)
Leg B: Aqueduct-Race 8, Heavenly Prize Invitational (4:36 pm)
Leg C: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 10, G3 Florida Oaks (4:55 pm)
Leg D: Aqueduct-Race 9, G3 Gotham (5:07 pm)
Leg E: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 11, G2 Tampa Bay Derby (5:25 pm)

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Between The Hedges: Handicapping Challenges Go Virtual

The following is the third edition of a bi-weekly series entitled Between The Hedges. The series will revolve around the business of betting focusing on trending wagering topics and statistics. Each installment will include a column penned by Joe Longo, NYRA General Manager of Content Services, examining certain areas of interest within the landscape of the thoroughbred racing industry. Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has worked with our customer base to modernize our handicapping challenge format to feature online play at a variety of price points throughout the year.

In the past, most NYRA handicapping challenges were centered around marquee events like the Wood Memorial or the Belmont Stakes. In most cases, these events were also held on track which made it more of a localized event.

In 2019, NYRA launched its current online challenge format and participation significantly increased. In order to enter and play online, contestants must be registered NYRA Bets account holders. To learn more, visit www.NYRA.com/challenge.

The online challenges were modified based on feedback from our customer base, with requests including a varied price point of entry; more prize money distribution; and many customers expressed interest in seats for the National Handicapping Championship (NHC) or Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) in lieu of cash or a combination of both.

The NHC seats are highly sought after. Last year, Thomas Goldsmith captured the 21st edition of the NTRA National Horseplayers Championship at Bally's Las Vegas, and took home an $800,000 top prize as well as an Eclipse Award as Horseplayer of the Year. The most recent NHC offered prize money and awards totaling more than $2.9 million.

The 2020 contest results were encouraging. A total of 25 contests were held with 2,500 players wagering $1.3 million while competing for a prize pool of approximately $700,000. A total of 23 seats were provided to players – 11 for the 2021 NHC; three for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Challenge; two for the 2020 BCBC; and the remaining six seats for other NYRA challenges throughout the year.

While the challenge series format and prize distribution continue to evolve, the live money format remains. The players keep their winnings played through their bank roll plus any prize money.

One thing that needs to be stressed is that 100 percent of the prize pool is returned to the customers. NYRA does not charge entry fees or service fees.

So, If NYRA does not charge fees for the contest, why are we doing them and how is it that we benefit?

Challenge play involves a different type of strategy and with it a different type of player, which adds diversity to our platform and appeals to different customers. The races in the challenge series contests are all from our tracks, so it helps promote our content and NYRA earns revenue from the takeout from the bets placed. The numbers have also shown that when playing in contests the customers are wagering other tracks through NYRA Bets as well.

Handicapping challenges play an important role for NYRA across the larger wagering landscape. In 2020, we started hosting challenges weekly and in 2021 we will be offering contests for about 11 months of the year. Consistency, as with other types of wagering opportunities such as the weekly Cross Country Pick 5, is important. We want our customers to know that for just about every week of the year, we are offering a contest.

In addition, with the increased amount of broadcast hours for live racing on America's Day at the Races, the national telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, we can further leverage our reach and influence to drive people to our contests and wagering platform. The leaderboard for all of these contests are posted throughout the day on America's Day at the Races.

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

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