Tag: Racing

Kaylasaurus and Prodigy Doll, one-two in the standings in their division after the first leg competition, are set to square off again as the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH) returns to Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course Friday, June 17.

Penn National, a longtime MATCH Series partner, will offer two $100,000 six-furlong dirt stakes on the program: the Susquehanna Valley (Filly and Mare Sprint—Dirt division) and the Chocolatetown (3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division). First post time for the card is 6 p.m., with the MATCH Series stakes slated as races five and six.

The second leg of the two turf divisions in the 2022 series was held at June 14 at Parx Racing, which this year is home to the fifth and final championship leg Oct. 3.

Kaylasaurus and Prodigy Gal finished first and second, respectively, in the April 23 Primonetta Stakes at Laurel Park to kick off this year's series in their most recent starts. They are among the seven fillies and mares entered in the Susquehanna Valley.

Owned by Bush Racing Stable, Liberty House Racing, BlackRidge Stables and George Saufley, Kaylasaurus has won two stakes since being claimed for $25,000 last November at Penn National, where she is based with trainer Tim Kreiser. The 6-year-old Pennsylvania-bred mare by Munnings also finished a close fourth in the Grade III Barbara Fritchie Stakes at Laurel in February. Horacio Karamanos, who was aboard for her two stakes wins, is named to ride again.

Stakes-winning Prodigy Doll, owned by HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing and trained by Phil Schoenthal at Fair Hill, finished fifth in the Barbara Fritchie before her close second-place finish in the Primonetta. The 4-year-old Shanghai Bobby filly will be ridden again by Jevian Toledo.

Also entered in the Susquehanna Valley are C J I Phoenix Group and No Guts No Glory Farm's Fille d'Esprit, a John Robb-trained stakes winner who has won eight of 16 starts and finished third in the Barbara Fritchie; and Runnymore Racing's Cinnabunny, who won a Pennsylvania-bred stakes at Parx for trainer Cal Lynch before finishing behind second-place finisher Fille d'Esprit in the May 21 Skipat Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

Eleven were entered in the Chocolatetown, and most are new to the MATCH Series. Morning-line favorite NY Traffic, owned by John Fanelli, Cash is King LLC, LC Racing LLC, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley, last raced in late April and easily won the six-furlong Affirmed Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. and to be ridden by Edwin Gonzalez, NY Traffic, a 4-year-old Cross Traffic gelding, was multiple graded stakes-placed at 3 in 2021.

Pocket 3's Racing's Threes Over Deuces and Built Wright Stables' Sir Alfred James both earned MATCH Series points after finishing third and sixth, respectively, in the Frank Y. Whiteley Stakes at Laurel in the first leg of the 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division.

Threes Over Deuces, trained by Gary Capuano with Maclovio Enriquez Jr. named to ride, finished second in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes at Pimlico in his last start. The 7-year-old Flat Out gelding has earned almost $600,000 on a record of seven wins, 14 seconds and nine thirds in 44 starts.

Sir Alfred James, trained by Norman Cash with Victor Carrasco set to come in for the mount, has earned more than $600,000. The 6-year-old Munnings gelding finished fourth in the Maryland Sprint and before that was fourth in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes.

Trainer Lynch entered Hope Jones and Isabelle DeTomaso's homebred No Cents, who just missed in the May 22 John J. Reilly Handicap for New Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park in his first start since December 2020. The 4-year-old Goldencents Colt has four wins and two seconds in six starts—including two stakes victories—and will be ridden again by Jorge Ruiz.

The MATCH Series originally debuted in 1997 and ran for five years. It returned with great success in 2018 and was held in 2019 and 2021. The innovative regional racing series—the only one of its kind in horse racing—combines rich stakes and bonuses for participating owners and trainers who compete over a five- to seven-month span. Horses competing in MATCH earn points based on participation and order of finish in each series race, and the leading point-earners in each of the series divisions, as well as the owner and trainer of the overall points leader, win lucrative bonuses.

The post MATCH Series: Sprinters Steal The Show Friday At Penn National appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will send out two sons of Kingman in search of his first career score in Saturday's Grade 3, $250,000 Poker, a one-mile Widener turf test for older horses at Belmont Park.

Brown, who will be represented by Masen and Public Sector, has sent out 13 previous Poker entrants with his best results coming from runner-up efforts by Raging Bull [2021], Made You Look [2018] and Projected [2017].

Juddmonte's British homebred Masen enters from an in-hand five-length triumph in the Seek Again traveling one-mile over a good Widener course on May 22 at Belmont. Manny Franco engineered the decisive victory over a compact three-horse field that garnered Masen a 100 Beyer Speed Figure.

The 4-year-old gelding launched his career in Ireland with conditioner Ger Lyons where he posted three wins at Leopardstown, including a 2 1/4-length victory in the seven-furlong Knockaire in October 2021 over good going in his final start before being sent to Brown.

Masen finished a heartbreaking second in his stateside debut in the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile in April at Keeneland. Masen, with Flavien Prat up, was carried wide in upper stretch by the pacesetting multiple graded stakes winner Smooth Like Strait, before taking command in the final furlong only to be collared by Shirl's Speight for a narrow nose loss. The prominent effort garnered a 104 Beyer.

The regally-bred Masen is out of the Smart Strike mare Continental Drift, whose dam Intercontinental was a multiple Grade 1-winning turf champion for Brown's late mentor Bobby Frankel. In addition to Intercontinental, Masen's third dam, Hasili, produced four other Grade/Group 1 winners for Juddmonte.

Masen has breezed back twice from the Seek Again, including a half-mile in 51.22 in company with Public Sector on Monday over the Belmont inner turf.

Klaravich Stables' Public Sector, a 4-year-old colt, enjoyed a productive sophomore campaign, capturing the one-mile Grade 2 Hall of Fame in August and the 1 1/16-mile Saranac in September at Saratoga Race Course ahead of a win in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Hill Prince in October at Belmont.

The five-time winner from 11 starts launched his current campaign with an off-the-board effort in the Grade 1 Turf Classic on May 7 on the Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. He is cross-entered in Saturday's nine-furlong Grade 3 Monmouth at Monmouth Park.

Prat returns to the irons aboard Masen, assigned 120 pounds, from the inside post; while Jose Ortiz will guide Public Sector, who carries a field-high 124 pounds, from post 4.

Woodslane Farm homebred Woflie's Dynaghost [post 5, Luis Saez, 118 pounds] has proven to be an omni-surface star with wins on dirt, synthetic and turf in his 13-race career.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, the 4-year-old Ghostzapper colt graduated at first asking in November 2020 over a good main track at Aqueduct Racetrack and two starts later captured an off-the-turf optional-claiming tilt over a sloppy and sealed Big Sandy.

He picked up a turf win in an optional-claiming event in December at Tampa Bay Downs and followed with a score over the Gulfstream Park synthetic in January. Wolfie's Dynaghost secured graded-stakes placed status with a game runner-up effort to Phantom Currency in the Grade 3 Appleton in April at Gulfstream ahead of a distant pacesetting third last out in the Seek Again.

Albertrani said the good turf last out may have worked against Wolfie's Dynaghost.

“I thought maybe the soft ground wasn't to his liking for his last performance, but we're hoping to get back onto firm ground,” Albertrani said. “He's been training well going into this race. We'll hopefully get a better performance this weekend.”

Albertrani said Wolfie's Dynaghost came into his own over the winter in Florida with his only off-the-board effort in four starts coming in a good fifth, defeated 4 3/4-lengths, in the Grade 3 Challenger over the Tampa Bay main track. The winner of that event, Scalding, came back to capture the Grade 3 Ben Ali at Keeneland; while the runner-up, Cody's Wish, followed with a five-length score in the Grade 3 Westchester at Belmont.

“He really has matured since a year ago,” Albertrani said. “We got a few nice races into him the past few months and besides the one dirt race we tried at Tampa, he's been pretty well right there or thereabouts his last few races. Hopefully, we can throw out the last one.”

Albertrani said he will entrust Saez to work out a winning trip in the compact field.

“He can be either on the lead or close to the lead,” Albertrani said. “It really doesn't make too much difference with him. The main thing is that he's running comfortable.”

Out of the Dynaformer mare Dynaire, Wolfie's Dynaghost is a half-sibling to the Albertrani-trained multiple graded-stakes winning multi-millionaire Sadler's Joy, who was a staple in distance races on the turf with his trademark closing kick.

“'Sadler' was definitely a route horse that always would come from last at a mile and three eighths or longer,” Albertrani said. “'Wolfie' is more of a miler, who has a little bit more tactical speed, for sure. They're two opposites. The mare has certainly thrown some nice runners.”

Edward Messina and William Butler's Sanctuary City [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche, 118 pounds], a 5-year-old New York-bred son of Temple City, boasts a consistent record of 19-4-7-3 for purse earnings of $366,795.

Trained by James Ferraro, Sanctuary City closed from last-of-8 to finish second last out in the 1 1/16-mile Kingston against fellow state-breds on May 30 at Belmont. The late-running bay closed to finish fourth in last year's Poker at odds of 32-1 and will be in search of his first score since taking an optional-claimer here last May.

Completing the field is Adele B. Dilschneider's Penalty [post 3, Joel Rosario, 118 pounds], a four-time winner for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The 7-year-old Blame gelding has raced twice since finishing sixth in last year's Poker, including a fifth in the TVG at Kentucky Downs in September and a ninth-place finish last out in the seven-furlong Elusive Quality on April 30 at Belmont.

The Poker is slated as Race 6 on Saturday's 10-race card. First post is 1 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the spring/summer meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Three stakes worth a combined $425,000 highlight the 2022 Los Angeles County Fair meet at Los Alamitos.

The nine-day season will begin Saturday, June 25 and continue through Sunday, July 10. Racing will be conducted Saturday-Sunday the first week (June 25-26), Friday-Monday (July 1-4) the middle week and Friday-Sunday (July 8-10). the final week. Post time will be 2 p.m.

The richest of the stakes races is the Grade 2, $200,000-guaranteed Great Lady M. Stakes. The race at 6 ½ furlongs for fillies and mares – 3-year-olds & up – will be offered Monday, July 4.

The initial stakes of the season is the $100,000 Bertrando for 3-year-olds & up bred or sired in California. The one-mile race will be run Saturday, June 25.

The other stakes event is the $125,000 Los Alamitos Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. The Derby will be offered Saturday, July 9.

Grandstand admission is $3 and $2 for seniors 62 and older. Admission to Burgart's and Vessels Club is $10. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://losalamitos.com/. Los Alamitos offers free general parking. Preferred parking is $5.

The wagering menu includes a pair of $1 Pick 4's on races 2-5 and the final four races along with a $2 Pick Six as well as the popular Players' Pick 5 – a 50-cent minimum bet with a reduced takeout rate of 14% rate – on the first five races.

The Pick Six will have the standard 70-30 split with 70% of the pool going to those tickets with six winners with the remaining 30% going to tickets with five of six winners.

There will also be a handicapping contest Monday, July 4 and the Los Alamitos Racing Association will offer a cash prize and a pair of berths in the 2023 National Thoroughbred Racing Association Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.

Cost to enter is $500. Of that amount, $100 will be placed in the contest prize pool with the remaining $400 going towards a live money wagering card.

Tournament races will include the entire card at Los Alamitos with permitted wagers including win, place, show, exactas, trifectas and daily doubles.

Each entry must bet at least $50 on a minimum of five races that day, but there is no wagering limit.

The player with the highest bankroll at the end of the day will be declared the winner and the player with the second highest bankroll will be the runner-up.

The winner will receive 50% of the prize pool. The remaining payoffs: 20% (2nd place), 15% (3rd place), 7.5 % (4th place) and 7.5% (Most Money Wagered).

Entries for opening day of the LACF meet will be taken Wednesday, June 22.

The post Los Angeles County Fair Meet At Los Alamitos Begins June 25 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Magnier, Tabor, Smith, Westerberg, and Brant's The Antarctic (IRE) and Amo Racing And Omnihorse Racing's Walbank (IRE) lead 11 runners in Thursday's 5-furlong Norfolk Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds at Royal Ascot. The Norfolk Stakes winner will receive an automatic starting position in the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 4-5.

The Antarctic, a full brother to champion sprinter Battaash (IRE), has won both his starts. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, the gray son of Dark Angel (IRE) broke his maiden in a 5-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF race at Tipperary on April 21, and came back to win again by three-quarters of a length in the 5-furlong Coolmore Stud Calyx Race at Naas on May 15. O'Brien has saddled three winners of the Norfolk, starting in 2001 with Johannesburg, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Belmont Park. Ryan Moore has the mount on The Antarctic.

Walbank, trained by David Loughnane, has a race over the Ascot course when he finished second on debut behind favored Noble Style (GB) in the Jemima Howden Novice Stakes at 5 furlongs on May 7. A son of Kodiak (GB), Walbank broke his maiden in style his next start, winning the 5-furlong Sky Bet Sunday Series EBF Novice Stakes by 7 lengths at York as the odds-on favorite. Loughnane saddled Go Bears Go (IRE) to a second-place finish in last year's Norfolk Stakes behind Perfect Power (IRE). Go Bears Go ran second to Twilight Gleaming (IRE) in the Breeders Juvenile Turf Sprint last year at Del Mar. Rossa Ryan has the mount on Walbank.

Clipper Logistics' Pillow Talk (IRE), trained by Karl Burke, is the only filly entered in the Norfolk Stakes. Dismissed at 18-1 on debut in the Watch on Racing TV Fillies' Novice Stakes at Nottingham on April 26, she closed strongly in the final furlong to finish second, defeated by a half-length. A daughter of Kodiak (GB), Pillow Talk broke her maiden in her next start at York on May 13 in the listed Knights Solicitors British EBF Marygate Fillies' Stakes at 5 furlongs. Racing strongly throughout in the center of the course, Pillow Talk battled stablemate Yahsat (IRE) inside the final sixteenth and prevailed by a neck under Danny Tudhope, who retains the mount for the Norfolk. Burke and Tudhope teamed up to win Wednesday's Queen Mary Stakes (G2) for 2-year-old fillies with Clipper Logistics' Dramatised (IRE).

Brian Goodyear's Brave Nation (IRE) was also impressive in his debut. A son of Sioux Nation, who won the 2017 Norfolk Stakes, Brave Nation dominated the Download The At The Races App EBF Maiden Stakes at Doncaster on April 23, going clear in the final furlong for a 6-length win as the 2-1 favorite. Brave Nation is trained by Michael Bell, who saddled The Lir Jet (IRE) to victory in the 2020 Norfolk Stakes.

Another son of Sioux Nation is Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah's Bakeel (IRE), who has a win over the course on debut. Trained by Andrew Balding, Bakeel captured the 5-furlong Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial Condition Stakes on April 27 by 1 ¼ lengths. Jack Mitchell has the mount on Bakeel.

Trainer Richard Fahey won last year's Norfolk with Perfect Power, who went on to score back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Darley Prix Morny and the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes. This year, Fahey starts Steve Bradley's The Riddler (GB), who broke his maiden in his second start on May 6 in the British Stallion Studs Restricted Novice Stakes at Ripon. In his most recent start, The Riddler, a son of Brazen Beau (AUS), finished third, defeated by three-quarters of a length in the bet365 Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes at Beverley on May 28. The Riddler will be ridden by Paul Hanagan.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Norfolk Stakes to start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs. Breeders' Cup also will provide a US$40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.

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