Saratoga Race Course | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fan-Favorite Bodexpress Seeks Stakes Breakthrough In Alydar

Top Racing, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable's Bodexpress will look to run off with Sunday's $85,000 Alydar, a nine-furlong route restricted to 4-year-olds and upward yet to win a stake this year other than state-bred, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the multiple graded-stakes placed Bodexpress was a late scratch before the start of the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on July 18 at Monmouth Park. He then re-routed to the Alydar at his home base at the Spa under the care of the conditioner's son and assistant trainer, Gustavo Delgado, Jr.

Bodexpress was also under consideration for last Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney, won by Improbable, and Delgado, Jr. expressed regret at not entering the colt in the compact, but talented, field of five.

“We were planning to enter him in the Whitney, and we were regretting not doing it because that race had no pace. They went [a quarter-mile] in 25, and almost 50 [to the half-mile],” said Delgado, Jr. “He probably would have been on the lead and not to say that he would have won it, but second or third in the Whitney would have been good.”

The 4-year-old Bodemeister bay has breezed twice on the Saratoga main track since scratching at Monmouth, including a five-eighths breeze in 1:02.66 Sunday under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano who has the call from post 5.

Bodexpress became an internet sensation after unseating Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez in last year's Grade 1 Preakness before completing the course on his own accord. Delgado, Jr. said providing Castellano an opportunity to hop aboard the quirky colt in advance of Sunday was important.

“Last Sunday he breezed with Castellano on him, and he really liked him,” said Delgado, Jr. “He's got more confidence in him now. It's always good to get to know him first.”

A runner-up as a maiden in the 2019 Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, Bodexpress was placed 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, ultimately graduating in October in a mile and seventy yard maiden tilt at Gulfstream Park West. He completed his eventful sophomore season with a third in the Grade 3 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream.

Bodexpress has made three starts this season at Gulfstream, including a fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational and a last-out third in the Grade 3 Hal's Hope at nine furlongs.

Delgado, Jr. said the well-traveled Bodexpress is enjoying his time at the Spa.

“He's doing really good. He's feeling good. He likes it here. The ambience, the weather, everything,” said Delgado, Jr.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Tenfold, a multiple graded-stakes winning son of Curlin, captured the 2018 Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga before running seventh in the Grade 1 Travers.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the Kentucky homebred will make his return to the Spa off a third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup on June 6 at Santa Anita, a 10-furlong event won by Improbable.

Ricardo Santana, Jr., who guided Tenfold to his most recent victory in the 2019 Grade 3 Pimlico Special, has the call from post six.

Godolphin homebred Endorsed, a 4-year-old Medaglia d'Oro colt, earned a career-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure two starts back when second to Code of Honor in the Grade 3 Westchester traveling a one-turn 1 1/16-miles on June 6 at Belmont.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Endorsed has shown good form at Saratoga where he graduated in a maiden sprint in August 2018 and last year added a second in the nine-furlong Curlin and rallying fourth in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

Endorsed will be looking for his third win of the campaign following optional-claiming scores in January at Gulfstream for former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and a half-length win at Oaklawn Park in May at first asking for Mott.

Joel Rosario, aboard for a last-out seventh in the Grade 1 Runhappy Met Mile on July 4 at Belmont, retains the mount from the inside post.

Rounding out the field are Backsideofthemoon [post 2, Manny Franco], Spinoff [post 3, Irad Ortiz, Jr.], and Its All Relevant [post 4, Dylan Davis].

The Alydar is slated as Race 9 on Sunday's 10-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Sunday's card will also feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Historic Edition Of Travers To Be Broadcast Live On FOX Network

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and FOX Sports today highlighted television coverage for Saturday's blockbuster Runhappy Travers Day at historic Saratoga Race Course.

For the second consecutive year, the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers will be televised live on the FOX broadcast network as part of a 1 ½ hour telecast from 5:00-6:30 PM ET on Saturday. Post time for the 151st running of the Runhappy Travers is scheduled for 6:15 PM ET.

An expanded Runhappy Travers Day edition of Saratoga Live, presented by America's Best Racing, Runhappy and Claiborne Farm,will air nationally on FS1 beginning at 11:30 AM ET. Coverage and analysis of the day's races then shifts to FS2 beginning at 3:00 PM ET and continues throughout the afternoon on FS1/FS2.

Saturday's Runhappy Travers is headlined by Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law, trained by Barclay Tagg and to be ridden by Manny Franco, who made history in becoming the first New York bred in 138 years to win the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes, capturing the nine-furlong American Classic on June 20 in the first leg of the revised Triple Crown schedule.

“For the first time ever, the Runhappy Travers is a key stop on the road to the Triple Crown,” said Michael Mulvihill, FOX Sports Executive Vice President, Research, League Operations & Strategy. “We are thrilled to again present it on FOX and to showcase Belmont champion Tiz the Law as he continues his campaign. In addition, our expanded coverage across FS1 and FS2 gives horseplayers a full day of action.”

With this year's Saratoga summer meet currently closed to spectators, Saturday's Runhappy Travers Day coverage on Saratoga Live will leverage 32 cameras at various locations throughout the property to capture all the action before, during and after each race. For the first time at Saratoga, the broadcasts will include the introduction of the “WinStar Cam”, which will provide in-race aerial coverage throughout the day.

“Thanks to our partners at FOX, this year's Runhappy Travers will be brought to millions of households across the country by the best broadcast team in racing utilizing the latest technology to cover every angle live from Saratoga Race Course, said Tony Allevato, President of NYRA Bets & Executive Producer for NYRA TV. “We look forward to a spectacular day of racing from the sport's most iconic venue.”

The 151st running of the Runhappy Travers will be one of five graded stakes on the day. An enticing undercard includes the Grade 1, $300,000 Longines Test for sophomore fillies; the Grade 1, $300,000 Ballerina presented by NYRA Bets, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint; the Grade 3, $200,000 Troy for 4-year-olds and up on Mellon turf and the Grade 3, $150,000 Waya for older fillies and mares on the inner turf.

First held in 1864, the Travers is the most prestigious stakes race for 3-year-olds outside of the Triple Crown series and the traditional centerpiece of the annual Saratoga meeting. The race is named for William R. Travers, the first president of Saratoga Race Course who won the inaugural running in 1864 with a horse named Kentucky.

NYRA and FOX Sports began their collaboration during the summer of 2016 with the launch of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning Saratoga Live airing on FS2. In November of 2018, NYRA and FOX Sports announced a new long-term television programming deal to make FOX Sports the year-round national television home for NYRA racing. As a result of this groundbreaking deal, FOX Sports will broadcast 700 hours of thoroughbred racing from NYRA tracks in 2020 including coverage of nearly every race day at Belmont Park and Saratoga.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course and the best way to bet every race of the 40-day summer meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, NYRA Bets is currently offering a $200 new member bonus in addition to a host of special weekly offers. The NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at NYRABets.com.

For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule and additional programming information, visit NYRA.com/SaratogaLive.

For more information about FOX Sports, visit FOX Sports Press Pass

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NYRA Schedules Mandatory Payout Of Empire 6 For Aug. 9

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Thursday that the Sunday, Aug. 9 card at Saratoga Race Course will feature a mandatory payout of the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $1,080,254 heading into Thursday's live racing action at the Spa.

Live coverage of all the races in the sequence will be available with Saratoga Live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances will be available for races that are part of the Saratoga Live broadcast and can be accessed at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

The Empire 6 requires the bettor to select the first-place finisher of the final six races of the card. On non-mandatory payout days, if one unique ticket exists, then 100 percent of the net pool, plus the jackpot carryover if applicable, will be paid to the winner. If there is no unique wager selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, then 75 percent of the day's net pool will be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races. The remainder will be added into the jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

Sunday's card is headlined by the $85,000 Alydar, a nine-furlong test for 4-year-olds and up.

For more information on the Empire 6, please visit http://www.nyrabets.com.

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Nonna Madeline Shows Off Her Two-Turn Chops In Summer Colony

Trainer Todd Pletcher said last week that he was optimistic two turns could continue to suit Nonna Madeline's strengths. The 4-year-old daughter of Candy Ride proved her connections prophetic, dueling with Golden Award into the stretch before pulling away to a 1 1/4-length win in Wednesday's $85,000 Summer Colony for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at Saratoga Race Course.

Owned by Teresa Viola Racing Stales and St. Elias Stable, Nonna Madeline entered looking for her first win of the campaign after back-to-back runner-up efforts, including at 1 1/16 miles on April 16 at Oaklawn Park. Stretching out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time, Nonna Madeline, the even-money favorite, stayed just off 3-2 Golden Award's early fractions as she led the five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile in 23.31 seconds, the half in 46.22 and three-quarters in 1:09.66 on the fast main track.

Irad Ortiz, Jr. moved Nonna Madeline up from the outside, taking command entering the stretch. At the top of the straightaway, Ortiz, Jr. gave left-handed encouragement to ward off Golden Award's bid to retake the lead near the rail. Nonna Madeline hit the wire in a 1:49.13 final time, earning her first stakes win in seven attempts.

“I had a perfect trip,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “We didn't know what [Golden Award] was going to do. I just went with my plan to come running out of there and if I can make the lead easy, make it, and if something else changed, Todd let me do whatever I needed to do.

“The other horse [Golden Award] was right there in the first turn,” he continued. “She broke sharp, so I just sat second beside her. We were going a little fast but I didn't have too many options. She was the filly to beat so I had to stay there. She was very comfortable. She wasn't going that keen, and on the backside she relaxed a little bit and she was still in the race. She never backed up, so that was great.”

Pletcher trained three-fifths of the field, with Bellera and Always Shopping running third and fourth, respectively, while the Rob Atras-conditioned Bossy Bride completed the order of finish in fifth.

“I didn't anticipate that they would go that fast. It sort of turned into a match race up front, and I'm proud of her for digging in and finding more the first time going a mile and an eighth,” Pletcher said. “She was coming out of some faster races so we anticipated we'd be close.

“Like I said before the race, you can have a plan but you're not sure what everyone else's plans are,” he added. “We were in a good position for that filly, and I thought [stablemate] Bellera was sitting an ideal trip and just kind of ran evenly. It was a big effort from Nonna Madeline and nice to see her get a stakes win.”

Nonna Madeline made her first Saratoga appearance since running twice as a juvenile in 2018, finishing second in the Grade 3 Schuylerville and fifth in the Grade 1 Spinaway. On Wednesday, she returned $4.30 on a $2 win bet and improved her career earnings to $202,190.

“The more we've done with her and having had the opportunity to run her two turns at Oaklawn, I thought there was a decent chance she'd see out the mile and an eighth,” Pletcher said. “To be honest with you, I looked at this one hoping to get that stake win for her. Now that we've got that, we can be a little more ambitious.”

Golden Award, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott and ridden by Junior Alvarado, finished 7 ¼ lengths in front of Bellera, placing for the 10th time in 14 career races for the 5-year-old Medaglia d'Oro mare.

“I had a great trip,” Alvarado said. “I thought there was going to be a little more competition at the end but my horse and the winner took it from the beginning. We were head-to-head the whole way, and I think today the other horse was best. We were just second-best.”

Bellera, who capped her 2019 with a win in the Grade 3 Comely in November at Aqueduct Racetrack and last out ran third in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap in June, earned blacktype for the fifth time in six starts.

Live racing resumes Thursday at Saratoga with a nine-race card that includes the $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series Cab Calloway for state-bred 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf in Race 8 at 5:14 p.m. First post is 1:10 p.m.

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