saratoga | Horse Racing Free Tips

Life Is Good, Olympiad Headed for Whitney Clash

The connections of impressive Saturday graded stakes winners Life Is Good (Into Mischief) and Olympiad (Speightstown) reported Sunday that both horses came out of their efforts well and are likely headed for a star-studded matchup in the Aug. 6 GI Whitney S. at Saratoga.

Life Is Good, this year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. romper, bounced back from a fourth-place finish in the G1 Dubai World Cup with a dominant five-length score in Saturday's GII John Nerud S. at Belmont, earning a 112 Beyer, tied for the second-highest figure of 2022.

“He came back excellent,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “We felt confident that he had maintained his form based on the way he had trained, but it's nice to see him go over and live up to expectations.”

Also pointing to the $1-million Whitney, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, is Saturday's GII Stephen Foster S. hero Olympiad (Speightstown). The Bill Mott-trained bay has surged to the upper echelon of the handicap division by going unbeaten in five starts this year, including four graded stakes, and earned a career-best 111 Beyer for his 2 1/4-length victory Saturday at Churchill.

“The goal is to get him a Grade I win,” Mott said Sunday. “We've always thought about running him in the Whitney. So I'd say that would be the next likely target.”

Pletcher said Life Is Good is ready for a potential clash with Olympiad, and added that it's possible his Foster runner-up Americanrevolution (Constitution) could contest the Whitney as well.

“Olympiad is on quite a streak himself and you'd always expect the Whitney to be a difficult race, but we're very pleased with the way that [Life Is Good] is doing,” the Hall of Fame trainer said.

Pletcher also reported that Charge It (Tapit) came out of his staggering 23-length rout in Saturday's GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont in good order and will point to the GI Travers S. Aug. 27 at the Spa. Charge It earned a 111 Beyer for Saturday's tour de force, easily the top number earned by a 3-year-old thus far in 2022.

“We thought he would run well, and you never think of one winning by that type of margin, but he's a colt that we've always been very high on and he's always trained like a horse that was capable of great things,” Pletcher said. “He's starting to get a bit more maturity and seasoning now and I still think there's room for improvement. [The Travers] is what we're thinking and that's the goal. We're very pleased with the way he ran and I feel like as he matures, he's trained like a horse that a mile and a quarter is within his range.”

The post Life Is Good, Olympiad Headed for Whitney Clash appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

NYRA and Vitali Reach Undisclosed Agreement

The New York Racing Association and trainer Marcus Vitali have reached a settlement regarding NYRA's effort to exclude the trainer from participating at its three tracks. According to NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna, the agreement requires that the terms of the settlement remain confidential.

The TDN reached out to both Vitali's attorney Brad Bielly Friday in an attempt to gather more information. By mid-afternoon, he had not responded. Vitali told the TDN that he was not aware of the terms of the deal.

In September, NYRA announced that it would begin the process of taking action against Vitali, alleging that the trainer had “engaged in conduct that is detrimental to the best interests of the sport of Thoroughbred racing or potentially injurious to the health or safety of horses or riders. Further, as detailed in the respective statements of charges, this conduct warrants revocation or suspension of their right to train horses, enter races, or engage in any racing-related activity at all NYRA properties including Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course.”

In an official “statement of charges issued against Vitali, NYRA pointed to what it alleged was a long and lengthy list of suspensions and medication violations.

“From between in or about 2010 and in or about 2020, Respondent amassed an extensive record of medication violations, lengthy suspensions, improperly using 'program' or 'paper' trainers during suspensions and obstructing an investigation into alleged wrongdoing,” the statement read. “In the past five years, Respondent was denied entry, ejected and/or had license applications denied by regulators of Thoroughbred racing in Florida, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Delaware; and was sanctioned by the Jockey Club for violating a racing statute, rule or regulation relating to prohibited or restricted drugs, medications or substances seven times in a single year.”

Since the original statement of charges was issued, things have only gotten worse for Vitali. In February, he was hit with a one-year suspension by the Pennsylvania Racing Commission after a horse he trained allegedly tested positive for methamphetamine. Vitali appealed the suspension and has continued to train. With several tracks not accepting entries from his stable, he has raced primarily at Presque Isle Downs and Turf Paradise.

Vitali rarely runs in New York, but did have a starter at last year's Saratoga meet. He sent out Red Venus (Candy Ride {Arg}), who finished seventh in a $50,000 claimer.

As was the case with Bob Baffert, who was also issued a “statement of charges” in September, NYRA was required due to a court ruling to hold a hearing into the Vitali matter before it could take any action against the trainer. The hearing was originally scheduled for March 1, but was delayed. With Friday's announcement, a hearing is no longer necessary.

The post NYRA and Vitali Reach Undisclosed Agreement appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sports, TV Stars to Headline Inaugural ‘Stars at the Spa’ Series at Saratoga

The New York Racing Association will welcome several sports and television celebrities to Saratoga Race Course to meet with fans during the brand-new “Stars at the Spa” entertainment series set to debut during the 2022 summer meet.

The stars scheduled to visit historic Saratoga include: former New York Knicks power forward Charles Oakley Sunday, July 24; “Real Housewives of New Jersey” TV personality Teresa Giudice Sunday, July 31; and former New York Yankees All-Star and World Series champion Bernie Williams Sunday, Sept. 4.

The “Stars at the Spa” series, presented by Saratoga Living, will include a luncheon from 12-2 p.m. in the Paddock Suite, a new hospitality venue for the 2022 season, featuring a climate-controlled bar, lounge and outdoor balcony with sweeping views of the Saratoga paddock. The special event includes admission to the Paddock Suite, a meet-and-greet with the celebrities, food and beverage (beer, wine and soft drinks) and race day program. Each “Stars at the Spa” event will be limited to 50 guests. Tickets are currently available for $200 per person and may be reserved at NYRA.com.

Each star will also participate in a special photo and autograph session from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Jockey Silks Room Porch (separate ticket required). Photo opportunities and autographed photos (no outside memorabilia allowed) will be available for $40 to the first 200 fans. Tickets for the autograph and photo session must be purchased in advance at NYRA.com.

The post Sports, TV Stars to Headline Inaugural ‘Stars at the Spa’ Series at Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Purse Increases Announced for Saratoga

Significant increases of more than $1.6 million to the purse schedule for the 2022 summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course were announced Friday by the New York Racing Association, Inc.

The meet begins Thursday, July 14 and continues through Monday, Sept. 5.

The condition book for the Saratoga summer meet is now available online at nyra.com/Saratoga.

“We're pleased to be able to offer these purse increases across the middle core of our racing program,” said Frank Gabriel, Jr., NYRA's Senior Vice President of Racing Operations. “We look forward to continuing to support our horsemen at the upcoming Saratoga summer meet. These purse increases should only add to the already competitive racing on offer at the nation's greatest race meet.”

All open two and three-other-than allowance races will see an increase of $15,000 to $120,000 and $125,000, respectively, while a-other-than allowances will be increased by $12,000 to $115,000. Restricted one and two-other than allowances will both see an increase of $5,000 to $95,000 and $100,000, respectively.

$50,000 starter allowances will increase by $8,000 and offer a $70,000 purse while $50,000 claiming races will offer an $80,000 purse, up $8,000 from last year. Additionally, there will be a $6,000 increase for the $40,000 level, a $5,000 increase for the $25,000 level, and a $4,000 boost for both the $32,000 and $20,000 levels. All claiming purses in excess of a 2:1 purse to claiming price ratio are subject New York State Gaming Commission approval.

Open maiden special weight races at Saratoga will enjoy a $5,000 boost, increasing to $105,000. New York-bred maiden special weights will increase by $3,000 to $88,000.

The post Purse Increases Announced for Saratoga appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post