saratoga | Horse Racing Free Tips

This Week in Review: Can Gunite Break the Curse of the Hopeful

There's no doubt that Gunite (Gun Runner) is a quality horse and he secured an important win Monday at Saratoga in the GI Hopeful S when upsetting the highly regarded colts Wit (Practical Joke) and High Oak (Gormley). But is he a GI Kentucky Derby winner? If the last 43 runnings of the Hopeful mean anything, the answer is no.

The Hopeful is the first Grade I race for 2-year-old males run each year on the NYRA calendar and always brings together groups of horses who were impressive winners in Saratoga or someplace else. Every year, the field represents what seems to be unlimited potential.

That would suggest that a win in the race is a ticket to stardom as a 3-year-old, but that has not been the case for a long time. The last time a Hopeful winner won the Kentucky Derby was way back in 1978 when Affirmed swept the Triple Crown. Since then, only 11 Hopeful winners have made it to the Derby and only three have done so since 2005. None of those three finished in the money.

The 2004 Hopeful winner was Afleet Alex, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby in 2005 before winning the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S. Sixteen years since he last raced, he is the last Hopeful winner to have had any sort of impact in any of the Triple Crown races.

That wasn't always the case. First run in 1901, the Hopeful has produced seven Kentucky Derby winners and three Triple Crown winners (Affirmed, Secretariat, Whirlaway). Foolish Pleasure, Secretariat and Affirmed combined to give the Hopeful three Derby winners over a six-year period. Hall of Famers like Man o'War, Nashua and Native Dancer also used the Hopeful as a springboard to stardom during the 3-year-old seasons and beyond.

There's no secret when it comes to what is happening here. Two-year-olds are trained and campaigned much differently than they were during the days of Affirmed. The Hopeful was the sixth start of Affirmed's career, which began May 24, and it was his fourth stakes win. His pre-Hopeful campaign even included a ship to California, where he won the GII Hollywood Juvenile Championship. By the time he got to the Hopeful, he was already a seasoned horse.

Fast forward 44 years and the horses who compete in the Hopeful usually have had no more than two prior starts. While they have talent, they also win the Hopeful because they are precocious and fast. Eight months later in the Kentucky Derby, the rest of the class has usually caught up to them if not passed them.

None of this is to say that the Hopeful is a ticket to nowhere. The 2020 winner Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), who typifies the type of horse that now excels in the Hopeful, is a Grade I winner at three, in the thick of the race for champion sprinter, and has emerged as a valuable sire prospect. That probably wouldn't have happened if he had not been managed beautifully by Steve Asmussen. Asmussen didn't pretend to have something he didn't. He gave Jackie's Warrior only one shot to prove that he was a Derby horse and the result was a distant third in the GIII Southwest S. That was the last time he ever raced around two turns and he has been on a tear ever since. Had Asmussen pressed on and tried to make the Derby there's no telling what might have happened with Jackie's Warrior.

Gunite, who was Asmussen's third straight winner in the Hopeful, will no doubt be given the opportunity to show if he's a viable Triple Crown horse. Being by Gun Runner, maybe he can do it. It's just more likely than come Derby week 2022, he'll be eyeing something like the GII Pat Day Mile S.

Mattress Mack Scores at Monmouth

It's impossible not to root for Jim McIngvale.

When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana last week, there he was again, traveling from Houston to Louisiana with badly needed supplies for those hard hit by the hurricane. He also opened his Houston furniture store as a safe haven to dozens of families who needed shelter. A humanitarian, he never fails to come to the recsue when his part of the globe is hit by a violent storm.

Eight days after Ida struck and with the situation getting more back to normal, McIngvale could turn his attention back to racing.

While the offspring of Runhappy (Super Saver) are having a much better year than they did in 2020, McIngvale had yet to come up with a top son or daughter of his stallion of his own. That all changed Saturday at Monmouth when Runup (Runhappy) won the $200,000 Sorority S., the first stakes win for a McIngvale-owned offspring of Runhappy. She didn't beat the best field and managed to get an uncontested lead, but she improved and showed enough in her first start around two turns to suggest that even better days are ahead.

“She runs a lot like her dad,” McIngvale said via text.

Let's hope so. It would be a ton of fun to have McIngvale connected to another good horse.

Thoughts on Handle Numbers at Saratoga and Del Mar

For both Saratoga and Del Mar, the 2021 meets were ones to remember, highlighted by record wagering.

The final all-sources handle for Saratoga was $815,508,063, a 15.6% increase over last year and the first time Saratoga had eclipsed the $800 million mark. At Del Mar, the average daily handle was a record $18.38 million for the meet. The total handle was $569.98 million.

That's great news for Saratoga and Del Mar, which have never been more popular. It would stand to reason that both meets should peak at sometime, but it just doesn't happen.

The hope for racing is that Del Mar and Saratoga are creating new fans, ones that will keep betting once racing shifts to Santa Anita and Belmont. But that doesn't appear to be the case as racing's overall handle has been more or less stagnant for years. That means that what is happening is that Saratoga and Del Mar are simply grabbing a bigger share of the pari-mutuel wagering market every year.

Racing has found out that it's not hard to get people to turn out for and bet on high-quality short meets, like Saratoga, Del Mar and Keeneland. But the Thursday afternoon at Belmont, Santa Anita, or just about anywhere else, remain a tough sell and something the sport continues to need to work on.

The post This Week in Review: Can Gunite Break the Curse of the Hopeful appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Brown, Saez, Klaravich Win Saratoga Meet Titles; Record Handle Tops $800M

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–After accepting his fourth H. Allen Jerkens training title late Monday afternoon, Chad Brown spoke to a common theme on the final day of a joyous season following the COVID-19 summer without fans at Saratoga Race Course

“Happy to have everybody back at the meet. That was the big thing,” Brown said. “The most rewarding part of the meet was having everybody back. Last year, win or lose, it just wasn't any fun. I can speak for me and a lot of people around me that it just wasn't any fun. To have everybody back and to see people you haven't seen in two years, family and friends–a lot of times you only see them at Saratoga–that's really been the best part of the meet.”

Despite being challenged by trying weather with rain in July and many hot, humid days in August, the 153rd season of racing was a record-smashing financial success with total handle surpassing $800 million for the first time. America's oldest and most popular racetrack was alive again for 40 days of top-level racing and from the first week, bettors embraced the Saratoga product served up by the New York Racing Association. By the 36th day Sept. 1, the all-sources handle record of $705 million set during the 39-day pre-pandemic meet in 2019 had been surpassed. Even though 45 races were moved off the turf because of wet conditions, the meet ended with all-sources handle of $815,508,063, a 15.6% increase.

“I think it went great,” said NYRA president and CEO David O'Rourke. “Coming out of a year like last year to be able to run the meet–for lack of a better term–in a normal fashion, it was amazing. I think the numbers speak for themselves. The fans came out. The town was packed.”

Jason Fitch, a co-owner of King's Tavern, located across Union Avenue from the main gate, said business was very strong.

“The track this year for King's has been amazing,” Fitch said. “It was, by far, our best season yet. This was our seventh season; well, if you want to count last year.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020 season was conducted in front of empty stands. Saratoga as a television event was popular, generating $702 million in all-sources handle, but there was zero excitement on the grounds. That changed this summer, and Saratoga Race Course was very much its old self. NYRA said that the daily average attendance was 26,162 and the total attendance surpassed 1 million for the sixth consecutive season, excluding 2020.

“I think it was a sigh of relief that people came back and were as enthusiastic as they are,” said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. “I'm delighted. I couldn't be happier. It was so damn boring last year. I thought I was going to go to sleep at the races. You love to have the fans and the excitement. I do anyway.”

It was a memorable summer at the Spa for trainer Todd Pletcher, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 6, fell sick with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated and ended up second in the standings with 31 wins, 10 behind Brown. Pletcher said he welcomed the return of a familiar, comfortable Saratoga season.

“It's great to see an environment like here where you have a lot of people coming to the races and enthusiastic about it,” he said. “That's one of the great things about Saratoga. It's one of the venues where you still get that on-track attendance. We go back to Belmont and Aqueduct and it's not the same feeling because people aren't there.”

Jockey Luis Saez ended the six-year reign of the Ortiz brothers, Irad and Jose, at Saratoga and earned his first Angel Cordero, Jr. riding title with 64 wins, eight more than Irad, the defending champion. Saez, 29, won 12 stakes, six of them graded, topped by victories in the GI Runhappy Travers S. on Essential Quality (Tapit) and the GI Longines Test S. on Bella Sofia (Awesome Patrio).

“This is a tough spot, so winning this title is everything,” Saez said. “To win the Travers; racing at NYRA is the biggest deal right now, and we're so blessed to be here. It means a lot.”

Saez credited his agent, the former trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, for helping him secure the title.

“You see how tough it is to win a race here. To win 64 races here, it's wonderful,” Saez said. “I'm so thankful to the trainers and thanks to Kiaran, who did a great job. Nothing is impossible. We came here and were patient and rode our horses to win, and we did it. We're so happy to be here.”

Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables led all owners with 21 wins for its fourth straight title. Klaravich had eight more wins than runner-up Michael Dubb. It was one win shy of the Saratoga single-meet owner record of 22 wins set by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey in 2013.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen became the career leader in wins by a Thoroughbred trainer Aug. 7 with his 9,446th victory in the fifth race on the Whitney Day program. Asmussen finished the Saratoga season in impressive fashion, winning three Grade I races on the final weekend. He won the first running at Saratoga of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup with Max Player (Honor Code) Saturday, the GI Spinaway S. with Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) Sunday and the GI Hopeful S. with Gunite (Gun Runner) on the closing day card Monday. Asmussen also won two other Grade I races: the Forego with Yaupon (Uncle Mo) and the H. Allen Jerkens with Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music).

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. had five Grade I victories: four for Asmussen aboard Max Player, Gunite, Echo Zulu and Yaupon, and piloted Maracuja (Honor Code) to an upset win in the Coaching Club American Oaks.

Brad Cox, the 2020 Eclipse Award-winning trainer, finished seventh in the standings with 13 victories, but two of those wins were in Saratoga's highest-profile Grade I races. Cox captured the Whitney with Knicks Go (Paynter) and three weeks later his other gray star, Essential Quality, prevailed in the 152nd Travers. Cox is the third trainer to win both races in the same season.

Brown grew up in nearby Mechanicville and learned the sport at Saratoga. He was the runner-up in the trainer's standings for five years before claiming his first title in 2016. He won again in 2018 with a record 46 wins and repeated in 2019. He won five Saratoga graded stakes in 2021, including three Grade II contests. With five wins from five starters Aug. 25 and three more the next day, Brown climbed to the top of the standings.

“I'm just so appreciative. It's probably one of the most rewarding of the meets we've won because we had a lot of things to overcome,” Brown said. “We had a terrible, terrible virus running through our barn since we arrived from Florida. It really took a lot of horses out of commission. Then we started the meet off slow. A lot of seconds. A lot of rain. By mid-meet it didn't look like we were going to get anywhere near 40 wins.”

Brown said he and his staff stayed focused and success followed.

“Then things just started coming together,” he said. “The weather cleared up. Seconds turned into wins. We had a lot of good fortune with racing luck and you can make up a lot of wins fast if you get on a roll. We certainly did Travers week.”

Fitch said he was taken by a very positive, wholly different vibe this summer at the two businesses he operates with his brothers, King's and the Saratoga City Tavern downtown on Caroline Street.

“It was night and day,” he said. “It's hard to describe it, but I think in previous years everyone was just going through motions. The whole pandemic put a light on what to appreciate in life and I think people just appreciated what we have in our backyard more.”

The post Brown, Saez, Klaravich Win Saratoga Meet Titles; Record Handle Tops $800M appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Saratoga Wagering Tops $800 Million For First Time; Daily Average Exceeds $20 Million

For the first time in its history, the 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., generated all-sources wagering handle of more than $800 million, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced.

Having established the new record on Wednesday, Sept. 1, with five racing days remaining in the season, the 2021 summer meet ended with all-sources handle of $815,508,063, a 15.6 percent increase over the prior record of $705,343,949 set in 2019.

With paid attendance totaling 1,046,478, and excluding 2020 when fans were not permitted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 marked the sixth consecutive season of more than 1 million in paid attendance at Saratoga Race Course. Average daily attendance during the 40-day meet was 26,162.

“Thanks to the energy, enthusiasm and support of the best fans in horse racing, the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course has been a tremendous success,” said NYRA President and CEO Dave O'Rourke. “This has been a summer reunion like never before, and we're especially pleased that the return of fans has translated into strong business for downtown Saratoga Springs and the entire Capital Region community. The summer meet at Saratoga is as strong as at any point in its storied history.”

Average daily handle over the 40-day meet was $20,387,702, which is the first time that average daily handle has eclipsed $20 million.

Pari-mutuel wagering funds the majority of the NYRA purse account, which directly supports horsemen competing at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack, as well as the hundreds of businesses reliant on a thriving thoroughbred racing industry. Beyond the purse account, these funds are invested in capital projects to improve and modernize NYRA facilities while prioritizing safety and integrity.

Among the many highlights of the 2021 Saratoga meet:

Klaravich Stables led all owners with 21 wins; Chad Brown claimed the H. Allen Jerkens training title with 41 wins; and jockey Luis Saez captured the Angel Cordero Jr. riding title with 64 wins.
The 2021 meet played host to a significant milestone as Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen became the all-time winningest thoroughbred trainer in North America when he won the 9,446th race of his career on Whitney Day, Saturday, August 7.
Nearly 1.1 million viewers tuned in across the country to watch Essential Quality capture the 152nd edition of the Runhappy Travers on FOX, marking the event's highest ratings since 2015 when Triple Crown champion American Pharoah made his one and only appearance at Saratoga. An audience of 1,089,000 watched this summer's Runhappy Travers, which was broadcast on FOX for the third consecutive year.
Brad Cox became just the third trainer in history to capture the Whitney and Runhappy Travers in the same summer with two different horses (Knicks Go and Essential Quality).
NYRA was honored to welcome New York Governor Kathy Hochul to Saratoga Race Course on Runhappy Travers Day, where she presented the Man o' War Cup to the connections of Essential Quality.
Fans and viewers were treated to more than 220 hours of live programming during Saratoga Live which aired on the networks of FOX Sports, the show's most extensive and comprehensive coverage since its introduction in 2016.
In addition to daily national coverage on FOX Sports, the 2021 season welcomed the addition of SNY as a regional broadcast partner for Saratoga Live.
A charitable program under NYRA's stewardship requires every owner competing at NYRA racetracks to donate $10 per start to the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), which funds the aftercare organizations that provide homes for retired racehorses. As a result of the 3,253 starts recorded during the 2021 meet, TAA will receive a $32,530 donation. In addition, New York's horsemen donate 1.5 percent of the purchase price of every horse claimed at a NYRA track to Take the Lead (TTL) and the TAA. Claiming activity during the 2021 summer meet will result in a donation of $18,690 to TAA and TTL.
NYRA paid tribute to the work of frontline and essential workers with a day dedicated to honoring health care heroes and first responders. Additionally, the season-long NYRA Hometown Hero program, held in partnership with CDPHP, honored those who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, including registered nurses, law enforcement officers and vaccine site officials.
A total of 416 races were run this summer, including 242 on dirt and 174 on the turf. 45 races were taken off the turf due to inclement weather as Saratoga battled historic rainfall throughout the summer. Average field size was 7.7. In 2020, 409 races were run, including 226 on dirt and 183 on the turf. A total of 32 races were taken off the turf. Average field size was 7.4.
NYRA continued to invest in Saratoga as a world-class sporting venue with the debut of two new hospitality areas this season: the Spa Verandas at the Top of The Stretch, which replaced the former reserved picnic area with six partially-covered sections; and the Tailgate at the Turn, offering a drive-up picnic section along the first turn. NYRA also expanded the popular Cutwater Stretch with the addition of 15 new lounge boxes to Section T of the Grandstand.

As a not-for-profit organization, NYRA's mission is to strengthen and grow the sport of thoroughbred racing in New York state, which drives an industry responsible for 19,000 jobs and $3 billion in annual economic impact, including $240 million alone in the Capital Region during the Saratoga summer meet.

The 28-day fall meet at Belmont Park, featuring 47 stakes worth $11.15 million in purses, will open on Thursday, September 16 and continue through Sunday, October 31.

For more information, visit NYRA.com.

The post Saratoga Wagering Tops $800 Million For First Time; Daily Average Exceeds $20 Million appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Saez Wins First Saratoga Riding Title; Brown, Klaravich Tops Among Trainers, Owners

Luis Saez earned his first riding title at the famed Saratoga Race Course, tallying 64 wins for the 40-day summer meet that concluded on Labor Day Monday in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Chad Brown paced all trainers with 41 wins and Klaravich Stables repeated as the top owner, compiling 21 victories.

Saez won the Angel Cordero Jr. title by posting a 64-45-39 record in 336 mounts, amassing earnings of $6.2 million. The native of Panama City, Panama, garnered his first riding title on a NYRA circuit.

The 29-year-old Saez finished eight wins clear of three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., whose 56 wins were good for second. Jose Ortiz was third with 51 wins while Joel Rosario was fourth [43].

Saez extended his run of success aboard reigning Champion 2-Year-Old Essential Quality by piloting him to victory twice during the Saratoga meet, winning the Grade 2 Jim Dandy in a prep for his eventual victory in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers. Saez, who won his first Classic when leading Essential Quality to glory in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in June, has helped put his charge in position to win another Eclipse Award as Essential Quality sits as the current top contender for 3-Year-Old Male. The Runhappy Travers win was the second for Saez, who got his picture taken aboard Will Take Charge in 2013.

“This is a tough spot, so winning this title is everything,” Saez said. “To win the Travers; racing at NYRA is the biggest deal right now, and we're so blessed to be here. It means a lot.”

The Saratoga meet also saw Saez earn graded wins aboard Bella Sofia in the Grade 1 Longines Test and on Cross Border in the Grade 2 Bowling Green, along with Grade 3 scores in the Forbidden Apple [Rinaldi] and the Schuylerville [Pretty Birdie]. Other stakes wins came in the Albany [Americanrevolution], Yaddo [Giacosa], Union Avenue [Awesome Debate], Tale of the Cat [Wondrwherecraigis], Alydar [Art Collector] and the Shine Again [Bayerness].

“You see how tough it is to win a race here. To win 64 races here, it's wonderful,” Saez said. “I'm so thankful to the trainers and thanks to [agent] Kiaran [McLaughlin], who did a great job. Nothing is impossible. We came here and were patient and rode our horses to win, and we did it. We're so happy to be here.”

Saez said he's hopeful his good stretch could put him in contention for his first Eclipse Award.

“That's my biggest dream, so let's keep going and see what happens,” Saez said.

Brown registered his fourth H. Allen Jerkens award as top trainer and his third in the last four meets after previously finishing as the leading conditioner in 2016 and 2018-19.

[Story Continues Below]

Brown, who set a meet record for conditioners with 46 wins in 2018, edged 14-time Saratoga leading trainer – and 2021 Hall of Fame inductee –Todd Pletcher [31 wins] and third-place finisher Mike Maker [25].

The Mechanicville, N.Y., native posted five graded stakes wins, compiling a record of 41-34-24 with 176 starters and earnings of more than $4.5 million. Among the highlights was Technical Analysis winning both the Grade 3 Lake George and the Grade 2 Lake Placid, with Viadera capturing the Grade 2 Ballston Spa and Public Sector winning the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame and Grade 3 Saranac. Royal Flag also earned a victory in the Grade 3 Shuvee.

“It's really been one of the most gratifying meets we've had given the fact that we started out really slow with a lot of seconds and a ton of rain,” Brown said. “For the horses and my team to persevere and battle back has just made it such a gratifying meet. Credit, first and foremost, my team, to focus in on their individual tasks, execute our plan and take it one day at a time. We've turned the meet around and had a remarkable run the last fourteen days.”

Brown, who tallied four straight Eclipse Awards for Outstanding Trainer from 2016-19, also racked up Saratoga stakes wins in the Better Talk Now [Sifting Sands], Riskaverse [Rastafara], John's Call [Serve the King], Fasig-Tipton De La Rose [Regal Glory] and the Fasig-Tipton Lure [Flavius]. Combined, Brown and Pletcher have won every Saratoga training title since 2010.

“Obviously it was great to see and for me, I have a better appreciation for it. I don't take anything for granted,” said Brown of his continued success at his hometown track following a 2020 when spectators were not permitted on site at Saratoga due to COVID-19 concerns. “After a year with nobody here, you do gain a greater appreciation of having the freedom to come to the track and interact with people. I always have been one to try and stop and talk to people whether it's for a picture or to sign something, or just to chat. You stop a little bit more when you realize people really wanted to be here. They don't have to be here, but they are here because they want to be. I've had a great time catching up with people I hadn't seen and also meeting a lot of new people every week.”

Klaravich Stables was the leading Saratoga owner for the fourth consecutive meet, extending a run that started in 2018. Headed by Seth Klarman, the ownership entity finished eight wins ahead of runner-up Michael Dubb's 13 victories. Three Diamonds Farm was third [10 wins] and Repole Stable [nine] was fourth. Klaravich Stables was one win shy of the Saratoga single-meet owner record of 22 wins set by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey in 2013.

For the meet, Klaravich Stables posted a 21-8-12 record with 65 starters, tallying earnings of $1.54 million. Brown trained the two horses [Technical Analysis and Public Sector] who accounted for all four of the stable's graded stakes winners this meet.

Live racing returns Thursday, September 16 for Opening Day of the 28-day fall meet at Belmont Park, featuring the Grade 1, $150,000 Lonesome Glory, a 2 1/2-mile steeplechase handicap for 4-year-olds and up.

The Belmont Park fall meet, which will run from Thursday, September 16 through Sunday, October 31, will include five Grade 1 races and five “Win and You're In” qualifiers to the Breeders' Cup in November at Del Mar.

The post Saez Wins First Saratoga Riding Title; Brown, Klaravich Tops Among Trainers, Owners appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post