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Grade 1 Woodward Returns To Belmont Park’s Fall Stakes Schedule

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 28-day fall meet at Belmont Park, which will include 20 graded stakes among 47 total stakes worth $11.15 million in purses.

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

The highlight of the meet will be the return of the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes on Oct. 2. The Woodward has been run at Saratoga since 2006, but had previously been held at Belmont Park and makes it's return to the Elmont track this year.

The first two stakes will come during the meet's second day, with a pair of $100,000 six-furlong turf sprints on Friday, September 17, with the Allied Forces for sophomores and the Christiecat for 3-year-old fillies. The following day will feature the first Breeders' Cup qualifier on the docket with the $1 million Jockey Club Derby for 3-year-olds going 1 1/2 miles on the turf in the final leg of NYRA's Turf Triple series that will commence with the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby in July and continue with the Grade 1, $1 million Saratoga Derby in August at historic Saratoga Race Course.

September 18 will also see the $700,000 Jockey Club Oaks, the concluding leg of the Turf Triple for 3-year-old fillies, held at 1 3/8 miles, with the card bolstered by the 1 5/8-mile $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational.

The weekend of September 25-26 will encompass the meet's first graded stakes races, with that Saturday offering the Grade 2, $300,000 Kelso Handicap for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track and the Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia for fillies and mares 3-years-old competing at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. The following day will see fillies and mares 3-and-up sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs in the Grade 2, $250,000 Gallant Bloom, with the undercard rounded out by the $150,000 Bertram F. Bongard for New York-bred juveniles going seven furlongs.

Seven graded stakes will comprise the weekend of October 2-3, with a pair of Grade 1s highlighting the Saturday card with the $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up going a one-turn 1 1/8 miles on Big Sandy and the $500,000 Champagne for 2-year-olds running one mile in a prestigious race affording a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile to the winner. The Grade 2, $200,000 Miss Grillo will see juvenile fillies running 1 1/16 miles on turf that day, along with the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on the grass.

Sunday, October 3 will continue the high-level action, with the Grade 1, $400,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies at one mile with a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies up for grabs. The day will also include the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim for juveniles going 1 1/16 miles on the turf and the Grade 3, $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Waya at 1 3/8 miles in a turf route for fillies and mares 3-and-up.

The following weekend will again provide a chance to see top-caliber racing, with Saturday, October 9 showcasing the Grade 1, $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for 3-year-olds and up in a marathon 1 1/2-mile turf competition, with the Grade 2, $250,000 Vosburgh, a six-furlong “Win and You're In” event for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint, bolstering the undercard along with the Grade 3, $150,000 Matron for juvenile fillies.

October 10 will offer the fall meet's final Breeders' Cup qualifier with the Grade 3, $150,000 Futurity for 2-year-olds going six furlongs on the turf providing a spot in the Grade 1, $2 million Juvenile Turf Sprint. Also on tap that day will be the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at nine furlongs for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Knickerbocker for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.

Closing weekend on October 30-31 will see a packed Saturday that will offer eight stakes for New York-breds on Empire Showcase Day, led by the $300,000 Empire Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles. A trio of $250,000 stakes includes the Empire Distaff, Sleepy Hollow and Maid of the Mist. Also on tap will be two $200,000 contests in the Mohawk and Ticonderoga, along with a pair of $150,000 stakes in the Iroquois and Hudson.

Closing Day on Sunday, October 31 will conclude the meet with five stakes: the $150,000 Zagora for fillies and mares 3-and-up; the Pumpkin Pie for the same division going seven furlongs; the $100,000 Awad for juveniles at 1 1/16 miles on the turf and the $100,000 Chelsey Flower for 2-year-old fillies going the same distance.

Three stakes have been added to the fall schedule, starting with the $100,000 Glen Cove for sophomores fillies sprinting seven furlongs on the turf on October 15. The $100,000 Carle Place, for 3-year-olds also going seven furlongs on the turf, will be held October 22, while the $100,000 Oyster Bay for 3-year-olds and up going seven furlongs on the turf will be run on October 29.

For the complete Belmont Park fall meet stakes schedule, please visit NYRA.com/stakes

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Maryland State Fair Meet At Timonium To Offer Highest Purses In Its History

The Maryland State Fair at Timonium will offer the highest daily average purses in its history for the seven-day meet that runs from Friday, Aug. 27, to Monday, Sept, 6, and will experiment with a “twilight” racing card on opening day.

The Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association Board of Directors June 29 unanimously approved a 15% across-the-board overnight purse increase from July 2 through the end of 2021. Timonium's base purses, normally lower than those at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, will be the same—including the 15% in additional funds.

The MTHA also agreed to provide funding from the Thoroughbred Purse Account for a stakes, the Timonium Juvenile, for 2-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs; contribute $1,000 toward the Maryland State Fair scholarship program; provide $5,000 for the “Horseland” program during the state fair; and contribute $20,000 from the Thoroughbred Purse Account for a trainers' bonus program that has been held in recent years to encourage participation at the entry box.

First post time for the 2021 meet will be 12:40 p.m. with the exception of opening day, when it will be 3 p.m.

Bill Reightler, Director of Racing Operations for the State Fair, said the experiment is designed to attract more interest in the racing product, and it also will dovetail with the awarding of 10 college scholarships throughout the course of the racing card.

The final race, depending on the number of races, will go off between 7:30-8 p.m.

“We came up with the idea because of the Timonium location (near a large population), and racing on a summer evening can help our goal to attract a younger crowd,” Reightler said. “We're going to coordinate it with College Day and offer reduced hot dog and beer prices. “We see our role at the State Fair as promoting racing to new fans. When you talk to racing fans you'll hear many them say their dad took them to the racetrack for the first time. You never know when the next significant person—the whale—is out there.”

Reightler said the initiatives are the result of “full support” from Gerry Brewster, Chairman of the Maryland State Fair and Agricultural Society, State Fair President Donna Myers, the State Fair Board of Directors, and the State Fair Racing Committee. He also thanked the horsemen's organization for its continued support of the Timonium meet.

“We can't thank the MTHA Board of Directors and the horsemen in Maryland for giving us the tools to have a successful race meet,” Reightler said. The $20,000 trainers' bonus this year will be based upon only a horse's first start of the meet in calculations for the bonuses.

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NYRA Plans Hiring Events For Saratoga Meet

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a weeklong series of hiring events to recruit workers who are interested in securing employment this summer at Saratoga Race Course.

The pop-up events will take place at Saratoga Race Course within the open-air Big Red Spring Tent. Interviews will be conducted daily from 12 to 3 p.m. beginning Wednesday, July 7 through Wednesday, July 14.

Prospective summer employees should enter through the main gate at Union and East Avenues and park in the main lot. Unvaccinated individuals are required to wear facial coverings while at Saratoga Race Course, in accordance with federal CDC guidance.

Opportunities available include: betting clerks; cashiers; cleaning; food service (back of house); hospitality; merchandise assistants; parking attendants; program sellers; security guards; waitstaff/concessions; and white caps.

Positions are available with NYRA, Integrated Staffing, Levy Restaurants, AllPro, Union Square Events and Dyehard Fan Supply.

Applicants must be at least 15 years of age with New York State Certified Working Papers. Cashiers, betting clerks and security guards must be at least 18 years of age to apply. All applicants must bring a photo ID and social security card or I-9 alternative.

The 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will feature 76 stakes worth $21.5 million in total purses highlighted by the 152nd renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Travers on August 28 and the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 7, as the anchors of two of the most prestigious racing days in North America.

Following the four-day opening weekend from Thursday, July 15 through Sunday, July 18, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

For more information about Saratoga Race Course, visit NYRA.com/Saratoga.

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Yaupon, Mrs. Orb Take MATCH Races At Pimlico; Series Resumes July 31

Yaupon and Mrs. Orb took their respective Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Series (MATCH) stakes July 4 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and the usually contentious 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division is again shaping up as one to watch

The two MATCH Series stakes joined two other stakes on an 11-race holiday program that generated $10.06 million in pari-mutuel handle that included a mandatory Pick 6 payout wager with a $5.1 million pool and a $1.43 million carryover.

In the $100,000 Lite the Fuse Stakes, the second of six legs in the 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division this year, Yaupon, owned by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, got back on the winning track after eighth-place finishes in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint in November 2020 and the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in March. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred by Uncle Mo had been training this spring at Churchill Downs and previously had won his first four races, including the Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico in October 2020.

With Ricardo Santana Jr. riding for trainer Steve Asmussen, Yaupon stalked front-running Chateau for about a half-mile before taking over in upper stretch in the six-furlong event. He gradually pulled away to win by 1 3/4 lengths over Laki, who bid between those two on the far turn and ran on well for second. Chateau checked in third.

Yaupon, the heavy favorite, paid $2.80 to win and covered the distance in 1:09.43 on a track rated fast.

”He broke really sharp,” said Santana, who rode Yaupon for the first time. “He came in the race from the layoff and I wanted to give him a little break. He put me in a good position, so I let him take a second deep breath and at the three-eighths pole when my horse felt the other horse, he took off back.”

The other horse was Laki, who rated in third early and made his bid on the far turn. Laki, owned by Hillside Equestrian Meadows and trained by Damon Dilodovico, finished fifth in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes—the first race in the division—but rebounded nicely in the Lite the Fuse.

“He ran really well,” Dilovodico said. “I thought he may be able to get outside down the backstretch because it looked like Yaupon (wasn't gaining on the leader). But there's no shame in running second to him. We're really blessed to have this horse.”

Yaupon and Special Reserve, winner of the Maryland Sprint, each have 10 points to top the division. Maryland-bred Laki now has 9 points thanks to having started in both stakes in the division thus far.

Mrs. Orb, a New York-bred owned by Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn, Script R Farm and trainer Mike Miceli, went over the $500,000 mark in earnings in the 1 1/16-mile Caesar's Wish, the second of six legs in the Filly and Mare Long—Dirt division. Ridden by Horacio Karamanos, who also rode Laki, Mrs. Orb rated in fourth through quick fractions before taking over in mid-stretch and holding off a late rally by Trolley Ride. Sweet Sami D. finished an even third.

Mrs. Orb, a 6-year-old mare by Orb, has been a fixture in New York-bred stakes company but last November was second in a Grade 3 stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. She has been first, second or third in 13 of 15 starts.

“She's a tough gal—she's not easy to train, but you don't mind when they can run,” Miceli said. “She's a little temperamental. You pretty much have to cater to her.”

Mrs. Orb, a slight favorite, paid $6.20 to win and covered the distance in 1:44.17 on a track rated fast. She collected 10 MATCH Series points to tie Spice Is Nice at the top of the division.

The 2021 MATCH Series continues July 31 at Pimlico with three stakes in the 3-Year-Olds and Up Sprint—Dirt division, Filly and Mare Sprint—Dirt division and 3-Year-Olds and Up Long—Dirt division. Undefeated Chub Wagon, owned by George Chestnut and Daniel Lopez, leads the Filly and Mare Sprint—Dirt division and the overall series with 20 points.

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