thoroughbred | Horse Racing Free Tips

WatchAndWager Renews Key California License

The board of Webis, the Group specializing in pool wagering and the operators of WatchandWager Cal Expo, the Californian harness track, is pleased to announce that its advanced deposit wagering (ADW) business, WatchandWager.com LLC (“WatchandWager”) received its two-year license approval from the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) on Nov. 19, 2020.

The two-year ADW license renewal from the CHRB is for the years 2021-22, and it allows WatchandWager to continue to accept online pari-mutuel wagers from residents of California on its range of global content. The license renewal from the CHRB is strategically important to the company, not only for its access to the biggest population in the United States and one of the largest economies in the world, but also for the potential of offering sports betting to California residents when the state legislature passes this into law.

As shareholders are aware, the license sits alongside our long-term lease of the Cal Expo racetrack, adding an important physical, as well as on-line, presence in the state.

In addition to the California license renewal, WatchandWager executives have also renewed, or are in the process of license renewals, in Colorado, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, and Washington. The company does not foresee any expected issues that would delay or prevent them from being approved.

“We are pleased to receive this key license renewal from the California Horse Racing Board for WatchandWager,” said Ed Comins, President of WatchandWager. “We believe that the tax, revenue, and jobs generated from this license will have an important benefit to the state of California, especially in light of the economic difficulties caused by the California wildfires and the COVID-19 virus. With this important license and our physical presence at Cal Expo in Sacramento, we believe that the passage of legalized sports betting will result in even more new jobs, duties, and tax revenue to the state. WatchandWager stands ready to be an active partner in supporting not only the state's racing and gaming industry, but also supporting the recovery of the state as a whole.”

The post WatchAndWager Renews Key California License appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Weekend Lineup: Five Graded Stakes On Tap At Woodbine

Throughout the year, the NTRA will provide a guide to the best stakes races in North America and beyond. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern). Full previews when available can be found through the link for each race.

Woodbine plays host to five graded stakes this weekend highlighted by Canadian Triple Crown standouts Mighty Heart and Belichick meeting again in the $125,000 Ontario Derby Stakes.

Racing from Aqueduct and Churchill Downs is televised on “America's Day at the Races.” The NYRA-produced show runs through Sunday this week on FS1 and FS2.

Racing from Del Mar and other tracks will be shown on TVG as part of its coast-to-coast coverage.

Saturday November 21

3:45 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct on FS2

Woodslane Farm's Sadler's Joy will face fellow 7-year-old Grade 1 winner Aquaphobia in pursuit of a second straight triumph in the 60th running of the Red Smith Handicap going 1 3/8 miles over the inner turf. Trained by Tom Albertrani, Sadler's Joy has amassed the highest amount of lifetime earnings in the field with $2,648,160 through a record of 33-7-4-11 consisting of four graded stakes triumphs. The veteran son of Kitten's Joy notched graded wins during his 4, 5 and 6-year-old campaigns. In addition to last year's Red Smith, Sadler's Joy boasts triumphs in the G1 Sword Dancer Invitational in August 2017 at Saratoga and Gulfstream Park's G2 Pan American in April 2017 and the G2 Mac Diarmida in March 2018.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/AQU112120USA9-EQB.html

4 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Native Diver Stakes at Del Mar on TVG

C R K Stable's Midcourt, the defending champion in Saturday's $100,000 Native Diver Stakes, looms as the one to catch and the one to beat in the 42nd edition of the nine-panel headliner. Midcourt, a gelded 5-year-old by Midnight Lute, has won five of his 14 starts, including his five and three-quarter length triumph in last year's Native Diver. The John Shirreffs-trained runner – a winner of $546,695 in purses — has been handled by Victor Espinoza in most of his career starts and will have the Hall of Fame rider in the tack again Saturday.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/DMR112120USA2-EQB.html

4:58 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine on TVG

Queen's Plate and Prince of Wales Stakes winner Mighty Heart will meet up with stablemate and Breeders' Stakes victor Belichick in the Ontario Derby, set for 1 1/8 miles on the Woodbine Tapeta. After Mighty Heart took the first two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown series, Belichick turned the tables on the bay colt in the 1 ½-mile Breeders' Stakes on Oct. 24, putting an end to Mighty Heart's quest to become the country's first horse to sweep all three races since Wando achieved the feat in 2003. The Ontario Derby, for 3-year-olds, will mark the first race for both since the Breeders'.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112120CAN8-EQB.html

5:06 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs on FS2

Multiple graded stakes winner Finite tops the 35th running of the Chilukki Stakes run at one mile. Finite, a 3-year-old filly by Munnings, was the narrow runner-up finisher behind Venetian Harbor in last month's G2 Raven Run at Keeneland. Previously, the Steve Asmussen-trained Finite was on the Kentucky Oaks trail after victories in the G2 Golden Rod and G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes. Following her fourth-place effort in the G2 Fair Grounds Oaks, Finite underwent minor ankle surgery but returned to Asmussen's stable a few months later.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/CD112120USA9-EQB.html

5:28 p.m.—$175,000 Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Multiple stakes winner and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, Pink Lloyd, looks to add to his black-type bonanza with a win in the Kennedy Road Stakes. Pink Lloyd will seek to top the Kennedy Road charts for the third time, having won the event in 2017 and 2019. Trained by Robert Tiller for Entourage Stable, the 8-year-old gelded son of Old Forester is unbeaten in four starts – all stakes – this year. His latest tour de force was a victory in the Gr3 Vigil Stakes on Sept. 5, an effort that pushed Pink Lloyd's career earnings over $2 million (CDN). It was also his fourth straight Vigil Crown.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112120CAN9-EQB.html

5:58 p.m.—$175,000 Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

The $175,000 Bessarabian Stakes for fillies and mares contested at seven furlongs on the Tapeta features defending race winner Amalfi Coast. The chestnut filly won last year's edition of the race to earn her first graded stakes score and enters off a victory last time out in the Oct. 23 Sweet Briar Too Stakes.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112120CAN10-EQB.html

Sunday November 22

5:58 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Grey Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Nine 2-year-olds, including impressive first-time winner Haddassah, are set to contest Sunday's Grey Stakes. Haddassah, a bay son of Air Force Blue, didn't fly under the radar in his curtain-raising effort on Nov. 1. Trained by Kevin Attard, the Ontario-bred went off as the 9-5 choice in the 1 mile and 70-yard main track maiden special weight event, a race that was originally scheduled for the turf.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112220CAN10-EQB.html

6:28 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Mark Casse, who has seven Mazarine titles, has two opportunities to add to that impressive total, Sunday. The 1 1/16-mile Mazarine has attracted a field of seven 2-year-old fillies, including Casse charges Souper Sensational and Sleek Lynx. Owned by Live Oak Plantation, Souper Sensational has lived up to her name over two starts, including a fantastic four-length display in the Glorious Song Stakes on Oct. 17 at Woodbine. Sent on her way as the 3-5 choice, the chestnut daughter of Curlin widened her advantage down the lane, going on for the easy score in a time of 1:21.84 over seven furlongs on the Woodbine Tapeta.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO112220CAN11-EQB.html

The post Weekend Lineup: Five Graded Stakes On Tap At Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Rice Emails Suggest Entry Information Did Not Necessarily Convert To Additional Wins

On the sixth day of a hearing examining her receipt of information from the New York Racing Association (NYRA) racing office, trainer Linda Rice said the emails provided to her by entry clerk Jose Morales had minimal impact on her decisions about which races to enter or the results of those races.

Rice continued her testimony started Wednesday before a hearing officer as part of the the proceedings, which will determine whether her actions were “inconsistent with and detrimental to the bests interests of racing generally” or were “improper acts and practices relating to racing” according to state rules. An investigation by the New York State Gaming Commission uncovered evidence that between 2011 and 2015, Rice received faxes and emails from former entry clerks Jose Morales and Matt Salvato, giving her the names and past performance records of horses prior to draw time. Senior racing office management has said the names of trainers and horses in a given race are not to be released until after a race is drawn (with stakes races being the exception).

On Thursday, Rice described the circumstances around her first getting this type of information from Morales. As the horse shortage in New York began to worsen, Rice remembered that racing office personnel became more aggressive about “hustling” races, or trying to convince trainers to enter their horses. She recalled being in the racing office several times when a clerk would print out current entries with horse names and past performance records and let her look at the sheet. She also said she witnessed this happening with other trainers.

Rice said she often asked NYRA stakes coordinator Andrew Byrnes to provide her lists of stakes nominations along with an idea of which horses were probables for a stakes race, which is not considered confidential information. She recalled one morning when Morales called to say he had faxed her this information on a stakes race she'd requested, along with entry and past performance information for a race she hadn't asked about, which he was tasked with hustling.

“I thought for a second, 'That's odd,'” she said. “But I'd already had him slide the races across the desk in the racing office and seen other racing clerks do it so I didn't think much of it.”

Rice is accused of receiving this information on an ongoing basis, both for races Morales was hustling and for races she requested to see. Morales initially faxed the information to Rice's office but switched to using email when the fax machine was out of order one morning. Fax transmission records are no longer kept from the period of time in question, so the commission's evidence focuses on copies of emails accessed by investigators.

Rice revealed that of 74 or 75 emails with race information, she entered horses in 23 of the races included in those emails. She won three of those races. Rice said there were around 80 races on the NYRA circuit she entered during the same period of time for which she did not receive any information from Morales. For the period of time covered by the emails, Rice said she won 16 percent of her races, a bit lower than her usual 20 percent.

There were many factors that determined whether or not Rice would enter a horse in one of the races for which Morales provided entry information. She said she typically points horses at races two or three weeks ahead of time and is not inclined to change the horse's program just because the office is hustling a race. She also bases some of those decisions on whether or not a preferred rider is available, in addition to the usual factors like a horse's performance in workouts, physical condition, etc.

Rice also addressed testimony from earlier in the hearing that she had a tendency to enter a race and then later swap out one horse for another. This wasn't due to any insider info from Morales, Rice said, but more likely because turf races would attract so many entries that the racing office would give preference to horses who had not yet run at the meet. If she learned a race was oversubscribed and her entry had already run at the meet, she might swap another horse in that was more likely to make the final cut.

Andrew Turro, Rice's attorney, completed questioning the trainer at the conclusion of Thursday's hearing. Thursday had originally been scheduled as the final day for the hearing, but commission counsel has not yet had a chance to cross examine her, or to present any rebuttal evidence. An additional two days have been blocked out to conclude the hearing Dec. 9 and 10. No timeframe has been provided as to when the hearing officer may make a decision in the case.

Read previous coverage of the Rice hearing here.

The post Rice Emails Suggest Entry Information Did Not Necessarily Convert To Additional Wins appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Bodexpress Joins List Of Clark Probables Alongside Code Of Honor, Mr Freeze, Owendale

Top Racing LLC, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable's multiple graded stakes placed colt Bodexpress has added his name to the expanding lineup for next Friday's Grade 1, $500,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare, according to trainer Gustavo Delgado's assistant and son Gustavo Delgado Jr.

Bodexpress, a three-time winner, finished 13th in the G1 2019 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve. The colt drew notoriety following his 71-1 runner-up effort behind Maximum Security in the G1 $1 million Florida Derby. While still a maiden, Bodexpress drew in off the also-eligible list to run in the Kentucky Derby. Most recently, the 4-year-old son of Bodemeister dominated a 1 1/16-mile allowance event at Gulfstream Park West by 11 ¼ lengths.

Other top older horses expected to enter the Clark include W.S. Farish's multiple G1winner Code of Honor; Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's 2019 Clark third-place finisher Mr Freeze; and Rupp Racing's three-time G3 victor Owendale.

Entries for the Clark will be taken Sunday. Additional horses that could join the field, according to Churchill Downs assistant racing secretary and stakes coordinator Dan Bork: Albaugh Family Stables LLC and Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust's two-time winner Coastal Defense; Bonne Chance Farm, LLC and Stud R D I LLC.'s recent Keeneland turf allowance winner In Love (BRZ); and Imperial Racing's 2019 UAE Derby (GII) winner Plus Que Parfait.

Trainer Bret Calhoun reported he nominated multiple graded stakes winners By My Standards and Mr. Money to the Clark. They are expected to work Friday and could enter the race.

The post Bodexpress Joins List Of Clark Probables Alongside Code Of Honor, Mr Freeze, Owendale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post