thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

With A Forecast Of Heavy Rain, Santa Anita Cancels Weekend Live Racing

With heavy rain forecast for this weekend, Santa Anita has canceled live racing on Saturday, Mar. 30 and Sunday, Mar. 31, the track said in a Thursday release.

According to the National Weather Service, rain is expected to arrive in the area Friday evening and remain throughout the weekend. A makeup card will be added next Thursday, Apr. 4, with entries to be taken this coming Saturday.

The racing that day will include both the GIII Wilshire S., which was scheduled for Saturday, and the GIII American S. that was set to be run this Sunday.

In addition to Thursday's card, Santa Anita plans to run extra races Friday through Sunday. All races in the condition book for this weekend will be offered back next week.

As a result of the cancellations, no Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 wagers will be offered this weekend. 1/ST Racing was scheduled to seed Saturday's Coast-to-Coast pool with an additional $100,000. That will now take place with the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 on Sunday, Apr. 7.

The popular Easter Egg Hunt, the largest in the San Gabriel Valley, that was scheduled for Sunday, will take place in the Santa Anita infield on Sunday, Apr. 7, while the infield carnival will be offered all four days next week–Thursday through Sunday.

Next weekend's Santa Anita Derby card will be drawn on Wednesday.

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Old Friends Welcomes Airdrie Stud’s MGSW McCraken

Airdrie Stud, a longtime supporter of Old Friends, has sent MGSW McCraken (Ghostzapper) to reside at the Thoroughbred retirement farm as of Monday, Mar. 25, the non-profit said via a press release early Wednesday morning.

The 10-year-old stallion was donated to the farm courtesy of Airdrie, who has made three prior contributions to the Old Friends roster.

“It is already evident to me that this well-mannered multiple stakes winner is going to be a real hit with our many visitors to Old Friends,” said John Nicholson, President and CEO of Old Friends. “We are grateful to Bret Jones and all the folks at Airdrie Stud for giving McCraken such a fulfilling retirement and a chance to be celebrated by racing fans everywhere.

Bred and raced by Whitham Thoroughbreds, McCraken, out of the Seeking the Gold mare, Ivory Empress, was foaled on Apr. 13, 2014 in Kentucky. The homebred, trained by Ian Wilkes, closed out his racing career with six wins–three of them graded stakes–and $869,728 in earnings over 14 starts.

McCraken began his stud career at Airdrie Stud in 2019 and he was pensioned following his 2023 season.

“It makes all of us at Airdrie very happy to know that McCraken will live out his retirement in the best possible care,” said Bret Jones, president of Airdrie Stud. “Michael Blowen is a hero of ours and has been a wonderful friend since the earliest days of Old Friends. He began the farm with a vision and has built it into one of the most inspiring legacies in the history of our sport. Airdrie joins the Whitham and Wilkes families in thanking Michael, John Nicholson and the great team at Old Friends for giving McCraken, and all of the horses in their care, the retirement they deserve.”

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Sunday’s Insight: $1.2 Million Gun Runner Colt Makes The Races At Tampa

3rd-TAM, $53K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, 1:18 p.m. ET

CARTUCHO (Gun Runner) tied for the ninth highest return during the 2022 Keeneland September Sale when selling to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan for $1.2 million. The debuting bay colt's ownership group includes his breeder Three Chimneys Farm, William H. Lawrence and Walmac Farm. He is trained by Chad Brown.

Cartucho is out of GISW Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon). She was a $2 million 2011 Keeneland November purchase for Besilu, who also acquired her dam–SW Grand Prayer (Grand Slam)–at the same sale for $1 million. Grand Prayer produced MGSW Valid (Medaglia d'Oro). TJCIS PPS

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2024 Saratoga Meet Offers 71 Stakes Worth $20.75 Million

Highlighted by the 155th GI Travers S. Aug. 24 and the GI Whitney S. Aug. 3, the 40-day Saratoga meet features 19 Grade I races as part of 71 stakes worth $20.75 million in total purses, the New York Racing Association said concerning the release of the schedule on Friday.

Following the four-day opening week, which starts on Thursday July 11, racing will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, apart from closing week, when the 2024 summer meet will conclude on Monday, Sept. 2.

Saratoga Live, the television show produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, will return for its ninth season to provide daily coverage of the summer meet to a nationwide audience on the networks of FOX Sports.

Click here for the complete 2024 Saratoga stakes schedule.

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