Turf Paradise Signs Multi-Year Deal With AmTote International

Turf Paradise recently signed a multi-year totalisator services agreement for live racing with AmTote International, a product of 1/ST TECHNOLOGY – horse racing's largest and most innovative racing and gaming technology company, and the leading wagering technology company in the US.

The agreement provides cutting-edge technology to Turf Paradise, designed to enhance the betting experience for its customers.

This welcome upgrade features year-round simulcast wagering on track and an initial OTB network of 38 locations, a number anticipated to grow back to pre-pandemic levels in excess of 50 in 2021. The new AmTote technology includes the V3000 self-serve terminals and the F3000 convertible teller or self-serve terminal. Services also add the ability to leverage mobile betting through AmTote's MBet® platform.

1/ST TECHNOLOGY's world-class products – AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix – are among the most trusted names in gaming, technology, and horse racing. AmTote technology and services host the majority of racetrack operators in North America and are currently in operation at Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park, Aqueduct, and Woodbine, among many others, and process more than $15 billion in pari-mutuel and fixed-odds wagering around the world each year.

1/ST TECHNOLOGY already services Turf Paradise fixed-odds wagering through its XB NET business, providing exclusive fixed-odds betting services and distribution for Turf Paradise racing. As the leaders in pari-mutuel and fixed-odds betting on North American horse racing, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is perfectly positioned to capitalize on the evolving sports-betting scene across a highly-fragmented US landscape.

The capacity to offer players both pari-mutuel and fixed-odds in lockstep shows that these segments can be highly complementary over time, resulting in significant market growth, player education, and product diversification. Ultimately, through wise stewardship and deployment, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY now intends to secure the sustainability of pulsating, high-class horse racing, updating a popular legacy sport for a sophisticated modern audience on a global basis.

Keith Johnson, Chief Revenue Officer at 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, commented: “We very much look forward to ushering in a new era at Turf Paradise from the wagering technology evolution perspective, in addition to our broader agreement to support Turf Paradise's efforts to distribute its horse racing content and wagering on a global scale now encompassing both fixed-odds and pari-mutuel betting opportunities. We're confident these milestone developments can reignite horseracing's consumer economy.

“Moreover, it's fantastic to see AmTote and Turf Paradise racetrack working in unison to return value back to North American racing in these challenging times. Securing this long-term collaboration confirms 1/ST TECHNOLOGY's commitment to the sport and its wider status as the leading international provider of North American racing. This deal is a ringing endorsement of our business model and the combined diligence of our multi-faceted team.

“During the pandemic, North American horse racing has been one of very few elite sports that has been able to maintain both a solid timetable and a high bar for quality and data integrity with rapid-cycling content that can fill any live sports wagering scheduling gaps.”

For more information about 1/ST TECHNOLOGY, please visit http://www.1st.com/technology.

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Friday’s Stronach 5 Features Pair Of Turf Races, Four Tracks

A maiden special weight event at Santa Anita Park featuring the Baffert Stable's 3-year-old colt Fenway and two turf races from Gulfstream Park highlight this week's popular Stronach 5.

Friday's Stronach 5 will also feature races from Laurel Park and Golden Gate Fields along with an industry-low 12-percent takeout.

The opening leg of the Stronach 5 will begin at 3:55 ET with Laurel's eighth race, a 5 ½ furlong allowance event for 4-year-olds and up. Kingston Pike (4-1) enters off a three-length victory against claiming company while Josef Is Real (9-2) enters off a second-place finish against allowance company. Bourbon Street (6-1) goes first time off the claim for trainer Anthony Farrior.

Gulfstream's seventh race, a mile turf event for 3-year-old filly with a $35,000 claiming tag, serves as the second leg of the Stronach 5 and Celestial Cheetah is the 9-5 favorite. The daughter of Social Inclusion won her 3-year-old debut by 6 ¼ lengths after finishing sixth Dec. 5 in the Demoiselle (G2).

The third race at Santa Anita – the third leg of the Stronach 5 – is a mile maiden special weight event for 3-year-old colts. Trainer Bob Baffert will send out Fenway, a $650,000 son of Into Mischief who finished second Feb. 15. John Velazquez has been named to ride. Trainer Mike Puype has the 2-1 morning-line favorite in Harbored Memories, a homebred son of Harbor the Gold who comes off a pair of second-place finishes at Santa Anita. Flavien Prat has the call. Hronis Racing LLC's Star Sailor, a $275,000 son of Union Rags, enters the event for trainer John Sadler off a third-place finish, two lengths behind Fenway. Baffert will also send out Hudson Ridge, a son of American Pharoah who finished sixth in his debut Feb. 5.

The action moves to Golden Gate for its third race and the fourth leg of the sequence. The $8,000 maiden claiming event at 5 ½ furlongs has a 5-2 favorite in Mattawa N That. The gelded son of Eddington has finished second in his previous two starts for trainer Blaine Wright. Breaking from the rail is Flash of Gray, fifth in his debut Feb 13.

The Stronach 5 concludes with Gulfstream's ninth race, an allowance optional claimer at a mile on the turf. Witez will race for the first time since a fifth-place finish in the Mrs. Revere (G3) at Churchill Downs Nov. 14 and a fourth-place finish in the Valley View (G3) at Keeneland Oct. 16. Over the summer the 4-year-old daughter of More Than Ready finished third in the Lake George (G3) at Saratoga. Kissing Frogs is the race favorite. Trained by Bill Mott, the lightly-raced daughter of Cairo Prince is undefeated in her only two turf races.

Friday's races and sequence

  • Leg One – Laurel Park 8th Race: (13 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 3:55 ET, 12:55 PT
  • Leg Two – Gulfstream Park 7th Race: (7 entries, 1-mile turf) 4:12 ET, 1:12 PT
  • Leg Three –Santa Anita Park 3rd Race: (8 entries, 1 mile) 4:35 ET, 1:35 PT
  • Leg Four –Golden Gate Fields 3rd Race: (8 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 4:53 ET, 1:53 PT
  • Leg Five –Gulfstream Park 9th Race: (10 entries, 1-mile turf) 5:16 ET, 2:16 PT

Fans can watch and wager on the action at 1/ST.COM/BET as well as stream all the action in English and Spanish at LaurelPark.com, SantaAnita.com, GulfstreamPark.com, and GoldenGateFields.com.

The Stronach 5 In the Money podcast, hosted by Jonathan Kinchen and Peter Thomas Fornatale, will be posted by 2 p.m. Thursday at InTheMoneyPodcast.com and will be available on iTunes and other major podcast distributors

The minimum wager on the multi-race, multi-track Stronach 5 is $1. If there are no tickets with five winners, the entire pool will be carried over to the next Friday.

If a change in racing surface is made after the wagering closes, each selection on any ticket will be considered a winning selection. If a betting interest is scratched, that selection will be substituted with the favorite in the win pool when wagering closes.

The Maryland Jockey Club serves as host of the Stronach 5.

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Winter Weather Cancellations Have February Wagering Numbers Down Over Six Percent

Equibase, LLC released its second monthly report of 2021 on Economic Indicators in Thoroughbred Racing on Thursday, March 4. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Equibase has been providing monthly economic indicators advisories. The Advisory is typically disseminated on a quarterly basis to provide key metrics used to measure racing's performance throughout the year.

A group of winter storm caused racing cancellations across much of the United States in February, most notably for two weeks at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark, but extending to tracks from Texas up through the Northeast.

Therefore, the number of race days held in February of 2021 dropped by 26 percent compared to the same month in 2020, while the total number of races held dropped 22 percent.

Overall wagering decreased by 6.79 percent in February of 2021, though average daily wagering remained strong with a 25.98 percent increase over the same period. Year-to-date, overall wagering remained slightly higher than during the first two months of 2020, up by 1.30 percent.

Purses showed a similar change, with the total amount of purses paid out down 19.70 percent, but the average dollar amount of purses paid out per race day up 8.53 percent.

 

February 2021 vs. February 2020
Indicator February 2021 February 2020 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $840,059,258 $901,272,610 -6.79%
U.S. Purses $62,100,791 $77,336,485 -19.70%
U.S. Race Days 219 296 -26.01%
U.S. Races 1,928 2,477 -22.16%
U.S. Starts 14,880 19,362 -23.15%
Average Field Size 7.72 7.82 -1.26%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $3,835,887 $3,044,840 +25.98%
Average Purses Per Race Day $283,565 $261,272 +8.53%

YTD 2021 vs. YTD 2020
Indicator YTD 2021 YTD 2020 % Change
Wagering on U.S. Races* $1,799,973,370 $1,776,919,630 +1.30%
U.S. Purses $133,200,888 $149,453,215 -10.87%
U.S. Race Days 474 579 -18.13%
U.S. Races 4,139 4,829 -14.29%
U.S. Starts 32,759 38,054 -13.91%
Average Field Size 7.91 7.88 +0.44%
Average Wagering Per Race Day $3,797,412 $3,068,946 +23.74%
Average Purses Per Race Day $281,015 $258,123 +8.87%

* Includes worldwide commingled wagering on U.S. races.

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Aqueduct, Tampa Derby Preps Feature In Saturday’s All-Stakes Cross Country Pick 5

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, featuring Kentucky Derby qualifiers from Aqueduct Racetrack and Tampa Bay Downs.

Live coverage will be available with America's Day at the Races on FOX Sports. Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

The sequence begins at 4:25 p.m. Eastern at Tampa Bay with the Grade 2 Hillsborough, a nine-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares headlined by last year's Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational-winner Magic Attitude. The 4-year-old Galileo bay, trained by Arnaud Delacour for Lael Stables, will face steep opposition from Grade 1-placed opponents Micheline and Court Return.

Action then switches to the Big A for the Heavenly Prize Invitational [Race 8, 4:36 p.m.], a one-turn mile for older fillies and mares featuring a well-balanced field of eight. Godolphin homebred Lake Avenue, a 4-year-old Tapit chestnut trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, has won 2-of-3 starts at Aqueduct, including a score in the 2019 Grade 2 Demoiselle. Trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero sends pace threat Portal Creek, who just missed in the Grade 3 Go for Wand two starts back when second to Sharp Starr over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct main track at the Heavenly Prize distance.

The middle leg will see sophomore fillies contest 1 1/16-miles on the Tampa Bay turf in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks [Race 10, 4:55 p.m.]. Delacour and Lael Stables team up once more with the multiple stakes placed Be Sneaky, who makes her turf debut following a runner-up effort in the Suncoast on Feb. 6. Be Sneaky, an Into Mischief bay, is out of the Big Brown mare Bella Castani who won the 2013 Tweedside on the Belmont turf.

Four-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Chad Brown will saddle Domain Expertise, fresh off a third in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant at Gulfstream Park; while Graham Motion will send out a pair of undefeated contenders in Mia Martina and Oyster Box, a royally-bred daughter of Tapit out of the multiple graded stakes-winning Dynaformer mare Starformer.

Kentucky Derby points will be on the line in the penultimate leg, the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham [Race 9, 5:07 p.m.] at a one-turn mile offering 50-20-10-5 points to the top-four finishers. Brown will send out a strong duo for Klaravich Stables in last-out Nyquist champ Highly Motivated and impressive maiden winner Crowded Trade. West Coast-based shippers include Freedom Fighter, runner-up last out in the Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert; and Wipe the Slate, a maiden winner who will remove blinkers and cut back in distance while looking to make amends for an off-the-board effort last out in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita for trainer Doug O'Neill.

Closing out the sequence is the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby [Race 11, 5:25 p.m.], which drew a field of 12 to contest 1 1/16-miles with 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line.

The Mott-trained Candy Man Rocket will look to build on an impressive one-length score last out in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis on Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs against returning rivals Hidden Stash [third] and Boca Boy [fourth]. Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will saddle undefeated Helium, last out winner of the Display in October at Woodbine for his two-turn and dirt debut.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, March 6:
Leg A: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 9, G3 Hillsborough (4:25 pm)
Leg B: Aqueduct-Race 8, Heavenly Prize Invitational (4:36 pm)
Leg C: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 10, G3 Florida Oaks (4:55 pm)
Leg D: Aqueduct-Race 9, G3 Gotham (5:07 pm)
Leg E: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 11, G2 Tampa Bay Derby (5:25 pm)

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