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Friday’s Stronach 5 Features Races From Four Tracks, Pair Of Heavy Favorites

The Stronach 5 goes coast-to-coast Friday, with races from Laurel Park, Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields along with an industry-low 12-percent takeout.

The Stronach 5 continues to show a strong return on investment. Multiple winning tickets last week returned $511.70 despite the fact only one winner returned more than $5.40. A couple of 7-5 favorites late in Friday's sequence makes things interesting.

Friday's Stronach 5 begins with Laurel's ninth race, an allowance event for Maryland-bred or sired horses at 5 ½ furlongs. It's a wide-open race with a 4-1 tepid favorite in Stone Courageous. Mice and Men returns off two troubled trips and leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez sends out Baptize the Boy.

The action moves to Santa Anita for its third race, a 6 ½ furlong event on the turf for California-bred or sired maidens. In Vronsky Style debuts for trainer Phil D'Amato. The gelding draws the rail and is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Queen's Code goes out for trainer Carla Gaines. The 4-year-old finished third in his debut on the turf Nov. 22 at Del Mar and fourth on the main track Jan. 1 at Santa Anita. Doug O'Neill sends out Square Root, a first-time gelding who gets the blinkers off.

Laurel's 10th race, a $10,000 maiden claiming event at seven furlongs, serves as the third leg of the Stronach 5, and it's a wide-open field of 14 with Pardon the Pun the 5-2 morning-line favorite off three consecutive runner-up placings at this level. War Light drops in class for trainer Kelly Rubley off a fifth-place finish against $40,000 maiden claimers around two turns. Lifespan, who has four second-place finishes in 10 starts, is listed at 3-1.

Gulfstream's ninth race serves as the fourth leg of the Stronach 5. The allowance optional claiming event at five furlongs on the turf for state bred fillies and mares has a 7-5 favorite in Daddy's Joy, who turns back from two turns for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and jockey Edgard Zayas. Golden Gate's second race, an allowance optional claimer at six furlongs for fillies and mares wraps up the Stronach 5 and the five-horse field also has a 7-5 favorite in Coco Bee, a winner last time out for trainer Blaine Wright and a winner of six of 12 career starts.

Friday's races and sequence

Leg One – Laurel Park 9th Race: (10 entries, 5 ½ furlongs) 4:17 ET, 1:17 PT
Leg Two –Santa Anita Park 3rd Race: (9 entries, 6 12 furlongs turf) 4:35 ET, 1:35 PT
Leg Three – Laurel Park 10th Race: (14 entries, 7 furlongs) 4:48 ET, 1:48 PT
Leg Four – Gulfstream Park 9th Race: (8 entries, 5 furlongs turf) 5:16 ET, 2:16 PT
Leg Five – Golden Gate Fields 2nd Race: (5 entries, 6 furlongs) 5:25 ET, 2:25 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.

The post Friday’s Stronach 5 Features Races From Four Tracks, Pair Of Heavy Favorites appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Meadowlands’ Handle Exceeds $7 Million For Third Straight Weekend

Last weekend (Feb. 12-13) was the third straight that saw total handle exceed the $7-million plateau at The Meadowlands – a lofty level reached three times during all of 2020 – and much of the recent wild wagering at the mile oval is due to the popularity of the track's low 15 percent takeout bets.

The Big M has seen great results since changing the Hi-5/Pentafecta format. Formerly, it was a 20-cent base with a 'jackpot', meaning it paid out only when there was one winning ticket. The response has been vigorous since management changed it to a 10-cent base that pays out on all winning tickets.

Through Feb. 12, the updated Hi-5 was averaging $31,794 per pool, compared to $8,807 over the same period a year ago. Much like the superfecta more than a decade ago, lowering the minimum to 10 cents has given the bet a new lease on life, as the average payoff during 2021 is $1,535. On Feb. 6, a rare Hi-5 carryover resulted in a total pool of $79,254, which led to a payout of $10,094.

Another wager that has been performing at a high level is the 20-cent Pick-5 – the track's most popular puzzle in terms of average pool – which is currently seeing $105,977 a night, almost double what the action was a year ago ($56,331). Thus far in 2021, the P5 average payout has been $2,989. The bet serves as a catalyst for the first race, which saw $367,134 of wagering Saturday, and has been averaging over $300,000 a night thus far this year.

The Big M's signature wager – the 50-cent Pick-4 – gives bettors two chances to make a score every live racing night. The Early P4 has averaged $94,294 per pool and the Late P4 has seen $90,586 a throw. Players of all kinds got to cash in last Saturday. The Early Pick returned $17,959.80 after 20-1 shots served as winning bookends, while the Late Pick came back $78.55 after two favorites, one 5-2 and one 3-1 scored during that extremely formful sequence.

The Pick-5 is not the only wager that has come up roses with a new twist. The Pick-6 is not a jackpot bet, so the low 20-cent minimum has made the P6 playable even when there is no carryover. During 2021, the average pool has been $14,581, leading to a payoff of $3,831.

The last of The Big M's 'Super Six' wagers that offer the low 15 per cent takeout is the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7, which has a mandatory payout every night. It is another bet that generates some big payouts, as the average return of $3,846 proves.

The lineup of The Meadowlands' 15 percent takeout wagers:

· Race 1: 20-cent Pick-5

· Race 3: 20-cent Survivor Pick-7

· Race 6: 50-cent Early Pick-4

· Race 8: 20-cent Pick-6

· Race 10: 50-cent Late Pick-4

· Race 15 (or final race): 10-cent Hi-5/Pentafecta

“Wagering last week was over $7 million,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “Which was up $2.36 million from the same two nights last year. What we are seeing is that low take outs and low minimums help to keep The Meadowlands horseplayer in action longer.

“If the player can stay in action, they are capable of making a score on any number of our wagers that are generating big payoffs. In any successful gambling business, customer satisfaction is the name of the game. Judging by our 2021 results, where we have seen handle exceed $3 million on five consecutive programs, we can reasonably assume that the customer thinks The Meadowlands is providing an excellent and improved product.”

THE SCHEDULE: Live racing at The Meadowlands takes place every Friday and Saturday evening. Post time is 6 p.m.

The track's live “Racing from the Meadowlands” pre-game show begins at 5:27 p.m.

FREE PPs FOR ALL: Thanks to an agreement between The Meadowlands and TrackMaster, past performances for every race of every Big M program are now available at no cost.

To access the free PPs, go to playmeadowlands.com.

GET SOCIAL: You can always check in with the team at The Meadowlands on Twitter.

For early changes, racing information and staff selections, go to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.

On race nights, stay in touch with the Big M's Dave Brower (@eedoogie), Dave Little (@DaveLittleBigM), Ken Warkentin (@kenvoiceover), Shades Demsky (@shadesonracing) and Jessica Otten (@JessicaOtten1).

$100,000 GUARANTEED: Every night, The Meadowlands guarantees big green on both editions of its signature wager, as each 50-cent Pick-4 sports a $50,000 guaranteed pool.

CHECK OUT THE PICKS: For those who need to get a leg up on the action, go to playmeadowlands.com to see track oddsmaker and analyst Brower's selections and commentary. Click on the “handicapping” tab and go to “race reviews”.

Brower's input is generally available 48 hours before every card.

Additionally, track announcer Warkentin's blog is available on the site and offers his picks and analysis.

GET YOUR SPORTS ACTION: Pro and college sports betting is available at The Meadowlands' FanDuel Sportsbook every day.

Bets can be placed on the NBA, NHL, college basketball and many other sports any time the wagering windows are open.

The sportsbook is open Sunday-Friday from 10 a.m.-midnight and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 a.m. The cash counter is open from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

The post Meadowlands’ Handle Exceeds $7 Million For Third Straight Weekend appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Races From Aqueduct, Tampa Bay Downs

The New York Racing Association will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action 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.

A field of eight sophomores seeking a first career win get things started in Race 5 at Aqueduct with a scheduled post time of 3:20 p.m. Eastern. Harrell Ventures' Good Culture looks to make his career debut a winning one for trainer George Weaver. The son of Anchor Down is out of the Kodiak Kowboy mare Lady Fifty Two – a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Lady of Fifty. Trainer Jonathan Thomas will saddle million dollar-purchase Will E Sutton in hopes for a successful second start. Last out, the son of Curlin out of stakes-placed Yes Liz was fourth going seven furlongs on February 8 at the Big A.

Action shifts to Tampa Bay Downs for the second leg, where a field of ten will assemble over the main track for a $5,000 tag. Leading Tampa Bay trainer Gerald Bennett sends out Malio's, who seeks a career fifth lifetime victory over the Oldsmar oval. Larry Cronin and Joseph Keenan's Irish Major was second beaten a length under the same conditions last out and seeks to come out on top this time for trainer Tim Padilla. The race is carded as Race 8 with a 3:47 pm. post.

Aqueduct takes the reins for the middle leg of the sequence where fillies and mares bred in the Empire State seek an allowance victory at six furlongs. Repole Stable's More Glitter will make her first start since December 2019, where she was fifth in an off-the-turf edition of the Tepin at the Big A. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the daughter of More Than Ready broke her maiden in October 2019 at Belmont Park going 1 1/16 miles. Carded as Race 7, the third leg of the sequence will go off at 4:20 p.m.

Just two minutes later, Tampa Bay Downs will run the penultimate leg and the final event of their nine-race program featuring a field of 11 maiden claimers running six furlongs for a $10,000 tag. Four-time starter Himelstein, who notched his best result in his most recent effort when second, is the lukewarm 2-1 morning-line favorite.

Stakes action concludes the Cross Country Pick 5 in Aqueduct's featured $100,000 Maddie May for New York-bred 3-year-old fillies at a one-turn mile. OXO Equine's promising filly Brattle House faces stakes company for the first time after an impressive November 22 victory for trainer and co-breeder Christophe Clement. She faces accomplished stakes winners Secret Love and Vacay, both of whom scored at said caliber at Aqueduct. The Maddie May has a scheduled post of 4:50 p.m.

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, Feb. 20:
Leg A: Aqueduct-Race 5 (3:20 p.m.)
Leg B: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 8 (3:47 p.m.)
Leg C: Aqueduct-Race 7 (4:20 p.m.)
Leg D: Tampa Bay Downs-Race 9 (4:22 p.m.)
Leg E: Aqueduct – Race 8, $100,000 Maddie May (4:50 p.m.)

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Between The Hedges: A Closer Look At NYRA’s Empire 6 Wager

The following is the second edition of a bi-weekly series entitled Between The Hedges. The series will revolve around the business of betting focusing on trending wagering topics and statistics. Each installment will include a column penned by Joe Longo, NYRA General Manager of Content Services, examining certain areas of interest within the landscape of the thoroughbred racing industry. Upcoming topics will include a look at minus pools, post times, purse distribution and coupled entries. Send your questions for Between The Hedges to betweenthehedges@nyrainc.com.

The multitude of jackpot style wagers offered by racetracks across North America is a frequent talking point for horseplayers. NYRA's Empire 6 is no exception.

Informed horse players are sensitive to takeout. With that in mind, NYRA established a daily mandatory payout of the Empire 6 at Aqueduct Racetrack in January as part of a pilot program to further understand the benefits of the wager for both the track and player. The daily mandatory payout was recently extended through February with the pilot project expanded by offering the Empire 6 as a retail-only wager.

The Empire 6 was launched on August 7, 2019, replacing the traditional $2 Pick 6. With a $0.20 minimum and 20 percent takeout, the Empire 6 included a jackpot provision in which the full pool would be paid out only to a single ticket selecting the first-place finisher in all six races, otherwise 75 percent of the day's net pool would be distributed to those who selected the first-place finisher in the greatest number of races with the remainder added into a jackpot and carried to the next day's Empire 6.

At the time of the Empire 6 launch, the jackpot-style wager was successful at racetracks around the country and fractional base wagers were increasing in popularity. By lowering the minimum base, it would open the wager to a demographic that may have been priced out by the prohibitive cost of coverage in a $2 Pick 6. Fast forward to December 31, 2020 and the average daily handle on the Empire 6 was up almost 100% over the traditional $2 Pick 6.

The largest Empire 6 mandatory payout pool was on August 9, 2020 with $6,140,421 in new money, as a result of an 18-day carryover period that started with the first day of the Saratoga meet that grew the jackpot to $1,393,463 into the mandatory day. Several other mandatory force out days at Saratoga topped the $5 million mark.

The jackpot feature is a double-edged sword in that tracks receive a significant amount of new money wagered into the Empire 6 pool on the mandatory payout day, but it also keeps money out of circulation that could be wagered into other pools on the days leading up to the force out. NYRA has experimented with different mandatory force-out schedules ranging from over a month to every other week.

In addition, we also looked at forcing out the pool on marquee days versus regular days. On marquee days there are more eyes on the product and more people playing so the multiplier should be significant, but it does raise the concern of what effect the jackpot wager has on NYRA's other pools.

Tying up several million dollars for six races that likely include major stakes will certainly impact the pools, but will players be more likely to bet those races in different pools having handicapped them already? Or, should NYRA shift the mandatory payout to a nondescript Sunday in hope of doubling that day's handle? These are the types of questions we ask ourselves when formulating a schedule.

The Empire 6 experiment for the month of January proved to be successful.

Total handle on the Empire 6 was $1,942,010 for 18 race dates in January compared to $1,361,819 over 17 race dates in January 2020, an increase of $580,192 or 43 percent. Some of this increase was driven by the additional race day, but the daily average handle was up 35 percent.

Thus far, the pilot program has demonstrated that bettors at the Aqueduct winter meet will support a daily mandatory payout of the Empire 6.

For more information on the Empire 6, visit www.nyrabets.com.

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