Tag: win and you’re in

Schnell Meister Looks To Bounce Back in Yasuda Kinen

So strong and so accomplished are the 18 runners signed on for Sunday's G1 Yasuda Kinen that Vin de Garde (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), who went this close to winning the G1 Dubai Turf on a magical evening for Japan this past March, is no better than a 30-1 roughie in early wagering. Seventeen others, including four females, will head to the post for the country's premier spring mile event, which offers the winner a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, in early November.

After besting Songline (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) in the age-restricted G1 NHK Mile Cup at this course and distance last May, Schnell Meister (Ger) (Kingman {GB}) was a cracking third to Danon Kingly (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and the enormously talented Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in this event before turning the tables on Danon Kingly in the G2 Mainichi Okan over 1800 metres in October. He found only Gran Alegria too strong in the G1 Mile Championship in November, but was a highly disappointing eighth in the Dubai Turf on seasonal debut Mar. 26.

“The results were unfortunate in Dubai,” said trainer Takahisa Tezuka. “They weren't representative of his ability. After the race, I sent him to the farm for two months. He recovered right away, and things have all gone smoothly since returning to the stable. His physique has changed since he turned four and he's much more of a miler now. The change to the Tokyo 1,600 meters should be a plus.”

 

Fine Rouge (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) was narrowly beaten in the G1 Shuka Sho going 10 furlongs last October, but has a pair of strong efforts at the mile under her belt this term. Second to the in-form Elusive Panther (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) when blocked at a crucial stage of the G3 Tokyo Shimbun Hai at headquarters Feb. 6, the bay bobbled when about to commence her rally in the sex-restricted G1 Victoria Mile May 15 and could not quite reel in the classy Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune {Jpn}).

“She hasn't been able to give it all she has in her last two starts, but she's run consistently,” said Yu Ota, assistant to trainer Tetsuya Kimura. “I think she can compete well against male horses. If she can go to the gate in good shape and get a smooth trip, things should go well.”

Elusive Panther was having his first run of the season in the Tokyo Shimbun Hai and carries a four-race winning streak overall into what is clearly his toughest task to date.

Soul Rush (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) has a similarly progressive profile to Elusive Panther and while it appears he handles any underfoot conditions, he does seem to up his game when there is juice in the ground. The dark bay rattled home from third last to run down Ho O Amazon (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) in the Apr. 24 G2 Yomiuri Milers Cup at Hanshin over a course listed as good, but which appeared to be easier than that.

Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), a two-time winner of the G1 February S. on the local dirt track, tries the grass for just the second time in his career, while dual Group 3 victress Lotus Land (Point of Entry) stretches back out to arguably her best trip, having attacked the line to be runner-up to Naran Huleg (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}) in the six-furlong G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen Mar. 27.

 

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Q and A with Courtney Reid on New Breeders’ Cup Incentive Programs

An incentive-based participation bonus program called the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen was unveiled by the Breeders' Cup this Thursday. The new program will award monetary credits, funded by Breeders' Cup, for first through third-place finishes in selected races for horsemen to use toward entry fees in six of the Breeders' Cup World Championships dirt races. Learn more here.

Also this week, Breeders' Cup announced that the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In schedule will feature 82 qualifying races in 11 counties. New for this year, the 2022 series in the U.S. has been restructured into a regional qualifying program in order to balance divisional competition across the country. Learn more here.

The TDN spoke with Courtney Reid, the Director of Racing and Industry Relations at Breeders' Cup, to learn more about these new programs ahead of this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

TDN: How did the idea for the Dirt Dozen come about?

Reid: Just like the Challenge series, we try to make our races more attractive for our horsemen to participate in each year. We decided that offering bonus money toward these 12 graded stakes races is a great way to defray the entry fee costs into the Championship dirt races. The incentives offered with this program will not only add starters to our Championship dirt races, but also hopefully help bolster the field sizes of the 12 races selected for the Dirt Dozen. We have received positive feedback so far from the racing secretaries included in the program.

TDN: How are the divisions in the program set up and how will the bonus credits be allocated?

   Reid: Of the 12 races, there are two races per division. So for example, in the Breeders' Cup Sprint division, the first Dirt Dozen race is the GIII Smile H. at Gulfstream Park on July 2. The first three finishers of this race will receive a bonus tier of credit funds that will go toward entry fees for the Championship race. The first-place finisher will receive $30,000, which is half of the entry fee. They would just need to pay the remaining $30,000 to run in the GI Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint. The second-place finisher will get $15,000 and the third-place finisher will receive $7,500.

With these races, a horse could technically get complete free entry into the Championship if they ran in both races in the division. With the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint example, if they ran in the GIII Smile H. and the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship, they could have the entries fully paid for if they won both.

TDN: Do you think that in the past, entry fees have held horses back from attending the Breeders' Cup?

   Reid: I don't think that entry fees have been the main factor that has held horses back, but I will say that over the years, prohibitive favorites have discouraged some outfits who might be on the fence. But if you take last year for example, we had three heavy favorites in Jackie's Warrior, Gamine and Letruska who were all defeated, so you never know. We hope that this new program will be additional incentive for connections who might be on the fence.

TDN: Why was there a need to create this program specifically for dirt races?

   Reid: We have 56 turf races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge series program, so we think there is ample room to automatically qualify in a Challenge race for a turf race. We wanted to give more opportunities for dirt races. Historically, dirt races around the country–particularly in stakes races–haven't been filling as much as they have in turf races. This was an opportunity to bolster our dirt races.

TDN: Could you give an overview of the restructured format this year for the regional qualifying program in the U.S.?

Reid: The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is in its 15th year this year. We will have 82 challenge races worldwide in 11 countries covering all the divisions. We have 43 domestically and 39 international.

Domestically, we have restructured the program to establish regional balance throughout the country with an East, West and Midwest division. In 11 of the 14 divisions, there will be one Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race per region. We wanted to ensure that one part of the country did not have an advantage over the other.

TDN: What are some of the most notable changes with races that will or will not be considered a Win and You're In?

Reid: For example, in New York, the Jockey Club Derby, the John A. Nerud S. and the Personal Ensign S. are no longer Challenge races, however they gained the Pilgrim S. and the Miss Grillo S. Some of these categories had too many races in certain parts of the country, so this was an effort to balance it out. For some of the dirt races that lost Challenge series designation, we were able to add them to the Dirt Dozen program.

The GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic is an outlier here. It's our richest and most poplar race, so we are continuing to give more opportunity to earn automatic qualifying in this division. With that, four of the six U.S. Classic division races will be nationally televised on NBC and CNBC for Breeders' Cup Challenge Series programming.

TDN: With this new setup, do you expect to see regional rivalries form on the road to the World Championships?

   Reid: Absolutely. Rivalries are part of what makes sports more interesting and exciting. We want to see fans have a rooting interest for horses in their part of the country. Surely there will be racing fans in California who will be rooting and betting on horses in their region to beat the best in the East and Midwest at Keeneland this fall.

TDN: The Breeders' Cup Win and You're In Challenge Series has evolved since it was launched 15 years ago. What do you think has made it so successful over the years?

Reid: Each year, we assess the races and we have had a lot of participation from our horsemen. We think it's special to participate in a Challenge series race. We're thankful and proud of our owners and trainers who have channeled their efforts into training horses toward winning a Challenge series race so they can take advantage of gaining that automatic starting position. The horsemen have always told us that if they are deciding between two races and one is a Challenge series race, they typically will point for the Challenge race.

TDN: As you plan for the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland this fall, how do you envision the entries shaping up in respect to these new formats and programs.

   Reid: We always get a significant number of our Challenge winners to run in our Championship races and we hope that our Dirt Dozen program will have the same results. We hope it will add one or two, if not three or more starters per dirt race. Our goal is to bolster field size for our races. We want to offer the most competitive betting races and provide entertaining races for our fans each year. We think that this year at Keeneland will be an exceptional experience.

TDN: Will there be any major changes or updates this year specifically with respect to international participation, given their incredible results last year?

Reid: The only international change in regard to the Challenge series is that at Royal Ascot, the King's Stand S. will replace the Diamond Jubilee S. The King's Stand is a five-furlong race, which better suits a runner for our Championship Turf Sprint division.

We expect to have another strong international contention as we did last year. We're constantly reaching out to connections there. Josh Christian will be making a few trips abroad and we have our international liaisons, John Fulton in South America and Kate Hunter in Japan, who do a great job for us with creating awareness and helping recruit horsemen to come to the Championships.

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2022 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Features 82 Qualifying Races

The 2022 Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In schedule will feature 82 qualifying races in 11 countries, Breeders' Cup announced Tuesday. Winners, as usual, will receive automatic qualifying positions, and fees paid, into a corresponding race in the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Horses from around the globe will be qualifying through the Win and You're In program for the 39th Breeders' Cup World Championships, consisting of 14 Grade 1 races and purses and awards totaling $31 million. This year's Championships will be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 4-5. The first U.S. Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race of the year will be the GI Shoemaker Mile S. at Santa Anita Park May 30. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, now in its 15th year, will be hosted at many of the world's premier racetracks in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Ireland, Japan, Peru, South Africa, and the United States.

The 2022 series in the U.S. has been restructured into a regional qualifying program to balance divisional competition across the country. In 11 of the 14 race divisions, there will be one Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race per region, identified as East, Midwest, and West. Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifying races in the Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf Divisions will be limited to two races. Breeders' Cup will promote these regional rivalries on the road to the World Championships.

The exception to the regional format will be in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Division, which will have six domestic races in this year's series. The complete 2022 schedule is available here.

“We're excited to introduce our restructured regional format for the year's domestic Challenge Series to better identify our top qualifiers from each part of the country as they move on to the World Championships,” said Dora Delgado, Breeders' Cup Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Officer. “The Win and You're In format has been in place since 2007 and provides a fast track to the World Championships through an automatic selection into the race and free entry fees. We look forward to working again with our racetrack partners in conducting the Challenge Series races around the world this year.”

Last year, 40 Breeders' Cup Challenge winners competed in the World Championships at Del Mar, including five Championship race winners: Knicks Go, Yibir (GB), Ce Ce, Echo Zulu and Corniche. As part of the benefits to horsemen, Breeders' Cup has allocated $5,180,000 in free entry fees for this year's Challenge Series. Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees and guarantee a starting position in a corresponding Championships race for all Challenge Series race winners. If not already Breeders' Cup nominated, the Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.

In addition, Breeders' Cup will provide a $10,000 travel allowance for all starters within North America that are stabled outside of Kentucky and a $40,000 travel allowance to the connections of all Championship starters from outside of North America.

Complementing the season in North America, there will be 39 international Breeders' Cup Challenge races. The international portion of the series began on Dec. 11 when the 7-year-old Village King (Arg) captured the G1 Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini at Hipodromo de San Isidro in Argentina to gain the first automatic starting berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf.

In support of the Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which was signed into law in the U.S. in 2020, medications will not be permitted to be administered within 24 hours for all Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races.

NBC and CNBC will televise the “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In–presented by America's Best Racing,” featuring nine live programs in the U.S. this summer and fall. The full 2022 television schedule will be announced on Wednesday, May 25.

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NYRA Releases $16.95 Million Stakes Schedule For Belmont Spring/Summer Meet

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 44-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet, which will feature 59 stakes races worth $16.95 million in total purses. The spring/summer meet will open on Thursday, April 28 and continue through Sunday, July 10.
The Belmont spring/summer meet will offer 12 Grade 1 contests and seven races with purses of $700,000 or higher, with four of those contests coming during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 9 through Saturday, June 11. The festival will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the $1.5 million “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 1/2-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.
Tickets for the 2022 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will go on sale Thursday, February 10 at 10 a.m. Eastern via Ticketmaster.com.
In addition to the 154th running of the Belmont Stakes on June 11, that day's card will include three Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” qualifiers: the one-mile Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap for 3-year-olds and up [Dirt Mile]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps for older fillies and mares 4-years-old and up going 1 1/16 miles on the main track [Distaff]; and the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs on turf [Turf Sprint].
The blockbuster Belmont Stakes Day card will also feature the Grade 1, $750,000 Manhattan for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/4 miles on turf; the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies going one mile; the Grade 1, $500,000 Longines Just a Game for fillies and mares 4-years-old and up at one mile on the turf; the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens in a seven-furlong sprint over Big Sandy for 3-year-olds; and the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn, a 1 1/2-mile test for 4-year-olds and up.
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival opens with three stakes races on Thursday, June 9, including the Grade 2, $200,000 Wonder Again, a nine-furlong turf test for 3-year-old fillies offering an automatic invite to the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational to the top-three finishers. Rounding out the June 9 card are a pair of $150,000 sprints for 2-year-olds at 5 1/2-furlongs on the main track led by the Astoria for fillies and the Tremont.
On June 10, the Grade 1, $750,000 New York, a 10-furlong turf test for older fillies and mares will headline a day featuring five graded stakes. Also featured on the June 10 card are the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup, the Grade 2, $300,000 True North; the Grade 2, $300,000 Bed o' Roses; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental, which has been shortened to six furlongs on turf.
The Stars and Stripes Racing Festival returns on Saturday, July 9 and features four graded stakes headlined by the opening legs of the Caesars Turf Triple Series. Launched by NYRA in 2019, the Turf Triple returns with a pair of 1 1/4-mile turf races offering Grade 1 status, featuring the Grade 1, $1 million Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational for sophomores and the Grade 1, $700,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies.
Implemented by NYRA as the turf equivalent of the Triple Crown series, with all the legs contested at Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, the Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational will again launch the male division of the Turf Triple series that encompasses the Grade 1 Caesars Saratoga Derby this summer and the Grade 3 Caesars Jockey Club Derby during the Belmont fall meet.
The Belmont Oaks Invitational commences the female division of the Turf Triple series, which will be followed by the Grade 3 Saratoga Oaks this summer and conclude with the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks during the fall.
Also featuring on the Stars and Stripes card is the Grade 2, $400,000 Suburban, a 10-furlong test for older horses; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies.
Man o' War Day on May 14 boasts five graded stakes led by the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o' War at 1 3/8-miles on the turf for 4-year-olds and upward and bolstered by the nine-furlong Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, the local prep for the Belmont Stakes; the Grade 3, $150,000 Beaugay, the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy, and the Grade 3, $150,000 Runhappy.
Independence Day weekend from Saturday July 2 through Monday, July 4 offers five stakes races. The holiday weekend kicks off July 2 with the Grade 2, $250,000 John A. Nerud, which will see 4-year-olds and up contest at seven furlongs. Also featured on the card is the Grade 3 $250,000 Dwyer. The holiday weekend stakes action continues Sunday, July 3 with the $100,000 Perfect Sting and on Monday, July 4 with the $100,000 Manila and the $150,000 Grand Couturier.
The spotlight will shine on New York-breds on Monday, May 30, as part of Big Apple Showcase Day. The lucrative Memorial Day card features six stakes for horses bred in the Empire State led by the $200,000 Commentator at one mile for 3-year-olds and up and the $200,000 Critical Eye at the same distance for fillies and mares, 3-years-old and upward. A quartet of $125,000 stakes will round out the day, including the Kingston, Mount Vernon, Mike Lee and Bouwerie.
Friday, April 29 will kick off the meet's stakes action with the $100,000 Affirmed Success, a six-furlong sprint for New York-breds 4-years-old and up. The graded stakes action begins on Saturday, May 7 with the Grade 2, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay, the Grade 3, $200,000 Westchester and the Grade 2, $200,000 Fort Marcy.
Closing Day on Sunday, July 10 will drop the curtain down on the meet with the $150,000 River Memories and the $100,000 Saginaw before the racing action moves to Saratoga for its 40-day meet beginning Thursday, July 14.
Follow this link for the full 2022 Belmont Park spring/summer stakes schedule.

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