Horse Racing: - Saratoga, Kentucky and Del Mar highlight weekend (2024)

GKJ said:

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Follow up: here was the call

There was a race at Arlington some years ago that had a similar finish. The winner was also #3, his name was Rylee River, who you can find some of his races on YouTube, but not the one I’m talking about. Haven’t seen footage in a while. John Dooley called it a mindblowing finish.

Saturday, June 8, 2024

• Steve Asmussen had a 6-win day with victories at all four tracks in which he entered (Churchill, Indianapolis, Belmont and Lone Star).

Saratoga at Belmont (New York):

• Meet: Day three of a four-day meet.
• Handle: A record-setting $125,748,941 including a staggering $14 million bet on track.

• Attendance: Capped at 50,000 and seemingly one of the most electric days at the Spa.
• Weather: Once again, any doom-and-gloom predictions were stymied. No rain, no racing removed from turf.
• Card: Nine of the 14 races were graded stakes. A rich card filled with talent.
• Race 4: Baby Yoda (Eric Cancel/BillMott) toyed with the field to win the Grade 2 $250,000 True North Stakes at odds of 9-to-1.

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• Race 5: Ice Chocolat (Jose Ortiz/Mark Casse) wired the field at 24-to-1 to win the $30,000 Grade 3 Poker Stakes.

• Race 6: Crupi (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Todd Pletcher) won the Grade 2 $350,000 Surburban Stakes.

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• Race 7: Randomized (Joel Rosario/Chad Brown) won the Grade 1 $500,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes by a head in a thriller.

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• Race 8: Book'em Danno (Irad Ortiz, Jr./Derek Ryan) won the Grade I $500,000 Woody Stephens Stakes.

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• Race 9: Cogburn (Irad Ortiz. Jr./Steve Asmussen) won the Grade I $500,000 Jaipur Stakes. Cogburn has now five of his past six starts and eight in 14 career races.

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• Race 10: National Treasure (Flavien Prat/Bob Baffert) won the Grade I $1,000,000 Met Handicap in a demonstrative victory. A $500,000 purchase, National Treasure a winner just four times in 13 starts, has earned over $5,000,000 mainly due to winning the Pegasus earlier this year at Gulfstream. He entered off a fourth place finish in Saudi Arabia.

• Race 11: Measured Time (William Buick/Charlie Appleby) won the Grade I $1,000,000 Manhattan Stakes. Appleby finished 1-2 in the race.

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• Race 12: Dornoch (Luis Saez/Danny Gargan) won the $2,000,000 Grade I Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown in its 156th edition. Saez won a Triple Crown race for the second time (Essential Quality in the Belmont Stakes in 2021). Gargan won a Grade I race for the first time. Dornoch has earned over $1.7 million. He broke his maiden in his third try, at Keeneland and followed that with two graded stakes wins.

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• Irad Ortiz, Jr. rode the card and finished 14 3-2-1 with three graded stakes victories but the ride in the Belmont Stakes is haunting.
• Javier Castellano is struggling this meet, having failed to hit the board with any rides today. He is 1-for-19 so far. Jose Lezcano, Kendrick Carmouche, Tyler Gaffalione, Florent Geroux, Manny Franco and Dylan Davis, along with Castellano, are a combined 4-for-94 this meet. An array of talent this meet.
• Bill Mott, Todd Pletcher, who finished 10 1-3-1 and Chad Brown, who finished 13 2-0-1, all have four wins to lead the short meet. Brown, a future Hall of Famer, has never won a Belmont Stakes.

Something to become aware.

Drayden van Dyke left California for Florida even if temporarily now that the Santa Anita meet is nearing an end.

• He was 2-for-57 in 2024 all at Santa Anita.
• He began his south Florida sojourn with three straight wins, all for local superstar Saffie Joseph.
• He is now a robust 5 3-0-1 the past two days at Gulf.
• He rides four times for Joseph on Sunday.

PROUD PAPA said:

Impressive win by Cogburn!

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Here comes the inclement weather

Race 1, jumpers, canceled at Saratoga.

Off the turf.

Ten scratches in the finale.

Saturday's review/photos from Cumberland;

The four-day total established an immense $197.4 million for the unique Belmont at Saratoga meet. Paid attendance was 120,000. The weather was cooperative. This should boost figures across the board as the first half of the year nears conclusion.

Very few experiences can rival Saratoga in any sport. In racing, maybe Keeneland but it is a throwback. Saratoga is a spectacle. Fantastic racing put on by all. Now back to Aqueduct for a few days until the regular Spa meet starts July 11. At some point, perhaps all officials can address some sort of similar experience for future years, Belmont Stakes notwithstanding.

Bangor recap for Sunday:

Golden Gate Fields swan song:

This was truly one of the most remarkable opportunities and events I have witnessed. Kudos to NYRA and all connections, the handicappers, the visitors, the locals all parties unnamed and Mother Nature. NYRA has to revisit this moment.

The 197 million wagered officially exceeded the 2018 mark when Justify won the Triple Crown and by a robust 9.8%.

Let's do it again!

Santa Anita is adding Tapeta beginning later this year. Along the lines of Gulfstream and eventually Belmont. Can we have a Tapeta Triple Crown?

Santa Anita hosting a California Pegasus appears alive. Date unknown though Sept. 28 is possible.

More info abounds where this year is headed as the Triple Crown races comprised wagering in excess of $545 million

That figure is an all-time high and up more than 7% from last year.

new site to follow for those interested: Maine Breeders' Association through the Stakes races:

also, the 2024 state fair circuit here will be starting here in roughly 10-14 days..... notably the 1st major will be Bangor..... the last Fryeburg

Haskell preview @ Monmouth Park this weekend;

1 M Pepsi North American Cup: (Woodbine/ONT);

Royal Ascot week is approaching. Introductory information has been revealed with seven races each of the five days from June 18-22.

Post times will be 2:30 pm through 6:15 pm in host locale London, England.

Eastern time is as follows:
9:30 am
10:05
10:45
11:25
12:05 pm
12:40
1:15

The biggest races are the Prince of Wales, which is race 4 on Wednesday, June 19, and the QEII, which is race 3 on Saturday, June 22. The latter has been bumped one race earlier than the recent past.

post Golden Gate Fields era begins:

@CHRDANHUTCH

Did something unusual happen at Bangor yesterday? One race had a horse finish second and pay $36 for place and $2.60 to show? Small purse I would imagine but no replay was immediately available.

Bob Baffert debuts a $1.8 million Florida-bred filly in race 6 at Santa Anita. Nooni is owned by Zedan.

Win Win Win is winless as a young sire.