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Where Have All the Savvy Newspaper Racing Types Gone?
Monday, May 21, 2018
Today's papers are devoid of expertise . . .

    It's no secret that the amount of space devoted to thoroughbred racing in the country's newspapers has diminished significantly in recent years. There are various theories for the slight to the sport of kings, but one of the major problems that nobody disputes is the decided lack of sports editors who grew up spending time at the local tracks with their fathers, or mothers, as the case may be. 

    Several decades ago, the New York press boxes were not only inhabited by one or more racing writers for each of the city's papers, but also by the sports editors of those papers. On any given day, Belmont, Aqueduct or Jamaica might be the hangout for such as Mike Lee of the Long Island Press, Ed Comerford of Newsday, Ike Gellis of the New York Post, or several others. Those denizens made sure racing was prominent in their respective papers. 

    With the passing of the old guard. the new sports editors are more interested in the NFL, and Major League Baseball, and the NBA, and (ugh!) NASCAR. With less overall space devoted to sports sections these days, racing is the sport that has taken the biggest hit. 

    The problem has not only resulted in less racing news, but a lack of expertise exhibited in the little space allowed. Unfortunately, the Ocala Star Banner, once a place where racing columns and racing news were plentiful, has a bunch of amateurs trying to keep Ocala's huge thoroughbred community updated. Not only is the news doled out sparsely, the way it is presented thrusts the amateurs into the spotlight.

    I could devote paragraphs to the Star Banner's lack of expertise, but I'll use just one instance, a caption under a picture of Justify winning the Preakness in yesterdays edition. Here it is:

    "Justify, with Mike Smith atop, wins the 143rd Preakness Stakes horse race at Pimlico race track, Saturday in Baltimore. Bravazo, with Luis Saez aboard, wins second while Tenfold, with Ricardo Santana Jr. atop, places." 

    I was in awe upon learning that Bravazo won second and that Tenfold placed. It's enough to make one want to barf, and wonder where this guy (or girl) learned his or her trade. Hopefully, sports editor Paul Kardasz will keep the culprit far from the racing scene from now on. 

    DRILLING IT HOME - Get Away Farm's freshman sire, the Lawyer Ron stallion Drill, celebrated his first winner yesterday when Drill Time went wire-to-wire in a 4 1/2-furlong, $27,785 maiden special at Golden Gate Fields. The Florida colt bred by Jennifer and Gillian Johnson put up :22.32 for the first quarter and went on to score by two lengths in :52.72. Drill Time collected $15,600 for the effort.  

    Five of Florida's seven freshman sires of 2018 now have at least one winner. Ocala Stud's Uncaptured has two.  

 

      

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Bernies Blog
Justify Odds-On in 8-Horse Preakness Field
Friday, May 18, 2018
All Kentucky-breds at Pimlico . . .

    Eight holdovers from the Kentucky Derby are lined up for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at Pimlico, with Derby winner Justify sitting as the 1/2 morning line choice. The big question, as always, is, "After his commanding performance in Louisville, can Justify win the Triple Crown?"

    Seventeen of the 20 runners last time were Kentucky-breds, this time all eight are from the blue grass.

    Aside from Justify, the other holdovers are Good Magic, who nabbed second by a head from Audible at odds of 9-1; Lone Sailor, who was 24-1 and finished eighth, and Bravazo, who was sixth at 66-1.

    Good Magic lost by 2 1/2 lengths with Jose Ortiz and has his services again. He's the second choice at 3-1.

    Lone Sailor has brother Irad Ortiz after finishing 9 1/4 lengths behind under James Graham and experiencing serious problems along the inside. He's listed at 15-1.

    Bravazo was bumped at the start with Luis Contreras aboard, raced in mid-pack, and was four or five wide most of the trip. He lost by eight lengths, and was only a length out of fifth, the final money spot. He switches to Luis Saez this time and is listed at 20-1.

    The purse is $1.5 million and all will carry 126 pounds. D. Wayne Lukas has two entrants, Bravazo and Sporting Chance, who goes with Contreras. Third choice on the line at 12-1 is Brisset, who leaves from the rail with Florent Geroux. 

    Did the sloppy track at Churchill Downs cost most of the participants, or was Justify just too good?   

 

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Bernies Blog
Uncaptured Becomes First Frosh Sire With Two Winners
Monday, May 14, 2018
Catch Your Dream romps at Gulfstream . . .

    Ocala Stud Farm's Uncaptured has the distinction of becoming the first freshman sire of 2018 to get two winners. After Bye Bye J gave the stallion by Lion Heart his first winner, No. 2 came at Gulfstream Park yesterday when Capture Your Dream romped at 4 1/2 furlongs by 10 1/2 lengths under Luca Panici.

    The filly owned and bred by Kathy Machesky was clocked in :52.08 and collected a check of $42,000. That raised Uncaptured's earnings to $66,000, third best among all frosh sires. Cajun Breeze, from Stonehedge Farm South, is the nation's leader with one winner, several runner-up finishers, and earnings of $97,400. 

    Florida has two other frosh sires with a winner - CoCo Ranch's Global Response (Global Beauty) and Pleasant Acres Stallions Handsome Mike (Saint Michael).      

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Bernies Blog
Millionaire Made at Gulfstream Again
Friday, May 11, 2018
Wager hits for more than $1.2 million . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Gulfstream Park’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 was hit Thursday afternoon for $1,214,280.62. The winning ticket was played in Lewiston, Maine.

    Thursday’s Rainbow 6 sequence started with Love and Lemons ($3.60) winning the fifth race and Wild Chatter ($11.40) the sixth. But after Global Beauty Coco won the third leg and returned $151.40 the live tickets were trimmed to a precious few. There were just five live tickets going into the 10th and final race of the day, and Delicious Pursuit ($18.20) was one of those live tickets.

    Racing returns Friday with a 10-race program beginning at 1:15 p.m. There will be a Super Hi 5 carryover of $3,887.63.

            

   

Three Rules Returns Saturday in $100,000 Big Drama

 

    Graded stakes-winner Three Rules, who swept the 2016 Florida Sire Stakes, returns to the races after a five-month layoff Saturday in Gulfstream’s $100,000 Big Drama.

    The seven-furlong event drew a field of seven including graded stakes-winner Mr. Jordan, Gulfstream Park Sprint runner-up Sweetontheladies, Tampa Bay’s Sprint Stakes runner-up Deland and 2017 Sunshine Millions Classic winner Hy Riverside.

    First race post Saturday is 12:45 p.m.

    Three Rules, trained by Jose Pinchin, became a fan favorite during the summer of 2016 when the son of Gone Astray swept the rich FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes program for owner-breeder Bert Pilcher and his partners. “This horse took us places and we’ve done stuff we never thought possible,” said Pilcher Wednesday afternoon.

    After finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita, Three Rules returned in 2017 and finished second in the Swale (G2), third in the Fountain of Youth (G2), fifth in the Florida Derby (G1), and third in the Chick Lang at Pimlico. Since winning the Carry Back (G3) last summer, Three Rules’ lone start was a second-place finish Dec. 16 at Tampa in the Marion County Florida Sire Stakes.

    “He had a couple little things…really was just off his feed a little bit and not as good as he had been so we just went ahead and let him be a horse for a while,” Pilcher said. “He came back to the farm but he wasn’t as happy as he usually is so he went back to the track. We just did less with him. He likes being there. He’s happy in that environment.”

    Three Rules will go into the Big Drama on six works, two of them bullets over Gulfstream’s main track. “He’s doing really well,” Pilcher added. “He’s been working great. I know Jose is high on him putting in a big year and we hope it all translates this year to having a lot more fun.”

    Nik Juarez is named to ride Three Rules.

    Mr. Jordan, trained by Eddie Plesa Jr., takes a considerable drop in class after finishing fifth in the Gulfstream Park Hardacre Mile (G2) March 31 and fourth in the Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) March 3. While the gelded son of Kantheros has won eight of 20 starts and $677,000, Mr. Jordan is winless in 12 tries at Gulfstream. The 6-year-old, who has finished second five times at Gulfstream, will have Edgard Zayas in the saddle.

 


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Bernies Blog
Gulfstream's Rainbow Carryover Slips Over $1 Million Again
Monday, May 7, 2018
Racing resumes Thursday . . .

 

        

 

                        

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Bettors will have something special to look forward to at Gulfstream Park when racing resumes with a 10-race program Thursday – a 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover of $1,006,359.41,

    There was no single winner of the wager Sunday. Multiple tickets with all six winners returned $2,771.88. There was $299,789 of new money bet into the Rainbow 6 Sunday.

    Thursday’s Rainbow 6 sequence will begin with a five furlong turf event for fillies and mares that drew a field of 12.

    NOTE: Jockey Nik Juarez rode four winners Sunday. Juarez won the first aboard Paco Ensaco ($12.60), the fourth with Oola Gal ($23.20), the ninth on Proper Princess ($7) and the 11th and final race with Flowmotion ($6.40).

             

 

 

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Bernies Blog
Tidbits for Handicapping the Derby
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Only two unbeatens in the field . . .

    The entries are in for, perhaps, the most wide open Kentucky Derby we've seen in decades. All that's left is for would-be handicappers to sort through the maze of information and figure out which horses to wager on based on Beyer numbers, Ragozins, Thorographs, personal observations and anything else they can find to throw into the mix.  

    Here's a quick rundown of some tidbits concerning the 20 runners:

    (1) There are 17 Kentucky-breds entered. The lone "others" are Firenze Fire (Florida), Audible (New York) and Flameaway (Ontario).

    (2) Scat Daddy has the most runners - 4 (Flameaway, Justify, Mendelssohn, Combatant). Curlin is second with 3 (Good Magic, Solomini, Vino Rosso). Medaglia d'Oro has 2 (Bolt D'Oro, Enticed). So 9 of 20 competitors are by three stallions. 

    (3) Only one horse has won more than four races - Flameaway with 5. Those with four are Firenze Fire, Audible, Bolt D'Oro, Mendelssohn and Magnum Moon.

    (4) The only unbeaten horses in the race are Magnum Moon, at 4-for4 and Justify, at 3-for-3. 

    (5) There are four with just a maiden score (Lone Sailor, Hofburg, Solomini, Combatant). 

    (6) There are four who are already millionaires (Good Magic, $1,855,000); Bolt D'Oro ($1,016,000); Mendelssohn ($1,961,137); Magnum Moon ($1,177,800).   

    (7) One horse has made 10 starts (My Boy Jack); two have made nine (Firenze Fire, Flameaway): three have made eight (Free Drop Billy, Lone Sailor, Bravazo).  

    Good luck!

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Rainbow 6 Closing in on $800,000
Monday, April 30, 2018
Three live tickets Sunday missed the jackpot . . .

                

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Gulfstream Park’s 20-cent Rainbow 6 will be $795,987.53 when racing resumes Thursday.

    Multiple winning tickets Sunday returned $48,864.92. There were three live tickets going into the last leg of the Rainbow 6, but all three failed to hit board. There will also be a Super Hi 5 carryover Thursday of $3,123.56.

    Racing resumes Thursday with a nine-race program and a first race post of 1:10 p.m.

    NOTES:

    Let’s Go Stable’s Wooderson, a 3-year-old half-brother to Hall of Fame member and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, finished second in his career debut.

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Bernies Blog
OBS Spring Sale Reaches New Heights
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Medaglia d'Oro filly goes for $1.1 million . . .

    Records fell by the wayside as the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2018 Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training reached new levels in gross, average and median figures. The fourth and final session and entire sale was topped by Hip No. 1197, a bay filly by Medaglia d’Oro consigned by Randy Bradshaw, Agent, purchased by Steven W. Young, Agent, for $1,100,000.  A half sister to Gr. I stakes-winner Stormello out of Wilshewed, by Carson City, her eighth in :9 4/5 was co-fastest at the distance at Saturday’s Under Tack session.

  • Hip No. 1164, a son of Kantharos consigned by Ocala Stud, was purchased by Stonestreet Stables LLC & E 5 Racing for $800,000. The chestnut colt, who turned in a quarter in :20 4/5 at Saturday’s Under Tack session, is out of Valid Concorde, by Concorde’s Tune, a full sister to stakes-winner Rocky River.

  • Hip No. 955, a bay colt by Munnings consigned by Randy Miles, Agent, went to Ed & Susie Orr for $700,000. The half brother to stakes-placed Avarice out of Senate Caucus, by Siphon (BRZ), worked an eighth in :10 flat at Friday’s Under Tack session.
  • Dennis O’Neill went to $485,000 for Hip No. 1158, a gray or roan colt by He’s Had Enough, whose quarter in :20 3/5 was co-fastest at the distance at Saturday’s Under Tack session. Consigned by Envision Equine, Agent, he’s out of Up for Grabs, by First Samurai, from the family of graded stakes-winner Sea of Secrets.
  • Robert Masiello paid $435,000 for Hip No. 1055, a bay colt by Midshipman consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent. A half brother to stakes-winning OBS graduate Small Bear out of Stella Prima, by El Prado (IRE), he worked an eighth in :10 flat on Saturday.
  • Hip No. 943, Starrific, a chestnut colt by City Zip consigned by Bobby Dodd, Agent, was sold to Red Baron’s Barn or Rancho Temescal LLC for $400,000.  Out of Screen Gem, by Dynaformer, a daughter of stakes-placed Shuhrah, he turned in an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat on Friday.

  • Hip No. 1079, a daughter of Bernardini consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent, was purchased for $400,000 by Speedway Stables, LLC. The bay filly, who breezed an Under Tack eighth in :10 1/5 on Saturday, is a half sister to graded stakes-winner Den’s Legacy out of Sunshine Song, by War Chant.

  • Hip No. 1161 a bay colt by Goldencents consigned by Woodside Ranch, Agent, went to Jay Em Ess Stable for $400,000.  Out of Urloveisasymphony, by Forest Wildcat, a daughter of stakes placed Lifting the Veil, he breezed an eighth on Saturday in :10 flat.

    For the session, 161 two-year-olds sold for a total of $17,230,500, compared with 144 horses bringing $13,142,200 at the corresponding session last year. The average price was $107,022, up 17.2% compared to $91,265 in 2017 while the median was $57,000, rising 11.8% compared with $51,000 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 20.3%; it was 22.9% a year ago.

    For the entire sale, 707 horses grossed a sale record $69,429,500, compared with 678 youngsters bringing $60,935,900 a year ago, the previous record total. The average price was a sale record $98,203, besting last year’s sale previous record $89,876.  The median was a record $55,000, up 15.8% above 2017’s sale record $47,500. The buyback percentage was 17.9%; it was 17% a year ago.  Sixty-six horses brought $250,000 or more compared to 60 in 2017.

 

 



F

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Bernies Blog
Tapit Colt Goes for $750,000 at OBS Spring Sale
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Consigned by Niall Brennan . . .

    Hip No. 352, a son of Tapit consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent, went to Robert E. & Lawana Low for $750,000 to top the second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s 2018 Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. The gray or roan colt, who breezed an eighth in :10 2/5 at Tuesday’s Under Tack session, is a half brother to graded stakes-winner Commissioner out of graded stakes winner Flaming Heart, by Touch Gold, a half-sister to the dam of Vino Rosso, one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby after his victory in the recent Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct

  • Hip No. 403, Wicked Wizard, a dark bay or brown colt by Speightstown consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent, who worked an Under Tack eighth on Tuesday in :10 flat, was sold to Narvick International, Agent for Katsumi Yoshida, for $700,000. He’s out of stakes-winner Glinda the Good, by Hard Spun, and is a half brother to champion Good Magic, heading to the Kentucky Derby after his recent victory in Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes (G2).

  • Hip No. 534, a daughter of Malibu Moon consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, also brought $700,000, going to Speedway Stables, LLC. The dark bay or brown filly, who breezed a quarter in :21 flat last Tuesday, is out of Just Joyful, by Street Boss, a half sister to champion Boston Harbor.

  • Hip No. 606, a daughter of Into Mischief consigned by Paul Sharp, Agent, was sold to Spendthrift Farm for $650,000. The bay filly, who’s eighth in :9 4/5 on Wednesday was the session’s co-fastest at the distance, is out of Loveofalifetime, by Medaglia d’Oro, a half sister to graded stakes winner Savorthetime.

  • Justin Casse, Agent, went to $525,000 for Hip No. 474, a bay colt by Candy Ride (ARG) consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, who worked a quarter in :21 flat at Wednesday’s Under Tack session. He’s out of High On the Hill, by Fusaichi Pegasus, a half sister to graded stakes winner Lil’s Lad.

    For the day, 180 horses brought a total of $18,932,500, a Spring Sale session record, compared with 167 selling for a total of $14,111,500 at last year’s second session. The average price was $105,181, up 24.5% compared to $84,500 in 2017 while the median price was $56,000, a 40% rise compared with $40,000 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 22.4%; it was 20.8% last year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Bernies Blog
Freshman Cajun Breeze Off to Good Start for Stonehedge
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Son of Congrats had 1-2 finishers in $64,000 MSW . . .

    Stonehedge Farm South's Cajun Breeze has the honor of becoming the first Florida freshman stallion of 2018 to sire a winner, and the son of Congrats also added a second-place finisher out of the same race.

    The milestone came at Gulfstream Park, where Cajun Firecracker captured a $64,000 maiden special under Nik Juarez, winning by two lengths over Mardi Gras Girl, who is also by Cajun Breeze. Cajun Firecracker, a colt, earned a juicy check for $43,000 for the score, while the filly Mardi Gras Girl collected $12,800 for second. The winner raced 4 1/2 furlongs in :52.58 and paid $12.20. 

    Another daughter of Cajun Breeze, Nancysaidso, finished second in a $63,000 maiden special at Gulfstream and earned $12,400. The filly led into deep stretch under Miguel Vasquez, succumbing at the wire by three-quarters of a length in a race that went in :51.79.

    All three runners are owned and bred by Shadybrook Farm, and trained by Michael Yates, the farm's owner. Yates took a page out of the book of Wesley Ward, who has become well-known for his ability to get his 2-year-olds ready early and taking down a slew of the money given out at Gulfstream and Keeneland in April, May and June. 

    The three Shadybrook runners collected a total of $68,200 for their efforts to propel Cajun Breeze into an easy lead in the Florida freshman  race. The stallion is listed as having eight current 2-year-old runners.

    Two other Florida freshmen have had starters, CoCo Ranch's Global Beauty, a son of A. P. Indy (10 current 2yos) and Woodford Thoroughbreds' He's Had Enough, a son of Tapit (77 current 2yos), but as yet neither has one who finished in the money.         

    

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Bernies Blog
Rainbow 6 Carryover Passes $500,000
Monday, April 23, 2018
Hofburg breezes . . .

 

     HALLANDALE BEACH, FL– The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot for Thursday’s program at Gulfstream Park grew to $572,287.06 Sunday when the popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the 13thconsecutive racing day.

    Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $4,833.22.

HOFBURG BREEZES

    Juddmonte Farms’ Hofburg breezed five furlongs in company at Payson Park in Indiantown Sunday morning in preparation for a scheduled start in the May 5 Kentucky Derby. The Bill Mott-trained colt was timed in 1:01.40 after breezing for the second time since finishing second in the $1 million XpressBet.com Florida Derby at Gulfstream March 31.

    Hofburg is scheduled to be shipped to Churchill Downs Monday.

    The 3-year-old son of Tapit raced once as a 2-year-old, finishing fourth after a slow start in a seven-furlong maiden race at Saratoga Sept. 2. In his 3-year-old debut March 3 at Gulfstream, he overcame the No. 11 post position to capture a 1 1/16-mile maiden test. He came right back to finish second in the Florida Derby, three lengths behind victorious Audible and 7 ¾ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Mississippi.

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Rainbow 6 Nears $400,000 Again
Thursday, April 19, 2018
  ...
 

 

  HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot grew to $377,314.63 for today's’s program at Gulfstream Park when the multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday for the ninth straight racing day.

    Multiple tickets with all six winners were worth $14,437.32.

    First-race post time for today's’s 10-race card is set for 1:10 p.m.

    FRENCHIE'S BACK - The tale of Kathy Taylor's rescue of 23 horses from the failing Eddie Martin Stable South eight years ago, and the nine she brought back to her small farm and rejuvenated, has been documented often. One of the results of that rescue, the gelding French Quarter, is now seven and still very much in action.

    Kathy bred the emaciated rescued French mare Cent Nouvelles to Shakespeare and eventually sold French Quarter privately for $9,000. He has since been a source of great pride, originally racing for trainer John Mattine in Canada and at Gulfstream Park, and now in the barn of Domino Enterprises with trainer David Fawkes, who has seen him become stakes-placed on several occasions. 

    French Quarter recently took a much-needed vacation and returned to finish sixth on the grass in his first try. But that's no surprise as grass has not been kind to him and this was no doubt a tightener. He's back at Gulfstream tomorrow in the eighth race, a $62,500 allowance optional claimer at six furlongs with Edgard Zayas aboard. Frenchie has earned a bit more than $300,000 and still appears to be fit and ready. He's 6-1 in the morning line in a field of six. 

 

 

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Bernies Blog
Valkyrie Gold Wins First 2-Year-Old Race
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Daughter of Exclusive Quality . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Todd Pletcher-trained Valkyrie Gold stamped herself as a strong prospect for the 2018 Florida Sire Stakes series Thursday at Gulfstream Park while capturing the first race of the year for 2-year-olds.

    The daughter of Florida stallion Exclusive Quality broke alertly under Tyler Gaffalione to press the pace set by Nancysaidso through fractions of 21.93 seconds and 45.50 before launching a late drive to prevail by three-quarters of a length. Kenneth English and Alan Braun’s homebred filly ran 4 ½ furlongs in a solid :51.79 seconds as the even-money favorite.

    “In these type of races you need to break well and she did that and got away good. I thought she was very professional,” Pletcher said. He said the primary goal for Valkyrie Gold is the Florida Sire Stakes series that gets under way with the $100,000 Desert Vixen Aug. 4.

    “We’ll leave her down here and point to those races,” Pletcher said.

    Nancysaidso held on for second, well clear of Cookie Dough.

Jackpot Swells

    The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot rose to $229,955 for Friday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park when the multi-race wager went unsolved for the sixth straight racing day. Multiple tickets with all six winners were worth $3,481.10.

 

 

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Oldsmar Competitors Heading for Louisville
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Includes Quip, Tampa Bay Derby winner . . .

 

 

 

 

    OLDSMAR - Tampa Bay Downs will celebrate the world’s greatest horse race on Saturday, May 5, simulcasting the 144th edition of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve from Churchill Downs in Louisville. At least four horses that have competed in Oldsmar this year are expected to be part of the likely 20-horse field.

    That quartet includes Saturday’s Gr. II Wood Memorial Stakes presented by NYRA Bets winner, Vino Rosso, who won an allowance/optional claiming race here on Dec. 22, then finished third in the Gr. III Sam F. Davis Stakes and fourth in the Gr. II Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby.

    Also, Gr. II Toyota Blue Grass runner-up Flameaway, who won the Sam F. Davis Stakes and finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby; Tampa Bay Derby winner Quip, expected to start in Saturday’s Gr. I Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park; and unbeaten Magnum Moon, who won the Gr. II Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn after capturing an allowance/optional claiming race here on Feb. 15 and is also expected to try the Arkansas Derby.

    Vino Rosso and Magnum Moon are trained by Todd Pletcher, whose two Kentucky Derby victories have been with horses that competed at Tampa Bay Downs: Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming last year.

    Mark Casse trains Flameaway and Rodolphe Brisset conditions Quip.

    In addition to the festivities surrounding the Run for the Roses, Tampa Bay Downs will present two new stakes on the first Saturday in May, both valued at $100,000: the FTBOA Silver Charm Florida Sire Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings and the FTBOA Ivanavinalot Florida Sire Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

    Both races are for FTBOA-registered Florida-bred horses sired by FTBOA-registered stallions which are FSS-eligible and will be contested on the main track at a distance of a mile and 40 yards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Bernies Blog
Servis Notches Win No. 1,000; 2-Year-Olds to Debut
Monday, April 9, 2018
First juvenile race on Thursday . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Trainer Jason Servis notched his 1,000th career victory Sunday at Gulfstream Park, reaching the milestone with Meant Tobe Mine in the ninth race.

    The 61-year-old native of Charles Town, WV, was not present to witness Meant Tobe Mine’s win, but he has been a frequent visitor to winners' circles since the day in March 2002 that he saddled his first winner (Hattab Be You) at Aqueduct. The brother of trainer John Servis has scored at a 23-percent win rate from 4,273 starters.

    Meant Tobe Mine, the 2-5-favorite ridden by Nik Juarez, sped five furlongs on the grass in :56.07 seconds to win the optional claiming allowance by 10 ½ lengths. Meant Tobe Mine was the second winner for the Spring/Summer Meet for Servis, who won at a 34-percent clip during the Championship Meet by scoring with 18 of 53 starters.

Rainbow 6 Carryover Jackpot Grows 

    The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot rose to $185,512 for Thursday’s nine-race program when the multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday for the fifth straight racing day.

    Multiple tickets with all six winners were worth $1,796.28.

    Thursday’s six-race Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 4-9, anchored by the Spring/Summer Meet’s first race for 2-year-olds. A field of 10 juvenile fillies (and two also-eligible entrants) will debut at 4 ½ furlongs.

    There are seven Florida-breds in the field, along with two Kentucky-breds and one Pennsylvania-bred. The Florida-breds are by Brethren, Cajun Breeze, Rattlesnake Bridge, Exclusive Quality, Factum, Concord Point and Global Response. 

 

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Rainbow Climbing Again; Juarez Has Hot Hand
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Nik rides three more winners . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot climbed to $148,704 for Sunday’s 10-race program at Gulfstream Park when the multi-race wager went unsolved for the fourth straight racing day Saturday. Multiple tickets with all six winners were worth $12,548.40.

    Today'y’s six-race Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 5-10. First-race post time is set for 1 p.m.

Juarez Off to Flying Start 

    Nik Juarez rode three winners on Saturday’s program, continuing his fast start for the Spring/Summer Meet with his third-straight multi-win day.

    Riding full time for this first time during the Spring/Summer Meet, the 24-year-old Maryland native scored aboard Cosita Rica ($7.20) in the first race, Our Sarge ($8.60) in the fifth race and May Ty One On in the sixth race.

    The leading rider at Monmouth Park last year, Juarez finds himself at the top of the rider standings at Gulfstream after winning two races the first two days of the Spring/Summer Meet before adding three more Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 




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Bernies Blog
Chilean Champ Gets First U. S. Victory
Monday, April 2, 2018
Next Gulfstream meeting begins Thursday . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Super Super Stable’s Hidden to Win ($14.20) was a hard-fought front-running winner of Sunday’s second race at Gulfstream Park to give Chilean champion jockey Jaime Medina his first victory in the United States.

    A 6-year-old Ontario-bred mare, Hidden to Win dueled for the lead with Indian Chaser through fractions of 24.32 and 47.35 seconds before putting that rival away after six furlongs in 1:12.12, then held off a late bid from Beautyofaday to win in 1:38.93 for one mile over a fast main track.

    It was the third mount in the U.S. for Medina, 30, who finished off the board in two starts March 29 at Gulfstream. He spent the weekend in South Florida to get a feel for American racing before returning to Chile today.

    According to Medina, he has ridden in Chile for 12 years with more than 2,200 wins. He earned his 2,000th victory on July 31, 2016 and rode the winner of the 2011 El Derby (G1) at Valparaiso Sporting Club.

    LIVE RACING RETURNS THURSDAY

    Gulfstream Park will host an eight-race program Thursday, April 5 to kick off a 110-day spring-summer meet that runs through Sunday, Sept. 30. First race post time Thursday is 1 p.m. The spring-summer schedule includes 34 stakes worth $4.175 million in purses highlighted by the Summit of Speed Saturday, June 30 and FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series Aug. 4, Sept. 1 and 29.

    Live racing will be conducted primarily Thursday through Sunday with special programs Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day); Wednesday, June 6; Wednesday, July 4 (Independence Day); Wednesday, Aug. 22 and Monday, Sept. 3 (Labor Day).

    WHO'S HOT: Jockey Tyler Gaffalione closed the Championship Meet with three winners, aboard Asked and Answered ($4.40) in the third race, O.K. Kay ($5) in the sixth and Nikki’s Cause ($9.80) in the ninth. Leader Luis Saez won with Disruptor ($8.20) in the fifth and Bow Tie Affair ($5.40), bringing his record total to 137 for the meet. Nik Juarez also had a riding double with Forty Fathoms ($5.60) in the seventh and Heading Home ($11.80) in the 12th.

    Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and trainer Todd Pletcher, who joined forces to win the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby Saturday with Audible, teamed up for back-to-back wins with Slot ($3) in the 10th race and Bold Daddy ($5.60) in the 11th. Pletcher claimed his 15th consecutive training title with 69 wins.

 

Rainbow 6 Carryover:$43,972.44

 

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Gulfstream Crushes Handle and Derby Day Records
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Wagering surpasses $49 million . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Gulfstream Park’s 67th running of the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby, won by Audible by three lengths, generated a record total handle of $49,909,070.

    The previous record for the highest single-day handle at Gulfstream excluding Breeders’ Cup came earlier this year on Pegasus World Cup Day when Horse of the Year Gun Runner won and fans wagered $41.9 million. Saturday’s handle was also a Florida Derby Day record, eclipsing the record in 2017 of $32.082 million.

    Saturday’s handle, up 63.03 percent over last year’s Derby Day handle, was helped by a mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 that generated a North American record $16,583,425 in new money and a total Pick 6 handle of $21.336 million. That eclipsed both records set Jan. 28 at Gulfstream when a total Pick 6 handle of $19.779 million was paid out and $15.788 million of new money was wagered.

    Audible’s victory was a record fifth Florida Derby for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez. They won last year’s Florida Derby with eventual Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.

    The Rainbow 6 paid $9,018 to a slew of winners, who all might have used the same modus operandi to forge their tickets. That is, just include all of Gulfstream's top riders in each race.

    Here is the winning sequence, with the prices and riders for each winner:

Race 9 - Outback Bob - $31.60, Jose Ortiz.

Race 10 - Outplay - $6, John Velazquez.

Race 11 - Lull - $8.60, Jose Ortiz.

Race 12 - Coach Rocks - $7.60, Luis Saez.

Race 13 - Hi Happy - $6.80, Luis Saez.

Race 14 - Audible - $5.20, John Velazquez.  


 

 

 




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Bernies Blog
Record Pick 6 Pool Expected at Gulfstream Saturday
Friday, March 30, 2018
Carryover stands at more than $4.7 million . . .

    HALLANDALE BEACH, FL - A mandatory Rainbow 6 payout with the potential to yield a life-changing payoff will be held on Saturday’s Florida Derby Day program at Gulfstream Park.

    The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot grew to $4,753,154 today, when the multi-race wager went unsolved for the 43rd consecutive racing day. The total pool is expected to approach $20 million Saturday due to the promise of producing a big-money score through a mandatory payout.

    First-race post time is set for 11:30 a.m. Silks simulcast facility will be open at 8 a.m. for wagering on the Dubai World Cup program.

    Guaranteed multi-race pools will also be offered for the Late Pick 4 ($750,000) and the Late Pick 5 ($500,000). The Late Pick 4 will span Races 11-14, while the Late Pick 5 will cover Races 10-14.

    Saturday’s six-race Rainbow 6 sequence (Races 9-14) will be anchored by the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1), featuring a showdown between Holy Bull (G2) winner Audible and Fountain of Youth victor Promises Fulfilled in a nine-horse field that will also include highly regarded graded-stakes winners Catholic Boy and Strike Power. 

    The record Rainbow 6 payoff was $6.6 million won by Palm Beach bettor Daniel Borislow on May 25, 2014, the day before a scheduled mandatory payout.

    A total of $641,888 was wagered into the Rainbow 6 today, adding to a carryover of $4,599,159.48 from Thursday’s program. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $13,714.56.

 

 

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Audible 9/5 for Florida Derby
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Colt romped in Holy Bull . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – After scoring a resounding triumph in the Feb. 3 Holy Bull, Audible will seek to make even more noise on the Triple Crown trail Saturday in the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.

    Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains 2018, the 9-5 morning-line favorite will be on a quest to give trainer Todd Pletcher his fifth career success in the 1 1/8-mile Triple Crown prep that will headline a card with seven stakes (five graded) worth $2.4 million in purses.

    Pletcher, who has clinched his 15th consecutive Championship Meet training title, saddled Always Dreaming for a dominating five-length victory in last year’s Florida Derby that was followed by a 2 ¾-length score in the Kentucky Derby, which was won the previous year by Doug O’Neill-trained Florida Derby winner Nyquist.

    The Florida Derby has produced the winners of 59 Triple Crown events from 44 starters in the 66 runnings of Gulfstream’s signature race for 3-year-olds.

    The Florida Derby, which drew a field of nine 3-year-olds, will take on even more significance for handicappers and bettors in search of a life-changing score Saturday, when the 67th running of the historic Triple Crown prep is included in the six-race sequence (Races 9-14) for the Rainbow 6. A mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot pool, which currently stands at $4.4 million, is scheduled for Saturday, and if Gulfstream’s innovative wager continues to go unsolved today and Friday, the total pool is expected to approach $20 million.

    Guaranteed pools of $750,000 for the Late Pick 4 (Races 11-14) and $500,000 for the Late Pick 5 (Races 10-14) have also been scheduled.

    John Velazquez, who rode Audible for a victory in a New York-bred maiden race at Aqueduct in November, replaces Javier Castellano aboard the Holy Bull winner, who drew Post Position No. 8.

    There is no lack of speed for Audible to stalk early in the Florida Derby field, especially with the presence of Promised Fulfilled, who captured the March 3 Fountain of Youth with a dominating front-running performance. Trained by Dale Romans for Robert Baron, the son of Shackleford scored by 2 ¼ lengths over previously undefeated Strike Power and 4 ½ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Good Magic, the 2017 juvenile Eclipse Award winner.

    Promises Fulfilled has set the pace in each of his four lifetime starts, including back-to-back victories to launch his career and a third-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs last year. Robby Albarado, who was aboard for his first two career wins, returns to the saddle on the Kentucky-bred colt, who has been rated second in the morning line at 3-1 after drawing post position No. 4.

    Romans is also scheduled to saddle Storm Runner after a disastrous trip in the Fountain of Youth, in which he finished seventh. Tyler Gaffalione has been named to ride the son of Get Stormy who previously won an optional claiming allowance race at Gulfstream Feb. 4. Storm Runner, rated at 20-1, drew post No. 5.

    Courtlandt Farm’s Strike Power is another entrant who is likely to ensure a lively pace. The son of Speightstown debuted Dec. 23 with a spectacular eighth-length score at Gulfstream, recording a rare 100-plus debut Beyer Speed Figure while setting the pace in the 5 ½-furlong maiden test. The Mark Hennig-trained-colt came right back to win the seven-furlong Swale in front-running fashion Feb. 3.

    Strike Power failed to get the lead in the Fountain of Youth, in which he chased Promises Fulfilled to the wire but finished 2 ¼ lengths ahead of heavily favored Good Magic. Strike Power was rated at 4-1 in the morning line after drawing the No. 1 Post Position. Luis Saez, who clinched his second straight Championship Meet title, has the return mount aboard Strike Power.

    Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables and Siena Farm’s Catholic Boy would be a likely beneficiary should a hotly-contested early pace develop. The stretch-running son of More Than Ready has excelled on both turf and dirt while doing his best running late. After breaking his maiden at Gulfstream Park in July and winning the With Anticipation at Saratoga in August, the Jonathan Thomas-trained colt finished a troubled fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He closed out his 2-year-old campaign with a dominating 4 ¾-length triumph in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen at Aqueduct in his first start on dirt.

    Catholic Boy finished second, a half-length behind front-running Flameaway, in the Feb. 10 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs in his 3-year-old debut. Irad Ortiz Jr. is set to ride Catholic Boy, rated third at 7-2 in the morning line after drawing post No. 6 for the first time Saturday.

    Mississippi is scheduled to make his stakes debut in the Florida Derby after being nosed ut by Storm Runner in a Feb. 4 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream. In his previous start, the son of Pioneerof the Nile finished second in a Feb. 4 optional claiming allowance, three-quarters of a length behind Noble Indy, who went on to capture last Saturday’s Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.

    The Mark Casse-trained colt, who will be ridden by Julien Leparoux from post No. 9, was a Fasig Tipton March sale at Gulfstream last year for $700,000 by John Oxley, M.V. Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Michael Jooste.

    Juddmonte Farms’ Hofburg, a son of Tapit who broke his maiden in front-running fashion in his 2018 debut for trainer Bill Mott at Gulfstream March 3; Arindel’s Tip Sheet, who finished sixth in the Holy Bull after a wide trip; and Thoroughbred Champions Training Center’s Millionaire Runner round out the field.

 

 

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Countdown to Florida Cup XVI
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Six races worth $100,000 each . . .

   OLDSMAR – While their value to handicappers is arguable, the following fun facts about Florida Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs are certain to add to racing fans’ enjoyment of Sunday’s 16thannual celebration of the state’s breeding and racing industries.

    Sunday’s Florida Cup action begins with the second race, the Horse Races NOW Sprint. The 7th-through-11th races, all Florida Cup events, comprise an all-stakes Pick-5 wager, with a beckoning 15-percent takeout.

    Those races, in order, are the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies; the EG Vodka Turf Classic; the DRF Bets Sophomore Turf; the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore; and the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf.

    Here are a few Florida Cup tidbits:

·   Glen Hill Farm, the Ocala breeding and racing showcase started in 1966 by the late Leonard Lavin, leads all owners with eight Florida Cup victories. Glen Hill also leads the breeders’ list with seven triumphs (2011 Sophomore Turf winner Extensive was bred by Lavin’s grandson, Glen Hill President Craig Bernick).

    Tom Proctor, who followed in the footsteps of his late father Willard Proctor as a Glen Hill trainer, leads the Florida Cup trainer standings with eight victories. Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott and Eddie Plesa Jr. are next with six.

   The longest-priced winner in Florida Cup history occurred in the first year, 2003, when Robert M. Dubois’ Mychampion won the Sophomore Colts & Geldings and paid $126.40.

    The 4-year-old filly It’s Me Mom established the track’s current 6-furlong record of 1:08.67 in winning the 2012 Sprint while defeating males.

    Two-time Florida Cup winners include World Approval (2017 Turf Classic, 2015 Sophomore Turf); Old Time Hockey (2014 and 2015 Turf Classic); Hooh Why (2012 and 2013 Distaff Turf); Sneaking Uponyou (2011 and 2014 Sprint); and Nightmare Affair (2005 and 2006 Sprint).

    Six-time Oldsmar champion Daniel Centeno is atop the jockeys’ list with eight victories, including three in the Sophomore Turf.

    The biggest margin of victory was achieved by Repenting, who won the 2008 Sophomore by 10 ½ lengths.

    You know why they call it the Florida Cup? Well, there’s another reason: It has been conducted all 15 years on a fast main track and all but one year on a firm turf course.

    The first-ever Florida Cup race, the 2003 Sophomore Fillies, was won by Just Bill Me. Bred and owned by Denis A. Dwyer and John Reynolds and trained by Enrique Alonso, she was ridden by Rosemary Homeister Jr.

    Breeder-owner Peter Vegso, the publisher of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, has won the Turf Classic three times – with Silver Tree (2006), Go Between (2007) and Go Around (2016).




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Madison's Luna Shines in Gr. III Hutcheson
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Tapit colt is 2-for-2 . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – Rigney Racing’s Madison’s Luna conceded considerable experience Saturday at Gulfstream Park while making his stakes debut in only his second lifetime start, but the 3-year-old son of Tapit possessed more than enough class and talent to run away from his five rivals to capture the $100,000, Gr. III Hutcheson.

    Madison’s Luna ($11), an impressive debut winner at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 10, romped to victory by five lengths while running six furlongs in 1:10.45 to give trainer Philip Bauer his first victory at Gulfstream Park.

    “It was ambitious but we thought it was worth a try,” Bauer said.

    Madison’s Luna broke well from the starting gate to stalk the early pace while saving ground along the backstretch before being eased to the outside by jockey Julien Leparoux approaching the far turn. The Kentucky-bred colt advanced three wide to pull alongside dueling pacesetters Belle Tapisserie and Tricks to Doo on the turn into the homestretch before drawing off to win the 64thrunning of the Hutcheson comfortably.

    Bauer said he will point Madison’s Luna toward the Pat Day Mile (G3), a one-turn mile at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 5. “I think he’ll stretch out. We saw how he can relax behind horses,” Bauer said. “He does everything the right way, especially for a Tapit – sometimes they can be temperamental.”

    Madison’s Luna was purchased for $400,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September Sale.

    Soutache, who was making his first start since winning the $400,000 Florida Sire Stakes In Reality at Gulfstream Park Sept. 30, closed from off the pace to finish second under Tyler Gaffalione. Tricks to Doo held on for third under Irad Ortiz.

 

 

 

 


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Bernies Blog
Rainbow Closes in on $4.3 Million
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Saez closes in on victories record . . .

 

    HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot for Sunday’s program at Gulfstream Park swelled to $4,287,715 when the multi-race wager went unsolved today for the 40th consecutive racing day. The Rainbow 6 was last hit Jan. 28.

    A total of $751,729 was wagered into the Rainbow 6, adding to a carryover of $4,107,364 from Friday’s program. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $35,126.72.

    WHO'S Hot: Irad Ortiz Jr. enjoyed his fourth straight multi-win day, making three visits to the winner’s circle with Samurai’sfirstlady ($2.10) in Race 5, Imprimis ($4.20) in Race 9, and Break the Rules ($19.40) in Race 10.

    Jockey Luis Saez added two more wins to his meet-leading total with back-to-back victories aboard Elevenses ($2.20) in race 6 and Zefiro ($4.20) in race 7. The defending Championship Meet titlist has ridden 122 winners, 10 shy of Javier Castellano’s 2013-2014 record.

 

 

 

 

 

Saez closes in on victories record . . . 
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Bernies Blog
Rainbow Jackpot Nearing $4 Million
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
No single winner for 36 days . . .


    HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot for Wednesday’s program at Gulfstream Park grew to $3,792,365 when the multi-race wager went unsolved Sunday for the 36th consecutive racing day. 

    A total of $716,415 was wagered into the pool Sunday, adding to a carryover of $3,620,485 from Saturday’s program. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $5,511.98.

 DERBY PREP NEXT FOR KING ZACHARY 

    Trainer Dale Romans plans to run King Zachary next in a Kentucky Derby prep following the 3-year-old son of Curlin’s 7 ¾-length maiden-breaking romp in Sunday’s fifth race.

    King Zachary graduated in his third lifetime start while making his first start around two turns in the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight test. The Kentucky-bred colt stalked pacesetting stablemate New Legend around the first turn and along the backstretch before taking over the lead on the turn into the stretch. The 4-5 favorite drew away from his five rivals to complete the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.19 under jockey Robby Albarado.

    “He’s the real deal here. He’ll come back in one of the preps,” said Romans, who already has plans to run Fountain of Youth winner Promises Fulfilled and Storm Runner in the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby on March 31. “We have one chance to get some points. We’ll sit down and figure out where to go.”

    King Zachary, who was purchased for $550,000 by Thomas Conway at the 2016 Keeneland September sale, had previously run twice, both times finishing third in seven-furlong races.

    WHO'S HOT: Jockey Nik Juarez guided four horses into the Gulfstream winner’s circle Sunday, scoring aboard Arch Legacy ($13) in race 3, Inside Trip ($4.60) in race 6, Liquid Aloha ($6) in race 8, and Mean Tobe Mine ($4.40) in race 12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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OBS Sale Grosses More Than $42.5 Million
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Colt and filly bring $775,000 on Wednesday . . .

    A Strong Mandate colt and filly by Uncle Mo each brought $775,000 to top the second and final session of the 2018 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

    Carolyn Wilson (Bay Tree Farm) purchased Hip No. 447, a son of Strong Mandate consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent. The bay colt, whose eighth in :9 4/5 was co-fastest at the distance at Saturday’s Under Tack session, is out of Magestic Stinger, by Majestic Warrior, a half sister to stakes winner Tiz Blessed.

    Hip No. 459, a daughter of Uncle Mo consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, also brought $775,000, going to the team of Solis / Litt. The bay filly, who breezed a quarter in :21 2/5 on Saturday, is a half sister to graded stakes winner Southern Honey, out of Mama Tia, by Carson City.

   Hip No. 439, a daughter of Quality Road consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, was sold for $750,000 to White Birch Farm, Inc. The dark bay or brown filly, who turned in an Under Tack quarter on Saturday in :20 4/5, is out of Love This Kitty, by Not For Love, a three quarter sister to grade one stakes winner Hootenanny.

   Hip No. 479, a bay colt by Real Solution consigned by Hoppel’s Horse & Cattle Co., Inc., Agent, was sold to Mark Casse, Agent, for $675,000. A half brother to graded stakes winning OBS graduate Noble Beauty out of Money Huntress, by Mineshaft, he worked an Under Tack quarter in :21 2/5 on Saturday.

   Hip No. 289, a son of Awesome Again consigned by Bobby Dodd, Agent, was purchased by Live Oak Plantation for $650,000. The chestnut colt, whose eighth in 9: 4/5 was co-fastest at the distance at Friday’s Under Tack Session, is a half brother to both champion Essence Hit Man and newly stakes placed Eight Town, out of graded stakes winner El Prado Essence, by El Prado (IRE).

   Hip No. 420, a daughter of More Than Ready consigned by Ocala Stud, Agent, was sold to Phoenix Thoroughbreds III for $625,000. The dark bay or brown filly, who breezed a quarter on Saturday in :20 3/5, is out of graded stakes placed La Song, by Unbridled’s Song.

Hip No. 460, a son of Malibu Moon consigned by King’s Equine, Agent, was sold to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Repole Stable for $500,000. The dark bay or brown colt, who worked an Under Tack eighth in :10 flat on Saturday, is out of  graded stakes winner Mamma Kimbo, by Discreet Cat, and is a half brother to stakes winning OBS graduate Balandeen.

   For the session, 126 horses sold for a total of $21,980,000, compared with 153 horses bringing $29,743,500 at last year’s second session. The average price was $174,444, compared with $194,402 last year while the median price was $120,000 compared with $87,500 in 2017. The buyback percentage was 29.2%; it was 25.7% a year ago.

   For the entire sale, 254 horses sold for $42,592,000 compared with 301 bringing a March sale record gross $56,510,000 last year.  The average price was $167,685 compared with last year’s sale record $187,741 while the median price was $110,000, the highest for the expanded format March Sale; it was compared with $95,000 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 30%; it was 27.3% in 2017.

   The sale topper was Hip No. 141, a daughter of Scat Daddy consigned by Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent, was sold to Phoenix Thoroughbreds III for $875,000. The dark bay or brown filly, whose eighth in :9 4/5 was co-fastest at the distance at Thursday’s Under Tack session, is a half sister to graded stakes winner Sharp Sensation, out of Accusation, by Royal Academy.



 




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    Bernies Blog
    Rookie Trainer Wins Tampa Bay Derby With Quip
    Monday, March 12, 2018
    Tampa sets handle record . . .
     OLDSMAR – Rodolphe Brisset has been training on his own for less than a year. And although he built a strong foundation working under Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott, winning a race such as the Gr. II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby is basically uncharted territory.

        “We won a lot of big races with the Mott team, and you learn how to handle the feeling,” Brisset said after his 3-year-old colt Quip sprang a major upset in the 38th edition of the Tampa Bay Downs showcase. “But maybe it’s a little sweeter because it’s my name.”

        The 34-year-old Brisset, a former jockey who rides Quip for most of his workouts, did a good job containing his emotions after Quip’s 1-length victory over Sam F. Davis Stakes winner Flameaway.

        The pace-setter, World of Trouble, held on bravely for third, with Vino Rosso a non-threatening fourth in the nine-horse field.

       The victory was the third in four starts for the Kentucky-bred son of Distorted Humor-Princess Ash, by Indian Charlie. He paid $40.20 to win after completing the mile-and-a-sixteenth in 1:44.72.

        Ridden by Florent Geroux in all his races, Quip was bred by WinStar Farm and is owned by WinStar in partnership with China Horse Club International and SF Racing. WinStar Farm also won the 2015 Tampa Bay Derby with Carpe Diem in partnership with Stonestreet Stables.

        The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby was the centerpiece of a sterling 12-race Festival Day 38 card that generated a track-record, all-sources handle figure of $14,859,632.98, which was a 21 percent increase over the former record established on Festival Day 2016. Attendance was 10,232.

        In the other graded-stakes action, 6-year-old Fourstar Crook staged a whirlwind rally to win the Gr. II, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes on the turf under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., triumphing by a head over Proctor’s Ledge; and 3-year-old filly Andina Del Sur and jockey Julien Leparoux prevailed in a three-horse photo finish to capture the Gr. III, $200,000 Florida Oaks on the turf.

        Two other stakes were conducted. The classy 6-year-old gelding War Story powered away late to win the $100,000 Challenger Stakes by five-and-three-quarter lengths from Rafting, with Ortiz riding War Story.

        In the $75,000 Columbia Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf, Irish-bred Gidu lived up to his 3-5 favoritism, winning by a length-and-three-quarters over Captivating Moon under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

       Quip was basically ignored in the betting because of his seventh-place performance in last November’s Gr. II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. But he had been training sharply, with Geroux riding him once at Fair Grounds in New Orleans three weeks ago before a subsequent 5-furlong bullet work in 59 4/5. His final move, at Tampa Bay Downs on Monday in 48 seconds flat for a half-mile, set him up perfectly for his Derby effort.

        After stalking World of Trouble through most of the early going, Quip wore down that rival inside the eighth pole, then had enough left to stave off Flameaway’s challenge.

        WinStar President and CEO of Racing Operations Elliott Walden said the victory planted Quip on the Kentucky Derby trail (he earned 50 qualifying points for the victory), but it is too early to speculate on his next start. “We’re going to enjoy this one and go from there,” said Walden after Quip earned first-place money of $210,000.

        In the 35thFlorida Oaks, Andina Del Sur came from near the rear of the 11-horse field and stuck her head in front of runner-up Goodthingstaketime and Altea at the wire to prevail under Leparoux. Winning for the second time in four starts, Andina Del Sur paid $28.20.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

     

     

     


     

     

     


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    Gulfstream Rainbow Carryover Surpasses $3.1 Million
    Monday, March 12, 2018
    Saez is sizzling . . .

          HALLANDALE BEACH – For the 31st consecutive program Sunday at Gulfstream Park, the 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved to push the jackpot carryover to $3,102.399.48 for Wednesday’s  program.

        A total of $641,541 was wagered into the multi-race wager, adding to a carryover of $2,946,550.06 from Saturday’s program. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $30,870.

        WHO'S HOT - Leading jockey Luis Saez notched a four-win day Sunday, connecting with Plein Air ($4) in the fourth and Burton ($3.40) in the seventh before lighting up the tote board with first-time starter Lalibela ($65) in the eighth. The 25-year-old defending Championship Meet titlist came right back in the ninth to win aboard Milbra ($17.80).

     

     

               

     

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    11 Entered in Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby
    Thursday, March 8, 2018
    Purse is $400,000 . . .

     

     

     

     

     

     

    OLDSMAR – Eleven 3-year-olds will attempt to take a major step toward the First Saturday in May Saturday in the Gr. II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, the centerpiece of Festival Day 38 at Tampa Bay Downs.

        The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, which is a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” prep race awarding 50 points to the winner and 20, 10 and 5 points to the next three finishers toward eligibility for the May 5 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, is the 11th race on a 12-race program.

        Post time for the first race is 12:12 p.m. The first 7,500 fans through the gates will receive a beach-style cooler bag with paid admission.

       The 38th edition of the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, a mile-and-a-sixteenth race on the main dirt track, is one of three graded stakes on the program and five stakes overall. Total stakes purse money is $1 million, a Tampa Bay Downs record.

       The Gr. II, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes, a mile-and-an-eighth event on the turf for fillies and mares 4-years-old-and-upward, has drawn a field of 10. It is scheduled as the ninth race.

       Saturday’s other graded stakes is the Gr. III, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, to be run at a distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf. There are 12 horses entered for the Florida Oaks, which is the 10th race.

        Four graded stakes-winners are entered in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, including Gr. I winner Free Drop Billy, who is also entered in the Gr. III Gotham at Aqueduct in New York. Owned by Albaugh Family Stables and trained by Dale Romans, Free Drop Billy won the Gr. I Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity in October at Keeneland.

        The other graded stakes-winning entrants include Gr. II winner Enticed (also entered in the Gotham), from the barn of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin; Untamed Domain, who won the Gr. II Summer Stakes last September at Woodbine on the turf, trained by H. Graham Motion; and Flameaway, a dual Gr. III winner trained by Mark Casse who captured the Gr. III Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 10 at Tampa Bay Downs.

        The Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby has produced two winners of the Kentucky Derby: Street Sense in 2007 and Super Saver (third in the Tampa Bay Derby) in 2010.

        Here is the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby field in post position order, with trainers and jockeys:

        1.Arazi Like Move, Aldana Gonzalez, Scott Spieth; 2. Tiz Mischief, Dale Romans, Joel Rosario; 3. Vino Rosso, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez; 4. Grandpa Knows Best, Kenneth McPeek, Julien Leparoux; 5. Flameaway, Mark Casse, Jose Lezcano; 6. Enticed, Kiaran McLaughlin, Antonio Gallardo; 7. Free Drop Billy, Dale Romans, rider unnamed; 8. World of Trouble, Jason Servis, Irad Ortiz, Jr.; 9. Untamed Domain, H. Graham Motion, Jose Ortiz; 10. Quip, Rodolphe Brisset, Florent Geroux; 11. Caloric, Michelle Winters, rider unnamed.

     Tampa Bay Downs will offer a Festival Pick-5 wager on the five stakes, scheduled as races 7-through-11.




















     

     

     



     

     

     


     

     





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    Rainbow 6 Vaults Past $2.57 million
    Wednesday, March 7, 2018
    Juarez staying in south this summer . . .



        HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot grew to $2,577,533 for Thursday’s program at Gulfstream Park after going unsolved for the 26th straight program today.

        A total of $390,547 was wagered into the pool for the multi-race wager, which offered a $2,483,855 carryover jackpot heading into today’s card. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $1,260.94.

        The wager was last hit Jan. 28, when the mandatory payout of a North American record $19.779 million pool produced multiple winning tickets worth $15,566.

       JUAREZ PLANS TO STAY AT GULFSTREAM

       Jockey Nik Juarez and agent Jay Rushing are making plans to be based at Gulfstream Park during the spring and summer meets for the first time. The 24-year-old Maryland native, who has ridden 29 winners during the Championship Meet, has been based at Monmouth Park during the past few years during the spring and summer months. Last year, he won the riding title with 75 winners at the New Jersey racetrack, where he finished second in 2016 with 69 winners.

        “I think there is more opportunity to ride here with more racing days in the week, as opposed to Monmouth, where in May and June there will only be two days a week. July they go to three. August they go to four, but they’re done by Sept. 9,” Juarez said. “It took a lot for me and my agent Jay Rushing to consider, but being down here with more racing days a week and the more money they’re going to have here, I think it will be a more stable location with year-round racing.”

        Juarez, who has a house in South Florida, said he put on 37,000 miles on his car last year from driving to other Mid-Atlantic and New York tracks on Monmouth’s dark days.


     


     


     

     

     



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    Bernies Blog
    Florida Cup Gains New Sponsors
    Wednesday, March 7, 2018
    Horse Races NOW and Drf.bets join . . .

     

     

     

     

     

    OLDSMAR – Tampa Bay Downs has reached agreements with Horse Races NOW and DRF Bets to be title sponsors of Florida Cup Day races, giving the 16th annual event on Sunday, March 25 a full complement of six title sponsors. Each of the races for registered Florida-breds offers purse money of $100,000.

        The Horse Races NOW Sprint is for 4-years-old-and-upward at a distance of 6 furlongs on the main track. The DRF Bets Sophomore Turf is for 3-year-olds at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf course.

        Horse Races NOW is a mobile application that provides live racing and video replays, as well as comprehensive news and data, for horse racing enthusiasts. Fans can customize the app to follow their favorite horses, tracks, jockeys and trainers.

        DRF Bets is a service which allows DRF.com members to wager at DRF.com using the XpressBet wagering platform. Account holders can watch and wager on an extensive menu of thoroughbred, harness and Quarter Horse races online and by phone.

        The other Florida Cup races are the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore, for 3-year-olds going 7 furlongs on the main track; the Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies, for 3-year-old fillies at 7 furlongs on the main; the Pleasant Acres Stallions Distaff Turf, for fillies and mares 3-years-old-and-upward at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf; and the EG Vodka Turf Classic, for 4-years-old-and-upward at a mile-and-an-eighth on the turf.

        

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     



     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Promises Fulfilled Upsets Fountain of Youth
    Sunday, March 4, 2018
    Earns 50 Kentucky Derby points . . .

      HALLANDALE BEACH – Robert Baron’s Promises Fulfilled demonstrated promise for the spring classics Saturday at Gulfstream Park, registering a dominating front-running victory in the $400,000, Gr. II Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth and upsetting Eclipse Award-winner Good Magic in the process.

        The 72nd running of the Fountain of Youth, a 1 1/16-mile prep for the $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby on March 31, headlined a 14-race program that offered nine stakes, including eight graded stakes, worth $1.5 million in purses.

        Promises Fulfilled, an 18-1 shot ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points with his 2 ¼-length triumph to clinch a spot in the field for the first leg of the Triple Crown at Churchill Downs May 5.

        The Dale Romans-trained son of Shackleford broke alertly from his outside post position to grab the early lead on the first turn, chased by Strike Power, the 7-2 second choice in the field of nine 3-year-olds. He was stalked by Good Magic, the 3-5 favorite making his first start since capturing the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar last November.

        Promises Fulfilled set fractions of :23.80 and :48.39 for the half mile as he showed the way along the backstretch, challenged briefly by Storm Runner, a stablemate in the Romans Stable who dropped out of contention soon after. The pacesetter was challenged on the outside by Strike Power on the turn into the homestretch but kicked away to win by a comfortable margin.

       Romans had entered three horses in the Fountain of Youth but scratched Free Drop Billy Saturday morning while opting to run the Gr. 1 stakes-winner in the Gr. III Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct next Saturday. Promises Fulfilled, who won his first two races before finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last year, proved up to the task of getting his trainer to the winner’s circle while making his 2018 debut.

        Strike Power, who won his debut and the Gr. III Swale Stakes, tasted defeated for the first time while finishing 2 ¼ lengths clear of Good Magic, who finished two lengths clear of Machismo after racing evenly.

        Promises Fulfillied ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.17 while stamping himself as a strong contender for the Florida Derby, which has been won the past two years by Always Dreaming and Nyquist, who both went on the win the Kentucky Derby.

       “If a horse runs good here, you keep them here,” Romans said.

        BIG DAY AT THE WINDOWS - Saturday's handle produced a Fountain of Youth day record of $28,541,305, up 6.92% from last year's previous record of $26,693,000. 



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    Bernies Blog
    Still Going!
    Thursday, March 1, 2018
    Rainbow Pick 6 nears $1.9 million . . .


        HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot swelled to $1,868.834.90 for today's’s program after going unsolved for the 21st straight program Wednesday at Gulfstream Park.

     A total of $376,040 was wagered into the pool for the multi-race wager, which offered a $1,788,601 carryover jackpot heading into Wednesday’s card. Multiple tickets with all six winners each returned $55,699.92. 

        Today's Rainbow 6 sequence will span Races 6-11, including an optional claiming race that will feature the 2018 debut of multiple Grade 1 stakes-placed Salty in Race 10. The Mark Casse-trained Salty captured the 2017 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) before going on to finish second in the Acorn (G1) and third in both the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Alabama (G1).

     In addition to the burgeoning Rainbow 6 carryover, there will be a Late Pick 5 carryover of $116,249.69 for the five-race sequence that will span Races 7-11. There will also be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $11,881.91.

     

     

     

     


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    Bernies Blog
    Purse Increase of 10 Percent for Gulfstream
    Tuesday, February 27, 2018
    Beginning March 7 . . .

     

        HALLANDALE BEACH – Gulfstream Park will increase overnight purses 10 percent beginning Wednesday, March 7 through the end of the Championship Meet on Sunday, April 1.

        “We’re happy to provide this increase at Gulfstream due to our Championship Meet handle being up approximately 9 percent,” said Gulfstream General Manager Bill Badgett. “We want to extend our appreciation to the fans and horsemen who continue to support our Championship meet and year-round program. The last five weeks of our Championship meet will feature some incredible races including the $400,000 Fountain of Youth, $200,000 Davona Dale and $200,000 Inside Information, and, of course, Florida Derby Day with seven stakes and the $1 million Florida Derby.”

        Proof of the great success of this meeting came over the weekend. The handle for Saturday reached $17,987,509, and for Sunday it was $11,989,707, buoyed by the pools for the ever-soaring Rainbow Pick 6. 

        The 6 wasn't hit either day and the carryover to Wednesday is $1,778,601. Another millionaire will soon be crowned. The pools were $732,685 on Saturday and $578,544 on Sunday. 

     

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Rainbow 6 Still Spiraling; Irad Ortiz Sizzling
    Sunday, February 25, 2018
    Pool surpasses $1.6 million . . .

     

        HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot swelled to $1,639,779.62 for today's 13-race program after going unsolved for the 20th straight program Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

     A total of $732,685 was wagered into the pool for the multi-race wager, which easily topped its $2 million guarantee. Multiple tickets with all six winners Saturday each returned $34,182.

     Today’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 8-13 and includes the $75,000 Melody of Colors Stakes, a five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies, in Race 11.

     

    Irad Ortiz Jr. Wins Four Consecutive Races

     

        Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., spending his first full winter in South Florida, rode the winner of four straight races on Saturday, capped by Economic Model’s triumph in the $100,000 Hal’s Hope (G3). Ortiz began his streak aboard Ousby ($8.60) in the ninth race, and followed with wins on Penalty ($29.80) in the 10th and Uncle B ($4) in the 11th.

         Despite missing the first month of the Championship Meet, Ortiz ranks third in wins (60) and fifth in purses earned ($3,010,691) from 259 mounts. He owns 12 stakes victories, three of them coming on the Clasico Internacional del Caribe program Dec. 9, including the featured Clasico del Caribe.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
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    Rainbow 6 Soars; Casse Nominated to Hall of Fame
    Thursday, February 22, 2018
    10 nominated to Hall . . .

        HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the 18th consecutive program today at Gulfstream Park, producing a carryover jackpot of $1,359,959.93 for Friday’s card. Multiple tickets with six winners were each worth $25,034.42

    Albarado Honored to be Hall of Fame Finalist

        Jockey Robby Albarado, who had a pair of mounts today on his first day of becoming a full-time member of the Gulfstream Park jockey colony for the remainder of the Championship Meet, has been named one of 10 finalists for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.

        Other finalists for the Hall of Fame include jockeys Corey Nakatani and Craig Perret, trainers Mark Casse of Ocala, John Shirreffs and David Whiteley, and horses Havre de Grace, Heavenly Prize, Gio Ponti and Blink Luck. All finalists that receive at least 50.1 percent of the vote will be elected to the Hall of Fame.

        “It’s something very special,” Albarado said. “It’s kind of an almost sacred, special thing. It’s one of those things jockeys want to accomplish.” The 44-year-old native of Lafayette, LA has ridden the winners of 5115 races and $213 million in purses since launching his career in 1990.

        Albarado’s career highlights came aboard Curlin, the two-time Horse of the Year who won the 2007 Preakness (G1) and 2007 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), along with the 2007 and 2008 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) and the 2008 Dubai World Cup (G1). Albarado was also the regular rider of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft.

     

     

     

     

    The $100,000 Hal’s Hope (G3), showcasing the 2018 debut of Irish War Cry in Race 12, will be included the sequences of all three multi-race wagers.

     

    Who’s Hot: Irad Ortiz Jr. rode four winners on Thursday’s card, scoring aboard New Atlas ($3.60) in the first, Mr. Sultana ($5.20) in the third, What Power ($9.60) in the seventh and The Dow ($13.20) in the 11th.

    Rainbow 6 Carryover Jackpot: $1,359,959.93

     


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    Bernies Blog
    Jackpot Still Growing in Rainbow
    Thursday, February 22, 2018
    Today's carryover nearing $1.3 million . . .

        HALLANDALE BEACH – The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the 17th consecutive program Wednesday at Gulfstream Park, producing a carryover jackpot of $1,265,651.66 for today's’s card. Multiple tickets with six winners were each worth $382.08.

        A total of $319,467 was wagered into the Rainbow 6 pool, spurred by a carryover of $1,188,992.55.

        The multi-race wager was last hit Jan. 28, when the mandatory payout of a North American record $19.779 million pool produced multiple winning tickets worth $15,566.

    GUARANTEED POOLS OFFERED 

        Guaranteed pools will be offered Saturday for the Rainbow 6 (Races 8-13), the Late Pick 4 (Races 10-13) and the Late Pick 5 (Races 9-13).

        If the Rainbow 6 continues to go unsolved through Friday, the wager will carry a guaranteed pool of $2 million. The Late Pick 4 will offer a $300,000 guaranteed pool, and the Late Pick 5 will have a $250,000 guaranteed pool.

        The $100,000, Gr. III Hal’s Hope, showcasing the 2018 debut of Irish War Cry in Race 12, will be included in the sequences of all three multi-race wagers.

     

     

     


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    Bernies Blog
    Rainbow 6 Carryover Nears $1.2 Million
    Tuesday, February 20, 2018
    Last hit on Jan. 28 . . .

        HALLANDALE BEACH -  The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the 16th consecutive program Monday at Gulfstream Park, producing a carryover jackpot of $1,188,992.55 for Wednesday’s card. Multiple tickets with six winners were each worth $67,986.40.

        A total of $485,898 was wagered Monday into the Rainbow 6, spurred by a carryover of $1,072,444.40 .

        The multi-race wager was last hit Jan. 28, when the mandatory payout of a North American record $19.779 million pool produced multiple winning tickets worth $15,566.

        MARCONI LIKELY FOR FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH - Marconi, a half-brother to Mucho Macho Man, is a likely candidate for the $400,000, Gr. II Fountain of Youth, trainer Todd Pletcher said Monday.

         “Right now, I think I’m going to run Marconi," Pletcher said. "He had a good work the other day. He seems to have settled in. A mile and a sixteenth might be a little short for him but the race looks like it should have some pace.”

         Marconi was a $2 million purchase at the 2016 Keeneland September sale, and most recently finished third behind Avery Island and Firenze Fire in the 1 1/8-mile, Gr. III Withers at Aqueduct. The son of Tapit, who is owned by Bridlewood Farm, Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor, broke his maiden in a 1 1/8-mile maiden race in his second career start at Aqueduct.


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    Bernies Blog
    X Y Jet Stone's Throw From Millionaire Status
    Tuesday, February 20, 2018
    Son of Kantharos wins $100,000 Pelican . . .
     

        OLDSMAR - X Y Jet was already home free in the $100,000 Pelican Stakes when jockey Emisael Jaramillo tapped the strapping gray 6-year-old gelding with his stick at the 1/8-mile pole.

        “It’s not because the horse was getting tired. This horse wants competition,” said trainer Jorge Navarro after X Y Jet’s 7-length victory over Jaguar Poz in 1:09.17, just .03 seconds off the stakes record. “Once he puts them away, that’s when he gets lazy on us.

        The victory was the ninth in 20 career starts for the Florida-bred son of Kantharos-Soldiersingsblues, by Lost Soldier, who is owned by Rockingham Ranch and Gelfenstein Farm. The winner’s share of $70,000 raised his career earnings to $990,813.

        It also gave X Y Jet a 1-for-2 record at Tampa Bay Downs, where he lost the 2014 Pasco Stakes by a neck to Catalina Red. Most important, the authoritative triumph may have stamped X Y Jet’s ticket to the United Arab Emirates for the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 31. X Y Jet finished second by a neck to Muarrab in that race two years ago.

        X Y Jet paid $2.80 as the heavy favorite in the 34th edition of the Pelican.  He had the crowd buzzing before, during and after the race, speeding to the lead from the outset and blazing the opening quarter in :21.81 seconds and the half in :44.41, almost running his six rivals off their feet.

        X Y Jet had been off for more than a year after undergoing three surgical procedures on his left front knee. He won the Gr. III Mr. Prospector Stakes on Dec. 23 at Gulfstream in his return, then captured the Sunshine Millions Sprint on Jan. 20 by 5 1/2 lengths.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


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    Bernies Blog
    Gulfstream's Rainbow 6 Carryover Surpasses $1 Million
    Monday, February 19, 2018
    Special holiday program today . . .

        HALLANDALE BEACH – Gulfstream Park hosts a special Presidents Day program today highlighted by the $200,000, Gr. II Royal Delta for fillies and mares going one mile and a 20-cent Rainbow 6 carryover of $1,072,444.40.

        The 12-race program begins at noon with the Royal Delta the 11th race on the card.

        There was no single winner in Sunday’s Rainbow 6. Multiple winning tickets returned $1,445.90. There was $431,318 of fresh money wagered into the pool.

         Today's Rainbow 6 sequence begins with the seventh race, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies. The sequence will also include a maiden special weight event for 3-year-old fillies going 5 ½ furlongs and the Royal Delta.

         The popular multi-race wager was last hit Jan. 28, when the mandatory payout of a North American record $19.779 million pool produced multiple winning tickets worth $15,566.

        SHARP IN WILLISTON - Congratulations to Paul Sharp, owner of Willow Creek Ranch in Williston, who broke and trained Monomoy Girl, winner of the Gr. II Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds Saturday. 

        The 3-year-old Tapit filly broke outward, hit the gate, and was settled into seventh (and last) place in the mile and one-sixteenth race. Florent Geroux began to move her up after a half mile and the strangely-named filly proved to be a ton the best, winning by 2 1/2 lengths and adding $120,000 to her spiraling bankroll, which now stands at $256,550. 

        Monomoy Girl is 4-1-0 in five starts, previously winning the Rags to Riches Stakes at Churchill Downs and finishing second in the Gr. II Golden Rod. The $100,000 Keeneland September yearling could be headed for the Ashland at Keeneland prior to the Kentucky Oaks.  

         

     

                

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    Bernies Blog
    Zenyatta's 5-Year-old Still Winless
    Tuesday, February 13, 2018
    Ziconic has tried 12 times . . .

        Zenyatta remains without a winner.

        The great racemare's best runner (out of two), Ziconic, contested a $54,345 maiden race at Santa Anita and finished fourth in a field of six, beaten 6 1/2 lengths. The time for the mile on the grass was a good 1:34.51, so the effort wasn't as bad as it appears. Ziconic did close a big gap along the way; he was 19 lengths behind after a quarter of a mile, and 12 1/2 back at the half.  

        The Kentucky-bred has now started 12 times and compiled a record of 0-2-6. The $3,240 check for fourth raised his earnings to $70,465 for Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs, so, as they say, he's still better than an empty stall.   

        CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR - It certainly doesn't compare to a trainer winning his first race with the first horse he saddles, but Norm Casse can't really complain that his first runner finished second.

        Norm is the son of Ocalan Mark Casse, who has blossomed into one of the best trainers in North America, and the grandson of the late Norman Casse, one of the founders and guiding forces of the Ocala Breeders Sales Co. for more than four decades.  

        Norm has been an assistant to his dad for years, and recently made the big move and went out on his own. His first runner was the 3-year-old maiden filly Rate of Return at Gulfstream Park, and the daughter of Eskendereya was the 4-1 third choice in a 1 1/16th-mile turf race with a claiming price of $50,000 and a purse of $35,000. 

        Julien Leparoux, who is one of his father's go-to riders, was aboard Rate of Return, and she led every step of the way until nearing the wire, where she was passed by 15-1 shot Hazana, with John Velazquez. The runner-up check was worth $6,000, lifting Rate of Return's earnings to $11,900 on a record of 3-0-1-1.

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    Bernies Blog
    World Approval Breaks $3 Million Mark at Tampa
    Monday, February 12, 2018
    Live Oak gelding wins fourth straight . . .
      

    OLDSMAR – World Approval had already established himself as a heavyweight champion before his victory in the Gr. III, $175,000 Tampa Bay Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. But trainer Mark Casse learned  he has a 3-year-old in his barn who can trade punches with some of the best of his age group.

    “He’s a fighter,” Casse said after his 3-year-old colt Flameaway fought back in deep stretch under jockey Jose Lezcano to defeat 7-10 favorite Catholic Boy by a half-length in the Gr. III, $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes, a “Road to the Kentucky Derby” points race. “If you’ve ever watched him, you’ve seen that.

    Flameaway, an Ontario-bred son of Scat Daddy-Vulcan Rose, by Fusaichi Pegasus, completed the mile-and-a-sixteenth on the main track in 1:42.44 to establish a stakes record, .01 seconds faster than McCraken’s winning time last year.

    Flameaway, who improved to 5-for-7 lifetime, is owned by John C. Oxley. He paid $22.60 to win. Vino Rosso rallied for third, three-quarters of a length behind Catholic Boy, with Hollywood Star fourth.

    The Sam F. Davis was the highlight of an outstanding Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South afternoon of action that saw the 2017 Champion Turf Male, 6-year-old World Approval, hold on for a half-length victory over Forge in the Tampa Bay Stakes.

    John Velazquez was aboard the gelding, owner/breeder Charlotte Weber’s pride and joy who has four consecutive victories and could be headed to Dubai for a $6-million race next month. World Approval paid $2.40 to win while racing the mile-and-a-sixteenth on grass in 1:40.66.

    In the Sam F. Davis, Catholic Boy, under jockey Manuel Franco, stuck his head in front at the 1/8-mile pole, but Flameaway dug in on the rail and persevered for the victory.

    Flameaway broke his maiden as a 2-year-old on the all-weather surface at Woodbine, won the Skidmore at Saratoga on a sloppy track, captured the Gr. III Dixiana Bourbon at Keeneland on a sloppy track in a race taken off the turf and won the Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream in his 3-year-old debut on the turf.

    “I told Jose he was going to like this track,” Casse said. “As long as the track is fairly firm, I think he’ll run on anything. I would say there is a good chance (to return for the Gr. II, $400,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on March 10), but it’s something I have to talk to Mr. Oxley about.

    A crowd of 5,147 got what they came to see in World Approval, the Eclipse winner who is now 3-for-3 over the Tampa Bay Downs turf course.

    World Approval improved to 12-2-4 in 25 lifetime starts and the winner’s share of $115,000 raised his career earnings to $3,052,363. He's the biggest money-earner for his dam, Win Approval, who has also produced millionaires Miesque's Approval ($2,648,879), Revved Up ($1,548,653) and Za Approval ($1,904,666). 

    Total all-sources wagering handle was $9,504,283.45, making it the second-highest Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South betting card in track history.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Handicapping the Gulfstream Guaranteed Pools
    Friday, February 9, 2018
    By Nicoletti, Courtney and Blewitt

     

     

        HALLANDALE BEACH – With Gulfstream Park offering guarantees on its Rainbow 6, Late Pick 5 and Late Pick 4 – sequences that include the Gr. I, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Turf and Gr. I, $150,000 Suwannee River - hosts and analysts Ron Nicoletti, Acacia Courtney and Jason Blewitt preview their tickets for Saturday's big day of racing.

     

    Ron Nicoletti on the $750,000 Rainbow 6

    Using three in the opener. ORBED stretches out to a mile and a sixteenth. SLOT will break from an ultra-tough outside post (13) after a solid sophomore debut in which he finished second. HE TAKES CHARGE finished an improved third behind Slot last out.

    I also went three deep in second leg with longshot Admiral’s Cove, dropdown Miles of Humor, and Harlan’s Hunch, for the hot Danny Gargan barn.

    I’m using two horses in the G1 Gulfstream Park Turf. MONEY MULTIPLIER, who won the Monmouth (G2) at the distance, turns back after ending his 2017 campaign with a late-closing fourth in the Red Smith Handicap (G3). Trainer Chad Brown has Javier Castellano looking to sit the ‘trip’ behind the speed, which surely includes HEART TO HEART. The speedy son of English Channel breaks from the rail, and is reunited with jockey Julien Leparoux, after losing his best chance when he reared at the start and was forced to sit behind the pace in the Fort Lauderdale (G2).

    I’m using three horses in the very competitive Suwannee River (G3). DREAM DANCING is stretching out after returning to run second in the mile and a sixteenth Marshua’s River (G3). KITTEN’S ROAR is making her local return after a stellar 2017 campaign in which she was second in the E P Taylor (G1), and won the Goldikova (G2) at Del Mar. ELYSEA’S WORLD is making her local return after a frustrating 2017 campaign in which she amassed a 9-0-4-2 record, including the narrow defeat in the Frankel (G3) at Santa Anita in her last.

    Also using three in in the next leg. With POWER OF ATTORNEY, MOJOVATION, who proved he could handle the turf last out, and CEEVEE, who breaks from the rail with that always-dangerous commodity – speed.

    Only using two in the finale with best bet LAYTHATPISTOLDOWN, and saver CONQUEST SANDMAN.

     

    R7: 6-10-13

    R8: 1-9-12

    R9: 1-5

    R10: 5-8-9

    R11: 1-5-10

    R12: 6-8

    Cost - $64.60 (20-cent wager)

     

    Acacia Courtney on the $300,000 Late Pick 4

     

    The 50 cent Late Pick 4, with a $300,000 guaranteed pool, starts in style with the Gulfstream Park Turf (G1). HEART TO HEART, with four wins at Gulfstream from six starts, is a must-use, but will have to deal with other speed types. As a result, I’ll also use closers MONEY MULTIPLIER and CHANNEL MAKER, both of whom have recently been facing top graded stakes competition.

    The Suwannee River (G3) is next in the sequence, and I wanted coverage here. ULTRA BRAT and DREAM DANCING will renew their rivalry from their last meeting in the Marshua’s River (G3), but I’m very interested in ELYSEA’S WORLD, who has a good record at this track. I’ll also use the classy KITTEN’S ROAR from the outside post.

    I’m using two horses in each of the final legs, with MOJOVATION and POWER OF ATTORNEY in Race 11, both coming out of the Kitten’s Joy, and LAYTHATPISTOLDOWN and CONQUEST SANDMAN in the finale, giving me coverage from top barns and riders to close out the day.

     

    R9: 1-5-8

    R10: 5-6-8-9

    R11: 5-10

    R12: 6-8

    Cost – $24

     

    Jason Blewitt on the $400,000 Lake Pick 5

     

    Love these mega-money guaranteed Late Pick 5s this time of year at Gulfstream Park. Today's sequence is a good one, led by the Gulfstream Park Turf (G1) and Suwannee River (G3).I’m using two to start in race 8, the first-time-tagged Robusto for leading trainer Todd Pletcher and fresh Danny Gargan claim, Harlan’s Hunch.

    Then it’s three-deep in the GP Turf – the second of three Gr. 1s this meet – with Heart to Heart (no shot last time after a disastrous start), Hi Happy (first-time Pletcher) and Money Multiplier. I like Money Multiplier the most and it really is incredible looking at the career he has had for trainer Chad Brown; this is a tough veteran who just goes out there and runs hard.

    Speaking of Chad, I’m using his Elysea’s World in the Suwannee River along with major stakes winners Kitten’s Roar and Dream Dancing. Today's single belongs to Power of Attorney in race 10. I’m giving him one more chance off a narrow seventh-place finish (I’m serious!) in a weirdly run Kitten’s Joy last month.

    And I’ll be lining up at the window to cash (I’ll be happy to save you a spot in line) with Laythatpistoldown and Conquest Sandman in race 12. Best of luck!

     

    R8: 1-10

    R9:1-4-5

    R10:5-8-9

    R11:10

    R12: 6-8

    Cost - $18

     

     

     

     


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    Boyce Takes Another Shot at Endeavour Glory
    Friday, February 9, 2018
    No Tepin in Gr. III race Saturday . . .

     

     

       OLDSMAR – Tampa Bay Downs trainer Michele Boyce says her 7-year-old mare Lovely Loyree will tell her when it’s time to leave the racetrack. Judging by the way she’s acted this winter, that day isn’t coming any time soon.

        The Illinois-bred Lovely Loyree, who breezed 6 furlongs Sunday in 1:15.20 under Daniel Centeno, is one of eight entrants for Saturday's Gr. III, $175,000 Lambholm South Endeavour, which is the ninth race on the Festival Preview Day Presented by Lambholm South card. She will break from the No. 5 post.

        “I just hope I’m not overmatching her,” said Boyce, knowing full well Lovely Loyree will need an outstanding effort to compete against the likes of Group/Grade I winners Dona Bruja and La Coronel. “There are some really nice fillies in there, and I have no prep races in her, which makes me feel as if I might not have her quite as tight as I would like her.”

        On the flip side, Lovely Loyree will enter the starting gate with fresh legs, having last raced at September in Arlington. And Boyce is also buoyed by the outcome the previous times Lovely Loyree raced at Tampa Bay Downs two years ago, when she finished third in both the Lambholm South Endeavour and the Gr. II Hillsborough Stakes, both won by that year’s Eclipse Award-winning Grass Female, Tepin.

        “When you’re on the board against Tepin, it’s a mark of accomplishment,” Boyce said, chuckling at the memory. “She’s as good a racehorse as you’ll see in many a year. “(Lovely Loyree) put in a good effort in those races. I don’t know if she still has that ability, but she’s training well, and I’m very happy with that. I just haven’t had enough opportunity this year to run her.”

        Lovely Loyree, who will be ridden by Centeno, is owned by Boyce’s Cherrywood Racing Stables II in partnership with Marty Nixon’s Feel The Thunder Stable, Margaret Burlingham’s Oak Rock Racing and Terry Biondo. In addition to her two graded-stakes placings here, she has won stakes at Hawthorne, Indiana Grand and Arlington. The daughter of Cactus Ridge prefers to run on or near the lead, and has a lifetime mark of seven victories, four seconds and five thirds from 19 starts, with earnings of $293,948. All but three of her starts have come on turf, where she is 6-for-16 with one out-of-the-money finish.

        Boyce, who has saddled more than 500 winners, won the 2006 Grade III Hawthorne Derby on the turf with Best of Buddies for breeder-owner Barr Three, LLC, also the breeder of Lovely Loyree. She also trained Saint Leon, who raced until age 10 and won three consecutive editions of the Arlington Sprint Stakes from 2012-2014.


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Victories Don't Come Easier Than This
    Thursday, February 8, 2018
    Passion Plus wins 3-horse race . . .

        Nothing negatively affects the handle more than off-the-turf races that produce several scratches with no also-eligibles listed to fill the lost spots. The only beneficiaries are the owners of the runners left in the race, any breeders who might be in line for awards, and pick 3, 4 or 5 bettors who can take an "all" in the race if need be without killing their bankroll.  

        The seventh race at Tampa yesterday was an optional allowance claimer at a mile on the grass, with seven entered. When the race was taken off the turf, only three remained to race a mile and 40 yards on the main track. 

        The winner was Passion Plus, a 3-year-old Florida-bred filly from the first crop of former Pleasant Acres stallion Passion for Gold, a son of Medaglia d'Oro. Manny Cruz settled her into second leaving the gate and after a perfect stalking trip, she just Cruz-ed away in the stretch to win by nearly four lengths. Considering the circumstances, her clocking of 1:42.84 wasn't bad - the track record is 1:39.07. 

        Calvin Johnson is the owner of the filly, who earned a welcomed $13,750 without working up a sweat. Johnson had purchased Passion Plus for a bargain $11,000 at the OBS August yearling sale in 2016 and it has paid off well. The filly broke her maiden at Indiana Grand before shipping to Tampa, and she has now won 3-of-4 races. In the lone off-the-board effort, she finished fourth in the Gasparilla Stakes. She's earned $48,200 and appears headed for better things. 

        Elite Equine and Carol Hershe, who bred Passion Plus, will never earn an easier breeders' award. The filly, by the way, was born on Feb. 8 of 2015.  

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    Firenze Fire Gives Florida a Derby Chance
    Sunday, February 4, 2018
    Withers second gives him 24 points . . .

        It's been 21 years since a Florida-bred won the Kentucky Derby - Silver Charm in 1997. In fact, Florida-breds even entered in the 20-horse fields of the Run for the Roses has become more and more of a rarity every year.

        It's no mystery why: just peruse the pages of the Florida Horse Stallion Register. The number of stallions commanding any kind of price in Florida are as rare as the Derby entrants. 

        Firenze Fire could be the one to reverse the trend. He has, at least, an excellent chance to make the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. The 3-year-old son of Pleasant Acres Stallions Poseidon's Warrior finished second yesterday in the Gr. III Withers at Aqueduct, and the four points he earned raised his total to 24, tied at the top of the list with Good Magic.

        Granted, there are many preps still to be run, but 30 points usually gets a horse into the starting gate. Owner Ron Lombardi expects to enter his colt in the March 10 Gotham at Aqueduct, then the Wood Memorial in April. With his closing ability, Firenze Fire can easily pick up the points needed to accomplish his goal. And that closing ability could get him some piece of the purse in Louisville. Stranger things have happened.  

        Firenze Fire has competed in six stakes during his seven-race career. He's won the Gr. I Champagne, the Gr. III Sanford and the non-graded Jerome, has been second in the Gr. III Withers, fourth in the Gr. I Hopeful, and, in his lone poor effort, seventh in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He's earned $589,100 and could accomplish something unique in Florida - reaching millionaire status for Poseidon's Warrior, a first-crop stallion. It would be a great feather in the cap of Pleasant Acres' owners Joe and Helen Barbazon, who have jumped into the stallion game full force when so many others in Ocala have headed in the other direction.       

      

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    Pegasus World Cup Hits the Jackpot Again
    Tuesday, January 30, 2018
    All handle marks smashed on record weekend . . .

        The only way the Pegasus World Cup Invitational could have produced more of a blockbuster experience was if the old monster grandstand was still intact and the 16,000-plus attendance had been more than 30,000, as it was for the Florida Derby in days gone by.  

        Here are the records that were smashed on this memorable weekend:

        *The combined handle for Saturday and Sunday topped $70 million: the previous record for a two-program handle was $48,792,000, on Florida Derby weekend last year. 

        *Saturday's Pegasus Cup day handle - $41,983,881 - was the largest single-day handle in the track's 79-year-history, excluding Breeders' Cup days:

        Sunday's program produced a handle of $28,079,000, with $15,788,000 wagered on the Rainbow Pick 6. 

        And, of course, anybody who doubted that Gun Runner is a very special horse changed his tune as the champ rolled down the stretch with West Coast straining to stay within hailing distance. 

        The Rainbow 6 didn't produce a multi-millionaire, but everybody who struck for six winners hit for $15,566, not a bad afternoon's pay. 


      

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    Racing's Spotlight Squarely on Gulfstream Park Today
    Saturday, January 27, 2018
        The possibilities are endless today as Gulfstream Park presents one of the premier...

        The possibilities are endless today as Gulfstream Park presents one of the premier programs on the American racing calendar, headlined by the second edition of the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. 

        Aside from the 1 1/8-mile race, featuring a standout 12-horse field including Champion Gun Runner (4/5), Sharp Azteca (6-1), West Coast (8-1) and Collected (8-1), there are seven other major stakes races - the $200,000 La Prevoyante H., $175,000 Ladies Turf Sprint S., $175,000 Fred W. Hooper S., $200,000 William L. McKnight H., $175,000 Hurricane Bertie S., $175,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint S., and $125,000 South Beach S. 

        They all end up with the World Cup, slated for 5:35 p. m. The best riders in the country - Javier Castellano, Joel Rosario, Mike Smith, John Velazquez, Jose and Irad Ortiz, Luis Saez, Florent Geroux, Gary Stevens, Tyler Gaffalione and even Frankie Dettori - are lined up for the program, which promises to attract wagering somewhere in the range of the stratosphere. In the trainers' category are Todd Pletcher, Chad Brown, Dale Romans, Bob Baffert, Steve Asmussen and many more, along with every major stable from Florida to California to New York to Ontario. 

        Not lost in the intrigue is the Rainbow Pick 6. The bet that has produced so many many millionaires since its inception has gone 38 days without being solved by just one winner, and the carryover going into the Pegasus program is $3,620,453. There could be a record amount wagered into it today. On Friday, everyone who picked six winners received $1,502. 

        Adding to that intrigue is the fact that if the Rainbow doesn't get a single winner today, there will be a mandatory payout of the carryover pool on Sunday, which will include an expected bonanza in the Sunday wagering. 

        There isn't likely to be an empty space in any corner of Gulfstream Park today.  

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    Bernies Blog
    World Cup and Rainbow Carryover Make Saturday Delicious
    Tuesday, January 23, 2018
    Gulfstream season reaches its peak . . .

        Excitement is already at a fever pitch for the $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational set for Saturday at Gulfstream Park, and the possibility of a $4 million-or-more carryover in the Rainbow Pick 6 makes it all the more enticing.

        Entries for the World Cup will be taken at 11:30 a. m. tomorrow morning in the Stronach Group VIP Cabana, which was created especially for this event. As Gulfstream's press releases have trumpeted, the inaugural World Cup in 2017 set a new benchmark for entertainment and excitement in thoroughbred racing, featuring the highly-anticipated match-up between Arrogate and California Chrome, with Arrogate taking home the $7 million first prize from the world's richest race, worth "just" $12 million for the inaugural. 

        Despite the appearance of Horse of the Year cinch Gun Runner, stranger things have happened in races with this kind of horsepower. And, with the Rainbow carryover sitting at $3,129,358 for tomorrow's program, Saturday could turn out to be a millionaire's bonanza for a lone winning player, something that has happened often in the past. 

         Gates open at 9 a. m. Saturday and tickets are available at PegasusWorldCup.com. 

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    Bernies Blog
    Has the Real Firenze Fire Emerged Yet?
    Tuesday, January 16, 2018
    He's square on the Derby trail . . .

        Considering his flop in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November, it's hard to get a solid take on Firenze Fire, the Florida-bred colt by Poseidon's Warrior who won the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on Saturday. Was that the real Firenze Fire, or is the real edition the guy who won the Gr. I Champagne and Gr. III Sanford last year and now has three stakes victories and 20 points on the road to Louisville?

        The colt's Jerome score wasn't achieved against killers, but it was accomplished with such professionalism he has to be taken seriously, even at this early date. Firenze Fire broke last with Manny Franco and was four or five wide all the way down the backstretch in the one-mile race run in the mud. He remained that wide on the turn and into the stretch, making his powerful late run that resulted in a head victory that much more believable. 

        Ron Lombardi, who owns and bred the colt, plans to go for the Gr. III Gotham on March 10 and then the Gr. II Wood Memorial on April 7. If Firenze Fire is still standing by then, it will be a big boon for Florida breeding, which has suffered in recent seasons as the big horses who make it to the various rich Derby preps are 99 percent by Kentucky stallions. It would also be a big feather in the cap of Joe and Helen Barbazon's Pleasant Acres stallions, where Poseidon's Warrior stands.

        NO SUCCESS: YET - Coming on the heels of the third-place finish a couple of weeks ago of Zenyatta's colt, Ziconic, two more celebrated runners were in action over the holiday weekend. At Santa Anita yesterday, California Chrome's 3-year-old full brother, Faversham, made his career debut in a maiden special at 6 furlongs, and on Saturday, Mandy Pope's Tapability (Tapit-Groupie Doll) made his first start at the same distance at Fair Grounds.

        Faversham made by far the best showing of the pair, despite his 8-1 odds. Off last, Stewart Elliott guided him carefully around the turn after fractions of :21.87 and :45.33 and the colt responded with a solid run up to second at the wire, 1 1/4 lengths behind, in 1:11.17. A very promising debut.

        It was another story in Louisiana, where Tapability, also 8-1, broke last, and followed the pack more than 10 lengths behind down the backstretch. He made somewhat of a run on the turn but was never a threat thereafter. Pope paid $3.1 million for Groupie Doll at Keeneland November in 2013.  

        RAINBOW 6 SOARING - Gulfstream's Rainbow Pick 6 is well beyond the serious range and they'll be shooting for $2,292,790-plus when the gates open tomorrow.  

        ASTOUNDING - How about the 7-year-old Ontario-bred mare Chella? On Saturday, the daughter of Where's the Ring won the first race at Tampa Bay Downs and she's 2-for-2 at the meeting. She's also 25-2-5 in 40 career starts, has earned $298,198, and is 11-0-2 in her last 13. In 2015 she had one eight-race winning streak. Chella was 3/5 Saturday and won by a length. 


        

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    Soon To Be: Another Rainbow Millionaire
    Tuesday, January 9, 2018
    Gulfstream's jackpot more than $1.3 million for Wednesday . . .

      An ultra-lucky Powerball player in New Hampshire hit the jackpot Saturday night for a life-changing score for himself/herself, family and friends and, hopefully, some worthwhile charities. Wouldn't it be nice if the person was a horse lover and opts to bring Rockingham Park back to life? 

        A Gulfstream Park player, who could be anywhere, will soon achieve millionaire status, too, since the Rainbow Pick 6 jackpot will open at $1,464,551 for Wednesday's program. Santa Anita's jackpot will open at $213,717 on Thursday. 

        FILLING UP - The $16 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational has amassed a stalwart group of runners for its second edition on Jan. 27, including Sharp Azteca, Gun Runner, West Coast, Collected, Stellar Wind, Toast of New York, Giant Expectations, War Story, Seeking the Soul and Gunnevera. Despite Gun Runner's great form, this one is wide open. Almost as exciting as the actual race has been the constant deal-making to fill the 12 spots.

        CHANGES COMING - Brent and Crystal Fernung at Journeyman Stud were devastated when Wildcat Heir died early in 2015, and rightfully so. The son of Forest Wildcat  has been the leading sire in Florida for about six years, and in the season that just ended, was head and shoulders above the rest with progeny earnings of more than $6.3 million. Double Diamond's First Dude was next with $3.6 million but that will change this year since the Dude has another full book of 2-year-olds coming up while Wildcat Heir will have none for the first time.  

        Ocala Stud is the unquestioned leader among the farms, with High Cotton, Adios Charlie, In Summation, Overdriven and Awesome of Course all in the top 12 in Florida. High Cotton and Overdriven aren't breeding anymore, but their impact will still be felt for a couple of years. Prospective, No. 31 as a freshman in 2017, will move well up the ladder this year. Expect Get Away Farm's Two Step Salsa and Northwest Stud's Gone Astray to have banner seasons, along with Pleasant Acres' leading freshmen, Poseidon's Warrior and Treasure Beach. 

        

        

         

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    Bernies Blog
    Zenyatta's Early Scorecard: Oh-for-Three
    Tuesday, January 2, 2018
    Great racemare still looking for winner No. 1 . . .

        It seems like such a short time ago that Zenyatta was thrilling the world via her 19-race winning streak and unforgettable stretch runs, and anticipation surrounding her impending breeding career was high. Thus far, that career has been a major dud.

        Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss have bred their pride to superstars Bernardini, Tapit and War Front, and they're still awaiting victory No. 1.

        Zenyatta's first foal, born in 2012, was Cozmic One. The gelding by Bernardini raced five times, and, amazingly, finished 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th. He earned $5,770. Foal No. 3 was the War Front filly Z Princess, and she was euthanized after a paddock accident at Lane's End Farm in October of her weanling year. 

        Foal No. 2 is the Tapit colt Ziconic, who made his 11th start yesterday at Santa Anita in a mile and one-sixteenth race over the main track. Victor Espinoza got some run out of him late and Ziconic finished third as the $2.90-1 favorite, beaten 5 1/4 lengths. He now has two seconds and six thirds to show from those 11 tries, with earnings of $67,225. 

        Three foals, very little success. But that's always subject to change.  

        FIRST TWO WINNERS - With very few tracks open on New Year's Day due to the horrendous weather in the north and east, Gulfstream Park's handle reached $11,317,111. Santa Anita was even higher. The first two winners of 2018 by Florida sires both came at Gulfstream, with the victories of Hard Way Winner and Capt. Overdrive. 

        The former is a 3-year-old colt by Songandaprayer, who recently took up residence at Journeyman Stud after many years at Walmac and the last several in Louisiana. Hard Way Winner scored by 5 1/2 lengths racing 6 1/2 furlongs, and earned $13,200. And, he was claimed for $16,000.

        Capt. Overdrive is a 3-year-old colt by Ocala Stud Farm's former stallion Overdriven, and Ocala Stud is the breeder. He won by three-quarters and collected $13,200.  

            

            

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    So Ritzy Gets 8th Winner at Gulfstream Park
    Saturday, December 30, 2017
    So Sublime scores in career debut . . .

         So Ritzy holds a unique place in the Florida breeding arena. She enjoyed a brief racing career in the late '90s, compiling a record of 3-2-1 in eight starts with earnings of $50,455, but as a broodmare, she has been more productive than most.  

        So Ritzy's latest winner is So Sublime, who won a maiden special at Gulfstream Park yesterday in his career debut for Leverett and Linda Miller, who have been the mare's owners from the beginning. For those who recognized So Sublime's pedigree, they profited to the tune of a $13 win payoff, and the Millers picked up the winner's share of $31,200 plus the breeder's award. 

        So Sublime is the eighth winner from 12 foals for So Ritzy, the first being So Snazzy, a gelding by Ghazi born in 2000 and who won just twice. It got infinitely better after that, with the mare producing multiple graded stakes-winner Silver Wagon, a full brother to So Sublime by Wagon Limit and an earner of $1,162,193. Also, Rehoboth, another full brother who earned $727,215; So Glitzy, a Gilded Time filly with earnings of $179,405; Ritzy Jones, a Smarty Jones colt who earned $111,000, and So Swanky, a son of Fly So Free who banked $166,315. 

        So Sublime, under red-hot Luis Saez, won by 4 1/4 lengths with seven furlongs in 1:26:02. The colt's debut impressed, making him a good candidate for another $100,000 earner to add to the family. (There's no foal of 2016, but there is an about-to-turn yearling named So Dear, by Fury Kapcori). 

        With snow blanketing the north, Gulfstream's handle on Friday reached $10,245,951. The Rainbow Pick 6 carryover is $531,275.     

        

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    Pegasus World Cup Drawing Near
    Monday, December 25, 2017
    Early field reaches eight for $16 million event . . .

        The Pegasus World Cup is just a month away and the field is slowly filling up for the $16 million event, the richest race anywhere.

        Included among the probables for the 1 1/8-mile race are the first five finishers from the Breeders' Cup Classic: Gun Runner, Collected, West Coast, War Story and Gunnevera. And if Gun Runner appears to be unbeatable, remember California Chrome and Arrogate. Also in the discussion are Clark Handicap winner Seeking the Soul, Conditions Stakes winner Toast of New York and Stellar Wind, eighth in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. 

        Toast of New York is a 6-year-old who finished second behind Bayern in the 2014 Classic, then retired until recently when he returned to win his comeback race in England. Stellar Wind is a 5-year-old mare who was the champion 3-year-old filly of 2015.   

        On the 'possibles' list are Mind Your Biscuits, Fear the Cowboy, Guiseppe the Great, Game Over, Prime Attraction and Destin. All depending on who can make late deals, etc.  

        FROSH LEAD STILL ON HOLD - Just a week remaining to determine Florida's freshman sire leader and the top three are set, although not necessarily in this order: Treasure Beach, Soldat, Prospective. Treasure Beach has 13 winners, Soldat picked up No. 12 this week when Pferd Soldat won at Laurel and Prospective, who will wind up third, grabbed No. 9 with the victory of John Oxley's Lovely Sunset at Gulfstream yesterday. Pleasant Acres Stallions' Poseidon's Warrior and Treasure Beach will finish 1-2 in the progeny earnings category.  

        ANOTHER BONANZA NEARS - The Rainbow Six jackpot at Gulfstream has grown to $346,394, so somebody has the opportunity to cash in a juicy payoff just in time for the new year. There have been a slew of them already this year.  


     

     


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    Ocala Stud's Stallions Are on Fire
    Tuesday, December 19, 2017
    Former sire Kantharos on a roll . . .

         Lost in the midst of the excellent racing programs at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs over the weekend, perhaps, was the success of current or former stallions from Ocala Stud Farm. And not lost in examining the results is just how big a loss it was when Kantharos followed a decades-long pattern, leaving town and relocating to Hill 'N' Dale Farms in Lexington.

        The exodus that began when Mr. Prospector scooted off to Kentucky about 40 years ago continues to this day, and the Blood-Horse's top 150 general sires list contains stallions who made their name in Florida years ago and are still hitting home runs. Congrats, Yes It's True, Successful Appeal, Northern Afleet, Macho Uno and Stormy Atlantic are going strong. But Kantharos may eclipse them all.

        The Ocala Stud onslaught began on Friday at Gulfstream with the initial victory of Harry's Gone Gray, by In Summation. At Tampa the same day, Koko Swag, by Awesome of Course, broke his maiden by 11 lengths.

        On Saturday, Catharsis, a 2-year-old filly by Kantharos, broke her maiden on the Gulfstream grass, an hour after the Kantharos gelding Go to Win won the first race at Tampa to post his first victory. It became an all-Ocala Stud double when Surprise Wedding, a 3-year-old filly by High Cotton owned and bred by Bill and Lyn Rainbow, captured the $125,000 FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire Stakes.

        In the third race, the Adios Charlie up-and-coming star, Mo Cash, turned the tables on Carry Back Stakes-winner Three Rules by taking the $125,000 FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes by three-quarters of a length over his rival. That made three in a row on the card for Ocala Stud. (Three Rules, by Northwest Stud's Gone Astray, picked up $25,000 for second and is less than $36,000 from becoming Florida's next millionaire). 

        After a one-race break, Tampa's fifth race was won by Kantharos first-time starter Mister Bister, who broke his maiden by nearly five lengths with six furlongs in 1:10.97. The four winners in five races was worth $174,680 in purse money.

        On Sunday, Gulfstream's first race was won by Reed Kan, a 2-year-old Kantharos colt who paid $44.20 in winning a $50,000 allowance optional claimer with five furlongs on the grass in :55.48.

        One Kantharos who didn't win but was a strong second in the $100,000, Gr. III Harlan's Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream was Mr. Jordan. The big white 5-year-old has been ultra consistent since his first season in 2014 and is a sensational 8-5-6 in 25 starts with earnings of $624,540.  

        Kantharos is 65th on the money list with 2017 earnings of $3,886,084 and only four crops at the races.  He has six stakes-winners this year, and nine stakes victories, one graded. 

        HE'S BACK - The above list of former Ocala stallions doesn't include Songandaprayer, who left town many moons ago and wound up for the last four seasons in Louisiana. Now, ready to turn 20, he's back at Journeyman Stud, joining Exclusive Quality, Fury Kapcori, Gentlemen's Bet, Khozan and Winslow Homer. The son of Unbridled's Song has $2,174,292 in progeny earnings this year, and is closing in on $50 million lifetime. 

        ON TOP AGAIN - Treasure Beach, who has been on top of the Florida's freshman sire winners' list all season, or at least tied for the lead, broke his deadlock with Soldat by getting No. 12 at Gulfstream. Beach Waltz, who finished second in her debut in November, captured a $48,000 maiden special at a mile and one-sixteenth on the grass. The Kentucky-bred shot to the lead from the No. 3 post, battled Jasmine's Gem every step of the way, and held her off by a head at the wire. She's earned $30,000 for Ken and Sarah Ramsey, her owners and breeders.   

        

        

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Three Rules Heads Saturday's Florida Stakes Program
    Thursday, December 14, 2017
    Nine stakes on tap at Tampa and Gulfstream . . .

        The long-awaited return of Three Rules highlights a huge stakes-filled Saturday at Florida's tracks, with four of the rich events slated for Tampa Bay Downs and five at Gulfstream Park.

        Three Rules is a son of Gone Astray who won his first five starts at two in 2016, while adding his name to the list of winners of all three divisions of the Florida Sire Stakes series. At three, he was second in the Gr. II Swale, third in the Gr. II Fountain of Youth, fifth in the Florida Derby, third in the Chick Lang and first in the Gr. III Carry Back at Gulfstream in his last start on July 1. 

        Three Rules has earned $939,160 and can become Florida's latest millionaire with a victory in the $125,000 FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes at seven furlongs. The colt bred by his owners, Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald, has Emisael Jaramillo aboard and is listed at 3/2 in a field of seven in the third race on the program.

        Next at 8/5 with Antonio Gallardo is the gelding Mo Cash, a son of Ocala Stud's Adios Charlie who finished second to Three Rules in the Carry Back. Mo Cash led every step of the way before Three Rules nailed him at the wire by a neck. Previously he had won the American Fabius and OBS Sophomore Stakes and was second in the Big Drama. 

        The other stakes are the $125,000 FTBOA City of Ocala Florida Sire for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs with R Angel Katelyn (High Cotton) listed at 2-1 with Gallardo; the $100,000 Sandpiper for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs and the $100,000 Inaugural for 2-year-olds at six furlongs. Aside from the two $125,000 races, the rest of the Tampa program features 2-year-olds.

        With just 15 days left in the calendar year after Saturday, leading sire lists in several categories can be decided by both the Tampa and Gulfstream races. 

        Most of Florida's leading sires and leading freshman sires are represented on the Saturday cards, and Ocala Stud has a slew of them.  At Tampa alone, the venerable farm is represented by In Summation, Awesome of Course, Adios Charlie, Hear No Evil, Prospective, repatriated Kantharos and pensioned High Cotton. Ocala Stud has brought in several new stallions for the 2018 season, the latest being Rainbow Heir, who they hope will be an able replacement for his sire, the late Wildcat Heir, the unquestioned Florida leader for the last six years or so, including this one, in which he has progeny earnings of more than $6 million. 

        Frosh sires represented are Anthony's Cross, Poseidon's Warrior, Winslow Homer, the surprising Passion for Gold, Rattlesnake Bridge and Beau Choix. Aside from Adios Charlie, High Cotton, In Summation and Awesome of Course, other top 10 Florida sires in the mix are Wildcat Heir, With Distinction, First Dude, Gone Astray and Two Step Salsa.   

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Florida 2-Year-Olds Prominent on Caribbean Card
    Friday, December 8, 2017
    14 entered in six $75,000 stakes . . .

      When it comes to innovations in the Sport of Kings, let nobody say that Gulfstream Park's management doesn't stand at the top of the list. The track that is giving us the $16 million Pegasus World Cup, the Rainbow Pick 6 and much more, has now come up with six 2-year-old stakes worth $75,000 each, plus $600,000 worth of races for horses "bred in a Representative Country of the Confederacion Hipica Del Caribe." The whole shebang tomorrow is called the Clasico Internacional del Caribe. 

        Topped off by the $300,000 Caribbean Classic Stakes at 1 1/8 miles, which drew a field of 12 3-year-olds, the countries represented are Panama, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Ecuador. At 7/2 in the morning line is Justiciero, a Kentucky-bred who has won eight of 13 starts, including the Puerto Rico Triple Crown. 

        Two of the 2-year-old races preceding the Caribbean will be run at six furlongs, two at one mile, and two on the grass. There are 14 Florida-breds entered in the six, but only 10 are by current or recent past Florida stallions. 

        In the Hut Hut Stakes for fillies are Mariealena, by Ocala Stud's High Cotton, who will no longer be breeding, and Weekend Mischief, by Into Mischief. 

        The Wait a While, also for fillies, includes Unstablenthemornin, by Double Diamond's First Dude, Florida's leading active sire, and Homemade Salsa, Get Away Farm's daughter of Two Step Salsa who won the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Gulfstream West and is 2-1-0 in three starts. Two Step Salsa has surpassed all of his personal records this year for earnings, winners and 2-year-old winners, and is headed toward $1.9 million in progeny earnings. Also entered is Gift of Glory, by Lookin At Lucky.

        The Buffalo Man Stakes features Silent Tiger, by Hartley/DeRenzo's With Distinction, who has been in the top two or three on the Florida lists for five or six years. 

        The House Party Stakes for fillies has four Florida-breds - Lil B. Quick, by former Winding Oaks sire Graeme Hall; Frau Riley, one of the winners in the first crop of Brethren, who moves from Pleasant Acres to Arindel Farm for the new breeding season; Florida Fuego, by former Ocala Stud stalwart Kantharos, and Writer's Almanac, by Mineshaft. 

        Tip Sheet, a two-time winner by Brethren and second behind Soutache in the $400,000 In Reality Stakes, will contest the Smooth Air Stakes, along with Winking at Thedude, a son of First Dude.

       The Pulpit Stakes will include Seattle Treasure, one of 11 winners by Pleasant Acres' freshman Treasure Beach, and Nauti Boy, by Mizzen Mast. Seattle Treasure finished third in the Juvenile Turf Stakes at Gulfstream West. 

        The handle will be in the blockbuster range again for Gulfstream, and the races should provide some legitimate contenders for the upcoming 3-year-old races in Florida. 


            

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Frosh Sire Races Come Down to the Wire
    Friday, December 1, 2017
    Poseidon's Warrior and Soldat have 11 winners each . . .

        There are just 31 days left in the race to become Florida's leading freshman sire of 2017, with one of the two major categories possibly decided, and the other a tossup between two sires from Pleasant Acres Stallions. 

        Heading into the weekend, Poseidon's Warrior leads in the earnings category at $576,404, with another Pleasant Acres stallion, Treasure Beach, at $513,429. In third place is Brethren, who began the year at Pleasant Acres but who will ply his trade in 2018 at Arindel, the farm of his owners, the Cohen family.

        The most winners title is up for grabs between Treasure Beach and Woodford Thoroughbreds' Soldat, both with 11. In third place is Ocala Stud's Prospective, with seven. 

        Brethren is the unquestioned leader in the blacktype runners category with four, two more than Treasure Beach.

        Poseidon's Warrior has the most accomplished 2-year-old in Firenze Fire, winner of the Gr. I Champagne and the Gr. III Sanford, with earnings of $449,100.  

        With Gulfstream Park opening tomorrow, and Tampa Bay Downs heading into its second weekend, all the stats lists are eligible to change before Jan. 1.  

     

     


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    Bernies Blog
    Major Changes Abound at Florida's Racinos
    Tuesday, November 28, 2017
    Pompano loses top spot to Flagler . . .

        Four months into the state's pari-mutuel fiscal year, it has become readily apparent that there have been two major changes in the racino landscape in South Florida.

        The first is that Pompano Park has (maybe temporarily) lost its position as the No. 1 money-churner down south. Through Oct. 31, the "credits in" column at Pompano reached $444,981,563; Flagler dog track, the perennial second-place entity, checked in with $453,587,913. It's the first time that has happened since Flagler's slots parlor opened in mid-October of 2009.   

        It isn't so much that Flagler's business has ballooned; "credits in" from this period in 2017 reached $453.5 million, last year's was $435 million. But Pompano's business is way down - in July from $148 million to $129 million; August from $141 million to $114 million; September from $135 million to $90 million, and October from $139 million to $110 million. It's easy to see how Flagler took over the top spot.

        I don't know what has precipitated the change, but I will attempt to find out.  

        The second change down south is that when all the facilities closed down for anywhere from four to eight days due to the hurricane in September, Hollywood dog track (Mardi Gras) never reopened. It's reportedly to make renovations needed after extensive hurricane damage. The track that has benefited most is Gulfstream, Hollywood's nearest geographical competitor. Last year, Gulfstream's "credits in" from October totaled $57.6 million; this year it jumped to just under $72 million. 

        Finally, to put a stamp on just how much casino takeout affects slots payouts, digest this. Even though Pompano trailed Flagler in the "credits in" department, the trotting track's net slots revenue totaled $37,588,392 to $27,149,956 for Flagler. Why such a big disparity? Pompano's takeout rate is 9.64 percent; Flagler's is 6.42 percent. But factoring in Pompano's decline in business, maybe the slots fanciers are beginning to catch on.  

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Tampa Opens, the Times Hadn't Heard Of It
    Sunday, November 26, 2017
    Opening-day handle surpasses $3.1 million . . .

        Tampa Bay Downs opened yesterday and 4,212 showed up even though there was no stakes race carded on the initial program. On-track handle was $317,112, and the per capita $75, about average for the track, and continuing to show that the Bay area bettors like to show up, but they don't come with their wallets or purses bulging. 

        Despite field sizes that continually eclipse most of the other venues, ITW handle (what was bet around the state) was minute - $180,884 - but ISW (everywhere else) reached $2,612,606, putting the total handle at more than $3.1 million. It will get better. 

        True to its abandoning racing in recent months and years, the Tampa Bay Times didn't have one word on the Tampa opening in Saturday's edition, other than the entries. 

         NO PLAY - Mardi Gras (Hollywood dogs) has been inactive since the hurricane - closed for renovations. The effect on surrounding racinos, mainly Gulfstream Park and Dania Jai Alai, has been very apparent. More on that tomorrow. 

        BAD BEAT RECORD - Andy Beyer wrote a column several years ago about a man who was supposed to win a big racetrack jackpot, but a weird quirk in the rules prevented him from collecting. He called it the worst "bad beat"of all time. That one has to take a back seat to one that's infinitely better.

        A woman named Katrina Bookman, playing the slots early this month at Resorts World Casino New York (at Aqueduct), thought she had made that life-changing score when the screen popped up with the news that she had hit for $42.9 million. Casino employees rushed over to her, but no prize voucher was printed out. The casino people said the machine was broken. 

        The New York State Gaming Commission removed the machine from the floor and after examination, announced that the proper payoff should have been $2.25 and the display of $42.9 million"was clearly a malfunction."

       The woman's lawyer answered: "Does that mean that a casino can always say a machine is broken whenever someone hits and hits big?"

        The commission said that the penny slot machine Bookman was playing has a max payout of $6,500. The highest possible prize payout at Resorts World Casino is $500,000. 

        But all was not lost - as a consolation the casino offered the woman a steak dinner.  You can bet we haven't heard the last of this sad tale.    

         

     



     

     

     

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Blockbuster Winter Season Expected for Gulfstream, Tampa
    Tuesday, November 21, 2017
    Tampa opens Saturday, Gulfstream Dec. 2 . . .

        What promises to be a blockbuster winter racing season in Florida kicks off Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs, followed by the opening of Gulfstream Park one week later. And, as usual, it will be interesting to see if the Ocala Star-Banner deems either event important enough to include a line or two.

        Of course, the newspaper that didn't feel the $12 million Pegasus World Cup, hosted by one of Marion County's biggest landowners, and which cut Monday racing columnist Bill Giauque's contribution to every other Monday, can hardly be expected to give a hoot about either opening. We'll soon see. Oh, by the way, I went to check on Sunday's Gulfstream results in the Monday paper . . . there were none.

        The Gulfstream opening will be highlighted by the 19th edition of the popular Claiming Crown. This will mark the sixth straight year the event will be held at Gulfstream and it's worth $1.11 million. There are 294 nominations to the nine-race event which is topped off by the $200,000 Jewel at 1 1/8 miles. Ken and Sarah Ramsey are the Claiming Crown leaders with 15 victories, the same number as the trainers' leader, Mike Maker. The Ramseys have seven nominated, while Maker has 29, which include the Ramseys seven. 

        Handle for Claiming Crown days has been huge - more than $10 million each of the last three years - with a record $11.1 million wagered in 2016. There are four defending champions among the nominations, Super spender in the $110,000 Canterbury at five furlongs on the grass, Tormenta de Oro in the $110,000 Glass Slipper at one mile, Chepstow in the $110,000 Iron Horse at 1 1/16 miles, and Shaft of Light in the $110,000 Rapid Transit at seven furlongs. 

        The second edition of the Pegasus World Cup will be held on Jan. 27 and the purse has been elevated to $16 million. Among the entrants will be Gun Runner, the Breeders' Cup Classic runaway winner who is a cinch for Horse of the Year honors. Gun Runner is 11-3-2 in 18 starts and his earnings are nearing $9 million. He was slated to campaign again in 2018 at the age of five, but the plans have changed and the Pegasus will be his final race before shipping off to stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Lexington. 

        Among the other highlights of the Hallandale Beach meeting will be the appearance of Puerto Rico's Triple Crown winner, Justiciero, in the $300,000 Clasico del Caribe on Dec. 9. Gulfstream will be the first track outside Latin Ameridca to host the race which has been contested for more than 50 years. The Puerto Rican-bred son of Coach Billy G. hasn't raced since he won the Gr. II Antonio Mongil Jr. Stakes on Aug. 20, due to Hurricane Maria. He did compete in an exhibition race to keep fit on Oct. 29 at still-shuttered Camarero.

        Another winter highlight will be the return of Three Rules, the Gone Astray colt who swept all three divisions of the Florida Sire Stakes last year. Three Rules has earned $939,160 for Shade Tree Farm, Geoff Roy and Tom Fitzgerald and has turned in some super works in preparation for his return, including a bullet 59:95 for five furlongs on Sunday. He's expected to make his return in the $125,000 FTBOA Marion County Florida Sire Stakes at Tampa on Dec. 16. 

        Not long after Three Rules worked, a player in New York hit Gulfstream's Rainbow Pick 6 for $141,853. The previous hit had come on Nov. 9 when the lone winning ticket paid $52,137.

        The training track at Tampa Bay Downs opened for business on Nov. 6 and Saturday's opener will really be the second day of the meeting - the first was July 1. 

        Tampa will be the host of a new four-race FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series with $450,000 in purse money up for grabs. The first two $125,000 races - the Marion County FSS for 3-year-old colts and geldings (with Three Rules) and the City of Ocala for 3-year-old fillies - will debut on Dec. 16, Cotillion Festival Day, both at seven furlongs. Also on that program will be the $100,000 Inaugural for 2-year-olds, and the $100,000 Sandpiper for 2-year-old fillies. 

        The other two races in the series will be run on Kentucky Derby day - May 5. They are the $100,000 Silver Charm for 3-year-old colts and geldings and the $100,000 Ivanavinalot (dam of Songbird) for 3-year-old fillies, both at one mile and 40 yards. 

        Highlight of the meeting, of course, is the Tampa Bay Derby in March, a race that has been a major contributor as far as sending runners to the Kentucky Derby for more than a decade. The list of quality runners who have come out of the race includes Kentucky Derby winners Street Sense and Super Saver, Belmont Stakes winner Tapwrit, and Musket Man, Bluegrass Cat, Brethren, Destin, Golden Ticket, Any Given Saturday, Burning Roma, Verrazano and Carpe Diem. Then there's Always Dreaming, who broke his maiden at Tampa earlier this year, then went on to win the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby.    

         

     

     

        

     


        

         

        

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Gaffalione, Zayas, Kantharos Spice Millions Preview Card
    Monday, November 13, 2017
    Mr. Jordan

        Sunshine Millions Preview day at Gulfstream West was a huge success, with the eight stakes - each worth $75,000 - resulting in a solid handle of $6,271,389. There were many bullet points gleaned from the program, from the standpoint of horses, breeders, owners, jockeys, etc. Here's a rundown:

        JUVENILE FILLIES SPRINT -  Tyler Gaffalione picked up his first victory on the card with Silver Bay, who became the first stakes-winner for Ocala Stud Farm's freshman sire, Currency Swap. The gray filly had just broken her maiden for Richlyn Farms 15 days earlier.

        TURF PREVIEW STAKES STAKES - Emisael Jaramillo, Gaffalione's No. 1 rival in the South Florida jockeys' colony, came from last place after three quarters with even-money Enterprising to nail Galleon Mist in deep stretch. Gaffalione was aboard the runner-up. The winner, a gelding by Elusive Quality, was bred by the late Leonard Lavin's Glen Hill Farm, one of only a handful of the pioneering Marion County farms still in operation, and shipped in from Woodbine for the race. 

        JUVENILE SPRINT STAKES - Edgard Zayas, Gaffalione's No. 2 rival, steered 3/5 favorite Wildcat's Legacy to a 3 1/4-length score over second choice Highborn, with Jaramillo aboard. The winner is from the last crop of Journeyman Stud's perennial leading Florida sire Wildcat Heir, who died early in 2015 and is set to win another leading sire title this season with progeny earnings of more than $5 million.   

        JUVENILE TURF STAKES - Zayas made it two in a row with Laurel shipper Nauti Boy, at the direct expense of Gaffalione and The X, who came in from Keeneland. Nauti Boy, a son of Mizzen Mast, had to survive a claim of foul by the runner-up before the prices were posted. The third horse was Seattle Treasure, one of 11 winners from the first crop of Pleasant Acres Stallions' Treasure Beach, the Florida leader in that category. 

       SPRINT PREVIEW STAKES - Jose Batista broke the string of winners by the top jocks with Quijote, owned by Midwest Thoroughbreds, always on the list of leading owners in North America. The gelding by Pomeroy hadn't raced since July 1 at Gulfstream and vied for the lead between horses for most of the six furlongs before proving to be best in deep stretch. 

        DISTAFF STAKES - Gaffalione was unable to get any response in the stretch from 2-1 favorite Mama Joyce, and the race proved to be a long shot player's dream. Lirica (10-1), a 3-year-old filly by former Ocala Stud leading sire Kantharos, was up at the wire to win by one-half length over Monmouth shipper April Gaze, who was 11-1 with Zayas aboard. Pacesetter Stormy Embrace, in from Laurel and off at 13-1, held on for third. The $2 exacta paid $200 and the $1 trifecta $925.10. 

        JUVENILE FILLIES TURF STAKES - It was an all Get Away Farm finish, with Homemade Salsa and Gaffalione coming from off the pace and scoring by two lengths as the 9/10 favorite. The filly was bred by her owner, Manny Andrade's Get Away Farm, and is a daughter of the farm's bread-and-butter stallion, Two Step Salsa. Homemade Salsa is 2-1-0 in three starts and looked very sharp in all three. With the victory and the winner's check of  $44,175, Two Step Salsa surpassed $1.7 million in progeny earnings, his best season ever. Homemade Salsa is one of her sire's 13 juvenile winners this year, which leads all Florida stallions. 

        CLASSIC PREVIEW STAKES - It was a repeat performance for Mr. Jordan, the 5-year-old by Kantharos who won the race last year by 3 3/4 lengths at odds of 1/2. This time around, with Zayas in the saddle, the bettors weren't as sure and the gelding went off at 9/5. He took the lead passing the half-mile marker, galloped away from the field, and had plenty left as he hit the wire 11 1/2 lengths in front. The $45,105 winner's check bumped his career total to $605,340 on a fabulous record of 8-4-6 in 24 starts.  

        

        

        

         


     

      

         

     

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    Breeders' Cup Favorites Were Battered at Del Mar
    Monday, November 6, 2017
        Like I said the other day, betting on favorites in the 13 Breeders' Cup races Friday...

        Like I said the other day, betting on favorites in the 13 Breeders' Cup races Friday and Saturday is never good for the pocket, and this time around the devastation was more pronounced than in most of the past.

        Not only did the faves fall like trees during a hurricane, in most cases they failed to hit the board. So, not only did the win and exotics players suffer an excruciating weekend, the place and show devotees followed them right down the tubes. 

        On Friday's four-race program, the only favorite to win was Mendelssohn in the Juvenile Turf, and he paid $11.60. Battle of Midway paid $30.40 in the Dirt Mile, where favorite Mor Spirit ($2.40-1) finished eighth. Rushing Fall returned $8 in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, and favorite Happily was 14th and last. In the Distaff, it was Forever Unbridled ($9.40), while favored Elate wound up fourth at 2-1. Opening-day ledger: one winning favorite, one favorite in the money. 

        Florida-bred Caledonia Road ($36.60) began day two on a strong note for the fave-haters, while the people's choice, Moonshine Memories finished seventh. Florida-bred Blonde Bomber was third at 30-1.

        The Turf Sprint produced a $62.40 payoff for Stormy Liberal, while Lady Aurelia, at 9/10, was 10th. 

        The big bomber of the afternoon came in the Filly & Mare Sprint, where New York-bred Bar of Gold galloped home at $135.40 and fave Unique Bella was seventh at even money. 

        Next it was Wuhelda ($24.40), bred in Great Britain, with Lady Eli struggling home in seventh at odds of 3/2. 

        The 1-2 finishers in the Sprint didn't light up the board, but Roy H. ($11.80) and Florida-bred Imperial Hint (4-1) were both highly playable. Drefong ($1.40-1), who was no doubt singled on many exotic tickets, was never in the hunt and finished sixth. 

        The bettors weren't fooled by the morning line-maker in the Mile, making Florida-bred World Approval the 5/2 favorite, and the son of Northern Afleet didn't disappoint. With a strong ride by John Velazquez, the white horse from Live Oak Stud is now the biggest money-winner among the four millionaires produced by the farm's magnificent mare, Win Approval. Morning line fave Ribchester went off at 7/2 and finished fifth. 

        The Juvenile was another race where many pundits expected unbeaten Bolt d'Oro to be a single on many exotics tickets and they no doubt were right. But he went off at 7/10 and was all out to finish a never-threatening third behind Good Magic ($25), who was a ton the best.

        Talismatic continued the the light-up-the-board onslaught, winning the Turf and paying $30.20. Highland Reel finished third at $1.40-1. 

        Gun Runner righted the ship for the players who felt he should have been favored by winning the Classic, assuming any of them had any cash left. He was the $2.40-1 second choice when the gates opened, compared to Arrogate's $2.10-1. Arrogate couldn't find his old form once again and finished in a dead-heat for fifth.

        Thirteen races, two winning favorites, two others finishing third. What a country! 

      

         

        

     


     


     

     

     


     


         

     

     

     

     

        

     

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Bettors' Heaven Returns at Del Mar
    Friday, November 3, 2017
    Breeders' Cup offers great wagering opportunities . . .

        The  most important weekend of racing is upon us once again, and once again the wagering opportunities are more than enough to make even the most laid-back adventurers salivate over the possibilities. The two days of the Breeders' Cup are infamous for making a mockery of the morning lines, although those subjective numbers, as the years have passed, have more and more reflected the difficulties of isolating winners.

        There are just two races where the linemaker ventured below 5/2, the Juvenile and the Classic, and the latter has to be viewed with an asterisk. 

        In the Juvenile, Kentucky-bred Bold d'Oro is listed at 9/5 off his perfect 3-for-3 ledger. The colt by Medaglia d'Oro won both the early Grade I's in California, the Del Mar Futurity and FrontRunner, and, as usual, the California pundits have convinced themselves that anything that races out west is better in most years than the denizens of the east. That, of course, remains to be seen. 

        There are just seven Florida-breds entered over the two days, but one of them is Firenze Fire, the colt by Pleasant Acres Stallions freshman sire Poseidon's Warrior. Although garnering little respect along the way, Firenze Fire has won 3-of-4, including the Gr. I Champagne at Belmont Park and the Gr. III Sanford at Saratoga. He's listed at a generous 6-1 with talented Irad Ortiz aboard.

        The Classic is loaded with the best older horses still standing and it will be interesting to see if Arrogate (2-1) still has enough fan approval to get the nod over Gun Runner (9/5). After winning seven in a row, and being acclaimed the horse of a lifetime, Arrogate bombed in the San Diego Handicap, then came within half a length of catching Collected in the Pacific Classic, and he lost much of his luster.

        Gun Runner is 5-3-0 in his last eight starts, and is on a three-race winning streak - the Woodward, Whitney and Stephen Foster. Collected is in the 11-horse field, too, and he's listed at 6-1, as is late-bloomer West Coast. 

        Live Oak Plantation's World Approval drew the No. 5 post in the Mile on the turf, seeking to go over the $2 million mark for owner/breeder Charlotte Weber. The 5-year-old gelding's dam is Win Approval, possibly the only broodmare in history to have produced four millionaires - Miesque's Approval, Revved Up and Za Approval are the other three. World Approval, trained by Ocalan Mark Casse and to be ridden by John Velazquez, is 10-2-4 in 23 lifetime starts, and has won four of his last five, including the Gr. I Ricoh Woodbine Mile and Gr. I Fourstardave in his last two. 

        Another Florida-bred given a good chance based on the line is Imperial Hint, who is listed at 9/2 for the Sprint with Javier Castellano. The 4-year-old colt is by former Get Away Farm stallion Imperialism and was bred by Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, same operation that gave us multiple stakes-winner Three Rules. Florida-bred Calculator, a 5-year-old by In Summation bred by Ocala Stud, drew the No. 1 post in the Sprint with Johnny V. and is listed at 20-1. 

         Florida has two intriguing entrants in the Juvenile Fillies, Blonde Bomber (No. 5 - 20-1) and Caledonia Road (No. 12 - 15-1). Blonde Bomber is a Fort Larned filly owned and bred by Ocala's Arindel Farm and didn't make an impression in her first four tries. Then she broke her maiden at Gulfstream and followed that with a 7 1/4-length score in the Our Dear Peggy Stakes. Caledonia Road, a Quality Road filly owned by Peter Vegso, broke her maiden at Saratoga, then finished second behind Separationofpowers in the Gr. I Frizette. Ironically, Separationofpowers drew the 13 post, right next to Caledonia Road. 

        Live Oak has another entrant in the Turf Sprint, Holding Gold, also in the barn of Mark Casse. The 4-year-old gelding won the Gr. II Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland and is listed at 15-1. Florida-bred Pure Sensation drew post 12 in the race; he's a 6-year-old gelding by Zensational from the Christophe Clement barn and is 10-1 for owner/breeder Patricia Generazio, who also owns the No. 1 horse, New York-bred Disco Partner. 

        I will mostly stick by my usual wagering pattern, taking four or five horses in an exacta box and hoping for the best. It has yielded many satisfying results in the past.  

         

     


     

     

        

     

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    Bernies Blog
    It's Not Fake News - Ocala Stud Remains No. 1
    Friday, October 27, 2017
    Ads to the contrary are absurd . . .

        Despite any other stallion farm's fake news conclusion that it is the leading entity of its kind in Florida, just perusing the roster of Ocala Stud Farm and the state's leading sire list, is immediate proof that the nursery brought into national prominence by Joe O'Farrell in the 1960s is without parallel.

        It's surprising that any Florida publication would accept advertising with such a false premise, but advertising revenue is advertising revenue at a time when it is at a premium.

        Here are the facts. Ocala Stud currently has seven stallions with runners at the races: High Cotton (3rd on the money list with $3 million in progeny earnings); Adios Charlie (5th, $2.3 million); In Summation (8th, $1.5 million); Awesome of Course (9th, $1.3 million); Overdriven (second crop - 10th, $1.4 million); Hear No Evil (23rd, $404,000); Prospective (freshman - 33rd, $216,000). 

        In addition, the Ocala Stud roster includes Fort Loudon and Uncaptured, whose first crops will race in 2018, and The Big Beast, with first crop yearlings of 2018. Then, there are the brand new well-bred stallions who will stand for the first time in 2018 - Jess's Dream (Curlin); Greenpointcrusader (Bernardini), and millionaire Noble Bird, a son of Birdstone who just joined the group yesterday.  Overdriven will no longer be breeding, so the farm now has 12 active stallions.  

        And, how about Joe and Helen Barbazon's Pleasant Acres Stallions, housing the top two Florida freshmen of this year, Poseidon's Warrior and Treasure Beach? Poseidon's Warrior is the sire of Firenze Fire, winner of the Gr. I Champagne and the Gr. III Sanford and the leading 2-year-old earner in the country so far. Treasure Beach is the sire of nine 2-year-old winners. 

        To the farm that pretends IT is the leader - stop it already! To any publication that allows it to say so in order to collect advertising revenue - stop it already! 

         

         

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    Bernies Blog
    Wild in Red a Heartbreaker?
    Friday, October 20, 2017
    Sharp debut for filly, but she's gone . . .

        Ralph Nicks trained the filly Hearts of Red for two seasons for owner/breeder James Spence, and the daughter of Lion Heart posted a record of 3-1-2 in 11 starts at two and three, earning $154,867. She didn't win a stakes race, but finished second in the Dream Supreme at Belmont Park and third in the Gr. III Gulfstream Park Oaks. 

        Following her retirement, Hearts of Red wound up in the hands of Nicks and Barry Berkelhammer, owner of AbraCadabra Farm in Ocala. They bred her to Wildcat Heir at Journeyman Stud and in 2015, she foaled a filly now named Wild in Red. For whatever their reasons, maybe because Nicks liked her dam, they never offered Wild in Red at auction.

        The filly showed up for the first time at Gulfstream West today in a $20,000 claimer at five furlongs with Jose Valdivia aboard. Her two listed works were nothing to brag about, and Wild in Red went off at 6-1. She broke well, and when the two leaders bolted to the outside on the turn, Valdivia shot his filly through on the inside and she exploded to the wire, galloping home by nearly eight lengths, clocked in :58.38. 

        The winner's share of the purse comes to $13,200, and there's a breeders' award of more than $2,500. However, surely to the dismay of Nicks and Berkelhammer, Wild in Red was claimed by the Drawing Away Stable for the $20,000 tag. So the owners collected more than $35,000 in one shot, but they lost the filly they no doubt tried to sneak by in her debut. 

        What made the new owners take her? Maybe they saw her work, or liked her dam, or loved Wildcat Heir, who has been Florida's leading sire for five or six years, even after his premature death in 2015. He's way out in front this year, with his final crop at the races. Wild in Red is from that crop, and should help him keep his title for at least another year.  

         

        

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Pegasus World Cup Welcome Start to New Year
    Saturday, October 14, 2017
    Purse raised to $16 million for PWC II . . .

        When details were announced for the first Pegasus World Cup last year, reaction was, understandably, mixed. Would there be enough owners to support the $1 million buy-in? Would the public support the venture? The answer was a resounding "yes" on all counts and the event, including Arrogate vs. California Chrome, turned out to be one of the most important of the year on the thoroughbred calendar.

        Pegasus World Cup II will be here soon - Jan. 27, to be  exact - and the $12 million purse has been raised to $16 million, a record for any race, anywhere. It promises to be bigger than PWC No. 1. Among other things, the event provides an exciting welcome to the new year after the always-present lull following the Breeders' Cup.

        Tickets for the event range from $75 to $1,000 and based on last year, that doesn't pose any problems. The appearance of celebs from the entertainment and sports world certainly didn't hurt and the number should increase this time around. Mike Ditka, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Tony Dorsett, Gene Simmons, Usher and Bobby Flay were among them. 

        Tickets can be purchased online at www.pegasusworldcup.com or by calling 1-833-464-7924. 

        HANA IN ACTION - The Horseplayers Association of North America doesn't receive much publicity but it has proven to be a major force, especially when it comes to the takeouts at tracks around the country. HANA is a vigorous supporter of lower takeouts and whenever a track raises its percentages, HANA springs into action. 

        When Keeneland announced a raise in takeout before the current meeting, HANA emailed its huge base, which includes many serious bettors, and called for a boycott of the meeting. It apparently made a dent, because handle at Keeneland for the first four days was down considerably in every category, from win-place-show to exotics.

        HANA execs said Keeneland would probably dismiss the boycott and say that the negative handle situation was due to poor weather and field size. It will be interesting to follow this one and see if Keeneland's management understands that big bettors are very aware of outrageous takeouts, even if some will tell them it makes no difference.     

     



          

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    Bernies Blog
    Firenze Fire Wins Gr. I Champagne & $300,000 at Belmont Park
    Sunday, October 8, 2017
    Poseidon's Warrior colt headed for BC Juvenile? . . .

        After winning the Gr. III Sanford at Saratoga, when Firenze Fire didn't fire in the Gr. I Hopeful, trainer Jason Servis took it in stride. He said the colt by Poseidon's Warrior wasn't 100 percent at the time, and Firenze Fire proved him right yesterday by winning the Gr. I Champagne at Belmont Park.

        With Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons, the colt left the gate with the pack but soon dropped back and was a good 10 lengths behind going down the backstretch in the one-mile race worth $500,000. But when the real running started, Firenze Fire blew by the pack and was up at the wire to score by half a length and earn the $300,000 that goes with it. The race had many ramifications, not the least of which is that it's a Breeders' Cup Challenge race - meaning 'Win and You're In' - so Firenze Fire is automatically eligible for the Sentient BC Juvenile if the owners of Mr. Amore Stables accept the invitation. 

        Firenze Fire is now the leading 2-year-old in the country with earnings of $429,100 and his sire is one of just four freshmen stallions with a graded stakes-winner. Poseidon's Warrior (Pleasant Acres Stallions) also jumped up into fifth place on the national freshman sire list with progeny earnings of $498,333, and he's first in Florida. 

        REALLY STEPPIN' OUT - Two Step Salsa has a potential rising star in Driven by History, who captured the $100,000 Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Stakes at Presque Isle Downs on Thursday. The colt bred by Pedro Maestre prevailed by a head in a driving finish against favored Shekky Shebaz and is now 4-3-0 in seven starts, winning four of his last five. He's earned $126,200 and is one of five winners by Two Step Salsa in the last four days. All of Driven by History's races have come over the synthetic surface at Presque Isle, so it remains to be seen how he'll fare over a dirt strip. 

        SOLDAT ON TOP - Woodford Thoroughbreds' Soldat has taken over the top spot on the Florida freshman list with nine winners, one better than Pleasant Acres' Treasure Beach. Soul P Say won at Remington Park on Sept. 29 and Champagne Tequila at Delaware Park on Oct. 7. Treasure Beach's eighth winner was Treble in Paradise at Thistledown on Oct. 2. 

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Four Alive in Florida Frosh Title Run
    Friday, September 29, 2017
    Treasure Beach, Soldat lead with 7 winners . . .

        With three months remaining for Florida's freshman sires to exert some late-season kick, unless one not in the current top four makes a strong run, the 2017 title of frosh king will come from Treasure Beach or Brethren (Pleasant Acres), Soldat (Woodford Thoroughbreds), or Prospective (Ocala Stud). Treasure Beach and Soldat have seven winners each, and Brethren and Prospective five apiece. 

        Thus far, 13 of the Florida group of 14 first-year stallions have recorded at least one winner. Only Beau Choix (Pleasant Acres) doesn't have one yet, but he also hasn't had a runner. The 13 who have been successful have 39 winners among them, and 18 of those have come at Gulfstream Park. Brethren's runners, in particular, love Gulfstream, with four of his five winners coming over the strip in Hallandale Beach.

        Treasure Beach has had three winners at Gulfstream, while Hartley/DeRenzo's Rattlesnake Bridge is 3-for-3, all coming in the last five weeks. Soldat's ledger is the most diversified, with two winners at Maria-plagued Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico, and one each at Mountaineer Resort & Casino, Gulfstream, Ellis Park, Arlington Park and Presque Isle Downs.     

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    Bernies Blog
    Live Foal Report Is Not Encouraging
    Wednesday, September 27, 2017
    Foal count down after 90 percent returns . . .

              The Jockey Club's report of live foals for 2017 is disappointing once again with only Kentucky, California and Maryland reporting more live foals than last year, although only 90 percent of the reports have been received so there could be some minor changes ahead.

        The disappointment resonates because this year's foal crop will not race until 2019, which bodes negatively for the future size of fields at every track, a problem that has plagued the sport for the last several years. Fields of five, six and seven have been so prevalent that they seriously impact the handles across the country. Few tracks have not been impacted in some way or another. 

        The latest numbers show that Maryland has the highest rise - from 411 live foals last year to 500 so far this year, a raise of 21.7 percent. But the numbers are so small that the 21.7 percent isn't nearly as important as a 21.7 percent rise would be in Kentucky, California, Florida or New York. 

        A major factor, of course, is the gap between the number of mares bred compared to the number of live foals. Kentucky, for instance, reported 17,912 mares bred in 2016 but only 12,184 live foals. That's 5,728 mares who will not have a runner two years from now. 

        There were 2,841 mares bred in Florida last year which resulted in 1,577 foals; there are 1,514 foals reported so far this year so it's possible the current number will reach 2016. But it's way down from the bread and butter years, and much of it is because there are so few stallions at the top end still in Florida. As mentioned here often, when they make a big splash early in Florida, they end up in Kentucky soon after. Ocala Stud's Kantharos is the latest example, but the previous list is quite formidable.     

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    Bernies Blog
    PR Groups Need to Invest in a Dictionary
    Tuesday, September 19, 2017
    They're thrilled and excited, etc . . .

        At the time the recession hit the country in full force in 2008, the North American thoroughbred handle was flourishing, surpassing $15 billion for seven straight years, from 2001 through 2007. It dropped to $14 billion-plus in '08, then under $13 billion in 2010, and has been stagnant in the $11 billion-plus range since. Those who didn't comprehend that there was a segment of the population that could no longer afford to go to their favorite racetrack blamed the drop on the sport itself, stressing that track managements weren't innovative enough to keep the younger set interested in the sport.

        That premise was completely bogus, but the notion that the sport's leaders were living in the 19th century in many other respects was right on the mark. Track after track did help the handle by adding more exotic possibilities and bettors were bombarded with pick 3s, pick 4s, pick 5s, pick 6s, Superfectas, Super High 5s, Pick 6 Jackpots, rolling doubles and much more. 

        Betfair bought Hollywood Park and closed it soon after, and now owns TVG (or part of it, I'm not sure) and that European company is still trying to convince the public that exchange wagering can help the game. But Monmouth Park's exchange wagering program hasn't caught on, and never will. There's a reason why New Jersey execs mention the gimmick often but never offer any wagering statistics to prove the point.

        One concrete area that highlights the futility of too many of the publicity departments at the tracks and industry organizations comes with the four words most utilized by those groups when making announcements about new appointments, new ideas, or new anything. Those words are delighted . . . proud . . . excited . . . thrilled. Have you ever noticed that all the announcements contain at least one of those words? Can't anybody come up with something else?

        A few days ago, it was announced that Keeneland and Churchill Downs are partnering on two new state-of-the-art facilities in Kentucky, one in the Knox County city of Corbin and the other in the Christian County city of Oak Grove. So, of course, the principals felt it necessary not only to report the facts, but to embellish them with the age-old ho-hum comments.

        Keeneland president and CEO Bill Thomason told us: "Keeneland is excited to partner with Churchill Downs on this initiative . . . "

        Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney said: "Corbin is thrilled to be part of this historic venture . . . "

        "We are proud of the significant investment Churchill Downs and Keeneland are committed to . . . " was Oak Grove Mayor Bea Burt's take on the issue. 

        HBPA executive director Marty Maline chipped in with: "The Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association is excited for what this announcement means for our sport . . . "

        All that was missing was one person who was "delighted."

        Congratulations to all the principals and the PR people involved. We are all delighted, excited and proud to digest your thrilling remarks. Can't wait for the next one.   

        WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? - When is someone at the Blood-Horse going to make the change at the top of all the leading sire lists pertaining to the closing date of the information? For instance, today is Sept. 19 yet today's lists say: "Listed below are all available Northern Hemisphere statistics through Sept. 19, 2017." Not a chance!

        One of the many definitions of "through" is: "to and INCLUDING." That very specifically means you include the date in question. You can't include Sept. 19 if the races haven't been run yet. Today's lists are up to date through yesterday and should read "through Sept. 18." It's years past the time that somebody at the Blood-Horse realizes it.   

          

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    Bernies Blog
    Gulfstream Back on Track for Weekend
    Thursday, September 14, 2017
    25 races and four stakes on tap . . .

        Gulfstream Park came through Irma unscathed and racing will resume with two cards and 25 races on Saturday and Sunday. There were 700 horses evacuated from the track's barn area, mostly to Palm Meadows, and they began to return on Tuesday. 

        The Saturday program kicks off at 12:15 and consists of 13 races and 134 entrants, headlined by the $100,000 Miss Gracie Stakes for 3-year-old Florida-bred fillies at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf, and the $50,000 Sea of Grass, an overnight handicap for fillies and mares at one mile.

        Sunday's card will have 12 races and 105 entrants with a 12:45 post time and features a pair of $50,000 overnight handicaps for 3-year-olds and up.  

        SIXTH WINNER FOR SOLDAT - The latest Florida freshman sire to get a winner is Woodford Thoroughbreds' Soldat, who bagged No. 6 when Son Son Son scored at Camarero Race Track in Puerto Rico on Sept. 3. The filly bred in New York by Marie Bates is 1-1-1 in three starts.

        Soldat is now just one winner behind Pleasant Acres' Treasure Beach, who had a second-place finisher yesterday when Treble in Paradise, at odds of 17-1, made her debut at Thistledown. Treasure Beach leads the frosh sires in Florida with seven winners and is nearing $340,000 in progeny earnings. Pleasant Acres also stands the second-place sire, Brethren, with $227,000 in earnings; he has five winners. Eleven of Florida's 14 frosh sires already have at least one winner.

        BOUNCE THIS - Like so many of the younger set who believe that the world began on the day they were born, today's TV equine analysts and those writing for the major publications have taken many of the old traditional sports terms and trashed them to suit their own needs. No longer does a baseball player reach first on an error, he just "reaches." No longer is a college football player a freshman, he's a "true freshman," so as not to confuse him with a false freshman.  

        In racing, the old traditional "wire-to-wire" has been replaced by many with gate-to-wire, which is bogus, because in order to go gate-to-wire a horse has to have the lead on the first jump out of the gate and never relinquish it, which probably happens maybe 10 percent of the time. But the TV guys and gals see a "1" at the first quarter and automatically relate that the horse went gate-to-wire.

        The "bounce" is  another area that is prevalent among the TV and publication groups, the theory that if a horse runs a tough race he or she will "bounce," or run poorly, if he or she comes back too soon. The problem is that nobody has been able to come up with a time frame as to when the bounce no longer applies. Time after time, analysts - and trainers, too - discuss if a horse's next race is coming up too soon, even when the race is four weeks away.

        These analysts never discuss all the runners who defy the bounce theory, because there are no rules involved. They just guess. The truth is, if you can't pin down the length of time any horse needs to recover from a hard race, then you don't have a legitimate theory. The late Dr. Ron Chak, who was the veterinarian for venerable Ocala Stud Farm for decades, told me that all you have to do for a horse is make sure he or she gets enough electrolytes into the system.

        I remember a horse trained by Dick Dutrow a few years ago named Laysh Laysh Laysh. This horse once ran three times in 11 days in New York and won all three. Talk about bouncing the bounce. 

        I brought this all up because of a 2-year-old named Driven by History, a gelding by Two Step Salsa currently campaigning at Presque Isle Downs. While a slew of 2-year-olds haven't started yet, and many more have started once or twice, Driven by History has started six times in the span of two months and six days, the latest coming this past Monday. He went off at 70 cents to a dollar with Antonio Gallardo and scored by a length, raising his record to 3-3-0 in those six races. He's won two in a row and three of his last four while earning $66,200 without benefit of running in a stakes race. I assume he might rectify that shortly.

       By the way, for the "gate-to-wire" people, if you really feel the need to be precise, the correct term should be "gate-to-mirrored image."   

          

         

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Kentucky Downs Excursion Pays Off for Gaffalione
    Thursday, September 7, 2017
    Tyler wins two stakes on rich program . . .

        Tyler Gaffalione currently has a solid lead in the Gulfstream Park jockeys' race. He's won 64 races, 10 more than Edgard Zayas and 12 more than Emisael Jaramillo, and his mounts have earned $1,660,310. He's making a ton of money and doesn't need to stray far away from home, but he'll never be accused of letting the grass grow, etc., etc.

        Steve Gaffalione's kid spent many of Gulfstream's dark days riding at the recent Saratoga meeting, and yesterday he turned up at the eye-opening boutique meeting at Kentucky Downs. And why is the KD meeting eye-opening? How's this? Yesterday's 10-race program featured four stakes races and $1,977,000 in purse money.

        Tyler rode in seven of the 10 races, including three of the stakes, and wound up the afternoon with another nice bundle to deposit in his Hallandale Beach bank account. Riding for such as Michael Maker, Shug McGaughey and David Fawkes, Tyler won two races, the $150,000 One Dreamer Stakes and a maiden special with a purse of $130,000. He finished third in the $350,000 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies which was worth $32,550 and third in the $400,000 Tourist Mile Stakes, worth $38,800. The trip to the bluegrass was certainly well worth the effort.    

        A decade or more ago, when historic racing was being introduced (I think Oaklawn Park was first), the idea was met with a great deal of skepticism. Now, however, like the introduction of racinos, historic racing has become the backbone for certain meetings. Kentucky Downs is a perfect example - of the nearly $2 million the track handed out in purses on Wednesday, $625,620 was generated by historic racing. That's impressive, and a major reason why so many important stables show up to make the two weeks ultra successful.   

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Gulfstream Closes for Live Racing
    Wednesday, September 6, 2017
    Simulcasting and casino open through Friday evening . . .

        Due to the imminent threat of Irma, Gulfstream Park has canceled its live programs beginning tomorrow and continuing through Sunday. If all is well, live racing will resume on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The track will be open for simulcasting through Friday and the casino will be open through Friday evening.

        Owners have been told they have the option to leave their horses at Gulfstream, or Gulfstream West, or move them upstate to Palm Meadows. 

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    Bernies Blog
    Brad Free a Refreshing Addition to TVG
    Tuesday, September 5, 2017
    DRF stalwart knows how to handicap . . .

        Brad Free has been a Daily Racing Form stalwart for years, both as a writer and a handicapper, and his recent presence on TVG is a welcome respite when compared to so many of the stale male and female entities we have been used to watching and who can't handicap their way out of a paper bag.  

        Case in point. In the eighth race at Indiana Grand today, Brad made his case, quite emphatically, for the No. 2 horse, Weregild, who was 20-1 in the morning line. Brad felt that the favorite, Promises to Keep, was okay but didn't justify his price of 4/5, and Weregild was a solid longshot for several reasons. Brad noted that he was adding blinkers for the first time, was going from dirt to turf and had some noticeable help in the pedigree department for that move, was going from sprints to a distance, and had the services of Deshawn Parker, whom he feels is the best turf rider in Indiana.

         Weregild was on the board at 20-1 for quite awhile until Free began his tutorial with about five or six minutes to post time. Then, on successive flashes, he dropped to 17-1, then 12-1, then 7-1, and Brad caught the drop. By the time the race went off, though, he had drifted back to 11-1, but somebody socked in a little cash, and I have to believe it was because of Brad's discussion. I know I went on-line and made a little play. 

        Weregild shot right to the lead and held it until the top of the stretch where he was joined by Promises to Keep, and the pair ding-donged it nose-to-nose all the way to the wire. It took several minutes for the judges before putting up the favorite, but Brad's handicapping was right on the money. Very refreshing and a great help on a Tuesday when the TV audience is made up mostly of a slew of neophytes.    

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    Bernies Blog
    Florida Track Bosses Can Breed 'Em, Too
    Tuesday, August 29, 2017
    Stronach, Thayer, Brunetti win on weekend . . .

        It was a pretty good weekend for the breeding operations of Florida's racetrack owners, Frank Stronach of Gulfstream Park, Stella Thayer of Tampa Bay Downs and John Brunetti of Hialeah Park (almost a racetrack). 

        The first race at Gulfstream on Saturday was won by El Ciclon, a 4-year-old by Proud Citizen bred by Stronach's Adena Springs Farm. The gelding scored by 4 1/2 lengths under Luis Castillo and paid $25, but Gulfstream's owner didn't profit (unless he wandered to the windows) because El Ciclon is a Kentucky-bred. 

        The sixth race on the program was won by Beneficiary, a 4-year-old by Wildcat Heir bred in Florida by Mrs. Thayer, who did benefit from the outcome. The purse in the off-the-turf race was $46,000, with an FOA of $6,000. She gets 13.33% of the remaining $40,000, or $5,332.

        The first of two Brunetti victories came at Monmouth Park in the sixth race on Sunday, won by Let's Parlay, a 5-year-old New Jersey-bred mare by Pomeroy. Let's Parlay won by 2 1/4 lengths under Jose Ferrer, who was winning his third of four victories on the program. Brunetti's Red Oak Farm is the owner and breeder of the mare, and the winner's share of the $50,000 purse came to $30,000. Two races later, Red Oak was also the breeder of Bobby the Boss, a 3-year-old gelding who won an allowance race by 1 1/4 lengths. (Not being familiar with the Jersey breeding program, I don't know what, if any, breeder's awards are involved).

        A TREASURE AT SARATOGA - Pleasant Acres Stallions' Treasure Beach shows no letup in his quest to win Florida's freshman sire title and remain high on the list nationally. The son of Galileo picked up his seventh winner, and perhaps his most impressive, at Saratoga on Monday. Saratoga Treasure, a first-timer owned and bred by longtime Pleasant Acres client Patricia Generazio, was soundly bumped leaving the gate in the 5 1/2-furlong turf race. Jose Lezcano deftly maneuvered the New York-bred filly through traffic, made up her eight-length deficit, and she nailed favored English Soul at the wire by a neck in a quick 1:02.66, after an eye-opening stretch run.

        The $43,800 winner's share boosted Treasure Beach's progeny earnings to $308,417, easily best among Florida's freshmen and fifth best in North America. Of the stallion's seven winners, the last five have come in their career debuts.

        NEW MILLIONAIRE AT WOODBINE? - It wouldn't be like winning a jackpot of $758 million, but those wagering on Woodbine's Super High Five jackpot tomorrow will be shooting for a carryover bonanza of $1,112,983.        

          

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    Bernies Blog
    Arrogate's Legacy Coming Under Scrutiny
    Tuesday, August 22, 2017
    Next race can bail him out . . . or not

        After Arrogate mystifyingly laid such a huge egg in the San Diego Handicap, the ensuing weeks leading up to the Pacific Classic had to have Bob Baffert extremely edgy, along with everybody else who had anointed him as the latest superstar of the thoroughbred world. Which was, everybody.

        Was it an aberration, or was the San Diego bomb a harbinger of things to come? The finish of the Pacific Classic failed to answer the question. Was Arrogate the colt who seemed disinterested turning for home, or the one who found renewed enthusiasm the last eighth of a mile only to fall half a length short of catching Collected? The head-scratching will now continue until his next start, possibly the Breeders' Cup Classic.

        One thing that the last nine winners (over 11 years) of the Horse of the Year title shared is a tremendous amount of charisma, and none lost two in a row near the end of their careers. Invasor (2006) won his last five in a row, all Gr. I's. Curlin (2007-2008) was on a roll, but lost his final start in the Classic. Ditto for Rachel Alexandra (2009), who finished second in her finale, the Personal Ensign. Zenyatta (2010) was on a 19-race winning streak before it ended in a thrilling finale in the Classic. Havre de Grace (2011) closed out her fabulous career winning her last start, and Wise Dan (2012-2013) won his last five in a row and 14 of his last 15. California Chrome bombed in the Pegasus before retiring, like Arrogate's San Diego, but had gone 7-1-0 in his previous eight. And American Pharoah closed out 2015 winning the Classic.

        Arrogate can erase the memories of his last two efforts with a victory in the Breeders' Cup, but the luster of his awesome accomplishments leading up to San Diego will be severely tarnished if he blows three in a row, despite his monstrous record bankroll built on unreal purses in Dubai and the Pegasus World Cup.

        STILL SEARCHING - I still haven't been able to find a list anywhere that reveals if any broodmare has ever produced four millionaires, like Live Oak Plantation's Win Approval. World Approval's latest score in the Gr. I Fourstardave boosted his bank account to $1,443,763, and he appears to be far from ready to hang it up. He can pass the first of his siblings, Revved Up ($1,548,653) after another race or two, then he'll go after Za Approval ($1,904,666) and Miesques Approval ($2,648,879), although the latter may prove to be quite a difficult chore, unless there's a Breeder's Cup race or two on tap.

        CASH IS FLOWING - While the Powerball has reached unreal proportions once again, possibly making another billionaire if it isn't hit soon, Woodbine's Super High 5 could make someone a millionaire. After nobody hit the wager over the weekend, the pool is up to $967,356. 

               

        

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Poker Room Receipts Belie Forecasts
    Tuesday, August 15, 2017
    Dog tracks lead the way in Florida . . .

        Recent reports have concluded that the poker boom has been subsiding in the past couple of years, but Florida's pari-mutuel entities belie those conclusions.

        For the 12-month period ending with the close of the state's fiscal year on June 30, the total gross receipts came to $147.4 million, with another $9.4 million added for tournament receipts; that comes to $156.9 million. For the previous 12 months, the total of gross receipts plus tournament receipts reached $147.3 million. Doesn't appear that the poker buffs have lost their enthusiasm. 

        The Jacksonville Kennel Club, which led all venues last year with receipts of $19.5 million, was No. 1 again with receipts of just under $20.6 million. The Palm Beach Kennel Club was second again, showing an increase from $13.1 million to $13.6 million.

        The biggest change came in Marion County, where the phony Oxford Downs took in $3,567,149 and crushed the Ocala Jai Alai fronton, which took a severe hit due to the competition and dropped from $2,974,293 to $1,821,745. The fronton formerly accommodated the busloads of players coming up from The Villages, but those players now have their own facility, just minutes away from their homes. 

        Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs each checked in at more than $4 million, but both were eclipsed by Hialeah Park, which enjoyed gross receipts of more than $7.7 million. Two other dog tracks made the top four, Daytona Beach Kennel Club at more than $12 million and Orange Park Kennel Club in Jacksonville at more than $11 million.  

     


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    Bernies Blog
    Where Have All the Scholars Gone?
    Tuesday, August 8, 2017
    Add Traipse in Utopia to the list . . .

        With all the concerns about the quality of education in our schools these days, I always get a kick out of listening to the myriad of mispronunciations that go out over the airwaves. And nowhere are there more than on our favorite racing channel, TVG.

        I can't include the incessant bungling of Leparoux because the boobs didn't take French when they were younger. But some of the others, such as inclement, mischievous, mambo, machinations and too many others to list, make one wonder just what the analysts were doing in the classroom when they were supposed to be studying. Handicapping, I guess.

        A humorous new addition popped up in the ninth race at Finger Lakes today. The 9 horse was a New York-bred named Traipse in Utopia, not surprisingly, by Utopia out of Traipse. The TVG newbie, whose voice I had never heard before - I think his name is Scott - handicapped the race for us and called the horse Trap-see. Bingo - another name to add to the extensive bungled list. I wondered if Scott would pay attention to the track announcer and come back with the right pronunciation when it was over. 

        And presto! The announcer let us know that No. 9 was Traps in Utopia. Oh well.

        A little while later, in mentioning a horse at Presque Isle named Blichton, after our own little horse community, he called it "Blinton." When Blichton made a good run through the stretch to win the race at 6-1, the announcer called him "Blickton," and that's when Scott changed his call to Blickton, too. Better than Blinton, I guess.

        THREE STAKES-PLACED RUNNERS - Brethren didn't get a winner in four chances in Saturday's stakes races, but Pleasant Acres' freshman son of Distorted Humor did come away with three stakes-placed runners. Dunk finished second in the $100,000 Dr. Fager Stakes at Gulfstream Park and Awesome Mass did likewise in the $100,000 Desert Vixen. Both the colt and the filly were well-backed at the windows, so that was somewhat disappointing. However, there was a  good reason - the winners, Phantom Ro (by 2 3/4 lengths) and Go Astray (by 4 3/4), were overpowering. Go Astray is by Northwest Stud's Gone Astray, who had Three Rules win all three colt and gelding divisions of the Florida Sire Stakes last year, and who is not taking prisoners so far this year.

        The third stakes-placed runner for Brethren was Feisty Embrace, who went off at 7-1 in the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies and closed well to be third although never a threat to win it. However, her strong run through the stretch was impressive enough to make us believe she will get better as the races get longer.  

        WHERE ARE THE ENTRIES? - A couple of years ago, I complained in this space that the Blood-Horse was short-changing its breeders on their expensive stallion pages by not including all of a stallion's entrants under the column head "upcoming entries." I received a response a short while later from Eric Mitchell, then editor of the Blood-Horse. Eric explained that only the better races - stakes, handicaps, allowances, starters, etc. - were represented in the column, since breeders didn't want to publicize horses who were competing in the cheap claimers.

        The practice continues today and it's very disconcerting to anybody who wants to know every horse who's running by a certain stallion each day. And to blow open Eric's explanation, EVERY WINNER a stallion has, no matter how cheap the race, is listed under "recent results," right next to upcoming entries. How can a horse be too cheap so as to be excluded from the upcoming entries list, and then make it on recent results? Yul Brynner would have said 'it's a puzzlement.'  

        THE OWNERS COUNT! - And, not to let the FTBOA's Wire-To-Wire magazine off the hook, I cannot for the life of me understand how the charts from Gulfstream Park - and Tampa Bay Downs when it's open - list the winner's pedigree, trainer and breeder under the chart and leave out the owner? It makes no sense. 

        And, if the answer to the dilemma is that it's a matter of space, I offer this. There would be plenty more space if, on the page titled "Florida Stallion Progeny for (Monday) . . ." they would actually list progeny from Florida stallions, instead of including many stallions who stood in Ocala during the days of the dinosaurs but who have since moved on to other pastures. It wouldn't be quite as bad if the entries listed were old Florida-breds, but THEY AREN'T! 

        In today's entries, for example, Milwaukee Brew, who hasn't been here since the St. Louis Browns were in the American League, is listed as having Strike Me Again in the eighth at Fort Erie, and he's an Ontario-bred. I can't even remember how long it's been since Invisible Ink was here, and he has Pennsylvania-bred Invisible in the fourth at Presque Isle. It's the same for runners by Chapel Royal, Lite the Fuse, One Nice Cat, Shakespeare, Sligo Bay, Songandaprayer and Trust N Luck. All long gone, all listed with runners from other states.

        To the bigwigs at Wire-To-Wire: Nobody needs to peruse the progeny of a stallion from yesteryear who were bred somewhere else after the stallion departed. Get rid of them, then you can add the owners of Gulfstream's winners. 

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    Bernies Blog
    Four Brethren Runners in Stakes Action Saturday
    Friday, August 4, 2017
    Pleasant Acres stallion in the spotlight . . .

        Pleasant Acres Stallions' Brethren has a chance to make a huge move upwards on the freshman sire lists tomorrow with no less than four entrants scheduled to contest three stakes races. 

        Dunk and Tip Sheet, both owned and bred by Arindel, are entered in the field of eight for the $100,000 Dr. Fager Stakes in the first round of the Florida Sire Stakes series. Dunk broke his maiden by 8 3/4 lengths on July 15, getting 5 1/2 furlongs in an excellent 1:04.82. He has talented Emisael Jaramillo in the saddle. Tip Sheet won on July 6 with five furlongs in :59.49 and has Aby Medina aboard. 

        In the $100,000 Desert Vixen, the companion race for fillies, Awesome Mass should be favored off her 11 3/4-length score on July 20, in which she raced five furlongs in :57.18, just four-fifths of a second off the track record. Jaramillo is aboard the filly. There are eight set to go in the six-furlong test. 

        At Louisiana Downs, Feisty Embrace has Colby Hernandez aboard for the $50,000 Louisiana Cup Juvenile Fillies. The Louisiana-bred filly owned and bred by Matalona Thoroughbreds broke her maiden at Evangeline Downs on June 16, becoming Brethren's first winner.   

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    Bernies Blog
    Racinos Show Slight Increase, But Five Are Slipping
    Monday, July 31, 2017
    Only three are up from previous year . . .

        The total "credits in" and net slot revenue for South Florida's eight racinos reached new heights for the 2016-2017 fiscal year that ended on June 30. But as they say, looks can be deceiving.

        The credits in for the recently concluded period totaled more than $8.432 billion, a modest increase when compared to the previous record of $8.237 billion from the year before. However, the 2015-2016 fiscal year included the figures for Dania Jai Alai beginning six months into the session - Dania re-opened in January after a lengthy hiatus due to extensive renovations. 

        Without Dania's increase of $239 million due to its extra six months of play, the other seven were actually down slightly as a group for the first time since Hialeah became the last to enter the arena in August of 2013. Aside from Dania, only Calder Racino and Hialeah Park showed gains in wagering - perennial leader Pompano Park, Gulfstream Park, Hollywood dogs (Mardi Gras), Flagler dogs and Miami Jai Alai were down.

        Calder's credits in jumped from $991 million to $1.1 billion and slots revenue before taxes came to $78.1 million as opposed to $74.8 million the year before. Hialeah's credits went from $1.17 million to $1.24 million, and its slots revenue from $68.3 million to $73.6 million. Miami Jai Alai's credits in downturn was minimal, from $1.141 million to $1.138, but its revenue jumped because there were less winners.

        Gulfstream's revenue was down a little more than $2 million, from $48 million to $45.6 million, and Hollywood followed suit as the two continue to suffer due to their locations, just minutes apart.

        Once again, the state was the biggest winner, with the racinos donating a record $192,239,320 to the coffers, and, in return, the Tallahasseeans allowing fake news quarter horse "tracks" to prosper at the expense of the legitimate entities. 

    (Next: the poker rooms).  

        

        

         

        

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    Bernies Blog
    We Just Want the Facts, Ma'am
    Wednesday, July 26, 2017
    Unsubstantiated name-calling serves no purpose . . .

        The First District Court of Appeal earlier this week concluded that Florida breeders have a legal right to challenge the provisions of an annual plan that outlines the receipts and distribution of breeders' awards funds. In so doing, the court overturned a 2016 decision by Administrative Law Judge Bruce McKibben, who had ruled that Belinda Kitos' Southern Cross Farm had no legal standing to challenge any provisions of the plan submitted by the FTBOA as administrator of the awards program to the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.

        The Blood-Horse.com account of the situation drew a great many comments from horsemen, pro and con, although many more of the opinions stated were in favor of Mrs. Kitos and her attorney, David Romanik. But it's not the question of legality I want to address here, but the comments made by someone who signed on with the name "concerned Florida horseman."

        "David Romanik is a self-serving attorney who is using Mrs. Kitos to sue the only organization that is looking out for the best interests of the breeders in Florida," concerned Florida horseman said. "He is a crook that is strong arming his way into a regulated industry (Gaming) that is incredibly hard to get into. The multitude of lawsuits that Mr. Romanik has filed on behalf of Mrs. Kitos and his other clients against the FTBOA have been proven to be frivolous and without merit and are costing the breeders many thousands of dollars."

        First of all, let it be known that nobody "uses" Belinda Kitos. Second, it is apparent that CFH knows little about David Romanik's background or he (or she) would never have written the above nonsense. For the record, David's father, Leonard, was the attorney for Gulfstream Park in all the years when it was owned first by James Donn Sr. and then by James Donn Jr., and David was right there working alongside his father.

        Later, David worked in an important legal and supervisory capacity for both John Brunetti at Hialeah Park and Frank Stronach at Gulfstream. Along the way, he has participated in the writing and implementing of a great many of the pari-mutuel statutes currently on the books in Florida. He knows the laws backwards and forward, and that is why he was able to keep going on this issue and get it overturned by the First District Court.

        Going one step further, from the racing and breeding side, David purchased Caltech from the late David Goldman and all the son of Explosive Bid accomplished was to become a multiple graded stakes-winner in the 1980s, capturing the Gr. I Washington D. C. International and the Gr. III Lawrence Realization, while earning $726,944. Caltech led every step of the way into the stretch before tiring late to finish fifth in the 1989 Breeders' Cup Turf at Gulfstream. 

        So, it is ludicrous for CFH to call Romanik a crook and trying to strong arm his way into a regulated industry . . . he has been a major part of this industry for more than four decades. This isn't Trump and the stupidity of his name-calling and fake news. CFH needs to get his facts straight before making a fool of himself.   

         

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    Bernies Blog
    Are European Horsemen Smarter Than Everybody Else?
    Tuesday, July 18, 2017
    Euros seem to be much better behaved . . .

        What is it that European horsemen seem to have discovered that their American counterparts haven't?

        Watching our country's races on TVG often, we constantly see fractious horses who refuse to get in the gate and have to be pushed and pulled and prodded by several assistants before they'll slip into that narrow space. Then we see the ones who go berserk waiting for the race to begin and dump their riders, often getting cast in the gate or flipping over backwards, and many times wind up being scratched. During the running of races, we see riders checking badly to avoid clipping heels, and others having to swing wide while being pushed out by the horse or horses inside, and riders standing up to avoid the two in front who have come together and closed up the hole. These are not rare examples - they are everyday occurrences.

        TVG has given us the chance to watch the Europeans in action from many venues - Ascot, The Curragh, Sligo, Newmarket, Lingfield, Chester, Epsom, Goodwood and a host of others. If there's one thing we have taken away from this experience it's that we don't see horses acting up on the way to the gate, or having to be pushed into it, or leaping high into the air once they're in. And, no matter how many horses are in the race, often up to 20, there doesn't seem to be much checking and bumping and the like from start to finish.

        The European runners seem to be much more well-behaved than the U. S. horses, and the jockeys help the situation by not venturing into places where they don't belong.

        Somebody must know the answer to this dilemma. It's certainly not me.    

        MORE FROSH SUCCESS - The belated success of Florida's freshman sires has continued in July, with Pleasant Acres still leading the way by a wide margin via Treasure Beach and Brethren, and Journeyman Stud's Winslow Homer and Northwest Stud's Wrote both getting their first winners.

        Treasure Beach remains in the top six nationally after the smashing victory of Vino at Monmouth Park. The colt owned and bred by Mr. Amore Stables ran away and hid by 7 1/2 lengths in a $36,000 maiden special at five furlongs that came off the turf. Four rivals made early bids at Vino, but he was much the best over the sloppy surface, and collected $21,600 for the effort that announcer Frank Mirahmadi called "a sparkling performance." Treasure Beach has surpassed $167,000 in earnings.

        Brethren's third winner was Dunk, who had finished third twice at Gulfstream under Ramsey Zimmerman, then rolled by nearly nine lengths when paired with Emisael Jaramillo. The colt owned and bred by Arindel earned $34,000 for the score, raising his bank account to $42,400. Brethren has surpassed $102,000.

        Winslow Homer's first winner was Chloe Raven, a filly bred by Darsan who went off at 4/5 in her debut at Louisiana Downs and was all alone at the finish - by 7 3/4 lengths - in an $18,500 maiden special. Wrote's first winner was High Providence, a colt bred by Nina Camperlengo who broke his maiden in his first try at Lone Star Park at odds of 12-1, coming from off the pace to score by 1 1/2. 

        

     

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    Bernies Blog
    Analytics Don't Tell the Whole Story
    Tuesday, July 11, 2017
    What is profit lines' win percentage? . . .

        Analytics is defined as the "discovery, interpretation and communication of meaningful patterns in data. Especially valuable in areas rich with recorded information, analytics relies on the simultaneous application of statistics, computer programming and operations research to quantify performance." Whew!

        One of the simplest applications of analytics in sports today involves baseball. For some reason known only to the analytics nuts, pitchers are only allowed to throw 100 pitches nowadays (give or take a few), even if they're in the process of fashioning a no-hitter or a shutout. I would love to know what the percentages are for the number of times the bullpen has blown the game for the guys who left after seven innings with the lead after having given up none, or one, or two hits. In the NFL, I would love to know how many times a kickoff returner doesn't make it back to the 25-yard-line. Those are a pair of stats we don't hear about, though. 

        Perhaps no other sport has as many analytics gurus as thoroughbred racing. One of the strongest points that possible newcomers make for their reluctance to get involved is that handicapping is too complicated. There are Thoro-graph numbers, the Ragozin sheets, Beyer numbers, Equineline figures, Equibase figures and probably a dozen more. I have always wondered, if any of these shortcuts to picking winners is so good, why isn't everybody using the same one and making millions? And if they're so good, why are the inventors giving out the info instead of just betting on the winners themselves? 

        My latest foray into the world of analytics came this week when I checked out a betting column on the Twin Spires ADW. I have always been aware of the first column, which lists the morning line of each horse. And the second column, which posts what the odds of each horse are coming up to post time. But I never paid attention to the third column, which always had numbers that may or may not have mirrored one of the other two columns, most often, not. 

        A few days ago I clicked on the third column and found that the third column was reserved for "profit line odds," which I found is akin to the people who decide that analytics can tell what a team's chances are of beating another team in the playoffs.

        Profit line odds "represent each horse's estimated probability of winning based on a rigorous computer study encompassing thousands of races. Profit line odds incorporate numerous handicapping factors (speed, class, pace, form, weight, distance, surface, trainer, jockey, pedigree, recency, etc.) The horse with the lowest profit line is deemed to be the most likely winner according to the profit line." 

        Very neat, and concise and to me, a lot of baloney. Where are the analytics that show the percentage of times the horse with the lowest profit line actually won the race. That's a number worth knowing. I haven't seen it anywhere. And, how does the profit line factor in the horse getting left at the gate, or the rider running up on the inside after getting left and burying his horse in a 21-plus quarter, or the horse being carried six wide on the turn by a bolting rival, or the fact that the horse was fouled in his last three races, or any one of a great many other problems not listed in the explanation.

        A computer can accomplish many objectives, but picking out the winner of a horse race is not one of them. Otherwise, we'd have a 1/9 shot in every race. Anyway, the use of speed, class, pace, form, etc. is just what a good handicapper determines when he goes over the PPs in the Racing Form. I would rather Twin Spires left out the profit line and used the space instead to give me the jockey and pedigree of each horse, like DRF/ExpressBets does. 

           

        

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    Bernies Blog
    Pleasant Acres Stallions on a Roll
    Friday, July 7, 2017
    Treasure Beach leads with three winners . . .

        After a very slow start, the five freshman stallions at Pleasant Acres have made a huge move and taken over the top spots among Florida's first-year sires, and they appear to love Gulfstream Park.

        Last week, Seattle Treasure and Treasure for Gold won on back-to-back days over Gulfstream's grass course, giving Treasure Beach three winners and putting him on the top of the list - his earnings have surpassed $113,000. Both won in $60,000 maiden special company and collected checks of $40,000. Seattle Treasure went wire-to-wire under Carlos Olivero, holding off even-money favorite Channel Cat and Hall of Famer Javier Castellano by a length in :56.77 for the five furlongs. Treasure for Gold had to steady early with red-hot rider Tyler Gaffalione, but she inhaled the leaders in the stretch and won by a length in :56.65.

        Also in the field against Seattle Treasure was Yeehaw, a colt by another Pleasant Acres stallion, Anthony's Cross, and he finished a solid third, just a head behind the runner-up.

        Yesterday, Tip Sheet became the second winner for Brethren, another PA freshman, making Treasure Beach and Brethren the only two Florida freshmen with more than one winner. Tip Sheet, owned and bred by Arindel, raced greenly in his maiden special debut but a drop into claiming company was all he needed. He was off third under Emisael Jaramillo, went three wide on the turn and was up by three-quarters at the wire. The runner-up was pacesetter Duke of Miami, looking to become the first winner by Northwest Stud's Duke of Mischief.

        Poseidon's Warrior, who has one winner, just missed a second when Incredible Warrior lost by a nose at Prairie Meadows and he's a cinch to break his maiden shortly. 

        Pleasant Acres stallions have six of the 10 winners by Florida's freshmen so far. 

        

            

       

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    Bernies Blog
    Little Guys Make the Game Go
    Friday, June 30, 2017
    Alcanudance, Pink Mama are crowd favorites . . .

        With all the attention paid to the Triple Crown, the Breeders' Cup, graded races, and the hype surrounding horses such as Arrogate, American Pharoah, California Chrome, Zenyatta, etc., most of the time the little guys who are the nuts and bolts of the game are overlooked. A couple of the feel-good nuts-and-bolters were in action in the past week and they deserve a little hype of their own.

        Alcanudance is a Florida-bred by Alke who was born in 2007 at CloverLeaf Farm II north of Ocala. It's the farm that was originally developed by Bob Brennan and called Due Process Stable South and is now Woodford Thoroughbreds.

        At Finger Lakes on Monday, Alcanudance made the 81st start of his career, and there are precious few thoroughbreds who make it through 81 races these days. It was a $5,000 claimer at five furlongs and the gelding was sent off at 2-1 - he had previously made four starts this year, posting a pair of seconds.

         Alcanudance was sent right to the lead and he went wire-to-wire, putting up fractions of :22.19 and :45.99 en route to scoring by one-half length in :59.02. It was the gelding's 30th victory of his career to go along with 15 seconds and 17 thirds - that's 62 times in the top three in those 81 races. If he had been racing in top company, or even middle-of-the road claimers, Alcanudance would be a millionaire twice over. Instead, he just edged over the $300,000 mark.

        His best years came in 2012 and 2015 when he won six times in each season, and he's averaged $3,716 per start. It's hard not to root for this guy. 

        Then there's Pink Mama. The 4-year-old filly by Mass Media was bred north of Ocala by Mary and Richard Tortora. Mary is the former Mary Russ, who can be remembered as the first female rider to win a Gr. I stakes in this country when she piloted Lord Darnley to victory in the Gulfstream Park Handicap in 1982. 

        Pink Mama won at Gulfstream on Sunday for trainer Gerald Bennett at odds of 1/9, marking her sixth straight victory, the first four at Tampa Bay Downs and the last two at Gulfstream, and by a combined margin of 31 1/4 lengths. In this one, an optional claimer starter allowance, she rated in third place under Samy Camacho, moved three wide on the turn, then drew off with ease to win by 3 1/2 lengths. Not bad for a filly who Bennett claimed at Tampa for $6,250. She's 8-2-0 in her last 10 starts, and overall 10-4-0 in 19 with earnings of $134,720. And the Tortoras have benefitted to the tune of 14 breeders' awards.  

        

        


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    Bernies Blog
    Entering in Short Fields Can Be Rewarding
    Monday, June 26, 2017
    Rain and scratches change the playing field . . .

        How much money could an owner make with a horse with some main track ability, but not enough to win even small stakes, if he told the racing secretary to drop his name in the box for every turf race that comes up on the grass and has a good purse? And every time one of those races comes off the turf and suffers from a great many scratches, the owner's horse is a go.

        It may sound strange, but think of how often a scenario pops up like with the $100,000 Wild Applause Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday. There were six entered, but when the race came off the grass Lull and Rubilinda were scratched, leaving four to go after the $60,000 winner's check. The other splits were $20,000 for second, $10,000 for third, $5,000 for fourth, $3,000 for fifth and $2,000 to be split among the rest of the finishers. 

        Now, what if the owner we are talking about tells his jockey to just sit last, save his horse, and let her run the last quarter, and see what happens. The worst would be she finishes fifth and gets $3,000. But what if what happened in the Wild Applause happens?

        The favorite ($1.15-1), Rum Go with Javier Castellano, decided not to assert herself early and just jogged around for the entire mile. Super Marina, with Manny Franco, edged Bellavais ($1.25-1), with John Velazquez, by a neck to account for the first two checks.  The third horse, Talaaqy, finished 11 1/4 lengths behind in third, and she was 30 1/4 lengths ahead of the favorite, who never did get in gear. 

        So, our owner is sure to beat the favorite and get the fourth-place check of $5,000, but she has a chance to outfinish the third-place horse and get $10,000. Am I nuts? Maybe, but if I had the opportunity, I would try it. 

        How about Saturday's $100,000 Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita. There were only four entered to take on 1/9 Battle of Midway and one of them, Arms runner, was scratched. An owner could have entered this one and been assured of at least $2,000 for fifth. Battle of Midway won by 4 1/4 over B Squared, who was 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Term of Art, who was 2 1/4 ahead of Quiet Dude, who lost it all by 11. Our phantom horse might have gotten home fourth and hit for $6,000. Maybe even third if he had some ability. 

        Just thinking.

        GIVE'EM NO QUARTER - The story of French Quarter has been told here often, but it's so unique, it continually deserves attention. Bred from the rescued 17-year-old mare Cent Nouvelles by Ocala advertising guru Kathy Taylor in 2010, the gelding by Shakespeare has been alternating races from Woodbine in the summer to Gulfstream in the winter for five years and picked up several welcomed breeder's awards for Kathy along the way. She spent a bundle caring for Frenchie and the nine she rescued when Eddie Martin Stable South went bust. 

        However, early in this Gulfstream meeting, owner Howard Walton and trainer John Mattine lost Frenchie in a claim for $62,500 and new trainer David Fawkes has taken him to new heights. In his last seven races at Gulfstream racing for both stables, Frenchie has won twice, been second three times and third twice, including a third on Saturday, and three of the placings were in non-graded stakes. The breeder's awards for the seven races come to nearly $18,000, and Frenchie appears to far be from ready to hang it up - he has been clocked in under 1:10 for six furlongs often. Maybe it's really true that everything comes to he (or she) who waits.   


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    Florida Casinos Headed for Record Year
    Tuesday, June 20, 2017
    Overall play should reach $8.5 billion . . .

        Florida's pari-mutuel fiscal year is 10 days from winding up, and it turns out that the casinos down south will experience more than just a minor increase in several major categories.

        In the last fiscal year, total "credits in" for the eight facilities reached more than $8.2 billion; through May 31 of this year the number is nearly $7.8 billion. With more than $700 million a month currently being generated, this will be a record year again, somewhere around $8.5 billion. The highest previous total for any one month was $795 million last year, this time around $800 million was reached three times, in October, December and March.

        Last year, the state's 35 percent tax generated $187.9 million in revenues - this year taxes will exceed $192 million. That's good news because the state's regulation of the pari-mutuel industry has been so outstanding that we now have additional phony quarter horse racing at once-revered Hialeah Park, and the state should be rewarded.  Among the many items that are swirling around in various gaming bills in Tallahassee is one that would reduce the tax on each facility to 25 percent. They should pass that one by itself as long as the fatheads are sitting around and doing nothing at all on the other changes. 

        PLEASANT MILESTONES - Two more Pleasant Acres freshman stallions now have their first winners. Brethren was represented by Feisty Embrace at Evangeline Downs on June 16, and Poseidon's Warrior by Firenze Fire at Monmouth Park on the 18th. Both came in maiden specials. 

        Feisty Embrace went off at 1/2 and won by a length in 1:00.02 for the five furlongs. She had finished second in her previous start and now has earnings of $20,800. Firenze Fire sat second in the early going at Monmouth and was a ton the best with Antonio Gallardo in the stretch, getting five furlongs in :58.37 and earning $21,600. Nearing the wire, track announcer Frank Mirahmadi bellowed, "Firenze Fire wins from here to Florida." 

     

     

          

            

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    With Poppy's Salsa, the Tote Board Told the Story
    Thursday, June 15, 2017
    Dead-Heats with Live Oak colt . . .

        With all the attention paid to the Triple Crown and other graded races all around the country, the interesting scenarios at smaller tracks, featuring the lesser lights, mostly go unnoticed. But not for the bettors who frequent TVG daily.

        One of those races was the second at Finger Lakes on Monday. It was a $20,000 maiden claimer with several first-timers, including Poppy's Salsa, a 3-year-old son of Get Away Farm's Two Step Salsa. The colt had four workouts listed, three at three furlongs and one at four, and none were anything special. Nothing to make anyone sit up and take notice. Poppy was 6-1 in the morning line.

        Most bettors aren't paying attention to the TV when a race ends and the morning line pops up for the next race at that track. After all, there's usually 20 to 25 minutes before the next post time and plenty of time to check out the odds. On this occasion, TVG analyst Rich Perloff did notice the first flash, and casually mentioned that Poppy's Salsa was 3/5. Handicappers who do pay attention to the first flash - like me - then watched to see what transpired thereafter.

        In Poppy's Salsa's case, his odds began to slowly drift up until the field was about to enter the gate, and he was 5-1. If there was anything special somebody knew about this colt, they had made their play early.

        When the gate opened, Poppy bolted to the lead with Gerald Almodovar, and continued in front until the turn when he was joined by King of Night, a 5/2 proposition owned and bred by Live Oak Plantation. The pair went head-and-head down the lane, and at one point King of Night forged ahead by a neck. But Poppy wasn't finished - he battled back gamely and they crossed the line so close together the announcer couldn't separate them. And, a final look at the board showed Poppy was now 15-1. Incredible.

        The judges took an eternity studying the photos and finally, and rightfully, decided it was a heater. So Two Step Salsa had another winner (No. 27 this year), as did Charlotte Weber's Live Oak. Poppy's Salsa paid $13.40, $13.20 and $7.80, and the early bird bettor (or bettors) had the last laugh. (Along with anybody else who paid attention to that telling first flash). 

        THIS ONE'S CORFU - Bridlewood Farm's Corfu became the fourth Florida freshman sire to have a winner when I'm Corfu broke his maiden at Presque Isle Downs on Tuesday in his fourth start. The gelding bred by Donna Burnham had finished second in his previous start and was sent off as the 1/2 favorite as part of an entry with stablemate Chateau, both owned and trained by Wayne Rice. 

        Ronnie Allen Jr. shot I'm Corfu to the lead in the five-furlong maiden special and the gelding never looked back, scoring by 2 3/4 lengths and stopping the clock in :58.19. Chateau came on for second, 4 1/4 lengths clear of the third-place finisher, so Rice picked up two checks. He had purchased I'm Corfu for a bargain $3,500 at the OBS January sale and the gelding has now earned $24,282. 

        There are 13 Florida first-year sires and Corfu joined Currency Swap, Prospective and Treasure Beach in the one-win column.  

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    Florida Could Use a Belmont Stakes Winner (Snicker)
    Sunday, June 11, 2017
    Tapwrit would be a major boon to Ocala . . .

        Following are some indisputable facts about Tapwrit.

         1. He sold for $1.2 million to Bridlewood Farm, Robert LaPenta and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners at the 2016 Saratoga sale.

        2. His Belmont victory boosted his earnings to $1,143,902, so one more race and they're out as far as the price is concerned. 

        3. He's 4-1-0 in 8 starts and has won two stakes other than the Belmont - the Gr. II Tampa Bay Derby and Pulpit - and finished second in the Gr. III Sam F. Davis.

        4. He's the third son of Tapit to win the Belmont in the last four years.

        5. The Malones weren't able to be there for the Belmont, but Bridlewood manager George Isaacs looked really suave at the trophy presentation sporting another of his stylish straw hats.

        6. There are two sons of Tapit standing in Ocala - Woodford's He's had Enough and Hartley/DeRenzo's Rattlesnake Bridge. Tapwrit has already earned more than those two combined.

        7. What if Robert LaPenta and the many entities represented by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, neither of which owns a farm standing stallions, I don't think, told John and Leslie Malone they could stand Tapwrit at Bridlewood when his racing career ends, at least for a couple of years, like Mr. Prospector, Stormy Atlantic, Successful Appeal, Yes It's True, Northern Afleet and more recently, Kantharos, etc. It would have to be listed under the headline Always Dreaming, but what a boost it would be to the Florida breeding industry.

        It won't happen, of course, for several reasons, two of which are obvious. First is that the colt appears to be of such a caliber he could go on to win many millions more and that would take him out of the Florida mix. Second is that he would stand for a stud fee too high for the area to support. There are only two stallions in Ocala with fees as high as $10,000. It's been quite a while since there was a high-priced stallion here, possibly not since Codex, and before him In Reality. 

        Ocala hasn't had a Belmont winner standing since Sarava (he won in 2002) and three decades earlier it was Peter Kissel's Pass Catcher, who won in 1971 and stood at October House Farm. Needles, of course, was the first. But Sarava was a one-hit wonder, wasn't well-received, and didn't last long in Florida.  

        Hey, it was just a thought.

        RAINBOW RISES - The Rainbow 6 jackpot has reached $842,532 heading into today's Gulfstream program. If there isn't a single winner today, bettors will have three days to keep trying before there's a mandatory payout on Saturday. If it reaches Saturday intact, the pool will be gigantic - again. 

        GOOD PROSPECTS - Ocala Stud's Prospective became the third Florida freshman sire to get a winner when Happy River scored in a $25,000 maiden claimer at Gulstream on Friday. Bred by Robert Shoukry, the filly raced five furlongs in 1:00.64 under Emisael Jaramillo and won by nearly four lengths, earning a check for $14,400. 

        

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    Remembering . . .
    Tuesday, June 6, 2017
    How did at all come down to this? . . .

    I remember:

        Driving down the entrance lane to Hialeah Park in late February of 1970 amid the beauteous palms and grass and flowers and wondering, "Where has this been all my life?"

        Walking into the press box and being stopped by lovely Eve Dolan, who wanted to know what I was doing there. She was skeptical of my claim that I was the new racing writer for the Ft. Lauderdale News, until veteran New York-Florida handicapper Sam Engelberg came over and bailed me out.

        Looking out the press box window and marveling at the Queen of Thoroughbred Racing - the track, the trees, the flowers, the lake, the island, the flamingos, and the Seminole Indian sitting in his canoe waiting for the seventh race, and wondering, "Where has this been all my life?" 

        Watching the keeper of the canoe paddle over to stir up those beautiful pink birds, who then waltzed their way over and around the grounds while the PA system wafted the haunting strains of "The Flight of the Flamingos."

        Sitting in at a meeting at my new newspaper, the Miami Herald, and listening to a reporter telling us that he had been on a fishing trip with the Florida Supreme Court justices, and they related that instead of Hialeah keeping the January-February "middle dates" year after year, followed by Gulfstream, they were now going to let the two tracks rotate the dates.

        Calling the New York-based trainers to get their reaction to the dates switch, and Allen Jerkens, Lucien Laurin, Johnny Campo, Woody Stephens, John Parisella, Eddie Neloy and John Nerud all expressing their surprise, and dissatisfaction.

        In one column, printing all the letters that had arrived that week - all knocking Hialeah for its high prices for valet parking, seating, food, the clubhouse, etc., and having to go to the paper after the races to explain why I had so angered Herald publisher John S. Knight, owner of the Fourth Estate stable, who brought his Palm Beach buddies to watch the races every day in his box at his favorite track.

        Having to go to the paper for explanations once again after Art Grace of the Miami News had a long preview story pertaining to the debut of the $200,000 Keeneland yearling, Mr. Prospector, and I didn't write about it. I did write about it after Mr. P broke his maiden that day.

        Walking into the jocks' room one day and having Alberto Ramos give me a horse coming up in a couple of races with Don Brumfield aboard. I headed back to the press box and on the way bumped into Carl Rosen (owner of Chris Evert) and New York Yankees' centerfielder Bobby Murcer and marked the horse on their program. Brumfield brought him home at $34 and I made a nice score - Rosen and Murcer told me later they didn't bet on him.

        Talking to Lucien Laurin on the phone and him telling me, in that wonderful French accent, about a nice colt he had ready to start named River Reach. Fortunately for me, I read a piece in the Racing Form the same day and changed the name to Riva Ridge.      

        Booking a $2 win bet from the late Joe Hirsch on Head of the River in the Everglades when I knew Riva Ridge couldn't lose. Head of the River did beat Riva and paid $19, but unbeknownst to Joe I had snuck over to the window and bet the $2.

        Looking out at the winner's circle to get a glimpse of 13-year-old guest Brooke Shields, and wondering why she was allowed to defy the state rule that you had to be at least 18 to enter a pari-mutuel facility.

        Seeing three of the great ones of the sport, Seattle Slew, Alydar and Spectacular Bid, win the Flamingo in successive years, 1977-79.  

        Driving to Hialeah with Max Hugel and David Goldman for the 2001 Flamingo, won by Frank Stronach's Thunder Blitz, not having an inkling that it would be the last time the race would be run.  

        I could go on for a month.

        Now comes the news that John Brunetti has tainted the memory and history of the Queen by turning his previously legal quarter horse meeting into a farce, like Gretna, and Hamilton Downs, and Oxford before him. Reports from down south have Hialeah running two programs of eight races a day, using a makeshift starting gate, someone yelling "go" to start the races, and fields of two being acceptable. The "crowd" for the opener on May 31 is said to have been less than a dozen.

        Equibase no longer carries the entries and results, and TVG no longer carries the races.

        Track exec John Brunetti Jr. was quoted as saying the change was made to reduce the track's racing costs. The same racing that allows Hialeah to have a casino and a poker room. 

        For the record, that casino's slot machines netted $$68.3 million in the fiscal year 2015-2016, less the $23.9 million to the state, or a profit of $44.4 million. Through April of this cycle, the casino net is $60.7 million, with $21.2 million going to the state, a profit of $39.5 million. When the figures for May and June are added, it looks as though Hialeah's take will exceed that of last year.

        As for the poker room, the first 10 months of this fiscal year have produced a revenue of $5.4 million.

        Ergo, JJB Jr.'s explanation about having to reduce costs is a joke.

        The blame for this fiasco can be laid right at the doorstep of the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. There is no direction and no leadership as far as pari-mutuels are concerned and the only way the twisted state of affairs is going to be resolved is when the governor appoints a State Racing Commission, comprised of individuals who know and understand thoroughbreds, quarter horses, jai alai, dogs and standardbreds.

        And, 47 years after I first walked into the Hialeah press box, I wonder, "How did it all come down to this?" 

          

            

         

         

          

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    Gaffalione Has Become King of Gulfstream
    Friday, June 2, 2017
    Leads fellow riders by a mile . . .

        The biggest surprise emanating from Gulfstream Park yesterday was not that nobody hit the Rainbow Pick 6 jackpot again, but that Tyler Gaffalione's mount in the second race - Rey Astray - paid $15.40.

        Getting a price on the talented young son of former rider Steve Gaffalione and grandson of former rider Bob Gaffglione has become quite difficult, especially since the northern jockeys have headed north for their summer engagements. Tyler rode four more winners yesterday and now has 72 for the current meeting, 20 ahead of his nearest competitor, Edgard Zayas. It's another 18 back to third-place Emisail Jaramillo, who has 34. 

        To show the respect the bettors have for Tyler, seven of the nine horses he rode went off favored, so he doesn't win them all. Aside from his four victories, he had three seconds, a third and a fourth. His owners do get everything out of a horse when Tyler is aboard. He has ridden in 240 races, so he's winning at a gaudy 30 percent. He also has 39 seconds and 43 thirds, an in-the-money percentage of 64. He leads the jockey colony at Gulfstream in every category, by a mile. 

        By the way, the Rainbow jackpot is up to $556,055, so another millionaire could be crowned shortly.  

        GRATIFYING SCORE - I always find it intriguing to follow the early careers of horses that bring big prices at the sales, although there are so many these days it's difficult to do so. One showed up at Finger Lakes earlier this week, a 3-year-old filly named Gratifying bred in Kentucky by Atlanta real estate entrepreneur Peter Blum, who has been doing it for about five decades. 

        Gratifying, a daughter of Bodemeister, was an RNA at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2015. She showed up again at the OBS March 2-year-old sale in 2016 in the consignment of Ocala horseman Paul Sharp and she went for $200,000 to Gold Square LLC. Sent to the track, the filly finished fourth and sixth in two tries at Parx, fifth in a race at Aqueduct and ninth at Belmont Park. She earned all of $5,360 in the four attempts.

        Next stop - Finger Lakes. Running in a maiden special upstate, Gratifying took to the sloppy track under Joshua Navarro, galloped behind the pack down the backstretch, went four wide on the turn and jogged home by 6 1/2 lengths. She paid $2.50 and collected a check for $11,400. She's now earned $16,760 for Gold Star, a long way from her purchase price, but it will be interesting to see if this was the wake-up call she needed.  

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    Two Frosh Sires Have a Winner, Several On the Verge
    Tuesday, May 30, 2017
    Gulfstream's Rainbow carryover passes $500,000 . . .

        As racing heads into June, this year's 2-year-olds have been competing for a couple of months and seven of Florida's 13 freshman sires have had at least one runner. Two of them have come up with a winner, Tigerbeach scoring at Indiana Grand for Pleasant Acres Stallions' Treasure Beach, and R Paper Chaser visiting the winner's circle at Gulfstream Park for Woodford Thoroughbreds' Currency Swap. Tigerbeach had prepped for his win by finishing second at Churchill Downs.

        Oddly enough, Woodford's Soldat is the leader on the money list even though he has yet to have a winner. He does have one on the verge, Pete Marwick, who has a third at Keeneland and a second at Belmont Park on his tab and $24,470 in the bank. Anthony's Cross (Pleasant Acres) has Yeehaw, who finished second at Gulfstream, and Bridlewood Farm's Corfu has I'm Corfu, with a second by one-half length at Presque Isle. Brethren, another from Pleasant Acres, had Feisty Embrace finish second at Evangeline Downs. 

        Perhaps the ratio of mares bred compared to 2-year-olds registered for these seven gives us a little insight as to why there are so many short fields at every track. Soldat was bred to 124 mares and has 87 registered foals, or 70 percent. Treasure Beach's number are 101-65, or 64 percent, same as Currency Swap (47-30). The other four are all in the range of 57 percent down to 51 percent. When taking into account other problems facing many of the registered foals that keeps them out of play, it's easy to see why the short fields are so plentiful.

        CHASING RAINBOWS AGAIN - The Rainbow Pick 6 jackpot at Gulfstream has reached the exciting stage once again after there was more than one winning ticket on Monday's program. The holiday pool was $205,464, and those with six winners each collected $3,715. When racing resumes on Thursday, the carryover will be a juicy $513,873.

        Red-hot Tyler Gaffalione rode four winners on the Monday card, Edgard Zayas rode three and Marcos Meneses two. That's nine of the 11 races. It's difficult to leave Tyler or Edgard off any exotic tickets because they win the most races. In the Pick 6, there were four payoffs under $10, plus Meneses' $19.80 to lead it off, and Jocelyne Gomez's $34.80 in the fourth. But Tyler brought home one winner at $4 and one at $3.40 and no doubt there were many singles in those races, allowing bettors to stretch out the ticket in the others.    

         FLAMINGOS ARE BACK - Quarter horse racing returns to Hialeah Park tomorrow for its obligatory 20-day meeting. The Flamingo track will be open Wednesdays through Sundays through June 25. 

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    Is Win Approval Racing's No. 1 Broodmare?
    Tuesday, May 23, 2017
    Produced 4 millionaires for Live Oak . . .

        I have tried and failed to find a list of broodmares who have produced the most million-dollar earners, assuming there is one somewhere. But is it possible that Charlotte Weber's Win Approval is the all-time leader in that category?

        When World Approval won the Gr. II, $250,000 Longine Dixie Stakes just prior to the Preakness, he went over the $1 million mark in earnings, becoming the fourth millionaire for the daughter of With Approval, who produced 10 foals in all during her career in the Live Oak Plantation breeding shed. World Approval, a foal of 2012, is the last of the 10, and his 2 1/4-length victory Saturday was a thing of beauty. But Julien Leparoux often rides stakes-winners to perfection.

        The 5-year-old gelding is now 8-2-4 in 20 starts with earnings of $1,103,763 and his stakes record is impressive: competing in 16 stakes, 11 of them graded, he has compiled six victories, two seconds, three thirds and three fourths. Trainer Mark Casse gave him a rest of 5 1/2 months, and in his return on April 2, World Approval came back to win the EG Vodka Turf Classic at Tampa Bay Downs on the Florida Cup program, so he's 2-for-2 this year.

        Win Approval's other millionaires are Miesques Approval ($2,648,879), Revved Up ($1,548,653) and Za Approval ($1,904,666). She has produced four other winners, one foal who didn't win in four starts, and one who never raced. The nine who did have now won 68 races, led by Revved Up, who won 20 times, and Miesques Approval and Winabull, who won 12 times each.

        The way World Approval is performing, all those numbers should rise this season.

        FRENCHIE STILL GIVING - The tale of Ocala advertising exec Kathy Taylor's rescue of nine horses from the busted Eddie Martin Stable South in 2010 has been chronicled here often. Seven years later, the exploits of the son of Shakespeare that she bred from one of the rescued mares continue to balloon.

        After selling eight of the rescuees for a ham sandwich each, Kathy bred the Storm Bird mare Cent Nouvelles to Shakespeare and French Quarter was born. Kathy raised him, and two years later, the fiesty colt didn't reach his reserve at OBS and he was sold privately to Canadian owner Howard Walton. French Quarter began racing at Woodbine in the summer and Gulfstream in the winter, although the winter forays have not been nearly as frequent.

       A few months ago, Gulfstream trainer David Fawkes claimed Frenchie for $62,500 and has since raced him three times. The third came on Saturday in the $100,000 Big Drama Stakes and Frenchie was competitive, as he usually is, finishing third in a tough field of 10 sprinters. He is closing in on $300,000 in career earnings.

        From Kathy's point of view, the claim was a blessing - a blessing known as breeder's awards. Since his return to Florida in December, Frenchie has raced six times for the two barns, with two victories, a second and two thirds (both in $100,000 stakes). In his Gulfstream career, he has four firsts, two seconds and three thirds in 13 starts. That equates to nine breeder's awards of varying denominations and goes a long way to taking the sting out of what it cost to care for the original nine in 2010 and 2011.

        And, like World Approval,  Frenchie is still going strong.  

     

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    Martin Would have Had the Preakness as a 5-Horse Race
    Thursday, May 18, 2017
    But 10 will line up at Pimlico . . .

       When California Chrome was dominating the 3-year-old ranks a few years back, co-owner Perry Martin dismissed the Triple Crown rules by advocating that if a horse didn't start in the Kentucky Derby, he shouldn't be allowed to contest the Preakness. He didn't think it was fair that the Derby winner was forced to come back in two weeks, while a bunch of rested horses could ship in to try to derail him. It never occurred to him that that was the beauty of the Triple Crown. It isn't for sissies.

        If Martin's idea had been implemented, five of the 10 entrants for Saturday's Preakness would be ineligible (Multiplier, Senior Investment, Cloud Computing, Conquest Mo Money and Term of Art). We would be faced with Always Dreaming facing Derby runner-up Lookin at Lee, fourth-place Classic Empire, seventh place Gunnevera and 11th place Hence. And, while it still might have been a competitive race in that instance, who needs it. It would have been a monumental bust for the fans, for TV and for the history of the race itself.

        Can anybody beat Always Dreaming, who is 4/5 on the morning line? Maybe. Lookin at Lee closed a ton in Louisville and he'll only have half the traffic to negotiate this time. If Classic Empire gets a good trip, who knows just how good he is? Maybe better than Always Dreaming. Gunnevera will also have less traffic to overcome with his late kick and Hence had all kinds of problems on Derby day so we can't really evaluate him.

        Of the newcomers, Conquest Mo Money might be the most interesting. First, he's the only one in the field who wasn't bred in Kentucky- he's a New Yorker. Second, his auction sheet is mind-boggling. Sold for $180,000 as a yearling at Saratoga in 2015, then for $8,500 at Keeneland November in 2016. What? And, with three victories and two seconds in five starts, including seconds in the Gr. III Sunland Derby and Gr. I Arkansas Derby, the son of Uncle Mo has earned $508,900.

        Multiplier, winner of the Illinois Derby, was purchased for $62,000 at Keeneland November, then was RNA'd twice, including at OBS April.  

        Term of Art, bred by Ocala's Mandy Pope, owner of Whisper Hill Farm, has started nine times and was seventh in the Santa Anita Derby in his last. He was a $220,000 purchase at Keeneland September in 2015. 

        Cloud Computing, a $200,000 Keeneland September product, finished third in the Gr. II Wood Memorial and second in the Gr. III Gotham. 

        Senior Investment has made eight starts, and won the Gr. III Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, but was seventh in the Louisiana Derby. He was a $95,000 purchase at Keeneland September. 

        Always Dreaming's effort in the Derby makes him look to be much the best. But looks can be deceiving.

        NEARING A MILESTONE - Three Rules will be trying to get closer to the million-dollar mark in the $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes in the seventh race on the Preakness program. The son of Northwest Stud's Gone Astray is back to where he shines - at six furlongs - after showing he's not a distance horse, at least not at this stage of his career. He drew the No. 1 post in a field of nine with Luis Saez and is 3-1 second choice on the morning line. Recruiting Ready is 8/5 with Horacio Karamanos.  

     

         

     

     

     

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    This Son of First Dude Was No Runt
    Wednesday, May 17, 2017
    Pays $210 in his Gulfstream debut . . .

        A few decades ago, the late Red Buttons got a great deal of mileage out of a recurring TV schtick; he'd put his hand over his ear and declare, "Strange things are happening."

        Red would have loved the 2-year-old race at Gulfstream Park last Friday - a bunch of first-timers plus one who had started, appropriately named Rocky Strange, and he was the 6/5 favorite based on a lone third-place finish. 

        One of the first-timers was Uncle Runt, a gelding by First Dude owned and bred by Rory and Gay Miller's Flying Finish Farm in Ocala. First Dude has been a remarkable sire since arriving at Double Diamond Farm in time for the 2012 breeding season. His $5.5 million in earnings leads all the sires from the same year, and he's not only Florida's leading third-crop sire this season, he's second on the general sire list behind deceased Wildcat Heir. In short, he's been terrific.  

        That's why it's hard to understand how the bettors allowed Uncle Runt to go off at $104.10-1 in his debut. The gelding had three listed workouts, a 49.80 breezing from the gate for four furlongs on April 9 (best of 8 works), a 51 breezing on April 29 (second of 8), and a 38.40 breezing on May 6 (first of 3), six days before his first race. All the works came at the Ocala Horse Complex and a sharp handicapper would have noted that two of the works were bullets. 

        So the combination of First Dude and Uncle Runt's works weren't enough to get people to jump on board and they paid for it. With Jose Garcia aboard, the gelding rushed into the lead and just kept going, reaching the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front and paying $210.20, $31.40 and $14.20. Assuming that 99 percent of owners bet on their horses, especially the first time out, the Millers no doubt enjoyed a great trip to Hallandale Beach. The winner's check was $34,000 and the breeder's award is still to come.

        Runner-up in the race was Bal Harbour, named after the glitzy shopping area located not far from Gulfstream and owned by Hialeah Park's John J. Brunetti. Bal Harbour collected $8,400 for second. 

        First Dude already has piled up more than $1.3 million in progeny earnings in 2017, with 41 winners, and it's only May. It will be interesting to see if the upcoming Dude 2-year-olds receive a warmer welcome at the windows.  

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    Currency Swap Takes Early Florida Frosh Lead
    Monday, May 15, 2017
    R Paper Chaser is first frosh winner of 2017 . . .

        So far, seven of Florida's freshman sires of 2017 have had at least one runner. There have been 14 runners in all, and only Woodford Thoroughbreds' Currency Swap has had a winner. The son of High Cotton is represented by R Paper Chaser, who broke his maiden in his debut at Gulfstream Park on May 10, getting 4 1/2 furlongs in :51.74, just three-fifths of a second off the track record.

        R Paper Chaser earned $19,600 for the effort and has his sire in first place on the frosh sire list. But Currency Swap has just 30 registered 2-year-olds in this crop, and several of the others have many more, so it's going to be a struggle for Currency Swap to maintain his early lead as the season develops. 

        Woodford also has the early second-place sire in the War Front stallion Soldat, who already has four runners. His Pete Marwick finished third at Keeneland on April 26 and collected a check of $4,470. 

        In third place is Pleasant Acres' Treasure Beach, whose Tigerbeach finished fourth at Keeneland on April 26 and earned $2,235, then came back and finished third at Churchill Downs on May 12 and banked another $5,600. Next comes Bridlewood Farm's Corfu, who has also raced twice and has posted a pair of fifths, good for $2,682.

        Pleasant Acres' Anthony's Cross has one runner, Seminole Charlie, who finished fourth at Gulfstream on May 3 and earned $2,000. Two other Pleasant Acres stallions, Brethren and Poseidon's Warrior, have had nothing significant as yet. 

        FIRST SW FOR OVERDRIVEN - Last year's freshman sire race was somewhat boring, mainlybecause the lsit of stallions was so small, and only Ocala Stud's Overdriven and Woodford's Biondetti accomplished much. Biondetti led Overdriven in earnings and number of winners, but that has turned around so far this year. Overdriven leads in earnings - $486,627 to $292,389 - and in winners, 17 to 14. Now, Ocala Stud's stallion has added the first stakes-winner for either. 

        Arms Runner won the $101,690 Desert Code Stakes at Santa Anita by 1 1/2 lengths with an apparent liking for the downhill 6 1/2-furlong turf course. Norberto Arroyo Jr. had him geared down the final sixteenth of a mile. Arms Runner was purchased for $525,000 at the OBS March sale last year, and he's now 2-for-2 down the hill for Rockingham Ranch. 

        

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    Derby Numbers Soar to New Heights
    Tuesday, May 9, 2017
    Always Dreaming outdoes American Pharoah, Nyquist . . .

        We all are aware that the sport is dying, the older players are leaving us and no new players are being invented. I quote other outlets here regarding the subject about twice a year. So it turns out that wagering on the Kentucky Derby surpassed $200 million for the first time ever - $209.2 million to be exact. That's 9% higher than last year's $192.6 million and 8% higher than the previous record of $194.3 million set in 2015, the year of American Pharoah. The race was so wide open going in it's possible that a great many of the people who have left us came back for just one more crack at it. 

        Even with the rain and cold that began prior to Saturday and severely hampered the attendance on Oaks Friday, 158,070 showed up to watch Always Dreaming win his fourth in a row and appear to be much the best of the group he faced. Of course, the mud had a lot to do with the strung-out field, as mud so often does, with the horse who finished 19th, State of Honor, so far behind they wouldn't have been able to find him with binoculars. The 20th horse, Thunder Snow, winner of the UAE Derby, apparently didn't care for his trip across the Atlantic, and refused to run for his Godolphin interests.  

       And, who knows how close Classic Empire might have been at the end if he hadn't been mugged from all sides leaving the gate and losing all chance. That Julien Leparoux was able to get him home fourth was a great tribute to the French rider whose name is mispronounced by 99% of racing's analysts and announcers. It gave me a warm feeling when the jockeys were introducing themselves on NBC before the race to hear Julien say "Le----paroux," instead of Lay-paroux or Leppa-roux. But the mispronouncers probably weren't paying attention. Classic Empire's trainer, Ocalan Mark Casse, says his colt is 90% sure to go to Pimlico for the Preakness.

        On another note, reports are that the Derby telecast viewership was the largest since 1889, according to Nielsen, an average of 16.5 million, peaking at 19.1 million from 6:45 to 7 p. m. when the race was being run and then dissected. That time frame resulted in a peak of 17.9 million for both 2015 and 2016 (Nyquist).

        I have never believed in those Nielsen numbers because they have no way of taking into account the number of players who are watching on TV at racetracks around the continent, in OTB parlors, and in the various casinos. Adding in those people would make the percentages significantly higher.

        The top markets listed by Nielsen were (1) Louisville, (2) Ft. Myers, (3) Cincinnati, (4) Buffalo, (5) Knoxville, (6) Dayton, (7) Pittsburgh, (8) Cleveland, (9) Richmond, and (10) West Palm Beach. Seems to be an odd collection, especially without New York, Los Angeles and Chicago in the mix.

        

     

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    Wide Open Derby Has Delicious Wagering Possibilities
    Saturday, May 6, 2017
    Classic Empire, Irish War Cry 7-1 in early wagering . . .

        Even though the final wagering numbers for the Kentucky Derby are umpteen times higher than the advance totals from Friday, those early wagers usually mirror very closely who winds up being who at 6:45 p. m. on Saturday. Based on yesterday's wagering, that might not be true today.

        Linemaker Mike Battaglia had Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire at 4-1 overnight, followed by Florida Derby winner Always Dreaming and Sam F. Davis winner McCraken at 5-1 and Wood Memorial winner Irish War Cry at 6-1. He also had Louisiana Derby winner Girvin, Santa Anita Derby winner Gormley and Fountain of Youth winner Gunnevera at 15-1 and Blue Grass winner Irap at 20-1.

        Here's what the first returns look like: Classic Empire and Irish War Cry are both 7-1, Always Dreaming is at 11-1, Gormley and Girvin at 15-1, Gunnevera at 17-1, McCraken at 25-1, and Irap at 30-1. 

        Then, there are a couple of real surprises. Battle of Midway, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up, is 14-1 - he's 30-1 on Battaglia's line. And Practical Joke, runner-up in both the Blue Grass and Fountain of Youth, is 14-1; his line is 20-1. 

        There's been a lot of talk that the pace might not be as swift as the deep closers would like and that will compromise their chances. Phfooey. Battle of Midway went past the six furlongs in 1:10.4 on the pace at Santa Anita, and Fast and Accurate was a length off a 1:10.1 in the Spiral at Turfway. Always Dreaming and State of Honor were both stalking a 1:10.3 in the Florida Derby and Irap has been just off the pace in several races where 1:10 and change popped up on the teletimer. Irish War Cry likes to be very close to the early leaders, as does Gormley. There will be no lack of pace in this edition. 

        The "favorites" will all come down a few points before they get in the gate this evening and it will be interesting to see just who becomes THE favorite, and at what price. I have always maintained that the best bet on the first Saturday in May was an exacta box using five horses because even the favorite and second choice 1-2 often pay off well. And there are the days when one can make a big score, such as Animal Kingdom and Nehro, who combined to elate their backers (me included) at $329.80 in 2011, or when Super Saver (the second choice at 8-1) and Ice Box (the co-fifth choice at 11-1) clicked to the tune of $152.40 in 2010. Even California Chrome, the 5/2 favorite two years ago, and Firing Line, the fourth choice at 9-1, paid $72.60. The exacta prices can make your day.

        The only negative today will come after the race when the neophytes on the 6 o'clock news begin the two-week obligatory speculation about a possible Triple Crown. A positive is we'll hear Larry Collmus pronouncing Leparoux correctly. 

        MILLIONAIRE'S ROW - A few Florida-breds have a chance to become millionaires on today's Churchill Downs undercard. El Kabeir ($921,557) goes in the $500,000, Gr. II Churchill Downs Stakes (race 10), and World Approval ($953,763) and Enterprising ($774,040) in the $500,000, Gr. I Woodford Reserve Classic (race 11).

        ALSO - There are no less than 18 runners on the Churchill Downs program who sold at OBS, including Derby horses Fast and Accurate (sold for $85,000, has earned $340,362), Untrapped (sold for $125,000, has earned $259,658), and Irap (sold for $300,000, has earned $772,600).  

       CELEBRATE WITH CAMPBELL'S SOUP -  Ocala's Mark Casse has nine runners on the program, including six for Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Plantation. The Campbell's soup exec has Salute With Honor in the second race, Souper Fly Over in the fourth, Awesome Slew in the 10th (Gr. II Churchill Downs Stakes), World Approval in the 11th (Gr. I Woodford Reserve Turf Classic), Casses Story in the 13th, and Souper Wish in the 14th. Total purse money for the six races is $1,258,000. Wonder how many times Charlotte will opt to go to the paddock to watch one being saddled? There's no wondering how many times she'll visit the mutuel windows - all six. 

        BEST DERBY DAY NAME - The winner of that category is Sir Dudley Digges, in the fifth race.    

     

     

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    It Doesn't Take a Monster Ticket to reach the Rainbow
    Monday, May 1, 2017
    New Yorker hits for 40 cents . . .

        Whenever someone pulls down a nice Rainbow Pick 6 jackpot at Gulfstream Park, there's always a good story following concerning how much the ticket cost, the number of players involved, how the horses were picked, etc. Last Thursday, the jackpot was hit again on a single ticket, and it paid a juicy $180,853. 

        There were only eight races that day, so the first race in the Pick 6 was No. 3, which was won by Overdriven Cat, bred by Ocala's Beth Bayer, and the price was $4. Everybody was still in the mix.

        It became a little more complicated after that, but not out of reach for most, with the next four winners paying $21, $10.40, $18 and $8.80. A couple of the wins were very close and if the second-place finishers had won, there would have been many more live tickets going into the finale.

        A 3-year-old Gone Astray filly named Dixie Grits foiled all the hopefuls except one, leading all the way and paying $53.40. Bred by Sara Lynn Yutani and her daughter, Marti Haught, who owns the Tack Shack just north of OBS on Airport Road in Ocala, Dixie Grits was on just the one ticket, good for the $180,853 payout.

        On TVG, analyst Paul LoDuca received a phone call from a friend in New York who told the former ballplayer that he had the ticket, purchased at the Nassau OTB, which is the name of the slots parlor opened at Aqueduct recently and the cause of much concern among horsemen. But the really interesting facet of the call was that LoDuca's friend told him he hit it with a 40-cent ticket. He had two horses in the third race, followed by singles in the fourth through eighth. 

        That is some serious handicapping, to go along with a great deal of luck.

        WAS PUTIN INVOLVED? - Speaking of TVG, and the many things about it that infuriate me as a long-time bettor and one who watches the races on TV more than most, here's an incident that occurred on Friday. Back on March 24, I bet on a horse at Gulfstream named Golden Decision, ridden by Luca Panici. The 3-year-old colt by Skipshot was making a strong late move on the grass when he got murdered from all sides in the stretch. He finished fourth. 

        I made a little note of the incident and was ready on April 20 when he returned, this time with Magomet A. Kappushev aboard. (That is not a joke). It was then I noticed that the owner was Rasul Korkmazov and the breeder/trainer was Mikhail Yanakov. 

        Although I am a strict jockey follower, I wasn't going to let this guy go because Russia was intervening in horse racing, too. So I bet him to show. What I found out was that Magomet A. Kappushev is either one of the worst riders I've ever seen, or one of the best at setting up a horse for his next try. He had Golden Decision all over the racetrack, at odds of 13-1, and I wondered where he got his license.

        Just eight days later, my horse shows up again and Magomet is still his rider. He was about 8-1 in the morning line and I figured I'd better try again, just in case. I bet $3 to win, $4 to place and $20 to show. On the first flash of the board, Golden Decision was 2-1 and I thought, "Here we go." He started drifting up until he got to 5-1 as they were nearing the gate. When they were on their way, he was suddenly 2-1 again, and when they hit the line, he was 3-1. But that's not the only point of this tale.

        Magomet put my horse on the lead and did everything possible to keep him there. However, he got tired late and two others passed him in the last sixteenth, on his outside. But I noticed as they were nearing the wire that the horse inside mine checked somewhat and had to take back. Golden Decision finished third; at least I was going to get my show bet cashed. I hoped. 

        I waited patiently to hear if there was an inquiry or objection, or both, but the sharp analysts on TVG never said a word. They were too busy praising Keeneland, and interviewing a trainer, airing commercials, and just plain blabbering. I waited many minutes for the results crawl across the bottom to go from Gulfstream 4 to Gulfstream 5 but it wasn't happening. I knew the stewards had to be watching the stretch run, but nobody said a thing.

        A long time later, Gulfstream 5 reared its ugly head and sure enough, my horse was not listed in third place. I had to check the charts later to learn he had been disqualified and placed fifth. The TVGers still have not mentioned it. I understand they love to interview Todd Pletcher and Jerry Hollendorfer and Dale Romans and many others, and crow about Caton Bredar making her paddock picks, but this network was born and is supported because of horseplayers making wagers.

        My first order of business concerning TVG is to watch races and it should be theirs, too.  

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    Short Fields Getting Shorter; Santa Anita Cancels Program
    Tuesday, April 25, 2017
    Great Race Place feeling the pinch . . .

        Racing's biggest problem - short fields at too many tracks around the country - reached new heights this week with the announcement that Santa Anita has canceled Thursday's program due to insufficient entries. Not Ruidoso Downs, or Prairie Meadows, or Sunland Park, but Santa Anita, which TVG's analysts remind us every five minutes or so is "The Great Race Place."

        And it's not an aberration due to a mid-week program, based on these numbers: On Saturday, Santa Anita's 10-race card had 83 entries, for an acceptable average of 8.3 horses. However, included in the mix were two five-horse races, one of six and one of seven. The average was saved by the 10th race, which had 14 runners.

        The situation took a turn for the worst on Sunday, when the nine-race program numbered just 58 runners, an average of 6.4. Included this day were two races with four runners each and one with five.

        It wasn't any better at Aqueduct on Saturday, where the card featured 66 entrants in nine races, an average of 7.3, including one five-horse affair and two of six.

        Gulfstream Park, with its Championship meeting ended, still had 95 runners in 11  races on Saturday, an average of 8.6, despite one race with a field of five. The handle at all three tracks, naturally, feels the effects of the short fields. For instance, someone wheeling a horse in a $5 exacta in a 7-horse race expends $30, while the same bet in a 10-horse race costs $45. Multiply that by the handle lost in all the various exotics when there are short fields and it results in a serious hit on the day's bottom line.

        There seems to be a consensus of horsemen I have talked to that the increased costs of training, feed, veterinarians, vanning, farriers, etc. have knocked out much of the middle class, just like in so many other aspects in the country. At the sales, the high-end prospects are still selling en masse, but the middle-of-the-roaders are just not making it. Just check the RNAs at any of the 2-year-old sales.

        QUITE A DAY - The claiming ranks reached a new level at Tampa Bay Downs over the weekend when the 6-year-old mare Laur Net was taken for $62,500, highest claim ever at the Oldsmar track. The new owner is Ron Paolucci's Looch Racing Stables, which more than made up for the price a few hours later with a major score in the Gr. II Charles Town Classic with its purse of $1,250,000.     Paolucci's Imperative won the race by a neck and collected $732,000, while another Looch runner, War Story, finished third and took home $122,000. A third runner from the stable, Cautious Grant, wound up eighth and last and still earned $20,000, a total of $874,000 for the trio. Cautious Grant more than accomplished his purpose, though, as the 84-1 shot ran 6/5 favorite Stanford into defeat on the front end, making way for the come-from-behind 1-3 finish of his two stablemates.

        Laur Net is an Illinois-bred with a major Florida influence, by Strong Hope (formerly at Winding Oaks Farm) out of the Lucky Lionel (formerly at Franks Farms) mare Lady Lionel, and she's won 7 of 27 races. She scored by 2 1/4 lengths under Ronnie Allen Jr. with a mile on the grass in 1:36.52 and will compete next at Delaware Park.        

        

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