Horse Racing 2022

[DevilHorse]

Some Friday/Saturday races for you.

On Friday:

A couple of nice Turf stakes races at Saratoga:

The National Museum Racing Hall of Fame inductions are occurring on Friday, so the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame Stakes must be occurring too:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Friday August 5, 2022, Saratoga - Race 8, PPs ]
It is probably shorter from the Museum to the finish line than the race itself, but I digress..
A couple of familiar names in this race; Wit is here. He was a big player as a 2YO and has made a comeback this year. But he is trying the turf with very little turf pedigree. The word on the street is that he has looked really good on the weeds in the workouts, so expect a good effort from this capable and in shape horse. Tiz The Tiz The Bomb drops in on his competitors to try to re-establish his turf credentials after the horrible Belmont Derby. He'll find an easier field here, but he will not find is a speed horse to push the pace. TTB shows one race where he takes the lead, and wins, but it is an off the turf situation. Both Wit and TTB are come from behind horses and could use some pace; otherwise, they will be hard pressed to close on whichever horse leads.

And for the stone cold lock of the weekend, the Troy Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Friday August 5, 2022, Saratoga - Race 9, PPs ]
Expect Golden Pal to go to the front and keep on going. Can a horse leave others in the dust on turf? We still don't know what happened to him in the UK; perhaps he didn't like the tea.

On Saturday, there are so many stakes to choose from, we'll just pick a few.. none from Saratoga:
(just kidding Bluedog)

Start with a nice 2YO maiden race at Saratoga:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 6, PPs ]
There are no obvious standouts. But there are a couple of expensive horses, horses trained by Pletcher (who wins at first asking), homebreds by good trainers, a Bolt D'Oro, no horses with great workouts. Pletcher's $675k Gun Runner firster, Point Proven, might be the best here.

The 3YO fillies will be tested at the Spa in the Test Stakes - Race 9:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 9, PPs ]
Actually it looks like all but one filly will be tested, and that one filly is Matareya. November Rein looks like the best of the rest.

Race 10 is the awesome Whitney where we will see Life Is Good vs. Olympiad:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 10, PPs ]
This is a really interesting race at 1 1/8 mile. No doubt Life Is Good will go to the lead; he is the lone speed horse. But.. this is a bit longer than he likes to go AND he's lost his only race at Saratoga (OK, to Jackie's Warrior in a sprint, perhaps he can be forgiven). But he has some primo stalkers here: Olympiad is having a super year; he hasn't lost since his only out of the money finish to Americanrevolution, who is in this race. Olympiad is OK at Saratoga with a win, place, and show in 3 starts. He will be the 2nd choice; but 1 1/8 mile might be his best distance. Hot Rod Charlie is the top money earner in the field, but how he fits in is interesting. He has run at the classic distances and rolls back to 1 1/8. So he might have a good kick if he's close. It will take a great effort to beat him. If it is wet, Americanclassic might be your horse; he ran his eyeballs out at the Empire Classic in the mud. He didn't do too badly against Flightline either. Even if wet, you don't know what kind of track you'll get. Remember, General Assembly set the track record for 1 1/4 in the slop before Arrogate broke that record in the Travers. This is one of the best fields I've seen in the Whitney in a number of years. You'll get fair value whomever you bet. Assuming no rain, I'll take Olympiad to run down Life Is Good in the stretch.


The Saratoga Derby, on the turf, follows the Whitney, so people can start to file out:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 11, PPs ]
The odds on this one is interesting. They suggest that Nations Pride might win over Stone Age. But Classic Causeway, yes that one from the KYD who trounced Nations Pride in CC's first attempt on the turf, is in the field too. Maybe I just can't figure out turf races, but I've admitted that already.


Shedaresthedevil takes the easy road out west in the Clement Hirsch Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Del Mar - Race 9, PPs ]

There is always a 2YO maiden race out at Del Mar - Race 5 on Saturday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Del Mar - Race 5, PPs ]
Carmel Road is a $650k firster with a very nice last work. There's an expensive Justify colt making his first start too named Hawker.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

Is it too early to talk about the Breeder's Cup?

Looks like they are taking wagers already.
https://edge.twinspires.com/racing/b...ite-in-pool-1/
Some of these horses are running this weekend (i.e., Life Is Good, Olympiad, Hot Rod Charlie, and Americanrevolution).

Here is a pointer to the pre-weekend PPs:
http://www.brisnet.com/wp-content/up...uturePool1.pdf

Larry
DevilHorse

[Bluedog]

Assuming no rain, I'll take Olympiad to run down Life Is Good in the stretch.

I'll take your prognostications over mine! Looks like 30% chance of rain -- scattered storms throughout the day with perhaps a slightly greater chance in the mid afternoon. <fingers crossed> The outdoor wedding I'm attending later in the day is the bigger concern...

[DevilHorse]

I'll take your prognostications over mine! Looks like 30% chance of rain -- scattered storms throughout the day with perhaps a slightly greater chance in the mid afternoon. <fingers crossed> The outdoor wedding I'm attending later in the day is the bigger concern...

A little rain is OK. They usually water the track to keep it moist and keep the dust down. I'm talking about a change in track conditions from Fast to Sloppy.

Life Is Good is a great horse. He might go to the front and never look back, or he might fall short. But He'll be a big favorite, but the value is in Olympiad IMHO.

Larry
DevilHorse

[Bluedog]

A little rain is OK. They usually water the track to keep it moist and keep the dust down. I'm talking about a change in track conditions from Fast to Sloppy.

Life Is Good is a great horse. He might go to the front and never look back, or he might fall short. But He'll be a big favorite, but the value is in Olympiad IMHO.

Larry
DevilHorse

I just realized that the Whitney race itself is not until 5:43pm so I won't be able to stay that long. I'm probably still going to the track as first post is 12:30. I guess I can still make a bet on it. I figure still worth going for a few hours even if I miss the main event unfortunately.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

Some Friday/Saturday races for you.

On Friday:

A couple of nice Turf stakes races at Saratoga:

The National Museum Racing Hall of Fame inductions are occurring on Friday, so the National Museum Racing Hall of Fame Stakes must be occurring too:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Friday August 5, 2022, Saratoga - Race 8, PPs ]
It is probably shorter from the Museum to the finish line than the race itself, but I digress..
A couple of familiar names in this race; Wit is here. He was a big player as a 2YO and has made a comeback this year. But he is trying the turf with very little turf pedigree. The word on the street is that he has looked really good on the weeds in the workouts, so expect a good effort from this capable and in shape horse. Tiz The Tiz The Bomb drops in on his competitors to try to re-establish his turf credentials after the horrible Belmont Derby. He'll find an easier field here, but he will not find is a speed horse to push the pace. TTB shows one race where he takes the lead, and wins, but it is an off the turf situation. Both Wit and TTB are come from behind horses and could use some pace; otherwise, they will be hard pressed to close on whichever horse leads.

And for the stone cold lock of the weekend, the Troy Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Friday August 5, 2022, Saratoga - Race 9, PPs ]
Expect Golden Pal to go to the front and keep on going. Can a horse leave others in the dust on turf? We still don't know what happened to him in the UK; perhaps he didn't like the tea.

On Saturday, there are so many stakes to choose from, we'll just pick a few.. none from Saratoga:
(just kidding Bluedog)

Start with a nice 2YO maiden race at Saratoga:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 6, PPs ]
There are no obvious standouts. But there are a couple of expensive horses, horses trained by Pletcher (who wins at first asking), homebreds by good trainers, a Bolt D'Oro, no horses with great workouts. Pletcher's $675k Gun Runner firster, Point Proven, might be the best here.

The 3YO fillies will be tested at the Spa in the Test Stakes - Race 9:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 9, PPs ]
Actually it looks like all but one filly will be tested, and that one filly is Matareya. November Rein looks like the best of the rest.

Race 10 is the awesome Whitney where we will see Life Is Good vs. Olympiad:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 10, PPs ]
This is a really interesting race at 1 1/8 mile. No doubt Life Is Good will go to the lead; he is the lone speed horse. But.. this is a bit longer than he likes to go AND he's lost his only race at Saratoga (OK, to Jackie's Warrior in a sprint, perhaps he can be forgiven). But he has some primo stalkers here: Olympiad is having a super year; he hasn't lost since his only out of the money finish to Americanrevolution, who is in this race. Olympiad is OK at Saratoga with a win, place, and show in 3 starts. He will be the 2nd choice; but 1 1/8 mile might be his best distance. Hot Rod Charlie is the top money earner in the field, but how he fits in is interesting. He has run at the classic distances and rolls back to 1 1/8. So he might have a good kick if he's close. It will take a great effort to beat him. If it is wet, Americanclassic might be your horse; he ran his eyeballs out at the Empire Classic in the mud. He didn't do too badly against Flightline either. Even if wet, you don't know what kind of track you'll get. Remember, General Assembly set the track record for 1 1/4 in the slop before Arrogate broke that record in the Travers. This is one of the best fields I've seen in the Whitney in a number of years. You'll get fair value whomever you bet. Assuming no rain, I'll take Olympiad to run down Life Is Good in the stretch.


The Saratoga Derby, on the turf, follows the Whitney, so people can start to file out:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 11, PPs ]
The odds on this one is interesting. They suggest that Nations Pride might win over Stone Age. But Classic Causeway, yes that one from the KYD who trounced Nations Pride in CC's first attempt on the turf, is in the field too. Maybe I just can't figure out turf races, but I've admitted that already.


Shedaresthedevil takes the easy road out west in the Clement Hirsch Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Del Mar - Race 9, PPs ]

There is always a 2YO maiden race out at Del Mar - Race 5 on Saturday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Del Mar - Race 5, PPs ]
Carmel Road is a $650k firster with a very nice last work. There's an expensive Justify colt making his first start too named Hawker.

Larry
DevilHorse

Just looked at the Whitney. Seems you could make a case for 5 of the 6 horse field to win. This should lead to some pretty good odds unless others think it is only a two horse race. Congratulations to Pletcher for getting a Baffert horse and keeping him good. It seems Baffert’s horses often regress a lot when they go to other trainers, but not Life Is Good. That must grate at Baffert. Hot Rod Charlie is one of those horses who I can never figure out. I rarely find a six horse field interesting, but this is definitely the exception.

The turf race is interesting. William Buick, who I believe is one of the better European riders is coming in. So was Classic Causeway’s last race an aberration or a trend? This race is also a good betting race. I need to do a lot more homework.

The Del Mar maiden race you mention got my attention. Unfortunately the Baffert first timer has great workouts and a long line of consistent works. If he falls on his face I will be surprised. But it certainly won’t be the first or last time 2 year old horses surprise me.

As always the links to the past performances are much appreciated.

[DevilHorse]

I'm probably going to Whitney Day at Saratoga in early August. I am a horse race newbie. Anything I should know/do? Thanks for any advice!

It occurred to me that although I gave suggestions on how to enjoy your time at Saratoga, I did not give general advice on 'betting' at the track for newbies. This could be its own thread (and others are welcome to give their own supporting or contradictory advice to these pointers):

My suggestions for you, a newbie, to handle the gambling aspect, is this:

1) Buy a program. They sell these as you walk in. They tell you who is in each race. They will announce changes in each race over the loud speaker and on screens. Important so that you don't waste time on information that has been changed or deleted. Bringing a pen/pencil is not required, but it is useful to mark up the program. The program is different than the racing form.

The racing form has much more information in it. If you want to get buried in the data, you'll have to know how to read the form (you know all those pointers I include in my posts).It takes a while to learn how to read a Past Performance sheet. There are several different types (stay away from the sheets). They are similar. I point to the Brisnet flavor. There are videos on how to do it that you can google. Here is a key on what all of the different information means:
http://www.brisnet.com/content/brisn...-performances/
But you'll break your brain trying to assimilate all of that information and spend time with your friends. Prepare unless you're willing to spend time there doing it; otherwise a program is sufficient.

2) Let the tote board guide you as to which horses are better/worse. No one knows which horses are the best for sure. People with more experience at the track see how horses are acting. The documents do not tell you about weather/track conditions too. The tote board is pretty good at evaluating gauging the value of the horses.

3) Bet to Show. You will have more fun cashing tickets than making money. On average the statistics say that favorites 'win 1/3 of the time' and 'cash show tickets 2/3 of the time'. You don't have to pick the 'odds on favorite'. Pick the 2nd favorite if the odds are close.

3a) Whitney Day is an Event Day - if it is crowded on Whitney Day, the lines may make betting/cashing prohibitive, so watch your timing and bet/cash early. Another reason to pick a favorite and bet show. Don't put too much work into choices or placing bets at the last minute.

4) Spend your time having fun, not pouring over your choice of which horse to pick (see 3,3a). There's lots of built in buyers remorse here, so waffling over choices will get you nowhere.

5) You're here to have entertainment. The game is rigged (where have I heard that before?). What I mean is that the track takes out its' percentage to fund its operation and the purses for the races, and distributes the remainder to the bettors. So the bettors in total will lose money. Of course, we all think that we can pick the horses better than anyone else and will come home rich (not); but be realistic. Going to the movies does not give you a raffle ticket to get your money back. You have a shot at the track and the adrenaline rush will be worth it.

6) Follow a horse or two that you loved on the day. They will race again. Perhaps a horse that wins a maiden race will run in the Kentucky Derby. You are at the top race meet in the country! Tiz The Law showed up one day at Saratoga 2 years ago and won the Belmont the next year.

7) Leaving before the main race isn't a bad thing. It will allow you to make your wedding!!

Just some last minute thoughts for you.

Good Luck.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

The turf race is interesting. William Buick, who I believe is one of the better European riders is coming in. So was Classic Causeway’s last race an aberration or a trend? This race is also a good betting race. I need to do a lot more homework.
.

So, are you saying Appleby called Europe on the great white telephone to get Buick or he called Buick directly? I'm confused.
<sorry>

Larry
DevilHorse

[Bluedog]

Thank you DevilHorse! One more question - if I bet on the Whitney race ahead of time but am not there for it, how do I cash in if I win? Do I have to somehow make it back to the track? I mean, I'm unlikely to win but not worth betting if I can't even cash out reasonably.

[DevilHorse]

One of the better horses on the KYD trail in 2020 was Art Collector. His last 2 races were not very good, but that might be because he was racing against the very best (in the world). He comes back to earth on Thursday in the Alydar at Saratoga:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...ry.htm<br /> l
[ URL above, August 4, 2022, Saratoga - Race 8, PPs ]
AC won the Alydar last year (so he likes Saratoga), and has had the time to recover from Saudi Arabia (his last race 5 months ago). My only question would be the significant bullet work on Saturday that might have taken a bit out of him. Masqueparade is next best, but this Ohio Derby winner is no match for Art Collector if he's right.

Larry
DevilHorse

Art Collector won easily on Thursday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1555304673136979968
There was no effort needed in the stretch; free money.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

I know there are few standardbred fans out there but trotters and pacers are uniquely an american breed whose lore has been in our culture for a long time. The old grey mare who ain't what she used to be (Lady Suffolk), the bob tailed mare from Camptown Races (Flora Temple) were famous standardbreds. Ulysses Grant went to Buffalo to ride behind Dexter, a world champion trotter once. Dexter is also the horse that is the trotting horse modeled on many weather vanes that you see on the top of barns.

The greatest sire of standardbreds ever was Hambletonian. The race named after him has been run for almost 100 years. It is the most valued of the Trotting Triple Crown races and is being run at the Meadowlands racetrack today. All racing standardbreds in North America are tail mail descendents of Hambletonian. Dexter was a son of Hambletonian.

PPs are available here for the entire race card:
https://v.fastcdn.co/u/1361f4ff/6225...WLANDS0806.pdf

The Hambletonian Oaks is Race 12 and the Hambletonian itself is Race 15.
The Hambletonian used to be an endurance race where you had to win 2 heats on the same day; it sometimes took 4 races, an hour apart, to conclude who was the champion. Imagine getting a thoroughbred to run a race 4 times within 3 hours. But nowadays they just have elimination races a week before.

In the Hambletonian (race) itself:
Rebuff is a colt and is the favorite, but this year the second favorite is a wonderful filly named Joviality S (the S stands for Sweden indicating her Swedish breeding), but her sire and broodmare sire are purely american. The race will be on channel FS1 at approximately 5:38. I'm rooting for the filly who has been lights out all year. More fillys have won the Hambletonian than the KYD, but it still is rare. The last filly to do it was named Atlanta and she is in the 3rd race (she won 3 years ago). BTW, Atlanta raced pregnant and had a foal this year (via surrogacy.. it's complicated).

Many western european countries have trotters (almost no pacers) and there is great interest in this race. Like the Thoroughbreds, the french and scandanavians come to the US and buy our yearlings and our stallion's semen for breeding (that is how Joviality S was conceived). Australia and New Zealand are purely pacers; they import our stallions during the off season for our breeding and produce many fast horses. If you look in the PPs you'll see horses with the letter A and N at the end of their name indicating Australia and New Zealand as the country of their birth.

Also, don't be confused when you see a 2YO filly trotter named In Italian (Race 13). There was a thoroughbred by that same name who won a turf race just a couple of weeks ago. There are many cases of cross naming between the breeds.

Larry
DevilHorse

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

I know there are few standardbred fans out there but trotters and pacers are uniquely an american breed whose lore has been in our culture for a long time. The old grey mare who ain't what she used to be (Lady Suffolk), the bob tailed mare from Camptown Races (Flora Temple) were famous standardbreds. Ulysses Grant went to Buffalo to ride behind Dexter, a world champion trotter once. Dexter is also the horse that is the trotting horse modeled on many weather vanes that you see on the top of barns.

The greatest sire of standardbreds ever was Hambletonian. The race named after him has been run for almost 100 years. It is the most valued of the Trotting Triple Crown races and is being run at the Meadowlands racetrack today. All racing standardbreds in North America are tail mail descendents of Hambletonian. Dexter was a son of Hambletonian.

PPs are available here for the entire race card:
https://v.fastcdn.co/u/1361f4ff/6225...WLANDS0806.pdf

The Hambletonian Oaks is Race 12 and the Hambletonian itself is Race 15.
The Hambletonian used to be an endurance race where you had to win 2 heats on the same day; it sometimes took 4 races, an hour apart, to conclude who was the champion. Imagine getting a thoroughbred to run a race 4 times within 3 hours. But nowadays they just have elimination races a week before.

In the Hambletonian (race) itself:
Rebuff is a colt and is the favorite, but this year the second favorite is a wonderful filly named Joviality S (the S stands for Sweden indicating her Swedish breeding), but her sire and broodmare sire are purely american. The race will be on channel FS1 at approximately 5:38. I'm rooting for the filly who has been lights out all year. More fillys have won the Hambletonian than the KYD, but it still is rare. The last filly to do it was named Atlanta and she is in the 3rd race (she won 3 years ago). BTW, Atlanta raced pregnant and had a foal this year (via surrogacy.. it's complicated).

Many western european countries have trotters (almost no pacers) and there is great interest in this race. Like the Thoroughbreds, the french and scandanavians come to the US and buy our yearlings and our stallion's semen for breeding (that is how Joviality S was conceived). Australia and New Zealand are purely pacers; they import our stallions during the off season for our breeding and produce many fast horses. If you look in the PPs you'll see horses with the letter A and N at the end of their name indicating Australia and New Zealand as the country of their birth.

Also, don't be confused when you see a 2YO filly trotter named In Italian (Race 13). There was a thoroughbred by that same name who won a turf race just a couple of weeks ago. There are many cases of cross naming between the breeds.


Larry
DevilHorse

Forgot to mention that the groom for Joviality S is the wife of the trainer of the horse. But the groom is also the sister of the trainer of Rebuff. So the 2 trainers are brothers in law, racing for a $1M purse. Thanksgiving will be interesting this year.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

Some Friday/Saturday races for you.



On Saturday, there are so many stakes to choose from, we'll just pick a few.. none from Saratoga:
(just kidding Bluedog)

Start with a nice 2YO maiden race at Saratoga:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 6, PPs ]
There are no obvious standouts. But there are a couple of expensive horses, horses trained by Pletcher (who wins at first asking), homebreds by good trainers, a Bolt D'Oro, no horses with great workouts. Pletcher's $675k Gun Runner firster, Point Proven, might be the best here.

The 3YO fillies will be tested at the Spa in the Test Stakes - Race 9:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 9, PPs ]
Actually it looks like all but one filly will be tested, and that one filly is Matareya. November Rein looks like the best of the rest.

Race 10 is the awesome Whitney where we will see Life Is Good vs. Olympiad:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 10, PPs ]
This is a really interesting race at 1 1/8 mile. No doubt Life Is Good will go to the lead; he is the lone speed horse. But.. this is a bit longer than he likes to go AND he's lost his only race at Saratoga (OK, to Jackie's Warrior in a sprint, perhaps he can be forgiven). But he has some primo stalkers here: Olympiad is having a super year; he hasn't lost since his only out of the money finish to Americanrevolution, who is in this race. Olympiad is OK at Saratoga with a win, place, and show in 3 starts. He will be the 2nd choice; but 1 1/8 mile might be his best distance. Hot Rod Charlie is the top money earner in the field, but how he fits in is interesting. He has run at the classic distances and rolls back to 1 1/8. So he might have a good kick if he's close. It will take a great effort to beat him. If it is wet, Americanclassic might be your horse; he ran his eyeballs out at the Empire Classic in the mud. He didn't do too badly against Flightline either. Even if wet, you don't know what kind of track you'll get. Remember, General Assembly set the track record for 1 1/4 in the slop before Arrogate broke that record in the Travers. This is one of the best fields I've seen in the Whitney in a number of years. You'll get fair value whomever you bet. Assuming no rain, I'll take Olympiad to run down Life Is Good in the stretch.


The Saratoga Derby, on the turf, follows the Whitney, so people can start to file out:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...9/summary.html
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Saratoga - Race 11, PPs ]
The odds on this one is interesting. They suggest that Nations Pride might win over Stone Age. But Classic Causeway, yes that one from the KYD who trounced Nations Pride in CC's first attempt on the turf, is in the field too. Maybe I just can't figure out turf races, but I've admitted that already.


Shedaresthedevil takes the easy road out west in the Clement Hirsch Stakes:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Del Mar - Race 9, PPs ]

There is always a 2YO maiden race out at Del Mar - Race 5 on Saturday:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/brisw...99/summary.htm
[ URL above, Saturday August 6, 2022, Del Mar - Race 5, PPs ]
Carmel Road is a $650k firster with a very nice last work. There's an expensive Justify colt making his first start too named Hawker.

Larry
DevilHorse

Disarm did a nice job winning his maiden race:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1556000546426855426
Disarm was awarded an 86 Beyer.

THEN THE RAINS CAME and left the Saratoga racing strip sloppy.

In the Test Stakes, Chi Town Lady came out of the clouds to mow down the favorites in the stretch:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1556027406657458182
Chi Town Lady was awarded a 90 Beyer.

In the Whitney, Life Is Good stayed strong to the end:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1556039153233666051
I was disappointed when Americanrevolution (a mudder) was scratched. Happy Saver would then move up, and he did to second. Olympiad apparently did not like the track surface at all. Life Is Good was awarded a top Beyer of 107.

In the Saratoga Derby, Nations Pride (and jockey Buick) took the prize:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1556044848850997250
He took the lead in mid-stretch and was a convincing winner.

Blue Stripe won the Clement Hirsch:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
https://twitter.com/i/status/1556090632036184065
Shedaresthedevil withered to 3rd in the stretch

Mr. Iceman eaked out a win in that Del Mar 2YO maiden race:
http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/insta...e=inc&print=on
(what is the right spelling of 'eaked'?). We'll keep our eyes on this son of Girvin.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

In one of the mysteries of the ages, Starrystarrynight is racing on Wednesday in two different places.

Well, you might say it is an entry sort of thing. However, HE is entered at Saratoga in the 7th race and SHE is entered in the 10th race as a trotter at Monticello Raceway. Naming coincidences continue on.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

Thank you DevilHorse! One more question - if I bet on the Whitney race ahead of time but am not there for it, how do I cash in if I win? Do I have to somehow make it back to the track? I mean, I'm unlikely to win but not worth betting if I can't even cash out reasonably.

Sorry, saw this very late.

You can mail it into the New York Racing Association (NYRA), as stated here:
https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/nyra-wagering-info
But you have to send in by March 31 of the following year.

Other ways to bet include TVG betting accounts which will deposit the money (back) into your bank account.

Larry
DevilHorse

[Bluedog]

Sorry, saw this very late.

You can mail it into the New York Racing Association (NYRA), as stated here:
https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/nyra-wagering-info
But you have to send in by March 31 of the following year.

Other ways to bet include TVG betting accounts which will deposit the money (back) into your bank account.

Larry
DevilHorse

No problem, I figured it out by using the NYRA app. And I didn't win anyways. Olympiad disappointed in the Whitney coming in 4th as you know...Regardless, had a good time at Saratoga!

Took some really small token bets on the first couple races and won both, then my luck streak subsided from there on out. It was really hot on the racetrack and extremely humid, so would get near the track fence during the races and wander around between races. It's a cool dynamic because you have the casual "regulars" just in their camp chairs, having a beer and picnic, watching the races on TV on the grounds elsewhere, wearing super casual clothes and then you have others looking to dress up in their best and watching the race from the grandstand. So, there's a place for everyone as it relates to what they want to do or not. Lots of drink and food stands/trucks throughout.

There were a lot of people, but it wasn't so crowded that you couldn't walk easily or find a spot. I was able to basically get up to the track fence about 10 minutes prior to each race and have nobody in front of me to view it. Parking was definitely packed, but the in/out parking lot jam wasn't particularly egregious as people come and go throughout rather than the more defined start and end time of a basketball or football game as an example. Was there about 2.5 hours and then had to leave. Some pics of the scene:
Track crowd.jpg End of a race.jpg
Grounds crowd.jpg Grandstand.jpg

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

So the Ky. Derby and the Hambletonian were both won by the longest shots on the board. Maybe Duke football will win the ACC championship!

[DevilHorse]

So the Ky. Derby and the Hambletonian were both won by the longest shots on the board. Maybe Duke football will win the ACC championship!

The Hambo winner had the same sire and broodmare sire as the 2nd place horse. Alas, I had the filly who finished 2nd. Great day of racing though, but I had 2nd-itis all day.

Larry
DevilHorse

[DevilHorse]

No problem, I figured it out by using the NYRA app. And I didn't win anyways. Olympiad disappointed in the Whitney coming in 4th as you know...Regardless, had a good time at Saratoga!

Took some really small token bets on the first couple races and won both, then my luck streak subsided from there on out. It was really hot on the racetrack and extremely humid, so would get near the track fence during the races and wander around between races. It's a cool dynamic because you have the casual "regulars" just in their camp chairs, having a beer and picnic, watching the races on TV on the grounds elsewhere, wearing super casual clothes and then you have others looking to dress up in their best and watching the race from the grandstand. So, there's a place for everyone as it relates to what they want to do or not. Lots of drink and food stands/trucks throughout.

There were a lot of people, but it wasn't so crowded that you couldn't walk easily or find a spot. I was able to basically get up to the track fence about 10 minutes prior to each race and have nobody in front of me to view it. Parking was definitely packed, but the in/out parking lot jam wasn't particularly egregious as people come and go throughout rather than the more defined start and end time of a basketball or football game as an example. Was there about 2.5 hours and then had to leave. Some pics of the scene:
Track crowd.jpg End of a race.jpg
Grounds crowd.jpg Grandstand.jpg

Good move getting the NYRA app. Mobile betting and watching the race.

Like Belmont, and a few other tracks, Saratoga is a real park. Some folks never make it trackside.

Life is Good looked magnificent; as good as a horse can look getting onto the track. He tries for the Woodward at Belmont and then the BC Classic next.

So didja try the water?

Larry
DevilHorse

[Bluedog]

Good move getting the NYRA app. Mobile betting and watching the race.

Like Belmont, and a few other tracks, Saratoga is a real park. Some folks never make it trackside.

Life is Good looked magnificent; as good as a horse can look getting onto the track. He tries for the Woodward at Belmont and then the BC Classic next.

So didja try the water?

Larry
DevilHorse

Yes the spring water is quite gross but hey, gotta do it once I guess.