February 5, 2012

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Freak filly ready to make first start for Team Valor International

January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Team Valor Internationl

Team Valor International

In 2011 Team Valor International privately purchased a three-year-old filly named Summer Soiree that would go on to win three graded stakes races, capped by the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks.

Table Three Ten could turn into the 2012 version of Summer Soiree for her Kentucky Derby winning connections. The daughter of El Prado won her debut going six furlongs at Fair Grounds by 5 ¼ lengths. She was geared down near the end. Team Valor quickly took notice and added her to their impressive roster. She’s put in three solid works for trainer Graham Motion since her big win. Now, she will take on first level optional claiming company at Gulfstream Park in race 6 on Friday. John Velazquez is listed to ride.

She looks to have her six foes over a barrel.

Her two best competitors are Polish Tune and Xunlei. The former is a first out maiden breaker for Todd Pletcher, hailing from from Calder Racecourse. The latter broke her maiden two back at Saratoga and has since finished third in an optional claiming race.

If Table Three Ten brings her maiden race she ought to thrash this group. I asked Graham Motion what he though on Twitter. Here is what he had to say. Admittedly, I didn’t get much from him.

GrahamMotion @GrahamMotion @gradedstakes will tell you more after Friday! She certainly was impressive first time out.

Bettors arent likely to get a very good price on Table Three Ten. If she were somehow to go off around 2-1, I’d consider it a slam dunk. Even money is more likely though. Regardless of whether or you have a bet down, she’s worth watching anyway. This could be the next big star in the three-year-old filly division.

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2011 Horse of the Year: Havre de Grace

January 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Havre de Grace

2011 Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace.

Fox Hill Farm’s filly Havre de Grace was named Horse of the Year for 2011 marking the third straight year a female has taken the award and ending one of the most mediocre years of racing in recent memory.

She took the award over Acclamation who finished a well beaten second with 26 votes compared to the 166 votes that the filly gathered. Game On Dude was third with 10 votes and Cape Blanco got nine.

Fox Hill Farm’s owner Rick Porter went off the deep end just a tad in his jubilation, comparing his filly to the great Zenyatta. I’m not a Zenyatta nut, but Havre de Grace is no Zenyatta. There is really no comparison between the two. It starts with both being female Horse of the Year winners and it ends there. Trainer Larry Jones, a decidedly wonderful person, also went a bit far, calling her the “perfect racehorse“. We can give them a pass for the most part considering the occasion. We would all be over the moon too.

Havre de Grace will continue to race in 2012. This is great news for fans of horse racing. The connections plan to allow her to tackles males yet again. I’m looking forward to watching and would love to see her in the Dubai World Cup where she could face Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom.

Speaking of Animal Kingdom, many were surprised to see him win the Eclipse Award for Three-Year-Old Male. He took the honor by just three votes over one-turn specialist Caleb’s Posse. I disagree with this decision. Caleb’s Posse won five times, including triumphs in the Grade 1 King’s Bishop Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Animal Kingdom, while a Derby winner, did not race past June and was only a two time winner. Regardless, both have bright futures. Animal Kingdom is the early favorite to win the world’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup in March.

Two-year-old male: Hansen

Two-year-old female: My Miss Aurelia

Turf male: Cape Blanco

Turf female:  Stacelita

Trainer: Bill Mott

Steeplechase: Black Jack Blues

Female Sprinter: Musical Romance

Male Sprinter: Amazombie

Older Male: Acclamation

Older Female: Havre de Grace

Owner: Ken and Sarah Ramsey

Breeder: Adena Springs
Three-year-old male: Animal Kingdom

Three-year-old female: Royal Delta

Apprentice Jockey: Kyle Frey
Jockey: Ramon Dominguez

Horse of the Year: Havre de Grace

 

Check out our friends at Paulick Report (we borrowed the above chart from them!) to learn more about the Eclipse Awards.

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GradedStakes.com Live Blogs Eclipse Awards

January 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

The Eclipse Awards aren’t known for their excitement, but we will spice things up by live blogging the event. Join us at 8 PM EST to ask questions and share your input! In the mean time, check out these two articles we have published about the event. You can catch the event on HRTV and we will detail every moment of the action for you.

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TVG revs up for 2012 with streamlined website

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

300x250 - Pick Your Perk

TVG has the best wagering interface of all the major ADWs. That is to say their website is the easiest to navigate and the most user friendly. Now, in 2012, the Betfair owned company is taking it to an even higher level by releasing a souped up version of their website.

The new homepage is much more sleek and sexier. I love the dark colors (you might notice my homepage is a similar color scheme) and the way they have condensed more information into the same amount of space.

The homepage displays pertinent information like where to sign in and how to register a new account. You will also find important information like upcoming post times at various tracks, carryover alerts, an easy to spot customer service phone number and much more.

After logging in, the wagering screen changes are much like that of the homepage. This part of the site is much more clean and compact. It’s much easier to see all of the entries on a single page. One of my favorite new additions is a button on the right side of the screen that clearly indicates the minutes to post before a given race. The color of the button changes as the race gets closer.

The new streamlined website features an “Account Snapshot” on the left side panel. It includes information like balance, bets and reward points.

It is now possible to customize the “Bet Now” button. For example, instead of a blank screen, bettors can adjust it to always start with a $10 Win/Place format, $1 trifecta, or any other wager type. This can really save time when trying to get a bet in at the last second.

Perhaps the best new feature is the changes tab. From here bettors can view scratches, jockey changes, surface switches, as well as current track conditions.

TVG offers great free handicapping information that is easily accessible. Even though it’s free there is some pretty great stuff. Their “Free Picks” section really nailed it down on Santa Anita race #6 on Sunday. While their top pick lost, the second choice and third choice made up the exacta. The second choice winner, a long shot play, paid $43.20 to win! It was possible to come up with these horses by using their jockey/trainer combination information as well.

Check out some pictures of the new website below and be sure to check out the official release on January 17, 2012. Join by clicking the link below or the banner above and take advantage of a $100 sign up bonus!

TVG- Watch. Wager. Win!

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2011 Eclipse Award Selections

January 5, 2012 By 1 Comment
2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta

2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta

2011 was a year of pure mediocrity, but we did see diamonds in the rough. Animal Kingdom ran off to win the Kentucky Derby; Havre de Grace beat the boys in the Woodward; and Hansen stayed undefeated in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. All three of those horses could potential be rewarded with horse racing’s versions of an Oscar; the Eclipse Award.

The Eclipse Awards ceremony has a bad reputation, but it could improve with ESPN’s Jeannine Edwards hosting the event this year. We can only hope so anyway. The ceremony has been dreadful to watch, but the awards are truly important.

Horse of the Year

2011 was a year of inconsistency, but Game on Dude provided the best resume and most consistent performances. The gritty gelding is my choice in this category. Check out this post from last month to learn why: 2011 Horse of the Year? Game On Dude.

Two-Year-Old Colt

The first time I saw Hansen in the past performances of the Kentucky Cup Juvenile, I thought to myself that I could beat this colt. He won that Turfway race by just over 13 lengths and was never challenged while leading from start to finish. I’m always one to be skeptical of stakes horses that haven’t done anything yet, but Hansen quickly won me over. He rewarded my confidence with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, once again leading from the beginning until the end. Keep in mind that Hansen has never been in any place but first at every point of his three races. His triumph on Championship Saturday means he ought to get the trophy. Others would pick Union Rags, but that one had a chance to run past him and couldn’t do it.

Two-Year-Old Filly

There isn’t much controversy here. My Miss Aurelia went a perfect four for four with wins in the Frizette and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. No other filly accomplished anything close to what she did. George Bolton and Stonestreet Stables get another trophy for their collection.

Three-Year-Old Male

There is an argument for Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, but I’ve got to give the award to Caleb’s Posse. He was the only sophomore other than The Factor to win two Grade 1 races. Caleb’s Posse gave us one of the best races of 2011 when he ran down Uncle Mo on the wire in the King’s Bishop. He dispatched a strong field with a powerful late move in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and that put him over the top. He also owns wins in the Amsterdam Stakes, Ohio Derby and Smarty Jones Stakes.

Three-Year-Old Female

Royal Delta couldn’t always find her stride. She was a live wire blowing the competition away one race and finishing up the track in the next. That was only for part of the year as she found her best stride to win the Alabama Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic. It’s Tricky and Plum Pretty both put together nice campaigns, but in the end, Royal Delta proved best of all.

Older Male Horse

Have to take Game On Dude by default as he is my choice for Horse of the Year. See above for my reasoning. Honorable mention to Met Mile winner Tizway.

Older Female Horse

Havre de Grace gave the competition a coup de grâce with her Woodward win. She also smashed a decent group in the Apple Blossom and gave us a thrilling runner up effort in the Delaware Handicap behind Blind Luck. Had that filly stayed right she might have given her a run for her money.

Sprinter

Caleb’s Posse never lost around a single turn and proved much the best against older horses in the Breeders’ Cup. Throw in a great win in the King’s Bishop and I’ve got to pick him over Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Amazombie. That one didn’t have as good of a campaign prior to Championship Saturday and in my mind their wins offset. Therefore, Caleb’s Posse, with the better resume prior to the Breeders’ Cup, gets the award.

Female Sprinter

This is a tough division and really could be a coin flip. When my coin landed it told me that Sassy Image was the pick. She won the Humana Distaff and Princess Rooney, both Grade 1 races. She also took the Grade 3 Winning Colors Stakes. Hilda’s Passion, winner of the Ballerina, and Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Musical Romance also deserve big looks.

Male Turf Horse

When Cape Blanco came to America, the betting public overlooked him and instead made Gio Ponti a heavy favorite in the Man O’ War. Cape Blanco made them pay by registering an easy victory and won again in the Arlington Million next out. He completed the Grade 1 hat trick with a tough as nails victory in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Others will argue with Acclamation, but that one faced much softer competition in California.

Female Turf Horse

Stacelita is going to be the favorite in this spot, but I prefer Never Retreat. She won five times in 2011 with all five wins coming in graded stakes company. That’s over twice as many wins as her main rival for this award. Never Retreat capped her season by dispatching a very strong field in Keeneland’s Grade 1 First Lady Stakes. She peppered in losses between her victories, but I appreciate the fact that Team Block got her to the races eleven times during her final campaign as a racehorse. She deserves it and I hope she gets it.

Outstanding Owner

There are a couple of ways you could go here, but the excellence of Team Valor International stands out in my eyes. Barry Irwin’s crew took America’s favorite race, the Kentucky Derby, along with other important races like the Del Mar Oaks, Ballston Spa Handicap and With Anticipation Stakes. They finished 10th in earnings while starting just 78 horses compared to an average of 365 for the rest of the top 10. On the year they won 16 total stakes races with nine of them being graded stakes races.

Outstanding Breeder

Ken and Sarah Ramsey had a splendid year thanks to their sire Kitten’s Joy. The Eclipse Award winning sire produced many great horses with perhaps the best being Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies champ Stephanie’s Kitten. On the whole, the Ramseys bred 13  black type winners and were topped only by Adena Springs who started nearly twice as many horses.

Outstanding Trainer

This is one of the easiest choices of all; Bill Mott. The trainer has won more races than anyone in the history of historic Churchill Downs. He added two more victories on Breeders Cup weekend when Royal Delta won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic and Drosselmeyer fired past them all to take the Breeders’ Cup Classic. His 2011 win percentage of 17% is right with the best of them as are his earnings of $10,731,249. This will be his third time taking the award. The previous two wins came in 1995 and 1996.

Outstanding Jockey

2011 was the year of John Velazquez. He finished second in earnings at $18,622,964 while reaching the winners circle 248 times. Among those wins were nine Grade 1 victories like the Kentucky Derby, Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and Clark Handicap. Like trainer Bill Mott, this will be the third Eclipse Award for Johnny V. He won previously in 2004 and 2005.

Outstanding Apprentice Jockey

Irad Ortiz won 151 races while contesting one of the toughest jockey colonies in America; New York. His mounts raked in $2,861,274. This guy is a serious rider and will blossom into one of the best in the business if he continues to progress. I will be watching him closely.

Who are your picks for horse racing’s version of the Academy Awards? Share your Eclipse Award picks below by leaving a comment!

**Join us at 8 PM EST as we live blog the Eclipse Awards!!**


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SouthCoast Bloodstock launches new website

November 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

SouthCoast Bloodstock

Lexington, KY based SouthCoast Bloodstock has been making waves in the racing industry over the past couple of years. They now have a new online home located at http://www.southcoastbloodstock.com/.

SouthCoast Bloodstock is owned by bloodstock agent Rory Callis. He is noted for purchasing Grade 1 millionaire Noble’s Promise and assisting in the selection of top horses like Dream Empress, Connie and Michael, Midnight Cry and Striking Dancer. All of those except for Connie and Michael are graded stakes winners. Connie and Michael was placed in the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes.

SouthCoast Bloodstock works closely with trainer and noted bloodstock expert Ken McPeek who led the trainer standings at Keeneland’s 2011 Fall Meet.

I’ve been seeking a path in the racing industry from the time this site was created nearly 5 years ago and I have accepted a position with SouthCoast Bloodstock. I would like to personally invite you to visit the new website and I look forward to answering any questions you may have regarding horse insurance, breeding, auctions, or anything else.

Contrary to popular believe, it doesn’t take a six figure budget to succeed in horse racing. Noble’s Promise, while the exception and not the rule, was purchased for only $10k. A two-year-old we purchased that recently raced in maiden special weight company at Churchill Downs was grabbed for $1,800. We fielded a $55k offer for him just six months after his purchase. Big budget or small budget, SouthCoast Bloodstock can help you win races.

See you in the winner’s circle.

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2011 Horse of the Year? Game On Dude

November 10, 2011 By 3 Comments

Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, Curlin, Invasor, Saint Liam and Ghostzapper.

Those are the last six horses given the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. You wont find an animal in 2011 that is comparable or even close to any of them.

I cant recall a year that had such parity in graded stakes racing as the year 2011. A truly top older horse never emerged.

The debate for 2011 Horse of the Year is a rather lame one and I love the way Charles Dickey, trainer of Flat Out, put it. Quite candidly, Dickey said, “I don’t think there is one.”, when asked about Horse of the Year by Jay Privman of Daily Racing Form.

Even though, based on the lofty standards of the past, no one truly deserves to be called Horse of the Year, we still have to make a choice and so I will give my two cents.

One of my best hits this year came in the Metropolitan Mile where I nailed the winner, Tizway. The exacta, which I cold decked, paid $378. Tizway ran a very quick race going faster than Quality Road did a year prior and posting the best time since Langfuhr in 1997. Times are always relative to how a track is playing at any given moment, but that is still impressive.

After the Met Mile, Tizway won the Whitney Handicap. He looked poised to take the Jockey Club Gold Cup and make a big run at the Breeders Cup Classic, but in the end he couldn’t stay healthy. Just days before the race he sustained a strain of the suspensory ligament of his left foreleg.

It is also worth noting that Tizway finished third in a very contentious edition of the Charles Town Classic in April.

I can’t like Tizway on the basis of two Grade 1 wins even though they were very strong. Had he done more earlier in his 2011 campaign or stayed healthy and hit the board in the Classic, I might have taken him.

Next, we have the filly, Havre de Grace. She toyed with her competition to win the prestigious Apple Blossom Handicap. That win was wedged between two Grade 3 victories.

Her next big race was in the Delaware Handicap where the lass engaged in one of the best stretch duels in the history of horse racing with her arch rival Blind Luck. She narrowly missed. Then the connections tried the boys in the Woodward. She thrashed a strong group including future Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Flat Out there.

Her penultimate race was the Beldame Invitational where she rocked a field that included next out Ladies Classic winner Royal Delta.

Things were setting up for her to be Horse of the Year, but she failed in the Breeders Cup Classic. She finished fourth in that race. She had a very strong 2011 campaign to be sure, and I cant argue with those that say she deserves it, but she isn’t my pick.

My selection for 2011 Horse of the Year is none other than Game On Dude. The hard working front running gelding put together the strongest campaign this year. Bob Baffert and Chantal Sutherland did great things with the son of Awesome Again.

Game On Dude’s second race of the year was a huge victory in the Santa Anita Handicap where he narrowly defeated Setsuko and put away Twirling Candy. After that he was second in a very deep and contentious Charles Town Classic that included the likes of Tizway, Acclamation, Tackleberry, Rule and Awesome Gem.

The Hollywood Gold Cup was a classic race this year and Game On Dude finished second in it. He had forged ahead to the lead after besting Game On Dude, only to be nipped by stablemate First Dude.

Game On Dude’s second big win of 2011 was in the Goodwood where he set grueling fractions and drew away with a fair amount of ease. It looked as if he would do the same in his last start, the Breeders Cup Classic, but Drosselmeyer closed furiously to run him down. Game On Dude also owns head to head wins over Tizway, Havre de Grace and Acclamation.

Given all that he has done with wins in the Santa Anita Handicap and Goodwood Stakes along with excellent second place finishes in the Charles Town and Breeders Cup Classic, Game On Dude is the most deserving candidate for Horse of the Year. However, it may be more appropriate to simply vacate the award for 2011.

**Join us at 8 PM EST as we live blog the Eclipse Awards!!**

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Headache & Where’s Sterling aiming for Breeders Cup after 1-2 finish in Hawthorne Gold Cup

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mike Maker’s former claimer Headache forged to the front in the late stages of the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup to narrowly defeat Nick Canani’s colt Where’s Sterling by about ¾ of a length. Now the Bluegrass Stakes winning trainer says the gelding will take on the best the world has to offer in the Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

Crazy?

Maybe, but let’s consider that the horse will never get to run for anywhere near $5 million ever again. He has improved vastly this year and dispatched a good field in the Cornhusker Handicap at Prairie Meadows over the summer. Headache loves the track at Churchill Downs too so he’s got that going for him. It wouldn’t shock or surprise to see him pick up third or fourth in America’s richest race.

Mike Maker had this to say to Marcus Hersh of the Daily Racing Form:

“He’s always had a few quirks – making the lead too early, being in front of horses, stringing together a bunch of second-place finishes,” said Maker, who trains Headache for Ken and Sarah Ramsey. “He’s always trained like we were underachieving with him. We feel like we’re getting the best out of his abilities now.”

Where’s Sterling is also considering a trip to Churchill Downs, albeit in a much lesser race; the Breeders Cup Marathon. The colt is getting better all the time and he did win the Grade 3 Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park two races back. He will be in with a shot if he makes it to that race.

Looking for a place to bet the Breeders Cup? We recommend TVG where new members get a $150 sign up bonus!

 

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Gio Ponti bound for the 2011 Breeders Cup Mile

October 11, 2011 By 1 Comment

It took some time, but the hard knocking six year old Gio Ponti finally found the winners circle this past weekend in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. There was a point in the race where I wasn’t sure he would get up, but he accelerated tremendously in the final furlong. Now the 7 time Grade 1 winning son of Tale of the Cat will prep for a rematch with Goldikova in the Breeders Cup Mile.

I tried my best to not get down on Gio Ponti this year. He lost his first three North American races in 2011, but had excuses in all of them.

In the first, the Manhattan, he chased a dawdling pace and was forced to race on a yielding course which he clearly does not appreciate.

After that he twice ran into a monster named Cape Blanco in the Man O’ War and Arlington Million. Just like the Manhattan, those races were over a wet track. The champ still performed well despite facing conditions that werent to his liking, but it took a firm course at Keeneland for him to show his best stuff.

Facing three time Breeders Cup Mile winner Goldikova one more time will not be an easy challenge for Gio Ponti. Nothing has been easy for him so far though, so why would it get easy now?

Christophe Clement would love to send his star off to the shed by taking what would be the biggest victory of his career in the Breeders Cup Mile. He just might do it too.

Be sure to check out our Horse Racing Games page to learn how you can race for real money in the virtual edition of the Breeders Cup Mile. It’s got a purse of $2,000 and you can start playing for free!

 

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Best Horse Racing contest betting site? Look no further than DerbyWars.

October 5, 2011 By 1 Comment

My good friend Mark Midland from HorseRacingNation recently encouraged me to check out his latest venture, DerbyWars. The site is a horse racing game that caters to horse betting tournaments similar to those you might have seen at your local track. Players have a chance to qualify for the $2 million National Handicapping Championship for as little as $25 as well as play in a $15k cash tournament on a regular basis. The tournaments are fun and easy to play!

I’ve never been much of a tournament player, but that is mostly because I never qualified due to my age. Well, I recently turned 21 and decided that with DerbyWars hitting the scene now was a better time than ever to try and get in the mix.

My first tournament was very exciting and I nearly won after selecting a horse at Arlington that paid huge hit and hit the cap of $42 to win. Unfortunately, most of my other picks were bad that day and I ended up in fourth. Not bad though, right?! The sad thing about this tournament was that I played 2 entries and on one I used Caleb’s Posse in the King’s Bishop and Uncle Mo on the other. Had I used Caleb’s Posse on the entry with the Arlington bomber I would have won.

The next tournament I played was for media members and professional handicappers. I hit the first two winners and led the pack which included names like 2009 Handicapper of the Year, John Conte. I led until the last couple of races, but due to a couple of bad breaks I ended up losing. Despite that it was a cool experience and something I hope to do again.

One of the things I like about DerbyWars is that is has free tournaments. Needless to say, we all like a free shot at some big money. The pay to play tournaments offer a great chance to grab a big score. I’m playing in one this Sunday that has a pool of $15k.

The game also provides great social interaction. You can create your own profile and interact with friends through the live chat as the tournament progresses.

DerbyWars is great because it has great people behind it. Midland has been involved in racing for decades while working for companies like Churchill Downs, Youbet.com and Harrah’s Entertainment. His engineering of this site is no surprise and I fully expect it to be a big hit. I could ramble for days about all of the great features at DerbyWars, but you’re best off to see it for yourself. Click the link above and check it out today.

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