Yonkers: Friday 9/11 Analysis
Brewster Smith's analysis of the Friday 9/11 card at Yonkers Raceway.
Brewster SmithSep 09, 2015
Brewster Smith's analysis of the Friday 9/11 card at Yonkers Raceway.
The final crop of the prematurely deceased world champion and sire Rocknroll Hanover will go under the hammer at the Lexington and Harrisburg sales in October and early November. That crop, despite numbering just 44 in total, features some spectacular individuals and pedigrees, and for the first time all have Pennsylvania eligibility.
Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Thursday's races, including DRF Bets GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.
Heading into Friday’s four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for 2-year-olds at The Meadows, there are four horses that have managed to reach September of their initial year on the racetrack without tasting defeat. In an era where there is so much pressure put upon young horses from the moment the opening bell rings, it’s incredible for any horse let alone four to have reached this stage letter perfect. That said, the perfect quartet have their toughest tests in Friday’s $350,000 finals.
An adjunct to the Kentucky Legislature voted on Tuesday to find “deficient” a rule allowing racetracks to card races open only to horses that have not received a raceday administration of the anti-bleeding medication furosemide, placing the implementation of the rule in jeopardy.
Gross all-sources handle at the Ellis Park meet that ended Monday in western Kentucky was up 8 percent over 2014, increasing to about $33 million from $30.5 million, but daily average handle of about $1,064,500 was down nearly 2 percent because there were 31 racing dates this year compared with 28 last year.
Keeneland officials released more details and photos this week in updating the dramatic transformation of facilities at the Lexington, Ky., track in anticipation of the Oct. 30-31 Breeders’ Cup.
The Grade 3, $150,000 Iroquois Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs is the first of 35 points races toward the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Similarly, the Grade 2, $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes – the richest race of the September meet – is the first of 31 points races to the 2016 Kentucky Oaks.
The Downs at Albuquerque will open its fall meet for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses on Friday with a record purse structure.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, already the sport’s all-time leading trainer in terms of purse money won, is closing in on the $300-million mark in earnings.