By Anna Jeffs
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – South African native Ryan Munger likes his chances aboard Plate Trial Stakes winner Sedburys Ghost in the 166th running of the $1 million King’s Plate on Saturday at Woodbine.
Sedburys Ghost won his first stakes in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial over the favored Notorious Gangster while earning an 85 Beyer Speed Figure, one of the highest in the King’s Plate field.
Daily Racing Form Southern California handicapper Brad Free provides his selections, analysis and suggested wagers for Saturday, Aug. 16 at Del Mar.
The colt Golden Tornado and the filly Carmel Coast were both impressive juvenile debut winners here over the weekend and are both likely heading to Grade 1 stakes at Aqueduct in the fall.
Golden Tornado, a son of McKinzie trained by Danny Gargan, won a six-furlong maiden race by 3 1/4 lengths over the highly regarded and heavily bet Oscar’s Hope. Golden Tornado ran the distance in 1:10.87 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 86.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Mark Casse will have two contenders in Saturday’s King’s Plate at Woodbine, but for the first time that he can remember, the dual Hall of Fame trainer won’t be in attendance.
That’s because Casse has two strong contenders in Saturday’s Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga, and that race, unlike the King’s Plate (formerly the Queen’s Plate), is one Casse has never won.
DEL MAR, Calif. – A day off in the middle of this week in a Southern California beach town may be the ideal way for jockey Tyler Gaffalione to celebrate a six-win day at Ellis Park on Sunday.
For Gaffalione, a trip west this week is a working one.
After riding at Ellis Park on Monday, Gaffalione was set to travel to Del Mar on Tuesday. He is booked to ride one race at Del Mar on Thursday and three on Friday in advance of a mount on Lush Lips in Saturday’s Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks, the primary reason for the trip to California.
DEL MAR, Calif. – A loaded cast of juveniles has run to expectations for trainer Bob Baffert through the first four weekends of the Del Mar summer meeting.
Baffert swept the two six-furlong Grade 3 stakes for 2-year-olds on Saturday and Sunday, winning Saturday’s $150,000 Best Pal Stakes with Desert Gate, who won by 8 3/4 lengths, and Sunday’s $150,500 Sorrento Stakes for fillies with Himika, who was first by only 4 1/4 lengths.
Lilies N Paradise, a 2-year-old filly trained by Mike Maker, will ship to Delaware Park in search of class relief in the $75,000 Blue Hen Stakes on Thursday.
“Looks like she’s a cut below the Kentucky horses,” Maker said. “Hopefully, we can get her stakes-placed down at Delaware.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Bettors chasing the $158,820 pick six carryover on Wednesday at Saratoga are likely going to be relying heavily on trainer Mark Casse in the last two legs of the sequence.
In race 8, the fifth leg of the wager, Casse sends out Disco Star, the potential favorite, in the $150,000 Statue of Liberty division of the New York Stallion Series scheduled for one mile on turf. In race 9, a 5 1/2-furlong maiden turf sprint, Casse will start two-time runner-up Delightful Darling against a large field of mostly first-time starters.
New York’s US-leading sports betting market managed to show significant growth even during the “dead season” for professional sports.
According to the New York State Gaming Commission's July revenue report, retail and online sportsbooks combined to produce $155.9 million in gross gaming revenue during July. That was a significant 10.7% year-over-year improvement, even without the NFL, NBA, or college football in session.
Thursday’s Best of Ohio program at Thistledown features five $100,000 statebred stakes that have attracted the two most recent Ohio-bred horse of the year honorees, Generous Lover and Fair and Square. Additional participants will include unbeaten championship contender Silent Rule and statebred champions Candlelight Hours, Diamond Dust, Empire’s Fire, Here’s the Spider, I Wanna Win, and Villian.
