- This topic has 25 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 9 months ago by
.
- Posts
For 150 years, the best Thoroughbreds in America have ran at Saratoga. It’s a 350 acre race track in upstate New York with a 1 1/8 mile main dirt course and two turf courses of 1 mile (the Mellon Turf Course) and 7 furlongs (the Inner Turf, aka the Steeplechase course).
A few decades ago, most parimutuel racetracks in this country had a jumps race on nearly every card. Nowadays, it seems that these tracks have shut out jumps racing, relegating it to small “hunt” meets.
Except Saratoga.
Every Thursday during its season, Saratoga holds one, sometimes two, hurdle races. This might not sound like much, but it is a BIG deal for our jumps trainers, owners and jockeys. These races have far higher purses, are simulcast at every track and OTB facility in the country, are actually covered by racing journalists, and most importantly, there is parimutuel wagering. In short, American jumps racing recieves far more attention in the month of August than in the “actual” spring and fall seasons.
Which brings me to the point of this long-winded post. American bettors, as a general rule, HATE to wager on jumps races. Some think it’s cruel, others just think it’s impossible to predict the winner. Or they’ll just pick the morning-line favorite and hope. This all means that even a novice with some knowledge of steeplechasing can make a nice profit off of these races. They’ll be available for wagering online just like any other race at Saratoga. With any luck they’ll be viewable on one of the UK racing channels, or else you can listen to live audio and watch free almost-instant replays on NYRA’s website.
Here’s what’s in store:
Thursday, July 25: $75,000 Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes
Thursday, August 1 (double-header!): $100,000 A. P. Smithwick Memorial (Gr. 1) and $65,000 allowance/optional claiming
Thursday, August 8: $75,000 Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes(fillies and mares)
Friday, August 9: Hall of Fame induction ceremony (including the steeplechasers McDynamo and Tuscalee)
Thursday, August 15 (double-header!): $75,000 Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes and $65,000 allowance/optional claiming
Thursday, August 22: $150,000 New York Turf Writers’ Cup (Gr. 1)
Thursday, August 29 (double-header!): $75,000 Mrs. Walter Jeffords Stakes (fillies and mares) and $65,000 allowance/optional claiming
9 races, three for the good horses, two for the best novice horses, two for the best fillies and mares, two for the best of the best. Expect full fields. Expect Jonathan Sheppard’s horses to do well. Expect a lot of formerly British/Irish trained horses. Expect Hunt Ball to show up for one or both of the big races (most likely the NYTWC). Expect a lot of fun and some great racing.Important links:
http://www.nyra.com/saratoga/
http://www.nationalsteeplechase.com/
Saratoga Special/Steeplechase Times http://thisishorseracing.com/news/Good luck! It’s my favorite time of the year.
Thanks Miss Woodford; I’ll check that out. Can you keep us informed of Hunt Ball’s activities?
Thanks Miss Woodford; I’ll check that out. Can you keep us informed of Hunt Ball’s activities?
You can follow his exercise rider on Twitter https://twitter.com/Keri145
The entries for the Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/S … A-EQB.html
As the ML odds show, this field seems wide open.
My pick is the entry of Extraextraordinary and Dr. Skip. Dr. Skip is a real rising star in this division. He has won both of his starts over fences, including an allowance last month at Penn National in which he beat most of the horses in today’s field by 7 lengths, set a new track record, and looked like an old pro on the course. His stablemate Extraextraordinary has placed in graded-stakes (open) company, but fell in his most recent start vs. novices.I think a lot of money will go to Alajmal, 2012 champion novice, who n an optional allowance last year at Saratoga and won the Carolina Cup back in March. He is trying to bounce back from a 6th place finish in the Queen’s Cup. He raced on the flat just two weeks ago and finished 5th, so I’m not sure he’ll show his best form on Thursday.
If you’re looking for a longshot then Constant Contact might be interesting. He’s making his first American start and he just barely qualifies as a novice in America, having won his first race over hurdles on March 27th 2012. He almost certainly bled last race, so the added Lasix is a plus.
Post time is 6pm GMT, so make sure to get your bets in before then
Looks like I overthought this race. Martini Brother and Barnstorming finished 1-2. Both are trained by Jonathan Sheppard, who has now won at least one jumps race at Saratoga every year since 1969!
There’s a nice article on Sheppard in next week’s Chronicle of the Horse, by the way… http://read.uberflip.com/i/145701/15
WOW, look at the field for the A.P. Smithwick! Actually, I’ll look at it for you.
Race 2 – 1:35 PM
STAKESA. P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase S. (Grade I)
Purse $100,000. A Steeplechase Stake For Four Year Olds And Upward. All fees and purse distributions in accordance with the National Steeplechase Association standards. Four Year Olds, 151 lbs, Older, 158 Lbs. Non-winners of $45,000 twice in 2012-13 allowed 4 Lbs.; $45,000 in 2012-13 8 Lbs.; $30,000 in 2012-13, 12 Lbs.; $30,000 anytime, 16 Lbs. (Novice races not considered in allowances.). Two And One Sixteenth Miles. (Hurdle)
PP Horse Virtual
Stable A/S Med Jockey Wgt Trainer
1Hunt Ball (IRE)
8/G R Geraghty 150 J E Sheppard
2Meganisi (IRE)
6/G G Dahl 142 W Dowling
3Demonstrative (KY)
6/G L R Walsh 158 R L Valentine
4Divine Fortune (PA)
10/G L D Nagle 146 J E Sheppard
5Spy in the Sky (KY
) 9/G L D Hodsdon 154 J M Day
6Mr. Hot Stuff (KY)
7/G L P Young 142 J O Fisher
7Italian Wedding (FL)
8/G L B Dalton 142 J E Sheppard
8Brave Prospect (KY)
6/G L D Crosse 142 J O Fisher
Hunt Ball does actually have his work cut out for him here!
Hunt Ball is ridden by Ross Geraghty, Barry’s brother, who won the Champion Jockey title last year. HB does get a bit of a weight break due to the pathetic UK purses; he has not won a race worth $45,000 in 2012-13. And of course he’s trained by the greatest jumps trainer of all time, Jonathan Sheppard. Sheppard doesn’t usually take on European horses from outside clients, so he must think very highly of this horse.Meganisi is the other newcomer, and he is among the first few horses under the care of jockey-turned-trainer William Dowling. He was fairly mediocre in the UK, though. So unknown trainer + unknown current form.
Demonstrative started out his career as a Godolphin 3yo who fell down to Class 5 Handicaps before being bought for cheap and sent here. He was Champion Novice in 2011, and really got good starting last summer 2012. He’s ultra-consistent and he LOVES Saratoga, He is HB’s biggest threat here and the likely favorite. He likes to come from off the pace.
Divine Fortune’s is Sheppard’s top homebred running these days. He won this very race in 2010 and 2011, but he was 5th last year. In his most recent start he finished 2nd in the G1 Iroquois behind Demonstrative.
Spy in the Sky also loves Saratoga, and he loves to spring upsets in big races at Saratoga! He won the 2009 NY Turf Writers Cup at odds of 20-1, and then laid low till winning the Smithwick last year at odds of 25-1, in an extraordinary ride by Danielle Hodsdon. His most recent form isn’t very good, but never count him out at this track.
Mr. Hot Stuff, so named because he was and is a drop-dead gorgeous animal, actually was a top Triple Crown hopeful in 2009. He finished 15th in the Derby, and languished in allowance races for the next few years until he was "discovered" by Jack Fisher. He’s a nice novice stakes horse, but not quite good enough yet for this field.
Italian Wedding is terribly inconsistent (3 wins in 18 starts) and his lone stakes win was in a novice back in 2011. He hasn’t raced since March 2012, and I think Sheppard’s only putting him here to get a run in him.
Brave Prospect is a novice stakes horse at best, and while he is consistently in the money and has strong ‘Toga form he’s not Grade 1 material.
So there you have it, Hunt Ball’s in with the big boys now. No green paint or bookmaker ads here…
https://twitter.com/Keri145/status/3606 … 52/photo/1
https://twitter.com/Keri145/status/3609 … 96/photo/1
https://twitter.com/Keri145/status/3612 … 88/photo/1
HB had an easy workout this morning:
Saratoga 7/29/2013 Turf training 5F 1:03.24 Breezing 24/27According to Nick Carter, who runs the Atlantic Equine syndicate, HB isn’t "100 per cent fit" but they are running him to get experience on the track. Although he might not need to be 100% if he’s as good as he was last year.
http://www.drf.com/news/saratoga-britis … eeplechase
“I don’t think he’s got quite the speed to win a big race going 2 1/16 miles going around such a tight track,” said Sheppard. “But he does have a lot of stamina and the main thing Thursday is to get a race under him, get a handle on him, and get a tune up for the New York Turf Writers, which is 2 3/8 miles and should suit him better.”
Demonstrative came up with a cough this morning so he’s SCRATCHED, makes things a bit more interesting now…
Race 1, a 12-horse allowance field at the post. Wagering is wide open, Jimmy Duggan on TVG likes the 8 horse (Bluegrass Summer) but I’ve got no clue.
The Smithwick WILL be shown at 6:35pm GMT on At the Races.
All Together wins the 1st race at 5-1. Looks like he’s back where he belongs after floundering in graded stakes last year.
It’s raining pretty heavily there, ground is probably good.
Duggan is really hyping Hunt Ball, and he looks very fit in the paddock (Hunt Ball, not Jimmy!)
https://twitter.com/LuttrellAustin/stat … 44/photo/1
It’s worth noting that while this race may be too short for Hunt Ball, it’s also a bit short for Divine Fortune…the 4/5 favorite entry looks very beatable IMO. HB at about 4/1 is a gift!HB now bet down to 5/2, some money going to Mr. Hot Stuff, probably because he looks so darn good in the post parade (as usual).
Duggan explaining how popular jumps racing is in the UK to the TVG audience
https://twitter.com/Keri145/status/3629 … 48/photo/1Mr. Hot Stuff wins! I love him, wonderful story there too.
Hunt Ball took some missteps on the backstretch, probably does need this race. He’ll do better next out.
Now that I can finally get into this forum again…
http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA … A-EQB.html
Tomorrow is the Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes, and it looks like all the top filly and mare hurdlers are in. Well Fashioned is the likely favorite off of a win in the Margaret Henley Stakes. The Sheppard horse, Cubist, is a stakes winner at Saratoga but has not done so well since then. The Jack Fisher entry of Opera Heroine and Take Her Tothe Top also looks like a smart bet.http://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA … A-EQB.html
Another double-header this week, an allowance and the Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes. Martini Brother appears to be headed to the Turf Writers, so Barnstorming is the presumptive favorite for the novice. The Irv Naylor entry of Sacred Soul and Black Quartz may interest those looking for a jockey advantage, with Paddy Young and Ross Geraghty aboard.
; he has not won a race worth $45,000 in 2012-13. And of course he’s trained by the greatest jumps trainer of all time, Jonathan Sheppard. Sheppard doesn’t usually take on European horses from outside clients, so he must think very highly of this horse.- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.