The Derby Trail goes through New York

Posted on January 20, 2012 by andyscoggin

In 2012, I will be covering the NYRA circuit for Horse Racing Nation. HRN has had a series of articles about the Derby Trail.  Here is my first New York piece:

Since 1986, graded stakes earnings have determined which horses get into the Kentucky Derby field.  The Derby Trail through New York offers four opportunities to gather graded purse money. With the October opening of the Genting Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct those purses have already grown and become more attractive.  The purse for the Withers (G3), to be run on Feb. 4, has gone from $150,000 to $200,000.  The March 3rd Gotham (G3) has increased by $150,000 up to $400,000.  The Bay Shore (G3) runs on April 7th, with prize money increased by $50,000 to $250,000 and on the same day the $1,000,000 Wood Memorial (G1) is the feature race of the New York’s prep races.

Click here to read the rest of  The_Derby_Trail_Goes_Through_New_York .

Posted in Aqueduct, Belmont Park, Horse Racing Nation, Kentucky Derby | Leave a comment

Final Word on the Eclipse Voting

Posted on January 17, 2012 by andyscoggin

Just some final thoughts on the voting for the 2011 Eclipse Awards.  My Miss Aurelia should have been an unanimous choice in the two year-old filly category, but she received 243 out of 244 votes.  One voter had a need to cast a ballot for Stephanie’s Kitten, which I do not understand.  My Miss Aurelia’s dominance of the division should have been honored with a rare unanimous vote.  In my Horse Racing Nation blog, Dissecting the Eclipse Award Vote, I pointed out that there had only been two horses to get 100% of the vote in the past six years.  My Miss Aurelia should have joined that rare group.

I was a bit surprised that Blind Luck received only 2 votes in the Older Female Horse division.  It was a lock that Havre de Grace was going to win the Horse of the Year title, so why not give Blind Luck some votes based on her victory over the Horse of the Year in the Delaware Handicap? Most people consided the Del Cap the best race of the year.

I just missed a clean sweep in my Eclipse picks by a mere 3 votes. I thought that Caleb’s Posse deserved the Male Three Year-Old title, but he lost to Animal Kingdom 144-141.  You can view my Eclipse picks here Eclipse Award Picks.

Posted in Eclipse Awards | Leave a comment

2011 Eclipse Award Picks From the Jersey Shore

Posted on January 8, 2012 by andyscoggin

In the first year of Racing at the Jersey Shore at HorseRacingNation.com I got to see several of the Eclipse Award finalists run or train at either my home track of Monmouth Park or on the New York circuit.

At Monmouth I saw Stacelita begin her American campaign with a troubled third place finish against the boys in the United Nations. I spent time with Shackleford on the backside as he prepared for his game second place finish in the Haskell.  Perfect Shirl ran third in the Matchmaker.

On Super Saturday at Belmont Park, Havre de Grace and Royal Delta ran one-two while dominating the Beldame.  Cape Blanco won his third straight US grade one stake in the Joe Hirsch. Stacelita recorded a very impressive win in the Flower Bowl.

To wrap-up the year, here are my choices for the 2011 Eclipse Awards.

Below are the silks of my picks.  To read the rest of the HorseRacingNation.com article please go to 2011_Eclipse_Award_Picks_From_the_Jersey_Shore.

Posted in Belmont Park, Bill Mott, Breeders Cup, Eclipse Awards, Horse Racing Nation, Monmouth Park | Leave a comment

Rapid Redux Goes for 22nd, Still Eligible for Starter Allowance

Posted on December 31, 2011 by andyscoggin

As of January 1, 2012, Rapid Redux was supposed to have used up his eligibility for the $5,000 starter allowance races. In 2011, Fifteen of his 19 races were run in that condition, which was for horses that “started for a claiming price of $5,000 or less in 2010-2011”.  Rapid Redux ran for the $5,000 tag on August 13, 2010, at Monmouth Park.  When the year changed, the conditions for the starter allowance switch to have “started for a claiming price of $5,000 or less in 2011-2012”.  That switch would make him ineligible.

Apparently since tracks published a condition book towards the end of 2011 that carried into 2012, they were able to write the starter allowances for which Rapid Redux still would have eligibility in 2012.  Owner Robert Cole was able to search the condition books to the benefit of Rapid Redux, “I found five starter allowance races east of the Mississippi that he is eligible to run in. It is conceivable to have one or two more starts after this one because there are already races written in condition books that accommodate his date.”

On Wednesday, January 4th, the now six year-old Rapid Redux will go for his 22nd consecutive victory in the 6th race at Laurel.  Post time is 2:56 pm ET. The one turn mile starter allowance drew 10 horses but two have already scratched including the eleven year-old Delaware River, a multiple stakes winner of $702,000.  Jockey JD Acosta will be riding Rapid Redux for the 6th time in past seven races.

A fast track is likely as the weather forecast for race day is for sunny skies and temperatures in the 30’s.

Here is the field:

AWESOME RHYTHM finished a strong second, a half length behind Rapid Redux in their most recent 13Dec11 mile and a sixteenth race. Before that he finished second in a similar race. His three most recent Beyer Speed Figures (BSF) are:  83, 78, and 75.

NINTH CLIENT is the second half of a John Rigaltieri trained entry. The six year-old won $65,189 in 2011 with two wins. His last three races have been in NW1 allowances showing a second and two fourth place finishes. His most recent win was on 17Aug11 at Del. BSF: 80, 78, 77.

GOLD CASING has won his last two races at Laurel for claiming tags of $7,000 and $4,750 N2Y. His come from behind running style produced 4 wins from 15 starts in 2011. BSF: 77, 76, 60.

RAPID REDUX has now won $351,919 in his career of 41 starts with finishes of 27-1-1. In the current 21 race win streak, five of the victories have been at today’s distance of one mile. BSF: 84, 83, 85, 89, 87, 85.

GRUNWALD won his most recent race at Laurel on 17Dec11 going seven furlongs in an $8,000 starter allowance. Another off the pace runner, he finished second on 8Dec11 in a mile and a sixteenth $5,000 beaten claiming race. Before that he veered in and lost his rider. BSF: 74, 64, X.

SARGE’S just came back on 2Dec11 from a five month layoff to finish fourth in $5,000 starter allowance. During the summer the five year grey gelding had two second place finishes at Del.  He won three out of eight starts in 2011, for $33,570. BSF: 67, 75, 76.

WILLIAM’S PRAYER also won his last start at Laurel in a $5,000 claiming race for N2L. He sandwiched a distant seventh place between his maiden claiming $10,500 score and his most recent effort. BSF: 66, 21, 64.

WALKIN’ BOSS earned his second career victory at Laurel on 13Dec11 in a $7,500 claimer for N2L at a mile and a sixteenth.  Since his maiden win he has been running in the non-winners of two lifetime condition.  BSF: 57, 48, 51.

Posted in Rapid Redux | Leave a comment

The Best of AndyScoggin

Posted on December 28, 2011 by andyscoggin

So much has happened since I began blogging in May of this year.  As the Monmouth Park Correspondent for HorseRacingNation.com my writing is showcased at Racing at the Jersey Shore for a website that gets over three million hits a year. I launched my personal racing blog, AndyScoggin in NJ at andyscoggin.blogspot.com and later moved it to my own domain at andyscoggin.com.

My articles have been picked up by the NTRA and several other websites that share information about racing. I contributed to an article that appeared on the Breeders’ Cup website. All of this has happened in a whirlwind seven months.

I must thank my managing editor, Brian Zipse for giving me the opportunity to join the staff of HRN. His guidance and kind words have been priceless. The racing crowd on TWITTER provides so much information, interest, and excitement. Most of all, I must thank my wife Cora for all of the encouragement and for allowing me the time to do all of this writing.

A special thank you goes out to everyone who has read any of my work, commented, or tweeted. It is up to all of us to keep racing vital.

I have selected some of my favorite pieces. They are listed in alphabetical order by title with an introductory paragraph and a link to the full article.

Breeders’ Cup Top 10 – The Sprint

The Sprint provides the most excitement per second in the Breeders’ Cup combining pure speed on the front end with the chance for a dramatic closing finish. All of this in less then a minute and ten seconds. In the 27 years of the Sprint only five favorites have won producing an average win payoff of $20.53. This top 10 list features great frontrunners and amazing victories from the back of the pack. From ten down to one, these races document the exciting history of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/Breeders_Cup_Top_10_The_Sprint_123

Cigar’s Classic 1995 Breeders’ Cup

Cigar entered the 1995 Breeders Cup Classic riding an eleven race win streak that spanned back to his last two races of 1994. It was a streak in which Cigar had not run a Beyer Speed Figure less than a 104 and had earned figures above 110 in all but two of his races. He had won 8 grade one stakes at 6 different tracks on both the west and east coasts. http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/Cigars_Classic_1995_Breeders_Cup_123

Collecting Horse Racing Memories

Monmouth Park’s biggest day of the year is the Haskell. There is great racing and a really big crowd. A lot of the crowd comes to increase their collection of racing memorabilia with the traditional Haskell Hat giveaway. Monmouth has been giving hats away since at least 1988.

I must admit that I, too, have some racing memorabilia, although my collections cover many areas, the least of which are hats. I am not sure why, but somehow it is important for me to have racing stuff. http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/Collecting_Horse_Racing_Memories_123

Father’s Day Should Be a Family Day

June 19th is Father’s Day. It is the day when we Dads get to share our favorite activity with our family. So on Sunday at Monmouth Park you will see many families filing into the picnic area with coolers and grills, and Racing Forms tucked under arms – all to make sure that Dad has a great day. http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/Father_s_Day_Should_Be_a_Family_Day_123

Here are the Facts from Rapid Redux’s Winning Streak

Note: This article was picked up by the NTRA and linked on their Facebook page causing the busiest day in the short history of AndyScoggin in NJ.

Rapid Redux now shares the modern era record of 19 consecutive wins with Peppers Pride and Zenyatta. Rapid Redux took 10 months and 25 days to win 19 in a row. Zenyatta needed 2 years, 11 months, and 10 days to get to 19 victories. Peppers Pride reached the 19 wins in 3 years, 4 months, and 29 days. https://andyscoggin.com/2011/11/18/here-are-the-facts-from-rapid-reduxs-winning-streak/

The Legendary 1973 Whitney Handicap

It was 1973 and Secretariat was on his way to racing immortality, having just captured the first Triple Crown since Citation in 1948. The Meadow Stable star would go on to win three Eclipse awards that year: his second Horse of the Year title, best three year old colt, and top grass runner. Secretariat’s loss in the 1973 Whitney Handicap added to the legend of Saratoga as the “Graveyard of Champions” and catapulted trainer H. Allen Jerkens’ reputation as “The Giant Killer”. http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/The_Legendary_1973_Whitney_Handicap_123

Monmouth Wagering Wrap-up

During the Monmouth Park meeting, which began on May 14th, and ended on November 6th, I took on the roll of a public handicapper for one specific wager, the new 50¢ Place Pick 6. This was basically a weekend only meeting that had 67 actual days of racing. https://andyscoggin.com/2011/11/09/monmouth-wagering-wrap-up/

Playing the Place Pick 6

In recent years Monmouth Park has been willing to try new wagers. For the Breeders Cup in 2007, the low take-out 50¢ minimum Pick 5 was unveiled for the first time. That Pick 5 wager has swept across the country and has caused most tracks to change their minimum bets on the Pick 4 to 50¢. https://andyscoggin.com/2011/10/20/playing-the-place-pick-6/

Point – Counterpoint: Older Horses vs Three Year Olds

2011 has been an exciting year for racing, with no standout superhorse to hog the spotlight. But as the Breeders’ Cup draws near, which division has been more impressive? HRN blogger Matt Shifman, of Racing at the Jersey Shore, and Managing Editor Brian Zipse of Zipse At The Track, debate the merits of the 3-year-olds versus their older rivals! http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/Point_Counterpoint_Older_Horses_vs_3_Year_Olds_3_123

Ruler On Ice Looking to Rule the Classic

I recently helped HorseRacingNation.com friend and colleague Joe DePaolo with an article for the Breeders’ Cup website about Breeders’ Cup Classic entrant Ruler On Ice. Ruler On Ice is the Monmouth Park based runner who won the Belmont Stakes for New Jersey owners George and Lori Hall and trainer Kelly Breen. https://andyscoggin.com/2011/10/31/ruler-on-ice-looking-to-rule-the-classic/

To Todd Or Not To Todd

It’s Travers Day at Saratoga and racing has been cancelled at Monmouth, so we have to play the $1,000,000 guaranteed all stakes 50¢ Late Pick 4.

We would be remiss if we did not address the question: “To Todd or not to Todd?” Trainer Todd Pletcher has at least one horse in all four legs of the Late Pick 4. Is it that easy a play: Todd/Todd/Todd/Todd or if you prefer: Todd with Todd with Todd with Todd? In race 9 he has #1 Maple Forest at 12-1 morning line. In race 10 # 3 Hilda’s Passion goes for Todd at 2-1. In the King’s Bishop, # 7 Uncle Mo makes his long awaited return. Race 12 is the Travers and Todd has #9 Stay Thirsty at 5-2. http://andyscoggin.blogspot.com/2011/08/to-todd-or-not-to-todd.html

Uncle Mo: He’s back!

It had been way too long since I had been to Belmont Park. It was with great anticipation that I headed to Super Saturday. There would be five grade one races, but I was most looking forward to the Kelso Handicap, which was a mere grade two event. The Kelso was where Uncle Mo was running. http://www.horseracingnation.com/blogs/Monmouth/Uncle_Mo_He_s_back_123

What’s Next for Rapid Redux?

The five year-old gelding Rapid Redux tied the North American record of 19 consecutive victories. Rapid Redux now shares that record with 2010 Horse of the Year Zenyatta and the retired New Mexico-bred Peppers Pride. https://andyscoggin.com/2011/10/27/whats-next-for-rapid-redux/

Posted in Breeders Cup, Horse Racing Nation, Monmouth Park, Place Pick 6, Rapid Redux, Tom Durkin, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Another New Tentative Deal for Monmouth Park in 2012

Posted on December 16, 2011 by andyscoggin

In an article posted at 4:39pm, December 16th, drf.com reported that a tentative deal has been struck to keep Monmouth Park open in 2012.  Proposed is a longer meet and purses that will be funded only by money produced from wagering.  That will mean substantially lower purses, until a new private lease holder is found. Read the rest of the drf.com article.  Discuss the issues at HorseRacingNation.com.

Monmouth Park Deal Calls for 141 Racing Days

 Monmouth Park in New Jersey will hold a 141-day meet in 2012 while the state reopens the bidding for a long-term lease of the track under a deal that was discussed on Friday between the state’s horsemen and the office of Gov. Chris Christie, officials of the horsemen’s organization said.

The horsemen’s representatives said that the deal was substantially complete late on Friday, though final approvals of the agreement were still not in place. Christie has set a Monday deadline for the horsemen and the state to agree on a deal for the 2012 meet, threatening that he would close the track if an agreement had not been reached.

Under the deal, horsemen at Monmouth will run for “generated purses” in 2012, meaning purse distribution will be determined solely by the revenue raised from betting. As a result, overnight purses at Monmouth over 141 days this year will likely average approximately $150,000 to $175,000 a day, a sharp decline from average overnight purses this year of approximately $400,000 during a 71-day meet.

Posted in Horse Racing Nation, Monmouth Park, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Rapid Redux Looks to Extend Win Streak and Tie Citation

Posted on December 11, 2011 by andyscoggin

THE HISTORY: A victory in Tuesday’s race at Laurel Park would extend Rapid Redux’s North American consecutive win record to 21.  It would also tie Citation’s modern era record of 19 wins in one year.  Citation won 19 races in his three year-old campaign, which of course, included the 1948 Triple Crown. Hall of Fame horse Roseben also won 19 as a four year-old in 1905.

THE RACE:  The sixth race at Laurel is $5,000 Starter Allowance to be run at a mile and a sixteenth for a purse of $17,000. Post time is 2:56pm ET.

THE WEATHER: Sunny with a high temperature in the low 50’s.

THE FIELD:

1) RAPID REDUX (3-5) – This will be the fifth race during the winning streak to be run at Laurel.  He has won at 5 furlongs and three times at 7/8th of a mile at this Maryland track. Jockey JD Acosta will be riding Rapid Redux for the seventh time during the streak.  His last 5 Beyer Speed Figures have been remarkably consistent from 83 to 89.

2) AWESOME RHYTHM (6-1) – The five year-old has run his last three times at Laurel in $5,000 starter allowances. His best finish was a front running effort that ended in a second place finish on December 2nd.  His last three BSF’s are: 77, 75, 68.

3) DERWIN’S PROSPECTOR (30-1) – Soundly beaten in his past four races, the three year-old has only one victory in his career. His most recent BSF’s are: 23, 25, 38.

4) NO BRAKES (5-1) – His last three races have been impressive. No Brakes is a deep closer that has been running in non-winner of two $25,000 optional claiming races.  He finished third and second in his most recent races after rallying from last place. His most recent win by eight lengths came three back in a $5,000 starter allowance at Charles Town. He finished third to Rapid Redux on June 21, at Pen.  BSF’s: 73, 77, 85.

5) SHAMROGE (8-1) – He won a $7,500 starter allowance at Delaware that was scheduled for the turf on Sept. 10. The four year-old has just one win in seven starts this year.  BSF’s: 74, 75, 68.

6) FIRST NITE (10-1) – He won his most recent race at Laurel in a $5,000 beaten claiming race by seven lengths in front running style. First Nite was badly beaten in his two prior races. BSF’s: 79, 40, 52.

7) ZOSOGOOD (12-1) – The five year-old won his last three races at Monmouth Park. His most recent victory was a $10,000 N2Y claimer in front running fashion. The other two wins were at the $5,000 claiming level. His last three BSF’s are: 71, 65, 70.

WHAT’S NEXT: Owner Robert Cole has announced that Rapid Redux will be retired at the end of 2011.  Trainer David Wells said that Gulfstream Park has invited Rapid Redux to race at the Florida track on New Year’s Eve.  Wells has expressed concern about how taxing it would be to ship long distances to race.

Posted in Rapid Redux | 1 Comment

New Plan to Save Racing at Monmouth Park

Posted on December 10, 2011 by andyscoggin

Apparently there is a new plan to save racing at Monmouth Park.  The New Jersey Horsemen and Morris Bailey reportedly have joined forces to keep Monmouth racing in 2012.

Read the entire article that appeared at 9:28pm December 10th, on app.com, the online site of the Asbury Park Press.  www.app.com

Investor, horsemen’s group jockey to save racing at Monmouth Park

New efforts are being made to save a deal to put state-owned Monmouth Park into the hands of private management, with tight deadlines looming over the parties.

But the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association has since aligned with Bailey to make a new pitch to close the deal. The stalemate occurred when the state rejected the horsemen’s bid to control a small portion of the race days.

Join in the discussion at HorseRacingNation.com.

Posted in Horse Racing Nation, Monmouth Park, Morris Bailey | Leave a comment

Will There Be Racing at Monmouth Park in 2012?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by andyscoggin

In the past two days reports have been published that make it very difficult to understand what is happening with Morris Bailey’s offer to lease and operate Monmouth Park for the next five years.

Posted on APP.com, the website for the Asbury Park Press, at 5:59am on December 6, 2012.  Read the whole article. www.app.com1

Monmouth Park Deal at the Finish Line

After some acrimony during negotiations conducted by the state to turn Monmouth Park over to a private operator, there is now peace. Final agreements to complete the deal are expected to be in place soon, racing industry officials said Monday.

Then later in the same day at 11:10pm, APP.com posted this article. www.app.com2

Talks to Privatize Monmouth Park Break Off

Talks to complete a deal to allow for private management of state-owned Monmouth Park have broken down, leaving the landmark Oceanport thoroughbred racetrack with an unstable future.

Then at 10:50pm on December 7, NJ.com, which is the website for the Star Ledger, a reaction from Morris Bailey was posted.  This is not the first time Mr. Bailey has threatened to step away from the deal in order to put pressure the negotiations. Here is the link for this full article www.nj.com.

Monmouth Park Operator Morris Bailey Set to Bolt on Deal

A bitter dispute over a license for additional racing dates at Monmouth Park has shut down talks to privatize the racetrack, jeopardizing its future and the jobs of several thousand employees.

As a result, developer Morris Bailey today indicated through his attorney that he wants out of the deal to lease Monmouth Park.

At 6:48pm on December 7, NorthJersey.com posted an article from the Bergen Record talking about how the Monmouth issues will impact the standardbreds at the Meadowlands as they too try to finalize their own lease deal. www.northjersey.com.

Monmouth Park Deal Has Fallen Apart, Thoroughbred Official Says

A deal to have a private operator take over Monmouth Park has fallen apart, the head of the state’s Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association said Wednesday, leaving the track’s fate in jeopardy while also raising questions about whether the Meadowlands Racetrack could wind up as collateral damage.

At 1:27pm on December 8, a BloodHorse.com article shed some light on the latest snag in the Monmouth negotiations www.bloodhorse.com

New Jersey Privatization Deal Hits Roadblock

When all parties involved met Dec. 2 to sign the agreements, a representative of Christie’s office said the deal could be closed because the state attorney general’s office was “uncomfortable with it,” according to NJTHA president John Forbes.

Clearly politics have caused the current snag in the completion of the lease to Mr. Bailey.  Monmouth Park is one of New Jersey’s great treasures that need all parties to unite to preserve the state’s long standing thoroughbred race track.

Posted in Monmouth Park, Morris Bailey | 2 Comments

Dissecting the Eclipse Award Vote

Posted on December 1, 2011 by andyscoggin

After looking carefully at the Eclipse Award voting for the past six years a lot of interesting questions arose. Read the rest of the article at HorseRacingNation.com.

The Thoroughbred Racing Associations’ website says that, “The Eclipse Awards are presented annually to recognize those horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories.”  There are no specific guidelines for the selection of the winners, thus there is a plenty of room for debate about which horses deserve the year-end honors.

Every year following the Breeders’ Cup there is two months of debate about the Eclipse Awards. Yet in the past six years there have only been a few categories that actually have ended in a truly close vote. Even the last two Horse of the Year debates, that have focused on Zenyatta, did not end in  close votes. In 2010, Zenyatta won HOTY by a margin of 10.9% and in 2009, Rachel Alexandra prevailed by 13.3%.

Posted in Eclipse Awards, Horse Racing Nation | Leave a comment