Racebook Insider: The World of Horse Betting

Friday, December 21, 2007

Australian Horse Racing is Hot

Horse racing in North America gets pretty slow in winter, but it is still hot in Australia. Check out January stakes races in Australian racing.

DATE LOCATION RACE GROUP DISTANCE
1.1. Ascot BMW Perth Cup 2 3200
1.1. Ascot Summer Scorcher L HCP 1000
1.1. Flemington Standish Handicap 3 1200
1.8. Flemington Bagot Handicap L 2500
5.1. Doomben Bernborough Handicap L 1615
12.1. Caulfield Rubiton Stakes 3 WFA 1100
12.1. Caulfield Barton Stakes L 1400
12.1. Gold Coast Magic Millions Classic 0 2YO 1200
13.1. Elwick One Thousand Guineas L 3YO F 1600
13.1. Geraldton Geraldton Cup 0 HCP 2100
19.1. Flemington Chester Manifold Stakes L 1400
19.1. Rosehill GardensExpressway Stakes2 WFA 1200
20.1. Mungrup Mungrup Sprint 0 HCP 1300
25.1. Moonee Valley Carlyon Stakes 2 WFA 1200
26.1. Ascot Australia Day Stakes L HCP 1200
26.1. Caulfield Zeditave Stakes L 3YO SWP 1200
26.1. Caulfield Arrowfield Blue Diamond Preview L 2YO C&G SWP 1000
26.1. Caulfield Arrowfield Blue Diamond Preview L 2YO F SWP 1000
26.1. Royal Randwick Frederick Clissold Stakes 3 QLTY HCP 1200
26.1. Royal Randwick Royal Sovereign Stakes 2 3YO C&G SWP 1200
26.1. Royal Randwick Light Finger Stakes 2 3YO F SWP 1200

The Melbourne Cup is the biggest horse racing event in Australia. It has been run on the first Tuesday of November at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne every year without fail since 1861.
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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Melbourne Cup - Autralian Racing

Melbourne Cup Day is Australia's most famous Tuesday and Melbourne Cup is the biggest Australian horse racing event. At 3.00 pm AEST, on the first Tuesday in November, Australians everywhere stop for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup.

It's a day when Australia stops whatever it's doing to listen to the race call, or watch the race on TV. Even those who don't usually bet, try their luck with a small wager or entry into a 'sweep' - a lottery in which each ticket-holder is matched with a randomly drawn horse.

One time favourite, Efficient ($23.29) made a surging late run from the outside to defeat Purple Moon ($1.82) and Mahler ($4.09). The striking grey stayer’s had struggled with mediocre form until the race, but he peaked at the right time to claim the Melbourne Cup.

2007 Melbourne Cup Winner
1st EFFICIENT (NZ) Graeme Rogerson M Rodd 10 54.5
2nd PURPLE MOON (IRE)Luca Cumani D Oliver 15 53.5
3rd MAHLER (GB) Aidan O'Brien S Baster 6 50.5

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Changes in Graded Stakes 2008

The eight World Championships races that existed before this year were all assigned grade I status at the outset.

Two Keeneland stakes were upgraded to grade I status: the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes and the First Lady Stakes, both on the turf. Also upgraded to grade I was the Just a Game Stakes on the grass at Belmont Park.

Upgraded to grade II status are the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park, Fifth Third Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland, Indiana Oaks at Hoosier Park, Lake George Stakes at Saratoga, Sands Point Stakes at Belmont, Providencia Stakes at Santa Anita Park, and Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Downgraded from grade II to grade III in 2008 are the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita, Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park, and Nassau County Breeders’ Cup Stakes at Belmont.

The Belmont Breeders’ Cup Handicap and Genuine Risk Handicap at Belmont and Saratoga Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Saratoga were not eligible for grading in 2008.

The new grade III stakes for next year are the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Stakes, Bryan Station Stakes, and Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland; Pilgrim Stakes and Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont; Southwest Stakes and Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn; Obeah Handicap and Robert G. Dick Memorial Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Delaware Park; Florida Oaks and Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs; La Habra Stakes and Tuzla Handicap at Santa Anita; Commonwealth Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs; Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap at Fair Grounds; Boyd Gaming Delta Princess Stakes at Delta Downs; Harold C. Ramser Sr. Handicap at Oak Tree at Santa Anita Park; and Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs.

The five races downgraded from grade III to ungraded status for 2008 are the Arlington Classic Stakes at Arlington, Essex Handicap at Oaklawn, Aqueduct Handicap at Aqueduct, Bay Meadows Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Bay Meadows, and Bayou Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Fair Grounds.

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Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Leading Horses in Thoroughbred Racing 2007


LEADING HORSES
Name Starts 1sts Purses
1. Curlin 9 6 $5,102,800
2. Invasor (ARG) 2 2 $3,900,000
3. Street Sense 8 4 $3,205,000
4. English Channel 7 4 $2,640,000
5. Hard Spun 10 4 $2,572,500
6. Kip Deville 7 3 $1,965,780
7. Ginger Punch 8 5 $1,827,060
8. Cloudy's Knight 9 3 $1,762,868
9. Lahudood (GB) 5 3 $1,560,500
10. Lava Man 8 3 $1,410,000

LEADING JOCKEYS
Name Mounts 1sts Purses
1. Garrett K. Gomez 1176 248 $22,484,918
2. Robby Albarado 1172 233 $18,557,621
3. John R. Velazquez 1110 195 $17,946,404
4. Cornelio H. Velasquez 1554 248 $15,750,618
5. Rafael Bejarano 1391 227 $14,813,551
6. Ramon A. Dominguez 1240 303 $14,649,311
7. Edgar S. Prado 1061 200 $13,357,683
8. Eibar Coa 1526 265 $13,543,608
9. Kent J. Desormeaux 1079 204 $13,108,208
10. Javier Castellano 1087 164 $12,467,638

LEADING TRAINERS
Name Starts 1sts Purses
1. Todd A. Pletcher 1174 275 $27,879,345
2. Steven M. Asmussen 2079 441 $22,324,707
3. Kiaran P. McLaughlin 493 112 $12,575,297
4. Robert J. Frankel 521 118 $11,448,455
5. Doug F. O'Neill 981 148 $10,491,119
6. William I. Mott 739 148 $9,372,817
7. Richard E. Dutrow Jr. 631 158 $9,167,673
8. Scott A. Lake 2180 453 $9,134,596
9. Gary C. Contessa 1144 163 $7,010,136
10. Bob Baffert 402 71 $6,939,792

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Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Jockey Hartack passed away at 74


Hartack and fellow Hall of Fame rider Eddie Arcaro are the only jockeys to win the Kentucky Derby five times in horse racing history.

Hartack won his first Derby with Iron Liege in 1957. He then won with Venetian Way in 1960, Decidedly in 1962, Northern Dancer in 1964 and Majestic Prince in 1969.

Hartack rode until 1974 and had 4,272 wins from 21,535 mounts. He won the Preakness aboard Fabius in 1956, Northern Dancer in 1964 and Majestic Prince in 1969. He won the Belmont Stakes with Celtic Ash in 1960.

Hartack, the Hall of Famer and five-time Kentucky Derby winner, was found dead in a cabin while on a hunting vacation in Freer. He was 74. He died Monday night from natural causes due to heart disease, said Dr. Corinne Stern, the chief medical examiner in Webb County.
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