Thursday, April 12, 2012

LET'S GO TO THE RACES - Apr 11-15

A quick reference tool meant to help the newer fan (like me!) 

NOTE:   AFTER A RACE HAS BEEN RUN, you can return here, click on the CARD to view the Results and watch a REPLAY.
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BIG RACING OVER NEXT 5 DAYS!

Final Derby Preps, several important Grade 1 races for 3 year olds as well as for older horses over the next several days.  We are less than 4 weeks away from the Kentucky Derby, the first leg of the U.S. Triple Crown races! 

Final Derby Preps:  Some big dollars on the line in a couple of important prep races.  In the $1,000,000 Grade 1 ARKANSAS DERBY, Bodemeister is the current favorite, and with only $60,000 in earnings, he really needs to win or place second to have a shot at the Kentucky Derby starting gate.  Optimizer, who also runs in the ARKANSAS DERBY, and Howe Great, who goes in the $750,000 Grade 1 BLUE GRASS STAKES, are other horses who need a bit more graded cash to assure themselves spots in the Derby starting gate. DRF: Derby contenders ranked by graded earnings  These two races will be broadcast on CNBC Saturday, 6-7 pm ET.

While Union Rags is still at the top of most Derby Top 20 lists, Hansen could snatch the top spot with a decisive win in a packed field on Saturday in the Blue Grass.  He drew post 4, which his connections surely have to be happy about, but he still has to go out and win the race. 



Plenty of action for the older generation, with several races for fillies/mares, as well as many for older horses.  Important races for the distaff group are the $300,000 Grade 1 Vinery at Keeneland Thursday, the Grade 1 $500,000 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn on Friday; the Grade 1 $300,000 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland on Saturday.  For the older males, important races include the Grade 1 $300,000 Maker's 46 Mile at Keeneland on Friday; $250,000 G3 Count Fleet Sprint H and the G2 $350,000 Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn on Saturday; and the $1,000,000 Grade 2 Charles Town Classic will wind up Saturday's fare.  Apple Blossom Preview - Mike Beer, Dan Illman DRF  THS: Preview of Blue Grass Stakes & Arkansas Derby  

Under each race description below, in addition to the card, in most instances, there are links to read more about a particular race and the runners.

COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN:   Everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-but-didn't-know-what-to-ask site!!  A must-read" is Jeremy Plonk's weekly rundown on the Road to the Derby.  DRF: Week 15 - April 13, 2012   [Link "live" on Friday, April 13] He covers the week that was as well as looking toward the upcoming weekend.  He also digs into some of the undercard action.  Includes videos of last weekend's races.

FLASH:  DRF will LIVE STREAM THE RACES AT THE FOLLOWING TRACKS:
Thursday, April 12:  Keeneland Card - Live Streaming Link  
Friday, April 13:  Keeneland Card - Live Streaming
Saturday, April 14: Keeneland Card - Live Streaming

Also, CNBC is expected to cover the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, and the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Saturday, April 14, 6-7 pm ET.

Full cards are shown below, listed in time order, all adjusted to ET.
Just want a simple list of the races, time ordered?  Click here

DON'T FORGET:  Even if you can't watch the U.S. races live, you can come back here after the race has run, click on the CARD listed under the race, and watch a REPLAY!  Let's go to the races!

FEATURED RACES:
Note:  Times may fluctuate.  All times adjusted for EDT
DRF: Road to Derby - Prep races and replays See what the runners did in their last preps

Races for older fillies/mares denoted with    
Races for older horses denoted with   
Wednesday, April 11
                 Oaks Prep
6:11 ET  Fantasy S |G2| Oaklawn Park| $300,000| 3yof| 1 1/16 mi |Race 9

Thursday, April 12
4:42 ET Vinery Madison S |G1| Keeneland| $300,000| 4+ f&m| 7f |Race 8

6:11 ET Red Bud S| Oaklawn Park| $100,000| 4&up f&m| 1 1/16 mi | Race 9

Friday, April 13
5:13 ET Maker's 46 Mile S |G1| Keeneland| $300,000| 4&up| 1 miT| Race 9 

6:31 ET Instant Racing S| Oaklawn Park| $100,000| 3yof| 1 mi  | Race 9

7:04 ET Apple Blossom H |G1| Oaklawn Park| $500,000| 4+ f&m| 1 1/16 mi | Race 10

Saturday, April 14
Brisnet PPs - Most races below
4:42 ET Jenny Wiley S |G1| Keeneland| $300,000| 4&up f&m| 1 1/16 miT |Race 8

4:52 ET Distaff H |G2| Aqueduct| $200,000| 3&up f&m| 7f | Race 9

4:57 ET Count Fleet Sprint H |G3| Oaklawn Park| $250,000| 4&up| 6f |Race 8

5:10 ET Calder Derby Crc| $150,000| 3yo| 1 1/8 miT |Race 10

5:13 ET Commonwealth S |G2| Keeneland| $175,000| 3&up| 7f | Race 9
5:32 ET Northern Spur S Oaklawn Park| $100,000| 3yo| 1 mi | Race 9
BHorse: CARD
3 year old Drill may be running for the practice, because I don't think earnings from an ungraded stakes race will count towards graded earnings needed to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.

5:44 ET Shakertown S |G3| Keeneland| $100,000| 3&up| 5.5fT | Race 10

6:07 ET Oaklawn H |G2| Oaklawn Park| $350,000| 4&up| 1 1/8 mi | Race 7

                 Derby Prep
6:18 ET Toyota Blue Grass S |G1| Keeneland| $750,000| 3yo| 1 1/8 mi |Race 11

               Derby Prep
6:45 ET Arkansas Derby |G1| Oaklawn Park| $1,000,000| 3yo| 1 1/8 mi |Race 11

7:07 ET  Las Cienegas H |G3| Santa Anita| $100,000| 4&up f&m| 6.5fT | Race 8
CARD

9:15 ET Robert Hilton Memorial S| Charles Town| $250,000| 3&up| 7f | Race 10
BHorse: CARD
Ex-claimer Brimstone Island back for a shot in the Robert Hilton
Flashy Dresser, unbeaten in two starts after taking the Rushaway at Turfway Park, shortens up from 1 1/16 miles to seven furlongs and switches from Polytrack to dirt when he faces nine other 3-year-olds in the $250,000 Robert Hilton Memorial (race 10).

9:45 ET Sugar Maple S| Charles Town| $200,000| 4&up f&m| 7f |Race 11
BHorse: CARD
Magical Feeling, winner of the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap two starts ago, and Strike the Moon, who captured last year’s Charles Town Oaks, are the top contenders in a group of nine fillies and mares going seven furlongs in the $200,000 Sugar Maple (race 11).

10:30 ET Chas Town Classic S |G2| Charles Town| $1,000,000| 4&up| 1 1/8 mi | Race 12
BHorse: CARD
Duke of Mischief seeks Classic repeat
He will be challenged by a group that includes multiple graded stakes winner Pants On Fire; the Florida-based Tackleberry, who was a two-time Grade 2 winner in 2011; and West Coast shipper Uh Oh Bango, winner of the Grade 2 San Pasqual earlier this season.  addition to Uh Oh Bango, the Classic field includes three other California-based horses in Tres Borrachos, Norvsky, and Skipshot.  Trainer Todd Pletcher dropped a surprise into the entry box with Caixa Eletronica, a sprinter who will try to stretch out to 1 1/8 miles, a three-turn race over Charles Town’s bullring.  “We’re intrigued by the race, and the horse is doing really well at the moment,” Pletcher said.

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News/California:  ZENYATTA TO GET A STATUE AT SANTA ANITA.  Zenyatta to get a statue across from John Henry at Santa Anita.  The unveiling is scheduled to take place at the 2012 Breeders Cup, scheduled at Santa Anita in November.  DRF: Zenyatta gets John Henry treatment at Santa Anita
News/Palm Meadows:  Winter Memories back on the turf  Pointed to the Jenny Wiley at Keeneland April 14.  Goal after that is June 9 is Just A Game stakes on Belmont Stakes Day.

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Missed your favorite race?  BloodHorse has a searchable results page with Race Replay Videos by Date, Track, or Race Type.  BloodHorse Race Results page - Domestic & Internat'l

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Links to past races for each horse entered
Graded Stakes Database - Powerful database / Race Videos
Thoroughbred Report - Companion to Graded Stakes Database

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UPCOMING RACES/CALENDARS:
For more on current racing activity, browse through the stories, videos and options at:  Daily Racing Form, BloodHorse, Thoroughbred Times.   HRTV Racing Calendar
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Useful tools:


NEWS/Older Horses: 
Chewin' the Fat is a new international show based in Australia covering horse racing.

Cloudy's Knight - Video 41 minutes

The story of Charismatic - ESPN
I've given a page to this story. Charismatic - 5 videos of the ESPn broadcast

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COOL TIP:  Come back here after the races and click on the cards for the featured races below and see the RESULTS and Order of Finish, as well as VIDEO REPLAY of the race.  Also:  to get the results for all the races on a particular day, this is BloodHorse's results page:  Race Results  There will be a "short list" but scroll down and click on "View Full List".  Most will have videos of the races!! Easy way to get a roundup of a day's racing action quickly!!

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New to the sport or just want a place to learn more?
Check the following sites:

Stakes Entries - Video Replays


COMING UP
Seventeen stakes races with purses of more than $3 million are scheduled for the 26-day season, which commences November 10 and continues through December 18.
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WATCH VIDEO REPLAYS OF ALL STAKES RACES
BloodHorse has a great video replay site to watch all the stakes action:
You can watch all stakes races for a particular DAY, or by TRACK, or a combination.  You can also watch INTERNATIONAL and DOMESTIC racing action!  Because these are links and not embedded videos, the site loads quickly.
 
RECAP OF WEEKEND RACING ACTION: 
DRF: Weekend stakes preview - videos

WATCH RACING ONLINE!
Note:  There are free sites to watch online: check out http://www.ntra.com/ or NTRA Live Stream or sign up for a free account at http://www.twinspires.com/content/video  You can also catch the replays right after the big races at http://www.raceday360.com/   Calracing has live coverage of races - Will need to register  Check frequently at DRF as they live stream many of the Derby Preps and marquee races:  http://www.drf.com/

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A really good site for the new fan:
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NOTE: In order to enjoy and use the functionality of the various sites below, some sites may require you to register, however, there is no charge for most of what you will want access to.  If you want to go to the next level and actually place bets and learn more about handicapping, some of these types of services have a fee, but this is strictly your choice whether to use these services.

DRF Grid: Today's Action - Upcoming & Prior Race Days - Click on any track "day", and pull up that day's entries for each of the races
DRF - Starts with ACTIVE tracks - Click on the DAY next to the track name to see that day's full race card. 

Simple Alpha List of American Graded Stakes by Stakes Name, by Grade I, II, III

This includes a list of all American tracks


Useful web sites 
Twin Spires Race viewer - One of the best individual race video sites - You will need to register, free

Links to blogs and other sites I have found useful:

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