Trotters and Pacers Return to Saratoga Gaming and Raceway for 68th Season

Posted on Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Friday night, February 2, marks the start of the 68th season of harness racing over the half-mile oval at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.The schedule for the 2007 live harness racing season features 170 programs during an eleven month campaign that runs through December 15. Winter harness racing first started in 1979 and has proven popular since its inception.

The kickoff weekend will have racing on Friday and Saturday night with a new post time of 7pm. The earlier post time is in response to a guest survey that indicated harness racing patrons would like to get home a little earlier than they have with the 13-race programs that have been the staple over the last two seasons.

The next three weeks of February, harness racing extends to a three program a week schedule with matinee cards on tap for Sunday, February 11 and Sunday, February 25 as well as the President’s Day Holiday on Monday, February 19. The matinees are in addition to the Friday and Saturday evening fare. Post time for the matinee programs will be 12:45pm.

Saratoga Gaming and Raceway has extended the simulcast schedule to every afternoon and Wednesday through Saturday nights. Simulcasting in the afternoon hours will continue to be located in the mezzanine with the session closing at 7:30pm on Sunday, Monday and Tuesdays. Simulcasting Wednesday through Saturday evening concludes at midnight.

The Saratoga backstretch is loaded with trainers all geared up for the Friday night opener evidenced by the 15 qualifiers contested last Friday morning.

Trainer John Stark Jr. is back to defend his “Horseman of the Year” title and “Trainer of the Year” billing. The 48-year-old native of Buffalo, N.Y. trained 81 winners with his stable setting a Saratoga Gaming and Raceway earning record with a bankroll of $768,064 from 306 starts with Horse of the Year Algiers Hall leading the way. While Stark Jr. conditions his stable at his own training center off-site, a trio of local trainers have the maximum of thirty stalls allotted to them on the Saratoga backstretch. Dave Spagnola, Brian Lamb and Mickey McGivern pack a powerful punch and are all coming off a solid ‘06 season.

Scott Mongeon (28 stalls) and Brian Cross (23 stalls) are both extremely talented trainer-drivers and are usually in the top ten in both the trainer and driver standings.

Two recent U.S. Harness Writers award winners will be looking to build on their recent successes in the current meet.

Jackie Rousse, the ‘06 Horsewoman of the Year with 49 victories, has expanded her stable to 20 horses.

Ron Cushing, voted the Johnny Page Award for up-and-coming driver in ‘06, has relocated his stable of 20 and has quality stock to contend in the upper classes.

Dan Cappello Jr. is back to defend his driving title coming off a record performance of 302 victories in 2006 and earnings of $1,862,845. The 47-year-old teamster also conditions a select stable and will be looking to win his sixth consecutive driving title at the Spa oval.

The purse structure is expected to reach $13,000,000 this season with the “Opens” going for $17,000 at the start of the meet. “Our purses have grown dramatically since the VGM legislation was implemented in 2004 and everyone has benefited from it,” said Director of Racing Operations John Matarazzo. “Our racing fans are receiving a better quality and more competitive product and the increased purses have renewed ownership interest in the sport.”

Fortunes, the clubhouse dining room, will be featuring the $14.95 Prime Rib Buffet as well as a full menu each racing night.

Parking and admission are always free at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.

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Barbaro Euthanized. 2006 Kentucky Derby Winner is Dead.

Posted on Tuesday, January 30th, 2007

The battle for Barbaro’s life has been put to an end when the horse’s owners agreed to have the champion thoroughbred colt euthanized - thus putting an end to the modern day drama that has caught the country and horse racing world’s undivided attention. Here is a champiion 3-year old thoroughbred, winner of the 2006 Florida Derby (Gulfstream Park), an underdog winner of the 2006 Kentucky Derby (Churchill Downs) only to break down at the 2006 Preakness Stakes (Pimlico). By the 2006 Belmont Stakes he was already struggling for dear life. What a short career he had. What a short life he had. Barbaro had lots of fans nationwide and around the world. Thanks Barbaro.
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa.??? Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized today after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year???s Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that prompted an outpouring of support across the country. He was 4.

???We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain,??? co-owner Roy Jackson said. ???It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time.???

A series of ailments, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof, proved too much for the gallant colt.

Barbaro battled in his ICU stall for eight months. He underwent several procedures and was fitted with fiberglass casts. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external brace. These were all extraordinary measures for a horse with such injuries.

Roy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with chief surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson.

???I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so,??? Jackson said to Barbaro???s fans.
The news that Barbaro had been euthanized first was reported on the Thoroughbred Times Web site.

On May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles from Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints, recovering from an injury most horses never survive.

???We loved him,??? said Peter Brette, Barbaro???s exercise rider and assistant trainer for Michael Matz. ???He did everything we ever asked of him. He could have been one of the best. What a fighter he was.???

Barbaro suffered a significant setback over the weekend, and surgery was required to insert two steel pins in a bone ??? one of three shattered in the Preakness but now healthy ??? to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.

The leg was on the mend until an abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro???s left rear leg, where 80 percent of the hoof had been removed in July when he developed laminitis.

???This horse was a hero,??? said David Switzer, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. ???His owners went above and beyond the call of duty to save this horse. It???s an unfortunate situation, but I think they did the right thing in putting him down.???

Brilliant on the race track, Barbaro always will be remembered for his brave fight for survival.

When Barbaro broke down, his right hind leg flared out awkwardly as jockey Edgar Prado jumped off and tried to steady the ailing horse. Race fans at Pimlico wept. Within 24 hours the entire nation seemed to be caught up in a ???Barbaro watch.???

Well-wishers young and old showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts, goodies and even religious medals for the champ, and thousands of e-mails poured into the hospital???s Web site just for him.
The biggest gift has been the $1.2 million raised since early June for the Barbaro Fund. The money is put toward needed equipment such as an operating room table, and a raft and sling for the same pool recovery Barbaro used after his surgeries.

The Jacksons spent tens of thousands of dollars hoping the best horse they ever owned would recover and be able to live a comfortable life on the farm. The couple, who own about 70 racehorses, broodmares and yearlings, and operate the 190-acre Lael Farm, have been in the horse business for 30 years, and never had a horse like Barbaro.

Foaled and raised at Sanborn Chase at Springmint Farm near Nicholasville, Ky., breeder Bill Sanborn fought back tears Monday as he talked about ???the privilege??? of working with the colt.

???Everything was looking really, really good, and of course I honestly thought that the horse was going to pull it off,??? he said. ???It just wasn???t meant to be. It didn???t surprise me that he fought so long. He was a great horse.???

La Ville Rouge, Barbaro???s broodmare, remains pregnant at Mills Ridge Farm in Lexington with a full brother to Barbaro. The foal is expected to be born sometime in the early spring, according to farm spokesperson Kimberly Poulin.

A son of Dynaformer, out of the dam La Ville Rouge, Barbaro started his career on the turf, but Matz knew he would have to try his versatile colt on the dirt. He reasoned that if he had a talented 3-year-old in America, he???d have to find out early if his horse was good enough for the Triple Crown races.

Barbaro was good enough, all right. He won his first three races on turf with authority, including the Laurel Futurity by eight lengths and the Tropical Park Derby by 3???3/4??? lengths.

That???s when Matz drew up an unconventional plan for a dirt campaign that spaced out Barbaro???s race to keep him fit for the entire Triple Crown, a grueling ordeal of three races in five weeks at varying distances over different tracks.

Barbaro won the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 4, but his dirt debut was inconclusive since it came over a sloppy track. After an eight-week break, an unusually long time between races, Barbaro came back and won the Florida Derby by a half-length over Sharp Humor.

The deal was sealed ??? on to the Derby, but not without criticism that Barbaro couldn???t win coming off a five-week layoff. After all, it had been 50 years since Needles won the Derby off a similar break. But Matz stuck to his plan.

Not only did Barbaro win the Derby, he demolished what was supposed to be one of the toughest fields in years. The 6???1/2???-length winning margin was the largest since 1946, when Assault won by eight lengths and went on to sweep the Triple Crown.

In Barbaro, Matz truly believed he was training a Triple Crown winner. He often said Barbaro was good enough to be ranked among the greats and join Seattle Slew as the only unbeaten Triple Crown champions.

But two weeks later after the Derby Barbaro took a horrible misstep and one of the most extraordinary attempts to save a thoroughbred was under way.

The injury was considered to be so disastrous that many thought the horse would be euthanized while still at Pimlico Race Track. Instead, Barbaro, who earned $2,302,200 with his six wins in seven starts, was operated on the next day by Richardson.

Though Barbaro endured the complicated five-hour surgery, Richardson called chances for a full recovery a ???coin toss.???

Afterward, though, things went relatively smoothly. Each day brought more optimism: Barbaro was eyeing the mares, nickering, gobbling up his feed and trying to walk out of his stall. But by mid-July, Richardson???s greatest fear became reality ??? laminitis struck Barbaro???s left hind leg.
Barbaro responded well to treatment, but he began to struggle in January with a serious laminitis setback and this final, fatal turn.

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Horse racing betting online with Full track odds on WPS.

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Barbaro Suffers New Setback in Recovery

Posted on Monday, January 29th, 2007

(AFP) - Veterinarians made a risky move by inserting weight-bearing steel pins into Barbaro’s right hind leg but admitted the Kentucky Derby champion has suffered another major setback. Barbaro broke his right hind leg in the early moments of the Preakness Stakes last May while trying to capture the second jewel of US horse racing’s Triple Crown and has been treated here for life-threatening health woes for eight months.

Read full story: "Barbaro Suffers New Setback in Recovery"...

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Magna 5 Saturday Racing Begins at Laurel Park

Posted on Friday, January 26th, 2007

The popular $2 pick five wager on races at coast-to-coast tracks, Magna 5, for a $500,000 guaranteed pool, returns for its fourth season next Saturday, January 28 at Laurel Park. Along with generous payoffs, the fast-paced presentation of five races in about an hour has proven to be an attractive feature of the wager.

Read full story: "Magna 5 Saturday Racing Begins at Laurel Park"...

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Saratoga Gaming And Raceway - Racino Expansion

Posted on Wednesday, January 24th, 2007

Note: Saratoga Gaming Adn Raceway is a racino (race track casino) - it is different from the Saratoga summer thoroughbred horse racing meet.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ — Saratoga Gaming and Raceway unveiled more of its expansion plans Tuesday. New York State’s first video gaming facility announced celebration plans for its third anniversary, along with expansion progress and construction bid awards.

Construction on the addition is moving ahead towards an anticipated opening in May. The total number of video gaming machines offered is expanding by 431 to more than 1700 total. The new gaming floor area will also host a High Limit area featuring games with denominations up to $25. The new Garden Buffet restaurant will seat approximately 300 guests and will offer reasonably priced selections from an array of international cuisines.

The night club, Vapor, will be designed to host a number of different entertainment options such as live bands and performers; disc jockeys; and special events including major sporting events and private parties. It features two floors of seating and two full-scale bars. Vapor is already booking into the summer with special events including two high-profile charity fundraisers; Boogie Off Broadway to benefit the Double H Ranch, and the 25th Annual Hospital Gala to benefit Saratoga Hospital.

Architectural design for the project was completed by Connecticut-based JCJ Architecture, the same firm that designed the gaming facility and Fortunes restaurant. Buffalo-based LPCiminelli has been selected as the general contractor, with construction crews supplied by local sub-contractors. Construction contracts have been awarded to August Bohl Contracting Company, Condor Fire & Sprinkler, D.A. Collins Companies, Falcon, LLC East, General Mechanical Group, Kasselman Electric Co., Otis Elevator, and Stone Bridge Iron & Steel. The expansion project will create approximately 100 new, permanent job positions. The official ground breaking took place on October 2, 2006.

The third anniversary celebration will include a grand prize drawing held on the anniversary date, January 28, featuring a 2007 Hummer H3 giveaway and $12,000 in cash prizes. That brings the total prize giveaways for the month of January to over $130,000. In addition, the buffet restaurant, Fortunes, will be offering a Prime Rib dinner for only $14.95 Tuesday through Saturday in January and February.

2006 was a record breaking year for the Harness racing track. Prior to the addition of the gaming facility in 2004, the highest total purses were $3.1 million dollars; in 2006 that amount rose to $12 million dollars, and the handle increased last year to a record $64 million dollars. “On the 2006 Breeder’s Cup day alone racing handle was a record $905,000,” said John Matarazzo, Director of Racing Operations. He projects that in 2007 the purses will exceed $13 million dollars. In 2007 there will be 170 live harness racing days and simulcasting will increase to seven days a week. Live harness racing resumes on February 2 at 7:00pm.

The first gaming facility to open in New York State, Saratoga Gaming and Raceway boasts over 1,300 state-of-the-art video gaming machines, a full service restaurant with buffet, three full-service bars, a food court and deli, a gift shop, and a variety of guest services including valet parking and coat check. Patrons can participate in our player rewards program, Player Extras Club while visiting the property. The 55,000 square foot gaming floor cost $15 million to construct and employs an additional 300 local residents. Our full service restaurant, overlooking the excitement of live harness racing, seats 400 guests and can accommodate large group events. Video gaming and food and beverage operations at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway are managed by Delaware North Companies Inc., a leading hospitality and entertainment management group headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

- Free Saratoga horse racing tips, odds, results and picks.
- Video slot machines online.

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Racing Fixing Busts at Cal Expo Harness Racetrack

Posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2007

Race fixing at harness racing races? What else is new? Oh, the perpetrators were actually charged? Ok, that is new.

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Four veteran harness racing drivers are charged with helping fix a race at the Cal Expo track in Sacramento in May.

The allegations are earning the track the derisive nickname “Cal Fix-O” among racing fans.

Authorities arrested three of the drivers this week. A fourth is pleading guilty and cooperating with the investigation.

The four are accused of arranging how their horses would finish in the May 5 race to predetermine which betters would win the trifecta.

Wagering on the trifecta requires betters to correctly pick the first three finishers of a race in the proper order.
Sacramento Harness Association officials spotted the unusual betting pattern immediately after the race. They halted almost all pay outs to betters. Full text

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2007 Sunshine Millions on Jan. 6 at Santa Anita & Gulfstream Park

Posted on Monday, January 22nd, 2007

The 2007 Sunshine Millions Stakes races, the series of eight races worth $3.6 million that matches California and Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park, is the sport???s richest day of state-bred racing. This year’s races run on Saturday, Jan. 6. Here are the Race Entries, Post Position & Jockeys for the 2007 Sunshine Millions:

Read full story: "2007 Sunshine Millions on Jan. 6 at Santa Anita & Gulfstream Park"...

Filed under Gulfstream Park, Horses, Jockeys, Race Tracks News, Santa Anita Track, Stakes Races, Trainers, USA Horse Racing | No Comments »

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