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Welcome to On The Lead, the monthly newsletter of The New York Racing Association. We will keep you tuned in to all of the ongoing excitement at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.
In each issue, we will update you on important news and look ahead to the featured promotions, events, and stakes races for the coming month. You will read fun and enlightening interviews with our trainers and jockeys and receive the latest information about our NYRA Rewards program. And as an added bonus, you can download eye-popping wallpaper and watch thrilling race replays!
On The Lead is your one-stop communication to catch up on the action at the NYRA tracks. We hope you enjoy this issue! |
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 TVG and Betfair, Ltd – the largest, legal online wagering businesses in the U.S. and around the world, respectively – have pledged an additional $400,000 to The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) to invite Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta to participate in the Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park. With the $400,000 title sponsorship by TVG-Betfair, NYRA will raise the purse of the historic Grade 1 Beldame Stakes to $1 million if the starting gate includes both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, two of the most successful female runners in racing history. Click here for all the details.
 NYRA has launched a Twitter website for racing analyst Andy Serling, located at Twitter.com/andyserling. Serling, a co-host of Talking Horses and NYRA Live, is known for his bold predictions and confident demeanor. Serling’s Twitter page will feature a combination of race analysis and wagering suggestions, along with observations that he makes throughout the day while at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park. Click here to start following Andy!
 NYRA will welcome college students back to school this fall by offering them a chance to win scholarships worth $1,000 after each race at the inaugural College Day at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, September 4, and also at Belmont Park on Saturday, September 19. All students will receive free grandstand admission with a valid college ID. Fo the Saratoga College Day, the first 1,000 students also receive a free commemorative Saratoga Race Course t-shirt. In addition at Sartaoga, the University of Arizona's Race Track Industry Program will supplement that offer with an additional $2,000 in scholarship money for a grand total of $3,000 for students accepted into its innovative track management. Once in the gate, students will be invited to register to win a variety of great prizes such as iPods, iTunes gift cards, digital cameras, a $250 airline gift card and the grand prize, $1,000 toward college tuition awarded at the end of every race, courtesy of NYRA. Click here to read more.
 NYRA will pay tribute to one of the fastest and most popular horses in racing when the recently-retired Commentator is honored Sunday, September 6, at Saratoga Race Course. On September 6, NYRA will name the fifth race, an overnight stakes race for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up, “The Commentator.” Commentator will appear in the paddock before the race and then head to the main track. After parading for fans in front of the stands, Commentator, wearing a No. 1 saddlecloth, will be led into the winner’s circle to enjoy an edible key to the city in his favorite flavor — mint. Click here to read more.
 NYRA has announced that it will offer a $500,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4 Saturdays at Saratoga Race Course during the 2009 meet. Although NYRA offers daily Pick 4’s on races 2-5 and the final four races of the day, the $500,000 guarantee applies only to the Late Pick 4 on Saturdays. The Late Pick 4 is a $1 minimum wager in which the bettor must correctly pick the winners of the last four races on the card, usually beginning with race 8 on Saratoga Saturdays. Click here for more details.
 Fans of Rachel Alexandra can connect with the star 3-year-old filly on her own website, “Rachel’s Sandbox," set up by NYRA, as she prepares to try and become the first ever female winner of the prestigious Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, September 5. The multimedia site gives fans an interactive experience and allows them to keep up with the latest news and information on Rachel Alexandra as she looks to make history over the summer. Fans can view a Rachel Alexandra photo gallery, peruse career past performances and pedigree, comment on blogs and participate in a poll on the website, which also contains a “Fun Stuff” section featuring downloadable wallpaper, coloring pages, and fun facts about the fabulous filly. Fans can visit “Rachel’s Sandbox” at www.nyra.com/rachel
 To welcome fans back to Belmont Park for the 2009 Fall Championship Meet, NYRA will be offering FREE general admission to all fans on Friday, September 11, Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, Setember 13. It's NYRA's way of thanking the greatest racing fans in the sport for their support. It will be a great opening weekend of racing with three graded stakes including the Grade 1 Garden City and the Grade 1 Ruffian Handicap.
 Get into the game with the Pick the Pros and Ponies contest every Sunday during the NFL season. Not only can you watch all of the NFL games each week, you can also participate in a contest to win $1,000. All you have to do is select the winners of four designated NFL games and two designated Belmont races. Call (516) 488-6000 for more information about the Pick the Pros and Ponies contest.
 Why choose between watching your favorite New York NFL team, and cheering for your favorite horse? On Sunday, September 27, you can do both at beautiful Belmont Park. Free general admission for patrons wearing the colors, caps, jerseys, or tee shirts of their favorite New York NFL team. Also, enter for a chance to win ticket to see your favorite New York team in action during the 2009 season! Game viewing locations will be set up throughout the park. For more information regarding Rivalry Day, please phone (516) 488-6000.
 For the first time this year, NYRA will offer a Jockey Autograph Book, sponsored by Price Chopper, in which fans can collect the signatures of their favorite riders. The book features the ten leading NYRA jockeys by number of wins in 2008, as well as Sam the Bugler and a blank page for additional autographs. The autograph books are available for purchase in the NYRA store, with the proceeds going to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockey Fund. Click here to read more.
 Saratoga fans can watch and wager on the best of British racing in the mornings and enjoy West Coast twilight simulcasting from the comfortable confines of the expanded backyard English/SoCal Racing Tent, presented by Hendrick’s Gin, this summer at Saratoga Race Course. Featuring Hendrick’s Gin, small-batch libations and a full bar, the spacious tent pub also offers southern California-style fare for purchase. Additionally, a Twilight Racing concert will take place on Sept. 4 on the newly-erected backyard stage adjacent to the Racing Tent. Click here for all the details.
 When NYRA track announcer Tom Durkin returns to his traditional post atop Saratoga Race Course, his daily call of the third race will be a fan’s B.E.S.T bet. That’s because spectators will have an opportunity to watch the legendary announcer deliver his live call of the third race virtually every day of the six-week Saratoga meet (Travers Day excluded) to benefit the Backstretch Employee Service Team (B.E.S.T.). Click here for all the details.
 It’s no coincidence that the newest dining venue at Saratoga Race Course is named for one of its biggest stars. Curlin, winner of the 2008 Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga – not to mention two-time Horse of the Year and all-time leading money-earner in North America with more than $10 million in purses – is in a class by himself. Befitting the stallion’s long list of accomplishments, so is the new Curlin Café. Click here for all the details.
 The Daily Racing Form has entered into a partnership with The New York Racing Association to sponsor and provide analysts for an expanded and reformatted “Talking Horses” for the Saratoga race meet. “Talking Horses, Presented by Daily Racing Form” will be conducted in a live audience format in 2009. The popular longstanding daily television show will be extended to 45 minutes, 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. every racing day and broadcast live in the Carousel Restaurant facing the grandstand backyard. Click here for more information. |
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 September may bring the close of summer, but it certainly doesn’t bring the close of great graded stakes action at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park! There are seven graded stakes at Saratoga and eight graded stakes at Belmont during September, including terrific 2-year-old races and sensational turf tests. Most anticipated will be Rachel Alexandra seeking to become the first female to ever win the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward on Saturday, September 5 at Saratoga. The gates will open at 7:00 a.m. for Woodward Day and the first 25,000 fans through the turnstiles receive Rachel buttons, so make sure to come to the track early!
 Juvenile turf racing at Saratoga really ramps up during the final week of the meet, with the P.G. Johnson for 2-year-old fillies going a mile on Wednesday, September 2 and the With Anticipation (GII) for all 2-year-olds going a mile on Friday, September 4. In 2007, the With Anticipation winner, NowNowNow, went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
 The final Saturday of the Saratoga meet falls on Saturday, September 5 and features two of the country’s most prestigious dirt races. The $750,000 Woodward (GI), run at 1-1/8 mile on the dirt, boasts of honor roll of winners that includes Eclipse champions Curlin (2008), Saint Liam (2005), Ghostzapper (2004), and Mineshaft (2003). This year, the super filly Rachel Alexandra will seek to become the first female in the history of racing to win the Woodward. The sprinters also get their chance to shine on Saratoga’s final Saturday in the Forego (GI), run at seven furlongs on the main track. Midnight Lute used a victory in the 2007 Forego to help catapult him to the year-end top sprinter award.
 Sunday, September 6 sees the top 2-year-old fillies in the country contest the Spinaway (GI), run at seven furlongs on the dirt, and also features a turf test for the 3-year-olds in the Saranac (GIII) going 1-3/16 miles. A number of star fillies have seen the winner’s circle in the Spinaway, including multiple Eclipse champion Ashado (2003).
 The 2009 Saratoga meet goes out in style on Labor Day, Monday, September 7. One of the most anticipated races of the meet is always the Three Chimneys Hopeful (GI) for 2-year-olds going seven furlongs on the dirt, which will be run for the 105th on Labor Day. From Secretariat (1972) to Affirmed (1977) to Summer Squall (1989) to Afleet Alex (2004), many of the best thoroughbreds in the history of the sport have emerged victorious in the Three Chimneys Hopeful. In addition, closing day features a great grass event with the Glens Falls (GIII), run at 1-3/8 miles for all fillies and mares.
Belmont Park’s Fall Championship Meet features 22 graded stakes races, including eight in September. The action kicks off on opening day, Friday, September 11 with the Bowling Green Handicap (GII) for all horses going 1-3/8 miles on the turf. Sunriver won the Bowling Green in 2007.
 Two terrific races highlight the card on Saturday, September 12. The Ruffian Handicap (GI) for fillies and mares going 1-1/16 miles on the dirt perennially sees some of the top ladies in the land. In 2007, Ginger Punch won the Ruffian en route to capturing year-end Eclipse champion honor. Also on September 12 is the Garden City (GI), a 1-1/8 mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. Backseat Rhythm was most impressive in winning the Garden City last year.
 The first 2-year-old graded stakes at Belmont Park this fall are on Saturday, September 19 with the Futurity (GII) and the Matron (GII), both run at seven furlongs. The Futurity is always loaded with top colts, and has been won in recent years by Charitable Man (2008), Tale of Ekati (2007), and Cuvee (2003). The Matron is always a top race and in 2007 was won by Proud Spell, who went on to become a champion 3-year-old. Also on September 19 is the Noble Damsel (GII) for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf.
 The older steeplechasers get their chance to shine on Sunday, September 20 in the Lonesome Glory (GI) run at 2-1/2 miles over the hurdles. It’s always a fun race that fans enjoy. The final graded stake of September is the Gallant Bloom (GII) on Saturday, September 26 for filly and mare sprinters on the dirt. Last year’s running was captured by uber-fast Indian Blessing. | |  |
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 If you’ve ever wanted to go behind the scenes of the premier race meet in the country, here’s your chance. With exclusive videos, photos and news, NYRA’s new “Saratoga Insider” blog offers fans unprecedented access to the backstretch at world-famous Saratoga Race Course. From up-close-and-personal footage of Triple Crown stars Mine That Bird, Rachel Alexandra and Summer Bird to off-the-cuff chats with trainers and owners, “Saratoga Insider” offers a fresh and informal view of the racing world. Click here to visit the blog.
 Rachel Alexandra will attempt to make history again as she takes on older males for the first time in the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, September 5. Jess Jackson’s 3-year-old filly, a leading contender for Horse of the Year after having twice defeated colts in the Preakness and Haskell Invitational, is attempting to become the first female to win the 1 1/8th mile Woodward, won last year by Jackson’s two-time Horse of the Year Curlin. In light of the historic significance of the race, NYRA has raised the purse for the 1 1/8th mile Woodward from $500,000 to $750,000. The gates will open at 7:00 a.m. for Woodward Day and the first 25,000 fans through the turnstiles receive Rachel buttons, so make sure to come to the track early! Click here for details.
 Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird followed in the footsteps of his sire Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course as he splashed his way to an imposing 3½ length victory over longshot Hold Me Back in the 140th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Shadwell Travers Stakes. The son of 2004 Belmont-Travers winner Birdstone, ridden by Hall of Famer Kent Desormeaux, took the lead with a quarter-mile to go and was never threatened as he edged clear through the stretch to add the “Mid-Summer Derby” to his victory over Dunkirk and Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the Belmont Stakes. Click here to read all the details.
 The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced that Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., has been fully accredited by the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance following a complete review of all racing operations at the facility. Saratoga is the eighth racing facility to be so designated by the Alliance. Churchill Downs and Keeneland were accredited in April; Belmont Park received accreditation in May; Delaware Park and Hollywood Park were accredited in June; Monmouth Park was accredited in July; and Arlington Park received accreditation earlier this month. Pimlico Race Course was granted provisional accreditation in May. Click here to read more.
 In one of the most amazing finishes ever seen at Saratoga Race Course, six horses finished within a neck of each other in the ninth race on Saturday, August 22, an allowance run at 1-1/16 miles on the inner turf track. The eventual winner, Grassy, stumbled at the break, and came from the clouds to get up and beat Cherokee Speed by a nose. The following four finishers, all with a nose margin over the next, were Good Prospect, Rock in Bage, Yankee Empire, and Boots Ahead. When the horses paraded back after the race to be unsaddled, they were met with a thunderous ovation from the crowd. Click here for all the details.
 Photo finish pictures are now available on demand at NYRA.com. The site enables fans to view the photo finish pictures for win, place, show, or fourth place at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, or Saratoga. It's a great way to get an unparalleled view of the heated competition at the finish line. Click here to learn more about how to access these great photo finishes!
 While NYRA moves its base of operations from Belmont Park to Saratoga Race Course, fans and horse players can catch all the upstate action right here on Long Island through Labor Day. For all race days during the duration of the Saratoga meet (Wednesday – Monday, July 29 – Sept. 7, 2009) the first and second floor of the Belmont Park Clubhouse, including the Belmont Café and the backyard, will be open for simulcast wagering. On Saturdays and Sundays only, the North Shore Terrace on the fourth floor of the Belmont Clubhouse will also be open. Click here for complete details.
 As part of the first Fasig-Tipton Festival of Racing, celebrity chef and horse owner Bobby Flay called Sunday, August 9th's eighth race at Saratoga Race Course, a $76,650 allowance optional claimer for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up going 1-1/8 miles on the main track. The race was won by longshot Freddy The Cap, who paid $67 to win. When the horses came out of the gate, Flay exclaimed, “And they’re smokin’ out of the gate!” Click here to read more and to watch the race call!
 Trainers Chad Brown and Kiaran McLaughlin tied for first place and jockey Alan Garcia rallied with three winners on Sunday, August 9 to take top honors in the first Fasig-Tipton Jockey/Trainer Contest, held over the weekend at Saratoga Race Course. The final standings are available online here. With points compiled on a 5-3-1 system for win, place and show, and double points for horses that passed through the Fasig-Tipton Sales Ring, McLaughlin moved into a brief lead over Brown by winning Sunday’s second race with Minishaft. But Brown, a Mechanicville, N.Y. native, came back to saddle Speight of Hand to a third-place finish to tie with 19 points. Click here to read all the details.
 NYRA and many members of the Jockeys’ Guild who ride at its three racetracks, along with the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA) and The Jockey Club, have jointly pledged more than $100,000 in financial support in 2009 to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF), which provides humane retirement options for Thoroughbreds at the end of their racing careers. NYRA will contribute $50,000 while NYTHA and The Jockey Club will donate $25,000 each. All 29 of the regular NYRA-based riders have pledged to donate, through a voluntary checkoff program, $1 from each mount. Click here to read more.
 NYRA has introduced turf course updates to NYRA.com in order to provide the most accurate and timely information on each day’s grass races. Racing fans can go to NYRA.com, click on the web banner titled, “Turf Course Updates,” and instantly see the track conditions and find out which races, if any, have been taken off the turf for that day. The updates are provided on the website shortly after the NYRA Racing Department has made its decision regarding the day’s turf racing, and could be posted as early as 8:00 a.m. Click here to see the turf course updates. |
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 Each month we’ll take a trip to the backstretch and visit with a different jockey or trainer. This month the spotlight is on trainer Bob Baffert, who was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame on August 17. Born and raised in Arizona, Baffert tried his hand as a jockey before making a name for himself training quarter horses and eventually transitioning to thoroughbreds. He has trained nine Eclipse Award winners including Indian Blessing, the top 2-Year-Old Filly in 2007 and the Top Female Sprinter in 2008, Point Given, the 2001 Horse of the Year and Silverbulletday who was named top 2-Year-Old Filly in 1998 and top 3-Year-Old Filly the following year.
Baffert himself is a three-time Eclipse Award winner for Top Trainer, taking home that award for three consecutive years from 1997-1999. Baffert has brought three colts to the brink of the Triple Crown, winning the first two legs of the series before losing in the Belmont with Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and War Emblem (2002). He was the first trainer in racing history to train Kentucky Derby/Preakness winners in consecutive years. Baffert’s career has seen accomplishments too numerous to name here, but he was certainly a deserving member of the 2009 Hall of Fame class, which also included former trainee Silverbulletday.
On the Lead caught up with Baffert the week of the induction ceremony on the Saratoga backstretch, while he visited his New York barn, run by East Coast assistant Tonja Terranova. In a freewheeling conversation, Baffert reflected on his career on the eve of his induction ceremony.
Q: What was it like learning you had been voted into racing’s Hall of Fame?
Baffert: On a Thursday they called to say I was in the Hall of Fame, but they said you can’t tell anybody until we make the official announcement on Monday. So, I called my mother and I told her, but I said ‘you can’t tell anybody, not that you’re going tell any body, but they don’t want any press to know.’ And she said, ‘Oh that’s wonderful, I’m so proud of you, but I can’t tell anyone?’ and I said ‘No, not ‘til Monday.’
Then I get a call on Saturday, my mother calls me: ‘Honey, have they said yet that you’re in the Hall of Fame?’ I go ‘No, not yet, why?’ ‘Because I want to tell my friends at the beauty parlor.’ ‘I said you can go ahead and tell them, Mom, I don’t think they’ll be calling the Racing Form.’ She couldn’t wait to tell everybody.
It really didn’t sink in until I got up here. When I drove [by the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion], it started like, ‘Oh boy, I gotta start working on my speech.’
Q: What went into the planning for the speech?
Baffert: I don’t consider myself a very good public speaker so I’m going back, way back, to things that really got me going, trying to think back to the key things that really got me into racing. I just hope I can hold it together. To me, it’s all about my parents. My dad is the one who loves the animals and it was his love for horses and cattle that got us here. I was at the age where I just used to hang with him and he would take me with him everywhere and we would go to these little race meets and I was like ten years old and then we hired a trainer and he was training out little quarter horses and we used to put Baffert on all the ones we raced- you know, Baffert’s Ballad, Baffert’s this, Baffert’s Gypsy. We actually taught ourselves. | |  |
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 As an encore his impressive Belmont Stakes victory, Summer Bird dominated the Shadwell Travers and is once again featured as this month's featured wallpaper and race replay. After tracking fast fractions early in the race, Summer Bird and Kent Desormeaux struck the lead as the horses entered the far turn at Saratoga Race Course and never looked back, galloping to an easy 3-1/2 length victory. The imposing chestnut 3-year-old son of Birdstone, masterfully trained by Tim Ice and owned by the Dr.'s Jayaraman, now has $1.57 million in earnings and a bright, bright future with only seven career starts to this point. Click here to see the race replay and wallpaper.
 We have a treat this month for the On The Lead followers, as Calvin Borel joins us for a special podcast. Borel has had an amazing year so far, riding Rachel Alexandra to victories in the Kentucky Oaks, Preakness, Mother Goose, and Haskell, all prestigious Grade 1 races. On Saturday, September 5, he will attempt to guide Rachel Alexandra to become the first filly or mare to ever win the Grade 1, $750,000 Woodward at Saratoga. Click here to hear the podcast. | |  |
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