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Some horseplayers are going to bask a good payday this play successful Las Vegas, and I’m not talking astir bettors risking a fewer bucks connected Saturday’s $1.25 cardinal Travers Stakes astatine Saratoga.
The 22nd National Horseplayers Championship, usually contested present successful January but postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic, is making its archetypal August quality from Friday done Sunday astatine Bally’s connected the Strip.
That serendipitously surrounds the superb Saturday paper astatine the Spa, which features 7 stakes – six of them Grade 1s — not to notation immoderate intriguing racing astatine Del Mar, including the instrumentality of Medina Spirit, inactive the victor of the Kentucky Derby pending a ruling connected his affirmative postrace cause test, successful Sunday’s $100,000 Shared Belief Stakes.
In the quality contest, currency prizes of much than $2 million, including a expansive prize of $725,000, volition beryllium handed retired to the past men oregon women lasting from the 449 individuals and 550 entries successful the contest. Players besides volition vie for an Eclipse Award and the rubric of “Horseplayer of the Year.”
Several entrants are besides trying to cod large bonuses tied to earlier accomplishments. Among them is 20-time NHC qualifier Sally Goodall of Las Vegas, who won $100,000 for capturing the 2020 NHC Tour and an NHC berth. She besides is eligible for a $5 cardinal bonus if she goes connected to triumph astatine the 2021 NHC finals.
Because of the docket shift, players volition person the accidental to feast connected racing from Del Mar, Ellis Park (some irony there, arsenic Nevada bettors can’t wager connected the Churchill Downs-owned track), Golden Gate Fields, Gulfstream Park, Monmouth Park and Saratoga Race Course and Woodbine Racetrack. All but Gulfstream and Golden Gate are portion of the NHC for the archetypal time.
I’ll hold to spot however everything plays out, but this feels similar a large merging of summertime and wintertime traditions. I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, which runs the NHC, elects to marque the alteration permanent.
The 1¼-mile Travers, known arsenic the Midsummer Derby, volition beryllium the item Saturday astatine the Spa, but it’s not the champion betting contention unless you deliberation you tin bushed 4-5 favourite Essential Quality successful the seven-horse tract for 3-year-olds.
I’m not definite they can, but Midnight Bourbon (9-2), who has velocity and drew the rail, could springiness the favourite a tussle if helium tin get distant cleanly and not get caught up successful a gait duel with Masqueparade (8-1). I’ll besides usage Dynamic One (6-1) successful exactas with the different two, arsenic helium appears connected the amended and is simply a beardown campaigner to decorativeness second.
No superior injuries successful Del Mar spill
A frightening incidental astatine Del Mar successful Race 7 connected Sunday, erstwhile 7 horses and riders went down, miraculously resulted successful nary superior injuries to horses oregon riders.
The mishap successful the sprint for $25,000 maiden filly and mare claimers occurred past the 7/16ths pole, erstwhile Sassy Chasey clipped heels with different runner and went down, causing a concatenation absorption that besides saw Backtoflash, Whiskey Blue, Siena Silk, Renegade Princess, Phoenix Tears and Corners Up fall.
Riders Tyler Baze, Emily Ellingwood, Juan Espinoza, Kyle Frey, Diego Herrera, Cesar Ortega and Tiago Pereira each went down hard arsenic well, but amazingly emerged comparatively unscathed.
Baze, 1 of 4 jockeys taken to infirmary for evaluation, was forced to instrumentality this week disconnected to retrieve from assemblage soreness, his cause Jack Carava told the Paulick Report, but nary 1 suffered immoderate breached bones.
The horses each were said to beryllium doing OK the time aft the race, which was declared “no contest,” resulting successful each bets being refunded.
Mike Brunker’s equine racing file appears Fridays. He tin beryllium reached astatine mbrunker@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker connected Twitter.
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