Bandini in a breeze Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Bandini, with John Velazquez up, ran to a 6-length win in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes yesterday. Bandini in a breezePletcher's colt shows he can behave,Witness the progression of a precocious 3-year-old from a colt whose mind wandered in his previous race. Witness the progression of Bandini as he ran near the front of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, then shot away for a 6-length victory before a record crowd of 33,621 yesterday at Keeneland. No more was he the impetuous imp who tried to bite his rivals. No more was he the overly aggressive colt whose potential had not been harnessed in the past. This time, Bandini not only ran his way to victory in the $750,000, Grade I Blue Grass but he also ran his way down the road to Louisville and the Kentucky Derby on May 7. "He was more focused," trainer Todd Pletcher said after Bandini ran a comfortable third until the upper stretch, then passed favorite High Limit and coasted home. "I like to be aggressive with him," jockey John Velazquez said. "I tried to keep him going forward. He was a much better horse today." High Limit, the 5-2 favorite, was second for most of the 11/8 miles, trailing Spanish Chestnut for the first 6 furlongs before being passed by Bandini. It was the first time trainer Bobby Frankel's colt had trailed in a race. "He had no problem running from behind," said Ramon Dominguez, High Limit's jockey. "He ran strong down the lane. This was a good learning experience for him." High Limit was 3 lengths ahead of Closing Argument, who took third by a neck over the Nick Zito-trained Sun King. "He broke good, was in good position and made a nice run," said Cornelio Velasquez, Closing Argument's jockey. Edgar Prado, who rode Sun King, said, "There was not enough pace to close into. We didn't break bad. He just didn't have it today." Consolidator, who shared 3-1 odds with Bandini, was 4 lengths behind Sun King in fifth. Spanish Chestnut faded to sixth. Mr Sword was last. Four of the top five are headed to the Derby. Closing Argument may not have the graded stakes earnings if the race draws the maximum 20 entries. Bandini, who had $60,000 in graded money before yesterday, added $465,000 to his bankroll. It was his first Grade I victory and came in the Derby prep with arguably the deepest field. His 6-length winning margin equaled the fourth-largest in Blue Grass history. Arts and Letters won by 15 lengths in 1969, Alydar by 13 lengths in 1978 and Spectacular Bid by 7 lengths in 1979. The winning colt owned by Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith especially impressed Pletcher. "He made a big step forward," Pletcher said. "He has a tendency to be ultra-competitive. We adjusted his training, and he was more focused." Bandini had two good workouts at Keeneland after missing the Florida Derby with a sore foot. Pletcher is confident Bandini can handle the extra furlong of the Kentucky Derby. "This is the most legitimate mile-and-a-quarter horse I've had to go to the Derby," he said. "He's got all the right ingredients. He's not intimidated. He's high-spirited and energetic." Pletcher has a second, one third and two fourths among his nine Derby entrants. Bandini, the son of 2000 Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, was a $500,000 purchase from the Keeneland 2003 September Yearling Sale by Tabor and Smith. Demi O'Byrne is their bloodstock advisor. "When (Bandini) hit the front, it was hard not to jump over the rail," Smith said. "The biggest difficulty was getting to the winner's (circle)." Smith said Spanish Chestnut, another colt he owns with Tabor, wasn't a "rabbit" for Bandini by going to the front and staying there until Bandini moved past. "Not to my knowledge," Smith said. "Absolutely not." Bandini, named after an Italian sculptor, paid $8, $3.80 and $3.20. High Limit returned $4.20 and $3.20 and Closing Argument paid $4.40 to show. Bandini had earned $99,000 before yesterday's huge payday. The winning time was 1:50.16. Order of finish 1. Bandini $8.00 3.80 3.20 2. High Limit 4.20 3.20 3. Closing Argument 4.40 4. Sun King; 5. Consolidator, 6. Spanish Chestnut; 7. Mr Sword Inside Fleet Afleet Alex romps Afleet Alex shows he ready for Louisville with an Arkansas Derby victory by a record 8 lengths. It's still on to the Derby Zito, Lukas not discouraged by defeat in the Blue Grass, C15 Clocking the opposition Clock Stopper triumphs in Commonwealth Breeders' Cup.

Top trainers have odds on their side Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Winning the Kentucky Derby is on every horse trainer's list. Exactly where it is depends on the trainer. It's No. 1 on Nick Zito's list. It's also Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5. It's No. 1 on Todd Pletcher's list, but it's not No. 2. ``Our whole year doesn't revolve around it, or the Triple Crown,'' Pletcher said. ``We try to manage our stable in a fashion to get the best out of our horses year-round. ... I wouldn't say the Derby's a driving force.'' Zito's take? ``Everyone knows I love the Derby. That's what our operation is about.'' Their philosophies might differ, but both have a burning desire to win America's greatest race. Zito has done it twice, with Strike the Gold in 1991 and Go for Gin in 1994. Pletcher is 0-for-9 since saddling his first starters in 2000. Zito and Pletcher are the major players in Saturday's $2 million Derby. And odds are, one of them will show up in the winner's circle at Churchill Downs. In an amazing run of good fortune, Zito has a record- equaling five horses for the race, including early favorite Bellamy Road, who won the Wood Memorial on April 9 by an astonishing 17 1/2 lengths. The 57-year-old New Yorker also will send out Florida Derby winner High Fly, Tampa Bay Derby winner Sun King, Noble Causeway and Andromeda's Hero, who won the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. ``If owners want to go to the Derby, we have a good chance of getting them there,'' said Zito, whose Derby horses have five different owners. In fact, Bellamy Road owner George Steinbrenner and High Fly owner Charlotte Weber of Live Oak Plantation sent their horses to Zito after firing their original trainers. Pletcher, a Texan based in New York, saw his Derby hopefuls come on strong in recent weeks and will have three 3-year-olds in the field - Blue Grass winner Bandini, Lexington Stakes winner Coin Silver and Arkansas Derby runner- up Flower Alley. Two trainers have 40 percent of an expected full field of 20 horses. ``It's a tribute to the way they do their jobs,'' said Cot Campbell, who operates Dogwood Stable and has sent horses to both trainers. ``I think they live by the philosophy that the Derby's the most important race, that it's the chance to grab the gold ring, and boy, you better stretch out there and try to get it.'' From the day Zito saddled his first Derby starter - Thirty Six Red finished ninth in 1990 - he fell in love with the Bluegrass state, from the wild scene at Churchill Downs on race day to the tranquil setting of Keeneland Race Course, just a 90-minute drive away in Lexington. ``It's the people here,'' Zito said. ``I try to be a decent person, not put on airs, and just be myself. And they accepted me with open arms. It's our second home.'' Pletcher, a former assistant under Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, has been on his own since December 1995. Yet he already has been labeled by some as the nation's best trainer without a win in a Triple Crown race - the Derby, Preakness or Belmont. Never mind he's just 37 and about to take part in his fifth Derby. ``It is the one race that, like everyone else who trains, I want to win,'' said Pletcher, who was second with Invisible Ink in the 2001 Derby. ``And if I could only win one race, that's the one. ... But I don't have such tunnel vision that I don't look at everything else going on, and I try to focus on successfully mapping campaigns for all of my horses, not just the ones that are on the Derby trail.'' Lukas, a four-time Derby winner, describes his rivals as passionate about the game, with each having a slightly different focus. ``Todd's very dedicated to building a successful program, and now he has good clientele to back him,'' Lukas said. ``He's got it all going right now. He's the golden boy now and deservedly so.'' Zito, he said, is as Derby- driven as ever, especially after missing the race in 2002 and 2003, then finishing fifth with The Cliff's Edge and eighth with Birdstone last year. ``He has a deep passion for the Triple Crown,'' Lukas said. ``And he's had a few lean years, so he's got to be really hungry this time. He's had a pretty long time between drinks. I'm sure that's fueling his fire.''

Breeder's Cup inks eight-year deal with ESPN Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will be televised on ESPN beginning in 2006 under an eight-year contract between the two parties, officials announced April 29. Financial details weren't released, but officials called it a "revenue-sharing" package designed to help racing capitalize on multimedia and technology. The Breeders' Cup has been televised by NBC since its inception in 1984. ESPN and its affiliated networks are 80% owned by ABC, which last year struck a deal with the New York Racing Association to broadcast the grade I Belmont Stakes, third leg of the Visa Triple Crown, in 2006-07. This year's Triple Crown will be shown on NBC in the last year of a five-year deal. The status of broadcasts of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) in 2006 and beyond is subject to negotiations between networks and Churchill Downs Inc., which holds the Derby at Churchill Downs, and Magna Entertainment Corp., which owns Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness. It appears all of the major races won't be on the same network. Mark Shapiro, ESPN executive vice president of programming and production, said ESPN and ABC have no interest in acquiring the rights to broadcast the Kentucky Derby. "We're looking for new, creative ways to broadcast racing to a growing fan base," D.G. Van Clief Jr., National Thoroughbred Racing Association commissioner and Breeders' Cup president, said of the ESPN contract. "One of the key points is a close creative partnership. We're going to have true, ongoing dialogue about the product." "This is an exciting day for us, folks," said Shapiro. "The Breeders' Cup isn't only a property for us. We are fans of horse racing, and we air 130 hours of programming annually. The Breeders' Cup is an evolutionary step for us." The 2006 Breeders' Cup, to be held at Churchill Downs, will be broadcast during a seven-hour program from noon to 7 p.m. The program will be produced by ESPN. Currently, the NBC program spans five hours. ESPN and ABC Sports will air five two-hour telecasts from June through October featuring major stakes leading to the Breeders' Cup. The deal also extends from 2008-13 the "Racing to the Kentucky Derby" and "Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships" series that currently feature 30 telecasts and more than 40 hours of racing programming on ESPN and ESPN2 each year. The agreement includes the extension through 2013 of the weekly "Wire2Wire" racing magazine and highlights show on ESPN2. There are rights for high-definition coverage via ESPN HD, and Spanish language on ESPN Deportes. The ESPN Mobile cell phone service will be launched in the next year. Breeders' Cup officials said the sport also would get "unprecedented promotion" through a variety of ESPN and ABC Sports platforms. In discussing the end of the NBC contract, Van Clief said: "We would like to recognize the initial commitment to televise the Breeders' Cup made by the late Arthur Watson, and thank our many friends, in particular Dick Ebersol and Ken Schanzer, on the NBC team who have been such good partners over the past 22 years." Van Clief said if Watson hadn't stepped up, "I don't think we would have gotten our first leg up on the air." Though the financial aspects of the deal weren't released, Shapiro said ESPN and Breeders' Cup "expect it to be profitable." Last year's Breeders' Cup at Lone Star Park produced the lowest television ratings in the 21-year history of the event. The national rating was a 1.4 share, down 22% from the 2003 share. Each rating point represented 1.08 million households. When asked about the ratings, Shapiro said: "I don't believe Breeders' Cup has been a priority to NBC Sports for years. That's one reason it's moving to ESPN. Somewhere in this cluttered environment and competitive universe, it has gotten lost on NBC." Alana Russo, a spokeswoman for NBC, said the network would have no response to Shapiro's comments. She said the network looks forward to covering this year's Triple Crown races and Breeders' Cup. "We wish the NTRA the best of luck with the Breeders' Cup," Russo said. Van Clief said the "promotional elements" of the ESPN deal would add a new dimension to the Breeders' Cup and horse racing coverage in general. He also said the ESPN and NBC deals are similar from a revenue-sharing standpoint. Chip Campbell, senior vice president of television and sponsorship for the NTRA, said the multiple platforms offered by ESPN would prove attractive to current and potential sponsors. "It gives us some flexibility," Campbell said. "For everybody but the real traditionalists, that's going to be really attractive." Campbell also said the eight-year deal is a big plus from a stability standpoint. "It's something lots of sports are trying to get, and we just got it," he said. The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships is an eight-race series with total purses of $14 million. This year's event will be held Oct. 29 at Belmont Park in New York. Churchill is host site next year, followed by Monmouth Park in New Jersey in 2007. ESPN, based in Bristol, Conn., launched in September 1979 and is available in 89 million households. It offers more than 5,100 live and/or original hours of sports programming each year including games in Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, National Football League, and Women's National Basketball Association. It also broadcasts men's and women's college basketball, tennis, PGA and LPGA golf, the Little League World Series, the X Games, and the Great Outdoor Games. ESPN is comprised of seven domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU, and ESPN Today), ESPN and ESPN2 HD, simulcast services, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, SportsTicker, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN Zones, and other new businesses including ESPN360 (Broadband), ESPN Mobile, ESPN on Demand, ESPN Interactive, and ESPN PPV.

Is a Kentucky Derby win afoot? Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

In the world of horse racing, the two towns might as well be 10,000 miles apart.In Louisville horse racing is life. People live for it. It dominates daily conversation. The countless number of thoroughbred horse farms in and around the rural farmland can testify to that.In Royersford, horse racing is an afterthought. If you love it, you are in the minority. But on Thursday, Louisville and the world of horse racing inexplicably crossed paths with Royersford - thanks to an incredible 3-year-old colt named Afleet Alex.One year removed from the Smarty Jones mania that swept the Philadelphia area, there is another local horse that's ready to take us by storm. Only this time, the local connections are a lot closer.Bob Brittingham is one of the majority owners of Afleet Alex, a horse that next Saturday will likely be the favorite in the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby. Brittingham's wife, Terese, is the owner of Keller Williams Realty Group in Royersford.Thursday at Keller Williams about 50 of the Brittinghams' co-workers, family and friends threw an Afleet Alex pep rally. They were all there to root on the horse that for the second straight year has made Philadelphia the center of the horse racing world."The pep rally was a nice surprise to us", said Bob Brittingham, who lives in Collegeville and is one of the five owners, all from the Philadelphia area. "The people in the office have showed great support for us and its fun when you can have so many to share it with."I don't think anyone expected this to come out of Collegeville - maybe a Revolutionary War story or something, but not a Kentucky Derby horse. It's really special."Brittingham and his partners call their horse racing partnership Cash Is King Stables. Last April they purchased Afleet Alex for $75,000. Their trainer, Tim Ritchey, who is based out of Delaware Park, advised the partnership to buy Afleet Alex because, "he liked the way he moved." At that time, nobody had any clue that the son of Northern Afleet would be this good.Afleet Alex went on to win his first two races at Delaware Park in eyebrow-raising fashion. He won the first race by 11 1/4 lengths. The second by 12 lengths. After that, the speedy colt went up to Saratoga, N.Y, and won two more races, including the Sanford Stakes in record-setting time.By that time, the owners knew they had something."We were thinking about the Derby by then," admitted Brittingham, 42, who graduated from Neshaminy High. But it wasn't until April 19 that the dream of having a horse in the Kentucky Derby became a reality. On that day, at Oaklawn Park, Afleet Alex destroyed the field in the Arkansas Derby, winning by a race-record eight lengths, and solidifying him as one of the best horses in the country.It was Afleet Alex's sixth win in nine races. To date, he has earned Cash Is King over $1.3 million. By the time they sell the breeding rights, he will fetch them tens of millions of dollars more.But right now, the Brittinghams, who leave for Louisville Saturday, are not thinking about money."I'm going down there with the attitude that I'm a tourist, not an owner," Brittingham said. "I am a horse racing fan and there is a lot I want to see. I'm just going to enjoy everything. I want to see other people's horses as much as they want to see ours."

Rockport Harbor to miss Arkansas Derby Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Rockport Harbor will not participate in Saturday's $1 million Arkansas Derby, one of the final preparatory races for next month's Kentucky Derby.The 3-year-old Rockport Harbor, who has been hampered by a series of ailments, including foot problems and a blood clot in his neck, completed a 7/8-mile run in 1:25.6 at Oaklawn Park on Sunday before the decision was made by trainer John Servis. Horse bettingRockport Harbor instead will start the $325,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Race Track on April 23.

Freehold Champs Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

On Monday, Freehold Raceway crowned its leading trainer and driver for the 98-day winter-spring meeting which concluded with a 12-race card on Memorial Day. In the driving department, Cat Manzi nailed-down the Freehold driving title with 167 wins. The title was the 13th won at the central-New Jersey oval by the 50 year-old Freehold resident.
Freehold's top trainer for the meet was William Whitlock. The 35-year-old Wrightstown, N.J., native, who has been training Standardbreds for eight years, recorded 29 victories to notch his first ever training title at Freehold.
Getaway day featured a pair of $8,000 consolations for the Newcomer Pacing Series. In the 3- and 4-year-old distaff division, Sandy and Corrine Goldfarb and John Carpenter's Love My Lisa, behind the driving of Jay Randall, mounted a strong stretch rally to win by one-half length in 1:58.8. Bajjah (Brendan Johnson) finished second, with Versimlitude (Ross Wolfenden), who had cut the early fractions, lasting for third, three-quarters of a length behind the winner.
Love My Lisa, a sophomore daughter of Jenna's Beach Boy, won for the second time in five starts this season in taking her consolation. Coupled with Bajjah as part of the Brett Pelling trained entry, she returned $3.40, $3.40, and $2.20. Bajjah returned an identical $3.40, $3.40, and $2.20, and Versimlitude paid $2.40.
The 3- and 4-year-old colt and gelding division was taken in wire-to-wire fashion by RC's Nitro with John Plutino in the sulky. The 3-year-old No Nukes gelding cut fractions of :284, :573, and 1:263 en route to a five and one-half length score in 1:562. Danny Do Run (Carl Cito, Jr.) rallied for second, and a late-arriving Durin Hanover (Mickey McNichol) salvaged the show spot, seven and one-quarter lengths behind the winner.
RC's Nitro recorded his maiden victory in taking his consolation for his owner A&R Ranch of Kearny, N.J. Closing as the odds-on favorite, he rewarded his backers with across-the-board payoffs of $3.60, $3.00, and $2.60. Danny Do Run paid $16.40 and $7.00, and a show ticket on Durin Hanover was worth $7.60.
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Millionaire Fourstars Allstar Dies in England. Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Fourstars Allstar, a star attraction in both New York and Ireland, was euthanized last month after breaking his neck, according to the Racing Post. The 17-year-old son of Compliance, due to stand at Astley Grange Farm Stud this season, was receiving veterinary treatment in Newmarket, England, for a urinary tract problem when he became distressed and injured himself.
Astley Grange bought Fourstars Allstar from Irish-based Coolmore Stud late last year.
Fourstars Allstar's racing career coincided with that of his millionaire full brother Fourstardave. Leo O'Brien trained the two popular runners in New York for breeder/owner Richard Bomze.
Fourstars Allstar won seven graded stakes in North America and was New York-bred Horse of the Year in 1991 and '93. His biggest claim to fame, however, came when he become the first American-trained horse to win a European classic. His victory in the Airlie Coolmore Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) for Bomze and partner Philip DiLeo came just a week after a triumph at Belmont Park. Fourstars Allstar returned to New York shortly after.
At Saratoga, where Fourstardave has a grade II turf stakes run in his honor, Fourstars Allstar captured two runnings of the Bernard Baruch Handicap (gr. IIT) and the Saratoga Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. IIIT). Fourstars Allstar ended his career in 1995 with 14 wins from 59 races and earnings of $1,596,760. He was sent to Coolmore for stud duty.
Fourstars Allstar, who was produced from the Bold Arian mare Broadway Joan, sired English group II winner Jardines Lookout. His also sired two hurdle stakes winners.