Woodward Stakes 2015 PPs

The prestigious Grade I Woodward Stakes will be on this Saturday, Sep 5th at Saratoga race track.

For more on the history of the race, click here to go to a NYRA special.

For past performance charts of the Saranac (Gr 3) Race 8 - post time 4:33 ET, Spinaway (Gr 1) Race 9 - post time 5:11 ET, and Woodward, Race 10, post time 5:47 ET (BRIS) --Visit the following link: BRIS PP for Pletcher

http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/briswatch.cgi/public/ToddPletcher/PLETCHER+TODD+A/9999/summary.html

Search for the respective search names (Ctrl+F) on the page and you will come across the Entries link and the Ultimate PPs link.

Race 10 Woodward Stakes (Entries)

This race can set up well for 7 Effinex to win with a well timed ride. 8 Protonico is the other horse who is being consistent and can be expected to fire. 2 Liams Map seems to have great tenacity and can be assumed to hold his ground on the lead irrespective of other speedy challengers. 
Race 10 Picks: 7-2-8

Race 9: Spinaway Stakes (Entries)

This race features 2 Rachels Valentina, a definite fan favorite being a Rachel Alexandra-Bernardini daughter and with an impressive debut to boot. Her biggest challenge would probably come from 1 Tap to It, in the stretch.
Race 9 Picks: 2-1

Race 8 Saranac Stakes (Entries)

Bill Mott trainee with Jose Lezcano on board 5 Go Around, looks dangerous. However, the top contenders in my book are the Chad Brown trainees 3 Takeover Target (coming off a win) and 4 Winter Springs (top jockey Javier Castellano on board). Could this be as simple as 3-4-5 ? Wait and Watch!

Race 8 Picks: 3-4-5.

If you play the $1 Pick 3 starting in Race 8 , the sequence would be:
(3-4-5) with (1-2) with (2-7-8) costing $18 for the minimum bet.

Online Fundraising through Horse Related Items Auction

Merely reposting something I saw on paceadvantage.com by user turfeyejoe.

Opening bids generally start at one third retail price.

Auction Site Link

Great racing items for good cause

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Two years ago, my 87-year-old father was abducted from his home. Three weeks later, police found his body in a swamp, 800 miles from his home. A suspect plead guilty to murder last month. In my dad's memory, we established a scholarship and award $1,000 annually to a high school senior who intends to follow my father's career by becoming a teacher. To raise money for the scholarship, we are holding an online auction May 23-30. All you need to bid is a computer and a credit card. We are a certified 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.

Though my contacts in the racing industry, I have gathered numerous racing-related prizes. Opening bids generally start at one third retail price.

Here are some of the Thoroughbred racing prizes.
* 4 season clubhouse passes to Del Mar (value $1,600), opens at $533
* DRF Formulator 240-card package (value $695), opens at $232
* VIP package for 6 at Monmouth Park ($160 value), opens at $53
* Day at the races package for 6, including race named after you and winner's circle picture at Belmont Park ($400 value), opens at $133
* Handicapping books and DVDs by Steve Crist, Jim Quinn and Peter Fornatale ... opening bids at $10 each.

https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/auctionhome.action?auctionId=207401888

Kentucky Derby Changes Selection Method

One of the oldest sports in running (138 years and going strong), the Kentucky Derby (ahem.. presented by Yum Brands as it is usually touted nowadays) is changing its method of selection. It used to winnings from graded stakes of the top 20 horses from over 185 races, but now that system is being changed to a points system from about 36 races.

USA today is covering it in full.

The main goal is also to get 20 horses that are in the best form to qualify for the Derby and reduce chances of one hit wonders or horses that have won big at distances shorter than 1 mile to come into the Derby.

The campaign of races leading up to the Derby is being divided into four phases.

The first is called the Kentucky Derby Prep Season, typically spanning stakes from late September through late February. .

Then follows a "Kentucky Derby Championship Season", which typically will span the 10-week run-up to the Derby. The phase highlights mostly traditional prep races.

That's followed by the most important phase of the Kentucky Derby Championship Season. The races in this stage encompass the biggest events: the Florida Derby, Wood Memorial, Santa Anita Derby, Arkansas Derby, Toyota Blue Grass and Louisiana Derby, while also including the $2 million U.A.E. Derby in Dubai. Those races will offer a 100-40-20-10 point scale.

Finally, there's a last chance "wild-card" setup which features Keeneland's Lexington Stakes, two weeks before the Derby, and Churchill Downs' opening-night Derby Trial, a week before the Kentucky Derby.

What do you think? Add your comments on whether you think this is a good thing or bad thing or "change is always good" ..