Top Contenders for the Discovery Handicap at Aqueduct

Even with the 2009 Breeders' Cup World Championships in the history books, there's still time to get in on some great horse betting action. The fall season of racing continues at Aqueduct on Saturday, Nov. 21 with the Gr. 3 $100,000-added Discovery Handicap for 3-year-olds at a distance of 9 furlongs. Among those nominated are Gone Astray, Burley's Gold and Haynesfield.

Looking to add to his two-race win streak is Gone Astray, a 3-year-old son of Dixie Union, who has come into his own in the latter part of the season. After winning an allowance race in April, Gone Asdtray has finished worse than third only once: a sixth place performance behind Munnings in the $250,000 Woody Stephens Stakes at Belmont Park in June. And since stretching out in distance, this Shug McGaughey trainee has tasted victory in two consecutive graded stakes races: the $1M Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park on Sept. 7 and the $150,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on Oct. 3. “He's changed since we started running him two turns,” McGaughey said. Gone Astray has a record of 8-3-3-1 and career earnings of $777,757 for Phipps Stable.

Patience is finally paying off for the connections of Burley's Gold, a quirky 3-year-old son of Touch Gold. With an unconventional running style, Burley's Gold has both frustrated and exhilarated trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., this year with his rollercoaster 2009 campaign. After breaking his maiden at Belmont Park in June, the Ohio-bred colt finished a dismal 10th in his first allowance race at Saratoga in August. He then bounced back with a strong win in his second try at an allowance race victory - this one at Belmont Park in September - before finally showing an upward trend in the Gr. 2 $150,000 Jerome Handicap, rallying to finish second behind Girolamo. Burley's Gold has a 2009 race record of 4-2-1-0 and $83,684 in earnings.

Haynesfield will be a familiar face for horse bettors who followed this year's crop of 3-year-olds on the road to the Kentucky Derby. One of the hottest horses early on the Triple Crown trail, Haynesfield strung together a series of impressive races starting in January with the $65,000 Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct and the $100,000 Whirlaway Stakes in February. But after a brutal 8th place finish in his first attempt at a graded stakes races - the $250,000 Gr. 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct in March, Haynesfield was given a long layoff. He returned to racing on Oct. 2 in the $65,000 Sir Keys Stakes at Belmont Park, netting a runner-up finish and finally seems to have returned to that winning form with a victory in the$250,000 Empire Classic Stakes on Oct 24, also at Belmont Park. Trained by Steve Asmussen for Turtle Bird Stable, this son of Speightstown has a 2009 record of 5-3-1-0 and $270,916.

Who will win the 65th running of the Discovery Handicap? Bet on horse racing at Aqueduct with the Bodog Racebook!

Calder & Aqueduct Race Course Weekend Roundup

Last weekend, Calder and Aqueduct Race Courses hosted a slew of great horse races. On Saturday, Calder Race Course presented the "Florida Million," an eight-race program highlighting Florida-bred racehorses. And on Sunday, Aqueduct hosted the New York Stallion Series, a five-race showcase for horses sired by New York stallions. Bodog Racebook gets you up to speed on all the horse racing action.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, Calder Race Course hosted the "Florida Million," a showcase of Florida-bred racehorses over eight races worth $1.2M. Races included the $200,000 Elmer Heubeck Distaff Handicap (won this year by 3-year-old Sweet Repent), the $150,000 Jack Dudley Sprint Handicap for 3-year-olds and up (won by Pashito the Che) and the $100,000 Arthur Appleton Juvenile Turf (won by Bim Bam in a record-setting victory).

But the highlight of the Florida Million card - one of the richest races of the meet - was the $200,000 Carl G. Rose Classic for 3-year-olds, with It's a Bird, Too Many Toyz and Dream Maestro among the top contenders for this 1 1/8-mile race. It's a Bird was sent off as the race favorite, having been one of the early contenders on the Triple Crown trail after exploding onto the scene with his $1M Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes win at Gulfstream Park at the beginning of the year. But it was the Marty Wolfson-trained Too Many Toyz who would play spoiler. Six-year-old Too Many Toyz, with Julian Leparoux aboard, raced in his favorite position just off the pace behind It's a Bird. After six furlongs, Too Many Toyz made a thrilling move and managed to hold on to hit the wire first. Dream Maestro rounded out the top three finishers. This was Too Many Toyz's fourth straight victory in 11 career outings, and his first at a higher level of racing.

On Sunday, Nov. 15, Aqueduct hosted the New York Stallion , a five-race extravaganza for horses sired by New York stallions. The track was sloppy when 2-year-olds took to the dirt in the Great White Way Stakes, a 6-furlong race with a purse of $100,000. Saving ground by running along the rail, the duo of Make Note and Edgar Prado rallied to win in a time of 1:11.39 to claim his second ever stakes victory. Next, in the $75,000 Staten Island Stakes for fillies and mares 3 years old and up, Mother Russia and Ramon Dominguez led from gate to wire, winning the 7 furlong race in 1:24.34. The $75,000 Cormorant Division was moved from the turf to the main track because of rain, but Ruffino and jockey Rajivv Maragh weren't fazed, running down Pretty Boy Freud in the stretch of the 1-mile race. Muddy conditions prevailed again during the $100,000 Fifth Avenue Stakes for 2-year-old fillies but  Maragh was again victorious, this time aboard Franny Freud, in a 5-length rout. In the final race of the card, the $75,000 Thunder Rumble Stakes for 3-year-olds and up, Dominguez again had the winning touch, guiding 3-year-old Uncle T Seven to a rallying win over Mr. Windjammer.

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Zenyatta Claims Dramatic 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic

The 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic was run Saturday, Nov. 7 at Santa Anita Park, a race that was the highlight of the two-day World Championships. The $5M Gr. 1 race featured 13 Group or Grade 1 winners going head-to-head over 1 ¼ miles, and the lineup included Kentucky Derby champion Mine That Bird, Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Summer Bird and last year's Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic victor Zenyatta in her first start against males. A race full of drama from beginning to end, the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic was one for the history books.

The drama started when Florida Derby champion Quality Road refused to load in the gate. Twelve minutes later, Quality Road was scratched due to a scraped hind leg incurred during the incident and the race finally got underway. Speedster Regal Ransom broke from the gate first under Richard Migliore with Einstein (trained by Helen Pitts) and Rip Van Winkle (one of several European invaders) in hot pursuit. Sent off as the race favorite, Zenyatta, with Mike Smith aboard, broke a step behind everyone else and was 10 lengths back of the leaders as the race moved down the backstretch. Turf expert Gio Ponti, ridden by Ramon Dominguez along the rail for most of the race, then made his move; he charged to the front as the field turned for home.

But Zenyatta had recovered and was unleashing her trademark finishing kick - a move she had relied on heavily to win many of her previous 13 straight races. And though Gio Ponti was flying toward the finish, the Street Cry mare rolled past him in the final strides, winning the race in electrifying fashion. The winning time over the Pro-Ride surface was 2:00.62. Rounding out the order of finish: Twice Over, Summer Bird, Colonel John, Richard's Kid, Awesome Gem, Regal Ransom, Mine That Bird, Rip Van Winkle, Einstein and Girolamo.

Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs, was beside himself with excitement after the race. “I can't believe it. She is a great, great filly,” he said. “She is all heart.”

Jockey Mike Smith was in agreement and had nothing but praise for his mount. As the winning duo was making their bid for the lead, Smith noted: “[Zenyatta] started pricking her ears and looking at the crowd, and I got after her a little bit, and she went on. And she still went, believe it or not, well within herself. She was pricking her ears and galloped out. She didn't even take a breath after the race was over. It's just incredible.”

The Kentucky-bred Zenyatta becomes the first female horse to ever win the Breeders' Cup Classic. She also surpasses Personal Ensign's incredible 13-13-0-0 record with this victory, and will retire from racing with a perfect 14-14-0-0 record.

In other Breeders' Cup news, Goldikova defended her title in the Breeders' Cup Mile, becoming only the fourth horse to do so. Conduit also repeated in the Breeders' Cup Turf, rallying from last. In a shocking Breeders' Cup Sprint, race favorite and expected winner Zensational could not overcome his extreme inside post and finished fifth; the winner by a mere nose was 25-1 longs hot Dancing in Silks, who, along with Crown of Thorns, Cost of Freedom and Gayego, were involved in a blanket finish.

The Breeders' Cup may be over for this year but there's still plenty of excitement to be had; get in on all the horse racing action at the Bodog Racebook!