Archive for the ‘Thoroughbred Products’ Category
The Hambletonian 2010 / Launch of a $10,000 Contest!
Written by trackmasterplus on August 3, 2010 – 2:23 pm -This coming Saturday harness racing will be in the spotlight once again with its annual racing classic that will reach millions of people across the US and around the globe. It’s one of America’s oldest sporting events dating all the way back to the year 1926. It’s also the richest race for trotters in the entire world. It’s the Hambletonian and you don’t want to miss it!
This “Super Bowl” of harness racing is for three year old trotting colts and is at a distance of one mile around the oval at The Meadowlands racetrack. Unlike other major stakes for three year olds, such as the Kentucky Derby for Thoroughbreds, this race is run with eliminations and then a final. This past Saturday 24 contenders raced in three separate elimination races to determine which of them would be moving on to the finals. Pilgrims Taj took the first one with a speed rating of 91, Lucky Chucky cruised to victory with a speed rating of 92 and Cassis earned the top rating of 94 in winning his elimination race. These winners plus the other top finishers will return to race in the Hambletonian final this week. You can be sure all of the horses will be going all out trying to reach that ultimate prize and claim the trophy.
TrackMaster will have the full complement of past performances and selections for the entire Hambletonian day of racing from the Meadowlands available for purchase on Thursday of this week. Analyze how the big race is likely to shape up with our F.A.S.T. Sheets or Pace Past Performances, then see what the experts have to say by looking at TrackMaster Greg’s picks.
Another yearly tradition, the TrackMaster Harness Handicapping Challenge is again wrapping up for this year with big money on the line. Coinciding with the Hambletonian final is the finals of our 8 week long competition to see who the best harness handicappers around are. Like the Hambletonian eliminations, during each weekly round of the contest we took the three highest finishers and sent them on their way to the finals. This upcoming weekend should be an exciting one for the 30 players who will battle it out for $3,500. If you didn’t get a chance to participate this year, then mark your calendars for next year.
$10,000 Mobile Development Challenge
Hot off the presses! $10,000 is up for grabs in our 2nd “Development Challenge”.
Last year we held a very successful Software Development Challenge and based on its success, today we are pleased to announce the launch of our Mobile Application (“App”) Development Challenge. We are looking for developers to create Apps for Thoroughbred and/or Harness racing, featuring a total cash prize of $10,000. The winning developer will receive $5,000 for first place; the second and third developers will receive $3,000 and $2,000, respectively.
Just like the last contest, developers will be furnished with sample data from TrackMaster Plus (extensive entry files) and TrackMaster Charts (detailed results files) to design, test and optimize their Apps for use in mobile devices such as iPhones and smart phones with the Android operating system.
“We recently concluded our initial ‘Challenge’ asking for developers to create unique software programs designed around our data and it was a big success,” said TrackMaster president, David Siegel. “With the popularity and market penetration of phones like the iPhone, it was an easy decision to make mobile Apps the focus of this second challenge.”
Registration for the contest will be accepted through October 1, 2010. Final submissions of the applications are due by March 1, 2011, and winners will be announced on or about April 15, 2011. Interested developers can visit the TrackMaster Mobile Application Development Challenge web site for additional information.
Best of luck!
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment by clicking the “Comment” link directly below.
TrackMaster, an Equibase company, is your complete source for Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and Harness Racing information. Products ranging from Thoroughbred Past Performances, Harness Racing Programs, and Thoroughbred Handicapping software to Horse Racing Picks from our experts, are provided for all levels of handicapping sophistication.
Posted in General Industry, Harness Products, Harness Races, Harness Racing, Thoroughbred Products, Thoroughbred Races, Thoroughbred Racing
Saratoga, Del Mar Open Amid Uncertain Times / TrackMaster Improves Product Line
Written by trackmasterplus on July 20, 2010 – 1:35 pm -SARATOGA
The venerable Saratoga Race Meet opens Friday, July 23 (free grandstand admission for Opening Day if you’re planning on going). There was some talk of canceling the meet due to NYRA budget woes. Crazy talk for certain. A summer with no Saratoga? No way! For horse players it would be the sign of the apocalypse. In the end it all got worked out and Saratoga will hold a race meet for the 142nd time in 2010 despite the storm clouds still on the horizon.
While fields might be a bit smaller than last year due to some connections opting to run for higher purse at Monmouth, there will be no lack of star power at the Spa. The big race of the meet, the Travers Stakes is expected to draw Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver. The pro-tem leader of the handicap division, Quality Road, is on the grounds as is last year’s Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra. Future stars will emerge from the maiden and allowance ranks as always.
On the people front, the top owners and trainers (Pletcher, Contessa, Dutrow) tend to dominate the standings. Trainer Bill Mott is having a bit of a resurgence since taking over for the late Bobby Frankel as the main man for Juddmonte Farms but has always done well at the Spa. He’ll be a force in the stakes ranks. Linda Rice seems to always come to Saratoga loaded with talented youngsters, and you can bet that Cristophe Clement will steal a big purse in a turf race (at a nice price) with a recent import from France. In the jockeys room Ramon Dominguez has firmly established himself as the top dog on the circuit and will likely duel with John Velasquez for the jockey title.
Bettors should take note that Saratoga has one of the lowest takeout rates in the U.S. for Win-Place-Show bets and Daily Double/Exacta wagers at 15% and 17.5% respectively offering the player good value for their betting dollar.
DEL MAR
Let’s face it. The horse racing industry in California is in a complete state of disarray. At the beginning of the year it looked as if the two major tracks, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields, were going to get new ownership after the Magna bankruptcy and cries of mismanagement by many of the locals. Yet by the summer it was “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” as Frank Stronach managed to retain control of the tracks.
Being geographically isolated from the majority of the horse racing world, the horse population in California is dwindling, and field size continues to be a problem. Unthinkable a few years ago, occasional race days at all California tracks have been canceled due to lack of entries. Del Mar will be no exception. For a track that used to race 6 days a week with relatively full fields (now down to 5 days a week), it’s come to management going on record as “hoping” that no race days will have to be canceled in 2010.
Track safety continues to be a work in progress, and Del Mar continues to be aggressive in this area. To help improve the safety of the racing surface the track has hired a synthetic track specialist, Richard Tedesco, the retired track superintendent of Hollywood Park, and most recently a consultant to the amazing Meydan Race Track project in Dubai.
But still the party goes on at Del Mar. While attendance at the other California tracks continues to decline, Del Mar has managed to reinvent itself as an “entertainment” venue, not just a horse racing track. Inventive promotions such as the “Miss Cougar Del Mar Contest” and post-race concerts attract more casual fans and the atmosphere is completely different than at any other California racing venue.
On the training front, no one ever seems to dominate at Del Mar any more, horse fitness is key so look for horses with good current form and regular works. John Sadler and Doug O’Neill have large stables so expect them to duke it out at the top of the trainer standings. Never count out Bob Baffert who shines at Del Mar and will always be in the picture, especially in the stakes ranks. He seems to always have a new star to unveil during the meet. Northern California based trainer Jerry Hollendorfer has been poaching stakes races here for years, just about anything he sends out in a stakes should be considered a threat.
The California jockey colony is very deep in talent, and is dominated by young turks like Joel Rosario, Tyler Baze, Rafael Bejarano, and Joe Talamo. Last year’s leading apprentice Christian Santiago Reyes has made the transition to journeyman with no problem. Bettors should have no qualms about backing any horse ridden by these guys. Veteran Mike Smith is always a factor in big money races, and will be aboard the great Zenyatta when she makes here only appearance at Del Mar, most likely The Clement L. Hirsch Stakes on August 7.
With the possible exception of the $1 million Pacific Classic there are not many horses that ship from outside the state to run at Del Mar, with the occasional Northern California or Emerald Downs interloper looking for bigger game. But for the most part the locals take turns beating each other.
The introduction of the very popular 50-cent Pick Four wager should beef up the pools as California racing seems well suited to playing multi-race bets with contender selection the key to success.
Del Mar also runs a popular online Handicapping Challenge which lasts for the entire meet. Free to enter, and prizes for finishing in the top 100, the kicker is the chance to win a berth in the The National Handicapping Challenge XII in Las Vegas January 28-29, 2011. Details are on the Del Mar web site.
TrackMaster Improves Product Line
Just in time for these premier meets, TrackMaster has made some significant improvements to its Thoroughbred product line. Many of these changes were a result of a meeting we had with the guys from HANA (Horse Players Association of North America), a smart group who has given a voice and influence in the industry for the “player”.
Now available in TrackMaster Plus Pro and our Platinum and regular PP files:
- Listing of prior race scratches, including reason
- A simple one page “In to go” list for jockeys, trainers and horses
- Highest Equibase Speed Figure earned added to the horse’s summary stats
- Direct link to Equibase for late scratches and changes
- Expanded conditional trainer stats
- Added statistics for the prior trainer when there is a trainer change
Good luck and enjoy the best the summer has to offer.
We want to hear from you! Leave a comment by clicking the “Comment” link directly below.
TrackMaster, an Equibase company, is your complete source for Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and Harness Racing information. Products ranging from Thoroughbred Past Performances, Harness Racing Programs, and Thoroughbred Handicapping software to Horse Racing Picks from our experts, are provided for all levels of handicapping sophistication.
Posted in General Industry, Thoroughbred Products, Thoroughbred Races, Thoroughbred Racing
Weekend Stakes Round Up
Written by trackmasterplus on July 15, 2010 – 5:32 pm -Got a handful of Grade 2 races on the dance card this week.
The $600,000 Virginia Derby is the featured attraction at Colonial Downs gathers together some 3-year-0ld originally pointed to the Kentucky Derby who are finding a new home on the grass. The one to beat here is Paddy O’Prado who has been installed as the 7-5 morning linemaker’s choice. He’ll be challenged by the likes of Interactif, Stately Victor, and Krypton.
Hollywood Park cards two Grade 2 races on Saturday, the feature is the $200,000 Swaps Stakes for 3-year olds where Santa Anita Derby hero Sidney’s Candy returns to action against four rivals…Earlier on the card six fillies face off in the $150,000 A Gleam for older fillies and mares.
Rounding out the action is the $200,000 American Derby at beautiful Arlington Park where Dean’s Kitten will vie with Workin’ For Hops and Asphalt for favoritism in what looks like a pretty wide open race. Longshot players would be wise to take a long look at Dream Nettie, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer always ships to win.
Comments (0) »Posted in Thoroughbred Products, Thoroughbred Racing
