The 9th race on the Tuesday evening, February 1 program will feature the last scheduled racing appearance for Esmeralda Semalu, arguably the greatest pacing mare in the track's 47 year history.
The 34-time career winner of more than $418,000 took her life's mark and set the track record at the South Florida venue in March of 2009 with a stunning 1:49.4 effort. The 7-year-old Electric Stena-Anemone Semalu miss has raced the last three years of her career from the Joe Pavia Jr. outfit for BJR Stables and AGC Stables of Boca Raton and Highland Beach, FL. She'll be shipped to Blue Chip Farms in New York on Saturday for her first breeding to Bettor's Delight.
If there is to be a storybook ending to the racing career of 'Esmeralda' she'll have to overcome a very formidable newcomer to the South Florida scene. Not Enough, a career winner of almost $1.2 million, will start from an assigned outside post position in the field of seven alongside Esmeralda Semalu. Not Enough last raced on December 21 at Chester Downs and prepped for her return to the racing wars with a 1:53.2 qualifier on January 22. Not Enough won the 2009 Canadian Breeders final at Mohawk in 1:50 just before taking her life's mark of 1:49 when winning the Mistletoe Shalee at The Meadowlands.
Pompano Beach, FL --- The $14,000 weekly top-class trot handicap on the Wednesday, Feb. 2 program at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park produced an unexpected twist when the heavily favored Fancy Shot made a sudden break when leading after posting the half in :58.1.Nothing unexpected here just look at the odds
Last week, Fancy Shot earned a life's mark of 1:54 in his first start for owner-trainer Tracy Brainard but reverted to the quirky ways of his past when moved up to the top class for this start. Inheriting the lead in the third quarter was P C Moonshine, in rein to George Napolitano, with Keystone Thomas partnered by Doug Brown right behind. P C Moonshine stepped over to the third quarter pole in 1:26.3, and held the lead until late in the stretch, when Brown brought Keystone Thomas on past for a 19-1 upset, in 1:55.1. Yankee Manny, the longest odds offering in the field, closed up for third with John Filipelli, Jr. in the bike.Keystone Thomas thus earned his second win in four trips this year. The 5-year-old Revenue S--Yankee Taboo gelding won 11 of 27 starts last year, and is trained by Stewart Nemiro of the Bruce Ranger Stable for Pompano Beach owner Fred Monteleone.
If this happens I'll do Pompano if not, oh well........
Could've/Should've invested in a trotter along the way but I turned left when I was supposed to go right
Comment
dollarbill
SBR MVP
03-22-09
1285
#47
Not sure how this gets the outside horse involved
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, Yonkers Raceway began contesting all overnight races at the distance of 1-1/16 miles to get more outside horses into the race earlier.
If the outside horse doesn't close wouldn't matter if it led from gate to 3/4 pole
Had a couple on top but not the other 2 under........
Couple are not good enough
Comment
dollarbill
SBR MVP
03-22-09
1285
#50
Pa. Lottery Day # 422
Meadowlands update from Jeff Gural Tuesday, February 08, 2011 - by Jeff Gural, Chairman of American Racing and Entertainment
Editor's Note: The following is a press release issued by Jeffrey R. Gural, chairman of American Racing and Entertainment, in regards to his ongoing negotiations to lease Meadowlands Racetrack. I know firsthand that this is the week that we all have to make stakes payments on our champion 2-year-olds and those 3-year-olds who would have been champions last year except for minor issues. Obviously, with the uncertainty at the Meadowlands, my advice would be to make the February payments because if we are not able to find a way to keep it open those payments will all be returned. If there are other stakes at the same time as the Meadowlands stakes it might be a good idea to double stake your horse if the payments are not too great as there is certainly no guarantee that we are going to be able to work out a long-term lease. I think the Governor has made it clear that he will allow a six day meet in August to insure that the Hambletonian and Oaks are raced per the contract with the Hambletonian Society and my guess is there will be several other stakes races during that same period depending on the availability of purse money. The biggest problem, as I see it, is how you finance a racetrack that does not have slots when it is obvious that wagering on horse racing continues to decline as our older customers either die or become too old to come to the tracks. It is very discouraging to see that wagering on the Meadowlands signal so far this year is off 20 percent. Some of which can be blamed on the weather, some of which can be blamed on the closing of NYC OTB and the loss of the OTB TV channel in New York City and the outer boroughs which showed harness racing from the Meadowlands, Yonkers, Northfield and often Woodbine live. That channel has now been taken over by NYRA and they only show Thoroughbred racing and go off the air at 8 p.m. While I think I could get people to come to a new Meadowlands we also rely on customers at other tracks to wager on our product and if those tracks are not marketing the product there is very little that I can do to change that dynamic. One suggestion, if we are truly interested in the long-term future of our sport, would be for the horsemen at the tracks that have slots to take five percent of the slot money and use it to market the product with particular emphasis on bringing new and younger people to view the product. I think this is a small sacrifice to make in order to insure that the young people who work in our business have a future and do not find themselves without a career in 10 or 15 years. I know four of the five people that work on my two farms are in their early 30s and Jason (Settlemoir) is also in his early 30s and these people deserve at least a chance to make a career out of our great sport. I would hope to have a better idea of whether or not we can make a deal to lease the Meadowlands before the March 15 payments are due and I continue to work quite hard in order to accomplish our goal, which is to keep the Meadowlands open not only this year but for the long-term with a new grandstand, as well as opening several OTW facilities. I hope this information is helpful as in all honesty this is a unique situation. Stakes payments are hard enough without this uncertainty but it is what it is.
Comment
dollarbill
SBR MVP
03-22-09
1285
#51
It is what it is......
Meadowlands Night....... with Dave Brower
Comment
Jankar
Restricted User
11-14-10
129
#52
I think the Governor has made it clear that he will allow a six day meet in August to insure that the Hambletonian and Oaks are raced per the contract with the Hambletonian Society and my guess is there will be several other stakes races during that same period depending on the availability of purse money.
Comment
dollarbill
SBR MVP
03-22-09
1285
#53
413 tri-key @ Meadowlands and Monticello on Thursday were winners and if you used Brower your partying tonight
Comment
dollarbill
SBR MVP
03-22-09
1285
#54
Hope your behind Dave Brower..... 5 straight exacta's with $146 winner if you box-em and 1 $63 triple straight. I'm working so hope somebody is using him.......
Comment
dollarbill
SBR MVP
03-22-09
1285
#55
Meadowlands Saturday
Seeing a few 4/13 Tri-Key tonight @ Pompano and Balmoral......