$300,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4 Highlights Empire Showcase Day

As the Belmont Park fall meeting winds down in Elmont, New York it is almost time to reflect upon the 2014 thoroughbred racing season.  It is has been a special year of racing both nationally and within the New York Racing Association.  Highlighted by the retirement of one of the game’s greatest race callers, it has also been a superb campaign for New York bred runners.  The Broman family dominated the Saratoga summer meeting with state breds, including star sprinter Artemis Agrotera. In addition, New York bred trainer Chad Brown captured the Suburban Handicap with his son of True Direction, Zivo in a last to first run.  Saturday marks the final big card designed for New York bred runners with the Empire Showcase Day.  The 11-race program promises to be action packed with solid races from start to finish. 

The plethora of stakes races are spread throughout the Saturday card, but one of the highlights of the wagering menu is the $300,000 guaranteed late Pick Four. The horizontal wager will begin with the featured Empire Classic in Race 8 and will also include the $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes over Belmont’s Widener Turf Course, as well as the extremely challenging $150,000 Hudson Handicap at six and a half furlongs over the main track.  The four-race sequence concludes with a maiden special weight turf sprint for a juicy purse of $70,000.  There certainly appears to be plenty of value to be had here, so let us take a quick look at each of the four events.

Race 8: Empire Classic Handicap:

The $300,000 feature will be run at a mile and an eighth over Belmont’s dirt course.  Saratoga Snacks is the 2-1-morning line favorite for trainer Bill Mott. This five-year old son of Tale of the Cat has been downright disappointing in his first two starts for his new barn. The past performances show troubled trips, but in review I am not so certain he really encountered much at all in terms of traffic.  In addition, the mile and an eighth distance does not seem to be the panacea for this horse.  At this point, he seems better suited for one-turn races.  I will pass on the morning line favorite in this one and look to a few runners with more value to get the Pick Four started. 

Sioux has been training as well as he has run in his two 2014 starts, but the move up in class and distance here present new challenges for the Michael Hushion runner. If he can get the mile and an eighth, he certainly appears to be one of the most talented runners in the group, but that remains a big question.  I will use Sioux, but our top choice in this one is So Lonesome for trainer Thomas Bush. This son of Awesome Again appears to be getting very good. His dominating performance in the Albany at Saratoga as well, as his versatility give this gelding a big chance at 5-1 on the morning line. I will also use Rudy Rodriguez’s Beautyinthepulpit who is 7 for 19 lifetime and 4 for 7 over this surface, Effinex who goes third off the layoff for James Jerkens, and long shot Eye Luv Lulu for conditioner Carlos Martin.

Race 9: Ticonderoga Stakes:

The second leg of the late Pick Four is the $200,000 Ticonderoga Stakes run at a mile and a sixteenth over the grass.  Four-year old filly Discreet Marq headlines this solid group. This Christophe Clement trainee faces her easiest test in well over a year coming off a sixth place effort in the Grade I First Lady Stakes at Keeneland. Clement brings her back rather quickly and she is clearly the one to beat despite not having won this year and drawing the ten-post.  While Discreet Marq is one of my favorite horses in training, I cannot single or endorse this horse at today’s short price. While she outclasses this group of New York bred runners, she simply has not run well enough lately to consider a “free square.” 

I am anticipating a quick early pace in this year’s Ticonderoga. If Discreet Marq does not fire, it very well could be a late running type that gets to the wire first.  Run to Mama, Stock Fund, and Mah Jong Madness are all interesting value plays that we will use, but our top choice will be Selenite for David Donk. Donk sends out the entry of Selenite and Chrysolite and both three-year old fillies are in with a shot. The presence of John Velazquez for the first time on Selenite is very intriguing, as well as the continued improvement shown by this daughter of Cosmonaut. I am expecting big things for her in the future. Saturday hopefully will yield a career-best run and the biggest win of her life.

Race 10: Hudson Handicap:

The third leg of the Pick Four sequence is the $150,000 Hudson Handicap. The six and a half furlong sprint is probably my favorite race on Saturday’s card.  It not only offers plenty of potential value, but also involves some strong New York bred sprinters as probable favorites.  Weekend Hideaway has been extremely impressive in sprints against fellow state breds. His two victories at this distance over the summer, as well as his natural speed make this son of Speightstown a strong contender. Big Business also returns for trainer David Jacobson, but he may want a little more ground and could possibly be a bit passed his racing prime.  Three-year old Noble Cornerstone was an extremely impressive winner in an open company allowance victory last month and will be ultra tough with a similar trip on Saturday.  Of the value horses, Moonlight Song, John’s Island, and West Hills Giant all have solid chances of securing the biggest victory of their careers if they can avoid troubled trips.

Race 11: Final Leg MSW at 6F (Inner Turf):

The final leg of the four-race sequence is probably the most predictable.  Spider Roll exits a narrow miss at Presque Isle in his debut and moves to the Steve Klesaris barn for his second start. This son of Utopia (JPN) has decent turf pedigree and meets a rather poor group for his Empire State debut. Joel Rosario sticks around to ride this one in the finale as a further signal he is likely a live runner. We will single this one to close the sequence and use long shots Disco Joey and Awesome Lute with this one in exactas.

There has been plenty of criticism of NYRA over the years, but Martin Panza and his team must be commended for the continued growth of the state bred program.