New Race Meets Starting Up Coast to Coast

by Horstradamus

posted on September 9, 2011 in General Discussion, Horse Racing, News, Other Events | No Comments >>

As the weather cools down a bit and the autumn weather slowly arrives, the major race meets of the summer are wrapping up and other tracks are getting ready to open their doors.

After another successful summer at Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Authority (NYRA) will shift the action to Belmont Park for a short 37 day fall meet.  Though the Belmont meet only lasts six weeks, it has a schedule packed with graded stakes races – 21 in all.  Highlights of the Belmont Park meet include the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Beldame, and Vosburgh Invitational.  Important Breeders’ Cup prep races are also on tap at Belmont including the Champagne Stakes for 2-year-old colts and the Jamaica Handicap, which is an important prep for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile or Breeders’ Cup Turf.

In the middle of the country, Kentucky Downs will be opening this weekend for a short six day meet featuring the $150,000 Kentucky Turf Cup and the $50,000 Kentucky Cup Ladies Turf.  While not on every racing fan’s radar, Kentucky Downs is one of the most unique tracks in North America.  Featuring an all-turf European style course, it is a great live meet you should check out if you live in the area of Franklin, Kentucky, which is around 45 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee just over the state line.  Just last year WinningPonies hit a monster pick-3 at Kentucky Downs on the day of the Kentucky Turf Cup that paid $2,250 for a $2 bet.  Be sure to check out our Kentucky Downs selections starting on September 10th.

Kentucky Downs

The Beautiful Stretch Run at Kentucky Downs

On the West Coast, racing fans in Southern California can look forward to the opening of the Fairplex meet on Friday, September 9th. Though the meeting will only include 13 race dates, the track has managed to include around a dozen listed stakes onto the racing calendar.  Highlights are the $100,000 Barretts Juvenile Stakes and the $100,000 Barretts Debutante Stakes.  Long known as a “bull ring” style track consisting of a 5/8 mile dirt oval, handicapping the races at Fairplex requires a bit of local knowledge in addition to looking at the past performances.  WinningPonies has had great historical success with the county fair circuit in California including Fairplex. One of our best showings was during last year’s meet in September when we hit a Pick-6 for $2,822.