HorseRacing Central January 15, 2007

Horse Racing Central's Sunshine Millions Free Simulcast Handicapping Contest

Patrons at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino, Hastings Racecourse, Racebook at River Rock and Racebook at Boulevard stand to win a $500 wagering voucher simply by entering our free Sunshine Millions Simulcast Handicapping Contest on Saturday, January 27, 2007.

And if you’re an HPI Member, we’ll double the prize to a $1,000 wagering voucher!
(But you have to be an HPI Member before 9:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26th, 2007 to qualify.)

Make your selections from the eight Sunshine Millions feature races taking place at Santa Anita and Gulfstream on January 27th. The winner will be decided based on a cumulative total of points. Points are allocated so that the winner of each of the eight races receives 5 points; 3 points for second place; 1 point for third place.

At the end of the day, the results are tallied for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in all eight designated races and the entrant with the most points wins.

Contest Entry Ballots will be available beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, January 25th from Guest Services. The contest closes 15 minutes before the first Sunshine Millions race on Saturday, January 27th.

A qualified entrant must be 19 years or older. Contest details are available at Guest Services.

CLICK HERE ON JAN 25TH TO ENTER CONTEST!
This form will expire at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, January 26, 2007.

CLICK HERE TO READ CONTEST CONDITIONS

BIG RACES, BIG SCREENS, BIG MONEY

We’ve already pointed out how simulcast viewers at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino, Hastings Racecourse, Racebook at River Rock and the Racebook at Boulevard can enjoy the action of the Sunshine Millions Handicapping Contest on Saturday, January 27th.

Expert analyst Mike Heads has another point he wants to make: The Contest aside, the best Florida and California thoroughbreds will be battling it out for $3.6 million in purse money over the eight designated races at Santa Anita and Gulfstream (four at each track) and with the large fields, it gives the punter a great chance to make big money.

“The races can be tricky to handicap,” says Heads, “but if you can catch a Trifecta or Superfecta on Sunshine Millions Day, the payoffs could be staggering.”

CLICK HERE FOR HASTINGS SIMULCAST SCHEDULE

CLICK HERE FOR FRASER DOWNS SIMULCAST SCHEDULE

PLACE PICK ALL

With common pool wagering now established with Santa Anita in California, horse players in British Columbia can enjoy all of the exotic betting features available in California, including the popular “Place Pick All”.

Talk about exciting ... the wager is a little easier than a Pick 6 in that your horse doesn't have to win to stay alive. Your horse has to finish first OR second to remain in the running for the jackpot prize. Wagers must be placed before the running of the 1st race and the entire pool will be paid to those selecting the most 1st or 2nd-place finishers.

You snooze, you lose, though, if you don’t get your wager down before the running of the opening race on the card.

MEET DAVID ALDRED

In August of 2006, Australian David Aldred’s options were plentiful. People were tugging at him from all directions to commit himself to long-term agreements.

The TOTE Tasmania state-wide radio network offered him a three-year contract extension where he’d been the CEO and State Manager. His responsibilities included overseeing the racing industry's four radio stations and eight satellite stations together with media relationships, managing Tasmanian race club and racing association relationships, race club events and major races, corporate partnerships with Sky Channel Television, Radio Sport 927, local and national media and the management of the company's internet site.

Following a banner 2006 Inter Dominion Championship in Tasmania, Harness Racing SA (South Australia) offered Aldred a CEO contract to run the 2007 Inter Dominion in Adelaide. ”I had a number of goals in racing and one was to work in another country,” Aldred says. “I had a couple of destinations in mind and when this one came up the timing just seemed right.”

Aldred, who turned 48 earlier this month, arrived with his wife Debra in mid-August last year in the dual role as executive director of both the B.C. Standard Association and B.C. Standardbred Breeders Society.

“It was a challenge that I was eager to accept,” Aldred says. “I’ve always been one to think positively and confidently and I am confident the racing industry in British Columbia is moving forward.”

Aldred’s philosophy is that when all parties pull together the eventual goals will be achieved through dedicated teamwork. “The best revenue flow is from the live betting handle,” he says. “Everything else will grow from that: better breeding, better results at Yearling sales ... survival revolves around the very spectacle of the sport.”

Aldred has been recognized with many career awards in the fields of management, tourism, journalism and administration. Watch for his bi-monthly standardbred racing column in The Now newspaper.

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

The three winners from this past summer’s Hastings Racecourse Qualifying Tournament for the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championships are in Las Vegas during the last weekend of January vying for a piece of $800,000 in prize money.

Darrell Bauder, Susan Milburn and Mike Brady were the top three finishers out of a field of 150 in the Hastings segment last August. Hastings Racecourse GM Michael Mackey and Director of Operations Raj Mutti pledged that if one of the local qualifiers finished first in the Vegas national championship competition, that person will be awarded a special bonus prize of $100,000. Rest assured, this would be one case where not everything that happens in Vegas would stay in Vegas.

THE LONG & THE SHORT OF IT:

As strange as it might sound, some extremely handsome prices often crop up on sprinters that have lost a battle on the pace and are stretching out to go a longer distance.

Here’s the theory: if a horse loses a pace duel after encountering quick early fractions in a sprint, he can often be a major factor going long if he happens to be a solo leader through the opening stages of a mile or mile-and-sixteenth race. It is a proven fact that pace horses tend to become quite brave when they are loose on the lead. Excellent gate speed is a major asset in longer races because they can outrun the opposition to the first turn and settle into a comfortable stride for the opening half-mile.

Without being pressured in the early going, many talented sprinters traveling the added distance will just keep on running all the way to the winner’s circle. It might take some astute handicapping but in the end, it will be time well invested.

ASK THE HANDICAPPER

This will be a new addition to Horse Racing Central, your questions can be emailed to Mike Heads at mheads@hastingsracecourse.com, if your question is chosen you will win a lunch for 2 at Hastings Racecourse or Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino. On to our first question for Mike:

Why are turf horses doing so well on the poly or cushion tracks?

According to analyst Mike Heads, turf horses rely on settling into a not-too-stressful gallop early which provides them with the energy to click into high gear later in the race. When running on a dirt track in the past, these turf horses would become uncomfortable with debris being kicked back at them and hitting them in the face. It wasn’t something they became accustomed to while running on turf. The new poly and cushion tracks provide more of a grass setting for the turf horses and create much more comfortable atmosphere. It results in the horse not “fighting” his rider and rating better without dirt being thrown back at him. The synthetic surfaces allow a horse to provide a strong late run.

CABM WALLET DAY AT FRASER DOWNS

You might be a BIG Winner! Beginning at noon on Sunday, January 28th, guests at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino will receive a FREE Fraser Downs CABM Wallet. Every wallet has a waging voucher in it! Some lucky winners will WIN $25, $50, $100 or $500 in wagering vouchers. One per guest. Quantities are limited, so get there early! Sponsored by Canadian Automated Bank Machines Inc.

AFTERNOON DELIGHTS

Hastings Racecourse regulars will be introduced to a unique format change in 2007 with the introduction of Friday afternoon cards in July and August.

“Over the past three seasons we’ve gone with Friday night schedules and while they’ve been very successful,” says Director of Operations Raj Mutti, “we thought a switch to Friday afternoons will provide an opportunity for us to allow for more simulcast partners. It’s possible that Florida and Nevada will be joining our California and New York simulcast network, together with the eastern tracks we already have in place.”

Four Friday matinees in July and three in August will begin at 2:25 p.m. The 2007 Hastings thoroughbred meet will feature 68 racing dates beginning Saturday, April 28 and running through to Sunday, November 4.

Five Holiday Monday cards with 1:25 p.m. starts will include Victoria Day, May 21; July 2 the day after Canada Day; BC Cup Day, August 6; Labour Day, September 3 and Thanksgiving Day, October 8.

All Saturday and Sunday dates will have 1:25 p.m. starting times. A long-time Hastings Racecourse tradition continues with live Saturday simulcast coverage of the Kentucky Derby (May 5), Preakness Stakes (May 19), Belmont Stakes (June 9) and Breeders’ Cup (October 27).

CLICK HERE FOR HASTINGS 2007 RACING CALENDAR

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