Category: Horse Racing

2020 Travers Stakes Live Stream, Odds, Post Positions, Post Time

The 2020 Travers Stakes will take place tonight live from Saratoga Springs, NY. Catch all the action here.

The 2020 Travers Stakes will take place on Saturday evening live from Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Travers will give out ‘Kentucky Derby qualifying points’, with a 100 going to the winner.

Tiz the Law is the overwhelming favorite going off at even money. Bob Baffert’s Uncle Chuck opened up at 5-2 with Country Grammer right behind him at 6-1.

Here is everything you need to know to watch the 2020 Travers Stakes from Saratoga!

2020 Travers Stakes

  • When: Saturday, Aug 8
  • Post time: 6:15 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

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Travers Stakes Odds and Lineup

1. First Line (30-1 odds)

Jockey: David Cohen

Trainer: Orlando Noda

2. Country Grammer (6-1)

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Trainer: Chad Brown

3. Uncle Chuck (5-2)

Jockey: Luis Saez

Trainer: Bob Baffert

4. Max Player (6-1)

Jockey: Joel Rosario

Trainer: Linda Rice

5. Shivaree (30-1)

Jockey: Junior Alvarado

Trainer: Ralph Nicks

6. Tiz the Law (1-1)

Jockey: Manny Franco

Trainer: Barclay Tagg

7. Caracaro (10-1)

Jockey: Javier Castellano

Trainer: Gustavo Delgado

8. South Bend (15-1)

Jockey: Jose Ortiz

Trainer: Bill Mott

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COVID-19 outbreak among jockeys leads to Del Mar canceling weekend racing

It was a matter of time before the horse racing authorities in Southern California made the call. With jockey after jockey testing positive for COVD-19, the racing had to stop. Del Mar made the prudent call Wednesday, announcing it will not race …

It was a matter of time before the horse racing authorities in Southern California made the call. With jockey after jockey testing positive for COVD-19, the racing had to stop.

Del Mar made the prudent call Wednesday, announcing it will not race this Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. And it is not only a smart move, it is the only move.

Del Mar’s Saturday card was 11 races, including the California debut of Maximum Security, the champion 3-year-old male of 2019, in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap.

Five jockeys who raced at Los Alamitos, another SoCal track, tested positive after riding there July 4. Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza has tested positive. Flavian Plat, another top jockey, has tested positive along with Umberto Rispoli, Agapito Delgadillo, and Drayden Van Dyke.

The meeting is being held without on-track customers and with a limited number of employees on-site.

 

3 star jockeys test positive for COVID-19

Jockeys Victor Espinoza, Luis Saez and Martin Garcia have tested positive for COVID-19.

Triple Crown-winning jockey Victor Espinoza and two other top jockeys tested positive for COVID-19.

Espinoza, who rode American Pharoah to racing glory in 2015, was removed from his three mounts Friday as the Del Mar meet opened in California pending the results of a COVID-19 test, agent Brian Beach said. The test, which came back later in the day, showed Espinoza as positive for COVID-19.

“Monday and Tuesday, (Victor) wasn’t feeling up to snuff,” Beach said before knowing the result of he test. “He was feeling (flu-like symptoms), sniffles, body aches, that kind of stuff.

Espinoza is the third rider who was at Los Alamitos on July 4 who has subsequently tested positive.

Martin Garcia tested positive on Wednesday, prior to riding at Indiana Grand, and Luis Saez tested positive on Friday at Keeneland in Kentucky. Both Garcia and Saez have ridden at multiple tracks in the past week-plus.

Espinoza went to a testing site in Orange County Thursday because he was told he would be able to receive a quick result, but the results were delayed due to a malfunction in testing, Beach told NBCSandiego.com.

Espinoza “found a way to get a test in San Diego County [Friday], and received a result within a few hours,” his agent said.

Saez tested positive for COVID-19 while riding at Keeneland‘s five-day summer meet. He was taken off his mounts after the second race Friday and asked to vacate the premises.

Saez had just finished second aboard in a $70,000 maiden special weight race when it was discovered that he had tested positive.

“Everybody that rode in Indiana on Wednesday we had tested yesterday before they rode,” Vince Gabbert, Keeneland’s vice president and chief operating officer, told the Bloodhorse. “As soon as we got the results back (today) and found out about the positive, he removed all of his tack and we cleaned and sanitized the area he had occupied.”

Saez ranks fifth this year by jockey earnings with more than $6 million in purses. He has 151 wins (ranking second) from 758 mounts.

In a bit of coincidence/irony, a horse named for Dr. Anthony Fauci won his first race at Keeneland on Thursday. The 2-year-old colt won by a length as the heavy favorite against 11 rivals. Fauci ran 5½ furlongs on turf in 58.65 seconds under jockey Tyler Gaffalione and paid $4.20 to win.

 

 

Watch: Horse with huge lead in race at Charles Town decides to turn for home, literally

River Crossroad RVF appeared home free in the seventh race at Charles Town Thursday. Then, the horse and race took an unexpected turn.

The “9” horse in the seventh race at Charles Town, River Crossroad RVF, had a seven-length coming out of the turn Thursday. The 9-5 second choice decided he would rather head for home, instead of running toward the finish line

River Crossroad RVF abruptly headed right and turned toward to where the dirt road leads to the stable area. Jockey Arnaldo Bocachica had to be the most surprised person at the track, including those who backed River Crossroad RVF in the 6 1/2-furlong Maiden Special Weight contest.

Talk about don’t count your cash before the race is over. This is one of the most brutal beats.

Check it out:

Race-caller Paul Espinosa Jr. explained what might have happened with the second-time starter and tried to diffuse any nefarious thoughts of espionage.

On the other hand, if you were at Delaware Park earlier this week and cashed on this horse, you might consider it your luckiest day.

 

 

When is 2020 Preakness? Rescheduled date, more

The second jewel in the Triple Crown is the third this year.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 Triple Crown racing schedule was completely changed from the order we’re all used to.

The first race to be run was the Belmont Stakes. The next — which is usually first — will be the 2020 Kentucky Derby, which will be run on September 5th.

And the last jewel will be the race that would normally be run as the second of the three in the Triple Crown: the Preakness.

The competition traditionally was held in the third Saturday in May — it was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2020 — at Pimlico Race Course, but here’s the info you need for the 2020 edition.

When is the 2020 Preakness?

It’s on Saturday, October 3.

Will fans be allowed in?

That hasn’t been announced yet. But we do know that InfieldFest 2020 was canceled.

Who might be racing in it?

That also will be announced at a later date, but you’d figure Tiz the Law — who won the 2020 Belmont Stakes — could be in it if he’s in the running for a Triple Crown. Of course, that would require him to win the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

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Watch Tiz The Law pull away for a dominant win the Belmont Stakes

Tiz The Law wins the 2020 Belmont Stakes.

For the first time since 1882, a New York-bred horse has won the biggest horse race in New York state. Tiz The Law, a heavy favorite to win the Belmont Stakes – the first leg of the 2020 Triple Crown after the coronavirus pandemic forced a change in the schedule – and jockey Manuel Franco ran a perfect race in the shortened 1 1/8 mile stakes.

At a quiet Belmont Park that had no fans in attendance, Tiz The Law took control of the race at the top of the stretch and ran away from the field, eventually winning by a margin of four lengths ahead of Dr. Post and Max Player.

The next leg of the Triple Crown will be the 2020 Kentucky Derby, which is scheduled for September 5th.

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2020 Belmont Stakes: When is post time?

How to watch the 2020 Belmont Stakes.

The Triple Crown begins on Saturday evening at Belmont Park with the 2020 Belmont Stakes. The coronavirus pandemic forced a major shift in the horse racing calendar, with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes both postponed to later in the year. 10 horses are in the field for Saturday’s race, which will take place at an empty track with no spectators in the stands. You can see the morning line odds for the Belmont Stakes here.

Post time for the 2020 Belmont Stakes is 5:42 p.m. ET.

You can watch the race on NBC, or stream the race online at NBCSports.com or via the NBC Sports app.

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When is the 2020 Kentucky Derby?

See the updated 2020 Triple Crown schedule.

The 2020 Triple Crown begins on Saturday, as the coronavirus pandemic forced a major shift in the horse racing calendar. Instead of opening with the biggest race of the year at Churchill Downs, the first leg of the Triple Crown will be a shortened edition of the Belmont Stakes, which typically is the last leg.

In order to protect the horses, the Belmont Stakes has been reduced to a 1 1/8 mile race, down from its usual 1 1/2 mile distance. For obvious public health reasons, there will be no spectators at Belmont Park, which is typically packed with a crowd of 100,000.

Here’s the current 2020 Triple Crown schedule:

June 20th: Belmont Stakes

September 5th: Kentucky Derby

October 3rd: Preakness Stakes

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No, Rafael Nadal did not retire. A horse named Nadal did.

But tennis Twitter freaked out about it for a second.

Tennis fans on Twitter understandably flipped out Thursday when the name “Nadal” was trending and connected to the word “retirement.”

Naturally, they assumed almost-34-year-old superstar Rafael Nadal was calling it quits, which isn’t an outrageous leap to make considering the Spaniard has a storied career and a variety of injuries over the years. But rest assured, tennis Twitter: Nadal, the 19-time Grand Slam champ, is not retiring (yet).

However, an unbeaten horse named Nadal was unexpectedly retired Thursday.

The 3-year-old unbeaten horse — he was trained by the legendary Bob Baffert — won all four of the races he competed in and earned more than $1 million in winnings, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. But Thursday, the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leader was diagnosed with a condylar fracture in his left front leg and immediately had surgery to put screws in the injured leg.

While that’s obviously unfortunate for the horse and those who work with it, sports fans were largely just relieved to learn Nadal the horse, not Nadal the tennis player, retired. Relax, tennis Twitter. It’s OK.

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Why the 2020 Belmont Stakes is being shortened

This makes a lot of sense.

The good news for horse racing fans: there will be a Belmont Stakes in 2020, that will take place on June 20. It’ll be the first leg of the Triple Crown instead of the last, with the Kentucky Derby taking place on Sept. 5 and the Preakness being run on Oct. 3.

The other news for racing fans: it’ll be run at 1 1/8 miles and not at its traditional 1 1/2 miles.

So why is that the case?

Check out this quote from New York Racing Association chief exec David O’Rourke, via the New York Times: “It was tough to ask developing 3-year-old horses to go that far after not racing for months.”

Remember, the Belmont is traditionally the longest race. By that time, the thoroughbreds have been through a bunch of races and are in shape. With racing venues closed around the country and world due to coronavirus, the horses may not be in the same kind of shape by June 20, and asking them to run such a long distance. It’s the same reason you can’t just start up an NBA postseason in a week or two after announcing it. The athletes need time to round in form or there will be injury risk.

Even if it’s in a strange order, at least we’re getting the Triple Crown in some form.

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