Between The Hedges: On post times

by NYRA Press Office

The following is the fourth edition of a bi-weekly series entitled Between The Hedges, a column penned by Joe Longo, NYRA General Manager of Content Services, examining certain areas of interest within the landscape of the thoroughbred racing industry. Send your questions for Between The Hedges to [email protected].

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Determining post time - the time at which a race is scheduled to start and entrants must be at their starting positions – is a complex calculation with a number of variables for New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) tracks.

There is a general notion that tracks blindly create post times and do so without coordinating with other tracks. But most tracks do work together.

Consider the extensive race dates offered across North America. In 2019, approximately 36,000 races were contested across 4,300 race days, with the summer months being the busiest.

Adding to the post time conundrum is the amount of daylight at different times of the calendar and the fact that NYRA runs year long. Sunset in New York is generally the earliest in December – at roughly 4:28 p.m. – and peaks at about 8:30 p.m. in June and July. Hence, necessitating different post times for NYRA tracks depending on the time of the year. NYRA attempts to conclude each race day within 30 minutes of sunset in the winter, both because of dusk settling earlier and to accommodate races offered by West Coast tracks. 

There is a prime signal based on which track handles the most at each point during the year. NYRA almost always hits the board in terms of the top-three handling tracks, and during the Belmont meets and especially at Saratoga, NYRA sets the market and send out our post times in advance. Most tracks will react to NYRA’s times, and the company works closely with Keeneland in the spring and the fall to provide race-day updates and ensure separation.

Another wrinkle to creating post times is ensuring coordination with the broadcasting schedule, which produces more than 800 hours of programming year round. Post times have to work within television windows and track partners for the duration of the programming. Dependent upon the time of year, NYRA works with Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, Woodbine Racetrack, Monmouth Park, Churchill Downs, Fair Grounds Race Course, Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park, and others. 

Time required between races is another consideration. At Aqueduct, NYRA can comfortably run 28 minutes between races. Once racing moves to Belmont and Saratoga, additional time between races is required, given the layout of the facility and proximity of the jockeys room, as well as to accommodate post-race interviews with winning connections. The post times must work in concert with our wagering menu to give a little extra time for Pick Ns and also on marquee days with a large on-track crowd. 

Once post times are created, they are circulated to an internal group consisting of representatives from NYRA’s racing office, mutuels, and television departments for approval before being circulated to our simulcast partners.

NYRA’s mutuels team compares our post times to several other tracks once an overnight is produced and identifies any adjustments that will need to be put out on race day morning. Our internal efforts are complemented by the external review of Equibase. A number of tracks communicate any changes to an Equibase scheduling team that then suggest changes to the others in order to avoid any overlap. 

So, does it work? 

Yes, for the most part. A review of 2019 off times (pre-pandemic) compared to any races within 5 minutes of NYRA races on either side of the off time yielded the following:

Aqueduct’s meets (winter, spring, and fall) had 69 of its races (8%) run within 5 minutes of others. A total of 229 races from other tracks fell within this window.

Belmont meets (spring/summer, fall) had 99 of its races (13%) run within 5 minutes of others. A total of 409 races from other tracks fell within this window.

Saratoga had 68 of its races (17%) run within 5 minutes of others. A total of 253 races from other tracks fell within this window. 

The results support that the increased racing during the warmer months makes it more difficult for tracks to avoid each other given the volume of races.

While it is not an apples-to-apples comparison, in that NYRA did not run every day of the year, there were just 891 races out of 36,000 in 2019 that were run within five minutes of any NYRA races. That is only two percent.

The takeaway? Trust the process. A lot of work goes into NYRA’s post times and the entire industry benefits when scheduled properly.

Send your questions for Between The Hedges to [email protected]. 

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Haas earns NHC seat with Gotham Challenge win

Tim Haas led a strong field of 40 veteran horseplayers by building his bankroll to $13,875 to secure victory in the NYRA Bets $3,000 Gotham Challenge and earn a seat to the 2022 National Horseplayers Championship [NHC].

The Gotham Challenge, held on March 6, was the first of six NYRA Bets live-money handicapping challenges in 2021 featuring a $3,000 buy-in [$2,000 bankroll / $1,000 prize pool] with each event offering cash prizes, a seat in another 2021 $3,000 NYRA Bets contest and two 2022 NHC seats.

In victory, the 37-year-old Manhattan-based attorney took the $9,275 winner’s share of the prize pool and guaranteed his spot in the 2022 NHC set for January 28-30 at Bally’s in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Runner-up Vincent Depalo of Malverne, New York, compiled a bankroll of $11,472.50 to secure $4,505 in prize money and a seat in the 2022 NHC, while Nicholas Fazzolari of Colts Neck, New Jersey finished third with $11,302.50, good for $3,445 in prize money and a seat to an upcoming $3,000 NYRA Bets Challenge event.

Haas grew up in the Bay Area of California and moved to New York four years ago. An intercollegiate baseball player, Haas was a left-handed pitcher at the University of California, San Diego before transferring to the University of Rochester. He completed his degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

While work has allowed him to travel, including a stint as a judicial law clerk in the Virgin Islands, Haas said he always kept a keen eye on horse racing.

"I always followed the big races but in college I got really into going to Del Mar and really fell in love with it," said Haas. "At law school, I had a friend from Louisville and we started going to the Kentucky Derby each year. I've been to the Derby seven times now.

“The first one was Mine That Bird in 2009. We were in the infield and I didn't see much,” continued Haas. “It was a lot of fun, but every trip since that has been better. I love the party aspect of it but being able to actually see the race is much better."

In 2012, Haas was following the Triple Crown trail with a focus on the Doug O'Neill-trained I'll Have Another.

"I bet on I'll Have Another in the Santa Anita Derby when he beat Creative Cause, but I forgot about him in the Derby that year because of how well Bodemeister was doing going into the race," recalled Haas.

Sent to post at odds of 15-1 under Mario Gutierrez, Reddam Racing’s I'll Have Another tracked in fourth as Grade 1 Arkansas Derby-winner Bodemeister set a blistering pace. I’ll Have Another moved into second at the stretch call and went on to win by 1 1/2-lengths.

"Later that night, we were at the Galt House hotel and I got into the elevator with a few of my friends. The elevator stopped at a floor and guy walked in and told us his horse had just won the Derby," recalled Haas.

One of Haas' friends, incredulous at the 15-1 upset selection, asked the man, "How'd you pick that one?"

"It turned out, he wasn't a bettor - it was Paul Reddam. Literally, the horse he owned had just won the Derby," said Haas, with a laugh.

Haas started to focus on playing tournaments when he moved to New York.

"The first live money tournament I went to was the 2018 Gotham Challenge," said Haas. "I won my way into that tournament from a Daily Racing Form feeder tournament. I didn't really know what I was doing at that point. It was the first time I'd played in a live money tournament."

Making the transition from playing the traditional $2 win/place tournament format to a live-money challenge requires a different mindset. Haas said he was able to use the NYRA $300 weekly challenge events to gain experience.

"It can be a tough transition," said Haas. "But as COVID hit, I had all this time and that's when I started trying and doing well in the NYRA challenges. I never won one but I got a feel for it and finished top-seven a few times and cashed out on a few.”

Haas said he uses a variety of handicapping tools.

"I like to play win bets and exactas. I generally study past performances and use all different kinds from Daily Racing Form to Brisnet," said Haas. "I also use Stats Race Lens a lot, especially when you have the time to research everything when it comes to juvenile races and maiden races. It lets you look into how the dam's other runners have done in situations, but it takes a little more effort time wise."

Haas saved his best for last on the 10-race Gotham Day card.

In the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap [Race 7], Haas had decided he wanted to bet an exacta of a speed horse over the deep-closing Wendell Fong.

He narrowed his speed selection down to either the 7-2 Chateau or 15-1 Happy Farm and ended up choosing the latter.

Chateau broke sharply under Kendrick Carmouche and gained the preferred pole position easily putting away Happy Farm after a sharp quarter-mile in 22.81 seconds. Haas watched in vain as Chateau drew off from the field and Wendell Fong launched his patented late run to gain second and complete a $1 exacta that returned $21.60.

"It was one of those races where as soon as it started and Chateau got the lead, you know it's not going to work out," said Haas. "Given that I was going to use one or the other on top, that was hard to watch. So, I had to tell myself not to let it get to me."

 A flutter on Gone Glimmering, last-of-8 at 6-1 in the $125,000 Heavenly Prize [Race 8], provided no joy.

Fortunately for Haas, he had a strong opinion in the one-turn mile Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, which offered 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

Trainer Chad Brown had two top contenders for Klaravich Stables in Highly Motivated and Crowded Trade. Highly Motivated was the 8-5 morning line choice racing off a four-month layoff from a score in the 6 1/2-furlong Nyquist at Keeneland, while Crowded Trade was assessed at 9-2 on the morning line off a January maiden win at the Big A.

Capo Kane was another who caught Haas' eye having won the one-mile Jerome on New Year's Day at the Big A ahead of third in the nine-furlong Withers. But, it was the Canadian-bred Weyburn, a third-out Aqueduct maiden winner trained by Jimmy Jerkens to be piloted by Trevor McCarthy, that would turn the day around for Haas.

"Weyburn had a few races under his belt and he showed speed going seven furlongs," said Haas. "Sometimes, the value in these Derby prep races can be found with horses that have race experience as opposed to just one flashy win. I thought he had a good chance to improve and would be undervalued."

Ultimately, Haas decided that he would rely on finding value in horses that had Big A experience.

"Highly Motivated had not yet raced at Aqueduct and was coming off a long layoff going into it. Weyburn was 20-1 on the morning line and he got under bet,” said Haas. “I saw the value in Crowded Trade and he was hovering at 9-1 before dropping down in odds.”

Haas played a $50 exacta box with Weyburn, Crowded Trade and Capo Kane for a total cost of $300. He also played $500 to win on Crowded Trade, who went off at 5-1.

Weyburn, off at 46-1, attended the pace in second as West Coast-based Freedom Fighter led the field through three-quarters in 1:12.85. Crowded Trade battled to the lead at the stretch call outside of Weyburn and the duo fought gamely to the wire with a resurgent Weyburn winning by a nose.

"I went all in on that race," said Haas. "So, coming down the stretch, I knew I had the exacta either way but mentally I was thinking I wanted Crowded Trade to win because of the win bet. It took me a second to realize that this was way better if Weyburn wins.”

And it was much better with Weyburn paying $95.50 to win on top of a $1 exacta that returned $277.50 and rocketed Haas to the top of the leaderboard.

Haas said he is looking forward to trying his luck at the NHC in Las Vegas.

 "It's awesome. It's my first time qualifying," said Haas. "I was just trying to get in the money, but now that I've made it to the NHC, it's a weight off my back. I can't wait."

NYRA Bets Handicapping Challenge entrants are able to register and compete online in all contests via NYRA Bets. The leaderboard for all of these contests is posted throughout the day on America’s Day at the Races, the acclaimed national telecast produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports.

In order to enter and play online, contestants must be registered NYRA Bets account holders. To learn more, visit www.NYRA.com/challenge.

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Bi-weekly stat pack

The bi-weekly stat pack provides a snapshot of who's hot over the past two weeks at the Big A versus year-to-date, including Top Trainer by ROI; Top Jockey by ROI; and Top Jockey and Trainer Combination by wins.

Also featured in this report is listing of the highest mutuel payouts of the past two weeks versus year-to-date, as well as a look at NYRA's bi-weekly handle, including average field size; number of race days; and daily average handle.

Through the relevant period of February 27 through March 14, trainer Rob Atras posted the third-best trainer ROI of $4.23 with nine wins from 20 starts, including a four-win day on Saturday topped by Sadie Lady’s score in the $100,000 Correction. Atras and jockey Kendrick Carmouche teamed up for four wins from eight starts to lead all trainer/jockey combinations.

Trevor McCarthy, who went 8-for-50 through the relevant period, offered the top jockey ROI of $3.09.

For a closer look, click this link.

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The Big Ticket: A $19.20 Empire 6 investment returns $29,771.20

On Gotham Day, March 6 at the Big A, a horseplayer invested $19.20 into the Empire 6 and was rewarded with a payout of $29,771.20.

The ticket went as follows: 1,4,6,7/2,3,5,6/3,5/8/3,5,8/5.

A ticket that began with its two largest spread in the opening two legs did not get off to a great start when favored Z’finale [No. 1, $6] romped to an 8 3/4-length score under Trevor McCarty for trainer Jimmy Bond in Race 5, a maiden claiming mile for state-breds. 

Using 4-of-6 horses in the $250,000 Busher Invitational paid little dividend in the second leg when 2-1 second choice Search Results [No. 3, $6.30] arrived in the nick of time to collar mutuel favorite Miss Brazil in the one-turn mile for sophomore fillies. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano engineered the half-length score for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

A contentious renewal of the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap saw Chateau [No. 3, $9.60] best a field of six with a scintillating frontrunning performance under leading rider Kendrick Carmouche. Pete’s Play Call, the 5-2 lukewarm mutuel favorite, failed to threaten from the inside post.

The fourth leg saw Godolphin homebred Lake Avenue [No. 8, $3.90] dominate by 6 3/4-lengths in the $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational as one of two singles on the ticket. With Manny Franco up for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Lake Avenue settled in fourth position before launching a four-wide move through the turn to overtake the pacesetting runner-up Portal Creek.

Bettors often talk about seeing a race well and this horseplayer had the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham nailed with his three selections completing the trifecta in reverse order of odds topped by 46-1 bomb Weyburn [No. 8, $95.50].

Trained by Jimmy Jerkens and piloted by McCarthy, the Chiefswood Stables homebred tracked the early speed of West Coast-shipper Freedom Fighter and maintained a rail-riding position into the stretch run. While 5-1 shot Crowded Trade [No. 5] had a narrow lead at the stretch call, Weyburn dug in gamely in the final sixteenth and put his nose down when it mattered. Highly Motivated [No. 3], the mutuel favorite, rallied for third.

In the final leg, the ticket came down to the single of Imperio D [No. 5, $15], who was listed at 9-2 on the morning line and drifted up to 6-1 at post time.

With Franco up for Big A winter meet leading trainer Rudy Rodriguez, Imperio D took up position in mid-pack early in the six-furlong claiming sprint. Out of the turn, Franco was weighing options behind horses and found narrow daylight between rivals in the two path. Once clear, Imperio D surged to the front and extended his advantage to 5 3/4-lengths at the wire. The Big S, the 8-5 morning-line choice, completed the exacta.

Learn more about the Empire 6 in our previous edition of NYRA Bets Notes here: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/news/between-the-hedges-a-closer-look-at-the-empire-6.

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A look back…a look ahead

Sadie Lady capped a four-win day for trainer Rob Atras with a gate-to-wire score in Saturday’s $100,000 Correction, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares on the main track paying $13. Read the full recap here: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/news/sadie-lady-has-just-enough-left-in-tank-to-wire-correction-field

On Sunday, Excellent Timing won big for new connections off the private purchase with a front-running romp in the $100,000 Damon Runyon, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-bred sophomores. He returned $3.30 as the odds-on choice. Read the full recap here: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/news/excellent-timing-puts-on-a-show-in-damon-runyon

Next weekend offers a pair of stakes at the Big A with the 28th running of the $100,000 Cicada, a six-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies on Saturday. The sixth renewal of the $100,000 Haynesfield, a one-turn mile for state-breds 4-years-old and up will highlight Sunday’s stakes action.

For FREE TimeformUS analysis and selections for races from Aqueduct Racetrack, visit: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/timeformus/.

FREE daily NYRA selections are available from analysts Andy Serling and Anthony Stabile. Watch Serling and Stabile discuss the card each live race day from The Big A on Talking Horses: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/talking-horses/.

Check out NYRA Notes for insights into recent races and the inside scoop on contenders for upcoming events with quotes from the connections: https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/news/notes.

Aqueduct winter meet Week 13 stakes probables

Saturday, March 20

$100,000 Cicada

Probable: Exogen (Miguel Penaloza), Just Read It (Ray Handal), Leader of the Band (John Servis), Save (Tom Amoss)
Possible: Amalfi Princess (Mike Maker), Beautiful Grace (Jamie Ness), Salt Plage (Linda Rice)

Sunday, March 21

$100,000 Haynesfield

Probable: Bankit (Steve Amussen), My Boy Tate (Michelle Nevin) 

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NYRA Bets promotions

A number of promotions are on tap this month for NYRA Bets customers, including the Aqueduct/Oaklawn Park Last Race Cash Back.

Earn your bet back if your win bet loses in the last race at Aqueduct or Oaklawn. Here's how:

-       Bet a $10 win bet on the last race at Aqueduct and/or Oaklawn

-       If your bet finishes second in either or both races $10 for each race!

Customer must bet a $10 win bet on the last race at Aqueduct and/or Oaklawn to qualify. Bonus will be placed in player account within 48 hours of race day. Customer must be in good standing to receive the bonus. Bonus capped at $20 per player per day ($10 bonus per track).

Promotion Dates: March 21, 28

For more info, visit https://www.nyrabets.com/#promo-calendar.