Hall of Famer Asmussen Earns Top Prize of $50,000 Preakness Weekend

McCarthy, Motion Top Standings as Meet Winds Down

 

BALTIMORE – Coming off a record-setting weekend highlighted by Cloud Computing’s victory in the 142nd Preakness Stakes (G1), bettors will be greeted with a jackpot carryover of $149,753 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 when live racing returns to historic Pimlico Race Course with a nine-race program Thursday.

 

First race post time is 1:10 p.m.

 

Thursday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 4-9 and includes a $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year old fillies that drew a field of nine led by 2-1 program favorite Sun Dress, runner-up in her April 20 unveiling at Keeneland.

 

Also in the sequence, Billy the Bull goes for his fourth straight victory and 14th overall in a $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up at five furlongs on turf in Race 6; and 11 were entered for a $42,000 entry-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the grass for 3-year-olds and up in Race 8.

 

The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

 

Thursday also kicks off the final weekend of the 12-day Preakness Meet at Pimlico, which wraps up with a special Memorial Day holiday program on Monday, May 29.

 

Maryland racing shifts to Laurel Park for the summer meet beginning Friday, June 9 and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 20.

 

The Maryland Jockey Club reported record attendance and handle records for both Black-Eyed Susan Day, Friday May 19 and Preakness Day, Saturday May 20. Attendance on May 19 was 50,339 and total handle was $19.895 million. Attendance on May 20 was 140,327 and total handle topped $97.1 million.

 

Hall of Famer Asmussen Earns Top Prize of $50,000 Preakness Weekend

 

Hall of Fame horseman Steve Asmussen finished with 38 points to earn a $50,000 bonus from a total pool of $100,000 offered to trainers who run a minimum of five horses in the 15 stakes races over Preakness weekend.

 

Points were accumulated for finishing first (10 points), second (seven), third, (five), fourth (three) and having a starter (one) in the $100,000 Skipat, $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3), $150,000 Allaire DuPont Distaff (G3), $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), $300,000 Xpressbet Pimlico Special, $100,000 Hilltop, $100,000 Maker’s Mark Jim McKay Turf Sprint, $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3), $100,000 LARC Sir Barton, $200,000 Maker’s Mark Chick Lang, $1.5 million Preakness, $150,000 Stella Artois Gallorette (G3), $100,000 James W. Murphy presented by Beyond the Wire, $250,000 Longines Dixie (G2) and $100,000 The Very One.

 

Asmussen won the DuPont with Terra Promessa and the Miss Preakness with Vertical Oak, was fourth with Chanteline in the Skipat and ran Grand Candy in the Jim McKay on Friday, May 19. He was fourth with Lookin At Lee and off the board with Hence in the Preakness, fourth with Holy Boss in the Maryland Sprint, and ran Total Tap in the James Murphy and Resiliency in the Sir Barton on Saturday, May 20.

 

Finishing second with 33 points and earning $25,000 was trainer Mark Casse, whose Classic Empire was beaten a head by Cloud Computing in the Preakness. One race earlier Casse won the Dixie with World Approval.

 

Trainers Graham Motion, Todd Pletcher and Tom Proctor finished tied for third with 25 points apiece and each took home $7,666.66. Kiaran McLaughlin’s 10 points was good for sixth place and a $2,000 bonus.

 

McCarthy, Motion Top Standings as Meet Winds Down

 

Jockey Trevor McCarthy and trainer Graham Motion head into the final five days of the Preakness Meet at Pimlico leading their respective standings.

 

McCarthy, who captured Laurel’s winter-spring meet that preceded the move to Pimlico, had six wins from 42 mounts, one more than Javier Castellano and Steve Hamilton, tied at five wins apiece. Four of New York-based Castellano’s wins came in stakes led by Cloud Computing in the Preakness. He also won the Pimlico Special with Shaman Ghost, Hilltop with Happy Mesa and the The Very One with Everything Lovely.

 

Motion’s five wins from 14 mounts led Pimlico-based Mary Eppler and Kieron Magee, each tied with four wins. In addition to Happy Mesa, Motion captured the Sir Barton with No Mo Dough.