Keeneland enjoyed its third consecutive year of record Spring Meet handle, bringing in an all-sources handle of $219,284,979 for its just-concluded Spring Meet. That handle was the largest total in the Kentucky track’s history. The more than $219 million from the 15-day meet that ended Friday represented a 33.16% increase […]
Big ‘Cap Winner Express Train Roars Into Next Stop: The Californian
The rolling freight train that is Express Train makes another stop Saturday in Santa Anita Park’s Grade 2 Californian Stakes. That’s one of the featured events of the California track’s return to racing after a week’s planned hiatus between its Winter and Spring meets. The last time we saw Express […]
With One Stakes, this Cross Country Pick 5 Puts Handicappers to the Test
A million-dollar gelding and one of the first stakes races on Belmont Park’s Spring/Summer Meet provide two of the storylines for this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5. The weekly, multi-track, multi-race wager comes from Belmont Park and Oaklawn Park this week. While it’s light on stakes […]
Keeping it Simple With Kentucky Derby Sleeper Simplification
Lost in Friday’s Kentucky Derby news of the final California works from the former Bob Baffert/now Tim Yakteen duo of Taiba and Messier, and Zandon’s latest impressive work at Churchill Downs (1:00.40 for five furlongs) was the happenings out of Gulfstream Park, where Simplification quietly turned in a bullet five-furlong […]
Secret Oath May See the Boys Again in the Preakness Stakes
Earlier this month, trainer D. Wayne Lukas ran standout filly Secret Oath against the boys in the Arkansas Derby. And he said he may do it again in three weeks in the Preakness Stakes. Savvy fans and horseplayers may have wondered why the Hall of Fame trainer nominated Secret Oath […]
Churchill Downs Unveils Exotics Betting Menu for Derby/Oaks Weekend
An All-3-Year-Old Pick 3 and an All-Dirt, All-Stakes Pick 5 join a crowded wagering menu of bets Churchill Downs is offering for Kentucky Derby/Oaks Weekend on May 6-7. The All-3-Year-Old Pick 3 comes with an uncommon $3 minimum wager. The bet, which also comes with a 22% takeout, requires you […]
Monmouth Park Institutes Fixed Odds in Time for Opening Day
Nearly nine months to the day since it was signed into law, fixed odds wagering will finally be available to horseplayers at Monmouth Park. Bettors can partake in the new format when the New Jersey track opens its 2022 season on May 7. When the windows open that Saturday, Monmouth […]
Early Voting May Give Up His Kentucky Derby Spot, Wait for Preakness
Trainer Chad Brown said Wednesday that Early Voting will likely skip the Kentucky Derby and head straight to Baltimore for the May 21 Preakness Stakes. This, despite the fact Early Voting has the points for a starting gate berth in the May 7 Derby. This, despite the fact that Brown hedged […]
NYRA Hearing Officer Recommends Two-Year Ban for Bob Baffert
Retired Justice O. Peter Sherwood, who presided over the January hearing pitting Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert against the New York Racing Association issued a report recommending Baffert be banned from NYRA tracks for two years. That 54-page report was issued to the media on Wednesday. In it, Sherwood […]
Nevada Racebooks, Churchill Downs Inc. Reach Agreement
The three-year conflict between Churchill Downs Inc. and Nevada racebooks finally ended Tuesday when the two formerly bickering entities signed a contract that will allow Nevada horseplayers access to the entire Kentucky Derby wagering menu this year. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the deal between the Nevada Pari-Mutuel Association […]
Ward’s Decorated Duo Lead an American Invasion of Royal Ascot
Wesley Ward’s decorated duo of Golden Pal and Campanelle headline a 16-horse American contingent of nominees for this year’s Royal Ascot Group 1 races. A customary presence at the mid-June meet, Ward is one of four American trainers nominating horses to one of the eight Group 1 races. Graham Motion, […]
He’s Back: Classic Causeway Returns to Kentucky Derby Picture
Not three weeks after trainer Brian Lynch scratched Classic Causeway from the Kentucky Derby after his last-place performance in the April 2 Florida Derby, the trainer put the graded stakes-winning colt back into the Derby field. Lynch confirmed to Churchill Downs on Monday that Classic Causeway and his 66 points […]
Letruska Emerges from Apple Blossom No. 2 in Familiar Territory
This Letruska script is one we’ve seen before. After all, it bears a striking resemblance to the 2021 script for the powerful, now 6-year-old mare. Win Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park. Head to Kentucky to train for the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park. Leave no mistake who […]
Asmussen Scratches Morello from the Kentucky Derby
Trainer Steve Asmussen announced that Morello will miss the Kentucky Derby after suffering a foot injury. With Morello’s exit, Pioneer of Medina gets into the Derby field. He was next on the points ladder with 25. Trainer Todd Pletcher told TVG.com that if Pioneer of Medina handles his Monday workout […]
Canterbury Park Wants You to Take In This Low Takeout Pick 4
Canterbury Park announced it will add a “Post Time Pick 4†wager that features the lowest takeout of any North American track – 10%. To put this into perspective, the average takeout on a multi-race wager is 22%, according to TwinSpires. That means 22 cents out of every dollar bet […]
This Deep Oaklawn Handicap Provides A Handicapper’s Puzzle
The numbers tell you how competitive Saturday’s Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap is from a wagering standpoint. Because this is a race where just about everyone can win. How competitive is the anchor stakes race on Oaklawn Park’s 12-race card? Six of the eight older horses in the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn […]
Oaklawn Provides Strong Stakes Bookends for Cross Country Pick 5
A deeply talented Grade 1 for fillies and mares and a contentious Grade 3 for older males bookend this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5 wager. The all-stakes Cross Country Pick 5 features races from Oaklawn Park – the site of the aforementioned Grade 1 Apple Blossom […]
Apple Blossom Blooms With Two Champions, Four Grade 1 Winners
There are only five horses in Saturday’s Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park, a statistic that trainer Rob Atras puts into perspective for everyone. “It’s a small field, but it’s got like a Breeders’ Cup kind of feel to it,” Atras told Oaklawn Park’s Jennifer Hoyt. That’s probably the […]
Commissioners Rescind Monmouth Park’s Restrictive No-Crop Rule
The New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC) rescinded Monmouth Park’s draconian no-crop rule that was implemented for the 2021 racing season. The NJRC rescinded the rule in favor of the less-stringent House Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) guidelines. Those guidelines, called “house rules” in New Jersey, allow jockeys six strikes per […]
NYRA Plays Three with New Triple Play Pick 3 Wager
The New York Racing Association unveiled a new wager, the NYRA Triple Play, that begins at Belmont Park’s upcoming spring/summer meet. The Pick 3 wager comes with a $3 minimum and covers the final three races of Belmont Park’s Sunday cards. It also comes with a hefty 24% takeout rate. By […]