When it comes to handicapping the Kentucky Derby, the speedy rule of thumb used to be simple. Bring your thumb down to the horses who ran at least a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, and begin your handicapping from there. That’s an easy place to start, considering 25 of the last […]
An impasse between Nevada casinos and Churchill Downs Inc. sent the state’s casinos back to booking the Kentucky Derby in-house, rather than partaking in the national pari-mutuel pools. In an agreement signed last week, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a resolution that allows the state’s casinos to book action on […]
Money Moves is in and Shirl’s Speight and Dr Post are out. Those are the latest moves shaping the Kentucky Derby field one week before the gates open for the 146th Run for the Roses. Money Moves is in, as of now. With zero Derby qualifying points, he’s in the […]
British jockey Hollie Doyle’s remarkable 2020 season can’t be considered a breakout campaign in light of her record 116 victories last year. But Saturday at Royal Windsor, Doyle broke out bigger than ever, becoming the first woman in the history of British horse racing to win five races in one […]
Do you go with the crafty veteran, Whitmore, he of the 14 wins in 35 races? Or do you forego that lukewarm favorite in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes and bet on Funny Guy? What about foregoing Funny Guy and playing betting brain games with Mind Control or Complexity? The […]
On the cusp of the 2020 Kentucky Derby, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a lower court decision validating Maximum Security’s disqualification in the 2019 Derby. In a unanimous 14-page decision handed down Friday, the three-judge appeals court upheld a November 2019 decision by a lower […]
Illustrating in vivid detail the Road to the Kentucky Derby remains perilous, connections for Caracaro scratched the horse from the Sept. 5 Derby after a Friday workout at Saratoga. Exercise rider J.J. Delgado sent the Travers Stakes runner-up on a 1:12.26 six-furlong workout Friday morning. Afterwards, Delgado told trainer Gustavo […]
There’s Math Wizard, Multiplier, Tenfold and Mr. Money, which makes Friday’s Grade 2 Charles Town Classic sound like either fifth-period math or an exercise in numbers. In their cases, it’s also an exercise in finding a heretofore elusive path to the winner’s circle. And in all but Multiplier’s case, the […]
On Kentucky Derby Saturday, horseplayers and fans get Tiz the Law, Honor A.P., Art Collector and the rest of the Derby Trail survivors. However, to steal a phrase from late-night TV – but wait, there’s more — to Derby Day than the Derby. Not only do you get prohibitive favorite […]
Earlier this spring, Venetian Harbor was the 9/2 futures book favorite to win the Kentucky Oaks. But in an example of how a September Oaks/Derby can negatively affect a horse, the 3-year-old filly will sit out next week’s Oaks. Instead, Venetian Harbor’s trainer, Richard Baltas, is setting his sights on […]
If the clash of the filly titans at the Kentucky Oaks isn’t enough to grab your attention, then consider this; this year’s card is in serious danger of upstaging Churchill Downs’ Derby Week. And that’s including the marquee event of Derby Week, the 146th Kentucky Derby. It’s OK to pay […]
For the first time in the Breeders’ Cup’s nearly 40-year history, a Triple Crown race will be part of its “Win and You’re In†Challenge Series of races. The 145th Preakness Stakes became one of 44 Challenge Series races offering spots in the Breeders’ Cup field over the next two […]
First, there’s the presence of trainer Chad Brown, who has a hammerlock on the Diana Stakes. Then, there’s one of the best non-Breeders’ Cup fields you’ll see all year. That’s how you get a race as competitive as the Grade 1 Diana Stakes, Sunday’s marquee race at Saratoga – and […]
Santa Anita Park began construction on a new turf chute that allows the track to create more turf sprint races of varying distances. The track also announced it may reinstitute sprint races on its hallmark downhill turf course, which closed in March 2019. The Southern California track announced the renovations […]
As promised, Maximum Security is back to the fray for his first Pacific Classic. But after his rocky victory in last month’s San Diego Handicap, is the standout 4-year-old truly back? Two of Maximum Security’s chief West Coast rivals, Midcourt and Higher Power, will answer part of that equation. But […]
Churchill Downs officials announced on Friday that the 146th Kentucky Derby will run without fans, doubling-back on its fervent desire to run America’s most iconic horse race with a semblance of Derby atmosphere. The decision came in the wake of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. The state reported […]
The New York Racing Association published its Aqueduct fall meet on Thursday, announcing an 18-day meet featuring 29 stakes races worth $3.41 million in purse money. Even with a reduced schedule, a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aqueduct’s stakes calendar offers bettors 11 graded stakes among those 29 stakes. Headlining […]
Unlike many of his contemporaries, trainer Wesley Ward has no problem turning his charges loose against each other. This explains why you’ll see three of his standout 2-year-olds tangle in the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga Friday afternoon. The 5 ½-furlong turf sprint features Fauci, Golden Pal, and Sunny Isle Beach […]
Even as the New York Racing Association cuts racing days in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, organization officials announced its 27-day Belmont Park fall meet. That schedule features 38 stakes races worth $5.58 million in purse money. NYRA officials announced Wednesday that they are cutting days from both the Belmont […]
Despite reducing race days for the Belmont Park fall meet and the Aqueduct winter meet, the New York Racing Association told New York state regulators it can financially operate under current conditions into the first half of 2021. The concerns about NYRA’s financial viability came because of the coronavirus pandemic, […]
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