If we get a Kentucky Derby finish like the Haskell Stakes finish, they’ll be talking about that Derby for years to come. And after that Haskell, and the rest of July’s Derby preps, it’s a good time to see where the Derby contenders are at mid-summer – weird as that […]
Tag: Bob Baffert
Can the Jersey Shore’s Haskell Be an Authentic Playground for Baffert?
When you’re Bob Baffert and you’ve got a murderer’s row of 3-year-olds looking for marquee races to run in this coronavirus era, the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes almost seems like a gimme. And that’s the scenario Baffert seeks with 4/5 favorite Authentic in Saturday’s marquee race from Monmouth Park. Yet, […]
Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Presents Bettors High Stakes Choices
You have your cross country Pick 4s and Pick 5s, which demand you pick winners from different tracks around the country. But the latest betting novelty for horseplayers takes the Cross Country Pick 5, boosts its class, and takes it international. Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 gives bettors a swing […]
Baffert Suspended 15 Days, Horses Disqualified for Positive Drug Tests
Oaklawn Park stewards suspended Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert for 15 days and stripped two of his prize horses of victories for their positive drug tests for excessive amounts of a banned substance. The decisions came down Wednesday, two days after a hearing addressing the excessive amounts of lidocaine […]
Second Samples Come Back Positive for Two of Baffert’s Star Horses
More than a month after two of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s star horses failed post-race drug tests at Oaklawn Park, the split samples of both tests both came back positive. The “B” sample tests confirmed the initial findings that showed undefeated Charlatan and Gamine both tested positive for […]
Maximum Security Returns to Racing at Del Mar’s San Diego Handicap
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert answered the question racing fans asked throughout the spring when he announced Maximum Security returns to action July 18 at Del Mar. Baffert told the Daily Racing Form 2019’s Champion 3-year-old male will run the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap. The 1 1/16-mile race […]
McKinzie, Baffert Carry a Special Bond Into Every Race
To Bob Baffert, Saturday’s Grade 1 Met Mile at Belmont Park is more than one of the top older-horse races on Belmont Park’s summer calendar. To the Hall of Fame trainer, watching McKinzie seek history in one of the most historic races on the East Coast means more than another […]
Record-Breaking Filly Gamine Won’t Tease the Boys at the Kentucky Derby
Gamine gets her name from a French word describing a slim, elegant young woman who is perceived to be mischievous or teasing. And her dominating victory at last Saturday’s Grade 1 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park teased racing fans and media into thinking maybe she can run with the boys […]
‘Big Money Mike’ Smith Takes Authentic’s Reins for the Haskell
Mike Smith didn’t earn the nickname “Big Money Mike†for his gambling acumen, although the 54-year-old jockey has earned owners nearly $330 million over his nearly 40-year riding career. He earned the name because Smith is one of the most clutch jockeys in the world, which is why he’ll take […]
Derby Hopefuls Honor A.P., Cezanne Paint Their Way Up Futures Boards
The Santa Anita Derby did what the West Coast’s premier Kentucky Derby prep always does – put another quality front-runner in the front row of Derby hopefuls for the Sept. 5 Run for the Roses. At the same time, it provided a good time to see where the top 3-year-olds […]
Ankle Injury Takes Star Baffert Colt Charlatan Out of Belmont, Derby
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s vaunted Big Three Kentucky Derby contenders is now down to a Big One with the news that Charlatan will miss the Kentucky Derby with an ankle injury. Baffert told Paulick Report Publisher Ray Paulick the undefeated Speighstown progeny suffered “a filling in a front […]
All in a Name: Hollywood Gold Cup Turns Back the Clock at Santa Anita
The Hollywood Gold Cup gets its name back, the name it held for 76 years until 2014. It gets three-time champion: 19-year-old Lava Man, back to lead the post parade. And one of the most respected races for older horses gets an eclectic field of Grade 1 winners and placers […]
Baffert Gets an Authentic Opportunity for Santa Anita Derby Three-Peat
Even in a year where the COVID-19 pandemic pushed matters from April to June, Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby storylines begin where they usually do – in Bob Baffert’s Santa Anita Park barn. After all, where else to begin than the barn that produced nine previous Santa Anita Derby […]
Broken Bone Forces Kentucky Derby Favorite Nadal Into Retirement
Illustrating the fragile nature of today’s Thoroughbred horses, Kentucky Derby favorite Nadal broke a bone in his left front leg during a Thursday morning workout. His owner, George Bolton, said Nadal has been immediately retired. One of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s standout 3-year-olds, Nadal worked a half-mile at […]
Charlatan, a Baffert-Trained Kentucky Derby Hopeful Tests Positive for Banned Drug
Multiple published reports confirmed Tuesday that Bob Baffert’s star 3-year-old Charlatan was one of two horses from the Hall of Fame trainer’s barn testing positive for lidocaine in a post-race sample taken on Arkansas Derby Day May 2. The New York Times reported the second horse was Gamine, a filly […]
Circa Sports Opens New Kentucky Derby Futures Betting Market
Circa Sports burst on the sports betting scene last year in an audacious, aggressive manner that revealed an organization not afraid to take chances or try new things with its lines. The downtown Las Vegas property stayed true to form this week when Circa released its Kentucky Derby futures board. […]
After Three Races, Charlatan’s Breeding Rights Sold to Kentucky Farm
He has all of three races and one stakes victory under his tack. And now, Charlatan has a new home once his racing career is finished. Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Lexington, KY. announced it bought Charlatan’s breeding rights for an undisclosed amount. The announcement came less than a week […]
What Did We Learn About Major Kentucky Derby Hopefuls?
The Arkansas Derby is behind us and a work-in-progress Kentucky Derby Trail lies in front of us. With tracks around the country beginning to open again in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and Churchill Downs officials still mapping out prep races, it’s a good time to see where the […]
Deep End of Arkansas Derby Pool is Smack Dab in Second Division
With the Arkansas Derby’s split divisions, here runs the talent. The Arkansas Derby’s second division features your graded-stakes winners, your low-odds Kentucky Derby futures picks and the horses owning Derby prep victories. Here is the Arkansas Derby’s varsity division – the second division. This is where you find your Louisiana […]
Arkansas Derby’s First Division Features Charlatan — and Not Much Else
If you picture Saturday’s Arkansas Derby’s two divisions as a high school sport, the first division would be the junior varsity. And not just because it goes to post an hour and 44 minutes before the second division. With few exceptions, the first division is the JV. There’s no other […]