This week’s Cross Country Pick 5 truly makes the East Coast and Midwest rounds, hitting four tracks with an all-stakes sequence culminating in a wide-open Ohio Derby. Along with that second of two races from JACK Thistledown, this week’s Cross Country Pick 5 encompasses races from Belmont Park, Monmouth Park […]
Tag: Ethereal Road
Ohio Derby Provides Derby Disappointments Redemption Opportunity
The Grade 3 Ohio Derby takes its turn in the racing spotlight at an ideal time, fitting in after the Triple Crown and before the lucrative Del Mar and Saratoga meets begin in mid-July. And it does so carrying three Kentucky Derby veterans making their first starts since that May […]
Ethereal Road, Howling Time Bypassing the Belmont Stakes
One day before post positions draw for the 154th Belmont Stakes, connections for both Ethereal Road and Howling Time said their charges won’t run the final jewel of the Triple Crown. That leaves the field for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes at eight probables. D. Wayne Lukas, Ethereal Road’s Hall of Fame […]
Ethereal Road Remains Off the Triple Crown Path — For Now
The last time we heard the name Ethereal Road mentioned was on May 6, the day before the 148th Kentucky Derby. We heard it mentioned in passing when trainer D. Wayne Lukas scratched the colt five minutes before the entry deadline. This became the Scratch Heard ‘Round the World 30 […]
Derby Aftermath: Stunned Asmussen, Preakness Probables
Still trying to process how his Kentucky Derby futility streak hit 24 races, trainer Steve Asmussen was non-committal on whether Derby runner up Epicenter would run the May 21 Preakness Stakes. The two-time Preakness winner was very committal on his level of disbelief at what transpired 50 yards from his […]
After Final Kentucky Derby Prep, the Points Are Set, but Not the Field
The gate to the 2021-22 Kentucky Derby trail came down Saturday, with Tawny Port winning the final Derby prep on the trail: the Grade 3 Lexington Stakes. That brought the Brad Cox-trained colt safely in the field with 60 points, courtesy of the 20 he earned with his one-length victory […]
It’s Time: Kentucky Derby Trail Ends Here at the Lexington Stakes
Considering what’s on the line in Saturday’s Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland, those of you who like betting horses based on their names have the perfect choice sitting there. In Due Time. This would be a fine time for In Due Time, the 3/1 second choice in the 11-colt Lexington, to win […]
Salty Kentucky Derby Prep, Ascot Winner Head Cross Country Pick 5
The last stop on the 2022 Kentucky Derby trail and a Royal Ascot winner making her season debut headline this week’s New York Racing Association Cross Country Pick 5 wager. This week’s Cross Country Pick 5 features races from Keeneland and Aqueduct. Two of the five races are stakes events. That […]
Epicenter Finishes as Final Favorite in Last KDFW Pool
With four weeks remaining until the May 7 Kentucky Derby, horseplayers stuck by Louisiana Derby winner Epicenter, making him the 9/2 favorite in the fifth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pool. That pool closed Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET, prior to the running of the final 170-point Kentucky […]
Smile Happy, Zandon Set Themselves Apart in Blue Grass Stakes
Keeneland’s stop on the Kentucky Derby trail, the Blue Grass Stakes, headlines opening weekend at the Lexington, KY. track. But this edition of Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Derby prep does so with a renewed prestige boost. Grade 1 status. The Blue Grass regained that status this year, putting it with the Santa Anita Derby, […]
Epicenter Your KDFW Favorite, Newcomer Messier Looms Large
The fifth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) pool opens on Thursday with Louisiana Derby winner Epicenter the 5/1 favorite among the 23 individual and “All Other 3-Year-Olds” (aka The Field) choices. But, a newcomer to the pool should take plenty of money. That would be Messier, who makes […]
It’s No Longer A Secret: Lukas Will Run Secret Oath in the Arkansas Derby
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Sunday he planned running standout filly Secret Oath against the boys in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby April 2 at Oaklawn Park. Lukas broke the news to retired Hall of Fame jockey and current jockey agent Gary Stevens late Saturday on Fox […]
Lukas’ Secret is Officially Out, Meet Star Sophomore Filly Secret Oath
There is a certain dangerous element to giving a Hall of Famer like D. Wayne Lukas a filly like Secret Oath, a dangerous element that went on display Saturday in the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes. The 86-year-old Lukas isn’t quite ready to retire. Not when he nearly swept Oaklawn’s two […]
At 75/1, Un Ojo Puts His One Eye on the Rebel Stakes Prize
Un Ojo lost his left eye in a pasture accident as a yearling, which partially explains how he got lost in the shuffle of Saturday’s Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. One-eyed geldings aren’t usually the bettor’s favorites, which explains how the son of the late Laoban went off […]