This spring, I endured the true ups and downs of being a horseplayer, which – as anyone who has ever placed a bet on the creatures who can’t explain themselves can attest – is a true manic-depressive exercise. First, the manic. Last week, I enjoyed one of the biggest highlights […]
Tag: Jon White
Racing Veteran White Sees Plenty of Gray in this Kentucky Derby
Jon White wants you to know this Kentucky Derby prognostication stuff can get rather tricky. He once picked Point Given to win the 2001 Derby because he simply was the best horse in the field. Point Given picked the first Saturday in May that year to run the worst race […]
Breaking Down the 2022 Kentucky Derby: Chaos Theory Reigns
Welcome to Kentucky Derby 148, a.k.a. The Chaos Derby. And we’re not talking about the usual infield escapades that happen as the Derby returns to it’s pre-pandemic crowds north of 150,000. Unpredictability? Depth? A Derby where surprises almost wouldn’t be surprising? This edition of America’s most popular race has it […]
Santa Anita Derby Brings You Two of the Best Kentucky Derby Prospects
When Santa Anita Park morning line author Jon White sat down to make the morning line for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, he faced one of those conundrums every morning line writer faces from time to time. With two pretty equal horses, who does he give favorite status to? […]
Rock Your World Rolls Into Derby From an Unconventional Trail
Before April 3, Rock Your World occupied a very small world in Southern California horse racing. He was a good 3-year-old turf colt with a couple of nice grass wins under his hooves, including a solid, 2 ¼-length victory in the Listed Pasadena Stakes. But trainer John Sadler had a […]
The Derby Strike System: Does Your Horse Strike Gold or Strike Out?
That Jon White would come up with something like the Derby Strike System (DSS) makes sense when you consider its creator spent hours surreptitiously handicapping races during his high school classes. “I’d hide it from my teachers. But I’d hide it from my fellow students as well,†said White, Santa […]
White Goes Beyond Black and White Breaking Down Derby Prospects
When it comes to Kentucky Derby prospects, Jon White makes things simpler than they really are. To the author of Santa Anita Park’s morning line and a regular television presence on XBTV, breaking down Derby prospects in February begins with three elements. “You’re looking for horses who give the indication […]
Writing Santa Anita’s Morning Line Requires More than Chalk for White
By this point in his lengthy career in horse racing, which covers everything from steward to TV personality, Jon White’s skin is as tough as leather. He understands that most of you don’t understand what goes into making a racing morning line. But the saying, “Everyone’s a critic†means, well, […]