Tag: Mike Smith

Saratoga remains one of America's most iconic and picturesque sporting venues. It's 2022 season opens Thursday. (Image: Chelsea Durand)

Saratoga Brings Big Names, Big Money, Big Dreams to 2022 Season

The 2022 Saratoga season opens Thursday with full barns, the full attention of horseplayers around North America, and a full roster of A-list trainers, jockeys, and horses. It also opens with a full level of optimism that always follows the sport to the upstate New York hamlet. It’s the New […]

Express Train and Juan Hernandez captured the San Diego Handicap, considered a prep for Saturday's Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Express Train is the 3/1 morning-line favorite in a deep, competitive field. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

Pacific Classic Comes In With a Tide of Legitimate Contenders

There isn’t a lot of star power in this year’s Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar. What there is, however, is one of Jon White’s more challenging morning-line puzzles. Del Mar’s morning-line author, White found himself staring at one of the most competitive fields he’s faced this summer. Yes, […]

It's been a wild week for Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness Stakes morning-line favorite Medina Spirit. But the colt has no idea what controversy is. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

It’s Been A Spirited Week: Breaking Down the 2021 Preakness Stakes

Before we break down the field for the second jewel of the Triple Crown, we’ll dispense with the news everyone waited for concerning Saturday’s 146th Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Both Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit and Concert Tour passed their three pre-race drug tests, meaning they […]

Midnight Bourbon brings one of the most consistent records and running styles into Saturday's Preakness Stakes. His owner, Ron Winchell, seeks his farm's first American Classic title. (Image: Maryland Jockey Club)

Will Preakness Bettors Drink a Toast to Consistent Midnight Bourbon?

While Bob Baffert’s speed tandem of Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit and Concert Tour suck all the oxygen out of the 146th Preakness Stakes, there’s Midnight Bourbon being Midnight Bourbon. As Medina Spirit’s medication soap opera plays out and Derby passer Concert Tour captures attention as possibly only the third […]

Life Is Good led at every call for the third consecutive race. His eight-length San Felipe Stakes victory brought him 50 Kentucky Derby points and depressed futures odds. (Image: Benoit Photography)

Life Is Good Shows He’s Eight Lengths Good in San Felipe Romp

The hardest part of analyzing Life Is Good’s dismantling of Saturday’s San Felipe Stakes field at Santa Anita Park is determining what was the most impressive element of his victory. Was it the eight-length victory? The legitimate fractions of 23.63 seconds for the first quarter-mile and 46.83 for the first […]

Life Is Good won Saturday's Sham Stakes by three-quarters of a length over stablemate Medina Spirit. Kentucky Derby futures bettors rewarded Medina Spirit with an odds cut, while leaving favorite Life Is Good alone. (Image: Benoit Photo)

How Close is Too Close? Derby Futures Boards Reward Sham Stakes Runner-Up

Proving that Kentucky Derby futures boards and futures bettors view such matters through a kaleidoscope, Medina Spirit finished second in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. At 9/1, he needed a furious stretch rally to even get near race winner and fellow Bob Baffert stablemate, Life Is […]

Smooth Like Strait was the only favorite to win the five graded stakes races on Santa Anita Park's opening-day card. He nipped Storm the Court in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile. (Image: Benoit Photography)

No Crowds? No Problem as Santa Anita Park Enjoys Record Handle

With Charlatan winning Bob Baffert’s 17th Grade 1 race of 2020 headlining an 11-race, six-stakes card, Santa Anita Park set an all-time opening day handle record of $23,003,159 Saturday. That surpassed the previous record: 2018’s 11-race opening-day handle, by more than $2.51 million. And it did so without the traditional […]

Life Is Good won his debut by 9 1/2 lengths Sunday afternoon. He made enough of an impression to open at 12/1 on William Hill Nevada's Kentucky Derby Futures Board. (Image: Ernie Belmonte)

Life Is Good Certainly Proves it on William Hill Derby Futures Board

It took exactly 75-½ seconds for Life Is Good to live up to his name, throw his hoof into the Kentucky Derby futures picture, and become the latest horse rocketing up William Hill Nevada’s Kentucky Derby Futures Board. After the Into Mischief progeny destroyed an over-classed quartet of maidens by […]

One of the most underrated horses in the country, Vekoma splashed home to win the Carter Handicap by 7 1/4 lengths last month. The competition increases dramatically in Saturday's Met Mile at Belmont Park. (Image: NYRA)

Meet the Many Contenders in the Met Mile

The beauty for horseplayers and horse racing fans alike in Saturday’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Stakes, popularly known as the Met Mile, is the variety of runners meeting in the Belmont Park starting gate for a one-turn mile. Sprinters? They’re there with Vekoma, Hog Creek Hustle and Network Effect. Routers? How […]

Mike Smith, who rode Bob Baffert's Justify to the 2018 Triple Crown, once again has the confidence of the Hall of Fame trainer. Smith will ride Authentic in July's Haskell Invitational. (Image: Sean M. Haffey/Getty)

‘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 […]

Edmonton Oilers Goalie Mike Smith (white) fights Calgary Flames goalie Cam Talbot at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Image: Derek Leung/Getty)

Battle of Alberta: Talbot and Smith Throw Down in Goalie Fight (VIDEO)

It’s been a while since we saw an old-fashioned hockey line brawl including two goalies fighting. In a heated Battle of Alberta, Cam Talbot (Calgary Flames) and Mike Smith (Edmonton Oilers) were involved in fisticuffs and a classic goalie fight. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames came into Saturday’s night […]