Saturday's Grade 2 Fayette Stakes has a field of eight set to travel 9 furlongs over the Keeneland dirt. Although it is somewhat difficult to buy into some of the bigger prices on the ML, this does seem like the kind of race where looking for alternatives to the favorites is an advisable strategy. ...
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The Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby Parx Pacing / September 20 / Race 12 / 6:13 EDT by TimeformUS Analyst Justin Finch Get started with FREE TimeformUS PPs for the Pennsylvania Derby Nominally a Grade 2, the $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby has a Grade 1 feel this year, as well as a Grade 1 purse, and that, of course, is due to the presence of 2014 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome. California...
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Lexie Lou's tactical speed is an edge here, as the Queen's Plate lacks confirmed front-runners....
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RACE TWO (click race for PPs): Radiant (8-to-5 morning line) and Follow The Kitten (9-to-5) are expected to vie for favoritism. Both horses have obvious credentials and are dropping from the Maiden Special Weight level, where they have burnt a lot of money (no wins in five tries as the favorite between them, and neither has been worse than 5-to-1 in any of their combined 10 starts). There are two interesting...
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As I discussed in varying ways on the Hello Race Fans Derby Prep Alert and Steve Byk’s At The Races Radio Program, I don’t expect a lot of sexy results on Saturday at Oaklawn Park in terms of payoffs, but it will be fun to watch some (future) stars shine at likely low prices. That’s good news for the 82 people still alive for $1-million in the TwinSpires.com Road To The Kentucky Derby Showdown , as...
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There is no shortage of opinions regarding a horse’s performance following races on the TwinSpires.com Kentucky Derby Championship Series , and the beauty of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is that it allows bettors to put their money where their mouths are (assuming the price is right). Pool 3 is now open and closes Saturday before the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct (more on that race on Friday). For FREE...
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Rise Up has a 10 point Prime Power advantage on the field in the Risen Star....
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In discussing the Southwest Stakes (click for free Brisnet.com Ultimate PPs w/ comments ) with Steve Byk on his At The Races radio program Friday morning, I wondered whether fitness would be a factor for some entrants because of the lost training time this month at Oaklawn Park . Eleven of the dozen entrants are based at Oaklawn with the most recent works ranging from four days ago to three weeks ago...
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When playing races or carryovers at tracks I normally don’t play, I try to lean on the Ultimate Race Summary found in the Brisnet.com Ultimate Past Performances , but the El Camino Real Derby (click for FREE PPs) on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields does not afford such a luxury because there has only been one 1 1/8-mile race so far this meeting at the Bay area track. A (free!) fallback is the At A Glance...
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Monday, Oaklawn, Race 8, Local Post Time 4:38pm CT The Smarty Jones Stakes , 1 mile, Dirt, 3YO By Douglas Salvatore The TimeformUS Pace Projector indicates this year’s edition of the Smarty Jones Stakes will be run at a fast and contested pace. • TimeformUS PPs for the Smarty Jones Stakes • A Special Offer on Unlimited PPs for Bloodhorse Readers That makes #2 Whyruawesome (12/1 Morning Line) the horse...
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Are you tired of Kentucky Derby prep races that don’t soak up excitement and leave your appetite whet for more? Then you need the Sham, now! You’ll be saying “WOW!” every time you watch the replay of this race, as it is sure to be a classic pitting five maiden winners up against California fair circuit stakes winner Life Is a Joy in a battle to determine the West’s best two-year-old not named Shared...
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It's rare that I make a full (every entry) fair odds analysis for a race outside a seven-figure Grade 1 race, but I felt compelled to do so for the Jerome Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct (click for FREE Brisnet.com Ultimate PPs ) because of the presence of a clear favorite/most likely winner who doesn't have to win. In addition to the $200,000 purse, at stake in this stakes for three-year-olds is 17...
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Although wagering on horse racing with any seriousness is better viewed as one, long grind versus a day-to-day/week-to-week/month-to-month/year-to-year venture, there's just something about turning the page that makes us want to check the scoreboard. And to be honest, I'm getting blown out this year. To finish in the black for 2013 would require a comeback on par with Auburn's field goal return against...
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Aqueduct cancelled today (Wednesday, November 27), which is good news for all the other tracks running because some of the $6-million in handle Aqueduct would have done today (based on last year's Thanksgiving Eve total) will end up in other pools. That includes my money, as a $2,990 Pick 4 carryover at Portland Meadows and a five-stakes program at Zia Park featuring the $300,000 Zia Oaks & $200...
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One of my cause célèbre is to rally against the need to PICK A WINNER in important races. Any horse is capable of winning. A handicapper's job is to pick winners, but a horse player's job is to balance the chances of a win with the odds and bankroll. But it's Breeders' Cup Saturday, and just as everyone wants to know your Kentucky Derby pick, there's definitely an onus to be able to pick one horse...
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If you're a multi-race player then the most important race on Friday isn't a Breeders' Cup race but the Grade 2 Twilight Derby for three-year-olds on the turf. Carded as the fifth race of the 11-race card, the Twilight Derby ends the Pick 5, starts the Pick 6, is the third leg of the early Pick 4, is part of three rolling Pick 3s, and a pair of rolling doubles. Getting this race wrong could knock you...
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If you're playing the Stars of Tomorrow cards on Sunday at either Belmont Park or Churchill Downs then the following hyperlinked information from Brisnet.com is required for handicapping all the debut runners, surface switches, and stretch outs common among two-year-old racing: Ultimate PPs , American Produce Records (APR) Online , and Bruno With The Works . Together, they give you the clearest picture...
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Keeneland, Race 9, Local Post Time 5:23 pm ET The G2 Raven Run , 7F, Synth, 3YO Fillies By Robert Finnegan Saturday's Grade II Raven Run at Keeneland features an overflow field of three-year-old fillies running seven furlongs on the Polytrack. The morning line 7-2 favorite is the Todd Pletcher-trained Silsita. Handicappers have no choice but to take Pletcher's horses seriously whenever they enter the...
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In a rare moment of social media accord, it was mostly agreed upon that the Breeders' Cup Classic fields from either 1998 or 2004 were the best not only for the Western Hemisphere's richest race but also in the history of the North American Turf ! I'll muddy the waters a little bit and include 2009 in the discussion because of the international flavor of that event and because the most popular horse...
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One of my absolute favorite races of all time is the 2011 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes because it showed the value of speed figures--even on turf. For past performances and selections of this year's QE2 and all the races at Keeneland, visit the Blood Horse shop . The QE2 (on this side of the pond) is a 1 1/8-mile turf race for three-year-old fillies, and Winter Memories entered the 2011...
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An even money shot who you like but don't love can be a daunting part of any Pick 4 sequence. Winning 50% of the time means they lose 50% of the time, too. If you have two such horses in a sequence then it's as likely that they both lose than both win (25%, 3-to-1 either way). So how do you make money in this scenario? By letting a track's wagering menu work for you. For Past Performances of all races...
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I've lamented before about the horseplayer compulsion to pick THE winner, and nothing upsets that need more than coupled entries. The Brisnet.com Ultimate Past Performances now available for Belmont Park this weekend include program numbers and morning line to help you navigate this situation. When it comes to the pari-mutuel pool, though, you don't get extra credit for saying Real Solution will win...
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Belmont, Race 10, Local Post Time 5:49 pm ET The G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup , 1 and 1/4 Miles, 3+, Dirt By Douglas Salvatore The Jockey Club Gold Cup is unquestionably the main attraction of this year's Super Saturday card at Belmont Park. The eventual Breeders' Cup Classic winner has used the Jockey Club Gold Cup as his final prep for each of the last three years, and what makes this race all the more...
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This scene from The Simpsons came to mind when considering whether to single Wise Dan in the $200,000 guaranteed Pick 4 on Sunday at Woodbine , or go against him in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Seeing the reigning Horse of the Year win his ninth consecutive race would "please the gentleman" as the shopkeep says in the video above, but he would do so at no more than his morning line odds of 2-to-5 and maybe...
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Sunday, Woodbine, Race 10, Scheduled Post Time 5:38pm ET The G1 Woodbine Mile , Turf, 1 Mile, Three-and-up By Douglas Salvatore Even though the Woodbine Mile might be the least attractive betting race on Sunday's entire card, it will be the focus for us because of the celebrity of Wise Dan. In plain English, Wise Dan should dominate this group. In recent races, he's been victimized by heavy weight...
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