Saturday, Oaklawn, Race 10, Local Post Time 6:04pm CT The G2 Rebel Stakes , 1 and 1/16 miles, Dirt, 3YO By Robert Finnegan 85 more Kentucky Derby points are on the line in the Grade 2 Rebel, to be run at a mile and 1/16 on the main track. The morning line has this looking like a three-horse race, with Tapiture at 9-5, Strong Mandate at 2-1, Kobe's Back at 7-2, and the others all 8-1 or higher. However...
Read More
Strong Mandate could be sitting on a strong performance in the grade II Rebel Stakes this Saturday....
Read More
In what may go down as the race of the year, Saturday's Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I) will feature a rematch between Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) 1-2 finishers Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge, with two-time defending Santa Anita Handicap champion Game On Dude shooting for an unprecedented three-peat in the historic race. Who will win the showdown?...
Read More
Saturday, Aqueduct, Race 9, Local Post Time 4:17pm ET The G3 Gotham Stakes , 1 and 1/16 miles, Dirt, 3YO By Jason Perlmutter With only nine weeks remaining until the first Saturday in May, Derby fever comes to the rough and tumble neighborhood of Ozone Park, New York, home of Aqueduct Racetrack. There, 11 three-year-olds will compete in the Grade 3 $500k Gotham, and a promising son of Noble Causeway...
Read More
Samraat, Uncle Sigh, and Havana are among the box-office stars entered to race in this week's Gotham Stakes (gr. III) and Swale Stakes (gr. II). But could they be overshadowed by the supporting cast?...
Read More
It's an age-old handicapping question--what do you do when the horse you like has drawn a poor post position?...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Sunday, Santa Anita, Race 5, Local Post Time 2:30pm PT The G2 San Vicente Stakes , 7 Furlongs, Dirt, 3YO By Jason Perlmutter The Grade 2 San Vicente at Santa Anita features a field of six colts who have raced a combined 15 times in their burgeoning careers. This is the time of year when three-year-old thoroughbreds explode with regularity to career-top performances. In light of that, we will look for...
Read More
J. Keeler Johnson joins the Unlocking Winners blog and looks at Alpha's chances on the grass in the Feb. 15 Mac Diarmida Stakes....
Read More
One of the common misconceptions is that it is too early to wager on the Kentucky Derby....
Read More
Saturday, Gulfstream, Race 10, Local Post Time 5:03pm ET The G2 Holy Bull Stakes , 1 and 1/16 Miles, Dirt, 3YO By Douglas Salvatore The Holy Bull is without question the deepest Kentucky Derby prep race to date. It includes a fascinating field of eleven led by 3/1 morning line favorite Cairo Prince. • FREE TimeformUS PPs for the Holy Bull Stakes • A Special Offer on Unlimited PPs for Bloodhorse Readers...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Personally, I enjoy playing the inner meet. Horses more easily find their right conditions, and the form holds up....
Read More
Saturday Betfair Hollywood Park, Race 6, Local Post Time 3:04pm PT The G1 Hollywood Starlet Stakes , 1 and 1/16 Miles, Fillies, 2YO, Synth By Justin Finch The Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet has eight two-year-old fillies and almost as many question marks. There have been stronger editions of this race, to be sure, but this edition, the final one, stands tall in the puzzle department, and that provides some...
Read More
Sunday Betfair Hollywood Park, Race 8, Local Post Time 4:07pm PT The G1 Matriarch Stakes , 1 Mile, Fillies and Mares, 3+, Turf By Justin Finch The final Matriarch, like so many before it, will be a good one. The nine-horse field contains four Grade 1 winners and is loaded with accomplished fillies and mares. At time of writing, the forecast is that the rain that has been falling on Hollywood Park will...
Read More
Saturday Delta Downs, Race 7, Local Post Time 4:15 pm CST The G3 Delta Downs Jackpot , 1 and 1/16 Miles, 2YO, Dirt By Douglas Salvatore After many years of disappointing editions, everything finally clicked for the Delta Jackpot last year. The 2012 edition of this race was won in brilliant front-running fashion by Goldencents. He defeated a very respectable field that included Itsmyluckyday and Mylute...
Read More
Saturday Aqueduct, Race 6, Local Post Time 2:45 pm ET The Summer Secretary S ., 1 and 1/16 Miles, 3YO Fillies, Turf By Douglas Salvatore The $100,000 Summer Secretary has attracted a strong field of 13 three-year-old fillies, and the TimeformUS Pace Projector indicates that it will be run at a fast and contested early pace. • TimeformUS PPs for the Summer Secretary • A Special Offer on Unlimited PPs...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
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...
Read More
Belmont, Race 8, Local Post Time 4:34 pm ET The G3 Bold Ruler H. , 7F, Dirt, 3+ By Douglas Salvatore The TimeformUS Pace Projector indicates that this race will be run at a moderate pace that should favor horses who are projected to be on or near the early lead. This bodes very well for 9/5 morning line favorite Strapping Groom and the improving three-year-old Clearly Now, who is a far more generous...
Read More
With the release of TimeformUS Advance Breeders' Cup PPs , you can easily see which horse owns the best last-out TimeformUS speed figure in each Breeders' Cup race. We've asked TimeformUS Chief Figure Maker Craig Milkowski to describe the circumstances in which these top last-out figures were run. For Breeders’ Cup Advance Past Performances – complete with best-in-class foreign running lines and European...
Read More
