BloodHorse.com

OK, we’re here—my final blog and Preakness picks. Two years ago I gave out the winning superfecta; last year I picked the horse that finished dead last. No promises here, just my best educated guess and a fond farewell. On paper, this looks like a chalky Preakness; hopefully not as chalky as 2007 when the exacta paid $23.20 and the ...

Bittersweet is probably the best way to express my feelings on the following news: I will be leaving The Blood-Horse on May 22, just after my coverage of the Preakness. As LeBron would say, I’m taking my talents down to South Florida to begin a new business and a new chapter in my life. After 11 years of sports writing—six at a Philadelphia ...

Congratulations to Paul Reddam, Doug and Dennis O'Neill, Mario Gutierrez, and breeder Harvey Clarke on winning Derby 138. They were deserving winners, as Reddam puts a lot of money into the sport, Doug O'Neill has spent nearly two decades building a winning barn, Dennis not only has one of the sharpest eyes for horse flesh in the business but ...

I’m going to my make picks blog very simple this year: Kentucky Oaks: Summer Applause Kentucky Derby: Union Rags Kentucky Oaks I have a strong feeling on Summer Applause. Of course, I was alive in the late pick 4 going into the final leg last year singed to Joyful Victory and was counting my money before they got in the gate. We all know ...

By definition, a longshot is considered ''a betting interest that is unlikely to win.'' But when you're playing exacta, trifectas, and superfectas in horse racing, a longshot doesn't have to win, he just needs to finish two through four to help you to cash your ticket. For the Kentucky Derby especially, because the pools are so immense, all ...

It's a wide-open Kentucky Derby 138 folks. You can make a legitimate case for more than half the field. Here's an analysis of the pros and cons for each of the top 20 horses, pre-final works and post positions of course. Alpha Why he can win: He's earned 100+ Bris speed ratings in his last three starts. He has the right running style, which we ...

Between injuries, workouts, the final Derby preps (if you want to call them that), and other happenings, not unexpectedly there was an overload of Derby news last week. Though it didn’t go unnoticed, there was one potentially major story that probably did not receive the attention that it deserved. Last Saturday, the connections of Trinniberg ...

Going into the final two major preps last weekend, there were arguably five top Kentucky Derby contenders (Creative Cause, Gemologist, Hansen, I’ll Have Another, and Union Rags) with similar credentials. Had nothing major happened in the Arkansas Derby or Blue Grass, the picture at the top was going to be fairly clear on May 5. But, oh boy, ...

  The final round of the Kentucky Derby preps are upon us. After Saturday, let the games, and the hype, begin.Blue Grass Stakes This is the race where we find out what Hansen is all about. With so much early speed in here, he will get the perfect opportunity to rate, not just off of one pacesetter but possibly several. If he can, and then ...

In a way, it was nice to see a little bit of order restored to the Kentucky Derby picture last weekend after a couple of major upsets the previous week. With the favorites in the Wood Memorial and Santa Anita Derby running one-two, at least we have some semblance of who the top betting choices will be going into the first Saturday in May. ...