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I have played in maybe a half dozen handicapping contests in my life, but this weekend I am going to take a shot in the Keeneland NHC qualifier. Entry fee is $150, plus $50 to join the NHC tour (which makes me eligible for the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Contest in Las Vegas if I can finish in the top three.) I am going to split ...

Greetings from St. Petersburg, Florida, where after one huge meal and two entertaining NFL games, I am ready to tackle the weekend cards. Aqueduct Race 7, Friday Maiden 2yo fillies    5.5f    dirt My eyes will be on first-time starter 1 Lady Banks. This Successfil Appeal filly made a positive ...

Evaluating young sires is one of my favorite studies, both for my bloodstock work with Thomas Herding Technique (THT) and my handicapping.  Recognizing trends early is a path to value. The earlier you make an accurate read, the better. As evidence mounts, the public gradually catches on. One of this year's more ...

I admit it is dangerous and almost counterproductive to form opinions on a race weeks or months in advance, but I make two exceptions to that rule -- the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup. The leadup to the Derby is horse racing's greatest journey. The most exciting two minutes in sports is preceded by a minimum two months ...

Godolphin Racing's Fortify, who has raced without Lasix in all three of his career starts, could be the only horse in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) who won't be racing ''Lasix off'' on championship day. The Breeders' Cup will not allow any two-year-olds to race on the anti-bleeding medication at this year's event, which will take place ...

The $300,000 Hawthorne Derby (G3) on Saturday drew a field of 12, plus two also-eligibles to the south side of Chicago. Carded as Hawthorne's 8th race, post time is 6:40 ET. 1 Film Shot is out of the great turf mare Film Maker. Grade 3-placed, he doesn't quite have his dam's class...He came through on the ...

Keeneland Fall, one of the most challenging and entertaining meets of the year, opens Friday here in Lexington. Keeneland will host nine graded stakes from Friday through Sunday, with many of them having implications for the Breeders' Cup. This week's race of the week will be the Breeders' Futurity (G1), for two-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles ...

Welcome back to everyone who took last week off. You missed the worst million-dollar race I have ever seen (the Pennsylvania Derby), and one of the best races with a four-horse field that I can remember (Questing vs. My Miss Aurelia in the Cotillion). The stakes schedule is exploding with 10 Grade 1 races at ...

Before we get into handicapping this weekend's races, I'd like to get your opinion on something. Do you care about takeout? Just to review, in the parimutuel betting system, the racetrack takes a flat amount off of every dollar bet. That ''takeout'' money primarily goes to the racetrack and to fund purses. It is the house fee, ...

In an era of better training through chemistry, there are still a few trainers who do it right. That was the thought I had after studying the two-year-old races run during the final week of the Saratoga meeting with Kerry Thomas of the Thomas Herding Technique. Having spent the last two days watching hours of pan and ...