On a day where Gulfstream Park set a handle record for its Claiming Crown series of races, two-time Gulfstream Park riding champion Luis Saez captured six of the track’s 11 races on Saturday. Saez, who won the Gulfstream Park riding titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18, won five of the nine […]
Horse Racing
Which Starlet Will Reign Supreme Among These Precocious Fillies?
Bob Baffert rarely tastes defeat in the Starlet Stakes, which makes him the perfect trainer to put the crown back on Princess Noor’s head in Saturday’s Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos. To do that, Princess Noor will not only have to beat two of her Baffert stablemates in the […]
Performer, King Guillermo, Firenze Fire Make for a Smooth Cigar Mile
King Guillermo is back for the Cigar Mile, seven months after he last entered a starting gate. You’ve also got sprinting standout Firenze Fire stretching out to a mile. And your Cigar Mile favorite – Performer – makes only his second start in 11-½ months. When it comes to betting […]
Set Your Watches to Wager as Gulfstream Ends Post-Time Drag
Gulfstream Park wasted little time in between races on Wednesday, setting a novel precedent at the South Florida track in starting races as close to the listed post times as possible. On the track’s opening day, Gulfstream Park officials made a concerted effort to eliminate what’s known as “post-time drag.†[…]
Dettori Named World’s Best Jockey for the Third Consecutive Year
What’s been a given in Europe became a given throughout the world when Frankie Dettori captured the title of World’s Best Jockey for the third consecutive year in 2020. The award came from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). The award isn’t subjective. It’s based on a rider’s performances […]
Circa Sports Opens its 2021 Kentucky Derby Futures Board
The first Circa Sports 2021 Kentucky Derby Futures bet came in on favored Essential Quality at 10/1 The second came shortly thereafter. It went down on second-favorite Life Is Good – at 12/1. And with that, another Derby futures market was open for business. Circa opened its 2021 Kentucky Derby […]
Have a Grade 1 Cigar as You Handicap This Weekend’s Graded Stakes
New York’s final Grade 1 race of 2020 headlines this weekend’s bicoastal slate of graded stakes races, coming to you from Aqueduct and Southern California’s Los Alamitos. The Cigar Mile is that Grade 1 farewell from New York. The $250,000 race for 3-year-olds and up is Aqueduct’s flagship winter race. […]
Gulfstream Park Championship Meet Opens with No Fans, Rich Stakes
Gulfstream Park opens its 2020-21 Championship Meet on Wednesday without spectators, but with a stakes schedule that – aside from several stops on the Road to the Kentucky Derby – offers one of North America’s richest races. Headlining Gulfstream’s 75 stakes races – 36 graded – is the $3 million […]
You’ll See a Lasix-Free Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks in 2021
The 2021 Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks will mark the first time in the history of those prestigious races that horses may run without furosemide, better known by its brand name Lasix. The ban on the powerful anti-bleeding medication, widely employed at tracks all over the country, extends to the […]
Life Is Good’s Next Stop: The Derby Trail’s Sham Stakes
The same day that 2-year-old sensation Life Is Good became the favorite in the first Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, trainer Bob Baffert said he’s likely to run next in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Baffert told the Thoroughbred Daily News that Life Is Good will join the […]
Keepmeinmind Enters Thoughts of Kentucky Derby Future Bettors
Keepmeinmind entered the mind of bettors this past weekend when he won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. That plunged his future odds in William Hill Nevada’s latest Kentucky Derby Futures Board to 50/1 from 75/1. On the futures front, however, it’s worth keeping in mind that […]
Bing Crosby Season Meet Croons Record Handle for Del Mar
Even amid the COVID-19 pandemic that eliminated spectators for its Bing Crosby Season Fall Meet, Del Mar reported a 33% handle increase from 2019. The San Diego-area seaside track checked in with a $195.9 million handle for its five-week fall meet, a byproduct of robust fields, more races, and strong, […]
With Three Contenders, Matriarch Stakes Could Feature a Brown-Out
One of the headline attractions of Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Turf Festival is the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes. And, the Matriarch being a top-tier turf race, you know Chad Brown’s training handiwork can’t be far behind. Brown owns three Eclipse Awards as the country’s top trainer. And he owns those […]
Del Mar’s Hollywood Derby Provides a Good, Old-Fashioned Turf War
The first thing savvy racing fans notice about Saturday’s Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar is the clash between East and West horses, trainers and jockeys. If there was ever a turf war over where North America’s best turf runners reside, well, the Hollywood Derby should provide the answer. […]
Kentucky Jockey Club Provides Another Glimpse of Derby Hopefuls
The Kentucky Jockey Club was the only race Tiz the Law lost as a 2-year-old. It’s also the race that gives 2-year-olds a needed trip around two turns and horseplayers a good glimpse of what juveniles could be live come next spring’s Kentucky Derby. Along with that, Saturday’s Grade 2 […]
Derby Sire Future Wager: You Can Bet on the Derby Winner’s Dad
You can make Kentucky Derby futures bets at William Hill Nevada and – starting Thursday and running through Sunday – Churchill Downs through its first Kentucky Derby Futures Wager pool. But now, you can also wager on Kentucky Derby sires through the Kentucky Derby Sire Future Wager. That’s right. You […]
Recognizable Names, Deep Field: The Clark Stakes Has it All
Together, the $500,000 Clark Stakes field owns 22 stakes victories, 60 overall wins, and more than $12.6 million in earnings. And even in this topsy-turvy, runaway-roller coaster year, the traditional Black Friday headliner at Churchill Downs remains one of the most popular races on the late-season schedule. For the first […]
Horseplayers, Fans Give Thanks for These Strong Thanksgiving Races
Even with COVID-19 wreaking scheduling havoc among many of the country’s marquee races, the traditional Thanksgiving weekend races provide comfort-food wagering opportunities for horseplayers, and intriguing races for food coma-recovering fans to savor. Churchill Downs plays host to one of the best end-of-year races anywhere, along with another glimpse at […]
Code of Honor Seeking Salvation in Clark Stakes
He is almost certain to be overbet, based on his 3-year-old campaign. But in Friday’s Grade 1 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs, the question is, will we see the sophomore sensation Code of Honor or the jittery, junior Code of Honor? Code of Honor owns the biggest name of the […]
The Bluegrass Will Be Greener on Churchill Downs’ New Turf Course
One week after closing its turf course, Churchill Downs Racetrack announced plans to build a new $10 million turf course designed to increase the track’s durability – along with the number of turf races. Don’t expect the project to be ready anytime soon. Track officials announced that construction will begin […]