Inasmuch as the 2019 racing season now has commenced, it is time for my list of the Top 10 performances by a Thoroughbred in the United States during 2018. This marks the 15th year that I have compiled such a list for Xpressbet.com. A Thoroughbred’s performance can make my list for a variety of reasons, […]
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Every racing day Jeff Siegel offers several “Day Makers” while specifically concentrating on Santa Anita, Gulfstream Park, Golden Gate Fields, Laurel Park, and Aqueduct These are “cream of the crop” selections and offer the horse player a unique insight into the process behind the analysis. To watch this exclusive xbtv.com video presentation, click the link […]
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Below is how I am planning to fill out my official Eclipse Award ballot for 2018, with the caveat that my decisions will not become absolutely final until the entire year is over. That is why I will not be submitting my ballot until after racing this Monday (Dec. 31) is completed. TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE: […]
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In less than a month, many in the racing industry will congregate at Gulfstream Park in balmy South Florida for the third running of the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. That rich race and a new $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational will be decided on the track and turf course, respectively. The […]
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In the debate surrounding whether Accelerate or Justify should be voted a coveted gold statue as Thoroughbred racing’s 2018 Horse of the Year, count this writer squarely in Justify’s camp. He’s just the best. And here’s why… Accelerate had an outstanding season February until November. He raced 7 times, once each month, except for […]
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There is no thing as a sure thing, a reality that was reaffirmed when Audible finished second as a 1-10 favorite to 25-1 Sir Anthony in last Saturday’s Harlan’s Holiday Stakes. The Grade III Harlan’s Holiday was contested on Gulfstream Park’s sloppy main track. Audible went into the 1 1/16-mile race having won five […]
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No trainer has dominated any of this country’s current Grade I races to such an extent as Bob Baffert with his 14 Del Mar Futurity wins. He increased his total to 14 when Game Winner took this year’s renewal on Sept. 23. Game Winner would go on to capture the Grade I American Pharoah Stakes […]
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By the time Improbable is finished with fellow sophomores his name just might turn out to be the most ironic Thoroughbred handle ever. The colt is owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and Starlight Racing, same folks who owned last season’s Triple Crown winner Justify. The moniker was planted on the son of City […]
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Are you ready for 2019? You’d better be. It’s coming. Like it or not. And, as they say, ‘Time, like the subway, waits for no one.’ This past season was a good one. We had Justify, a Triple Crown winner, only the 13th in history. What’s that you say? Not a big deal? OK. […]
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Is Maximus Mischief another Smarty Jones? Smarty Jones won his first two career starts as a 2-year-old in 2003, both at Philadelphia Park, the track now known as Parx Racing. He won those races by 7 3/4 and 15 lengths. Smarty Jones then made it three for three with a victory at Aqueduct. He took […]
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If you’ve got a talented sophomore and designs on Triple Crown events, Gulfstream Park is the place to winter. Overall, Florida Derby starters have won 59 Triple Crown races, including 44 Kentucky Derbies. Gulfstream Park’s also the place to be if you’ve got a handicap horse that can bark with the big dogs–January 26 on […]
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With the return of racing to Del Mar last week, horseplayers were re-introduced to a familiar entity. No, not Trevor Denman. This one’s been around even longer than him. It’s the $2 Pick 6! Del Mar’s current $2 Pick 6 wager isn’t exactly the same as the original version first offered in the States […]
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Can you answer the following trivia question? From the first Daily Racing Form poll in 1936 and continuing on through the Eclipse Awards era that began in 1971, just one 3-year-old male champion has not been sent away as the favorite in at least one of his races at 3. Who was it? It’s […]
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VENUE: Churchill Downs on Nov. 2-3. Main Track: dirt, fast Friday and Saturday; Turf Course listed as yielding by Equibase on Friday; Turf Course listed as yielding by Equibase for Saturday’s Turf Sprint; Turf Course listed as good by Equibase for Saturday’s Filly & Mare Turf, Saturday’s Mile and Saturday’s Turf. $6 MILLION CLASSIC (NOV. […]
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This was a weird Breeders’ Cup. For me, the strangest ever. I’ve been around for all 35 of them–including in person at Hollywood Park in 1984 for the event’s maiden voyage. That sunny and 70 afternoon I stood this close to Elizabeth Taylor. Yep, that Liz Taylor. Our eyes met, briefly. Violet. Sparkling. Mesmerizing. Hers. […]
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