If you think now is too early to begin handicapping Breeders’ Cup races then you’re horribly mistaken. While post positions haven’t been drawn yet, we’ve got a decent idea about which horses will be in what races. And if you’ve scanned that starting roster at all, you know how challenging picking winners Nov. 2 & […]
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What if the last 11 winners of the Breeders’ Cup Classic were to meet in a race? Who would win it? That was the interesting subject for a recent podcast conducted by Jared Welch and Aaron Halterman of Racingdudes.com. According to Welch, this hypothetical race was to be based on each horse’s winning BC […]
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Here’s a friendly heads-up about an exciting wagering opportunity that might be on the horizon. Then again, it might not. ‘Warned’ is better than ‘caught-napping,’ especially when it’s a chance to play for a multi-million-dollar pot. At this writing, Santa Anita’s Rainbow Six Jackpot is $512,056. If there isn’t a single winning ticket engineered in […]
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According to bettors participating in pool two of the Breeders’ Cup Classic Future Wager, Accelerate is the one to beat in the Grade I, $6 million Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3. Trained by John Sadler, Accelerate was the 3-1 favorite in the second BC Classic future pool that closed last Sunday. Interestingly, the […]
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Don’t look now but Breeders’ Cup is approaching faster than Winx in the stretch. Those two wonderful watch-and-wager days are less than a month away. That means now is the time to make like a squirrel and gather nuts. Not actual nuts. We’re talking Breeders’ Cup notes, gems, tidbits. They’ll come in handy in less […]
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It certainly was fitting that a grandson of Awesome Again won the Awesome Again Stakes. That’s what happened last Saturday at Santa Anita when Accelerate proved a punctual favorite for owner Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler. Accelerate wowed observers with his record 12 1/4-length victory in Del Mar’s Pacific Classic on Aug. 18, but […]
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Last Saturday at Parx near Philadelphia, McKinzie won the 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby while making his first start since March 10. He thus became Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s latest 3-year-old to win a race worth $1 million or more during the second half of the year after not competing in any of the […]
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An old friend returns Friday. Haven’t seen him in years. Hear he’s a bit different now. Changed his name. Dropped some weight. Even had some ‘work’ done. I’m sure I’ll recognize him, though. We spent winter Saturday afternoons together for several years. Hunkered down in the basement playing the horses. Winning. Losing. Cursing. Cheering. You […]
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Saturday, the circus comes to town and I’m going. I’m as excited as a 10-year-old, too. Barnum & Bailey in Bensalem, PA. Sort of. It’s not the real circus, of course. After 146 years that show’s been cancelled. But it’s close because it includes a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows. Plus, […]
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The 2018 Horse of the Year is going to be either Justify or Accelerate. This is indicated by the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll this week in which these two horses received 39 of the 41 first-place votes. Justify received 30 first-place votes this week, compared to 9 for Accelerate. However, because the NTRA Top Thoroughbred […]
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Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s record in the Del Mar Futurity is ridiculous. Baffert on Monday won the Grade I race for the 14th time when 8-5 Game Runner came from off the pace and ran down 7-1 pacesetter Rowayton to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths. Roadster, also conditioned by Baffert, finished third in […]
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Saturday, in the Travers, my exotics hopes were pinned on Mendelssohn at 13-1 and Bravazo at 10-1. Both ran well to finish second and third, respectively. Heavily favored Good Magic occupied a mere defensive position on my tickets. I didn’t ‘like’ him to go a mile and one-quarter but respected his ability and wasn’t about […]
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There is a new favorite at Las Vegas’ Wynn Race & Sports Book for the Grade I, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3. Going into last Saturday’s Grade I, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Good Magic had been the Wynn’s 9-2 BC Classic favorite. However, he was a no-show […]
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The past weekend was entertaining. Please, permit me to share. Breeders’ Cup will return to Santa Anita in 2019, to Keeneland in 2020 and down San Diego way in 2021. Fine by me. In fact, if BC suits ever decide to play ‘em all in SoCal I’ll be happy. I know, the circus has to […]
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Accelerate decimated them. Sitting a close-up third early in Del Mar’s $1 million Pacific Classic last Saturday, Accelerate took command going into the far turn and quickly widened on the bend. After boasting an eight-length lead with a furlong to go, he continued to increase his advantage in the Grade I event while coming down […]
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