Santa Anita Park is called the Great Race Place. And one of the greatest performances by a first-time starter ever seen there occurred in the eighth race on March 19, 2011, when Maclean’s Music was so fast that he seemed to make the palm trees sway. Yes, that’s the same Maclean’s Music whose son Cloud […]
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The third and final leg of the 2017 Triple Crown is on the horizon next Saturday, June 10 at Belmont Park and no Triple Crown will be on the line. That’s OK with this guy. Racing’s most coveted title is one of the few professional sports honors not presented annually. It’s bestowed purely on a […]
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I think it’s fair to say most racing fans are always dreaming to see a Triple Crown sweep. It is a dream that has come true only 12 times, most recently in 2015 with American Pharoah. But any chance for a 2017 Triple Crown sweep came to an end last Saturday in the 142nd running […]
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Cloud Computing’s determined stretch drive past Classic Empire in the 2017 Preakness was exciting, but not necessarily what a majority of 140,000 on-track attendees and millions of television, mobile and online viewers expected. Fans itching for a Sunday Silence/Easy Goer-type Preakness duel between Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming and reigning 2-year-old champ Classic Empire weren’t […]
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Below is one man’s humble analysis of the field for the 2017 Preakness Stakes, including post, horse, trainer, jockey and morning line odds. A suggested $2 superfecta wager ($96 total) is offered in The Bottom Line. Multiplier B. Walsh/Rosario 30-1 The Grade 3 Illinois Derby winner ships to Pimlico fresh from that Hawthorne triumph in […]
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Always Dreaming and Classic Empire brought arguably the two best resumes into the Kentucky Derby and the Derby did very little to change that belief. Both horses ran very well with Always Dreaming parlaying a perfect trip to victory and Classic Empire overcoming a brutal trip to run 4th. These are the clear cut best […]
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I was not a believer in Always Dreaming before the Kentucky Derby. But I am now. After what I saw in the Run for the Roses, I am expecting Always Dreaming to win the Preakness Stakes this Saturday. Here are my selections for the Preakness: Always Dreaming Classic Empire Lookin At Lee Conquest Mo Money […]
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Hitting the lottery is hard. We all know that. But picking the winner of the Kentucky Derby? Heck, that’s easy. All one has to do these days is go with the favorite. It does not take hours and hours and hours of studying or work. Nope. Just go with the favorite. It’s as simple as […]
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Saturday, at the conclusion of the 143rd Kentucky Derby (aka ‘The Old Man in the Slop’), the winner was as obvious as the mud on your face. Always Dreaming and jockey John Velazquez emerged from a soupy 20-horse scrum as fresh as the ‘after’ shot in a detergent commercial. They were spotless. Clean as a […]
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Below is one man’s opinion regarding this year’s wide-open Kentucky Derby, including trainers, jockeys, post positions and morning line odds. A $102 Kentucky Derby wagering strategy is suggested. The fella sometimes gets it right; sometimes, not so much. There are no guarantees except to declare that these opinions are FREE and worth twice the price. […]
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Classic Empire, the Eclipse Award-winning 2-year-old male champion of 2016 and recent winner of the Arkansas Derby in a statement of redemption after being upset in his 2017 debut, heads a competitive field assembled for this Saturday’s 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby. Also regarded as contenders in the 1 1/4-mile classic are Always Dreaming, […]
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I, like many others, was saddened by the news that trainer Lynn Whiting had died a week ago at his home in Louisville following a long illness and a recent stroke. He was 77. I first met Whiting in 1980 when I was working as a columnist and reporter for the Daily Racing Form at […]
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The Kentucky Derby will be contested on the first Saturday in May. The date is May 6. Unfortunately, that’s the only surefire, ‘can’t lose’ Derby prediction we got this year. Everything else is up for grabs. It usually is. In the hands of the racing gods. The fabulous fickle finger of fate. ‘The chance of […]
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It all began when Not This Time won the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs last Sept. 17 to earn 10 points. That was the first of the 35 races in which horses could accumulate points on the 2016-17 Road to the Kentucky Derby. The final two races were decided last Saturday, the Arkansas Derby at […]
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Classic Empire’s path to potential favoritism in the 2017 Kentucky Derby has been anything but ‘Classic.’ To review: He promptly broke maiden first out going four and one-half furlongs at Churchill Downs over a ‘sloppy’ surface. The Equibase chart footnote reports that he “…finished with a surge and kicked away.” Next out, he “rolled by […]
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