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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Weekend horse players will enjoy – and potentially profit from – the Saturday Stakes Preview, a video presentation that examines the best races in North America featuring XBTV handicappers Jeff Siegel, Aaron Vercruysse, Milile Ball, and Zoe Cadman. A total of eight races are extensively analyzed in the segment that also includes wagering strategy and […]
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Below is the early Pick 5 ticket for September 1st, 2018 at Saratoga. As always the ticket is $20 or less. Race 1 Frolic More (#5, 6-1) has been working extremely well for his debut and trainer Dallas Stewart already connected with an impressive debut runner earlier this meet. He will look to wire the field […]
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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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One definition of ‘showstopper’ is: A performance receiving prolonged applause from the audience. Saturday, we clapped so often and for so long our palms ached. At Arlington Park, in the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes, Chad Brown-trained horses finished first, second and third. Sistercharlie (Ire), Fourstar Crook and Thais (Fr), came home less than two […]
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Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer sent out Kentucky Derby starters in 2017 and 2018 who both outran their odds. In 2017, Hollendorfer was represented by 40-1 Battle of Midway, who finished third behind Always Dreaming and Lookin At Lee. In 2018, Hollendorfer-trained Instilled Regard, virtually ignored in the wagering at 85-1, finished fourth behind […]
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Just flew home from Del Mar…and boy, are my arms tired. Rimshot!!! But seriously, folks. I just spent five days Where the Turf Meets the Surf and, I gotta tell ya, it’s Cool as Ever. Know any other marketing slogans I can squeeze into this piece? During my stay the weather was clear, sunny and […]
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Yet another important 2018 race was contested on a wet track. Accelerate won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap by 5 1/2 lengths on a sloppy track last March 10. Justify splish-splashed his way to a 2 1/2-length triumph on a sloppy surface in the Grade I Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs last May 5. […]
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Serving notice that he will have to be dealt with during the second half of 2018, Good Magic proved a punctual 1-2 favorite in last Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. According to Bob Baffert, following Justify’s 1 3/4-length victory in the Grade I Belmont Stakes on June 9, the Hall of Fame […]
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More than halfway through the 2018 Thoroughbred season, the entire picture has changed. Wonder horse Justify is stopped in his tracks. Out of the race. On ‘E’. Done. Gone. Retired. His departure abandons an assortment of rich and prestigious Grade 1 races, ripe and juicy for others to ‘carpe diem.’ Justify, apparent cinch 2018 Top […]
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I usually write about the early Pick 5 or late Pick 4, but there is a particular sequence at Del Mar that caught my eye on Saturday, July 20th. Bold Fantasy is my best bet of the day and runs in Race 6. I will start a $1 Pick 3 by singling this runner at […]
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The other shoe finally fell. It’s official. Unbeaten 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify is through racing. Done. Kaput. Retired. The unlucky 13th Triple Crown winner and earner of nearly $3.8 million will parade for fans Saturday at Del Mar, Where the Turf Meets the Surf, and then ship to Kentucky to begin a second and […]
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