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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While the focus at this time of the year understandably is on 3-year-olds with designs on the Kentucky Derby, it was a breathtaking victory at Santa Anita Park last Saturday by a 3-year-old filly headed to the Kentucky Oaks that had many racing enthusiasts buzzing. Irish War Cry, Irap and Gormley now head to the […]
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Having difficulty finding a horse to wager on in this year’s Kentucky Derby? Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. With just a few weeks to go until they sing “My Old Kentucky Home,” many of us still search for a Derby horse. With magnifying glasses. This season, no one stands out in this crowd. They’re […]
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Saturday, from coast-to-coast, they’re going to run a trio of venerable stakes races—the 80th Santa Anita Derby, the 93rd Wood Memorial and 93rd Blue Grass. Unfortunately, when billed as mere Triple Crown preps these gems suffer unfairly. Do yourself a favor and don’t think of them as opening acts. Warm ups. Sideline stretches. They are […]
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Following last Saturday’s victories by Always Dreaming in the Grade I Xpressbet.com Florida Derby and by Girvin in the Grade II Louisiana Derby, I now can count up the strikes for each colt. It is not until a horse has made his or her final start before the Kentucky Derby that one can determine a […]
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Below is the middle Pick 4 ticket for Gulfstream Park on Florida Derby Day, April 1st, 2017. As always, the ticket is $20 or less. Race 7: The Truth or Else (#6, 10-1) is pace dependent, but he catches a field with plenty of pace and should appreciate this seven furlong sprint. This horse appears to […]
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Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. Apollo. The 1882 Kentucky Derby winner was mentioned above 10 times. You can bet he is going to be mentioned many more times than that from now through May 6, the date of this year’s Kentucky Derby. That’s because Malagacy, who did not race as a […]
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Below is the late Pick 4 ticket for Fair Grounds on Risen Star Day, February 25th, 2017. As always, the ticket is $20 or less. Race 8: Honorable Duty (#7, 8-1) won the local prep for this and has a recency edge over many of his key rivals in this race. His victory in the Tenacious […]
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Those who went ‘gaga’ over the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show probably weren’t counting on the game’s conclusion outperforming the ‘Lady’ of the same surname. Amazingly, it did! Seems a bit foolish to hope that the second half of the 2017 Triple Crown season might rival such a finish, but we can hope. The unofficial […]
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Nyquist last year became the eighth undefeated Kentucky Derby winner. Of the 142 Kentucky Derby winners, these are the eight who emerged from the Run for the Roses with an undefeated record: 1915 Regret 1922 Morvich 1969 Majestic Prince 1977 Seattle Slew 2004 Smarty Jones 2006 Barbaro 2008 Big Brown 2016 Nyquist Will there be […]
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Yours truly loves this time of year. Each weekend, now through mid-April, we’ll enjoy heated competition between the nation’s top 3-year-olds—male and female—as connections chase Kentucky Oaks and Derby glory. Horseplayers, likewise, will pursue pari-mutuel success: weekly, in crowded prep races, and long-term, with an eventual assault on monster Oaks and Derby pools the first […]
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Below is the late Pick 4 ticket for Pegasus World Cup Day on January 28th, 2017 at Gulfstream Park. As always, the ticket is $20 or less. Race 9: Power Alert (#11, 4-1) is one of the most honest horses in training. When he gets a firm course and a decent trip, he always runs his race. […]
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Listen to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and ex-jockey turned veteran trainer Art Sherman talk, and you’d be positive that Arrogate, conditioned by the former, and California Chrome, saddled by the latter, can’t help but finish in a dead-heat Saturday in the world’s richest horse race—the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream […]
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