Millie Ball: It’s been three ‘works’ and about 5 inches of rain since we last spoke with Honor A.P. waiting ‘on deck’ for his next race. How is he handling it all and what challenges are you faced with in this holding pattern? John Shirreffs: Honor A.P. is handling his workout patterns with the little […]
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A pair of bullets were fired in morning workouts Wednesday (April 15) at Santa Anita. Nadal drilled five furlongs in :59.80, fastest of 65 works at the distance. Charlatan worked six furlongs in 1:12.20, fastest of 11 works at the distance. Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert recently revealed plans for Charlatan and Nadal, plus […]
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Northern California trainer Blaine Wright landed on the 2019 Triple Crown Trail after Anothertwistafate won the El Camino Real Derby. He did not earn enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, but made the trip to Baltimore to compete in the second leg, the Preakness Stakes. This year Wright is hoping for another shot […]
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Pool 4 of Churchill Downs’ Kentucky Derby Future Wager (KDFW) gives us a snapshot of how bettors currently view the picture for the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby. This year’s Run for the Roses, originally scheduled for May 2, has been moved to Sept. 5 due to the coronavirus crisis. Pool 4 of the […]
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Millie Ball: You currently train last year’s California-bred Champion Three Year Old Turf Filly, Mucho Unusual, who appears to have come back in good form in 2020. How has she been training? Tim Yakteen: She’s very sharp right now. We’ve been really happy with her since the Buena Vista (Stakes) in February. Mucho […]
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Hollywood Story with her Two-Day old Tapit Filly is pictured above! Photo Courtesy of George Krikorian’s Starwood Farm Millie Ball: John, you know Honor A. P.’s family very well. Can you touch on his mother, Hollywood Story, whom you trained and do they share any of the same qualities? John Shirreffs: Hollywood Story, Honor […]
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Millie Ball: How much do you think Honor A. P. got out of his race physically and, or mentally? John Shirreffs: Honor A. P.’s last race was really a key race for us. He hadn’t run in over 5 months and not really knowing what level of fitness we were at with him because as […]
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Millie: John, explain why you would choose to work a horse, for example Honor A. P. in company versus working him or her alone? John Shirreffs: Its like you when you train, if you’re out jogging or running or even in the gym exercising it’s always nice to have a training partner, they just […]
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Millie Ball: John, Honor A.P. worked on Sunday what is he showing you from that breeze moving forward to the Santa Anita Derby April 4th? John Shirreffs: I thought he had a really good work. Sunday’s work was about matching strides. He worked with a big horse that’s almost 17 hands, he’s a router […]
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As a California resident, I have been one of the 39 million or so in the Golden State mandated to stay at home due to the coronavirus pandemic in an order issued last Thursday by Gov. Gavin Newsom. As this health crisis wreaks more and more havoc on our lives, it’s becoming harder and harder […]
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The Kentucky Derby, this country’s most famous horse race, has been held on the first Saturday in May for decades. It had been scheduled to be run this year on May 2. But as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs has been shifted to […]
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Last week the Pasadena Stakes was won by Hariboux after a change of tactics by jockey Umberto Rispoli that saw him closer to the pace than any of his previous starts in the States. Alternatively my selection of Liar Liar got a questionable ride from Ruben Fuentes after he positioned himself farther back than any […]
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Can you imagine how long the line would be if Maximum Security were to show up in a $16,000 claiming race now? That sure would be a sight to see. The line probably would stretch for furlong after furlong. Maximum Security could have been claimed for just $16,000 at Gulfstream Park when he made his […]
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This is my first post on Xbtv.com of what I plan to make a weekly occurrence, every Saturday, handing out a top play of the day using the highly effective Ragozin Sheets. For those who do not currently use the Ragozin Sheets, I recommend them to all horseplayers who are serious about handicapping, as it […]
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Spanning the Globe Those of a certain age can recall hearing venerable sportscaster Jim McKay’s dramatic weekly voiceover, “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sports…the thrill of victory…and the agony of defeat…the human drama of athletic competition. This is ABC’s Wide World of Sports.” It’s doubtful that this weekend’s Thoroughbred events […]
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