A.P. Indy, a Horse of the Year on the track and one of the all-time great sires off the track, died at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky last Friday from what was said to have been the infirmities of old age. He was 31. Lane’s End issued the following statement: “A.P. Indy passed away peacefully […]
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Relax. Take a break. Hit ‘pause.’ Your determined search to find probable Kentucky Derby in-the-money finishers is suspended. For now. This weekend there are no races with Kentucky Derby starting-gate points attached. However, don’t get too comfortable. Consider this Saturday and Sunday a mere coffee break, not a vacation. The hunt for the first four […]
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Mucho Gusto, Midnight Bisou, Maximum Security and McKinzie are ranked 1-2-3-4 in this week’s first National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll of 2020. And these four outstanding equine athletes are scheduled to clash on Feb. 29 in the richest race on the planet, the new $20 million Saudi Cup. The results for this […]
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This past weekend felt like the start of something big—the journey toward horse racing’s premier annual event: The Kentucky Derby. Granted, as the thermometer on the wall reminds, we’re a couple of months away from the first Saturday in May. However, from now until the Arkansas Derby April 11, just about every winter weekend offers […]
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“It reminded me of a lot of Winning Colors, to be honest with you.” Gary Stevens said that about Venetian Harbor during the America’s Day at the Races telecast on Fox Sports 2 last Saturday after the filly’s brilliant performance in Santa Anita’s Grade II Las Virgenes Stakes. Host Greg Wolf had a look of […]
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Making amends for his defeat as a 3-5 favorite in his final start as a 2-year-old, Tiz the Law proved a punctual 13-10 favorite in Gulfstream Park’s Grade III Holy Bull Stakes last Saturday while making his 3-year-old debut. Off his sparkling Holy Bull victory, Tiz the Law moves all the way up to the […]
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The first polls of 2020 conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) are not far away. The NTRA early each year begins disseminating a Top Thoroughbred Poll and a Top 3-Year-Old Poll. The Top Thoroughbred Poll ends on the Monday following the Breeders’ Cup. That means this year the final poll will be on […]
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Sunshine Millions is Saturday at Gulfstream Park and, while the main course isn’t served until later, first post is a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 11:40 am ET. The 12-race extravaganza begins with a 5-furlong turf maiden special weight and ends with a $16k, mile and one-sixteenth turf claiming race. Sandwiched in between, races 8-11, are rich […]
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Below is an economical early Pick 5 ticket for Saturday, January 11th at Santa Anita Park. As always the ticket is $20 or less and starts with two strong singles. Good luck! Race 1 Vastly Deep (#3, 8-5) drops in class and should sit the perfect stalking trip behind three front-runners who are at unproven […]
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Established in 1971, the Eclipse Awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in North America by Thoroughbreds and individuals. Eclipse Awards are voted on by members of the Daily Racing Form, National Thoroughbred Racing Association and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. Eclipse Awards also are bestowed to members of the media for outstanding coverage […]
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Opening day at Santa Anita each winter traditionally has been Dec. 26, the day after Christmas. But due to anticipated inclement weather, the opener was postponed to this Saturday, Dec. 28. A blockbuster 11-race card highlighted by a trio of Grade I events — the Runhappy Malibu Stakes, La Brea Stakes and American Oaks — […]
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Don’t look now, but Christmas is just five days away; the New Year only 12 and the first of nine Beat the Host competitions merely 15 sleeps from lift-off! That’s right, only 15 days until Saturday, Jan. 4, when horseplayers will attempt to strike out leadoff-hitter Jeremy Plonk in Xpressbet’s popular and profitable $50,000 Beat […]
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Last Sunday’s Grade III Springboard Mile, which was taken by Shoplifted, wrapped up the 2019 portion of the Road to the Kentucky Derby points races. The Road to the Kentucky Derby is a series of 35 races from Sept. 14 this year through April 11 next year. These races award a sliding scale of points […]
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Bob Baffert, who won five races in a single day last Saturday at Los Alamitos, graduated from the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Baffert later continued his studies at WU. “WU?” you ask? Yes, WU…Whittingham University. In the 1990s, after Baffert switched from training Quarter […]
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Is every race won by the horse whose performance was the best? Any seasoned horseplayer can tell you that certainly is not the case. There are a great many examples in which the horse who ran the best race did not win. Take, for example, the recent Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita Park on Nov. […]
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