Last week, we agreed with the masses that Bob Baffert’s dynamic duo of Improbable and Game Winner would be tough in respective divisions of the Rebel Stakes. We liked the former a bit more than the latter but figured both would win. We were a quarter–right. They were hickory, but both lost in close finishes. […]
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Below is an economical late Pick 4 ticket for March 9th, 2019 at Aqueduct on an $15 budget. Good luck to all! Race 8 Do Share (#2, 8-1) can spring an upset from off the pace in a Tom Fool Handicap loaded with speed. This gelding makes his third start off a layoff and returns to 6 furlongs, where […]
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Right Church, Wrong Pew Last week, in this space, we outlined challenges facing Hidden Scroll in the Fountain of Youth at a very short price. Unfortunately, it was a case of ‘right church, wrong pew.’ Our suggested superfecta didn’t use Honor Code in the top spot. This week, in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct, […]
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The highly anticipated confrontation between undefeated Eclipse Award winner Game Winner and undefeated Grade I winner Improbable will not be taking place this Saturday. Game Winner, who is No. 1 on my Kentucky Derby Top 10, and Improbable, ranked No. 2, were scheduled to clash in Saturday’s Grade II San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita […]
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Below is the late Pick 4 ticket for March 2nd, 2019 at Gulfstream Park on an $18 budget. Race 11 La Signare (#4, 6-1) is looking to get back to her best form after two subpar starts. If she can replicate either of her first two starts in this country, then she will win this race. The presence of […]
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Coming up later this week is the first Saturday in March. This, of course, means we are only a couple of months away from the coveted Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. For the past several weeks, I have been putting together a Kentucky Derby Top 10 list. Here is my current Top […]
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Gulfstream Park has a blockbuster Saturday card that includes 9 graded stakes races and an assortment of guaranteed wagering pools certain to make any horseplayer’s mouth water. Of course, top draw is an unusually deep, competitive Grade 1 $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes. Below, we’ve included a pair of suggested $1 Superfecta moves that […]
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Last Friday the wife wanted to know, “Are there any big races this weekend?” “Yes, honey-bunny,” I answered (we’re Pulp Fiction fans), “from now through the first weekend in November.” And that’s nearly completely true. In the roughly 2 months leading up to the Kentucky Oaks and Derby, there are ‘big’ 3-year-old races almost weekly […]
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“An undefeated racehorse has an aura of invincibility.” That phrase, written many years ago by the fabulous turf writer Charles Hatton, came to mind when I happened to notice that No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 on my Kentucky Derby Top 10 list this week are all undefeated…so far. Here is my […]
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With a trio of 3-year-old stakes races on tap Saturday it would have been reasonable to expect one of those to emerge as the afternoon’s highlight. ‘Reasonable,’ but incorrect. While the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull at Gulfstream, the Grade 3 Bob Lewis at Santa Anita, and the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct, in different […]
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City of Light’s dominating Pegasus World Cup Invitational score Saturday puts him alongside previous race winners in what ultimately could become an equine pantheon. As the third winner of the fledgling event ‘Light joins previous Pegasus champs Arrogate and Gun Runner, both considered the best active dirt horses in the world when they won the […]
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Trainer Bob Baffert has done something in the sport of Thoroughbred racing that has not received anywhere close to the attention it deserves. In fact, it has not received much attention at all. If something similar had happened in the NFL, NBA or MLB, it would be a very big deal. But in horse racing, […]
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Leverage Plays: Late Pick 4 Analysis at Gulfstream Park on Pegasus World Cup Day, January 26th, 2019
Below is the late Pick 4 ticket for January 26th, 2019 at Gulfstream Park. The $24 ticket is a touch more than I usually spend, but felt it was well worth it with a 20-1 single in the sequence. Race 9 Unbridled Juan (#9, 8-1) appears to be better than ever and loves this one mile distance. He is […]
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Below is the late Pick 4 ticket for January 26th, 2019 at Santa Anita Park. As always the ticket is $20 or less. Race 8 Smitten Kitten (#2, 5-2) did what most horses at this level fail to do; win while facing adversity. She was five wide the entire race last time out and after dropping off […]
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Below is how I am planning to fill out my official Eclipse Award ballot for 2018, with the caveat that my decisions will not become absolutely final until the entire year is over. That is why I will not be submitting my ballot until after racing this Monday (Dec. 31) is completed. TWO-YEAR-OLD MALE: […]
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