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 […]
Read moreThe 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 […]
Read moreAccelerate 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 […]
Read moreOne 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 […]
Read moreHall 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 […]
Read moreJust 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 […]
Read moreYet 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. […]
Read moreServing 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 […]
Read moreMore 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 […]
Read moreI 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 […]
Read moreThe 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 […]
Read moreOn June 9 at 6:50 p.m. Eastern Time at Belmont Park, the 2018 Belmont Stakes began. Ten 3-year-olds, including Justify, broke from the starting gate. That would be the final time Justify will ever leave a starting gate. Exactly 2:28.18 later, Justify crossed the finish line, a winner by 1 3/4 lengths to become the […]
Read moreHow does that popular Martha and the Vandellas ’64 hit go? ‘…Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets.’ Sounds fun! On second thought, let’s pass on the street dancing. Don’t want anyone hit by a car. Instead, how about a little ‘Fun in the Sun’ online with Xpressbet? To be […]
Read moreThe selections contained within are geared to rolling exotic players. The basic strategy is to isolate those horses that should be included in rolling daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and pick-6. It is recommended that Jeff’s selections be used to augment the reader’s own personal handicapping, though excellent results can be achieved by applying the exact rolling exotic […]
Read moreTurns out the real reason Bob Baffert ‘backed off’ on Triple Crown winner Justify’s recent training had little to do with searing SoCal heat and more to do with a possibly elevated temperature in the Triple Crown winner’s ankle. According to a Tuesday press release from Winstar Farm, reported by Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman, […]
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