Fair Grounds Recap – Nov 6th
No bias surprises on opening day. Speed strong in sprints. Turf course favored patient runners.
James Graham, John Jacinto, and ‘Cisco Torres each booted home a pair.
Much Obliged was made the overwhelming fav in the Blushing K D Stakes, and she lived up to advanced billing with a solid off the pace tally under fine grass rider Francisco Torres. The Malcolm Pierce trainee definitely held a class advantage. Never Retreat was a stubborn 2nd, and the ultra-consistent Category Seven held the show.
A solid start on the analysis front. Got a pair of …read more

Today is the first of the 2-day Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, and racing at the Fair Grounds also kicks off with a 9-race program. Weather looks good with sunny skies and temps in the 70’s, so expect fast and firm conditions.
The feature race in New Orleans is the $60k Blushing K. D. Stakes for fillies and mares traveling a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. Much Obliged is the favorite, and she was only a head behind ‘08 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Forever Together at Woodbine last time. Note that the …read more

With the 2-day Breeders’ Cup starting tomorrow at Santa Anita, we are having a live chat at Horse Racing Nation. Join us tonight and tomorrow night for a frank discussion on the Cup.

Starting soon at Horse Racing Nation is our first of two live Breeders’ Cup Handicapping chats. Join our top handicappers in a round table discussion of the Friday races at Santa Anita.

Check out the live chat starting at 9pm EST by going to this link…

http://www.horseracingnation.com/content/live_chat

We’re excited to talk about the races, find some longshots and figure out how to make some money! We’ll also do …read more

The Keeneland fall meet came to an end on Halloween, and the Grade 2 Fayette went to Blame.
Blame was my Super Derby top, and he ran a big race to land the place behind lone speedster Regal Ransom that day. He was facing quality older horses in Lexington, including multiple graded winner Parading. The latter had the lead in the lane on Oct 31st, but Blame wore him down for his first graded tally. Hats off winning trainer Al Stall Jr. and jockey Jamie Theriot.
Churchill Downs kicks off their fall meet on Nov. 1st, and the …read more

The Louisiana Downs meet ended on Oct 4th, and I have returned to my home state of Maryland for the winter. The weather was nice this week, but showers were around on Friday, and there is a 90% chance of rain on Saturday.
The Grade 1 De Francis Dash will likely be contested over a wet Laurel Park main track on Oct 24th, and #1 Vineyard Haven is the 8-5 morning line fav.
Godolphin’s 3yo colt was one of the top juveniles in the land with a pair of grade one tallies last year, and he disappointed in …read more

October 3rd Louisiana Downs Recap
Fast and firm conditions on Saturday. Edge to early/pressing types on the main. Turf course seemed to play fair.
Hat trick for Ramsey Zimmerman included one in the stakes ranks. Francisco Torres booted home a pair of stakes winners.
Louisiana Stallion (Fillies): Happyfromthegitgo was part of a favored entry, and both halves flopped. Maiden 2nd timer Pass It Down ($39.80) was the winner for Zimmerman/Mouton. Bombs away in the show pool with payouts ranging from $36.40 to $74.
Louisiana Stallion (Colts & Geldings): Spa shipper Red Rally ($3.60) could not have been more impressive in this …read more

October 2nd Louisiana Downs Recap
Fast and firm conditions on Friday. Had some rain on Thursday night, but not enough to affect the racing surface. Early-pressing types best on main. Turf seemed to play fair.
Hat trick for leading rider Don Simington. Francisco Torres booted home a pair.
Foreign Production easily captured the 4th as the heavy fav. He might show up in a stakes event at Fair Grounds in the near future.
Kylie’s Dream tried turf and a route of ground for the first time in the 5th, and she did not corner well around the first turn. She finished 8th …read more

October 1st Louisiana Downs Recap
Fast and firm conditions on Thursday. Both surfaces seemed to play fair, and if there was any edge on the main, it appears to be with stalking types.
Sidney Lejeune Jr. booted home a pair.
First timer Centava was impressive in the 5th. She put away a couple of pace rivals, including heavy fav Big Red Grape, and she coasted home nine lengths to the good. ‘Cisco Torres booted home the daughter of Exchange Rate for Henry B Johnson Jr. Worth following.
Got a pair of tops home. Longshot play of the day Sequoia King scratched, and best bet Touch of …read more

September 27th Louisiana Downs Recap
Fast and firm conditions on Sunday. Main track played fair, and stalkers held the edge on the turf.
Sidney Lejeune Jr. and Ramsey Zimmerman both booted home a pair.
Wildrally won again over the local green and will be sad to see this meet end.
Got a pair of tops home including best bet Friendly Patriot ($5.40).
October 1st Preview
Weather: Isolated Thunderstorms (30% chance). High 85.
Thursday’s 9-race card features a pair of grass races and includes a Pick 6 carryover of $4,481.
Touch of Iron (6th race) is my best bet on the card. He makes his 3rd …read more

The 2009 Oak Tree @ Santa Anita meet kicks off on Sept 30th, and the highlight will be the 2-day Breeders’ Cup festivities on November 6th and 7th.
Fairplex Park wrapped up their meet on Monday, and my Pick 9 ticket ended up with four winners. Nobody correctly tabbed nine winners during the 15-day fair stand, and tickets with seven on the final day were rewarded with $51k.
Back to Oak Tree, and the opening day feature race is the Grade 3 Morvich Handicap, which is the local prep for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Desert Code finished 7th in this race last …read more