Fair Grounds Recap – Nov 15th
Early-pressing types dominated the six dirt sprints. Lone main track route was nabbed by a stalker. Stalkers and closers best on the sod.
James Graham and Jamie Theriot both booted home a pair. Bret Calhoun saddled two winners on the afternoon.
On the analysis front, I got Group ($17.20) home in the 2nd, along with the $794.60 pick three that started with him. Also nailed the $287.80 trifecta in the 6th, and my best bet $15.60 exacta in the 7th.
Pick 6 carries again, and the pool has crept up to $2,241.
Fair Grounds Preview – Nov 20th
A 9-race program …read more

Now that the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is in the books, it is time to take an early look at the 2010 Kentucky Derby hopefuls.
In compiling this early list, I looked for proven graded class and strong breeding, but I also wanted to use promising, lightly raced sorts on the way up. Much will change in the coming weeks, but I had to start somewhere. Please click on the name of each horse to view their Horse Racing Nation profile page, which includes news, pedigree, results, and video.
1. Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) – Tasted defeat for the …read more

Fair Grounds Recap – Nov 14th
Stalking types best on the main, and patient runners solid on the turf.
John Jacinto booted home a pair. Victor Lebron and Greg Foley teamed up for two wins on the card.
Desert Wheat (Lanerie-Mott) got back on the beam in the grassy Mr. Sulu stakes for fillies and mares. Nowandforevermore was 2nd, and my 19-1 top Lee’s Spirit was along for the show under Don Simington.

Had another fine day on the analysis front. Two tops got the job done including best bet Firy Mistress, and my analyzed contenders nabbed the 1st nine races. I …read more

Fair Grounds Recap – Nov 13th
Early-pressing speed strong in sprints, and dirt routes played fair. A pair of turf route wire jobs.
Jamie Theriot booted home a pair. Frank Leggio saddled a pair of maiden claiming winners, including $163 bomber Deenameetay in the finale.
Nice wire job by Dancin Perfect (Sellers-Burgess) in the grass feature. Going to the Sun was clearly 2nd best.

Had a rock solid day on the analysis front with four tops getting the job done, including best bets Goodgoshamighty and Pomegranate.
Fair Grounds Preview – Nov 14th
A 10-race program will be run at the Fair Grounds on Saturday, …read more

Fair Grounds Recap – Nov 8th
No bias surprises on day three. Early-pressing speed strong in sprints. Turf course favored stalkers and closers. Note that one of the two turf sprints was taken in wire-to-wire fashion.
Hat trick for jockey Corey Lanerie, and Merrill Scherer saddled two winners on the day.

Trouble prone Say The Word (7th race) was at it again. He was nosed out of 2nd and cost me the superfecta after experiencing traffic woes in the stretch.
Turtle Creek Babe (9th race) was fractious at the gate and finished a better than appears 5th in her first …read more

The Saturday Cup program got underway with the 2nd running of the Damascus Stakes, and Smart Bid rallied for the win under Jeremy Rose. Graham Motion saddled the winner.
Remember to click on the name of each Cup winner to view a replay.
The first of eight Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday went to Pounced, who did just that in the Turf Sprint. Chalk up another win for the euros. Bridgetown set the pace and held the place by a head over Interactif. Frankie Dettori booted home the John Gosden trainee.
California Flag was cooked on the pace …read more

Fair Grounds Recap – Nov 7th
No bias surprises on day two. Early-pressing speed strong in sprints. Turf course favored stalkers and closers.
Day two belonged to Shane Sellers and Steve Asmussen. They teamed up for a hat trick and won the Pontalba with Right To Rule.
The other juvenile stakes race on the card was the Old Hickory, and Comedero lead the field on a merry chase after the defection of Western Smoke.

Got three tops home on Saturday. Had a bit of a frustrating day as I finished 2-3 in a pair of my turf best bets.
Fair Grounds …read more

The 2nd day of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be starting shortly, so let’s take a quick look at each event. Click on the name of each Cup race for a Horse Racing Nation preview.
Juvenile Turf: The favorite in this race is Interactif. He has done nothing wrong on the turf yet. If speed is still strong on the turf, then Bridgetown could be a live pace player.
Turf Sprint: A wide open event. Again, if speed rules, then California Flag rates a gander, along with Canadian Ballet. The downhill turf course at Santa Anita is …read more

The first day of the Breeders’ Cup is in the books, and below is a recap of the Friday card. Click on the name of each Cup winner to view the replay.
The first two races on BC Friday were non-Cup events, starting with an optional claiming route on Pro-Ride, which was captured by Deal Breaker (Bejarano-Mitchell). The winner stalked the pace, and note that runner-up Mr. Hot Stuff was a Triple Crown series also-ran.
Optional claiming sprint in the 2nd, and Mike Mitchell saddled back-to-back winners. Miss McCall wired the field under Tyler Baze.
2nd running 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