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September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Lookin At Lucky in Indiana Derby heads big weekend at Hoosier Park

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky is far and away the best to have ever stepped on the track at Hoosier Park. His presence in the Indiana Derby is an excellent reward for a track that has done good things for racing recently. However, I digress.

Lookin At Lucky is clearly the best three-year-old in training. He crushed his foes by 4 lengths last out in the Haskell Invitational. Since that race he has missed a bit of training, but you can expect him to be as good as ever. Bob Baffert probably sees this race as a way to get him an easy win before the Breeders Cup Classic and pick up the winners check in a $500k race. He should be 1/5 here and for good reason.

The horse that leaps off the page when I look at the Indiana Derby is Uareoutlaw. He is a Brazilian bred and raced son of the Wild Again stallion Christine’s Outlaw. It’s not so much his form that impresses, but the fact that he is in the barn of Mike Maker and owned by Thomas Conway. You may recall that they hooked up at huge odds to win the Bluegrass Stakes earlier this year with Stately Victor. Maker has been known to pull big upsets, and this horse is working bullets. He could be any kind, but running past the Preakness winner is a huge task.

This race has the perfect setup for Steve Asmussen’s Thiskyhasnolimit. He ran very well  to win the $300k Smarty Jones when turning back in distance last out. Look for jockey Jamie Theriot to take back and make a big run late in the race. He is the only horse with even a marginal chance of beating Lucky.

The late running Seeking The Title looks like a contender in the Indiana Oaks, which is the race preceding the Indiana Derby. After just a quick glance at the PPs I think Ash Zee, and Always a Princess will hook up on the front end. This sets it up for Seeking The Title.

If you’re within driving distance I highly encourage making the trip to Hoosier Park. It’s worth it alone just to see Lookin At Lucky.

Who are your picks for these races?

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Blame goes from hunter to hunted in Jockey Club Gold Cup

September 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

While the race isn’t as strong as it has been in recent memory, the Jockey Club Gold Cup will be fun to watch. It is a race with serious Breeders Cup Classic implications.

The favorite is Foster Handicap, and Whitney Handicap winner Blame. The Al Stall trainee is riding a five race win streak. His most recent win came in the Whitney Handicap where he blasted past the heavily favored Quality Road who had set a dawdling pace. Regular visitors of this website know that I was on his bandwagon a very long time ago. I said in June that he would likely be my Breeders Cup Classic horse.

Despite his great form, Blame could have some trouble here. It will be his first time going 10 furlongs, and this race appears to be severely lacking in the pace department. Can he gun down lone speed going a little further? It certainly wouldn’t surprise me, but I’m not willing to just concede the race to him for those two reason.

West coast shipper and Jay Em Ess owned Rail Trip will get plenty of support at the windows. He took the Hollywood Gold Cup in 2009. That race is contested at today’s distance of 10 furlongs. This race will be the first start for the son of Jump Start in the barn of Richard Dutrow. His works are impressive, and he is handling the track well.

One of the biggest things going against him, for me, is Cornelio Velasquez. He’s off to a fast start at the Belmont meet, but he’s been pretty dreadful over the past year or two. Hopefully he can return to his winning ways of the past. Dutrow really moves horses up. He’s got Rail Trip training beautifully. This gelding has the perfect running style to win this thing.  If something happens to Haynesfield, he could probably wing it on the front end and take them all the way. Rail Trip wouldn’t shock.

I’m a big fan of Pick 4′s. They provide good value and, the payoffs are excellent. The key to cashing a nice Pick 4 is finding value. I think the value horse in this race is definitely Fly Down. The three-year-old proved he can go the distance. The son of Mineshaft finished 2nd by a dirty nose in the Travers last out. He would’ve certainly won with a cleaner trip. Pace could be a problem for this one as well, but he’s closed into slow paces in the past. I’m not wild about jockey Jose Lezcano lately, but I would be afraid not to have this guy on my ticket.

The only speed horse in the race is Haynesfield. He failed to make the lead after breaking through the gate last out in the Whitney, but you can expect to see him on the front end this time. 10 furlongs is probably out of this colt’s range. Look for him to back up big time in the stretch. He’s still a nice colt going 8 or 9 furlongs and I expect the connections to turn him back in his next race

Hold Me Back, Mythical Power, Dry Martini, and Tranquil Manner round out the field. This is a three horse race in my mind. Fly Down, Blame, and Rail Trip are those horses. Blame is clearly the best horse, but the best horse doesn’t always win. I’m going to make Rail Trip my top selections. He hasn’t raced in several months, but that doesn’t bother me. He’s going to get first run at Haynesfield, and hopefully he can kick clear. I’ll use all three on my Pick 4 ticket, and play a secondary ticket with him singled. Who do you like? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Filed Under: Horse Handicapping, Horse Racing News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Small field gathers for Grade 2 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you didn’t get the memo, Philadelphia Park is now known as Parx Racing. Their marquee event, the Pennsylvania Derby, was contested a week ago. Morning Line was an improbable winner for trainer Nick Zito. Now the girls will take center stage in the Grade 2 Cotillion Stakes.  A compact field of five will compete for the $750,000 purse.

Kentucky Oaks winner Blind Luck is a solid 7/5 favorite shipping in from her southern California base. The daughter of Pollard’s Vision has traveled the nation to win five races at five different tracks. Her latest trip resulted in a neck victory over Havre de Grace in the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes. I loved her chances there and I found it odd that the public bet Devil May Care off the board when Blind Luck looked as good or better on paper. This is a filly that can do anything. If she fires her best shot for jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer it will be nearly impossible to take her down.

As good as Blind Luck looks, her new rival Havre de Grace hasn’t been much worse. She’s lost by neck and a nose to the favorite in her last two races. What’s to say she can’t turn the tables? The daughter of the late Saint Liam is 9/5 on the morning line. Jockey Jeremy Rose may change tactics a little bit here. Rose won the Preakness in 2005 aboard Afleet Alex. He’s just as capable as any rider in the game despite the fact that he doesn’t get many big mounts anymore. Havre de Grace wouldn’t be a surprise if she was able to pull off the uspet.

Trainer Bob Baffert has cross entered Bonnie Blue Flag in the Cotillion and Beldame Stakes. Regardless of which race she tries, I like her chances stretching out. Jockey Kendrick Carmouche has been named to ride. Her chances of winning are probably better here, because she would likely have to hook Life At Ten on the lead in the Beldame. That wouldn’t be a good thing for either filly.

Awesome Maria looked good in her comeback race for trainer Todd Pletcher. The 2009 Grade 1 Frizette Stakes Stakes runner up improved her record to 3 wins from 5 starts by taking the $70k Risk Averse Stakes on the turf. This race will be her first attempting at routing. She is certainly bred for  it as a daughter of Maria’s Mon.

Absinthe Minded rounds out the field. She set the pace in the Grade 1 CCA Oaks two races back before fading badly.

Taking down Blind Luck will be  tall task for anyone in this field. Who do you like in the Cotillion Stakes?

Filed Under: Horse Racing News Tagged With: , , , ,

HOY Rachel Alexandra retired from racing

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

What goes up must come down. All good things must end. As the filly’s trainer Steve Asmussen likes to say, you get paid for what you do, but you pay for what you do. Rachel Alexandra has been retired from racing.

Rachel Alexandra reached a pinnacle that was so high in 2009, many called her the greatest three-year-old filly in the history of thoroughbred horse racing. For some reason she just wasn’t the same horse in 2010.

I never in my life imagined I’d see a jockey hop off a Kentucky Derby winner to ride a filly in the Preakness Stakes. I couldn’t fathom such a thing until Rachel Alexandra hit the scene. The way she won the Kentucky Oaks left racing fans across the country breathless. She followed that win up by downing the boys in the Preakness, proving Calvin Borel right. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro beat the boys again in the Haskell, and in the Woodward. Minus the Woodward, she made it look like childs play every time.

Keeping her in training was an admirable thing to do by owner Jess Jackson. Especially after he did the same with Curlin, who also regressed during his four-year-old campaign. I hope he does the same with future stars.

Never has a three-year-old filly of her calibur existed in the past, and I highly doubt we will ever see one like her in the future. What she did was unprecedented. If I did not know for a fact that it actually happened, I’d think her campaign was something out of a cheesy unrealistic Hollywood movie. Here’s to wishing her the best of luck in retirement. I can’t wait to see that Curlin x Rachel Alexandra baby for the first time!

What’s your favorite Rachel Alexandra memory?

Filed Under: Horse Racing News Tagged With:

Zenyatta tries to make it 19 for 19 in the Lady’s Secret

September 27, 2010 By 5 Comments

It seems like just yesterday my jaw was on the floor after Zenyatta rallied in the middle of the track to become the first female winner of the Breeders Cup Classic. How she was able to down such accomplished foes was beyond me. After that win I finally came to a realization about the mare. She just does it. Plain and simple. Zenyatta just wins. She’s like Nike.

The daughter of Street  Cry will be seeking her 19th consecutive victory in the Lady’s Secret, which will be the penultimate race of her career. Granted things go as planned, she will then defend her title against even tougher competition than last year in the Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

Is she ready? Jockey Mike Smith has no reason to believe she isn’t. He guided her across the track in an easy six furlong move of 1:13.80 on Saturday. He hardly urged her the entire way and her work was the 15th best of 23 workouts.

As of Monday I wasn’t able to obtain any information about who she will be competing against in the Lady’s Secret. It’s likely to be a short field of horses that are far inferior though. The big mare will get the job done, tough competition or not. I can’t wait to see her strut her stuff at Churchill Downs in the Breeders Cup. That’s not to say I’ll necessarily back her as my top pick, but I’ll certainly be cheering her on.

Make sure to be watching on Saturday as Zenyatta competes for her 19th win in the Lady’s Secret Stakes!

Filed Under: Horse Racing News Tagged With: , , , ,

Unfortunately, Grade 1 winner Square Eddie is back in training

September 24, 2010 By 3 Comments

I remember getting a call from a friend at the Daily Racing Form back in 2008. We had come to know one another from a previous job we shared. The reason for her call was to discuss the Grade 1 Lanes End Breeders Futurity.

She had recently started her job with the DRF back then, and a lot of her time was spent at Keeneland. She wanted to know who I liked in the big baby race that weekend. I told her I was very fond of a horse shipping across the pond. That horse was Square Eddie.

Square Eddie won the Grade 1 Lanes End Breeders Futurity with Rafael Bejarano aboard for trainer Doug O’Neill.  If memory serves, he made a big move around the turn and that was all she wrote. Fans went so far as to call the son of Smart Strike “Baby Curlin”. He followed up on that impressive run with a second in the Breeders Cup Juvenile.

Following the Juvenile he was put up and when he returned suffered a minor injury. He hasn’t won since his triumph at Keeneland. In fact, he hasn’t been better than fifth since finishing third in the Lexington Stakes. After going through a suspensory injury following a poor showing in the Malibu Stakes the connections retired him to stud where he had a success rate of 38 from 40 mares.

So why are they bringing him back to the track after the regally bred colt did so well at stud? Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that I hope he can return to his winning ways, or head back to the shed where he probably belongs anyway.

Filed Under: Horse Racing News Tagged With: ,

Court Vision rallies to win Woodbine Mile

September 20, 2010 By 2 Comments

I’ve never been a fan of Court Vision, and I’m still not. I will give credit where credit is due however. He put together a strong rally to beat a tough group of horses in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile. The son of Gulch closed from dead last to win ridden out by Robby Albarado. Trainer Dick Dutrow is pointing him to the Breeders Cup Mile for his next start.

Before I go further, realize I have nothing personal against Court Vision. He is a fine animal, but as a bettor I believe he is far from unstoppable. I’ve loved betting races in which he competed this year because he would ALWAYS catch lots of action and until Sunday he never showed up. He won in February via DQ, but that was unjustified and he was NOT the best horse that day.

The Breeders Cup Mile is going to have tons of contenders. Goldikova is aiming for her third straight victory. Several other Europeans are expected to make the trip. She will almost certainly be favored, but I have to believe after this dashing performance that Court Vision will once again attract the attention of bettors.

Court Vision is a tough animal to gauge. Like I previously stated, I’ve been far from impressed thus far in his career, but he won quite impressively in the Woodbine Mile and was hardly even asked. Can he reproduce that effort in the Mile? I doubt it. Most of my tickets will likely blow up in my face if he does. One thing is for sure though; he is better than I thought.

Filed Under: Breeders Cup, Horse Racing News Tagged With: , , ,

Grade 3 Summer Stakes Preview

September 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Grade 3 Summer Stakes from Woodbine will likely have implications for the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf in November. Last years winner, Bridgetown, set in the pace in the Juvenile Turf before being collared late to finish second.

This years favorite is the undefeated Stormy Rush. The Roger Attfield trainee has won impressively in both of his starts and is  bred for the turf as a son of Stormy Atlantic. He is working strongly and recently posted a five furlong turf move in :59 4/5 B around the dogs. Attfield is a 22% trainer and if this horse runs back to his last two races he could be tough.

I like Ronin Dax to win this race. He is shipping in from Del Mar after breaking his maiden first out under P Val who is in to ride. The son of Tapit broke slowly in that race and closed 5 wide to win by a length and a quarter. I’ve got a good feeling about this one, but this is a highly competitive race where any number of horses could win. Might as well take a shot on a 10-1 in a competitive race rather than go with one of the chalks.

Breaking Ball looks like a nice long shot option at 20-1. The son of Smart Strike is bred to run on the turf. Throwing on blinkers could do the trick after he was third last out. He is still a maiden, but trainer Mark Casse knows what he is doing.

Forum ran a nice race to break his maiden last out at Saratoga, but his odds are too low for me to bite at 3-1.

I’ll be betting WIN money on Ronin Dax and boxing him with the favorite and Breaking Ball. Good luck!

Filed Under: Horse Handicapping Tagged With: , ,

Boys at Tosconova poised for victory in Hopeful Stakes

September 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment


I remember watching and following the career of War Pass very closely. I had never seen anything quite like the son of Cherokee Run. He had the most brilliant early speed that I’ve ever seen from a juvenile. He was like grease lightning out of the gate. His win in the Breeders Cup Juvenile was the fastest of all time in terms of the Beyer Speed Figure he earned. War Pass regressed as a three-year-old. I learned the hard way not to get too excited about young juveniles. However, it’s hard for me not to be over the moon as a fan about the Jay Em Ess colt Boys at Tosoconova.

The son of Officer debuted in the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes (Gr. III) where he finished a hard closing second. After that race a majority share of the colt was purchased by the father-daughter team of Mace and Samantha Siegel (Jay Em Ess). They transfered him to the barn of Rick Dutrow. His next start came against maiden special weight company at Belmont Park. He won by 12 under a hand ride from Ramon Dominguez. The final time of :56 1/5 for five furlongs was breath taking. The third place finisher in that race returned to take a maiden special weight race at Saratoga.

I’ve never seen anything quite like Boys at Tosconova. He won so easily, and all Dominguez had to do in order to win by a dozen lengths was make sure he didn’t fall off. True, it was only a maiden race, but he did it so easily that it isn’t hard to see he will be a Gr. I winner in the near future. In fact, the near future could be today.

Boys at Tosconova is entered to compete in the Gr. I Hopeful Stakes over 7 furlongs at Saratoga on Labor Day. He will be taking on a small field that includes Steve Asmussen’s star Wine Police. I thought Wine Police was near the top of the class until I saw Boy at Tosconova run away and hide last out.  If he is half as good as I think he is, then Wine Police is in big trouble.

I’m not going to get too high on ANY two-year-old, but this colt is by far the best I’ve seen. Let’s pray he stays healthy and gets even better a year from now.

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