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Air Support ($15.60) seizes Virginia Derby as our top selection

July 17, 2011 By 1 Comment

I took some time Friday to discuss the Virginia Derby. My top selection was Air Support. Below is what I had to say about the colt. Click here to read the entire preview.

The horse that interests me the most is Air Support (Smart Strike x Gaze by Danzig) at odds of 6-1. He ran huge to win the Transylvania in his first start of 2011. After that he was third behind Banned in the American Turf  Stakes and then second to Street Game in the Hill Prince. The Shug McGaughey trainee could turn the tables on those horses today because of the extra ground the Virginia Derby offers. I’m not sure McGaughey had him sharp for the Hill Prince, but the colt should be on full tilt this time. The works are strong and I like him as my top pick.

As you may or may not know by now, Air Support made a furious rally in the stretch to win the $600,000 Virginia Derby. He returned $15.60 for a $2 win wager. Banned was second to key a $60 exacta.

I hope you played along with us at Twin Spires. They are currently offering a $100 sign up bonus. If you haven’t signed up yet I recommend doing so ASAP. Then you can play our Saratoga and Del Mar picks. This is a great time of the year for Gradedstakes.com and have been white hot lately. Join in on the action.

 

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2011 Virginia Derby betting preview

July 16, 2011 By 1 Comment

Since its inception in 1998 the Grade 2 Virginia Derby has been a producer of future turf stars. Winners include Kitten’s Joy, English Channel, Go Between, Red Giant, Gio Ponti and Paddy O’Prado.

The 2011 edition of the race stands a chance of providing a winner that deserves to be mentioned with the above horses.

Banned (Kitten’s Joy x Cardinalli by Capote) is favored at 5-2 for trainer Thomas Proctor and jockey Jose Lezcano. I was able to watch his last win in the Jefferson Cup from a suite at Churchill Downs and man did he look impressive. This horse is incredibly good looking and incredibly fast as well. He could be tough, but with so many good horses I’m going to swing against.

The horse that interests me the most is Air Support (Smart Strike x Gaze by Danzig) at odds of 6-1. He ran huge to win the Transylvania in his first start of 2011. After that he was third behind Banned in the American Turf  Stakes and then second to Street Game in the Hill Prince. The Shug McGaughey trainee could turn the tables on those horses today because of the extra ground the Virginia Derby offers. I’m not sure McGaughey had him sharp for the Hill Prince, but the colt should be on full tilt this time. The works are strong and I like him as my top pick.

It should come as no surprise that Street Game (Street Cry x Thunder Achiever by Thunder Puddles) is my second choice given my fondness of Air Support. The son of Street Cry dominated the Hill Prince last out even after the jockey lost the whip. He is bred to go long and could have a tactical advantage being on or near the pace. He is decent value at 4-1. The sky is the limit on his potential.

Newsdad (Arch x Storm Tracer by Pulpit) is an interesting long shot at 15-1. He ran strongly to be a close fourth in the Bluegrass Stakes three back, but since then was up the track in the Peter Pan and off the board in a $150k ungraded race at Woodbine. He should thrive returning to the grass and getting extra ground too. I wouldn’t leave him off my multi race exotic tickets.

My Pick 4 ticket beginning in the Virginia Oaks is listed below. It is an $18 play. You can bet it as well as my top pick Air Support at 6-1 win odds at Twin Spires.

2,5,8/2,4,5/2/2,4,6,7

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Nine great horse racing picks for this weekend!

July 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment


One of the things I love the most about horse racing is that every weekend has something exciting going on. This weekend we will enjoy the Virginia Derby, Virginia Oaks, Swaps Stakes, Delaware Handicap, and the Arlington Handicap, among many other races. My free pick for this week was Krypton in the Virginia Derby. I’m very excited to see how he will perform at odds of 7/2.

I’ve handicapped nine races this weekend. My top selections range in price from 8-5 to 10-1, but most are above 3-1. It’s very unusual for me to do nine stakes races in a week, but I saw many things I liked and a number of price horses have great chances to win. I  feel really good about several picks this week. You can play along for just $10 this week, or join me for a month for only $35.

Be on the lookout for Saratoga picks starting next week. I will be handicapping the card every day and I highly encourage you to play along. Last year my highest priced winner was 21-1 shot Dattt Echo. I also gave out several Pick 4 plays paying in excess of $700. I’m ready to do it again.

Don’t miss out!


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Free Pick: Krypton (7-2) in the Virginia Derby

July 14, 2010 By 2 Comments

I saw an interview with Joe Bravo on TV last week. The interviewer asked Joe what his favorite types of races are. Jersey Joe, who has been interviewed  by this site, said that he relishes racing on the turf. Just as our friend Joe likes riding those races, I  enjoy handicapping them. The Virginia Derby is the perfect chance to do so. The Grade 2 event for three-year-olds is contested over the classic distance of 10 furlongs.

Paddy O’ Prado, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, and winner of the Colonial Turf Cup, is the 7/5 morning line favorite. The son of El Prado is one of my favorite horses this year. Trainer Dale Romans is having an excellent year in 2010, and jockey Kent Desormeaux is as good as he has ever been. If Paddy O’ Prado loses it probably wont be for lack of training or jockey skill. I’ll go in another direction despite the obvious talent of this horse.

I like Krypton to take this race. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee was last seen narrowly taking the Grade 3 Prince Hill Stakes at Belmont Park over a VERY good colt named Nordic Truce with new jockey Rajiv Maragh in the irons. Krypton has great pedigree being a son of the enormous Rock Hard Ten. His runners have taken to the turf very well.

Krypton has the right running style to win this race. He will sit off one or two horses and make a big move entering the stretch. The Florida bred runner worked a very sharp 1:00 2/5 B at the Saratoga training track on Sunday. I love his 7/2 price and I think he could even go off higher than that. All systems are go.

Other horses to consider are Stately Victor, and Interactif. Stately Victor won the Grade 1 Bluegrass Stakes earlier this year with a powerful closing kick. This will the first time he has been on the weeds since that victory. He broke his maiden over the turf at Saratoga last summer. Interactif won the Grade 3 With Anticipation and Grade 3 Bourbon before finishing a close third in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf last year. His connections unsuccessfully attempted the Belmont Stakes last out. He should improve while returning to the grass.

Free picks are great, but if you want selections for all the top races this weekend please consider subscribing to our weekly or monthly picks package. You can learn more by clicking here.

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