As the weather cools down a bit and the autumn weather slowly arrives, the major race meets of the summer are wrapping up and other tracks are getting ready to open their doors. After another successful summer at Saratoga Race Course, the New York Racing Authority (NYRA) will shift the action to Belmont Park for [...]
In an attempt to increase revenue at US racetracks, many local jurisdictions have turned towards slot machines and table games in order to boost their business. While some states like Florida and Arkansas have approved Vegas-style slot machines and live poker tables, others have struggled against political opposition to other forms of gambling besides the [...]
While huge payouts associated with multi-race wagers like the Pick-6 grab all the attention and headlines, there are a variety of other exotic and new wagers that offer a lot of betting action for a smaller investment. While some of these bets have been around for a long time, there are a lot of horseplayers [...]
Saratoga isn’t called the “Graveyard of Favorites” for nothing, and last Sunday it proved to the world that there are no mortal locks at the storied track. Bettors were hurting after the fourth race on Sunday’s card, the Grade 2 Lake Placid Stakes, when heavily bet favorite Winter Memories finished a disappointing fourth after going [...]
When looking for family outings in this day and age, almost every festival, sporting event, or theme park has a hefty entrance fee. If you’re a horse racing fan and have kids, today’s tracks are more family-friendly than ever with a range of events and attractions in addition to great racing. Considering that most tracks [...]
I couldn’t have been more honored recently when “Winning Ponies” host Ed Meyer asked me if I would take over the reins of the weekly broadcast. As you may have sensed from the many times he welcomed me as a guest, we are good friends and go back a long way. Our relationship is one [...]
This Sunday the main action will be at Monmouth Park on the Jersey Shore where top three-year-old colts will be competing in the $1 million dollar Haskell Invitational. While it’s true that this year’s three-year-old division is still lacking a definitive standout – top contenders like Shackleford, Pants on Fire, Ruler on Ice, and Astrology [...]
There is a good friend of mine that has given up on the races. Yep… He has just folded his cards, and put away his binoculars. He claims that it has lost the charm, and is no longer exciting. I asked him to give it a break for awhile, and come back and take another look. For [...]
Everyone has heard the saying that some are blessed, or have the luck of the Irish… Well, I don’t know which fits, but I do believe in luck. I knew a guy who always loved the races. His first job in the sport of kings was parking cars in the bitter cold. But, he loved [...]
I awoke today to read an interesting article from Peter Kinney of the Times-Picayune. He spoke about tales of deceit and trickery in racing. I guess we would like to think the game is on the straight, but there were times when the sport was like eating soup with a fork. He talked about switching horses, no [...]
