Fifteen Breeders’ Cup contests, one more than last year, is just too many to wager on even if they’re spread over two days. Like 2010, I will concentrate on classy horses with good recent form and wager on seven races. The weather could be a factor, at least on Friday, but the forecasters have been […]
Trainer Bob Baffert is loaded for bear, which means aggressively seeking confrontation, when it comes to next month’s Breeders’ Cup. He is the third leading winner of BC races with seven triumphs. He won his first in 1992 in the Sprint with Thirty Slews and his last in the same race three years ago when […]
Upsets galore in the major preps have played havoc with my Top 10 Kentucky Derby contenders. You can count the number of favorites that scored in key preps on one hand. How the 3-year-olds work at Churchill Downs before the first Saturday in May will determine my final standings from the bottom to the top: […]
I am really starting to put things together in my noggin about what my tickets will look like. You will start hearing all sorts of “ins and outs.” Rosie will be the first woman in the Derby since Rosemary, and Shane Sellers may make it back to the spotlight if Twinspired gets in. This is better […]
When the Arkansas Derby runs on Saturday, I think we will have what I like to call the “false positive.” We will see a very nice runner, The Factor, whose style does not fit Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Martin Garcia is teaming up with Bob Baffert, and they do extremely good […]
The Arkansas Derby could be called the Rebel Stakes II with six runners from the runner-up through the seventh-place finisher seeking a reversal of fortune against the winner — The Factor. The son of War Front is indeed the main factor in the $1 million Grade 1 on Saturday at Oaklawn Park, where on March […]
Injuries and upsets in major preps have muddled my list of Top 10 Kentucky Derby contenders. Here’s the revised lineup from the bottom to the new No. 1: Stay Thirsty: The Gotham winner flopped in the Florida Derby, but the son of Bernardini wasn’t the only stakes winner to stub his hoof this spring. He […]
Last weekend, the Rebel at Oaklawn gave us a peek at a very nice runner. The Factor goes from flag fall to that’s all, and very impressive all the way. But will it be enough?? Martin Garcia in the irons went to the lead and put the field to sleep. Before we go any further, Sway […]
Last year’s initial rankings of my Top 10 Kentucky Derby contenders included all three winners of Triple Crown races from Derby winning Super Saver at No. 10 to Preakness champ Lookin’ at Lucky at No. 2. It also rated Belmont victor Drosselmeyer at No. 9. So here we go again from the bottom to the […]
Nothing like a few on the house. Hopefully we can kick start your weekend, and WinningPonies can roll in and give better value. I am focusing on a few races that look good, and one in particular. So, hold on tight and here we go! Oaklawn Park – Saturday Race #9 – G-3 Azeri – […]