Archive for January, 2009

Next Stop

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 31, 2009 in Kentucky Derby, News | 1 Comment >>

Trainers like to say they take things one race at a time. That’s John Ward’s philosophy with the 3-year-old colt Beethoven. It’s just that the one race he is singling out happens to be the Kentucky Derby. Any doubt of that was wiped away as easily as Ward erased the number 98 on his barn […]

Weekend Warriors

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 29, 2009 in Free Picks and Tips | No Comments >>

Now, WinningPonies.com is doing well with the “Big-Uns,” and we want to jump-start your weekend. Just get out your pencil, and be sure to dial us up to maximize your value. Let’s look at Gulfstream for Saturday, 1/31. You will want to begin in the 2nd at GP. Take a look at Optimer. Edgar Prado […]

Turn The Channel

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 29, 2009 in News | No Comments >>

European betting shop Betfair Group Ltd. is entering the United States market with the $50 million purchase of the TVG television network and account wagering company, according to a release issued this afternoon. Speculation had centered on Louisville-based Churchill Downs Inc. as a potential buyer of TVG, although Churchill officials wouldn’t comment on the speculation. […]

Little Brother

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 29, 2009 in News | No Comments >>

Nicanor, a full brother of the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner whose story captivated the racing world for months, will race for the first time either this weekend or next, trainer Michael Matz said Monday. Nicanor had a solid five-furlong work Sunday at the Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Fla., and if all goes […]

Is Ohio Back In The Game?

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 29, 2009 in News | No Comments >>

The latest proposal to bring casino-style gambling to Ohio could put more than $1 billion into the state’s wallet in a matter of weeks. Unlike previous proposals, it would not require a vote of the people. It wouldn’t even need the legislature’s blessing. The River Downs horse-racing track near Cincinnati is trying to enlist mayors […]

It Pays To Tune In

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 26, 2009 in Free Picks and Tips, General Discussion | No Comments >>

You heard about this runner on the Winning Ponies Internet radio show. If you tuned in this past Thursday, you would have heard some very promising news of a sales purchase who went for a tidy sum of $3.7 million. We liked the angle this colt was pointed, and who knows. This may be the […]

Say It Isn’t So….

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 26, 2009 in General Discussion, News | No Comments >>

Like the majority of the Thoroughbred industry, Keeneland continues to feel the strain of the current economic struggles. Less than a week after its January Horses of All Ages sale concluded with across-the-board declines, Keeneland announced Friday it was dropping two stakes races from its Spring Meet and reducing its total stakes purses by $600,000. […]

Going For It All

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 25, 2009 in News | 2 Comments >>

LAS VEGAS – John Conte, 68, of Oceanside, N.Y., won the $500,000 first-place prize and title of Handicapper of the Year in the 10th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship at the Red Rock Resort, which concluded Saturday. Conte, whose Grass is Greener tout sheet is available at New York tracks and OTBs, was […]

The New NYRA

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 24, 2009 in General Discussion | 1 Comment >>

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has been in existence for more than five decades. For most of that period, it has been the embodiment of conservatism, reflecting the nature of Thoroughbred racing. The thought that anything connected to the association might ever be hip, or cool, is akin to the notion that former Vice […]

The Fallen

by Ed Meyer

posted on January 24, 2009 in Educational Articles, General Discussion | 2 Comments >>

When Bay Meadows closed for good last summer, leaving Northern California with only one major Thoroughbred racing venue (Golden Gate Fields), many wondered how such a thing could happen. Bay Meadows, after all, had been a fixture in California horse racing for more than 70 years and was the longest continually operating Thoroughbred track in […]