The heat of summer is rounding third and heading for home. It won’t be long until we gather to watch the greatest Thoroughbreds in the world take the national stage for the Breeders’ Cup. But, that is off in the distance, as we have the Mid-Summer Derby at hand. A sunny day when some of […]
It’s Neck ’n Neck vs. Alpha in Travers. Is a happy horse a winning horse? Maybe so. After Jim Dandy runner-up Neck ’n Neck breezed five furlongs in 1:00 on Monday at Saratoga, trainer Ian Wilkes declared the colt ready for Saturday’s $1 million Travers. “He did it well in hand,” Wilkes told Brisnet.com. “He […]
Injury and sickness continue to plague top 3-year-olds this year as Haskell Invitational winner Paynter, who would have been favored in the Travers Stakes, won’t make the $1 million Grade 1. The son of Awesome Again, who spent more than a week in a New Jersey veterinary clinic after spiking a fever several days after […]
The Travers is horse racing history personified – dating back to when Saratoga Race Course was in its second year and Honest Abe Lincoln was president of the divided United States. The so-called “Mid-Summer Derby” is the oldest stakes race for 3-year-olds in our great land. The racetrack is located in Saratoga Springs, about 160 […]
The widest open of this weekend’s big races for 3-year-olds is Saturday’s $600,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga. The 49th renewal has attracted several graded stakes winners, but the top two sophomores are headed to Monmouth on Sunday for the 45th running of the $1 million Haskell Invitational. The Jim Dandy will be loaded with an […]
Haskell Invitationals have included a Triple Crown race winner three times since 2008, but injuries have taken their toll this year. First, Kentucky Derby-Preakness victor I’ll Have Another developed swelling in his left front tendon, was scratched from the Belmont and then retired because of early tendinitis. Then Union Rags won the Belmont, but following […]
This Saturday will be the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby. The post time is 6:24 p.m. ET, and this year has the makings of something special. It could be one of the best matched races in years, and this will have every racing fan around the globe watching intently. So, sit back and grab your […]
Handicapping the Kentucky Derby isn’t an easy task, especially this year when the 138th renewal is fairly wide open with quite a few contenders. You must have a battle plan. I start by eliminating runners, based on credentials and recent form, plus some variables each year. The Pretenders include runners that have not won a […]
Each year, I await a package in the mail. It comes from a gent who is a real racing fan. You will see him at the big events, and he even married his bride at the Breeders’ Cup. You could say he kinda enjoys the races. This labor of love has been passed from his late father […]
Here’s my updated ranking of the Top 10 Kentucky Derby contenders from bottom to top Dave Letterman’s style: Went the Day Well: The son of Proud Citizen will try to duplicate what his connections did last year with Animal Kingdom – duplicate victory in the Spiral in the Kentucky Derby, That’s a tall order since […]