Picks and plays for the Pennsylvania Derby, Cotillion Stakes
Some of the best 3-year-old Thoroughbreds in North America will face off in a pair of $1 million races on Saturday at Parx Racing.
Breeders’ Cup Distaff Top 5: Midnight Bisou moves to the top
With the recent confirmation that reigning champion Monomoy Girl will miss the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), the November 2 showdown at Santa Anita currently looms as a two-horse battle.
Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint top 5: It’s time to dance
Ranking the top contenders for the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita is harder than it sounds.
Looking for a longshot in the Test Stakes
Serengeti Empress winning the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) - Coady Photography There are plenty of accomplished fillies to choose from in Saturday’s $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. The only problem? They all share similar running styles. There’s the frontrunning #1 Serengeti Empress, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1) and runner-up in the one-mile Acorn Stakes (G1). Trained by Tom Amoss, the daughter of Alternation is a tried-and-true frontrunner, and she’ll be cutting back to seven [...]
Who Do Ya Like Podcast: Whitney Day at Saratoga With Optix EQ’s John Doyle
On this week's episode of the Who Do Ya Like Podcast over the BetAmerica Radio Network, Scott Shapiro welcomes in 2011 NHC Champion and co-founder of OptixEQ, John Doyle, to chat about Saturday's late Pick 5 sequence at Saratoga. Scott and John discuss what OptixEQ offers horseplayers and then dive into a five-race sequence that includes the million-dollar Whitney (G1), as well as the seven furlong Test (G1.) The two handicappers also add some strategy for attacking Pick 5's and [...]
Why I’m opposing Serengeti Empress in the Acorn Stakes
Serengeti Empress winning the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) - Coady Photography #1 Serengeti Empress is by far the most accomplished filly entered in Saturday’s $700,000 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park, but that doesn’t mean she’s the most likely winner. The 3-year-old daughter of Alternation has three graded stakes wins under her belt and enters the one-mile Acorn off a gate-to-wire victory in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, where she turned back a challenge from Liora [...]
When and where to watch the 2019 Belmont Stakes
Palace Malice passes Oxbow in the 2013 Belmont Stakes (G1)- Photo by Joe Labozzetta/Coglianese Photography With the exception of Breeders’ Cup Saturday, there may be no greater day of racing in North America than Belmont Stakes Day at Belmont Park. The annual action-packed afternoon is highlighted by the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1), the third jewel of the Triple Crown, but that’s just one of ten stakes races on the agenda, including eight grade 1 events. The stakes [...]
Keeler Johnson’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff Top 10: Division is Deep
Monomoy Girl winning the 2018 Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) - Coady Photography The potential field and top contenders for the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) might be unclear at this point, but the same can’t be said for the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), which could be among the highlights of the championship series at Santa Anita Park this fall. There’s no shortage of high-class fillies and mares targeting the Distaff, and in compiling an initial Top 10 [...]
Reflections on My Up-and-Down Derby Week Handicapping
Maximum Security and Country House battle to the wire in the Kentucky Derby - Coady Photography From a handicapping and wagering perspective, Kentucky Derby week at Churchill Downs was a mixed bag for me. If I’m being honest, the week got off on the wrong foot when my confident top choice for the Derby—Omaha Beach—scratched from the race with an entrapped epiglottis, which sent me scurrying to regroup and rethink my plays. Overall, the week was filled with [...]
BARN Podcast 5/8/19
We're looking back at the Kentucky Oaks Day card today and welcoming in the trainer of Serengeti Empress, Tom Amoss, to talk about the big win, his filly, and so much more!
