PICKS & INSIGHT

January 1, 2025 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Santa Anita Park ______________________________________________________________________________ Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 12:00 PT Grade: C+ Main Ticket: 2-Lita Way; 7-Winter Snow. Backups: none, Forecast: Lita Way appeared to be going the best of the lot in the late stages when fifth but beaten less than two lengths in […]

Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Sunday, December 29, 2024 Santa Anita Park ______________________________________________________________________________ Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 12:00 PT Grade: B- Main Ticket: 1-Way too Sexy; 2-Cyprus Moon. Backups : 7-Spanish Cara. Forecast: Way too Sexy is a fast-working first time starter for trainer B. Baffert with the stable’s “go-to” rider J. […]

December 28, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Santa Anita Park ______________________________________________________________________________ Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 11:30 PT Grade: B Main Ticket: 4-Scipio; 1-War to Remember; 2-Paarl. Backups : 6-Dettori. Forecast: Scipio was extremely well meant in the Cecil B. DeMille S.-G3 even as a maiden but was victimized by a lack of […]

December 27, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Santa Anita Park ______________________________________________________________________________ Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 12:00 PT Grade: C+ Main Ticket: 2-Avoir; 7-Long Mayshe Reign. Backups : 6-Certitude. Forecast: Many of these know each other well. Whose turn will it be today? Avoir has never finished off the board in four starts over […]

  Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Thursday, December 26, 2024 Santa Anita Park ______________________________________________________________________________ Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 11:00 PT Grade: B- Main Ticket: 8-Mas Rapido; 3-Oscar Joy. Backups : 4-Money Makes Money; 9-Count of Amazonia. Forecast: Anything goes in these slalom events, but Mas Rapido has winning form over the course and a significant […]

December 22, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Fair Grounds ______________________________________________________________________________ Fair Grounds Race 6: Post: 3:15 CT Grade: A- Top Selection/Prime Play: 9-Darrow Forecast: Just a few days short of turning four years old, Darrow finally makes it to the races and though late to the party may prove to be a worth the […]

December 21, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Fair Grounds ______________________________________________________________________________ Fair Grounds Race 7. Post: 3:00 CT Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 5-Admiral Dennis Forecast: Admiral Dennis is a rapidly progressing juvenile fresh from a visually impressive maiden score over a one turn mile at Churchill Downs. Today, the son of Constitution steps […]

December 20, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Oaklawn Park/Turfway Park ______________________________________________________________________________ Oaklawn Park Race 5: Post: 2:22 PM CT Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 1-St. Albans Raid Forecast: St. Albans Raid displayed excellent speed in her debut over a one turn mile at Churchill Downs last month in a similar restricted maiden affair […]

December 15, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Oaklawn Park/Los Alamitos ______________________________________________________________________________ OAKLAWN PARK RACE 6: Post: 2:50 PM CT Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 4-Achieve (5-1) Forecast: Well-regarded daughter of Justify launches a comeback after finishing third as the favorite in her only previous start last May at Churchill Downs (over a […]

December 14, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Gulfstream Park/Los Alamitos ______________________________________________________________________________ GULFSTREAM PARK RACE 9: Post: 4:21 PM ET Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 1-Rapture (3-1) Forecast: Winning on debut from the rail over a one-turn mile isn’t the easiest of tasks, but the first timer Rapture may be a cut above the norm, […]

December 13, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Gulfstream Park/Los Alamitos ______________________________________________________________________________ GULFSTREAM PARK RACE 6: Post: 3:02 PM ET Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 6-Ruth Forecast: In a maiden main track miler for juvenile fillies in which the known element doesn’t impress, let’s opt for a promising first timer. Ruth, a homebred daughter […]

December 8, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Los Alamitos Race Course ______________________________________________________________________________ LOS ALAMITOS RACE 3: Post: 1:30 PT Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 1-Taif Forecast: Taif finally makes it to the post late in his sophomore season, so he’s obviously had some issues, but the very expensive ($1.45 million) son of Arrogate […]

December 7, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Saturday, December 7, 2024 Aqueduct/Los Alamitos ______________________________________________________________________________ AQUEDUCT RACE 9: Post: 3:35 ET Grade: B+ Top Selection/Prime Play: 7-Locked Forecast: After a facile score over an outclassed allowance field in his first start in almost a year, Locked tackles the big boys today in this year’s edition of […]

December 6, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” National Best Plays Gulfstream Park/Fair Grounds ______________________________________________________________________________ GULFSTREAM PARK – RACE 7: Post: 3:34 ET Grade: B Top Selection/Prime Play: 4-Zealous Moon Forecast: City of Oscars is the deserved morning line favorite (7/5) and logical top choice, but better wagering value may be found with Zealous Moon (9/2), […]

December 1, 2024 Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” Del Mar ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 5: Post: 1:30 PT Grade: A- Top Selection/Prime Play: 4-Scipio Back-ups:: none. Forecast: Scipio finished fourth, beaten two lengths, in a valuable listed stakes at Del Mar on Breeders’ Cup weekend and with any kind of clean trip this talented two-year-old would […]