Gulfstream Park has a blockbuster Saturday card that includes 9 graded stakes races and an assortment of guaranteed wagering pools certain to make any horseplayer’s mouth water. Of course, top draw is an unusually deep, competitive Grade 1 $400,000 Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes. Below, we’ve included a pair of suggested $1 Superfecta moves that […]
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Last Friday the wife wanted to know, “Are there any big races this weekend?” “Yes, honey-bunny,” I answered (we’re Pulp Fiction fans), “from now through the first weekend in November.” And that’s nearly completely true. In the roughly 2 months leading up to the Kentucky Oaks and Derby, there are ‘big’ 3-year-old races almost weekly […]
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Have no fear. That deafening sound you heard around 3:17 pm Saturday wasn’t an alien invasion. It was, instead, a collective howl emanating from throats of investors financially involved in 22 million Gulfstream Park Rainbow Six combinations. An $8.2 million mandatory payout pool–juiced by good weather and a deep, challenging card–attracted hordes of wagering hopefuls. […]
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With a trio of 3-year-old stakes races on tap Saturday it would have been reasonable to expect one of those to emerge as the afternoon’s highlight. ‘Reasonable,’ but incorrect. While the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull at Gulfstream, the Grade 3 Bob Lewis at Santa Anita, and the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct, in different […]
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City of Light’s dominating Pegasus World Cup Invitational score Saturday puts him alongside previous race winners in what ultimately could become an equine pantheon. As the third winner of the fledgling event ‘Light joins previous Pegasus champs Arrogate and Gun Runner, both considered the best active dirt horses in the world when they won the […]
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Late Saturday night, after 10 horses have competed in the inaugural running of the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and 12 others have met in the third edition of the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, and following an evening with rapper Snoop Dogg and DJ Mark Ronson in the Pegasus LIV Stretch […]
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In less than a month, many in the racing industry will congregate at Gulfstream Park in balmy South Florida for the third running of the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. That rich race and a new $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational will be decided on the track and turf course, respectively. The […]
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In the debate surrounding whether Accelerate or Justify should be voted a coveted gold statue as Thoroughbred racing’s 2018 Horse of the Year, count this writer squarely in Justify’s camp. He’s just the best. And here’s why… Accelerate had an outstanding season February until November. He raced 7 times, once each month, except for […]
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By the time Improbable is finished with fellow sophomores his name just might turn out to be the most ironic Thoroughbred handle ever. The colt is owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and Starlight Racing, same folks who owned last season’s Triple Crown winner Justify. The moniker was planted on the son of City […]
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Are you ready for 2019? You’d better be. It’s coming. Like it or not. And, as they say, ‘Time, like the subway, waits for no one.’ This past season was a good one. We had Justify, a Triple Crown winner, only the 13th in history. What’s that you say? Not a big deal? OK. […]
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If you’ve got a talented sophomore and designs on Triple Crown events, Gulfstream Park is the place to winter. Overall, Florida Derby starters have won 59 Triple Crown races, including 44 Kentucky Derbies. Gulfstream Park’s also the place to be if you’ve got a handicap horse that can bark with the big dogs–January 26 on […]
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With the return of racing to Del Mar last week, horseplayers were re-introduced to a familiar entity. No, not Trevor Denman. This one’s been around even longer than him. It’s the $2 Pick 6! Del Mar’s current $2 Pick 6 wager isn’t exactly the same as the original version first offered in the States […]
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This was a weird Breeders’ Cup. For me, the strangest ever. I’ve been around for all 35 of them–including in person at Hollywood Park in 1984 for the event’s maiden voyage. That sunny and 70 afternoon I stood this close to Elizabeth Taylor. Yep, that Liz Taylor. Our eyes met, briefly. Violet. Sparkling. Mesmerizing. Hers. […]
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Christmas in November Friday and Saturday I’m looking for a slice of Christmas in November. Specifically, the gift-giving and getting aspect of the holiday. You know, presents under the tree. Bulging stockings. Envelopes from relatives stuffed with cash. That sliver of Christmas. For a moment, forget the Nativity. This November version embraces the heathen angle. […]
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If you think now is too early to begin handicapping Breeders’ Cup races then you’re horribly mistaken. While post positions haven’t been drawn yet, we’ve got a decent idea about which horses will be in what races. And if you’ve scanned that starting roster at all, you know how challenging picking winners Nov. 2 & […]
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