The 2019 Eclipse Award finalists were revealed earlier this month. The winners in each category will be announced at Gulfstream Park on Thursday at the 49th annual Eclipse Awards dinner presented by The Stronach Group, Daily Racing Form and Breeders’ Cup. The first year that I made Eclipse Award predictions in this column was for […]
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Sunshine Millions is Saturday at Gulfstream Park and, while the main course isn’t served until later, first post is a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 11:40 am ET. The 12-race extravaganza begins with a 5-furlong turf maiden special weight and ends with a $16k, mile and one-sixteenth turf claiming race. Sandwiched in between, races 8-11, are rich […]
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Established in 1971, the Eclipse Awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements in North America by Thoroughbreds and individuals. Eclipse Awards are voted on by members of the Daily Racing Form, National Thoroughbred Racing Association and National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. Eclipse Awards also are bestowed to members of the media for outstanding coverage […]
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Don’t look now, but Christmas is just five days away; the New Year only 12 and the first of nine Beat the Host competitions merely 15 sleeps from lift-off! That’s right, only 15 days until Saturday, Jan. 4, when horseplayers will attempt to strike out leadoff-hitter Jeremy Plonk in Xpressbet’s popular and profitable $50,000 Beat […]
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The tournament director sheepishly approached the podium, cleared his throat and adjusted the microphone, eliciting a screech of feedback in return. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s my duty to inform you and the handful of competitors still out on the course that, in an unprecedented occurrence, the leader in the clubhouse, somehow, has just registered a […]
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Thanksgiving turkey gravy had hardly congealed when a mature man’s attention turned toward spring and the first Saturday in May. If you think late November is too early to begin analyzing that race’s outcome, you probably aren’t interested in the Kentucky Derby Future wager presented by Churchill Downs and available at Xpressbet. That’s how the […]
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Tomorrow is my favorite holiday of the year: Thanksgiving. And, by extension, the day also launches my top-ranked weekend. By stroke of pure genius, Thanksgiving always lands on Thursday. Convenient, don’t you think? Unlike other holidays, Thanksgiving doesn’t occupy different days of the week in seemingly random fashion like alien targets in a video game. […]
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Bill Lyon passed Sunday night. Perhaps, fittingly, news of his death arrived as the Eagles played the Patriots in South Philadelphia. I didn’t know him. Not personally, anyway. Never met the man. Yet, somehow, he knew me. Knew what made me tick—as a teenager to almost 60 years old–what made me smile, cheer, sigh and […]
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For two magnificent days, at the foot of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains under warm Southern California sunshine, Santa Anita Park played the perfect Breeders’ Cup host. That’s not surprising. I love Santa Anita. Spent 30 years there, even lived in a condo on Huntington Avenue directly across from the track. Will always call it […]
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Breeders’ Cup Analysis & Picks Sometimes I need to be reminded of how beautiful Santa Anita really is. Mission accomplished. Here, at the foot of the majestic San Gabriel Mountains, racing has been regularly conducted, more or less, since Christmas Day 1934. It’s been a glorious run, highlighted by hosting racing’s biggest day […]
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Jeff Siegel’s Daily Analysis & Wagering Strategies Santa Anita Thursday, October 31, 2019 * Specifically designed for the rolling exotic player, Jeff Siegel’s “Daily Analysis and Wagering Strategies” isolates those horses that should be included in daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and the pick-6. * It is recommended that Jeff’s selections be used to augment […]
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$1 MILLION JUVENILE TURF SPRINT (FRIDAY) 1. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (3-1 on the morning line) Ward-trained colt has won by daylight both starts 2. KIMARI (7-2) Ward-trained filly is 3 for 3 in United States 3. A’ALI (6-1) Euro youngster is 3 for 3 when ridden by Dettori Nice-price danger: CHIMNEY ROCK (10-1) Son of […]
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If you’re a racing fan, Breeders’ Cup resembles Christmas–heaps of anticipation followed by exhilaration. Stuffed stockings and presents beneath the tree become Tri’s and Superfectas accented by Pick 3s, 4s and 5s–all unwrapped with vigor in search of that special Santa delivery. Next Friday and Saturday, some of the best horses in the world […]
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Each year, at about this time, I’m accosted by a band of hooligans. Originally, it used to happen once a year, perpetrated by a mob of seven. Over time, perhaps embolden by impunity and encouraged by plunder, they now attack on back-to-back days—always Friday and Saturday around the first weekend in November. Also, their legion […]
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Jeff Siegel’s Daily Analysis & Wagering Strategies Santa Anita Monday, October 14, 2019 * Specifically designed for the rolling exotic player, Jeff Siegel’s “Daily Analysis and Wagering Strategies” isolates those horses that should be included in daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and the pick-6. * It is recommended that Jeff’s selections be used to augment […]
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