Now that it is 2017, it’s time for my 13th annual ranking of the Top 10 performances of the year. Keep in mind this is not a list of the Top 10 “races” of the year (the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Distaff, with Beholder nosing out Songbird at the end of a fantastic stretch battle, […]
Read more
2016 is nearly out of gas. Needle’s on ‘E.’ Between now and January 1 we’ll run on fumes. No worries. We’ll make it. We always do. Move on. Turn the page. Gas up. Proceed. Toward what? #Whoknows Guess that’s an advantage the past has over the future. Hindshight. 20/20 vision. We know where we’ve been, […]
Read more
The Triple Crown is on ice. Frozen solid. Nyquist’s defeat Saturday at Pimlico guaranteed that and I’m OK with it. Truthfully, I wasn’t emotionally prepared to witness another Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes sweep this year. Granted, if Nyquist had turned the trick I would have been suitably impressed. Winning a Triple Crown is […]
Read more
Nyquist dominated Kentucky Derby foes two weeks ago with the kind of speed and determination top class runners often display. It was his eighth win in as many starts and he became just the second 3-year-old, along with Street Sense, to parlay a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile victory into a Kentucky Derby triumph. He will be […]
Read more
These rankings reflect the author’s evaluation of past, present, and projected form expressed in a theoretical true handicap (high weight 126 lbs.) at one mile and three-sixteenths at Pimlico on the third Saturday in May, 2016. (Updated May 10, 2016) 1 – NYQUIST (D. O’Neill) 126 Uncle Mo-Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry, Latest workout: none since raced Last start: May 7, […]
Read more
Race 9- Shakhimat (#8, 5-1) was very impressive in the Transylvania Stakes last time out and could sneak away from this field on the front end. He has never been better and catches a field without much early speed. Airoforce (#1, 4-1) is a tricky read. His two-year-old form is good enough to win this […]
Read more
The Beyer Speed Figures going into this year’s Kentucky Derby are relatively low. That is one thing we do know. There were 13 races run in the U.S. this year in which the winner earned 50 or 100 points toward the Kentucky Derby. In 11 of the 13 races, the winner was assigned a lower […]
Read more
These rankings reflect the author’s evaluation of past, present, and projected form expressed in a theoretical true handicap (high weight 126 lbs.) at one mile and one-quarter at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, 2016. (Updated April 26, 2016) 1 – NYQUIST (D. O’Neill) 126 Uncle Mo-Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry, Latest workout: April 23, […]
Read more
The Kentucky Derby is a bit more than two weeks away and that means it’s time to review what we’ve seen at coast-to-coast tracks in preparation for an all-out assault on Derby mutuel payoffs. Loyal readers will recall that this horseplayer annually sets his sights on the Kentucky Derby superfecta bulls-eye. Sometimes we hit it; […]
Read more
(Updated April 19, 2016) 1 – NYQUIST (D. O’Neill) 126 Uncle Mo-Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry, Latest workout: April 15, Kee, 5f-1:02.3b Last start: April 2, GP, first, Florida Derby-G1 Ky. Derby qualifying points: (130) 7-7-0-0 – $2,322,600 $400,000 FTF March 2-year-old in training, Eclipse Award winning champion 2-year-old, athletic, medium-sized colt with fluid action, extremely tactical […]
Read more
The way I currently see it, there is a good chance the winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby has a 91007 zip code. On my Kentucky Derby Top 10 this week, No. 1 Nyquist, No. 2 Exaggerator and No. 3 Mor Spirit are all based in California at Santa Anita Park, zip code 91007. No. […]
Read more
These rankings reflect the author’s evaluation of past, present, and projected form expressed in a theoretical true handicap (high weight 126 lbs.) at one mile and one-quarter at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, 2016. (Updated April 12, 2016) 1 – NYQUIST (D. O’Neill) 126 Uncle Mo-Seeking Gabrielle, by Forestry, Latest workout: none since raced […]
Read more
Following his demolition of nine Xpressbet Florida Derby foes Saturday, Reddam Racing’s Nyquist now is unbeaten in seven lifetime starts and finally has vaulted to the head of the 2016 Kentucky Derby class. At this point, he is expected to be the favorite for that prestigious race on the first Saturday in May. That this […]
Read more
Dave Joseph’s crack publicity staff at Gulfstream Park immediately followed Wednesday’s $1 million Xpressbet.com Florida Derby post-position draw with a press release featuring quotes from several trainers with runners in the main event. As usual, horseplayers and fans alike ought to digest such hors d’oeuvres with a proverbial grain of salt. No trainer’s ever attempted […]
Read more