#Irad Ortiz

Michael "The Wizard'' Kipness has been a professional horse racing handicapper since 1986. The Las Vegas resident analyzes the 20-horse field for Saturday's 148th Kentucky Derby, designating each horse as a contender or a pretender. Visit Wizardraceandsports.com for his full card selections and wagering strategies for Oaks Day (13 races) and Derby…

Knicks Go, seen winning the Grade I Pegasus World Cup in January, is favorite for Saturday's Grade I Whitney at Saratoga. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Park Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Rich purses drew some top foreign talent for the Saratoga Derby and Oaks on Saturday and Sunday on the upstate New York turf to highlight a big weekend of Thoroughbred…

Team Tuley continues to look for value at horse racing tracks from coast to coast. Last Saturday, our friend Ed Sehon again carried us with a pair of winners - Candidate ($17.20) and Moon Cat ($9.00) - a week after giving out a Pick 5 at Gulfstream that paid $588.20. This Saturday, we're joined by Sehon as well as Rampart race and sports book…

Even if a race does not carry qualifying points, if there are 3-year-olds running, it could end up being a prep for Kentucky Derby 2023. In addition to the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, there are six other races Saturday that include 15 horses who already are in the Derby futures market in Las Vegas or are on the verge of being there. Maiden…

Two weeks after a Grade 1 win at Saratoga, trainer Christophe Clement is putting the star of his barn back in the starting gates. Gufo (7-5) is morning-line favorite Saturday for the Grade 2, $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes. Post time from Kentucky Downs is 5:45 p.m., with the race broadcast on both CNBC and FanDuel TV, the network formerly…

Lovely Ride wins Saturday's Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Trainer Bob Baffert saddled the first three finishers in Sunday's $100000 Grade III Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, a "Road to the Kentucky Derby" race, while the other weekend qualifier went to a colt who might find the Derby distance…

Northfield Park had a full evening of 15 races planned on Monday, July 11, but officials canceled the card after the second race due to a pacer named Alfred Hanover finding his way into the park's pond and drowning. The two-year-old standardbred had just run second in the event which was part of the Buckeye Stallion Series. While handlers were…

Another racing week at Saratoga begins on Wednesday with a 10-race program, highlighted by the Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes for steeplechase runners going 2 1/16 miles. I've highlighted my five favorite races on the program, which gets underway at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Best Bet: Java Buzz (Race 5) Best Value Bet: Frosty Invasion (Race 2) Race 1 No. 3…

Repole Stable's Chocolate Gelato fought off a determined You're My Girl coming out of the turn to win the $400000, Grade 1 Frizette Stakes by a length on a sloppy main track at the Belmont at the Big A meet held at Aqueduct Oct. 2. The victory earned the 2-year-old daughter of Practical Joke a spot in the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile…

The trail toward the first Saturday in May reaches its next step on the first Saturday in January. Arctic Arrogance is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the $150000 Jerome Stakes. Post time from Aqueduct is 3:16 p.m., with FS2 showing the one-mile event for 3-year-olds. The Jerome awards its top five finishers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a…

Team Tuley continues to look for value at horse racing tracks from coast to coast. After taking two weeks off, my friend Ed Sehon (aka Mr. Ed from his Saratoga and Keeneland columns at VSiN.com in addition to his contributions here) carried us last Saturday as his Late Pick 5 at Gulfstream Park paid $588.20. This Saturday, we're joined by Sehon as…

The first full weekend of live racing action in 2023 features a pair of Kentucky Derby prep races - the Jerome Stakes from Aqueduct on Saturday and the Sham Stakes from Santa Anita on Sunday. Both races offer 10-4-3-2-1 qualifying points towards the Kentucky Derby to the top five finishers. Saturday's $150000 Jerome Stakes has drawn a field of…

Brad Cox's Essential Quality opens as the 2-1 favorite for the 2021 Belmont Stakes ahead of Preakness winner Rombauer (3-1). Essential Quality and Rombauer will break side-by-side from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. The 153rd Belmont Stakes airs on Saturday, June 5 from 3-5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and from 5-7 p.m. on NBC. Coverage is also…

Welcome to Noel Michaels' Weekend Winners, the place to go for weekend best bets and spot plays from veteran handicapper and tournament-play pioneer Noel Michaels. Check back every week for a couple of highlighted selections designed to help you cash a few bets and make some money. Noel's selections have been featured just about everywhere horse…

Editor's note: last summer, Ed Sehon (aka Mr. Ed) called this column "Saratoga on (about) $100 a Day," but sometimes had trouble finding plays on the mid-week cards, which put a drain on the bankroll. So, for this summer's meet at the Spa, Mr. Ed is saving his bankroll for the higher-quality cards (and horses) on the weekend and is posting his…

Titleholder wins Sunday's Takarazuka Kinen, now targeting the Arc d'Triomphe. Photo courtesy of Japan Racing Association June 27 (UPI) -- Tawny Port's victory in Saturday's Ohio Derby serves notice the scramble among U.S. 3-year-olds is far from over while Westover's dominance of the Irish Derby indicates he's not out of the frame, either, despite…

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Whatever happens Saturday will simply be resume-padding for Knicks Go. His retirement home has been picked out, his stud fee has been set and he's in the relatively small club of thoroughbreds with multiple Breeders' Cup race victories including last year's Classic. There's not much left to prove. "I would think that he's…

At the age of 92 most of us would be safely tucked up in bed at around 11pm with a big day ahead, but the Queen showed phenomenal staying power on Friday night by staying up late to watch her homebred four-year-old Call To Mind win the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational before talking to her racing adviser John Warren on the phone…

The 145th running of the Grade-1, Kentucky Derby will take place on Saturday, May 4, at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the only race in the U.S. with a 20-horse field and it can provide great wagering opportunities for bettors. The favorite has won the run for the roses the last several years, but even with the top choice…

The 2021 Preakness Stakes gets underway this evening, putting the second jewel of the horse racing Triple Crown up for grabs. Here is everything you need to know to enjoy the thrilling race that was preceded by the Kentucky Derby and leads into the Belmont Stakes. The Preakness Stakes 2021 is set to run on Saturday, May 15 with an approximate post…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There is a full field of 14 entered for the 147th running of the Travers Stakes on Saturday, including the Preakness victor Exaggerator and the Belmont champion Creator. Still, the Midsummer Derby, as the race is known, is a wide-open affair in a year in which the crop of male 3-year-olds seems evenly matched. The…

After two weeks off, Team Tuley is back to look for value at horse racing tracks from coast to coast. The last time we were with you on Dec. 10, I gave out Junipermarshmallow, a 5-1 winner at Gulfstream Park, and my friend Ed Sehon (aka Mr. Ed) gave out a $654.15 late Pick 4 at Gulfstream, along with a $44.60 Exacta while Rampart race and sports…

Saturday's Grade 3, $150000 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream Park isn't the richest or most prestigious of the eight graded stakes to be run on the last day of 2022, but it grabs the marquee spot on Horse Racing Nation's stakes roundup by virtue of its possible impact on next month's Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. The key local…

Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2022 Harlan's Holiday Stakes Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2022 Harlan's Holiday Stakes is set for December 31 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Here's a preview of our top contenders. Race: Harlan's Holiday Stakes Purse:…

Tiz the Law is the 6-5 morning line favorite for Saturday's 152nd running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. The Barclay Tagg-trained multiple Grade 1 winner will break from the eight post against nine competitors in the 1-1/8 mile test around one turn. Posts were drawn Wednesday. "It could have been worse. I was hoping to get five…

With Arrogate and Gun Runner taking center stage in the $6 million Classic, Day 2 of the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California, was a highly anticipated affair. However, drama wasn't limited to Saturday's final race, considering $21.5 million in total purse money was up for grabs over the course of nine races. Below,…

Knicks Go capped a Horse of the Year season late Saturday afternoon, winning the $6 million Breeders Cup Classic by 2¾ lengths over provisional Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit in the finale of the two-day event at Del Mar. Former Del Mar riding champion Joel Rosario guided the third choice in the field of eight to his third Grade I win of the…

War of Will, shown winning the Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland in July, is a major player in Saturday's Grade I Woodbine Mile. Photo courtesy of Keeneland Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Two days of top-level turf action at Woodbine, including three Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" events, provide the feature attraction in weekend horse racing. Two of the…

Maximum Security, the colt disqualified from victory in the Kentucky Derby, returns to the winner's circle Saturday at Belmont Park. Photo courtesy of New York Racing Association Oct. 28 (UPI) -- It was a very good weekend of horse racing for Japan as Lys Gracieux landed the Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and Almond Eye returned to her dominant…

The 2022 Royal Ascot festival is well underway, with punters set to enjoy two more thrilling days of action in Windsor. The first three days of Royal Ascot haven't disappointed, but there are still plenty of races to come. From the Gold Cup to the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, Ascot is one of the standout fixtures in the racing calendar, and they are…

Letruska edges Monomoy Girl in Saturday's $1 million Grade I Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. Photo by Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park April 19 (UPI) -- Million-dollar races at Oaklawn Park produced a big upset and a potential star for the remainder of the year in highlights of horse racing this weekend. The Kentucky Derby field continued…

The horses for the 149th running of the Belmont Stakes are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Eric Donovan of the New York Racing Association. Purse: $1.5 million guaranteed Distance: One and a half miles Track record: 2:24 (Secretariat,…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter, who came up just shy of Grade 1 glory twice this spring in the Triple Crown, secured both his first top-level victory and a place at the top of the sophomore division with an emphatic 5 1/4-length victory under Joel Rosario in the 153rd renewal of the 10-furlong Grade 1, $1.25 million…

The principal action for Kentucky Derby 148 occurred more than 2000 miles west of Churchill Downs Thursday morning as Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner Taiba worked six furlongs in 1:12.80. "It was very straight forward," trainer Tim Yakteen said. "He worked three-quarters from the five-eighth pole. It was a typical Taiba work and we accomplished what…

On the final Saturday of its Bing Crosby Season, Del Mar will offer a stakes tripleheader topped by the Grade 1, $400000 Hollywood Derby, a turf battle deluxe that has drawn an overflow field to the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif. Also on tap for the big afternoon will be the Grade 2, $250000 Seabiscuit Handicap for 3-year-olds and up on…

According to Churchill Downs' Mike Battaglia's opening odds, thoroughbred contender Cyberknife is a 20-1 shot for Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Even if he doesn't win, his owner deserves a bouquet of roses or at least a glass of champagne. You see, Al Gold had more important things on his mind when he named his Chestnut colt. The prostate cancer he…

The 154th Belmont Stakes is the third and final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, and will take place Saturday evening at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. There will be no chance of a horse winning the Triple Crown this year, after Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike did not race in the Preakness in May. But Rich Strike will still have a chance at…

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL - The 2022-2023 Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park will get underway Monday, the first of 71 days of World Class Racing that will be highlighted by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1), and $400000 Fountain of Youth (G2) on the three most prestigious racing days during the…

Like many front-runners, Knicks Go is an all-or-nothing proposition. As a 2-year-old, he wired the Breeders' Futurity by 5 1/2 lengths at odds of 70-1 and ran second at 40-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Then the potential star turned into a nobody, losing his next nine races. Out of desperation, owner Korea Racing Authority replaced Ben Colebrook…

The Triple Crown season resumes following the Kentucky Derby when The Preakness Stakes returns to its traditional position. This legendary race, also known as "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans" will once again blanket the winning colt or filly in Maryland's state flower. When is the Preakness Stakes 2022? On Saturday, May 21, 2022, the 147 annual…

CAMPANELLE (4.20) can sparkle for Californian Ace Wesley Ward in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes on Day Five of Royal Ascot. The sprinter first showed her liking for this track when hammering Sacred in the 2020 Queen Mary. The filly added the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville to her CV with an easy defeat of Nando Parrado. She ran another blinder here…

Last year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Knicks Go is the early favorite at 5-2 for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 23 (NBC, 4:30-6 p.m. ET). He is trained by Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer finalist Brad Cox and will be ridden by Joel Rosario, a finalist for the Eclipse Award for Outstanding…

Favored In Italian went wire-to-wire to give owner Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown their second graded victory of the afternoon in the GIII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream Park Saturday. The chestnut filly rushed up to take the lead into the first turn. Allowed to set pedestrian splits, the favorite shrugged off a pair of challengers in upper stretch…

Winning connections celebrate after the inaugural running of the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club's $150000 Pitons Cup on Friday. Photo courtesy of Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club Dec. 16 (UPI) -- On a horse racing weekend when "new" was the watchword from Japan all the way to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Instilled Regard and War Story provided a hint of…

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Practical Move upset three of trainer Bob Baffert's 2-year-olds in the weekend's feature race, the Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity, adding his name into the mix of candidates for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. Things went a bit more to expectations among the Japanese 2-year-olds as the three favorites reported 1-2-3 in Sunday's Grade 1…

The Gulfstream Park Championship Meet arrives in March in high style! With the addition of Tapeta, plus the MT and Turf Course, it gives bettors a myriad of options! At Horseracing.net/us we have you covered, including all of the action related to the Derby Trail! The South Florida Series turns its attention to today's Grade 2 running of the…

Mike from Queens got to see his two horses finish first and second in New York's biggest race. Mike Repole, who owns Mo Donegal and filly Nest, watched as Mo Donegal passed We the People and Skippylongstocking on the outside in the stretch of the 2022 Belmont Stakes. Once clear, Mo Donegal powered ahead, leaving the rest of the field well behind.…

Venti Valentine wins the Busher Invitational March 5, 2022 (Chelsea Durand) By Keith McCalmont - NYRA Press Office OZONE PARK, N.Y.- NY Final Furlong Racing Stable and Parkland Thoroughbreds' multiple graded-stakes placed Venti Valentine will seek her third career stakes score in Saturday's $100000 Bay Ridge, a one-turn mile for New York-bred…

The fillies and mares will be in action in the sixth race on the card at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, as the Via Borghese Stakes is due off at 2:39 p.m ET. This race will be run over a distance of 1 3/8 miles on the turf, and eight runners have been declared. Always Shopping has won the previous two editions of this race for Todd Pletcher, and the…

Race 9: 1 1/16th (Dirt), Stonestreet Lexington Stakes (G3), Purse $400k, 3 (Saturday) The Grade III Lexington Stakes is the last gasp for the Kentucky Derby Prep Trail. Up for the taking are Points that include, 20 for the "Winner," 8 for the "Place" horse, 4 for the "Show" runner, and a measly 2 for the entry who rounds out the "Super." In the…