#Jason Servis

In what will go down as the most surreal week in sports since 9/11, racing got a double spoonful of distasteful medicine. As the sports world - and the real world - come to grips with the spreading coronavirus, the horse world must also sort out the impact of the criminal bombshell that dropped Monday. Rival trainers Jason Servis and Jorge Navarro,…

It is the great story of the understudy getting that one shot to step in for the star. One shot to step into the spotlight. And maybe even stay there. When Drew Bledsoe got hurt, in came Tom Brady. Wally Pipp was replaced by Lou Gehrig. Phil Fulmer less elegantly for Johnny Majors. On the other hand, sports are full of one-hit wonders like Jeremy…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On another first Saturday in May, the beauty of America's oldest sport battled neck and neck down the stretch with its unseemliness as a colt named Medina Spirit elegantly held off a determined challenge from Mandaloun. They moved in tandem like four-legged ballet dancers - effortlessly, beautifully. No one here who loved…

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…

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…

OCEANPORT - Jason Servis is confident he has Maximum Security fully cranked for the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Invitational Saturday at Monmouth Park. However, what Servis, Maximum Security's trainer, is not completely confident of is whether the horse likes the Monmouth Park racing surface. "I don't know if people have thought of this, but last…

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…

A TOP racehorse owner is said he is OK with losing £8MILLION - if it means no more doping in racing. Gary West says he will not object if his horse Maximum Security is stripped of his win in the 2020 Saudi Cup - the world's richest race. Maximum Security was trained by Jason Servis, the disgraced US trainer who last week pleaded guilty to doping…

The 2022 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series comes to Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 29 (4:30-6 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock). Both winners of last year's marquee events return to Florida in the hopes of defending their titles. Knicks Go leads the 2022 Pegasus World Cup (G1) field with 6-5 odds despite drawing the far inside post position. The likely…

California Spangle holds off Golden Sixty in Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club HONG KONG, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A super day for Hong Kong highlighted weekend horse racing with action-starved fans emerging from pandemic lockdowns to cheer on some new heroes from the Sha Tin Racecourse grandstand. Two-year-old filly…

Lys Gracieux cruises to victory in Sunday's Grade 1 Arima Kinen in Japan. Photo courtesy of Kasumi Saito Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Lys Gracieux roared to victory over a loaded field in the Arima Kinen in Japan in the marquee event of weekend horse racing while Diamond Oops upset the apple cart in a key Florida sprint with international implications. Firenze…

The 95th running of the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) is set to go this Saturday at Aqueduct. A field of 11 will contest this year's running that features several horses looking to continue to make a big impact on the Kentucky Derby trail. Offering 100-40-20-10 Derby points to the top four finishers, the Wood is slated for an approximate post time of 6…

Eight days after the Triple Crown ended, the horse that was officially "17th" in the Kentucky Derby emerged from his Monmouth Park stall and ran for the first time since that bizarre first Saturday in May. On paper, Maximum Security did not look as if he could lose the Pegasus Stakes. His odds were 1-20 (bet $20 to win $1). The colt that crossed…

An inside look at how the 145th Kentucky Derby will shape up: Trainer: Mark Casse Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione Current form: Won the Rebel by a measured two lengths to make it three straight. But gate issues and a wide trip resulted in his first loss on dirt in the Louisiana. Worth a wager? Willed his way to impressive streak. Does best running early…

Trainer Shug McGaughey knew he had a potential Kentucky Derby contender in Code of Honor after his successful 2-year-old campaign but had re-evaluate his plan after the horse's fourth-place finish in January's Mucho Macho Man Stakes. "I was a little bit shook after the Mucho Macho Man," McGaughey said. "I kind of changed my strategy, and that…

DraftKings sportsbook director Johnny Avello, formerly of Wynn Las Vegas, handicaps the 20-horse field in Saturday's Kentucky Derby. Post position, horse, jockey, morning-line odds: They tried him on turf early in his career and he didn't adhere to that surface. But he has excelled on dirt. His last outing, in the Louisiana Derby, was a horrible…

Race 14: 1 1/8th (Dirt), Curlin Florida Derby (G1), Purse $1 million, 3 (Saturday) Named for that celebrated Steve Asmussen runner, the Curlin Florida Derby is a Grade 1 staple on the Kentucky Derby Trail, offering "Points" of 100-40-20-10 in that order to the top 4 finishers. The race continues to be dominated by trainer Todd Pletcher, who has won…

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series continues on Saturday, July 20 with the $1 million, Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park. Seven three-year-olds, including three veterans of the Triple Crown, have been entered to contest this prestigious 1 1/8-mile race, which serves as a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the November 2…

If you think that Johnny Avello at the Wynn Las Vegas would feel threatened by the competition of the Breeders' Cup Future Wager being put together by the Breeders' Cup itself, you don't know how Johnny Avello got to be this town's best bookmaker for horse racing. "I think it's a good idea," he said. "I like it. I'm glad they've started…

The post positions are set for all the races at the 2018 Breeders' Cup, and while many horse racing fans are looking forward to Saturday's Classic, there are five key races that will start the event on Friday. The races include the Juvenile Turf Sprint, Juvenile Fillies Turf, Tito's Handmade Vodka Juvenile Fillies, Juvenile Turf Mile, and the…

Race 8: 1800 Meters (Dirt), The Saudi Cup (Group 1), Purse $20 Million, 4+ (Saturday) The 3rd Annual Saudi Cup Meet is back for another go from Riyadh, and will once again feature the "richest horse race" on the planet … $20 Million... The Saudi Cup. That signature race brought a capacity field in both 2020 and 2021. The inaugural edition saw…

No event in sports is more difficult to predict than the Kentucky Derby. Nineteen 3-year old horses, all evenly matched, running at a distance they have never run before with 160000 screaming fans watching their every turn. It's why even the savviest of horse-racing bettors come away scratching their heads after the 2-minute race ends. Despite the…

The top of the North American trainer earnings list in 2021 looked much as it did in 2020. Of the 10 trainers who led their peers in 2020 earnings, only the federally indicted Jason Servis did not also crack the top 10 in 2021. Brad Cox led the list, followed by Steve Asmussen and Chad Brown. There was movement further down the trainer earnings…

Betting on the fourth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager will open at noon Friday and close at 6 p.m. Sunday. The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which features $2 win and exacta wagering, provides fans the chance to place bets on possible entrants in the Kentucky Derby at odds that could be far greater than those available on the day of the…