#My Standards

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…

Three stakes winners plus a debut runner caught my eye last week. Each of them bred in Louisiana, and each of them with the talent to potentially face open company going forward. Let's start with the debut runner from Ron Faucheux's barn who ran on Thursday, Kyle Beauty. It didn't take an expert eye to be awed by this first-time-starter. After…

Country House won the 145th Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security - who crossed the finish line first - was disqualified for a race infraction, an unprecedented result in race history. Read full coverage of the race here. Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer of Triple Crown winners American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018, has three horses in…

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 2019 Kentucky Derby race day will be much like the one hundred and forty-four that preceded it: Rain or shine, the morning breaks at Churchill Downs, the horses may take an easy turn around the track, and the trainers and owners will begin to fidget and fuss in their losing battle to keep everything routine. The Derby is at bottom an unknowable…

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we think the best racing at Santa Anita this weekend will be on simulcast. I know this is an odd topic for the newsletter, but when you think about it, not really. The world learned Friday morning of the death Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He was 99. If…

The Breeders' Cup is the annual horse racing event that follows the Triple Crown races on the schedule. Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup was changed into a two-day event. In the history of the event, the Breeders' Cup has always taken place in the United States. This year's installment will take place at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington,…

Horse of the Year honors could be on the line Saturday when the country's top dirt horses square off in North America's richest race, the 2020 Breeders' Cup Classic. Saturday's race features three of the top four horses in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll: No. 1 Improbable, No. 2 Maximum Security and No. 4 Tom's…

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…

For years Saratoga has been known as the Graveyard of Favorites. Whether it be Thursday's first race, or a grade one event on the weekend, an upset is always more than a possibility. Saturday's feature is more than just a big race. The Whitney Stakes was once declared by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities as the top grade one…

In 2020, when almost none of the major races has been run in their normal calendar positions but have at least all been run, the Breeders' Cup will go Friday and Saturday when and where it was supposed to be all along. There will be no spectators beyond some owners, trainers and media at Keeneland, but the promise of the 14 races over two days has…

The $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-old fillies headlines a loaded 13-race Friday card at Churchill Downs that includes five undercard graded stakes. The Oaks, the filly version of the Kentucky Derby, drew a field of nine, but this one sure looks like a showdown between the talented favorites - Gamine and Swiss…

The SI Gambling Horse handicapping experts had a great day at the track in the Travers Stakes when Tiz the Law came through in impressive fashion, helping our team crush the Exacta (8/1) and the Trifecta (36/1) after Caracaro & Max Player both hit the board! In July, the team scored in the Blue Grass Stakes hitting the Exacta (12/1), Trifecta…

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…