Saturday's Best Bet: Annapolis steers away in Saratoga Derby

The $550964 Canadian International (G1) resumed from a one-year hiatus on Sunday, and Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby provided a sense of continuity at Woodbine. Having sent out the most recent winner in 2021, Walton Street, the global operation furnished another in 2-5 favorite Nations Pride. In the $560476 E.P. Taylor (G1), stablemate With the…

Sunday's $750000, Grade 1 Canadian International Stakes at Woodbine is a race that lives up to its name. The 1 1/4-mile grass contest is a truly international affair; 10 of the last 11 editions have been won by horses based outside of North America. That includes Walton Street, a Godolphin runner trained by Charlie Appleby who dominated the 2021…

Robert Criscola analyzes two of the biggest stakes races this weekend in the Coolmore Turf Mile and Canadian International and gives his best horse racing betting picks. Photo By - USA TODAY Sports Two top-level turf races with Breeders' Cup odds implications will take place this weekend as Keeneland hosts the Grade I, $1 million Coolmore Turf Mile…

The Magic Mike Show guys preview the 2023 Saratoga Derby (G1) from Saratoga, then give their top picks & long shots. The Belmont Oaks (G1) winner Aspen Grove crosses over to face the boys after defeating her fellow 3-year-old fillies in her 1st North American racing test. Saturday's fifth edition of the Grade 1, $600000 Saratoga Derby Invitational…

Arabian Knight, a potential star on the Kentucky Derby trail early in the season, returns to the track for Saturday's Haskell Stakes to try to enter the cloudy 3-year-old picture. A field of eight sophomores will assemble at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., at the $1 million Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell with an automatic bid at stake in the Grade 1…

We are back from our winter vacation, and we've picked a good day to return, as there's a terrific card at the Fair Grounds, with a 14-race program headlined by the Lecomte Stakes for 3-year-olds. We have five plays in today for this January Saturday, and we expect fast dirt and firm turf for all of them. Let's go. Fair Grounds, Race 8, 4:30 pm…

In this biweekly series, racing analyst Keeler Johnson shares promising horses from his handicapping watch list, reviewing runners who have recently caught his eye and previewing horses scheduled to run back in the near future. New to the Watch List As a son of 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper out of Regret (G3) winner Beyond Blame, Loggins is…

OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Godolphin's Irish homebred Nations Pride, expertly handled by Frankie Dettori, tipped out and drew off to a 6 1/4-length score in Saturday's Grade 3, $1 million Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational, a 12-furlong inner turf test for sophomores, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. Trained by Charlie Appleby, the victory…

The 2023 Kentucky Derby trail begins Saturday at the track that will host that event next May. Echo Again (2-1) is the morning-line favorite for the Grade 3, $300000 Iroquois Stakes. Post time from Churchill Downs is 4:55 p.m. EDT, with FS2 showing the 1 1/16-mile race for 2-year-olds. The Iroquois kicks off the series of points-paying preps toward…

Nations Pride and Classic Causeway will face off once again in Saturday's Caesars Jockey Club Derby (G3) at Aqueduct closing out the Caesars Turf Triple. Classic Causeway got away easy in the Belmont Derby, but Nations Pride evened the score by winning the G1 Saratoga Derby. While the Jockey Club Derby's longer, mile-and-a-half distance could…

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…

OZONE PARK, N.Y.- Classic Causeway and Nations Pride, who have each won one leg of the Caesars Turf Triple, will square off once more in Saturday's Grade 3, $1 million Caesars Jockey Club Derby, to close out the lucrative series in the 12-furlong inner turf test for sophomores at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. Kentucky West Racing and Clarke…

Classic Causeway and Nations Pride, who have each won one leg of the Caesars Turf Triple, will square off once more in Saturday's Grade 3, $1 million Caesars Jockey Club Derby, to close out the lucrative series in the 12-furlong inner turf test for sophomores at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. Kentucky West Racing and Clarke M. Cooper's…

Closing day at Saratoga features six 2-year-olds aiming to take a division lead on the road to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Gulfport (9-5) is the morning-line favorite for the Grade 1, $300000 Hopeful Stakes. Post time from Saratoga is 6:11 p.m. EDT, with FS2 showing the seven-furlong sprint for juveniles. The Hopeful is the first Grade 1 race of…

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Bass Racing's Kentucky homebred Annapolis leads a talented field of five in Saturday's Grade 3, $200000 Saranac, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the War Front bay made the grade at second asking with a head score in the Grade 2 Pilgrim in October…

Bass Racing's Kentucky homebred Annapolis leads a talented field of five in Saturday's Grade 3, $200000 Saranac, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course. Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the War Front bay made the grade at second asking with a head score in the G2 Pilgrim in October at Belmont Park to close out…

SARATOGA SPRINGS - Wit, who races for the Repole, St. Elias and Gainsway Stables, followed his usual racing pattern of coming from off the pace when he took the trophy in the Spa's $135000 Better Talk Now Sunday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course. With Jose Ortiz in the saddle for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, the colt by Practical Joke…

If there is one thing that remains constant at Saratoga each week, it's Joel Rosario winning more graded stakes races. His three graded stakes wins this week led to Jockey of the Week for Aug. 1 through Aug. 7. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, honors jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which…

Godolphin's Irish homebred Nations Pride made a strong account of himself in his North American debut in running second in the first leg of the Turf Triple series last month and built on that effort with a 1 3/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Saratoga Derby. The middle jewel of the series for 3-year-olds contested at New York…

Donegal Racing's Ready To Purrform and jockey Joel Rosario led all the way in Friday's Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga, defeating what his trainer Brad Cox called a "good group of horses" by 1 1/4 lengths at the wire. Sent off as the co-second choice at odds of 7-2, the sophomore son of Kitten's Joy ran out…

The $1 million Whitney Stakes headlines four graded stakes Saturday at Saratoga. A compact and competitive field of six older horses will race 1 1/8 miles. The 95th running of The Whitney is also a "Win and You're In" qualifier for the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington. The Whitney is Race 10 of a 12-race…

A strong contingent of European horses meets some of the best turf 3-year-olds from the United States when the starting gate opens in the 2022 Belmont Derby on Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. The European group is led by Stone Age and Nations Pride. Trained by Aidan O'Brien, Stone Age is the 9-2 morning-line favorite in the 2022 Belmont…

By Andy Serling FOX Sports Horse Racing Analyst With the Triple Crown races in the rearview mirror, bettors are gearing up for the second half of the season which officially kicked off last weekend. Belmont Stakes winner Mo Donegal is out for the rest of the year with minor issues, but trainer Todd Pletcher still has an ace up his sleeve. Pletcher…

The SI Gambling Horse handicapping experts had a great win last month in the Blue Grass Stakes as Art Collector (6.60) came through in dominating fashion; helping us hit the Exacta (12/1), Trifecta (60/1) and Superfecta (443/1). Now, the boys are back with some sharp plays from Saratoga for this Saturday's Travers Stakes, featuring Belmont Stakes…