#Todd Pletcher

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…

I led last week's column with this, but … "There seems to be more distractions than ever before for gamblers' attention with MLB starting to join NBA and NHL on the daily calendar" … and now we have football, too, with the second coming of the USFL. But, hey, there's always time to slip in some horse racing plays on our busy Saturdays. Last…

These Saturday races meet the criteria I've established for using the superfecta-key betting strategy. At Aqueduct Race 9 This one-mile allowance race on the dirt for 4-year-olds and up attracted a a field of 11, with one runner coming in off the claim. All entrants exit dirt races - 10 at Aqueduct and one at Penn National. The field has combined…

As the 2023 Kentucky Derby trail takes a one-weekend pause, the 2023 Kentucky Oaks path continues Saturday in New York. Occult is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the $100000 Busanda Stakes. Post time from Aqueduct is 3:47 p.m. EST, with FS2 showing the 1 1/8-mile stakes for 3-year-old fillies. The Busanda is the first prep race to pay points on a…

Friday's Race Recap from Gulfstream: (All odds US) Replays for Friday's races from Gulfstream can be found here (no subscription necessary. Just click the "videos" link: Gulfstream: Race 1: 2nd@ 1.50/1 Race 2: 2nd@ 3.60/1 Race 8: 1st@ 0.90/1 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Race 9: 4th@ 6.50/1 Days in a row with at least one winner given out to our members: 10 🔥🔥 In…

Largent, shown winning the 2020 Fort Lauderdale Stakes, returns from an 11-month layoff to contest Saturday's Tropical Turf at Gulfstream Park and could be considered for the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf with a good effort. Photo by Ryan Thompson, courtesy of Gulfstream Park Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A potential prep for the Pegasus World Cup Turf in Florida, a…

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…

In this biweekly series, racing analyst J. 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 Gun Pilot You know Saturday's fourth race at Oaklawn, an $80000 allowance optional claimer (post…

As times change, even a two-time Triple Crown-winning, Hall of Fame trainer has to adjust. In an era when horses are racing less and less, Bob Baffert looks like he is not only ahead of the curve, but he is leading the vanguard. This goes way beyond what he did with Justify in a gaudy, 112-day dash from apprenticeship to retirement. Very quietly,…

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A lost coin toss. A failed mating. Terrible post-position draws to the extreme inside or outside in a 20-horse field. Sudden weather changes that turn an already-quirky dirt surface into goo, leading some thoroughbreds to skip over it while others trudge home. As fans await the 143rd Kentucky Derby on Saturday, history suggests…

Friday's headliner at Keeneland is the $300000 Sycamore S. (G3), which will be run at 1 1/2 miles on the turf as Race 9. An overflow field of 16 has been entered for the ultra-competitive event, which will be the centerpiece of my Daily Double wagers as I will look to capitalize on an especially generous offer from Twin Spires. The " Keeneland…

This is "last call" weekend for Breeders' Cup hopefuls with more than a dozen "Win and You're In" races spread across three U.S. tracks. It's also Arc weekend in Paris and Winx seeks her 28th straight win in Australia. There's even more, with important 2-year-old races in Canada and the Group 1 Sun Chariot in England. Twenty-eight straight wins? It…

January is always a good time of year to search maiden special weight entries for promising 3-year-olds making their debuts. Often there are well-bred youngsters to be found. Such is the case this week. A half-sister to Dortmund and a colt produced by Dame Dorothy are two of the half-dozen notable names we're highlighting in Prospect…

The official state song "Maryland, My Maryland" will not be performed before the Preakness next month because the lyrics are perceived by some to be racist. A spokesperson for Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness, said Friday the tradition of playing the song before the race will be scrapped on Oct. 3, when the Triple Crown series comes to…

The 2023 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series comes to Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 28 (4:30-6 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock). Some of the biggest names in the sport are potentially going after the $4.5 million at stake. Cyberknife is most likely the biggest name that is probably to be in the field of the headline dirt race. He finished second in…

Potential Breeders' Cup Horses Work Lexus Raven Run Winner Caramel Swirl Returns To Churchill Downs Conditioner Cox's "Cool Little Horse" Perryville Winner He'smyhoneybadger LEXINGTON, Ky. - Charles Fipke's undefeated Lady Speightspeare, scratched at the gate for the Oct. 16 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) Presented by Dixiana, at Keeneland…

Each week, this important article will provide the standings, power rankings, and recent transactions for every league member. Not only will you see the latest claims in the league (which will show you what horses might be up-and-coming), but you will also get updates on the runners as they prepare for their next starts along the Kentucky Derby…

As Keeneland prepares to host the 2022 Breeders' Cup in two weeks, the Lexington, Ky., track continues its October meet Saturday with a graded stakes for filly sprinters. Smash Ticket (5-2) is morning-line favorite for the Grade 2, $350000 Raven Run Stakes. Post time from Keeneland is 5:16 p.m., with FanDuel TV to broadcast the seven-furlong sprint…

Some of the best thoroughbreds in the world compete in the Pegasus World Cup, a prestigious invitation-only race. This event, presented by Baccarat, will be held in the Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 28. There is no doubt that fans have been anticipating the yearly event and keeping an eye on the list of contenders. With a…

Just one live day - the New Year's Eve card at Aqueduct Racetrack - remains in 2020 to complete a remarkable year of racing action on the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) circuit. The NYRA Press Office checked in with a selection of New York-based racing personalities to get their reflections on the memorable year. As a third-generation…

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…

Now we are talking Kentucky Derby preps. This time we mean it. Life Is Good can race across, up and down or diagonally through the San Felipe. Greatest Honour can close on pedestrian fractions in the Fountain of Youth. Concert Tour can be anointed prince of the Bob Baffert Invi … er … Rebel Stakes. Essential Quality can be forgotten with his…

Kentucky Derby 147 champ Medina Spirit will run from the No. 3 spot in the gate at Pimlico in the 146th Preakness Stakes on May 15 with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert agreeing to a special set of conditions after the colt failed his post-Derby drug test. He opens as the 9-5 favorite. The 2021 Preakness Stakes will air on Saturday, May 15 from 2…

Top contenders for the 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of preference, with comments provided by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. Churchill Downs has adopted a points system to determine the Derby field, with points being earned by the top four finishers in designated prep races. The odds are from the…

Ahmed Zayat, whose Zayat Stables entered three horses in the Kentucky Derby, was all smiles this week at Churchill Downs and after the post positiion draw on Wednesday night. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire) By Tom Pedulla, America's Best Racing LOUISVILLE - Owner Ahmed Zayat described himself as "ecstatic" after American Pharoah drew post position 18…

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 Queens County Stakes is a 1 1/8-mile dirt stakes for 4-year-olds and up and this year a nearly full field of 11 has been entered including two trained by Norman Cash. The runners exit dirt races in 10 cases including five at Aqueduct, three at Laurel Park and one each at Parx and Keeneland with the final runner coming out of a synthetic race at…

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…

With a new distance and a new place on the calendar, this year's Belmont Stakes is unlike any other. A compact field of nine, highlighted by Tiz the Law, is expected for the historic race. Read on for 12 things to know about Saturday's Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park. 1. This year is the first time ever that the Belmont will precede both…

California Chrome Set to Conquer Dubai World Cup 2016: Former Horse of the Year California Chrome will make his final Middle East appearance on Saturday, when he competes in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (GI) at Meydan Racecourse. The 5-year-old horse looks set to give a top performance in front of a worldwide audience and merits all attention…

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…

The Road to the Kentucky Derby series opened in late September, but the prep season doesn't get into full swing until the New Year. And the first qualifier of 2023 took place at Oaklawn Park on New Year's Day, the Smarty Jones. Twenty-six additional point races will be offered for the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1) over the next 3 1/2 months. Let's…

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…

Always Dreaming need dream no longer after the horse won the 143rd Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs on a soggy track. Jockey John Velazquez rode Always Dreaming during the annual event that was attended by more than 158070 people - the seventh-largest crowd in the race's 143-year history. The win for Always Dreaming marks the second…

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…

The Kentucky Derby, the first and perhaps most important leg of the Triple Crown, is just two days away and horse racing fans will finally get to see what the race looks like without a Bob Baffert-trained colt on the track. Zandon, this year's betting favorite to win in the field of 20 thoroughbreds at 3-1, enters the 148th Run for the Roses having…

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…

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…

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…

Each week, this important article will provide the standings, power rankings, and recent transactions for every league member. Not only will you see the latest claims in the league (which will show you what horses might be up-and-coming), but you will also get updates on the runners as they prepare for their next starts along the Kentucky Derby…

Colonel Liam, shown after winning the 2021 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream Park, returns to try for a repeat win Saturday. Photo by Lauren King, courtesy of Gulfstream Park Dec. 30 (UPI) - Eight horses celebrate their third birthday Sunday by lining up for the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park - the holiday weekend's way station on the "Road…

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…

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…

Edwin Maldonado / 6 John Velazquez / 6 TRAINERS / WINS Philip D'Amato / 14 Bob Baffert / 7 Doug O'Neill / 6 George Papaprodromou / 6 Peter Miller / 5 Saturday • $400000 Grade I Hollywood Derby, 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles (turf) • $100000 Grade III Jimmy Durante Stakes, 2-year-old fillies, 1 mile (turf) • $100000 Stormy Liberal Stakes, 3-year-olds and…

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…

These four plays at Gulfstream and Santa Anita meet the criteria for good superfecta key betting opportunities on Saturday.Read on after the plays to learn more about those selection standards. At Gulfstream Race 7 The Suwannee River Stakes (G3) is a one mile turf race for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up and this year's rendition attracted a…

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…

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…