Finding value in Saturday stakes at Kentucky Downs

Churchill Downs' Barn Notes: Gaffalione Off to Fast Start (Jockey Tyler Gaffalione / Coady Photography) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: GAFFALIONE OFF TO FAST START AT CHURCHILL DOWNS SEPTEMBER MEET Nine-time Churchill Downs leading rider Tyler Gaffalione was off to a hot start at the September Meet where he's already recorded 12 winners…

If you are thirsty for some top notch competition, there will be plenty of Cups to drink from at Kentucky Downs on September 9. Located just north of the Tennessee state line, that little "country" track in Franklin, Kentucky will feature a huge day of racing on Saturday, September 9. A monstrous lineup featuring six stakes races that are all worth…

One of the most wonderful times of the year is now upon us. Like a shooting star, Kentucky Downs is about to light up the Thoroughbred racing sky as their live racing meet begins on August 31 and features six other dates through September 13. Nestled just north of the Tennessee state line in Franklin, Kentucky, this grass-only track has become the…

Since February, Sara Elbadwi, 27, has been working as an on-air handicapper and production assistant/research specialist for the television production team at the New York Racing Association. A native of Red Hook, N.Y., a small upstate town, Elbadwi's on-desk appearances have taken place on NYRA's "Talking Horses," a handicapping show that precedes…

2023 Kentucky Derby & Kentucky Oaks Betting Bible, featuring the EXACT race-by-race wagering plans for Aaron Halterman and Jared Welch, the two founders of RacingDudes.com. See how they're playing every race on both big cards at Churchill Downs: Kentucky Oaks Day on May 5 & Kentucky Derby Day on May 6! Plus, get race-by-race pace analysis, Pick 4…

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…

With Pick 6 and late Pick 5 carryovers going in to Friday's card at Aqueduct, it's safe to say that long shots have been outrunning the odds. Hoping that trend continues, handicapper Sara Elbadwi offers two prices worth playing in New York this weekend. The weekend starts early with a Friday play in the ninth race. The favorites are tough to trust…

Now that the Breeders' Cup is over, hard-knocking claiming horses will have their day in the spotlight at Churchill Downs on Saturday. The claiming crown gives them the opportunity to compete in various divisions on both turf and dirt. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi discusses two long shots worth considering on the card in this week's Outrun the Odds…

The juveniles are featured on Breeders' Cup Friday at Keeneland, and handicapper Sara Elbadwi has a different guest to discuss each race. Races 6 through 10 will be the Breeders' Cup events. These 2-year-old races can prove difficult for some to decipher. That's why various racing experts were called on to offer their insight and how they'll be…

Saturday is a major day of racing at Keeneland Race Course, with five stakes races, including three Grade 1s. The card is highlighted by the 2022 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and 2022 Coolmore Turf Mile. The Todd Pletcher-trained Forte is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity odds, while the Brad Cox-trained Loggins is…

Coming off a successful episode where both horses that did run were first or second, this week's focus is on stakes races at both Keeneland and Belmont at the Big A. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi discusses price plays in the Breeders' Futurity and Turf Mile on Saturday at Keeneland, as well as in the Beldame on Sunday at Belmont at the Big A. A new…

Although races have been rained off the turf the past few days in New York, the weather should be clear for upcoming weekend races. This includes Saturday's Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and Sunday's Futurity, a Breeders' Cup "win and you're in" for the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Those are the races covered by handicapper Sara Elbadwi and New York…

The Saturday card at Belmont at the Big A features the Grade 1 Woodward and the return of Life Is Good. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi is joined by New York Racing Association analyst and Fox Sports host Andy Serling to cover four graded stakes. With rain in the forecast for October 1, there is the potential that certain turf races are in jeopardy of…

With the Breeders' Cup just about one month away, the upcoming first Saturday in October features several key prep races. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi highlights three horses that have a big chance to outrun the odds, one of which will be running in the Ack Ack (G3), a "win and you're in" for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. The focus begins with race 6 at…

An action packed 13 race card awaits horseplayers and racing fans this Saturday at Parx. Track announcer Chris Griffin joined Sara Elbadwi to discuss the main event of the day, the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby. With end of the year divisional championships creeping closer, the 3-year-old picture could sharpen further into focus after…

The Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes are both taking place on Saturday, and there are some long shots worth including on your tickets. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi picks out a price in each race and states her case for why these horses have a good chance to outrun the odds. Logical favorites loom in both races, but there's plenty…

The fall meet at Churchill Downs opens Thursday with a "Downs After Dark" program and an eight-race card. Weekend stakes action also begins the points preps for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi talks through the first late pick 5 of the meet with Churchill Downs paddock analyst Kaitlin Free. Horseplayers looking for…

Churchill Downs Ready To Pop Gate on September Meet (Set Piece gets a morning bath at Churchill Downs / Photos by Holly M. Smith) From the Churchill Downs Media Team: Horse racing on the Kentucky circuit shifts to Churchill Downs on Thursday, Sept. 15 with the first of three Twilight Thursday programs at 5 p.m. (all times Eastern) as the famed…

On the final day of the 2022 Del Mar meet on Sunday, the Pick 6 must go. The sequence encompasses races 6 through 11, three of which are for 2-year-olds. Handicapper Sara Elbadwi goes through each of the races with expert racing analyst Michelle Yu. The first leg features maidens, and two of the debut runners rank highly on the Horse Racing…

While the Saratoga meet has come to an end, there is still plenty of high-class action on this weekend from around North America, most notably at Kentucky Downs and Del Mar. This week's Super Screener provides in-depth analysis and wagering strategies for seven graded stakes from those two tracks, plus suggested plays for the late Pick 4 at…

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…

Favorites won 36.7 percent of the time for the week ended September 4, less frequently than the previous week where chalk had been successful at a 38.9 percent win rate. Although fewer total races were run this week at 778, average field size remained relatively the same at 7.1 runners. This decrease in total races contested was partly due to a…

Quality action continues beyond Labor Day weekend at Colonial Downs, which features an eleven race card on Tuesday, September 6th. The highlight of the day is the Virginia Derby (G3), scheduled as race 10. Both handicappers Ed DeRosa and Sara Elbadwi are against the morning line favorite in this spot, No. 7 Unanimous Consent at 3-1. DeRosa's top…

To horseplayer Dennis Poppe, Kentucky Downs provides all the tools one needs to make money betting horses, short of coming up with the winners in advance. The all-grass FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs, which offers some of the largest purses for horse owners in the world, begins Thursday and continues Saturday, Sunday and Sept. 8, 10, 11 and 14.…

Thoroughbred racing on the Kentucky circuit shifts from Churchill Downs in Louisville to its sister track Turfway Park Racing & Gaming, 94 miles to the northeast in Florence, on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 6:15 p.m. (all times Eastern) for the 16-day Holiday Meet. The Holiday Meet covers a five-week stretch every Thursday-Sunday through Friday, Dec. 31…