Archive for September 2018
I’m confused
As far as I’m concerned, one of the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile is Firenze Fire. He is your prototypical one-turn miler. Not merely a one-turn horse. Specifically a one-turn miler. So I have no idea why he is passing on the Kelso, a one-turn mile at Belmont, in favor of the Gallant…
Read MoreTourney Talk- The BIG Decision
The BIG One is probably the largest tournament that has never really been on my radar. In the two years I’ve been participating in tournaments, I think have only played in one online qualifier for it. I was always aware of The BIG One, but just never gave it much thought. Don’t really have a…
Read More25-1 on Takaful seems….low
It’s always fun to think about catching a big price on a sneaky horse to win a big race weeks or months in advance. I’ve hit a few in my day, including Monarchs at 17-1 (could have had 10-1 on Derby Day), and Giacomo at about 50-1 (same price as Derby Day). I’ve missed way…
Read MoreTrip Alert: A horse can only run so fast
UPDATE: The fractional times for the Woodbine Mile are currently under video review, calling the entire point of this post into question. Half-way into Saturday’s Woodbine Mile, Lord Glitters was a full 10 lengths behind leader and eventual winner Oscar Performance. By the time the race was over, Lord Glitters had managed to cut that…
Read MoreSaturday Longshots and Top Picks for Woodbine
The Woodbine Mile card steals the show this weekend. Let’s dive right in and talk about most-likely winners and longshots that can spice things up. Race 6- The Sweet Briar Too On one hand, it feels like Mark Casse is just trying to find a spot where Victory to Victory can recapture some of the…
Read MoreTrip Alert: Two For the Price of One
Sometimes as handicappers, we have a tendency to only watch the horse we bet on in a given race. I try not to do that as much as possible, but it happens a lot. And because of this, we are probably more apt to notice anything out of the ordinary that our horse encounters, overcomes,…
Read MoreRemember Proviso? Well, ya might wanna read this.
If you’re planning to play Churchill Downs on Friday, allow me to direct your attention to Race 5. A maiden special weight event on the grass for 3yos and up featuring your average, ordinary field of colts and geldings, most of whom last raced at Ellis or Kentucky Downs. You’ve seen races like this a…
Read MoreEarly Breeders’ Cup Bomb Patrol
We still have nearly two full months until the Breeders’ Cup, but that’s no reason we can’t start searching for sneaky longshots who can help make BC weekend a profitable one. Maybe they can win. Maybe they can’t. But sometimes identifying that 20-1 shot who runs 3rd is just as valuable as picking the winner.…
Read MoreA cold double for your Wednesday
Bonus card alert!!! Sunday’s weather cancellation at Kentucky Downs means we get some unexpected midweek action. And LoneSpeed has two interesting opinions in the Wednesday co-features that make up a nice little cold double, if you are so inclined. Race 8- Dueling Grounds Oaks With Pamina and Heavenly Love likely to attract the bulk of…
Read MoreThe Takeout Battle
It’s been a hot topic recently. Actually it’s been among the issues-of-the-day for some time now. Takeout. It’s too high. And with legal sports wagering now on the verge of exploding in America, “horse racing” needs to adapt by reducing takeout across the board to make wagering on horses an attractive option for bettors who…
Read More