Posts by Justin Dew
Can Hanson continue the hotness with American Falls?
It’s Saturday. You’re playing Santa Anita. And you’re in the mood to bet a filly that looks overmatched on paper but that might sneak up and get a piece of the pie at a price. Well, you’re in luck. Because have I got the filly for you!!! (Maybe. We don’t make promises here.) First, let’s…
Read MoreWhat to do with Code of Honor?
One of my strongest opinions heading in to the Breeders’ Cup was that Code of Honor was a play-against in the Juvenile. My basis for this stance was my opinion that his visually-impressive 2nd in the Champagne was dressed up by the fast pace he closed into. But he scratched out of the BC, so…
Read MoreTourney Talk- Saturday’s Santa Anita NHC Qualifier
As I type this, I am supposed to be landing at Midway Airport in Chicago to compete in the Friday and Saturday NHC qualifiers at Hawthorne while seated at a table with adequate electrical outlets alongside July Hawthorne contest winner Steve Decaspers. But as you may have noticed from recent social media posts of mine,…
Read MoreGoodbye to an a**hole of a year
As 2017 ended and 2018 began, I was sitting at what was then the peak of my career as a horseplayer. August 2017 brought an in-the-money finish in the Wynn Handicapping Challenge and a prize of $8,500. In the span of one week in November, I ended the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge with a bankroll…
Read MorePull Out Your PPs- Santa Anita Opening Day Pick 5 (click here)
Anatomy of a Losing Pick 4 Ticket
Is there anything to be learned from a losing $36 Pick 4 ticket? I’d say there is always at least something to be learned. The lesson may not be all that profound. And you may learn you were right to make the play you made. But losing is something to be avoided and you need…
Read MorePull Out Your PPs- Saturday Pick 4 at Fair Grounds (click here)
Dancing the Mendoza Line
Baseball fans know the Mendoza Line as this, per Wikipedia: The Mendoza Line is an expression in baseball in the United States, deriving from the name of shortstop Mario Mendoza, whose poor batting average is taken to define the threshold of incompetent hitting. The cutoff point is most often said to be .200[1] (although Mendoza’s…
Read MoreA little Aqueduct Pick 6 fun for your Thursday
(4:00pm update: I really hope no one read this.) We’ve got a nifty little carryover in the Aqueduct Pick 6 in store for us today. A free $175k never hurt anyone, right? Let’s take a small swing on a tough card and see if we can get lucky with a clever opinion or two. Race…
Read MoreBest Bets and Best Opinions
The day before the Breeders’ Cup, I was asked what my best play of the weeknd was. And because I take questions like this very seriously and sometimes get way too cute with my answers, I responded “Well, my best BET of the weekend is City of Light, but my best OPINION is Magical.” Now,…
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