Author Archive
Eusebio “Eddie” Razo, Jr. (1966-2012)
Yazan: Paul | 24 April 2012 | Comments Off
Categories: Horse Racing
The following was originally posted at ChicagoNow. In a story broken on Tuesday by Daily Racing Form and Bloodhorse, jockey Eusebio “Eddie” Razo Jr., 46, was confirmed dead at his home in north suburban Long Grove. According to the Pioneer Local, which first reported the incident, the cause of death was related to an explosion [...]
Hawthorne – Illinois Derby Day Preview
Yazan: Paul | 07 April 2012 | Comments Off
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
The most important race of the Hawthorne spring meet is upon us. It’s Illinois Derby Day, with the feature set for race 9 on a ten race card. WGN will be showing the Illinois Derby, along with the Cryptoclearance, in a program set to air from 5:00 pm CT to 6:00 PM CT. (Which airs [...]
Young Blood
Yazan: Paul | 04 March 2012 | Comments Off
Categories: Horse Racing, Our Philosophy
The following post, which originially appeared on ChicagoNow , is a counter-response to an article, which appeared on Yahoo! sports and appeared on Twitter on Tuesday Feb. 27. The full article is available here. The Yahoo! Author lays out six points to explain why horse racing is experiencing a decline among those under the age [...]
Hawthorne Spring Preview
Yazan: Paul | 12 February 2012 | Comments Off
Categories: Horse Racing
Live thoroughbred racing returns to the Chicagoland area with the opening of Hawthorne Race Course for its Spring 2012 meet. Opening day is Friday, February 17th, the first of forty-one days of action, with first post set at 1:40 PM CT every day. Hawthorne will race on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from its opening day [...]
Let the Sunshine In
Yazan: Paul | 27 January 2012 | 1 Comment
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
On Saturday January 28, Gulfstream Park in South Florida will present its “Florida Sunshine Millions” racing program. The program features six stake races restricted to Florida-bred horses. Sunshine Millions this year will be different from prior years. Prior years featured Florida-breds and California-breds racing against each other in stakes that alternated between in venue between [...]
New Faces, New Places
Yazan: Paul | 18 January 2012 | Comments Off
Categories: Horse Racing
With both Hawthorne and Arlington on hiatus, the Author felt it was a good time to take a break. Here, Paul Mazur (@heylaserbeam) returns from hiatus to chime in on some events and do some general housekeeping. –WirePlayers is pleased to announce that it has joined the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance (TBA). You can find about [...]
Two Bucks To Show: More Than a Wager
Yazan: Paul | 20 December 2011 | 1 Comment
Categories: Horse Racing
Meet Mark Kerber. Mr. Kerber is the manager of the racing syndicate Two Bucks To Show, LLC.. In this telephone interview, WirePlayers introduces you to him, his stable, and his horses. You can find the syndicate on Youtube. WP: Tell the readers about Two Bucks To Show, LLC. What’s your role with it? Is it [...]
Block Takes Top Two Spots in Edgar Futurity
Yazan: Paul | 11 December 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: Horse Racing
STICKNEY/CICERO — Three Chris Block trained horses appeared in the 33rd Jim Edgar Futurity, with YANKEE DEALER the betting favorite among the three. But the fastest closer was the winner, and it was REAL POWER, piloted by Florent Geroux on a cold clear evening. TWELVE HUNDRED, the 9-10 favorite and recipient of late money, went [...]
Wintering with Juvenile Statebreds Part 2
Yazan: Paul | 09 December 2011 | 1 Comment
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
Born in Oklahoma in 1946, Jim Edgar served two terms in the 1990s as Governor of Illinois. Governor Edgar is a rare species: an honest Illinois politician, as the Prairie State would then have two consecutive governors who each have faced criminal charges and prison sentences. He maintained and left office with favorable approval ratings. [...]
Wintering with Juvenile Statebreds Part 1
Yazan: Paul | 02 December 2011 | 1 Comment
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
Patricia (Pat) A. Wentworth (1936-2011) served for many years as an executive board member of the Illinois Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation, ITBOF, (www.itbof.net), a “not-for-profit service corporation, representing Illinois breeders and owners and dedicated to the growth and development of the Illinois state-bred incentive program for Thoroughbreds.” While President of the ITBOF board, the [...]
Hawthorne’s Post-Thanksgiving Leftovers
Yazan: Paul | 25 November 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
The biggest event at Hawthorne this weekend doesn’t take place on the track. Rather, Hawthorne will hold a qualifier to the NTRA/DRF National Handicapping Challenge. The event also serves as the final leg of a meet-long handicapping series. Players will spend their race days looking to turn one hundred dollars into one of the event’s ten [...]
Making (and Playing) an Allowance at Hawthorne
Yazan: Paul | 19 November 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
After a week off for the Breeders’ Cup, Paul Mazur returns home to Hawthorne. Without a major stakes on the calendar in the month of November, we look for our plays in the allowance ranks in one of Saturday’s two features. Hawthorne – Race 5 – N2X/$35K-$25K Allowance Optional Claimer (AOC) (Turf) – Post time [...]
Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic & Dirt Mile Preview
Yazan: Paul | 03 November 2011 | 1 Comment
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
For an in-depth analysis on the two-day Breeders’ Cup program, here’s Paul Mazur’s take on Friday’s Ladies Classic and Saturday’s Dirt Mile. Churchill Downs — Friday — Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic — Race 10, post time 7:30 ET ROYAL DELTA clearly needed the first race at Saratoga in the CCA Oaks, and she beat IT’S [...]
A Late-Season Turf Treat — Hawthorne’s Halloween Weekend
Yazan: Paul | 29 October 2011 | 1 Comment
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
For most, Halloween weekend either means donning a costume, attending a party, or giving out to candy to those who come to the door. For handicappers, it’s a respite as most look forward to next week’s Breeders’ Cup. Paul Mazur (@heylaserbeam) looks at two overnight grass stakes for two-year-olds at Hawthorne this weekend, seeing if [...]
Tuning Up with Statebreds — Illinois Festival of Racing
Yazan: Paul | 22 October 2011 | 2 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
In two weeks, the best horses from around the world will converge on Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup. This week’s races may not have implications for that day, but it provides a similar, convergent program with stakes races strung together. Paul Mazur (@heylaserbeam) tunes up for the Breeders Cup with a look at the [...]
