Archive for the 'Handicapping' Category
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 [...]
Breeders’ Cup Friday – Contenders and Pretenders
Yazan: Derek | 28 October 2011 | 2 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
The Breeders’ Cup pre-entries are out, and like most handicappers, Derek Brown is knee-deep in past performances separating the contenders from the pretenders. So who’s worth a flyer and who risks burning your money? Here’s his initial analysis for Friday’s Breeders’ Cup races. Juvenile Sprint The Contender: If you throw out VEXOR’s non-effort in the [...]
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 [...]
High on Grass – Jamaica, First Lady & Shadwell Turf Mile Edition
Yazan: Derek | 07 October 2011 | 3 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
With only four weeks until the Breeders Cup, this weekend offers the last round of significant prep races before the big day. In honor of his one-year anniversary writing for WirePlayers, Derek Brown returns to the races from his maiden post with a trio of Saturday’s G1 stakes from Belmont and Keeneland Belmont Race [...]
Weekend Stakes Racing Action
Yazan: Steve | 30 September 2011 | 3 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
This weekend is a Stakes Players’s dream with 18 graded stakes races headlined by Belmont Park’s “Super Saturday.” In addition to the Saturday’s Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup Belmont, this is opening weekend for Santa Anita’s fall meet (once traditionally held by the Oak Tree Racing Association). Perhaps the most interesting, and best betting races, [...]
What Kind of Degenerate Horseplayer Are You?
Yazan: Steve | 27 September 2011 | 6 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
There’s a sub-species of people that once roamed the country in great numbers, the horseplayer. Though not as plentiful as they used to be, horseplayers are far from extinct. Following a sport that largely takes them for granted, they stick around because some are fiercely independent while the others are just plain stubborn. They can still [...]
A Saturday Salad of Stakes Quick Picks
Yazan: Derek | 23 September 2011 | 4 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
If fall stakes races were a gourmet meal, the Breeders Cup would be the lobster tail and filet mignon and next weekend would be a hearty appetizer of steamed mussels or crab-stuffed mushrooms. Thus, in keeping with the metaphor, Saturday afternoon offers a nice Caesar salad of stakes around the country. While they likely won’t [...]
High on Grass – Woodbine Weekend Turf Stakes Edition
Yazan: Derek | 16 September 2011 | 9 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
This weekend’s best turf stakes take place north of the border at Woodbine Racetrack, headlined by Sunday’s G1 Woodbine Mile. Saturday offers a preview of the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf races, and Sunday showcases the older turf division. In an odd twist, none of the stakes are part of any all-stakes multi-race wagers, but Derek [...]
Belmont Park Fall Championship Meet
Yazan: Dylan | 08 September 2011 | 5 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
While some may be sad that Saratoga meet is over, there is still plenty to look forward to this fall at Belmont Park. The fall “Championship Meet” at Belmont is arguably the strongest in the country with its series of prep races leading up to the Breeders Cup, horse racing’s year ending championship. The opening [...]
Travers Day Pick 4 – Single or Spread?
Yazan: Derek | 25 August 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
At first glance, Saturday’s Pick 4 sequence at Saratoga, headlined by the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, looks to be a bit chalky. But are the horses that look like logical singles legit or worth trying to beat? With a $1 million guaranteed pool on the line, Derek Brown (AKA NJDerek) says a little of both. [...]
Handicapping Saratoga’s Grand Slam
Yazan: Dylan | 25 August 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
Dylan J. provides his strategy on the Travers Day Grand Slam wager. The key to my Travers Day is the Grand Slam running races 7-10. Due to the nature of the wager (picking the winner of the last leg and a top three finisher in each of the first three legs), I handicap the last [...]
Can Thoroughbreds Run Faster “off” Lasix?
Yazan: Steve | 17 August 2011 | 1 Comment
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
Yes, if you take the case of ROSES AND RIBBONS. She’s a 4 year old filly that had won once in 10 tries while running on Lasix each time. In a fairly unorthodox move, the trainer took her off Lasix (in a race on 22 Feb at Beulah Park) and she promptly reeled off 4 [...]
High on Grass – Arlington Million Edition
Yazan: Derek | 12 August 2011 | 4 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
There may be eight million stories in the naked city, but there’s $200,000 and then some up for grabs in the Windy City in Arlington Park’s all-turf stakes middle pick 4 tomorrow, headlined by the G1 Arlington Million. For the sake of this post, let’s not focus on how bad a transition that was. Here’s Derek’s [...]
Saratoga Steeplechase – Mrs. Ogden Phipps Stakes
Yazan: Dylan | 10 August 2011 | Comments Off
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
Thursdays in August are the best as once again a hurdle race will kick off the Saratoga card. This week’s feature has a unique group of fillies and mares headed postward as several entered have yet to break their maiden. #1 WELL FASHOINED (4-1) is the horse with the most upside. A rule I usually [...]
Saturday Graded Stakes Preview
Yazan: Steve | 05 August 2011 | 2 Comments
Categories: Handicapping, Horse Racing
There are 4 graded stakes on Saturday, most notably the G.1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga for older horses and the G.1 Clement Hirsch at Del Mar for older mares. Mountainer Park Grade 2 West Virginia Derby ($750K) – 1 and 1/8 miles – Race 8 - 5:35 post time. The 2011 edition lacks the star power [...]
