This is the calm before the storm. Soon, the frenzy will begin and will do so in earnest. Three years ago, American Pharoah captured horse racing’s Triple Crown and, now, another Bob Baffert trained...
One of the great mysteries of the world — less decipherable to some than quantum theory, chatty dentists or the “poke” option on Facebook — is first-time starters. For those who are equally be...
In 1982, Woody Stephens was no stranger to big races and big victories. He had started training in the 1930s and, in 1952, won his first classic race when Blue Man took the Preakness. It took Stephens...
Many horseplayers dismiss horses that went off as the post-time favorite and lost in their previous race. Often these horses are not worth playing back, yet there are occasions when they are worth b...
People ask me all the time why I think pace analysis represents the last frontier of thoroughbred handicapping (OK, maybe not in those exact words, but you get the picture) and my answer is always the...
Even though, historically, favorites in the Belmont Stakes win more often than favorites as a whole, they are wildly overbet, returning approximately $3.67 for every winning $2 wager, compared to ab...
By the time the Kentucky Derby (GI) winner makes it to the second jewel of the Triple Crown in the Preakness Stakes (GI) every year, it’s no secret he wears a giant bullseye on his back — the targ...
Though the Kentucky Derby (GI) has officially been run one more time than the Preakness Stakes (GI), Maryland’s most prestigious race is actually older than it’s red-rose-adorned counterpart and, ...
The Preakness Stakes has mostly been a chalk-players’ heaven in recent years, and that trend is certainly good news for Kentucky Derby winner Justify, who is either at 2-5 or 1-2 odds on various mor...
In 1985 America was in a state of flux. The economy was changing, as factories closed and moved to places where cheap labor could be had. Ronald Reagan was three months into his second term as Pre...
