Sports Betting Tips and Game Handicapping Picks » Horse Racing

Can Zenyatta win the Breeders’ Cup?

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:02:00 +0000

The Breeders Cup World Championships is this Saturday.

Dubbed as one of the most prestigious events in horse racing, the 2009 Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will run run Friday, Nov. 6 through Saturday, Nov. 7 from Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

The Breeders’ Cup annually attracts the best horses from North America and Europe. It is the richest prize-money event in sports, consisting of 14 races and purses totaling to $25.5 million. Once again, this year’s Breeders’ Cup will be highlighted by the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic, the feature race of the weekend.

Opening odds have listed Zenyatta as the favorite with 7/2 odds. Other favorites include Rip Van Winkle (5/1) and Summer Bird (6/1).

Zenyatta holds wins this year in the Milday Handicap, the Vanity Handicap, and the Clement L. Hirsch Handicap. Last June, Zenyatta won the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park for the second straight year. She carried 129 pounds, spotting her rivals 13 to 18 pounds, and became the first horse to win under such a weight assignment since 1977.

In 2008, she won it under 126 pounds.

On August 17, 2009 Zenyatta’s connections ruled out Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar on September 6. On October 10, she won her second Lady’s Secret in her same, come from behind fashion. Zenyatta will be looking to become the first filly to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic since its inception. Zenyatta won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic in 2008, but has yet to run against males in her career.

Other big hitters include Rip Van Winkle, who carries a 4-1 record in his career. The colt holds two wins in 2009, taking the Sussex Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

We also have Summer Bird, the 2009...

Bet on the 141st Belmont Stakes now!

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:22:51 +0000

The final leg of this year’s Triple Crown race is finally here.

The final leg of the Triple Crown will be the 141st Belmont Stakes on June 6th, and sadly, there will be no rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra.

Rachel Alexandra (was 9/4 on the 2009 Belmont odds) has been withdrawn and two more horses have been added to the betting options.

There are a ton of quality horses with a chance at the title remaining in the race and this one could very well come down to the final wire with a photo finish being the only way to decide who takes home the 2009 Belmont Stakes title.

Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Mine That Bird becomes an ever bigger favorite with the withdrawal of Rachel Alexandra. The three-year-old thoroughbred currently sits at 2/3 on the 2009 Belmont Stakes odds.

His runner-up finish at Pimlico earned him a 106 Beyer, his career best, and qualifies as a sharp prep and a stakes win this year to go with his Kentucky Derby victory. Although he has rallied from off the pace in the first two legs of the Triple Crown trail, he won using a stalking trip during his championship juvenile season in Canada so we awarded him the point for running style, as stalking the pace 1-5 lengths behind is preferable in the Belmont over front-runners or closers.

His only negatives include too many starts as a juvenile, has no starts at Belmont Park and a dosage index of above 4.

Rachel Alexandra, the Preakness-winning filly, is out of the 2009 Belmont Stakes, freeing jockey Calvin Borel to ride Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the 1 1/2-mile ‘’Test of the Champion.'’

Rachel Alexandra’s majority owner Jess Jackson...

134th Preakness Stakes Betting Tips

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:17:16 +0000

The second leg of the Triple Crown trail is this weekend and right now, I’m not liking the Derby champion’s chances.

While people who have a thing for the dramatic will likely root for Mine That Bird in the 134th Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, these guys better realize that the Derby champ is really not that good of a bet if you’re looking to earn a lot of dough during the weekend.

You see, while Mine That Bird had an amazing run at Churchill Downs, the horse is just not that good of a contender on paper. And while some of the horse’s handlers believe that they have a shot of winning the 2009 Triple Crown title, they know deep down inside that their win at Churchill Downs was the flukiest win to ever transpire in the sport of horse racing.

So if Mine That Bird won’t win at Pimlico, who will? In case you haven’t realized it yet, we have a lot of contenders lined up for the Preakness that are solid choices to win the second leg of the Triple Crown trail. The obvious choice is of course, Mine That Bird’s nemesis Friesan Fire. The heavy favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, the horse had a somewhat problematic start out of the gates at Churchill Downs, leading to a disappointing 18th place finish. On the positive side, he has run a triple digit Beyer, a 104 in the Louisiana Derby, is exiting the Kentucky Derby, has made 4 starts this year (the optimum range is 3 to 6), and lacks professional points.

Big Drama is another new shooter in the Triple Crown wars, coming to Baltimore off a front-running victory in the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park back on March 28. Although this is a sharp prep and earned a 108 Beyer it is a negative as this is a 7 week layoff (the maximum layoff is 30 days). He only has made the 1 start this year, and does have points in the professional wing, both negatives. He did, however, have four stakes wins as a juvenile, 3 against state-breds at Calder followed by the Delta Jackpot.

General Quarters, the 10th place Derby entrant, will be given another chance by trainer Tom McCarthy to make amends for his dull and unexplainable effort, and although the off track could have been an excuse, he still should go off at 20 to 1 or more. General Quarters who lacks professional points (which is a positive for the Preakness unlike in the Derby), ran a 102 when winning the Sam F. Davis, usually runs a stalking trip (stalkers or ralliers are favored over front-runners), and has two stakes wins this year. He lacks a stakes win as a juvenile, and did not have a sharp prep, having finishing a well-beaten 10th in the Kentucky Derby.

Luv Gov, who is winless in six starts...

Mine That Bird uncertain for Preakness

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 04 May 2009 08:51:08 +0000

In case you missed it, a longshot won the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown trail.

You read it, it was a huge payday for some people who like underdogs as virtual longshot Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the 135th Kentucky Derby last weekend.

It was a shocking result to what has been a disappointing outing for some of the Derby favorites. One of the favorites, Friesan Fire, deemed by some as the horse that will finally give the sport its first Triple Crown champion in years, finished second to last.

Who would’ve thought that Mine That Bird would go on and win the Kentucky Derby after being listed by sportsbooks with 51-1 odds of winning? Heck, who would’ve thought that the thoroughbred would snatch the race lead after running in dead last coming to the final turn?

Incredible.

And while many bettors are now probably putting their money on Mine That Bird already for the next leg of the Triple Crown, that being the 2009 Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, we found out that the Kentucky Derby champion’s availability for the next big race is still uncertain.

Yes, after shocking horse racing fans, Mine That Bird is still far from being a certainty to head to the second leg of the 2009 Triple Crown trail. This year’s Preakness Stakes is scheduled on May 16 and as of press time, the thoroughbred’s owners are not giving their prized property the green light for Pimlico just yet.

‘’We’ll let the horse tell us,'’ Mark Allen, who owns Mine That Bird with Dr. Leonard Blach, said. ‘’We’ll run some blood work on him, make sure it’s where it should be.'’

‘’The plan was that if he showed something here, to skip the Preakness and go to the Belmont, like his dad.'’

Mine That Bird is a son of Birdstone, who won the...

2008 Breeders’ Cup Early Favorites

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:00:33 +0000

If you’re fond of horse racing, feel free to read this.

The 2008 Breeders’ Cup world championships are coming and it will feature top class thoroughbred racing that will decide the year-end championship honors slated on October 24 and 25 at the Santa Anita Park.

The main event, if you will, is of course, the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic where the very best thoroughbreds will compete with some of the favorites to win it this year. Who are the favorites? Thoroughbreds like Big Brown, Colonel John, Pyro, Well Armed and Curlin should be some of ‘em and here’s why.

Big Brown has a record of 7-6-0-0 and is arguably the top contender to win the 2008 Breeders’ Cup. Trained by Richard E. Dutrow, last year’s Kentucky Derby champion was the second winner in history to break from post position 20. This colt is also the first horse since 1915 to win the Derby after only three lifetime starts.

Next we have Colonel John, the winner of the $1 million Travers Stakes Grade 1 by a nose at Saratoga last August 23. The contender worked four furlongs last September 14 on Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface in 48 4/5 for trainer Eoin Harty. The colt is listed in the top three favorites headed for the $5 million 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic at the Oak Tree in the Santa Anita meet.

A Kentucky homebred son of Tiznow-Sweet Damsel, by Turkoman, Colonel John won both the Sham Stakes Grade III and Santa Anita Derby Grade 1 on Santa Anita’s main track earlier this year. However, those races were run on a hybrid synthetic track consisting of both Pro-Ride and Cushion Track materials.

Well Armed could create some noise as well. Owner...

2008 Del Mar Horse Race Meet Begins

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:36:50 +0000

The horse racing continues after the Triple Crown series with Del Mar.

Dubbed as ‘’where the surf meets the turf,'’ the 2008 Del Mar race meet opens with the Oceanside Stakes and will close with the anticipated $250,000 Del Mar Futurity, running until September 3.

Del Mar horse racing is the biggest event in California. From an old-fashioned race track started by Hollywood legend Bing Crosby and his high-profile gang in 1937, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club today is among America’s best attended race tracks.

The Del Mar 2008 Race Meet comes a week ahead of the Saratoga 2008 race meet.

The track has a one mile main dirt track and a seven furlong turf course. The track runs during the summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and can stable more than a thousand horses.

In early 2007, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club installed a new Polytrack surface for a price of approximately 9 million dollars. On July 18, 2007, Jon Court became the first jockey to win a race on the new Polytrack surface.

The track races, stretching from July to September, presents the following graded stakes races; Grade 1 Bing Crosby Breeders’ Cup Handicap, Del Mar Debutante Stakes, Del Mar Futurity, Del Mar Oaks, Eddie Read Handicap, John C. Mabee Handicap and the...

Can Big Brown win the 2008 Belmont Stakes next to capture the Triple Crown title?

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:40:58 +0000

Big Brown dominated again, making the colt only a win away to capture the Triple Crown title.

Big Brown won the 2008 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico after winning the Kentucky Derby, making him merely a win away from the elusive Triple Crown.

With Big Brown already winning two of the three races for the Triple Crown, the focus now shifts for the 2008 Belmont Stakes. These guys around Big Brown were so confident that they were already talking about the third leg of the Triple Crown trail even BEFORE the second leg was underway.

Of course, Big Brown winning the Belmont Stakes to capture the 2008 Triple Crown series title will indeed make horse racing history since it’s been a while since this sport had a Triple Crown winner.

But the fact of the matter is, it’s still a little too early to talk about that, right now, we should just probably admire the colt and how he dominated the field again for the second straight race.

Big Brown did not disappoint horse racing fans after winning the 133rd Preakness Stakes last weekend. The colt, a 3-year-old with a perfect record, now heads for the 2008 Belmont Stakes in three weeks as only the fourth horse in this decade to try for the Triple Crown title. Big Brown won by 5 lengths, Macho Again was second and Icabad Crane was third.

‘’I looked between my legs, under my arms, and they were eight (lengths) behind me,'’ Big Brown’s jockey, Kent Desormeaux, said. Big Brown slipped a bit while breaking from the middle of an undistinguished pack and jockey Kent Desormeaux took him off the pace in front of 112,222 fans.

‘’He’s so strong, he powered out with his...''

2008 Preakness Stakes Betting Tips

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:24:36 +0000

The second leg of the 2008 Triple Crown series runs this weekend.

But first, we have a special promotion from Bodog for the 2008 Preakness Stakes that aims to give a $50 bet for a new depositing player who signs up and deposits a minimum of the same amount. This special promotion is available until Saturday. This is probably the right time to cash in on Big Brown’s success eh?

Just click this phrase here appropriately dubbed, ''special promotion from Bodog for the 2008 Preakness Stakes'' to join. Remember, you have to deposit $50 first to receive the bonus. Available ONLY for players who do not already have an existing Bodog account. Speaking of this Saturday's race…

The 2008 Preakness Stakes is set this Saturday, May 17 at Pimlico in Baltimore, Maryland as horse bettors from around the world can now look at the odds on whose going to win the $1 million purse.

The second and shortest leg of the 2008 Triple Crown trail, this year’s Preakness Stakes could be the start of a historic feat for the Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown.

If Big Brown wins the Preakness Stakes, he’ll only be needing one more win at the Belmont Stakes to be crowned the first Triple Crown series champion for quite a while.

Horse bettors can also look at other contenders who will be competing for the Preakness Stakes title. Behindatthebar, trained by Todd Pletcher and is coming from the Padua Stables, is the Lexington Stakes winner and has never been worse than second in four starts on synthetic surfaces.

Giant Moon, who is owned by Albert Fried, Jr., was the Count Fleet winner and has finished fourth, behind Tale of Ekati, War Pass and Court Vision, in the Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct last April 5th. He’ll also be challenging Big Brown for...

2008 Kentucky Derby Betting Tips

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 02 May 2008 09:45:14 +0000

Here are some betting tips that could help you strengthen your decision in picking the correct horse that'll let you win big bucks in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

FIRST, pick a trainer who has several talented 2008 Triple Crown series champ nominees.

Right now, trainers Nick Zito, Steve Asmussen, Bill Mott, Bob Baffert, and Todd Pletcher seem to be holding the strongest hands with each barn containing several top contenders and a few sleepers as well. These trainers are sure to rack up points on the Derby Trail with a bevy of talented 3-year-olds at their disposal.

Trainer Nick Zito has two horses that will be running for the 2008 Kentucky Derby, Cool Coal Man and Anak Nakal. Cool Coal Man won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes off of what appeared to be a perfect stalking trip. Although the horse failed to fire in the Blue Grass Stakes on 4/12 at Keeneland, the thoroughbred is still Nick Zito’s best chance in the Derby with the recent defection of War Pass.

Anak Nakal, who won the Kentucky Jockey Club at 2 years old, hasn’t really had a solid 3 year old campaign. The horse looked flat in both the Rebel and the Fountain of Youth Stakes, that’s probably why this horse has the look of a total long-shot about him.

Horse racing trainer Steve Asmussen fielded Pyro and Z Fortune with the former having the stronger chance of winning it all in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

Bill Mott has Court Vision, who turned in a workout of 4 furlongs in 46.20 at Churchill Downs last April 17. Mott also has Z Humor, a horse that ranks among the leaders in terms of graded stakes earnings to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, but hasn’t really shown...

The 2008 Kentucky Derby is On!

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:53:48 +0000

It’s that time of the year when everybody starts talking about the Triple Crown series.

The 2008 Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, to be run on May 3, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival.

The Kentucky Derby is a one and a quarter mile (2 km) race held at Churchill Downs to kick off the 2008 Triple Crown series. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds.

It is known in the United States as ‘’the most exciting two minutes in sports'’ for its approximate duration. The first leg of the Triple Crown (to be followed by the 2008 Preakness Stakes and then the Belmont Stakes..) typically draws around 155,000 fans.

The Kentucky Derby is frequently referred to as ‘’The Run for the Roses,'’ because a lush blanket of 554 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition is as a result of New York socialite E. Berry Wall presenting roses to ladies at a post-Derby party in 1883 that was attended by Churchill Downs founder and president, Col. M. Lewis Clark.

This gesture is believed to have eventually led Clark to the idea of making the rose the race’s official flower. The Governor of Kentucky awards the garland and the trophy.

Here is a quick run down of the 2008 Kentucky Derby contenders...