The Tampa Bay Derby (G2) is Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs. The mile & 1/16th contest has long run in the shadow of richer Kentucky Derby prep races at nearby Gulfstream Park. But despite facing fierce competition to attract the best 3-year-olds in Florida, the Tampa Bay Derby has more than held its own as a productive prep for the first Saturday in May. First … Continue reading The Tampa Bay Derby
This is the time of year when the Daily Racing Blog as well as every thoroughbred publication writes about the Road To The Kentucky Derby. While we (and others) just assume horse-players know what we’re referring to, there may be some newcomers to the game who would like a little more information. The Road to the Kentucky Derby point system was created in 2012 to establish a … Continue reading How Do You Get To The Derby ?
Here is a full field analysis for the Fountain of Youth, which is the final race on a card of 14. It has a scheduled Post Time of 6:10. 1. DRAIN THE CLOCK [ML 5-1] Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr. Jockey: Edgard Zayas. He is one of the wild cards in the race with an interesting race record and this being his first start beyond seven furlongs. … Continue reading FOY Picks
The feature race at Gulfstream Park this Saturday is the $300,000 dollar, Grade 2 Fountain Of Youth Stakes. The FOY is the second official Kentucky Derby qualifier at Gulfstream Park and offers 50-20-10-5 points to the top four finishers. It is run at the distance of 1 1/16 mile, and drew a field of ten 3-year-olds. The Fountain of Youth is named after the mythical spring … Continue reading Youthful
Attention Saratoga racing fans – the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has just released more details regarding the upcoming 2021 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. The 40-day Saratoga season will feature 76 Stakes Races worth $21.5 million dollars in total purses. Last month, NYRA announced that the 2021 summer meet at Saratoga will begin on Thursday, July 15th, and conclude on Monday, September 6th. … Continue reading Saratoga Dreaming
How do horses get their monikers? Well potential horse owners, here are some of the basics. First, you get a max of 18 characters (including spaces) to come up with a name. When you register a race horse you have to come up with something original. It can’t be vulgar or offensive in anyway. You can’t name a horse with initials or numbers. You can’t … Continue reading What’s In A Name ?
The Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup, for the past 70 years, have been proving grounds for a long list of Thoroughbred racing’s greatest Champions. Some horses, though, transcend the sport’s most famous stages. Horses like KELSO. KELSO never ran in a Triple Crown race and his legendary career ended some 18 years before the Breeders’ Cup even began. Yet in eight years of racing, … Continue reading The Amazing KELSO
Hall Of Fame jockey Javier (JJ) Castellano has been out of action since mid-November due to leg surgery. He is set to return to riding this Wednesday, February 17th, at Gulfstream Park. Castellano, 43, is named aboard 3-year-old, Florida-bred SEXY DREAM, (a half-sister to multiple Graded-Stakes Winning millionaire JACKSON BEND) in Race 9, a starter/optional Claimer for 3-year-old fillies going one mile on the turf. … Continue reading Javier Back In The Saddle
The Grade 2, $400,000 Risen Star on Saturday has drawn a full field of 13 horses who will go nine furlongs in the first Kentucky Derby prep race of the year that offers the increased points level (50-20-10-5). The top four finishers from the Lecomte Stakes (G3), which was the first of the Derby preps this year at Fair Grounds, are in the field. Here is … Continue reading The Risen Star
Saturday is the $400,000 dollar, Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. It is this years first prep race on the road to the Kentucky Derby to ratchet up the awards and offer a total of 85 qualifying points to the top four finishers. Those points are distributed on a scale of 50-20-10-5. Which means that the Winner will very likely secure … Continue reading The Stakes Are Rising
