Who Wins The Champagne Stakes?

Saturday is the Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct Park. Ten 2-year-olds will compete in the one mile contest on the main track. The race is a Win and You’re In Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series Stakes, giving the Winner a spot in the November 1st Juvenile at Del Mar, as well the majority portion of the $500,000 dollar purse. Here is a look at the field: 1. J … Continue reading Who Wins The Champagne Stakes?

Outriders On The Storm

They are stationed at every racetrack you visit, you glance at them and understand they are a part of the horse racing province, but you don’t pay them much mind…unless there’s turmoil. While training or racing is being conducted on a racetrack, horsemen called outriders are employed to supervise the events and to help as necessary. They are available any time horses are on the racetrack, whether … Continue reading Outriders On The Storm

Wagering On Mudders

Unlike baseball, horse races are usually contested before, during, and after rainstorms. That said, there are some general handicapping concepts that you should keep on hand for… a rainy day. First thing to be aware of is that racetracks can be like apples and oranges.  Muddy tracks at Belmont Park and Saratoga are different, so a racehorse’s off-track form may not necessarily transfer from one track to another. That doesn’t … Continue reading Wagering On Mudders

Who Wins The PA. Derby ?

The Pennsylvania Derby is the last 3-year-old, G1, dirt Stakes of the year prior the Breeders’s Cup. Saturday’s 1 1/8 mile, million dollar contest at Parx Racing has attracted eleven entrants, including Preakness Stakes Winner SEIZE THE GREY. Here is a brief look at the field: 1. DOC SULLIVAN [ML 12-1] Jockey: Jose Ortiz. Trainer: Mike Miceli. Has been formidable in Stakes for New York-breds, but has yet to … Continue reading Who Wins The PA. Derby ?

The Spa Is Over

This is the time of year (in horse racing anyway) when, as you reach a certain age, you realize just how difficult it is to keep time from slipping past us. Old friends reemerge while others disappear or pass away. Acquaintances become friends as mutual admiration takes hold. Saratoga has (seemingly), mastered at least the illusion that time, while still slipping away can do so at … Continue reading The Spa Is Over

What A Travers !

Not very often does a racehorse Win a marquee race that cements his credentials as a top contender for an Eclipse Award and then gets overshadowed in most of the post-race discussions. But that’s what’s happening with Travers Stakes Winner FIERCENESS. No doubt about it, THORPEDO ANNA was fearless in gutting out a 2nd place finish to FIERCENESS in the Mid-Summer Derby at Saratoga, and the … Continue reading What A Travers !

Who Wins The Travers Stakes ?

Saturday’s Travers Stakes drew a high-quality, competitive field of eight starters competing for a hefty $1.25 million purse along with the right to inscribe their name in the sport’s history.  Here then, is a brief look at the field: 1. THORPEDO ANNA [ML 3-1] Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr. Trainer: Ken McPeek. This is a big test for the filly, but if you trust McPeek’s judgment that … Continue reading Who Wins The Travers Stakes ?

Travers Storylines Abound

The focus of the horse racing world zeroes in on Saratoga Race Course Saturday for the 155th running of the Travers Stakes. It is the most prestigious race for 3-year-olds outside of the Triple Crown races in late spring and often is crucial in determining the year-end champion in that division. The Travers always serves as a major emphasis in the season for 3-year-olds, hence the nickname Mid-Summer Derby … Continue reading Travers Storylines Abound

Travers Week Begins

Saturday is the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. It is by far the most popular day of the entire meet. It features five Grade 1, Stakes races, totaling over 5 million dollars in purses. So perhaps a little background on the race itself is in order: THE NAME: When the Saratoga Racing Association named the Travers Stakes for William R. Travers (one of the founders of America’s oldest race course), they sought only to … Continue reading Travers Week Begins

Sweet Home Alabama Stakes

Saturdays feature event at Saratoga is the 144th running of the Alabama Stakes. The prestigious stakes race for 3-year-old fillies is one of the oldest races for females in the United States. Its first edition took place in 1872 in a race Won by WOODBINE, a horse owned by August Belmont. The race itself was not precisely named in honor of the state of Alabama; rather, it was named after … Continue reading Sweet Home Alabama Stakes