VIDEOS
LATEST
Did Eblouissante offer value in her debut?
At the racetrack, value and not always beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or , as my college newspaper editor, Robert Levine , used to say, "One man's gold is another 's gonorrhea ." Benoit & Associates photo Indeed, try ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
Market Share (left picture from Maywood) broke the $2-million earnings plateau when he won the Galt Stake, paying the minimum $2.10. Our other choices were in the mix, as Dynamic Youth finished second and Blackjack Princess got third. At ...
Racing
Beating the Betting 'Whales'
(Click on image to enlarge) That being the case, in a race like the one above, Willie would control 24 percent of the win pool ($10,000 / $41,585). Now, the track takeout on win bets at Finger Lakes is 18 percent; hence, if Willi ...
Racing
Players' Pool post mortem: A consolation never is
Tough sequence on Wednesday, as only two of the ~143,500 combinations bet into the $89,489 Pick 6 carryover successfully navigated the sequence that ended with $111.50 winner Noosh's Tale. Difficulty is not an excuse for the Players' Pool, h ...
Racing
Chicago Shines With Stakes At Maywood; Dover Displays Dynamic Groups
The Chicago Four The half-mile Chicago oval hosts for stakes on Friday’s program, three for sophomores and one for freshmen. As always, the half-mile presents some challenges for a few that have become comfortable on the two- and three-turn miles. ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 11/14 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Derek Simon discusses Frankie Dettori's alleged drug issues , as well as the Horse of the Year paradox. In the U. of Bet segment, Dave Schwartz of thehorsehandicappingauthority.com gives his opinion on speed figures — why they'r ...
Racing
ADVERTISEMENT
Double carryover Pick 6 mania Wednesday at Aqueduct
As captain of the TwinSpires Players' Pool , I'm responsible for wagering $25,000 on the Pick 6 Wednesday at Aqueduct. $25,000 is a significant amount and will represent 5%-10% of the new money bet into the pool that already features a $89,489 ...
Racing
Can Eblouissante save racing? What about my bankroll?
Racing may not need stars or a Triple Crown winner, but it definitely needs Eblouissante to win race 4on Friday at Hollywood Park (free PPs). OK, that's a bit dramatic, but considering she is Zenyatta's half sister (Brisnet.com pedigree ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
It was a busy weekend for stakes, considering it’s this deep into the season. We had a great Saturday in the Midwest and a rotten Sunday in the East. But a few good bets got us over the top. Saturday’s parade of American-Nationals at Balmoral ...
Racing
2012 Breeders' Cup: What We Learned
(Click on image to enlarge) Weekend Win Factor Report 'Weak Favorites' (Click on image to enlarge) FREE Sunday Win Factor Report s 11/11/12 Aqueduct 11/11/12 Churchill Downs 11/1 ...
Racing
Messenger, Am-Nats and Matrons Abound
Messenger Men Saturday night’s $415,820 Messenger Stakes is the feature at Yonkers Raceway. On Nov. 10, soph-colt pacers go another round, this time on the half mile, with the early favorite Pet Rock. Pet Rock already recorded a Yonkers st ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 11/07 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com and Derek Simon review last weekend's Breeders' Cup races and discuss the Horse of the Year implications, as well as Chantal Sutherland’s (possible) redemption. In the U. of Bet segment, Dave Schwartz of thehorsehandicapp ...
Racing
Double trouble and other BC-inspired multi-race wagering observations
I already asked after last year's Breeders' Cup, "Is the daily double a bad bet?" Philosophically the answer is the same, "it depends," but when five of 13 double combinations come back less than the corresponding win parlay it's fai ...
Racing
2012 Breeders' Cup wagering review
This year's Breeders' Cup showed both the pitfalls and benefits of coming to a weekend of competitive racing with a bunch of ammunition. On the pitfall side of things, it seems kind of silly to have hit a Pick 5 and all four Pick 4s on the w ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
The million-dollar stakes evening at Indiana Downs brought us low-priced winners and defeats by surprising entries. It’s a tough night by any standards when your top winner on the program pays $4.40. That’s what World Cup paid in the Oliver Trot ...
Racing
A truly championship weekend at Breeders' Cup
Any thought that I'll Have Another could win Horse of the Year if chaos reigned in the Breeders' Cup is long gone after the event lived up to its championships moniker with Eclipse Award-winning performances throughout the two-day, 15-race, $25.5-mil ...
Racing
Breeders' Cup Saturday--a narrower approach
Several of Steve Byk's guests this week said that Friday's card looked to be the more "formful" of the two Breeders' Cup days, and while there were two big surprises along the way--those surprises occurred in the races people probably most expected i ...
Racing
Breeders' Cup Friday
The notion that gambling winnings is ever "easy money" certainly didn't come from a horseplayer. If you make bank on this year's Breeders' Cup card you'll have earned it. That's not to say it's impossible, of course. It's a competi ...
Racing
Breeders' Cup grand slam contest
Baseball season is over, and the grand slam wager is only offered on NYRA and New Mexico racing, but that doesn't mean you can't load the bases at this year's Breeders' Cup and hit a home run with this fun contest brought to you by TwinSpires.com & ...
Racing
Breeders Cup 2012
(Click on image to enlarge) The rules are simple and are detailed in my Win Factor Reports — which are offered as part of the Ultimate Breeders' Cup Handicapping Package at Brisnet.com. As for my thoughts on the BC Cl ...
Racing
Stars Sprinkle Indiana Stakes
Believe it or not, the stakes season has not ended in the world of harness racing. Some more big events are on the horizon as 2012 sheds its final layer of skin. This week, the focus is on the Midwest. Indiana harness racing rebounds from ...
Racing
Insider look at Breeders' Cup races
With 180 horses pre-entered and nearly as many wagering options littered across 15 races, handicapping the Breeders' Cup World Championships can be daunting, but there is help. In addition to all the great handicapping information Brisnet.com ha ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 10/31 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...
Racing
how to bet versus what to bet
Prep season has been over for a few weeks, and I think most serious horseplayers already had a good idea of who they might zero in on at Breeders' Cup even before pre-entries came out let alone full-card PPs. Sure there are fine-line decisions to ma ...
Racing
Music for handicapping/driving/flying/sitting in traffic
I used Sunday night to take a break from handicapping and put the finishing touches on my 2012 Breeders' Cup World Championships play list, which I present to you now. Although websites such as Mog make the space limitations of CDs and bla ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
A dozen races on any night are tough to handle. Who, after all, finds a dozen races, no less on one program, that offer good wagering opportunities? But it was the night of champions, the best of the best in every division, so we approached the dozen ...
Racing
Racing
Only at Breeders' Cup
Any other day in America, if Wise Dan and Point of Entry were a part of a rolling double wager the will pay before the first leg would probably flash $6 on a $2 ticket (i.e., 2-to-1). Indeed, a win parlay connecting Point of Entry's Joe Hirs ...
Racing
Battlefield Breeders Crown: The Cavalcade Of Freshmen and Sophomores
Once again, this TwinSpires blog and the exclusive Breeders Crown Countdown blog are working in tandem. We are splitting up our comments on the Oct. 27 Breeders Crown finals at Woodbine between here and there. At the other blog, we present t ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 10/24 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...
Racing
Is handicapping Breeders' Cup more like Christmas or Hanukkah?
By this time tomorrow (i.e., Wednesday afternoon), we'll know which owners pre-entered their horses in what races, and preparation can begin in earnest for the Breeders' Cup World Championships November 2-3 at Santa Anita Park, and the $120-million u ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
As does happen at times, our wagering philosophy worked for us and against us during the two nights of Breeders Crown elims and preps at Woodbine. Of our choices to win, recorded here and in our “Countdown” blog, we went for outside contenders b ...
Racing
BC Battle Tested
(Click on image to enlarge) For more data like this, be sure to check out my 2012 Breeders' Cup Betting Guide . In addition to all kinds of unique stats and insightful articles, the Guide also contains past performances — wi ...
Racing
The Breeders Crown Overture
Freshmen Frolic We begin with the first of a pair of two-year-old colt pace elims on the Friday program. There have rarely been, in any divisions, as worthy a 1-5 morning-line shot than is Captaintreacherous. Perhaps his sire, Somebeachsomewh ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 10/17 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Ed DeRosa and Derek Simon discuss all the recent BC developments ( including the Ultimate Breeders' Cup Handicapping Package at Brisnet.com), as well as Frankel's final race . In the U. of Bet segment, Dave Schwartz of thehorsehandic ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
Since the bulk of the stakes horses from all 12 divisions were either thinking about or traveling to Canada to ready for the Breeders Crown elims, we were treading water with a few plays around the country. From the slim list we picked up a ...
Racing
Keeneloliquy
Keeneland has put together an absolutely fantastic card for its second Saturday of the meet. There's usually a hangover following most track's big weekends, but that's definitely not the case with this card, a blockbuster of full, competitive fields ...
Racing
Woodbine's pre World Championships worldwide affair
To access those free handicapping materials, click here to visit Woodbine's Pattison Canadian International day microsite (PPs & selections are in the middle of page). To help players make the most of those two guaranteed Pick 4 pools, ...
Racing
Cream Rises in Final BC Preps
(Click on image to enlarge) COMMENTS: While I love the -2 LSR that Shanghai Bobby recorded in easily winning the Grade I Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park Saturday, I don’t like the fact that the pace was so slow (-1 early spee ...
Racing
Poised For The Big Noise
It’s that weekend between early autumn stakes and the explosive eliminations for the Breeders Crown. The shipping has begun, the top members of all divisions are headed across the border into Canada, where they will take up residence at Woodbine Race ...
Racing
A Classic problem
Whoever is running Wise Dan's Twitter account is banging the drum loudly for respecting the horse's connections for "doing right by the horse" in deciding to send the Grade 1 winner on both dirt and turf to the Breeders' Cup Mile instead of the Cla ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
The last week of The Red Mile’s Grand Circuit meet began on Thursday, Oct. 4, but we were concentrating on the last three days in Kentucky, when the bulk of the Breeders Crown-eligibles prepped for the main event this month in high-class events. ...
Racing
The last big weekend
Three of the Breeders' Cup's biggest favorites could solidify that status with wins this weekend: Amazombie in the Sprint, Groupie Doll in the Filly & Mare Sprint, and Wise Dan in the Mile. Twelve weeks ago, I presented a list of who I saw ...
Racing
Systematic Profits
(Click on image to enlarge) 1) Consider only the horse(s) with the highest Brisnet Power Rating. NOTE: This instantly puts one on a “live” horse based on traditional handicapping criteria — speed, pace, class, etc. ...
Racing
Stakes Weekend Winds Up Red Mile Meet
The Grand Circuit rolls through the first weekend of October with gusto and ends at The Red Mile for another autumn with the Kentucky Futurity on Sunday, Oct. 7. We will be covering that event, and the filly version, at the Breeders Crown Countdown ...
Racing
Portland Meadows carryover/0% takeout Wednesday
Those who follow me on Twitter or catch my weekly segment on "At The Races" w/ Steve Byk (brought to you by TwinSpires.com, where players win) know that I'm not one to shy away from tracks off the beaten path. Sure, I love the social aspect of pl ...
Racing
Historically insignificant
Back in 2009 I balked at the idea of a shared Horse of the Year award between Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, but given the historical insignificance of the so-called Horse of the Year campaigns in 2008, 2010, 2011, and likely 2012 I'm sort of thinkin ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
The Red Mile’s Grand Circuit meet is the focus of the sport for the next two weeks. The weekend was filled with Bluegrass stakes for two- and three-year-olds of both gaits. Our campaign began on Friday, where we tried to beat favorites that w ...
Racing
Time to shine, the TCI weekend preview
If San Pablo wins the Jockey Club Gold Cup then Joel Cunningham of PM Advertising will shine my shoes on next week's preview. I'll stop short of calling San Pablo the most likely winner of the East Coast's most prestigious race for ol ...
Racing
Thinking Small
(Click on image to enlarge) Somewhat surprisingly, the morning-line odds criterion produced better numbers (40 percent winners, 24.7 percent ROI in August and September) than the post-time odds criterion did (38.0 percent ...
Racing
Using herd dynamics in handicapping
Two decades ago, when I was studying wild Mustangs in the Bighorn Mountains , I had no idea I’d someday use what I learned about equine communication and herd dynamics to write a handicapping blog. But here I am after my theories on herd dyn ...
Racing
Autumn Almanac
This week the Grand Circuit arrives as the leaves turn orange and the grass stays blue, so to speak, in Lexington, Kentucky. The other color involved is red—The Red Mile. Thanks to Nick Salvi, who is representing the two-week GC stint, we have a lot ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 09/26 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Ed DeRosa and Derek Simon discuss the importance — or lack thereof — of the morning line, as well as takeout rates and a bunch of other stuff. Derek also relates a key component of the Sartin Methodology to his latest column for TwinSpires, "Thin ...
Racing
Include Me Out left out
In a year of "wide open" Eclipse Award divisions, one filly routinely gets left out of division leader discussions, and that's Include Me Out, whose pairs of Grade 1 and Grade 2 wins easily stands tallest among her peers in the older female division. ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
Wednesday, Sept. 19 and Thursday, Sept. 20 at Delaware, Ohio, resulted in a parade of public choices. That, as our readers know, is not the kind of atmosphere where we thrive. On Sept. 19, Jugette day, the first or second choices in 17 races ...
Racing
Weekend Value
(Click on image to enlarge) Many will view this event as a virtual match race between the millionaires in the field, Turbulent Descent and Musical Romance… I’m not so sure. (Click on image to enlarge) ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast: The Thomas Herding Technique
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...
Racing
Little Brown Jug Special Edition
It’s another year to celebrate America’s Great Pace, the Little Brown Jug. It means a week of local Ohio stakes mixed with Grand Circuitry, so to speak, and starring some of the season’s top start in every division. It all takes place in Delawar ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
This week is odd so we will treat it differently. Firstly, we will review our weekend performances and send you to the Breeders Crown Countdown for storied reviews of major events (the Hambletonian archive area is devoted to the “countdown” st ...
Racing
How to Spot Losing Favorites
What this table shows is the maximum success (win) rate horses at the specified odds can achieve in order to wipe out both the takeout and breakage (based on a 122 percent pool). Anything below the listed percentage means that a dutch of ...
Racing
A Hot Hiatus Before Heading For Ohio
This week the Grand Circuit pauses for a well-deserved hiatus, catching its breath before it rolls into Delaware, Ohio, testing all eight divisions in one form or another on the speedy half-mile track for a week ending with the Jugette and Little Bro ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 09/12 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...
Racing
East Coast bias
It's not that I think there is an East Coast bias, it's that when the only full-time Turf writers west of the Mississippi work for Daily Racing Form , the scale of information is definitely going to tip in the directions of the East Coast and Midwes ...
Racing
Fun with names
I think someone should name a horse Madeinnewyorkcity so that every time his/her name is said during the post parade, race, etc., the crowd can yell out, "NEW YORK CITY?!! Get a rope!" Announcers could have all sorts of fun with it, too. "Madei ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
A lot of the season’s top horses, trotters and pacers, from almost every division, played a role in the stakes-filled weekend. We couldn’t nail but a single winner, suffering our greatest heartbreak in the Sept. 8 Champlain at Mohawk when our 10 ...
Racing
The Fall of Champions
(Click on image to enlarge) (Click on image to enlarge) ___________________________________________________________________________________ (Click on image to enlarge) ...
Racing
Stakes Have Stars Spread Out For Action
National stars spread out this weekend to address some state-bred purses and more Grand Circuit events before all eyes focus on the herd’s arrival at Delaware, Ohio for Little Brown Jug week. Let’s look at the swarm of events that may warrant som ...
Racing
Stars? We don't need no stinkin' stars
Exhibit "A" is this year's Travers Stakes, a Grade 1 race in which the only Grade 1-winning entrant (Liaison) was on a seven-race losing streak. As I said in a previous blog post , this field was more like a bunch of also rans playing out the loser' ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 09/05 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
In between lamenting the fact that they are not qualified to be sports mascots, host Derek Simon and Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com discuss the Paynter situation, the crisis in Canada and a host of other things. In the U. of Bet segment, Derek talks ab ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
A lot of the season’s top horses, trotters and pacers, from almost every division, played a role in the stakes-filled weekend. Keep up with race stories and pre-race analysis’s at our exclusvie Breeders Crown Countdown blog and the Hambl ...
Racing
A more telling weekend
The Pacific Classic had a bigger say on this year's three-year-old male division than did the Travers Stakes. Theoretically either Alpha or Golden Ticket could sneak into the Eclipse Award discussion by pointing toward the Breeders' Cup Classic foll ...
Racing
The Science of Betting
Originally, I’d planned on discussing a variety of racetrack issues in this week’s column — Dullahan’s surprise (at least to me) victory in the Pacific Classic, hopes that Frankel may travel to Paris, etc. But some comments on a coupl ...
Racing
‘Captain’ My Captain; Big Finals Highlight Giant Harness Weekend--Update on Cane Pace
There is a herd of progeny from Somebeachsomewhere on the tracks this season. The incredible beast that paced a hole in a lot of winds and retired to stud after a monstrous sophomore season, winning $2.4 million and taking a mark of 1:46.4, presents ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 08/29 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...
Racing
TwinSpires.com bettor plays name game to scoop Pick 6 at Del Mar
A name he liked coupled with a jockey he recognized led Mr. Hariri to scoop Thursday’s Pick 6 at Del Mar for gross winnings of $495,060.80 on a $146 play. Playing through TwinSpires.com , the West Coast resident took a stab at Thursday’s $89,785 Pi ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
If you are one of “the crowd” then you cashed a few tickets this weekend, though most of the returns were pale and paltry. You may have, however, zeroed in on one of our choices, Prestidigitator, from our Breeders Crown Countdown blog, and ...
Racing
Racing
Speedy Weekend Expected, Updated
Harness drivers will have their “pedal to the metal” this weekend, no doubt, as they gun for big purses and prestige over profit. TwinSpires carries the DuQuoin State Fair from Illinois and even with reduced status and purses, there is plenty the ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 08/22 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
Some weeks don’t look as promising as others for a betting bankroll and those turn out to be terrific times, while others look good enough to eat and those wind up not being able to be digested fully. So it is that the three-day-full-of-action weeken ...
Racing
International Festival of Racing-Arlington Million day
It's a great 12-race card on Million day with two Pick 4s, including a $200,000 guaranteed late Pick 4 on the last five race, and an all-stakes $100,000 guaranteed Pick 5. My strategy will be to get Jakkalberry home in the St. Leger and eithe ...
Racing
Analyzing Arlington
(Click on image to enlarge) Let’s take a look at each of the top contenders: (Click on image to enlarge) The first thing that strikes me about Wild Command is that he’s a frontrunner with a closer’s pace ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 08/15 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Host Derek Simon and Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com discuss Dr. Kendall Hansen’s assertion that Hansen (the horse, not the good doctor) was “unethically targeted” in the West Virginia Derby. They also analyze Wise Dan’s Horse of the Year chances and Ed giv ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes for Nov 8, 2012
In the way we offered a win wager on the Confederation Cup at Flamboro Downs, Aug. 12, you should have had Pet Rock. We mentioned that if the colt would be worth a price it would be in the elim heat, not the final. As it turns out we were on the mone ...
Racing
Winning with Style
(Click on image to enlarge) Personally, I think that’s a load of malarkey — although Hansen was very headstrong (he often is), the fractions of the West Virginia Derby were far from taxing. Still, Hansen’s blue-tail beatdown does highlight ...
Racing
The Heat Is On In Confederation Cup; State-Breds Battle Aplenty
With the Hambletonian in the history books, the action turns back to soph-colt pacers and heads north to Hambletonian Trail blog that covered months of preps for two divisions leading to the August classics has its final entry now listed. The H ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 08/08 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Was Hansen cooked in a speed duel in the West Virginia Derby? Did Hero of Order engage in a Kamizakee mission of destruction? Host Derek Simon and Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com discuss it, as well as speed duels in general. In the U. of Bet segment, Dere ...
Racing
Test of the Champion and the Test
Dreaming of Julia wowed Saratoga Race Course observers on Monday with a 10 1/2-length victory on debut, prompting thoughts not only of what she might accomplish as a two-year-old but also beyond. One tweet proclaimed, "I found my [Kentucky] Oaks fill ...
Racing
Cotolo’s Harness Review, News And Notes
Thanks to the Hambletonian Trail blog. The two features on Friday night started us off with strange twist concerning the next day’s trotting classic. In the Townsend-Ackerman, which consisted of trotting colts that did not make it into the ...
Racing
Greek peaked or still climbing?
It's rare that a race outside the Breeders' Cup can define a horse as the best in the country, but that mantle is on the line for Ron The Greek in the Whitney Handicap on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. Ron The Greek is the onl ...
Racing
At the races and on stage with The Hold Steady's Craig Finn
When Craig Finn talks about his song “Chips Ahoy!”, the lead singer of The Hold Steady sounds like The Most Interesting Man in the World , but he’s talking gambling instead of alcohol.
“I'm not much a gambler,” Finn said. “But if you're going ...
Racing
The Skinny on Overweights
When I used to go to the races as a kid, I followed the same pattern. I’d get a program to supplement my tattered and marked-up edition of the Daily Racing Form , find a comfortable table and chair in the gazebo and accept the offer of an ice-cold P ...
Racing
TwinSpires Horse Racing Podcast w/Derek Simon 07/18 by TwinSpires Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Ed DeRosa of Brisnet.com and Derek Simon share their thoughts on the opening of Del Mar and Saratoga. Derek also explains why Saratoga is called the "Graveyard of Favorites" and discusses the nuances of making a fair odds line.
TwinSpires ...
Racing