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Keeler Johnson's picks and plays Sept. 6
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Tuesday, Sept. 6 at Colonial Downs, along with horses to single in Pick 5 carryovers at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Louisiana Downs.
Racing
Keeler Johnson's picks and plays Sept. 5
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Monday, Sept. 5 at Monmouth Park and Del Mar, along with tickets for the $3,753 Super High 5 carryover at Golden Gate Fields.
Racing
Louisiana Downs: Horses to play in three carryovers
Just how many non-jackpot carryovers are up for grabs on Sunday at Louisiana Downs? Not one… not two… but three.
Racing
Keeler Johnson's picks and plays Sept. 2
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Friday, Sept. 2 at Delaware Park, Del Mar, and Saratoga, along with horses to play in the $4,882 Pick 5 carryover at Penn National.
Racing
Keeler Johnson's picks and plays Sep. 1
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Thursday at Delaware Park, Kentucky Downs, and Horseshoe Indianapolis, along with tickets for the $19,339 Pick 5 carryover at Charles Town.
Racing
Keeler Johnson's picks and plays Aug. 31
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Wednesday at Colonial Downs, Delaware Park, and Saratoga, along with horses to single in a pair of Pick 5 carryovers at Presque Isle Downs.
Racing
Keeler Johnson's picks and plays Aug. 30
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Tuesday at Colonial Downs, Horseshoe Indianapolis, and Presque Isle Downs, along with horses to play in a pair of Louisiana Downs carryovers.
Racing
Tipsheet: 2022 Travers Stakes
The Travers S. (G1) has drawn seven stakes winners, five graded winners, four Grade 1 winners, and two classic winners. The list of viable contenders is long, and an excellent betting race awaits.
Racing
Del Mar Oaks international scouting report: Txope
Fresh from selling for €1.2 million at Arqana’s Summer Sale, Txope hopes to give new owner Zhang Yuesheng a rapid return on investment in Saturday’s Del Mar Oaks (G1).
Racing
Beverly D. international scouting report: Lily Pond
One year after Aidan O’Brien finally won his first Beverly D. (G1), the master of Ballydoyle bids to make it two in a row.
International
Catching My Eye: Chad Brown fillies Sunday at Saratoga
Below are a handful of Chad Brown fillies who caught Kevin Kilroy's eye at Saratoga over the weekend.
Analysis
Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast: Aug. 10, 2022
Jason opens the show looking back at yesterday's big Pick 5 sequence at Colonial Downs. Then he welcomes in Colonial Downs Track Surfaces Superintendent Harrison Young to talk about maintaining turf and dirt courses, rail settings, fighting track bias, and more!
Racing Podcast
Racing Roundtable: Whitney, Blue Stripe, and War Like Goddess
In this week's edition of the Racing Roundtable, James Scully, Kellie Reilly, and Vance Hanson recap the Whitney and address the future of two star mares.
Racing
Epicenter steps up, top challengers wait in Travers
Epicenter will take some beating as the favorite in the $1.25 Travers (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 27, and the 1 1/4-mile race promises to feature his top divisional challengers.
Analysis
Catching My Eye: Opening Weekend at Del Mar and Spa Babies
Below are a handful of runners who caught Kevin Kilroy's eye during opening weekend of Del Mar, as well as juveniles who impressed at Saratoga.
Racing
Colonial Downs racing trends
We look at some of the top racing trends at Colonial Downs, from trainer and jockey win percentages to fastest speed ratings across different surfaces and distances, to get you ready for the 2022 meet.
Trends
Shahryar, Grenadier Guards fly flag for Japan at 2022 Royal Ascot
Shahryar has the credentials to amend Japan's Royal Ascot record in the Prince of Wales’s (G1).
Racing
Nature Strip heads strong Australian team at Royal Ascot
Australians haven’t come to Royal Ascot in such large numbers in the last decade. But this year they are triple-handed, and two of them are absolute top-liners.
Racing
Ward's Golden Pal, Campanelle top American hopes at 2022 Royal Ascot
Twelve-time Royal Ascot winner Wesley Ward returns to the June 14-18 meeting with Golden Pal and Campanelle leading his team. But a few other American-based horsemen are also taking the plunge.
Racing
How to handicap Royal Ascot stakes for juveniles
One of the distinguishing features of Royal Ascot is the six stakes devoted to two-year-olds during the annual five-day meeting.
Racing
10-year Belmont Stakes trends favor Nest, We The People in 2022 field
To help narrow down the field to find the most likely winner of the 1 1/2-mile race at Belmont Park, we looked at the 10-year trends.
Racing
Comparing Nest to recent Belmont fillies
We look at the six most recent fillies to run the Belmont Stakes, dating back to 1980, and compare their résumés to that of Nest to predict how the three-year-old will finish in the final leg of the Triple Crown.
Racing
2022 Belmont Stakes: Brisnet Speed Rating Report
Eight horses, including Kentucky Derby upsetter Rich Strike, are set for Saturday’s 154th running of the $1.5 million Belmont S. (G1). Known as “The Test of the Champion,” the 1 1/2-mile Belmont is the longest Grade 1 dirt race in North America.
Belmont Stakes
How beaten Kentucky Derby favorites have fared as Preakness favorites
A post-World War II history of beaten Kentucky Derby favorites who were also the post-time favorite in the Preakness.
Racing
Secret Oath follows historic hoofsteps as filly in Preakness
The Preakness (G1) media guide lists six female winners from a total of 55 fillies who took on males in the classic.
Racing
Top 10 Preakness trends
To get you ready for the second leg of the Triple Crown, let's look back on the last decade of races, as we examine the top 10 Preakness racing trends.
Racing
Top Brisnet Speed stakes performances of 2021
Essential Quality’s rallying win in the Belmont S. (G1) and Knicks Go’s frontrunning mastery in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) met both criteria, tour-do-force efforts that came back among the fastest stakes races of 2021.
Racing
What is betting "across the board," and is it a smart strategy?
Like any sport, horse racing comes with its fair share of specialized lingo. One confusing phrase you’re bound to encounter is “across the board.”
Education
Mucciolo: Breeders' Cup reflections; the good, bad, and ugly
I survived yet another Breeders’ Cup weekend, and I once again came out on the positive side of the ledger, albeit by a small amount. The World Thoroughbred Championships have been good to me on more occasions than not over the years, but I did leave it very late this season to find a signature win. Here are a few of my experiences from the grand weekend of racing:
Racing
Trends, angles to note for 2021 Breeders' Cup turf races
To borrow an observation from the iconic jockey Frankie Dettori, the Europe-versus-America dynamic in the Breeders’ Cup is reminiscent of golf’s Ryder Cup. While the parallel extends to American success in a few of the turf races, others have been more evenly matched, and Europeans remain historically dominant in the 1 1/2-mile Turf (G1).
Racing
Exploring jockey stats and win percentages
While horses are naturally the most important factor in handicapping any horse race, many bettors look toward jockey statistics to strengthen their opinions and separate top contenders.
Education
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Rattle N Roll
When Rattle N Roll joined the Road to the Kentucky Derby with a victory in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1), racing fans were left to ponder if he's bred to handle the Kentucky Derby’s 1 1/4-mile distance.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Jack Christopher
Does Champagne S. (G1) winner Jack Christopher have the pedigree to handle the testing 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby?
Racing
Pedigree profile: Corniche
Based off Corniche's victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), it seems two of the speediest horses of the 2010s have combined to produce one of the speediest Kentucky Derby contenders of the 2020s.
Racing
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Major General
The first horse to strike on the 2021-2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby was Major General, who displayed an affinity for Churchill Downs and battled to a tenacious victory in the Iroquois S. (G3).
Racing
Ten horses to watch for in the second half of 2021
John Mucciolo offers his analysis of the ten horses you need to keep an eye on for the second half of 2021.
Racing
Scully: Analyzing new shooters in the Belmont Stakes
Commonly referred to as new shooters, horses making their first start of the Triple Crown in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes have held their own in recent years.
Racing
Pedigree Profile: Ram
From claimer to Triple Crown contender, Ram has made great progress. The improving chestnut sold for $375,000 as a yearling, at least in part because he’s bred to be a high-class prospect.
Racing
Pedigree profile: Unbridled Honor
Unbridled Honor isn’t the most accomplished three-year-old in training—at least, not yet. But he’s made steady progress and might eventually grow into the top-class pedigree he brings to the table.
Racing
Analyzing 30 years of Kentucky Derby pace fractions
Once upon a time, the Kentucky Derby was a race in which any running style could regularly succeed. But times have changed.
Kentucky Derby
Horse racing: Finding an edge in claiming conditions
Spotting changes in claiming-race conditions can lead to profitable wagers.
Education
Exclusive: Money Management for Winners by Frank Scantoni
Effective money management is crucial to long-term success. If you want to conquer the gambling world, you need to have the proper money-management skills to protect your bankroll but also help it grow year in and year out.
Education
Betting Regional Class Advantages, Part 2
In a recent article here on TwinSpires, we discussed how regional class advantages can exist throughout the sport of horse racing and produce to profitable wagering opportunities.
Education
Betting Regional Class Advantages, Part 1
While the old saying “a good horse can come from anywhere” is certainly true, it’s also true that good horses are more likely to come from some places than others.
A great example comes from California, where a greater emphasis is placed on dirt r ...
Education
Betting Races on Soft Turf, Part 1: Why Europeans Can Have an Edge
Relatively speaking, racehorses in North America don’t get many opportunities to run on truly soft, rain-inundated turf courses. When heavy rains strike, turf races are frequently transferred to the dirt track in order to preserve the grass.
But i ...
Education
Should You Bet Horses Returning on Short Rest?
Although there has been a tendency in recent years for trainers to give their horses more and more time between races, there are some trainers still willing to run their horses back in a week or less, and when you can identify a trainer who’s skille ...
Education
Exploring the Advantages of First-Time Lasix
If you’ve followed horse racing for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard phrases like “first-time Lasix” or “racing without Lasix.” But what does it all mean?
For the most part, racehorses in North America are treated with Lasix a few hours p ...
Education
Deciphering Track Biases, Part 2
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could predict when track biases will appear and wager accordingly, yielding impressive profits while simultaneous gaining some bragging rights?
Perhaps it sounds far-fetched, but truthfully, it’s not as hard as it sounds. ...
Education
Deciphering Track Biases, Part 1
Track biases… is there a more mysterious aspect of handicapping horse races? Maybe, but I'm not sure what it would be.
In essence, track biases are simple enough. Their name says it all—some tracks can be biased toward horses racing on the lead, o ...
Education
Maiden Special Weight to Maiden Claiming: A Classic Class Drop
In the sport of horse racing, you’ll often hear handicappers refer to horses that are “dropping in class.”
The definition of dropping in class is simple—it means that a given horse is going to be facing easier competition than in his previous star ...
Education
Betting First-Time Starters in Maiden Claiming Races
Once in a while, handicappers will come across a maiden race filled with horses that seemingly lack the desire or inclination to win.
This can be particularly evident in maiden claiming races, the lowest category of races for horses that have neve ...
Education
Using Trainer Angles in Handicapping, Part 2
The history of horse racing is filled with rags-to-riches stories of horses rising from humble beginnings to enjoy success at the highest levels of the sport.
Legendary Hall of Fame inductees such as Lava Man and Stymie have taken the “claim-to-fa ...
Education
Arrogate setting a track record in the Travers Stakes (gr. I) - Susie Raisher/Coglianese Photography
How Fast Finishes Can Identify Future Stars
How can you tell when a young, lightly-raced horse has the talent to step up in class and become a winner at the highest levels of the sport?
There are many ways to judge the merits of a young racehorse, but one factor I’ve routinely found valuabl ...
Education
How Pace Makes the Race: Part 2
In an article on Bet America last week , I discussed how the 2013 Triple Crown series is a perfect example of how pace can make a race.
When Orb produced a huge late rally to win the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), he looked like a star in the making, ...
Education
How Pace Makes the Race: Part 1
Pace makes the race. It’s an indisputable fact of Thoroughbred horse racing that the pace at which a given race unfolds can have an effect on the outcome.
A slow pace can favor front-runners, allowing them to finish strongly and hold off late runn ...
Education