On Saturday morning, Andrew Motion didn’t look like a man who hadn’t had much sleep over the last couple days. Two days earlier, he’d loaded a yearling filly onto a van and driven overnight to Saratoga from his Upperville, VA farm; three days before he’ll send his first horse through the auction ring here, he…
We’ve been spoiled. Over the last few years, the rain has avoided Saratoga like a gambler avoids an overbet bad favorite, but over the last few days, the wet stuff has descended like punters on a Pletcher firster. We’ve been off the turf for two days, and Tuesday isn’t looking much better. Fortunately, there’s plenty…
by Brian Nadeau of Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB TV. Belmont Park: The GI, $1.5 million Belmont at 1 1/2 miles #1 Governor Malibu (12-1): New York-bred gave odds-on favorite Unified a scare when second in the local prep, the GII Peter Pan last month, and is certainly on the rise for Clement, who won this race two…
by Brian Nadeau of Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB TV. Pimlico: The GI, $1.5 million Preakness at 1 ¼ miles #1 Cherry Wine (20-1): Deep closer used the race flow to muck up for third in the GI Blue Grass at Keeneland and will need an epic pace meltdown to have any kind of chance in the second…
Training hours are coming to an end on a March morning at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Florida. A lot of outfits have already shipped at least some of their horses north, to New York or Kentucky or Toronto, and quiet sinks over much of the training center. Not so much at Barn 11, one…
by Brian Nadeau of Horseplayer Now and Capital OTB TV. Keeneland: The GI, $1 million Blue Grass at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points 100-40-20-10) #1 Looking for a Kiss (50-1): Gigantic longshot will make his first start for Tomlinson after two modest runs for Romans and will need a monumental jump in his form to even…
When the National Handicapping Championship kicks off later today at Treasure Island in Las Vegas, more than 500 players will take a shot at the $800,000 prize. One of them, Jonathon Kinchen, will be playing for considerably more than that–$2 million more to be exact. The winner of the 2015 National Handicapping Championship tour, Kinchen…
With great pleasure I post the first of Brian Nadeau’s analyses of this year’s Kentucky Derby preps. We started this way back in 2009, and I am thrilled that Brian is back for another year. Brian handicaps at Horseplayer Now, is a regular on Capital OTB TV in upstate New York, and writes a weekly Breeders’ Cup…
When racing fans think of Travers-winning jockeys, they might think of Chris McCarron or Jerry Bailey, who each won Saratoga’s flagship race three times. They might think of Javier Castellano, Braulio Baeza, Eddie Arcaro, or Pat Day, who won it four times. They probably wouldn’t think of Shelby Barnes. Shelby “Pike” Barnes won the Travers…
If you need someone to run your barn, to do some legs, or to run a horse for you, on the flat or over jumps, you might want to give Tiffany Webb a call. You could also call her if you need a little legal advice, or if you need someone to build a racecar…
Brooklyn Backstretch 