Bob Baffert had won six Rebel Stakes in the decade of the 2010s, but he is officially 0-for-2 in 2019 after striking out with two odds-on favorites in the two $750,000 split divisions of this year's key G2 Kentucky Derby prep race at Oaklawn Park. The winners of the two divisions of the Rebel Stakes, meanwhile, the Steve Asmussen-trainer Long Range Toddy and Richard Mandella's Omaha Beach both improved markedly and stamped themselves as legitimate up-and-coming contenders for this year's Run for the Roses.

Baffert entered Saturday' Rebel with a pair of undefeated 3-year-olds at the top of many people's Derby…

But I See Many More Angles To The Two Divisions Of The Rebel Stakes.

Thursday, 3/14Hank Goldberg

After the unfortunate suspension of racing at Santa Anita and the cancellation of last weekend’s San Felipe Stakes. The Derby Prep plans of a number of trainers and Bob Baffert in particular were turned inside out.

However, Hope Still [Hot] Springs Eternal as the Hall of fame conditioner has shipped leading Derby prospects Improbable and Game Winner to Arkansas where they will race in separate divisions of the Grade II Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

There are other options for three-year olds on the Derby trail…

As we make our way toward the final round of prep races on the road to the Kentucky Derby, things continue to sort themselves out at a very slow pace this season in the 3yo division. Some horses have managed to distinguish themselves in the prep races, but many other would-be Derby contenders have disappointed, and many others have not yet even begun their 3yo campaigns.

The latest big news on the road to the Kentucky Derby is two-fold. First, the cancellation of the San Felipe (G2) due to track safety concerns plaguing Santa Anita has affected some of the top…

We’re two months out from the Kentucky Derby, Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth (G2) is in the books, and we’re now heading up to the biggest weekend of the season so far with four major Kentucky Derby prep races scheduled to be run on Saturday, March 9. The results of those four races – The Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, the San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita, the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks (sic) at Turfway, and the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) – will go a long way to clarifying the list of contenders pointing to the Kentucky Derby, to be run…

A lot of focus is on racing at Gulfstream Park this time of the year with the track in the midst of the best portion of its winter championship meet. Daily handicapping at Gulfstream can be a grind with big competitive fields and high quality competition to consider in 10, 11, or 12 races per day.  With so much going on, it certainly can’t hurt for handicappers to find ways to help narrow down and sort out the contenders from the pretenders. Here are five ways you can do that at Gulfstream Park based on information and statistics compiled through…

One of the mistakes handicappers make is to give up on a horse after a race when trying something for the first time, in this case trying two turns. When making the two turn debut in the Smarty Jones, Super Steed ran evenly. It wasn't a great race but it wasn't bad enough to give up on him. Larry Jones is a great trainer that knows how to prepare a horse to get the most out of him. Jockey Terry Thompson has had a long relationship with Jones, so seeing him stay on the horse tells me he has been…

Derby Prep PreviewBy Jim HurleySaturday, February 9

On Saturday there is only one Kentucky Derby Prep Qualifier scheduled, so all that attention will be focused on Tampa Bay Downs as 10 three-year olds are set to go postward in the Grade III Dam F. Davis Stakes, to be run at a mile and a sixteenth over the main track.

Last Year I tabbed the Longshot Winner Flameaway for a healthy $22.40 mutuel and completed the $51.40 Exacta with runner-up Catholic Boy.

The Sam F. Davis, which is the prelude to the completion of the Tampa bay circuit Derby Prep finisher, the Tampa Bay…

From John ConteNTRA/DRF 500K Handicapping Championship Winner

I'm JOHN CONTE, the only public handicapper to win a major national championship...  The $500,000 first-place prize and title of Handicapper of the Year in the 10th annual Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas.  I also received the Eclipse Award for Handicapper of the Year.

And right now I am going to show you why the Pick 3 is one of, if not the BEST VALUE BET you can make and how this Saturday I am putting all my expertise on the line with ANOTHER WINNING AQUEDUCT…

From The National Race Masters StaffSaturday, February 9

There is no truth to the rumor that Churchill Downs is considering changing the name of the Kentucky Derby to the Bob Baffert Stakes, but one thing is for sure, any search for articles pertaining to the 2019 edition of the Run For The Roses does create Baffert as the default position.

When JUSTIFY won last year’s Kentucky Derby, on his way to collecting the Triple Crown, Baffert toppled the legendary D. Wayne Lukas from the most Triple Crown wins pedestal with 15 total triumphs from the Kentucky Darby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

With the…

We're still more than three months out from the First Saturday in May, but for horseracing fans it's never too early to start thinking about the Kentucky Derby. Yes, the Derby itself will last only about two minutes - the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports - but that doesn't mean we can't have months of fun analyzing it in advance.  After all, the anticipation is almost as much fun as the actual race.  So for those of you who just can't get enough Derby talk, here is a closer look at the current class of 2019 Kentucky Derby hopefuls.

The 2019…