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…

23 Derby Hopefuls Toss Bridles In The Ring In 3 Preps Saturday

Conte Derby WatchPart IFriday. 2/1

There have already been a handful of what are listed as Kentucky Derby Preps, largely because these already run races have afforded Qualifying Points to the first 4 finishers of each race.

These “recognized” qualifying preps date back to the Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on September 15 of last year. While the 2-year old races and the four that have kicked off 2019 Jerome (1/1 Aqueduct), Sham (1/5 Santa Anita), Lecomte (1/19 Fair Grounds) and the Smarty Jones (1/25 Oaklawn) have begun the glimpse of…

Top winter dirt racing is ready to return to the Midwest with the opening of the Oaklawn Park meet on Friday, Jan. 25 in a newly-expanded racing season this year that will extend three-weeks past the track's usual mid-April closing date for the first time, all way up to Kentucky Derby Day, Saturday, May 4. Freezing temperatures in January usually will mean a slow start to the season, but as the weather warms up, so does the quality of racing and wagering at Oaklawn. The best part of the meet…

PREP RACE WINS ARE A PRIORITY ON ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY

The first Kentucky Derby prep races of the season are already in the books, and now with a small gap until the next round of prep races heats up, this seems like the time to review and preview where we stand right now in the very early stages on the road to the First Saturday in May.

The Kentucky Derby prep season is underway as 3-year-olds begin the fight for the right to occupy one of the 20 available stalls in the Churchill Downs starting gate for the Run for…

The New York Racing Association has announced its leaner and meaner winter/spring racing and stakes schedule for 2019 at Aqueduct, with racing scheduled three or four days a week throughout the season until the opening of Belmont Park at the end of April.

Aqueduct’s winter schedule will be leaner, because it will feature a total of only 17 live racing dates in January, 16 racing dates in February, and 15 racings dates in March. This will lead up to The Big A’s brief Spring Meet, which will include 12 dates of higher-quality racing from April 5-20.  The Aqueduct winter and spring…

Yes, the winter racing season is here, and the best winter race meet is ready to roll at Gulfstream Park, with the 2018-19 Gulfstream Champions meet opening on Saturday, December 1 and continuing until March 31.  As always, Gulfstream will feature the best trainers, jockeys, grass horses and stakes races in action at this time of year, making it a must-bet track for all serious horseplayers and handicappers for the next several months.

The Gulfstream Park winter meet began with the Claiming Crown on opening day, continues with the Sunshine Millions on January 19, and contains several key 3-year-old prep races…