The staff at the Orleans did a very nice thing at the tournament this year, erecting a poster board with pictures of the late Randi Muniz, who ran this and every other contest here for perfection for years before she succombed to cancer in December, only 49 years old.
Fair Grounds will be the busiest track in the country Saturday when it comes to stakes action. Its Louisiana Derby Preview Day card boasts six stakes events, topped by the Grade 2, $300,000 Risen Star Stakes, the local springboard to the Louisiana Derby, to be run April 1.
I've particpated in the Horse Player World Series, held at the Orleans Hotel, for several years now, and it's become one of the highlights of the handicapping year for me.
Mike Beer's picks for the Aqueduct Friday late pick four on Feb. 24, 2012, using the DRF TicketMaker tool.
Future odds for the 2012 Breeders' Cup Classic and Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Santa Anita.
Video replays for major stakes races of Feb. 18 and 19, 2012, with trip notes by Michael Hammersly
BreezeFigs Quick-Pix Saturday February 18th
Countdown to the Crown returns for a seventh season online as one of the most comprehensive handicapper’s scouting reports of the 3-year-old scene. Posted each Friday at DRF.com from Jan. 6 through the Belmont Stakes, Countdown keeps you apprised of the rising stars of the 3-year-old class.
No one hits the pick six on a ticket that costs only $20. The pick six is won by big bettors that play big tickets. For the rest of us, the pick six is too steep, with too many combinations to cover. It costs too much. The losing streaks last too long.
We have two graded stakes Saturday in the East – the Grade 2, $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel and the Grade 2, $150,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship – and two in the West – the Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Maria at Santa Anita and the Grade 3, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate.
