Surprise! A day early, hopefully not a dollar short, since there is only one track operating on Saturday, Christmas Eve, we decided to give you an early gift, maybe.
DRF handicapper Marcus Hersh provides horses to watch at Fair Grounds
Trip notes by Michael Hammersly for stakes races run on December 17-18.
How Daily Racing Form writer Mike Beer will play the late pick four at Aqueduct on Sunday, Dec. 18.
There are five stakes races on this afternoon’s card at Gulfstream Park. Let’s take a look at some contenders who might sneak away as overlays on the tote.
The final Saturday of the Los Alamitos winter meeting features a pick-six carryover of $308,191. California Chrome is scheduled to run in the final race of the day, the Winter Challenge, and because he figures to be a heavy favorite and logical single, the pick six will begin one race earlier than usual. The sequence consists of races 3-8, with race 3 scheduled for 4:28 Eastern. Here are a few runners to consider using.
Trainer stats (and jockey stats, to a lesser extent) can also give an important glimpse into how the betting market responds to certain horses.
BreezeFigs Quick-Pix for Saturday, December 17, 2016 by Bob Fierro and Jay Kilgore
Although I am typically reluctant to back horses off layoffs of six months or more, as is the case with Stanford, who is unraced since an eighth in the June 11 Met Mile, I will make an exception in Saturday's Harlan Holiday at Gulfstream Park.
Hersh: Fair Grounds horses to watch for week of Dec. 14
