For the time being, Seattle Serenade is regarded as a sprinter by trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.The colt won his debut in a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs with a gritty win by a half-length at Del Mar on Nov. 12, and will have his debut against winners in an optional claimer at six furlongs at Los Alamitos on Friday.
The victory by Cathryn Sophia in the $100,000 Gin Talking Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday was the latest in a string of recent powerful efforts by 2-year-old fillies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
I hope it is not too late to recommend a few titles for holiday gifts to be ordered up in time for the ceremonies. Of the three mentioned here, one is fact, one is fiction, and one is of such sweeping historical drama that if it wasn't so remarkably true it would have been great make-believe.
Have you ever played in an online handicapping contest for horse racing? There are those that think they could adversely affect handle, but personally I’m noticing a different trend.
The pace should be fast and contested in the featured ninth race at Tampa Bay Downs on Friday, and that would set things up nicely for Inkling, who rallied impressively to win his only U.S. start back in September for trainer Wesley Ward.
Trainer Ramon Preciado saddles Visionary Ruler (#6, ML 5-2) in Wednesday's seventh race at Aqueduct, a six-furlong claiming race on the inner track. Since Jan., 1, 2014, Preciado is winning at a 39 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from turf to dirt, for a return on investment of $3.10. Check out the Positive ROI report as part of DRF Plus. Sign up for DRF Plus here.
Without La Verdad in the starting gate, it stands to reason Tricky Zippy is the one to beat in Friday's $65,000 allowance feature for New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct.
Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Wednesday's races, including DRF Bets GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.
American Pharoah, the first Triple Crown winner since 1978, was the overwhelming choice of voters in this year’s Vox Populi Award, which was established five years ago by Penny Chenery, the owner of the late Secretariat, to honor the “horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the American public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing.”
The administrators of a voluntary accreditation program for racetracks have added a section to the code requiring tracks to push state racing commissions to demand that laboratories implement drug-testing procedures and policies recommended by national policy groups, according to the program’s executive director.
