A few days before Japan’s debut in February at Gulfstream Park, trainer Mike Hushion opined that he thought very highly of the 3-year-old colt. The next day, Hushion was admitted to a hospital, suffering from leukemia, and when Japan made his debut 48 hours later, he flopped, finishing sixth.
One of my favorite plays in an attempt to make a lot with a little is the trifecta key. You find one horse on which to hinge your water and put five others underneath (for a $1 tri, that’s $20; for a $1 super, that’s $60). This also shows some confidence in your handicapping. You’re not blasting away with a bunch of horses on top, hoping you hit something. You’re identifying a horse you like and taking a stand.
Belmont Gold Cup/Belmont Stakes $2 daily double will-pays:
I find the Manhattan, race 10, unwieldy and don’t really like anyone very well, and find race 13, the second-level, $62,500 optional-claiming dirt sprint, unwieldy and don’t really like anybody. So, without strong opinions anywhere in the sequence, the idea of putting together an expensive play seems unwise. In fact, I’m going caveman style here and merely narrowing things to the horses I like best – no backups – in those two tricky races.
Through the steady rain falling in the dark at Belmont Park, you can hear them – the ghosts of Triple Crowns past, echoing through the mammoth grandstand and around the sweeping final turn.
Each week DRF Harness will bring you PA Harness Week. This 30-minute show highlights the best of Pennsylvania harness racing as well as what is happening on the national scene.
Bring together a group of executives, administrators, and overseers of racing and breeding, and the topic of medication is bound to be front and center. So it was Friday at the inaugural Pan American Conference held in New York City on Thursday and Friday.
Trainer Chad Brown was hoping for rain in the $250,000 Gold Cup, the nightcap on Friday at Belmont. He didn’t get it, but Innovation Economy made it rain anyway.
The connections of Waltzing Matilda shipped the Irish-bred filly to North America with the ultimate plan of selling her at the Fasig-Tipton auction in November. Her price tag just went up.
Belmont Stakes Day action starts promptly at 11:35 a.m. Eastern, and Todd Pletcher wastes no time making his presence felt with Stanford as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the first of 13 Saturday races. But does he have to win when making his first start since the Louisiana Derby? Well...
