Blue Grass Stakes heavy favorite Carpe Diem brings a strong résumé into his final prep for the Kentucky Derby, having never finished worse than second and sporting a pair of graded stakes victories around two turns. Continued success would be no surprise for WinStar Farm’s and Stonestreet Stables’s colt, who gets high-class routing ability from the top half of his pedigree and dirt ability from the bottom.
Download positive ROI trainer statistics for Thursday's cards at Aqueduct, Charles Town, Golden Gate, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, Penn National, Pimlico, and Santa Anita. The report features top trainer angles, top trainer/jockey combinations, and profitable betting angles based on a trainer's record in similar situations.
We are getting down to the last few final Kentucky Derby preps, and we have three Grade 1, $1 million ones on Saturday – the Santa Anita Derby, the Blue Grass at Keeneland, and the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. And, not surprisingly, there is a basketful of important undercard stakes at all three tracks.
There is little consensus regarding what North American racing would be like if race-day medication were eliminated. Among many differing views, some believe it would benefit the long-term nature of the breed, while others feel it would not be accepted by horsemen and already-short fields would grow smaller.
Keeneland’s opening weekend is a welcome sign of spring for many, including Bourbon Courage, among the logical contenders in a seven-horse lineup for the Grade 3, $300,000 Commonwealth Stakes on the Saturday card.
Does Dortmund have another forward move in the Santa Anita Derby? Does he need one? Maybe and maybe.
Az Ridge, probably the top grass horse at Turf Paradise, takes on some new challenges in the form of a longer distance and a couple threatening Southern California raiders as he heads Saturday’s $35,000 Wildcat Handicap. The 1 3/8-mile grass event drew a field of 10.
Bob Pandolfo's Sharp Horses and Track Trends for March 26 to 29, 2015.
The Texas Racing Commission has notified jockey Roman Chapa that he is facing an additional charge of using an electrical device on a horse in a race at Sam Houston Race Park in 2014, one month after suspending the rider for five years for the same charge.
Download a list of horses exiting races where two or more of the competitors have come back to win their next starts. Thursday's report features races from Aqueduct, Charles Town, Golden Gate, Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, Pimlico, and Santa Anita.
