Mon, 01/31/2022 - 15:06

Road to the 2022 Kentucky Derby: Southwest Stakes analysis

Coady Photography
Newgrange logrando el triunfo en el Southwest S. G3

Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes; 1 1/16 miles; Oaklawn Park; Jan. 29, 2022
(0 Derby qualifying points for first, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)

Winner: Newgrange, by Violence

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Jockey: John Velazquez

Owner: SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Golconda Stable, Siena Farm, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Jay Schoenfarber

Beyer Speed Figure: 89

Mon, 01/31/2022 - 09:17

'Old-school' handicapper David Harrison wins National Horseplayers Championship

David Harrison, a 63-year-old real-estate appraiser from Webster, N.Y., won last weekend’s National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas with a total score of $342, earning $725,000 for the contest’s top prize.

Harrison entered Sunday’s final table at the tournament with a $30.30 lead over the closest of the other nine finalists. Going into the final race, he was still up $16.60, and when an even-money shot drew off in the stretch of the last mandatory race, he knew he couldn’t be caught.

Sat, 01/29/2022 - 11:46

Kenny Peck's Sam Houston pick six play for Sunday, January 30, 2022

Coady Photography
Hollis (right) dead-heats for the win with Sky Ride in the $75,000 Stonerside Sprint on Jan. 31 at Sam Houston Race Park.

Kenny Peck provides his analysis, selections and suggested ticket structure for Sunday's Pick 6 at Sam Houston. 

Fri, 01/28/2022 - 11:00

BreezeFigs Quick-Pix Saturday, January 29, 2022 by Bob Fierro & Jay Kilgore

It was a case of polar opposites for our Pix last week—much too fast and much too slow. Our Aqueduct Pick was fried on the lead which featured a 21-and-change opening quarter and our Santa Anita Pick was much too slow getting out of the gate. Otherwise it was a banner day for BreezeFigs 3-year-old maidens as three of the five maiden races at Fair Grounds went to them.

Thu, 01/27/2022 - 15:06

Weekend GamePlan for Jan. 29, 2022: Picks for Pegasus World Cup Turf, Southwest, and more

Debra A. Roma
Space Traveller trains at Gulfstream Park on Thursday. He should get a realistic pace setup and make one run in the Pegasus World Cup Turf.

The biggest North American race of the year until the Kentucky Derby is a match race dressed up as a nine-horse field.

It’s tough settling on a Pegasus World Cup Invitational preference, so I won’t. Having just gotten back from New Orleans where I was fortunate enough to watch Knicks Go train, I can report that at age 6, with a long 2021 campaign behind him, the horse blooms with vitality. Since Brad Cox took over training, Knicks Go is 8 for 8 in two-turn races (four Grade 1’s, two Breeders’ Cup starts) with a 40-length combined margin of victory.

Wed, 01/26/2022 - 15:33

TimeformUS horses in focus for Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022

RACE 3: BIG AL’S GAL (#2) 

Wed, 01/26/2022 - 14:12

Free: Santa Anita horses to watch for week of Jan. 24, 2022

LOOKIN AT SWEETIE

Trainer: Richard Baltas

Last race: Jan. 21, race 3

Finish: 1st by 2 1/4

Beyer: 74

Maiden-claiming winner tested positive for medication Robaxin before the race was run and may have been ineligible to start. Claim voided; an investigation is underway.

Wed, 01/26/2022 - 12:26

NHC, back in normal spot on calendar, begins Friday

The 2022 National Horseplayers Championship begins its three-day run Friday at Bally’s Las Vegas in Nevada, just five months after the 2021 tournament.