It&#39;s finally May.&nbsp; It feels like forever since last year.&nbsp; As horse players, we are in the trenches all winter watching prep races and making cases for the horses to be around in May.&nbsp; It starts slow.&nbsp; 10 point races spread out by weeks.&nbsp; Slowly as it warms up, near the end of winter, we are watching 50 and 100 point races week after week.&nbsp; We stalk the Kentucky Leaderboard, as our hopefuls climb to get into the top 20.&nbsp; Halfway into April, we have our final standings.&nbsp; From there, we watch every workout.&nbsp; Read every clocker report.&nbsp; Hang on every word their trainers say.&nbsp; It&#39;s all we have as we form opinions and take stances for that first Saturday in May.&nbsp; And just like that, it&#39;s Saturday.&nbsp; We&#39;ve waited a year for this and it&#39;ll be over in 2 minutes.&nbsp; Make sure you have the winner on your ticket, as it is a long year waiting for the next one.

Last year, I had Medina Spirit really early on.&nbsp; There were certainly other horses I liked that missed the derby, but as for the horses that made it, Medina Spirit was a single for me.&nbsp; At 12/1 odds, Medina Spirit crossed the wire first and sent Karma absolutely mental.&nbsp; There were a lot of big wins that day.&nbsp; I want to share this year, 3 horses that will be on my tickets.

&nbsp;

<h3>Mo Donegal 10/1 5:3-0-2</h3>

Mo Donegal is a horse that I liked since his win in the Remsen as a two year old.&nbsp; He wasn&#39;t elevated to my top horse until last month when he set the record for the fastest 3/8 finish to a final prep race.&nbsp; The Wood Memorial was not only good on paper, but it visually checked all the boxes.&nbsp; Mo Donegal had to rally from deep, but ran that final 3/8 in 35 seconds.&nbsp; There was traffic and he was able to navigate around.&nbsp; I&#39;m not concerned with the 1 spot since he will be farther back and traffic isnt an issue.&nbsp; I also don&#39;t mind Uncle Mo being his sire.&nbsp; Uncle Mo has a reputation for not wanting to go the derby distance, but that was overturned when Nyquist won the Derby in 2016.&nbsp; The morning line favorite, Zandon, runs the same race as Mo Donegal, except Mo Donegal is faster and has Irad Ortiz on the mount.&nbsp; I&#39;ll take the discounted price of Mo Donegal as my top pick in the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

&nbsp;

<h3>Messier 8/1 6:3-3-0</h3>

I&#39;m sort of hoping Messier goes overlooked.&nbsp; After Taiba, more on him later, blew by Messier in the Santa Anita Derby, Messier has sort of become the Red Headed step-child.&nbsp; Morning Line oddsmaker did NOT let that Taiba win scare him off Messier as Taiba is a longer shot, but I expect Taiba&#39;s odds to go down while Messier may actually move up.&nbsp; I feel like Messier has had the same type of career as Medina Spirit leading up to the Kentucky Derby.&nbsp; The glaring comparison is when Medina Spirit lost to Rock Your World.&nbsp; From there, RYW was supposed to make noise in the Derby while Medina Spirits odds sat.&nbsp; Medina Spirit was eligble to improve off that performance and did.&nbsp; We don&#39;t know all the facts, but Messier&#39;s trainer is the same as Taiba&#39;s.&nbsp; The jockey could have been instructed not to go balls to the wall with Messier and for that fact, Taiba was able to win and get into the Derby.&nbsp; I think Messier will be in the perfect stalking position to take over down the stretch or final turn and run a huge race.&nbsp; Can we get 12/1 again?

&nbsp;

<h3>Taiba 12/1 2:2-0-0</h3>

Taiba is the last horse you should use on your ticket, even if defensively.&nbsp; This horse was a $1.7M purchase by the same owners of Medina Spirit.&nbsp; As the most expensive horse in this race, and least experienced, Taiba has done nothing wrong.&nbsp; He has posted back to back triple digit speed figures, which you love to see.&nbsp; Gun Runner is this year&#39;s Constitution and every Gun Runner baby has been winning.&nbsp; Taiba is no different, winning both of his races by a combined 10 lengths.&nbsp; But, that&#39;s where it ends.&nbsp; It&#39;s been over 100 years since a horse has won a Kentucky Derby on his 3rd career start.&nbsp; Also the fields in California are known to be small.&nbsp; Taiba having 19 other horses beside him will be a new experience.&nbsp; We don&#39;t know if this horse is going to be a monster or just a pawn, so 12/1 odds are pretty good on a horse that cost a lot and has done nothing wrong.

 It&#39;s finally May.&nbsp; It feels like forever since last year.&nbsp; As horse players, we are in the trenches all winter watching prep races and making cases for the horses to be around in May.&nbsp; It starts slow.&nbsp; 10 point races spread o

Don't leave these 2022 Kentucky Derby Horses Off Your Tickets

Hello and welcome to racing at one of my favorite race tracks, Laurel Park! Saturday October 23rd is Million Day at Laurel Park. A full card of 12 stakes races awaits for one of Maryland&#39;s best days of racing. When it comes to making money at the track, it&#39;s no secret that a pick 5 or a pick 6 can have life changing money. While a true million is likely a bit steep of a payoff, we can at least attempt to cut into that amount by looking to hit the late twenty cent rainbow pick 6. For those new to a &quot;pick&quot; bet, this is a type of bet that you must pick the winner in each consecutive race. If you miss even just one race, you will not get the payout. It is the equivalent of a parlay in the sports betting market.

&nbsp;

<a href="https://wltwinspires.adsrv.eacdn.com/C.ashx?btag=a_3087b_4081c_&amp;amp;affid=2549&amp;amp;siteid=3087&amp;amp;adid=4081&amp;amp;c=" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://assets-betkarma.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/10/22/exacta-insurance.jpg" style="height:334px; width:508px" /></a>

&nbsp;

Before I jump into my pick 6 analysis, I&#39;d like to point out a promo with our friends at &nbsp;<a href="https://wltwinspires.adsrv.eacdn.com/C.ashx?btag=a_3087b_4081c_&amp;affid=2549&amp;siteid=3087&amp;adid=4081&amp;c=">Twinspires</a>&nbsp;. You must click &quot;CLAIM NOW&quot; on the offer tab to get Exacta insurance for EVERY race at Laurel Park on Saturday, up to $10! If your straight exacta horses come top 3, but not in the order you selected them, you will receive your bet back. I will have a FULL card of suggested Exacta plays for this promo!

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>
	<h3>Where: Laurel Park</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Date: October 23&nbsp;2021</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Races: 7 - 12</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Time: 2:54&nbsp;pm EST</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Watch: TVG 
	&nbsp;</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

 
Race 7 is gracious enough to start us off with a single in the pick 6. It&#39;s always crucial to find singles in these long pick sequences so that our bet does not get too out of control. Hello Beautiful is the likeliest winner on the entire card to me. There is little speed signed on and last time out, Hello Beautiful went gate to wire and won by 10 lengths over other horses found in this same race today.

 
Thank goodness the pick 6 started off with a single because we are getting in over our heads a bit in race 8, which is the Nursery Stakes. As the name implies, this race is for baby two-year-old boys. This race is going to test our handicapping skills with some lightly raced horses. I am pretty high Mr Mox, but not high enough to get away with a single in a baby race. Mr Mox should be on or near the lead which should help him find the finish line. A long shot that I also expect to be forwardly placed is the solo raced Bet On Blitz at 12-1. This horse broke his maiden at Laurel in a 5.5F race where he was sent to the front and never looked back, winning by over 8 lengths. I am also going to include Buff Hello, Local Motive, Coastal Mission, and All For Love.

&nbsp;

The morning line favorite in race 9 is winless in 2021. What&#39;s even more interesting is that THREE horses in this race have already beat him this year, so the odds are a little puzzling. Despite that, we are still going to use Cannon&#39;s Roar on our pick 6. We are also going to include some of those winners that have proven themselves at this mile and an eighth distance in the Turf Stakes. Somekindofmagician is a closer and will require the right pace setup, but has a victory over the top choice. We will also include Trifor Gold and&nbsp;Street Copper.

&nbsp;

We are going to have to watch the Also Eligible list in race 10 because there are two horses that are must uses if they draw in. These horses are Jaxon Traveler and Whereshetoldmetogo. I don&#39;t think they will draw into the field, so I am going to focus on the horses that are already in. This is a clear three horse race. My favorite between Fortheluvofbourbon, Double Crown and Band On Tour is the latter. This horse loves the Maryland circuit while the other two are shipping in from Parx and Gulfstream, respectively.

&nbsp;

The Maryland Million Classic is race 11 and the card&#39;s feature. Does anyone love a local cinderalla story? If so, you&#39;re going to love Ain&#39;t Da Beer Cold in this race. Wouldn&#39;t it just be perfect to have a 20-1 Maryland bred shot win this race? It&#39;s not as far fetched as the odds suggest. This horse has only ran two routes in his career. In both of those races, he wanted more distance. He owns a win and a place, by a nose. For some reason, they keep running this horse at sprint distances and boy oh boy could we have a gem. Now, he will need to get past Tappin Cat, coming in on a three race win streak. Tappin Cat has never ran this distance, but I fully expect Tappin Cat to be in the money. I am also going to include Dream Big Dreams and The Poser.

&nbsp;

The finale is not for the faint of heart. Race 12 features sprinters attempting a route. I am going to use ALL in this race because the unknown aspect of who can get the distance isn&#39;t something I want to chance if we are still alive at this point!

&nbsp;

My Play:

 
Pick 6: 2 / 1,5,6,8,10,13 / 1,5,6,7&nbsp;/ 3,7,8 / 5,6,7,8 / ALL 
 
 
Bet this play by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://wltwinspires.adsrv.eacdn.com/C.ashx?btag=a_3087b_4081c_&amp;affid=2549&amp;siteid=3087&amp;adid=4081&amp;c=">here</a>&nbsp;to signup for a TwinSpires account.&nbsp; Using our code TWIN200, you will receive a $200 signup bonus.&nbsp; Also, for more Laurel Park plays, visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://discord.com/invite/c99VAjW">discord</a>&nbsp;to chat with bettors and experts!

&nbsp;

 Hello and welcome to racing at one of my favorite race tracks, Laurel Park! Saturday October 23rd is Million Day at Laurel Park. A full card of 12 stakes races awaits for one of Maryland&#39;s best days of racing. When it comes to making money at th

How To Make A Million At Laurel Park on Million Day

Racing returns with a bang to Santa Anita on Friday, October 1st for its 16-day Autumn meet. &nbsp;Besides having it&#39;s historic hillside turf course reopen, Santa Anita will have a monster weekend of 14 stakes races. Nine of those stakes races are Breeders&#39; Cup &quot;Win and You&#39;re In&quot; qualifiers. &nbsp;These are crucial races as Breeders&#39; Cup day is only a month away! &nbsp;In this article, I am going to focus on a winning combination for us to hit an All-Stakes pick 3 in races 6-7-8!&nbsp; I will also be posting more plays for all of Santa Anita&#39;s opening day card in our Discord channel!

&nbsp;

(G2) $200,000 Chandelier Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, 2YO fillies

The grade II Chandelier Stakes looks pretty cut and dry, at least on top. &nbsp;Being that these are two year old&#39;s, anything is possible, but Bob Baffert has a horse here that looks incredibly tough to beat. &nbsp;Grace Adler is the 9/5 morning line favorite that had no problem winning her five furlong debut and followed that up by posting a monster 11-1/2 length win at 7 furlongs. &nbsp;As a daughter within the Curlin bloodline, distance will only help. &nbsp;You can confidently single Grace Adler on your tickets. &nbsp;Looking to complete exactas or more, I have a lot of interest in Desert Dawn at 15/1 odds. &nbsp;This gal looked fantastic going a mile last time out, winning by over four lengths.&nbsp; There is so much speed signed up in this race that a pace meltdown will only help Desert Dawn climb into minor awards, as she is a true closer and we know distance is not an issue. &nbsp;If we notice speed is carrying, Desert Dawn would need to be downgraded. &nbsp;Some of the speedsters listed only have one race under their belt, so take that with a grain of salt as there is not an actual history for some of these babies.

&nbsp;

(G2) $200,000 Eddie D. Stakes, 6 1/2 furlongs, turf, 3+yo

For the first time in 2 years, the hillside turf course will reopen. &nbsp;This turf course is a unique North American turf course with European homage. &nbsp;This course was shut down due to the overwhelming amount of injuries horses faced. &nbsp;As you can see in the image below, horses angle downhill and turn slightly before hitting the wide turn. &nbsp;They cross over a dirt patch from the main course, before finishing on the lawn down the stretch. 
<img alt="" src="https://assets-betkarma.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2021/09/30/santa-anita_map_turf_flat.png" style="height:281px; width:400px" /> 
This course favors horses that have tactical speed and a strong late kick. &nbsp;I like to target horses that are cutting back in distance and dropping in class. &nbsp;The horse I can&#39;t seem to get away from is Charmaine&#39;s Mia at 10/1 odds. &nbsp;I&#39;m tossing the last two efforts as I don&#39;t think this horse should be running in grade I races and the jockey change. &nbsp;Charmaine&#39;s Mia gets Flavien Prat back, drops in class, cuts back in distance and I think 10/1 is more than generous. &nbsp;Snapper Sinclair meets my criteria, but I don&#39;t fully trust this horse as a turf horse yet. &nbsp;Snapper Sinclair has 2 wins on turf out of 7 tries, but both of those came with Julien Leparoux aboard. My opinion is that Julien won those races and since he is not the pilot for this race, I am tossing Snapper Sinclair. &nbsp;I would instead pivot to horses such as Gregorian Chant, Law Abidin Citizen, Chaos Theory and Lieutenant Dan.

&nbsp;

(G1) $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, 2YO

The main event for Friday&#39;s card is the American Pharoah Stakes for two-year-olds. &nbsp;Anyone that knows me, knows my disgust at handicapping lightly raced babies. &nbsp;You can look at workouts, but those don&#39;t always translate to &#39;the real thing.&#39; &nbsp;You can look at their previous race(s), if they have any. &nbsp;Pedigree, trainer and jockey all also come into play. &nbsp;Basically nothing is considered too crazy when looking to find the winner in a race like this. &nbsp;In this qualifier, the winner will get a spot in the Breeders Cup Juvenile in November. &nbsp;Bob Baffert sends THREE horses in this race. &nbsp;Most eyes, mine included, will gravitate towards Corniche at 6/5 odds. &nbsp;This colt won his debut 5-1/2 furlong race by 4 lengths. &nbsp;The way he drew off suggests he could go further, but how much? &nbsp;It&#39;s always risky to single a horse that&#39;s never tried two-turns but on the other side of the coin, the money is diluted by spreading. &nbsp;I am hyperfocused on Oviatt Class at 3/1 odds. &nbsp;I am not a Desormeaux fan by any means, especially when using one of his horses against three Bafferts, but it is encouraging to see this horse working the system. &nbsp;Starting off on turf, we quickly found out that Oviatt Class would excel on dirt. &nbsp;In his second start, he grabbed 3rd in a 6 furlong race. &nbsp;It was clear that this horse wanted to stretch out. &nbsp;In his third start, Oviatt Class went 1M on the dirt, beating out a Baffert horse we see lining up today. &nbsp;I put a lot of stock in Oviatt Class as the only horse that has won a race at two turns in this race. &nbsp;The smart play here is to use Oviatt Class with Corniche and Rockefeller

My Pick 3: 
Race 6 - 4 
Race 7 - 1,4,5,6,7 
Race 8 - 1,4,6

 Racing returns with a bang to Santa Anita on Friday, October 1st for its 16-day Autumn meet. &nbsp;Besides having it&#39;s historic hillside turf course reopen, Santa Anita will have a monster weekend of 14 stakes races. Nine of those stakes races a

Hitting The All-Stakes Pick 3 At Santa Anita On Opening Day

Eleven baby&nbsp;horses will line up just shortly after 10:10pm est at the historic twin spires site that will eventually host the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May 2022.&nbsp; This marks the official start of the Kentucky Derby trail.&nbsp; The Grade III Iroquois stakes is ran at a 1-1/16 mile at Churchill Downs and offers qualifying points to the top four finishers.&nbsp; After this two and a half minute race, we will have 4 horses on the Derby leaderboard.&nbsp; But will one of them win the Kentucky Derby next year?

&nbsp;

The short answer is no. In it&#39;s 39 year history, this race has not once given us a Kentucky Derby winner. While it is too early to call now, I don&#39;t expect this year to change that. It does, though, give us a chance to at least get an early look how the two-year-old&#39;s are training, the speed figures and jockeys at Churchill Downs.&nbsp; Tyler Gaffalione, which you all know I despise, has been the leading rider at Churchill the past 4 meets and will be riding one of the more expensive horses in Guntown.

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>
	<h3>Where: Churchill Downs</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Date: September 18 2021</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Time: 10:11 pm EST</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Watch: FS2 
	&nbsp;</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

Let me start with the obvious pick, Stellar Tap (3-1).&nbsp; This $250,000 purchase made his trainer, Steve Asmussen, the most winningest trainer in North American history last month at Saratoga.&nbsp; In debut, this horse grabbed a 109 timeform rating (highest in this race and only one of two in triple digits), while also winning by 5-1/2 lengths.&nbsp; While that race was only 7-furlongs, there is no reason to doubt this horse going further with the speed he showed down the stretch.

Steve Asmussen&#39;s other runner, Guntown (9-2), was a $750,000 purchase.&nbsp; As I already mentioned, Guntown will get Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle.&nbsp; Guntown has ran twice so far in his career.&nbsp; Both of those were at Ellis Park, so take that at what its worth.&nbsp; I do think Guntown showed great improvement in his second race, but I do worry at the class of the field.&nbsp; However, that kind of money to purchase the horse deserves a stronger look.

I am pretty high on Todd Pletcher&#39;s Major General (4-1).&nbsp; Major General&#39;s lone race looked like he ran a race that was higher caliber than Stellar Tap&#39;s debut.&nbsp; My issue is that at only 6-1/2 furlongs, this horse looked all out when beating Bourbon Heist (9-2) by a neck.&nbsp; Major General will need to be able to extend to the mile and change, which is possible if he doesnt run his eyeballs out.&nbsp; If thats the case, this horse will be looking for the wire halfway through.

I do like two long shots in this race as well.&nbsp; If the pace is hot or there is trouble with distance, Red Knobs (20-1) could be there to pick up the pieces late.&nbsp; In his last outing, he was able to go 7 furlongs on dirt after Delaware Park swapped it from the turf.&nbsp; Like Red Knobs, Husband Material (15-1) won his second race due to incliment weather.&nbsp; On a wet fast track, Husband Material ended up winning by 20-1/2 lengths.&nbsp; He is the only horse in this race with 2 turn experience, although it was a severly reduced field size.

&nbsp;

My Play:

Trifecta: 6/4,7-11/4,7-11 
 
Bet this play by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://wltwinspires.adsrv.eacdn.com/C.ashx?btag=a_3087b_4081c_&amp;affid=2549&amp;siteid=3087&amp;adid=4081&amp;c=">here</a>&nbsp;to signup for a TwinSpires account.&nbsp; Using our code TWIN200, you will receive a $200 signup bonus.&nbsp; Also, for more Arlington Park plays, visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://discord.com/invite/c99VAjW">discord</a>&nbsp;to chat with bettors and experts!

&nbsp;

 Eleven baby&nbsp;horses will line up just shortly after 10:10pm est at the historic twin spires site that will eventually host the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May 2022.&nbsp; This marks the official start of the Kentucky Derby trail.&nbs

And The Winner Of The 2022 Kentucky Derby Is...

The 162nd running of the Grade 1 Queen&#39;s Plate takes place August 22nd at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada. If you are not familiar with Queen&#39;s Plate, it is the Canadian equivalent to the Kentucky Derby. This race is for three-year-olds that were foaled in Canada. This distance is the same mile and a quarter as the Kentucky Derby but is run on a synthetic surface rather than dirt as they do in Kentucky. Most people say the synthetic poly surface, known as tapeta, is more similar to turf, which does change the way you would handicap this race. The &quot;Gallop for the Guineas&quot; is also unique in the sense that the name will change from Queen&#39;s Plate to King&#39;s Plate if the monarch is male.

With a solid field of 13 horses lining up today, I&#39;ll highlight a couple that I think could light up the tote board. I think there is major value to be found today against the morning line odds. The strategy today is to play against the morning line favorite. If odds stay where they currently sit, we could see a very nice trifecta payout.

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>
	<h3>Where: Woodbine</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Date: August 22nd 2021</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Time: 5:42 pm EST</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Watch: TVG 
	&nbsp;</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

I want to start my analysis by picking on the morning line favorite, (#8) Keep Grinding, as I truly think this horse cannot get the distance. This horse is 1-5 at Woodbine, with the lone win being a mile and a sixteenth by a neck as a two year old. With 2 races under his belt this year, he has been beaten by both Tidal Forces and Harlan Estate. Of those two, I think (#2) Harlan Estate has the best chance at running a winning race. Harlan Estate is 12/1 on the morning line, but I don&#39;t expect that to hold. After running 6 races on the turf in California, this horse was transferred to Kevin Attard&#39;s barn and has looked phenomenal on tapeta at Woodbine. A change of scenery, trainer and surface helped propel this horse to a live longshot. This horse has been running okay against horses like Rock Your World and Beer Can Man, so it&#39;s fair to say this is a very classy horse with a generous price. 

(#1) Safe Conduct is getting my tag of most intriguing horse. This horse gets Irad Ortiz to shoot up to Canada and try to pilot him to a victory in Safe Conduct&#39;s first try on the synthetic surface. There is nobody else I&#39;d rather have than the three-time eclipse jockey of the year winner on my horse. After a hard beating in the Belmont Derby, on turf at a mile and a quarter, this horse could understand what is needed to take a step forward. At 5-1 odds, Safe Conduct is a fair risk. 

My top choice, however, is the lone filly of the group. (#6) Munnyfor Ro has a very good shot at beating the boys today on the heel&nbsp;of winning the Woodbine Oaks. The Woodbine Oaks always serves as a solid race in determining how that winner will run in the Queen&#39;s Plate. In the past 10 Queen&#39;s Plates, three Oaks winners have came back to win this race. Having no distance questions only strengthens my position on her. 

My Plays:

Trifecta Key: 6/1,2,3,8,10,12

FILLY DOUBLE ($20): 6/7 (Races 10 and 11) 
 
Bet these plays by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://wltwinspires.adsrv.eacdn.com/C.ashx?btag=a_3087b_4081c_&amp;affid=2549&amp;siteid=3087&amp;adid=4081&amp;c=">here</a>&nbsp;to signup for a TwinSpires account.&nbsp; Using our code TWIN200, you will receive a $200 signup bonus.&nbsp; Also, for more Woodbine plays, visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://discord.com/invite/c99VAjW">discord</a>&nbsp;to chat with bettors and experts!

 The 162nd running of the Grade 1 Queen&#39;s Plate takes place August 22nd at Woodbine in Toronto, Canada. If you are not familiar with Queen&#39;s Plate, it is the Canadian equivalent to the Kentucky Derby. This race is for three-year-olds that wer

Bet Against the Favorite in the Queens Plate at Woodbine

The best card at Arlington Park has always been &#39;Millions Day&#39;. This year will look a little different with Arlington Park slated to shut down at the end of the meet in September. Also different: The Arlington Million. Named for being the first $1 Million dollar race, this year it has a reduction of prize money to $600,000 and a name change to &#39;Mr. D Stakes&#39;. Alas, this didn&#39;t stop the top turf horses, trainers and jockeys in the world from flying into Arlington Heights Illinois for the big race.

&nbsp;

This race has been won by trainer Chad Brown the previous three races in a row. It&#39;s only fitting that Chad brings one of the most dominant horses in Domestic Spending to secure the final &#39;Millions&#39; and give him four in a row. It won&#39;t be easy. European shippers, such as Armory, bring their impressive resume to vie for the win. There are also local success stories that would be a perfect Hollywood ending to this historic track.

&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>
	<h3>Where: Arlington Park</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Date: August 14th 2021</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Time: 7:13 pm EST</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Watch: TVG 
	&nbsp;</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

<h2>1. Strong Tide 15/1 [24: 7-3-1] $382,121</h2>

I don&#39;t have much of an opinion on this horse. The facts are this horse has only showed in a Grade 3 race. Struggled in a Grade 2 and now is hopeful to make some noise in a Grade 1? I cant buy that. This horse will merely be a pace horse to wear down others that like to run out in front early. Toss 
&nbsp;

<h2>2. Glynn County 12/1 [13: 4-1-1] $245,928</h2>

Piggybacking off my thoughts on Strong Tide, Glynn County is not nearly classy enough to compete here. In both of his graded stakes tries, he was a complete non factor. If I am really trying to stretch the reasons for backing Glynn County, I have to point to this horse having Julien Leparoux on top. I think so highly of JLP getting crap horses to outperform their odds when running on the grass. Leparoux has rode Glynn County once before, in an allowance race, and found the winners circle. I can&#39;t say that I like this horse, but there is some pace to run at and JLP may get this horse into minor awards. 
&nbsp;

<h2>3. Domestic Spending 6/5 [7: 6-0-1] $1,314,500</h2>

Domestic Spending is very easily a deserving morning line favorite. This horse is coming off 3 straight Grade 1 wins. DS won those races against very formidable foes in New York, Kentucky and California. As the clear and away top turf horse, Chad Brown is hoping to secure his fourth in a row and I don&#39;t have any reason to doubt that&#39;s what we will see. The Pick 
&nbsp;

<h2>4. Two Emmys 10/1 [15: 3-7-0] $192,908</h2>

I don&#39;t really dislike this horse, but I just prefer a different horse over this one. Two Emmys last two tries has finished second to another horse in this race which automatically shows me that without having the correct pace setup, this horse will likely finish behind #8 Bizzee Channel. If by some miracle Bizzee gets involved in a pace duel with the only speed horse in this race (#10 Big Dreaming), then MAYBE I could see Two Emmys doing slightly better... but I wouldn&#39;t pencil this one in any better than third. 
&nbsp;

<h2>5. Zulu Alpha 8/1 [36: 12-5-6] $2,263,089</h2>

Zulu Alpha gets one of my favorite jockeys on top in Luis Saez. This horse was kept on the shelf for 10 months prior to his start in July of last month. He certainly needed that refresher. Zulu has multiple graded stakes wins, including a win over this track. Having the same run style as Domestic Spending, it will really take Zulu Alpha to be at his best to get the win. I do think we can get some value underneath, assuming the public doesn&#39;t mess with the price too much. Use underneath 
&nbsp;

<h2>6. Another Mystery 20/1 [18: 4-2-3] $191,620</h2>

As a true longshot that should have growing odds, I cannot find any angles that I like to back this horse. He did come third in the Arlington prep for this race, but as many of the horses were using it as a needed comeback race, I don&#39;t put a lot of stock into the finish. This horse is considered a closer, and I much prefer Domestic Spending and Zulu Alpha if you think there could be a pace breakdown up front. Toss 
&nbsp;

<h2>7. Space Traveller 20/1 [19: 5-2-2] $339,282</h2>

The first of our Euro invaders, Space Traveller is actually making his second US start after losing by 5 lengths in the BC Turf Mile in 2019. This horse has definitely been against some good horses and I would venture to say he is a little classy. The issue is that this horse has never ran longer than a mile and a mile is already almost too much for him to handle. Whenever a horse ships to the USA for a race, you have to really ask yourself, &quot;What am I overlooking that would make someone ship around the world?&quot; I can&#39;t see the horse enjoying the distance so I will, unfortunately, toss this horse. 
&nbsp;

<h2>8. Bizzee Channel 6/1 [20: 5-6-3] $309,447</h2>

Enter: The local favorite. This horse is what I was referring to a Hollywood story. Wouldn&#39;t it just be everything if the Illinois bred horse, with Illinois famed trainer Larry Rivelli won the last edition of the Arlington &#39;Millions&#39;? It&#39;s fitting that Larry brings one of his top horses to compete in this race. Having won 4 of 5 on this track and winning the Arlington prep race last month, this horse is primed to disrupt the tote board. I am inclined to play against him, but MAYBE this horse can give Arlington the send-off it deserves. Use underneath

&nbsp;

<h2>9. Armory 9/2 [15: 5-3-4] $1,202,540</h2>

Aiden O&#39;brien sends this Irish horse to attempt to play spoils against the Americans. Not only does the horse ship in, but we also get to see Euro superstar Ryan Moore make a rare appearance. I take this horse way more seriously than I do the other Euro shippers. Having never finished worse than 4th place, you should consider this horse a Win Contender. 
&nbsp;

<h2>10. Big Dreaming 15/1 [8: 4-2-1] $293,525</h2>

Big Dreaming looks extremely outclassed and out matched here. There is only one play I see for this horse to win, and that&#39;s catch me if you can. Being the only true speed horse, this horse will work over from the outside and try to get the lead. A mile+ is nothing new for this horse, but graded stakes are. Unless speed is carrying very well, I expect this horse to get swallowed alive turning for home. Toss

&nbsp;

My Play:

Trifecta: 3/5,8,9/2,5,8,9 
 
Bet this play by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://wltwinspires.adsrv.eacdn.com/C.ashx?btag=a_3087b_4081c_&amp;affid=2549&amp;siteid=3087&amp;adid=4081&amp;c=">here</a>&nbsp;to signup for a TwinSpires account.&nbsp; Using our code TWIN200, you will receive a $200 signup bonus.&nbsp; Also, for more Arlington Park plays, visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://discord.com/invite/c99VAjW">discord</a>&nbsp;to chat with bettors and experts!

&nbsp;

 The best card at Arlington Park has always been &#39;Millions Day&#39;. This year will look a little different with Arlington Park slated to shut down at the end of the meet in September. Also different: The Arlington Million. Named for being the fi

Could There Be A Hollywood Ending in Mr D Stakes At Arlington?

The 146th edition of the Preakness is scheduled for&nbsp;Saturday, May 15th at Pimlico Race Course in beautiful Baltimore, Maryland. With all of the controversy, we&#39;ve hardly had any time to rest just two weeks removed from the Kentucky Derby. Between dodging cheating scandals and news cycles, the Preakness Stakes draw was delayed a day while officials decided what to do with Bob Baffert and Medina Spirit. In the end, Maryland officials decided to let this horse run in the Preakness. Now that we have the final order with morning line odds, we can take a closer look and the field of ten.

Before you bet on the Preakness Stakes, consider upgrading to <a href="https://www.betkarma.com/premium">Horse Premium or MVP</a> to get access to my official plays. Two weeks back, I gave premium players Medina Spirit at 12-1 odds in the Kentucky Derby as my top horse. Today, I have just as strong of an opinion on the Preakness trifecta. You&#39;ll need to subscribe to see how I&#39;m going to cash in that race.

<ul>
	<li>
	<h3>Where: Pimlico Race Course</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Date: May 15th 2021</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Time: 6:47 pm EST</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Watch: NBCSN 
	&nbsp;</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>1. Ram 30/1 [9: 2-1-0] $119,615</h2>

This horse ran two weeks ago at Churchill Downs, but he wasn&#39;t running in the Kentucky Derby. He won the opener as a longshot and his trainer thought he looked good enough to run back for the Preakness. There is no doubt in my mind that this horse will be disregarded by the betting public. If you see 99/1 and want to throw some &quot;what if&quot; money on this horse, I can recommend charities that would better serve your donations. 
&nbsp;

<h2>2. Keepmeinmind 15/1 [7: 1-2-1] $424,987</h2>

Keepmeinmind is a horse that made my really early Kentucky Derby contenders list. He needed every bit of each prep race to crack the top 25 points leaderboard. The horse improved drastically in the Derby two weeks ago finishing 7th at 49-1 odds on a track that favored speed horses, rather than closers. The 7th was good enough for Diodoro to send this horse to Baltimore. Will this horse have better luck closing under the hot pace expected in the Preakness? 
&nbsp;

<h2>3. Medina Spirit 9/5 [6: 3-3-0] $2,175,200</h2>

Originally, I wanted to write an article titled &#39;Will Medina Spirit win the Triple Crown?&#39; but after the positive drug test and uncertainty if the horse would even run in the Preakness, I decided to step back from that thought. But I will share my answer here: no. While this was my top pick in the Kentucky Derby and we got generous odds of 12/1, the recency bias of millions of eyeballs on this horse always deflates the price in the Preakness. I liked Medina Spirit in the Derby because that race favors front-end speed and I truly thought he was going to be cruising out front solo, which he was. After the dust settled, it&#39;s hard to know for sure how he&#39;ll handle himself in the Preakness, likely and hopefully drug-free. It&#39;s my early assessment that this horse mustered up as much as he could and rebroke down the stretch that two weeks isn&#39;t enough time to bring him back in this race. I will only be nervous if this horse gets to the front of the pack as he has never been passed in a race. 
&nbsp;

<h2>4. Crowded Trade 10/1 [3: 1-1-1] $179,000</h2>

One of the lightest raced horses in the Preakness Stakes, you really need to do your homework before tossing or using on your tickets. This horse has increased distance with each start he&#39;s made, but at the same time, finished worse and worse. It&#39;s hard to take this horse seriously, considering the horses that beat him came back to run poorly in the Kentucky Derby. Fresh legs may help this horse but it&#39;s hard to see this one competing for anything more than minor exotics. 
&nbsp;

<h2>5. Midnight Bourbon 5/1 [8: 2-2-3] $461,420</h2>

It took the Kentucky Derby to finally force this horse from finishing on the board. I wouldn&#39;t say this horse had a terrible trip in the Derby but was wider than expected. Being wide forced him back instead of closer to the lead and, being a speed horse, was unable to find the right gear needed to close in on the front of the pack. Still, a respectable 6th place finish. In my opinion, an upgrade in jockey to the best in the sport should help with a cleaner break. This horse is an intriguing one if you are looking to toss the Bafferts. 
&nbsp;

<h2>6. Rombauer 12/1 [6: 2-1-1] $290,500</h2>

Rombauer is an interesting entry into the Preakness. I think bettors are going to struggle with this horse because of his past performances. Rombauer won his debut on grass, struggled on dirt, went to Golden Gate to win on the synthetic track, and in his most recent start ran a very good third behind Essential Quality on dirt. Personally, I see this horse as a turf horse but because of his last race on dirt, he requires some consideration. 
&nbsp;

<h2>7. France Go de Ina 20/1 [4: 2-0-0] $145,291</h2>

France Go de Ina, bred in Kentucky but raced in Japan, is slated to run in the Preakness Stakes for his USA Debut. After racing 3 times in Japan, this horse most recently was spotted in Meydan. He was last in a 14 horse race with a slow pace. He closed well, but not well enough to get within striking distance. Rosario rode that day and retains the mount for the Preakness. I don&#39;t want to show everyone my hand, but I expect this horse to vastly outrun his 20/1 odds. 
&nbsp;

<h2>8. Unbridled Honor 15/1 [5: 1-1-0] $78,550</h2>

In the slop at Keeneland last out, Unbridled Honor closed very well under Julien Leparoux. This was the best race of his career thus far. I do worry that if it&#39;s not wet, this horse will not do much in the Preakness Stakes. There are faster closers and horses that do better on fast surfaces than Unbridled Honor, but getting the jockey change to Luis Saez is an incredible boost. Luis is easily one of the best at getting everything out of a horse. 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<h2>9. Risk Taking 15/1 [5: 2-0-0] $200,030</h2>

Risk Taking has the most fitting name in this race. Starting off his 3-year old career, Risk Taking looked like a horse that was going to be tough to beat after winning the Withers at Aqueduct. Following up that impressive victory, he went off as the favorite in the Wood Memorial and crapped the bed. That result had the trainer skip the Kentucky Derby and point towards this race. If you can swallow the failed attempt of the Wood, you will find a nice price on this closer. 
&nbsp;

<h2>10. Concert Tour 5/2 [4: 3-0-1] $856,600</h2>

Concert Tour was one of the favorites going into the Kentucky Derby before he was scratched from consideration. His trainer stated he didn&#39;t come out of his last race well enough to be ready to race. Pointing to the Preakness Stakes was the most logical for this gifted horse. I fully expect Mike Smith to take Concert Tour to the front of the track and will duel with Medina Spirit. The question is can Concert Tour hold on in a pace battle or will another horse benefit?

 The 146th edition of the Preakness is scheduled for&nbsp;Saturday, May 15th at Pimlico Race Course in beautiful Baltimore, Maryland. With all of the controversy, we&#39;ve hardly had any time to rest just two weeks removed from the Kentucky Derby. B

2021 Preakness Stakes Cheat Sheet

It&#39;s that time of year again. The snow is melting, the birds are flying back North, and Kentucky Derby prep races are underway.&nbsp;We are starting to get a clear picture of which three-year-olds will be running on the first Saturday in May.&nbsp;Impressive wins by both Greatest Honour and Essential Quality&nbsp;last weekend in their prep races.&nbsp;We are finally done with the 10 point races and are moving on to the 50 and 100 point races starting this upcoming weekend.

&nbsp;

I like to make this list once per year between February and March to give an idea of where I have horses ranked as they begin this year as 3-year-olds.&nbsp; Last year in February, I went out on a limb and had ranked Authentic my top horse over the likes of Maxfield and Tiz The Law.&nbsp; Authentic ended up having a career year, winning both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders Cup Classic.&nbsp; Let&#39;s hope I can peg a few top-notch horses early on for 2021.

&nbsp;

<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width:275px">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th scope="col">Rank</th>
			<th scope="col">Horse</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1.</td>
			<td>Caddo River (16-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2.</td>
			<td>Essential Quality (6-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3.</td>
			<td>Medina Spirit (45-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4.</td>
			<td>Concert Tour (16-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5.</td>
			<td>Highly Motivated (35-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6.</td>
			<td>Life Is Good (7-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>7.</td>
			<td>Greatest Honour (7-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>8.</td>
			<td>Mandaloun (22-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>9.</td>
			<td>Keepmeinmind (35-1)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10.</td>
			<td>Prevalence (27-1)</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

Odds courtesy of Circa Sports

&nbsp;

Atop my list is Caddo River.&nbsp; There&#39;s no denying this horse has all the buzz surrounding him because of his eye-popping wins in his last 2 starts.&nbsp; In those two wins, Caddo River won by a combined 19.5 lengths.&nbsp; His most recent win was January 22 in the Smarty Jones where Caddo River took the field gate to wire to win by 10 lengths.&nbsp; While most people don&#39;t have this horse ranked as high as I do, this horse has finished ahead of Greatest Honour TWICE when they were maiden two-year-olds.&nbsp; Greatest Honor is in most people&#39;s top 3, but I am failing to see who that&nbsp;horse beat.

&nbsp;

Essential Quality had a great weekend at Oaklawn Park in the Southwest slop.&nbsp; Making a power full move to beat both Jackie&#39;s Warrier (who&nbsp;should truly run sprints) and Spielberg, this horse has just about cemented himself as both a deserving early favorite and runner in the Kentucky Derby. This horse is now 4 for 4 in his career and will look to run in one more race at Oaklawn before heading to Kentucky.

&nbsp;

One last highlight - I have Concert Tour sitting at 4th currently.&nbsp; This horse has been lightly raced and I have some concerns about distance.&nbsp; Currently, CT hasn&#39;t run over 7 furlongs, but in his last start, he made a tactical move to beat an opponent at the wire.&nbsp; I know this horse can get a little more distance, but I&#39;m gonna need to see one more race at a route distance before moving him higher.

&nbsp;

Interested in betting on any of the horses I have in my top 10?&nbsp; Click <a href="https://www.betkarma.com/where-to-bet">this link</a> to find out where you can bet in your state!

 It&#39;s that time of year again. The snow is melting, the birds are flying back North, and Kentucky Derby prep races are underway.&nbsp;We are starting to get a clear picture of which three-year-olds will be running on the first Saturday in May.&nb

Ricky's Top 10 Kentucky Derby Contenders - 3/3/21

Very rarely do we get to elevate a track like Charles Town to Tier 1 status, but on Friday 8/28 most horseplayers will be eyeballing the mandatory payout on the late pick 6 that is just covered with stakes races.&nbsp; Also, Charles Towns biggest races will be on display in the Charles Town Classic and the Charles Town Oaks.&nbsp; For this article, I am going to focus on just the Oaks and Classic and hopefully help you form a Daily Double.

<h2>Charles Town Oaks (Race 10, 9:43 pm EST)&nbsp;</h2>

The Charles Town Oaks is a 7-furlong race for three-year-old girls.&nbsp; Since it&#39;s inception in 2009, an interesting fact is that neither jockey nor trainer has ever won this event more than once.&nbsp; The morning-line favorite at 3/1, Tonalist&#39;s Shape (#3), fits that narrative to continue, as jockey Christian Hiraldo and Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr have never won this race.&nbsp; At MASSIVE odds of 20/1, if you like the favorite, you have to respect Ankle Monitor (#5) as well.&nbsp; This horse has the exact same run style as Tonalist&#39;s Shape, except she&#39;s a little quicker on the back end whereas the TS is quicker early on. And for creatures of habit, Ankle Monitor also fits the bill of trainer and jockey never winning this race.&nbsp; Moving away from superstitions, I have a bit of an affinity for Gifted Heart (#9).&nbsp; This horse is not the fastest but could set up to take over if the pace scenario works out in her favor OR the rain moves in.&nbsp; This horse has a win and a 2nd in the mud, which is exactly what I like to see when the radar says 80% chance of rain.

My Plays- 
$5 Win Place Show (if wet conditions) - 9 
$2 Win Place Show - 5

<h2>Charles Town Classic (Race 11, 10:18 pm EST)</h2>

Unlike the previous race, this race doesn&#39;t have any narratives or trends to follow. Castellano has won this race 3 times since it was introduced in 2009.&nbsp; Unfortunately due to COVID restrictions, most jockeys are not able to travel, so we won&#39;t see Castellano try for number 4.&nbsp; This race is 9 furlongs and is for four-year-olds and up.&nbsp; Don&#39;t be fooled by the age of War Story (#9).&nbsp; This 8-year-old can still hang with the youngest of the bunch and has put up dominating performances.&nbsp; His last 3 races he has either won or hit the board in. At his later years racing, he races fewer races and picks his spots, which means he is ALWAYS game when he runs.&nbsp; I think most eyeballs and money will gravitate toward Math Wizard (#4).&nbsp; This horse is one of the youngest of the bunch and brings some class.&nbsp; He is a little inconsistent and will have a new jockey on top. For a bit of a price horse, I kind of like Sleepy Eyes Todd (#7) at 10/1.&nbsp; This horse brings some class and has pace-setting capabilities. My knock is that the horse has never run in mud, so if it&#39;s wet, this will be a new experience.&nbsp; But I tend to like quick horses on the front end in slop usually.

My Plays- 
$0.50 Trifecta 4,7,9/4,7,9,10/1-4,6,7,9,10 ($27)

 Very rarely do we get to elevate a track like Charles Town to Tier 1 status, but on Friday 8/28 most horseplayers will be eyeballing the mandatory payout on the late pick 6 that is just covered with stakes races.&nbsp; Also, Charles Towns biggest ra

Charles Town Oaks Classic Double 8/28/20

On Saturday, the winner of the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga will earn an all-expense-paid berth into the Breeders Cup Classic in November. The Whitney is one of two Saturdays in Saratoga Springs New York that has to be experienced if you love horse racing. The other is the Travers that comes before the end of the season. There is a certain magic in the air and excitement that takes over this small town. This year will be different. No cars on lawns. The Triangle Diner will not be packed with a 2-hour wait for breakfast. The small-town charm will feel like any other day with the tourism restrictions in place. But its Whitney Stakes day and we have a 12-race full card.

The Whitney is headlined by standout Tom&#39;s d&#39;Etat. With only 5 horses entered in this race, getting creative is the best way to approach betting this race. 4 out of the 5 horses in this race have Morning Line odds of 5-1 or less. I woke up, had my Wheaties, and handicapped this race and I&#39;m stuck on a play that could pay massive dividends. Before you bet on the Whitney Stakes, consider upgrading to <a href="https://www.betkarma.com/premium">Horse Premium or MVP</a> to get access to my official plays.&nbsp; Also, find me on Twitter for a CRUCIAL play on an earlier race <a href="https://twitter.com/splitxserenade">@splitxserenade</a>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h3>Where: Saratoga</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Date: August 1st, 2020</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Time: 5:42 pm</h3>
	</li>
	<li>
	<h3>Watch: FS1 - America&#39;s Day At The Races 
	&nbsp;</h3>
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>1. By My Standards 9/2 [10: 5-3-1] $1,378,910</h2>

Only one month ago, By My Standards finished second to Tom&#39;s d&#39;Etat at Churchill Downs. In defeat, he ran the best speed figure of his career. With 3 firsts and a second under his belt, BMS 4-year-old season is off to a bang. But racing a familiar foe that just beat him is a tall ask. I like the horse, but today won&#39;t be his day. 
&nbsp;

<h2>2. Improbable 5/2 [12: 5-3-0] $1,129,520</h2>

Improbable is another horse that has lost to Tom&#39;s d&#39;Etat trying to get revenge. I was all but ready to write Improbable off as meatballs as he struggled all last year, BUT he came out with a new run style, nearly a pacesetter, and held off the competition at Santa Anita last out. If Improbable sticks with a press the pace style run and doesn&#39;t let Mr Buff dictate the race, could we possibly see back to back victories for this horse? Irad gets the mount on Improbable for the first time since the Kentucky Derby last year where they finished in 4th. 
&nbsp;

<h2>3. Code of Honor [12: 6-2-2] $2,473,320</h2>

As much as I&#39;ve wanted to pick apart Code of Honor (AND I HAVE: SEE BELOW), I&#39;ve finally come around on him. Just the other day, I&#39;ve elevated him on my Breeder&#39;s Cup top 10, which last year I was a huge hater. So now that I&#39;m older and wiser (by a year), Code of Honor is for sure the real deal. Beatin by Vekoma last out, but again an incredible effort, I think regardless of pace scenario, he can certainly be a factor on the board. Let&#39;s all laugh at me calling him a fraud, but at the same time, I was right about him not doing anything in the Breeders Cup ;)

&quot;There&rsquo;s no real reason for this tweet but I think Code of Honor is a fraud, even if he wins this race today. He had his best race at the Travers. Before that he never beat anyone worth discussing. Small field today, but I&rsquo;ll bet anyone he does nothing in the Breeders.&quot; 
&mdash; Ricky Fuller (@splitxserenade) <a href="https://twitter.com/splitxserenade/status/1177921964289220609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 28, 2019</a> 
&nbsp;

<h2>4. Mr Buff 12/1 [38: 14-7-4] $1,084,536</h2>

Junior Alvarado is no stranger to riding longshots. Today, he gets the only horse over 5/1 odds and will be tasked with trying to upset. In 2014, Junior Alvarado won the Whitney with a speed horse at double-digit odds. Mr Buff is a speed horse. He needs to be the only speed in the race, in order to dictate the pace. In the Whitney, he is the only speed in this race, unless Improbable tries out his new pace pressing run style. Mr Buff is a solid 9 for 13 at this distance lifetime. 
&nbsp;

<h2>5. Tom&#39;s d&#39;Etat 6/5 [18: 11-2-1] $1,627,272</h2>

All eyes will be on the 7-year-old, Tom&#39;s d&#39;Etat. This horse has come back from injuries and looked better than ever. I could write a book on why this horse makes all the right kinds of sense to win this race starting with the fact that he&#39;s 3 for 4 at Saratoga. Or that his jockey, Joel Rosario is a perfect 5 for 5 on top. Or the fact he&#39;s beat most of these horses before. Or his career-best speed is on this dirt track. Whatever reason you want to use, it just makes sense that Tom&#39;s is on your ticket. 
&nbsp;

 On Saturday, the winner of the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga will earn an all-expense-paid berth into the Breeders Cup Classic in November. The Whitney is one of two Saturdays in Saratoga Springs New York that has to be experienced if you love horse ra

2020 Whitney Stakes Cheat Sheet

On Saturday 7/18, all eyes will focus on a park usually ignored except for a day like today.&nbsp; Monmouth Park, located in Oceanport New Jersey, will take center stage with their loaded card for Haskell Stakes day.&nbsp; The Haskell usually is an invitational race for a &quot;win and you&#39;re in&quot; Breeders Cup race.&nbsp; This year, on top of that honor, horses will acquire points to run in the late edition of the Kentucky Derby in September.&nbsp; 750 fans/owners/trainers will be allowed to be in attendance too!&nbsp; I&#39;m gonna run through a few of the stakes races at Monmouth Park&nbsp;and give my favorite bet!

If you are interested in ALL of my plays, click the upgrade button at the top of this article and join us in the premium channel on our discord!

<h3> 
 
Race 9: Winstar Matchmaker (G3) 4:06 pm EST</h3>

This race sets up- to me- as a lack of speed on the front end.&nbsp; Xenobia (#8) is the only front running type but is listed to run in a race at Saratoga.&nbsp; At the time of this writing, I&#39;m not sure where the horse is located to get a better idea of where the horse will run.&nbsp; If this horse is not in this race, at 8-1 odds, LOCK IN VALEDICTORIAN (#1).&nbsp; Valedictorian knows what it takes to win and would be in a perfect setup at longer odds to get this win.&nbsp; She&#39;s 12 of 34 lifetime and 4 of 5 at Monmouth Park.&nbsp; My only gripe is that she is getting a jockey switch, but that jockey just happens to be hall of farmer Mike Smith. I&#39;ll take my chances with these odds. 
&nbsp;

<h3>Race 10: Monmouth Cup (G3) 4:40 pm EST</h3>

Extremely tough race on paper that should set up for a good one for horse fans.&nbsp; Lot&#39;s of stars running in this race on dirt.&nbsp; CAN WE GET A MIKE SMITH DOUBLE? Early on, I&#39;m liking Bal Harbor (#9).&nbsp; I think the race sets up nicely for a stalker to do some damage. Joevia (#7) and Bodexpress (#10) should be in a speed dual up-front.&nbsp; Sacco trains both Joevia and Bal Harbor, so it would only make sense to send Joevia to the front to eliminate the threat of Bodexpress wiring this field. 
&nbsp;

<h3>&nbsp;Race 11: United Nations Stakes (G1) 5:10 pm EST</h3>

I hate to do it to you guys, but Arklow (#1) is just so good that we may end up eating chalk.&nbsp; If that&#39;s the case, I&#39;m gonna need a &quot;HELL YEAH&quot; on a MIKE SMITH P3.&nbsp; I promise I&#39;m not a Mike Smith superfan.&nbsp; He just happens to get a lot of good mounts because he&#39;s Mike Smith.&nbsp; There is going to be a lack of speed in this race, and normally I hate betting closers in a race without speed.&nbsp; This time, I know what Arklow brings to the table and we&#39;re gonna ride with the chalk.&nbsp; However, I do have my eye on a certain longer shot horse that will be in our discord that can disrupt the trifecta... 
&nbsp;

<h3>Race 12: Haskell Stakes (G1)&nbsp;&nbsp;5:46 pm EST</h3>

The main event!&nbsp; My top-ranked 3 year old from back in February, Authentic (#2),&nbsp;will be looking for redemption after a 2nd place effort last out.&nbsp; Authentic still currently sits in 3rd place on the Derby points board.&nbsp; YOU&#39;LL NEVER GUESS WHO IS ON THE MOUNT.&nbsp; Okay, maybe you will.. MIKE SMITH FOR A P4?!&nbsp; Authentic having an inside post position, with Mike Smith aboard.. should be fun to watch.&nbsp; Dr Post (#1) has been ever-improving and would be a horse to watch in this race.&nbsp; I also have one other horse that I like to be in the mix late. 
&nbsp;

<h3>Race 14: Molly Pitcher (G3) 6:51 pm EST</h3>

We skipped race 13, but it doesn&#39;t mean its not important, but for sake of paying subs and keeping things interesting - Molly Pitcher Stakes is race 14.&nbsp; The obvious choice, She&#39;s A Julie (#1), will be tough to take down, especially after her last outing.&nbsp; HOWEVER, I do have another horse at longer odds that I can almost guarantee will hit the board.&nbsp; This horse has the skillset needed to take down the favorites and you will not want to leave her off your ticket.&nbsp; The first 5 people to follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/splitxserenade">twitter</a> and DM me will get this horse for free.&nbsp; If you&#39;re a horse sub, you&#39;ll get this play in discord!&nbsp;&nbsp;Reading my articles and doing simple tasks will get perks like this!

<h6>Photo by Sarah Andrew</h6>

 On Saturday 7/18, all eyes will focus on a park usually ignored except for a day like today.&nbsp; Monmouth Park, located in Oceanport New Jersey, will take center stage with their loaded card for Haskell Stakes day.&nbsp; The Haskell usually is an 

Ricky's Favorite Plays at Monmouth Park on Haskell Day

First and foremost, greetings!&nbsp; It&#39;s been a while since I&#39;ve shared my thoughts in article format as I&#39;ve lately been more selective and playing in our Premium channel.&nbsp; We&#39;ve certainly had better days lately as the coronavirus has dwindled and allowed more tracks to open up, including most premier tracks.&nbsp; No more Will Rogers or Fonner Park (sorry! haha).&nbsp; So sit back, play the ponies, and enjoy my favorite holiday, 7Eleven day!

<h6>*This post is not sponsored by 7Eleven, but slurpees were probably consumed while writing this post.</h6>

Race 9 at Keeneland is the Blue Grass Stakes.&nbsp; Forever a staple as a Kentucky Derby Prep race, the winner of this running has produced nearly 20 winners of the Derby.&nbsp; I&#39;m really interested in this race today for two reasons.&nbsp; First, the points payout is 100-40-20-10.&nbsp; The winner of this race is almost a lock to get into the derby, so for that alone, it&#39;s worth watching.&nbsp; Secondly, it&#39;s not often you see a filly (female) trying to take on the boys for some Derby points... but I&#39;m here for it!

Swiss Skydiver - Your morning-line favorite and the filly of the bunch will have&nbsp;Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith on top to try and take this girl wire to wire.&nbsp; She is the true speed in this race, but not the lone speed.&nbsp; The Blue Grass is run at a mile and an eighth.&nbsp; Her front running style has proved that a mile and a sixteenth is perfect for her but also suggests that she should get this extra distance.&nbsp; The Cautious and Optimistic Pick

Finnick The Fierce&nbsp;- If ever there was a horse that had to work for derby points, this would be it.&nbsp; Already competing in 4 races in attempts to lock in some derby points, Finnick currently sits at 18th place on the overall board with 25 points.&nbsp; &nbsp;Everyone loves an underdog story and this horse only having sight in one eye is one that many people latch to, similar to Patch from years ago. After reinventing his run style from a closing type to more midpack, hes been able to find some underneath success. Exotics&nbsp;

Basin - At 8/1 morning-line, this is some nice value on a horse that I could see on the board.&nbsp; Basin already is sitting in a nice spot at 50 points and 9th on the leaderboard. I think Swiss Skydiver and Basin will run up to the front and carry this race the distance. Board Hitter

For my official picks and how I am playing this race, click the upgrade button at the top of this page and hop in our discord server!

 First and foremost, greetings!&nbsp; It&#39;s been a while since I&#39;ve shared my thoughts in article format as I&#39;ve lately been more selective and playing in our Premium channel.&nbsp; We&#39;ve certainly had better days lately as the coronav

Keeneland Blue Grass Stakes 7/11

Welcome new horse racing bettors! With most of the world going into their doomsday bunkers, horse racing is one of the few sports not to cancel races yet. Most premiere tracks have taken precautions on running these races without spectators in order to prevent the spread of viruses. So while most people think there is nothing to bet on, this is the perfect time to introduce you to horse racing. I have keyed up a quick &quot;<a href="https://www.dfskarma.com/betting/how-to-bet-on-horses/">How To Bet Horses</a>&quot; article that goes over the basics. Horse racing is unique in the sense that it doesn&#39;t make much of its money from ticket sales. Almost 85% of the money is bet online or at an off-track betting location. Horse racing operates under a separate law than all other sports betting and thus, you can bet legally in about 42 states in your pajamas at your house.

Today we have the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park awarding Kentucky Derby points of 50-20-10-5 to the 1st through 4th place finishers. I&#39;ve been actively monitoring the weather as a fast dry track is nowhere near the same as a wet, sloppy or muddy track. Different tactics go into handicapping wet tracks versus dry tracks. I am writing this as if it will be a dry track, but will make notes of horses that like it wet.

<ul>
	<li>1. Nadal 5/2 Rosario Speed 0 Points</li>
	<li>2. Excession 30/1 Baze Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>3. Basin 3/1 Castellano Stalker 0 Points</li>
	<li>4. Silver Prospector 7/2 Santana Midpack 21 Points</li>
	<li>5. No Parole 8/1 Talamo Speed 0 Points</li>
	<li>6. Three Technique 7/2 Saez Midpack 4 Points</li>
	<li>7. Coach Bahe 30/1 Sanjur Closer 0 Points</li>
	<li>8. American Theorem 6/1 Pereira Stalker 4 Points</li>
</ul>

This should be a really interesting race. Heavy money will pour onto Nadal, I&#39;m sure. I&#39;m not sold on Nadal yet. I am not saying he&#39;s a bad horse. In fact, about a month ago, Nadal was ranked 8th on my top 10. However, he will need to prove A LOT to everyone today but his odds make him look like he already has. Nadal will be trying a two-turn race for the first time in his career. He will be battling his toughest competition. He won by slim margins (less than a length) against Ginobili in the San Vicente. Ginobili went on to lose two races after that as top choices. This is important because it shows that Nadal won by less than 1 length over a horse that can&#39;t win as a favorite. I also don&#39;t like that Nadal will probably be in a speed duel with No Parole. No Parole is another unbeaten horse that is in the camp of &#39;who have you beat&#39;, shipping over from Louisiana racing. No doubt about the speed, and possible to steal the show if the distance is not an issue in the slop. Slop usually favors horses that are on or near the lead. Basin is a question mark after a long layoff. He looked incredible before his 6-month layoff, but I&#39;m banking on needing a race to get back to form. Three Technique is a horse that could have won last out on a dry track but was at the mercy of the early speed winning the race. Slop again could yield similar results.

I&#39;m eyeballing two horses as my top choice. I really like Silver Prospector. He has won in the slop and on fast. He gets the combo of trainer and jockey and home-track advantage. Silver Prospector will be sitting close enough to the lead that he will have a chance to swipe it from the speed horses. He has a win on this track and is 2 for 2 at this distance. The other horse I am eyeballing is American Theorem. While this horse may end up as a long shot, he is the son of American Pharoah, which won this race in 2015. He won his debut, followed that up with a loss to Eight Rings, who is a great horse to lose to. After a long layoff, I have many personal reasons that I think this horse can be a very real part of the conversation that likely will be overlooked.

Early Lean:I am personally fading Nadal to underneath. Don&#39;t mistake that for me thinking he can&#39;t win. I just have too many cons lined up before crowning this horse a champ. Instead, I am grabbing the value horses in Silver Prospector and American Theorem for the win. Basin, Nadal, Three Technique and No Parole all going underneath.

For my official plays, click the upgrade button and hop in the premium horse channel in our discord!

 Welcome new horse racing bettors! With most of the world going into their doomsday bunkers, horse racing is one of the few sports not to cancel races yet. Most premiere tracks have taken precautions on running these races without spectators in order

Analyzing the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park

The last of the three Kentucky Derby prep races is the San Felipe at Santa Anita in California. I'm very excited about this race because we finally get to see my top-ranked 3-year-old, Authentic. Also joining in on the fun is my number 7 ranked 3-year-old, Thousand Words. These two put their undefeated records on the line and take on the winner of the Breeder's Cup Juvenile, Storm the Court. In only a 7 horse field, there is a lot to unpack.

<ul>
	<li>1. Fort McHenry 20/1 A. Cedillo Speed 0 Points</li>
	<li>2. Honor A.P. 4/1 M. Smith Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>3. Wrecking Crew 12/1 T. Gaffalione Speed 1 Point</li>
	<li>4. Authentic 6/5 D. Van Dyke Speed 10 Points</li>
	<li>5. Thousand Words 9/5 F. Prat Stalker 20 Points</li>
	<li>6. Storm the Court 5/1 J. Rosario Speed 22 Points</li>
	<li>7. Swagsational 50/1 K. Guglielmino Midpack 0 Points</li>
</ul>

I don't like Fort McHenry but it must be mentioned that he is the half brother to the two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome. He hasn't developed his speed like his brother and as a "speed" horse that lacks speed, you are just left as a horse... This race has 4 really good horses 2-6. Storm the Court shocked the world when he won the Juvenile, but I can't see him winning this one today. Authentic has been number 1 on my board for a while. Honor A.P. is only twice raced but looked good last out. Of the 3 derby preps today, this one has the most experienced horses with points coming into it.

Early Lean:The race I've been waiting to see all week. My early lean is that my top-ranked horse is running in a 7 horse field with 2 other speed horses. That usually doesn't end well, unless the other speed isn't on the same level. This sets up for a horse like Thousand Words or Honor A.P. to steal the show.

For my official plays, click the upgrade button and hop in the premium horse channel in our discord!

 The last of the three Kentucky Derby prep races is the San Felipe at Santa Anita in California. I'm very excited about this race because we finally get to see my top-ranked 3-year-old, Authentic. Also joining in on the fun is my number 7 ranked 3-ye

2020 San Felipe Stakes Preview and Analysis

Tampa Bay Downs will be hosting the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday after 5:30 pm. As per usual at Tampa, you can expect a huge field in this Kentucky Derby Prep. 12 horses will take their shot at the top prize of 50 points for first place. 2nd - 4th with also receive points in the amounts of 20 - 10 - 5. The standout in this field is Sole Volante receiving the M/L odds of 2/1. However, he isn&#39;t alone, as the oddsmaker has pinned this as a 2 horse race with Chance It landing at 5/2.

<ul>
	<li>1. Texas Swing 12/1 J. Castellano Speed 0 Points</li>
	<li>2. Spa City 10/1 D. Centeno Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>3. Relentless Dancer 12/1 A. Gallardo Speed 1 Point</li>
	<li>4. Chance It 5/2 P. Lopez Stalker 0 Points</li>
	<li>5. Market Analysis 8/1 J. Velazquez Speed 0 Points</li>
	<li>6. Mo Mosa 30/1 P. Morales Leader 0 Points</li>
	<li>7. Sole Volante 2/1 F. Geroux Backpack 10 Points</li>
	<li>8. Letmeno 12/1 C. Landeros Closer 1 Point</li>
	<li>9. Unrighteous 20/1 J. Bravo Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>10. Bye Bye Melvin 20/1 J. Leparoux Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>11. King Guillermo 15/1 S. Camacho Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>12. Tons of Gold 30/1 A. Suarez Closer 0 Points</li>
</ul>

Sole Volante is the big man on campus coming into this race with 10 points. Riding the high of beating a 1/5 favorite in Independence Hall, this race will serve as a reality check. Not so long ago, Chance It had a victory over a third placing Sole Volante. Chance It was scheduled to run last week when a poor post position was drawn, so his trainer opted to roll the dice and try his luck in this spot. For what it&#39;s worth, 2 weeks ago I did not have Sole Volante in my top 10 (nor did I have Chance It).

Early Lean:This is a tough race. Chance It beat Sole Volante (and As Seen on TV) one start back. As Seen on Tv was a pitiful 3rd about 10 lengths behind the winner. I bring this up because that&#39;s me asking &quot;who did Chance It beat?&quot; Sole Volante beat Independence Hall but rewatching that race, it was just a perfect setup. Can Sole Volante win without blazing speed upfront? It&#39;s possible, but at 2/1 I will be looking elsewhere. Market Analysis at 8/1 is so juicy for a 1 for 1 horse that looks good but will have to worry about this larger field and distance. Just for added fun, Texas Swing was bred for distance and won a 9F contest while losing a 6F contest before that. But I actually sort of like Spa City in this spot...

For my official plays, click the upgrade button and hop in the premium horse channel in our discord!

 Tampa Bay Downs will be hosting the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday after 5:30 pm. As per usual at Tampa, you can expect a huge field in this Kentucky Derby Prep. 12 horses will take their shot at the top prize of 50 points for first plac

Tampa Bay Derby 2020 Preview and Analysis

Semi-Super Saturday&#39;s first Kentucky Derby prep race is the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct in New York. Slated to go off at 5:42 pm, we will be treated with a large field of eleven 3-year-olds going a mile. This race awards points of 50-20-10-5 to the 1st through 4th place finishers. With the lowest M/L odds set at 3/1, 4/1, and 5/1, it seems we could have some nice prices if the public can&#39;t settle on a favorite.

<ul>
	<li>1. Celtic Striker 30/1 R. Maragh Leader 0 Points</li>
	<li>2. Informative 15/1 J. Bisono Closer 1 Point</li>
	<li>3. War Stopper 5/1 J. Vargas Jr Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>4. Attachment Rate 9/2 L. Saez Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>5. Necker Island 12/1 M. Franco Speed 0 Points</li>
	<li>6. Mischevious Alex 3/1 K. Carmouche Leader 0 Points</li>
	<li>7. Sixto 8/1 E. Cancel Midpack 0 Points</li>
	<li>8. Montauk Traffic 6/1 J. Lezcano Midpack 0 Point</li>
	<li>9. Flap Jack 30/1 D. Carroll Tracker 0 Points</li>
	<li>10. Untitled 4/1 J. Alvarado Leader 0 Points</li>
	<li>11. First Deputy 30/1 D. Davis Midpack 0 Points</li>
</ul>

This group of horses all come in here without any Derby points, except Informative, who finished 4th in the Remsen here at Aqueduct to pick up a point. At first glance, Celtic Striker (#1) is not nearly fast enough to be the leader type he normally is. Even with the rail draw, he will probably beat out of the gate, settle midpack and have little to no shot to shine in this race. If Untitled (#10) gets a good start, I expect him to shoot over to get the lead. Mischevious Alex (#6) had a perfect post draw and sets up to possibly hustle to the front. Alex has been raced more than most in this race. In 6 races, he has won 3 and hit the board in 2 others. On the longshot side of things, Attachment Rate (#4) has some unusual speed numbers which distort the whole picture. As a stalker/midpack type racer with great late speed and Luis Saez on the mount, Attachment Rate could spring an upset.

Early Lean:I think this is Mischevious Alex race to lose. With the best starting gate position and some of the top early speed, if he handles his business, he will be collecting 50 derby points. Untitled has lost to Mischievous Alex once before, so let&#39;s call this a revenge race. It would be tough, but I could see a situation where Untitled gets the lead and is able to go the distance. If those 2 duel it out in speed, I expect Attachment Rate and War Stopper to pick up the pieces.

For my official plays, click the upgrade button and hop in the premium horse channel in our discord!

 Semi-Super Saturday&#39;s first Kentucky Derby prep race is the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct in New York. Slated to go off at 5:42 pm, we will be treated with a large field of eleven 3-year-olds going a mile. This race awards points of 50-20-10-5 to th

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