Category: horse racing (Page 4 of 7)

      I’ll Have Another now one victory shy of the Triple Crown

      May 19, 2012 /

      It’s only been four years since a thoroughbred came within a victory at the Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown.

      And it’s been 34 years since a thoroughbred actually accomplished the historic feat.

      After winning the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, I’ll Have Another is one victory shy of capturing horse racing’s Triple Crown. If he can will the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 9, he will have done something that no other horse has accomplished since Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978.

      What’s impressive about I’ll Have Another is that he has seemingly come out of nowhere despite having a massive amount of success in his last four outings. Despite winning the Grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes on February 4 and the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 7, I’ll Have Another wasn’t among the favorites to win the Kentucky Derby. And even though he beat out Bodemeister at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, he wasn’t favored to win the Preakness either.

      But maybe after jockey Mario Gutierrez once again made all of the right decisions down the stretch at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, I’ll Have Another will finally get the respect he deserves. For the second time in two weeks, Bodemeister held a lead while heading down the stretch, only to be edged out by I’ll Have Another each time. On Saturday, I’ll Have Another’s victory officially came by a neck after Bodemeister looked like he was going to win easily.

      Horse racing doesn’t match the popularity of the four major U.S. sports, or even the UFC for that matter. But if you’re a general sports fan, tune in to the 2012 Belmont Stakes in a few weeks because you could witness history.

      2012 Preakness Stakes Winners: 1. I’ll Have Another; 2. Bodemeister; 3. Creative Cause; 4. Zetterholm; 5. Teeth of the Dog; 6. Optimizer; 7. Cozzetti; 8. Tiger Walk; 9. Daddy Nose Best; 10. Went The Day Well; 11. Pretension.

      2012 Preakness Stakes Payouts:

      I’ll Have Another $8.40 $3.20 $2.80
      Bodemeister $3.20 $2.80
      Creative Cause $3.60

      2.00 EXACTA 9-7 $18.60
      1.00 TRIFECTA 9-7-6 $35.40
      1.00 SUPERFECTA 9-7-6-4 $424.30

      External Sports, horse racing

      2012 Kentucky Derby Predictions

      May 5, 2012 /

      The 138th running of the Kentucky Derby takes place today, Saturday, May 5. If you’re looking for some guaranteed winners to pay off the mortgage and set up the kids’ college funds, they’re below.

      WIN: Dullahan (8/1)
      Apparently Dullahan likes the synthetic surfaces better than dirt but I like the trends attached to this contender. Three-time Derby winner Kent Desormeaux will have the mount today and the No. 5 post position has produced 12 Kentucky Derby winners since 1900, which is tied with the rail for most victories. Dullahan is also coming off a victory at the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass and finished second at the Grade III Palm Beach on March 11. The fact that he doesn’t have six career races under his belt scares me a little, but Dullahan has displayed great closing speed in recent races and I like him to at least finish in the money.

      PLACE: Bodemeister (13/10)
      Bodemeister is the favorite to win Saturday’s race, although Union Rags has the exact same odds. Either way, what attracts me most to Bodemeister is the winning combination of trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. Baffert has won three Kentucky Derby races in his career (2002, 1998, 1997), while Smith won the 2005 Derby aboard Giacomo. Bodemeister only has four career races under his belt but he finished second at the Grade II San Felipe on March 10 and won the Grade I Arkansas Derby on April 14. No horse has won the Derby that has not run as a 2-year-old since 1888 but I like Bodemeister to finish in the money.

      SHOW: Take Charge Indy (11/1)
      Considering he’s 5-0 in his career, I thought long about putting Gemologist in the money. But at the end of the day, how can you go against Calvin Borel? The man has won three of the last five Kentucky Derby races and he’ll be coming out of the No. 3 post position, which means he’ll be able to get to the rail faster. Take Charge Indy is also coming off a victory at the Grade I Florida Derby in which he went wire-to-wire.

      Other contenders that caught my eye: Gemologist (8/1) and Went The Day Well (25/1)
      As previously mentioned, Gemologist hasn’t lost in his five-race career, while Went The Day Well is trained by H. G. Motion and ridden by John Velazquez, who were the winning pair for Animal Kingdom last year.

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      2011 Belmont Stakes Predictions

      June 11, 2011 /
      Exercise rider Carlos Rosas gallops Kentucky Derby hopeful Nehro on the track during early morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 5, 2011. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      The third and final leg of the Triple Crown will be run tonight at 6:36PM ET and as usual, I’m here to produce some good fade material.

      Actually, my predictions for the Preakness weren’t half-bad. After going 0-3 picking the money horses in the Kentucky Derby, I nailed Animal Kingdom and Astrology to finish on the board at Pimlico. Maybe tonight at Belmont Park is my night!

      Nah – fade me.

      WIN: NEHRO (4/1)
      Many observers believe that this year’s Belmont Stakes will be a three-horse race between Animal Kingdom (2/1), Nehro (4/1) and Shackleford (9/2). But out of those three contenders, Nehro is the freshest after sitting out of the Preakness and that’s important considering the Belmont is a 1.5-mile race. Nehro has also already shown that he can hang with Animal Kingdom after finishing second at the Kentucky Derby. I like him to pull off the small upset tonight.

      PLACE: ANIMAL KINGDOM (2/1)
      Apparently there’s a 50-percent chance that it could rain tonight at Belmont Park, so I’m a little concerned about all the favorites. But Animal Kingdom is just too good to leave off the board. And while I’ve predicted Nehro to finish ahead of him, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2011 Kentucky Derby champion won easily. In six career starts, he hasn’t finished lower than second in any of them and has three career wins, including back-to-back victories in the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes and the Kentucky Derby.

      SHOW: MUCHO MACHO MAN (10/1)
      I predicted Mucho Macho Man to finish second at the Preakness Stakes and he was a major dud, coming in sixth. But apparently he lost a shoe during the race, which contributed to his poor finish. In 10 career races, he’s finished off the board in only two of them. He won the Grade 2 Risen Star back in February and now that he’s been fitted with a new shoe, I love his chances of finishing in the money at the Belmont.

      FOURTH: PRIME CUT (15/1)
      I usually don’t make a prediction for fourth place but I had to mention this horse because I consider him my sleeper of this year’s Belmont. Prime Cut didn’t run in the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness, but in seven career races he’s never finished lower than fourth and that came in his debut. The only reason I don’t have him finishing in the money is because he’s only raced twice against graded competition and has never made a Grade 1 start.

      External Sports, horse racing

      Animal Kingdom to race at Belmont

      May 28, 2011 /
      Jockey Jesus Castanon (R) rides Shackleford to victory ahead of second place finisher Animal Kingdom ridden by jockey John Velazquez (L) in the 136th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland, May 21, 2011. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      Even though he lost his bid for the Triple Crown when he was defeated at the Preakness, Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom will race at this year’s Belmont according to SI.com.

      There were some questioning whether or not trainer Graham Motion would hold Animal Kingdom out of the Belmont (June 11) after Shackleford held him off down the stretch at the Preakness. But apparently the 3-year-old colt is a “go” for the third leg of the Triple Crown.

      Preakness winner Shackleford is not yet a definite for the final leg of the Triple Crown. Trainer Dale Romans says he wants to wait a few days before deciding.

      The last rematch in the Belmont between the Derby and Preakness winners was 2005, when Preakness winner Afleet Alex defeated Derby winner Giacomo.

      Animal Kingdom will attempt to become the 12th horse to complete a Derby-Belmont double.

      Even though Shackleford beat Animal Kingdom at Pimlico two weeks ago, I would think most horseracing observers would consider Nehro to be Animal Kingdom’s main threat at the Belmont. Nehro had an impressive outing at the Kentucky Derby, where he finished second behind Animal Kingdom. He sat out of the Preakness, meaning he should be fresh for his running at Belmont Park in two weeks.

      Of course, many people probably counted Shackleford out at the Preakness when track crewmembers had a though time loading him into his starting position. He set the pace at Churchill Downs before finishing fourth and then won at Pimlico. He cannot be counted out if he winds up running and I hope he does, because it should be a three-horse race between him, Animal Kingdom and Nehro at the Belmont.

      External Sports, horse racing

      2011 Preakness Stakes Predictions

      May 21, 2011 /
      Preakness hopeful Mucho Macho Man, with exercise rider Herberto Pulgar, works out at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore, Maryland, May 19, 2011. The 136th running of the Preakness Stakes will take place on May 21. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT HORSE RACING)

      All right, you got me: My Kentucky Derby predictions were bad. Atrocious actually. True story: One of the horses I picked (ArchArchArch) almost bucked his jockey right off out of the gates and had to retire following the race. The last time anyone saw him he was being loaded into something called a “horse ambulance.” Yikes.

      I’ll try to do better in the Preakness tonight, although fading me has never been a better idea.

      WIN: Animal Kingdom (2/1)
      Yeah, I like the winner – go to hell. Wait, I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice…Last week I wrote about Animal Kingdom’s odds to win the first Triple Crown since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978. I think if Animal Kingdom gets by a weak field today, he’ll cruise at the Belmont and accomplish a rare feat in the sports world by capturing horse racing’s Triple Crown. Even though he slipped in practice today, I like the 3-year-old colt to win back-to-back outings after winning the Kentucky Derby earlier this month. In five career races, he’s never finished worse than second. I think he’s that good (even though I clearly missed him while handicapping the Kentucky Derby…dumbass).

      PLACE: Mucho Macho Man (6/1)
      I was tempted to renew my faith in Dialed In but I just couldn’t pull the trigger after he finished 8th in the Kentucky Derby. Besides, Mucho Macho Man has a steady, impressive resume and has yet to finish lower than fourth in his nine career outings. He took third at the Kentucky Derby earlier this month and third at the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March. This is an impressive-looking horse that always seems to be near the front. I don’t see him overtaking Animal Kingdom, but I do like him to finish somewhere in the money.

      SHOW: Astrology (15/1)
      Call this my First Dude of the 2011 Preakess. Last year I predicted First Dude (who was 20/1 coming into the race) to finish third and he actually came in second. This year I like another seemingly unknown in Astrology, who has never finished out of the money in seven career outings. He has three-straight second-place showings coming into the Preakness, which includes runner-up finishes at the Kentucky Jockey Club, the Sunland Derby and the Jerome Hcp. I don’t think he has the strength to go wire-to-wire or edge out the favorites down the stretch, but I really like this dark horse (ha! Get it? Yeah, you get it.) to finish in the top 3.

      External Sports, horse racing

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