Weekend Winners Club

. June 3, 2020.  The Belmont Stakes has been scheduled for June 20, a typical date for the race.  But everything about it is atypical this month.  For one, there has been no Kentucky Derby; secondly there was no Preakness Stakes; and thirdly, the distance has been reduced to 9 furlongs, vastly different from the […]

Saturday, May 2, Hot Springs, Arkansas. It’s finally here, the day we’ve been waiting all year for, the first Saturday in May. The famous Run for the Apple Blossoms will take place at Oaklawn Park today.  In fact, there will be two Arkansas Derbies with 11 great 3yo runners each today. Each race will be […]

. April 22, 2020. Hot Springs, Arkansas. The first Saturday in May has a big race coming up as usual, but in a more unusual location.  The $750k Grade 1 Arkansas Derby is set to be held on May 2 on Oaklawn for some of the nation’s top 3yo horses who would normally be running […]

. Saturday, April 11, 2020.  Oaklawn Park has a big race card going today, highlighted by the Oaklawn Mile for $150k and the featured inaugural Oaklawn Stakes for $200k.  Altogether there are 12 races on the card and over 130 horses running after morning scratches.  . As we’ve said before, the fields are stacking up […]

. April 3, 2020.  The Kentucky Derby Futures Pool 4 opens Friday and will run through Sunday, despite the Kentucky Derby being postponed until September. Initially this weekend we were to see three major exciting and historical Kentucky Derby prep races:  Santa Anita Derby G1, Wood Memorial G2, and Blugrass G2.  These have all been […]

Gulfstream Park to Host $750k Florida Derby G1 despite Global Dampanic . Saturday, March 2, 2020.  Gulfstream Park may be closed for in-person spectators, but the racing continues this weekend with a spectacular 14 race card on Saturday headlined by the $750k, Grade 1 Florida Derby.  180 horses are entered on the day, competing for […]

. . Wednesday, March 18, 2020.  Racing continues at the Fairgrounds in New Orleans this weekend with its biggest race day of the year.  8 stakes racing culminating in the $1 Million Grade 2 Louisiana Derby will have over 140 horses competing for $2.6 million in purses. . You won’t be watching any live professional […]

. Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Churchill Downs officially announced the postponement of the Kentucky Derby until September 5, at which point the coronavirus causing global panic will have been magically cured. Governor Larry Hogan followed suit and decreed the Preakness postponed to September as well. . . The only prior postponement of the famous Triple […]

. Saturday, March 14, 2020.  Turfway Park has the famous Jeff Ruby Steaks G3 today, which is an excellent pun and proof that Jeff Ruby is still a cool dude. I recall him visiting our table at his restaurant a decade or so ago and telling us how he recently kicked out OJ Simpson because […]

Precap of This Weeks’ Big 3yo races: San Felipe, Tampa Bay Derby, and Gotham Stakes. Grid PP’s . Saturday, March 7, 2020.  The Big 3 Derby Prep races of early March will be run on Saturday, with Aqueduct hosting the Gotham Stakes G3, the Tampa Bay Derby G2 at Tampa Bay Downs, and the San […]