Saturday's Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds

 

I came up with five horses to keep a close eye in the Louisiana Derby with morning line odds at Fair Grounds and my percentage to win.

Instant Coffee (2-1)

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Luis Saez, he is breaking out of the No. 2 gate for the Louisiana Derby. His three-year debut was a victory at Fair Grounds in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 21. As a son of Tapit, he covered 1 1/16 miles on dirt in 1:45.12 in front of Two Phils and Confidence Game.

Instant Coffee was bred in Kentucky and he has raced for Gold Square, LLC. He went 1 1/16 miles on dirt in his last three competitive events at Keeneland, Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds.

Winning Percentage: 55%

Sun Thunder (5-1)

Sired by Into Mischief, the Kentucky-bred colt placed second in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 18. He finished fourth in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes on Jan. 21 at Oaklawn Park prior to that. Sun Thunder is trained by Kenneth McPeek and he is starting in this race at No. 4 with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.

He covered at least one mile on dirt in this previous three races at Oaklawn Park and Fair Grounds. However, Sun Thunder is overpriced in his 5-1 odds on the morning line at the Louisiana Derby.

Winning Percentage: 5%

Kingsbarns (6-1)

After not competing as a two-year old, Kingsbarns went two-to-two with pair of first place finishes in a one-mile Allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 14 and 1 miles and 40 yards in a Maiden Special Weight race at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 12. He is trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by jockey Flavien Prat at the No. 6 gate in the Louisiana Derby.

Kingsbarns is upgrading the distance and grade for this race. However, his pedigree of Uncle Mo going back to Indian Charlie sets up well in the backstretch.

Winning Percentage: 20%

Tapit’s Conquest (10-1)

This Kentucky-bred colt is also trained by Brad Cox and he raced at Saratoga, Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds. He finished second at Fairs Grounds in a 1 1/16 miles Allowance race on Jan. 21 before placing fourth in the Grade 2 Risen Star on Feb. 18 at this same horse track. At least I could say that Tapit’s Conquest has home track advantage at Fair Grounds.

He is starting the Louisiana Derby at No. 9 with jockey Manuel Franco getting the ride. As the son of Tapit, he has the potential to finish in the money in this race.

Winning Percentage: 15%

Shopper’s Revenge (12-1)

Starting at No. 1 gate with Ricardo Santana as his jockey, Shopper’s Revenge is long odds on the morning line for the Louisiana Derby. He is trained by Steve Asmussen and he has a rating of 5.89 for Horse Racing Nation. As a three-year old colt, Shopper’s Revenge finished second in a 1 1/16-mile Allowance race at Oaklawn on Feb. 18 after the winner Airtime. He won a 1 1//16 Maiden Special Weight at this track on Jan. 14 of this year.

Sired by Tapit, he is a live longshot to make some noise in the backstretch of this race, but he will probably finish second or third if breaks fall his way.

Winning Percentage: 5%

Previously posted at Doc' Sports Service

 

 

 

State-by-State Sports Betting Rules for College Sports

There are 35 states that have legalized sports betting in the US. While professional sports betting is basically the same across these 35 markets, college sports betting is broken down into three categories.

There are 16 states where you can bet college games and props bets. There are seven states where you can bet on college games but it is illegal to bet on college props for in-state teams. In these other 12 states, it is illegal to bet in-state college games and prop bets (Oregon has no college games and prop bets in its border).

Doc's Sports Service has the full details in the post The Rules for College Sports Betting State-by-State in the US.

Major Kentucky Derby Preps

 Here are the major Kentucky Derby prep races March 25 till April 8

March 25 - Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course

April 1 - Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park

April 1 - Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park

April 8 - Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack

April 8 - Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Racing Course

April 8 - Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park

The $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes This Saturday at Gulfstream Park

 

Saturday, March 18

The Hutcheson Stakes – Gulfstream Park

Win: Two of a Kind

This three-year old colt is starting at the No. 4 gate with jockey Joel Rosario. Trained by Brian Lynch, Two of a Kind has raced at Churchill Downs, Belmont Park and Gulfstream Park. He finished third in the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream on Feb. 4 this year. He took third place earlier in January at Gulfstream in the 2023 Limehouse Stakes.

As a son of Overanalyze, Two of a Kind has competed in sprints on dirt in his four races as a two-year old and three-year colt. He has raced for K and R Racing Stable and Town Branch Racing being bred in Kentucky.

Place: Super Chow

Trained by Jorge Delgado and ridden by jockey Chantal Sutherland, this Kentucky-bred colt is breaking at the No. 3 gate in the Hutcheson Stakes. Super Chow finished second in the Swale Stakes after a first place finish in the Limehouse Stakes at Gulfstream. He covered six furlongs on dirt in 1:09.88 over Turbo and Two of a Kind.

He has placed first, second or third in seven races of his early career. Super Chow is a son of Lord Nelson with a pedigree going back to AP Indy. He has competed in sprints on dirt while racing for Lea Farms, LLC. Super Chow has raced at Florida tracks (Tampa Bay Downs and Gulfstream Park) his last three times.

Show: Live Is Life

He is also trained by Jorge Delgado and he raced at Gulfstream Park through his two-year and three-year career. Live Is Life starts at the No. 5 gate in this race with Leonel Reyes as his jockey. He finished third behind Tapit Trice and Shesterkin in an Allowance on Feb. 4.

Live Is Life finished in the money in six of eight races at Gulfstream both on dirt and on turf. Sired by West Coast, he went one mile and 1 mile and 70 yards in his last five competitive races at this South Florida horse track.

Previously posted on ScoresandStats.com

My Sweet 16 for the Men's NCAA Tournament

South Region

No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 5 San Diego State

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 3 Baylor

East Region

No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 4 Tennessee

No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Michigan State

Midwest Region

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 5 Miami

No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M

West Region

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 4 Connecticut

No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 Boise State

Massachusetts Sportsbooks Launch Legal Online Sports Betting

On Friday, March 10, six in-state sportsbooks launched online sports betting to complement their retail sports betting at land-based casinos on Jan. 31 of this year.

DraftKings is the only Boston-based sportsbook of the six sports betting sites that has gone live this Friday. The other five sport betting sites were Barstool Sportsbook, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel and WynnBET. The four sportsbooks that were approved but still are a few months behind schedule are Bally Bet, Betr, Betway and Fanatics Sportsbook.

FanDuel has inked a partnership with the Boston Bruins as part of the deal to take bets online in the Bay State. The Bruins recently announced that FanDuel is the Official Sports Betting Partner on the team.

Doc's Sport Service has full detailed in its recent post Massachusetts' Six Online Sportsbooks Launch Legal Sports Betting.

My Early Five Picks to Win the 2023 Kentucky Derby

1) Forte +400

He won this last race as a two-year old in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 and he placed first in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 11 of this year at Gulfstream Park.

2) Instant Coffee +1800

As a three-year old, the Kentucky-bred colt won in late January at Fair Grounds Race Course in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes. He is scheduled to appear in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 25.

3) Red Route One +2800

After a pair of second place finishes at Oaklawn Park this winter as this three-year colt, he is also headed to the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds. He has covered 1 1/16 miles on dirt in six of seven races in his early career. 

4) Rocket Can +3300

He was 8-1 on the morning line odds of the Fountain of Youth Stakes and he took second after Forte. Sired by Into Mischief, he went 1 1/16 miles in his last four races at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park.

5) Hit Show +5000

He was first at Aqueduct in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Feb.11 as a three-year old. Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by jockey Manuel Franco, the son of Candy Ride is listed as a probable entry for the Grade 2 Wood Memorial also at Aqueduct on April 8.

Previously posted by BetOnline.ag