1) Kentucky Derby - Churchill Downs
2) Preakness Stakes - Pimlico Race Course
3) Belmont Stakes - Belmont Park
4) Haskell Stakes - Monmouth Park Racetrack
5) Travers Stakes - Saratoga Race Course
6) Pacific Classic - Del Mar Racetrack
7) Breeders' Cup Classic - Santa Anita Park (2023)
Posted on ScoresandStats.com
These five horses have morning line odds and my prediction to win this stakes race in percentage points. I also have the top three contenders to win, place and show as a bonus pick.
Forte (3-1)
This three-year-old
colt has been a favorite to win the Kentucky Derby ever since he won the Grade
1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 as a two-year-old. Trained by Todd Pletcher,
Forte won a pair of major graded stakes at Gulfstream Park this year. He
finished first in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 4 and he topped
the field in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 1.
Sired by
Violence, he finished first in six of seven races in his early career (fourth
in the Grade 3 Stanford Stakes in mid-July last year). Forte has shown the
pedigree and power to finish strong in the backstretch at 1 ¼ miles on dirt. He
is starting at the No. 15 gate at Churchill Downs with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr..
Percent to Win:
60%
Tapit Trice
(5-1)
As a
Kentucky-bred colt racing for Whisper Hill Farms and Gainesway Stable, Tapit
Trice has won races at Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs and Keeneland Race
Course as a three-year-old. He finished first at Keeneland on April 8 in the
Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes to cement his rating (7.89) at Horse Racing Nation.
In that race at
Keeneland, Tapit Trice covered 1 1/8 miles on dirt in 1:50.00 over Verifying
and Blazing Sevens. Also trained by Todd Pletcher, he drew the No. 5 gate at
Churchill Downs and Luis Saez will be his jockey.
Percent to Win:
20%
Angel of
Empire (8-1)
As a son of
Classic Empire, he finished first or second in five races out of the six in his
competitive career. Angel of Empire won his last two races as a three-year-old.
He finished first at Fair Ground on Feb. 18 in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes
before winning the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 1.
Trained by Brad
Cox and ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, Angel
of Empire will start the Kentucky Derby at the No. 14 gate. He has increased
the distance and grade of this event, but his HRN rating of 7.70 will make him
one of the legitimate contenders for the Kentucky Derby.
Percent to Win:
5%
Practical
Move (10-1)
With Tim Yakteen
as the trainer and jockey Ramon Vazquez leading him out of the No. 10 gate,
Practical Move is in pretty good position to make a run for the money in the
Kentucky Derby. He won back-to-back races at Santa Anita Park by finishing
first in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 4 before taking first in the
Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8.
Sired by
Practical Joke, he climbed the ladder in his 7.67 rating at HRN with his two
victories out on the West Coast.
Percent to Win:
5%
Kingsbarns
(12-1)
As a son of
Uncle Mo and trained by Todd Pletcher, Kingsbarns has an 8.02 HRN rating from
his last win at Fair Grounds. He finished first in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby
on March 25 by covering the 1 3/16 mile on dirt in 1:57.33. His competitive
career as a three-year-old created wins in the one-mile Allowance race at
Gulfstream Park and a Maiden Special Weight race at Tampa Bay Downs covering 1
mile and 40 yards.
Starting at No.
6 at Churchill Down in the Kentucky Derby with jockey Jose Ortiz, Kingsbarns is
a live longshot to finish in the money in this race.
Percent to Win:
10%
Kentucky
Derby Bonus Pick:
$50 on Forte to Win
$25 on Tapit Trice to Place
$25 on Kingsbarns to Show
Previously posted at Doc's Sport Service
North Carolina's House of Representatives approved a bill allowing 10 to 12 online sportsbooks to set up shop in the state. If the state Senate follows suit, Governor Roy Copper could sign HB 347 into law and legal online sportsbooks might be operating next year.
State Representative Jason Saine introduces HB 347 for the legislative session in late winter and he recently commented:
"We've learned a good bit from both sided about some of the tweaks that needed to happen. We've worked to accommodate those concern, and we believe we have a bill can that can do better than pass. It can get support from both caucuses"
Doc's Sports Service has all the details in the post, Are Legal Online Sports Betting Sites Coming to North Carolina?
Whether you are betting the Kentucky Derby or the race card at the local track, these five tips for wagering on horse racing come to mind when picking out the winners. It is both a science and an art to know and understand which horses are a cut above the rest in running the race around the track on dirt and on turf.
Handicap
Your Odds on Horse Race Betting
You have the basic
positions of which horses will win, place and show. Also, you have exotic positions
referred as the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in a horse race. These
positions are bets within the particular race in the daily card. They all have
money pools as part of the para-mutual waging on horse racing here in the US.
There are
multiple bets in a race card known as the Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5
and Pick 6. A common goal is to pick the winner in consecutive race cards
throughout the day at the same horse track. These multiple wagers in the same horse
bet have separate money pools as well at the live horse track, an off-track betting
facility and online with a betting site.
You can
handicap your odds for the different types of
bets to want to play for the daily race card. If you only want to pick a
win, place or show position, you can focus on the favorite, a few legitimate
contenders and one or two longshots. If you want to pick an exacta, trifecta or
superfecta, you can focus your attention to two, three or four horses in the same
race. From live race tracks that offer the Daily Double all the way to the Pick
6 bet, you can pick winners for consecutive multiple races in the card.
Find Out
Your Daily Horse Track Conditions
Most horses run
in fast conditions at the track in dry weather, but a few horses do better with
sloppy conditions at a wet track. You have to find out your daily track conditions
whether you are at the facility itself or betting the track from an off-track venue
or online from a betting site.
The track
conditions applies to racing on dirt and turf. You can finds a horse that prefers
a sloppy track if it is raining or wet . It is important to change track
conditions from dry to wet as the race card progresses.
Make Note
of the Trainer and Jockey of Your Horses
Along with the
horse you want to focus on, the trainer and the jockey are important for this
race as well in the daily card. The trainer has a win-loss record at every main
horse track in the US. They can make a big difference over the span of the
horse’s competitive career. The jockey rides the horse and he can also make a
difference in that race, good or bad.
Understand
the Tangible and Intangible Factors
Here are tangible
factors that needs to be considered in a race including the position in the
starting gate, blinkers on or off and dirt vs. turf as a riding surface. The
intangible factors in a race are layoffs between two events, raising or
dropping in the class of the race and medication (Lasix and Bute).
Know How
Skill and Luck Work Hand-to-Hand
Winning a horse
race is a combination of skill and luck. You need skill to pick out the horses
in a race and you need luck to have the right breaks fall their way. From the
odds-on favorite to the live longshot, a certain amount of skill and luck will guide
you along with your picks at the horse track.
Previously posted on ScoresandStats.com
Friday, May 5
Kentucky Oaks - Churchill Downs
Wet Paint
Hoosier Philly
Wonder Wheel
Flying Connection
Pretty Mischievous
Botanical
Defining Purpose
And Tell Me Nolies
Dorth Vader
Southlawn
Mimi Kakushi
Gambling Girl
The Alys Look
Affirmative Lady
Promiseher America
Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby - Churchill Downs
Fornte
Kingsbarns
Tapit Trice
Practical Move
Angel of Empire
Two Phil's
Derma Sotogake
Mage
Mandarin Hero
Disarm
Reincarnate
Rocket Can
Verifying
Hit Show
Lord Miles
Jace's Road
Continuar
Raise Cain
Confidence Game
Sun Thunder
Wild On Ice
Last Wednesday night on April 19, Athletics' President Dave Kaval said that the team signed an agreement to purchase land in Las Vegas near the Strip to build a retractable roof stadium in the next few years. The first pitch in the new Las Vegas ballpark is scheduled to take place in the 2027 season.
The president of the Athletics commented:
"For a while, we were on parallel paths with Oakland, but we have turned our attention to Las Vegas to get a deal here for the A's and find a long-term home...Oakland has been a great home for us for over 5 years, but we really need this 20-year saga completed and we feel there's a path in Southern Nevada to do that."
The term of the lease in Oakland expires in 2024, so the team will move to the A's AAA team (Las Vegas Aviators) home venue until the new stadium is completed. The new ballpark is just west of T-Mobile Arena and Interstate 15.
Doc's Sports Service has all the details in the post, The MLB's Athletics Plan to Move to Las Vegas.
Philadelphia Eagles
Round 1: No. 10 (from New Orleans)
Round 1: No. 30
Round 2: No. 62
Round 3: No. 94
Round 7: No. 219 (from Houston)
Round 7: No. 248
Dallas Cowboys
Round 1: No. 26
Round 2: No. 58
Round 3: No. 90
Round 4: No. 129
Round 5: No. 169
Round 6: No. 212
Round 7: No. 244
New York Giants
Round 1: No. 25
Round 2: No. 57
Round 3: No. 89
Round 4: No. 128
Round 5: No. 160
Round 5: No. 172
Round 6: No. 209 (from Kansas City)
Round 7: No. 240 (from Baltimore)
Round 7: No. 243
Round 7: No. 254
Washington Commanders
Round 1: No. 16
Round 2: No. 47
Round 3: No. 97
Round 4: No. 118
Round 5: No. 150
Round 6: No. 193
Round 6: No. 215
Round 7: No. 233
Previously posted at NBC Sports