Most of the horses in the Grade II Hutcheson Stakes field have something in common. And then there's Ever So Lucky.
5 days agoThe grade III Sam F. Davis looks like a wide-open affair going in, so let's see if we can winnow out some angles.
Friday, February 03, 2012The grade III Withers Stakes adds spice to the dead-of-winter Triple Crown Trail in New York. In the spirit of things, Dick Downey looks for a horse to upset Alpha.
Thursday, February 02, 2012We take a look at times, Beyer figs, speed figs, track variants and Brisnet figs for 1 1/8-mile Derby prep races.
Friday, May 06, 2011This report takes a look at recent workouts of every horse probable or possible to make the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands field at this point. It summarizes last-race information and workouts since then.
Friday, April 29, 2011The evolution of the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass has resulted in quite a few turf horses coming this year, something that surely wasn't expected back when Keeneland switched from dirt to Polytrack.
Thursday, April 14, 2011Updated list of contenders for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), ranked by graded earnings and with connections' information.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011We'll start by identifying a few horses that qualify for the Kentucky Derby but that may or may not compete in the race, and then we'll get into the probables and possibles for the upcoming prep races.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011If you watched the final game of the NCAA tournament, you have a feel for the makeup of the Grade I Wood Memorial field, except for one horse.
Thursday, April 07, 2011With only four weekends left before the Kentucky Derby, there are still dozens of horses in competition for a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Here's a rundown of next-start plans for 70 individual horses.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011Sometimes you have to go out on a limb, and I guess today is just one of those days. But I can't help myself, I think To Honor and Serve will win the grade I Florida Derby.
Friday, April 01, 2011While we're well down the road to the Kentucky Derby, we still have a few little races to run--most of them grade I's at a mile and an eighth. Here's a summary of where 56 contenders are going next.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011The Grade II Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes could set up with a traditional handicapping scenario: Early contested speed followed by stalkers with a chance to win. On paper anyway, this is a tough race.
Friday, March 25, 2011It's hard to believe that when this Saturday comes and goes, only six weeks will remain to the Kentucky Derby. Time flies when you're having fun. So here we go--where will the contenders and pretenders be running next.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011The grade II Rebel Stakes is, frankly, a difficult race to predict. But that doesn't mean we won't try. Let's start out with some numbers. If you didn't like numbers, you wouldn't be reading this in the first place.
Friday, March 18, 2011As the list of contenders for the Kentucky Derby begins to shrink, but with a lot of hopefuls still gunning for the first Saturday in May, here are next-race plans for 53 horses on our lists
Tuesday, March 15, 2011It's refreshing and unusual to hear an owner flat-out say in so many words that "we are here to win this race, and I'll be disappointed if we don't," but that's pretty much what Mike Repole said about the Gotham Stakes.
Thursday, March 03, 2011It feels like halftime in the 2011 Road to the Kentucky Derby. After last weekend, we culled numerous horses from our lists at The Downey Profile. Here are next-race plans--or lack of plans--for 65 horses still on our lists.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011The field for the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes could be divided into two camps, with four of the entries having a fair amount of starts under their belts and four having limited experience and thus more upside potential.
Thursday, February 24, 2011In 2010, only two horses shipped over from South Florida to compete in the grade II Risen Star Stakes, producing the winner, but this year there are five such shippers comprising half the field.
Thursday, February 17, 2011While Brethren is the morning line favorite in the Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes, he's a 5-2 favorite, not a 6-5 favorite. Not yet, anyway.
Friday, February 11, 2011The field for the grade III Holy Bull Stakes on Sunday is solid enough top to bottom that all nine entries are on the lists we maintain at The Downey Profile. And why not, with $400,000 on the line?
Friday, January 28, 2011The Florida Stallion In Reality Stakes affords us the opportunity to see a top Florida-bred juvenile in action at Calder on Saturday, Gourmet Dinner.
Friday, October 15, 2010This large field could produce some surprises, but then again, how surprised could we be at anything that happens when there are six horses with morning lines between 4-1 and 8-1?
Friday, October 08, 2010In 52 of the last 55 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, the winner was either on the lead with an eighth of a mile to go in the race, within a length of the lead, or running second although more than a length off the leader.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010Handicapping and analysis of Kentucky Derby and prep races.
Friday, April 23, 2010Question: Which horse in the grade I Toyota Blue Grass has run best on Keeneland's Polytrack?
Thursday, April 08, 2010The 2010 edition of the grade III Illinois Derby is not a very good race, but it's a good betting race.
Friday, April 02, 2010Any horse moving on to the Kentucky Derby from the Grade I Wood Memorial will be deprived of competing against a large field on Saturday. Aside from that, this could turn into a rider's race and odd things could happen.
Thursday, April 01, 2010Connemara is the early favorite in the grade II Lane's End Stakes, so let's try to beat him with a concise analysis. This is a tough race to handicap, so I will go with value lurking in the shadows.
Friday, March 26, 2010The early pace will definitively shape the Louisiana Derby, and so we should know after about a half-mile if the closers have a chance to win. Will there be enough early lick for that to happen?
Thursday, March 25, 2010The pace scenario in the grade II Rebel is neatly arranged. From seven entries, we have one with early speed, one that lags back, and five that can be expected to press or stalk. The stalker that finishes best should win.
Friday, March 12, 2010Only seven are entered in the Tampa Bay Derby, but boy, what a tough race--unless Super Saver runs the way he did in his last race--or Odysseus.
Thursday, March 11, 2010I really hope it doesn't rain too hard at Santa Anita on Saturday because I am getting tired of these postponements.
Thursday, March 04, 2010The first Kentucky Derby Graded Earnings list to be released this year has 47 horses listed.
Friday, February 26, 2010The grade III Sham Stakes brings together a mixture of local horses looking to break out of maiden and allowance company in a big way.
Friday, February 26, 2010With new positions in a re-drawn Southwest Stakes, the complexion of the race has changed.
Friday, February 19, 2010He isn't the most expensive horse in the Southwest Stakes, he hasn't raced at the track, and he ships in with a lack of two-turn experience. But he might just win this race.
Monday, February 15, 2010Saturday, Feb. 6, is the third anniversary of Tiz Chrome's foal date, and connections may very well have a birthday party in the winner's circle of the grade II Robert B. Lewis Stakes.
Thursday, February 04, 2010As the grade I Shadwell Turf Mile approaches, we always look to the family of Northern Dancer for influence in this race.
Thursday, October 08, 2009With the focus squarely on three horses at low odds in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II), let's see if there's an upset in the making.
Friday, May 08, 2009In 51 of the last 54 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, the winner was either on the lead with an eighth of a mile to go in the race, within a length of the lead, or running second although more than a length off the leader at that point. In all, 40 of the last 54 winners, or 74%, were on the lead at the eighth pole.
Thursday, April 30, 2009Concise, collated Kentucky Derby workouts and workout schedules, horse by horse, through April 25.
Saturday, April 25, 2009Concise, collated Kentucky Derby workouts and workout schedules, horse by horse, are set out through April 24.
Friday, April 24, 2009One handicapping angle for the Kentucky Derby has been: Whether the horse finished the final 3/8 mile of a 1 1/8-mile prep race in under 38 seconds. Forget about that this year, and here's why.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009At Keeneland, it's often worthwhile to back those with Storm Cat in their pedigree, so Hold Me Back is in focus for the Grade I Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.
Thursday, April 09, 2009Early pace often makes the race in the grade II Illinois Derby, and this Saturday may not be much different than usual.
Friday, April 03, 2009The Grade I Wood Memorial looks like a two-horse race, and of course one of them has to be outside the other. On Saturday, Imperial Council gets that advantage as he and Edgar Prado will have their sights set on I Want Revenge and Joe Talamo.
Thursday, April 02, 2009Six weeks out from the Kentucky Derby and offering $500,000 in purse money on a synthetic track in Kentucky, the Lane's End Stakes is unique in its offering the first gathering of national stables in the Bluegrass State for a run at the first Saturday in May.
Thursday, March 19, 2009There's a reasonable chance of a wet track at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, and that might help out several entries in the Grade II Rebel Stakes.
Friday, March 13, 2009
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