Belmont Park Horse Betting Selections

By Joey Adams

Bettors will have their hands full on Saturday at Belmont Park, trying to decide which end of the pool to jump into. While the Belmont Stakes, and the rematch between Kentucky Derby winner ANIMAL KINGDOM and Preakness winner SHACKLEFORD will garner the headlines, there is plenty of top-notch racing before we ever get to the big race.

A series of six graded stakes begin in Race 6 (2:34 ET), and for bettors this will be the beginning of a $1 Million Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Six. Two races later in Race 8 (3:59 ET), bettors can try their hand at the $1 Million Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Four. Both wagers conclude with the Belmont Stakes at 6:35 ET.

Four Stakes Highlight Saturday Horse Betting Action at Big A

By Mike Dempsey

Four stakes highlight the horse betting action at Aqueduct on Saturday, including the $250,000 Gotham Stakes (G2) for three-year-olds with Kentucky Derby aspirations.

Whirlaway winner Toby’s Corner makes his first start in graded stakes company, and if he is a serious Derby contender as I think he is, he needs to start earning enough money to earn a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday of May.

His main competition will come from Stay Thirsty, the Todd Pletcher trainee who is making his first start since checking in fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs last fall.

Aqueduct Pick Four Horse Betting Preview – March 5

By Joey Adams

The last time we went after the $250,000 Guaranteed Late Pick Four at Aqueduct, the racing action was canceled due to weather. That doesn’t appear to be a concern this Saturday, although there is a 30% chance of rain. Saturday’s sequence includes three forgettable races, but the highlight is the $250,000 Gotham-G3, and that makes the wager attractive.

Race 8 is a six-furlong sprint for New York-bred $25,000 maidens, and Linda Rice appears to hold the upper hand. 10-BAZINGA shows a long gap in her works from December 31 through February 10, but a recent trio of drills is quick and Ramon Dominguez picks up the mount. 7-WINGED BANDIT has hit the board in both starts, most recently for twice today’s price. She clearly looks like the best of those who have already run.

Triple Crown Horse Betting Update – Anyone Stepping Up?

By Joey Adams

We’re nearing the halfway point of the Triple Crown Prep betting season, with 11 classic preliminaries in the books. While we have seen several impressive performances, have we seen anyone step to the front in a definitive manner? If you are a Beyer Speed Figure advocate the answer would be “no.”

What is Exchange Wagering?

By Aaron Huber

In the United States all wagers on horse races are conducted though the pari-mutuel system. In this betting system all bets are co-mingled into different pools (win, place, show etc…) and the holders of winning tickets are paid out after the track takes its cut, known as takeout. While takeout rates vary from track to track, current average takeout in the US for straight bets is around 18%.

One of the long standing complaints of horseplayers has been that takeout is too high and that it cuts into their bottom line. One possible solution that cuts takeout rates down to almost nothing is exchange wagering also known as a betting exchange.

Gulfstream Park Produces Several Potential Derby Hotshots

By Mike Dempsey

I admit I was not completely sold on Soldat going into Saturday’s $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), making him my second choice behind longshot Shackleford.

Soldat came into the race with six career starts, but none on a fast dirt surface. He raced three times on turf and three times on wet tracks, and was coming off a career top when he beat first level allowance foes by 10 ¾ lengths in the slop.

The Beyer Speed Figure of 103 he earned in that effort was 17 points higher than his previous best.

Three Year Olds Take Center Stage at Gulfstream Park

By Mike Dempsey

Two races that may produce a few Kentucky Derby prospects and a good betting race for three-year-old fillies highlight an outstanding 11-race card at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.

The feature is the $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2), which features the three-year-old debut of the highly regarded To Honor and Serve.

The Bill Mott trainee won the Nashua (G3) and Remsen (G2) last year and closed at 10/1 betting odds in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

The Road to Louisville, Kentucky

By Joey Adams

72 days and counting until the eyes of thoroughbred racing are glued to Churchill Downs for the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Over the next ten weeks every three-year-old with hopes of making the starting gate on May 7 will need to chart a course towards Louisville.

From coast to coast, every trainer with a potential Kentucky Derby betting contender has laid out a plan they hope will lead to Churchill Downs on “The First Saturday in May.” But do horses from certain locations or tracks hold an edge once they arrive in Louisville?

Using the last five Kentucky Derby’s for reference, let’s take a look at where the Derby winners, as well as those who finished second and third, made their most recent starts.

Gulfstream Park Feature Betting Race Analysis – February 24

By Joey Adams

Horse Betting favorites in turf sprints at Gulfstream Park are winning below 30%, and that is after the “chalk” went two-for-two in a pair of turf dashes Monday. Thursday’s feature race brings together a full field of fillies and mares going five furlongs on the grass in a $62,500 optional claimer, and it appears to be a wide-open betting affair.

“Arch” Bounces Back to Win Southwest at Oaklawn Park

By Mike Dempsey

Archarcharch looked as if he might be a Kentucky Derby contender after winning the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds in his second career start, but after dueling for the lead and fading to fourth in the Smarty Jones on Jan. 17 as the even money betting choice, the colt left the Derby radar for most.

Fast forward to Monday and the colt looks back on track, taking the $250,000 Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park despite having a less than stellar trip, returning his backers $31.00 for a $2 win wager.

The colt was caught out four wide heading into the first turn after breaking a beat slow, came five wide around the far turn and drifted in a bit in the late stages, and held off the betting favorite J P’s Gusto by a length.