Horse Race Betting and Handicapping Articles

2020 Arkansas Derby Predictions with Morning Line Betting Odds
by Raphael Esparza - 4/30/2020

This Saturday, at an empty Oaklawn Park, is the 84th running of the Arkansas Derby, one of the Kentucky Derby prep races in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Last year at the Arkansas Derby we saw Omaha Beach grab the lead on the backstretch to capture the win over Improbable on a sloppy track.

2020 Louisiana Derby Predictions with Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Raphael Esparza - 3/19/2020

Saturday at an empty Fair Grounds Park is the running of 107th Louisiana Derby, one of the Kentucky Derby prep races in New Orleans. Last year at the Louisiana Derby we saw a big upset as By My Standards rallied to beat the 10 horse Spinoff, and the favorite War of Will didn't even hit the board.

2020 Rebel Stakes Predictions with Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Raphael Esparza - 3/13/2020

The Rebel Stakes, one of the Kentucky Derby prep races in Arkansas, will take place Saturday with no spectators. Last year at the Rebel Stakes we saw a big upset as Long Range Toddy beat the favorite, Improbable. The Rebel Stakes has been won by only top Hall of Fame trainers, and it wouldn't shock me to see the same thing late afternoon Saturday.

2019 Breeders Cup Long Shots: High-Value Horses to Watch
by Trevor Whenham - 11/1/2019

Our job here is obvious. Each year at the Breeders' Cup we see long shots come through to win races, and more that find their way into being a part of exotics by finishing in the top three or four. Figuring out which long shots are worth betting on can be the key to turning a decent betting day into a great one. Here are four live long shots that seem to be worth a close look. For the purpose of the discussion here, I defined a long shot as anything at 15/1 or higher on the track morning line.

2019 Breeders' Cup Betting Tips: Horses to Watch
by Trevor Whenham - 11/1/2019

At the Breeders' Cup, it's easy to fall in love with the favorites and the other low-priced contenders. And it's not entirely a bad thing to do - those horses come through plenty over the weekend. But bettors need to have a mix of those horses, some long shots, and some mid-range contenders in their holster in order to give themselves the best chance of success.

2019 Breeders' Cup Classic Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/29/2019

Let's just be honest right out of the gate - the Breeders' Cup Classic field this year sucks. This is supposed to be the pinnacle of the racing year. The race in which the best of the best clash, with the Horse of the Year title and more on the line. This year that award is very unlikely to come from the field. We have a favorite here almost by default, and a group of contenders with far more questions than anything else.

2019 Breeders' Cup Mile Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/29/2019

I will be frank - I don't think that there is a tougher race to handicap consistently on the Breeders' Cup card than the Mile. We get a higher level of Euro invader than we typically do for the Turf. American horses are better bred to run the mile distance in most cases than the mile and a half of the Turf. And the race doesn't behave like you might expect it to.

2019 Breeders' Cup Turf Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/29/2019

The Breeders' Cup Turf is always a big race on the Breeders' Cup card. It's the second to last race to be run, and it has the second largest purse of the weekend. And it's always an interesting race - a battle between the best turf runners in North America and the runners that come from Europe. The Euro invaders typically aren't the best they have, but turf racing is so much bigger and, frankly, better over there, that they don't have to send their top horses over to be competitive.

2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/29/2019

The Breeders' Cup Sprint often marks a personal milestone for me on the Saturday Breeders' Cup schedule. It's the point at which I start drinking. The race drives me to it because it is so unpredictable and tough to deal with. It's not always that the results are crazy and long shots dominate - though that can be true at times. It's more that the race is short, the fields typically very talented, and the margin for error so small that too many things can happen.

2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/29/2019

The new schedule for the Breeders' Cup does a massive disservice to the Juvenile. This Kentucky Derby preview deserves the prominent spot on Saturday it has always had. Recently, though, it has been shifted to what has become an underwhelming Friday card, where it now headlines the Futures Friday card made up of two-year-old races. This typically fascinating race deserves better.

2019 Breeders' Cup Distaff Predictions and Expert Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/29/2019

The Breeders' Cup Distaff was long the main event of Friday's program, but it has jumped to a more prominent position now, lined up right before the Turf and the Classic on Saturday afternoon. Whenever it takes place, the Distaff often provides some of the best drama and competition of the weekend.

2019 Santa Anita Derby Expert Picks with Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/4/2019

The spring of racing at Santa Anita has been, to be frank, a total disaster. Far too many breakdowns caused an unprecedented shutdown and the cancellation of a key prep race. Now they are back racing, but there is an air of nervous uncertainty looming over the track. This race has been the most important Derby prep in the country for the last seven years, producing not only Triple Crown winner Justify last year but also Derby and Preakness winners I'll Have Another in 2012 and California Chrome in 2014 and Preakness winner Exaggerator in 2016.

2019 Wood Memorial Expert Picks with Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/4/2019

The Wood Memorial, the last of the Kentucky Derby prep races in New York, has not been particularly productive in terms of Triple Crown success lately. The last winner to win a Triple Crown race was Empire Maker, who won the 2003 Belmont. He's more famously recently, of course, for siring Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. And the last winner of both this race and the Kentucky Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.

2019 Blue Grass Stakes Expert Picks with Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/4/2019

The Blue Grass Stakes is unquestionably a major Kentucky Derby prep race, and it has the points on offer to prove it, but it has been a long time since it has been relevant. It came close last year when winner Good Magic was second in the Derby and a tight fourth in the Preakness. But it has been a long time, not helped by the fact the race was run on a synthetic track for too long, since the race has really mattered.

2019 Florida Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/28/2019

The Florida Derby is the most successful of all the Kentucky Derby prep races, with 15 horses having won both races. It has been particularly hot lately, producing three of the last six winners - Orb, Nyquist and Always Dreaming. And with the road to the Derby this year being as wide-open as I remember, the opportunity for the winner here to again be a big factor in Louisville certainly exists.

2019 Dubai World Cup Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/27/2019

It's hard to keep track because it changes so often, but right now the Dubai World Cup is back to being the richest race in the world, with a $12 million purse. The race started in 1996 when Cigar, the greatest horse I ever saw with my own eyes, won the race. Two years later Kentucky winner Silver Charm won the race, and he really elevated it into a major target for the best older horses on this side of the pond.

2019 UAE Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/27/2019

When Steve Asmussen sent his colt Reride to finish third in the UAE Derby last year, it wasn't much of a story. But, in hindsight, it feels like it could have been a turning point for the Kentucky Derby prep season. Asmussen treated the race like any other major prep race - an alternative to the Florida or Santa Anita Derby.

2019 Louisiana Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2019

The Louisiana Derby, taking place Saturday at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, marks an important milestone on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. It is the first of the seven 100-point Kentucky Derby prep races. These are the big ones. It typically takes about 30 points to get in to the Derby starting gate. The winner gets 100 points in this race, and the runner-up gets 40, so at least two horses in this race will wrap up a trip to Louisville.

2019 Sunland Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2019

I am frankly surprised that the Sunland Derby hasn't become a more prominent Kentucky Derby prep race. Sunland Park, in New Mexico but effectively in the suburbs of El Paso, is a long way from the center of the horse racing world. But the race is a Grade III with an $800,000 purse, so it would be worth winning just for its own sake. And it is the last of the 50-point prep races, meaning that the winner gets 50 Kentucky Derby points and the runner-up gets 20.

2019 Rebel Stakes Expert Picks with Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/14/2019

Chaos at Santa Anita has had a major ripple effect throughout racing, and it has created the most memorable Rebel Stakes I can remember. The cancellation of the San Felipe when Santa Anita was closed led to some very good horses suddenly needing a prep race, and the Rebel was the obvious spot. As a result, the Rebel has been split into two divisions - one with 10 horses, and another with nine.