Horse Race Betting and Handicapping Articles

The 2023 Pacific Classic Predictions with Odds and Recommended $100 Bet
by Dave Schwab - 8/30/2023

The Pacific Classic at Del Mar has a prize purse of $1 million as the highlight of five graded-stakes events on Saturday’s race card. The Pacific Classic is also a qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park on the first Saturday in November. Open to thoroughbred horses three and older, this stakes race is run 1 ¼ miles on the dirt at Del Mar.

2023 Travers Stakes Predictions with Free $100 Recommended Bet
by Dave Schwab - 8/24/2023

There are seven entries for the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga this Saturday. Open to three-year-old thoroughbreds, the prize purse is $1.25 million. The stakes race covers 1 ¼ miles on dirt as one of five major graded events on Saturday’s card.

MonmouthBets is the First Legal Fixed Odds Horse Racing App in the US
by Dave Schwab - 7/31/2023

Horse racing fans in New Jersey can bet on the daily card with fixed odds by using MonmouthBets. BetMakers Technology Group launched its mobile horse racing betting app in May, and the Australian wagering technology firm focused on fixed odds to place a bet in that state.

2023 Florida Derby Predictions: Top Five Contenders
by Dave Schwab - 3/29/2023

As a major prep race for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6, the Florida Derby is at Gulfstream Park this Saturday, April 1. The Grade 1 stakes race is open to three-year-old thoroughbreds and the prize purse is $1 million. The Florida Derby covers 1 1/8 miles on dirt as the featured event of this race card.

New York Racing Association has Plans to Renovate Belmont Park
by Dave Schwab - 3/27/2023

Belmont Park is a 117-year horse racing track in Nassau County, New York. The facility had improvements done in 1968, and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has plans to renovate Belmont Park again. NYRA revealed plans to build an inside synthetic track as part of renovations to Belmont Park as the fourth horse racing surface.

2023 Louisiana Derby Predictions with Odds and Expert Betting Picks
by Dave Schwab - 3/21/2023

On Saturday’s race card at Fair Ground Race Course, the $1 million Louisiana Derby is one of the major graded prep races for the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs. There are 12 contenders entered in the field for 1 3/16 miles on dirt around this horse track. 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.

2023 Fountain of Youth Stakes Predictions: Top Five Contenders
by Dave Schwab - 3/1/2023

The race card at Gulfstream Park this Saturday is loaded with eight graded events, including the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth. The prize purse for this race is $400,000, and it covers 1 1/16 miles on dirt. The Fountain of Youth Stakes is open to three-year old thoroughbred as part of the Kentucky Derby Trail. There are 10 entries in this race, and my top five contenders have morning line odds and percentages to win.

2023 Rebel Stakes Predictions: Top Five Contenders
by Dave Schwab - 2/23/2023

The last Saturday in February follows the Kentucky Derby Trail with the $1 million Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. There are 11 entries in this Grade 2 stakes race covering 1 1/16 miles on dirt. Famed trainers are Brad Cox, Steven Asmussen and J. Keith Desormeaux along with jockeys Florent Geroux, Irad Ortiz Jr. and James Graham.

2023 Risen Star Stakes Predictions: Top Five Contenders
by Dave Schwab - 2/15/2023

The Kentucky Derby Trail moves on to Fair Grounds Race Course this Saturday with the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes. The stakes race is open to three-year thoroughbreds, and the prize purse is $400,000. Here are my top five horses in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds, along with the morning line odds and my percentage to win.

2023 Holy Bull Stakes Best Bets and Picks for Saturday Derby Prep
by Dave Schwab - 2/1/2023

The beginning of February at Gulfstream Park marks the start of the Kentucky Derby prep races and the $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes on Saturday. This Grade 3 stakes event is open to three-year colts and the race covers 1 1/16 miles on dirt. Here are my top five contenders to race in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream and their morning line odds to win:

New Jersey Sets the Pace for Fixed-Odds Horse Betting
by Dave Schwab - 8/16/2021

The state of New Jersey has played a major role in the expansion of legal gambling in the United States. Back in the 1970’s, this was one of the first states outside of Nevada to offer land-based casino gambling when resorts first opened on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Will There Be A Triple Crown Winner in 2020? Expert Horse Racing Tips and Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 7/20/2020

It has been two years since Justify won the American Triple Crown with a 1 ¾ length margin of victory over a horse by the name of Gronkowski in the Belmont Stakes. That win by Justify marked the second time in four years that a horse had successfully completed his bid to become a Triple Crown Champion (American Pharaoh accomplished it in 2015).

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.

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.