Horse Race Betting and Handicapping Articles

Nyquist Breeders' Cup Classic Profile with Analysis and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/27/2016

The story of Nyquist is a reminder of how quickly things can change in this sport. In May Nyquist was an unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner, and people were talking about him as a legitimate Triple Crown threat. Then he had a rough Preakness, and everything changed. He has run twice since - the Haskell at the end of July and the Pennsylvania Derby in late September - and he has looked lousy since. A shell of what he was not so long ago.

Tepin Breeders' Cup Mile Profile with Analysis and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/27/2016

Handicapping thoroughbreds is extremely hard, and handicapping them on the biggest days of the year, like the Breeders' Cup, is particularly tough. Every so often, though, there is something that makes itself pleasingly obvious. The great mare Tepin gives us one such situation. How do we know that she can win the Mile? We know simply because she won it last year and has performed at an exceptionally high level since that time. We don't know if she is going to win this race, but we do know that she is capable of winning the race. That is way more than half the battle, and figuring out if horses are capable of winning is almost never this easy.

Arrogate Breeders' Cup Classic Profile with Analysis and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/27/2016

It's like the bat signal went out, and Bob Baffert was called again to save the three-year-old class. Last year, of course, he not only saved the three-year-old class but all of horse racing with the historic and spectacular Triple Crown run of American Pharoah. Early on this year he was in the mix with horses like Cupid, but he wasn't a huge factor. And then the rest of the three-year-old class kind of fell apart - Nyquist self-destructed in the Preakness, Exaggerator flopped in the Belmont, and no stars existed.

Horses that Can Win the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2016
by Trevor Whenham - 10/26/2016

The pre-entries are in, and we have the best idea yet of what the breeders' Cup Classic field will look like. Things can, and likely will, still change, but the main storylines in this race have been set. That means we can start to look at which horses are contenders and which ones are just along for the ride - hoping for a small piece of a big purse. Fourteen horses were pre-entered for this $6 million race on Nov. 5, with 13 likely to be entered on Monday when things have to be made final. Of that group there are eight that I view as more legitimate contenders than the rest. Here are the eight horses that can win the Breeders' Cup Classic in 2016:

2016 Breeders' Cup Handicapping and Betting: Defending Champions
by Trevor Whenham - 10/26/2016

One of the great elements of the Breeders' Cup is the ability for defending champions to return for another shot at glory. In the Triple Crown that obviously can't happen, but here we get to see if the greatest stars can become even greater. It has worked very well for many horses, while others, like the incredibly great Zenyatta, have come back just one too many times.

2016 Woodbine Mile Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/15/2016

We don't pay that much attention to mile turf racing in North America - not nearly as much as we should, in my opinion. In Europe it's a very big deal, but here we care much more about the dirt than the grass and fixate either on the sprints or the classic distance. A mile too often is what a horse tries only after nothing else seems to fit.

2016 Woodward Stakes Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/1/2016

What a race we enjoyed last week in the Travers. I wrote that I was intrigued by Arrogate, and I would use him heavily in exotics. It was a great move as it turned out, but in my wildest dreams I couldn't have imagined that he would win by a thousand lengths and set a track record in the process. Setting a track record at the classic distance at a track as historic as Saratoga is nothing to sneeze at. It remains to be seen if the horse can do it again, but we can worry about that later.

2016 Travers Stakes Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/25/2016

At least we are consistent with our race of the week picks -- just not the right kind of consistent. Again this week we took a stand against California Chrome because he was a heavily-bet favorite and we longed for more value. Again he dominated. Same thing happened with Frosted. Doesn`t feel great no matter how many times it happens.

2016 Pacific Classic Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/17/2016

Races like this just don't happen anymore. Not outside of the Breeders' Cup, anyway. The three best older horses in the country right now are, in some order, Beholder, California Chrome and Dortmund. It's not tough to make that argument. It kind of makes itself, really - only Frosted could really enter into the conversation. We are going to see all three in the Pacific Classic. In August. Incredible. Almost impossible.

2016 Arlington Million Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/11/2016

It's time for this week's race of the week. Last week we looked at the Whitney. Frosted was the obvious choice, but he was at well below even money, so we decided to risk getting beaten and look elsewhere for a better price. And get beaten we did - Frosted validated the support he received and proved that he is a serious threat for Horse of the Year.

2016 Whitney Handicap Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/3/2016

From now through the end of the summer (at least) we are going to profile a different important horse race every week. Each race will be chosen because it is a good, exciting field that offers some betting challenges but also because it's an important step on the road to the Breeders' Cup. We're starting off this week with the Whitney Handicap from Saratoga. This race is known, among many other things, as the first race that Secretariat lost after his Triple Crown victory in 1972.

2016 Jim Dandy Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/29/2016

I've been fortunate enough to attend several big race days - a couple of times at the Kentucky Derby, two different Breeders' Cups, a Queen's Plate, and more. In terms of a single memory, though, the 2006 Jim Dandy stands out above all of them. As it usually is in the east during the summer, it was stunningly hot and humid that late August day at Saratoga. It was my first time there, and there was no doubt it matched its reputation as the best place on the planet to watch races. Not long before the Jim Dandy the skies opened up and rain fell like you only rarely see. The track instantly went from very fast to sloppy.

2016 Haskell Invitational Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/29/2016

Sunday's edition of the annual Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in New Jersey is far from the biggest field ever for the race - just six horses entered - but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. We have the top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby - one of whom went on to win the Preakness - and a very promising horse from a guy who basically owns this race. And then there is some local flavor to round it all out.

Summer Horse Racing Analysis: Look at the Biggest Coming Races
by Trevor Whenham - 6/16/2016

The Triple Crown is over for another year. For a lot of casual race fans and bettors that means that they will ignore the sport until the fall when the Breeders' Cup rolls around. That, of course, is a giant mistake. There is a ridiculous amount of great racing that takes place over the summer. We can't look at every big race there is - every weekend offers several races that promise to be great. There are a few highlights that are definitely worth keeping a close eye on, though. Add these to your calendar:

2016 Florida Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/31/2016

The Florida Derby is a turning point in my mind. When this race comes along then we are finally able to believe that the Kentucky Derby is just around the corner. It's a sign of spring - just as sure as birds flying north or trees blooming. That's because the race has, in recent years at least, been the first of the big preps on the calendar.

2016 Spiral Stakes Picks with odds and Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/31/2016

The Spiral Stakes didn't really matter on the road to the Triple Crown for a long time, but that changed somewhat in 2011 when Animal Kingdom used this race as a stepping stone to his Kentucky Derby win. Earlier, though, when the race was known as the Jim Beam - it has had many name changes over the years - the race produced four straight Triple Crown race winners. Summer Squall won the Preakness in 1990. Hansel won the Preakness and Belmont in 1991. Lil E. Tee won the Derby in 1992. Prairie Bayou took the Preakness in 1993. All four won the Jim Beam first.

2016 Louisiana Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/24/2016

We enter a new phase on the road to the Kentucky Derby with the Louisiana Derby. Up to this point a win in the key prep races has been worth 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. That is almost certainly enough to get into the field most years, but it could theoretically fall short. This race and the ones that follow it mostly, though, offer 100 points to the winners. It's more symbolic than truly meaningful for winners, but where it does matter is for the second- and third-place finishers. Points for those spots jump from 20 and 10 respectively to 40 and 20, so even getting a piece of these races can help get you into the Derby field.

2016 Dubai World Cup Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/24/2016

The richest race horse in the world goes off on Saturday when the horses enter the starting gate for the Dubai World Cup. It is always a familiar field - at least partly - for North American race fans, and this is no exception. This year we have a particularly clear choice as handicappers - are you with California Chrome or against him.

2016 UAE Derby Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/24/2016

It used to be that the UAE Derby was not much more than a passing interest - one of several very rich races on the undercard of the richest race in the world, the Dubai World Cup. Since 2013, though, the race has taken on added significance for North American race fans. That is when they started offering Kentucky Derby points for the race. The first- and second-place finishers now earn 100 and 40 points, respectively. That is the same as the major prep races like the Santa Anita Derby, Florida Derby, Wood Memorial and the others of that caliber.

2016 Rebel Stakes Picks with Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2016

The latest edition of the Rebel Stakes takes place at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on Saturday. The race has produced some great champions - Triple Crown race winners Curlin, Smarty Jones, Lookin at Lucky, Victory Gallop, Pine Bluff, Sunny's Halo, and Eclipse Award winners Will Take Charge and Lawyer Ron all won this race in their year. After last year, though, this race will mostly be remembered for just one thing - Triple crown winner American Pharoah used a win here as a stepping stone to his glory.