Horse Race Betting and Handicapping Articles

2014 Belmont Park Opening Day Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/5/2014

Saratoga, the greatest race meet of the year in North America, has come to an end. Now the heart of east coast racing moves to the somewhat less glamorous but no less important confines of Belmont Park for a meet that stretches from September 5 to October 26. The very best horses on the east coast will be here, and the Breeders’ Cup fates of many horses will be determined by how they perform in races over the two months of this meet.

2014 Los Alamitos Opening Day Picks and Expert Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 9/4/2014

After a most successful and exciting meet at Del Mar, California horse racing changes venues for the next three weeks. This year has been a dramatically different one than we have been used to in Southern California racing, and this meet is the latest example of the impact of the loss of Hollywood Park and the other changes that have come with it.

2014 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Picks, Odds and Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/29/2014

Saratoga, the greatest race meet of the year, comes to an end this weekend, and to see it out the Saturday card features the prestigious Woodward Stakes and several other events. The Woodward hasn’t traditionally been a big event of the final weekend of Saratoga — it only moved here in 2006 after previously being run at Belmont and Aqueduct.

2014 Pacific Classic at Del Mar Picks, Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/21/2014

This year’s edition of the Pacific Classic, the last to be run on a synthetic surface, is being billed as an epic showdown. Shared Belief (the 5/2 favorite on the morning line) is the reigning two year old champion. He had his Kentucky Derby dreams derailed by injury, but he has come back very strong and has not lost yet in his career. He’s taking a big step up in competition, but there are very few who don’t think he is up for it.

2014 Travers Stakes Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 8/20/2014

The best horse racing of the summer happens at Saratoga, and the best race at Saratoga most years is the Travers Stakes. That makes this coming Saturday a very important day. Known as the Mid-Summer Derby, the Travers typically draws the class of the three year old crop, and this year is no exception. It’s a deep race that promises to be competitive and exciting. Post time is at 5:46 p.m. ET, and it will be the second race featured on a broadcast along with the Grade 1 Ballerina. Here’s how the field breaks down:

2014 Whitney Handicap Picks with Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/31/2014

The Whitney Handicap, a $1.5 million race at Saratoga on Saturday, Aug. 2, has had some great winners in its storied history, which dates back in one form or another to 1928. The great Kelso won it three times. Fort Larned in 2012 and Blame in 2010 both won this race to set them up for their Breeders’ Cup Classic wins later in the year. Perhaps the most famous result of all in the race, though, was in 1973.

2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 7/31/2014

We’re only in the middle of the summer, but it is never too soon to start looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It’s the best race in the world for older horses, and it very often lives up to its name and delivers a classic. It is far too early to know what the field will look like or what horses will be at the peak of their game on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita when the race is run.

2014 Haskell Invitational Picks with Bonus Jim Dandy Stakes Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/24/2014

The Triple Crown is in the distant past for this year, but things get interesting again on the three year old front this weekend as the Haskell Invitational and Jim Dandy Stakes mark the beginning of the summer three year old season and we begin the real road to the Breeders’ Cup. With California Chrome’s no-show in the Belmont, the division has opened up a bit, and an impressive win this weekend could put a horse in good shape on the road to a year-end championship. Here is how the two races break down with picks and predictions:

Saratoga Opening Day Horse Racing Picks, Predictions, & Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 7/17/2014

I’ve been to the Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby two times each. I’ve been to major meets across North America and in Europe. I say this not to brag, but only to say that if I could only ever see racing at one place, it would unquestionably be Saratoga. It’s not even close. The town is amazing, and it’s all about horse racing. The track is an institution. You feel like you are in the midst of something very special just by being there — whether it is a major stakes day or just a regular day of racing. It is heaven on earth.

2014 Del Mar Opening Day Picks and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 7/16/2014

The two greatest meets in North American horse racing open this week. Del Mar, just outside of San Diego, opens on Thursday then Saratoga opens in upstate New York on Friday. There is no better experience as a horse racing fan than a day at one of the great summer meets. Opening day is a particular thrill with the pageantry and hope on full display.

Breeders’ Cup Betting Tips
by Raphael Esparza - 10/29/2013

After working for more than 10 years in the Las Vegas sports books, it’s no secret that I grew to love the sport of horse racing. I have met plenty of sharp horse racing handicappers, horse owners, and retired jockeys in those years. What do they all have in common? My phone number and email address. Now that I’m retired from the gaming industry, I can share my knowledge and inside information on the sport of horse racing.

Breeders’ Cup Betting: Track Trends from Santa Anita
by Trevor Whanham - 10/26/2013

The Breeders’ Cup is back at Santa Anita for the second year in a row and the fourth time in six years. That gives us what used to be a unique opportunity for this series of races — a chance to look at what trends have emerged from the track in recent past editions that we can use to guide our handicapping this year. Which Breeders’ Cup track trends are useful this year, and which are misleading? Let’s take a look:

Breeders’ Cup Handicapping: 2013 Horses to Watch
by Trevor Whenham - 10/25/2013

It will be a few days until we know what the fields for the Breeders’ Cup are going to look like for sure. Now that the pre-entries are in, though, we have a sense of what we will see. That means we can start to be on the lookout for interesting horses to watch in the days leading up to the big day of races on Saturday, Nov. 2. Here are five horses that stand out as particularly intriguing on the card. These are certainly not favorites, but they could provide some interesting value:

Horses that Can Win the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic
by Trevor Whenham - 10/24/2013

When the Breeders’ Cup Classic starts — the last race of this year’s Breeders’ Cup — there are likely to be as many as 13 horses in the starting gate. It’s a deep and interesting field. Not every horse has an equal chance of winning, though. Realistically, here are the nine horses that could win the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year (odds are from Bovada):

Breeders’ Cup Pick Six Betting Advice and Handicapping
by Trevor Whenham - 10/24/2013

The crown jewel of Breeders’ Cup betting is the Pick Six. If you hit a Breeders’ Cup Pick Six just once in your betting career, you have a story that you can tell for the rest of your life. To win the bet you have to have the right combination of bankroll, skill and luck — and people who know the sport respect the bet. If you are drawn to the Pick Six but don’t have a whole lot of experience with it then here are five factors to keep in mind:

2012 Breeders’ Cup Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 11/1/2012

I’ve looked over the 15 races of the Breeders’ Cup from every angle since the entries have been in. I have stared at them until I’ve almost gone blind and until I see the horses in my sleep. Now I’m just ready for this amazing two-day festival of racing to get underway. Until it does begin, though, all I can do to satisfy myself is make predictions of how things will turn out — and hope that those predictions turn into profits. Here are seven 2012 Breeders’ Cup predictions that I feel pretty good about:

Betting the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Pick Six
by T.O. Whenham - 11/1/2012

For serious horseplayers there is nothing bigger than the Breeders’ Cup, and nothing about those two days that are more inviting than Saturday’s pick six. The reason for that is simple — it’s the best chance bettors have every year of getting rich on a single bet. Since 2002 when the bet was introduced, a $2 bet has paid a median of more than $320,000. Three different times it has paid more than a million dollars, with the $2.7 million mega-payout in 2003 reigning supreme.

2012 Breeders’ Cup Mile Predictions and Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 10/31/2012

The Breeders’ Cup Mile was a centerpiece race last year when the incredible Goldikova fell just short of winning for the fourth straight time. The mare isn’t back again, but the Mile still is the race to watch. Occupying the spot right before the Classic, the Mile is the best race of the entire Breeders’ Cup weekend.

2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Predictions and Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 10/31/2012

No matter what, the Juvenile is my favorite part of every Breeders’ Cup card. I’m a huge fan of the Kentucky Derby, and this is the best chance we get to see the two year olds that will soon be the three year olds that draw early attention on the long road to that race. The winner of this race almost never wins that race, but there are always horses here that always show up in Louisville in May. For example, 2009’s stunning Derby winner Mine That Bird was an uninspiring 12th in the 12-horse field in the 2008 Juvenile. Above all else, the Juvenile is about massive potential, and that’s just plain exciting.

2012 Breeders’ Cup Longshots that Have Value
by T.O. Whenham - 10/31/2012

One of the best parts of the Breeders’ Cup is the possibility for big payoffs when longshots come in. It happens every year. There is so much expense and effort involved in running a horse in the event that even the worst horses still have something going for them. That means that anything can, and often does, happen. The ultimate longshot, and fuel for the dreams of millions of bettors since, came in the 1993 Classic when Arcangues paid a seemingly impossible price of $269.20 to win on a $2 bet.