Horse Race Betting and Handicapping Articles

How Lasix Figures into 2012 Breeders’ Cup Handicapping
by T.O. Whenham - 10/31/2012

You’re going to hear a lot more about Lasix during this year’s Breeders’ Cup than you have in any other year. That’s because the organizers of the event have banned the drug, also known as Salix, in the juvenile races for the first time. The intention is to expand the ban to all races next year. The change could have a big impact on the race days, and has already caused a good deal of discussion and panic. Therefore, it is important for bettors to understand it.

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

Not surprisingly, the recent history of the Breeders’ Cup Turf has been dominated by European invaders. Six of the last seven winners have been from Europe. The lone exception was at Monmouth Park in 2007, and that was over a track that was so wet and soft that races wouldn’t normally have been run on it if it weren’t the Breeders’ Cup. That wasn’t something the Euros were comfortable with and it showed.

2012 Breeders Cup Ladies Classic Predictions and Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 10/31/2012

I’m not a big fan of the two-day format the Breeders’ Cup went to a few years ago, and the biggest reason is that this race — which I will always think of as the Distaff and not by this ridiculous new name — deserves to be run on the main card right before the Classic. In fact, this year it should be run right after the Classic because this is a much better race than the main event — at least on paper.

2012 Breeders’ Cup Sprint Predictions and Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 10/30/2012

The Breeders’ Cup Sprint is always one of the best races of the two-day event, and this year’s edition promises to be no exception. We have a defending champion that is primed to repeat and a deep and talented field of contenders that will be looking to end his reign. A full field of 14 contenders has been entered. Here’s a look at the most interesting of those horses along with some predictions and betting odds:

2012 Breeders Cup Jockeys
by T.O. Whenham - 10/30/2012

Jockeys fascinate me. Maybe it’s because I outgrew my jockey career in fifth grade. They are ridiculously brave and incredibly hard-working athletes who don’t get the recognition they deserve on the national sports stage. They also almost all bring fascinating stories with them.

2012 Kentucky Derby Contenders with Futures Odds
by David Schwab - 3/27/2012

The 138th running of thoroughbred racing’s premier event, the Kentucky Derby, is set for Saturday, May 5, at historic Churchill Downs in Louisville. A field of 20 of the top three year olds will try and take the first step at capturing an elusive Triple Crown with a victory in the crowned jewel of the event. The final Kentucky Derby field will eventually be determined by the results of over 60 prep races that take place from the beginning of the year until mid-April. However, heading into the final month of the prep race schedule, a short-list of this year’s top Kentucky Derby contenders has already started to emerge.

2011 Breeders Cup Betting Results
by Doc's Sports - 11/9/2011

Doc’s Sports 2011 Breeders’ Cup betting results provided a very profitable day for Doc’s Sports Breeders’ Cup clients. Doc cleaned up on Breeders’ Cup Saturday and was in the money in more races than we missed out on. Read the Breeders’ Cup betting results below to get a feeling about how we handicap horse racing and to give you an idea of what you can expect if you purchase Breeders’ Cup picks from us.

2011 Breeders' Cup Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 11/3/2011

What is there not to love about the Breeders’ Cup? For two full days we are treated to the best horses in the country, and many from outside of the country, running against each other to determine champions and heroes. Brilliant.

2011 Breeders Cup Longshots
by T.O. Whenham - 11/2/2011

The Breeders’ Cup is a great event for bettors who love longshots. There are so many races to choose from, and each one is full of top-level talent. Therefore there are almost certain to be some winners that pay off at big prices.

2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic Contenders and Futures Odds
by David Schwab - 7/28/2011

Next to the only the Kentucky Derby, the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, traditionally run in November, is horse racing’s most prized event. This festival of racing gathers together the top thoroughbreds in the world for a series of races over a two-day schedule. The premier race on the 14-race card is always run as the final event and is simply referred to as the ‘Classic’.

Horse Racing for the Summer
by T.O. Whenham - 6/14/2011

For a lot of casual horse racing bettors there is a big black hole between the end of the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup day. When the Belmont ends, though, racing is just entering the best of times. The summer and early fall are filled with great races at iconic tracks. Even if you aren’t looking and avidly follow every race of the summer, there are still some highlights to check out. Here are, in no particular order, 12 big races that are always worth checking out between the Belmont and the Breeders’ Cup:

Breeders Cup Betting Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 11/5/2010

The Breeders’ Cup starts today. I don’t know about you, but I’m counting the minutes until it starts. I’ve looked at the cards every different way over the last few days. All that’s left to do, then, is to make a few bold Breeders’ Cup predictions about what is going to happen:

Breeders’ Cup Jockeys – Odds and Predictions for Top Rider
by T.O. Whenham - 11/4/2010

The Breeders’ Cup is the biggest betting spectacle of the year in horse racing, and there are countless ways to invest your money on the big day. One of the newer ways that is getting more popular every year is the jockey bet. The goal with this bet is to choose which jockey is going to win the most races out of the 14 Championship races held over two days during the Breeders’ Cup. This year there are 15 jockeys listed along with a mutuel field of all the rest. Here’s how the field breaks down:

Breeders’ Cup Picks: Filly and Mare Turf Preview and Betting Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 11/4/2010

This is one of the newer races on the card - it has been run only 10 times. In that short time, though, we have seen more consistency than in other races, and that has made this one friendlier to bettors than many races. Nine of 10 winners have come from off the pace, with six of those 10 coming from well off. Four of the last six winners of the race have won this race after having previously run in it. Seven of the 10 winners have been four or older, and none of the three year old winners have been Americans.

Breeders’ Cup Picks: Juvenile Fillies Odds and Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 11/4/2010

I love this race - it’s crazy almost every year. These horses are so young and so undeveloped that anything can happen. The Juvenile Fillies is wide open at the best of times, but it’s especially wide open this year. It’s not that there isn’t quality in the field. It’s just that there aren’t any horses that look like a Juvenile Fillies winner typically looks. that means that this one could turn out in any number of ways.

Breeders Cup Predictions: Betting Advice for Longshots and High-Odds Horses
by T.O. Whenham - 11/4/2010

The Breeders’ Cup is an event made for high-odds horses, and the big windfall payouts that result from their wins. There are 14 races with big fields full of top-quality runners, so it’s absolutely inevitable that a few longer-priced horses will miss the public’s attention but hit the wire first. Here are six longshots that stand out over the two days of racing on Nov. 5 and 6.

Horses That Can Win the Breeders’ Cup Classic
by T.O. Whenham - 11/3/2010

The Breeders’ Cup Classic - the richest horse race in North America, and perhaps the most prestigious outside of the Kentucky Derby - caps the Breeders’ Cup card on Saturday, Nov. 6, from Churchill Downs in Louisville. The storylines surrounding this race center around undefeated super horse, and defending champion, Zenyatta. That’s appropriate, but it would be wrong to get the idea that she is the only horse that can win this race. It’s actually a pretty solid field.

Zenyatta Breeders Cup Classic Predictions: Will She Win?
by T.O. Whenham - 11/2/2010

They might as well rename the Breeders’ Cup the Zenyatta Cup this year, because the six-year-old mare is all that anyone is talking about. She was on “60 Minutes,” she has had pictorials in magazines, Oprah Winfrey is talking about her - she’s everywhere. There is no doubt that she deserves all the attention she is getting. After all, she has won all 19 races she has run in in her life - you don’t do that by accident or if you aren’t brilliant.

Breeders Cup Predictions: Ladies Classic Preview and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 11/2/2010

This race used to be called the Distaff. Now it’s got a new name, and for the last couple of years it has had a new time as well - it’s now the headline race of the Friday action. I don’t like the gender divide of the two-day Breeders’ Cup format - especially because this race doesn’t get the attention it deserves as a result.

2010 Kentucky Derby Early Contenders
by T.O. Whenham - 4/7/2010

It sneaks up on you unless you, like me, are totally obsessed by it - the Kentucky Derby is less than a month away. Many of the top contenders have already run their final prep races, and only a couple more relevant races remain. We'll spend lots of time looking at the race from every angle when it gets closer, but for now it wouldn't hurt to get familiar with the key early Kentucky Derby contenders and how the field is shaping up.