1

SAY THANKS THIS PUBLICATION FREE BECAUSE OF THESE FINE SPONSORS

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2

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GIVE THEIR LOGOS A CLICK

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CONTENTS APRIL 2014

4 From The Publisher

7 Page 7 Horses to Watch

Every day page updates with a live ldquoBUZZrdquo play in-today Bookmark

9 The Teaser

Topics that titillate the racing mind

13 Cover Story

Madness Marches into April Keeneland may frustrate but fascinates Jeremy Plonk writes

17Legends Gallery

Photos by Z features Mike Smith and last years Ashland winner

21 Back to Night School ndash

Speed Figures Legendary players from the best of Night School including Len Friedman Jerry Brown Dick Jerardi Ed DeRosa et al

26 Questions for Caton

Renowned handicapper Caton Bredar takes your Qs each issue

30 Winning Angles

Trainer Intenthellipin Derby Preps Brian Nadeau dissects the points race and its impact on players

36 Gotta Have Faith

Forgiving horseplayers can be rewarded in Louisville as Jerry Shottenkirk can attest

39 Meadowlands Rolls into

Championship Season Nick Salvi highlights the ldquobigrdquo in the Big M racing to come

44 Handicapping the Early

Futurities of the Season AQHA handicapper Martha Claussen tackles the 2YOs

48 April CalendarStakes key dates Race of Month

53 Playing On PaperOur marked past performances

57 Galloping Out

Lack of Effort is Never an Excuse

3

From the Publisher

Free initiatives like Night School live racing chats the Countdown to the Crown Preseason

Annual on-track seminars and more all have made Horse Player NOW a front-line force in the quest to develop racingrsquos customer base

So when I decided it was time to bring my passion of magazine publishing to the electronic world full-time the price tag for Horse Player NOW Magazine was the easiest decision of all ndash free

I believe horseplayers deserve something good ndash and as a racing industry itrsquos the least we can do to equip customers with the best chance to enjoy the product If I canrsquot sell this publication to the industry itrsquos my fault and theirs

Irsquove never met a player who continues to lose and comes back with a smile on the face Each of us has a desire to solve the puzzle even if less frequently than we like Each month wersquoll help make those puzzle pieces fit together a little easier ndash thatrsquos what we do ndash JP

Horse Player NOW Magazine Copyright 2014

Horse Player NOW All Rights Reseved

Editor Publisher Designer Jeremy Plonk

Contributing Writers Caton Bredar

Martha Claussen Jerry Shottenkirk

Brian Nadeau Nick Salvi Ed DeRosa

Photography Chief Enzina Mastrippolito

(Photosbyzcom)

Contributing Photographers Dustin Orona Remington Michael Burns Woodbine

Michael Lisa Meadowlands

4

Ed DeRosarsquos Advice From the ALL-Ways Database

More than any synthetic track Irsquove studied previous synthetic success is a huge indicator of race-day success at Woodbine

The best performing horses on synthetic do very well on Woodbinersquos Polytrack A 204 Impact Value for the top-performing synthetic horse with an ROI of +17 in main track sprints last year

Woodbine also is one of the better tracks for sprinters closing boasting a 159-175 Impact Value range for various late pace ratings and an ROI of +17-28

Main track routes similarly have value in identifying the late speed as the top late speed rating found in the Ultimate PPs (LP) has an impact value of 234 and an ROI of +5

HANDICAPPING HINTS

5

6

We update this page of the digital magazine every racing dayndashkeep coming back

Each dayrsquos play derived directly from that dayrsquos officialhellip

SUNDAY APRIL 27 2014 Race 7 - Santa Anita2 Shame On Alex (3-1)

Our Eyes Trainer Ellis brings this 5yo back from GG where he failed miserably Son of Afleet Alex has a win and a 3rd on the SA dirt speed jockey Maldonado gets aboard and he is 36 with Ellis ndash Jeff Nahill

Jeffs Playbook 1 unit to win 2 units to place and 3 units to show Daily double of 2 Shame On Alex in 7th and 7 Journey On in 8th

OUR EYES YOUR PRIZE Full Report $10 daily ($15 Sat) Subscriptions $4995 month hellip

AND $100 3 months

BUY TODAY

7

8

THE TEASER

From Courtney Love to Barry Gibb to Barney the Dinosaur eventually it will all make sense

Gulfstreamrsquos Grassy Knoll

Conspiracy theorists haven‟t been this busy since Dallas ‟63

In addition to worldwide machinations regarding vanished flight 370 (that means you Courtney Love)Thoroughbred racing social media outlets have been all a twitter (pun intended) over the gigantic Gulfstream Park Rainbow Six carryover According to conspiracy theorists the suits at Gulfstream Park are willing to go the extra mile and one-quarter classic distance in order to keep the

Rainbow Six carryover pot alive until a mandatory payout June 29

Self-professed truth-seekers allege that on Feb 22 Gulfstream head honcho Tim Ritvo phoned track stewards from the winner‟s circle to inquire into an incident in the final race The original results if permitted to stand would have resulted in a complete payout of

the Rainbow Six pot and a reset of the carryover figure to zero

When the dust cleared 12 Collinito was indeed demoted for interference in the stretch and replaced in the winner‟s circle by

13 Strategic Keeper The race‟s bdquoofficial‟ sign triggered multiple

Teaser definition A male horse used at breeding farms to determine whether a mare is ready to receive a stallion Also perhaps the most unfulfilling occupation in the universe

Somewhere over the Rainbow Sixhellip

9

winning Rainbow Six tickets and resuscitated a carryover pot for another day

Even bolder theorists suggest that on March 16 following a difficult sequence of winners in the first four legs of the Rainbow Six ($1080 $62 $3060 $5) that could have jeopardized a growing $3 million-plus carryover Gulfstream suits conspired with jockey Edgar Prado to cause the next-to-last race to be declared bdquono contest‟

Prado allegedly sacrificially dismounted Go Go Romeo in the early stages of the mile and one-sixteenth turf race and then remained on the track feigning injury As the field turned into the stretch by order of the stewards and to avoid the fallen Prado track announcer Larry Collmus alerted all that the race had been declared bdquono contest‟ That series of events crowned every runner in the field a winner in that leg of the Rainbow Six effectively negating any chance for a single-ticket sheet Another longshot ($2940) winner in the finale couldn‟t cause separation and cued the Bee Gees with the Rainbow Six theme song ldquoStayin Aliverdquo

Now The Teaser‟s a confirmed skeptic ndash bdquoBorn at night but not last night‟ ndash so I‟m not above buying some conspiracy stock And admittedly conspiracy nuts got it right in Dallas however they‟re way off the mark here There‟s no CIA operating at Uncle Frank‟s Hallandale joint

Imagine what you will but now that the Rainbow Six carryover has grown into the millions and fields are getting shorter as the meet winds down a single ticket is as likely to occur as six consecutive hard sixes at the craps table Like Vegas this house has a built-in edge They don‟t need to conspire to make the nearly impossible act accordingly

Purple With Envy

Did you hear about Barney and his January pound2m betting coup across the pond No not that Barney the purple anthropomorphic T Rex We‟re talkin‟ about Barney Curley the 74-year-old former trainer who could don a pair of dark glasses and hat to pass for an older version of Heisenberghellipor as

10

somebody‟s kindly great-grandfather And ain‟t they always the mugs that did it

Curley was the mastermind behind victories by four horses at three different British race courses at long odds that all could be linked in some way to him ndash including two he had trained earlier in their careers Also coincidentally either Des Donovan or John Butler former employees of Curley trained three of the four winners The winners were well-backed in two three and four-horse parlays

So how did the form look on these horses Glad you asked

Eye of the Tiger formerlyowned and trained by Curleyhad not run for 481 days andwas making his first start forDonovan

Seven Summits owned andtrained by Curley until April hadnot run since June

Indus Valley also trained byDonovan had not run for 700days In his four races forDonovan he had been beatenan aggregate of 104 lengths

Low Key trained by Curley‟sformer assistant John Butlerhadn‟t run in 11 months (distantlast of seven)

Cha-ching Forget about bdquogiving a horse a race‟ hellip Barney gave bdquoem years And he gave the bookies hell to pay

It wasn‟t the first time either In 2010 Curley had been the mastermind behind a coup that netted more than pound1m That too involved four horses three trained by him and one he once owned

Unlike in the States where huge pick six winners hide their identities like they just stole money from the Sunday collection plate in England big winners are proud of their accomplishments Curley faced the press and called his coup bdquosatisfying‟ He didn‟t want to say much else he explained because he didn‟t want to distract attention from his charity Direct Aid For Africa which aims to improve educational standards in Zambia

You can bet with Curley‟s pound2m gambling coup soon there‟s gonna be some real Einsteins running around Zambia - HPN

11

12

somebody‟s kindly great-grandfather And ain‟t they always the mugs that did it

Curley was the mastermind behind victories by four horses at three different British race courses at long odds that all could be linked in some way to him ndash including two he had trained earlier in their careers Also coincidentally either Des Donovan or John Butler former employees of Curley trained three of the four winners The winners were well-backed in two three and four-horse parlays

So how did the form look on these horses Glad you asked

Eye of the Tiger formerlyowned and trained by Curleyhad not run for 481 days andwas making his first start forDonovan

Seven Summits owned andtrained by Curley until April hadnot run since June

Indus Valley also trained byDonovan had not run for 700days In his four races forDonovan he had been beatenan aggregate of 104 lengths

Low Key trained by Curley‟sformer assistant John Butlerhadn‟t run in 11 months (distantlast of seven)

Cha-ching Forget about bdquogiving a horse a race‟ hellip Barney gave bdquoem years And he gave the bookies hell to pay

It wasn‟t the first time either In 2010 Curley had been the mastermind behind a coup that netted more than pound1m That too involved four horses three trained by him and one he once owned

Unlike in the States where huge pick six winners hide their identities like they just stole money from the Sunday collection plate in England big winners are proud of their accomplishments Curley faced the press and called his coup bdquosatisfying‟ He didn‟t want to say much else he explained because he didn‟t want to distract attention from his charity Direct Aid For Africa which aims to improve educational standards in Zambia

You can bet with Curley‟s pound2m gambling coup soon there‟s gonna be some real Einsteins running around Zambia - HPN

11

12

12

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

COVER STORY

MADNESS MARCHES INTO APRIL By Jeremy Plonk Horse Player NOW

Imagine a pick-up game in your driveway in which not only neighborhood kids showed up but buses of high-caliber players from all over the country dropped off ringer after ringer Sharp-shooters from Indiana hellip High-flyers from Los Angeles hellip Cross-over dribblers from Brooklyn who can break your knees with every drive to the hoop

If that sounds like even too much madness for March flip the calendar and just try handicapping the action at Keeneland Horse racing‟s madness happens every April and October in Lexington only fitting in the heart of the ldquobig blue nationrdquo

Keeneland‟s amazing display of confluence is unparalleled in American racing It‟s not

uncommon to see a race with six or seven different last-out prep locations among the field Add in the diversity that the Polytrack synthetic surface has created and you can find fields in which all 10 runners exit events on different footing hellip even if some came from the same prep locale

Comparing apples to apples rarely becomes applicable at Keeneland and thus provides the answer to why this meet can be so darned trying on the mind and in turn the wallet While media outlets

13

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

have taken it upon themselves to critique the Polytrack surface at every turn sometimes because it doesn‟t fit their proprietary agenda of selling speed figures the opinion here is that Keeneland‟s melting pot has much more to do with its level of difficulty than anything man-made including the oft-maligned Polytrack

Knowing the strength of races at Keeneland in Spring requires you understand the class of races held at Gulfstream Tampa Bay Downs Turfway Park Fair Grounds Oaklawn and sometimes as far west as Santa Anita It‟s fact 23 different last-prep locations were represented just by WINNERS at the 2013 Keeneland Spring Meet in 15 days of racing folks The Fall Meet even is more diverse Layoff horses are extremely common this time of year coming off winter breaks too You easily can see the challenges

The Polytrack adds another layer to the mental lasagna no doubt as

some horses handle it far better than others The greatest predictor of Poly success is a horse‟s previous record on the surface and when not present his pedigree But it can be argued that any 15-day meet with 23 different

last-prep locales among its winners would be tough sledding

With field sizes consistently in the mid-9s to mid-10s depending on class level the bulky fields at Keeneland are two-fold They further explain the diversity while simultaneously upping the level of difficulty for horseplayers to land on a winner Favorites

won 42 of 115 races on the Poly at the 2013 Spring Meet (365) after going 32 for 108 (296) in ‟12 Spring The average winner dropped from 65-1 to 58-1 year-to-year The inconsistent performance by the public rates a curious dynamic But last Spring‟s strike rate and average payoff show that the public can prove

Pay close attention

to the Track

Maintenance page at

Keenelandcom

Gallop-Master

harrows at 2 inches

are friendly to speed

3 inches neutral

4 inches deepen the

surface and give

closers their best

shot at success

14

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

have taken it upon themselves to critique the Polytrack surface at every turn sometimes because it doesn‟t fit their proprietary agenda of selling speed figures the opinion here is that Keeneland‟s melting pot has much more to do with its level of difficulty than anything man-made including the oft-maligned Polytrack

Knowing the strength of races at Keeneland in Spring requires you understand the class of races held at Gulfstream Tampa Bay Downs Turfway Park Fair Grounds Oaklawn and sometimes as far west as Santa Anita It‟s fact 23 different last-prep locations were represented just by WINNERS at the 2013 Keeneland Spring Meet in 15 days of racing folks The Fall Meet even is more diverse Layoff horses are extremely common this time of year coming off winter breaks too You easily can see the challenges

The Polytrack adds another layer to the mental lasagna no doubt as

some horses handle it far better than others The greatest predictor of Poly success is a horse‟s previous record on the surface and when not present his pedigree But it can be argued that any 15-day meet with 23 different

last-prep locales among its winners would be tough sledding

With field sizes consistently in the mid-9s to mid-10s depending on class level the bulky fields at Keeneland are two-fold They further explain the diversity while simultaneously upping the level of difficulty for horseplayers to land on a winner Favorites

won 42 of 115 races on the Poly at the 2013 Spring Meet (365) after going 32 for 108 (296) in ‟12 Spring The average winner dropped from 65-1 to 58-1 year-to-year The inconsistent performance by the public rates a curious dynamic But last Spring‟s strike rate and average payoff show that the public can prove

Pay close attention

to the Track

Maintenance page at

Keenelandcom

Gallop-Master

harrows at 2 inches

are friendly to speed

3 inches neutral

4 inches deepen the

surface and give

closers their best

shot at success

14

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

capable of the challenges Keeneland presents

Field size generally is a complaint ndash as in they are too small to be attractive to bettors Not at Keeneland The bdquo13 Spring saw an unfathomable 60 of 115 Polytrack

races boast fields of 10 or more Only 12 went to post with 6 or fewer starters

So what makes Keeneland such a two-fold dilemma I‟ll try to rank the factors from most important to somewhat less important

Why Keeneland Frustrates and Fascinates

1 Far-flung field diversityHorses from 25-30 different last-prep locales will come together

2 Brevity of meetWith 15 days findingcapitalizing on trends amp streaks is a different task

3 Slower paces than dirtEvaluating race shape is difficult when jockeys fear emptying the tank

4 Industry-best field sizesThere are few free bingo spaces amp short fields for multi-race bettors

5 Polytrack maintenanceweatherConsult website‟s maintenance page daily beware headwindstailwinds

6 Light local resumesMost get 1 start per meet so even a 5YO may only have 3-4 Kee starts

7 Layoff horses from winterParticularly in turf miles Kee is a favorite Spring return spot from break

8 All-star trainers amp jockeysWho‟s Who makes identifying who‟s live more homogenous

15

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

So whatrsquos a horseplayer to do

I‟ve handicapped Keeneland probably as seriously as anyone in the Polytrack era both for personal play and because of my association with the track

Keeneland came to me in 2008 and asked my opinion as a horseplayer as to what it would take to develop consumer confidence in the brave new world of synthetics My message then still remains openly provide information that‟s helpful to bettors I developed a database of every race run to that point and tried to look at winning patterns and trends and that initial research morphed into the online Polycapping database that has been free to the public ever since

What the Polycapping database provides is a snapshot of what is successful at Keeneland in almost any situation It really has nothing to do with Polytrack it could be called Keenelandcapping and be

equally effective By filtering the various columns of data you can find winning trends in sprints by trainer by class level by distance and more By gathering all the information together in one place it helps alleviate two of the most difficult factors outlined in the graphic diversity and brevity

Here are my Spring trends to watch all gleaned directly from that free Poly-capping database

Gulfstreampreppers win about one-third of all Kee Spring races on Polytrack and about one-half of all on turf

44 of 49 Springwins for Mike Maker

have come on Poly and two-thirds in routes

Favorites are 32-60 in the2yo baby races with 55-60showing a Kee work prior

Unheralded Indygo Shinersired 4 winners in 2013 onKee Poly (avg 21-1 odds) ndashthe same as Kitten‟s Joy

-HPN

Plonkrsquos Daily Kee blog link

16

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

So whatrsquos a horseplayer to do

I‟ve handicapped Keeneland probably as seriously as anyone in the Polytrack era both for personal play and because of my association with the track

Keeneland came to me in 2008 and asked my opinion as a horseplayer as to what it would take to develop consumer confidence in the brave new world of synthetics My message then still remains openly provide information that‟s helpful to bettors I developed a database of every race run to that point and tried to look at winning patterns and trends and that initial research morphed into the online Polycapping database that has been free to the public ever since

What the Polycapping database provides is a snapshot of what is successful at Keeneland in almost any situation It really has nothing to do with Polytrack it could be called Keenelandcapping and be

equally effective By filtering the various columns of data you can find winning trends in sprints by trainer by class level by distance and more By gathering all the information together in one place it helps alleviate two of the most difficult factors outlined in the graphic diversity and brevity

Here are my Spring trends to watch all gleaned directly from that free Poly-capping database

Gulfstreampreppers win about one-third of all Kee Spring races on Polytrack and about one-half of all on turf

44 of 49 Springwins for Mike Maker

have come on Poly and two-thirds in routes

Favorites are 32-60 in the2yo baby races with 55-60showing a Kee work prior

Unheralded Indygo Shinersired 4 winners in 2013 onKee Poly (avg 21-1 odds) ndashthe same as Kitten‟s Joy

-HPN

Plonkrsquos Daily Kee blog link

16

Chat live every Keeneland racing day with Horse Player NOW experts featuring Jeremy Plonk Sessions begin 30 minutes to post each racing day at Keenelandcom in the ldquoLive Racingrdquo section next to the video

17

18

18

Polytrack Sprints

Top Prime Power has an impact value of 239 but an ROI of -16 so no real edge in the straight pools But top Prime Power horses can often be singled with more confidence

More than best last-out Brisnet Speed Rating horses with the best two ratings from the last three starts perform wellmdash265 impact value on the top-ranked horse in this category with a +17 ROI

If just looking at the last-out Speed Rating a top figure by at least 7 points wins 55 of the time with a 45 ROI 7 points is also the magic number with Prime Power Top-ranked horses with at least a 7-point gap also win 55 of the time though the ROI is less robust at 2 ndash still not bad for a value single

Ed DeRosa ndash from the ALL-Ways Database

Turf Sprints

Early Speed crushes here with various early pace numbers (Brohamer Quirin Brisnet Pace rating) all with Impact Values more than 200 and ROIs more than 20

Turf Routes

Prime Power is good here for making sure you have top contenders covered The top four Primer Power horses have an Impact Value of 120 while 5th and lower is 5 Ideal tool for making sure you have a decent price(s) covered in a spread leg of a multi-race wager

HANDICAPPING HINTS

19

20

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industry‟s FREE national online fan education program

This month‟s topic of review

SPEED FIGURES

Since 2011 Night School has been teaching novice and expert handicappers alike in the finer points of playing the races Through live chats videos and radio simulcasts the best in the industry have shared their expertise free with horseplayers In each issue of Horse Player NOW Magazine we go ldquoBack to Night Schoolrdquo with a look at some of the high points of past lessons

ldquoSpeed Figuresrdquo has been an annual topic in Night School and has lured some of the game‟s premier creators and applicators of numbers In 2011 Dick Jerardi of the Beyer Associates Ed DeRosa of BRIS Jerry Brown of Thoro-Graph Len Friedman of Ragozin and AQHA‟s Jen Perkins shared their practices with speed and performance figures in a live chat

In 2012 Horse Player NOW‟s Jeremy Plonk hostedproduceda mini-documentary video with Andrew Beyer that was featured during the discussion of the figs Beyer returned to class in 2013

21

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industry‟s FREE national online fan education program

with an appearance on a radio simulcast discussion of the numbers where Dave Siegal of Trackmaster and Ed Burgart of Los Alamitos contributed perspective from the harness and AQHA worlds and their increased usage of speed figures

All Night School archives on the subject remain available free to read listen and view In this ldquoBack to Night Schoolrdquo edition we‟ll sample some of the best moments from the past three seasons as we have discussed ldquoSpeed Figuresrdquo

As said by Thoro-Graph‟s Jerry Brown to Night Schoolers ldquoHow many figure-makers does it take to change a light bulb One to do it and 20 to say bdquoI did it better‟rdquo

Do speedperformance figures stand on their own

Jerry Brown (Thoro-Graph) Nothing is a stand-alone not

even our figures We have a lot of ancillary info on the page about trainers and pedigree that helps with situational handicapping

Ed DeRosa (BRIS) Theyre best utilized when you dont

over-think them Most times the fastest horse really is the fastest horse 90 is better than 80 all of the time Obviously the nuances of handicapping amp the pari-mutuel system require further study but trust the fig if the price is right

What are the best ways to put the numbers to work

Len Friedman (Ragozin) If what youre talking about is

a horse who is just faster than all the others then there is not likely to be decent odds The plays today are based on patterns of numbers and timing hellip Lifetime patterns and development are the best opportunities to use speed figures to get a betting edge ndash the public can often figure outwho ran fastest last time

ldquoSpeed Figuresrdquo Archives

2011 Chat Roundtable link

2012 Video Andy Beyer - link

2013 Radio Roundtable - link

22

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industry‟s FREE national online fan education program

Dick Jerardi (Beyer Associates) Try to

determine which figure is likely to win todays race And then after looking at the race shape decide which horse is most likely to earn that figure

Jerry Brown (Thoro-Graph) Faster TODAY is always

better The key to using figures is to recognize they tell you what happened in the past Accurate

figures both enable you to compare one horse to another and to himself ndash to look at his form cycle to figure out how he will run today

Inside the Numbers

Ed DeRosa (BRIS) The BRIS Speed Rating relies

most heavily on raw times and variant We do not account for ground loss trouble weight wind or run-up We also make very few adjustments Maybe one in 250-500 races gets adjusted amp thats after heavy peer review

Jen Perkins (AQHA) Comparing the traditional

speed index to today‟s Q speed figures A speed index does not take weather or track condition

into account unfortunately You also cant directly compare speed index numbers from different tracks as you can with today‟s AQHA speed figures

Len Friedman (Ragozin)

Patterns have two aspects

First is the evaluation of what

direction the horse is going in

general and second is how to

evaluate the immediate pattern ndash

that is deciding if today is the day

the horse figures to run one of its

better efforts or if its recent effort

figures to set it back in the short

run hellip I can remember from the

sixties the reaction of surprise

when I would say that the reason

to play against a horse is because

it ran too fast last time The idea of

handicapping each horse against

itself is the biggest theoretical

contribution to handicapping I

think from the SHEETS

Jerry Brown (Thoro-Graph) In the end all variants are based on the

figure histories of the horses one way or another -HPN

23

COMING THIS MONTH IN NIGHT SCHOOL TUESDAYS 830 PM ET

CLICK FOR MORE Visit Horseplayernowcom for the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

APRIL 1 TURF amp SYNTHETIC

HANDICAPPING

Learn winning angles and approaches for

playing racingrsquos ldquosecondrdquo surfaces from the experts

APRIL 8 PSYCHOLOGY

OF HORSEPLAYERS

Out-thinking yourself Need a slump-buster Riding a big-time high

Top players share whatrsquos on their mind

APRIL 15 MONEY

MANAGEMENT

Picking the right horse is half the battle The experts teach how to

make your money talk

APRIL 22 EVALUATING WORKOUTS

Renowned pro clockers give their

insight into morning training

amp what to look for

APRIL 29 KENTUCKY DERBY HANDICAPPING

Live chat with top handicappers as we dig

deep into the Derby amp Oaks Day cards

24

COMING THIS MONTH IN NIGHT SCHOOL TUESDAYS 830 PM ET

CLICK FOR MORE Visit Horseplayernowcom for the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

APRIL 1 TURF amp SYNTHETIC

HANDICAPPING

Learn winning angles and approaches for

playing racingrsquos ldquosecondrdquo surfaces from the experts

APRIL 8 PSYCHOLOGY

OF HORSEPLAYERS

Out-thinking yourself Need a slump-buster Riding a big-time high

Top players share whatrsquos on their mind

APRIL 15 MONEY

MANAGEMENT

Picking the right horse is half the battle The experts teach how to

make your money talk

APRIL 22 EVALUATING WORKOUTS

Renowned pro clockers give their

insight into morning training

amp what to look for

APRIL 29 KENTUCKY DERBY HANDICAPPING

Live chat with top handicappers as we dig

deep into the Derby amp Oaks Day cards

24

Get your Win bets back if the Wood winner wins the Kentucky DerbyPlay the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes for a chance to get all of your Win bets

refunded on the race if the Wood winner goes on to win the Kentucky Derby Wager as

much as you want to Win on the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday

April 5 at TwinSpirescom If the Wood winner goes on to capture the Kentucky Derby

on Saturday May 3 at Churchill Downs TwinSpirescom will refund all

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Visit TwinSpirescom to learn more sign up and play

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See wwwTwinSpirescom for promotion details New TwinSpirescom customers only $100 Promotion requires activating EZmoney which allows for electronic transfer of funds to and from your bank account Persons under 18 (or 21 in certain jurisdictions) are not allowed to open or have access to accounts Only available to customers who reside in a jurisdiction where the TwinSpirescom wagering system is available Void where prohibited Always wager responsibly National Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700

25

Pose your questions each week in Night School ndash or by emailing askcatonhorseplayernowcom

Each issue wersquoll take your questions for Caton Bredar Horse Player NOW analyst Night School co-host and noted reporter for HRTV

HOW DID YOU GET

INTO HORSE RACING Having worked in the racing public eye so to speak for nearly the past 25 years I get asked a lot of questions Fortunately I love to talk with racing fans as much as I love horses and racing By far and away the most common question Im asked is how I got into the sport and I wish I had something more elaborate but I was essentially born into horse racing ndash Thoroughbred as well as Standardbred At the time I was born my father Ray Metzler was training a few horses at the Chicago area tracks and his new wife Cathie Atkinson Metzler was the daughter of Hall of Fame jockey-turned-senior state steward Ted Atkinson (aka The Slasher) and also the daughter of Martha Shank Atkinson whose family was deeply involved in

harness racing My grandmothers father built and ran several racetracks in Ohio and her mother was from a prominent harness racing family in Russia and the US Along the same lines the second-most frequently asked question is where my name comes from that prominent racing family was the Caton family hence the name By the time I was three my Dad was working as Farm Manager for the largest racing and breeding farm in Illinois Rogers Red Top Farm in Libertyville and later he operated one of the largest horse transport companies in the Midwest Carey Horse Vans

26

Pose your questions each week in Night School ndash or by emailing askcatonhorseplayernowcom

I grew up around the farm and track rode in the van with my Dad and spent any free time I had around horses so you could say I was bred top and bottom to be in horse racing Although the genes dont always mean everything ndash my sister is a high school math teacher (She loves racing too)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SYNTHETIC TRACKS

AND SHOULD PREP RACES RUN ON SYTHETICS COUNT

FOR POINTS FOR THE DERBY

This question is particularly timely with the Spiral at Turfway Park just having run and the Blue Grass at Keeneland coming up First of all while I think the jury is still out on synthetic tracks early studies and analysis suggest they reduce the incidence of catastrophic injuries in horses If that holds true over time then Im a fan

So far as handicapping the surface I think the two important things to keep in mind are not all synthetic surfaces are the same Polytrack plays differently than Tapeta which plays differently

than Pro-Ride and so on Having ridden (not in races but astride a lead pony) over various synthetic tracks I can attest to the differences from consistency to temperature to buoyancy

The second important thing to remember is that handicapping a synthetic track is no different from handicapping a turf course or traditional dirt track Handicap the pace the competition and the likelihood a horse will handle the particular surface circumstance Dont assume just because the horse is bred to handle turf he will handle synthetic While thats sometimes the case just as many horses bred for the dirt handle synthetic as well

Consult lists of sires that have so far thrown a high percentage of synthetic runners and then handicap just like you would any other racetrack

As far as synthetic stakes races as Derby preps I would first admit Im not a fan of the point system as it currently exists and believe the original graded stakes earnings as a means of preference

27

Pose your questions each week in Night School ndash or by emailing askcatonhorseplayernowcom

for the Kentucky Derby was a more equitable and logical system

That being said both the Spiral and Blue Grass would be key prep races under either system ndash and rightfully so Historically and today those races have been important three-year-old stakes races producing horses who have won or competed favorably in the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown races ie Street Sense below

Even since the advent of synthetic tracks both races have produced Kentucky Derby winners and statistically compare favorably with most other graded 3-year-old stakes

As long as both races are graded and continue to offer large enough purses to lure top contenders I think each has a rightful place as an important race on the road to the Run for the Roses

28

MORE WITH OUR TEAM

Watch our Pimlico Weekend Previews during key stakes dates leading up to the Preakness Videos will be posted this month for racing April 5 19 and 26 Then join us in the Preakness infield

The Countdown to the Queenrsquos Plate weekly scouting report debuts this month ndash accompanying Jeremy Plonkrsquos ninth season of Countdown to the Crown every Friday Follow it through July 6 when HP NOW will be on-hand teaching the fans

Check out Night School co-host Steve Bykrsquos superlative daily magazine show for the newsnewsmakers Horse Player NOWrsquos Jeremy Plonk joins At The Races every Tuesday during the Night School season to preview the eveningrsquos lesson

Capitol OTB handicapper Seth Merrow founder of Equidailycom interviews HPNrsquos Brian Nadeau and Jeremy Plonk during regular weekly visits to this upstate New York and web-streamed telecast

Catch Night School co-host and HPN handicapper Caton Bredar as she covers the action coast-to-coast for HRTV

29

Pose your questions each week in Night School ndash or by emailing askcatonhorseplayernowcom

I grew up around the farm and track rode in the van with my Dad and spent any free time I had around horses so you could say I was bred top and bottom to be in horse racing Although the genes dont always mean everything ndash my sister is a high school math teacher (She loves racing too)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SYNTHETIC TRACKS

AND SHOULD PREP RACES RUN ON SYTHETICS COUNT

FOR POINTS FOR THE DERBY

This question is particularly timely with the Spiral at Turfway Park just having run and the Blue Grass at Keeneland coming up First of all while I think the jury is still out on synthetic tracks early studies and analysis suggest they reduce the incidence of catastrophic injuries in horses If that holds true over time then Im a fan

So far as handicapping the surface I think the two important things to keep in mind are not all synthetic surfaces are the same Polytrack plays differently than Tapeta which plays differently

than Pro-Ride and so on Having ridden (not in races but astride a lead pony) over various synthetic tracks I can attest to the differences from consistency to temperature to buoyancy

The second important thing to remember is that handicapping a synthetic track is no different from handicapping a turf course or traditional dirt track Handicap the pace the competition and the likelihood a horse will handle the particular surface circumstance Dont assume just because the horse is bred to handle turf he will handle synthetic While thats sometimes the case just as many horses bred for the dirt handle synthetic as well

Consult lists of sires that have so far thrown a high percentage of synthetic runners and then handicap just like you would any other racetrack

As far as synthetic stakes races as Derby preps I would first admit Im not a fan of the point system as it currently exists and believe the original graded stakes earnings as a means of preference

27

Pose your questions each week in Night School ndash or by emailing askcatonhorseplayernowcom

for the Kentucky Derby was a more equitable and logical system

That being said both the Spiral and Blue Grass would be key prep races under either system ndash and rightfully so Historically and today those races have been important three-year-old stakes races producing horses who have won or competed favorably in the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown races ie Street Sense below

Even since the advent of synthetic tracks both races have produced Kentucky Derby winners and statistically compare favorably with most other graded 3-year-old stakes

As long as both races are graded and continue to offer large enough purses to lure top contenders I think each has a rightful place as an important race on the road to the Run for the Roses

28

MORE WITH OUR TEAM

Watch our Pimlico Weekend Previews during key stakes dates leading up to the Preakness Videos will be posted this month for racing April 5 19 and 26 Then join us in the Preakness infield

The Countdown to the Queenrsquos Plate weekly scouting report debuts this month ndash accompanying Jeremy Plonkrsquos ninth season of Countdown to the Crown every Friday Follow it through July 6 when HP NOW will be on-hand teaching the fans

Check out Night School co-host Steve Bykrsquos superlative daily magazine show for the newsnewsmakers Horse Player NOWrsquos Jeremy Plonk joins At The Races every Tuesday during the Night School season to preview the eveningrsquos lesson

Capitol OTB handicapper Seth Merrow founder of Equidailycom interviews HPNrsquos Brian Nadeau and Jeremy Plonk during regular weekly visits to this upstate New York and web-streamed telecast

Catch Night School co-host and HPN handicapper Caton Bredar as she covers the action coast-to-coast for HRTV

29

Pose your questions each week in Night School ndash or by emailing askcatonhorseplayernowcom

for the Kentucky Derby was a more equitable and logical system

That being said both the Spiral and Blue Grass would be key prep races under either system ndash and rightfully so Historically and today those races have been important three-year-old stakes races producing horses who have won or competed favorably in the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown races ie Street Sense below

Even since the advent of synthetic tracks both races have produced Kentucky Derby winners and statistically compare favorably with most other graded 3-year-old stakes

As long as both races are graded and continue to offer large enough purses to lure top contenders I think each has a rightful place as an important race on the road to the Run for the Roses

28

MORE WITH OUR TEAM

Watch our Pimlico Weekend Previews during key stakes dates leading up to the Preakness Videos will be posted this month for racing April 5 19 and 26 Then join us in the Preakness infield

The Countdown to the Queenrsquos Plate weekly scouting report debuts this month ndash accompanying Jeremy Plonkrsquos ninth season of Countdown to the Crown every Friday Follow it through July 6 when HP NOW will be on-hand teaching the fans

Check out Night School co-host Steve Bykrsquos superlative daily magazine show for the newsnewsmakers Horse Player NOWrsquos Jeremy Plonk joins At The Races every Tuesday during the Night School season to preview the eveningrsquos lesson

Capitol OTB handicapper Seth Merrow founder of Equidailycom interviews HPNrsquos Brian Nadeau and Jeremy Plonk during regular weekly visits to this upstate New York and web-streamed telecast

Catch Night School co-host and HPN handicapper Caton Bredar as she covers the action coast-to-coast for HRTV

29

MORE WITH OUR TEAM

Watch our Pimlico Weekend Previews during key stakes dates leading up to the Preakness Videos will be posted this month for racing April 5 19 and 26 Then join us in the Preakness infield

The Countdown to the Queenrsquos Plate weekly scouting report debuts this month ndash accompanying Jeremy Plonkrsquos ninth season of Countdown to the Crown every Friday Follow it through July 6 when HP NOW will be on-hand teaching the fans

Check out Night School co-host Steve Bykrsquos superlative daily magazine show for the newsnewsmakers Horse Player NOWrsquos Jeremy Plonk joins At The Races every Tuesday during the Night School season to preview the eveningrsquos lesson

Capitol OTB handicapper Seth Merrow founder of Equidailycom interviews HPNrsquos Brian Nadeau and Jeremy Plonk during regular weekly visits to this upstate New York and web-streamed telecast

Catch Night School co-host and HPN handicapper Caton Bredar as she covers the action coast-to-coast for HRTV

29

Uncle Morsquos Breedersrsquo Cup win secured a

spot in the Kentucky Derby gate so why

take a horse like that at 1-9 odds in the 2011

Wood Memorial with little to gain ndash Photos By Z

ldquoTrainer Intentrdquo How to Profit

from Final Round of Derby Preps

By Brian Nadeau

As the daysmdashand the prep racesmdash

to the 140th Kentucky Derby wind

down handicappers are beginning

the sorting-out process as to which

3-year-olds they fancy hellip and

which ones they plan on playing

against

Often opinions are formed before

the final round of important preps

and then either reinforced or

knocked down depending on how

your fancied 3-year-old fared in his

final start before the Run for the

Roses

One of the most misunderstood

parts of handicapping the 3YO

ranks is just how to attack those

final preps and how to interpret

their results They require thinking

in the present while also keeping

an eye on the future as the

balance between squeezing the

lemon dry and leaving some juice

for Louisville is a tricky one

30

But above all else the final round

of preps offer the most important

thing a bottom-line handicapper

really cares about ndash the chance to

make a big score That is if you

are looking in the right places

First Things First

Clearly the final round of preps will

bring together most of the best 3-

year-olds in training These races

offer the most

qualifying points

for the Kentucky

Derby (the points

breakdown is

100-40-20-10) the most money

and the most prestige But before

you look over the PPs and get into

who looks good and who doesnrsquot

stop and do something first pull

up the current Derby qualifying

points standings (LINK)

The points system is the entire

basis of our subject The race for

points (or money as it was just

two years ago) is what makes up

the starting gate for the Derby

The more points you have the

better chance of getting into the

big race So before getting into

the nuts and bolts of each final-

round prep race resist the

temptation of who is running and

first examine the points list

Deciphering What it All Means

Now that you have the list of

points you can begin to sort

through the contenders in the prep

races and how they stack up with

each other on the list Herersquos

where you will actually need to

handicap the

points race and

try and figure out

just how many

points it will take

to make the Derby field

I slot them in three categories

1 Already in

2 Close

3 Need a Career Best

―Already in means a horse already

has earned enough qualifying

points to make the Derby What

that number is remains to be seen

(again this is something yoursquoll

need to handicap to get an idea

of) but somewhere in the 30-point

range safely will suffice ―Close

would be a horse who has earned

a good chunk of points this year

Final Round Derby Preps

March 29 ndash La Derby Fla Derby

April 5 ndash SA Derby Wood

April 12 ndash Blue Grass Ark Derby

Qualifying points 100-40-20-10

31

But above all else the final round

of preps offer the most important

thing a bottom-line handicapper

really cares about ndash the chance to

make a big score That is if you

are looking in the right places

First Things First

Clearly the final round of preps will

bring together most of the best 3-

year-olds in training These races

offer the most

qualifying points

for the Kentucky

Derby (the points

breakdown is

100-40-20-10) the most money

and the most prestige But before

you look over the PPs and get into

who looks good and who doesnrsquot

stop and do something first pull

up the current Derby qualifying

points standings (LINK)

The points system is the entire

basis of our subject The race for

points (or money as it was just

two years ago) is what makes up

the starting gate for the Derby

The more points you have the

better chance of getting into the

big race So before getting into

the nuts and bolts of each final-

round prep race resist the

temptation of who is running and

first examine the points list

Deciphering What it All Means

Now that you have the list of

points you can begin to sort

through the contenders in the prep

races and how they stack up with

each other on the list Herersquos

where you will actually need to

handicap the

points race and

try and figure out

just how many

points it will take

to make the Derby field

I slot them in three categories

1 Already in

2 Close

3 Need a Career Best

―Already in means a horse already

has earned enough qualifying

points to make the Derby What

that number is remains to be seen

(again this is something yoursquoll

need to handicap to get an idea

of) but somewhere in the 30-point

range safely will suffice ―Close

would be a horse who has earned

a good chunk of points this year

Final Round Derby Preps

March 29 ndash La Derby Fla Derby

April 5 ndash SA Derby Wood

April 12 ndash Blue Grass Ark Derby

Qualifying points 100-40-20-10

31

and needs nothing more than a

solid finish and a handful of points

in his final prep to make the Derby

in the 20-point range ―Needs a

Career Best is a horse with few if

any points and likely needs a 1-2

finish to crack the Derby lineup

Again this isnrsquot an exact science

but it is absolutely pivotal before

proceeding ndash and the entire basis

of what wersquore looking for

How to Apply What You Find

Once you have a good idea of what

it will take to get into the Derby

and each horsersquos current points

situation you can scroll the

contenders of each race and assign

them to their respective categories

Basically anyone who has won a

March prep race will be ―Already

in with 50 points Anyone who

hasnrsquot or maybe is a late bloomer

is going to fall into the ―Close or

―Needs a Career Best slot

Far too often we look at the

favorite in the preps and think

―Theyrsquore the best horse one of the

top Derby contenders so therersquos

no reason to think they wonrsquot win

or be right there in their last start

prior to Kentucky

On the face of it thatrsquos sound

thinking Why wouldnrsquot the best

horse win or run second After all

hersquos done it all winter long right

Think back to the aforementioned

lemon If you train a top 3-year-

old the last thing you want to do is

―gut him in a prep race when the

Derby is three to five weeks away

especially if your horse is an

―Already in or a ―Close

Starting to see the line of thinking

Handicapping often rewards the

contrarian ndash the one who zigs

when others zag ndash and nothing is

more contrarian than trying to beat

the best horse(s) in a race after

they have proven their worth

But when the top horses arenrsquot

quite cranked and just want a

good solid race before the Derby

they become susceptible to the

modest ones who have the screws

as tight as they can be turned ndash

and whose trainers will worry

about Louisville when and if they

get there

32

Looking Back in Time

The past 20 years or so have

brought out some prime examples

of both sides of the coin Back in

the money era when earnings

determined who made the Derby a

trio of examples comes to mind

First letrsquos look back at the 1999

Blue Grass when an under-the-

radar colt named Menifee (above)stormed from the back of the pack

to beat Cat Thief Vicar Lemon

Drop Kid and Wondertross

amongst others Menifee with just

a second in the Tampa Bay Derby

to his credit had only $30000 in

graded stakes earnings to that

point and desperately needed a

top finish to make the Derby

Conversely Cat Thief Vicar

Lemon Drop Kid and Wondertross

all stakes veterans with plenty of

earnings accrued were assured

starting spots in the Derby If you

correctly surmised that Menifee

needed a career-best effort while

the others could afford to use the

Blue Grass as the prep that it was

then you got paid to the tune of

$1740 while the aforementioned

chased at 5-1 5-2 4-1 and 9-5

The 2001 Wood provided a perfect

example of ―Who is trying to win

today and who is trying to get

33

ready for the Derby Itrsquos an angle

that can not only pay dividends in

the present but also in the future

(ie the Derby) The race brought

together Monarchos who simply

devastated his foes in the Florida

Derby and the rapidly improving

but untested Congaree The

former banked $600000 from his

Florida Derby win and already was

considered one of the

favorites in Louisville

The latter had yet to

run in a graded stakes

and likely needed to

win the Wood to even

make the Derby

The 2001 Wood

results offered the perfect storm as

Congaree upset Monarchos but

those who kept the faith and knew

the big gray was simply prepping in

the Wood werenrsquot discouraged by

his runner-up They got $23 on the

win end when Monarchos won the

Derby three weeks later

Arguably the greatest bet-against

example came just three years ago

in the 2011 Wood when Uncle Mo

the champion 2-year-old entered

the starting gate at 1-9 in a nine-

horse field Not only did Uncle Mo

have enough earnings to make the

Derby but he had also started only

once on the year and had battled

all sorts of ailments throughout the

winter As weak as the Wood

looked and as imposing as Uncle

Mo looked it was presumptuous to

think he was anywhere close to

ready to deliver a peak run Uncle

Mo chased home a

Tobyrsquos Corner-Arthurrsquos

Tale $158 exacta

The earnings

requirement changed

to points last year but

the story remained

much the same

Oxbow who entered the Arkansas

Derby on the ―Already in bubble

used the race to change tactics and

try to settle and make a run

Oxbow didnrsquot fire when a

disappointing fifth at 3-1 When

the chips were down in the Derby

and Preakness D Wayne Lukas

did not experiment with Oxbow

There he put him back in his front-

running comfort zone and Oxbow

rewarded anyone who kept the

faith ndash when he stole away with

the Preakness at 15-1 odds ndash HPN

Monarchos and Oxbow

didnrsquot need their final

preps as much as others ndash

but rewarded their

supporters with Derby

amp Preakness scores

34

Get your Win bets back if the Wood winner wins the Kentucky DerbyPlay the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes for a chance to get all of your Win bets

refunded on the race if the Wood winner goes on to win the Kentucky Derby Wager as

much as you want to Win on the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday

April 5 at TwinSpirescom If the Wood winner goes on to capture the Kentucky Derby

on Saturday May 3 at Churchill Downs TwinSpirescom will refund all

Win bets from the Wood Memorial Stakes

Visit TwinSpirescom to learn more sign up and play

Sign up today and get a $100 bonus

See wwwTwinSpirescom for promotion details New TwinSpirescom customers only $100 Promotion requires activating EZmoney which allows for electronic transfer of funds to and from your bank account Persons under 18 (or 21 in certain jurisdictions) are not allowed to open or have access to accounts Only available to customers who reside in a jurisdiction where the TwinSpirescom wagering system is available Void where prohibited Always wager responsibly National Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700

35

Looking Back in Time

The past 20 years or so have

brought out some prime examples

of both sides of the coin Back in

the money era when earnings

determined who made the Derby a

trio of examples comes to mind

First letrsquos look back at the 1999

Blue Grass when an under-the-

radar colt named Menifee (above)stormed from the back of the pack

to beat Cat Thief Vicar Lemon

Drop Kid and Wondertross

amongst others Menifee with just

a second in the Tampa Bay Derby

to his credit had only $30000 in

graded stakes earnings to that

point and desperately needed a

top finish to make the Derby

Conversely Cat Thief Vicar

Lemon Drop Kid and Wondertross

all stakes veterans with plenty of

earnings accrued were assured

starting spots in the Derby If you

correctly surmised that Menifee

needed a career-best effort while

the others could afford to use the

Blue Grass as the prep that it was

then you got paid to the tune of

$1740 while the aforementioned

chased at 5-1 5-2 4-1 and 9-5

The 2001 Wood provided a perfect

example of ―Who is trying to win

today and who is trying to get

33

ready for the Derby Itrsquos an angle

that can not only pay dividends in

the present but also in the future

(ie the Derby) The race brought

together Monarchos who simply

devastated his foes in the Florida

Derby and the rapidly improving

but untested Congaree The

former banked $600000 from his

Florida Derby win and already was

considered one of the

favorites in Louisville

The latter had yet to

run in a graded stakes

and likely needed to

win the Wood to even

make the Derby

The 2001 Wood

results offered the perfect storm as

Congaree upset Monarchos but

those who kept the faith and knew

the big gray was simply prepping in

the Wood werenrsquot discouraged by

his runner-up They got $23 on the

win end when Monarchos won the

Derby three weeks later

Arguably the greatest bet-against

example came just three years ago

in the 2011 Wood when Uncle Mo

the champion 2-year-old entered

the starting gate at 1-9 in a nine-

horse field Not only did Uncle Mo

have enough earnings to make the

Derby but he had also started only

once on the year and had battled

all sorts of ailments throughout the

winter As weak as the Wood

looked and as imposing as Uncle

Mo looked it was presumptuous to

think he was anywhere close to

ready to deliver a peak run Uncle

Mo chased home a

Tobyrsquos Corner-Arthurrsquos

Tale $158 exacta

The earnings

requirement changed

to points last year but

the story remained

much the same

Oxbow who entered the Arkansas

Derby on the ―Already in bubble

used the race to change tactics and

try to settle and make a run

Oxbow didnrsquot fire when a

disappointing fifth at 3-1 When

the chips were down in the Derby

and Preakness D Wayne Lukas

did not experiment with Oxbow

There he put him back in his front-

running comfort zone and Oxbow

rewarded anyone who kept the

faith ndash when he stole away with

the Preakness at 15-1 odds ndash HPN

Monarchos and Oxbow

didnrsquot need their final

preps as much as others ndash

but rewarded their

supporters with Derby

amp Preakness scores

34

Get your Win bets back if the Wood winner wins the Kentucky DerbyPlay the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes for a chance to get all of your Win bets

refunded on the race if the Wood winner goes on to win the Kentucky Derby Wager as

much as you want to Win on the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday

April 5 at TwinSpirescom If the Wood winner goes on to capture the Kentucky Derby

on Saturday May 3 at Churchill Downs TwinSpirescom will refund all

Win bets from the Wood Memorial Stakes

Visit TwinSpirescom to learn more sign up and play

Sign up today and get a $100 bonus

See wwwTwinSpirescom for promotion details New TwinSpirescom customers only $100 Promotion requires activating EZmoney which allows for electronic transfer of funds to and from your bank account Persons under 18 (or 21 in certain jurisdictions) are not allowed to open or have access to accounts Only available to customers who reside in a jurisdiction where the TwinSpirescom wagering system is available Void where prohibited Always wager responsibly National Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700

35

ready for the Derby Itrsquos an angle

that can not only pay dividends in

the present but also in the future

(ie the Derby) The race brought

together Monarchos who simply

devastated his foes in the Florida

Derby and the rapidly improving

but untested Congaree The

former banked $600000 from his

Florida Derby win and already was

considered one of the

favorites in Louisville

The latter had yet to

run in a graded stakes

and likely needed to

win the Wood to even

make the Derby

The 2001 Wood

results offered the perfect storm as

Congaree upset Monarchos but

those who kept the faith and knew

the big gray was simply prepping in

the Wood werenrsquot discouraged by

his runner-up They got $23 on the

win end when Monarchos won the

Derby three weeks later

Arguably the greatest bet-against

example came just three years ago

in the 2011 Wood when Uncle Mo

the champion 2-year-old entered

the starting gate at 1-9 in a nine-

horse field Not only did Uncle Mo

have enough earnings to make the

Derby but he had also started only

once on the year and had battled

all sorts of ailments throughout the

winter As weak as the Wood

looked and as imposing as Uncle

Mo looked it was presumptuous to

think he was anywhere close to

ready to deliver a peak run Uncle

Mo chased home a

Tobyrsquos Corner-Arthurrsquos

Tale $158 exacta

The earnings

requirement changed

to points last year but

the story remained

much the same

Oxbow who entered the Arkansas

Derby on the ―Already in bubble

used the race to change tactics and

try to settle and make a run

Oxbow didnrsquot fire when a

disappointing fifth at 3-1 When

the chips were down in the Derby

and Preakness D Wayne Lukas

did not experiment with Oxbow

There he put him back in his front-

running comfort zone and Oxbow

rewarded anyone who kept the

faith ndash when he stole away with

the Preakness at 15-1 odds ndash HPN

Monarchos and Oxbow

didnrsquot need their final

preps as much as others ndash

but rewarded their

supporters with Derby

amp Preakness scores

34

Get your Win bets back if the Wood winner wins the Kentucky DerbyPlay the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes for a chance to get all of your Win bets

refunded on the race if the Wood winner goes on to win the Kentucky Derby Wager as

much as you want to Win on the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday

April 5 at TwinSpirescom If the Wood winner goes on to capture the Kentucky Derby

on Saturday May 3 at Churchill Downs TwinSpirescom will refund all

Win bets from the Wood Memorial Stakes

Visit TwinSpirescom to learn more sign up and play

Sign up today and get a $100 bonus

See wwwTwinSpirescom for promotion details New TwinSpirescom customers only $100 Promotion requires activating EZmoney which allows for electronic transfer of funds to and from your bank account Persons under 18 (or 21 in certain jurisdictions) are not allowed to open or have access to accounts Only available to customers who reside in a jurisdiction where the TwinSpirescom wagering system is available Void where prohibited Always wager responsibly National Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700

35

Get your Win bets back if the Wood winner wins the Kentucky DerbyPlay the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes for a chance to get all of your Win bets

refunded on the race if the Wood winner goes on to win the Kentucky Derby Wager as

much as you want to Win on the TwinSpirescom Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday

April 5 at TwinSpirescom If the Wood winner goes on to capture the Kentucky Derby

on Saturday May 3 at Churchill Downs TwinSpirescom will refund all

Win bets from the Wood Memorial Stakes

Visit TwinSpirescom to learn more sign up and play

Sign up today and get a $100 bonus

See wwwTwinSpirescom for promotion details New TwinSpirescom customers only $100 Promotion requires activating EZmoney which allows for electronic transfer of funds to and from your bank account Persons under 18 (or 21 in certain jurisdictions) are not allowed to open or have access to accounts Only available to customers who reside in a jurisdiction where the TwinSpirescom wagering system is available Void where prohibited Always wager responsibly National Gambling Helpline 1-800-522-4700

35

By the time mid-April rolls around the list of Triple Crown hopefuls has dwindled from a couple hundred to a couple dozen

Itrsquos go time Time to get real Time to seek out a winner

But even this time can be too soon to etch a name in stone

If you are of the school that says a horse is only as good as his last race you will settle on the favorite in the Kentucky Derby and chances are you will be disappointed

In my 35 years of public handicapping Irsquove brought home some good ones And like you Irsquove suffered more times than not in the Run for the Roses

To forgive is divine English poet Alexander Pope may have applied that to horse racing in the old country We need to apply it today

When yoursquore completely unemotional write a horse off for any little reason and take the latest hot-shot winner you line up with much of the world on the first Saturday in May You will have the chalk

On many prep occasions you can get more out of a loss than awin Two personal triumphs of

yesteryear are prime examples

Thunder Gulch probably rates as one of the great overlays in racing and it was simply because he disappointed as the favorite in his

Thunder Gulch remains relevant today not only at stud but as a reminder for players to forgive

36

last prep The Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland that year remains as one of the great anomalies Back in 1995 when Keenelandrsquos strip was of the conventional variety speed held like crazy And when fractions were slow it just made it that much more difficult to pass Wild Syn was 30-1 in the field of six Randy Romero was up and the outsider went the opening quarter in 2437 and followed with fractions of 4910 and 11334 It was of little surprise he held on for the 1 18 miles in 14931

Meanwhile Thunder Gulch seemingly tossed himself to near the back of the pack on the Derby contention list It was a fourth-place finish that was agonizing to those who made him the heavy favorite Many bailed some of us stayed and rejoiced

Thunder Gulchrsquos rider Pat Day opted for uncoupled stablemate Timber Country Thunder Gulch gained Gary Stevens

The riding performance in the Derby was masterful Despite the 16 post in the field of 19 Thunder Gulch and Stevens had perfect

position into the first turn The fractions in front of him were a universe away from those set in the Blue Grass The timer read 2257 4589 and 11033 for the opening six furlongs Serenarsquos Song and oh yes Wild Syn were sauteacuteed under the pressure ndash most would under those circumstances

Thunder Gulch ground down his competition He readily took the lead in the stretch and won going away for a win that rewarded his faithful with a $51 mutuel

Unbridledrsquos Kentucky Derbywin in 1990wasnrsquot as large of a monetary success but it

wasnrsquot far off And for the same reason ndash a loss in the Blue Grass

Unbridled wasnrsquot favored in the Blue Grass after a win in the Florida Derby That role belonged to Summer Squall and the public was correct that day However Unbridled lost a lot of support in that defeat and went off at nearly 11-1 in the Derby With Craig Perret urging he wrested command late and was an easy 3 12-length winner

THUNDER GULCH rsquo95 trail

Fountain of Youth 1st 9-2

Florida Derby 1st 2-1

Blue Grass 4th 6-5

Kentucky Derby 1st 24-1

37

Those who stuck with him were rewarded with $2360 Glad to report I was loyal

Funny Cide isnrsquot in my personal Kentucky Derby ticket portfolio but his supporters too were richly rewarded in 2003 for standing pat despite a loss While all eyes were on Empire Maker winning the Wood Memorial as the 1-2 favorite Funny Cide finished willingly on the inside as Empire Maker claimed the narrow win Yet Funny Cide was dismissed by most and paid $2760 in Louisville

Paying It Forward

Trips track conditions and pace are prime considerations when it comes to attachments to particular horses It rarely pays to blindly follow a horse each time It helps to have a reason For another month handicappers will peruse the preps and take their shots They will decide their loyalties

Key preps remain in April and the recently run Florida Derby begs some historical reminder

Among my key horses to look for are Tapiture (at Oaklawn) as well as General a Rod and Cairo Prince (from the Florida Derby)

Tapiture narrowly lost to Hoppertunity in the Rebel but had an excuse Whether it was his own fault or that of another the fact remains he lost his rear action and was nearly knocked sideways in the run to the wire The Arkansas Derby is up next for him

The Florida Derby ndash as history has shown ndash can be enigmatic In retrospect Constitution got a dream trip and did not reject it But if you had Cairo Prince or General a Rod you want another shot at it

Cairo Princersquos running style is probably more conducive to a track that doesnrsquot cater to speed and General a Rod was pushed along to keep up with the pace A chance at a more relaxing trip might be waiting for him in the Derby with others finally doing the dirty work

Itrsquos disappointing to tear up a ticket But it never hurts to take a good look before you leap from a bandwagon Whatever you capture mentally out of a particular race ndash often concentrating on the losers more than the winners ndash can take you to the pari-mutuel promised land on the first Saturday in May

- HPN

38

39

last prep The Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland that year remains as one of the great anomalies Back in 1995 when Keenelandrsquos strip was of the conventional variety speed held like crazy And when fractions were slow it just made it that much more difficult to pass Wild Syn was 30-1 in the field of six Randy Romero was up and the outsider went the opening quarter in 2437 and followed with fractions of 4910 and 11334 It was of little surprise he held on for the 1 18 miles in 14931

Meanwhile Thunder Gulch seemingly tossed himself to near the back of the pack on the Derby contention list It was a fourth-place finish that was agonizing to those who made him the heavy favorite Many bailed some of us stayed and rejoiced

Thunder Gulchrsquos rider Pat Day opted for uncoupled stablemate Timber Country Thunder Gulch gained Gary Stevens

The riding performance in the Derby was masterful Despite the 16 post in the field of 19 Thunder Gulch and Stevens had perfect

position into the first turn The fractions in front of him were a universe away from those set in the Blue Grass The timer read 2257 4589 and 11033 for the opening six furlongs Serenarsquos Song and oh yes Wild Syn were sauteacuteed under the pressure ndash most would under those circumstances

Thunder Gulch ground down his competition He readily took the lead in the stretch and won going away for a win that rewarded his faithful with a $51 mutuel

Unbridledrsquos Kentucky Derbywin in 1990wasnrsquot as large of a monetary success but it

wasnrsquot far off And for the same reason ndash a loss in the Blue Grass

Unbridled wasnrsquot favored in the Blue Grass after a win in the Florida Derby That role belonged to Summer Squall and the public was correct that day However Unbridled lost a lot of support in that defeat and went off at nearly 11-1 in the Derby With Craig Perret urging he wrested command late and was an easy 3 12-length winner

THUNDER GULCH rsquo95 trail

Fountain of Youth 1st 9-2

Florida Derby 1st 2-1

Blue Grass 4th 6-5

Kentucky Derby 1st 24-1

37

Those who stuck with him were rewarded with $2360 Glad to report I was loyal

Funny Cide isnrsquot in my personal Kentucky Derby ticket portfolio but his supporters too were richly rewarded in 2003 for standing pat despite a loss While all eyes were on Empire Maker winning the Wood Memorial as the 1-2 favorite Funny Cide finished willingly on the inside as Empire Maker claimed the narrow win Yet Funny Cide was dismissed by most and paid $2760 in Louisville

Paying It Forward

Trips track conditions and pace are prime considerations when it comes to attachments to particular horses It rarely pays to blindly follow a horse each time It helps to have a reason For another month handicappers will peruse the preps and take their shots They will decide their loyalties

Key preps remain in April and the recently run Florida Derby begs some historical reminder

Among my key horses to look for are Tapiture (at Oaklawn) as well as General a Rod and Cairo Prince (from the Florida Derby)

Tapiture narrowly lost to Hoppertunity in the Rebel but had an excuse Whether it was his own fault or that of another the fact remains he lost his rear action and was nearly knocked sideways in the run to the wire The Arkansas Derby is up next for him

The Florida Derby ndash as history has shown ndash can be enigmatic In retrospect Constitution got a dream trip and did not reject it But if you had Cairo Prince or General a Rod you want another shot at it

Cairo Princersquos running style is probably more conducive to a track that doesnrsquot cater to speed and General a Rod was pushed along to keep up with the pace A chance at a more relaxing trip might be waiting for him in the Derby with others finally doing the dirty work

Itrsquos disappointing to tear up a ticket But it never hurts to take a good look before you leap from a bandwagon Whatever you capture mentally out of a particular race ndash often concentrating on the losers more than the winners ndash can take you to the pari-mutuel promised land on the first Saturday in May

- HPN

38

39

Those who stuck with him were rewarded with $2360 Glad to report I was loyal

Funny Cide isnrsquot in my personal Kentucky Derby ticket portfolio but his supporters too were richly rewarded in 2003 for standing pat despite a loss While all eyes were on Empire Maker winning the Wood Memorial as the 1-2 favorite Funny Cide finished willingly on the inside as Empire Maker claimed the narrow win Yet Funny Cide was dismissed by most and paid $2760 in Louisville

Paying It Forward

Trips track conditions and pace are prime considerations when it comes to attachments to particular horses It rarely pays to blindly follow a horse each time It helps to have a reason For another month handicappers will peruse the preps and take their shots They will decide their loyalties

Key preps remain in April and the recently run Florida Derby begs some historical reminder

Among my key horses to look for are Tapiture (at Oaklawn) as well as General a Rod and Cairo Prince (from the Florida Derby)

Tapiture narrowly lost to Hoppertunity in the Rebel but had an excuse Whether it was his own fault or that of another the fact remains he lost his rear action and was nearly knocked sideways in the run to the wire The Arkansas Derby is up next for him

The Florida Derby ndash as history has shown ndash can be enigmatic In retrospect Constitution got a dream trip and did not reject it But if you had Cairo Prince or General a Rod you want another shot at it

Cairo Princersquos running style is probably more conducive to a track that doesnrsquot cater to speed and General a Rod was pushed along to keep up with the pace A chance at a more relaxing trip might be waiting for him in the Derby with others finally doing the dirty work

Itrsquos disappointing to tear up a ticket But it never hurts to take a good look before you leap from a bandwagon Whatever you capture mentally out of a particular race ndash often concentrating on the losers more than the winners ndash can take you to the pari-mutuel promised land on the first Saturday in May

- HPN

38

39

39

MEADOWLANDS ROLLS INTO CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

By Nick Salvi

The Meadowlands provides the horseplayer mutuel pool size unequalled in the harness game All sources handle on the product regularly exceeds $3 million and on the special event cards (July 12 Meadowlands Pace night and August 2 Hambletonian Day) well beyond that figure

Simply put The Big M offers the highest quality harness racing in the land throughout the summer

stakes season The Championship Meet traditionally begins on Kentucky Derby Day (May 3 this year) and continues through Hambo Day on August 2 Over the course of those three months the seasonrsquos top performers are on display each and every weekend

Field size is strong with the average over eight horses per race and the quality remarkably even due in large part to the unique

40

letter classification system employed at the track The industry standard for overnight racing is almost exclusively based on earnings over a defined number of starts At The Meadowlands overnight horses are ldquogradedrdquo and placed by the Racing Secretary which results in greater field parity and in turn square prices to reward your efforts

Meadowlands Chairman Jeffrey Gural has enforced a very stringent policy on those horsemen racing their horses at his track and that also has contributed to the depend-ability of the product

Racings top personalities regularly ply their trade at The Meadowlands with the sportrsquos top drivers like Tim Tetrick Yannick Gingras David Miller John Campbell Andy Miller and Corey Callahan participating nightly Fresh young talents such as Scott Zeron Jim Marohn Jr and Joe Bongiorno are breaking in to the circuit and add to the competitiveness of the races

So far as the available wagers The Meadowlands offers the requisite

vertical wagers including dime superfectas Horizontally each card begins with a $25000 guaranteed Pick 5 and offers two guaranteed Pick 4s (the early Pick 4 at $30000 and the late version at $50000) The retention rate for each Pick 4 is a very fair 15 percent Complementing those opportunities are rolling Pick 3s throughout the card

The Meadowlands provides an enticing product for the casual fan as well as the dedicated

horseplayer The top stakes performers must make an impression on The Meadowlands mile track to be taken seriously as

contenders on the big stage

The sportrsquos leading conditioner Ron Burke has captured the trainersrsquo title for the past few years and has a strong presence at The Meadowlands in both overnight races and stakes Top colt trainers such as Jimmy Takter Tony Alagna Linda Toscano and Julie Miller prefer the big track to start the careers of the prize prospects and the ldquobabyrdquo races are an important part of the racing season

Meadowlands Must-Knows

Friday-Saturday live racing First post 715 pm ET

15 Takeout on Pick 4s 2014 Stakes Schedule Link

Free Live Video Replays Link

41

letter classification system employed at the track The industry standard for overnight racing is almost exclusively based on earnings over a defined number of starts At The Meadowlands overnight horses are ldquogradedrdquo and placed by the Racing Secretary which results in greater field parity and in turn square prices to reward your efforts

Meadowlands Chairman Jeffrey Gural has enforced a very stringent policy on those horsemen racing their horses at his track and that also has contributed to the depend-ability of the product

Racings top personalities regularly ply their trade at The Meadowlands with the sportrsquos top drivers like Tim Tetrick Yannick Gingras David Miller John Campbell Andy Miller and Corey Callahan participating nightly Fresh young talents such as Scott Zeron Jim Marohn Jr and Joe Bongiorno are breaking in to the circuit and add to the competitiveness of the races

So far as the available wagers The Meadowlands offers the requisite

vertical wagers including dime superfectas Horizontally each card begins with a $25000 guaranteed Pick 5 and offers two guaranteed Pick 4s (the early Pick 4 at $30000 and the late version at $50000) The retention rate for each Pick 4 is a very fair 15 percent Complementing those opportunities are rolling Pick 3s throughout the card

The Meadowlands provides an enticing product for the casual fan as well as the dedicated

horseplayer The top stakes performers must make an impression on The Meadowlands mile track to be taken seriously as

contenders on the big stage

The sportrsquos leading conditioner Ron Burke has captured the trainersrsquo title for the past few years and has a strong presence at The Meadowlands in both overnight races and stakes Top colt trainers such as Jimmy Takter Tony Alagna Linda Toscano and Julie Miller prefer the big track to start the careers of the prize prospects and the ldquobabyrdquo races are an important part of the racing season

Meadowlands Must-Knows

Friday-Saturday live racing First post 715 pm ET

15 Takeout on Pick 4s 2014 Stakes Schedule Link

Free Live Video Replays Link

41

every year The two-year-olds start out in mid-June each year as they embark on their quest for greatness and The Meadowlands provides that stage

The sophomore crop lists several of its key dates at The Meadowlands led by the aforementioned Meadowlands Pace arguably the most important event of the season for three-year-old pacers and the Hambletonianwhich holds the same designation for trottersno discussion necessary

The Hambletonian is a rare spectacle in that the three-year-old trotters compete in the heat format where they are required to race twice on the same afternoon The purse is $1 million and the worth of a ldquoHambordquo win on the resume is above all others

Spaced around those marquee events are a spectacular menu of the finest racing anywhere on the continent The older trotters and pacers are represented throughout

the summer and the races are regularly the stuff of which memories are made

In 2013 a new grandstand was built across the track from the original structure at a cost estimated to be $100 million The result is a state of the art facility like no other Designed to host events beyond horse racing the new grandstand offers fine

dining a futuristic sports bar an outdoor bar atop the grandstand with unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline and a swanky club restricted to horsemen

The reception has been overwhelmingly positive and has enticed a crowd beyond the racetrack regulars that normally populate the grandstands On any given night the crowd contains a number of crossover patrons many of whom are experiencing their first exposure to horse racing

It is rewarding to see the enthusiasm as they clutch their tickets and root for their selections down the stretch - HPN

42

43

43

Handicapping the Early Futurities

of the Quarter Horse Racing Season

By Martha Claussen

Thoroughbred horseplayers are nearing the home stretch in watching the prep races for the 2014 Kentucky Derby and firming up their choices for the Run for the Roses While no exact formula applies to all players most rely on a combination of speed and pace figures pedigree and human connections in analyzing the preps and narrowing down their top selections

Many of the same handicapping principles apply to American Quarter Horse racing but one major difference is the timing of the marquee coming-out party for the two breeds While Thorough-breds engage in their showcase event on the first Saturday of May Quarter Horse racings version of the Kentucky Derby the $24 million All American Futurity is run on Labor Day Instead of several roads to the Derby from circuits across the country the top 2-year-olds compete in trials in

August at Ruidoso Downs The top 10-fastest qualifiers earn a ticket to the prestigious final

However way before the All American Futurity in September there are a slew of futurities at racetracks including Remington Park Sam Houston Race Park Ruidoso Downs and Delta Downs

The first official futurity of the year the $281514 Mardi Gras Futurity (for accredited Louisiana-breds) took place on March 15 at Louisiana Downs The winner with a clean trip from the seventh post position was Hemps Jumpn Lajolla Ridden by Raul Ramirez Jr and trained by Miguel Rod-riguez he paid $2580 to win Thewinner was a maiden coming into the final which might have some

44

Paint Me Perry rolls in the March

22 G2 Oklahoma Futurity at Remington Park one of the

seasonrsquos first big futurities ndash Dustin Orona Photography

horseplayers shaking their heads but that is not uncommon in early futurities Fastest qualifier and heavy post-time favorite Dynastys Jumpin was disqualified and placed eighth after bumping Game another betting favorite at the start

2013 Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association (LQHBA) Champion Trainer Kenneth Roberts has won just about every major race in Louisiana and knows that

having a 2-year-old primed for the first futurity of the year is no easy task

Its a real tough challenge states Roberts You are trying to get your babies fit educated mind-wise and with enough works to perform without making too many mistakes

Roberts acknowledges that some of his 2-year-olds have been quick learners but he prefers the ones

that take a little more time to mature and improve

Its a gamble admits the veteran horseman I try not to push my horses too soon because we have a long season ahead of us You

just never know who will step up in the early futurities and even if they dont qualify they could be better as the year goes on JLS Mr Bigtime ran

in trials for the Mardi Gras

did not qualify and went on to run in the All American

Players can not only enjoy wagering on the early tests for the 2-year-olds but make some nice profits by considering the following handicapping angles

Breeding

Many of the early futurities will have maidens competing in trials With no past performances to study pedigree is one of the most important factors for consideration

45

In 2013 AQHA posted the five top sires of 2-year-old money earners as

1 Corona Cartel2 First Moonflash3 One Famous Eagle4 Heza Fast Dash5 Pyc Paint Your Wagon

Jumpn leads the 2014 standings with Pyc Paint Your Wagon Corona Cartel and Heza Fast Dash producing trial winners at Louisiana Downs and Remington Park

One freshman sire meriting attention is Apollitical Jess 2010 AQHA Racing World Champion whose daughter Apolitical Pac was fastest qualifier to the Oklahoma Futurity at Remington

Connections

Each region has trainers that have done extremely well with their juveniles At the current Sam Houston Race Park meet trainers Trey Wood and Judd Kearl are two to watch Wood won last years $400000 Sam Houston Futurity with Especially Tres a filly with

enough talent to run fourth in the 2013 All American Futurity In Oklahoma Eddie Willis has a strong arsenal of 2-year-olds and Rodney Reed and Clinton Crawford are two other prominent horsemen Paul Jones 2013 AQHA Champion trainer will have his share of promising 2-year-olds at

the upcoming Ruidoso Downs meet as well as Los Alamitos in Cypress California

Trials

Fastest qualifiers do not have to win their trial to make it to the

final Oftentimes in trials there are one or two key trial races in which multiple horses have clockings swift enough to make the top ten If you cannot attend the races in person live streaming of all the trials is available on Q-Racing Video (LINK) Spotting a runner who has overcome difficulty in his trial could yield a nice price in the final

Martha Claussen is the coordinator of the Racing Aces Fan Education initiative of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) She served as publicity director at Sam Houston Race Park from 1997-2007 and continues

to be active in writing fan education and racing publicity in Texas Louisiana and other regions in North America

Click image to watch a short tutorial video on AQHA trials

46

In 2013 AQHA posted the five top sires of 2-year-old money earners as

1 Corona Cartel2 First Moonflash3 One Famous Eagle4 Heza Fast Dash5 Pyc Paint Your Wagon

Jumpn leads the 2014 standings with Pyc Paint Your Wagon Corona Cartel and Heza Fast Dash producing trial winners at Louisiana Downs and Remington Park

One freshman sire meriting attention is Apollitical Jess 2010 AQHA Racing World Champion whose daughter Apolitical Pac was fastest qualifier to the Oklahoma Futurity at Remington

Connections

Each region has trainers that have done extremely well with their juveniles At the current Sam Houston Race Park meet trainers Trey Wood and Judd Kearl are two to watch Wood won last years $400000 Sam Houston Futurity with Especially Tres a filly with

enough talent to run fourth in the 2013 All American Futurity In Oklahoma Eddie Willis has a strong arsenal of 2-year-olds and Rodney Reed and Clinton Crawford are two other prominent horsemen Paul Jones 2013 AQHA Champion trainer will have his share of promising 2-year-olds at

the upcoming Ruidoso Downs meet as well as Los Alamitos in Cypress California

Trials

Fastest qualifiers do not have to win their trial to make it to the

final Oftentimes in trials there are one or two key trial races in which multiple horses have clockings swift enough to make the top ten If you cannot attend the races in person live streaming of all the trials is available on Q-Racing Video (LINK) Spotting a runner who has overcome difficulty in his trial could yield a nice price in the final

Martha Claussen is the coordinator of the Racing Aces Fan Education initiative of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) She served as publicity director at Sam Houston Race Park from 1997-2007 and continues

to be active in writing fan education and racing publicity in Texas Louisiana and other regions in North America

Click image to watch a short tutorial video on AQHA trials

46

April 3 through May 3 Any single unique 10cent winning ticketholder will receive

a minimum of $50000 plus a trip for two to the 2014 Preakness

Roundtrip airfare (from any major North American city) hotel accommodations for May 16 amp 17ground transportation and tickets to Turfside Terrace for Black-Eyed Susan Day (May 16) amp Preakness Day (May 17) Turfside Terrace offers magnificent views of Pimlicorsquos home stretch and finish line from your table This all-inclusive premium seating area includes a gourmet luncheon buffet beer amp fine wines souvenir pro-gram entertainment plus access to private comfort stations and mutuel windows Two large state-of- the- art Jumboscreens allow fans to follow the continuous racing action throughout the day

PLAYERSrsquoJACKPOT

New 10cent Minimum Bet

The Pimlico Jackpot Pick 5 is a jackpot wager that pays any carryover to a single unique winning ticket

bull 60ofthedailypoolispaidtomultiplewinnersorldquobestoffivesrdquobull 40ofthedailypoolbuildsajackpotcarryoverpayabletoasingleunique

winning10centticketbull Low18Takeoutbull 10centminimumbetandticketvaluebull Latescratchesareawardedposttimefavoritesbull Amovefromturftodirtresultsinanldquoallrdquoasurfacechangeinmorethan

one leg results in a refundbull MandatorypayoutonPreaknessDay(May172014)

47

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

Point Given Photos By Z

APRIL 2014 4 G3 Transylvania (Kee) 3yo 85F-T

5 G1 Ashland (Kee) 3yof 9F G1 Santa Anita Derby (SA) 3yo 9F G1 SA Oaks (SA) 3yof 85F G3 Providencia (SA) 3yof 9F-T Echo Eddie (SA) 3yo 65F Evening Jewel (SA) 3yof 65F G1 Wood (Aqu) 3yo 9F G1 Carter (Aqu) 3up 7F G2 Gazelle (Aqu) 3yof 9F G3 Bay Shore (Aqu) 3yo 7F G3 Fantasy (OP) 3yof 85F Dahlia (Pim) fm 8F-T Mister Diz (Pim) 3up 5F-T Twixt (Pim) 3yof 85F Calder Derby (Crc) 3yo 9F Czaria (Sun) fm 6F Turf Classic (Tam) 4up 9F-T

Distaff Turf (Tam) fm 85F-T Sprint (Tam) 4up 6F Soph Turf (Tam) 3yo 85F-T Sophomore (Tam) 3yo 7F Sophomore Fillies (Tam) 3yof 7F Wildcat (TuP) 3up 11F-T Arizona Stallion (TuP) 3yo 75F-T

6 Cat Cay (Aqu) fm 8F Carousel (OP) fm 6F

10 G3 Count Fleet (OP) 4up 6F Premiere (LS) 3up 65F

11 G1 Makerrsquos Mile (Kee) 3up 8F-T G1 Apple Blossom (OP) fm 85F Bachelor (OP) 3yo 6F

12 G1 Blue Grass (Kee) 3yo 9F G1 Jenny Wiley (Kee) fm 85F-T G2 Madison (Kee) fm 7F G3 Commonwealth (Kee) 3up 7F G3 Shakertown (Kee) 3up 5F-T G1 Arkansas Derby (OP) 3yo 9F G2 Oaklawn Hcp (OP) 4up 9F Northern Spur (OP) 3yo 8F Instant Racing (OP) 3yof 6F G2 Potrero Grande (SA) 4up 65F G3 Las Cienegas (SA) fm 65F-T Calder Oaks (Crc) 3yof 85F-T Hanks Memorial (LS) fm 65F Copper Top Fut (Sun) 2yo 45F

48

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

13 G2 Beaumont (Kee) 3yof 7F G3 Santa Barbara (SA) fm 10F-T G3 San Simeon (SA) 4up 65F-T Jacques Cartier (WO) 4up 6F Sunland Park Hcp (Sun) 3up 9F

17 G3 Appalachian (Kee) 3yof 85F-T

18 G3 Doubledogdare (Kee) fm) 9F

19 G2 C-Town Classic (CT) 4up 9F Sugar Maple (CT) fm 7F Robert Hilton (CT) 3yo 7F C-Town Dash (CT) 4up 45F Confucius Say (CT) 3up 7F Original Gold (CT) fm 7F G3 Ben Ali (Kee) 3up 9F G3 Lexington (Kee) 3yo 85F Giantrsquos Causeway (Kee) fm 5F T Federico Tesio (Pim) 3yo 85F Henry Clark (Pim) 3up 8F-T Primonetta (Pim) fm 6F Stormy Blues (Pim) 3yof 5F-T G2 Distaff (Aqu) fm 6F G3 Illinois Derby (Haw) 3yo 9F G3 Sixty Sails (Haw) fm 9F Molaro (Haw) 4up 6F Third Chance (Haw) fm 6F G3 Miami Mile (Crc) 3up 8F-T Star Shoot (WO) 3yof 6F

20 Woodstock (WO) 3yo 6F

24 G3 Bewitch (Kee) fm 12F-T

25 G2 Elkhorn (Kee) 3up 12F-T G3 Last Tycoon (SA) 3up 9F-T

26 G3 Derby Trial (CD) 3yo 8F G3 Whimsical (WO) fm 6F G3 Texas Mile (LS) 3up 8F G3 San Fran Mile (GG) 3up 8F-T Shine Again (Pim) fm 85F Spring Fever (SA) fm 6F Franrsquos Valentine (SA) fm 8F-T Snow Chief (SA) 3yo 9F-T Melair (SA) 3yof 85F NYSS Park Avenue 3yof 65F NYSS Times Square 3yo 6F Land Of Lincoln (Haw) 3yo 6F Pretty Penny (Haw) 3yof 6F Milwaukee Ave (Haw) 4up 85F The Peach Of It (Haw) fm) 85F Goldfinch (Prm) 3yof 6F AZ Br Derby (TuP) 3yo 85F Grand Canyon (TuP) 3up 6F Patterson (TuP) 3up 85F-T Ann Owens Distaff (TuP) fm 6F Joanne Dye (TuP) 3yof 65F

27 G3 Wilshire (SA) fm 8F-T

49

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

April 1 ndash Online Night School April 3 ndash Pimlico opens April 4 ndash Keeneland opens April 5 ndash TV WoodSA Derby NBC April 8 ndash Online Night School April 10 ndash Lone Star Park opens April 12 ndash Oaklawn ends April 12 ndash Woodbine opens April 12 ndash Emerald Downs opens April 12 ndash TV Blue Grass FS1 April 15 ndash Sunland ends April 15 ndash Online Night School April 18 ndash Prairie Meadows opens April 18 ndash Thistledown opens April 18 ndash SunRay Park opens April 22 ndash Online Night School April 24 ndash Atlantic City opens April 25 ndash Keeneland ends April 26 ndash Churchill Downs opens April 27 ndash Aqueduct ends April 27 ndash Hawthorne ends April 29 ndash Kentucky Oaks draw April 29 ndash Online Night School April 30 ndash Atlantic City ends April 30 ndash Kentucky Derby draw April 30 ndash May HPN Mag release

Horse Player NOW also hosts free live Keenelandcom chats each racing day of the meet

PLAY WITH OUR PROS

50

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

13 G2 Beaumont (Kee) 3yof 7F G3 Santa Barbara (SA) fm 10F-T G3 San Simeon (SA) 4up 65F-T Jacques Cartier (WO) 4up 6F Sunland Park Hcp (Sun) 3up 9F

17 G3 Appalachian (Kee) 3yof 85F-T

18 G3 Doubledogdare (Kee) fm) 9F

19 G2 C-Town Classic (CT) 4up 9F Sugar Maple (CT) fm 7F Robert Hilton (CT) 3yo 7F C-Town Dash (CT) 4up 45F Confucius Say (CT) 3up 7F Original Gold (CT) fm 7F G3 Ben Ali (Kee) 3up 9F G3 Lexington (Kee) 3yo 85F Giantrsquos Causeway (Kee) fm 5F T Federico Tesio (Pim) 3yo 85F Henry Clark (Pim) 3up 8F-T Primonetta (Pim) fm 6F Stormy Blues (Pim) 3yof 5F-T G2 Distaff (Aqu) fm 6F G3 Illinois Derby (Haw) 3yo 9F G3 Sixty Sails (Haw) fm 9F Molaro (Haw) 4up 6F Third Chance (Haw) fm 6F G3 Miami Mile (Crc) 3up 8F-T Star Shoot (WO) 3yof 6F

20 Woodstock (WO) 3yo 6F

24 G3 Bewitch (Kee) fm 12F-T

25 G2 Elkhorn (Kee) 3up 12F-T G3 Last Tycoon (SA) 3up 9F-T

26 G3 Derby Trial (CD) 3yo 8F G3 Whimsical (WO) fm 6F G3 Texas Mile (LS) 3up 8F G3 San Fran Mile (GG) 3up 8F-T Shine Again (Pim) fm 85F Spring Fever (SA) fm 6F Franrsquos Valentine (SA) fm 8F-T Snow Chief (SA) 3yo 9F-T Melair (SA) 3yof 85F NYSS Park Avenue 3yof 65F NYSS Times Square 3yo 6F Land Of Lincoln (Haw) 3yo 6F Pretty Penny (Haw) 3yof 6F Milwaukee Ave (Haw) 4up 85F The Peach Of It (Haw) fm) 85F Goldfinch (Prm) 3yof 6F AZ Br Derby (TuP) 3yo 85F Grand Canyon (TuP) 3up 6F Patterson (TuP) 3up 85F-T Ann Owens Distaff (TuP) fm 6F Joanne Dye (TuP) 3yof 65F

27 G3 Wilshire (SA) fm 8F-T

49

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

April 1 ndash Online Night School April 3 ndash Pimlico opens April 4 ndash Keeneland opens April 5 ndash TV WoodSA Derby NBC April 8 ndash Online Night School April 10 ndash Lone Star Park opens April 12 ndash Oaklawn ends April 12 ndash Woodbine opens April 12 ndash Emerald Downs opens April 12 ndash TV Blue Grass FS1 April 15 ndash Sunland ends April 15 ndash Online Night School April 18 ndash Prairie Meadows opens April 18 ndash Thistledown opens April 18 ndash SunRay Park opens April 22 ndash Online Night School April 24 ndash Atlantic City opens April 25 ndash Keeneland ends April 26 ndash Churchill Downs opens April 27 ndash Aqueduct ends April 27 ndash Hawthorne ends April 29 ndash Kentucky Oaks draw April 29 ndash Online Night School April 30 ndash Atlantic City ends April 30 ndash Kentucky Derby draw April 30 ndash May HPN Mag release

Horse Player NOW also hosts free live Keenelandcom chats each racing day of the meet

PLAY WITH OUR PROS

50

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan education program

April 1 ndash Online Night School April 3 ndash Pimlico opens April 4 ndash Keeneland opens April 5 ndash TV WoodSA Derby NBC April 8 ndash Online Night School April 10 ndash Lone Star Park opens April 12 ndash Oaklawn ends April 12 ndash Woodbine opens April 12 ndash Emerald Downs opens April 12 ndash TV Blue Grass FS1 April 15 ndash Sunland ends April 15 ndash Online Night School April 18 ndash Prairie Meadows opens April 18 ndash Thistledown opens April 18 ndash SunRay Park opens April 22 ndash Online Night School April 24 ndash Atlantic City opens April 25 ndash Keeneland ends April 26 ndash Churchill Downs opens April 27 ndash Aqueduct ends April 27 ndash Hawthorne ends April 29 ndash Kentucky Oaks draw April 29 ndash Online Night School April 30 ndash Atlantic City ends April 30 ndash Kentucky Derby draw April 30 ndash May HPN Mag release

Horse Player NOW also hosts free live Keenelandcom chats each racing day of the meet

PLAY WITH OUR PROS

50

Learn more about handicapping every Tuesday (830 pm ET) in Night School Visit Horseplayernowcom for a complete list of websites offering the racing industryrsquos FREE national online fan

education program

KEY INGREDIENTS TO THE SAN FRANCISCO MILE One of Golden Gatersquos most premier races has gone to out-of-towners for the most part with Santa Anita invaders winning 7 of the last 10 Foreign-breds have had success scoring half of those Winning your previous prep isnrsquot a must as only three times in the last decade has a horse who entered off a win then added the San Francisco Mile

MOST RECENT RENEWAL Tigah (GB) proved a popular winner when he closed from last to get up by a neck The SA invader who started his career in Europe built on a 3rd-place finish in the Thunder Road in his previous start

CLICK FOR FREE PICKS

HANDICAPPERrsquoS AIDES Last 10 Winners ndash Full History rsquo13 Tigah (GB) Alonso Quinonez John Sadler rsquo12 Hudson Landing Juan Hernandez Blaine Wright

rsquo11 Our Nautique (NZ) Kevin Krigger Jerry Hollendorfer

rsquo10 Bold Chieftain Russell Baze Bill Morrey

rsquo09 Mr Napper Tandy (GB) Julio Garcia Jack Carava

rsquo07 Chinese Dragon Mike Smith Bob Hess rsquo06 Charmo (FR) Martin Pedroza Julio Canani

rsquo05 Casteldale (IRE) Rene Douglass Jeff Mullins rsquo04 Singletary Jose Valdivia Don Chatlos

rsquo03 Ninebanks Ron Warren Jerry Hollendorfer

Last 10 Winnersrsquo Preps rsquo13 Tigah (GB) 3rd Thunder Road (SA)

rsquo12 Hudson Landing 1st AOC (GG) rsquo11 Our Nautique (NZ) 2nd Starter Stakes (SA)

rsquo10 Bold Chieftain 1st Allowance (GG) rsquo09 Mr Napper Tandy (GB) 2nd Arcadia (SA)

rsquo07 Chinese Dragon 2nd Arcadia (SA)

rsquo06 Charmo (FR) 6th Kilroe Mile (SA) rsquo05 Castledale (IRE) 2nd AOC (SA)

rsquo04 Singletary 2nd Kilroe Mile (SA) rsquo03 Ninebanks 1st GG Breedersrsquo Cup (GG)

-Race not held in 2008

John Sadler left his heart in San Francisco last year

G3 $100000 SAN FRANCISCO

MILE April 26 2014

APRIL RACE OF THE MONTH

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Horse Player NOW takes you

inside the past performances ndash

the GPS of nearly every player ndash

and dissects a specific race type

for what to look for within the

lines ndash and between them

Maiden claiming races are the bottom

rung on the ldquoclassrdquo ladder No one

wants to be there you wind up there

because hellip well hellip itrsquos the last resort in

the race to be competitive Often they

are littered with career maidens (those

who have gone on for a few seasons

in pursuit of that graduation day)

Some debut runners hit the MCL ranks

because theyrsquove shown little in the

morning or hail from barns that feel

their stock canrsquot be competitive in the

big bold world of maiden special

weight races And finally maiden

claiming races often include the

proverbial ldquoclass droppersrdquo horses

who have been facing tougher to no

avail and are looking for relief

Horses making a change to the

program ndash a new class distance

surface jockey blinkers Lasix ndash often

are the best alternative in maiden

claiming races Those who have ldquobeen

there done thatrdquo and still not won at

this level have no recourse but to

finally find the right field Thatrsquos why

those horses making a change in the

gameplan often find the right formula

Letrsquos take a look at a maiden claimer

from Santa Anita where ldquochangerdquo was

a good thing Wersquove circled what we

saw relevant and etched our notes

with the contenders PPs courtesy

BRIS chart LINK courtesy Equibase

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ldquoLack of effort should never be an excuserdquo

I made that statement in my first professional staff meeting in August of 1990 The upper-classmen on the universityrsquos daily newspaper looked at me as though I was a loud-mouth who had yet to learn his role Our advisor paused spoke up while making eye contact and slowly I shrank into my chair He then said 4 words Irsquoll never forget ldquoNow THAT is leadershiprdquo Here some 24 years later the story still rings true While none of us (or very few) went on to a career in a dying newspaper industry those of us who still communicate for a living must do so effectively without two fears ndash the fear of speaking up and the fear of hard work The focus of this column wasnrsquot supposed to be about the attacks on horse racingrsquos reputation or our industryrsquos own misdeeds from within The debut

of this venture was meant to continue our quest to teach the game we love explain its nuances and provide consumer confidence But the travails of the PETA-Steve Asmussen situation caused many legitimate concerns for confidence Folks around the industry are speaking up ndash titans like Dinny Phipps Barry Weisbord and Rick Porter They are trying to rally around a cause that would unify the splintered factions assert some sense of role and responsibility in a hodge-podge of freelancers and contractors They have stepped past the first fear and have spoken out Now comes the tremendous task of hard work If the reputation and real integrity of horse racing is worth fighting for ndash and it is to many of us ndash then lack of effort wonrsquot be an excuse in our trip notes

- JP

57

SAY THANKS THIS PUBLICATION FREE BECAUSE OF THESE FINE SPONSORS

GIVE THEIR LOGOS A CLICK

58

SAY THANKS THIS PUBLICATION FREE BECAUSE OF THESE FINE SPONSORS

GIVE THEIR LOGOS A CLICK

58