Mountaineer Park – West Virginia Derby

Baffert Looks to Remain Hot

Trainer Bob Baffert has been on a roll lately. Last Sunday he won the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth and the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar. He will try to continue that streak on Saturday at Mountaineer Park with Prayer for Relief in the West Virginia Derby.

Prayer for Relief comes off a win in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby and the Jump Start-colt is one of only two horses in the WV Derby with a graded stakes win. After the Iowa Derby, Baffert shipped Prayer for Relief back to California and he has had five fast works including a bullet five-furlong drill in his last.

The other graded stakes winner, Dreamy Kid, is also from California. Who did Dreamy Kid beat in the Grade 2 Swaps? Coil, who came back to win the Grade 1 Haskell last weekend. Based on that Dreamy Kid is the one to beat on Saturday.

After the two California horses, contention runs deep.

Infrattini exits a good second place finish in the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill Downs in mid-June. The horses he split in that race were Scotus and Joe Vann. Scotus came back and finished last in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga and Joe Vann finished sixth in the Haskell after setting the early pace.

Little Drama comes off a third place finish in the Long Branch and Monmouth and may be closer to the pace on Saturday. Two back Little Drama ran in the Red Legend and finished behind Loranger Native, who is also entered here. Loranger Native has been off since that race and could be another vying for the front end.

Awesome Bet and Rush Now are the others with a change coming in off of runs in the Barbaro and Delaware Park. Awesome Bet put in a huge late run to win by a neck in the $103K race as Rush Now was fading to fourth. That was the first start for Rush Now off a two month layoff so he is eligible to improve.

Sherriff Cogburn, second in the Iowa Derby, Skipping Score and Fred High complete the field.

The West Virginia Derby goes to post at 5:35 ET and is part of a nine-race card made up of all stakes races.

Spectacular Bid's Stunning Free and Online Avatar

Author:

Lee Lane-Edgar

Horse games have been a tradition for hundreds of years now and no wonder they are addictive. And man hasn\'t been able to overcome the penchant for the game for a very long time now.

Be it the Run for the Roses or the Test of the Champions, horse races are the most electrifying short duration sports. And when its races, nothing compares to witnessing those muscles streaming incredibly while the crowd cheers in awe of all that power and speed. A game of the rich and lavish also equally admired by the commoner, this is a game of opportunity, persistence, durability and destiny.

So passionate is the game that the adrenalin rushes at the slightest thought of it. Talking about races, none miss that superstar when the gallant gallopers are talked about, 'The Bid', the 'Spectacular Bid' who lived and died a life so lush with victories that every time he set foot on a circuit, the contenders would invariably clear the path for another inevitable win.

A beautiful dark horse with a pedigree to die for, a racing history so impressive that every true race lover would leave no stone unturned if riding it were a chance. The Bid lived a life of flawless races and immaculate photo finishes other than a few where luck seemed to have run out for the astoundingly swift beast.

While the Triple Crown was almost a quest conquered, a freak accident at the Belmont Park stall came as an ill fated episode stripping him of a highly anticipated win right away. Some blame it on the safety pin that pinned itself into his hoof and later even threatened his life with a fatal infection and some on the irresponsible ride from the teenage jockey Ronnie Franklin that never rode The Bid again.

However post the Triple Crown; The Bid would never lose again. He won every single race he contended after recovering from the Belmont Park blow. Such unpredictability reigns the racing scenes that it makes the whole idea addictive and unavoidable.

And what happens when all this action and drama comes right down to your fingers to manipulate and toy with? Free horse racing games are born. While they are as much fun as the real races, the only missing factor is a real horse injury and to some extent the real expensive race tickets. But who wants it anyway?

Easily available, free and downloadable,free horse racing games in plenty adorn the internet. With critical gaming technologies emerging from nowhere on a daily basis, the gaming domain couldn\'t get luckier. Cutting edge 3D effects creating accurate if not life like images feed the virtual reality to the gamers so neatly that the immersion is hardly different from reality.

While Internet plays the distribution channel, it also forms the backbone of the online communities that come for not a penny more with these free games. Become a member and you are sharing feeds, information on breeding, betting, training and even forecasting. There\'s more. Tournament races for beginners, mediocre and proper professionals are available for contention.

The features\' brochure of free horse racing games doesn\'t end there. From siring from a plethora of the invincible to training them for combat; all this at your finger tips! Don\'t believe me? Download your free game and you will find out for yourself.

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/horse-racing-articles/spectacular-bids-stunning-free-and-online-avatar-4857310.html

About the Author

An ardent fan of horse racing for years, I am extremely passionate about writing articles on adventurous topics on the lines of new developments in sports, online games as well as other fields. You can find articles regarding Horse racing industries and interesting facts about the understanding of <a href='http://www.horseracegame.com'>virtual horses</a>. To know more about horse racing games online and related information log on to www.horseracegame.com.

The Best Horse Racing Spot Play for Top Profits Handicapping Horse Races

Author:

Bill Peterson

If you want an easy winner in a horse race there is one situation that produces proven winners every day.  It is also one of the quickest spot plays to find because it stands out.  All you have to do is scan a race and these winners will jump off the page at you, and yet, they are still going off at good prices, in fact, some are even long shots.  If you think these claims are a lot of hot air, I\'ll prove it to you with actual examples that I recently cashed tickets on and you can judge for yourself whether this is just another come on.

On Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at Del Mar Race Track, I cashed two good winning tickets on horses that it took seconds to spot.  One of those winners paid $11.60 and the other paid $4.20.  For a base bet of $4 I collected $15.80.  I admit they don\'t win all the time, but you\'d be surprised at how often these spot plays do win.  I have written countless articles about these spotplays and yet, the crowd still lets them go off at good prices.

I am talking about the spot play that I call, 'The Only One.'  The only one simply means that the horse is the only one in the race who has won at both the distance and the race track.  It is the only one in the race who has demonstrated the ability to do what is being asked of it.  It is so easy and quick to find these great winners.  Just scan the race and look at the figures for races at the track and distance.  If you find a horse with a win in each one, and it is the only horse in the race who gets a check mark in each of those two categories, it is a play.

In the past I have had huge winners this way and have also documented them in other articles.  So which horses am I talking about at Del Mar?  In the 6th race, 'Where\'s the Remote,' was the only horse with a win at Del Mar and a win at the distance.  In fact, the gray-roan gelding had just won over that very course on the turf.  He was at 5-2 in the morning line, but was bet down to 6-5 and paid, $4.20.  More than doubling my money on such a horse was nice, but the best was yet to come.

In the feature race of the day, the Grade l Pacific Classic Stakes, only one horse had won at the distance and at Del Mar.  Other horses had won at Del Mar and other horses had won at the distance, but not both.  Not only was there an Only One in this race, but the horse had also won the same race last year!  'Surely this horse had to be the favorite,' you\'re saying to yourself.

'Richard\'s Kid,' the horse I am writing about, was the Only One and he went off at 9-2 and paid $11.60.  I couldn\'t believe that the crowd let him go off at such generous odds, but easy winners and quick picks are what this amazing spot play is all about.  I have been handicapping for decades and make a living teaching other people how to handicap.  When I tell them about such spot plays and then they go looking for them, they are always amazed at how easy it is to pick winners and how much common sense is involved.  These horses are truly best bets and proven winners.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/horse-racing-articles/the-best-horse-racing-spot-play-for-top-profits-handicapping-horse-races-3199378.html

About the Author

If you want to learn how a horse owner and insider handicaps just go to http://williewins.homestead.com/truecb.html and get the truth. Bill Peterson is a former horse race owner and professional handicapper. To see all Bill\'s horse racing material go to Horse Racing Handicapping, Bill\'s handicapping store.

Coil ships to Saratoga

Haskell Invitational (G1) hero COIL (Point Given), expected to be a principal player in the $1 million Travers (G1) on August 27, arrived at Bob Baffert's barn at Saratoga Race Course on Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. (EDT).

With Baffert's groom, Salvador Rangel, overseeing the travel from Monmouth Park, Coil settled in easily for 20 minutes of walking before being set up in a stall shortly before 11 a.m. The Mike Pegram-owned was joined on the van ride from Monmouth Park by Irrefutable (Unbridled's Song), who finished sixth as the favorite in Sunday's Teddy Drone S.

"He looks good to me," said trainer John Terranova, husband of Baffert's New York assistant, Tonja Terranova.

Coil begins his preparations for the "Midsummer Derby" as one of the rising stars in the three-year-old division. In the Haskell, he changed his tactics from pace-presser to late closer and put away Preakness (G1) winner Shackleford (Forestry) in the late stages to win by a neck.

The chestnut will aim to duplicate his sire's feat by winning the Haskell and then the Travers.

"The Travers is a strong possibility if I like what I see these next couple of weeks," Baffert said on Monday. "That distance should not be a problem for him with his new running style."

Baffert's promising three-year-old filly American Lady (Stormy Atlantic), who exits an allowance romp at Hollywood Park on June 30, is scheduled to arrive Thursday for her stakes debut, Saturday's $250,000 Test (G1) at seven furlong.

The Hall of Fame trainer is also responsible for The Factor (War Front), who remains a possibility for the $250,000 Kings Bishop (G1), a seven-furlong race on Travers Day. The Factor could square off two-year-old champion Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) in that spot.

Baffert is expected at Saratoga sometime this weekend for the races and will attend the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale on August 8-9.

Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/handicapping?source=http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/article.cgi%3Fid=23250%26print=true%26header=bh#ixzz1Tv9eGZ5q

2011 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic Contenders – A First Look

Author:

Lee Lane-Edgar

Here we take a look at some of the leading horses in the female handicap division and who are some of the possibilities for the Breeders\' Cup Ladies\' Classic this November at Churchill Downs.

At the top of the list of this year\'s older females, we have Havre de Grace, who has won three straight, and right behind her Blind Luck, who has won her last two.

Havre de Grace and Blind Luck have met five times in the last year, and will renew their rivalry in the 1 1/4 miles in the 74th running of the Delaware Handicap on Saturday. This race is a 'Win and You\'re In' race, which means the winner gets an automatic spot in this year\'s Breeders\' Cup Ladies\' Classic at Churchill Downs. Blind Luck got the better of Havre de Grace last year by a nose and a neck for wins in the Delaware Oaks and Grade 1 Alabama, respectively.  Havre de Grace then turned the tables on her rival with a neck win of her own that one. Blind Luck finished second and Havre de Grace second and third in last year\'s Ladies\' Classic, both losing out to Unrivaled Belle.  Their most recent meeting was in the Grade 3 Azeri at Oaklawn back in March, where Havre de Grace defeated her nemesis by 3 ¼ lengths.  Based on this latest meeting, you would have to give the upper hand to Havre de Grace as the leader in the older filly and mare division.  Since their meeting, both have raced twice, though not against each other, and both have racked up two wins. Both mares are remarkable in that neither has ever finished out of the money in their careers.

 If only as compelling a rivalry as this could develop in the older male handicap division, preferably among horses that had faced each other during the Triple Crown, horse racing could get the boost it so badly needs.

A horse that has been making a name for her this year is Awesome Maria.  This attractive gray mare got her first Grade 1 by taking the Ogden Phipps on June 18, 2011, winning by 3 convincing lengths in good time.  She continues to climb up the ladder of the older filly and mare division as the Ogden Phipps was her fourth straight win and is undefeated this year.  She did lose to Havre de Grace and Blind Luck by 10 lengths in the Fitz Dixon Cotillion Stakes, but that was ages ago back in October and she is a much improved filly since then.

Switch is a very talented mare as well, but has finished second in her last three races, including once to Blind Luck and once to Havre de Grace, although she was never let them beat her by more than ¾ of a length.  Consequently, she has to be considered right near the leaders of the filly and mare division.  She has raced in seven consecutive Grade 1 races, so she has never ducked the best, and she even earned two Grade 1 wins in that stretch.  Those two Grade 1\'s, however, were at seven furlongs, and at the longer distance races, she has twice lost the lead in the stretch which raises questions about her stamina.  She is certainly very speedy, but will that last furlong in the Ladies\' Classic be her undoing? Time will tell.

Miss Match must still be considered in the mix as well.  She caused an upset at odds of 45-1 over the aforementioned Switch in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes back in March over at Santa Anita and she managed to get within ¾ of a length of Blind Luck in the Grade 1 Vanity at Hollywood in June, proving that her upset was no fluke.  Last out she faced older males in the Hollywood Gold Cup though proved no match for those and faded, but she has shown she belongs with the best of her division.

One thing about all Breeders\' Cup races is that they are great betting opportunities. The Breeders\' Cup is probably the best day for wagering for the hard-core racing player. There is always the opportunity to find real betting value, specifically when it comes to exotic wagers, like superfectas, trifectas, exactas as well as the Pick 6. The Breeders\' Cup two-day event can return a substantial profit for a person who really understand all the different betting opportunities and know how to identify wagering value. Horse racing systems and horse racing programs can help you identify Breeders\' Cup contenders and good solid horse racing knowledge can help you further refine your picks.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/horse-racing-articles/2011-breeders-cup-ladies-classic-contenders-a-first-look-5039712.html

About the Author

An ardent fan of horse racing for years, I am extremely passionate about writing articles on adventurous topics on the lines of new developments in sports, online games as well as other fields. You can find articles regarding Horse racing industries and interesting facts about the understanding of racing horse game. To know more about horse racing games online and related information log on to www.horseracegame.com.

Watching Horse Racing Videos: What You Get Out of It

Author:

K.M. Reid

There are many reason to watch horse racing videos. It is fun and you will learn a great deal about what to look for in a winning horse. Although it is one of the oldest sports in history, horse racing is still popular today and videos of races can be found all over the internet.

Here are some reasons to watch videos of horse races:

Technique

People in many sports watch videos of old games, competitions and races to study and improve technique. Watching old races allows you to learn from mistakes made as well as study the situations in which everything went perfectly.

Watching races is especially important for those betting on horses. While you can gather a lot of information from the racing form, there is no substitute to watching the horse run in an actual race.

Watching races allows you to get to know the like and dislikes as well as strengths and weaknesses of the horses you are interested in betting on. This will help you predict winners and tell you when not to bet on a horse based on the track conditions of the day.

In addition, the videos allow you the chance to get to know the jockeys and trainers. Jockeys, like other athletes, have strengths and weaknesses. Some are great with strong, stubborn horses. Others instil confidence in skittish and green horses. You will also get to know the trainers skills based on the horses run under the trainer. All of this information will help you to make better choices when placing your bets.

Watching horse racing videos is also beneficial for jockeys and trainers. Jockeys get a lot of information from watching old races. It tells them the strengths of other jockeys and what strategies they used. It provides insight into the conditions of the track. And it gives them a chance to get to know a new mount. But most importantly, it allows jockeys to examine their own past performances. Jockeys don\'t have much time to think in the middle of the race, so the chance or examine their race after the fact is invaluable.

Trainers also benefit from watching races because it gives them a chance to see what issues need to be corrected in their horses, what the competition looks like and whether the track conditions are suitable for their horses.

Enjoyment

People watch racing videos for the pure enjoyment of it. Horses are extremely powerful, fast and graceful creatures and watching them run and break records is intoxicating.

Passion

Passion is one of the best reasons to watch horse racing videos online. New races and old, passion brings constant enjoyment and desire to go deeper into the sport and expand your knowledge of racing and horses.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/horse-racing-articles/watching-horse-racing-videos-what-you-get-out-of-it-5051937.html

About the Author

World Horse Racing Betting offers resources for horse racing enthusiasts including horse racing information, a directory of race tracks world-wide and reviews of betting software. Visit http://blog.worldhorseracingbetting.com for more information.