handicapping

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for Saturday's trio of GI Kentucky Derby prep races. GI Toyota Blue Grass S. - In a race billed as a showdown between the re-opposing GII Remsen S. one-two Dornoch (Good Magic) and Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), don't look past likely third choice Just a Touch (Justify). The highly regarded bay ran to the hype with a powerful debut score for trainer Brad Cox over the promising $1.7-million KEESEP graduate Gun Party (Curlin) (he returned with another very good second-place finish Mar....

This year's 25th renewal of the National Horseplayers' Championship (NHC) presented by Caesars Entertainment, Horseshoe Las Vegas and Racetrack Television Network (RTN) will include a new wrinkle. The 'Silver Sunday' contest will take place Sunday, Mar. 17 and will replace the Sunday Consolation Contest, where only entries that did not make the semi-final round would compete in a 10-race contest for prize money. The 'Silver Sunday' contest will instead be open to all individuals competing in the tournament with no fee to enter. Individuals will receive no more than one...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides his analysis for Saturday's quartet of GI Kentucky Derby prep races. GIII Holy Bull S. - Last year's jaw-dropping GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) finds a perfect landing spot to launch his sophomore season versus seven overmatched rivals. Not worth trying to beat him here, even if he's closer to 1-9 than his 3-5 morning-line quote. I can't see him defeating the recently crowned 2023 champion 2-year-old, but how about Domestic Product (Practical Joke) to...

Horseshoe Indianapolis hosted the fourth annual Grayson Grass Challenge throughout the month of August to benefit Grayson-Jockey Club Equine Research and made a $9.6k donation as a result. "We just completed our fourth year hosting this event and the handicappers involved raised a record amount for Grayson," said Eric Halstrom, Vice President and General Manager of Racing. "Grayson came to us a few years ago about partnering on a promotion and this special contest emerged as a result. We are elated to donate a total of $9,674.60 to Grayson this...

It was back in 2004 that Brent Sumja made a career decision. He was among the leading trainers in Northern California, but wasn't following his true passion. That was playing the horses. So he disbanded his stable and set out to be a professional handicapper. It went well. He played the races regularly and also focused on the handicapping tournaments. In 2014, Sumja won five tournaments in a four-month span from May to September to clinch the title of 2013 Daily Racing Form NHC Tour Champion and the first prize...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack reveals a pair of selections for the first Saturday of the Saratoga meeting. Race 1, Msw, $136k, 2yo, 5 1/2f, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET There's every chance that National Treasure (Quality Road)'s half-brother and rail-drawn 4-5 morning-line favorite Pirate (Omaha Beach) turns out to be a complete monster, but I'll be taking a shot against him with fellow firster Special Element (Copper Bullet). There's plenty of precocity in Special Element's pedigree. His freshman sire Copper Bullet, winner of the 2017 GII Saratoga Special...

It's opening week of Saratoga and NYRA handicapper and TV analyst Andy Serling joined this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast to discuss all the upcoming action.

Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) can make some noise at what has to be a terrific price in Saturday's GI Belmont S. He continues to improve with each of his six career starts for trainer Brad Cox, and was a bit unlucky in his last two tries. The handsome gray came up just a nose short with a wide trip after bouncing off rivals down the stretch in the GII Wood Memorial S., then was a respectable fifth after racing too close to a scorching pace in the GI Kentucky...

Edited Press Release Paul Calia, a retired disability advisor for Social Security from Kansas City, Missouri, toppled a field of 779 entries to take home the grand prize of $800,000, in addition to finishing in fourth place with his second entry--good for another $150,000-- to earn an Eclipse Award and Horseplayer of the Year honors during the NTRA National Horseplayers' Championship which concluded Sunday in Las Vegas. This is the first contest that Calia has ever won. Calia amassed winnings of $362.50 on his first entry, and $305.50 on his...

A business partnership between performance-figure provider Thoro-Graph, Inc., and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) that had been billed as a "win-win-win" deal for the two parties and advance-deposit wagering (ADW) customers when it first launched in 2017 has gone sour, resulting in a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court. According to the civil complaint, Thoro-Graph is suing both NYRA and its NYRA Bets ADW platform over the alleged non-payment of at least $333,000 that Thoro-Graph believes is its rightful cut for incentivizing horseplayers to become NYRA Bets...

TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack reveals his selections for Breeders' Cup Saturday. Race 3: GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint--#8 Goodnight Olive (3-1) This is definitely one of my stronger opinions of the weekend. I love Goodnight Olive in this spot. Her win in the GI Ballerina this summer was as good as it gets and she's tactical enough to work out that same kind of trip right off the speed. Have good memories cashing on the Chad Brown-trained Wavell Avenue in this same race at Keeneland in 2015....

TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack reveals his selections for the 'Future Stars Friday' Breeders' Cup card. Race 3: Alw--#11 Marsalis (6-5) Have been sky high on Marsalis since his debut second (Second Chances Series) and subsequent 'Rising Star' win earlier this year. The layoff was, of course, a cause for concern, but he ran a huge one off the bench racing on a hot pace and finishing second behind big-figure repeat winner Run Classic. Take what they give you and let's get 'Future Stars Friday' started with a winner. Race...