You know Chicago Race of the Day loves two-year-old races, and the 5th race at Hawthorne on Saturday, October 12 is a juvenile maiden special weight dirt sprint that drew a field of ten, with several extremely fun pedigrees...including my favourite Illinois pedigree angle of all. Listen to episode 77 of Chicago Race of the... Continue Reading →

Opening week at Hawthorne continues on Friday, and Episode 76 of Chicago Race of the Day takes a dive into the 7th race on that card: a salty starter allowance dirt sprint! It's a field of 11, and as such races always are this time of year, it's a fun puzzle of horses getting back... Continue Reading →

Thursday, October 10, racing returns to Chicago, and Chicago Race of the Day returns to your ears! The action has moved south to Hawthorne, and Episode 75 takes a look at the very first race of the fall meet: a $6,250 maiden claimer at five and a half furlongs on the dirt, which drew an... Continue Reading →

Saturday, September 21 is the final day of the Arlington meet...and in that spirit, we take a look at the day's 8th and final race, a polytrack sprint with a field of eleven. I talk about the race conditions, the pace setup, and a horse who looks to get a good trip at a likely... Continue Reading →

The summer meet's final two-year-old race happens Friday, September 20, the Arlington 4th. It's a polytrack sprint that drew eleven juvenile fillies, including seven first-time starters. In Episode 73 of Chicago Race of the Day, I dive in, and uncover some fascinating pedigrees, particularly in light of the race being a juvenile synthetic-track sprint! Listen... Continue Reading →

Closing week at Arlington Park continues, and in Episode 72 of Chicago Race of the Day, let's jump into the day's 3rd. It's a classy sprint allowance: a race full of faces familiar and new, a hot speed duel, and the chance to catch a sharp late runner at a nice price. Listen to Chicago... Continue Reading →

It's closing week at Arlington, and Wednesday of this week is the only Wednesday of the entire Thoroughbred racing meet. Episode 71 of Chicago Race of the Day starts with a news brief, since there was an important development at the racing board meeting that will probably be the talk of Chicago racing over the... Continue Reading →

Episode 70 of Chicago Race of the Day revisits one of my favourite game, dependable racemares from several years ago...because her first foal is running! We delve into her pedigree...and a few others, as we always do when it's time to delve into a two-year-old maiden race like Saturday's Arlington 6th. Listen to Chicago Race... Continue Reading →

Episode 69 of Chicago Race of the Day dives into Friday's Arlington 2nd. It's a race with a condition rarely run in Chicago -- a $5,000 maiden claimer! -- with a first-time starter by a little-known Illinois sire, as well as a horse with muddled form who is worth a shot at a big price.... Continue Reading →

Episode 68 of Chicago Race of the Day jumps into an open maiden special weight for fillies and mares at six and a half furlongs on the polytrack. The race drew a field of nine -- and it features a clear-cut likely favourite, but an interesting alternative who should be the right price. Listen to... Continue Reading →

Saturday's card at Arlington features the final two stakes races of the meet: the Arlington-Washington Lassie and the Arlington-Washington Futurity. Episode 67 of Chicago Race of the Day takes a look at the Futurity, which drew a competitive field of nine...and should be ripe for a price, since it has an eminently beatable horse who... Continue Reading →

Episode 66 of Chicago Race of the Day jumps into Friday's 3rd race at Arlungton, a seven-furlong maiden claimer for horses aged three and up on the polytrack. It's a field of seven, but with beatable chalk on the outside and several curious price horses trying something new, it's a fascinating betting race. Listen to... Continue Reading →

Episode 65 of Chicago Race of the Day takes a look at a fascinating allowance/optional claimer for three-year-old fillies: they're horses who have run against each other at times, but between the pace setup and a significant change in the distance between this and most of those past matchups, it becomes a real puzzle. Listen... Continue Reading →

Episode 64 of Chicago Race of the Day delves into Sunday's 2nd race at Arlington: a juvenile maiden special weight at five and a half furlongs on the polytrack. It has six first-time starters, and it overflows with fascinating pedigrees and angles related to the horses' connections. Come along as I take a deep dive... Continue Reading →

Episode 63 of Chicago Race of the Day delves into a maiden special weight, Saturday's Arlington 8th. It's a turf dash, and it features a first-time starter at a good price with an interesting turf dash pedigree, as well as a horse who is certain to be well bet, and certain to be profitable to... Continue Reading →