Over at ShapperDaCapper, I'm writing about the Breeders' Cup Turf. My first piece for the week looks at a pair of trainers who have conditioned two-time winners of the Breeders' Cup Turf. Sir Michael Stoute, trainer of Conduit, has a longshot in Ulysses. Aiden O'Brien, trainer of two-time winner High Chaparral, has Found working to... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 10.24.16
Jockey Julio Felix has been on fire through the first three weeks of the Hawthorne meet. This week's Chicago Railbird takes a look at his riding statistics so far, as well as a pair of the races in which he rides on Wednesday and Thursday. We look at Wednesday's 8th and Thursday's 8th. Both races... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 10.22.16
Today's Hawthorne 6th, the lone allowance on today's card, is a competitive N1X turf dash. The race drew an intriguing mix of more lightly raced horses and old salts...and there's a same-trainer "B" entry who looks primed to run the field off its feet. Head over to ShapperDaCapper, read the latest Chicago Railbird, and get... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 10.13.16
This Thursday's card at Hawthorne is a solid one, and the late Pick 4 features sprints with big fields! Over at Chicago Railbird, I dive into all four races in that sequence. No matter what your playing style, what your budget, I talk about all the horse who I think have a chance, organised as... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 10.7.16
Friday is opening day at Hawthorne, and Chicago Railbird is there. The first column of the meet takes a look at the three races tomorrow in which Scott Becker, last spring's leading trainer, sends out horses. All three of those races have full fields, interesting horses -- and some intriguing price plays, too. Head over... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: Arlington Super High Five
Tomorrow is closing day at Arlington, and there is a $249K carryover into the Super High Five pool. Since it is closing day, there is a mandatory payout, making it a great day for anyone to take a shot. In the latest Chicago Railbird, I provide an in-depth preview of the field. I take a... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 9.22.16
This week, the Arlington meet draws to a close. Chicago Railbird is there. By number of wins, the training and jockey races are pretty well tied up. Larry Rivelli has an insurmountable lead in the training tally, and Jose Valdivia, Jr. has a dominant tally among jockeys. The biggest question surrounding Valdivia is whether he... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 9.5.16
Today's Arlington 6th, a turf mile for $10,000 N2L company, should be a solid betting race. The race has a pair of short-priced horses who both have serious questions surrounding them. With that the case, it looks a perfect spot to look elsewhere at a price, and I have some ideas. Head over to ShapperDaCapper,... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: Illinois-bred maidens!
Saturday's Arlington 7th is a bit of a curiosity: a $100,000 maiden claimer for state-breds. Unsurprisingly, since a $100K claim is un-heard-of in these parts, it drew very much like a state-bred maiden special. Fort Rally looks like the one to beat...but there are a couple of spoilers who look to go off at the... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 8.28.16
This Sunday's Arlington 4th is a contentious and classy affair: a wide-open two-year-old maiden special weight going a mile on the grass. The race drew a field of eight, and, an argument can be made for most of the field. However, there is one horse who looks to have an experience edge and a pace... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird:8.26.16
In this week's Chicago Railbird, I take a look at a pair of races on Friday's card that are among my favourite races to play. It's no secret that I love to play extended sprints: six and a half furlongs, seven furlongs, one-turn miles. They're interstitial: not quite sprints, not quite routes, but in a... Continue Reading →
Arlington Million Day analysis!
Tomorrow is Arlington Million Day! I have been on site at Arlington all week watching the horses in the morning, and handicapping and writing through the afternoons. At The Tournament Edge, I preview the four Festival race fields, highlighting a few interesting horses in each. At ShapperDaCapper, I preview the day's feature, the Grade I... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: Hero’s and Crooks
I had a blast writing my latest Chicago Railbird column. There's little I like more than learning about Illinois breeding, and I noticed that Hero's and Crooks has his first starter ever in Friday's Arlington opener. I wondered how he ended up a sire, even in Illinois, given his modest race record. So, in addition... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 7.31.16
Sunday's seventh race at Arlington is an excellent turf mile. Hopefully the race stays on turf -- it drew a field of ten, and some price horses are in with legitimate chances. However, racing was washed off the turf on Saturday, and the air remains humid. So, in addition to discussing who I like on... Continue Reading →
Chicago Railbird: 7.28.16
Thursday's seventh race at Arlington is an exciting one: a maiden special weight on the grass with an overflow field. The race has some exciting bloodlines, a lot of lightly raced runners, and a beatable favourite. In other words, it has a little something for everyone: bettors, pedigree nerds, and fans of a good and... Continue Reading →
