By Jarrod Horak The Grade 2 Chicago Stakes headlines the Churchill Downs program on Saturday night, offering a $300,000 purse for fillies and mares going seven furlongs on the main track. Race Overview The seven-furlong distance often favors horses that possess both sprint speed and the stamina to finish strongly, and this year’s field includes […]
Tag Archives: Bob Baffert
By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 20 has a purse of $500,000 and a field of ten sophomores are set to travel 1 1/8 miles on the main track. Pace Scenario Favors the Favorites One of the most important handicapping factors in this year’s Ohio Derby is the projected […]
By Jarrod Horak The Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita Park returns to the racing calendar on Monday after originally being scheduled for June 11. A power outage interrupted racing midway through the card last week, forcing officials to cancel the remaining races, including the Affirmed Stakes. With Santa Anita adding an extra day of racing, […]
By Jarrod Horak This Thursday, June 11th, marks the closing week of the Hollywood meet at Santa Anita Park, and I’m excited to break down both stakes races on the card. The past performance data I’m referencing comes from the popular Complete Digest. Desert Stormer Stakes – Race 2 Distance: 6 furlongs, Main TrackPurse: $100,000Field: […]
By Jarrod Horak Saturday’s Churchill Downs card features three competitive graded stakes races on the main track, and I’ll break down each one using the pace analysis, trip notes, and figures from past performances provided by Today’s Racing Digest. The races covered in this analysis include the Grade 2 Shawnee Stakes, Grade 3 Aristides Stakes, and […]
By Jarrod Horak The Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs headlines Saturday’s card as Race 12, featuring a $5 million purse for three-year-olds going 1 1/4 miles on the main track. With a full field of contenders and a projected honest pace, this year’s Derby shapes up as a wide-open betting race. For this […]
By Jarrod Horak As we get closer to the first Saturday in May, I’ve gone through the latest data to identify the strongest Today’s Racing Digest numbers for the top Kentucky Derby 2026 contenders. This is the time of year where understanding how a race will unfold becomes just as important as who is fastest […]
By Jarrod Horak The Road to the Kentucky Derby rolls through Santa Anita Park with the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, a $500,000 event for three-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on the main track. This is one of the most important West Coast prep races, and I’ve been tracking all the Derby points races closely—producing […]
By Jarrod Horak The Road to the Kentucky Derby rolls through Aqueduct with the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, a $750,000 test for three-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on the main track. As the 12th race on the card, this is a pivotal Derby points race, and I’m looking to separate contenders from pretenders based on […]
By Jarrod Horak I’m breaking down the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, a $1.5 million Kentucky Derby points race at 1 1/8 miles. This race consistently produces serious Derby contenders, and this year’s field brings a mix of proven stakes runners and lightly raced upside types. From a pace perspective, Redland Rebels figures […]