The greatest time of the year is upon us again, Derby Day. The day were everyone is a degenerate horse gambler and I’m looked on in a better light. All my hard work of handicapping day in and day out finally comes to play and it’s time to take a run at the big payday.

I really don’t understand what most people have against horse racing, especially people that like to bet on sports. You can spend a lot less in a day betting horses and have a chance to win so much more if you know what you’re doing. Plus there is no other high like betting on horses. Picture an entire day of last second shots and game winning at-bats and you get that with almost every race.  So today I invite all you other degenerate gamblers to give horse racing a look today and I guarantee once you can read a racing forum and know what is going on you will be hooked.

As for betting the Derby I’ll give you some picks if you don’t really have a clue, which I’m guessing is almost all of you.

If you want to spend a little bit on betting here’s my pick 4 play. The 1st race of the play starts at 1:00 pacific so get to the OTB early.

Cost $30 or play for .50 and will only cost $15

Race 8:

With a tough looking 10th race and the Derby this is a race I’m going to single a horse. The 11 Never Retreat looks strong in this field going up against a few horses he has beaten the last 2 races. Add in that he is the 3rd choice at 9/2 and it’s a strong play at a great price.

Race 9:

The 10th is going to be a great race and what that usually means is it’s wide open. I’m going to take 6 horses in it and hopefully hit the better price. I’ll be using the 1 Akinite, 2 Smiling Tiger, 3 Apriority, 4 Captain Cherokee, 6 Captain Candy Man and the 12 Here Comes Ben. More often than not if Smiling Tiger was in a race going 7 furs I would be all over him, but with this strong field he will be my slight favorite.

Race 10:

I love the 12 Court Vision. He loves racing at Churchill Downs, loves this distance and is a veteran of this race (His 3rd time in it). He finished 2nd last year to General Quarters who ran a huge race and 3rd the year before that to Einstein and Cowboy Cal who were both turf monsters. This year he is up against a weaker field and if he is going to win this race it will be this year.

Race 11:

Now for the big daddy the Derby. In this play I will use 5 horses. The 1 Archarcharch, 6 Commatothetop, 11 Master of Hounds, 15 Midnight Interlude and 16 Animal Kingdom. If my picks are alive going to the Derby get ready for a huge payday considering I’m using 2 10-1′s and 3 30-1′s.

If you are just looking for some friendly action for just the Derby itself here’s the plays that I like.

Trifecta:

Win: Master of Hounds

Place: Midnight Interlude, Nehro, Animal Kigdom, Twice the Appeal, Archarcharch

Show: Midnight Interlude, Nehro, Animal Kigdom, Twice the Appeal, Archarcharch

This wil cost you $20 and should give you some enjoyment

While all you savages are watching the barbaric and unrefined game of football tomorrow, us gentlemen will be watching the King’s sport, horse racing. With purses all over $1 Million dollars and the best horses from around the world all gathered in one place, the Breeders Cup makes the Kentucky Derby seem like the Cottage Grove mule races.

With the bigger purses and better quality horses it also brings in more people and for our sake more money. So when you win here you get paid out extra fat. Last year I had the favorite to finish off a very easy to hit pick 4 which was paying out nearly $2500. Of course the horse I had was by far the best horse in the race and even with one of the worst trips I’ve seen a horse have he still nearly got up for me.

If there was ever a time to walk away with more than 10K, today is the day.

Not only will I give out my Picks, but my buddy O who is getting his foot in the door of being a professional handicapper will also give out some of his plays.

MY PICKS:

The first play was one we both agreed on and that’s  a simple straight win wager.

Race 3: (Win Wager), Cost (Whatever you want)

Win wager on the 3 Always a Princess. She is  horse from out West who had all the markings of being a really good horse, then she made a move to a race out East on conventional dirt and just ate it up. This should be a huge run by her today and hopefully her odds don’t fall to close to even money.

Race 1: (Pick 3), Cost ($4)

This pick 3 play is just to get the juices flowing for all the big races later in the day. It going to be a pretty chalky one, but if you play it for a few bucks you might be able to make some ok money off it.

Race 1: Gonna use the 4 It’s about Midnight and the 6 Speightful Lady. Neither are the favorite but both should go off as not great odds.

Race 2: This is a simple choice to make in this race, just going to use the 2 clear favorites the 1Rapport and the 2 Nicole H. Should have no problem getting by this race.

Race 3: Going to Iso the above mentioned 3 Always a Princess. If get to this race could have a decent chuck riding on this race.

Race 8: (Pick 4), Cost ($72)

Race 8: I would love to take 5 horses in this race, but to keep the cost down I had to trim it to 2. The 2 horses I’m taking are studs though. the 9 Sidney’s Candy is one of my favorite horses and I wouldn’t be surprised if you see a wire job. The other horse is the 10 Goldikova this horse has only run in the U.S. twice, yet it just happens to be this race which he has won both times. He is the class of Europe banking $5 million and eats up turf. If Sidney’s wasn’t in this race i would only take Goldikova

Race 9: If it wasn’t for this race I would feel like there was no way I wouldn’t win, but this race is on the card and I’m pretty well stumped on it. With only betting $72 I couldn’t wheel it like I would want to ,so I’m going with my 3 best choices. The 2 Tizway, 5 Here Comes Ben and the 12 Vineyard Haven. I’m hoping one of these 3 can get me thru.

Race 10: This is just a tough race to handicap. This is a race going 1 1/2 miles over turf. Perennially the Euros have destroyed this event and they bring in 2 big guns for it again. The 6 Workforce and 7 Behkabad look to keep the Euro dominance. I’m also going to go against the norm and going to take an American turf horses and that’s the 2 Winchester. Should get thru this leg with these 3.

Race 11: Now for the grand daddy of them all The Breeders Cup Classic. All the talk so far has been about undefeated filly Zenyatta who is looking for her 20th straight win and as the 9/5 favorite people see her winning again. I am not one of these people. If you have ever read my picks you know that I try and beat Zenyatta every time she runs. It’s not that I don’t think she will win, but her odds are always so shitty that if you ever beat her you are looking at making a lot of money. So of course I’m going 4 deep and I have a good feeling I get her this time. I’ll be using the 1 Quality Road, 5 Blame, 8 Zenyatta and 12 Lookin at Lucky. If it comes to this race and the pays are huge to the other 3 I will be rooting against Z for sure, but if she wins that will be fine.

O’S PICKS:

Race 5: (Pick 3), Cost ($25)

Race 5: 2,5,7,10,12

Race 6: 11

Race 7: 1,2,7,9,10

Race 8: (Pick), Cost ($16)

Race 8: 9,10

Race 9: 1,2,5,7

Race 10: 6,7

Race 11: 8 Big Z Zenyatta

BONUS BET:

I’ve been waiting for this horse to run again and of course this is the day he runs. In the 2nd race at Hollywood park the 2 horse War Pilot will win. He will go off at at a short price, but lock that shit up.

Ain’t that a bitch. You think men all over the world could at least catch this break once in our lives where the Wife Knows Everything actually loses to the Wife Doesn’t Know. I mean seriously. Oh well, back to reality where small fluffy animals and throw pillows exist in the world.

With the Hollywood Park meet finished it’s time to set our eyes on Del Mar, and with a good looking 10 race card my eyes are wide open. Of the 10 races I have found a 3 race section that I’m in love with and my picks will be set around only those 3 races. So let’s get off on the right foot with a solid win to start the meet.

Pick 3

Races 6-8

Race 6: The first leg of the pick 3 is a tough Optional Claimer going a mile over the turf, but why I like this race to start off my tickets is I plan on beating the favorites and getting some price right out of the gate. My top choice is the 7 Bran Jammas who’s morning line odds of 5-1 is the perfect kind of horse to play. He has won 2 straight going this distance over turf and even though his 83 and 82 beyers don’t look that great he ran much better than those numbers. The other angle that I love with him is Del Mar is known for being very friendly to horses that close from behind and with what I expect to be a hot pace out front he will have a great chance to mow them down late. The other Horse I’ll being playing is the 3 Enumclaw Girl. She is one of the horses that will be up on the lead and I’m hoping that jockey Rafael Bejarano won’t have her dueling with the other 2 speed horses and has her sitting right behind them ready to pounce when the time comes.

Race 7: The 7th is a interesting looking maiden special with a bunch of so-so looking horses. The 3 Mama Bouche and 5 Go On Babe are the two favorites who both happened to be trained by the same trainer Bob Baffert who is known for having really good young horses. I’d be a fool not to play them both, but the one that I’m most interested in is the 4 Vindicated Ghost. She is a first time starter out of the monster Vindication sire and with some decent morning works and a 15-1 morning line I’d rather take a shot with her that with some of the other horses.

Race 8: My pick 3′s will end with the Oceanside Stakes going a mile over the turf. There are 3 horses that I will play, but 1 that I will play more. The 3 Twirling Candy looks like he can be an absolute monster and if you don’t believe me go back to my May 10th picks where I isoed him saying I thought he would crush and he went out and won by 7 3/4 lengths. The only reason why I’m not jumping all over this horse for a huge win bet is that it’s his first time going long and his first time running on turf so logic tells me not to trust him 100%, because of that I will also play 2 other horses the 6 Macias and the 7 Domonation. Macias is a stakes winning horse who loves turf the only problem is that he loves being on the lead and Twirling Candy is just to fast for him so look for Macias to be right behind Twirling Candy and if the distance and surface are to much for him he will be right there. The other horse Domonation is also trying turf for the first time, but that shouldn’t be a problem since he is bred to love the grass. I’ve played Domonation almost every time he has ran so I know he can compete with these 2 horses and with his running style of being a closer fits in great at Del Mar and if Twirling and Macias get into a speed duel look for Domonation to come clean them up late.

For these 3 races I will play 2 separate tickets. The numbers are the number the horse is entered as.

3,7/3,4,5/3,6,7- Cost $18 per ticket but I’ll play it for $2. Total $36

7/3,4,5/3,7- Cost $6 per ticket but I’ll play it for $5. Total $30

Banked home some money last Saturday, so it’s time to let it ride and win some real money. I got 1 play today and that’s the late Pick 4 at Hollywood.

Pick 4, Races 6-9, Cost $45

Race 6: Gonna start the pick 4 using 3 horses. The 5 Victory Dash will offer the best price and hopefully the drop will help, the 6 Dish the Dirt looks the best and should crush this weak field, and also the 9 Costa Marta just finished 2nd at this level 3 weeks ago and should improve off that.

Race 7: The 7th is a wide open allowance race so I’m going to take 5 of the 8 horses. I’ll use the 2 My Maloof Rocker, 4 El Nadia, 5 Surfer Girl, 6 Entanabi and the 8 Always in Style. It will be a bad beat if I don’t get through this leg with 5.

Race 8: The Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes looks to be won by 1 of 3 horses. The 1 Skipshot has the fields best beyer and will show some tactical speed, the 2 Golden Itiz just smashed horses last out by 11 lengths and will try to get the lead and hold the lead, the last pick is the 6 Alphie’s Bet who has already won 2 stakes races in his career and will be trying to get them late.

Race 9: Taking a little risk with my iso in the last. Going to let it ride on the 3 Honour Family. Is the ML 3rd choice at 5-1 so there is value here and this field is just awful so the risk will be worth the reward.

It’s Saturday again so that means it’s another great day to try and make some money. Got a few plays at a couple tracks so lets make it happen.

Churchill Downs

Pick 3 Races 8-10, Cost $6 (I’ll play mine for $5 so $30)

Race 8: Gonna start the Pick 3 with my iso. 4 Colizeo looks to be the lone speed, couple that with Garret Gomez as the jockey and Todd Pletcher as the trainer and this horse will have the best possible chance to take this race.

Race 9: Gonna try and catch some price in this leg so going to take 3 horses. The 4 Joharmony, 8 It’s Tea Time and the 11 Beautician. The 4 and 8 look to be the 2 pace setters so hopefully we should get a good sweat at least and maybe the 11 mows them down late.

Race 10: For the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Stakes I’m going to use 2 horses. The favorite  2 Battle Plan looks to be the strong favorite as he will take this bunch around the track at whatever pace he decides to set and if not hopefully the 5 Arson Squad can get back into form and get it done.

Hollywood Park

Pick 3 Races 2-4, Cost $8 (I’ll play it for $5 so $40)

Race 2: Gonna iso again in the first leg, but in this case I’ll actually have 2 horses. In this instant 2 horses are coupled together as the 1 and the 1A, so if I bet the 1 I get the 1A as well. Not only do I like the 700K first time starter 1 Grove Park, but I also like the 1A Moonlark so isoing in this instance is a no brainer.

Race 3: I’m going to take 2 in this 2nd race. Yet again there are 2 horses coupled and they both look good as well, the 1 Harmonious and the 1A Taro look to be the best in this field, but the reason I’m taking one more is I have a feeling this horse runs a monster race today. The 6 Hasty exits a strong grade 3 stakes race where she was making up a lot of ground late, so adding the extra distance in this race and is also the 2nd race after a long layoff I expect she fires a huge race.

Race 4: The Desert Stormer Handicap looks to be a tough race to end the sequence, but with tough races come better payouts and that’s what I’m expecting here. I’ll use 4 horses the 2 Alpha Kitten, 3 Moon De French, 5 Free Flying Soul and 7 Dance to my Tune. I can see anyone of them winning so why not play them all.

So the last leg of the Triple Crown is upon us and I’m tired of not cashing money for these big race days so I’v done some extra studying to get this win today. I’ve chosen to play the Pick 4 that offers a Grade 2 Stake and 3 Grade 1 Stakes including the Belmont. If you want free money I suggest playing my picks today.

Bet: Pick 4, Cost: Either $27 or $54 depending what you choose in the 10th

Race 8: The 8th is the kind of race that has been screwing me over lately, but I got a good feeling about this Sprint Stakes. I’m going to take the 2 Custom for Carlos, 3 Bribon, and the 8 Checklist. Carlos and Bribon are the 2 classy horses of the field and both should be in the hunt to take this race. The only way I see neither of them winning is if Checklist gets out on the lead and just doesn’t give in. So at least it will be exciting to watch hoping that Checklist can hold on to win, but don’t expect it.

Race 9: The 9th race will offer the best chance for catching some price in this pick 4. The 2 Tanda, 6 Amen Hallelujah, and 10 Tidal pool offer good price but a close bet field. I have played Tanda multiple times running in So Cal and horses that run on synthetic and go to dirt always seem to love it. I’ve also played Amen Hallelujah multiple times at So Cal and he’s looking to have the most upside. Then Tidal Pool should like this cut back in distance for her and should be real live.

Race 10: For the 10th I give you the option to take either 1 or 2 depending on how much you want to spend. If you want to spend more like I am I am going to use the 1 Gio Ponti and the 6 Court Vision otherwise the play is isoing Gio Ponti. Gio Ponti is the clear Iso in this sequence, coming out of the $10 mill Dubai World Cup race where he finished 4th, he also has 5 Stakes win including 4 Grade 1 stakes in his career and should crush this field. If for some reason Gio gets a tough trip I’m also going to take Court Vision. Court Vision is just another Stakes veteran like Gio Ponti the only difference between them is Gio gets the wins while Court gets 2nd. Whatever way you go is a good play.

Race 11: For the Belmont I’m going to use 3 horses. 4 Make Music for Me, 6 Ice Box, and the 11 First Dude. I’ve never been more sure that one of these 3 horses will win the Belmont. I would only use Ice Box and First Dude but they are the top 2 favorites so I threw in Make Music For Me who has a real shot at winning this race because it’s a mile and a half. So if my ticket is still alive to this race it’s time tot start count money.

I have been on fire with my horse handicapping the last couple days so I thought I’d share them with everyone today. I gave the winner for the Preakness and had the 2nd place horse in the Derby so it was only a matter of time before things started going my way. We are back at the track in So Cal with the horses I know so it’s a good time to get out there and make some wagers and win some money.

I’ve been giving my picks without really realizing that most people don’t understand what I say when giving them so I’ll give a quick tutorial first so most people can follow along better.

Most of my picks are usually pick 3′s and 4′s. Pick 3′s start in almost every race. What they are is everyone that bets that pick 3 all the money go’s into a pool and that’s what everyone who bet it is playing for. What you need to do is pick correctly the winner of the next 3 races and however many people pick them correctly chop what is in the pool. For my picks I usually give multiple horses that I like and will play, but by doing that you have to pay more since it’s the same as playing a bunch of individual tickets. For example if I want to take 4 horses in the 1st race, 3 in the 2nd and 1 in the 3rd it cost $12. 4x3x1 is how I will show it. It’s the same as making all separate tickets that are 1x1x1 for all the different combinations I want to play.

The pick 4 is the same, but the pool is a lot bigger. At So Cal tracks they will guarantee that at least 250k will be in the pool so a lot more people play it and the pays are a lot bigger. But for pick 4′s you have to pick 4 races correctly to win. If anyone has any questions about horse racing just post them in the comment section and I can anwser them.

All right back to business. I’ll give picks for a pick 3 and a pick 4

Pick 3, Races 3-5, Cost $12

Race 3: The first race for the pick 3 is a tough one, but I hope to get i with only 1 horse. The 6 Isle of Giants has been facing better, cuts back to a shorter distance and goes up against a race with no early speed. He should either have the lead or be right off it, but either way he should have it down the home stretch.

Race 4: The 4th is a tough looking Maiden Special with a lot of expensive horses in it. The 4,5,7 all cost around 200k so this should be a classy field. For betting purposes I’ll go with the 1 Lunada Bay, 4 Tiz Golden, 5 Loro and 7 Farallone. I wouldn’t be surprised if the 4 smashes this field as the favorite, but there are too many good connections to not play the others. If you want to play a small ticket taking just the 4 would be a good play.

Race 5: The 5th is like the 4th in that there are a lot of really expensive horses in it. The 1 cost over 500k, the over 300k and the 15 250k. But I’ll take the 1 Utopian, 9 Royal FJ and 13 Isle of Prado. I hate that I have to play the 9 as he will go off as the favorite and he has finished 2nd 5 times out of 7 races, usually I stay away from these losers but he looks to good here.

Pick 4, Races 7-10, Cost $40

Race 7: This is a hard to handicap race. There are a couple horses that have been running against better and there are some that have never run on turf so I’ll need to take 5. The 1 Greenwhich Park, 4 Hasty Trend, 6 Uncle Jeep, 9 Journeyman and 10 Partywithlarryz. I have no idea who will win but for the price I like Journeyman to wire.

Race 8: The 8th will be my iso with the 5 Twirling Candy. He has only run 1 career race but it was a monster race. This will be his first test against winners so I dont know how he will handle other horses that are fast, but he he can run like he can he should run away in this race.

Race 9: The 9th is the Grade 1 Gamely Stakes. Some monster turf runners have entered this race so I’ll need to spread to get through. The 1 Gotta Have Her, 3 Forever Together, 4 Tuscan Evening and 5 Well Monied . It’s a toss up which horses shows up but I hope whoever pays out the best wins. For anyone who doesn’t watch horse racing or is bored I suggest checking this race out.

Race 10. The final race is just an awful low level maiden race which has the makings of screwing up this ticket. There are a bunch of first time runners and some that are just terrible. So I’ll reluctantly go with the 6 Harmony’s Hope and the 14 Dos Veinte. If I get to this race I’ll close my eyes because I dont want to watch some shitty horse steal the win for me.

The Preakness is upon us and it’s time to make up for the Kentucky Derby. Getting the 2nd place horse in the Derby is like getting kicked in the nuts. We were so close yet we were so far. So it’s time to get some winners home and make us all rich. I have a pick 4 and the Preakness winner for you.

Pick 4:

Race 9: The first leg is a tough G3 turf so I’ll go 3 deep. The 3 Ave is a Europe winner who is making is North American Debut and my theory on these horses is you better have them on your ticket. Also the favorite 4 Rainbow View looks tough to beat, but beating an even money favorite makes the payout 5 times bigger. Throw in the 5 Quiet Meadow at 10-1 who just missed beating a So Cal stud Tuscan Evening and I’m liking having those 3 horses.

Race 10: The 10th is a tough G3 sprint so I’ll go 4 deep. The 1 Snap Shot looks to be running into form so I’ll snag him. The 3 Roaring Lion just ran a big race going 7 furs, so the cut back to 6 should help him out a lot. The 7 Ravalo is a good looking sprint horse and when he’s not running in synthetic he looks like he could be a tough costumer. The 11 Half Metal Jacket is my Favorite to win, coming from the outside post he should have a great trip.

Race 11: I’m going 4 deep again in this tough Turf race. The 1 Wesely exists a strong G1 and the extra distance good mean the victory. The 2 Grassy is ridden by my favorite jockey Garret Gomez and he knows how to win on turf, so look for Gomez to have him in perfect racing position. The 4 Just As Well looks to be the odds on favorite so I’ll play him. He is a stakes veteran and should know what to do in this race. My last pick is the 9 Rahystrada, he won a G3 3 races ago and his 3rd race back from a break he should be in his best condition.

Race 12. For the Pick 4 in the Preakness I’ll iso. The 7 Lookin at Lucky gets off the rail and if he avoids early trouble he should have a good shot at winning this. He was the favorite going into the Derby so the horse can run, lets just hope he has a clean race and he should be in the hunt.

If you are looking for Preakness winners I can give you 4. The favorite Super Saver doesn’t look as good not running in the slop so I would be weary at betting him as the favorite. Looking at Lucky looks to be the best bet. Had a terrible trip in the Derby and gets off the rail. Look for him to be a real player. If you are looking for some price I got 2 good ones for you. The 6 Jacksons Bend is a real good race horse when he doesn’t have to face early Derby favorite Eskenerey, so look for him to bounce back big. Also So Cal runner Caracortado could be the up setter here. He tries his first time at dirt and has been close to Sidenys Candy so you know he can run. Pick whatever horse you like, but I will be trying to beat the 2 favorites in most my tickets.

There isn’t a better day all year than Derby Day. The best horses in the US, tons of money being gambled and tons and tons of pretty ladies wearing big hats. Not to mention it’s one of a handful of days were I don’t feel like a degenerate, because ESPN covers it so it all of a sudden becomes ok to like the horses. Well I got a leg up on most of the people that will tune in and maybe lay a wager, because I have seen every horse that is entered in the Derby race at least once and I’ll give everyone the sleeper picks others will miss. I know the main draw is the Derby, but there are 2 good races before it so I have a pick 3 play and of course the Derby play.

The Pick 3 starts in race 9 with the Churchill Downs Stakes, then the Woodford in the 10th, and finish with the Derby.

Race 9: The Churchill Downs stakes looks to be a race where we can hopefully get some price. The 2 Country Day (15-1), 3 Wall Street Wonder (12-1), 7 Warriors Reward (4-1), and 12 Musketman (3-1). I feel confident that 1 of these 4 will take it and I really give the 2 long shots a good chance.

Race 10: The Woodford is a tough race to call. The 9/5 favorite Court Vision looks to be a tough customer, but some of these others are strong horses and by beating a 9/5 fav our payout increases greatley. I will use the 3 Court Vision, but also the 6 Battle of Hastings, 7 Blues Street and the 8 Loup Breton. Hope to beat Court Vision but don’t be surprised if he romps.

Race 11: What we’ve all been waiting for The Kentucky Derby. Along with this pick 3 I have  a trifecta to play bur for the pick 3 I’ll take 2 horses. The 11 Devil May Care is my top choice for the Derby. Has a racing style that should be able to adapt to whatever scenario the race unfolds and exits his last race with a tie for the top last beyer. Also at the ML odds 10-1 you gotta love that. The other horse is the 20 Sidneys Candy. If Sid wasn’t stuck all the way out in the 20 hole he would be my top choice. Seen him crush the favorite Lookin at Lucky in his last race and usually he likes to get on the lead and go, but exiting the 20 hole and with a couple other speedy front runners expect the youngster Joe Talamo to angle him in right behind the pace and look at him to get the first jump on the front runners. He’s also coming in at 5-1 so in Derby terms these 2 will payout out great if they hit.

For the Trifecta my ticket will look like this. 11,20/1,2,4,6,11,20/1,2,4,6,11,17,20

So essentially that’s either Devil or Sid need to win, then either of the 1,2,4,6,11,20 need to get 2nd, and the 1,2,4,6,11,17,20 need to get 3rd. This will cost you $50 so if you want to play a cheaper ticket chose either the 11 or 20 to win and that will cut the ticket cost in half.