Possible Kentucky Derby Contenders Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Jeremy Martin (ArriveNet Editorials - Apr 12, 2005) -- Three major races involving Kentucky Derby contenders took place last Saturday. The three races where held in different regions of the country and had enough interest that NBC televised all three of the races live. Two out of the three races went as expected with the chalk coming in, but that was not the case in California. Any winning ticket from the Santa Anita Derby would have netted one a substantial profit. The following will recap the stakes races from Santa Anita, Aqueduct, and Hawthorne and give you the current state of some of the Kentucky Derby contenders. The first of the three took place in New York with the Wood Memorial. The field of eight featured little excitement as the favorite Bellamy Road went wire-to-wire. The only surprise was the performance of Going Wild. Victor Espinoza traveled up from California to ride this horse that finished last due to a tiring stretch run. Nick Zito trained the winning horse and he appears to be well on his way with yet another Kentucky Derby contender. With this dominating performance, Bellamy Road will likely come in at single digits once post time arrives on May 7. He set the track record at 1 minute and 47 seconds and appears to be the fourth horse out of Zito's powerful barn. Rounding out the trifecta were Survivalist and Scrappy T. Scrappy T's ability to hit the board along with Going Wild's last place finish gave a little boost to the trifecta as it paid $254.00. Jerry Bailey and Victor Espinoza will certainly be looking for different horses to ride once May approaches. Moving west, we stop in Chicago for the Illinois Derby. On paper this appeared to be a weak field with the possibility to produce zero Kentucky Derby contenders. But that changed with a dominating performance by the favorite, Greeley's Galaxy. Galaxy went off at under 2-1 and pulled away for an easy victory. Owner B. Wayne Hughes has been quoted as saying that he will pony up the $200,000 to enter the horse in the Derby. This horse will enter the Derby at around 17-1, but I feel that is to low as this horse cannot compete with the strength of the Derby class. There was very little value on the board as the race pretty much ran as expected. The $2 trifecta paid just under $100 and this race was completely dominated by the inside horses. Numbers 1-2-3-4 finished in exactly that order. Monarch Lane held on for second place and Magna Graduate took the show money. Neither one of these two horses will be in Churchill Downs. Finishing out the day, we travel to the Pacific to Santa Anita Park for its annual Derby. The favorite in this race was a Philly named Sweet Catomine, who left the starting gate at even money. She ran into all kinds of trouble, was bumped, and could not rally back into contention. The winner was a Jeff Mullins trained horse, Buzzards Bay. The Buzz went off at over 30-1 and that was just the start of a humungous paying board. Coming in second was a 60-1 shot name General John B. The next four finishers were all favorites, but the damage had already been done and any winning ticket on this race meant a smile to one's face. The exacta paid $751 and the trifecta paid and amazing $6,635. Buzzards Bay should qualify for the Derby with this surprising win and I expect him to enter the race at around 15-1. As for Sweet Catomine, this was a devastating loss and I have to question if she will be able to recover from such a disappointment. Buzzards Bay will try and carry this momentum into the Kentucky Derby betting, but I question his style of racing. He had everything go right for him at Santa Anita, with trouble behind him and the hardness of the track. The Kentucky Derby appears to be full of early speedsters like the Buzz and that compition will likely wear them all down and allow the closers to blow past them. Nick Zito appears to be the hot trainer as the race is now less the one month away. He could have as many as five Kentucky Derby contenders in the field and at this moment three of them appear to be serious contenders for the crown. For Zito, it starts with Sun King, who is far and away the best of his crop. Sun King is scheduled to race this Saturday in the Bluegrass Stakes and a win here would propel him into the morning line favorite for the Derby. Zito's other two powers are High Fly and Noble Causeway. These two horses finished first and second in a very competitive Florida Derby. The only thing that troubles me about these two is their long layoff between races. If either of them would happen to win the Derby, that would mark the first time in nearly 50 years that the winner of the roses had a layoff of five weeks or more. That is about the only black mark on High Fly, who continues to dominate the three-year old field. Next up are two more stakes races held in the South. The Bluegrass Stakes will go from Keeland and the Arkansas Derby will draw from Oaklawn. These are two important races that will play a major role in determining the field for the Kentucky Derby. Be sure to check back for a recap of the stakes races each week. Doc's is your place for finding the winner of the Kentucky Derby. We have grabbed the money five out of the last ten Derby's including the 30-1 shot Charismatic in 1999. Doc's Sports will be writing several weekly articles regarding the Kentucky Derby up to the day of the race and we will be following the Kentucky Derby contenders until the race lineup is set.

Strange Morning at the Track Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Most Kentucky Derby (gr. I) works are pretty uneventful, but that certainly wasn't the case Thursday morning. You had Bobby Frankel calling a last-minute audible and working High Limit in company with Ghostzapper, and you had Greater Good and Greeley's Galaxy turn in two of the strangest Derby works in memory.
The only two works that went according to schedule were the five-furlong moves by the Nick Zito pair of Sun King and Andromeda's Hero.
Sun King was the first one to work, breaking off six lengths behind two other Zito-trained 3-year-olds, Chief Commander and Indy Storm. The son of Charismatic has been sharp in his gallops, getting down into the bit, and his work today was very similar. Chief Commander and Indy Storm hooked up from the start, going head and head, with Sun King, under Maxine Correa, steadily chopping into their lead around the turn. By the time they hit the quarter pole, Sun King had pulled to within a length of the other two, as he swung six-wide turning for home.
He switched leads smoothly and cruised by his two workmates just inside the eighth pole. Correa gave a quick shake of the whip, and Sun King seemed to respond by dropping his head and extending his stride. He got down low and was really reaching out as he crossed the wire in 1:00 flat, some five or six lengths ahead of his workmates. Zito caught him in :59 2/5, and several other clockers had him in :59 and change. After a final eighth in about :11 4/5, Sun King again took the turn pretty wide, which accounted for a moderate gallop-out time. But he kept building momentum and was rolling along pretty good down the entire backstretch. Correa finally was able to pull him up at the half-mile pole.
This was an excellent work, especially the way he did everything on his own, while showing a good closing kick, which he likely will have to use in the Derby. He has a grinding style of running, and any time a grinder can close, he becomes all the more dangerous.
Following Sun King came Greater Good, and this one got ugly well before the work even started. The son of Intidab was extremely rank galloping around the clubhouse turn, just behind his workmate, River Mountain Rd. He was so keyed up, he had jockey John McKee standing straight up in the irons, and pulling back hard on the reins, with his feet in the dashboard.
By the time he broke off at the five-eighths pole, he had already caught his workmate, but once into the work, he quickly settled down and let River Mountain Rd. open up by eight to 10 lengths. This is just the way he's run his last two races – breaking too sharply, going right up to the lead, then dropping back to where he should have been from the start.
He was a bit late changing leads after turning home, and still had a lot of ground to make up on River Mountain Rd. But he managed to blow right on by him inside the eighth pole, while throwing his ears around. With 100 yards to go, McKee started pumping hard in preparation for working an eighth past the wire. Greater Good came home his final eighth in about :12 2/5, then put in another eighth around the turn in :13 4/5. Although he looked OK in the stretch, this was not what trainer Bob Holthus was looking for. He's been trying to get Greater Good to relax right from the start, and in that regard, this had to be discouraging.
Following the renovation break, High Limit, with Joe Deegan board, strutted onto the track, followed by 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, ridden by regular jockey Javier Castellano. High Limit has been one of the most impressive Derby horses day in and day out, with his strong gallops, quarter-mile lung openers, and overall demeanor. As he stood near the sixteenth pole, you could get a good look at the fitness lines rippling all over his body.
As High Limit and Ghostzapper stood together, Andromeda's Hero and stablemate Pinpoint stopped near the finish line and made a quick turn to begin their run-up to the five-eighths pole. Pinpoint, a recent allowance winner at Keeneland, broke off four lengths ahead of Andromeda's Hero, who leveled off quickly under jockey Rafael Bejarano and got into a good steady rhythm. He went his opening eighth in:13 and quarter in :25 1/5. He cut the corner beautifully, with Bejarano nudging him on. He was all business in the final furlong, putting Pinpoint away, and coming home right around :11 1/5-:11 2/5 to complete the five furlongs in 1:01 4/5. For what it's worth, I got him closer to 1:01 1/5, with his final three-eighths in a sharp :36 flat.
What I liked about the son of Fusaichi Pegasus is the way his stride quickened in the final eighth. For a horse who has been coming from far back in his races and closing too late, he's extremely quick-footed. He's very smooth and doesn't hit the ground hard. In his last two races, he didn't start running until the race was over, and managed to pass the winners both times after the wire, including Afleet Alex, on whom he made up almost nine lengths while galloping out. If only he could use the quickness he shows in the morning in his races he could make a major leap in the 3-year-old division. One thing is for sure, the 1 1/4 miles of the Derby will help him. This likely will be the most unnoticed work of the morning, but it was one of those sneakily good works that you look for if you're searching for a live longshot.
As soon as Andromeda's Hero finished up his work, High Limit and Ghostzapper broke off at the 5 1/2-furlong pole, with Ghostzapper, on the inside, a half-length in front. They continued that way through fractions of :12, :24 1/5, and :48 4/5 (taken from the five-furlong pole). Turning for home, Ghostzapper came several paths off the rail, with High Limit another two to three paths farther out. Neither Deegan nor Castellano ever asked their mounts on, with Deegan keeping his hands perfectly still, way down on High Limit's neck. Both colts hit the ground with the exact same stride, while doing everything on their own.
Ghostzapper maintained his half-length lead until 70 yards from the wire, when High Limit, still under no urging in the slightest, managed to stick his head in front. Ghostzapper was being throttled down, his work (1:00 3/5) complete, but High Limit continued on to work six furlongs in 1:13 4/5 (or 1:13 2/5 from the 5 1/2, according to Frankel), while again being carried a bit wide by Ghostzapper. As I said earlier, High Limit couldn't be doing any better. Whether he can overcome having only four starts, only two this year, no one knows. But from a physical standpoint, you can see him getting stronger and more mentally sharp every day.
Last but not least, we come to Greeley's Galaxy, and I have to be honest when I say I have no way of judging this work, it was so unusual. Trainer Warren Stute, who flew in from California with owner B. Wayne Hughes, actually wanted to work the son of Mr. Greeley an easy mile, then "sneak a mile and quarter into him."
Mikki Fincher, top exercise rider for Al Stall, in whose barn Greeley's Galaxy is stabled, simply wasn't ready for what was in store for her. After being schooled in the gate, Greeley's Galaxy broke off into a gallop, then started his work at the eighth pole. Everything was going along smoothly, and in fact, this was looking like an awesome work, with Greeley's Galaxy moving along powerfully with his head and shoulders down and reaching out with those big strides of his. He was really rolling around the clubhouse turn and down the backstretch, throwing in an :11 2/5 eighth along the way and a :36 flat three-eighths. Turning for home, he cut the corner so sharply, he was only a foot or so off the rail.
Everything was looking great. But as he approached the eighth pole, the grueling mile over a track that was on the deep side was beginning to take its toll on Fincher and the horse. By the time they hit the eighth pole, getting the mile in 1:40 3/5, Greeley's Galaxy was turning his head and shortening stride. Finally, he all but shut down, like a Ferrari overheating, and pretty much staggered under the wire.
The mile work itself, from the eighth pole to the eighth pole, was fine, and would have been even faster had Greeley's Galaxy and Fincher not started to buckle approaching the pole. But there was no way Stute was going to sneak in that extra two furlongs. This was a very demanding work on both horse and rider. At least no one can say the horse won't be fit if he makes it into the Derby field.
"Everyone was laughing at me, but I was exhausted," Fincher said. "He did his job. He went really well from the eighth pole back to the eighth pole, but I got pretty tired."
Stute and Hughes, watching from the grandstand, actually seemed to take it all in good humor. When asked if he usually works his horses like this, the 84-year-old Stute said, "Nah, I had the owner here."
Hughes snapped back, "It's a good thing you didn't work him a mile and a half."
Stute was then told if Greeley's Galaxy wins on May 7, he will have officially rewritten to book on how to train a horse for the Derby, to which he replied, "Good."
Stute told of a filly he once trained for Hughes whom he worked a mile. And when she came back blowing, he worked her another mile. Again, she came back blowing, so he worked her a third mile, all in a four-week period. Then he ran her and she stopped to a walk. Stute told Hughes, "Wayne, I don't know what happened to that filly; she got tired in the race." Hughes replied, "Warren, she was tired way before the race."

Rockport Harbor Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Rockport Harbor will not participate in Saturday's $1 million Arkansas Derby, one of the final preparatory races for next month's Kentucky Derby.The 3-year-old Rockport Harbor, who has been hampered by a series of ailments, including foot problems and a blood clot in his neck, completed a 7/8-mile run in 1:25.6 at Oaklawn Park on Sunday before the decision was made by trainer John Servis. Horse bettingRockport Harbor instead will start the $325,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Race Track on April 23.

COIN SILVER Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Coin Silver pulled away in the stretch and won the Lexington Stakes on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher a third horse to run in the Kentucky Derby.Rockport Harbor, trained by John Servis, who won last year's Derby with Smarty Jones, faded in the stretch and finished sixth. The loss likely will keep the 3-year-old colt out of the Derby in two weeks.Coin Silver, a 13-1 choice in the seven-horse field, is the latest horse trained by Pletcher to earn a trip to Churchill Downs. Last week, Pletcher's Bandini won the Blue Grass Stakes and Flower Alley finished second in the Arkansas Derby.Rockport Harbor, ridden by last year's Derby winning jockey Stewart Elliott, has been bothered for months by nagging leg injuries, and also is recovering from a blood clot in his neck that kept him out of last week's Arkansas Derby.The gray son of Unbridled's Song, unbeaten as a 2-year-old, never held the lead in the 1 1-16th-mile Lexington.Coin Silver, ridden by Javier Castellano, entered the race with no graded-stakes earnings but earned $201,500 for owner John Fort. Castellano also rides early Derby favorite Bellamy Road, and Pletcher will likely have to find a new rider for Coin Silver.If more than 20 horses are entered in the Derby, preference is given to graded stakes earnings.Sort It Out, trained by Bob Baffert, finished second and earned $65,000. However, it's not enough to crack the top 20 list of graded stakes earners, meaning the three-time Derby-winning Baffert will miss his second straight Derby after having at least one starter in the race for eight straight years.Coin Silver grabbed the lead near the top of stretch in the race run over a sloppy track and with temperatures in the mid-40s, stiff winds and a light rain falling.Storm Surge was third, while Going Wild, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, finished fifth two weeks after a last place effort in the Wood Memorial. Lukas, a four-time Derby winner, will send out Consolidator in the Derby.Lukas's other entry in the Lexington, Skye'n Thunder, was scratched

Unbridled Auction and Gala Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Over 500 people attended the "Ponies On Parade" Unbridled Gala and Auction to benefit the Northwest Center for disabled people. "Ponies on Parade" was sponsored by The Wells Fargo Bank, a public art project produced by the Downtown Seattle Association. The Gala was held at the Bell Harbor International Pavilion at Pier 66

Foal is 'legitimate' Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

A rare white foal -- the daughter of a chocolate-colored dam and a brown chestnut sire -- has been born on a Lexington farm.
The foal, born Feb. 17, was named Caramel by Nancy and Mike Mazzoni, who own Lost Creek Farm. Caramel was sired by Trust N Luck and was out of the broodmare Deebrand. A DNA test proved that the foal was indeed the daughter of Trust N Luck and not of a non-thoroughbred stallion.
Both of Caramel's parents carry a gene that can occasionally result in white markings, but it's the first white thoroughbred produced by either horse.
"When it first happened, it was kind of a joke and we didn't know what to believe," Nancy Mazzoni said. "We couldn't honestly believe that she could be legitimate."
Of the more than 30,000 thoroughbreds registered each year by The Jockey Club, few are recognized as white. The organization has given that designation only 30 times since 1896. But from 2001 to 2004, 18 white thoroughbreds have been registered by The Jockey Club.
One stallion, Airdrie Apache, has sired 15 white thoroughbreds since 1999.

Wando Honored as Canada's Horse of the Year Betting Belmont Stakes belmont stakes betting online

Gustav Schickedanz's homebred Wando, who became the first horse in 10 years to sweep Canada's Triple Crown, was crowned Canadian Horse of the Year and top 3-year-old male when Sovereign Awards were announced Saturday during a ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
Wando became the seventh to sweep the Triple Crown series – the Queen's Plate, the Prince of Wales and the Breeders' Stakes – since it was started in 1959. The last was Peteski in 1993. The others were Dance Smartly (1991), Izvestia (1990), With Approval (1989), Canebora (1963) and New Providence (1959).
Wando won five of eight starts and earned just over $2 million in 2003. He took Woodbine's Queen's Plate on June 22 by nine lengths and the July 20 Prince of Wales at Fort Erie by four. Wando completed the Triple Crown sweep with a 1 1/2-length victory in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes on the turf at Woodbine in August.
A son of Langfuhr, Wando is out of the Woodman mare Kathie's Colleen, a grade II winner who is a half sister to grade I-winning Beau Genius.
Here is the complete list of winners of Sovereign Awards, which are sponsored by the Jockey Club of Canada.
HORSE OF THE YEAR, CHAMPION 3-YEAR-OLD MALE: Wando
OUTSTANDING BROODMARE: Radiant Ring CHAMPION 2-YEAR-OLD FILLY: My Vintage Port
CHAMPION 2-YEAR-OLD MALE: Judiths Wild RushCHAMPION 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY: Too Late Now
CHAMPION 3-YEAR-OLD MALE: Wando
CHAMPION OLDER FEMALE: One for Rose
CHAMPION OLDER MALE HORSE: Phantom Light
CHAMPION SPRINTER: Soaring Free
CHAMPION MALE TURF HORSE: Perfect SoulCHAMPION FEMALE TURF HORSE: Inish Glora
OUTSTANDING JOCKEY: Todd Kabel
OUTSTANDING APPRENTICE JOCKEY: Julia BrimoOUTSTANDING TRAINER: Robert Tiller
OUTSTANDING OWNER: Stronach StableOUTSTANDING BREEDER: Sam-Son Farm
OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPH: Michael Burns, Jr.
OUTSTANDING FILM/VIDEO/BROADCAST: Horse Racing Alberta & White Iron Productions
OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER STORY: Paul WiecekOUTSTANDING FEATURE STORY: Paul Wiecek