Tag: John Velazquez

By Ed McNamara The gates opened for the Kentucky Oaks, and within seconds John Velazquez had to abandon Plan A. “The strategy was to break well and get a good position,” he said. “When that …

Pegasus World Cup Profile: Code of Honor In the days leading up to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, usracing.com will profile the horses in the …

By Ed McNamara Bobby Frankel was a hard-edged guy who didn’t hand out compliments casually. So when he touted an obscure young rider from the Dominican Republic, jockey agent Ron Anderson paid attention. “Late in …

By Richard Rosenblatt It took most of opening day, but Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert saw one of his horses make a trip to the winner’s circle at Santa Anita on Saturday courtesy of …

By Margaret Ransom A talent-filled opening day program on Saturday at Santa Anita Park will help usher out a year of horse racing that has been unpredictable, turbulent and downright implausible, and hopefully foreshadow a …

By Noel Michaels Gulfstream Park is the epicenter of horse racing during the winter months, and another exceptional and challenging South Florida has been underway over these past two weeks. As always, Gulfstream offers bettors …

By Richard Rosenblatt Through the pandemic, quarantines, strict health and safety protocols, scheduling changes, and empty grandstands, the sport of thoroughbred racing was able to carry on and create so many memorable results in 2020. …

By Richard Rosenblatt Through the pandemic, quarantines, strict health and safety protocols, scheduling changes, and empty grandstands, the sport of thoroughbred racing was able to carry on and create so many memorable results in 2020. …

By Mike Farrell Brad Cox, fresh from his four-victory Breeders’ Cup weekend earlier this month, looks to deepen his bench of promising juveniles on the “Stars of Tomorrow II” program on Saturday at Churchill Downs. …

By Ed McNamara If you’re like me, you cut back dramatically on wagering after the pari-mutuel frenzy of the Breeders’ Cup. Although my handicapping was good, my betting was sloppy, and I should have made …

By Mike Farrell Jockeys and baseball managers share a common employment experience. Most are hired to eventually be fired. That was the hard lesson Manny Franco learned this week when he was booted off Tiz …

By Ed McNamara The 146th Kentucky Derby winner did very little wrong in a brief but brilliant career, and really, what’s wrong with finishing second in two Grade 1 races? Authentic won his other six …

Leading Jockeys and Trainers in Breeders’ Cup History Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith remains the leading jockey in Breeders’ Cup history having won aboard 26 horses, ten more than second-leading rider and fellow Hall …

By Richard Rosenblatt Perhaps Al Stall, Jr. put Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic’s star-studded field into the best perspective, when, after thinking it over for a few seconds, he came up with this comment: “This is …

Breeders’ Cup Jockeys: Young Stars Looking to Make an Impact By Noel Michaels Good handicappers know that you can’t base your bets on the leading jockeys all the time, especially at the Breeders’ Cup. Let’s …