Winning Ponies

Jay Hovdey has been executive columnist for Daily Racing Form since 1998. Previously, he covered horse racing for The Blood-Horse and the Thoroughbred Record, and his work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and Reader's Digest. He is the winner of four Eclipse Awards and the author of the biographies Whittingham - A Thoroughbred Racing Legend and Cigar - America's Horse. He will tell us about his recently released book – Long Rein: Tales From The World of Horse Racing, which contains 81 individual stories that he has authored over the years. Jay Privman has been covering the road to the Triple Crown very closely this year as he is based in California and has seen California Chrome's rise to stardom. He is a frequent guest on this show and will share his insights into this storybook tale and examine the field for next week's Belmont Stakes. Jay will also report on the major players in this weeks Grade 1 $350,000 American Oaks and Grade 2 $200,000 Californian Stakes from Santa Anita.

Sam Gooding, is a returning instructor to the Kentucky Horseshoeing School which offers a curriculum in the fundamentals of farrier craftsmanship. The school's staff members are practicing professional farriers and honor graduates of KHS, trained to instruct students in basic farrier techniques and to ensure continuity within the KHS curriculum. During their tenure, students will master the fundamentals of farrier craftsmanship. They will learn how to trim a horse for proper balance and how to recognize and treat common types of lameness and gait problems. They will also be guided through basic and advanced forging techniques, using both coal and gas forges. Instructor Sam Gooding will tell us how he got involved with KHS and what the school is all about with professional farriers being in such great demand today. In the second segment a frequent guest on our show, Daily Racing Form columnist and handicapper Byron King will join John in 'capping the $150,000 Arlington Classic Stakes at Arlington Park; the Gr

Winner of the Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice jockey in 1974 and the Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey in 1980, Chris McCarron led North America by races won three times and by money won four times. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989. Not one to rest on his laurels, he founded the North American Racing Academy in Lexington, Kentucky. Chris is a wealth of knowledge of the sport on so many levels and his enthusiasm is infectious. He will talk Preakness with John, reminisce on his wins on Alysheba and Pine Bluff and share his impressions of California Chrome in the 139th Preakness Stakes this coming Saturday. Our second guest Richard Eng covers the Horse Racing industry. Handicapping for Dummies is one of the many handicapping books he wrote. He also is a writer for Las Vegas Review Journal and the Daily Racing Form. He will join John in handicapping the 139th Preakness Stakes, the $500,000 Gr. 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and the $300,000 Gr. 3 Pimlico Special Stakes all from Pimlico.

With his obscure breeding many are saying California Chome was the most improbable Derby winner. And Ironically Milt Toby has just penned a new book 'Canonero II - The Most Improbable Kentucky Derby winner.' It is quite a tale from the award winning writer. Milt Toby is an attorney, author, and photographer with a lifelong involvement in the horse industry. He has been writing professionally about horses since 1972, first as a staff writer and photographer for The Blood-Horse and since 1984 as a freelancer for a number of publications. He will try to highlight the similarities between the two improbable Derby winners. In the second segment Tom LaMarra of the Daily Racing Form will be our guest handicapper. He will be at the opening at Belterra Park (the old River Downs site) today. We will get his impressions of the opening day there and his thoughts of the Kentucky Derby. He will join John in handicapping the $200,000 gr. 2 Peter Pan Stakes, the $600,000 gr. 1 Man O' War Stakes both at Belmont and possibly

For this year's Kentucky Oaks and Derby previews, we have lined up 3 expert handicappers representing the country from coast to coast, who will help put the Oaks and Derby picture into perspective. Dan Illman who is the DRF.com Handicapping Editor and host of the Daily Racing Form News Desk, Gary West who currently is a frequent contributor to ESPN, and was a regular columnist for the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star Telegram and Daily Racing Form's East coast handicapping editor Dan Cronin will join John in previewing the two major races this weekend at Churchill Downs - The Kentucky Oaks to be run on Friday and the 140th Kentucky Derby Presented by YUM! BRANDS to be run on Saturday. They will also delve into some of the supporting features such as the $500,000 Gr. 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes, and the $300,000 Gr. 2 Alysheba Stakes.

In a news breaking show our first guest is jockey agent Jeff Perrin who is a native of Sydney, Australia and is now a successful jockey agent in the Midwest. He will be discussing the nuances of finding the right horses for his riders and how to keep his many trainers happy, with his riders in demand being named on several horses in a single race. Perrin has handled the book of Peruvian rider Edgar Paucar and together they have won over 2,500 races. Perrin will be breaking news exclusively right on this show about a new rider he has, that has won titles at three tracks and is returning to a track where he had broken a long-standing record set by Hall of Fame rider Steve Cauthen. Listeners' favorite and former show host Ed Meyer will be our guest handicapper. After analyzing the Derby field, Ed and John will handicap the $200,000 Gr. 3 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs and two Friday graded stakes races - the $250,000 Gr. 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland and the $100,000 Gr. 3 Last Tycoon Stakes at Santa Anita. Ed w

After many years as a leading rider in Pennsylvania Stewart Elliot has moved his tack to Kentucky and is having a very successful meet thus far at Keeneland. John and Stewart will discuss the reasons for his decision, his entrance into racing and the thrill of being part of the Smarty Jones Triple Crown bid. Our handicapper this week is no stranger to the show. Rich Eng will join John for an overview of the Derby and Oaks fields. They will also handicap the $200,000 Gr. 3 Lexington Stakes and the $150,000 Gr. 3 Ben Ali Stakes both from Keeneland; the $200,000 Gr. 2 Distaff Handicap from Aqueduct and the $500,000 Gr. 3 Illinois Derby from Hawthorne Race Course.

Handicapping contests are becoming very popular as is the Esquire's show 'Horseplayers' which gives us a rare perspective at a group of contest players trying to pick winners. Peter Thomas Fornatale will talk about the contests, DRF's involvement in the contest world, and his own experiences playing in them and also interviewing 25 of the best contest players for his book 'The Winning Contest Player.' Rich Nilsen will be our guest handicapper. We will look in-depth at the $750,000 Gr. 1 Blue Grass Stakes and the $300,000 Gr. 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland; the $1,000,000 Gr. 1 Arkansas Derby and the $500,000 Gr. 2 Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park.

Amy Owens from Keeneland will address the late-breaking news that Keeneland is replacing its Polytrack surface with dirt after this spring meet that starts on Friday. She will also update us on numerous new efforts by the iconic racetrack to cater to their patrons through technology and innovative events. The rumor is that Keeneland is jockeying for a shot at hosting a Breeders Cup event. Bob “Railbird” Roberts, longtime turf writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealers is a native Clevelander who grew up in Willowick, an eastern suburb. Roberts is a multiple award-winning writer who has covered racing for over 40 years. He and John will handicap four Grade 1 races with Derby and Oaks implications – The $1,000,000 Wood Memorial Stakes from Aqueduct; the $500,000 Asland Stakes from Keeneland; the $1,000,000 Santa Anita Derby and the $400,000 Santa Anita Oaks both from Santa Anita.

Veteran Midwest-based jockey Corey Lanerie has been named the winner of the 2014 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. Lanerie, currently competing at Gulfstream Park, plans to venture to Santa Anita Park to accept the award in March or April. The Louisiana native who won his first career race in April 1991 at Evangeline Downs, out-polled four other finalists: David Amiss, Dennis Carr, Aaron Gryder, and Scott Stevens. Presented annually by Santa Anita since 1950, the Woolf Award is one of the most highly coveted honors in all of racing as it recognizes those riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for both the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing. He will take us through his experience in the saddle and tell us about future plans in his career. In the second segment Managing Editor of ST Publishing, Inc. Tom Law is our guest handicapper who will 'cap for us the major stakes races this week-end - the $1,000,000 Gr. 1 Florida Derby and $200,000 Gr. 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks both at Gulfstr

Lenny Schulman is back to update us on his latest. A novel his first Long Way From Home in which we follow the exploits of wise-cracking New York author Dan Henry as he lurches forward from unemployed writer to host of a TV sports talk show--with help and hindrance from his brilliant, sex-addicted attorney, and from a murky, mysterious source who feeds him inside information. To Lenny's duties at The Blood-Horse, we can now add novelist. Lenny's great sense of humor comes across in this book while it weaves its way through intrigue. Our second guest is Byron King, columnist and handicapper from the Daily Racing Form. We will be handicapping three big points races for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks. The $800,000 Gr. 3 Sunland Park Derby from Sunland Park; the $550,000 Gr. 3 Horseshoe Spiral Stakes and the $100,000 Gr. 3 Pure Romance Bourbonette Stakes both from Turfway Park.

For those of you who do not recognize the name, Andy Beyer is one of the greatest minds in the thoroughbred racing industry. While attending Harvard in the 1960s, he decided to pursue his passion -- beating the horse races. Over the past four decades, his research and insights have revolutionized and legitimized the industry. Using his math skills, Mr. Beyer created a new way to rate the speed of a horse in a race which became known as the Beyer Figures. Andy has been on our show a few years ago and we are happy to have him back to discuss the evolution of the Beyer Speed Figures and give us his insight into this year's 3-year-old crop. With a big weekend shaping up in Hot Springs, we are pleased to have DRF columnist/handicapper Mary Rampellini from Oaklawn Park as our second guest to help us with the top 3-year-olds squaring off in the $600,000 Gr. 2 Rebel Stakes and we will also try to find the winners in the $200,000 Gr. 3 Azeri Stakes and the $200,000 Gr. 3 Razorback Handicap. Mary Rampellini is based i

With the premiere of the movie 50 to 1 the story of Mine That Bird's win at the Kentucky Derby, being only two weeks away, Mr. Wilson has agreed to come on our show and tell us a little about how from film making he got involved with the world of thoroughbred horses. This is a great movie based on the true story behind Mine That Bird, and racing fans should not miss seeing it. Some of Mr. Wilson's notable achievements in film making to name a few were -Dances with Wolves, The Bodyguard, Rapa Nui, Wyatt Earp, 500 Nations, The Postman, Message in a Bottle, Mr. Brooks and Swing Vote. Born in Pasadena, California, and educated at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts and the University of California at Berkeley, Jim Wilson began making sports documentaries in 1977. As an equine lover, Wilson has been an avid racehorse owner since 1992. Jay Privman will be our handicapper since the big races of the weekend are on his stomping grounds. Mucho Macho Man, who defeated the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Will Take Charge by a nos

For those of you who do not recognize the name, Andy Beyer is one of the greatest minds in the thoroughbred racing industry. While attending Harvard in the 1960s, he decided to pursue his passion -- beating the horse races. Over the past four decades, his research and insights have revolutionized and legitimized the industry. Using his math skills, Mr. Beyer created a new way to rate the speed of a horse in a race which became known as the Beyer Figures. Andy has been on our show a few years ago and we are happy to have him back to discuss the evolution of the Beyer Speed figures and give us his insight into this year's 3-year-old crop. With all the top racing in New York this week-end, we are bringing in New York-based handicapper Mike Beer to break down the $500,000 Gr. 3 Gotham Stakes; the $200,000 Gr. 3 Tom Fool Handicap and the $200,000 Gr.2 Top Flight from Aqueduct. We will also look at the $150,000 Gr. 3 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Peter Rotondo, Jr. has been working for the Breeders' Cup since 2006 and currently holds the position of Vice President of media and entertainment. His experiences have led him to be part of a new reality show for the recently launched Esquire Network. The show is aptly named ³Horseplayers² and follows Rotondo and his castmates on a tour of the best racing venues in the U.S. in the pursuit of the title of Handicapper of the Year and a $750,000 prize at the DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship. He will take us through his journey in horse racing and imparts with us some stories from his involvement with the Esquire's show. Rick Mocklin will be our second guest. He has done a little of everything in racing, and is currently a jockey agent at The Fair Grounds. Using Rick's intimate knowledge of The Fair Grounds we will handicap the $400,000 Gr. 2 Risen Star Stakes; the $200,000 Gr. 3 Rachel Alexandra Stakes and the $150,000 Gr. 3 Mineshaft Stakes from Fair Grounds and the $400,000 Gr. 2 Fountain of Youth

The nominations are out in Dubai with some heavy hitters from the U.S. among them. The nominations for the 2014 $10 million Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline represent a unique line-up of international stars that includes the current winners of the Breeder’s Cup Classic, the Breeder’s Cup Turf and Irish 2000 Guineas, the Japan Cup, the Epsom Derby, the Hong Kong Cup, the Durban July victor and a previous Melbourne Cup winner. Breeder’s Cup Classic star Mucho Macho Man, Breeder’s Cup Turf winner, Magician, Japan Cup Dirt winner, Belshazzar, Epsom Derby hero, Ruler of the World, Hong Kong Cup victor, Akeed Mofeed, Heavy Metal the winner of the Durban July and former Melbourne Cup winner, Dunaden are among 341 nominations for the world’s richest race. Patrick Cummings who helps coordinate this massive international undertaking, will be our first guest and give us an insight on this year's renewal.

Jockey John Velazquez, back from a serious injury sustained last fall during the Breeders' Cup World Championships, got his first win at Gulfstream Park on 2-5 choice Got Lucky this past Wednesday Jan. 29. He will be our guest in our first segment. He was scheduled to be on the show prior to the Breeders' Cup, unfortunately a scheduling conflict did not allow it. So he is taking time out to be on and walk us through his amazing journey from his first win at El Nuevo Comandante racetrack in his native Puerto Rico to becoming the all-time leading money winner among North American jockeys. In our second segment Steve Anderson, West Coast correspondent for Daily Racing Form will give us his impressions of the California-based 3-year-olds and his views on the $300,000 Gr. 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes; the $300,000 Gr. 2 San Antonio Stakes and the $200,000 Gr. 2 San Marcos Stakes all to be run at Santa Anita this week-end.

Our first guest Marty McGee returns fresh off his first Eclipse Award for writing. It was a featured story on Kent and Keith Desormeaux. Prior to his employment at Blood-Horse, he worked for eight years at Daily Racing Form in their main offices in New Jersey and Arizona. In the second segment Evan Hammonds host of After the Wire on Blood-Horse, will review the top 3-year-old races already in the books - Holy Bull, Sham and Jerome and will handicap this week's 3-year-old races - the $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes for colts at Tampa Bay Downs, the $250,000 Withers Stakes for colts at Aqueduct and the $300,000 Las Virgenes for fillies at Santa Anita.

Susan Salk is the creator and writer for the blog Off-Track Thoroughbreds.com, a site dedicated to telling success stories of ex- Thoroughbred racehorses in new careers, and of the people, on and off the track, who help them. She started the blog nearly four years ago after previously working as a marketing writer for Northeastern University in Boston, and before that, as a newspaper reporter for dailies and weeklies in Greater Boston and New Hampshire. She will take us through her journey as a reporter and blogger and how she developed a love for the thoroughbred horses. In the second segment Dan Tordjman will join John in 'capping the $400,000 Grade 2 Holy Bull Stakes and the $200,000 Grade 2 Forward Gal Stakes from Gulfstream Park; the $200,000 Grade 3 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita, and the $400,000 Ladies Classic from Sam Houston.

Jennie Rees, the veteran horse racing writer for The Courier-Journal, was named the 2013 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. It is her second time receiving the award. For the last 29 years Jennie Rees has been associated with the Louisville Courrier-Journal as a turf writer. She was a member and former president of the National Turf Writers Association. Rees has been in The Courier-Journal sports department since 1981, covering horse racing since 1983. She is a three-time individual winner of racing’s Eclipse Award for outstanding writing — in 1988 for magazine writing, 1993 for newspaper writing and 2011 for news/enterprise. She also was an integral part of the C-J team that won the 2008 multimedia Eclipse. Rees also is a five-time winner of a Red Smith Award for writing on the Kentucky Derby. Our second guest is no stranger to this show. Richard Eng is a columnist/handicapper for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and author of Horse Racing for Dummies &