Winning Ponies

Bill Mooney, a writer who served as associate editor at the old Thoroughbred Record and the Thoroughbred Times, has written books on the sports of kings. He also has contributed to a number of horse racing programs on ESPN. In the second segment Frank Angst will join in to handicap some of the important stakes races this week-end: the $150,000 (Gr. II) Fayette Stakes at Keeneland, the $350,000 Frank DeFrancis Memorial Dash at Laurel, the $150,000 (Gr. III) Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park, and the $150,000 (Gr.III) Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita.

In an age where many horses are retiring at 3, Jeff has the unique ability to keep horses sound. A graduate of Auburn University, Greenhill decided at age 38 to indulge in his dream of training horses. Starting as a hotwalker for D. Wayne Lukas, Greenhill today is big on putting together partnerships and taking advantage of state-bred programs. He will share with us his journey since those early days. In the second segment, previous host of this show Ed Meyer will help us handicap the most important races this week-end. Races on tab: On Friday - the two Divisions of the $150.000 Grade III Pin Oak Valley View at Keeneland, on Saturday - the $250,000 Grade II Lexus Raven Run at Keeneland, and the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic at Charles Town.

Mark Simon was the founding editor of Thoroughbred Times in 1985. He will tell us about his experience creating and running the Thoroughbred Times for those 27 years. He will delve into the reasons why the publication has folded since. Rich Nilsen has qualified 9 times for the National Handicapping Championship (NHC) and is the only player to finish in the top 10 twice in the history of the event. He will join the host to handicap some stakes races to be run this week-end, notably the $100,000 Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf for fillies & mares Friday at Keeneland; the $400,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at 1 1/8 miles on the turf for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Keeneland; the $200,000 Hawthorne Derby (G3) at 1 1/4 miles on the turf for-year-old Saturday at Hawthorne; the $100,000 Spend A Buck Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 on the main track for 3-year-old and up Saturday at Calder.

Julie Balog will update us with all the happenings in Kentucky in general and Keeneland in specific. She is currently the Director of Communications at the Keeneland Association which is the world's largest thoroughbred auction company and a world class thoroughbred racecourse. In the second segment Ellis Starr will be our handicapper. The following Breeders' Cup Win and You're In races will be analyzed in depth with the hope that our listeners will come out winners this week-end: - the $400,000 Grade 1 Foxwoods Champagne Stakes, and the $400,000 Grade 1 Frizette Stakes both to run at Belmont Park. - the $750,000 Grade 1T Shadwell Turf Mile, the $400,000 Grade 1 Dixiana Breeders' Futurity and the $350,000 Grade 1T First Lady Stakes all 3 to run at Keeneland.

Eric Wing NTRA Media Relations Director, worked at Reader's Digest for 13 years before joining the NTRA in 1999. He is an avid horseplayer and had owned thoroughbreds at times. He will tell us about the different issues facing the thoroughbred industry today. He will also join our host in handicapping four Breeders' Cup Win and You're In! stakes races to be run this week-end: the $1,000,000 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park the $400,000 Grade 1 Beldame Stakes at Belmont Park the $400,000 Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes at Belmont Park the $250,000 Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes (formerly named the Goodwood Stakes) at Santa Anita

We are thrilled to have Ed Meyer back for this show. He was the original host for almost three years. We have also been privileged to run his blogs on our site which are so insightful. His first guest, a gentleman who has been many times on our show and currently Racing Secretary for Colonial Downs, and Turfway Park, Mr. Tyler Picklesimer. Prior to his present duties, he was Racing Official at Keeneland, and Churchill Downs, as Certified Racing Steward and Placing Judge. He has been in the racing business in the Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia racing circuits for over 20 years. He will update us on what's going on at the racing scene in Kentucky. In the second segment another past frequent guest on this show, Dangerous Dan Moore, will join Ed in handicapping some of the main stakes races to run this week-end.

Dede Biles is currently the bloodstock sales editor for The Blood-Horse. She has worked for The Blood-Horse for nearly 30 years. She is a native of North Carolina and a graduate from UNC- Chapel Hill with a degree in journalism and recreation administration. Dede worked for newspapers in North Carolina and South Carolina covering sports before coming to The Blood-Horse. She will talk about the current September Sales at Keeneland and she has been in the past a great predictor of many of the top sales-toppers. In the second segment Byron King, a prior guest on this show, has worked as the paddock host and morning-line odds maker for Sam Houston Race Park before joining DRF in 1995. Since he has covered racing from across the country for the Form, with his primary focus now being on the Kentucky circuit, and Churchill Downs in particular. He will join our host in handicapping some of the major stakes races to be run over this week-end.

Julie Krone followed in her mom's footsteps and had a huge successful career as a jockey. She had retired from race riding, got married and is now raising a family with her husband Jay Hovdey, an executive columnist for the Daily Racing Form (who also was a guest on the show.) They have a daughter Lorelei Judith. (Hovdey also has a son, Ed, from his previous marriage.) When she is not caring for her family, Julie has been occupied as a racing broadcaster, a motivational speaker, and an instructor in the discipline of natural horsemanship. She will tell us about the highs and lows of her riding career. In the second segment, Dave Litfin of the Daily Racing Form will join the host in analyzing the major stakes races to be run this week-end around the country.

Old Friends' founder and President Michael Blowen will tell us about his journey from his position as Arts & Entertainment reporter and film critic for The Boston Globe to racing a small stable of claiming-level horses and to ultimately becoming operations director for the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. In the second segment Richard Eng who covers the Horse Racing industry for the Las Vegas Review Journal, and author of Handicapping for Dummies will join our host in handicapping some of the important stakes races to be run around the country this week-end, among others the $750,000 Grade I Woodward Stakes, The $500,000 Grade I Forego Handicap and the $250,000 Grade II (T) Bernard Baruch Handicap all at Saratoga, and the $85,000 Harry F. Brubaker Stakes and the $300,000 Grade I Del Mar Debutante Stakes at Del Mar.

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 will talk about the racing game in general, will tell us why the HBO racing show Luck got cancelled and will give us some insight into the upcoming Pacific Classic. In the second segment Tom LaMarra, news editor from the Blood-Horse and a guest many times on this show will join our host in handicapping some of the most important stakes races to be run this week-end, most notably Saratoga's Mid-Summer Derby the $1million Grade 1 Travers Stakes and Del Mar's $1million Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes.

Rosie Napravnik will tell us on how she became interested in a career as a jockey and share with us some of the exciting moments in her brilliant career. She will tell us how it felt to be the first woman jockey to ever win the Kentucky Oaks (Believe You Can). Recently Rosie has moved her tack to the New York circuit and will share her feelings about competing against the toughest jockey colony in the country. In the second half Brian Zipse will tell us about his website DerbyWars.com, and join our host in handicapping some of the most important stakes races to be run this week-end, 3 from Arlington Park: the $1,000,000 Grade1 Arlington Million, the $500,000 Grade1 Secretariat Stakes and the $750,000 Grade1 Beverly D. Stakes and one: the $600,000 Grade1 Alabama Stakes from the Spa.

Brian “B.J.” Hernandez has always been considered a quality rider since he vied for the Eclipse Award as leading apprentice in 2004. A quality jockey who has “flied under the radar,” he was the early pilot of Horse of the Year Rachael Alexandra and has most recently won the Grade I Whitney Stakes aboard Fort Larned, a potential Handicap Horse of the year. He will tell us about his journey to where he is today. In the second segment, David Grening, the most recent winner of the Walter Haight Award presented by the National Turf Writers and Breeders, will share the handicapping duties with our host of the main stakes races to be run this week-end, possibly the $150,000 Grade II Four Star Dave, the $150,000 Grade II Adirondack Stakes, the $150,000 Grade II Saratoga Special Stakes, to be run at Saratoga, and the $250,000 Grade II(T) John C. Mabee Handicap, and the $150,000 Grade II(T) La Jolla Handicap both to be run at Del Mar.

Patricia P.J. Cooksey is a trailblazer for women in the sport of racing. The Ohio native started in the leaky-roof circuit of West Virginia and made her way to the Kentucky Derby and became the first woman to ride in the Preakness Stakes. Pat who has since retired from the saddle, will take us through her experience as a pioneer female jockey of her time and will update us as to what keeps her busy today. In the second segment, Matt McCumber a long-time lover of horse racing who first got hooked on the sport traveling the county fair circuit as a kid with his grandfather’s standardbreds, became an avid fan and horseplayer during the early days of Cigar’s great streak in the mid-90’s. He will join our host in capping all the important stakes races to be run this week end around the country including the 43rd running of the $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Racetrack, and the 85th running of the G1 $750,000 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, both to be run also on Saturday, August 4th.

Dr. Jim Chiapetta, co-inventor of the FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strip, will tell us how he got involved with thoroughbred racing and shed some light on how effective his invention, the FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strip is, and how much it could have helped I'll Have Another and others in improving their performance. We should note that the New York Racing Association (NYRA) had banned its use on their racetracks. In the second segment Brad Free of the Daily Racing Form, will join our host in handicapping all the major stakes races to be run this week-end around the country most notably Saturday's 49th running of the $600,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga and Sunday's 45th running of the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

Vic Zast was a Thoroughbred breeder and owner during 30 years he spent as a fragrance industry leader. He is the author of the award-winning book The History and Art of 25 Travers and the keeper of the Saratoga Diary at bloodhorse.com, which begins tomorrow and runs every racing day during the Saratoga meet. He will tell us how he got into the thoroughbred game and share with us his thoughts on how to improve the sport of racing. In the second segment, our guest Jason Beem has been a lifelong handicapper and has worked at Emerald Downs in 2004 as a turf writer and media assistant. He also had hosted a weekly horse racing show in Portland called The Winning Ticket as well as filled in on the weekday sports talk shows on 750am the game sports radio. He will join our host in handicapping the major stakes races to be run this week-end around the country.

Dr. Tom Beckman D.V.M. a graduate of Auburn University has been practicing veterinary medicine for 45 years. He specializes in the treatment of Thoroughbred horses and other large animals. Dr. Beckman is the On-Call vet for large animals at the Cincinnati Zoo. He will tell us what attracted him to veterinary medicine in the first place. In the second segment of the show, writer Frank Angst will join our host in handicapping some of the important stakes races to run this week-end from around the country.

In the first segment, Sean Clancy a critically acclaimed writer and former champion jockey, will tell us about his journey in horse racing. How his father, Joe Clancy Sr., who trained flat and steeplechase horses had instilled in sons Sean and Joe Jr. a love of racing. Sean had quite a career as a jockey, riding steeplechase races professionally for 13 years. Currently Clancy is the author of Saratoga Days and co-author of The Best of the Saratoga Special. He has also written for the Daily Racing Form, The Blood-Horse, Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred and Newsweek among others. In the second segment Bobby Neuman who started his career in racing as a hot walker and groom for Charlie Whittingham then for Bobby Frankel, then from a job as a pari-mutuel clerk, to his first announcing job on Arizona Fair circuit (Duncan, Safford, Douglas, Sonoita and Globe). Bobby started at Calder in 1999 as Paddock/Television Host and became full-time announcer there in 2005. He will join our host with his insight into Calder's

Steven Crist has been the publisher and a columnist for Daily Racing Form since 1998. Previously, he covered racing for The New York Times from 1981-1990; was founding editor-in-chief of The Racing Times in 1991-92; and a vice-president of the New York Racing Association from 1994-97. He produced an instructional DVD titled Exotic Tickets, and is the author of several books including Exotic Betting, Betting on Myself, “Offtrack,” and “The Horse Traders.” He will tell us how he got interested in the sport of Kings and about his journey that took him to where he is today. In the second segment Dan Johnson who has worked as a reporter for a suburban Chicago newspaper for over nine years, and a correspondent and photographer for Blood-Horse Magazine and the Thoroughbred Times, will tell us how he fell in love with horse racing in the first place. For the past 22 years, Dan has covered horse racing at Prairie Meadows for the Des Moines Register. He was inducted into the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame in 2006 for his

Tom Drury has been a licensed trainer for the last 22 years. He covers a variety of services at the Skylight Training Center such as breaking, and starting young horses. He also supervises horses coming out of surgery rehab as well as laying up older horses needing a break from the racetrack environment. Tom will tell us how he became involved with thoroughbreds in the first place. In the second segment Jude Feld will join our host in handicapping some of the important stakes races to be run over the week-end around the country.

John worked in various creative environments in television, radio, print and film, with a special focus on writing and physical production. Whether he was in the newsroom at CNN working on Burden of Proof with Greta Van Susteren, on the set of the Hollywood film 28 Days with Sandra Bullock, or helping to develop feature films at Ted Field's Radar Pictures, his grand plan was always to make films with his brother. He will tell us about his journey from those early days to the production of the Hennegan Brothers' film First Saturday In May. In the second segment handicapper Pete Aiello, a friend of this show, and the voice of River Downs, will help the host handicap some of the stakes races to run over the week-end around the country.