Winning Ponies

Dorothy Ours is a history-loving lifelong horse and racing enthusiast. She worked for several years at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and has written two books featuring Hall of Fame horses. Each has been honored as a finalist for the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. Man o’ War: A Legend Like Lightning digs for the actual — and truly phenomenal — individual who became a myth. Battleship: A Daring Heiress, A Teenage Jockey, and America’s Horse tells a story that sounds unreal: a 15.2-hand, 11-year-old stallion and a 6-foot-1, 17-year-old boy teaming up to win the world’s top steeplechase. She’s currently working on a third book. Eric Wing will be covering the 4 Grade 1 races Saturday at Belmont Park. The Guru of Horse Tourneys will tell us what contests will be featured over the weekend. Reasons to visit Winningponies.com and pull down your E-z win Forms! Eric will join John in 'capping the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Flower Bowl, Frizette and Champagne.

This Saturday's 145th Preakness Stakes will offer Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a chance for a 6-6 record of KY Derby-Preakness double, when Authentic will go to the post from gate 9. Made a 9-5 favorite on the morning line, Authentic with stablemate Thousand Words (with blinkers) will offer Baffert his 7th Preakness win. Dan Illman will anchor the DRF view with insight and input on DRF.com. We will play to Dan’s strengths, and after his input on the Preakness, we will analyze the top Graded races at Belmont Park - the Gr. 1, Joe Hirsch; Gr. 1, Belmont Derby and the Gr. 3 Pilgrim. Brian Zipse has been following the Preakness Stakes closely and just penned a great story on the filly in the field, Swiss Skydiver on Horse Racing Nation. It is not only Preakness Day on Saturday, but the centerpiece of Fall Star All Stars at Keeneland. Brian and John will give their best bets on 3 of the Grade 1 Stakes - the Shadwell Turf Mile, the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and the First Lady.

Trainer Tommy Drury in a matter of months, has experienced some of racing’s greatest highs with Art Collector winning the Toyota Blue Grass and Runhappy Ellis Park Derby, and a heartbreaking low just days before entering the Kentucky Derby as one of the favorites. During a morning workout he nicked a bulb of his left front hoof. While another trainer and owner may have chosen a quick fix to get in the historic race, Drury and owner/breeder Bruce Lunsford cared more about their horse than smelling the roses on Derby Day. Art Collector is now doing well, according to Drury, who will tell us about the long strange trip it’s been and the excitement of bringing one of the favorites to the Preakness. A student of the sport and lover of the game, Gulfstream Park’s track announcer Pete Aiello has introduced many sports enthusiasts to racing with his colorful and story-telling race-calls. we will talk about some of his early days and handicap some of Saturday's Florida Sires Series races.

Smoke to the West pushed back the Santa Anita season and Belmont Park in the East has delayed the start until September 25th, so John and Eric Wing from Horse Tourneys are heading North to Woodbine. On Saturday, the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile and the Singspiel, a G3 event with a $125,000 purse. On Sunday, 2-year-olds are featured in two “Win and You’re In” races. The boys will match strides in the G1, $250,000 Summer Stakes and fillies are featured in the G1, $250,000 Natalma. The Paulick Report’s Bloodstock Editor Joe Nevills will discuss the trends evolving at the recent Keeneland Sale. Top stallions Tapit and Into Mischief kept leap frogging each other as the bids got higher. We are also seeing new partnerships being formed between top outfits going for sale toppers. Joe will weigh in on how Covid restrictions may impact the purchasing and also update us on some of the top females in racing which are being offered as racing and/or broodmare prospects in the later Fall Sales.

It was quite the Labor Day weekend in Thoroughbred Racing! From the Kentucky Derby and Oaks at Churchill Downs to Saratoga for the Woodward, Prioress, Jim Dandy and Hopeful out to Del Mar with graded stakes race highlighted by the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. We’ll do our best to cover these and other important news stories of the week. Now it is time to focus on America’s most unique and lucrative racing from Kentucky. Louisville native “King of the Handicappers” Byron King will join us to look at the rich graded races at Kentucky Down. The all-turf card is highlighted by the $1 million Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup as last year’s winner Zulu Alpha will take on a full field of distance specialists. Following that event will be the $700,00 Run Happy Turf Sprint; while the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint and Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf will run earlier on the card,

It's hard to feel it, but it is Kentucky Derby/Oaks weekend! It looks like there will be no one inside, but perhaps protesters outside. Most of us will be having a private Derby Party in the comfort of our home or favorite betting outlet, but the races must go on! We've brought in two of our most popular handicappers - Rich Eng and Ed Meyer. of course they will be tackling the famous Oaks and Derby but we are giving the boys the chance to pick some of their favorite races on the under-card of both days. With some favorites being featured in the main events, we'll be mining for gold in the races leading up to them for your chance to get angles on Pick 3's and 4 leading up to them. ritsWith the national huge betting pools on these two days you will want to take advantage of our E-Z Win Forms and with that information and the insight from the show we hope you make some memorable scores. As always we will be featuring our free Derby Day Contest with cash and WP credits as prizes!

Award winning writer Tom LaMarra is the “go to guy” for racing coverage during the big day for Charles Town on Classic Day. He covers the Mid-Atlantic region and has been doing his homework on the horses in the major races on Friday to give you a kick start on the weekend's racing. Tom will join John to look at the live horses and longshots in the Gr.2, $600,000 Charles Town; Gr. 3, $200,000 Charles Town Oaks and $150,000 Dance to Bristol Stakes. Saratoga native Tom Law, a major part of the team that produces the Saratoga Special, will join us to speak about the Saratoga summer and the strange trip it has been without the annual crowds of enthusiastic racegoers. Tom likes to wager a bob or two at the races and he will discuss the match-ups in the Gr. 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer on the greensward; Gr. 1, $300,000 Forego and Grade 2,. $150,000 Amsterdam Stakes.

Talk about being close to the story, DRF writer Jay Privman lives exactly 11 miles from his home to his media parking space at Del Mar. Who better to give us an up close look at the Grade 1 $500,000 TVG Pacific Classic and the great undercard on Saturday with the Grade 1, $250,000 Del Mar Oaks and Grade 2, $200,000 Del Mar Handicap. Despite Covid restrictions, Jay stays close to the stories and the participants in each of these outstanding races. Ed Meyer and John Engelhardt have worked together hosting and producing racing related radio and television shows for over a decade. “The Regular Guys” will join forces to break down the action in the Pacific Classic, Saratoga’s Grade 1 Fourstardave and Grade 1 Diana and head to Monmouth Park for the Grade 3 Phil Iselin Stakes.

It seems like yesterday that Brian Hernandez, Jr. was on the show talking about his victory on Fort Larned in the 2012 $5 Million Breeders’ Cup Classic. He is about to get to live out the dream of any jockey as he enters the KY Derby with Art Collector, one of the top 3 contenders in “The Run for the Roses” on September 5 at Churchill. We will be asking him about the colt’s wins in the Blue Grass and Ellis Park Derby and we will also talk about his relationship with trainer Tommy Drury and their plans for the days ahead. Eric Wing from Horse Tourneys will be our handicapper to look at the G1 “Win and You’re In” $500,000 Alabama Stakes and $500,000 Saratoga Invitational. Eric has some great contests coming up. One is called the Spa & Surf Showdown. It’s a straight cash tourney with a $2,000 buy-in. The guaranteed purse is already $343,000 and that will go up by Saturday. Players make a mythical $2 win & place selection on every race at Saratoga and Del Mar on both Saturday and Sunday.

What an amazing weekend of racing and we have brought in two regional experts to help us see how the races will develop. It is a Graded Stakes loaded card at Saratoga highlighted by the Midsummer Derby - the $1 million G1 Travers Stakes that will feature the pre-Derby favorite Tiz the Law in a race offering top tier points to get into the Kentucky Derby. The undercard is very strong with the G1 $300,000 Win and You're In Ballerina: G1 $300,000 Longines Test: G3 $200,000 Troy and if time allows Friday's G2 Saratoga Special, a major national test for 2-year-olds. Bob Railbird Roberts is a home grown Cleveland guy who covered the beat for decades for the Cleveland Plain Dealer at Thistledown. The track will play host to five $100,000 tests for Buckeye-breds that often determines divisional champions. Dan Illman is the DRF.com Handicapping Editor and host of the Daily Racing Form News Desk. Both Bob and Dan will join John to bring their top picks for our listeners.

Art Collector earned Tommy Drury his first graded stakes win in the G2 Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland. Tommy has been a regular on this show for years with his trainer's perspective on varying subjects from conditioning young horses to his opinion on race-day medication rules. Host John Engelhardt, who has known and watched Drury’s rise would close out with interview by saying, “I’m telling you folks, this guy is flying under the radar, just watch.” Well, he is on the radar now With Art Collector established as one of the top 3 contenders for the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby. Byron King is not only a Associate Editor for Blood-Horse, but a student of the game. He will join John to analyze the quality card at Saratoga. The star-studded races include an appearance by superstar mare Midnight Bisou in the G1 $500,000 Personal Ensign; the Louisiana-bred No Parole taking on a tough field in the G1 $300,000 H. Allen Jerkens and the G1 $750,000 Whitney that features a field of millionaires.

This week it will be the best racing Coast to Coast from Del Mar to Saratoga! It has been a while since we caught up with Brad Free an author and West Coast correspondent from the Daily Racing Form. Perhaps the race with the most national interest will be the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap where Maximum Security, who was moved from John Servis to the barn of Bob Baffert has been working strongly at Santa Anita and Del Mar for his return to the races since February. Brad will also give us his insights to the Grade 2 San Clemente and Sunday’s Grade 2 Eddie Read. Since our Regular Guy Ed Meyer has had time to watch trends at the Saratoga Meet we are reaching out to him for his laser-focused handicapping on Friday’s Grade 3 Quick Call with 3-year-olds dashing 5 ½ on the turf and Saturday’s Grade 2 Ballston Spa featuring the return of champion Sistercharlie, plus the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap that features the fastest horses in the east, including three millionaires.

This week’s show will be the tales of two Tom’s – both of them award-winning writers and avid handicappers. First out of the gate will be Tom LaMarra, who covers the Mid-Atlantic region, but hails from New Jersey and will be focusing on Monmouth Park on a day they feature five graded stakes races. The card is highlighted by the $1,000,000 Grade 1 TVG Haskell and horses searching to punch their ticket for the Kentucky Derby and the prestigious Grade 1 $300,000 United Nations. Tom Law will be our second guest. He is a key part of the team that produces the sensational coverage in the “Saratoga Special.” He will tell us about this “Special” meet that has many twists and turns in this bizarre year we are living through. He will weigh in on the schedule of the stakes due to the “Kentucky Derby Shuffle” and the effect of restrictions on the jockey colony. Tom will also tell us how a spectator-free meet is impacting the local community and the distribution of the “Saratoga Special.”

Since the creation of HRRN Mike Penna has put together a talented team of guests and handicappers – many have appeared on winningponies.com This week they will be covering the races at Keeneland and will feature the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday. Mike will join John to discuss the growth of the network, his “Stable of Stars” and Saturday’s coverage of the prestigious Blue Grass Stakes.. Frank Angst, award winning writer from the Blood-Horse, will look at the sensational Saturday at Keeneland. In his last two appearances he produced several upset winners at very nice prices. The stakes-laden card will be anchored by the prestigious Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, a $600,000 Grade 2 event that carries points towards the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Kenny McPeek has Swiss Skydiver entered with hopes for her to become the first filly to ever win this derby prep. The undercard includes includes the G1 $250,000 Madison; G2 $150,000 Shakertown, G1 $350,000 Jenny Wiley and the G1 $400,000 Ashland.

Multiple Eclipse Award winner winner Jennie Rees will be our first guest. She is heading up the publicity for Ellis Park who is on the verge of a record-setting season with a strong stakes program and outstanding trainers and jockeys competing there on a daily basis. Hall of Famer Steve Asmusssen will be stabling there coming off a record-setting season at Churchill Downs. He hasn't raced regularly there since 2016. Once again, Belmont is serving up an amazing stakes Saturday and we are bringing in the Horse Tourney Czar Eric Wing. Based in New York, he has been pouring over the outstanding card and will join John to give his insight into the Grade 2 Suburban; Grade 1 Manhatten; Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap; Grade 3 Poker and Grade 3 Victory Ride.

Veteran writer and handicapper Bob “Railbird” Roberts will join us to cover Ohio’s richest race – the $500,000 Grade 3 Ohio Derby that has drawn a highly competitive field headed by 2019 Breeders Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court. The $1,235,451 earner will be making an equipment change with “Blinkers Off” and Flavian Prat will come in to ride for trainer Peter Eurton. The Cleveland-based Roberts. will also weigh in on the $75,000 Ohio-bred Cleveland Gold Cup and give his top picks in the $500,000 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs.. Popular handicapper, writer, odds-maker and track announcer Ed Meyer will join us to analyze the Major Races on a talent-laden Churchill Downs Saturday Card. The last time he was on the show, Ed nailed a straight trifecta, upsetting the favorite for a hefty payoff. He and John will give their best bets on the $500,000 Grade 2 Stephen Foster; $200,000 Grade 2 Fleur de lis; $100,000 Grade 3 Regret and $100,000 Grade 3 Bashford Manor.

It will be a big day in The Big Apple on Saturday as we mix up the flow of the traditional Triple Crown. Usually the 1 1/2 mile Belmont Stakes is the last in the series, but this year it will be the first and run at 1 1/8 miles. It will be a sure thing for a berth in the Kentucky Derby for the winner and an evenly matched field of 10 are set to go to the post. There will be a total of 6 graded stakes races with 4 of the Grade 1 events – The Belmont, Jaipur, Acorn and Woody Stephens. The lone Grade 2 event is the Pennine Ridge and the Grade 3 is the Wonder Again. To help us sort out the top horses in these quality fields we were able to secure HRRN’s Anthony Stabile and the DRF’s Dan Illman. These two top handicappers will join host John Engelhardt to give out their best picks and betting strategies for this exciting day of racing.

In this ever-changing racing world, Horse Racing Nation's Editor Jonathan Lintner is one of the busiest guys in the business. He will fill us in on who is out and who is in for the upcoming Belmont Stakes and September 5 Kentucky Derby. He will also speak to the always strong Belmont Stakes undercard, today's upset win by Moretti over Belmont Stakes winner Sir Winston and Bob Baffert's next wave of top horses. The popular Happy Handicapper, Ed Meyer will join John to discuss life at the track during the Covid restrictions and a near record breaking day at his current base at Belterra Park. He weill then join The Regular Guy to look at some major races of the week including Friday's $125,000 Commentator Stakes at Belmont and that track's Grade 1 $300,000 Ogden Phipps on Saturday. Back at his Old Kentucky Home he will analyze the Grade 3, $100,000 Louisville Stakes on the turf course.

When it rains it pours! We are back to live racing folks, and we will be covering it from coast to coast, literally. Popular guest handicapper Rich Eng will cover the graded stakes action at Santa Anita. One runner will punch his ticket into the starting gate on Kentucky Derby Day as the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby offers Derby points of 100-40-20-10 and all eyes will be on Bob Baffert's undefeated Authentic. Rich will also analyze the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup and Grade II Santa Anita Oaks. Horse Tourney's Eric Wing will tackle a Pick-4 of graded races from newly opened Belmont Park. The Grade 1 Runhappy Carter Handicap will anchor the quartet of events that features a well seasoned group of graded stakes winners that offers great betting value. Leading to the Carter will be the Grade 2 Fort Marcy (turf); Grade 3 Intercontinental (turf) and Grade 3 Westchester.

Julie Krone remembers the summer of 2003 as one of her favorite seasons in racing. After coming out of a 3-year retirement in November of 2002 she would go on to become the first woman jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race. But it would also be her last summer competing as a jockey. This summer will look a bit different for the Hall of Famer, but she said she is equally as excited to be making her return into the racing world. Krone has announced that she will become the agent for Ferrin Peterson, a 28-year-old jockey who was making waves last summer at Del Mar and is now preparing for this year’s season at Monmouth Park, a track that has a special place in Krone’s heart. Joe Kristufek will talk about his new venture in drawing new owners to the sport through his newly formed Brilliant Racing partnership program.Then the Churchill Downs Handicapper will analyze their two Graded $100,000 stakes on Saturday - the Winning Colors S. (G3) and the Old Forester Mint Julep S. (G3).