Winning Ponies

Mark Klein is a funny man by trade but is also a thoroughbred race horse owner. Mark was a frequent guest on “The Regular Guy Handicapping Show” which emanated from River Downs for a decade, hosted by our own John Engelhardt. Mark is currently involved in several racing partnerships. His livelihood is on temporary hold until they sort out all of the Covid-19 restrictions that affect us all. With a break in his schedule, Mark will be joining us in the first segment and his appearance will be guaranteed to put a smile on your face! Eclipse Award winning writer and handicapper for the DRF Marty McGee with join us in the second segment of this “All-Louisville Edition.” Marty will discuss the process of performing his duties without being able to cover the morning workouts and afternoon racing. All eyes in the handicapping world will be on Louisville Saturday as Churchill Downs will present five stakes races, including the $150,000 Matt Winn Stakes –a Grade 3 and Ky Derby points race.

Kevin Kerstein the Publicity Manager at Churchill Downs is working double time trying to report on all of the things happening with the track - shipping in, live racing, new addition of Kentucky Derby and Oaks points races and the upcoming stakes under the Twin Spires. He will join us to touch on all these subjects and whatever pops up at the Louisville oval in the next 24 hours. Our favorite guest, Ed Meyer, that has a resume in racing as long as Secretariat's stride, will join us for the second segment. Ed and John will discuss racing' most current happenings and the newly nominated points races that will get a field of 20 into the new starting gate on the First Saturday in SEPTEMBER! Ed is going to pick out his favorite three races on the Saturday Churchill card and he and John will compare notes to give out their best plays of the day

Lawrence Scanlan lives in Kingston, Ontario and is the author or co-author of more than two dozen books. They include: 'The Horse God Built' (about the life of Secretariat, with a focus on the horse's groom, Eddie Sweat); 'Wild About Horses' (the history of the horse-human relationship), and 'The Man Who Listens to Horses' (the memoir of horse trainer Monty Roberts).He will tells us what is keeping him busy these days. Jonathan Lintner is the editor of the popular racing website Horse Racing Nation. A timely service for news it provides recent updates on all things racing – feature races of the week; racing dates and closures (including the recently announced Preakness date); horses making comebacks or heading to the sidelines; the ever-changing jockey colonies this year and top contenders on the Derby trail. Jonathan with join the show this week to cover all of the topics above and all that goes into putting together the all-encompassing website Horse Racing Nation.

Writer and Commercial real estate tycoon Mark Paul will reminisce on a life fully lived with all the amazing stories about gambling, owning racehorses and writing about it, including a harrowing 5,000-mile sail boat journey through the Panama Canal and then on to the island of Jamaica, to attend Caribbean and South American horseraces. In May 2018 the Supreme Court ruled to allow State legalized sports betting. Mark believes that public interest in gambling and sports in general will reach new levels, and will discuss the benefits from life-changing horseraces, and other kinds of sporting events. Writer/Handicapper Anthony Stabile will join John to handicap the two divisions of Saturday’s Arkansas Derby and talk about a unique event on HRRN. With the Kentucky Derby being postponed to Labor Day weekend, they are proud to present the HRRN Fantasy Derby which will air Saturday, May 2nd at 5 p.m. Eastern on Sirius 219/XM 201 and streaming live on the HRRN site.

The National HBPA using effective policies in place at Gulfstream Park, Oaklawn Park, and Tampa Bay Downs, and in consultation with other authorities—has assembled a list of best practices for tracks to follow in order to safely conduct spectatorless racing during the COVID-19 crisis. Eric Hamelback, CEO of the National HBPA will talk about the importance of safety guidelines to be in place to get racing alive again in Kentucky and others tracks in their meets ahead. Sen. Damon Thayer, lawmaker from the Bluegrass State will weigh in on the horse industry and potential return to racing at Churchill Downs. In March 2020 during the first session of the Kentucky Senate Thayer proposed legislation to strip powers away from the Governor. He is currently urging the Governor to allow Kentucky’s most vital industry –RACING - starting with a return to action as soon as possible at Churchill Downs.

There are so many subjects we need to touch on in these tumultuous times in racing. We'll be speaking to two popular Winningponies guests to touch on as many as we can. Tom Law will be our first interview. As he works closely with hunter/jumper experts, Sean and Joe Clancy on thisishorseracing.com, we will see if current restrictions will spill over to effect the world of Steeplechase Racing. Brian Zipse founder of Horse Racing Nation will weigh in on all of the pertinent topics of the day, including the recent trainer indictments and the shuffling of the Triple Crown Series. There is still some quality racing out there, Brian and John will look at Oaklawn Park's two graded stakes that will take place on Saturday. The Grade 1 $600,000 Apple Blossom Handicap and the Grade 3 $300,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap.

We have been covering the racing industry and the changes it's been going through with this period of social isolation. This week we will look at it’s impact on racing on the west coast. Jay Privman has been covering that territory for over two decades and while he doesn’t have a crystal ball, he does have keen observation of what is shifting to keep racing alive in that part of the country. Jay is a six-time winner of the Red Smith Award. They say, “You can’t go home again” and in a sense that’s a new fact for Ed Meyer. Turfway Park, formerly Latonia, has been a seasonal home to Ed since he was a boy attending the races with his father. In a short period of time, his “home” will fall victim to the wrecking ball as new owner Churchill Downs will make a needed change.. Ed and John will stretch their memories of the Florence, Kentucky oval with stories and events over the years. At the midway point they will switch gears and do some handicapping on live races that will take place.

Jack Knowlton first burst on to the national racing scene when his NY-bred gelding Funny Cide won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2003. It appears that his Sackatoga Stable has again caught lighting in a bottle with another NY-bred in Tiz the Law, who dominated the field in the G1 Florida Derby. With the Kentucky Derby now moved to Sept. 5 and the national stakes schedule in flux due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Knowlton said he is waiting to see how the Triple Crown race dates unfold. Trainer Kenny McPeek has a reputation for spotting yearlings with potential at a modest price and turning them into stakes winners.. He did it again on Saturday as his $35k purchase Swiss Skydiver captured the G2 Gulfstream Park Oaks over the undefeated Tonalist’s Shape and million-dollar baby Spice Is Nice. We’ll talk about his development of Swiss Skydiver and the challenges he faces dealing with a large stable at the track in addition to his Magdalena Farm in Lexington.

Dave Johnson is a legendary announcer and sportscaster, best known for his work in horse racing with ABC and NBC Sports and at various race tracks in NY and NJ. His signature line And down the stretch they come! is instantly recognizable throughout the sport, . He currently co-hosts a daily racing show on Siruis Radio with Bill Finley. Dave has seen racing ebb and flow through his decades in the racing industry. He will give us his insights on what the future may hold. As a 3-year-old kid, Pete Aiello remembers donning jockey silks his grandmother bought him from the Hialeah Park gift shop and running around the Citation statue in the paddock. His love for horse racing started that day in 1988 and continues now, 31 years later. Aiello landed the full-time race caller role. Pete has been there since calling races like the rich Pegasus and he will call this Saturday's card featuring the G1 $750,000 Curlin Florida Derby and G2 $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Evan Hammonds is the Editorial Director of the Blood-Horse. His “What’s Going On Here” editorial comments greet readers as you open the magazine. Well written and insightful, he certainly will be addressing the ripple effect going through the racing industry with the elimination of this spring’s Keeneland meet and the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks. At this point we don’t know how other tracks with major races will be addressing the current situation. As always, it will be interesting to get Evan’s opinion on the challenges that lie ahead for thoroughbred racing and the industry as a whole. Frank Angst is an Eclipse Award winner who is the Features Editor of the Blood-Horse and has been working for that publication since 2013, previously he was writer for the Thoroughbred Times for 12 years. In addition to his writing skills he is an avid handicapper and in his last appearance on the show he gave out several winners, none of them favorites.

Trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis, among 27 people indicted Monday after an investigation into horse doping, are due back in court Mar. 23 for their arraignment. The Paulick report has been giving full coverage to this story and Ray Paulick, will update us on the latest news and discuss the overall impact on the sport. Saturday will see the end of an era in Kentucky. Turfway Park will contest the Gr. 3 $250,000 Derby prep Jeff Ruby Steaks (formerly the Spiral Stakes) over the Polytrack for the last time. After this meet the grandstand will be torn down and the track surface removed. Now owned by Churchill Downs, a new grandstand will be built and the surface will now be Tapeta. Rich Eng, now based in Las Vegas, was the longtime track Publicist and saw the track undergo major changes. Rich will join John to analyze the track's two major races The Jeff Ruby and Bourbonette Oaks. They will also look at the major Derby prep in the Gr. 2 $1 million Rebel Stales at Oaklawn Park.

Chip Bach is the General Manager of Turfway Park. He has been at the helm through the many changes the track has gone through, including several ownership changes. Chip will reflect on the early days at Turfway and its impending resurgence under the banner of Churchill Downs. Next Saturday, Turfway will present its best day of racing for the season with four stakes highlighted by the Grade 3 $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, a prep for the Kentucky Derby. Byron King, Associate Editor of the Blood-Horse is a Louisville native who is on the road covering the Grade 1 $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap. Who will add his name to that lofty club? whiie on the west coast he will also be covering the Oaks Points important Grade 3 Santa Ysabel Stakes. In addition to those races, Byron will join John to take a look at other Oaks points races - the Busher at Aqueduct and Honeybee at Oaklawn Park. Derby points races on Saturday include the Tampa Bay Derby, Gotham Stakes and San Felipe.

Our first guest Brian Sanfratello has been PHBA Executive Secretary since 2014 and Board member from 2002-2014. He has been a Thoroughbred breeder and owner since 1995, He resides in Bucks County with his wife Theresa. He will comment on the story of the potential of the Pennsylvania's Gov. proposal to take funding away from racing. Eric Wing from Horse Tourneys is our guest handicapper. We will look at the Saudi Cup and the two Derby/Oaks points races at Gulfstream Park - the Gr. 2 $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes and Gr.2 $200,000 Davona Dale Stakes on a card that features EIGHT Graded Stakes races!

T. D. Thornton gives out his observations on the top Kentucky Derby contenders each week in the Thoroughbred Daily News. Here is how he describes himself - I'm a Boston-based writer who aspires to give a voice to dark, edgy characters lurking far beneath the radar of mainstream media. Gamblers, grifters, hustlers, prize fighters and racetrackers are among my most appealing characters, and I have a keen interest in writing about “low” subjects with a literary twist. My Adventures with Your Money: George Graham Rice and the Golden Age of the Con Artist details the flair and showmanship of America’s greatest swindler. Bill Finley is a New Jersey-based writer who writes a weekly column on espn.com, and is the co-host of Down The Stretch, an Eclipse Award-winning weekly radio program on Sirius Satellite Radio. Bill will join us to discuss a variety of racing related stories he has covered over the past months. You can read him almost daily at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

John W. Ball Sr. is a retired Naval officer and lifetime horse racing fan. He graduated from the University of Louisville Equine program in 1989 and immediately started his own company Horse Star Cards Inc. creating trading cards depicting the winners of the Kentucky Derby. He later added Jockey Star Cards and Breeders’ Cup trading cards as products and served as the Jockeys’ Guild marketing director publishing The Jockey News and the annual Jockeys’ Guild Yearbook. He will take us through memory lane on his involvement with horse racing. Gary West, a frequent guest on this show will join John in examining all the stakes action this weekend from across the country highlighted at Fair Grounds with the $400,000 G2 Risen Star Stakes and the $300,000 G2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes both at Fair Grounds. They will also handicap the $250,000 G3 General George Stakes and the $250,000 G3 Barbara Fritchie Stakes both at Laurel Park. From the west coast we have the $200,000 G2 Santa Monica Stakes.

As if multi-Eclipse Award winning writer Jennie Rees needed a 5th job, she’s expanding her varied skill set to create the “Thoroughbred News Service.” According to Jennie, “We speak about the mission of the Thoroughbred News Service: to provide quality written and video racing content to the media for free on run up to the Ky Derby. Trying to take advantage of the interest in horse racing in the spring.” “We do not want to duplicate what racetracks' publicity teams or industry organizations such as NTRA are doing,” emphasizes Rees. “We think we fill a niche, especially doing the heavy-lifting of pushing it out to mainstream media.' Fans can get on “The Thoroughbred News Service” email list and get all the content by emailing Jennie at tracksidejennie@gmail.com. Award winning writer and respected handicapper Gary West is part of the team and has a weekly top 20, actually a weekly top 24, because he lists four AEs. We will be reviewing his current list as part of the broadcast.

Michael Blowen just received a unique honor at the Eclipse Awards he will share with us in addition to announcing that Old Friends, welcomed the beloved, one-eyed fan favorite Patch on Jan. 20. The son of Union Rags out of the A. P. Indy mare Windyindy a 2017 Derby prospect has placed 3rd in the Belmont. Patch was donated by owner Calumet Farm following his 3 season racing career. He became the feel-good story of the year as he overcame the adversity of loosing an eye as a 2 year-old. Nationally recognized handicapper Jonathon Kinchen will look at the Derby/Oaks points races as he warms up for another potential championship. He will be on the Fox Sports/NYRA broadcasts again this year on-air on Feb 21. Kinchen, a realtor who has taken the contest world by storm since playing his first tournament less than 2 years ago, is now eligible for a $2 million bonus should he go on to win the 17th DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship (NHC) set for Jan. 28-30 at Treasure Island.

Popular guest Brian Zipse, one of the founders of the exceptional website Horse Racing Nation will join us to handicap the major races at Gulfstream Park on Pegasus Day. Brian always has great insight and opinions into the major national races and will pick his favorite races of the day and give us his picks and pans. Pete Aiello is a native of South Florida and a graduate of the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program. Mr. Aiello was the track announcer at Hialeah Park and River Downs before landing the top spot at the microphone at Gulfstream Park. Pete Aiello will have the best view of the outstanding card at Gulfstream Park for Pegasus Day as he will tower over the fields from his view as track announcer. Pete always does his homework and you can bet he is ready to approach this day where he will call the best horse in training. He will pass along his observations of the 6 Graded Stakes on the day’s talent-laden fields.

Eric Wing is currently Communications Director for HorseTourneys.com, A 17-year industry veteran, Eric has previously worked at the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the NYRA and DRF. He will talk NHC and the Flo-Cal Faceoff (a special HorseTourneys event). Eric and John will analyze some of the top races of the weekend including the Derby Points carrying Gr. 3 Lecomte and Gr. 3 Louisiana Stakes from the Fair Grounds; the Gr. 3 Toboggan at Aqueduct and the Sunshine Million Classic on a stakes-laden day at Gulfstream Park. Terry Meyocks is currently the National Manager of the Jockeys' Guild Inc. Prior to forming MORE (Meyocks and O'Hara Racing Entreprises, Inc.), he has worked within the thoroughbred industry since graduating from Loras College in 1972. Terry will discuss the leading topics discussed at the recent Jockey Guild Assembly such as engaging jockeys with the media, the new Jockey Guild App and restrictions on the use of the whip

Lenny Shulman is tapping his breaks on his day-to-day duties at the BloodHorse and charting a path that will keep his many talents on display in the media – at his own pace. We’ll talk to Lenny about his life covering the racing game and his recently published book about the meteoric rise and success of Triple Crown winner Justify. “Lenny whose prolific writing has lifted the bar at Blood-Horse to new heights, is taking a step back from his day-to-day role as features editor. Thankfully, he’ll stay on to write a pair of features a month. Andrew Champagne is a well-known handicapper who has served in many capacities in thoroughbred racing. He will join John to discuss the upcoming season and the top stories from 2019. Then it is on to the analysis of Saturday only Graded stakes races - at Gulfstream Park there are two on the turf the Marshua's River Stakes (G3) and the Tropical Turf (G3) and at Santa Anita they are featuring La Canada Stakes (G3) and the Las Cienegas Stakes (G3).