You just know which horse will most horse racing fans be rooting for this weekend.

This Saturday will mark the 135th Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the second leg in the race for the Triple Crown and like almost every year, everyone would love to see the Derby champ, this time it’s Super Saver, to win the Preakness Stakes and have a shot at winning the Triple Crown, a feat nobody has accomplished in thirty two years, as no one since Affirmed back in 1978 has been able to pull off horse racing’s version of the trifecta.

2010 Kentucky Derby champion Super Saver entered into the field for the Preakness Stakes looking to take the second of three steps for Triple Crown glory. One can’t deny that everyone will be focused on this horse and its jockey, Calvin Borel.

Pulling off a flawless race in the Kentucky Derby, Calvin Borel was able to run a masterful sprint around the track and have his horse in a position to take it in the end. He had not won a race in 2010 up to the Derby, but getting to the rail was exactly what Saver needed to do to make his winning dash to the roses.

Can Borel pull off the feat again? Early odds makers say he can with current odds running at 5 to 3 for him to repeat.

Showing a new dimension and given a perfect ride, the bay son of Maria’s Mon is two wins away from becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 32 years. Super Saver is a homebred out of the A.P. Indy mare Supercharger.

Super Saver had flashed early speed in each of his first…

Read More » Can Super Saver win the 135th Preakness Stakes?

Can the Kentucky Derby champ continue his campaign for this year’s Triple Crown?

That question is always asked every single time the second leg of the race for the Triple Crown marches on and in the 2010 Preakness Stakes, it just so happened that this time it’s Kentucky Derby champion Super Saver trying to win at Pimlico and continue to chase after Triple Crown glory.

The Kentucky Derby champion Super Saver entered into the field for the Preakness Stakes looking to take the second of three steps for Triple Crown glory. One can’t deny that everyone will be focused on this horse and its jockey, Calvin Borel. Of course, there will be others looking to put an end to his Triple Crown trail. Who are these killjoys? Let’s begin with Paddy OPrado.

Paddy OPrado cannot be discounted as a possible contender. This horse’s pet peeve has always been getting caught up in traffic, and such was the problem again at the Kentucky Derby. Paddy OPrado got caught up in the beginning of the race in the jumbled up field and was only able to shake free towards the end of the race.

Oprado almost took the race from Super Saver, going stride for stride until a late charging Ice Box nipped him at the end to take second. If the horse can come up with that strong of a performance after getting caught up in traffic, what happens he has some breathing room between him and the other contenders?

We also have Lookin at Lucky. Bettors should have known that…

Read More » Bet on the 2010 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico

Yep, the horse racing season begins.

The 2010 Kentucky Derby will celebrate the 136^th year Churchill Downs host the first leg of the Triple Crown series. With the Derby set this weekend, which of the top contenders will you be betting on come raceday?

One of the favorites for the race is Sidney’s Candy. Sidney’s Candy broke his maiden at Del Mar in his second start last year. He won the San Vicente for his 2010 debut then won the San Felipe in his first start longer than 7 furlongs. He won the Santa Anita Derby for his final prep and will be under Jockey Talamo for the Derby.

We also have Awesome Act, who had 5 starts in England last year before shipping to the US where he finished 4th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The horse was shipped back to England after.

Then, Awesome Act had another stint in American soil when he won the Gotham at Aqueduct for his 2010 debut, followed by a 3rd place finish in the Wood Memorial (G1). Awesome Act should also have a strong race this weekend.

Other contenders who will be competing for the Kentucky Derby are coming from renowned trainer Todd Pletcher, one of which is Devil May Care. Last year, she broke her maiden then won the Frizette at Belmont Park before finishing…

Read More » Bet on the 136th Kentucky Derby this weekend

In case you missed it, a longshot won the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown trail.

You read it, it was a huge payday for some people who like underdogs as virtual longshot Mine That Bird came out of nowhere to win the 135th Kentucky Derby last weekend.

It was a shocking result to what has been a disappointing outing for some of the Derby favorites. One of the favorites, Friesan Fire, deemed by some as the horse that will finally give the sport its first Triple Crown champion in years, finished second to last.

Who would’ve thought that Mine That Bird would go on and win the Kentucky Derby after being listed by sportsbooks with 51-1 odds of winning? Heck, who would’ve thought that the thoroughbred would snatch the race lead after running in dead last coming to the final turn?

Incredible.

And while many bettors are now probably putting their money on Mine That Bird already for the next leg of the Triple Crown, that being the 2009 Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course, we found out that the Kentucky Derby champion’s availability for the next big race is still uncertain.

Yes, after shocking horse racing fans, Mine That Bird is…

Read More » Will Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird run in the 2009 Preakness Stakes at the Pimlico Race Course?

Yup, it’s this Saturday.

And while most of us will stay tuned to the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs if you live in Canada, or looking forward to see Manny Pacquiao lose to Ricky Hatton if you’re J.J. Jack, the 135th Kentucky Derby will look to get a piece of this Saturday’s madness as the Triple Crown trail begins.

You read it, the 2009 Triple Crown trail begins as the first leg is set at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. Who will take that first step towards horse racing;s Holy Grail this year? Take a look at some of these favorites.

Dunkirk will be one of the favorites in the 2009 Kentucky Derby this Saturday because of what he has done in just three starts this year at Gulfstream Park in Florida. That’s a 5 3/4-length maiden win going 7 furlongs, a 4 3/4-length allowance win going 11/8 miles and a strong second-place finish in the Florida Derby, also going 11/8miles. His Beyer Speed Figure progressed from 77 to 98 to 108.

A son of Unbridled’s Song out of the A.P. Indy mare Secret Status, Dunkirk cost owners John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith $3.7 million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2007. Todd Pletcher began training Dunkirk in March 2008 with what he calls ”typical 2-year-old stuff.”

Next, we have the Louisiana Derby winner Friesan Fire…

Read More » Who will win the 135th Kentucky Derby this Saturday?

Papa Clem. Ah, the ridiculous names in horse racing continues.

Yup, Papa Clem is considered as one of the favorites to win the 135th Kentucky Derby. The contender comes in at 13/1 off his excellent Arkansas Derby victory which included a somewhat weak field that featured the now-injured Old Fashioned (50/1 Kentucky Derby odds) and Summer Bird (35/1).

Papa Clem has an excellent record, going a step up from his last race, and it will be interesting to see if the three-year old thoroughbred Gary Stute trained has what it takes to hang with the big boys.

Papa Clem has never finished worse than 2nd place in any of his races and has a very experienced jockey riding him in the first leg of the 2009 Triple Crown trail, Rafael Bejarano.

Bejarano has won at Churchill Downs before, as well as just about every major track in Kentucky and California it seems. Veteran leadership will definitely help a horse that can turn it on whenever his jockey needs to, thanks to great tactical speed he acquired from his sire Smart Strike.

Recent workouts at Churchill Downs have focused more on tiring out Papa Clem a bit before the big race since…

Read More » Can Papa Clem win the 135th Kentucky Derby and take that first step towards the 2009 Triple Crown?

Probable, because we still don’t know if Oprah will give it a go this year.

In just a couple of days, 20 of the top three-year-old thoroughbreds in the world will enter the starting gate of the 135th Kentucky Derby.

Victory in the legendary race, ran in the first Saturday of May, has eluded some of the top names in the sport. For the past two years, trainer Larry Jones has saddled the runner-up in the ”Run for the Roses.”

Last year, it was the amazingly talented filly Eight Belles who gave Jones and owner Rick Porter the thrill of a lifetime. She fearlessly powered past 18 male rivals to finish second to the highly touted Big Brown.

As jockey Gabriel Saez was pulling up the filly, she took a bad step and fell to the racetrack. The tragedy that ensued made international headlines and spurred an unprecedented outcry for safety in horse racing. It was also a heartbreaking moment for Jones.

Good things happen to good people, though, and Jones, 52, is an underrated horsemen who has two major contenders for the 2009 Derby. One of his colts, Old Fashioned, was back in action when he competed in the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Old Fashioned was undefeated as a two-year-old…

Read More » Probable contenders for the 135th Kentucky Derby

Yep, a load of horseshit is coming your way… AGAIN.

On May 2, the race for horse racing’s Holy Grail begins again as the 2009 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is going to be held to kick off this year’s quest for the Triple Crown.

For all of you who forgot what winning the Triple Crown in horse racing means, it means the winner has conquered all three legs of the trail for the Triple Crown, that means winning the Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Oh yeah, no one has done it for a while.

The Kentucky Derby is a stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, staged yearly in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival.

The race currently covers one and one-quarter miles (2.012 km) at Churchill Downs; colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg), fillies 121 pounds (55 kg).

The race, known as ”The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” for its approximate time length, is the first leg of the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing in the United States. It typically draws around 155,000 fans.

The Kentucky Derby is one of the crown jewels of the elusive Triple Crown which includes the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes.For over 125 years the Kentucky Derby has been everyone’s race, from the dapper men and beautiful women, all in hats and sipping on frosty mint juleps, to the laid-back infield crowd…

Read More » 135th Kentucky Derby kicks off 2009 Triple Crown Trail

How about that, after hobbling from last place at Belmont Park, the one-legged Big Brown will be racing again.

That’s right, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion, Big Brown, will be back on the race track competing in the $1-million 2008 Haskell Invitational on August 3 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

Much to our surprise here on OddJack, Big Brown was given a clean bill of health during a post-race veterinary examination and now will look to capture the Haskell Invitational after failing to win what many thought was his for the taking a few weeks ago, this year’s Triple Crown.

”The Haskell’s clearly a first target right now,” IEAH Stable president Michael Iavarone said.

Owned by IEAH Stable, Big Brown finished last to 38-1 longshot Da’Tara at the 2008 Belmont Stakes last June 7 at Belmont Park, making him the first Triple Crown hopeful to finish last at Belmont Park. You can just imagine how utterly irritated those people were, riding the Big Brown bandwagon.Iavarone also said that he had specific reasons for choosing the Haskell over the upcoming Jim Dandy Stakes at the end of July.

”We’re trying to avoid certain things that happened in the Belmont,” he said. ”We’re trying…”

Read More » Big Brown will race the 2008 Haskell Invitational

Yep, Big Brown did it again last weekend, making us here at OddJack a perfect 2-0 now on this year’s Triple Crown trail. How about that huh?

Big Brown won the 2008 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico after winning the Kentucky Derby, making him merely a win away from the elusive Triple Crown. It was a huge payout for us too because, like most of you probably, we were riding the ”Big Brown bandwagon” again and I got to tell you, it was like having your own ATM machine. Hee hee…

With Big Brown already winning two of the three races for the Triple Crown, the focus now shifts for the 2008 Belmont Stakes. Hell, these guys around Big Brown were so confident that they were already talking about the third leg of the Triple Crown trail even BEFORE the second leg was underway.

Of course, Big Brown winning the Belmont Stakes to capture the 2008 Triple Crown series title will indeed make horse racing history since it’s been a while since this sport had a Triple Crown winner.

But the fact of the matter is, it’s still a little too early to talk about that, right now, we should just probably admire the colt and how he dominated the field again for the second straight race. (Or, you can just continue admiring the way the hot and sexy Maria Sharapova moves around a tennis court, making those itsy bitsy little skirt of hers fly…)

As for Big Brown, he did not disappoint horse racing fans after winning the…

Read More » Can Big Brown actually win the 2008 Triple Crown title?