Gulfstream Championship Season

It's my favorite time of the racing year - the Championship Season at Gulfstream Park! To be sure, things have changed at the Hallandale Beach facility, as they have in the racing world in general. Less races, lower quality, and here locally while we still have the big name trainers & riders often our stakes races do not draw the same "world class" fields they once did. And to make the handicapping more difficult there is the synthetic surface as a third track. But despite all that the racing is excellent, the weather is typically "Chamber of Commerce Postcard" perfect and there's still nothing like being AT the races. Each live racing card I'll post my analysis and betting selections. "And they're off!" Check out my handicapping records by clicking my photo at right.

If you're a regular follower of my racing adventures, and especially my analysis & selections be aware that with the end of the Gulfstream Championship Meet this weekend my handicapping will move to my other racing page, "Handicapper's Corner" beginning in April. I play a lot less frequently through the Triple Crown Season and through the summer & fall, limiting my selections largely to the weekends until the Monmouth Summer Meet opens on Preakness Weekend, May 11th. I play their live cards every day, but they only run on the weekends - twice a week until the end of June and three times a week from July through August. CLICK HERE to visit my "Handicapper's Corner."

Gulfstream 2023-24

Florida Derby
Day 2024

What a great way to close out the 2023-24 Winter Season on the biggest day of the meet, Florida Derby Day. We hosted a group of sixteen friends & family for the day at the races, including several first time Derby goers. CLICK HERE for a "virtual Scrapbook" of the day at the race. I played both the Gulfstream Derby card and the Arkansas Derby card in Hot Springs. I provided a detailed analysis in a program for all sixteen guests. It was an exciting day of racing and just THE BEST to catch up and visit with everyone. On the track I WON both the Florida Derby AND the Arkansas Derby. To read all the stories from the final week, CLICK HERE.

March 23: Louisiana Derby Day

Oh it was a struggle through the first few hours of the day as I had a very difficult time finding the winners' circle. But once I turned to the second page of my selections I hit high gear and closed out the day winning seven of my last ten, all stakes races - and they included FOUR stakes from the Fair Grounds including the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks & Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. To see all the pics and read the stories, CLICK HERE.

Week 16: March 13-17

I like to think that when I chronicle my racing adventures that I'm a fair "reporter" and share the good times as well as the bad. And to that end, Saturday had to have been one of the very slowest days for wins I've E-V-E-R had since I began keeping records some 19 years ago! I ended up with only two winners for the afternoon after starting the day on a 16-race skid. The good news is that I did win the last two and then won 3-of-5 on Sunday to end the week on a high. Also disappointing, in the Saturday opener at Gulfstream, MY horse, Secret Crush (owned in partnership through MyRacehorse) came up J-U-S-T short of winning. To read all the stories from the week, CLICK HERE.

March 9: Tampa Bay Derby Day

With the Florida Panthers having a 4pm matinee puck drop on Saturday, I limited my play to Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs where it was Festival Day, their signature day of the winter meet. It wasn't a "great" day of handicapping but as is often the case it was more about wagering decisions than picking winners that led to a profitable end to the day. I won with a "good" 33% of my picks but when I scored in the Grade 3 Challenger with the BET of the Day I turned the day into a profitable one. Sealed that by picking the $10.60 upset winner in Gulfstream's featured Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie and the winner of the Tampa Bay Derby! To read all the stories & see all the photos, CLICK HERE.

Fountain of Youth Week: Feb 27 - March 2

It was a BIG week of racing for me as it was the last huge Saturday for multiple stakes races before the signature Florida Derby Day card which closes down the Championship Meet; it was the end of the month, we've now got three-of-four months in the books so I worked the numbers for the totals; and the big Santa Anita card which is their version of FOY Day was moved to Sunday due to inclement weather. Won MORE than my fair share of the races prior to the big day on track, then had a great day at Gulfstream as I won FIVE of the twelve races I bet.....hit four stakes winners AND the BEST Bet of the Day (above). CLICK HERE to read all the stories and see all of this week's photos.

Rebel Stakes Week at Oaklawn

This week was another big Kentucky Derby/Oaks prep weekend, this time at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark where I have been fortunate enough to visit twice with Kim on getaway weekends. This week we also had two home Florida Panther games - won them both in dramatic fashion in OVERTIME. On Tuesday our friends from FAU who work with Jeff were at the game and came to visit between periods - such great peeps! I won with eight picks at Gulfstream for the week, but ironically was shut out on Saturday. I did sweep the stakes at Laurel on Saturday and hit the winner of the nationally featured Rebel Stakes. CLICK HERE to see the pics and read the recap for the week.

Risen Star Stakes Week

Well, if I'm being perfectly transparent it was NOT one of the best weeks for handicapping. Still, I enjoyed the week and perhaps the highlight came from the social media interactions with my online pals this week and the fact that our Florida Panthers steamrolled not one, not two but THREE road opponents, including a beat down of our much despised rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning by a final of 9-2! WHOOOO HOOOO. Did hit more than one "big" bet including the day's BEST on Saturday when I upped the bet from the planned $25 WIN bet to a $50 WIN bet. CLICK HERE for a recap of the week.......

Tampa Bay Festival Preview Day

It was a pretty good week for me in many ways! Got multiple winners heading into the racing on Saturday. The Florida Panthers played at home Saturday with an early 6pm puck drop. My daughter Julie was in town for the game and without any "big" races I opted to play at the Sunrise Simulcast Center. While I only had one win in the stakes at Tampa I cashed on 13-of-26 for the day. And that included a stakes in New York and at Oaklawn. CLICK HERE to see the pics and read the stories from the week.

Saturday February 3rd: Holy Bull Day

Last weekend on Pegasus Day, it was a HUGE day of racing; but today was as big if not so - largely because of all the big races, headlined by the Derby & Oaks preps around the country. I played Gulfstream, Tampa, Oaklawn, Santa Anita, and topped the day off by playing the big Louisiana Premier Night card at Delta Downs which had TEN stakes races. Got to Gulfstream at 11:30am and did not leave until close to 8:45pm. To be fair that was because Keith and I stayed for dinner with Jeff & Trista and David Beatty and his wife Raynee. Jeff was "the man" as he hit the upset winner in the big race at Gulfstream (paid $20+), and had the exacta and trifecta so it was his treat for dinner. I had a whopping 50+ races on my sheet with the last race going off a little after 10pm. Scored with 16 of them (31.4%), including eight stakes winners. CLICK HERE to see the pics and read this week's stories.

And we're off on another big weekend this Saturday - Holy Bull Day, the first step to the Florida Derby. With the end of the month it's time to check our handicapping totals - WELL DONE!

Pegasus World Cup Day: January 27

Saturday was one of the biggest days on the racing calendar, not only locally, but also on the INTERNATIONAL calendar as the massive 13-race card had EIGHT stakes, including the three graded Pegasus stakes work a combined $4.5 Million. I debated playing only Gulfstream, but opted in the end to play three other tracks. It was a GREAT DAY with over 40,000 loud fans crowding the track. Only won three Gulfstream races, but they were all exciting. And TWO of the races I won were the two big ones - the Grade 1 $1 Million Pegasus Turf and the featured $3 Million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup. CLICK HERE to read all the stories and see all the pics from this week

Week 8: "Road To The Derby" At The Fair Grounds

January 17 - 21......It was a workman like week for me playing the races after the remarkable run from last week. I had planned to have a full slate of race tracks on my selection sheet for Saturday to accompany the big, stakes-laded card in New Orleans. But Oaklawn, Laurel, and Aqueduct all cancelled racing due to the winter storm engulfing the country. Still had selections from here at Gulfstream, the Fair Grounds, and both Tampa and Santa Anita. I was able to win two of the big stakes in New Orleans and for the day had a huge win percentage with 13 WINS from 26 selections - 50%. Click HERE to see the pics and read the stories from this week's action. Next week is Pegasus World Cup Week - very excited!

Week 7 - Family Day At The Races

With the family in town and there not being very many "good" races over the weekend, we made Friday the day to visit the track. Got a table on the Finish Line from the Ten Palms restaurant and enjoy Chamber of Commerce weather - a high of 87 with sunny skies. It was an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G day for me as I won 7-of-8 races and had a BIG profit for the day. WOW. CLICK HERE for the pics and stories from the entire five-day racing week.

A REMARKABLE Two-Day Run: 20-for-27

Week 6 - New Year's Week

It was another extended week of racing with a special holiday card on Monday, New Year's Day. Kim and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary and I went to the races under cloudy skies on Saturday. The big day saw me win nearly 40% of my selections including the best of the day at Oaklawn in a maiden event (WOW) and the BET of the Week when Bob Baffert's Muth won the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes. CLICK HERE to read all the stories from the week and see all the pics.

Sat Dec 30: Pegasus Preview Day - The BEST DAY Of The Month!

Headed out to Gulfstream on an overcast and chilly Saturday and had an amazing day. I've hit for higher win percentages through the month but never had such a profitable day as this. AND best of all, scored with SIX wins locally including three stakes. Those include the BEST Bet of the Day & The Upset Special! CLICK HERE to read the stories and see the pics from the full extended week of racing.

December 28: A Wet Thursday At The Races

My oldest son Jeff who's got a break from his job this week texted me and said, "I need a track day! Want to go out Thursday?" Duh, of course. Handicapped three tracks and posted seven wins from fifteen selections - including four at Gulfstream. The highlight came when I scratched into Secret Lover in the 6th and made her the BET of the Day - romped home by a pole!

December 26: Opening Day at Santa Anita

With multiple graded stakes on the massive opening day card I played the special Gulfstream card and the big Santa Anita card. Had a great day winning five races, including two of the stakes out west and the feature at Gulfstream which was the BET of the Day! Handsome profit for the day kicks off what I'm hoping will be a big finish to the first month of the winter!

Christmas Cruise Weekend: December 23-24

We spent the week on our first Disney Cruise with our youngest son, his wife and our grandson. Even if I COULD have gotten the past performances for the Thursday and Friday cards I did not plan to play the races while on our holiday vacation. We had a great time - to see all the photos from our amazing adventure click my photo at right. Once we'd returned to Florida I played the Saturday stakes cards from Gulfstream, the Fair Grounds and Laurel. It was an "OK" day for me as I won 30% of the selections after starting off white hot (5-of-first-6 WINS). Fortunately I got a late upset win at the Fair Grounds and cashed for almost $50 to salvage a lot of the day. AND by playing on Twin Spires at the Fair Grounds, they were running a 15% bonus return to your winning wagers so by the end of the day I'd lost just a little. Next week is a BIG week with a bonus day of racing. Tuesday the 26th is Opening Day at Santa Anita AND Gulfstream has a live card. Then there is racing Thursday through Sunday. Hoping to get some of the money back from this weekend. CLICK HERE for the photos and stories from the abbreviated week of racing.

Week 3: Rain-Soaked Racing

From the beginning of the racing week we were dealing with lots or rain and a LOT of wind. But with the exception of the end of the day on Saturday, racing continued without a hitch. Of course all the scheduled turf races were moved to the Tapeta/All-Weather track. BUT unlike the last two seasons where the synthetic track proved troublesome to handicap, this season I'm enjoying good success with races not only moved there by the rain but also those originally scheduled for the new surface. Played five tracks on Saturday and scored in two stakes despite there being a lack of really strong events on the racing calendar. It was a wonderful week for handicapping for sure. Check out all the photos and stories HERE. Next week I'll be "dark" for the first two days of the week as we enjoy a family Christmas Cruise on the Disney Wish.

Gulfstream Championship Season: Week 2

Saturday December 9th - What a GREAT DAY!

I had five tracks represented on my selection sheet as I spent the afternoon and early evening at Gulfstream for the second consecutive Saturday. After starting off with one win and multiple photo-finish seconds, AND a DQ I went on a roll for the remainder of the day, finishing with FOURTEEN wins (45%). That included sweeping the Gulfstream featured events, the featured event at Oaklawn, and three stakes (including the Best Bet) on the Louisiana Champions Day at the Fair Grounds. CLICK HERE to see all the photos and read the stories from the entire week.

Opening Weekend : December 1 - 3

The Championship Meet kicked off on Friday December 1st with "Calendar Giveaway Day" and I won with the first two bets of the day/meet. On Saturday I was out for the full day and played five tracks with over thirty races on my selection sheet. The results at Gulfstream mirrored most of last year with longshots coming in one after the other - and runners that no one had in their top selections / or figured. Still managed to score with better than 30% for the day including two graded stakes out of town. To read all the stories and see the many photos, CLICK HERE.

Thanksgiving Weekend : November 23-24

We wrapped up the second and final weekend of "pre-season winter racing" by playing the Thanksgiving cards at both the Fair Grounds and Churchill Downs. Then on Friday I played the races from Louisville. Over the two days of limited racing I was very successful as I cashed on 7-of-16 bets, a whopping 44% and had a clear, flat-bet profit. Included in those were the BEST BET of the Day on both of the days! WHOOOO HOOOOO! Next week we begin playing in earnest as Opening Day for the Gulfstream Championship Meet is Friday December 1st. My plan is to be on track for both Friday and Saturday's live racing cards. To see this weeks pics and read the stories, CLICK HERE.

Friday-Saturday November 17-18: Winter Racing "Pre-Season - Opening Weekend At The Fair Grounds

It's the unofficial start of the winter racing season where we'll be handicapping every live card run at Gulfstream Park which opens December 1st. But the companion track we often play is the Fair Grounds in New Orleans which I've been fortunate enough to visit on multiple occasions. Click the pic above for analysis & selections for both Friday and Saturday's cards Over the two days of the weekend, playing strictly in New Orleans I won with five-of-eleven selections including two of the state-bred stakes. CLICK HERE to read the first journal of the winter season and see the pics. Off to a good start!