Saturday & Sunday

It was a decent weekend. Could have been better. Should have been better. More than the usual bad trips, DQs and some crummy racing surfaces too. Speaking of the latter, Rolly Hoyt tweeted Sunday that Oaklawn hasn't had a "fast" track since February 20. That certainly has had an effect on results, not to mention form. We'll have to ferret out what those off track races mean whenever the entered steeds run back.

In all, we 10 winners listed in 24 races, with some nice exactas - $32.20,  $19.40, $62.00 and $12.20 (all $2.00 payoffs).

This Saturday promises to be awesome, with the Dubai World Cup, Florida Derby and Louisiana Derby all on tap. We are going to have a huge sheet Saturday, covering most the stakes and several other races on those cards. 

From the sublime to the ridiculous...

After the racing fest of the previous week, last Saturday seemed like, "handicapping light." With 15 races covered, Pope Jude listed seven winners. Hitting a nice exacta box for $72 a copy in the 7th at Gulfstream Park, the first race covered on the sheet, had us playing with house money all day. Word was obviously out on Donworth later in the afternoon at Hallandale. The 8-1 morning line was just too juicy and the $5.20 win price was not. Lone Trader, in the Gulfstream nightcap went off at 72-1 and nearly pulled it off, but some clever 50-cent trifecta wagering with 8-1 Farz was more than enough for cocktails, a very nice dinner and an excellent bottle of wine.

This coming Saturday looks like another crazy betfest and for the first time in a while, we'll have a sheet for Sunday, with the Sunland Derby and undercard on tap.

"It was good to be a Pope Jude fan."

We listed 23 races and 16 winners on last Saturday's sheet. It was a very good day. Double-digit prices from Ready for Rye ($14.60), Eh Cumpari ($15.40), Gentleman's Bet ($12.20), Raagheb ($12.40) and Ring Weekend ($17.20) led the charge, with several exactas as well. It was good to be a Pope Jude fan.

This Saturday an excellent day of racing at Oaklawn Park - the Rebel (G2), the Azeri (G2) and the Razorback (G3) and stakes all over the nation should give us plenty of wagering opportunities. See you then!

Huge Saturday on Tap

Saturday, March 7 – a huge day for racing fans and popejude.com enthusiasts. What a slate of races – The $400,000 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct, the $200,000 Swale (G3) at Gulfstream, the $350,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs and the $400,000 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita – all for Triple Crown contenders. There is also the $1 Million Santa Anita Handicap (G1) for the older horses and a plethora of surrounding stakes to feast upon.

We’re likely to see Ocean Knight and El Kabeir in the Gotham (G3), Daredevil in the Swale (G3), Carpe Diem in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and Dortmund in the San Felipe (G2), with Shared Belief in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1)…and that’s just the headliners.

Stock up on toner and paper now, because the popejude.com Saturday sheet is going to be massive.

Nice Saturday in Florida

Saturday's Pope Jude sheet was a big hit among those who purchased one, especially when STREET BABE romped in the Mineshaft Handicap (G3) at Fair Grounds and paid $44.80. Lots to crow about, including the exactas in both the Besilu Fountain of Youth (G2) and the Risen Star (G2), but that was last week and we're already working on next Saturday.

Back in Florida for the Fountain of Youth

Working on Saturday's sheet right now with the awesome, stakes filled cards at Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds. I'm in Florida for the Fountain of Youth (G2) and thought it might be fun to post who I'm looking at as possible wagers on Friday's GP card:

1st Race) #7 Red Pond
3rd Race) #6 Trinni Heart
5th Race) #3 Sir Edgar
8th Race) #4 Artie Crasher  #8 Arch Avenger
10th Race) #5 Arch in the Park  #7 Stock  #9 C'Mon Boys
11th Race) #10 American Strong  #12 Breakeven Analysis

"Here's hoping the next ticket you buy is a winning one." Dick Riley

"You really got your buck's worth!"

Thanks to all the Pope Jude fans who took advantage of Saturday's $1.00 introductory offer, courtesy of the Horse Racing Radio Network. You really got your buck's worth! With nine winners on the sheet, three exactas and three trifectas it was a very nice day. 

We only whiffed completely on one race, the 10th at Gulfstream, but we made up for that with the X-Country Pick Four!

More winning days are on the way.

X-Country Pick 4 Saturday, February 7

The "X-Country Pick 4" - an all-stakes $500,000-guaranteed pool wager - combining the Donn Handicap (G1) and the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1) with Santa Anita's San Antonio Stakes (G2) and San Marcos Stakes (G2), will be offered on Saturday, February 7.

The wager coincides with a  live broadcast on Fox Sports 1 television.

Many of the country's top horses are slated for action that day, including 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome and his chief rival Shared Belief, both scheduled for the San Antonio (G2). Lea, last year's Donn (G1) victor is due to square off with last year's Florida Derby (G1) winner Constitution in the Donn (G1).

Both Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita will have many other graded stakes carded that day, which will make for great racing and solid wagering opportunities.

Pope Jude will be ready to rumble.
 

Solid Contest & Report

Broadcaster Bob Neumeier won the NTRA NHC16 Charity Challenge over DRF's Mike Watchmaker, with @HRRN President Mike Penna finishing third. I was twelfth, just nudging out NYRA's Andy Serling by a few dimes. It was fun to play against a stellar cast of handicappers. 

On the Pope Jude side, we popped with five winners on top out of twelve races and hit a couple of exactas along the way. It was a chalky day, but as my brother Mark likes to say, "Better a short price than a long face."

Sunday's sheet is now posted. Have a winning day!

NTRA NHC CHARITY CHALLENGE PICKS

NTRA NHC CHARITY CHALLENGE PICKS

GP 2 – UNLEASH THE HUMOR

TAM 4 – CHUCKMATE

OP 4 – JAGGER M

SA 5 – LIGHT ONE

OP 8 – WIN’EM ALL/ST. LOUIS CITY

SA 7 – HEAVENS STAIRWAY

SA 9 – CHRISTOPHER STREET

GG 9 - PRESIDENTSKY

NTRA NHC Charity Challenge Saturday

I was asked to play in a special charity NTRA NHC tournament on Saturday. $5000 in the winners' name will be donated to Old Friends and $5000 to the charity of my choice - The Monmouth & Ocean County Food Bank - if I win. It's a star-studded field of celebrity and professional handicappers and I am looking forward to the challenge. The eight-race, "pick and pray" contest consists of the mandatory races selected for Saturday's National Handicapping Championship.

Monday a Fun Day!

Special holiday racing treated us nicely on Monday, despite having three races out of nine on the sheet eliminated by weather cancellations and a scratch. A nifty $47 exacta got us playing with house money right off the bat in the 7th at Gulfstream and the $49.80 trifecta in Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn ended the day on a happy note. Thanks to everybody who bought a sheet!

Welcome to popejude.com!

The idea behind my analysis sheets is to be another set of eyes on the past performances. They will often be a source of information that is made available to me from trainers, jockeys, clockers and other players in our sport that fans often don’t often have at their disposal.  Sometimes they'll be a useful tool when time doesn’t allow for full handicapping and you want to play anyway.

The races are listed by post times instead of grouped by track, so that you can follow along as they come up during the day. Remember, at some tracks, like Gulfstream Park, post times are merely suggestions. 

I write the sheets like a conversation with you...like we are wagering together at our local track, because we really are. The races on the sheets are the ones I have found most interesting or lucrative on the day's card. Every race is not playable. Sometimes there are too many contenders. Often, the favorite looks tough to defeat and there will be no money to be made. I'm certainly not always right, but I do the work and bet with the confidence that years of experience brings. Let's win together!