Make Your Case: Guest Hancidappers Defend Every Horse in the 2024 Kentucky Derby

In the early 1600s, Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, grew tired of the social scene in France and began hosting small events in her salon. In time, these events and others like it became highly fashionable, allowing intellectuals across various disciplines to exchange concepts and ideas on the basis of reason. Thus began the Age of Enlightenment. 

Nearly 200 years later, King Louis XVI was beheaded by guillotine in the Place de la Concorde. 22 years after that, the tyrant Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled for the second time and sent to die off the coast of Africa. read more

Race of the Day: 2024 Pegasus World Cup Analysis

To be completely candid with all of you, I’m not a huge fan of the Pegasus World Cup. I enjoyed it in the very early days, when it boasted a $12 million purse and innovative invitation system. The very first running in 2017 was a Breeders’ Cup Classic rematch between Arrogate and California Chrome, and I genuinely thought I was witnessing the beginning of a storied horse racing tradition.

But it’s 2024 now, and it’s still very cold in January. And instead of Arrogate and California Chrome, I have to watch the 12 best dirt horses in the country that didn’t retire at the end of 2023. Only one of them has a G1 stakes win. As for the international flavor of this World Cup race, O’Connor was bred in Chile and came to the United States in late 2022. That’s it. read more

Paddy’s Picks Analysis: 2023 Breeders’ Cup Saturday

It’s strange and frustrating that the Breeders’ Cup Classic will not end this year’s 14-race event due to NBC programming changes. A few scratches in the card also cheapen races that would have been stacked otherwise. But the deeper this card goes, the more exciting it gets.

While the Classic this year is a blast in its own right despite Arcangelo’s withdrawal, I believe the Turf will steal the show. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most impressive fields I’ve ever seen in the United States in my lifetime and is almost mandatory for every fan of the sport to watch.  read more

Paddy’s Picks Analysis: 2023 Breeders’ Cup Friday

The Breeders’ Cup is so well-timed to distract me from important work every year. After several weeks of almost nothing to do, it always comes along at a point when I’m as busy as possible.

Between work and my classes at Columbia, I wouldn’t have had enough time to release Paddy’s Picks analysis for the Breeders’ Cup this year. Fortunately, I did most of my analysis ahead of time, and the West Coast event gave me a few extra hours this morning to sleep before finalizing this copy. read more

Pick Six Challenge: Guests Take On The Pennsylvania Derby

I think I like this idea. I hope you do too. But before I tell you about it, we need to talk about horse racing in Pennsylvania.

New York racing fans have a habit of disrespecting Parx Racetrack in Bensalem, a small town just outside Philadelphia. As one such fan, I believe that we often have good reason. In comparison to even the slowest day at Aqueduct Racetrack in the dead of January, racing at Parx is simply a step below in most cases. Fields rarely offer value, the facility itself is in need of a freshening and the track is often heavily biased and unhelpful for handicapping. read more

A Look Back: Reviewing Guest Picks for the 2023 Travers Stakes

On the morning of the Travers Stakes two weeks ago, I was in the midst of the most difficult writing I had ever had to complete. With the deadline for my Columbia masters project fast approaching, I was frantically arranging thousands of words in the hopes of making a coherent narrative. Then my phone went off.

In the span of a half hour that Saturday morning, I received five texts about the upcoming Travers Stakes. Specifically, people were asking me why they hadn’t been asked to contribute for the race on Paddy’s Picks. Proud and racked by guilt all at once, I hesitantly put aside my own writing and rounded up as many guests as I could. Their picks and my reviews are below. read more

Race of the Day: 2023 Travers Stakes Analysis

Because I’ve been working for a week straight to complete my thesis project for Columbia, I originally had no plans to provide Paddy’s Picks coverage for the Travers Stakes. But this morning, five of my usual guests texted me to complain that they hadn’t been asked for a pick. 

I was so proud of them for knowing about the race and guilty for trying to skirt my duties that I’ve decided to reverse course and provide some analysis myself for the Midsummer Derby, one of my favorite racing events and one I would have enjoyed as a fan regardless of my schedule. A review of guest picks will come sometime next week, as I apparently have readers and cannot afford to lose them to other casual Long Island-based pony blogs. Let’s get into it. read more

Race of the Day: 2023 Ohio Derby Analysis

On a typical racing calendar, the G3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown would probably fly past my radar. The race usually consists of a few washed out Triple Crown contenders and an obvious favorite who wins going away. But this year is special, mostly because there’s a horse I’ve been keeping a very keen eye on for several months.

In my Belmont Stakes analysis, I said that I believed the G3 Peter Man to be a stronger race than the Preakness this year. It seems like Arcangelo confirmed that when he won the third leg of the Triple Crown handily, several weeks after beating Bishops Bay in a tight photo finish.  read more

Belmont Racing Festival Analysis: Saturday, June 10, 2023

Who needs the Breeders’ Cup when you can just make your own every year? Between the conclusion of the Triple Crown, new challenges for older horses and some of the best races of the year on American turf, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival offers more than nearly any other event in the sport.

In addition to the countless quality horses competing on the track this afternoon, it feels immensely gratifying to have so many people to share this weekend with. As we speak, my family is setting up a small picnic in the backyard to watch the day of races. My friends going to the event itself have all asked me for links to purchase the Daily Racing Form.  read more

Race of the Day: 2023 Belmont Stakes Analysis

At the end of every Triple Crown season, the Belmont Stakes ushers in a new era for three-year-olds as they begin the transition to careers as older horses. This happens to be a year in which the spotlight isn’t quite as bright, but the race remains the preeminent event of a spectacular weekend of racing.

Between the distance, field quality and venue, the Belmont Stakes may possibly be my favorite race each year. That may or may not be because I’ve made a lot of money on the event in past years, but the appeal of a special day for my home track undoubtedly plays a part as well. read more