Author: Patrick Moquin

Race of the Day: 2024 Haskell Stakes Analysis

My relationship with Monmouth Park has soured somewhat in the past year or so, mostly because of my inept handicapping when I go there. Nevertheless, the G1 Haskell remains one of the biggest races of the year, necessitating a return to Paddy’s Picks.

This year’s field in Jersey is a ton of fun, as it features the typical lot of local runners facing off against the best three-year-olds in the country. This might seem like a silly arrangement, and it is, but I’d much rather watch an eight-horse race with three stiffs than a five-horse race with a wire-to-wire winner.  read more

Paddy’s Picks Analysis, Picks For The 2024 Belmont Stakes

Greetings from Saratoga Springs! For those of you who unaware, due to renovations at Belmont Racetrack, this year’s Belmont Stakes is being held at Saratoga Racecourse for the first time in the race’s history. I’m lucky enough to be in attendance and writing to you from the track this morning.

While this year’s Belmont Stakes field isn’t anything special, the historic nature of this venue change is certain to elevate it, while also transforming it into a different event. From a sporting standpoint, cutting the race back to 1 ¼ miles makes it more closely resemble the Travers in August. There has been talk of shortening the marathon race for a long time, and while I can understand the temporary change to accompany Saratoga, I sincerely hope it doesn’t stay this way forever. read more

Paddy’s Picks for the 2024 Preakness Stakes

The Preakness Stakes has been disappointing for me in recent years. This may sound ungrateful, and it is, but one must admit that it’s been a rough couple of years for the poor Triple Crown race.

While a winning ticket in the Kentucky Derby still eludes me, the race always promises elite competition and excitement. The Belmont Stakes is usually a wonderfully unique contest and fascinating handicapping exercise in my home state. More often than not, the Preakness doesn’t offer any of this. read more

The Casual Bet: Guest Handicappers Analyze The 2024 Kentucky Derby

Featured in Illustration: Affirmed and jockey Steve Cauthen Winning the 1978 Kentucky Derby (Illustration Courtesy of Esmé Bleecker-Adams)

To pull back the curtain on the Paddy’s Picks process, I usually write the introductions to these articles at the end. The problem is that I’m currently in a car in the middle of Pennsylvania on the way to my sister’s graduation. So you’ll all have to forgive me if I’m a little succinct in setting the stage for this year’s Kentucky Derby. read more

Paddy’s Picks 2024 Kentucky Derby Analysis

A Kentucky Derby without Bob Baffert is like an oil tanker without a fireworks display. Plenty of things can still go wrong, but you’re feeling a lot safer onboard, aren’t you?

Instead of transferring his Derby hopefuls to his colleague, Tim Yakteen, this year, Baffert tried to get around his Churchill Downs ban through the Kentucky Court of Appeals. The court’s decision to enforce the racetrack’s restrictions is a clear win for those who consider Baffert’s doping history to be a stain on the sport. From a purely competitive point of view, however, it is unfortunate that superstar colt Muth, along with a few others in Baffert’s stable, are therefore ineligible to run. read more

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