Blog Posts - Paddy's Picks

Hit Show Wins Withers Stakes, Wood Memorial Likely Next Race

The following article was submitted for my Sports Journalism class at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. I’ve received permission from my professors to post it on my pony blog. Enjoy! And if there’s a typo, don’t tell me.

Three-year-old colt Hit Show took his first step down the rose-laden path Saturday, winning the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack to earn 20 points toward Kentucky Derby qualification. Owned by Gary and Mary West, trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Manny Franco, the Kentucky-based runner successfully invaded New York and will likely return for the Wood Memorial Stakes in April. read more

Paddy’s Picks February Invitational: Week 2 Recap

I’ll be honest — the February Invitational has been a bit of a mixed bag so far. In Week 2, the G3 Withers, which featured a diverse field from around the country, ultimately came down to two favorites, with 6-5 Brad Cox trainee Hit Show breezing past 8-5 second choice Arctic Arrogance in the stretch to win by a wide margin. Last week, even-money favorite Newgate outlasted long shot Hard to Figure to win at a similarly short price.

In some ways, these obvious results have harmed the competition, as guests have not had to be very creative and have actually been punished for value plays. In another sense, however, it has kept things entertaining in a long-term sense. Regardless of whether competitors have won both or neither events, they are still in contention to win their division with two weeks remaining. read more

Paddy’s Picks February Invitational: Week 2 Preview

After a tricky, vaguely silly first week of the Paddy’s Picks February Invitational, it’s time to get down to business. This week, guest competitors in the experienced and casual divisions will be analyzing the G3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Originally, my plan was to give my competitors a turf race in the second week, which would provide variety and test their handicapping skills in a different way. But because of a fortunate turn of events in real life, I decided to change that plan. read more

Paddy’s Picks February Invitational: Week 1 Recap

It’s time to try something new. But not too new.

Welcome to the Inaugural Paddy’s Picks Invitational, a handicapping competition intended to find the most talented guests on this oft-celebrated, participation-trophy-winning website. 13 competitors, split into experienced and casual divisions, will battle through the month of February for the ultimate prizes: a hand-drawn picture of a horse by me (Patrick Moquin), as well as a “crazy” horse-themed ballpoint pen. These prizes may seem quaint to some, but for some reason, my guests have responded with overwhelming enthusiasm. read more

A Look Back: Reviewing Guest Picks for the 2022 Cigar Mile

Who wants an introduction? This article is nearly 9,000 words long and it’s taken me two weeks to put together, but if an introduction is what you all want, then I’m more than happy to provide. I wish I could hear all of you clamoring.

As is always the case in these guest articles, I asked too many people to pick the winner of a high-profile horse race. I introduce them, they make a pick and explain, and then I either dole out quaint praise or hard-hitting criticism. This time, it was the G1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, an excellent dirt race that lived up to the hype despite a short field. read more

A Look Back: Reviewing Guest Picks for the 2022 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

On Oct. 1, I asked far too many people to pick the winner of the 2022 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. I was sick at the time and looked forward to weeks of productivity after my health improved. A Paddy’s Picks guest article felt like light work.

I remained extremely ill for another four days in October and didn’t fully recover for another week. Shortly after I returned to class, my most important source for a big assignment at Columbia canceled on me, forcing me to ditch a month’s worth of research and start over one week before my deadline. To be candid, at around the same time, I fell back into a bit of a slump in terms of mental health, something I can be candid about with my dear readers without fully addressing on this horse racing website. While that was going on, the Mets lost to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card and I had to put on a brave face after Game 3 while a room full of anti-Met fans berated me without fully understanding the rules of baseball. read more

A Look Back: Reviewing Guest Picks for the 2022 Travers

An apology and explanation are in order. The Travers Stakes occurred on Saturday, Aug. 27, and since that day, I’ve worked tirelessly to complete this guest analysis article and appease my tens and tens of voracious readers. Unfortunately, between schoolwork at Columbia, a part-time job and a number of social engagements, I haven’t had my usual amount of time to dedicate to crafting an 8,000-word document for hard-hitting racing analysis.

Though it took longer to complete than it normally would, I can assure readers that my effort and the efforts of my thoroughly entertaining guests are not lacking in any way as autumn closes in on the racing season. Life just gets in the way sometimes. read more

A Look Back: Reviewing Guest Picks for the 2022 Haskell Stakes

Every Paddy’s Picks reader knows that the Triple Crown is only the beginning of the three-year-old horse racing season. A summer schedule full of premier races awaits some of the sport’s rising stars, and it all began on Saturday at Monmouth in the Haskell Stakes.

Known as one of the most popular races of the summer and a rare reason to visit the state of New Jersey, the Haskell is the sort of race you tell all of your friends about. You might even beg them to make a pick for your horse racing website. Fortunately, I run in the right circles. read more

A Look Back: Reviewing Picks for the 2022 Belmont Stakes

Three weeks ago, a near-death experience on Preakness Day, or Fordham’s Graduation Day, forced me to slightly change the Paddy’s Picks format for guest analysis. Instead of publishing the article before the race, which would have been impossible for me to do as I sat in my black robes and slowly perished, I chose to wait until after the race and provide commentary for my guests’ picks in hindsight. After getting a significant amount of positive feedback after it went up, I decided to maintain the format for the Belmont Stakes. read more

Breeders’ Cup Saturday Master List

Welcome back to Paddy’s Picks for the Saturday card at the Breeders’ Cup. No quirky anecdotes today; we all have to focus. Every article published today can be found here as soon as it’s released. Best of luck to everyone!