Casual Bet: BC Juvenile Turf

For the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, the final race of Breeders’ Cup Friday, two veteran guests are being joined by two newcomers making their official debuts. My excitement is palpable as this formidable quartet tackles one of the toughest races on the card.

In nearly two years, Grace Getman and Esme Bleecker-Adams have grown into vaguely unfamiliar horse racing analysts before readers’ eyes. Meanwhile, Corbin Gregg and Kreena Vora are brand new contributors, unsure of their place on this website but eager to learn the ways of the sport. read more

Casual Bet: BC Juvenile Analysis

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile is an important race every year, as it gives racing fans a very early picture of the possible Kentucky Derby contenders the following year. To properly cover this event in all its glory, here are the thoughts of three people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

Matt Ludington makes his debut on Paddy’s Picks after years of ignorance about its existence. The same hard-working, intelligent pre-med student who thought that The Observer was a sports-only publication is as new to the idea of Paddy’s Picks as he is to the sport of racing itself. Double the confusion, double the fun. read more

Casual Bet: BC Juvenile Fillies Turf Analysis

This is admittedly a crowded article, but it’s simply a testament to the enthusiasm my Fordham Observer colleagues bring to the sport of racing. Unlike almost every other guest article on Paddy’s Picks this weekend, this has absolutely no intrinsic value as an analytic piece. But damn it if it doesn’t have style.

Maddie Sandholm, the Layout Editor/Assistant Sports Social Media Editor/Contributing Writer of The Fordham Observer, returns with prose that betrays her background in visual arts. Creative Director Roxanne Cubero’s prose is… also good. Meanwhile, Opinions Editor Clara Gerlach, Copy Editor Emily Ellis, and News Editor Allie Stofer all make exceedingly promising debuts as valuable contributors to a very silly premise. read more

Casual Bet: BC Juvenile Fillies Analysis

To properly understand the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies this year, the input of these three guests is paramount. In fact, missing this article may account for thousands in losses for anyone naive enough to overlook it. All three guests stayed up for nights on end deciphering this puzzle, and their findings are nothing short of astounding.

At this point, any loyal Paddy’s Picks reader should be familiar with Jill “Rice Dicer” Rice and Gillian Russo, who have been enthusiastic guests on this website since its inception. Their work is readily available across the majority of my past big race coverage, and their talents in the racing world and in all of their other efforts are common knowledge. read more

Casual Bet: BC Juvenile Turf Sprint Analysis

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, as it is seen by handicappers and casual bettors alike, is about as easy as a Rubik’s Cube to figure out. Who better to solve the puzzle than some of the overthinking graduates of Regis High School?

Chris Murray, once known as a “Twice a Day” on Paddy’s Picks, knows absolutely nothing about horse racing. In fact, he holds a strong pet theory that horses aren’t real, though I won’t pretend to understand the intricate nuances of his argument. One might expect such inexperienced analysis to resemble the comments of a five-year-old, but Chris consistently shoots for the stars in everything he does. His stuff is suitable for second graders at the very least. read more

The Casual Bet: 2021 Haskell Stakes Guest Analysis

Of all the articles I publish here on Paddy’s Picks, I must admit that the Casual Bet is consistently one of my favorites. The value it has to serious bettors has always been minimal and the opinions are, by design, coming from people with a limited view of the racing world. In many cases, the things that I share about the sport in conversation make up all or most of some contributors’ knowledge. But after nearly a year of producing various editions of this article, I’m happy to say that it has become a very enjoyable activity with my friends, and has captured exactly what I hoped it would. read more

The Casual Bet: 2021 Kentucky Derby “Analysis”

The Casual Bet is one of my favorite articles on big race days, and there’s no bigger day than the Kentucky Derby. Regulars and newcomers alike come together here to bet on instincts, hunches and an unparalleled amount of enthusiasm. On a day that especially appeals to fans and experts alike, their perspectives truly capture the essence of horse racing.

Derby Sommelier: Finding a Derby For Every Fan’s Taste

There are no uneventful runnings of the Kentucky Derby, and even if there were, the event would never be such a monumental waste of time that a viewer could be angry about it. Baseball fans can gripe when 20 or more hours of buildup results in an anticlimactic World Series sweep, and any amount of time watching a Super Bowl featuring Tom Brady passes like dental surgery for football fans in New York. The greatest event on the horse racing calendar is two minutes long, and it’s often filled with more excitement than some sporting events fit into hours or days. It’s perfect. read more

The Casual Bet: Kentucky Derby “Analysis”

Every year, the Kentucky Derby is an event where casual fans of horse racing congregate to watch the best three-year-olds in the country face off. As a result, the uninformed opinion is just as important as the informed one, because there are a lot of ways to come up with a winner. With one or two exceptions, the guests featured here have provided opinions that are baseless, silly, lighthearted, and most importantly, exactly what the Derby needs.

Joan Moquin

Once again, my mother has chosen to include her analysis among clueless counterparts. Her thoughts on the race are coherent, and don’t really belong here as a result, but will be included according to her wishes. read more

“My Old Kentucky Home:” The Complicated History of a Derby Day Tradition

This Saturday, September 5, 20 horses will step on to the historic dirt course at Churchill Downs for the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby. For two minutes every year, the world travels back in time to fervently spectate a dying sport, a pillar of Kentuckian culture that will never fall, so long as there are still Kentuckians to fight for it. In Louisville, “the Derby” is an institution first and a sporting event second.

This year, the grandstands will be empty, but it won’t be silent as the 20 hopefuls prepare to enter the starting gate. What 2020’s rendition will lack in fanfare, it will make up for with a heralded tradition. For the past 90 years, the official state song has accompanied the horses through the post parade.  read more