Tag: Guest Analysis

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

Building A Super: 2022 Malibu Stakes w/ Kristina Stevanovic & Niko Konstantellis

Santa Anita, Race 10                                                                   

Malibu Stakes (G1) for Three-Year-Olds and Upward, Seven Furlongs on the Dirt

Welcome back one and all to a holiday edition of the Paddy’s Picks Podcast! Today, we’ll be looking at the G1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita in a slightly altered format. After speaking to an army of contributors for this year’s Breeders’ Cup and enjoying the process immensely, I received an idea from guest Kristina Stevanovic, who suggested that a few people should return someday to put together a superfecta live for listeners. In other words, come to an agreement on a bet that includes the four horses that we believe will finish first, second, third and fourth in the race. I’ll be doing just that with her help, along with Niko Konstantellis, another longtime Paddy’s Picks contributor. For those of you who were expecting fellow Fordham alum George McKnight to join as well, that was the plan at one point but he unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute. The quartet became a trio but we eventually came to an agreement after some bickering. Please enjoy. 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

A Look Back: Reviewing Guest Picks for the 2022 Preakness

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I really needed to sleep. When guests came forward to provide their Preakness analysis for Paddy’s Picks last week, I assumed that I would be able to produce an article on the day of my graduation ceremony. I was even willing to put it together during the ceremony itself. But in my black robes on a 90-degree day on Saturday, I entered a nearly incoherent state by noon, and couldn’t do much more than sit and stare at the floor until my name was called to receive a diploma. I would apologize, but many of the guests in this article were present with me that day and were similarly delirious. So instead of apologizing, I’m offering a new alternative. read more

The People’s Race: Kentucky Derby Guest Analysis

Everyone needs a pick for the Kentucky Derby. It’s mandatory in my opinion. Every year in May, 20 entrants run in the most chaotic event in North American horse racing; it’s an opportunity for the most experienced and most fun-loving to congregate for a relatively random chance at a massive payout. 

For the race that everyone should have a pick for, I asked — well, almost everyone, but I tried to focus on people that wouldn’t have picked a horse otherwise. Annoying people in the name of racing awareness is kind of my thing at this point. They never see it coming. Within this chaotic piece, prophecies, gut feelings, mispronunciations and sound logic await. I’ve made no attempt to organize any of it. Happy Derby Day! read more