Archive for November 2014

2014 Showtime Deb & Sun Power Stakes Preview

This week, along with an in-depth look at Delta Jackpot Day, Picks and Ponderings continues its look at the Hawthorne stakes schedule with another week featuring the Illinois-breds.  This week, the pair of stakes focus on the two-year-olds.  Split by gender, colts and geldings go in the Sun Power. For the fillies, the female complement... Read more »
By Paul Mazur,
November 19, 2014 at 9:57 pm
• Leave a comment

2014 Delta Jackpot Day Preview

For every other day the track conducts racing, Delta Downs runs its races at night under the lights, whether it be the Fall/Winter thoroughbreds or the Spring/Summer quarter horses.  These rules are put aside for one day each year in November, when the track turns off the lights of night and runs a special daytime... Read more »
By Paul Mazur,
November 19, 2014 at 4:52 pm
• Leave a comment

2014 Buck's Boy Handicap and Illini Princess Handicap Recap

STICKNEY/CICERO – After a mild fall, the weather finally turned cold.  This was likely the last weekend for turf racing before the grass course froze, but the races today remained on the grass.  Two stakes races for the older Illinois-bred set were contested over firm going, and both were $75,000 affairs for ages three and... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
November 15, 2014 at 10:41 pm
• Leave a comment
Advertisement:

Aqueduct and Laurel and Del Mar, Oh My!

  This week, Picks and Ponderings travels all over the place…figuratively speaking, anyway.  We started at home with Paul’s preview of the Bucks’s Boy and the Illini Princess, the first stakes races on the Hawthorne calendar this fall, and the only Hawthorne stakes on the grass.  Paul continued with a trip to Churchill for a... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
November 13, 2014 at 10:30 pm
• Leave a comment

2014 Mrs. Revere & Commonwealth Turf Preview

This weekend, Picks and Ponderings takes a look at a sprinkling of stakes from a wide variety of venues.  If staying local with Illinois-breds on the turf get you excited, check out Paul’s preview of the two turf stakes from Hawthorne.  If features like the DeFrancis Dash, G3 Bob Hope, and G3 Red Smith are... Read more »
By Paul Mazur,
November 13, 2014 at 8:50 pm
• Leave a comment

2014 Buck's Boy & Illini Princess Preview

This weekend, Picks and Ponderings takes a look at a sprinkling of stakes from a wide variety of venues. If three-year-olds on the turf get you excited, check out Paul’s preview of the two turf stakes from Churchill. If features like the DeFrancis Dash, G3 Bob Hope, and G3 Red Smith are your thing, Nicolle... Read more »
By Paul Mazur,
November 12, 2014 at 8:42 pm
• Leave a comment
Advertisement:

2014 Long Island Handicap Preview

Earlier this evening, Paul took the first leg of this weekend’s grassy road trip: the River City Handicap (GIII) at Churchill Downs.  I meander out east to Aqueduct for the Long Island Handicap (GIII), a twelve-furlong affair for fillies and mares.  There is no deep or fascinating reason why the Long Island Handicap got its... Read more »
By Nicolle Neulist,
November 5, 2014 at 11:55 pm
• Leave a comment

2014 River City Handicap Preview

Last week featured the two-day Breeders’ Cup event, complete with the highs and lows, shocks and awes, form and controversy.  A wide range of emotions were on display at Santa Anita, and a wide range of races were picked and pondered.  The week after the Breeders’ Cup is typically a lighter week of racing on... Read more »
By Paul Mazur,
November 5, 2014 at 6:54 pm
• Leave a comment