THE ASPIRING HORSEPLAYER

Selections for Kentucky Oaks Day

Derby weekend is FINALLY here!  Before we get too caught up in the actual Derby madness – there’s a fantastic card of racing for Friday to take in first.  Not only do we get the Oaks, but also 5 other stakes races as well – including the

2010 KY Derby Madness Begins – The Bladensburg Races

Surprise, surprise – another Derby week dawns and another round of shocking news and updates is not far behind.  The updates themselves are surprising – Eskendereya out of the Kentucky Derby – but the notion that such events will unfold this time of year

Odysseus – the Derby dream endeth

I’ve been silent since the weekend, left to ponder in solitude what might have been and what will never be.  Odysseus, the horse I’ve touted as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender since mid-February floundered in the Toyota Blue Grass last w

Weekend roundup: Blue Grass and Arkansas Derby selections

Less than a month remains until the 2010 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, but already we’ve reached the point where the final major prep races are being run.  It seems like only yesterday we were first catching glimpses of the 3-year-old crop, and

The Sixth Sense – Kentucky Derby Rankings: 4/3/2010

With only 4 Saturdays remaining before the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, it’s time to once again wade into the murky, otherworldly ether of the 3-year-old division of thoroughbred horse racing and attempt to find reason.  T

Derby Fever – Saturday Prep Race Selections

A trifecta of prep races for the 2010 Kentucky Derby await horse racing fans this Saturday afternoon.  The Wood Memorial and the Santa Anita Derby will be broadcast LIVE on NBC this weekend beginning at 5 PM (ET), offering a rare opportunity for the publi

The Fifth Column – Updated Kentucky Derby Rankings

It gives me great pleasure to unveil our fifth installment of the weekly Kentucky Derby rankings madness.  The weekend saw the defeats of Discreetly Mine and Conveyance from our previous Derby ranking list, and the emergence of a potential fifth column of

Of Horses, Heroes, and Opportunity

Blessings have been bestowed upon us, racing fans.  Not only is the weekend finally here, and along with it a duo of prep races for the 2010 Kentucky Derby, but also another chance at capturing a sliver of relevance from amongst the general populace.  Tak

Kentucky Derby Rankings – Episode IV: A New Hope

With 40 days to go until the 2010 Kentucky Derby, it’s time to take another look at the top contenders and see if we can make any sense of things.  The past weekend saw the emergence of a long awaited true closer in Ice Box with his victory in the G

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