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07/28/04 *Calder Status Quo Racing in Florida Heat* What can you say during this time of year ? Its hot and humid in Florida, but the programs are still big fields and decent purses. Also, you do have Full Simulcast menu's in Florida at all venue's, so you can enjoy a nice day at the races or evening if you go to Pompano Park. Also in addition to Calder on the East Coast, Tampa Bay is open on the West Coast for simulcasting. Our Best Regards to Florida Racing, we always enjoy it when we go to the races.

07/05/04 *Calder Status Quo Racing in Florida Heat* To truly appreciate racing in the "Off Season" one has to remember when the tracks closed for the Winter in NY and the Summer in Florida. The Calder Racing program is very good, very status quo and for people who like to go to live racing in the Summer in Florida. We usually see the Jockey's and Trainers more in the spotlight at the Gulfstream Meeting when NY and Northeast rivals come down and the snowbirds are all down to escape the cold. However, we would recommend Calder Race Course to all our fans if your looking for a nice day out at the races. The Fields are usually large, and they run Turf and Dirt for the entire meeting. You can usually catch a price and the races are very formful from the ALLW ranks down into the $8K CLMG. We would be happy to give you all the Winners if you order. Best Regards to Calder and announcer Phil Salzman, the entertainment value is worthwhile for a day at the races.

04/30/04 *THE STICK AND THE BLAZE GIVE THEIR TAKE ON DERBY 04* The Stick : I am so PSYCHED UP ! I love this race !!! We have everything possible for Derby '04. There are Front Runners in Lion Heart and Smartee Jones, We have Monster Closers in Imperialism and The Cliff's Edge. Nick Zito is LIVE this year ! Despite his unfriendliness to this handicapper in person, we still think very highly of his training ability. However, with that said, It looks like everyone from California to NY and The Mid West combined are looking for a win in the Greatest Horse Race in America. Expect the UNEXPECTED !!! Every year there are traffic jams and bumping and horses caught wide into both turns, and horses who close from way way back. You CANNOT Handicap this race without taking into account many factors. Between The Blaze and Myself, We have Successfully picked Charismatic($62), Monarchos($18), Fusaichi Pegasus($6), War Emblem(The Blaze's Best Bet of the Decade !), and last year I successfully identified NY Bred Funny Cide to be the first NY Bred to ever Win the KY Derby. Lets keep the Winning Kentucky Derby train Rolling ! The Blaze : Yeah, yeah, yeah. He will tell you he always picks the winners, but he never mentions how important The Blaze is to this operation ! Men....hah ! I think its going to rain Friday and Saturday and that means that horses who have already shown ability in the mud will have a better chance then anyone else. I am going to pick a different horse then MC, and I tell you what....that horse had better Win for my reputation to be intact after this race ! Go Win Big Y'all, we'll see you in the Winners Circle.

4/18/04 *AVENTURA-ARK DRBY-BLUEGRASS* There's a lot to rundown from Florida and the Southland Prep's for the Kentucky Derby. *The Aventura Stakes* was run on 4/03 and despite its no graded status, it is the newest Derby prep race to watch and look for talent. The Kirk Ziadie trained Kaufy Mate won in impressive fashion. Well named from his creamy colored coat, Kaufy Mate was well spotted throughout the race and he drew off in very impressive fashion to win going away. Apparently Kirk's father, Champion trainer Ralph Ziadie, taught his son well in the art of training winners. Kirk has been making a sensation of himself over at Tampa with a huge win clip percentage and is just knocking on the door of bringing home a classic winner. Humorously was 2nd and Baronage was 3rd in a decent race that may hav a sleeper for the Derby hiding right in front of us. The Payoff's 4 Kaufy Mate-Cruz 11.80 6.00 4.40 8 Humorously-Bravo 5.40 4.40 3 Baronage-Boulanger 6.00 *The MUD of ARKANSAS - ARKY DERBY CROWNS A CHAMPION* Can he run in the mud ? Can he rate his speed for the distance ? Can he overcome the post 11 outside spot ? Can he keep winning ? Is John Servis for Real ? The loud, rousing answer to all of these questions is YES YES YES ! Smartee Jones keeps getting asked the questions is he really good enough, can he be a Derby Champion ? If his racing style is any indication of his ability, he may be the next Triple Crown winner. Looking like a cross between Swale and War Emblem, Smartee Jones goes out on a speed mission and then rates exceptionally well through the half and 3/4 of a race. Its brought him an undefeated 5 for 5 record, and it may bring him the roses on Derby Day. With a $1,000,000 purse, Oaklawn Park was very serious this year about bringing a potential KY Derby winner to their track. Also, Smartee Jones can win an additional big bonus as an incentive from Oaklawn if he wins the KY Derby. Don't forget to look at this one closely when the Derby comes around as he will be one tough competitor turning for home. The Payoff's 11 Smarty Jones-Elliot 4.00 3.00 2.60 1 Borrego-Espinoza 3.20 2.80 10 Pro Prado-McKee 4.40 *The BLUE BLOOD PREP for the Kentucky Derby....The Blue Grass Stakes.* The Blue Grass is another one of those traditional prep races that always showcases the finest bred horses from Kentucky, and every now and then we get a genetic monster. Well with Gulch on his daddy's side and Danzig on his mommy's side...The Cliff's Edge really impressed us with a powerful close in the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass. Oh....did we mention the trainer ? He may not be the most pleasant man to strangers(from this website) asking him questions about his horses, BUT he sure knows how to train champions in the Kentucky Derby. 2 Time Derby winner, Nick Zito, had this super horse ready for business at Keeneland. Kudos to 2nd place finisher Lion Heart, who ran his heart out through very fast fractions in a speed duel with Limehouse down the backstretch and into the far turn. Lion and Lime both showed tremendous ability and staying power after really pushing themselves into the stretch. The rest of the field could not even keep up with them, except for The Cliff's Edge who really showed his power turning for home. Sitting back in 7th place on the backstretch, soft spoken Cajun Super Jockey, Shane Sellers, gradually moved him to the outside and started his run. There are very few jockey's of Shane's calibre in racing, and very few know how to time a ride so perfectly as to be pouncing in the lead at the 16th pole. Perhaps Pat Day or Jerry Bailey, or Gary Stevens and maybe even Corey Nakatani could have done it so well, but none as gracefully as Shane. When asked afterwards how easy it was..Shane responded .."Hey..I did'nt know if I was going to be able to catch them, it was still a horse race ..Whew !" The Top 3 in this race need to be considered very serious contenders for the KY Derby victory also. The Blue Grass is usually one of the most demanding races of the season. Final time of 1:49.42 a very respectable time. The Payoff's 3 The Cliff's Edge-Sellers 13.40 4.40 3.00 6 Lion Heart-Smith 3.00 2.40 4 Limehouse-Albarado 3.40

04/12/04 *THE STICK IS BACK DERBY 3 WEEKS AWAY !* *NEWS UPDATES FOR KENTUCKY DERBY AND FUTURE STAKES COMING THIS WEEK* *THE STICK IS BACK FOR HIS FANS ! YES !*

9/30/03 *GARY BOULANGER SETS HIS SIGHTS HIGH* We always talk about the Jockey's at Calder. They have that raw talent, and hunger for success that makes racing in South Florida exciting. Gary Boulanger is such a rider. He's exciting to watch, he gives his all, and he's not limiting his options. Just this Saturday, Gary flew in to Illinois's Hawthorne Park for the rich Hawthorne Gold Cup. This is a $500K, Grade 2 at 1 1/8 Mile on the dirt. Gary had the mount on 10-1 longshot, Aeneas. This horse is well traveled and always gives a good showing at long odds. I liked this race, as I knew Pat Day would have his hands full on Perfect Drift with a horse named Kingpins. Kingpins was ridden by Robby Albarado(Mineshaft's jockey) and had plenty of speed to spare in this race. To say that it could set up for Aeneas was an understatement. However, to be honest to the fans who read this, we did give out the winner, Perfect Drift as our Best Bet on the Hawthorne Card. We actually BOXED the Exacta of Aeneas and Perfect Drift looking for a good price in the exacta. The reason I picked this race to point out Gary's ability is because he gave Aeneas a perfect ride. Aeneas would up 3rd behind the two favorites, but he had every chance to win this race if he had been a strong enough race horse. Drift, and Kingpins were simply better then Aeneas in this race. If you watch the placement of the horse, the timing of the move, the synchronized motion, you see a jockey doing everything he possibly can to win a race. Aeneas got right up on the shoulder of Perfect Drift and looked to make a dash for the wire, but Perfect Drift was just too good this day. Also, Kingpin was very powerful and strong to the wire. Thus, Aeneas was 3rd, but was given every possible chance to win by Gary Boulanger. Sometimes its the losses in life that make you stronger and show your character. Well, if thats so, I must be Hercules ! Best Regards to Gary Boulanger. The "Baker" lives ! Boulanger in French means Baker.

9/19/03 *CORNELIO VELASQUEZ A MAN WITH A DOUBLE ?* I know what your thinking Stick Fans, how can Cornelio Velasquez be listed in the standings at BOTH Calder Race Course and Belmont Park ? I mean the amount of FREE Miles he must be getting on his frequent flier program must be GREAT ! I was looking at the past week and months entries and results looking to see who's hot and who's racing at which track, and I suddenly came across different days in the same week with the same jockey at different tracks ! I mentioned Cornelio having a double, because he was riding at Belmont on the weekend and then he was at Calder on Monday, then he was back at Belmont, and then he was back at Calder. I don't think I can remember ANY Jockey who rode double duty at two tracks so far apart. I have seen jockey's in NY ride at night at the Meadowlands. Or seen jockey's who drove down to Delaware on NYRA's dark days. However, I have not ever seen a man fly back and forth across the country because he was so devoted to his friends and trainers. I do not think Cornelio has any chance of being the leading rider at BOTH tracks at the same time, but I would say he is very ambitious and has impressed me. Imagine if he can break the top 10 riders at both tracks ? That would be a great accomplishment for him. We may have the next Superstar in American racing in Cornelio Velasquez. I guess its a good luck charm to be named Velasquez and be a jockey ! I can think of John and Jorge Velasquez and they are among the Nations Elite riders. Shall we add Cornelio ? Lets follow this rider and see where his talents take him. Best Luck to CV.

8/05/03 *CHIPISKI CONTINUES HER ROLL AT CALDER* It was a minor stake, and the $40K purse of the Kims country diamond is certainly not the Breeders Cup Sprint main prep race. However, you know what ? If we had the B.Cup at Calder, and Chispiski was entered and was 300-1, she would be a Stick Best Bet. We have been following Chispiski and if you look into the archieve we mention her as being a MONSTER at Calder. She always goes to the lead and ALWAYS WINS at Calder. The Final time of 1:18 1/5 for the 6 1/2F was ok, but you have to look at how Chispiski gets brave on the lead. I mean she goes to the front and runs at Top Speed. Then she slows down and it looks as if the field is going to inhale her and she is finished going around the turn. Then, Chispiski notices the other horses getting closer and its like she says to herself, "No Dmn way they are going to pass me". Chispiski, is a local non graded stakes horse, but when I watch this girl run, I can only think of 1 other Filly who ran this way...Ruffian. Ruffian was the immortal undefeated filly who was never headed. She ran in the off going of a male/female match race at Belmont against Foolish Pleasure. She broke down during that race and was tragically lost. They buried her at Belmont Park in honor of her magnificent accomplishments. Chispiski has never raced and won against the level Ruffian raced with, but her style is remarkable and similar in that she does not let others pass her when she has a clear lead. Chispiski paid $6.40 as the 2nd choice in the race and exacta with favorite Vision in Flight paid $13.80. Best Regards to Chispiski's connections, and give her a shot against a Graded field of sprinters, she might surprise you with a big win !

7/30/03 *FREE SELECTIONS OPEN ALL MONTH TO EVERYONE* Dear Friends and Fans of The Stick, Our FREE Selections pages will be open for everyone to use for the month of August so everyone can have fun at Saratoga and Del Mar and Calder and Monmouth ! In Addition, our FREE selections pages will now be updated on Monday as well to match the racing action now offered on Monday's in August. We are happy to welcome all New and returning Fans, and lets WIN BIG ! Best MC

7/16/03 *SUMMIT OF SPEED BRINGS TOP SPRINTER TO S.FLA* Wow ! What a huge day Calder Race Course had this past Saturday. The finest Sprinters in the country squared off for some major Purses and bragging rights. Guess What ? The So.Florida jockey colony did themselves proud ! Special congratulations to Cornelio Velasquez and Gary Boulanger from MC -"The Stick" In the Rocket Man, a 2F dash for 2 yr olds, odds on favorite Baby Shark flew home to win. The Rocket Man was a $50K race. Winning rider Travis Dunkleberger impressed by closing in quarter horse time of :21 1/5 for the race. Love my Mountain and Cornelio Velasquez was 2nd. Carey's Gold and Roger Velez was third. Exacta $18.60 and Tri $63.60 *ROAMIN RACHEL 2YR FILLIES $50K 6 1/2 Furlongs* Outstanding Lady and Jorge Chavez closed powerfully to win at odds of 7-1. Mystical Delite and Cornelio Velasquez were 2nd at 6-1, and Usual Manner and Eibar Coa were 3rd. Ex. $93 and Tri $203.80, final time for race : 1:21 2/5 *CALDER TURF SPRINT 3YR+ $100K 5F TURF* Joe's son Joey was a powerful winner for JOE Bravo. Hitting the lead at the top of the stretch, Joe pulled away in solid fashion at 7-1. Major Longshot, Call the Sheriff and South Florida Lady rider Rosemary Homeister were 2nd at 22-1. Abderian and Ramon Dominguez were 3rd at 6-1. Ex. $377 (Wow !) Tri. $2,938(Very Nice !) final time for race :55 3/5 very impressive. *AZALEA B.CUP 3YR FILLIES $300K G3 6F TURF* Cornelio Velasquez really shined in this one ! 9-1 Longshot Ebony Breeze was well rated through the race and came on powerfully to catch 2-1 Storm Flag. Storm Flag had another South Florida mainstay jockey in Gary Boulanger. Hot young rider Manny Cruz brought in Crafty Brat for 3rd at 14-1. Ex. $93.40, Tri. $675.40, final time of race : 1:10 4/5 for the 6F. *SEE NEXT BRIEF FOR THE BIG THREE SUMMIT OF SPEED RACES*

7/16/03 *SUMMIT OF SPEED - FINAL 3 BIG RACES* *CARRY BACK 3YR OLDS $300K G3 6 FURLONGS* Joe Bravo did not take long to win again ! 8-1 Valid Video came flying home under the patented Joe Bravo stretch running close for a smashing victory. 26-1 Cajun Beat and Gary Boulanger was 2nd. Super Fuse and a frustrated Pat Valenzuela finished 3rd. P.Val had to be asking himself, who are these Florida and New Jersey jockey's ? They think they can beat me, and they are ! P.Val, one of our personal favorite jockey's, especially since his healthy return to racing. Ex. $303.60, Tri. $2,043.60, final time of race : 1:10 1/5. *PRINCESS ROONEY 3YR+ FILLIES AND MARES $500K G2 6 FURLONGS* Powerful favorite, Gold Mover came charging home for a hard fought nose victory over 64-1 Vision in Flight. Trained by Mark Hennig for Edward Evans, Gold Mover was a hard charging winner. Again, Kudos to Gary Boulanger who was all over the board in the Majority of these stakes races. Vision in Flight was 64-1 ! Harmony Lodge tired for 3rd under Eibar Coa, but looked good in defeat. Play this one back for a big win. Ex. $154.80 (Favorite on Top !) Tri. $623, final time of race : 1:11 2/5 *SMILE SPRINT HDCP 3YR+ $500K G3 6 FURLONGS* This was the BIG ONE ! The $500K Smile was the feature with a full field of 13 horses. Race favorite Shake you down and Mike Luzzi really impressed us. Talk about a Blowout race. When Mike dropped the hammer, Shake you down left the field in his wake. Final margin of victory was 8 1/4 lengths. While you might not find that margin too impressive in a distance race, or a race over a mile, this margin was earned in a 6F race ! Very impressive, and Mike Luzzi shows he can travel anywhere and win big ! Wave of The Stick to Mike for a job well done. Longshot Private Horde at 24-1 was sweeping on the far turn and got up for 2nd over a good field. Jason Lumpkins was up on the longshot. My cousin Matt, the 2nd choice, finished third at 3-1 under Ramon Dominguez. Ex. $117.80, Tri. $534.40, final time of race : 1:10 for the 6F. Congratulations to Calder for a great day of racing. Also, looking at the charts, and we see what we have always known....The Local So.Fla jockey colony can race against the best in the world and prove they deserve respect and applause. Awesome rides all day by Cornelio and the Baker, Boulanger. Rosie was all heart on Call the Sheriff. Nice job you guys(and gal) !

6/26/03 :
CALDER BLOWS RESULTS PAYOUT FROM LAST WEEK AND OUR OTB ACCOUNT GOES NEGATIVE !

In what can only be described as incredible, Calder Race course paid the wrong combination in a triple for a race last week. How do we know this you ask ? Well, for the first time in the 10 year history of our OTB Telephone account, we had a NEGATIVE BALANCE %%$%^^$# !!!!

Thats right, in an account where you can only wager the amount you have deposited in your account, we discovered to our amazement that we were MINUS $69. Even the amount blew our minds, 69 indeed. IT was like someone was playing a joke on us. Even the telephone operator's could not believe it. They all asked me, how did you get a negative balance ? I had no idea, until I called customer service. After I called to inquire about this mystery, we were told that Calder authorized the payout's for a race, which we will not specify out of respect for them, and gave us a winning payout for a wager that actually lost. Then, after realizing the mistake, Calder subtracted the balance back out. Of course, we had already played that amount, so when it lost, we were minus balance.

While we believe in fair play and doing whats right, it sure is interesting to NOTE, only people who played with their telephone accounts had the balance subtracted back. If you bought a ticket, and cashed it out, there was no way for anyone to know who cashed it and take it back.

For our part, we will continue to play Calder Race Course Bets. Oh, and we will run EVERY ticket we ever play through the machines to see if they cash out. If they do, we will be sure to mention it to the cashiers and return the money....NOT !

Calder Race Course is a World Class operation and we do enjoy the races and horses that run there. Thanks for the Negative $69 guys, we would not have played it back if we knew it was an error. When you log into your account it does not recap the bets, it just shows you your total amount available.

Best Regards to Calder, we are still big fans. A little lighter in the pocket, but big fans nonetheless.

6/12/03 :
No Updates from Calder this month. Check back for the next update in 1-2 weeks

5/02/03 :
*STICK $35 KY DERBY SPECIAL HAS WHOLE CARD AND NEWS*
SUPAH BLITZ AND SIR CHEROKEE REPRESENT SOUTHERN DERBY HOPES

Our Stick Kentucky Derby Special may be ordered from any of the Quick ORDER NOW Menu's, or from the Credit Card page.

The Derby Special will include the Derby at Expanded *GOLD RUSH* level with the Top 5 Horses showcased with Extensive Comments and detailed Wager Strategy. The Entire Churchill Downs Undercard will also be sent at Starter Level. Both sets of selections will be sent in Full Graphics mode in Email using our Victory Box(c) format.

An Additional last minute News page will be sent out with last minute updates and information we think you will need to Win !

Florida's hopes for the Kentucky Derby could be placed on Empire Maker considering he won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream this year, but what about the local interests ?

Rosy Homeister has the enjoyable task of breaking from the rail on 50-1 morning line, Supah Blitz for Manny Tortora. Think about the race and what it represents and Supah Blitz is more then welcome to make a try for the Roses. This is the Kentucky Derby, a race that dreams are made of, and fulfilled. When they come around that first turn and the filed expands and contracts, an the crowd screams and yells throughout the race, anything is possible ! While Supah Blitz does not look poised to make a run for the Triple Crown with his longshot attempt in the Derby, just remember nobody gave Charismatic a chance, oh except us, and we respect everyone's chance to win in this race.

Oaklawn's Arkansas Derby winner, Sir Cherokee, is another longshot who deserves our respect. He came from very far back to close on a front running day at Oaklawn, and posted a Huge Win in shocking fashion. While Cherokee has a Southern bias in his racing, Terry Thompson and Mike Tomlinson are looking to show the country that the Ark Derby was no fluke. Bring your best guys, it might be your day this Saturday.

*PLEASE NOTE - ALL NEWS IN OUR OPEN NEWS SECTION DOES NOT REPRESENT OUR SELECTIONS FOR THE KENTUCKY DERBY, AND IS JUST FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF OUR LARGE INTERNET FOLLOWING.

4/17/03 :
PEACE RULES BLOWS OUT BLUE GRASS
GULF MEET WINDS DOWN
KY DERBY FOCUS NEXT 2 WEEKS

Bobby Frankel must be all smiles as we approach the first Saturday in May. Peace Rules, the 3/5 favorite for the Blue Grass takes made it look easy as he turned the race into a runaway.

Peace Rules has now put the Louisiana Derby and Blue Grass Stakes combination together and if he can repeat those performances at Churchill, watch out !

Jockey Edgar Prado has accomplished many lofty success's for a jockey and now looks to add the Kentucky Derby victory to his list of honors. Do not think for a moment that Edgar is going to let Jerry Bailey blow out Peace Rules with Empire Maker. In fact we may see a spirited fight duel between these two, unless we find someone else to middle move both of them into defeat.

The Gulfstream meeting is winding down after a fantastic run. The highlight of the meeting had to be the $1,000,000 Florida Derby and Empire Maker's big late run. The Fountain of Youth was also an interesting race with Trust n' Luck's big front running score.

The Top Jockey's and Trainer's frmo around the country shipped in for different days and the level of racing was top quality. The meeting will end this month and we will see racing shift over to Calder Race Course.

All Fans and Horseman will be shifting their attention to the Kentucky Derby which will be run in 2 weeks at Churchill Downs. We at The Stick will have a Special Log In page with Additional News, and Selections for Derby, along with Selections for the Entire Day at Churchill Downs.

4/05/03 :
EMPIRE MAKER DESTROYED FIELD IN FLORIDA DERBY
KEENELAND OPENS FOR SHORT MEET
GULF 1 MONTH LEFT

Well, we told All the Fans who ordered Florida Derby Day to take a chance and bet the farm on Empire Maker. Thanks to the large number of people who emailed in thanking us.

We are told that Empire Maker will be kept under wraps and rest probably right up to the Kentucky Derby, May 3rd. Look for Empire Maker to give a strong showing in the Kentucky Derby, as he annihilated the Florida Derby field.

The Fair Grounds has completed its meeting and as they close, Keeneland Park has opened. Keeneland runs an abbreviated meeting of about 3 weeks, but the purses are HUGE ! Look for your favorite East and West and Midwestern jockey's coming in on selected days to ride for the big purses.

Due to the closing of Hialeah Park, Gulfstream and Calder now run longer dates then they did in years past. Gulfstream Park will be open for the next month, so go out an enjoy.

With the geographic switch of horses and jockey's, Gulf will now run a 5 day schedule and Eibar Coa, Cornelio Velasquez, and Rene Douglas look to dominate the rest of the meeting.

3/13/03 :
FLORIDA DERBY HIGHLIGHTS'S MEETING SATURDAY
JOCKEY AND TRAINER NOTEBOOK

The Rich $1 Million Florida Derby will be run this Saturday on a very Stakes ans Star spotlighted day of racing. Expect 12-13 races and a lot of undercard stakes along with the Big Race. In recent years the Florida Derby has become one of the premier Kentucky Derby Prep races. The distance will be 1 1/8 Mile, and lets hope they have a nice day of sunshine for the biggest racing day so far this year.

We are looking at 7 of the strongest hopefuls to assemble on Saturday. They include Trust n'Luck, whom we selected in the Fountain of Youth stakes for our many fans. Regular rider Cornelio Velasquez returns for the ride. Empire Maker will have Superstar Jerry Bailey up. We are told Empire Maker may be developing into a MONSTER ! He may be part Centaur, but we have to double check for you. Senor Swinger will have the Amazing(coined by The Stick) Edgar Prado. Indy Dancer will have John Velasquez. Supah Blitz gets Rosie Homeister. Midway Cat will have 'Chop Chop' Chavez and Formal Attire gets leading rider Eibar Coa.

We are already researching the history of the race and looking at weather patterns along with our many Gulfstream Notebooks, and we are looking forward to tackling the Florida Derby card. It should be another HUGE day for our Selections, and we will offer Starter and Expert Level *Instant Viewing* Selections for all our fans. We will also be accepting Email Delivery Orders for *GOLD RUSH* Level, and in fact have seen many orders for it already. If you want *GOLD RUSH* Email Delivery for Gulfstream on Saturday, please order early ! If your ordering *Instant View* you may order any time that racing day.

The Jockey colony turned out to line up just as we have been telling you since before they started the meeting. Eibar Coa, one of our favorite jockey's, is the KING ! With an incredible 64 wins from 364 starts, Eibar finally shined like the star we always knew he was. No suprise to us to see Cornelio Velasquez in 2nd place with 61 wins and John Velasquez in 3rd with 57 wins.

*Stick Horse Racing dot Com Notebook Tid-Bits about the jockey's*

Jose Santos having a dream meeting and winning or coming in 2nd on 97 of his 310 mounts ! Thats almost 1 in 3 rides 1st or 2nd ! Way to go Jose ! Be cautious of Jose on turf horses for Christophe Clement, and CLMG horses for Mark Shuman.

Edgar Prado ships out of town along with Jerry Bailey to nail down Big purses at other tracks. Santa Anita Derby for $1 Million ? Prado and Milwaukee Brew. Louisiana Derby for $750K ? Prado and Peace Rules. Prado is deadly on Bobby Frankel horses.

In the trainer standings, one has to take notice of Mark Shuman and his incredible run of winners ! From a massive number of Starters(216), Shuman has 59 winners for a 27 percent win clip. Very Impressive at this high level meeting. Way to go Mark Shuman ! Incredible.

NY Regular trainer, Todd Pletcher, is 2nd with 19 wins from 82 starters. NY Legend and one of our Favorite and most deserving trainers, Bill Mott, is in 3rd with 18 wins from 96 starers.

2/21/03 :
THE HUTCH AND FOUNTAIN AND WE NAIL BOTH IN ORDER FOR FANS WHO ORDER !
COA & CORNELIO TAKE IT TO THE BIG NAMES

Stick Fans who ordered on the weekend were pleasantly surprised at 5 Winners(ON TOP) and BOTH Stakes races given out in Order on Saturday-Fountain of Youth Day. Ponce de Leon could not have been happier !

In the Hutcheson Stakes, A Grade 2 for $150,000 at 7 Furlongs we heard a roar in the stretch as Lion Tamer went on to a big Victory ! Longshot Joe 2nd choice, Strength Within, with aged-to-perfection jockey Earlie Fires hammered home 2nd. Jose Santos guided Crafty Guy home 3rd for a 1-2-3 Sweep (In Order) for the race. The Exacta paid $36, The Tri $217.20, and for those who ordered the Expert Level Stick Sheets, the Superfecta with our 5th choice paid $303 for a $1 play. The final running time was 1:22 2/5, not bad !

The Big Race on Saturday's card was the $200,000 Grade 1 Fountain of youth Stakes at 1 1/16 Miles. This is the Gulf prep for the Florida Derby, also run at Gulf. We see some of the finest 3 yr olds in the country run in these races as they prepare fro the Kentucky Derby on the first saturday in may.

In the Fountain of Youth, we had highlighted as a Stick Best Bet, Trust and Luck with Cornelio Velasquez. Even the Blaze questioned us and affirmed her pick, Midway Cat, but we "STICKED" to our guns and affirmed Trust and Luck would win. WIN HE DID ! With a World Class performance, Trust and Luck went wire to wire baby ! Coming through the stretch, Cornelio Velasquez had plenty of horse and we were cheering him in down the stretch. The Blaze made note that our other horses were moving into position on the turn and at the finish, we had given out ANOTHER 1-2-3 MONSTER Payoff at Gulfstream. What a wonderful meeting for Stick Fans and customers, as we have been Red Hot !

Winner Trust and Luck paid $11.80 to win, the Exacta with 2nd place Longshot Supah Blitz and lady rider Rosemary Homeister paid $209.40. The Triple with Blaze's top pick and our 3rd ranked horse, Midway Cat returned $1,236.60. You would have had the Superfecta in Order also if you had the Expert Sheet, as Offlee Wild(Our longshot winner his last out) came in 4th for a $2,883 Superfecta.

Thank you again to the many people who emailed in that they won with those nice payoff's !

Have you noticed that Cornelio Velasquez and Eibar Coa are smoking at Gulfstream ? Both are just really great riders, who when they get the mounts Win, Win, Win. You can be sure that JD, Edgar, John and Chop Chop have opened their eyes when they see these guys coming. We have been touting Eibar to you for a long time Stick Fans, he is just so polished, and he has the heart of a lion when it comes to winning races. Also, when he rides in South Florida, the local trainers know him and use him. Cornelio had the same aura effect of being a local Florida jockey, but he has to work a lot harder then he did when they were at Calder. Cornelio getting the job done with some nice payoff's.

Don't forget the big guns at Gulfstream who are snow birding as they do every year. Jerry Bailey remains King of the Mountain and it is worthwhile for all racing fans who can get out to see him race in person to do so before he decides to retire. JD one the All time Greatest Riders. Chop Chop Chavez has been hot and hungry, but he must be saying where did all this competition come from ? Even Jose Santos has been hot this meeting ! John Velasquez, another heir-apparent rider to the NY colony, must also be scratching his head and saying, who are these guys ? The Amazing Edgar Prado continues to be a stalwart, tough as nails, take no prisoners jockey. His ride on Amherst Wildcat earlier this week was mindblowing ! A 4-1 shot, Amherst Wildcat sat behind horses with Prado's arms of iron, and when they hit the top of the stretch, he let her run and EXPLODED for a 10+ length win on an average record horse. Way to go !

2/07/03 :
GULFSTREAM, FAIR GROUNDS, OAKLAWN SMOKING FOR STICK PICKS !
STICK APPEARS ON 2 RADIO SHOWS DOWN SOUTH

We don't want to say anything to jinx our incredible roll at Gulfstream Park. The Multiple Win Days and Exotics Winners keeps going Strong and many people are emailing in that we have been defeating the Stock Market with our Gulf picks each day. Lets Keep the Train Rolling Guys ! WIN BIG ! -MC

We added Oaklawn and Fair Grounds to the *Stick(c) Instant View* pages and we have been doing very well for the Fans who have been ordering them. We have a long friendship with Oaklawn's announcer, Terry Wallace, and The Blaze(1 of our spot handicapper's) is from Louisiana, so we have ties to both states out of our home state of Florida.

Speaking of Fair Grounds and Oaklawn....for those of you who listen to WGSO's "Track Talk", and Oaklawn Park's "Handicapper's Hour", you did hear MC, The Stick, LIVE speaking to the Hosts, and chatting horses and jockey's. We have to say, the guys on WGSO were very friendly and outgoing and really appreciate their show, and will be happy to go on again.

We also appreciate Terry Wallace's Big Plug for the web site, Thanks Terry ! The Blaze and The Stick BIG Terry Wallace Fans ! TW one of those rare World Class announcer's in the same league with Tom Durkin and Trevor Denman. Plus, Terry's a great guy, and extremely knowable about Racing.

1/22/03 :
FANS WHO ORDER GULFSTREAM PARK WEEK OF 1/15-20 WIN BIG !
GULF OFFERED AT STARTER AND EXPERT *INSTANT VIEW*

What can we say Stick Fans, those of you who are regulars have been emailing us Every Day last week to tell us how happy you were with All our Winners and Exotics.

We had a 6 Win Day that we emailed everyone about and we followed that up with a Monster $4,000+ profit card for $2 betters !

Holy Bull Stakes Triple $2,800 and Exacta $480, and Winner $56 Offlee Wild was played by so many of you, I think we were the only ones cashing on that combination. My Best Regards and Greetings to the people who emailed me how happy they were with the card for Saturday 1/18. We really nailed that day down All Day Long !

WE remind our fans that while we strive to have Huge, Winning Days for Everyone, Every time they order, we cannot always guarantee for a Monster Day like Saturday's card was. Stick to you $2 wagers, and put some of that profit away for the Love of your Life or your kids, and some for you too. Buy something nice that you wanted to get, don't bet it all back.

Gulfstream Park is now being offered at Expert and Starter Level *Instant View*(c) Stick Selections Sheets. The Expert Level Sheets give you 5 Horses in Every Race and can be very useful for Superfecta players and for filling out scratches in races.

*WE LOVE GULFSTREAM PARK !!!!* WHAT A GREAT DAY ON SATURDAY 1/18. I WANT TO DO THAT EVERY TIME FOR THE FANS, YOU GUYS RULE !

12/24/02 :
CALDER AND GULFSTREAM TO BE OFFERED FOR $2.50 INSTANT VIEW
GULFSTREAM PARK OPENS JANUARY 3 !

We are in the process of experimenting with *INSTANT VIEWING* Stick Selections Sheets at Starter Level. The links to purchase them are located on the main entry page and the Free Selections page.

We plan to offer our most popular tracks from New York, Florida and Southern California permanently. The Instant View Pages are Victory Box(c) Starter Level pages with Every Race posted on the pages.

As soon as you pay with your credit card, the selections page will appear on the screen for the track you clicked on.

We may offer different tracks on days the main tracks are dark for *INSTANT VIEWING*.

*ALL RACING TRACKS ARE AVAILABLE EVERY DAY THEY RUN AS EMAIL DELIVERY*

*EMAIL DELIVERY MAY ALSO ORDER HIGHER LEVELS OF INFORMATION SUCH AS EXPERT OR GOLD RUSH(c) STICK SELECTIONS SHEETS.*

Everyone from the Northeast to the Midwest is preparing for Gulfstream Park to open on January 3. It is possible we will see EVERY Top Jockey in the country at the meet at one time or another. Mark Guidry and Jerry Bailey have already been spotted enjoying the Florida Sunshine. Expect Pat Day, and Shane Sellers to make appearances. Shane may make Fair Grounds his home track for the Winter, but expect him to ship in for Big Stakes days.

12/14/02 :
EIBAR AND RENE ARE BACCCCCCCKKKK !
GULFSTREAM TO OPEN WITHIN WEEKS
SOUTH FLORIDA SEASONAL SHIFT BRINGS RACINGS FINEST TO THE GREATER MIAMI/HALLANDALE AREA

Poor Cornelio Velasquez ! For the last 6 months, Eibar Coa was king of Monmouth and Meadowlands flat meetings, and Rene Douglas was king of Arlington Park. Cornelio had Calder's trainers and owners in a constant state of wanting his services, and he provided big profits ! Cornelio Velasquez dominated Calder through the Summer and Fall months.

Well, now Eibar Coa and Rene Douglas are back, and on their heels are the majority of NY's top riders also. Eibar a true journeyman rider with as much ability and talent as any of the top stars out there. Corenlio for that matter has the talent also. Rene Douglas out to prove himself and he took his tack to Arlington where he gave a clinic on how to WIN ! The fans in South Florida do not have to wait for the other east coast stars to arrive to enjoy great sport and competition. Look for Eibar, Rene, and Cornelio to really go after each other down the stretch, and put on a big show for the fans in every race they are in together.

Remember when racing was spread out all over the country with warmer temperatures and multiple tracks with top level racing ? Well, the purses stay the same at most tracks, but the weather has turned very cold with Winter now in full swing. Thus South Florida becomes the focus for most East Coast racing fans. Of Notable Exception, Fair Grounds and Oaklawn will be open and providing Top Level competition with their improved facilities and purses.

Calder is open now, but racing will shift to Gulfstream shortly, and expected in attendance are most of NY's finest outfits including Jerry Bailey, Edgar Prado, John Velasquez, Jorge Chavez, Jose Santos, et al. Also expected are Top Trainers such as Bill Mott, John Kimmel, D.Wayne(Emperor of racing to us). California outfits should be shipping in and out for top stakes days including Bobby Frankel and Bob Baffert.

11/01/02 :
SHANE SELLERS BACK IN ACTION IN KY
CHURCHILL OPEN FOR ANOTHER MONTH, MIGRATION OF SNOWBIRD EXPECTED
BIG WEEKEND OF STAKES AT CALDER COMING UP
THE STICK WILL BE WRITING FOR SOUTHERN GAMING DEST. MAGAZINE

Churchill Downs is open for another month Stick Fans, and guess who's back in the saddle ? One of the Greats, Shane Sellers. The soft spoken cajun is back and winning immediately. Be Very careful with Frank Brothers trained horses and Shane Sellers up, they ALL WIN ! Don't leave him out of your exotics. The other day at Churchill, we caught a $116 Exacta with Day and Sellers ! Thats like an automatic wager at Churchill. Shane a welcome face back into the jockey pool. We wish him the best and The Blaze has offered to make a real cajun meal for Shane and our staff if he emails in to us. Really ! Email us Shane, we will post anything you or any other jockey wants.

Look for top trainers and jockeys to be flodding into Churchill Downs and then into the South after the weather gets cooler in the North.

Calder with its new extended meeting will be featuring some big stakes weekends coming up Stick Fans. We will have more info for you as the big Saturday cards come up. We may even do a Special Log In Pay Page for it, stay posted.

Its a done deal Stick Fans, we will have a 2 page spread in the next issue of Southern Gaming Destinations Magazine. We encourage all our fans to check them out, they are based in Louisville, KY, and cover the Mid West and Southern regions of gaming in the US. We like them very much and hope you will all check them out when you have a chance.

10/23/02 :
ALL EYES ON BREEDERS CUP THIS SATURDAY 10/26
MANNY CRUZ MAKES RACE OF IT
SNOW BIRDS EXPECTED SOON

Well, Stick Fans, The Breeders Cup is this Saturday and we will have ALL The Winners and Exotics for you on our Special Log In Pay Pages for the Breeders Cup Special.

To Order, simply purchase on the Special Log In Page or Purchase from the Credit Card Payment Page. As soon as you complete your payment, a screen will appear with your Username and Password and a Link to Log-In Directly. *PLEASE WRITE DOWN YOUR USERNAME AND PASSWORD OR PRINT THE PAGE BEFORE LOG-IN* Thanks !
For Direct Access to our Breeders Cup Pay Pages, *PRESS HERE*

Jockey Manny Cruz did not notice or care that Cornelio Velasquez was 50 wins in front of him. Cruz riding a storm at Calder and cutting into Cornelio's lead substantially. While it looks like a longshot for Manny to catch Cornelio, Cruz is making a race of it. You can usually catch him at a nice price also. This kid can ride, watch out for him !

The North Eastern Snowbird is expected to make its annual migration south very shortly. As racing shifts to Winter up North, many of the Big name stars will be heading south to circuits like Calder, then Gulfstream, Fair Grounds, and Oaklawn Park. Expect to see big names from the sport at these venue's. The invasion should begin in full swing in the coming weeks.

10/08/02 :
KEENELAND OPENS WITH BIG STAKES AND FOCUS'S RACING ON IT
ALL LEADING RIDERS CONVERGE ON KEENELAND DIFFERENT DAYS-MEET TO WATCH

Keeneland has taken over the Stick Florida News and reports from Kentucky this weekend were impressive. All the Top Trainers and Riders are shipping in from both East and West Coast as well as from Florida.

Oh, by the way, the lowest purse on most days is $50,000 and that is usually for a MDN.SPCL !!! Wow ! No wonder Bailey, Prado, Chavez, Nakatani, Desormeaux, Day, Albarado, Douglas, and OTHERS ship in every other day to ride horses for their favorite trainers.

Filly Xtra Heat took that all important step closer to the Breeders Cup Sprint by nailing the Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland, a G3 for $250K. While Day Trader and Touch Tone are not the very best of the Sprinters assembling for the B.Cup, Xtra Heat ran right on top of and in front of fractions like :21 and :44 while pulling away from males to win by 3 at odds on of 70 cents to the dollar. She may be the next B.Cup Sprint Champ. Maybe.

The Lane's End Futurity a G2 for $400K for 2 yr olds was won by heavy favorite Sky Mesa at 30 cents on the dollar. Prado was on cruise control and won by 4. Lone Star Sky and Guidry was 2nd, and Baffert trainer Truckle Feature was 3rd with Albarado. This may be the key race, and Sky Mesa has now won at Belmont and Kenneland, and looks very strong for the Ox/Ward connection. Kind of like the Ox/Bridge connection in education.

On Saturday at Keeneland, the Sycamore Stakes went to impressive Rochester who has now put 2 stakes wins together in a row. Under Pat Day, a modest close brought him home 1 length in front at 5/2. Roxhino was 2nd as a longshot and Lord Flasheart was 3rd at 1.70-1 and Prado. Longshot from the Turf Classic, Kim Loves Bucky was sent off at 2-1 and again made a monster close right up to the lead only to tire badly and finish out of the money. Perhaps Kim Loves Bucky would be a very impressive winner at 1 1/8 Mile turf races instead of the marathon G1 races. I would rather have 1/2 a steak, then no steak.

The $600K Shadwell Turf Mile a G1 at Mile on the turf went to Landseer and Prado at 3-1. Nice nailing close on the wire. Cool ! Touch of the Blues under Kent Desormeaux was a strong 2nd, and Clear B.Cup Turf favorite Beat Hollow was 3rd under JD. The $600K must have encouraged Beat Hollow's connections to want to run him, but a Mile is certainly NOT his distance. At a 1 1/2 Mile Turf race Beat Hollow becomes immortal, but at a Mile, he becomes Cigar on the turf. Note, Balto Star ran a poor race to our dismay, he might need a rest.

The Spinster for $500K, another G1 at a 1 1/8 mile distance was won by KY Champ Take Charge Lady and Edgar Prado. You and Kent Desormeaix was 2nd and Printemps with Albarado was 3rd. Edgar is such a consumate rider, a fellow law school sufferer to The Stick, Edgar really rode a fantastic race. Take Charge Lady was getting caught on the front end at the finish, so Edgar rated her and flew home for a smashing win going away. Do that in the Breeders Cup and you are Home baby ! Go Edgar Go !

9/25/02 :
Cornelio 50 wins in front of Manny Cruz and a clear winner when meet eventually ends.
Will White equally as in front as his go to Jockey
Chipski the King of Calder horses !

Before we go into the jockey and trainer notebook, I had to point out the horse, Chipski to all our fans around the country. While running in mainly Opt.Clmg and Allw races, Chipski is a wonderful sprinter who is simply put on cruise control is sprint races. From 6 Starts at Calder this season, Chipski has won 5 and finished 2nd once. I watched him run in a sloppy allw race and it was pure beauty. While Chipski is not the B.Cup Sprint horse to watch, I am telling you to watch him, he is an incredible horse.

Cornelio is simply the Angel Cordero of Calder. With Eibar moved to NJ for the lions share of purses, and Rene Douglas an Arlington fixture, and even Javiar Castellano a NY rider now, Cornelio finds himself the stand out rider. We think very highly of the Calder jockey colony and their drive to win, but Cornelio is simply dominating right now. 147 wins from 590 starts puts him 50 wins in front of Manny Cruz(a up and comer for sure). Manny Aguilar and Rosemary Homeister(The nations leading female rider ?-probably). Of note, its good to see Ariel Smith back at Calder, The Stick appeared on a radio program with Ariel a while back and it was a lot of fun, he's a good guy.

Will White and all those Donald Dizney horses rock and roll home for Cornelio and have helped make this trainer a standout this season with 53 Big Wins. Next trainer is the very talented Manny Tortora, and Angel Salinas, Ed Pleasa, Ralph Ziadie(Sir Bear where are you ?), Fred Warren and female trainer Kathy O'Connell. If Will White was not here, we would possibly have a 8=9 way tie for 1st, instead of 2nd leading trainer. The Calder Trainers very competitive this year. Go baby Go !

8/23/02 :
WE'RE BACK
Cornelio is King !
CALDER HUGE FIELDS LOTS OF $$$

You know we're back, we have moved all our operations from NY and we are taking orders and sending out many Winners to our fans. Order today by making a payment on the Credit Card Pay Links page. *IGNORE THE REDIRECT WARNING, IT TAKES YOU TO THE RIGHT PLACE AND SAYS OUR NAME AND PAY PALS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE* Order Today for Special Incentives and FREEbies !

Cornelio is the King of Calder ! With many of the Florida circuit riders up at Monmouth(Eibar Coa, Jose Velez, Jose Ferrer) or Arlington(Rene Douglas), Cornelio Velasquez is getting the Lion's share of top mounts. He is making the most of them also with an impressive win clip and a patient riding style. You can bet Cornelio was happy to see Javiar Castellano go to NY.

Calder Race Course, once the 3rd rank track on the Ocean Coast has really grown by leaps and bounds thanks to the association of CDI. Calder fields are HUGE ! 10-12 horse often, although you may have days with 6-8 horse fields as well. Nice payoff's, great Jockey's and really the Monmouth Park of the Florida Summer Circuit. Gulfstream runs opposite, and Hialeah is closed. Tampa Bay runs in Winter, and Calder really fills a nice niche with top level Horses and Trainers.

3/27/02 :
*ALL WOZ.ORG FRIENDS ARE WELCOME AT THE STICK*
*JOHNNY V. RETURNS AND ABANDONS GULF TITLE RUN*
*PAN AMERICAN STKS GOES TO IRVING !*

Everyone reading this article that came to us from Woz.Org are Very Welcome at The Stick, and we are happy to open up your hearts and minds to the beautiful world of Horse Racing. Also, ALL Stick Fans are encouraged to visit Woz.Org to enlighten themselves about the Internet and the World of Steve Wozniack, the father of modern computers, and co-founder of Apple Computer.

Well, despite our pick of Johnny V. to win the Gulfstream title, it appears he has returned to the Big A for full time duty. Welcome back Johnny, and you gave it a good run. Edgar Prado now 10 Win+ in front, and looks to capture the Gulf meeting Jockey Title.

One of the Top Grass races run this year, the Pan American, lived up to its Grade 2 status. Ceetewayo and Honor Glide brought all their class, but in the end, Deelightful Irving was the Winner. You know, I watched Irving win his first grass start at Belmont the day before the Belmont Stakes last year. I thought he showed a lot of promise, but to say he would hand some of the Top Turf Horses a huge victory...wow !

At the start of the race, we had Back at it Again running off on a speed mission. After a 6 Furlong split time in 1:10 2/5, we knew it was all over for the front runner and those close to him. After all, this race was a 1 1/2 Mile race, or 12 Furlongs, and the front runner just laid down a sprinter level first 1/2. Longshot closer Mr.Livingston got trapped in a blind switch at the head of the stretch and still managed 3rd place. A clear run for Mr.Livingston next time and he is a big winner !

Honor Glide, a Graded stakes winner from last year, looked to need another race before he returns to form. Drama Critic never got into his stride, and Eltawassul tired badly after sitting behind the speed.

We have a lot of respect for the trainer of 2nd place finisher Ceetewayo. Mike Dickinson has magic in his bag of tricks. Apparently there are special uphill courses and special circuits for Dickinson to use to train his horses. Well, they work wonders when getting horses into shape. Ceetewayo had his running shoes on, and he came charging through on the rail to capture 2nd place.

Deelightful Irving paid $16 for a masterful win by a very talented and under-rated Chris DeCarlo. Chris a young talent ready to shine ! You read it here first. Deelightful Irving ran the 1 1/2 Miles on the Turf in a time of 2:24 1/5 for a 2 length win. The Winner is trained by Todd Pletcher, who had a very productive and successful weekend, capturing the stakes in NY and Florida on Saturday.

3/20/02 :
*FLORIDA DERBY FIRES BIG(HARLAN'S HOLIDAY)*
*JOHNNY AND EDGAR IN MAJOR WAR FOR COMMAND*
*TAMPA BAY BIG DAY SUNDAY*

Wow ! $1 Million on the line and big field on a top day of racing in South Florida. While this year's field presented a few question's about who was who, once the race was over, we had a clear cut star on our hands !

The Entry of Nokoma and Smooth Jazz presented an interesting proposition. Clearly Smooth Jazz was entered as the Rabbit for Nokoma. While $800K is an expensive Rabbit, Smooth Jazz clearly did his job on the front running Booklet. The first quarter told the tale. :22 2/5 is fast for a 6 Furlong race, and in a 1 1/8 mile race is a speed duel/speed mission that is doomed from the start. While Jazz's entry mate, Nokoma, did not appear to have his running shoes on, the race favorite, Harlan's Holiday, did have his running shoes on. Under Edgar Prado, who had a wonderful weekend of victories here and in NY, Harlan's Holiday rated nicely and made his move turning for home. Drawing off through the stretch, Harlan's Holiday firmly established himself as one of the horses to beat in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

Harlan's Holiday ran the 1 1/8 Mile in 1:48 4/5 and paid $5.40 to win. Blue Burner was 2nd for JD and Bill Mott, while 96-1 shot, Peekskill finished 3rd for red hot Jose Santos. It set up an impressive Triple return of $1,355, and an even More impressive Superfecta of $6,133 with 2nd choice Booklet finishing 4th.

The Top 2 Jockey's are locked in mortal combat for the title ! Edgar has a 1 win lead of 63 victories over Johnny V with 62. This race is going right down to the wire ladies and gentleman. We will 'Stick' with our Pick from the start of the season, Johnny V., but we have to tell you, Edgar Prado has put on some kind of a workout for any jockey to be proud of. Prado showing the World, that his many National Win titles at Pimlico and Laurel were previews of things to come. Whomever Wins the jockey title this year at Gulf will have earned it the "old fashioned way", they will have Earned It !

Tampa Bay Downs ran there BIG day of the meeting with the $150K G3 Florida Oaks and the G3 $200K Tampa Derby on Sunday.

The fans at Tampa were thrilled with the influx of Nationally famous Jockey's and Trainer's shipping in for the Big day, including, Pat Day, Jorge Chavez, Emile Ramsammy for the jockey's. Trainers Harvey Vannier, Manny Tortora, John Hennig and Nick Zito were happy to send their horses to the Tampa Oval.

Well, no one told Ramon Dominguez, that he was not as well known as Pat Day or Jorge Chavez, because Ramon was out for BEAR on Sunday !

Dominguez took home BOTH of the Grade 3 stakes on the Tampa Card. In the Florida Oaks, he guided French Satin to a tour de force front running victory in 1:45 2/5 for the 1 1/16 Mile race. French Satin returned $5.00 to Win.

In the Tampa Bay Derby, Dominguez rated Equality just off the lead and then hammered home for a huge score in 1:44 3/5 over Tales from the Crypt and Political Attack. Equality returned $10.20 to his many fans who played him to Win.

3/14/02 :
*REPENT YOU SINNER !*
*GO JOHNNY GO !*
*FLORIDA DERBY $1 MILLION*

In Louisiana, the $750K LA.Derby was contested in unusually cold and rainy weather for the Gulf Coast. The Greatest Jockey of all time to us, Jerry Bailey, had the call on Repent. We give solace to Tony D'Amico, and say that his time will come and he will be the main go to guy for Top trainers in the future.

JD let Repent rate and sit in behind horses early(Good Experience for the future KY.Derby crowding we always see). Repent was hammered down to odds of 2/5, which are very hard to profit from, UNLESS you read the FREE Selections Pages where we gave out the 2nd place longshot finisher and a decent Exacta price.

Repent was let loose by Jerry late in the stretch, and when the hammer fell, we saw a huge late bid for a smart, if not narrow victory. However, we always remind you that to be the Best on the First Saturday in May, you do NOT have to win your prep races by open length's. Better to save you energy and strength for the Classic's then expend them in the Prep's.

Johnny V within striking distance of his Gulfstream Title this year. We fully expect him to be victorious, and we support his run 100%. As you know from reading our earlier news, we have selected Johnny V as the Top Rider this Year, wherever he is riding. Johnny V has plenty of time to open up a lead on his fellow riders. The only one possible of an upset of him this year is Edgar Prado, and his lets ride EVERY race at the track persona. Edgar a Iron Man of Racing. It should make for a Fantastic Finish of the Gulfstream Meeting. GO JOHNNY GO !

The Big race at Gulf this year, as every year is the Florida Derby. Last year, we told you Monarchos Smashing Victory in it was KEY to his being able to win the KY.Derby, and we gave all of you who ordered our Derby Special last year(and the year before)a very nice payoff. We are 2 for 2 in picking the Derby Winner's.

The Florida Derby is a shorter race then the KY.Derby. In the FL.Derby they will run a 1/8 of a mile less, but the purse will be a very nice $1,000,000. Nothing wrong with that ! Expect a very large field again this year. This race contrasts very sharply with the $1 Mil Santa Anita Derby, as in past years the SA Derby usually draws a small field, while the FL.Derby draws 12+ entries. We will cover all the action for you and have FULL Card Selections on ALL The Big Race Days(On Every Race Day by the way !). Specials may be made for the Florida Derby Day and SA Derby Day cards. Our normal KY.Derby Special Log In Pages will appear about 1 1/2 weeks before the Derby with Special Daily News Updates and the Entire Derby Card prepared especially for you.

EMAIL US TO ORDER ANY RACING DAY FOR THE COMPLETE DAYS SELECTIONS AT YOUR FAVORITE TRACKS !

2/22/02 :
*JOHNNY V vs EDGAR FOR TITLE !*
*$352 to SHOW !!! RECORD !
BOOKLET ? YES !!!
*Stick Pique Polo's are here !*

Well, we told you Johnny V is the MAN ! We hate to play favorite's, but we really like John Velasquez, and he is our Top Pick since the start of the season(Read earlier news briefs) to Win the Jockey Title. No one, however, told Edgar Prado that he was supposed to finish behind Johhny V. Prado just keeps on rolling, and he is showing us that magic that made him the leading rider for Wins each year in the Nation. Prado getting it done with sheer numbers as well. John Velasquez will have to really ride his heart out to win the title, but The Stick thinks he can do it ! Go Johnny Go !

Did you catch the Show prices the other day at Gulf ? Well, we must have seen a record payoff for a Show price. According to our sources, someone made 2 identical $150,000 show wagers on an Eibar Coa favorite in a NW! ALLW !!!! We love Eibar, and he is a great rider, but NW1 ? While the horse in question(who we shall not name) was and is a promising talent, you never want a lightly raced horse who has not proven themselves. I mean, there was a G3 stake later on the card where you could have more seasoned talent. Anyway, The favorite ran his best, but came up very short at the head of the stretch and faded out of the money. This set up HUGE show prices. Forget the Winner and 3rd place horses who paid between $60-$86 to show. The real story was the 2nd place 50-1 shot. Imagine that if this 50-1 shot had won, he would have paid an impressive $102+. If you were smart enough to play him across the board, you were rewarded with a monster $352 for a $2 show play ! WOW ! That has to be a record payoff. Congratulations to those who had it !

Tony D'Amico and Booklet got the ball rolling on the Derby Futures in the Foutain of Youth. A nice middle move close s always a pleasing thing to watch as we come closer to the 1st Saturday in May. Too hard to tell yet if this is the Derby favorite, but we sure liked his Win !

The Stick Pique Polo shirts are being delivered Monday, and will be for Sale for $35. Email us for Details or to order one for yourself.

2/07/02 :
*DISCOVERY AND AMERICAN EXPRESS NOW BEING ACCEPTED*
STICK PICKS HUGE $89 WINNER ON TOP
BAILEY, THE KING
FLORIDA LOCAL JOCKEYS HUNGRY
TURF RACING !

We now accept Visa, Mastercard, DISCOVER(*NEW*), and AMERICAN EXPRESS(*NEW*) through our Credit Card payment Links. We are offering Special Deals(2 For 1 Ordering-Email us for details) on our well regarded Stick Selections Sheets to all Credit Card customers. *PRESS HERE FOR CREDIT CARD PAYMENT*

Well, to start off the Florida news of the week, we have to tell you about Sunday's nice $89 Winner we picked on Top. Quick Moment in a 5 1/2 Furlongs race sounded right to us ! Eibar Coa was the jockey and Terri Pompay the trainer. 40-1 odds ! To say we were pumped would be an understatement. Quick Moment, flew out of the gate into contention on the outside, stalked the leaders and came flying home for a HUGE Victory by open lengths. Thank You Eibar, Thank You Terri Pompay.

In case your new to racing and to our sTyle of reporting on it, Jerry Bailey is The King ! We have told our regular fans often that Jerry is One of the 5-7 Best Jockey's of ALL Time. Others being Angel Cordero, Jr., Bill Shoemaker, Eddie Arcaro, and probably Laffit Pincay or Gary Stevens or Chris McCarron.

JD's Style is that of a well educated rider who knows the field and his horses inside out. Bailey almost never on the front end, unless his mount is a front runner. Combined with Trainer Bill Mott, they are an almost invincible team. JD continues to ride with strength and authority, and he may upset our Top Pick to Win the Jockey Title, John Velasquez.

Speaking of Johnny V., he is riding his heart out and getting average horses to run very well for him. We fear the depth of the Florida colony may be taking away "easy" mounts that Johnny would be winning with. We are "Stick-ing" with our Top Pick for the Jockey title, though. Look for Johnny V to be riding tall in the coming weeks at Gulfstream. Go Johnny Go !

The local colony has really blown wide open with strong riders. Former Local's, Eibar Coa, and Rene Douglas have come home to find that Cornelio Velasquez has matured into a very Top Level rider. Also, don't forget regulars like Jose Ferrer, and Abed Castellano, and Rosemary Homeister, Jr. A very deep talent pool for trainers to select riders from in South Florida.

Yes, they have the fabled down hill turf course at Santa Anita, and yes $10K CLMG are running at Turf Paradise's new Turf surface, but we still have to like Gulf's turf course. The surface seems to play to strong late movers. If you can close with authority and be in position going into the clubhouse turn, you have a good chance of getting up. However, if you rally from dead last and don't start moving until the head of the stretch, you will never get up. Front runners can steal at on Gulf Turf, and we have seen regular slow fractions of :25 and :50 going into 1:16 for 6F. It all depends on the level of the field. If it is low to mid level CLMG, then expect the speed to back up. However if it is a Black Type ALLW, and a graded stakes horse gets 1:16+ for 6F, expect him to go all the way. With that said, watch out for Santos/Clement horses, as they come flying home very strong and always are closers. Jose a Top Rider, and a gentleman when we met him back in Yankee Affair's days. Once Jose has an opening he will be charging home hard, and more often then not, he will win. Carefully consider PACE angles, as we do in our figures, for all Gulf Turf races.

1/23/02 :
FAIR GROUNDS FIELDS RIVAL GULF
JOCKEY/TRAINER STATS REVIEW

The Fair Grounds is putting on some show this year, and they are making Gulfstream work to keep those big fields. Gulf still has the big Graded stakes cards to unleash on the Winter Racing world, but with Oaklawn opening in a week, it puts the South Florida track on its toes.

The biggest news has to be the Top 3 Jockey's.

In the JOCKEY's race, Pat Day, Jerry Bailey and Eibar Coa all have 17 Wins each. Johnny V., our pick to win the Title this year is in 4th place with 16 Wins.

Pat Day surprising all of us with his fast start and multiple win days. Pat Day one of the All time great's who is trying to take his King of Churchill Title and transform it here in Florida.

Jerry Bailey, the All time Legend to us, showing Laffit Pincay is not the only one who can Win Big and Often beyond the "Traditional Age Prime". We encourage fans to go out and watch Jerry ride, you can tell your grandkids about him in the future.

Eibar, GO EIBAR GO ! Coa, we told you we told you we told you. Eibar has always been a Florida regular, but he has tried to invade NY and NJ in past years for Summer Racing. Well, Eibar nailed the Monmouth Title when Jersey Joe Bravo had to recover from an injury early on. However, Eibar wants to show all of us it was no fluke, and that he can ride with the best, because he IS one of the Best ! Eibar looking for the title also in a very tight jockey's race this year at Gulfstream.

Johnny V., has had a slower then expected start for us, as we expected him to catapault to the Top right away, but his 16 wins put him right there in the mix. Johhny V., pound for pound, our Top Pick as one of the Greatest professional athlete's in ANY Sport. Johhny V. will bring home the Jockey Title this year, you read it here on Jan.24th !

Rounding out the Top 10 in order, Rene Douglas(King of Arlington) has 14 Wins, Cornelio Velasquez(no relation to Johhny V.) with 12 Wins(AND 23 2nds !!!). Tied with Cornelio are Mark Guidry(The all Time Chicagoland King), and The Amazing Edgar(Prado). We are surprised Prado is not higher up on the list, as he is hungry like the wolf.

Chop Chop(Jorge Chavez) is next with 11 Wins, and you had better watch out for Jorge. When Chop Chop gets Hot, everyone else is in his wake.

In the TRAINER's race, Bill Mott has the clear lead with 10 Wins. Mott still the King, and he does not need a Cigar to be on top. Mark Hennig( A D.Wayne Lukas disciple) is next with 7 Wins. John Kimmel(In top 10 at Gulf and Aqu) has 6 Wins.

The next 5 Trainers are rounded out with a Tie for 4 Winners each. Nick Zito, Elliot Walden, Barbara Pirie, Frank Alexander and Mid-Western Anthony Reinstadtler. Wow, what a strong group of trainers to compete with for everyone else.

"The Giant Killer", Allen Jerkens, and "Shug" McGaughey are in a large tie for 3 Wins each.

The Trainer title is way up in the air right now, but expect Bill Mott to roll down the road with Jerry Bailey. The others are all in a mix. Local and invading trainers all seasoned horsemen, and should be respected.

Gulfstream also playing to form, however, if you can open a clear lead into the top of the stretch, your home free. Sloppy track favoring middle movers. Turf is all about closers.

12/30/01 :
Johnny V makes his South Florida run with a warm up at Calder.
Jose Santos is here, and riding every Clement horse.
Everyone anticipating Gulf opening soon.
TAMPA BAY OPEN ALREADY AND PUTTING ON QUALITY SHOW

Like a Champion Prize Fighter entering the Ring, one can only say this looks like Johnny's year. This writer has never seen so much drive, intensity, spirit, and overall ability then in John Velasquez.

Johhny V obviously cannot wait to get his hands on the riding title at Gulfstream Park. The Stick tells all of you now before they open, to take notice of Horse Racing's next Superstar at his coronation moment, the Gulfstream Winter Meet.

JD, Chop Chop, Jose Santos, and all the South Florida talent should be at their best, because the last time John Velasquez was this solid and ready for action, he won the Saratoga Title over Angel Cordero, Jr.

Local Talent is so deep in South Florida, we always point this out to the fans. Rosemary jr. , Cornelio(the other Velasquez), Manny Aguilar, Beasley, Nunez, Ferrer, each a rare talent in riding, will make it tough for the veterans. We see Mark Guidry(Chicago's Superstar), Eibar Coa, Rene Douglas, along with Jorge Chavez and Jose Santos are all riding at Calder now.

Expect to see Pat Day and possibly Robbie Albarado come in with Jerry Bailey when Gulf opens. We do not know who will go to Fair Grounds and Oaklawn(but they will be the smart ones !), but we will update as time goes on.

Jose Santos looks to have the pipeline of Euro Turf runners with Top Trainer Christophe Clement. Thses two know how to win on Turf and deserve attention.

Everyone is anticipating Gulfstream opening up, and it will be a spectacle for the fans.

Well, for those of you on the West Coast of Florida, you do not have to wait for nice racing. Tampa Bay Downs in open, and they are really doing their best, and it shows. It shows in Quality improvements to the already quaint and historic oval with its unique "White Sand" color and quality. In addition, simulcasting is full card and across the country. Purses are are at all time highs. Finally, TBD can now boast 2, Thats TWO Grade 3 races. The Florida Oaks, and the Tampa Bay Derby were granted G3 status ! Well Done TBD, keep it up, the show is just starting at the Downs Oval.

12/03/01 :
Prepare thyself for the NY Invasion !
Cornelio proves that John is not the only Velasquez with winning ways !
Rosemary the next Julie Krone ?

Well as we enter a changing of the seasons into Winter, watch as the large majority of imports into South Florida are from NY ! We will also see mid western outfits coming in, but many of them will stop over at Fair Grounds or Oaklawn.

Here's how we see the invasion line up coming for the jockey's. Pat Day, Robbie Albarado, and Mark Guidry will all ship in from the Mid West circuit. Rene Douglas and Eibar Coa are already here, and despite their massive dominance in Arlington and New Jersey, will still be trying to drum up as much business as possible from the locals prior to invasion at Gulfstream. The Entire NY Circuit with some rare exceptions will be coming South for Gulfstream. Jerry Bailey, John Velasquez, Robbie Davis, Jose Santos, Richard Migliore, etc. Expect to see Joe Orseno and D.Wayne Lukas have multiple stables in South Florida and elsewhere. Bill Mott, Dale Romans and others will show up, while also maintaining a presence at Fair Grounds, and possible Oaklawn. Frank Passero, Jr, and other Florida Locals like Ralph Ziadie, Will White, Luke Poulous and others will be primed and ready.

In Winter, the focus of East Coast racing is at Gulfstream. In recent years Fair Grounds and Oaklawn have made leaps and bounds, and on given stakes days expect to find all the "BIG" names over at one of those 2 tracks.

We have been telling you about John Velasquez in the NY news, well as many South Florida racing fans know they have a superstar whose last name is also Velasquez ! We are of course refering to Cornelio Velasquez. Cornelio right at the top of the standings, and taking full advantage of those 10-12 race card days at Calder to maximize his winning ways.

Cornelio Velasquez is not a new comer, but he has developed over time from relative unknown status to Local Star status in South Florida. We remember seeing Cornelio at Aqueduct one year and were impressed with his perseverence in riding out his mounts. We guess it is just that magic combination of finding the best agent for the jockey, and finding a circuit where one can come into his/her own that has brought out the championship quality we are seeing in Cornelio. This man is a stayer, and we like his chances of proving himself against the top jocks around. Watch out for Cornelio Velasquez, he may give a lot of the "Name" jockeys a run for their money in the coming months.

Have you been checking out the stats on Rosemary Homeister, Jr. ? This lady can ride ! When we look at Rosemary today, we see Julie Krone at Monmouth in years past. She's calm, cool, collected, and she can rate her horses !!! So often you see front running styles as dominant among many jockey colonies, and Calder is no exception. However, with Rosemary, we see a patient rider looking for the proper moment to make her move and go for the wire. We may be seeing the next Top Lady jockey in the country in Rosemary Homeister, Jr. Oh, and for the fans who have been emailing us, YES there is a Rosemary Homeister, Sr. who is a top lady trainer at Calder.

We always write about the strong and deep talent pool in South Florida, and continue to support the efforts of the hard working people on the Calder/Gulfstream circuit. While we will see a large influx of National faces, don't sell the locals out, they are just as hungry and on any given mount can bring home a nice winner at a big price. In addition, with the very best to ride against, many of the locals can and often do make BIG time names for themselves. Such was the case for celebs, Eibar Coa, Rene Douglas, Shaun Bridgmohan, and Javiar Castellano. Go South Florida Racing !

11/01/01 :
Florida horses not at top in cold B.Cup
Winter racing shifts stars to South Florida

Bet on Sunshine was next to last and never revved up to many people's surprise, but not ours. The poor 9 yr old guy must have thought he was sent to Siberia for the day. It was a cold one Florida racing fans, and we really froze. Hot Chocolate and Coffee were sold out at the stands, and 3 layers of clothing still had our legs shaking in the windy open stands of the 3rd floor. IT was a great view, and we loved the races, but the Weather did not stay warm, certainly not like it was for that beautiful Belmont Stakes Day in June.

Expect the many East Coast and Mid West stars to start migrating South as the weather gets even colder and we move into the winter months. East Coast racing will shift to Gulfstream in January with all the NY stars down there. However, former Calder regular's like Javiar Castellano, Rene Douglas, and Eibar Coa(Leading rider at Monmouth this Summer) have shown that South Florida talent runs deep and can compete anywhere. When you look at the Calder Colony, all you can say is that future stars reside there. Best Regards to South Florida, we can't wait for the next B.Cup down there !

10/18/01 :
BREEDERS CUP 8 DAYS AWAY GET ALL THE ATTENTION RIGHT NOW

Well, The Breeders Cup will be a week from Saturday, and the day should prove to be a great day of racing. We have been working very hard and getting all our information for the BC Races. We have also been calling on our past experiences at Belmont in the BC, and have been looking at all the Euro horses shipping in for the races. We expect a Solid, Gold Rush Day of BC Races, and you know us during those Big Days, we almost always come out way ahead !

To Order our Stick Breeders Cup Special, simply click on the many links in the web site, and go to the Special Events Page.

Click Here on Underlined for Stick Breeders Cup Special :> *PRESS HERE FOR BC SPECIAL*

10/02/01 :
Calder Meeting a staple of Florida Racing
Eibar Coa found a home, in NJ. Rene Douglas in Chicago.

Day in, Day out, Calder Race Course is a staple of consistant, daily, racing. You can say Manuel Aguilar is Hot, but then all of a sudden Rosemary Homeister brings home 2 or 3 in a row. You can point out Cornelio Velasquez, but then you have to watch out for Eduardo Nunez. Charlene Hunt, Joeslyn Gomez, Willie Martinez, Omar Camejo, the jockey talent here goes on and on. If your looking for the stars of tommorrow, just watch the days races at Calder. We always stress, Calder one of the most competitive colonies around.

While the Racing world shifts it attention to NY, and California for the Summer/Fall Meetings, don't forget about CRC. You can catch a good price, and they have huge fields in most races to give you maximum value on your plays.

What happened to 3 of the Biggest name Jockey's in Florida ? Javiar Castellano, Eibar Coa, and Rene Douglas ?

Javiar has found a home in NY racing circles, and is riding at Belmont after a successful start at Aqueduct and Saratoga.

Eibar Coa has found a home in New Jersey. Eibar was #1 at Monmouth this Summer(Jersey Joe Bravo did get injured 1/2 way through the meet), and is Top 5 at The Meadolwands. Way to go Eibar !

Rene Douglas is the King of Arlington. After a fantastic Summer meeting, Rene has decided to stay at Arlington. We will see if he leaves when Arlington shift to dark for the Winter.

7/24/01 :
Calder Meeting simply awesome

The only thing we can say about Calder today is...Awesome ! CD Inc. really spruced up the show over at Calder, and the quality of racing has improved. There are still the lower purse levels associated with Florida racing, as it vs. the major circuits in So.Cal, and NY, but the depth of talent has not been injured.

It should be interesting to see how the Gulfstream/Calder tracks divide up the year. Also, how come there is no Harness Action except in Pompano Beach ? For such a large state, the # of tracks is surprisingly small among Thoroughbreds and Harness action. Jai Lai is fun, and so is Greyhounds, but give us more thoroughbreds !

7/14/01 :
Calder Summit of Speed dominates South Florida Racing.

Jorge Chavez and Pat Day, and Aaron Gryder are coming in for the Annual Summit of Speed ! This yearly event at Calder features multiple stakes races all run at Sprint distances. The day is highlighted by the $50K Rocket Man at 2F, The $100K 5 F Turf Calder Turf Sprint (w/Texas Glitter and Morluc), The $250K Azalea G3 at 6F (w/Spanish Glitter and unreal speed horses), The $250K Carry Back at 6f(w/City Zip and No.Ca Speedball, Beyond Brilliant). The Day is finally capped off by the impressive $400K G3 Princess Rooney at 6F. Expected for the race is the Best Filly sprinter in the Country, Dream Supreme with Pat Day.

We have been debating a Special Event Page, but rest assured we will be offering Starter Level, Expert Level, and *GOLD RUSH* Level for the day at Calder. Order it now and send us an email, so we can be sure to send you All the Winners Early Saturday AM. Calder looks to have an Awesome Day on Saturday ! Best Regards-MC !

7/02/01 :
Rene ROCKING at Arlington Park
Eibar double duty at Monmouth and Calder !
Javiar made a home in NY

Well, in case you are wondering where the best and brightest stars from South Florida racing in the past have disappeared to, we can tell you !

Rene Douglas has been simply awesome at Arlington Park in Chicago. He nailed down the Stars and Stripes Handicap, and has had multiple win days over the past week. Don't expect Rene to be moving away permanently, he is just enjoying the Arlington meeting, and will return to South Florida when that meeting is over. Lets hope we see him at Saratoga, Rene is HOT right now.

Eibar Coa, our other World Class South Florida jockey is actually pulling a double duty ! Eibar is riding at Monmouth Park in New Jersey during their race week, and then flying down for the off days at Calder. Wow ! Eibar really pushing himself, and we salute his effort. You can be certain that Eibar is a threat in any race he rides for a Big Win !

Javiar Castellano, the apparent heir to the throne in South Florida riding when Rene Douglas left for California 2 years ago, has found a comfortable home riding in NY. Javiar did alright for himself at Aqueduct, and can be seen riding daily at Belmont for the likes of Bill Mott, and other top trainers.

Also, Calder jockey colony continues to be a very strong and tough group of riders. We cannot say enough about them, but look at the results each day and every race you see someone different winning, thats a competitive group of guys and girls !

6/22/01 :
Calder looking good baby !
TBD a nice simulcast also in Tampa

Well, I remember when Calder was like the Aqueduct of South Florida racing in the 1980's, but it looks a lot nicer now !

Churchill Downs has made a lot of visual and racing improvements at Calder, and from what we can see on the simulcast...wow !

There are many sculptured gardens and walking areas that have that nice belgium tile inlaid into the ground..much like the Belmont improvement of the apron.

Racing is also very exciting with many competitive races. We have seen a noticable speed bias on the main track, but this is to be expected in a high heat climate. What happens is the moisture of the surface dries out faster then it can be watered with the trucks, and it produces a hard surface that favors and encourages speed. It is not anyone's fault for this, and they would have to run the trucks 3 times a race to keep the track wet in 90+ weather with humidity in the Summer.

If you are in South Florida and have the chance, check out Calder Race Course.

If you happen to be on the West Coast, check out Tampa Bay Downs for some great simulcasting and nice people. Long called the Santa Anita of the South, TBD makes up for smaller purses and a short season with wonderful people and a beautiful climate and location. They offer year round simulcasting for people living on the West Coast of Florida in the Tampa area.

6/15/01 :
Calder Racing is full of excitement and many nice payoff races.

You all know that Summer racing in Florida is not the prime of their season, right ? Well, after watching the races and seeing the talent...I guess the racing world forgot to tell South Florida racing that they are out of season right now.

I have never seen such a hungry, determined, talented group of riders compete at any meeting ! First off, Rosemary Homeister is a woman on FIRE ! When she gets the mounts she Wins, Wins, Wins !

Rene Douglas has stayed at Calder, and you have to use Rene on all exotics !

There is the veteran Abdel Toribio, and then there is the new comer Abdel Toribio, jr. Well, we are guessing this is father and son, and you know daddy taught his son well when you see jr. ride !

Eibar Coa loves South Florida so much, that when Monmouth Park is dark on Monday and Tuesday, he flies down to ride at Calder. Eibar must be racing up those frequent flyer miles !

We are big fans of Eibar Coa, and Rene Douglas, but we are fast becoming fans of this large and talented group of riders at Calder.

Horatio Karamanos, and Jocelyn Gomez deserve special mention, and who can ever watch Calder racing and not see Eduardo Nunez or Jose Rivera the 3rd not making big runs for the wire.

If we have not included ALL the names of the Calder jockey colony, it is not because we think they are less talented, it is because we would have to mention all of them. If you looking for value and prices at your simulcast, check out Calder now.

6/08/01 :
ALL NEWS FOCUSED ON THE BELMONT STAKES THIS WEEKEND

We have the Belmont Stakes Special($30 Total Price) ALL This Week for Log In Viewing, and we are Live at the Track EVERY DAY this week to keep you up to date on developments and changes in the bias and who's hot and ready !

The Belmont Stakes Special has 3 pages of information,
Page 1 has The Special Daily News Updates,
Page 2 has FULL EXTENSIVE COMMENTS ON THE ENTIRE BELMONT FIELD with Detailed comments on the Top 4 and Full Comments on the rest of the field. Stick Figure and Variant on ALL Horses, Stick SVI on ALL Horses.
Page 3 has the complete Undercard for Belmont Park with Every Race @ Starter Level posted in graphic presentation identical to the Free Pages.

Click Underlined for Belmont Stakes Special:> http://www.TheStickHorseRacing.Com/spec-event-log-in.html

6/01/01 :
Monmouth Park now open, many Florida faces.
Calder is also open, 10 race cards often.

With Monmouth Park open, and the warmer weather, many of the faces we saw visiting in Florida are here. Trainer Brian Brennan, a Top trainer, is here. We already told you about Eibar Coa. Well do you remember Jose Ferrer ? He loves to ride in South Florida, but he is a Jersey guy at heart. Ferrer a live jockey to play in exotics especially at big prices !

Calder Race Course is open for what should prove to be the first of their 1/2 year meeting over the coming years. We have seen very competitive 10 race cards, and what we can only describe as the Churchill Downs of the South atmosphere due to the parent company. With identical simulcast graphics, slightly different colors, you have to keep reminding yourself which track is Churchill and which is Calder when you play at the simulcast. Take note, simulcast players !

5/22/01 :
Eibar to ride at Monmouth
The End of Hialeah, for better or worse ?

We salute Eibar for taking the plunge, and making a smart career decision. Eibar Coa has announced that he will be riding at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, NJ this Summer. Go Eibar Go ! The 4 place jockey at the Gulfstream meeting against the best colony on the East Coast, will find some tough customers in the local NJ colony, but should do very well for himself. Joe Bravo, a Jersey legend and regular, must be thrilled(for the fans) to see Eibar coming to town. Expect these two to put on a show for top jockey....that is, unless the NJ Stars feel they have something to prove too. Some great talent in NJ racing, we don't get to see them as often as those jockey's that follow the East Coast circuit, or the West Coast region, as they have year round racing. NJ really only has a short 3 month meet at the Meadowlands(Which is truly the home of the World's greatest HARNESS Action, and not thoroughbred), and this serious meeting at Monmouth Park, which can be favorably compared to Fair Grounds or Oaklawn for popularity and coverage.

Racing will shift to Calder in Florida next week, and we will look forward to it. Calder always puts on a good show, and even though racing is really centered on the northeast and southwest coast's for G1 racing, we will still have competitive fields and turf racing galore.

In what has to be a very sad chapter in Horse Racing's history, it is very clear and apparent that Hialeah Park will close after racing on Tuesday 5/23/01 and never open again. While many writers have pointed to the reasons for this, and to the plus/minus of racing viability in general we say its time to take notice.

Hialeah was once the dominant track in Florida, and was a source of the Country's focus on Horse Racing in the Winter Months.

Citation's statue sits near the walking ring, and the Flamingo's Park on the infield is protected by the Audebon Society as a preserve for nature.

Is this a good thing for racing or a bad thing ?

We leave that question to be answered by you, the racing fans. After all, without you, the sport could not exist.

In case you do not know what happened, we will recount it for you.

The law in Florida that regulated racing dates among Calder/Hialeah/Gulfstream expires shortly. Without it, the tracks are all free to run any and everyday they want to run.

Calder(Churchill Downs Incorporated) and Gulfstream(The Magna Corporation) have both selected EVERY Day, except 1 day next year to race. Calder and Gulfstream will race at different times during the year. Hialeah, if it should choose to run, would have to run against one of the other tracks head to head in the same market.

While there may be last minute legal attempts, and there could be a reprive, it does not seem likely. Stranger things have happened, and anything could happen, but it looks as though everything will remain unchanged.

There is a great many personal disputes, and concerns between the 3 tracks, but it is clear that Calder and Gulfstream feel confident that if they run against Hialeah, they will be successful. The Reverse is also clear, Hialeah feels it will not be successful running head to head against the other tracks.

Whats your opinion ? Email us, and we will post it in next week's news upate.

Is this fair ? Should survival of the track be based on survival of the fit-est ? Should the state force racing dates upon the different tracks in that region or in any other state ?

Whats your opinion ? Let us know....we will share it with our readers right here next week.

5/16/01 :
PIMLICO'S PREAKNESS THIS SATURDAY

Our BIG NEWS is the Preakness this Saturday 5/19 at Pimlico Racetrack. Will Monarchos capture the Second Jewel in Horse Racing's Triple Crown ? Will we pick him on Top ? Those are very interesting questions. We might surprise you with our Top 4 Picks, the only way to find out is to Order the Preakness Special.

You can pay by Credit Card, or Express us payment to our PO Box for $30. The Credit Card pay link is on the Special Event Entry Page,

Our Special has 3 Pages within the Protected Log-In Pages. You must purchase a Username and Password to gain entry into our Handicapping World, which by the way picked Monarchos on Top for $23 Win, and had Invisible Ink($48 place) and Conagree($12,000+ Triple), and Point Given($62,000+ Superfecta) in our top 6 horses. Remember, a 6 Horse Triple Box for $1 costs $120, and it returned $7,000+ ! The Superfecta Box for 6 horses for $1 costs $360 for a return of over $30,000+ ! May we do that every time for you Stick Fans, WE ONLY WIN WHEN YOU WIN !
Click Underlined for Stick Preakness Special :> *PRESS HERE FOR STICK PREAKNESS SPECIAL 2001*

5/08/01 :
Is Hialeah Dead ? What is the future of Florida Horse Racing ?
Florida breeding need to look at Tampa Bay Downs and seek to pump that track up to a World Class facility to fill the void on the West Coast.

Well, everyone in the racing media is talking about the funeral for Hialeah when it closes its doors after this meeting. The Florida state legislature has not yet extended or considered extending the regulated racing dates that have controlled who raced when in the past.

Only time will tell, but it looks like Hialeah will have to either run head to head against Calder or Gulfstream, which is not an enviable task, or simply not run a meeting. It will take some kind of miracle to help save Hialeah, and for our 2 cents, we hope they find a way out of this mess. This is very counter to the strong feelings out there, but we have always favored an underdog, and in this situation, Hialeah is a HUGE underdog. Time will tell.

It looks like Florida will have Gulfstream Park as the premiere track, with a showcase meeting in the Winter months, and another lesser meeting for Breeders Cup or other racing dates. Calder Race Course will be the bread and butter track for Florida racing with an long meeting. To those of you who know Calder, Aqueduct can be equally compared. Racing will continue, it is just a question as to who will be running it.

5/01/01 :
KENTUCKY DERBY IS THIS SATURDAY !!!
Eibar and Rene comfortable and staying in So.Flordia.

The STICK KENTUCKY DERBY SPECIAL ($30 total for the entire Day) will be at *GOLD RUSH PLUS* Level, and the entire Churchill Downs Undercard for Saturday will be at Starter Level. ALL RACES INCLUDED IN THE SPECIAL LOG-IN PAGES. The PAGES are Password Protected. We Encourage you to Order Early to avoid any last minute delays in getting your Username and Password.

PRESS HERE TO VIEW THE KENTUCKY DERBY 2001 SPECIAL ENTRY PAGE

Our Two Favorite South Florida jockey's, Eibar Coa and Rene Douglas, are staying in Florida. They are comfortable and riding well, and they deserve the respect they have on their local circuit. With all the "Big Boys" gone after Gulfstream, you would think it is an easy ride for the BIG Two..right ? WRONG !

Now, Eibar and Rene have the Talent and are World Class jockey's. They will probably be 1-2 in the standings at Hialeah and Calder...However, the other locals are hungy and they wiull not make it easy. Have you noticed that Rosemary Homeister suddenly got hot at Hialeah ? What about Cornelio Velasquez ? He has been a rocket the last few weeks. Veteran Jose Ferrer will stay until Monmouth Park opens up in another week. Plus, there are a lot of new faces and fresh talent looking to climb the mountain of respect. As of now, all eyes have to focus on the Eibar/Rene connection. Leave these guys out of your plays, and you might as well throw away your tickets.

4/25/01 :
KY.DERBY IN 11 Days !
MORE NEWS TO BE PLACED HERE SHORTLY

Our Kentucky Derby Special is being prepared, and can be viewed under Construction conditions until it officially opens on Sunday 4/29.

You may purchase your Username and Password for the Kentucky Derby Special starting today, but the protected pages will be viewed under construction conditions until Sunday 4/29, when the pages will be complete and given Daily News Updates, FULL Stick Figures and Variants and SVI and *EXTENSIVE, DETAILED COMMENTS* on the Top 4, and *FULL COMMENTS* ON ALL HORSES.*PLUS* The Entire Churchill Downs Undercard Will Be Included FOR FREE on Those Protected Pages @ Normal Starter Level.

The KY.DERBY will be at *GOLD RUSH PLUS* Level, and the Churchill Undercard will be at Starter Level.

PRESS HERE TO VIEW THE KENTUCKY DERBY 2001 SPECIAL ENTRY PAGE

4/16/01 :
Black Helen to Perfect Sting and Eibar
Blue Grass was all Millenium Wind
Arky Derby to Balto Star in slop

They still had one BIG Stake left to run at Hialeah this Saturday. It was the $200K Black Helen, a fixture for Fillies and Mares on the Turf.

Eibar Coa, as always, the master of riding in South Florida. Sitting pretty around the far turn, Eibar let his stablemate, Cherry Flambe, and longshot Dinner Partner slug it out. As they came through the stretch, it was all Frank Stronach's #1 Turf Mare, Perfect Sting flying home for a Wonderful Victory before the Hialeah crowd.

Rosemary Homeister, totally rejuvinated at Hialeah or Calder, found 2nd place with 11-1 shot Clearly a Queen. Mike Smith had to settle for 3rd aboard very quircky Spook Express. The Spook only runs when she wants to run and has been uneven in her past starts this year.

The Blue Grass was a Laffit Pincay tour de Force aboard Millenium Wind. After disappointing some, Millenium Wind rebounded to a Monster front running win in the Blue Grass stakes at Keeneland Saturday. With names like AP Valentine and Dollar Bill in the race, not to mention Hero's Tribute, Millenium Wind was not taken very seriously for the win, except by this Handicapper, who gave him out as a Stick Best Bet for the Day. Wire to wire and yes, we told you so !

It was a surprise to see Dollar Bill and AP Valentine sitting so far back in the race, the only possible guess is that they thought the speed would come back to them, well it did not. Can Millenium Wind be the next front runner to win a Kentucky Derby ? He sure looked good Saturday.

Song and a Prayer and Edgar Prado held 2nd all the way around the track, so it might have been a major speed bias going on(Yes, it was !). Dollar Bill came from out the clouds for 3rd, but he never threatened the win. This one may not be the Derby hope that everyone is making him out to be, a horse is an animal not a machine ! Leave the poor guy alone ! Maybe this one would be better aimed for a rest and then the Preakness.

His name is Balto Star, and yes, the Louisiana Derby winner added the Arkansas Derby to his growing list of impressive victories. We were very impressed by the speed and stamina this one showed in the slop at Oaklawn. Jamaican Rum ran at the "Star", but he rebuffed the late challenge and went on to a smashing victory. Balto Star has to be respected for the run for the roses in 3 weeks, but we have to ask how much did this effort take out of him ? This was a very hard and gritty effort from Balto Star, and he might bounce if he gave his all on Saturday. Only time will tell, lets see how he progresses for his trainer. Do we have the next Haskell winner here ?

California invader Jamaican Rum came from way way back, just as he did in the Santa Anita Derby, for a strong 2nd place finish in Arkansas. Considering that Eddie Delahoussaye was bounced around like a pinball on the far turn, his second place finish is much bigger then it looked. Jamaican Rum may well be a Belmont Stakes threat down the road. Certainly, he is the "Woodchopper" of his generation. Look for this one to be hammering home wherever he is running.

4/11/01 :
MORE FRAUD ALERT-BOOTLEG SALES OF OUR SHEETS
The Flamingo was a respectable prep again for the Derby
We lost Out of the Box and Proud Man for KY.
Blue Grass is this Saturday at Keeneland
Racing Festival of the South coming to Oaklawn

WE RECEIVED ANOTHER EMAIL INFORMING US ABOUT STICK SELECTIONS SHEETS BEING SOLD AT SANTA ANITA BY SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE GATES OR NEAR THE ENTRY. THEY ARE NOT FROM US AND WE DO NOT ENDORSE OR SUPPORT THEM.

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With many years of being THE Kentucky Derby prep race, this years renewal of the Flamingo was a smashing affair. Longshot Thunder Blitz came from out of the clouds for a monster win, and he will go to Kentucky. Florida will be well represented by Monarchos(Florida Derby) and Thunder Blitz. IS this Florida's year for a Derby winner ? Well, in Monarchos's case, NY will want to claim him as their own if he wins the Wood Memorial en route to a Derby win.

Out of the Box was injured during the running of the race according to the DRF. He apparently tore the right front wall of his foot...OUCH ! Proud Man is being aimed for turf racing in his future.

The Toyota Blue Grass is this Saturday at Keeneland, and we will have ALL the racing action for our Handicapping fans through our Stick Selections Sheets. Feel free to order early and pay by credit card for early morning delivery waiting for you when you wake up ! PRESS HERE TO ORDER !

There is going to be a runover field for this G1 Event. Expected to run(according to DRF) are favorites, Dollar Bill, A P Valentine, Millennium Wind, and Hero's Tribute. Longshot hopeful's include Songandaprayer, Invisible Ink, and Bonnie Scot.

Both the Wood and The Blue Grass are really Classic's in their own right with G1 status and $750K purses. Both races are to be run at 1 1/8 Mile.

We are going to ask our good friend, Terry Wallace to give us a word about the Racing Festival of the South, which should be a Top Racing Week of the very finest Horses and Jockey's/Trainer's running to Oaklawn for the Purses and the fame ! Oaklawn's big week coming up.

3/30/01 :
Hialeah's Big Day dark in many places
AP Valentine & Albert the Great set track records for Nick Zito
Captain Steve wins BIG in Dubai World Cup
Jose Santos stays with Rene and Eibar for now
Hallowed Dreams to run at Oaklawn

Now, when I started getting all the email from our regular fans and subscribers that they could NOT play Hialeah last Saturday 3/24, I thought it was just a local thing. The next thing I find out is that the large OTB systems in multiple locations, including NY, California, and other areas, including many On Line wagering services did NOT carry the Hialeah signal on what had to be considered their Biggest Day. We have no idea what the cause of this was, and if we can find out what happened, we will write about it. What is certain is that large numbers of fans were unable to see or wager on AP Valentine and Albert the Great.

Nick Zito had to be all smiles as both of his Superstars set track records, and won for fun in high purse races. AP Valentine is the 3 yr old that is no doubt headed for Kentucky the 1st Saturday in May. Albert the Great is a 4yr old, who ran head to head with Red Bullet and Fusaichi Pegasus last year. Albert won the Widener HDCP which carried a $200,000 purse.

Well, one of Albert biggest rivals, Captain Steve was big winner out in Dubai for Trainer Bob Baffert and Jerry Bailey. The $6,000,000 World Cup was a very nice field of stars from around the World, and Yutaka Take thought he could win, but in the end proved no match for the Captain. A wonderful score for Jerry and Baff, not to mention that $3.2 Mil winners share !

Jose Santos is NOT MIA, he decided to stay in South Florida, probably until Keeneland opens, and ride head to head against Rene Douglas and Eibar Coa. Jose, is perhaps one of the most under-rated stars in racing today. Jose is one of the very best, and it is very obvious he lost some business when Flint Schulhofer started using Edgar Prado. Jose can win and win BIG when he has a strong mount. The Clement/Santos Turf Express is always one to look for. Eibar and Rene are both Big ??? as to where they will be in the coming months. We hope they BOTH springboard off their superior Gulfstream meets and go after the Keeneland or Belmont meetings. However, if your happy where you are, and you are doing well, why rock the apple cart ?

Hallowed Dreams is will race at Oaklawn soon. The Louisiana Super Filly to try for her first win outside of Louisiana after going an incredible 20 wins for 21 starts. If this miss can keep her streak alive, she will be the next Superstar of racing, everyone is waiting to see her show her stuff against increasing levels of competition. Go Hallowed Dreams GO !

3/15/01 :
Chop Chop=Win Win !
Bill Mott rocks the beach
Final week at Gulfstream
Louisiana Derby goes to Stick Best Bet Fifty Stars($40) !
Florida Derby the Big Prep before Kentucky.

Well, its easy to lose sight of the leader in such a Star Colony of Jockey's, but Jorge Chavez deserves his due. "Chop Chop", as he is affectionately known, has been hard at work during the Gulfstream Winter meeting. Chavez is 27 Wins in front 2nd place jockey John Velasquez. What can we say, except..."wow". The title Iron Man would also be appropriate for Jorge Chavez for his 365 Mount total is only surpassed by 1 other jockey on the grounds(Edgar Prado). You can say what you want about Chop Chop, but he most certainly has "Ehh-ren-ed it". The translations is he EARNED IT, and you can say that again. Chavez so far in front, he is assured of the jockey title, even with 3 days of racing left to go. Kudos to Johnny V., and our favorite jockey, JD. The Stick Exceptional Achievement Awards go to Eibar Coa, and Rene Douglas, the local Florida Jocks showed conclusively they can ride with the very best, way to go !

What can you say about Bill Mott ? He is a great trainer ? Well, he is ! He is able to prepare any level horse to compete and does exceptionally well with ALLW level dirt and turf horses ? Well, he does ! That maybe Bill Mott is the Best trainer on the grounds at Gulfstream ? Well, the other trainers might wan to debate that, but one thing they cannot dispute is that Bill Mott is the Leading trainer at Gulfstream. With only 3 days to go, it is virtually impossible to catch him. Mott has 7 wins over new face Allen Iwiniski, who also deserves a Stick Achievement Award. Expect to see a pumped up Billy Mott at Belmont this Spring with a nice sized stable of Winners !

We have to make note of some nice showings by the other trainers in the top 5 of the standings. New Comer Allen Iwniski has impressed everyone with a very strong showing in NY and here in Florida. His 2nd place finish is a warning shot across the bow that he has arrived and will make his presence felt at ANY track he has horses racing. Mark Hennig, the one time assistant to D.Wayne Lukas, had a very nice showing at Gulfstream with 14 winners so far and a respectable .17 win clip. John Kimmel deserves special mention. Not only did Kimmel have 14 wins and a .24 Win clip, but John Kimmel was ALSO in the top 5 trainers of the Aqueduct standings. Very nice, and we extend a Big Wave of The Stick to Mr.Kimmel for his accomplishments. If "The Mig"(Richard Migliore) is on board, and Kimmel is the trainer, you know they will be coming down the road shortly.

We also have to let you know that this is the last week of the Gulfstream Park Winter meeting, and that racing will resume at Hialeah on Saturday 3/17. Goodbye for this year Gulfstream, thanks for the memories !

The Florida Derby and Louisiana Derby's were held this past weekend. We had given out Fifty Stars as a Stick Best Bet to our Subscribers on Sunday in the Louisiana Derby, and they were rewarded with a nice $40 Win price. We even gave out the Exacta with Millenium Wind for 2nd. We would have had the Triple if Dollar Bill, and Pat Day, had not clipped heels coming through the stretch. Pat Day deserves credit for hanging on and trying to make up the gap in the final 1/16, only to come in 4th by measured inches.

The Florida Derby was ALL Monarchos. We really like ALL the John Oxley/John Ward horses in the Derby this year. It seems like Mr.Oxley REALLY wants a Kentucky Derby winner this year. With 5 different horses that ALL have a chance, he may just get his wish. Monarchos made a powerful close, and this lightly raced son of Maria's Mon, may prove to be the middle mover with all the power to claim the roses at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Out of the Box was a nice 2nd place with a well timed, but outkicked move through the stretch. The other Oxley horse in the race, Invisible Ink, who was coming in off a 3 race ALLW streak, made an impressive showing for 3rd under a strong ride by NY regular, Johnny V.(John Velasquez). The Big race fulfilled it billing with a very large, full field of 13, and a very dramatic and exciting finish. Will this race have been the determining factor in the Kentucky Derby finish ? We shall see.

2/04/01 :
Donn Handicap to Captain Steve
Bailey/Mott still a potent combination JD at .26 !
JD the Babe Ruth of Racing
Chavez is the Leader
Eibar wants revenge !
Guidry and Court try the Best and show their stuff
*NEW* STICK SVI VALUE INDEX

The $500,000 Donn Handicap sets the Older Handicap Horses in the East on the road to the Breeders Cup this past Saturday. Jerry Bailey simply awesome on a rate job of Captain Steve that should be in a Text book for all future jockey's as THE definitive way to rate a horse. Bob Baffert caps off an incredible $$$ Day with a vicotry here in Florida in the Donn(Where Baff was !), and in California for Wooden Phone in the Strub. Second choice, Albert the Great made an impressive run at Captain Steve, but JD was just waiting for him, and when asked...Captain Steve took off and won for fun. It should be interesting to see where he starts next.

We told you about Chavez/Tortora as being a Hot Jockey/Trainer combination...well don't forget about Jerry Bailey and Bill Mott ! These two WIN races outside of Belmont Park too, and they are heating up the Gulfstream oval right now.

Jockey Jerry Bailey is perhaps one of the greatest jockey's of All Time. His rise to fame aboard countless Champions, and his multiple Racing Titles are etched in the Halls of Racing immortality. We have been saying you should go watch Jerry Bailey ride and take pictures, and bring your children to see him ride. There will never be another Jerry Bailey for the people of this Lifetime.

With all that said about JD, he is still a "Current" Rider. You can play him and win with him. In fact, his win clip is a remarkable .26, which is more then 1 win per 4 starts for JD ridden horses. This is among the highest in the Country for any jockey. PLAY BAILEY ! ENJOY, REMEMBER...this is like watching Babe Ruth play baseball, it is history in the making. Enjoy it. "So says The Stick !"

Jorge Chavez is taking NO hostages ! Forget the fact that JD is riding in his Prime at the same track....forget that the Amazing Edgar(Prado) is in South Florida off the heels of an incredible Belmont Title....Forget that Gulfstream Park has attracted the stars of the East and Midwest jockeys...Just Forget it ! Jorge Chavez is the leading rider at Gulfstream. In fact he has a comfortable lead over Edgar, EIBAR(The great Coa), and JD. The next Laffit Pincay in the making...if Jorge Chavez rides long enough, he WILL be the All Time Race Wins leader. "So says the Stick !"

Eibar Coa has always had the talent and desire to Win races. Well, when he went to NY a few seasons back, he was not given enough mounts to adequately compete against the stellar NY Jockey colony. Plain and simple, we always give it to you straight ! Eibar can be the leading rider at ANY track if he gets the # of quality mounts the other stars get. Third in the standings with a win clip of .18 and equal to Chavez, Eibar stands to avenge himself in Southern Florida for the stunted showing in NY a few Seasons ago. IF you leave Eibar out of your Exotics, you will be throwing away a lot of tickets. Expect Eibar to finish in the Top 5 Jockeys at Gulfstream.

What about New Faces ? You mean like Chicago's Superstar...Mark Guidry ? What about Kentucky's Jon Court ?

Mark Guidry dominantes the Chicago racing scene, and it is only fitting for him to take a crack at the best jockeys in the World(and outside of Southern California).

Jon Court is a new face, and he has raced in Kentucky against some of the best with Pat Day and Shane Sellers. However, given the opportunity to shine at Fair Grounds or Oaklawn, we Salute Jon Court's competitive drive and look forward to seeing him in the winners circle soon.

*NEW* Stick SVI Index, our Figures Improved and the SVI have proved to be a powerful Handicapping Weapon, as our regular customers are discovering. See our Stick Figures Explained Page for more details.

1/24/01 :
John Velasquez wrentches ankle in gate on fractious horse
Tortora/Chavez, the next Mott/Bailey combination ?
Longshot's reign supreme at Gulfstream

IF you were watching closely on the simulcast, you noticed a long delay at the post after the #1 horse in the 6th race threw favorite jockey John Velasquez to the ground. All the jockeys gathered around him as Johnny V. was literally sitting on the dirt. We have long been fans of Johhny V., especially after cheering with his family/friends in the Belmont Garden Terrace 2nd floor restaurant for him to win on a longshot during the NY Showcase day. Everyone at The Stick hopes Johnny V. is alright and will return to the races soon.

Remember how at Belmont and all through Gulfstream last year we were telling you about the Jerry Bailey/Bill Mott combination as being very hot and one to always watch out for ? Well, this year we seem to have a new combination developing in Florida. Jockey Jorge Chavez and Trainer Manny Tortora have been incredible over the last 3 weeks. I have to double check the exact percentage figs on them, but it is well over 25% win clip with the two of them together. Leaving this combination out of your Exotics could prove very costly. We will keep an eye out for other such combinations for you in the future.

Longshots have been winning at a very above average clip at the Gulfstream meeting. Expect a correction in the stats, and look for an overload of favorites to bounce back the percentage. It seems like every 8-1 to 15-1 shot is winning or running on all cylinders over the last 3 weeks. This can be due to many factors, but probably class, and invasion into South Florida racing by new outfits has everyone a little static at the start of the meeting. The fans are starting to catch on and we fully expect those juicy longshot winners to be at more reasonable value's over the coming month.

1/12/01 :
GULF LIKE BEING AT BELMONT !
TAMPA BAY HORSEMEN ACCEPT OFFER (YES!)
Jai Lai anyone ?

Well, the longshots have been overwhelming at Gulfstream ! The past few days have seen numerous $75-$122 horses(numerous being more then 3). The fields are wonderfully large, the TURF course looks awesome, and all of our Favorite East Coast Jockeys and Trainers are here !

Jerry Bailey is off to a good start, but not like he was last year. Edgar Prado just loving to pounce off the middle move with 5-1 shots. GO EDGAR ! Robbie Davis with 3 in a row the other day at Gulf. Robbie Davis always a threat on a live horse, but Robbie will never be accused of being a front running "speed jockey". Pat Day with his usual methodical move and that slow close that manages to win a huge number of races. Pat loves to rate !

Eibar Coa and Rene Douglas have not forgotten all these veterans, but they will NEVER be chased out of South Florida. Especially with all those juicy mounts and purses. ALL FANS ! Watch out for Eibar and Rene, they have the same ability and talent of the Very Best jockeys in the country, but they prefer to stay local to South Florida, so we do not see them as much nationwide. Eibar at 8-1, always a spot play ! Rene at 6-1 or less dangerous.

Well, the Tampa horsemen in an overwheling vote agreed to the latest proposal by management. We salute their vote, as it was probably the only way they were going to see those purses restored to normal levels. If you ever have the problem again guys, go to binding arbitration(A law term for those of us who wasted time and money in law school). If your in the Tampa area, you owe it to yourself to see what many baseball writers called, the "Santa Anita of the south". Best Luck and Regards to good people over at TBD.

If you should find yourself snow-birding in South Florida, and you want to do something intersting at night, we have some recommendations for those who enjoy wagering.

First off, there is Harness Racing action at Pompano Park..for all you Roosevelt Raceway fans, you will feel right at home ! How we miss RR ! But as the people who tore it down said, there really are not enough shopping malls on Long Island...yeah right !

What about something new and different ? How about Jai-Lai ? Called the fastest sport in the world, Jai-Lai gives you the ability to bet on actual people playing a unique game with wooden catchers baskets and a hard rubber ball flying along at high speed. Hard to gauge, but very exciting and fun, check out some Jai-Lai at Dania in Miami, or Orlando Jai-Lai in the Tampa/Orlando area.

Now, you have heard about going to the dogs ? Well, Florida is FULL of Dog Tracks with full card simulcasting ! If you have not seen them run, you should go at least once. A motorized bone or bunny rabbit flies around the inside rail and the greyhounds all chase after it until they hit the finish line. Heaven help the bunny if they catch it ! One of our Hot Links guys is a dog track handicapper.