Best Places to Bet on Summertime Racing
by Patricia Woo | Jun 14 2010
As the summer heats up, so does the excitement of
betting on horse races.
Hollywood Park,
Saratoga and
Del Mar are gearing up to deliver a summer of horse racing you won't want to miss.
Hollywood Park Horse Racing Odds
Able to lure the likes of Eclipse Award-winning Zenyatta, Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., boasts star power on its synthetic Cushion Track surface. On June 13, Zenyatta raced against Zardana – who defeated Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra in March in the New Orleans Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds – in the $250,000 Gr. 1 Vanity Handicap for fillies and mares 3 years old and up. On July 10, Rail Trip is expected to defend his title in the $500,000 Gr. 1 Hollywood Gold Cup. And 3-year-olds willing to race 1 1/8 miles will get a chance at the $200,000 purse of the Gr. 2 Swaps Stakes on July 17, a race that 2010 Santa Anita Handicap hero Misremembered won last year.
Saratoga Race Course Odds
Summer racing at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY., really kicks off with the $750,000 Gr. 1 Whitney Handicap, a 1 1/8 mile test for 3-year-olds and up taking place this year on August 7; last year, Bullsbay earned a trip to the 2009 Breeders' Cup with a victory in this race. The “Spa” is also the site of the $500,000 Gr. 1 Alabama Stakes, happening on August 21, featuring 3-year-olds racing 1 ¼ miles. The summer meet will culminate this year on August 28 with the running of the oldest major Thoroughbred horse race in the US – the lucrative $1M Gr. 1 Travers Stakes. With the retirement of last year's winner, Summer Bird, a new champion will arise to take the 2010 title.
Del Mar Racetrack Odds
Saratoga's west-coast companion in superb summer horse racing is Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, Calif. Held on Del Mar's synthetic Polytrack surface, the first graded stakes race of the season is on July 24 and is the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes, a Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds and up. Zenyatta has run in the past two editions of the $250,000 Gr. 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes; this year's race will take place on August 7. And the highlight of the summer meet at Del Mar will take place on August 28 – the $1M Gr. 1 Pacific Classic. Richard's Kid upset both Einstein and Rail Trip in the 2009 race and he just may be on hand to defend his title in 2010.
Summer horse racing is just getting underway! Don't miss out -
bet on horse racing at the Bodog Racebook!
