Thursday, November 29, 2007

Can I play the horses over the internet?

I was asked the other day "is it possible to play the horses over the internet?" I'm a senior citizen approaching 70 and I have a lot of friends who have played the horses over the years at their local race track. Many of them are now familar with simulcasting at the local track but don't realize that it is now possible to bet on the horses from the comfort of your home over the internet. I's true. You can.

I spent most of my career working with computers since the mid-1950's. The capabilities today over the internet are so awesome and the technology changes so fast that vast numbers of people don't realize where we are today. For just a sampling of what's available let me start with cable and satellite television. There are two horse racing channels that together cover most of the tracks in the US and around the world. One is TVG Interactive Horse Racing (offered on Direct TV and Dish Satellite Network and Cox Cable). You can find it on the internet at TVG.com. The other is HRTV (Horse Racing Television). It is located at HRTV.com on the internet. TVG offers betting in several ways. If your lucky enough to be located in a state where TVG can operate you can bet from TVG's web site or directly from your TV. You can bet on HRTV tracks over XpressBet.com if again you are in a state where XpressBet can operate. Check HRTV.com and TVG.com to find out if you are in a state where betting is permitted.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Focus on top trainers: Todd Pletcher

I have watched the amazing career of Todd Pletcher over the last 5 years. A former assistant trainer for D. Wayne Lukas, Todd has built a huge stable of his own of top flight horses and has won the 'Eclipse Award as Champion Trainer' for the last three years. He was also the leading trainer at Saratoga from 2002 to 2006. At only 40 years old Todd already has built a stellar career for himself.

Todd has a wonderful web site that I visit often. It is located at http://toddpletcherracing.com/. Here you can learn more about Todd Pletcher and learn about the horses he is training. As of today (November 23, 2007) his statistics for this year are stounding.

STARTS: 1140

WINS: 260

SECONDS:172

THIRDS: 169

$$ EARNED: $26,722.621

WIN %: 22.8%

IN THE MONEY %: 52.7%

Todd uses some of the best jockeys in the country to ride his horses: John Velazquez, Garrett Gomez, Edgar Prado, Mike Smith, Rene Douglas, Ramon Dominguez and Chris DeCarlo.


At his web site you can see each day the horses he is sending out at each of the tracks around the country. Particularly interesting about his site is the Entries/Results Summary, Workouts and Entries/Results w/Ultimate PP's. There is a lot of handicapping information here especially in the Ultimate PP's. I am sure you will enjoy Todd's web site as much as I have.