Six gambling tools for beginners
- Start simple with a simple guide to horse racing betting.
- Not sure what that word means? Horse racing terminology is a language in itself. Let us translate for you
- What the heck is a speed rating? This beginner’s guide to speed figures has everything you need to know.
- Betting on horse racing can be intimidating. Team ABR has put together a number of Do’s and Don’ts for the new fan who is starting to bet on racing.
- We all make mistakes when it comes to horse racing betting, here are eight lessons learned from experience.
- Find out in advance how much each bet will cost with our betting calculator, presented by NYRA Bets.
We’ve reached the last weekend of 2025 and hopefully you had a great year. We still have one last Saturday of racing and betting left, so let’s make some more money and go out with a bang. This column had success at Fair Grounds last week, so let’s head back to the Big Easy one more time for this weekend’s winners. Fair Grounds will be hosting a few turf stakes races on Saturday’s card, so we’ll focus our attention on that. Good luck this Saturday and all the best for 2026!
Saturday December 27
Fair Grounds, Race 5, $100,000 Woodchopper Stakes, post time 3:45 PM ET
The Woodchopper is a $100,000 stakes race for 3-year-olds where a field of seven players is assembled to race 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Based on very good morning line odds of 8-1, I’m willing to give it one last shot #5 Flying Mohawk in this reasonable position, despite his flop last time out in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs. Maybe he needed that race, which was his first outing after a six-month layoff since he was last seen in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. The fact is that Flying Mohawk showed plenty of skill in other races earlier this year, including a second in the Grade 2 Jeff Ruby Steaks, and a victory on artificial turf on this course and at distance in an expensive fee, optional claims race in January gives him hope of a positive turnaround. On paper this race has a serious lack of pace and that offers tactical opportunities in the race for trainer Michael Stidham who has entered two horses, #3 Juris doctor And #6 Mechanic. While neither of these horses are true frontrunners, both may have enough tactical speed to be asked to cut away at fractions in this race if necessary, with the other comfortably trailing behind. It should be noted that Montador won with that type of travel two races ago in a Churchill Downs benefit race, and Juris Doctor won his first race two races ago in a paceless grass event at Laurel Park.
The play: Bet #5 Flying Mohawk (8-1) to win and play him in exacta and trifecta boxes #3 Legal Doctor (3-1) And #6 Mechanic (2-1).
Fair Grounds, Race 9, $100,000 Pago Hop Stakes, post time 5:45 PM ET
A solid field of nine 3-year-old fillies has been assembled for the $100,000 Pago Hop Stakes, covering 1 1/16 miles on the grass as Saturday’s race at Fair Grounds. The horse in the race with the most advantage is #9 Bracelet trained by Brad Cox, who has run well in both recent races since switching to grass. Bracelet won her grass debut at this distance at Keeneland after a seven-month layoff two races ago and then Cox tried her hand last time out in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs, when she was unashamed, finishing fourth with a margin of just 1 ¼ lengths behind that of, say, one of the best 3-year-old fillies in the division, Lush Lips. She comes into this race with good form, strong speed figures and a nifty close-range running style. She will be very difficult to beat. Unlike the Woodchopper Stakes earlier on the card, there appears to be an abundance of pace in this race. That should provide an opportunity for a longshot closer like #3 Cheetah lady to make a dent and stand up for a spot in the money at a price. There are a number of things to like about Cheetah Lady in this race anyway. She won an allowance race at Kentucky Downs this summer and she is coming off a solid win on this course and distance in her final race. Finally, don’t overlook it #6 Undeserved favor in this race with Jose Ortiz on board. She finished fifth in an exceptionally tough spot last time out against Fionn and Laurelin in Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks, but had previously won two turf races from the pace at Kentucky Downs and Keeneland.
The play: Bet #9 Bracelet (3-1) to win and play her in exacta and trifecta boxes #3 Cheetah Lady (8-1)And #6 Undeserved favor (6-1).
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