The Grade 1, $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn and the last Kentucky Derby 2024 points prep at Keeneland are the focus of this week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Track announcer Matt Dinerman will offer his insight on Saturday’s Apple Blossom as well as his first season calling races in Arkansas and his new assignment this summer as the voice of Monmouth Park. Trainer Joe Orseno, who won the Preakness with Red Bullet in 2000, may be on the verge of a return to the Triple Crown series with Hades, who races Saturday in the Lexington Stakes (G3). Horse Racing Nation’s Ed DeRosa handicap ..read more

The last three major preps of the season will fill the field for Kentucky Derby 2024. This week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod comes from Keeneland, site of this weekend’s Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will discuss Sierra Leone, who is one of the top contenders not only in the Blue Grass but also for the Derby. Stanley Cup champion and horseplayer Eddie Olczyk takes the long view of betting this Derby season as well as his strategy for playing handicapping contests like the National Horseplayers Championship, where we caught up with him last month in Las Vegas. Super Screener cr ..read more

Kentucky Derby 2024 win-and-you’re-in preps at Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn and the state of the game are the subjects of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Jockey Flavien Prat, who won last week’s Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on Catching Freedom, talks about that ride and his assignment this weekend in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) on Timberlake. National Thoroughbred Racing Association CEO Tom Rooney answers questions about issues in the sport, including trainer Bob Baffert’s suspension from the Kentucky Derby, the progress and challenges of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and an up ..read more

On the road in New Orleans, the first major preps for Kentucky Derby 2024 are in the spotlight on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. At Fair Grounds, two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox discusses his Derby campaign, including his running of Catching Freedom in Saturday’s Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby. He also discusses Timberlake’s upcoming move into the Arkansas Derby (G1) next weekend. Finally, Cox has morning-line favorite Tarifa going Saturday in the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), a points prep for Kentucky Oaks (G1). Fair Grounds track announcer John G. Dooley offer his insights about ..read more

The annual visit to Las Vegas for the National Horseplayers Championship is on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Two-time NHC Tour winner Kevin Costello, former NHC champions Scott Harrison and Paul Matties and economics professor and horse owner Marshall Gramm take part in the annual horseplayers roundtable. They discuss last weekend’s tote breakdown that impacted the Tampa Bay Derby, the latest trends and concerns with computer-assisted wagering and why it is that Chicago players have done so well in the NHC. Horse Racing Nation handicapper Ed DeRosa is taking part in his first NHC as a competitor ..read more

This weekend brings four Kentucky Derby 2024 points preps, including the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, the Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, all Saturday, and the San Felipe (G2) on Sunday at Santa Anita. They are the focus of this week’s episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Fox Sports and New York Racing Association TV analyst Andy Serling discusses the Derby trail in general and the Gotham in particular. Trainer Danny Gargan talks about his colt Dornoch, the highly regarded winner of the Remsen Stakes (G2), who will race in the Fou ..read more

The next Kentucky Derby 2024 points prep and Black History Month are the focus of this week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Jennifer Hoyt, who spent more than 13 years working at Oaklawn, offers her thoughts about this weekend’s Grade 2, $1.25 million Rebel Stakes, which will ticket the winner for the Kentucky Derby. She also talks about her move from the racetrack to becoming a school-district spokesperson. The advancement of diversity in racing meets Kentucky bourbon. Leon Nichols of the Project to Preserve African-American Turf History and Allen Carter of Silver Springs Farm Eqwine and Vineyard j ..read more

This weekend’s Risen Star Stakes is the first win-and-you’re-in prep for Kentucky Derby 2024, and it is the main subject of this week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod. FanDuel TV racing analyst Caton Bredar offers a preview of the race and some highlights from the rest of the stakes-laden card at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Hall of Fame and Sierra Leone are among the Risen Star favorites not to mention top contenders for the Derby. They will be discussed by Robyn Murray, who handles sales, racehorses and marketing for their lead owner Coolmore America. Horse Racing Nation handicapper Ed DeRosa has ti ..read more

The next Kentucky Derby 2024 points prep and Super Bowl LVIII are the focus of this week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey talks about Change of Command, the morning-line favorite for this weekend’s Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. He also discusses some other Derby and Kentucky Oaks prospects in his stable. From Las Vegas, NBC Sports racing analyst and longtime NFL reporter Randy Moss provides insight into the Derby trail as well as Sunday’s championship between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Super Screener creator Mike Shutty handicaps ..read more

This week’s Ron Flatter Racing Pod has three main subjects, five races to handicap and one embarrassing admission. Eclipse Award winner Fierceness headlines Saturday’s four Kentucky Derby points preps. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher talks about the champion colt’s 2024 debut in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Todd also discusses two of his other prominent 3-year-olds who are Derby contenders. Bob Baffert’s announcement that he will not have any of his horses in the Derby gets the once-over. Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times had an exclusive interview with Baffer ..read more