Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [March 22-23]
Simply Joking wins the Silverbulletday S. at Fair Grounds. (Photo by Hodges Photography)
March 22nd, 2025
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Get ready for horse racing this weekend
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets, tournaments, key races, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
Come back to find more weekly horse races and promotional offers every weekend.
.@AshleyAnd502 has your Weekend Windup from @fairgroundsnola ahead of the $1 Million https://t.co/EynbFb3eBd Louisiana Derby and @TurfwayPark's Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). pic.twitter.com/mMN7Imx1cO
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) March 21, 2025
Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend
The key horse races this week include a set of the first 100 point Derby preps on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offering some of our top horses and best bets this week, the Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks and more great horse racing this weekend.
Click to jump to each race listed!
Ova Charged wins the Mardi Gras at Fair Grounds (Photo courtesy of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots)
Exclusive 2025 Louisiana Derby and Jeff Ruby Steaks LIVE chat ahead of Saturday racing
Discover Jeff Ruby Steaks and Louisiana Derby picks, odds, entries, analysis, and more. Find out what our group of experts—Vance Hanson, Kellie Reilly, Jennifer Kelley, and Keeler Johnson,—think of John Hancock the morning-line favorite for the Louisiana Derby. Are their any longsOva Charged wins the Mardi Gras at Fair Grounds (Photo courtesy of Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots)hots worth looking at in the Jeff Ruby? Could there be Kentucky Derby horses among the field?
Best Bets for the Louisiana Derby
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2025 Louisiana Derby
A strong field of 10 will travel 1 3/16 miles on the Fair Grounds dirt in Saturday’s lucrative, $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2). Check out these best bets below.
Louisiana Derby Wagers
Top Horses for the Tampa Bay Derby Stakes:
#1 JOHN HANCOCK (7-2): Unbeaten Brad Cox trainee has displayed a lot of ability and heart from two career attempts and gets the rail as the potential one to beat today. The chestnut son of Constitution has yet to be headed in his lifetime and could be controlling speed from the rail. Flavien Prat coming in to retain the mount is a major positive.
#5 CALDERA (5-1): Rapidly improving sort from the D. Wayne Lukas barn was game in defeat in the Sunland Park Derby while making his stakes debut and looms large with any kind of improvement off of that effort. The $500,000 son of Liam’s Map has really moved forward since having blinkers added two back, and I don’t expect the colt to have any issue with the distance today. He comes in with a pair of bullet morning moves and will have Tyler Gaffaliuone up.
#6 BUILT (4-1): Hard Spun colt has been consistently good this campaign and trainer Wayne Catalano will equip the sophomore with blinkers for the initial time. The Kentucky-bred bay bagged the Gun Runner S. (G3) on the strip and was a narrow second in the Lecomte S. (G3) locally, so a top-three finish is well within his reach under Jose Ortiz.
#7 VASSIMO (12-1): Todd Pletcher pupil stayed on to be fourth behind a runaway victor in the Risen Star (G2) and is another who will don blinkers for the initial time. The Nyquist colt was 2-for-2 prior to his latest, and he could be dangerous throughout if he takes to the hood going on with Irad retaining the mount.
Northern Dancer in the winners circle during the 1964 Kentucky Derby. (Photo courtesy of Churchill Downs)
STUDY: Consolidation of sire lines among leading Thoroughbred stallions
According to data from The Jockey Club Fact Book, the number of stallions standing at stud in the United States has fallen from 4,250 in 2001 to 854 in 2024, an 80% decrease. Even in Kentucky, the epicenter of the U.S. Thoroughbred breeding industry, the number of stallions has fallen 56% from 449 in 2001 to 196 in 2024.
At the same time, the number of mares the average stallion covers has increased 113% from 14 in 2001 to 29.8 in 2024. In Kentucky, this metric has increased 88% from 45.2 in 2001 to 85 in 2024.
Best Bets for the Jeff Ruby Steaks
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2025 Jeff Ruby Steaks
A deep cast of 13 sophomores will travel nine panels over the Tapeta at Turfway Park in Saturday’s $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). Check out these best bets below!
Jeff Ruby Steaks Wagers
Top Horses for the Tampa Bay Derby Stakes:
#9 POSTER: Top pick kicked off his three-year-old season with a late-running third in the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay for conditioner Eoin Harty. The Godolphin homebred, who capped his unblemished two-year-old campaign with a game Remsen S. (G2) tally, will improve second off the layoff, and I have confidence that he will handle the surface transition, as well. John Velazquez coming in to ride is a major plus, too.
#6 BABY MAX: Win contender from the Kelsey Danner shedrow had a nice prep for this when a clear second in the Battaglia S. most recently. This Maximus Mischief colt has also upped his Speed number with each try and will race with blinkers on for the initial time in this endeavor. The versatile colt drilled a bullet half-mile leading up to this and will have Abel Cedillo on board.
#12 HE’S NOT JOKING: Dangerous contender for Josie Carroll was a daylight winner of the Grey S. (G3) over the Woodbine synthetic in his penultimate run as a juvenile and will improve second off the shelf with the return to an all-weather oval. The Practical Joke colt will have to overcome the wide post slot in the big group, but a positive showing is expected, nonetheless, with Rafael Hernandez coming in to ride.
#2 CHARLIE’S TO BLAME: Interesting contender led throughout in the Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream last time and has to be considered a contender on the move to the all weather. The $400,000 son of Blame has led throughout in two straight, and he will be in the hunt late if he can avoid a pace duel in the event with Juan Hernandez coming in to ride.
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades
Racing at Fair Grounds (Photo by Hodges Photography)
An overflow field of 15 Cajun-bred fillies and mares will run 5 1/2 furlongs over the Fair Grounds green in Sunday’s $100,000 Page Cortez S. It’s difficult for me to narrow this field down to one or two contenders in the evenly-matched group, so I will include multiple runners in my plays.
Page Cortez Wagers
Kinetic wins the General Macarthur Overnight Stakes at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to Kurtis Coady)
A total of seven will go postward in Saturday’s $500,000 Essex H. (G3) at Oaklawn Park. The 1 1/8-mile contest is led by the Brad Cox-trained #5 Kinetic (8-5), who captured the General MacArthur S. on this surface in his most recent endeavor. By Street Sense, the Godolphin homebred has been very consistent following an unplaced debut run in June while winning or finishing second in a handful of attempts in succession.
Kinetic – With
- $2 trifecta key 5 with 1,2,3,4 ($24)
- $1 superfecta key 5 with 1,2,3,4 ($24)
Kinetic – Against
- $1 trifecta 1,2 with 1,2,3,4,5 with 1,2,3,4,5 ($24)
- $1 superfecta 2 with 1,5 with 1,3,4,5 with all ($24)
All Access Colonial Downs Trackside Up-to-Date Coverage
Global Steve wins the Parx Future Stars at Parx. (Photo by EQUIPHOTO)
A total of eight sophomores will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Laurel Park main surface in Saturday’s $100,000 Private Terms S. The well-matched cast lacks a standout and looks like a good betting option on the card.
Private Terms Wagers
Let Him Be wins the New Mexico Classic Sprint S. at Zia Park. (Photo by Coady Media)
A full field of 12 New Mexico-bred runners will dash 5 1/2 panels in Friday’s $90,000 Mt. Cristo Rey H. at Sunland Park. The race will go through #9 Let Him Be (2-1) for conditioner Joel Marr and I will base my plays on the morning-line choice. By Sway Away, the five-year-old is a sterling 4-for-4 on the oval and 11-for-13 lifetime, and while he’s not the flashiest horse in training, the gelding nearly always finds a way. He scored in the Jamison Memorial S. in his latest venture and has every right to improve second off the bench, as well. Regular rider Miguel Fuentes, Jr. will be in the stirrups.
Mt. Cristo Rey Wagers
A quartet of Pick 4 wagers will be offered on Saturday at Fair Grounds. I fear that the latter portion of the card could be littered with short-priced winners, so I will take aim at the earliest one with the Pick 4 of the Week.
Race 2 Wager
50-cent Pick 4: 2,4,5,6,8,11 with 3,6,7,10 with 1 with 2,3,4 ($36)
Turfway Park Racing (Coady Photo/Turfway Park)
The $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) highlights a major 13-race slate on Saturday at Turfway Park, and I will try to get the day started in a positive way with the Pick 3 of the Week early in the card.
Race 1 Wager:
- $1 Pick 3: 6,7,9 with 2,7,8,12 with 9,10,12 ($36)
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