Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. (G1) at Santa Anita
8F on Turf (March 7)
Horse Racing Data Analyzed: Last 25 8-furlong G1 turf stakes at Santa Anita
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Last Turn Time
Factor Stats: 29 contenders, 7 winners (24%, $49.80 flat win bet return, 185 ROI%), 13 place/show (44%, $41.40 flat place bet return & $23.40 flat show bet return)

The grassy Frank E. Kilroe S. is one of two Grade 1's on Saturday's Big 'Cap card at Santa Anita and it's drawn a well-matched field of 10.

The pre-race star is Got Stormy, who is coming off a disappointing 4th in her 2020 debut at Tampa Bay Downs last month. So we scanned the Betmix Angler handicapping database for an edge in the 8-furlong turf Grade 1's at Santa Anita.

Angler reveals that Last Turn Time has been effective in isolating major contenders in this race type - nearly 25% winners and 55% in-the-money finishes with very healthy Win, Place & Show returns.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Last Turn Time slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

The Very One S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park
9.5F on Turf (February 29)
Horse Racing Data Analyzed: Last 26 9.5-furlong graded turf stakes at Gulfstream Park
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Last Late Pace
Factor Stats: 26 contenders, 8 winners (30%, $90.40 flat win bet return, 273 ROI%), 18 place/show (69%, $26.60 flat place bet return & $20.00 flat show bet return)

The big Fountain of Youth day card at Gulfstream Park has drawn competitive fields for all 10 of the stakes races being offered. Among them is the The Very One S. (G3) for older distaffers going long on the turf.

With 12 fillies and mares set to break from the gate and the morning line favorite a tepid 9/2, this is just the kind of race the Betmix Angler online handicapping database was built for.

Angler tells us that Last Late Pace has pointed to 30% winners and nearly 70 % in-the-money finishes while generating very healthy win, place and show returns.

Among the winners are 2 of the past 3 The Very One heroines, Holy Helena ($9.40) in 2018 and Suffused ($3.80) in 2017, not to mention this year's Pegasus Invitational Turf winner Zula Alpha, who returned $25.60 to his win backers.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Last Late Pace slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

Turf Dash S. & Lightning City S. at Tampa Bay Downs
5F on Turf (February 22)
Horse Racing Data Analyzed: 14 5-furlong turf stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Last E1 Pace
Factor Stats: 14 contenders, 7 winners (50%, $95.20 flat win bet return, 440 ROI%), 10 place/show (71%, $36.60 flat place bet return & $20.80 flat show bet return)

A pair of turf sprints highlight the Saturday card at Tampa Bay Downs and a scan of the Betmix Angler database has uncovered a very profitable handicapping factor for this racetype.

The Last E1 Pace factor has pointed to 50% winning plays in the 5-furlong turf stakes at Tampa, generating a huge $95.20 Win Return. Over 70% of the contenders have hit the board with very juicy Place and Show Returns in evidence as well.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Last E1 Pace slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

Fair Grounds S. (G3) at Fair Grounds
9F on Turf (February 15)
Horse Racing Data Analyzed: Last 14 graded turf stakes, 9 furlongs at Fair Grounds
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Average Last 3 Turn Time
Factor Stats: 14 contenders, 5 winners (35%, $47.20 flat win bet return, 268 ROI%), 9 win/place/show (64%, $18.20 flat place bet return & $7.60 flat show bet return)

The 14-strong Fair Grounds S. is one of 7 stakes on the power-packed Saturday card at Fair Grounds. Carded as race 10, it kicks off the final Pick 4 of the day, feeding into the exciting preps for the Kentucky Oaks (Rachel Alexandra S.) and Kentucky Derby (two Risen Star S. divisions).

The Betmix Angler online database reveals that the Average of Last 3 Turn Time handicapping factor has been effective in generating profits in the grassy 9-furlong graded stakes at the historic New Orleans oval.

In fact, 3 of the past 6 winners of this race have ranked first in this factor, including 2014 champ Potomac River ($31.40) and last year's hero Synchrony ($4.20).

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Average of Last 3 Turn Time slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

Sam F. Davis S. (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs
8.5F on Dirt (February 8)
Horse Racing Data Analyzed: 14 8.5-furlong graded dirt stakes at Tampa Bay Downs
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Trainer Current Year
Factor Stats: 21 contenders, 7 winners (33%, $33.80 flat win bet return, 180 ROI%), 15 win/place/show (71%, $22.60 flat place bet return & $12.00 flat show bet return)

The Sam F. Davis S. has attracted one of the early Kentucky Derby favorites in unbeaten Independence Hall. While he figures to leave the gate as a heavy favorite, we scanned the Betmix Angler database to see if we could find an edge in this race.

We did find that trainers matter in the 8.5 furlong graded dirt stakes at Tampa. Since all of the races in the sample happen to be for colts prepping for the spring classics (the Sam F. Davis & the Tampa Bay Derby) there is some extra confidence.

One-third of the contenders have won, generating a healthy $33.30 Win Return. Over 70% of the contenders have hit the board so the Sharp Angles play can be a great starting point in constructing exotic tickets for the race.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Trainer This Year slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

Trainer / Jockey Display and Stats

The main horse table in BirdDog has been updated to show Trainer and Jockey names.

The Trainer or Jockey ranked first in the Trainer 1yr, or Jockey 1yr factors are highlighted in green.

In the factor statistics widget we have added two new tabs: Trainer Stats and Jockey Stats.  This information is also available in the Analyze Button.

Clicking on those tabs will display information about how the trainer or jockey has done in this race type (distance, surface, class) over the last 2 years.

Races - The number of similar races the Trainer or Jock has participated in over the last 2 years.

Win $ - What a flat $2 win bet would have returned over all races.

Place $ - What a flat $2 place bet would have returned over all races.

Show $ - What a flat $2 show bet would have returned over all races.

Win % - Win % in this race type over last 2 years.

Place % - Place % in this race type over last 2 years.

Show % - Show % in this race type over last 2 years.

Avg. Fin - The average finish position of the horse ridden or trained in this race type over the last 2 years.

Avg. Odds - The average off odds of the horse ridden or trained in this race type over the last 2 years.

Avg. Win Odds - The average off odds of horses ridden or trained that won this race type over the last 2 years.

HTB as FAV - When a horse was ranked 1st, 2nd or 3rd in odds (one of the top 3 choices) what % of the time did that horse finish 1, 2 or 3.  This is VERY useful in determining if a trainer or jockey is performing as expected with one of the favored horses.  Are they getting the job done when they should?

HTB not FAV - The opposite of the above stat. When a horse was NOT ranked 1st, 2nd or 3rd in odds (one of the top 3 choices) what % of the time did that horse finish 1, 2 or 3.  This is VERY useful in determining how well a trainer or jockey is performing with horses that are not expected to hit the board.  Are they bringing in longshots?

OTB as FAV - How often the trainer or jockey FAILS to hit the board with horses that are one of the top 3 betting choices.

OTB - Finally, how often the trainer or jockey does not hit the board when not expected to hit the board.

Holy Bull S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park
8.5F on Dirt (February 1)
Horse Racing Data Analyzed: 30 8.5-furlong graded dirt stakes at Gulfstream Park
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Best Speed Fast Track
Factor Stats: 34 contenders, 15 winners (44%, $51.00 flat win bet return, 175 ROI%), 28 win/place/show (82%, $1.90 flat place bet return & $8.30 flat show bet return)

The heat gets turned up a little more on the Kentucky Derby trail this weekend with a trio of two-turn graded stakes for sophomore colts, including the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

A query of the Betmix Angler online handicapping databases shows that the Best Speed Fast Track factor has been key in the 8.5 furlong graded dirts stakes at Gulfstream and in the Holy Bull specifically.

Some 44% of contenders ranking first in this factor have won, producing a healthy $51 Win Return. Among the winners are FIVE Holy Bull heroes last decade - Audible ($8.40), Moyhamen ($2.60), Upstart ($6.20), Cairo Prince ($6.20), Itsmyluckyday ($11.40).

What's more is the fact that 83% of the contenders have hit the board, so it surely looks wise to factor this factor into your Holy Bull wagering strategy.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Best Speed Fast Track slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

Pegasus World Cup Inv. (G1)
9F on dirt at Gulfstream Park (January 25)
Races Analyzed: 14 most recent 9F G1 dirt stakes at Gulfstream Park
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Win %
Factor Stats: 18 contenders, 9 winners (50%) $37.20 Win Return, 10 place/show (55%) $7.60 place return

The 4th running of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational became suddenly and unfortunately wide open with the late week defections of Omaha Beach and Spun to Run.

While the race is much less compelling from a fan standpoint it's a now a much more intriguing contest to handicap.

A perusal of the Betmix Angler handicapping database shows that it's been difficult for bettors to make hay in the 9-furlong dirt Grade 1's at Gulfstream Park. There have been only four double-digit win mutuels, capped by Graydar who paid $13.40 for his victory in 2013 when the Pegasus was still the Donn Handicap.

But digging a little deeper we were able to parse out the Win % factor that's hit 50% of the time, often enough to yield a $37.20 Win Return along with a positive Place Return.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Win% slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

LeComte S.
8.5F on dirt at Fair Grounds (January 16)
Races Analyzed: Last 28 8.5F dirt stakes at Fair Grounds
Date Range: January 1, 2012 - Present
Sharp Angle: Ranked 1st in Last Race Class
Factor Stats: 49 contenders, 9 winners (18%) $237.20 Win Return, 23 place/show (46%) $97.40 place return, $26.60 show return

The Triple Crown trail at Fair Grounds kicks off with the January 16 LeComte Stakes, a race won by a pair of eventual Preakness Stakes heroes last decade (Oxbow in 2013 and War of Will last season).

A scan of the Betmix Angler handicapping software has uncovered a risk/reward factor for this racetype. Last Race Class has pointed to only 17% winners but the $237.20 Win Return, as well as very strong Place & Show Returns, make this Sharp Angle worth a look in what is an especially competitive edition of the LeComte.

Find this race in Betmix Birddog and use the Last Race Class slider to see which horse ranks first in this factor. That’s the Sharp Angles play.

Want to look for your own Angles using Betmix handicapping software?
Click for the Betmix Angler tutorial
Click to subscribe to Betmix

Grade 1 contests generate the most media attention, inside and outside of the thoroughbred industry, making them some of the most fun races to handicap.

The Betmix Angler online handicapping software allows searches by sire and we found some interesting statistics in our surveys of the most profitable Juvenile sires and Turf sires of 2019. We conclude with a look at the the sire of Grade 1 races, with a twist.

With a much smaller sample of top-level races, we performed a two-year scan of sire progeny performance in North American Grade 1's.

Despite only three progeny Grade 1 victories, Darley stallions Hard Spun is the leader with a $101.60 Win Return. All three of his Grade 1 winners paid at least $20 including last spring's Ashland Stakes heroine Out For a Spin, who lit up the tote board with a $106.20 Win payout.

The progeny of More Than Ready appear to be the most reliable in top-tier races over the past two seasons. His sons and daughters have scored in a third of their Grade 1 starts generating positive returns across the board.