Last week I took some time off and headed to California. I visited one of my favorite racetracks, Hollywood Park. I had a decent day. I was mainly there to test out my photography skills and enjoy the day. I have a picture from that day to share with you. I hope you like it.

The photo below is ©2006 Jason Andrew Martin LLC. All rights are reserved. No rights to reproduce or use in any manner granted. You are welcome to link to this page. Directly linking to pictures is prohibited.

Today, I am bringing you an introductory article about horse racing handicapping in regards to the class of the horse. A popular misconception among new or casual horse racing bettors is that a horse is a horse. Typically these people just look at speed and lump all horses into the same class. Why is class important? That’s the first thing we are doing to discuss today. I will also give you some examples and hopefully newfound knowledge for your next betting endeavor.

This month Churchill Downs has nine graded stakes races. Without a doubt, the best day to be at Churchill Downs is going to be June 17th. On that day, they are running six graded stakes races. One will be Grade I, two will be Grade II and three will be Grade III. The main event is the Grade I $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap for three-year-olds and up. It will be run over 1 1/8th mile. Below is a listing of all other graded stakes races in the month of June at Churchill Downs.

There are nine graded stakes races at Hollywood Park this month. The biggest weekend is probably June 10th and 11th. On those two days at Hollywood Park, there are three graded stakes races: 1 Grade I, 1 Grade II and 1 Grade III. The Grade I stakes race is the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap. The Hollywood Breeder’s Cup Handicap is the Grade II race and the Ack Ack Handicap is the Grade III race. Following is a listing of all graded stakes races at Hollywood Park for the month of June.

Following is a listing of stakes races being run at Belmont Park for the month of June. This is a great month at Belmont Park. It’s filled with many graded stakes races at Belmont Park. The big day is June 10th. That’s when the $1,000,000 Bemont Stakes is being run. On June 10th, Belmont Park is running six graded stakes races. Three of those races are Grade I and three are Grade II.

The fifth race at Emerald Downs is a one mile $7,500 Maiden Claiming for three year olds. The field is ten strong. I like what looks to be the favorite in this race—War Alert. The main concern was the distance, because War Alert has been racing at 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 furlong races. However, in his last race, he went a mile at Emerald Downs. The race took place on the 19th of May.

Race four at Hollywood Park is a 1 and 1/16th mile $32,000 Maiden Claiming for three year olds and upward. This race had a twelve horse field, but there have been a couple late scratches. The 4, 8 and 11 have been scratched. For me, there are two horses worth looking at—Handsome Lover and Silver and Black.