S9E51: Stamp out August, but not the Travers

The Travers Stakes, Saratoga’s Grade 1, $1.25 million mid-summer derby, dominates the conversation this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Racing analyst Kaylie Shapiro of the New York Racing Association discusses the first-ever showdown between Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo, Preakness victor Napoleon Solo and Jim Dandy (G2) winner Renegade.

Trainer Lindsay Schultz talks about Baby Vino, the colt’s 28-1 upset victory in the Haskell (G1) and whether there could be an encore surprise in the Travers.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch weighs in with his tips for the Travers plus two other graded stakes, the Ballerina (G1) and Lake Placid (G2), on Saratoga’s Saturday card.

Listener and reader feedback comes from the Travers draw and adds to the opinion about how the biggest race of the summer may be run and won.

Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park and guest co-host Jonathon Kinchen from NYRA discuss a turbulent month in racing as well as the Travers and perhaps a cameo mention of the St. Louis Derby.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com. It is sponsored by 1/ST BET.

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S9E50: Behind the Pamplemousse

The Pacific Classic, Del Mar’s signature Grade 1, $1 million race, is the main topic of conversation this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Ryan Anderson and Jackson Muniz from the Gallop Out podcast check in to talk about this weekend’s big race as well as the Del Mar summer and handicapping trends that have developed through the season.

Jockey Júnior Alvarado discusses his upcoming ride on morning-line favorite Knightsbridge in the Pacific Classic. He also talks about his recent success riding reigning horse of the year Sovereignty and his work with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has handicapping tips for weekend races, including the Pacific Classic.

Listener and reader feedback focuses on the fallout from Jockey Club member Marshall Gramm’s gathering and leaking of confidential veterinary records that were not locked down by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority.

Fairmount Park’s Keith Nelson is joined by guest co-host Larry Collmus from NBC Sports and Del Mar.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com. It is sponsored by 1/ST BET.

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S9E49: Pop-up episode on leak of HISA vet records

The brewing scandal over the leak of private veterinary information from a federal-government portal is the subject of this pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Equine-law attorney Craig Robertson, technology expert Bill Blanchard and Horse Racing Nation’s Ed DeRosa, all horseplayers, discuss the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s case against Marshall Gramm. A member of The Jockey Club, Gramm was accused of misusing proprietary vet records via his access as a horse owner to a HISA portal.

Robertson tackles the legal issues that face Gramm, HISA and perhaps others who might benefit from their own access to the vet portal. Blanchard weighs in on just how secure the HISA data may or may not have been. DeRosa provides updates on his reporting of the story and considers the ripples it may have across the racing industry and for horseplayers.

The episode opens with a timeline on how the scheme came together and HISA’s investigation of it.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com. Regular episodes are posted every Friday morning.

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S9E48: King’s Plate & Fair Hill 5

The 167th running of the King’s Plate opens the 2026 Canada Triple Crown. That and developments with the Fair Hill 5 are the main topics this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Woodbine TV analyst Elissa Blowe checks in from Toronto to talk about the biggest day in Canada horse racing. She sets the scene not only for the King’s Plate but also the rest of the stakes on the card and the buzz that it gets every summer.

Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll discusses her two entrants in this weekend’s race at Woodbine. Even-money morning-line favorite Luster, a two-time stakes winner, is Carroll’s leading candidate to deliver her a fourth victory in the synthetic-course classic. She also talks about the role that her long shot Don Ique will have in the 1 1/4-mile race.

Horse Racing Nation’s Mark Midland offers handicapping tips for weekend races, including the King’s Plate.

Listener and reader feedback focuses on the Fair Hill 5, the brewing scandal that was the subject of Tuesday’s pop-up episode of the RFRP.

Andie Biancone of NBC Sports steps in as the guest co-host to join Fairmount Park’s Keith Nelson for host chat.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com. It is sponsored by 1/ST BET.

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S9E47: Pop-up to examine the Fair Hill 5

In a brewing scandal, a suspicious pattern emerged from races Sunday that put the spotlight on five horses who trained this summer at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. The details are examined in this special pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Pennsylvania handicapper Doug Salvatore, who has had a variety of roles in racing, detected the similarities in real time and posted his findings on X. In this episode he answers questions about what he discovered. He serves as a guide through the sequence of races at Saratoga and Monmouth Park.

Horse Racing Nation’s Ed DeRosa has been reporting the story this week and joins the conversation to tell what he has learned from an overseas bookmaker who took some of the action and found it to be suspicious.

This episode opens with the sequence of race calls and the names of the characters in this story being investigated by Fair Hill as well as state and federal racing regulators.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com. Regular episodes are posted every Friday morning.

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S9E46: Whitney & is it the Double Crown?

The Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes this weekend at Saratoga and the introduction of a new 3-year-old series that excludes the Preakness Stakes are the talk of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Acacia Clément from Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association TV team discusses the Whitney rematch of Magnitude against his three closest pursuers from the Stephen Foster (G1). She also talks about other highlights on the card that includes three other Grade 1 races.

Nitrogen is not to be missed as she tries to become the seventh female horse ever to win the Whitney. General manager Jonathan Green from D.J. Stables talks about why he and trainer Mark Casse decided this would be a good spot for their 4-year-old filly.

Ed DeRosa takes his turn in the handicapping rotation. In addition to offering tips for the Whitney and other weekend races, he weighs in on the story of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes being the centerpieces of the latest alliance between Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association.

The late jockey Robby Albarado is remembered with an archived interview from the Eclipse Awards in January 2009, when Curlin was honored as the horse of the year for the second time in a row.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their thoughts about where this week’s developments leave the Triple Crown.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is sponsored by 1/ST BET. It is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

Check out this episode!