WP Welcomes Back Writer Rich Eng & Bloodstock Guru Joe Nevills Thursday, September 22, 2022

Richard Eng covers the Horse Racing industry. "Handicapping for Dummies" is one of the many handicapping books he wrote. He also is a writer for Las Vegas Review Journal and the Daily Racing Form. Rich will give us a “final edit update” on his revisions of the popular “Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies,” a must-have book he penned for teaching anyone about the basics of the racing game. Rich will join John to review the unbelievable card that Parx will present on Saturday. You'll need your E-Z Win Forms as opportunities abound. The 13-race day kicks off at 12:05 pm and features 10 stakes races! There will be five consecutive graded stakes headed up by star-studded line-ups in the afternoon’s feature races. Cyberknife and Taiba, separated by a head in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park, head a field of 11 3-year-olds entered Monday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx. In addition to Cyberknife and Taiba, the field includes two additional Grade 1 winners - Zandon and White Abarrio. Secret Oath, the Kentucky Oaks winner, will face eight opponents but will not have to face her recent nemesis, Nest in the Grade 1, $1million Cotillion for 3-year-old fillies. Secret Oath, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, is coming into the race off back-to-back runner-up finishes to Nest in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama. The connections of Nest did not want to cut back to 1 1/16 miles and are looking at either the Grade 2 Beldame on Oct. 9 or training up to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 5. Joe Nevills, Bloodstock Editor of The Paulick Report, will take a well-deserved break from the seemingly endless stream of eye-catching thoroughbreds making their way to the Keeneland Sales Pavilion over the past week. With 2,180 yearlings sold so far, we’ll just ask Joe to weigh in on a few of the many million-dollar babies. Cumulatively, 2,180 yearlings have sold through the ring for $389,605,000, an increase of 14.69 percent over the same period last year when 2,125 horses sold through the ring for $339,691,500. Average price of $178,718 is up 11.80 percent from $159,855 in 2021, while the median of $100,000 is 11.11 percent above last year’s $90,000. This year’s sale has 12 sessions compared to 11 sessions in 2021, and it ain’t over yet folks. The September Sale runs through Saturday. Those who follow Joe on Facebook are often treated to his real-life adventures. One that caught our eye was his search for an aging horse called Mary Murphy, named after his grandmother. After reading about the trail her life took after racing and the outcome of his search for her, has all the elements of an upcoming feature with the Joe Nevills byline.