WP Welcomes Announcer Nick Tammaro and Handicapper Vance Hanson Thursday, October 13, 2022

Our first guest is Nick Tammaro, who is announcer and morning-line odds maker at Sam Houston Race Park. This season he has added the morning line at Keeneland. Tammaro is very familiar with Keeneland racing, having won a handicapping contest there and placing in its Grade 1 Gamble. In addition to making the line at Sam Houston, Tammaro consulted with BetMakers on setting its fixed odds for Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey. There may be no greater challenge in setting odds than the boutique meets at the historic Lexington track. Overflow fields come from every region of the world to compete for the rich purses in various divisions on turf and dirt. It will be interesting to see how Tammaro approaches such a mind-boggling task. Tammaro, 38, a contributor of handicapping content at TwinSpires, replaces long-time odds-maker Mike Battaglia, who had made the line at Keeneland since 1974. Battaglia is still the morning-line maker at the Churchill Downs Inc. owned Kentucky properties of Turfway Park and Churchill Downs Racetrack. Vance Hanson has been an associate editor with TwinSpires.com and Brisnet.com since 2008. A member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, he previously served as a handicapper with Daily Racing Form and began his career in racing as a publicity assistant at Canterbury Park. His focus has been on Keeneland of late and the Lexington, Ky. Track will feature three graded stakes races over the weekend – a rare sight during this pre-Breeders’ Cup lull at major tracks. Vance and John will look for the horses to watch – the Keeneland payoffs have been generous. On Friday we’ll see the Grade 3 Sycamore at 1 1/2 miles on turf for 3-year-olds and up. Seven runners from the Kentucky Downs Turf Cup (G2) are entered in this overflow field, including winner Red Knight, who’s 2-for-2 this year, and Arklow, who rallied to finish second in the July 31Bowling Green (G2) in his first start of the year before finishing sixth in the Turf Cup. Saturday features the prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup a G1 at 1 1/8 miles over the greensward for 3-year-oldfillies. Depending on who shows up, the invited field includes McKulick, who is 5: 2-3-0 this year with wins in the Jockey Club Oaks (G3) last out and the Belmont Oaks (G1) in July. Bellabel’s second-place finish in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) was her first loss of the year after wins in the Blue Norther and San Clemente (G2). Cairo Memories is looking for her first win since back-to-back victories in the Providencia (G3) and Honeymoon (G3). On Sunday fast fillies go on the grass in the Franklin (G3), at 5 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up. Major players include Change of Control who had finished no worse than fourth in her last nine wins before her ninth-place finish last out in the Presque Isle Masters (G2) and Twilight Gleaming, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner, who has an 8: 5-3-0 career record and is coming off 2 straight wins.