The Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes highlights the conversations as the crew returns from hiatus to go live, or at least as live as can be, episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Former Philadelphia Daily News sports writer turned TV personality Dick Jerardi weighs in on Monmouth Park's signature race, which features beaten Kentucky Derby favorite Further Ado and Preakness winner Napoleon Solo. He also talks about defending his 2025 victory in the Haskell Betting Challenge.

Chad Summers, who trains Napoleon Solo, discusses his colt who he believes still can mount a challenge to dual classic winner Golden Tempo in the battle for the 3-year-old male championship. He also talks about controversial jockey Paco López, whose 30-day suspension is on appeal, allowing him to ride in Saturday's feature.

Horse Racing Nation's Mark Midland takes his turn in the handicappers rotation to analyze the Haskell and other weekend races.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular 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.

The 500th episode is celebrated this week with calls to some milestone guests on this special edition of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Voices who were heard on the 100th, 200th, 300th and 400th episodes are brought back to reminisce and look ahead. Breeders' Cup-winning trainer Peter Eurton, Las Vegas sports writer Mike Brunker, game-show producer Laura Chambers, London turf journalist Nick Luck and announcer Rollye James all share stories from the last 8 1/2 years.

Conversations range from nostalgic looks back to personal experiences that brought them to the podcast to forecasts about the future of racing and their own lives. The guests talk about what they are up to now and what has happened for them in the time since their signpost appearances on the RFRP.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular 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.

Barry Spears, known as the Urbn Handicapper without that first A, talks about his growth as a respected horseplayer and tournament competitor when he is the special guest this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

A native of New England who lives in Florida, Spears recounts his early days when his parents and grandparents took him to racetracks to learn how to bet on horses. Those early seeds led Spears to becoming a regular at the betting windows and then a seasoned handicapper who has been a regular presence at tournaments across the country.

A self-professed math nerd, Spears gets into how the numbers game has worked for him as he integrates modern technology into his traditional forms of handicapping.

Spears also calls himself unapologetically Black. He talks about how racing has made strides in becoming more diverse but still has hurdles to clear.

Chuck Simon, the late trainer and media personality, took Spears under his wing, something that also is discussed on this episode.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular 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.

The best race yet this year for older horses and the closing of a historic racetrack are the big stories this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

The Grade 1, $2 million Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs has attracted the likes of reigning horse of the year Sovereignty and multimillionaire veteran White Abarrio. It also has Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Magnitude. Ron Winchell, his owner, takes time to talk about the 4-year-old colt and his campaign to be the champion older dirt male of 2026.

Aqueduct Racetrack, which opened in 1894, closes for the last time Sunday. Steve Haskin, a historian who writes for Secretariat.com, offers perspective on the course's place in the sport and stories about its more than 1 1/4 centuries as a hub for New York horseplayers.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch has tips for the Stephen Foster and a high-profile juvenile race on the Churchill Downs undercard, and co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular 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.

From growing up in Kentucky to three decades at NBC as one of its most reliable broadcasters, Tom Hammond brings the stories of a career in racing and sports to the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Hammond talks about his earliest days not only in Lexington, Ky., radio but also in going to the track and getting involved with horses. He even spins a yarn about an early job as the announcer at a sales ring. Hammond majored in animal husbandry at the University of Kentucky, an achievement that translated well to his time covering races on national television.

In a business that often rewards sizzle before the steak, Hammond discusses his staying power and all the years he hosted the Breeders' Cup and Triple Crown races, complete with post-parade nuggets that became his signature.

Some of the great games and sports events that he has witnessed also are sprinkled in this conversation, and Hammond talks about how he is spending his retirement. Here is a hint. They race horses two months a year near his home in Lexington.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular 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.

Rick Hammerle, a horseplayer and a longtime racing executive who sits on the American Graded Stakes Committee member, is the special guest this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Hammerle talks about topics that range from why there are so many graded stakes to the bigfooted presence of computer-assisted wagering to why racetracks should have newer music played for spectators. In a myth-busting tale he has spun more than a few times in public and private conversations, Hammerle looks back on the 2018 emergence of eventual Triple Crown winner Justify and how he was instrumental in writing the champion colt's first two races while he was Santa Anita's racing secretary. He also talks about his current role at Kentucky Downs.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their popular 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.

Anticipating Saturday's finale to the Triple Crown season, there are as many humans as there are Belmont Stakes 2026 horses on the regular episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Chris Fallica, who is best known as The Bear on Fox Sports' "Big Noon Kickoff" during football season, leads off the guest list. He also is a seasoned horseplayer who has opinions about how the Belmont will be run.

Andy Serling from Fox Sports and New York Racing Association TV offers his analysis of the Belmont and more high points on a loaded undercard Saturday at Saratoga.

Trainers Todd Pletcher of Renegade and Powershift, Brad Cox of Commandment and Cherie DeVaux of Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo offer their insights to the Belmont.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch has tips for the Manhattan-Belmont double on Saturday's card.

John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park check in with their popular chat segment and throw in their Belmont picks. Sort of.

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.

Deep analysis of every horse in Belmont Stakes 2026 is ready to hear now from the hard-core handicappers in their latest pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Horse Racing Nation handicappers Mark Midland and Ed DeRosa are joined by FanDuel TV's Caton Bredar. They go through the entire field, 1 through 9, including morning-line favorite Renegade and Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo.

How will they play the five horses coming out of the Derby and into this last 1 1/4-mile running of the Belmont at Saratoga? How do they see what looms as an iffy pace picture? Most important, what are their opinions about the pretenders amid the contenders? Where is the value? How will the horses take to the track at Saratoga? The panel answers all those questions.

There also is a bonus discussion about the best plays on the Saturday undercard at Saratoga.

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.

A video version of this episode will be posted to the HRN YouTube page Wednesday morning.

Belmont Stakes 2026 next Saturday concludes the Triple Crown series as well as the race's three years at Saratoga. It is the focus of this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Maggie Wolfendale-Morley of Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association checks in with early angles on some of the top choices in the Belmont, including likely favorite Renegade as well as Kentucky Derby 2026 winner Golden Tempo. She also has a snapshot of the Grade 1 Met Mile, where Nysos and Journalism are expected to start on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

Case Clay of Wathnan Racing talks about Belmont Stakes contender Commandment and multimillionaire Hit Show, who races Saturday on Stephen Foster preview day at Churchill Downs. He also discusses the rapid rise of the Qatar-based operation and his own move from Three Chimneys Farm, which his family used to own. Clay even shares the story of how he tried his hand at comedy with Second City in Chicago.

Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has early angles that he is pursuing for the Belmont Stakes as well as handicapping of two of the graded turf stakes on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have their popular chat segment and weigh in on listener and reader feedback from last week's interview with Brent Musburger and Chuck Todd.

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.

Broadcasting icons and sports bettors Brent Musburger and Chuck Todd get together to discuss their ideas to cure what ails the Triple Crown in an exclusive conversation on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Musburger's years at CBS, ABC and VSiN took him to assignments that included the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Todd's work at NBC did not keep him from having a run at betting on horses. Both accomplished more recently in gambling on other games, they have ideas on how racing can survive in the 21st century.

In the blush of Napoleon Solo's victory in Preakness 2026, Maryland Jockey Club president and general manager Bill Knauf assesses the week at Laurel Park and the transition back to Pimlico next year. He also talks about the coming partnership with Churchill Downs, which is poised to take over the intellectual-property rights to the Preakness as it may move forward on a different date in 2027.

Handicapper Ed DeRosa offers tips for Memorial Day stakes races, including the big card at Santa Anita on Monday. He also offers advice on how to bet the Keertana Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have their popular chat segment and weigh in on listener and reader feedback from Preakness week.

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.