The Ron Flatter Racing Pod

The formal start of the Saratoga summer with some familiar names and the introduction of a new voice highlight this week's episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Horse Racing Nation writer and HorseCenter host Matt Shifman checks in from upstate New York to offer his thoughts about the upcoming meet, the potential rematch next month of Sovereignty and Journalism in the Grade 1 Travers and some tips for fans taking in the races this summer at the Spa.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux discusses She Feels Pretty, her four-time Grade 1 winner who is favored Saturday in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes. She also introduces Dr. Agne, the 2-year-old debutant named for the pioneering equine podiatrist who died in a bicycle accident nearly 10 years ago.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch zeroes in on Saratoga with his tips for the weekend.

There is listener and reader feedback, and regular co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times is joined by Fairmount Park announcer Keith Nelson, a new addition to the RFRP cast.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from platforms like Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

With Chicagoland racing on the decline, Fairmount Park near St. Louis has become the one track in Illinois where the sport is on the rise. This week the Collinsville venue plays host for this on-the-road episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Vince Gabbert, a former executive at Keeneland, talks about his decision to run Fairmount Park since it was bought last year by the publicly traded gaming company Accel. He also discusses the recent opening of a casino inside the 100-year-old site, making it the first racetrack in Illinois to take advantage of that revenue stream.

Jim Watkins, the president of the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, discusses the challenges facing owners and trainers like him who continue to race their horses at both Fairmount and at Hawthorne in suburban Chicago. He also expresses his optimism about the potential expansion of racing at Fairmount beyond its current Tuesday-and-Saturday schedule.

With the Saratoga summer getting an early start, handicapper Ed DeRosa offers tips for the Saturday's card highlighted by the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational. He also has analysis for other races from the holiday-weekend menu across the country.

Fairmount track announcer Keith Nelson fills in for John Cherwa as this week's co-host.

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.

Hall of Fame trainer and racing icon D. Wayne Lukas is remembered on this special, pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

The late Hall of Fame trainer died Saturday at age 89. He appeared on the RFRP nine times, and those interviews plus others dating to his first Kentucky Derby victory with Winning Colors in 1988 are replayed on this special episode.

An indelible memory came in 2013, when Oxbow won the Preakness, a victory which marked a career renaissance for Lukas. He told the media if they wanted to talk to him the morning after that they had to show up at 4:30 a.m. EDT at the Pimlico stakes barn. Four of the people who took him up on that are on a panel discussion in this episode, including Alicia Hughes, Mike Gathagan, Steve Haskin and Flatter.

Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times brings the show together as do replays of old interviews with Lukas, who appeared on the RFRP nine times, most recently last month.

With regular episodes available every Friday morning, 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.

He balks at the idea that he is the mayor of Pimlico, but longtime Baltimore fixture John Scheinman easily could fill that role. He has been a regular in the old press box for decades in his roles as a two-time Eclipse Award-winning turf writer and as a dyed-in-the-wool horseplayer.

Scheinman is the lone guest this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

He talks about the can't-miss-him presence he has brought to Pimlico and tells stories about the last days of the old track before its planned demolition this summer and redevelopment in the next two years.

Scheinman offers critical commentary about the reconfiguring of Maryland racing with the exit of The Stronach Group and the emergence of the new Maryland Jockey Club. He even has thoughts about the impact the new Pimlico will have on the Park Heights neighborhood in Baltimore.

Asked to assume the imagined role of racing czar, Scheinman offered ideas on how he would lure fans back to the Preakness and how confident he is that the new racetrack and grandstand at Pimlico can meet his hopes.

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.

Ron Anderson has been the jockey agent to the stars. In more than a half-century in racing, he has collected a lot of stories. He tells some of them on this week's episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Anderson talks about what it takes to be a good jockey agent, how it is a difficult craft to teach and how old-fashioned, face-to-face communication is vital to succeeding in his role.

It is not just successes that have defined his career. Anderson tells his famous story of a star horse that got away from one of his clients. He also talks about how bettors can relate to his ups and downs.

With Gary Stevens, Jerry Bailey, Garrett Gómez and Chris Antley among his former clients, Anderson discusses how he juggles diverse personalities, especially with his current stars Frankie Dettori and Joel Rosario.

Anderson also applies his vast experience in racing to say what he might change about the game if he had his way.

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.

This is the summer when old Pimlico is scheduled to be torn down with a new racecourse grandstand being built in time for Preakness 2027. How will that concept become a reality?

On this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod, new Maryland Jockey Club president and general manager Bill Knauf gets into the details as the episode's sole guest.

Knauf discusses his more than quarter-century at Monmouth Park, where he worked hand in hand with a management team which brought sports betting and fixed-odds wagering to the Jersey Shore racetrack.

The move of the Preakness to Laurel Park in 2026 and whether the new Pimlico will be ready in time for the 2027 renewal also comes up. The conversation covers how the new Pimlico may look and when plans may be finalized for the rebuilding of the Baltimore racetrack. Knauf offers thoughts about whether the $400 million budgeted for the project will be enough to cover the cost.

Knauf also talks about the future of racing in the mid-Atlantic region, especially the relationship the new Maryland Jockey Club will have with its neighbors in Virginia.

Of course any discussion of Pimlico will lead to thoughts about the spacing of the three Triple Crown races and whether it should be changed.

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 Belmont Stakes rematch of this year's classic winners Sovereignty and Journalism is the focus of this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Maggie Wolfendale-Morley from New York Racing Association TV and Fox Sports is at Saratoga, where she paints the scene for this second year the Belmont migrates to its home away from home. She offers a snapshot of the race with some angles that might not be so obvious to handicappers.

Trainer John Shirreffs discusses Baeza, who has all the makings of the wise-guy horse in this year's Belmont field. He also extolls the virtues of Saratoga, particularly as a haven for horses.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch has advice on how to bet an all-Grade 1 trio of races, namely the Woody Stephens, the Manhattan and the Belmont Stakes. The hard-core handicappers Johnny Avello, Ed DeRosa and Mark Midland have bonus picks for Saturday's Saratoga undercard.

Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times joins in the reading of audience feedback to last week's column pining for a Kentucky Derby victor to win again, just as Mystik Dan did last Saturday in the Blame Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs.

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 2025 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 DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello. They go through the entire field, 1 through 8, including Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and Preakness winner Journalism.

How will they play the two classic winners, and how short is too short to bet them to win or in exotics? How will the wise-guy status of Baeza or the presence of Bob Baffert with Rodríguez skew the odds? Who are 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.

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 preliminary look at next week's running of Belmont Stakes 2025 and a preview of this weekend's return of Kentucky Derby 2024 winner Mystik Dan to Churchill Downs are the centers of attention on this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

From the New York Racing Association and Fox Sports, former jockey Richard Migliore offers his perspective on the Triple Crown and how the rematch of Sovereignty and Journalism might unfold next Saturday. He also offers his thoughts about Júnior Alvarado, Umberto Rispoli and their winning rides in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and all the controversy that went with them.

Brian Hernandez Jr., who rode Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna to triumphs last year in the Kentucky Derby and Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, discusses both horses and their upcoming races. He focuses most of his attention on Saturday's running of the Blame Stakes (G3), where Mystik Dan tries to get his first victory since last year's Derby.

Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has some early thoughts about the Belmont Stakes and specific tips for the Arlington (G3), Blame and Regret (G3) on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Co-host John Cherwa from the Los Angeles Times joins in the feedback from listeners and readers reacting to the death of trainer Christophe Clément.

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free siption from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

The Preakness 2025 hangover has not been cured yet, and why should it? One of the great races of all time is subject to review as the Belmont Stakes looms on the horizon on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning turf writer John Scheinman from Baltimore has his thoughts about the race, the Triple Crown schedule and the future of racing in Maryland with old Pimlico scheduled to be demolished this year.

Bernie Hettel, the former top steward in Kentucky and Arkansas, weighs in with his opinion about Journalism's squeeze to victory in the Preakness and who should have been disqualified if anyone in one of the most physical stretch runs in Triple Crown history. He also has thoughts about the crop penalty assessed to jockey Júnior Alvarado in riding Sovereignty to a Kentucky Derby triumph.

Ed DeRosa looks ahead to the holiday weekend with handicapping of races at Santa Anita and Churchill Downs.

Co-host John Cherwa helps to go over some of the listener and reader feedback about Journalism's Preakness victory.

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.