The Ron Flatter Racing Pod

This weekend may be for the last time when Preakness 2025 is run at old Pimlico. It is the site for this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Michael McCarthy, the trainer of Journalism, discusses the timeline since his colt finished second in the Kentucky Derby and how he looks at being the favorite for the Preakness. Trainer Jamie Osborne talks about the reasons he decided not to bring Heart of Honor from across the Atlantic to race in the Derby and why he chose the Preakness for this colt and his daughter Saffie to ride in the U.S.

From 1/ST Racing, the outgoing managers of the Preakness, TV host and analyst Ron Nicoletti and executive vice president Mike Rogers discuss not only Saturday's classic but also the transition of the Preakness and the rest of the state's racing to the new Maryland Jockey Club.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch offers analysis of both the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on Friday and the Preakness on Saturday, even offering advice based on the weather whether it is rain or shine.

Co-host John Cherwa from the Los Angeles Times discusses the big fine incurred by jockey Júnior Alvarado for overuse of the riding crop on Sovereignty to win the Kentucky Derby. They also look at listener and reader feedback about the idea to expand the Triple Crown by one 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.

From Pimlico in Baltimore, deep analysis of every horse in Preakness 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 from 1 to 9, including morning-line favorite and Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism.

How will they play Journalism, and how short is too short to bet him to win or even in exotics? Will the social-media popularity of Sandman skew his odds? How about Bob Baffert's new shooter Goal Oriented and the almost forgotten graded-stakes winner Gosger? Who are the pretenders amid the contenders? Where is the value? 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.

Lessons learned from the Kentucky Derby are applied to Preakness 2025 on this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

A familiar voice in the tri-state area, Mike Francesa talks about his successful exacta play pairing Sovereignty and Journalism last week in the Derby. He also talks about his relationship as a horse owner with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and the decision to leave Sovereignty out of the Preakness. He even has some thoughts about the election of Pope Leo XIV.

The nation's leading workout analyst Bruno De Julio reviews some of the clues he saw in the morning that he applied to the Derby. He certainly had his successes, but he also admits to something he did not see coming. Of course he also weighs in on the scuttling of a Triple Crown opportunity in 2025.

Super Screener creator Mike Shutty had a successful Derby, and he already is looking ahead with angles for the Preakness. He also handicaps Saturday's key stakes in the Belmont at Aqueduct meet, including the Grade 2 Ruffian for older fillies and mares and the Peter Pan (G3), the traditional prep for the Belmont Stakes.

Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times reviews the Derby, looks ahead to the Preakness and offers his reaction to some of the listener and reader feedback about whether the Triple Crown schedule needs to 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.

From Churchill Downs, a big lineup of guests discusses Kentucky Derby 2025 on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

FanDuel TV's Caton Bredar, who lives in Louisville, Ky., tees up the show with her overarching view of the Derby and some of the horses she is looking at for her tickets.

Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners talks about Derby favorite Journalism. He also discusses 4-year-old Locked, who will take on Fierceness on Friday in the Grade 1 Alysheba Stakes.

Wayne Lukas trains American Promise, the Virginia Derby winner, for new owners John Bellinger of Texas and Brian Coelho of California.

Kate Hunter, the Japan liaison to big U.S. races, talks about Luxor Café and Admire Daytona.

Mike Repole, the self-anointed commissioner of racing. He discusses Fierceness against Locked in the Alysheba and lightly raced Grande in the Derby and maybe a word or two about the Florida decoupling proposal that may not get out of the state Senate.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen has Louisiana Derby winner Tiztastic with Joel Rosario riding and the maiden Publisher, the runner-up in the Arkansas Derby who gets jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Jayson Werth, the former Major League Baseball all-star who won the Belmont Stakes last year with Dornoch, owns long shot Flying Mohawk, the runner-up in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3)

The Paddock Prince David Levitch will have his angles to discuss and some tips for betting Kentucky Derby 151.

Hard-core handicappers Mark Midland and Ed DeRosa of Horse Racing Nation and Johnny Avello of DK Horse will be along with their tips for Friday's Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times has his thoughts since he arrived this week on the Derby scene.

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 Kentucky Derby 2025 is ready to hear now with the hard-core handicappers pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Horse Racing Nation handicappers Ed DeRosa and Mark Midland and DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello in Las Vegas go through the entire field from the favorite Journalism to the longest of long shots. They evaluate every horse from 1 to 20 plus no. 21 Baeza, who could add to the four also-eligibles who have shown up in the superfecta since the Derby points era began 12 years ago.

How will they play the favorite Journalism? Will Sovereign and Sandman figure prominently on their tickets? Who are the tosses, and who are the value plays? The panel answers all those questions

The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is posted every Friday with pop-ups like this one for Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup races. It is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

Two Hall of Famers and a successful handicapper line up to preview Kentucky Derby 2025 this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Six-time Derby winner Bob Baffert discusses his Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner Rodríguez, 2024 champion juvenile male Citizen Bull and his return to Churchill Downs with a lineup of horses for more than just the Derby.

Brent Musburger, who was just announced as the Pete Rozelle Award winner by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, talks about some of his memorable visits to the Derby as well as his handicapping thoughts for next Saturday.

Super Screener creator Mike Shutty offers some of the overarching views he has about the run for the roses, especially the anticipated pace of the race and how to grade Japan runners Luxor Café and Admire Daytona.

Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times joins in the listener and reader feedback.

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 Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby 2025 talk intensifies on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox discusses Grade 1 Florida Derby winner Tappan Street and Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) victor Final Gambit, his two horses for the Derby. He also talks about undefeated Good Cheer, who will be the favorite in the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

FanDuel TV's Scott Hazelton offers his early thoughts on handicapping the Derby, especially the horses he has watched in the flesh as well as Luxor Café and Admire Daytona, the two colts from Japan who he will be seeing for the first time. He also talks about Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's return to the race that he has won six times and whether he sees a seventh trophy going back to Southern California.

Horse Racing Nation's Mark Midland handicaps two Preakness qualifiers at Oaklawn and Laurel Park as well as the graded stakes Saturday at Keeneland. He also has some early thoughts about the Kentucky Derby.

Co-host John Cherwa joins to field listener and reader feedback and throw his $2 worth into the Derby conversation.

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.

Three weeks before Kentucky Derby 2025, America's biggest race dominates the discussion on this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Brian Zipse, the longtime co-host of HorseCenter, makes his first appearance since he was sidelined with severe hearing loss. Thanks to technology, he is able to field questions about the Derby, his trip Saturday to see Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn and how he has been doing.

U.S. and Canada hall of famer Mark Casse talks about the horses he is training in the Derby and the Kentucky Oaks (G1), namely Arkansas Derby (G1) victor Sandman and Ashland (G1) winner La Cara. He also touches on some of the political issues facing horse racing.

Ed DeRosa offers some broad brushstrokes about his betting strategy for the Kentucky Derby and specifics on how he is playing three graded stakes this weekend at Keeneland.

Co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times checks in from Florida to hlep field listener and reader feedback.

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.

With only four weeks left until Kentucky Derby 2025, the last three major qualifying preps have the attention of this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow discusses Captain Cook, one of the top contenders in what is expected to be a wet running Saturday of the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Dutrow talks about whether the weather will benefit his colt and how the race will be run. He also talks about the two years he has been back in racing after his 10-year suspension ended.

FanDuel TV analyst Joaquin Jaime looks at the overall Kentucky Derby picture, including the showdown between consensus futures favorite Journalism and Eclipse Award winner Citizen Bull in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on Saturday. There also will be conversation about the Wood and about Tuesday's Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland.

Super Screener creator Mike Shutty zeroes in on each of the three Derby qualifiers, and co-host John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times checks in from California to field listener and reader feedback.

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.

Handicapping of Kentucky Derby 2025 qualifiers this weekend and a tribute to the late San Diego columnist Bryce Miller take center stage on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod.

Del Mar president Joe Harper offers a tribute to Miller, whose turf writing took him from the seaside track to Triple Crown races to Breeders' Cups.

Colleagues reminisce about a newspaper career that took Miller from his native Iowa to USA Today to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Former sports editor Jay Posner and podcast co-host and Los Angeles Times contributor John Cherwa share stories about their working with Miller.

Highlights of a 2022 interview with Miller will be replayed, including an infamous story about an Iowa man whose embarrassment about something he left in his car led him to a $2.2 million lottery win.

Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch focuses on the Florida Derby and the Arkansas Derby, this weekend's Grade 1 races that are automatic qualifiers for Churchill Downs in May. He also has tips for the Kentucky Oaks (G1) preps at Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn.

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.