I received a press release the other day from Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City and I thought that as someone who loves to gamble…and who loves horse racing… it was kinda interesting.

The Casino was announcing the debut of Triple Towers Virtual Horse Racing.

Now available exclusively in New Jersey at Resorts, this horse racing themed game provides slot players a simple way to enjoy the horse race betting experience in a group-play atmosphere.

Created for IGT’s M-P Series® hardware, players place bets on 23-inch monitors at individual player stations and a 57-inch large-format LCD central display. Dynamic camera angles, 3-D technology, realistic sounds effects and race commentary bring the experience of the racetrack to life.

The individual player stations feature touch-sensitive screens that allow players to make wagers and access onscreen help before, during and after each race. The central display shows horse history and handicap information before each race.

Much like wagering at a live racetrack, players place traditional bets – Win, Place or Show – as well as Exacta and Quinella. Players can also make quick pick bets, random bets based on the player’s selected wager value and bet type. Bets are made in $1 denominations with a minimum of $3 and a maximum of $50 in total bets.

A jackpot bonus feature randomly selects a race result and awards players the displayed amount if the race finishes in that exact order. The jackpot amount varies based on the number of horses that finish in order and the player’s total wager amount.

OK… it’s not real. And I don’t get (no matter what they say) the real thrill of being at a track.

But it sounds like fun.

I’ll be in Atlantic City in a few weeks and hope to check it out for you.

Meanwhile, if anyone reading this has been to Resorts lately and wants to report on it, just email me.

Don’t  ignore Schoolyard Dreams.  He lost the Tampa Bay Derby to Odysseus but just barely. That loss cost the horse a chance at the Kentucky Derby as he didn’t have enough earnings to make the field. 

The owners entered the horse in the Wood Memorial but no horse was going to beat Eskendereya in that race.

After the fourth place finish in the Wood the horse was pointed toward the Preakness.

“The horse is ready to go,” said part owner Eric Fein, “Anybody who doesn’t think so is crazy.”

The sire of Schoolyard Dreams is Stephen Got Even who finished fourth in the 1999 Preakness.  Schoolyard Dreams is the grandson of 1992 Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy.

The 136th Run for the Roses ended with jockey Calvin Borel winning AGAIN, the third time in the past four years. This time, on Super Saver.

The horse went off at 12-1 odds.

So winning the Derby was nothing new for this great jocket (from Louisiana)…not so for trainer Todd Pletcher, who has had 24 (count em) entrants in the Derby before yesterday’s win. His first.

Borel knows this track. And we know Borel.

He broke from the gate and went directly to the rail. Waiting for just the right moment to make the break.

Confident, as always, he told reporters  ”I knew nothing was going to run him down.” This, despite a hard charge from Ice Box down the home stretch.

Pletcher, who had come close to Derby wins with Bluegrass Cat (2006) and Invisible Ink (2001), was happy to have Borel on his side for once, especially given his history at the famed Louisville course.

“Calvin Borel is a great rider anywhere he goes, but at Churchill Downs he’s even five lengths better,” Pletcher said.

We couldn’t have said it better.

Be interesting to see the horse he rides next year.

The horses most commonly amongst the expert Kentucky Derby betting picks are Super Saver, Awesome Act, Ice Box, and the filly Devil May Care.

Here’s why:

It’s gonna be a muddy track, remember.

Super Saver is a popular Kentucky Derby pick because he’s one of the few horses in the 2010 lineup that has won at Churchill Downs.

He’s a dirt horse that has had success on this track and it doesn’t hurt that 2009 Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel will be yanking the reins.

You can get close to 17/1 Kentucky Derby betting odds on Super Saver online even though the track odds at Churchill Downs have him as the race favorite at 7/1.

Awesome Act is liked because he’s really figured it out recently and has the versatility to run any sort of race.  In a 20-horse race like the 2010 Kentucky Derby, that type of skill is looked fondly upon.

Ice Box seems to be the consensus favorite as the top closer in the 2010 Kentucky Derby lineup and many are making picks on him because of how easily Mine That Bird came from way back last year.

Devil May Care is the filly and she really doesn’t appear all that talented at first glance.  She’s ran one nice race in her career and it was against a lineup of iffy contenders.

That said, there are plenty making Kentucky Derby picks on her because of the huge speed figure she put up in that race.  It puts her amongst the top 3 in terms of that statistic and you can get close to 20/1 odds on her currently.

Good luck, bettors everywhere. I’ll post news after the race.

Ok. Now we have a problem, as bettors.

Eskendereya, whom I would have bet on this Saturday, in the 136th Kentucky Derby has been withdrawn.

Eskendereya, for those who aren’t aware of the horse, won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Wood Memorial.

He would have been a strong favorite in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, but the colt was withdrawn from the first leg of the Triple Crown on Sunday because of swelling in his left front leg.

Damn it.  Of course, we don’t want anything to happen to the horse, so it is right that he was withdrawn. Don’t get me wrong on that.

Trainer Todd Pletcher said at a news conference at Churchill Downs, “The horse isn’t lame. I wouldn’t call it that. He’s not uncomfortable; he’s slightly off. We’re hopeful that this is not career threatening.”

Pletcher still has as many as six horses eligible for the Kentucky Derby, as he tries to win the race for the first time. He has competed in nine of the past 10 Derbies with 24 starters, and his best finishes were seconds by 51-to-1 shot Invisible Ink in 2001 and 30-to-1 shot Bluegrass Cat in 2006.

“It is extremely disappointing, of course,” Pletcher said.

So who do we bet on now?

With Eskendereya gone, the probable Derby favorite will be Lookin At Lucky, who has won six of eight starts and was the champion 2-year-old in 2009.

Lookin At Lucky is trained by three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert.

Watch this week for MANY MORE postings on the Derby.

The course at Aintree will once again host the Grand National, England’s most famous race.

Aintree is unforgiving. 40 horses lining up … 4.5 miles, 30 fence jumps.

Is this the toughest, most demanding course in the world, as some people think?

Yup.

The race’s history is responsible for some of the true horse racing greats and everybody who has ever witnessed a Grand National has a story to tell. And a memory that will last a lifetime.

As I look at my record book, I’m seeing names of famous winners like Bindaree, Hedgehunter, Miinnehoma, Party Politics.

Big Fella Thanks?

Anything can happen in the National. Last year, 100/1 shot Mon Mome landed last year’s renewal.

I’ll keep my eye out for more information tomorrow. So check this site out. I’ll comb the web for more information. And put more feelers out to my UK contacts.

If you are reading this in the UK…would love to hear your thoughts. And predictions.

It’s the richest race in the world and here are the results of the 2010 Dubai World Cup, which took place Mar. 27.

Gloria de Campeao was up by a nose to win the World Cup.

Nice payout of $52.40 for a $2 win ticket.

Before the race was official the jockey of Lizard’s Desire thought  he was the winner. It was that close a race.

He crossed the finish line raising his hands, but the photo finish said otherwise. He was second. Pretty embarrassing, I’d say. Dude… you gotta make sure you’ve won before you start celebrating.

Gloria de Campeao started the race as a 15-1 underdog.

Those odds shouldn’t have been so high. Gloria de Campeao had been racing in Dubai for months and in recent weeks had been performing well. Especially on the new Meydan racetrack.

Back to the U.S. for horse racing news this week, leading up the Derby.

Man…this is the best time of year, ain’t it?

And I’ll bet you feel the way I do.

So let’s talk Triple Crown.

Ain’t been done sine 1978, Affirmed.

Other winners include Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973) and Seattle Slew (1977).

This year the Triple Crown races will take place, as I said at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on 1 May 2010, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on 15 May 2010, and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on 5 June 2010.

366 horses already have been nominated to race. Early nominations, in case you didn’t know are $600 per horse…later on, entries are $6,000.

All entries will be closing on 27 March 2010.

And what are some names to look for? Try  Lookin At Lucky, Vale of York, She Be Wild and Blink Luck, have made their way onto the nominations list, with eight nominations from Ireland, three from Britain and four from Canada.

Nominations for this year’s event have dropped off a little compared to the 401 early nominations of 2009, and eleven were added to the nominations list after the early phase of nominations.

Senior vice president for Churchill Downs racing, Donald Richardson, commented that even though the nomination field is smaller this year, it has not taken away the competitiveness of the event, as all the nominations are worthy contenders in their own right. Everyone will be holding their breath for the Kentucky Derby to see who will take the lead to be a contender for the Triple Crown title.

Can’t wait.

What an incredible, brilliant race. Zenyatta…girl power indeed.

Zenyatta recorded a brilliant win in the $5.45 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita, California on Nov. 7. I hope you saw it, either in person or on TV.

Zenyatta became the first female to take the coveted 1¼ mile (2000 metres) race, notching her 14th straight win in the process.

Settled in her customary position at the rear of the field under Mike Smith, Zenyatta was some 10 lengths off the lead in the back stretch and looked to have work to do entering the final turn. Having to come around horses, the striking dark bay mare came with a scintillating run down the home straight, flying home to win by a length from Gio Ponti, with Twice Over third.

Now five years old, Zenyatta’s 14 consecutive wins bettered the record of another great distaffer, Personal Ensign. Having capped a perfect season in 2008 with victory in the grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic at the same course, this season she has added four further wins at the highest level.

Speaking after the race, her trainer said: ”Tears are coming to my eyes. I can’t believe it – what a great, great filly. She’s special. She came out on the wrong lead and took some time to get going but she’s all heart.

”There was a little bit of chaos at the start and she got upset and I was a little concerned. She was slow early and I didn’t necessarily want to be that far back. She came round and I still didn’t hit all the gears. She’s the horse of the decade. She’ll go down as one of the all-time greats.”

I couldn’t agree more. Horse of the Year? Some may argue against her, but not me.

Not if you saw that great race.

Zenyatta rules.