The Ron Flatter Racing Pod

S9E26: Talking Kentucky Derby & Apple Blossom

The field is penciled into place for Kentucky Derby 2026 in three weeks at Churchill Downs. It also is set for Saturday's Grade 1, $1.25 million Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn. Both races come into focus this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. U.S. and Canada hall-of-fame trainer Mark Casse discusses Eclipse Award winner Nitrogen's bid to win the Apple Blossom. He also has Oaklawn stakes winner Nerazurri in the race. Casse also discusses his Kentucky Derby contender Silent Tactic and Kentucky Oaks (G1) hopes Counting Stars and Search Party. Horseplayers advocate Chris Larmey talks about his book Betting On Horse$ in an interview at the National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch offers some early thoughts about the Derby as well as weekend tips for Oaklawn. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have their popular host chat, and feedback offers listener and reader reaction to last week's interview with former FanDuel TV host Todd Schrupp. 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.

S9E25: Schrupp speaks

For the first time since he left FanDuel TV in February, racing host and analyst Todd Schrupp breaks his silence, and the last of the major preps for Kentucky Derby 2026 are the focus this week of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Not only does he talk about his exit, but Schrupp also discusses last week's announcement that FDTV will go out of existence by the end of next year. Super Screener creator Mike Shutty handicaps weekend stakes at Aqueduct and Keeneland, and he talks about the Blue Grass (G1), the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and the Wood Memorial (G2), the races that will shape the field for the Kentucky Derby. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have their popular host chat, and listener and reader feedback zeroes in on the closing of FDTV. 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.

S9E24: Long and short of Triple Crown

Two Grade 1 points preps for Kentucky Derby 2026 and a long-range view of the Triple Crown are on offer this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. The $1.5 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn and the $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park will send their winners and probably their second-place finishers to run for the roses May 2. Gustavo Delgado Jr., a co-owner and assistant trainer of The Puma, talks about his colt's chances in the Florida Derby and his return to the trail that got Mage into the winner's circle three years ago at Churchill Downs. Handicapper David Levitch analyzes this weekend's cards at Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn and offers a snapshot of his Paddock Prince tips. Eddie Olczyk of NBC Sports offers his impressions of the Triple Crown picture as well as whether racing can capture the same sort of international excitement that he covered in the Olympic hockey competition in Italy. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have 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.

S9E23: Baffert splits, DeVaux preps

The news of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's decision to split his deep stable between two states is a dominant topic this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park discuss the news that Baffert will have a string of horses during the entire spring meet at Churchill Downs. It will have repercussions in California, where Santa Anita scrambles to fill cards three days a week without an auxiliary gambling source of added revenue. Readers' feedback about Baffert also is on this episode. The Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds is one of Saturday's two win-and-you're-in qualifiers for Kentucky Derby 2026. Trainer Cherie DeVaux talks about her colt Golden Tempo, who carries 7-2 odds into the race. Handicapper Mark Midland zeroes in on the Louisiana Derby card as well as Turfway Park, where Saturday's Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) also will send its winner to the Kentucky Derby. Tom Rooney, the president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, gets into issues affecting the sport. The conversation took place last weekend at the National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. 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.

S9E22: Live again, sort of, from Las Vegas

From the National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas, past winners discuss present issues for the sport on the first live-ish episode since January of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. David Harrison, Mike Gillum and defending victor Dan Piazza, three of the last four NHC winners, gather in a roundtable to talk about the secrets to their successes. They also weigh tournaments against everyday play in racing and the impact of computer-assisted wagering on their handicapping. Back at the track, trainer Will Walden discusses maiden winner High Camp, who tries to extend his one-turn acumen Saturday in the Virginia Derby, a virtual win-and-you're-in qualifying prep for Kentucky Derby 2026. Walden also discusses his conquering of substance abuse and how his stable has reached out to others who have had similar challenges. Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has tips for Saturday races, including the Virginia Derby, the Grade 3 Whitmore Stakes at Oaklawn and the Captiva Island at Gulfstream Park. John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson from Fairmount Park are along with their weekly host chat, including the latest developments in the bankruptcy story at Hawthorne, the rejection of north-state racing in California and the latest defeat of the decoupling of Thoroughbreds and slot machines in Florida. There also is listener and reader feedback to the evergreen episodes of the podcast that ran in the last six weeks. 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.