00:38 Last weekend’s Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Race 12’s odds had us asking: What do people know about Hidden Connection? We liked La Crete and North County, but… 2:35 La Crete was injured and has since had what seems to be successful surgery. Props to jockey Joel Rosario. 4:09 Goddess of Fire surprised us—When will we learn?! Trainer Todd Pletcher always has a reason for placing a horse somewhere. 4:43 Trixie did WIN modestly by betting on #7 Turnerloose and #9 Awake at Midnyte to come into the money, mostly because she is coming to adore Nyquist’s kids (Nyquist is out of Uncle Mo, another great sire). 5:39 North County’s odds at 8-1 made Weej curious, but the move up in class was rough. 7:12 Race 13 was the Risen Star G2, a star-studded race with champs-in-waiting Pappacap, Smile Happy, Zandon, and Epicenter, among others. We were HIGH on Nyquist kid Slow Down Andy and his nice G2 win against Messier at Los Alamitos, but he stunk here! 8:36 Had to put a buck on Russian Tank, just in case that huge long shot came in. (Spoiler: Nope) 9:09 Trafalgar may be dead to Trixie. Smile Happy didn’t walk away with a win, but Placed and is still legit. 11:03 Holy Noodle Casserole! Epicenter killed it! His last humiliation by closer Call Me Midnight seems to have fired him up to dominate. Watching the young horses mature is so satisfying. Post Risen Star, we scan the rearranged Derby leaderboard. 13:55 Covering the Hyacinth Stakes, a Japanese Derby prep, and also the G1 February Stakes in Japan. We got the year’s first Breeders Cup Classic win-and-you’re-in entrant, 5 year-old colt Cafe Pharaoh, the defending and still-champion of this $2.2M race. 15:44 Moving onto FAT POINTS/FAT PURSES prep races at Oaklawn in Arkansas this weekend, February 26th. We have the Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 and 1/16 miles on dirt for a purse of $1 million. For the fillies, the Honeybee (G3), a $300K prep for the Kentucky Oaks. 16:49 Weej reviews the Rebel field, including Baffert colt Newgrange—about whom we have Derby-related questions—and Un Ojo, Texas Red Hot, Stellar Tap, Ben Diesel, Chasing Time , Barber Road, Ethereal Road, and Dash Attack. 23:59 Onto reviewing the 6 entrants for the Honeybee, including Optionality, Yuugiri, Secret Oath, Ice Orchid, Free Like a Girl, and Red Queen. 24:53 We love marquis Saturday racing, but… it’s never where we earn the mo$t as bettors. Spectacle is fabulous and exciting, but we love a long shot coming in during a weekday claimer! If you haven’t checked it out, we just added a new episode—right before this one—to the #historyandscandals playlist (S2 Ep 8). Of course, it includes coverage of the Baffert/Medina Spirit disqualification from the 2021 Kentucky Derby and the consequences. But in that episode, we also examine the loooong history of doping and the Jockey Club’s eerily modern concerns about it, as well as cases of a few more dirtbags (in our non legally-binding opinions): a crooked vet, perpetrating pharmacist, and roving doper, um, trainer. We love making jokes, but love 🐴 more. We encourage and support widespread reform with regard to equine medications, standards of care, and treatment during and after thoroughbred racing careers. We desire sparkling ethics, so we can enjoy the sport happily and encourage others to become fans, too! The duo behind 33xpl is at your favorite podcasting platform or on You Tube. You can also check us out at Instagram, Pinterest, and our own site http://www.33xpl.com. Check out our public community posts at https://www.33xpl.com/community/public HAPPY RACING, YA’LL! 💋 Trixie and Weej