The Ron Flatter Racing Pod

Between Friday and Sunday, there are 25 graded stakes in the U.S. and Canada plus cards full of group races in support of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) in Paris. With plenty of Breeders' Cup implications, they come into focus this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Four-year-old Daryz tries to become the first male horse to repeat as Arc winner when he races again in Europe's richest race. Racing Post senior writer Lee Mottershead will be on the scene, and he provides a preview of the 1 1/2-mile turf fixture. He also discusses some of the pressures facing the sport in his home country England, especially as sports gambling faces a less-than-friendly government led by new prime minister Andy Burnham. The discussion is framed in the idea that some of the challenges facing the sport over there could come to America. Back home, trainer Kenny McPeek has four 2-year-olds trying to win their way into the Breeders' Cup via graded stakes at Keeneland. He talks about them, especially Coach Pope, the 4-5 morning-line favorite to take the Breeders' Futurity (G1) on Saturday. Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch offers tips for the Champagne (G1) and Pilgrim (G2) at Belmont Park as well as the Breeders' Futurity. Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park is joined by guest co-host Jon Lindo, whose multifaceted résumé in California qualifies him to weigh in on the American Pharoah (G1) on Saturday at Santa Anita as well as anything else that pops up in the popular host-chat feature. Feedback comes from last week's exclusive interview with Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen. 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 topics like the Triple Crown, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority and computer-assisted wagering, Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen takes part in an exclusive interview on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Carstanjen addresses questions about the future of the Triple Crown with the exclusion of the Preakness from next year's inaugural Thoroughbred Championship Series. He is asked about what might have happened if CDI had acquired the intellectual properties for the Preakness before the state of Maryland used its option to keep them. With the Marshall Gramm exposure of classified veterinary records and the Fair Hill 5 betting coup last month, Carstanjen discusses his criticism of HISA's oversight of the two controversies. He reacts to HISA CEO Lisa Lazarus's criticism of CDI for calling on the Federal Trade Commission to launch an independent investigation of the federal authority. With Saratoga and Del Mar showing mixed handle results from their summer meets, Carstanjen talks about whether Churchill tracks might borrow those tracks' ideas for curbing computer betting close to post time. Ed DeRosa of Horse Racing Nation provides handicapping tips for Saturday's Grade 1 races, namely the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park and the Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita. He also analyzes Sunday's Oklahoma Derby (G3) at Remington Park. Fairmount Park announcer Keith Nelson is joined by guest co-host Scott Shapiro of 1/ST for the 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. It is sponsored by 1/ST BET.

Making a return to New York for the opening of the new Belmont Park, this week's episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod focuses not just on the new $450 million redevelopment but also the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby this weekend at Parx. Track announcer Jessica Paquette talks about the biggest race at the Bensalem track as well as the Cotillion Stakes (G1). She also discussion the 2026 racing year at Parx, and she even reveals an unexpected surprise about herself. Richard Migliore, the former jockey turned media analyst, joins the conversation in the big new paddock at Belmont Park. He talks about the revamped racing surfaces, including the new synthetic surface that will be used heavily during the upcoming winter. Ed DeRosa is in the handicappers rotation with tips for the Pennsylvania Derby, the Cotillion and, at Churchill Downs, the Dogwood (G3) on Saturday night. Ron is joined by Fairmount Park announcer Keith Nelson and guest co-host Matt Shifman of Horse Racing Nation to talk about the new Belmont Park. 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.

Nick Seevers, an accomplished horseplayer based in Sacramento, Calif., shares his story on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. A two-time National Horseplayers Championship competitor, Seevers talks about the handicappers who have influenced his growth in the game. He also singles out books and podcasts that have been helpful. A lifelong resident of Northern California, Seevers discusses the gambling he did growing up and his introduction to racing at tracks that since have been shut down. He details just what that part of the country lost when racing there in 2024. The $5 minimum introduced for win, place and show bets at the recent Kentucky Downs meet also is grist for conversation with Seevers. That, of course, leads to a discussion of computer wagering and the best way to bet against it. Seevers also shares his appreciation for The Tony Kornheiser Show, which has been a template for this podcast.  In host chat, sports writer John Cherwa and Fairmount Park track announcer Keith Nelson talk about their interactions with their audiences as well as their own brushes with celebrities. The episode opens with a remembrance of what happened 25 years ago, when 9/11 took on the significance it carries today. 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.

Labor Day weekend brings the climactic days of the summer meets at Saratoga and Del Mar, and it means more big-money races at Kentucky Downs. It also means taking time to reflect on a chaotic month in racing. They are grist for the conversation this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Jay Privman, the retired national writer from Daily Racing Form, examines what went wrong for racing in August, especially with the exposure of veterinary records kept by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. He has strong opinions about how justice should be meted out in this matter. Adrian Beaumont of the England-based International Racing Bureau is at Kentucky Downs this weekend to see some of the horses he helped bring over to America to compete in the big-money turf meet on the Tennessee border. He will discuss that and look ahead to big autumn dates in Europe as well as the Breeders' Cup next month at Keeneland. Horse Racing Nation's Mark Midland takes his turn in the handicappers rotation and chooses from a deep list of important stakes across the country to offer his tips. Listener and reader feedback comes in reaction to Leading Change's 10-1 upset victory last week in the Grade 1 Travers. Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park and guest co-host Steve Kornacki of NBC News and Sports talk about how they spent their summer and look forward to the holiday weekend and beyond. 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. It is sponsored by 1/ST BET.