Sports

Let ‘Em Run: Jeff Ruby Stakes gives us big winner

Published

5 days ago

March 24, 2025

By – Sean Miller

Let ‘Em Run had an absolute rollercoaster of a ride this weekend, and we hope you were on for the trip! Horse racing can be a game of patience and persistence, and Saturday was a perfect example of that.

We started off a bit slow at Gulfstream Park, struggling to find the winner’s circle in the first three legs. In Race 7 and Race 8, our picks finished second, falling just short. Race 9 was another near miss, as we secured a second and third-place finish but couldn’t quite get over the line for a victory. Frustrating? Yes. But that’s horse racing, and the key is to stick with the process.

Then came our “Look Out” bet, and for the third consecutive week, it delivered. In Race 10, our top pick, #5 Runnin’ Rocket, delivered a thrilling stretch run to chase down the leaders and secure the win. The payoff was a modest $4.00, but a win is a win, and we’ll take it. The day ended with another runner-up finish in Race 11, giving us a mix of promising results and tough beats.

Derby Prep Fireworks: Turfway & Fairgrounds

If Gulfstream was a grind, the Derby Prep races made up for it in a big way. The real fireworks started at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby Stakes, where our top pick, Final Gambit (15-1), stunned the field with an explosive turn of foot, powering home to victory and paying $32.14. Those who backed our selection enjoyed a massive score, making up for the earlier Gulfstream struggles.

Over at Fair Grounds in the Louisiana Derby, we had another exciting run. Our pick, Chunk of Gold, ran a gutsy race, battling hard down the stretch before finishing second to the winner, Tiztastic. The effort still rewarded us with a solid $8.40 payout to place. Two strong performances in the Derby preps made for an exciting and profitable Saturday.

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Looking Ahead: Florida Derby & Arkansas Derby

Next up on Saturday, March 29, are two more major Kentucky Derby prep races, featuring some of the top three-year-olds in the country.

Florida Derby (Gulfstream Park – Race 14, 6:42 PM EST)

This prestigious prep race features a field of ten, led by morning-line favorite Sovereignty (8-5), a horse with plenty of hype. Right behind him in the betting is Madaket Road (7-2), a serious contender who should challenge for the win. Expect a fast-paced race with several colts looking to secure their ticket to Churchill Downs.

Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park – Race 13, 7:48 PM EST)

Over at Oaklawn, the Arkansas Derby has drawn a field of nine, including the lightning-fast Sandman, who will likely set the pace early. Another interesting entry is Coal Battle, trained by the fan-favorite Lonnie Briley. This race should be a great betting opportunity with several live longshots in the mix.

Stay Tuned for More Action with Let ’em Run

Be sure to tune into our weekly “One Horse Wonder” segment on Thursday, March 27, at 8 PM, where we’ll break down these races in greater detail, discuss strategy, and take a deep dive into the best betting angles for Saturday’s action.

Thanks for following, and as always… Let ‘Em Run!

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Sports

New Orleans Business And Political Leaders Want An NHL Team

Published

4 hours ago

March 29, 2025

Austin Reed

New Orleans can throw a big party but probably is not big enough to support three major league franchises.

It is highly unlikely that the New Orleans market will get a franchise.

Business and political leaders in New Orleans and Louisiana are kicking the tires to determine if the National Hockey League could put a franchise in the city in the future. NHL brass has been listening to business and political leaders in Alpharetta, Georgia, Cincinnati, Houston, Omaha, Phoenix and Québec City about their interest in getting a franchise in their markets. New Orleans has some significant hurdles to overcome to even get an NHL real study of the market. The National Basketball Association’s New Orleans Pelicans ownership wants an arena upgrade or an entirely new arena. New Orleans is a market that is tourist driven and does not have a big corporate base. Most of the corporate money goes to the National Football League’s Saints. Government money has propped up the Saints franchise.

The NHL’s stance has not changed since Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed possible expansion in October 2024. “We feel no compulsion to do it right now. We just came off our most successful season in our history, we’ve got collective bargaining to deal with, we’ve got new media arrangements to do in Canada in the next couple of years. If something came in and checked all the boxes, and we felt that it might make sense, we might consider it. But we’re not there right now, and it seems like everybody is, on the one hand, pushing us with, ‘Why don’t you expand?’ and at the same time saying, ‘Why would you expand?’ So, it’s not a front-burner topic right now.” But the NHL has been listening to pitches from Alpharetta. Political and business leaders in Cincinnati are pushing to build a 21^st century state of the art venue in town. The NHL would like to return to Phoenix but there is no plan to build an arena. New Orleans is not getting an NHL franchise anytime soon.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

Bourbon Street New Orleans

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Sports

Sunshine State Showdown as Top Ranked University of Tampa takes on Florida Southern. The rivals are face off this weekend in Lakeland.

Published

21 hours ago

March 29, 2025

Austin Reed

Tampa (24-4)

The Spartans hosted SSC opponents Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and Saint Leo this past week. Tampa swept the Eagles in a weekend series and beat the Lions in a mid-week matchup. They dominated both offensively and on the mound in the four conference games. They outscored their opponents 33-8 in the four games. In game one against Embry-Riddle, the Spartans starting pitcher C.J. Williams tossed eight innings of one-run baseball, and catcher Jhoander Irigoyen was 4-5 with five runs batted in on the night at the plate, including two doubles. In game two against the Eagles, Skylar Gonzalez pitched six innings, giving up one run. Despite Gonzalez‘s efficient outing, the Spartans found themselves down one heading into the ninth before Brayden Woodburn launched a solo shot to tie the game up. J.D. Urso walked it off for the Spartans in the bottom of the tenth with a single. In game three, Jake Stipp picked up his fifth win of the season, improving to 5-0 on the season, tossing seven scoreless in route to a Spartans 10-0 run-rule victory. Jordan Williams, Nico Saladino, Woodburn, and Kevin Karstetter all had multi-hit games, and Santiago Garavito hit his first moonshot of the year. In the mid-week matchup against St. Leo, the Spartans bullpen, Eli Thurmond, Ethan Brown, Jacob Fletcher, and Logan Wash, combined for seven scoreless innings while striking out 12. Jake Griffith hit his first long ball of the season, and J. Williams continues to inch closer to Eddie Cowans‘s single-season Tampa stolen base record (52), stealing four bags on the night. The No. 1 Spartans look to continue their dominance on the mound and at the dish as they take on No. 13 Florida Southern for a three-game series and Valdosta State during a mid-week matchup.

Florida Southern (22-6)

The Mocs are 22-6 on the season and 7-2 in Sunshine State Conference play. They started their season 15-2, including taking two of three from then-ranked No. 14 West Florida, before sweeping Georgia Southwestern State University, taking a mid-week matchup against Eckerd, sweeping USC Beaufort, taking two of three from Florida Tech, sweeping Barry, and taking another mid-week matchup this time against Roosevelt University. The Mocs then dropped a series to No. 25 Carson-Newman before taking two of three from Eckerd, a mid-week matchup from St. Leo, and three of four from Wayne State. The No. 13 Mocs look to make a statement as they host No. 1 Tampa for a three-game series.

Live stats for all games this week can be found at Tampastats.com. 

Live broadcasts for all games this week can be found at TampaSpartans.tv.

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Sports

Elete 8: The Gators face Texas Tech just one win away from a trip to the Final Four.

Published

22 hours ago

March 29, 2025

Austin Reed

CBS Sports and TNT Sports announce tip times and commentators for the Regional Finals of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 29, on TBS and truTV. The games will also stream on NCAA March Madness Live and Max. Florida will take on Texas Tech in the first game at 6:09 PM, ET, followed by Alabama playing Duke in the second game at 8:49 PM, ET.

Kevin Harlan will be on the call for the TBS/truTV broadcast, with Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy as analysts. Lauren Shahdi will serve as the sideline reporter.

The Florida Gators had a strong second half Thursday night, and they defeated the Maryland Terrapins 87-71. There are some concerns about Florida forward Alex Condon’s health. He suffered an apparent ankle injury during the first half, but played in the second half.

Florida is 2-1 all-time against Texas Tech. Both of the wins were in the 1960s, and one of them required two overtimes. The most recent meeting between the two teams came in the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, which resulted in a 69-66 loss for the Orange and Blue. Florida was a 6-seed and the underdog that year, but now the Gators are the No. 1 seed in the West Region and are going into the matchup as the favorite.

Both Florida and Texas Tech are looking to return to the Final Four after an absence since 2014. Texas Tech was the national runner-up in that year, while Florida just made it to the Final Four. Florida has the more efficient defense of the two teams, but both teams have top-5 offenses, according to KenPom.

The Nissan NCAA Tip-Off pregame show will begin the night’s action at 5 PM, ET with host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith and Jay Wright.

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