It took Palazzi five tries to break his maiden last year at 2, but John Oxley’s Pioneerof the Nile colt wasted no time adding black-type to his résumé on his 3-year-old debut in the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile Stakes Jan. 31 at Sam Houston Race Park.
St. George Stables’ homebred Letruska lived up to the expectations of her connections Jan. 31 when she led at every point of call to take home her third graded win in the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park.
Terry Hamilton’s Spooky Channel notched his second graded stakes victory in his 6-year-old debut Jan. 31, holding off a late charge from Ajourneytofreedom to take the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) by a neck at Sam Houston Race Park.
Poker, to many, is the Cadillac of card games. Stretching out forever, perceived as cool by may outside the game, how can you always feel like a winner when you’re playing the game day in day out?
Well, you can start by reading these super-cool poker quotes. From a swinging sixties singer to the Devilfish, being cool and playing poker is made to sound easy by these legends.
1. “If there is one ‘X Factor’ that unites all great poker players, it’s their willingness to play aggressive poker.”
Phil Gordon hits the nail on the head when he speaks about the importance of aggression in poker. The game has gotten a lot more aggressive in recent decades, of course, and this call on what gives poker players their ‘X Factor’ still stands.
The life of a poker player can often be summarized by a style, a trophy or sometimes, a single hand. In the case of T.J. Cloutier, however, his is a legacy that is more of a consistent presence in the game, and one that will never be forgotten.
What is the background of Cloutier? It’s an at-times surprising rise to fame and fortune for a former sports star turned poker pro.
Let’s go right back to the beginning and find out about a true poker idol.
Born and Bred in Cali
Another entertaining week in the English Premier League saw some shock results, a first victory for Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea and a couple of extremely disappointing performances from the Manchester clubs.
Elsewhere, however, Leeds United won away at Leicester, Newcastle got a vital three points on the road too at Goodison Park and West Ham and Liverpool played out a bruising encounter in East London.
Let’s take a look back at all the action of a very busy weekend full of English Premier League fixtures.
Everton 0-2 Newcastle United
Trained and co-owned by Brittany Russell with Dark Horse Racing, Hello Hot Rod gamely held off Return the Ring by a head in the Jan. 31 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Doug Polk appears to be headed towards poker retirement, again. Again. That is assuming he sticks to his recent Twitter comments.
Doug Polk is done with poker yet again. (Image: Upswing Poker)
The Upswing Poker founder is in the midst of a lengthy heads-up battle against his long-time rival Daniel Negreanu. His lead ($736,000), with under 5,000 hands remaining, seems to be nearly insurmountable barring a miracle. So, he’s likely going to win a bunch of money from “DNegs” along with his massive side bets against other gamblers.
Polk came out of retirement to play in this challenge. Outside of prepping for the match for two months, he hadn’t played poker in more than a year. And it had been a few years since he played regularly. The three-time WSOP bracelet winner said when he “retired” in 2018 that he no longer enjoyed the game, and that playing poker gives him anxiety.
Medina Spirit stared defeat in the eye down the homestretch and refused to blink, holding off two pursuers through the last quarter-mile to win the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park.
Veteran trainer Milton Bradley, who made a career out of turning moderately-priced racehorses into serial winners, has decided to call time on a training career spanning more than 50 years with immediate effect.
The Irish National Stud was inducted into the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Hall of Fame Jan. 30, topping the 2020 ITBA National Breeding and Racing Awards that were presented in a virtual ceremony.
Paul Haigh, the long-standing Racing Post writer and former racing journalist of the year, has died aged 76.
A field of at least six, topped by runaway Jerome Stakes winner Capo Kane, is falling into place for the Feb. 6 $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Poker player Daniel Moravec may have helped the GameStop stock price rise late Friday due to a viral post he made on the subreddit forum WallStreetBets. The Minnesota native, who spoke with CardsChat News, discovered a trick to help heavily bankrolled investors buy restricted stocks from Robinhood and other trading apps.
Did this poker player cause a late surge for GameStop stock on Friday? (Image: CardsChat News)
Although the company is headed towards bankruptcy due to its failing stores nationwide, GameStop’s stock (GME) price has risen to unthinkable heights the past week due to a push from Reddit investors such as Moravec, a passionate poker player who now resides in Las Vegas, on the WallStreetBets forum.
The video game retailer’s stock has gone from under $20 per share a few weeks ago to a closing price of $325 on Friday. Earlier in the day, it surpassed $400. Many investors made a killing this past week and believe this is only the beginning. Some investors on Reddit and Twitter anticipate an eventual $1,000 mark.
C R K Stable’s Express Train punched his ticket to the March 6 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) Jan. 30 with a 3 1/4-length score in the $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.
Willis Horton Racing’s homebred Will’s Secret is a secret no longer after making the successful jump from maiden winner to stakes winner in the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 30 at Oaklawn Park.
Favored Medina Spirit repelled Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie to win a three-way photo in the $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) Jan. 30 at Santa Anita Park.
Favored Medina Spirit repelled Roman Centurian and Hot Rod Charlie to win a three-way photo in the $100,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) Jan. 30 at Santa Anita Park.
Willis Horton Racing’s homebred Will’s Secret is a secret no longer after making the successful jump from maiden winner to stakes winner in the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 30 at Oaklawn Park.
Proven class and exciting potential are the orders of the day at Whitsbury Manor Stud, whose director Ed Harper has plenty of reasons for optimism ahead of the forthcoming breeding season.