Las Vegas racebooks offer Breeders’ Cup handicapping tips

If you’re looking for some assistance zeroing in on the most likely winners of the Breeders’ Cup races, you’ve got plenty of expert handicappers available for consultation.

Many sports and racebooks around the Las Vegas Valley are offering free Breeders’ Cup handicapping seminars over the next two days to help fans navigate the 14 championship races being run on Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

Among them:

Thursday

Fiesta Henderson hosts a seminar at 1 p.m. in the racebook with guest handicapper Jerry Jacovitz, creator of JJ’s Fabulous Figs.

Boulder Station in Las Vegas hosts a handicapping seminar at 6 p.m. in the Railhead Lounge featuring “Professor” Gordon Jones, Dave Valento, aka the Track Phantom, and Brian Arrigone, paddock analyst at Minnesota’s Canterbury Park.

Friday

Rampart Casino in Summerlin will host a handicapping seminar at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom C featuring professional handicapper Steve Fierro, author of “The Four Quarters of Horse Investing,” and Rampart’s Race & Sports Manager Duane Colucci for a seminar where guests are encouraged to interact with the hosts and ask questions. Light refreshments will be available to attendees.

The South Point handicapping seminar, also at 6 p.m., will be hosted by Ralph Siraco of the “Race Day Las Vegas” radio show on KSHP, AM 1400, with house handicapper Patrick McQuiggan, noted Southern California clocker Toby Turrell,and Jon Hardoon of the Ragozin sheets offering opinions.The seminar also will be webcast at www.southpointracebook.com

Four expert handicappers will join host Brian Blessing at Sunset Station in Henderson for a 6 p.m. seminar. Guest handicappers are longtime TV racing analyst Hank Goldberg, Richard Eng, former Review-Journal turf writer and author of “Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies,” Dave Valento and Brian Arrigoni.

Guest handicapper Jerry Jacovitz will look at Saturday’s races in a seminar in the Texas Station racebook at 6 p.m.

The South Point also will host a Breeders’ Cup viewing party in the Grand Ballroom for both days of racing, with wagering stations available. Doors open at 10 a.m. Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Mike Brunker’s horse racing column appears Fridays. He can be reached at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.