The Ron Flatter Racing Pod

Horse Racing Nation
  • 4.2 (72)
  • Sports
  • Updated Weekly

Featuring handicapping tips and insight from insiders, the Ron Flatter Racing Pod is posted every Friday morning via HorseRacingNation.com. Check out the interviews with owners, trainers, jockeys, racing journalists, handicappers and celebrities. The pod is hosted by HRN managing editor Ron Flatter, who has been covering horse racing around the world for more than 35 years.

  1. 9h ago

    End of summer, sort of

    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.

  2. Aug 28

    Stamp out August, but not the Travers

    The Travers Stakes, Saratoga's Grade 1, $1.25 million mid-summer derby, dominates the conversation this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Racing analyst Kaylie Shapiro of the New York Racing Association discusses the first-ever showdown between Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo, Preakness victor Napoleon Solo and Jim Dandy (G2) winner Renegade. Trainer Lindsay Schultz talks about Baby Vino, the colt's 28-1 upset victory in the Haskell (G1) and whether there could be an encore surprise in the Travers. Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch weighs in with his tips for the Travers plus two other graded stakes, the Ballerina (G1) and Lake Placid (G2), on Saratoga's Saturday card. Listener and reader feedback comes from the Travers draw and adds to the opinion about how the biggest race of the summer may be run and won. Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park and guest co-host Jonathon Kinchen from NYRA discuss a turbulent month in racing as well as the Travers and perhaps a cameo mention of the St. Louis Derby. 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.

  3. Aug 21

    Behind the Pamplemousse

    The Pacific Classic, Del Mar's signature Grade 1, $1 million race, is the main topic of conversation this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Ryan Anderson and Jackson Muniz from the Gallop Out podcast check in to talk about this weekend's big race as well as the Del Mar summer and handicapping trends that have developed through the season. Jockey Júnior Alvarado discusses his upcoming ride on morning-line favorite Knightsbridge in the Pacific Classic. He also talks about his recent success riding reigning horse of the year Sovereignty and his work with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has handicapping tips for weekend races, including the Pacific Classic. Listener and reader feedback focuses on the fallout from Jockey Club member Marshall Gramm's gathering and leaking of confidential veterinary records that were not locked down by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. Fairmount Park's Keith Nelson is joined by guest co-host Larry Collmus from NBC Sports and Del Mar. 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.

  4. Aug 18

    S9E49: Pop-up episode on leak of HISA vet records

    The brewing scandal over the leak of private veterinary information from a federal-government portal is the subject of this pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Equine-law attorney Craig Robertson, technology expert Bill Blanchard and Horse Racing Nation's Ed DeRosa, all horseplayers, discuss the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's case against Marshall Gramm. A member of The Jockey Club, Gramm was accused of misusing proprietary vet records via his access as a horse owner to a HISA portal. Robertson tackles the legal issues that face Gramm, HISA and perhaps others who might benefit from their own access to the vet portal. Blanchard weighs in on just how secure the HISA data may or may not have been. DeRosa provides updates on his reporting of the story and considers the ripples it may have across the racing industry and for horseplayers. The episode opens with a timeline on how the scheme came together and HISA's investigation of it. 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. Regular episodes are posted every Friday morning.

  5. Aug 14

    S9E48: King's Plate & Fair Hill 5

    The 167th running of the King's Plate opens the 2026 Canada Triple Crown. That and developments with the Fair Hill 5 are the main topics this week on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Woodbine TV analyst Elissa Blowe checks in from Toronto to talk about the biggest day in Canada horse racing. She sets the scene not only for the King's Plate but also the rest of the stakes on the card and the buzz that it gets every summer. Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll discusses her two entrants in this weekend's race at Woodbine. Even-money morning-line favorite Luster, a two-time stakes winner, is Carroll's leading candidate to deliver her a fourth victory in the synthetic-course classic. She also talks about the role that her long shot Don Ique will have in the 1 1/4-mile race. Horse Racing Nation's Mark Midland offers handicapping tips for weekend races, including the King's Plate. Listener and reader feedback focuses on the Fair Hill 5, the brewing scandal that was the subject of Tuesday's pop-up episode of the RFRP. Andie Biancone of NBC Sports steps in as the guest co-host to join Fairmount Park's Keith Nelson for 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.

  6. Aug 11

    Pop-up to examine the Fair Hill 5

    In a brewing scandal, a suspicious pattern emerged from races Sunday that put the spotlight on five horses who trained this summer at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland. The details are examined in this special pop-up episode of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Pennsylvania handicapper Doug Salvatore, who has had a variety of roles in racing, detected the similarities in real time and posted his findings on X. In this episode he answers questions about what he discovered. He serves as a guide through the sequence of races at Saratoga and Monmouth Park. Horse Racing Nation's Ed DeRosa has been reporting the story this week and joins the conversation to tell what he has learned from an overseas bookmaker who took some of the action and found it to be suspicious. This episode opens with the sequence of race calls and the names of the characters in this story being investigated by Fair Hill as well as state and federal racing regulators. 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. Regular episodes are posted every Friday morning.

  7. Aug 7

    Whitney & is it the Double Crown?

    The Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes this weekend at Saratoga and the introduction of a new 3-year-old series that excludes the Preakness Stakes are the talk of the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Acacia Clément from Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association TV team discusses the Whitney rematch of Magnitude against his three closest pursuers from the Stephen Foster (G1). She also talks about other highlights on the card that includes three other Grade 1 races. Nitrogen is not to be missed as she tries to become the seventh female horse ever to win the Whitney. General manager Jonathan Green from D.J. Stables talks about why he and trainer Mark Casse decided this would be a good spot for their 4-year-old filly. Ed DeRosa takes his turn in the handicapping rotation. In addition to offering tips for the Whitney and other weekend races, he weighs in on the story of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes being the centerpieces of the latest alliance between Churchill Downs Inc. and the New York Racing Association. The late jockey Robby Albarado is remembered with an archived interview from the Eclipse Awards in January 2009, when Curlin was honored as the horse of the year for the second time in a row. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park offer their thoughts about where this week's developments leave the Triple Crown. The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is sponsored by 1/ST BET. It is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

  8. Jul 31

    Topical trio: Million, Saratoga & $5 minimums

    The Grade 1 Arlington Million at Colonial Downs, Jim Dandy (G2) day at Saratoga and the new $5 minimum win-place-show wager at Kentucky Downs are the three big topics up for discussion on this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Megan Devine brings her TV analyst's perspective to the Million from the track in Virginia that is hosting the race for the fourth time. She talks about some of the contenders for the race and also previews the Secretariat (G2) and Beverly D. (G2) stakes, the traditional curtain raisers for the Million. From the general to the specific, trainer Ian Wilkes discusses the successful switch from dirt to turf for Burnham Square, the morning-line favorite for the Million. Kentucky Downs vice president of racing Ted Nicholson checks in to talk about his track's decision to raise racing's traditional $2 wager in time for the seven-day turf meet starting in late August. Paddock Prince handicapper David Levitch checks out three races on Saturday's card at Saratoga. They include the Jim Dandy, the traditional prep for the Travers (G1). Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park weigh in with their opinions about the $5 wager at Kentucky Downs and the announcement by Churchill Downs Inc. that it wants has put the for-sale sign on Presque Isle Downs and eight more of its properties. 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, sponsored by 1/ST BET.

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4.2
out of 5
72 Ratings

About

Featuring handicapping tips and insight from insiders, the Ron Flatter Racing Pod is posted every Friday morning via HorseRacingNation.com. Check out the interviews with owners, trainers, jockeys, racing journalists, handicappers and celebrities. The pod is hosted by HRN managing editor Ron Flatter, who has been covering horse racing around the world for more than 35 years.

Information

  • Creator
    Horse Racing Nation
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    510
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Horse Racing Labs, LLC
  • Show Website
    The Ron Flatter Racing Pod

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