In The Money Players' Podcast

No racing content today but I did want to share with you a short musical interlude. Originally aired on WFUV last Saturday, herein Perrin and I take over the airwaves for our annual holiday check-in and greeting. For more Xmas music, check out today's re-broadcast of Steve Byk's At the Races or find our musical special over at https://stevebyk.com/best-of-at-the-races/

It's a rematch to revival the Rumble in the Jungle. Defending champ Gene Menez is here to defend his title against Matt "Ring Bet" Scarlet in what promises to be a holiday quiz for the ages. Before that, JK and PTF catch up and talk about the ABR Awards show and Santa Anita's decision to cancel Opening Day.

Contest legend Dave Gutfreund joins PTF to talk about his recent win at Los Alamitos and to reflect on his time on the game.

Nick Tammaro joins PTF to discuss Saturday's Late Pick 5.

On the final edition of the show for 2019, PTF and Sean Tugel kick things off by talking about the most memorable moments and performances from 2019. Then Michael McCarthy drops by to reflect on City of Light's win in the '19 Pegasus, talk about an exciting prospect, and to give his thoughts heading in to the upcoming Santa Anita meet.

First Eddie O is here to talk about his new book, Eddie Olcyzk: Beating the Odds in Hockey and in Life. PTF uses this as a jumping-off point for a deep discussion about his philosophy on life (1:57), and of course, betting horses (28:10). Then Kim Weir from TRF is here with an update on everything going on at the TRF as 2019 draws to a close (67:37).

With Fair Grounds taking center stage for the next few months, Spencer Luginbugl invited Louisiana native (and Fair Grounds analyst) Grant LaGrange on the show to talk about a trio of stakes from Louisiana Champions' Day, the 8th, 11th, and 12th from Saturday, December 16.

Matt Vagvolgyi drops by to remind PTF that he ran third at last year's NHC and to talk about using STATS Race lens to research and find winners at AQU. Then they go over Saturday's Late Pick Five sequence.

On the latest show, JK tells PTF all about his trip to Arizona and they answer a few #askitm questions from listeners (2:15). Then Naomi Tukker has an interesting sit-down with Jason Servis in which they discuss how his background as a jockey valet helped deepen his understanding of racing, his unusual training methods, and his thoughts on a certain controversial DQ (40:55). Plus, an intimate look at Maximum Security's wild ride in 2019.

Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm and the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation sits down with PTF for a long conversation that includes his thoughts on an array of interesting issues including: how he chooses pairings for his mares, breeding to race versus breeding to sell, the proposed 140 mare cap for sires, synthetic surfaces, the future of racing in California and Illinois and much, much more.

Horseplayer Marshall Gramm joins PTF for a memorable sitdown in which they discuss his recent win in the NYRA Bets contest (24:45), the delicate balance between playing horses and professional/family life (4:50), and how today's players can compete in the modern betting environment (50:00).

PHOTO: NYRA NYRA/Fox Sports Analyst Andy Serling joins Spencer for a fun conversation with a lot of great information for horseplayers including his thoughts on a new way to look at key races, a better way to use trainer stats, and why people who think the Remsen is a bad race are idiots. If you're "playing" along from home, aces covered are from AQU 12/7, the third, the seventh, and the ninth.

Eric Bialek joins PTF and JK to talk about his recent NHC qualification and to go over the mandatory payout P6 at AQU on Saturday. Then Naomi Tukker joins to chat about a quartet of Group 1s in Honk Kong taking place Saturday night into Sunday

PTF and Sean Tugel are here to look back at last weekend's two-year-old stakes at Churchill and look ahead to this weekend's two-year-old stakes at Aqueduct. Sean also gives us an overview of what's going on in the breeding business this time of year. Then we are thrilled to be joined by Debbie Easter, co-owner of Finite and the Executive Director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association, to talk about her exciting filly and the state of racing in the Commonwealth.

PHOTO: Shelter Island by Chelsea Durand/NYRA PTF and JK are here to go over the early Pick 5 for Cigar Mile Day but don't worry, they'll cover the entire Pick 6, with its mandatory payout, on the flagship show.