McLean’s Updated Handicapping Statistics: Through Dec. 6

(Handicapping statistics for 2025 are now completely updated)

We are closing in on another year. Can you believe it? Seriously? It is truly unreal. Just seems like we finished the last one up, and now we are steamrolling headfirst towards 2026. Amazing.

As we get ready to finish up, we are gearing up for our final review of the 2025 handicapping year, as well.

There are a few things that I am most proud of, as we finish up. Take a look:

Our “Key Horses” in 2025 have been 180 — to date. We have won 101 of those for a win rate of 56.11%. Those horses have hit the board on 80.56% of the time.

Our Top Pick at the Breeders’ Cup this year won 6 of the 14 races, for a win rate of 42.86%. Our lone “Key Play” for the Breeders’ Cup this year won. I can do that math. It’s 100%.

Our Top Pick at Horseshoe Indianapolis this year won 147 times out of a whopping 414 races. That is the most handicapping we have ever done in a single year at Shelbyville, IN. Our win rate is the highest of the tracks we do regularly with a rate of 35.51%.

Finally, our Top Pick at Horseshoe Indy hit the board a whopping 66.43% of the time, edging out how our Top Pick did in the money at Ellis Park. At the ole’ “Pea Patch,” we hit  the board 90 out of 136 for 66.18%. At Churchill Downs, we handicapped 564 races. Our Top Pick hit the board there on 348 occasions. That’s a rate of 61.70%. At Kentucky Downs, our Top Pick hit the board 35 of 57 times for a 61.40% clip.

We handicapped more this year than any previous time in The Pressbox’s history, and we did a little overhaul of the “system,” a bit. I think the tweaks helped.

Here’s looking forward to seeing you back this week.

Until then…

Good Luck & All the Best / Gene