Ciaran Thornton, the head handicapper at California Pick 4, grew up in Ireland and at a young age, thanks to his dad’s guidance, learned the art of horse handicapping. Honing his skills over the years at Santa Anita and then Del Mar, Ciaran has now focused his attention on the daily Pick 4 and Pick 5 bets at Southern California racetracks with an emphasis on longshot and value plays.

It takes a knowledgeable, talented and of course lucky horse handicapper to rise to the challenge and win a Pick 4 or Pick 5. That’s where we come in!

Ciaran is currently the co-host of a new betting/handicapping podcast called “Double Trouble” a two-part show broadcast every Friday (and other select days) during the Del Mar meet that brings horseplayers a unique perspective to playing the races, focusing on the new low-takeout/player friendly $5 Late Double. Two hours before first post every Friday, my co-host Frank Scatoni and myself will host a pre-race livestream, previewing the weekend’s action, promoting select events at Del Mar, and giving out Friday Spot Plays and wagering suggestions all as a prelude to their new livestream—“Double Trouble Live”—later in the day, where the dynamic duo will go live 15 minutes before the start of the $5 Late Double to provide real-time handicapping and wagering advice for the last two races of the day. “Double Trouble” and “Double Trouble Live” aim to build a community of horseplayers who enjoy pre-race information but who also crave live, real-time wagering content for one of the most desirable wagers on the card: the Late Double.

Ciaran has previously hosted the Newcomers Seminar at the Del Mar Race Track every Friday and Sunday during the Summer and Fall meets and was also a contributor to the Los Angeles Times Daily Horse Racing Newsletter. He is a frequent guest on horse racing shows and TV.