The ten day trip to Alaska was just amazing. We had high expectations and everything exceeded them by far, especially the "Glacier Trifecta" as we spent time among the majestic glaciers on three separate days. Just stunning landscapes! I had an excellent day of racing on the travel day out to Alaska and was unsure if I'd play while we were gone. With a lot of "free time" on board I decided I could play some races but found that all racing websites were blocked. Played on race, and won - the Grade 3 Manilla - when I saw online that Zulu Kingdom was entered. That day when we got off the ship for our excursion I got off the Wi-Fi from the ship and made the bet. After the excursion, watched the race and cashed my ticket!
Each stop was amazing, and we thoroughly enjoyed being on the water for more than half of the trip, including two days on smaller ships to sail out to the glaciers.
Was delighted to have so many people follow our trip - the more than 1,000 social media hits was a lot for a much longer trip, but for just an 8-day cruise it was big. And I was particularly thankful for those who commented on the pictures, especially my closest gal-pals on social media.
After driving to Orlando on Thursday, I played the Penn Mile and Monmouth cards on Friday. Then as we flew some 30,000 feet in the air from Orlando to Houston and then 7 1/2 hours on to Anchorage I played Monmouth, the big Stephen Foster card at Churchill and the Canterbury Derby card from Shakopee, Minnesota. By the time I'd finished watching the replays in Anchorage (at about 2am EST) I'd collected SEVEN wins from the sixteen selections I'd made on the day. WHOOOO HOOOO!
Friday - like all Friday's at Monmouth - started with a late post time of 2pm. Didn't have anyone in the opener. But the second was a four-lifetime claiming event going a two turn mile. Admiral's Wave had the best numbers on the page and was getting Paco Lopez. What more could you ask for? But the concern for me was that his last FIVE races had come at this same restricted $8K level. So I was only in for the minimum. But once I saw the betting action and the possible daily double payoffs I decided to up the bet. Pressed the 2/1 second choice midway down the backside and then opened up in hand. Appeared to be tiring through the final 16th of a mile but had enough to hold off the closers and score. And I'm off to a good start by doubling my money. The other three plays I had on the Jersey Shore did not produce a winner. Ran second twice and third in the other one. So it goes. As the Penn Mile card opened I was a disappointing second at 3/5 in the opener, then failed to hit the board in the next three, including a dismal 5th in the Alphabet Soup Stakes where my choice was the prohibitive 2/5 favorite!
The 5th at Penn National was the first of the two 3yo stakes, the $200K Penn Oaks. I thought it was hard to look past Graham Motion's unbeaten Laurelin. She'd won her two-turn, turf debut at BAQ in October and followed that up with back-to-back stakes wins in the Tepin and Memories of Silver, both at the Aqueduct Meet. Her last two figures were the top two figures on the page, but the two back Beyer was similar to numbers held by five of her rivals. And the big question was how would she - and the others handle the soft going? Was next-to-last from the start until the field approached the far turn. She began to pick up momentum and was in contention by the time they reached the mid-point on the turn. Accelerated to collar the front runner at the top of the lane and edged clear late. Like the first winner today, the initial plan had been to just go for a minimum bet, but I doubled it based on the scratches and betting patterns. Smart move. In the last selection of the day, Zulu Kingdom had been my BET of the WEEKEND, even with all the graded stakes at Churchill on Saturday, in the Grade 3 Penn Mile. But he scratched out as well. Went with my second choice, Mi Bago who was loose on the lead into the lane before weakening at 3/5 to finish 4th. Somewhat disappointing day of racing. But you can't have big days every day!
Saturday saw Kim and I heading to the airport early, arriving at the gate around 7:30am. Knowing that our flight was on time and we'd be on the ground in Houston before 11am AND that I didn't have a wager until nearly 1:30 pm I waited to make my bets until after we'd had lunch in Houston. I was able to watch the first four selections run as we awaited boarding our long, L-O-N-G 71/2 hour flight to Anchorage, Alaska. The first race on my sheet saw my pick at Monmouth go off at a big 5/1 price and turning for home I thought I might be cashing for over $50 with my double investment, but he ended up second best. Two favorites ran third in the next two picks and then fifth at 5/1 as I shut down the computer and we walked to the gate for our turn to board. But our flight was delayed by about half an hour so as we stood in line post time was approaching for the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill. It was in this first big event from Louisville that we found our BEST BET of the Day. The last time Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Horse of the Year, had run she'd inexplicably faded off the board. I thought that today she would return to form. As they went into the gate our plane was finally ready for the pre-boards to begin to file on the plane. 'Anna pressed the second choice all through the race to the far turn, then took over easily and opened a clear lead. Looked to me through the final 1/8th of a mile that jockey Brian Hernandez had to push her to finish, but she was easily clear on the wire. She went off at a short price but it made me so happy that (a) I'd cashed on the BEST and (b) that she had returned to form....she's one of my favorite horses in training.
The rest of the races would have to wait until we landed as we were called to board our flight. Having won with only three of the fifteen selections for the weekend to this point I was resigned to accept that it was just one of those "blue collar" kind of weekends where you have to accept the fact that even at my high 35%-to40% win rate, I'm going to lose on six or seven of every ten selections. After two feature length films, a TV show, and a short nap finally we were landing in Anchorage at 7:30pm local time (which was 11:30pm EST). Our luggage arrived quickly as did our transportation to the hotel. We dropped off the bags and went downstairs to have a bite to eat. While waiting for our food I began catching up on the races. In Monmouth's 7th I picked Boardwalk Jack to score in this six furlong MSW race for 3 and up. I liked him because unlike the other key contenders he was exiting sprint tries and they were turning back from two turn events. Right to the front and never looked back!
The eighth at Churchill was the listed Tepin Stakes for 3yo fillies. Both Lush Lips and Vixen had finished behind the dominant 3yo turf filly, Nitrogen lately. But the two had met in the Grade 2 Edgewood here on the Kentucky Oaks undercard with Lush Lips closely ahead of the other filly. I thought she had the better talent and would run well here. Settled mid-pack to the far turn, then circled the field three wide into the lane. Burst clear and drew off by daylight for my second score in a stakes for the day.
Next up was the featured Tale of the Cat Stakes from Monmouth on the turf. Tom's Magic was my selection, and I was hoping he'd go off at a fair price based on his dismal last out effort. I was focusing on his MSW win and win in the Black Gold Stakes at the Fair Grounds. But the crowd wasn't fooled as he left the gate as the short priced 3/5 choice. Tracked in third while full of run through the far turn. Burst between runners to the front and just as the other contenders thought maybe they had a chance, he set sail for the wire lengthening his lead with every stride.
The next graded stakes at Churchill was a sprint and I felt like I "had" to bet Booth who MIGHT go wire to wire, but I had my doubts despite his multi-race winning streak. Faded to fourth through the final furlong. But in the Grade 2 Wise Dan I had my next winner. Much like Thorpedo Anna, Brilliant Berti had lost last time out in a stakes here at his favorite venue. But I thought he'd rebound in a big way today. Tracked a moderate pace into the turn, accelerated to the front, but had to run hard to hold off the challengers through the final 200 yards. But win he did!
The feature race of the day on the national scene was the Grade 1 Stephen Foster. I've been a BIG fan of Todd Pletcher's Mindframe since his debut and I've cashed tickets on him every time he's won. The most recent was when he was my BET of the Day on the Kentucky Derby undercard and won the Grade 1 Churchill Downs at a generous 7/2 price and I'd cashed for over $90! Today he'd stretch out to 9f but I thought this was his best distance. I wasn't in for as much today because the gate was full of stellar runners who'd all been "Bet of the Day" wagers for me on other days. Pressed the 5/2 front runner to the far turn, took command and drew off as much the best to establish himself as one of the best older horses in training and one of the favorites for the November Breeders' Cup Classic (where I'll be at Del Mar with my son Brad!).
I closed out the day with five selections from the Canterbury Derby card - which, like the Penn Mile card, had been rescheduled to tonight. The first four saw me only hit the board once, but in the 'best" of the night, Cupids Crush was MUCH the best at short odds.
The racing next weekend ended with a spectacular 7-for-16 day and a clear profit. Made the amazing sights we'd seen flying into Anchorage even better for me personally. Not sure about playing the races next weekend as we'll be finishing our trip before returning home on Monday. We'll have to see!
I had several interactions with my online pals this week, and I'm excited to share the Alaska adventure with everyone. Hopeful we'll hit the 1,000 social media hits for the ten day trip. Lissette Gonzalez has been our "weather girl" on the CBS Morning News every day for as long as I can remember. When she posted a photo of herself "rocking" a blue pants suit I had to reach out and tell her how much we had appreciated her daily weather outlooks. She reacted to my message with a heart :)
I reached out to "my girl," Kimmy to let her know that we were off to Alaska and she wrote back quickly there after apologizing for us not hooking up last week. But as I told her, hey....she's a working Mom of two little ones with a real life at home, no worries. As long as we stay connected, I'm happy.
Florida Derby gal-pal Chloe and I had two exchanges. The first when she reacted to my video of our new Fire Bowl pool feature. And the second when I messaged her after watching her second TV commercial for a local Orlando auto dealership. Such a sweet (and pretty) girl. Her Mom & Dad are two of my most favorite people on planet Earth!
Former CBS-Miami weekend anchor Karli Barnett has let me know she still likes following our adventures, but often it's days after I share that she sees them. So I reached out to let her know about our upcoming trip to Alaska and within hours she'd written back to me.
And is always the case, my biggest interaction with other people - online that is - came with Lauren Pastrana. She messaged me in reply to the highlight picks from the Louisville racing adventure that the event looked "so cool." When I asked about possibly getting a tour of the new "news verse" set she told me maybe later in the year - but was appreciative that she not only replied but indicated that would probably be something we could do. Responded to messaging about her evening broadcasts with more close-ups and finally when she posted about a change in her hair and I remarked how she looked like she had been working out, she replied simply eating better.
While the Saturday racing did NOT produce a lot of winners, it was an epic adventure. After playing the races on Friday and having a very good day on the first Friday card at Monmouth, I boarded a Delta flight Saturday morning at 6:30 am bound for Louisville where I met my buddy Keith for a "Downs After Dark" racing adventure. Last race was at 11 and we were in the hotel around midnight - up at 4am for my 6:30 am flight home to FLL. OH MY. Check out the pics for the epic Saturday HERE:
This Friday was the first that Monmouth returned to hosting racing on the Jersey Shore over three days (it's been just the weekend since Opening Day). Fridays always have a 2pm first post and an abbreviated race card. This was no exception with seven races on the program, and I had selections in five of them. In the opener I ran fourth as the 9/5 favorite. But then I went on a roll for what turned out to be the most successful handicapping day of the weekend. Race 3 was a MSW going two turns on the grass. And I remarked that you'd have a hard time convincing me to go against Souper Williwaw. She'd been out three times, with her best effort coming at this distance on the stretch out last time out at Laurel. She'd been a best-of-the-rest second, had fired a bullet work since AND got top rider Paco Lopez. Broke sharply and bounced out to the front. You could tell as they hit the backside that she was under a hard hold while maintaining a narrow margin. The stalkers closed in as they spun out of the turn and headed for home but Paco let her go and quickly she dashed off by a pole. Despite all of the obvious angles she still paid what I thought was a generous $4.20 for a $2 wager.
Right back in R4 with Magical Warrior who did NOT go favored in this Starter Allowance sprint. And to be fair I can see why. He was coming off a win for $5K in a restricted claiming and typically I would not want to bet back a horse like that. But the key for me was out of that race he'd been claimed by trainer Jamie Ness who, in my opinion is the best at the claiming game. The stats back that up as he showed a big 27% first off the claim strike rate. Add in that he is already winning at an absurd 40% here on the Jersey Shore and you had to feel good. With a 7lb bug boy on - and the cheap price - I was only willing to go in for the minimum. Broke a step slow from the rail, rushed up and dueled into the turn. Then opened up to clear off by daylight. WHOOOO HOOOOO - two straight.
Race 5 was my "best" of the day for the Friday Monmouth card. It was a five furlong claiming race on the turf and really the question was simply were you willing to take a very short price betting the likely favorite, On The Payroll. But the facts were: she was dropping in class by 50%, looked loose on the lead, and had Paco Lopez riding. Oh. Broke a beat slow but quickly assumed command. She was 6/5 going into the gate but by the time she cleared the field she was 1/5. Opened up at will and drew off by a pole under a hand ride. In the 6th, my final bet of the day I ran 5th at 9/2 - ironically the winner had Paco Lopez on board as he scored for the FIFTH time on the seven race card. WOW.
Saturday: Downs After Dark Adventure - I set the alarm for 4:40am so that I would have about 35-40 minutes upon arrival at Fort Lauderdale International Airport for my 6:30am flight on Delta. When I'd first decided I wanted to go on this adventure to for the night time racing party I backed off. That's because with our upcoming Alaska trip requiring a Thursday departure from home I didn't want to be gone for an entire weekend, and thought I'd just do an overnight trip. Well the cost of two flights and a hotel was just too much for a single night of racing. Even if it was at Churchill Downs in Louisville. But then it had occurred to me - don't I have rewards points from my airline travels? Not enough to go round trip with anyone, but I had enough to fly Delta to Louisville - even had enough to upgrade to the preferred Delta Comfort+ seating! - and to fly Southwest upon return....all for exactly $0 :) To go at no cost I had to take the flights that I booked, which meant the early departure today. I landed in Atlanta around 8:15am and we took off for Louisville on a bit of a delay around 10:45 am. Still, landed around noon where Keith picked me up. After lunch and an hour drive around of the area we walked into Churchill Downs. In handicapping the card I was well aware that I might not have the highest win percentage because I had decided that unless I just could not find ANY horse to bet on I was going to play all eleven races. I was excited to find out it was Minnesota Derby Night at Canterbury so I handicapped that card, only to find out Saturday afternoon they had cancelled because of excessive heat.
In the Churchill opener I was a solid 3/1 choice in a five horse field. The gates opened and my horse three his head and quickly spotted the field half a dozen lengths. Rallied strongly through the lane but the poor start had cost him and I was second best. In R2 I was the prohibitive 2/5 favorite and looked every bit the part on paper. Came cruising up at the top of the lane, but never got by and I was second, again. The third was a 2yo MSW dash and no one looked to have a definitive edge. My pick had fired a best-of-109 bullet and that was enough for me to take the 7/1 price. Raced up close early on and I had some hope, then stopped badly to finish next to last. I did NOT like the short priced favorite in R4 and was surprised I got 2/1 on my pick. Broke sharply and looked to be long gone on the lead, but weakened in the final 16th to be third. Up close through the opening half mile in R5, faded again to be well beaten. The sixth was a two-turn maiden claimer and I thought I had a good chance making a move at the top of the lane, but couldn't sustain the move and finished third. FINALLY in R7 I got on the board with Echo Lane. This was a second level allowance going two turns on the grass and I thought that the race was so much like the earlier ones in that it was pretty wide open. BUT Echo Lane did show his best races had come here. When he took early money I doubled the bet. Tracked in the clear to the far turn. Swung four wide to the lead turning for home....opened up and then held on with just enough left at the wire. Enjoyed celebrating the win for sure :)
I thought I was coming right back in R8 as I had the even money favorite who pressed the leaders through the far turn and took command heading for home. But like all the earlier losses, weakened and finished third. Next was the featured Grade 2 Chicago and I liked Vahva to defend her title from her win in this race last year. I also recognized that she probably would NOT be the favorite and it was a bit of a gamble. But from the opening she was the favorite of the large betting crowd at Churchill. I'm sure they saw what I did....her best races last year, including the win in this stakes, had come here. And she ran credibly in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on the Kentucky Derby Day undercard against the definitive leader of the female sprint division. Broke sharply and tracked the leader into the turn. Took the lead heading for home, but dueled with a price play to the 16th pole before edging clear. It was the highlight of the evening for me :)
Missed in the finale - again, thought I was a winner with the even money favorite who was cruising loose on the lead into the lane before he shortened stride and finished 3rd. Sunday - as I was sitting in the Tampa airport and then traveling home to So Fla saw me lose all four races. Well, that's not completely true. While waiting to board the plane I watched the opener and my top pick Kantknowitall dueled to the wire and had a head in front. I WIN! Then the INQUIRY sign went up. OK, I did drift wide in the stretch but when you watched the head-on and rear view the 2nd place runner drifted out and I seemed to follow him. I was certain there would be no change. Wrong :(
I WIN - but didn't win
Downs After Dark Highlights
What a week outside of the racing! On Tuesday we repeated as Stanley Cup Champions! The looks on our faces says it all as it culminated an amazing two month playoff run. We look to go back-to-back-to-back next year, whooooo hooooo.
On on Thursday and Friday our long awaited Fire Bowl project was completed giving us a "water fall" feature in our pool. Love the looks of it at night and the sound all day long!
Social Media this week.....
I was fortunate to have a lot of social interaction with my online friends this week! One of the big reasons was we had our Fire Bowl project completed this week which gives us a waterfall in the pool. I shared it with our "girl from Egypt," Petra who I keep trying to convince that she needs to come see us and lay out by our pool. Still hasn't said no :)
Following our Stanley Cup win I reached out to our Account Manager Emma who's been so helpful all year (and ever since she joined the Panthers). She responded in kind.
Shared the Fire Bowl video with my "Disney girl" Amanda who also thought it was "neat."
I was in touch with Kimmy who reacted to our Stanley Cup win, and in particular to the video Kim made of me as the final horn sounded :)
Karli Barnett had messaged me a week or so ago that she thought of me because she and her parents had been talking about going on a river cruise, which she and I had chatted about before. I wrote to her that I'd be happy to help in any way....knowing that it would probably be "a while" before she saw the message and perhaps replied. She reached out to me this week appreciating my offer and told me she'd be with her parents in August to discuss. Also, I so proud of "our Karli." For years when I've included her in a video I used the title, "Emmy-nominated broadcaster." Well this week she won her first Emmy award and we exchanged messages about that.
BAD NEWS.....my most favorite CBS-Miami Weekend Morning anchor Teri announced today that she is leaving the area. When I messaged her to tell her how happy I was for her, but sad for me, she replied she'd miss knowing I was watching with my Wawa coffee :) Later in the week we exchanged messages and I told Teri I hoped we'd continue to stay in touch, which got a "Yes!!!" reply, and I asked if she still wanted me to share pics from our trips. Teri said, yes and keep sharing and told me she'd keep me updated on her plans. Finally I sent Teri the video of the Fire Bowl and she almost immediately replied back how cool it was.
Former WISE student Jen and I exchanged messages about the Stanley Cup win, and while I didn't post them here, we exchanged several messages about where she and her husband might enjoy going in Europe because, as you know we've been to A LOT of places in Europe that ARE very cool :)
Going way to back to our Piper High days, our very good gal-pal Shelly has been close to Kim and I. She posted on Friday that it was the start of her birthday weekend. So we exchanged messages both Friday and on her birthday. Such a sweet girl.
Finally, multiple exchanges with my gal-pal Lauren Pastrana. Eleven (count them, 11) different times I sent her something and she "liked" it this week and on two of the occasions she replied back to me. I most especially appreciated her comment to me when I was enroute home from Louisville the day of the Florida Panthers celebration parade when she indicated she'd miss me being at the parade with an "Awww I thought you'd be here...."
