June 10

Belmont Festival Friday

While today's racing at Belmont won't be confused with Kentucky Oaks Day, or Black-Eyed Susan Day, it was a day filled with good racing and some stakes races.  So I continued to play the three-day Belmont Festival of Racing.  And, today was the beginning of the second three-day weekend of racing on the Jersey Shore so I had selections there as well.  In the opener at Belmont it was a maiden special sprint for three-year-olds.  Bombs Away looked like the most likely to win in here, sent out for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey who rarely has them ready to fire in their debut, he was a sharp 3rd and today was coming off a best-of-53 bullet work.  Second time maidens winning at a sharp 23% with a $2.44 ROI made him even more appealing.  After being difficult to load, and walking right through the opened front of the gate, he was sent right to the front and was LONG GONE.  The nice $6.90 payoff was a great way to start the day. 

Right back in less than five minutes with the opener at Monmouth where Fairbanks E Jet was a Monmouth 40% Club play.  Trainer Tony Wilson has won at an amazing 50% clip over the past two seasons with all maiden claimers.  In this case the top choice was dropping out of MSW company and he had a poor break in his last while coming off a long layoff.  The only time she had previously tried a maiden event for a tag she was a best-of-the-rest 2nd in a turf sprint.  She broke sharply and dueled with the 6/5 favorite to the turn, then drew off to score at a generous $6.80, so my doubled investment - standard for any "Club plays" - returned nearly $35!  WHOOOO HOOOOO! 

I missed in the 2nd at Belmont when Pine Needles was given a very shaky ride and was checked in mid-stretch when trying to get through on the rail.  In the third at Monmouth we were sprinting on the turf in a MSW event.  Bam Bam Brown was the obvious choice and as I wrote in my analysis, ".....he should win at a short price...."  The 4yo gelding had debuted in a GP turf sprint two months ago and had pressed insanely quick fractions through the first half mile of :21.1 and :43.2 before finishing as a best-of-the-rest second - clear by more than seven lengths of the show runner.  Dueled between runners into the turn, edged clear and then ran away as much the best as the even-money favorite. 

The third at Belmont was the first stakes event of the day, the Rags to Riches, named for the filly champion of the Belmont several years ago.  The crowd liked Mei Ling from the Todd Pletcher barn, but I have found her to be most unreliable.  I shook my head and smiled when NYRA analyst Andy Serling, who is so condescending in his remarks like he is SO obviously right and you are SO obviously wrong if you do not agree with him, picked the favorite because she was the lone speed.  I've seen Mei Ling run and she often does not want the front, and has in fact been successful from off the pace - or going to the front.  More times than not she is not on the lead so I easily dismissed his opinion as when on the lead I've seen her cave at a short price.....not for me!  I had seen Theogony run on the Black-Eyed Susan undercard and liked her chances off of two straight strong efforts.  Mei Ling sat off the pace and Theogony stalked the pace through the mile and a half journey to the top of the stretch then drew off as tons the best!  Cashed for nearly $25 on another double investment, my fourth victory of the day.  I'm having a very nice day! 

I missed when Hey Mike was 2nd at even money in Belmont's 4th, the Tremont Stakes for 2yo colts and then Hiyo was a disappointing second as my "Best of the Day" on the Jersey Shore at 3/5 odds under top rider Paco Lopez.  The fifth at Belmont was The Jersey Girl Stakes for 3yo fillies and my top choice came in here with "a history" for me.  I've remarked several times that most KEY race of the year so far was an April event at Keeneland where the winner was odds on and ultra impressive.  Several fillies have exited that event, or events behind runners from that race to win for me.  So with the winner resurfacing here, she was the obvious play.  Kareena had show tremendous potential that afternoon in Lexington and I thought she'd be the favorite, but never as an odds-on choice.  Instead she was being absolutely hammered at the windows so with minutes to post time I upped the bet to a "Best of the Day" level.  She stalked the sizzling pace into the stretch, dueling through a :21.3 quarter and insane :43.2 half mile.  I thought as she edged to the front and that second fraction came up that she was done.  Instead she drew off impressively and stopped the teletimer at an amazing 1:07.4 to win as the 1/5 favorite.  WOW - so impressive! 

Next time out she's in graded stakes for sure!  While I didn't make a lot of money, I was very satisfied that my decision to raise the ante was proven correct on my fifth win of the day.  Debut runner Otto disappointed when 2nd best at Monmouth on the turf after a slow start at 5/2; then Adulator was fourth at even money in Belmont's 7th.  But in the eighth at Monmouth Silver Majorette was my top choice at 8/5 when she was coming off a long layoff for top trainer Jorge Navarro.  That's a 40% club play!  She rallied belatedly to be 4th, but thankfully her entry-mate wired the field!  Oh yeah, better to be lucky than good sometimes because I wasn't a fan at all of Jackie's Disco :) 

My BET of the DAY was in the Grade 2 True North, but when trainer Brian Lynch was suspended for positive tests on some of his horses his top sprinter Private Zone was withdrawn.  Why the horse wasn't entered in the name of another trainer was beyond me, but I switched to Catalina Red who went off as the 1/1 favorite off a scintillating win in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs on Derby Day.  He should have been a closer in a field now filled with dueling front runners.  Instead he was up close, and as is often the case had no closing kick - fourth.  My final win of the day came in the finale at Monmouth, a nw3L event on the turf.  Film Making had two recent figures (75-76) in her last two starts that would require a near-career best by any of her rivals if she repeated anything close to those.  The pace was hot, and she sat off the pace, eased out into the stretch and ran away as easily best under top rider Paco Lopez as the 7/5 favorite. 

The day ended when 4/5 favorite Sea Calisi was much the best in the Grade 2 New York but sat off a slow :50 / 1:15 pace then had all kinds of traffic through the lane - questionable decisions on her ride - then was FLYING late to be a close 2nd.

One last "feel good story" from the day.  When I got up this morning and checked my Facebook, the "memory" for today was a photo I'd posted five years ago on my final day of work.  It was a picture of my classroom where I put the seats back exactly as I'd found them - though I NEVER used this room configuration - and the picture showed the empty walls and boards.  All the character gone from "my world."  That day I wrote, "Turn out the lights, this party's over; left Room 314 exactly the way I found it nine years ago."  I reposted it with a comment about how wonderful the last five years have been and that I missed my "kids" and co-workers.  The rest of the day I got so very many "likes" and comments from former students and work pals.  Here's the post with a few of "my girls" who I am so lucky to count as friends!