July 1

Back From Alaska!

Let The Racing Resume!!

Two weeks ago we left Fort Lauderdale for an Alaskan Cruise Tour that ended up with us traveling through the Canadian Rocky Mountains.  Unlike nearly all of our previous amazing adventures, this trip did not have just one or two "WOW" days, but was full of them!  Cruising within half a mile of Hubbard Glacier; riding and DRIVING a dogsled; flying in a seaplane; and walking out on the Glacier Skywalk were just some of the most amazing experiences we had.  Check out all the photos and videos on our webpage:  Alaska 2016. 

The first weekend of the trip I played the races with five stakes races from Churchill Downs and Santa Anita.  I hit with two of them, though their prohibitive short prices prevented me from making any money despite increased investments.  In the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill, Louisiana Derby winner was a DOMINANT winner for me.  I could wish that he was worth the $12.20 payout I got when I tabbed him in the Risen Star Stakes back in February before everyone discovered what I knew to be true about this talented three-year-old colt.  The biggest disappointment of the day came in the last of the Churchill Stakes this evening when Effinex, who had run second to American Pharoah in the Breeders' Cup Classic and followed that with an authoritative win in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap here in Louisville disappointed at 3/5 in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster when 6th. 

But certainly THE highlight of the racing on this Saturday afternoon as we cruised the Alaskan waters was the return to racing of one of the most exciting thoroughbreds in training, sophomore filly Songbird.  She would have been my BET of the Weekend, even bigger investment than I made on Tepin in the Churchill Downs Mile Distaff - perhaps a career high investment - had she run in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, but she'd come down with a fever and missed the race.  That was the ONLY question in her return today in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks.  In spite of going a mile and a sixteenth and pressing an insane pace of :22 and :45 - have to admit that even I was concerned - she was under a tight hold as she cruised to another easy win.  I rarely bet this much in an online play, but I had $100 to win on her as she kept her unbeaten record intact.  The connections announced subsequently that she was headed to Saratoga for the summer! 

We returned from Calgary Thursday June 30 after traveling all day (got up at 3:30 am and arrived home at 7 pm) and I knew I'd be playing the Saturday card, but had not made plans for playing today.  But when I was on the porch this morning I decided I would handicap the Monmouth card, as had been my practice prior to our trip, and would play the Jersey Shore this afternoon.  After completing my handicapping I totaled up my racing results for the month of June and my combined three month totals for the summer so far.  I had a GREAT month of June - with a better-than-normal win percentage AND with an ROI that was well above $2 - you go Mark! 

At Monmouth today I had two winners from six selections, a solid 33% and ended up in the black for the day for the betting.  In the opener Goodnewswithatwist was bet down to 7/5 favoritism with Paco Lopez aboard, but chased a loose-on-the-lead winner (my second choice) and was third.  I had my first win of the day, and since returning in the third when Overcontrol was the prototype Paco Lopez winner from the moment they left the gate he was looking around for a challenger.  On the turn he easily went to the front and won as track announcer Frank Mirahmadi called it, as "clearly the best."

In the 4th I got a generous 6/1 price on Hot to Seek Her who rallied for third.  I picked up my second win on the day in the 5th when King J came home on top.  I was reluctant to make him the top choice as he was coming off a last-out maiden win and was listed as the 4/5 program choice.  But when I went through the field there was very, VERY little competition to beat in here.  And he was being sent out by the top barn (Jorge Navarro) who's winning at a big 35% for the meet with jockey Jonathan Gonzalez, a 45% winner for the outfit.  On the turn he was struggling and Gonzalez had to go to the whip, at the time leading announcer Mirahmadi to call him in "trouble" but he found another gear and blew by to win as EASILY the best.  King J had hovered at 3/5 and 2/5 in the betting until they got to the gate, then took late money to be a prohibitive 1/5.  But once they left the gate a flood of late investments knocked him all the way down to 1/9....on a last out maiden claiming winner.  WELL overbet, but at least it's better than tossing the ticket on the ground. 

I was third as the 7/5 favorite in the sixth when Midnight Drive was blocked and wide and then a sharp second at 4/1 in the 7th.  I was handicapping for Saturday after the finish of the seventh - which had stayed on the turf in spite of rain coming down, so I still had the live streaming video playing on the background.  As Mirahmadi was announcing the winning connections a HUGE thunderclap sounded, so much so that there was a couple of seconds of dead air and he said that yes, he had been startled by the lightning and thunder clap.  I was glad I didn't have any more selections and signed out of my Xpressbet account.  Later I learned that the rest of the racing for the day was canceled.