July 15

Opening Day at Del Mar!

While I'm excited about the opening of Del Mar, I'm looking forward to Opening Day at Saratoga this coming Friday even more.  And I am enjoying thinking about the fact that a year from now when Del Mar opens, it will begin a "Del Mar Handicapping Project" that will carry through to the 2017 Breeders' Cup which will be at Del Mar outside of San Diego and we will be there!  For Friday racing I handicapped the Monmouth card, as per usual and then I handicapped the opening day races at Del Mar.  I only found three races on the Jersey Shore that provided enough of an edge to wager on.  I must say I was happy with my ability to only bet the races today that I truly felt I had an edge in.  In the third, a maiden claiming event on the turf it looked to me like Girine would be a solid choice.  While he didn't have great form, he was getting top rider Paco Lopez today and more importantly the other seven horses......six were a combined 0-for-98 and the other was 0-for-4 but beaten a combined 75 lengths in those starts being sent out by a barn that is 1-for-39 at the meet!  Right to the front as the 7/5 favorite, but nailed in deep stretch to be second.  Boooooo.  In the 6th Rusty Halo looked to me like the obvious choice and was 6/5 in the program.  The crowd bet another down to 4/5 favoritism, and I wondered if I'd missed something.  But he stalked the pace to the top of the lane, blew by, opened up and then held on to the wire.  

The big 2/1 price allowed me to collect $15 on the minimum play.  In the 7th, and my last bet of the day at Monmouth, my choice was Latigo Trail to take this claiming turf sprint.  The 5yo had not been out since October, but if he was ready he was going to kiss this field goodbye.  A prototype Paco Lopez kind of runner - class dropper off the NYRA circuit (allowance to today's $25K claiming event).  And as the rail runner he was the LONE SPEED.  Should have bet more as he burst to the front and was L-O-N-G gone.  

My double investment got me back $23 and I'm a big-time winner at the Shore with 2 wins from 3 selections and a solid profit.  I wish I could say the same for Del Mar.  I was 7th at 3/1 in the 3rd, with a pick that was Brad Free's BEST of the day and another handicapper had labeled as the "obvious" single in the Pick Six sequence.  I won the 5th when Grandma's Hands came from dead last to blow by the turf allowance field despite a five wide trip into the lane.  Went with an upset in the 7th when Victory Call was 9/1 - ran like it to be seventh.  Then in the featured Oceanside Stakes, my top choice Moonlight Drive was bet down from 7/2 to 2/1.  Pressed to the stretch, opened up a clear lead, then was outfinished to the wire, 2nd.  I was 9th at a short 2/1 price in the ninth race and in the finale Langham would have been a Del Mar "day-maker" as he was flying late at 9/2 with my double investment, but just fell short, second again.  For the day a good 3-for-9.....I'll take it!