July 29

Two-for-Three At Monmouth!

The big Haskell weekend kicked off today and from the eight race card I only had three selections.  I had what looked like a solid play in a Monmouth 40% Club play for trainer Daniel Lopez.  When he sends out a runner off a 31-to-60 day layoff he has won at a 43% clip.  Paco Lopez was on Chub Scout today who left the gate as the 3/5 odds-on favorite.  But, he was slow from the gate and Lopez truly never asked him to even try.  A distant sixth.  Nothing until the 6th when I picked Shake D'Bone, who was 3/1 in the program, to score.  The question I posed here was, "....how strong is the Paco effect....."  The good news is that Shake D'Bone looked like a likely winner on paper, but he was being sent out by trainer Greg Sacco who is a miserable 2-for-62 at the meet and 1-for-28 with first time blinkers as D'Bone was donning today.  As they hit the far turn I was mentally shaking my head as he trailed the field.  But then he found a big kick and rallied - split horses in mid-stretch and was JUST up in time!  Whoooo hooooo! 

I had anticipated he'd be a very short price, but he was a healthy 3/1 and paid $8.60 allowing me to cash for over $20 on a minimum play!  In the 7th it was my "best" of the day.  Mo Green looked formidable on paper.  I even wrote that if we could get 4/5 it would be stealing.  She won here second career start when allowed to go two turns for the first time.  So emphatic a win in that maiden event that her connections brought her back in the Gr 2 Gulfstream Oaks.  A non-factor she went to the shelf and then was a well-beaten third off the layoff.  Last time out she was second best at this level.  Third off the shelf with a best-of-69 bullet work she looked razor sharp.  She was 2/1 according to the Xpressbet live odds board as she drew off EASILY in a confident ride.  But the entire video feed showed a blank odds box which was unusual.  Then when I clicked back to the program she was suddenly even money - AFTER the race.  Hey, what the.......The unofficial order was listed and still no numbers in the odds box.  The payoffs came up and she paid 4/5 odds.  Granted I thought that would be "stealing" but when she crossed the wire the live odds said 2/1.  Something kinda fishy here!  But I had tripled the bet so I cashed for nearly $30 on my second win from three picks!