The final weekend of the Fall 2020 Racing Season means a couple of things....first and foremost, that the Gulfstream Championship Season is right around the corner. And THAT means daily selections and racing through Florida Derby Day in late March. Second, Thanksgiving weekend brings Opening Day at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. I had just returned from Ohio and my trip to Churchill Downs in Louisville in time for my monthly eye injection; then the very next day.....Thanksgiving morning.....we drove to Orlando (no rest for the weary). I'd handicapped the Opening Day card at the Fair Grounds on Thursday and the Clark Handicap card at Churchill Downs for Friday. In New Orleans the racing came off the grass so I lost four of my seven bets, including my two most likely winners. In the three remaining races I ran poorly.....a distant 6th, pulled up and didn't finish, and a very, VERY distant last in the featured Thanksgiving Handicap. On Friday I thought I had some solid selections at Churchill Downs, but again, went winless. Highly regarded juvenile Dennis' Moment made his long awaited 3yo return and stopped to finish last. Ran 2nd and 3rd, at least I was close, in two minimum plays in the middle of the card. Disappointing close fourth with Looking At Bikinis, and then my pick in the Grade 1 Clark, multiple graded stakes winner Code of Honor was upset by 11/1 Bodexpress.....cruised up to the longshot at the top of the lane, but couldn't get by - 2nd again.
On Saturday I played both Laurel's "Fall Festival of Racing" card which had multiple stakes events and Del Mar's Grade 1 Hollywood Derby card which had three graded stakes on the inner turf course. We were finishing our Thanksgiving visit in Orlando so I got on Xpressbet.com and made my bets mid-morning and then waited until we were home and had had dinner before I watched the replays. Certainly, I thought....CERTAINLY I'll do better for the day than the first two days! I pulled up Laurel's replays and wasn't surprised that my top pick was the 4/5 favorite, he looked awfully solid. Cruised up to second mid-way on the turn, but then a 5/1 runner went right on by. Seriously? Second. I was 5/1 with my next pick....second, AGAIN. After a dismal 7th at 3/1 it was my BEST of the Day at Laurel, and I was delighted I was 2/1 while the favorite was 3/5. We moved together on the turn, then the favorite distanced me as I was 2nd, yet again. Lost again when outrun in back-to-back stakes to run the skid to six on the day before the last race of the day at Laurel, a claiming event going a one-turn mile. I had Rumsom Rally who entered this "beaten" event with a dubious 29/2-9-5 record. But what drew my attention was that DRF handicapper Dan Illman made him his best of the day. He came from off the pace, which explained the many in-the-money-finishes and still I wondered. But what caught my eye was Illman's comments that (a) he was blocked last time through the stretch and (b) the barn was a whopping 43% with class droppers at Laurel. Good enough. But after the opening quarter of a mile Rumsom Rally was so, SO far back that I did something I N-E-V-E-R do....I fast forwarded the replay because there was no way I could make up over twenty lengths, right. I picked up the race midway on the turn and I saw a flash of the pink saddle cloth for #8 (Rumsom) at the back as he began picking off horses. He was so SO wide into the lane that he was off the video screen! How much ground am I making up????? Then at the 16th pole he came into view with a full head of steam and just blew by the leader to score at a nice $9.60 allowing me to cash for nearly $25 - FINALLY as winner.
On to Del Mar! Ok, maybe now I'm going to begin cashing some tickets. I was the 8/5 favorite in an allowance event on the turf with my first pick but was ultra-wide rallying into the lane and was a non threatening sixth. In the fourth I probably would have passed the race, but Parnelli was Brad Free's BEST BET of the Day, and he's the only handicapper left that when he makes a horse the "BEST" of the day, I pay attention. It was a maiden event going a two-turn mile and Parnelli had drawn a $500K sales bid, so somebody thought he had ability. A good second in his sprint debut, then he stretched out to a mile. Second again, beaten a neck at 2/5. Uh oh. Came back last time, got to the front in the stretch - again at this mile trip - and again, caught....2nd beaten a neck again. As I commented, we'd find out today if he's either as good as thought when the sales bid went in, or he doesn't have the heart to win. Sat professionally off the pace to the top of the far turn, cruised by to the front and opened up to win handily. Didn't make much money but at this point I'm just trying to cash tickets!
The fifth was the first of the trio of graded events, the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante for juveniles going a mile on the turf. Fluffy Socks was a Chad Brown filly, ridden today by top rider Irad Ortiz. She had already won one stakes and last time out was a just-miss second, beaten a nose despite having to close into pedestrian fractions of :50.2 and a glacial 1:17.4. Came flying from near the back today, surged to the front and was just clear under the wire. I was satisfied that she left the gate at 8/5 despite the angles and as my "best" of the day I cashed for over $40.
I thought I was going to win two in a row when Flavius came flying off the turn at a generous 5/2 in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit. Got to the front with a furlong to go, but a deep closer at 8/1 blew by in the final strides and I was second.....again. That brought us to the final race on the card, of the day, and of the Fall Championship Season......the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. I had been very impressed with Chad Brown's Domestic Spending when he won his first try vs. winners at Belmont in June off of a Tampa maiden debut win. He'd looked hopelessly out of it turning for home but exploded through the lane to win. Watching "America's Day At the Races," hottie handicapper Acacia Courtney remarked we'd be seeing him in stakes company next time out. Sure enough, he was in Saratoga's Grade 2 Hall of Fame next time out and I liked top 3yo turf runner Decorated Invader that day, and he won for fun. Next time out in the $500K Saratoga Derby I liked Decorated Invader as well, but Domestic Spending beat him at a big 7/1 price. Both were in this spot - and several other quality sophomores - but as I remarked in my analysis.....if Chad Brown sent him here and Irad Ortiz was riding, then he had to have a shot. And at a generous 5/1, he could be my "day-maker." He was well back, but I KNEW about his closing kick. He swooped up outside of runners, was wide into the turn but was flying late to be just up in time.
And he WAS a good price at better than 4/1, paying $10.40 and enabling me to cash for over $50. Even I was surprised when I pulled up the day's totals and saw that I was a "good" 4-for-12, BUT I'd made a flat bet profit for the day! WHOOOO HOOOO - that's a great way to end the fall and head into the Gulfstream Championship season :)
Another highlight to the weekend were holiday greetings from several of my gal pals....
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