Summer/Fall Racing: Extended July 4th Weekend

June 30 - July 5

The second week of our family trip took us to Ohio on Tuesday the 29th. I had a few races from Canterbury on Wednesday evening and while I lost three of the four (running 2nd and then third twice), the one winner was a prime-time play and made the evening almost a "wash" for the bottom line as Greater Cairo was way, WAY too good for his rivals.

No racing on Thursday but Kim and I took the opportunity to drive from my Mom's house in Columbus to just south of Cincinnati to see our good friends Tom & Mary Pat for the day. It was a very enjoyable day and the weather was great! Friday was a return to the races as it was the weekly Monmouth Twilight program with six races on tap. I only had three picks on the card and two of them were Main Track Only selections as I anticipated the turf races to be washed to the main track. In the opener Stefano was on the "Also Eligible" list, but if there were scratches with the weather he would be a perfect pattern play. He had debuted in a dirt sprint, then second time out was slated to go a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. It got washed off and he won for fun. Now he was exiting a dirt sprint, entered into this mile and a sixteenth turf event, which DID get washed off. He was well back early, then began picking off horses approaching the far turn. Swooped to the front at the furlong pole and was long gone as the 8/5 favorite. In the third, Sneakiness was a sketchy play as he'd just lost at even money for the same $5K "beaten" tag. BUT he'd dueled throughout and was a good second. Still.....but the key was he'd been claimed by top trainer Jorge Delgado who's winning at a 40% clip and he put Paco Lopez up today. Pressed the pace for the opening quarter, got his head in front and edged clear late for the win at 4/5. The final play came in the fifth, scheduled for five furlongs on the turf. Main Track Only Algebraic had won last time out to run his record to 3-for-9. That's significant as the conditions were for 3yo and up which have not won two races, or three-year-olds. So not only was he the lone 3-time winner, but he was facing turf runners on HIS favorite surface. Tracked the leader from his outside post through opening quarter. Easily moved to the lead and ran away as tons the best. Concluded the night a perfect three-for-three on the Jersey Shore with a tidy profit :)

Saturday we spent the day at my sister Laurie's house and her husband Kevin hooked up my computer to the big screen TV so it was like being at a simulcast center. I played the Summit of Speed card from Gulfstream, but didn't get any winners from the few bets I made. I also played at Belmont. Got off to a good start with two wins early in the day in a maiden claiming event and an entry level allowance. But when the big races came I was unable to pick the upset winners as the first stakes came off the turf and in the featured Grade 1 Suburban, 4/5 favorite Mystic Guide lost the head bob on the wire to an 11-1 winner. But I also played Delaware Park's Delaware Oaks card which had several stakes. I won early in the day in an allowance event. I scored with Whereshetoldmetogo in the Alapoca's Run Stakes. And just missed going wire to wire at a very generous 7/2 price in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes on the turf. But in the BET of the Day I had Crazy Beautiful for trainer Kenny McPeek. Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith had tagged along all the way from So Cal and made the most of the trip as the filly was easily, EASILY much the best. Finished with seven wins from seventeen selections.....that was great to make my two day total 10-for-20!

Sunday we flew home and I made my bets before we left the airport in Columbus. Watched the replays and only had a single winner on the card with a minimum bet that paid off on 6/5 odds. My brother-in-law Jason had asked me to handicap the Opening Day card for Presque Isle Downs on Monday, and I'd done that for him. But I wasn't all that confident in the picks so I thought I'd probably just not play on Monday. But when I looked at who was running on the special Monday holiday I discovered that Belmont had two stakes events and Los Alamitos had a big Grade 2 event. So I played the New York races and the late event from Los Al. At Belmont I missed on the first play of the day, but came back to win with Road To Success in the third with a double investment on the 3/2 favorite. In the first of the two stakes events Gufo was trying to get back into the winner's circle after three straight narrow losses in Grade 1 company by running in the listed Grand Coutouier Stakes at a mile and a half on the turf. There was a lot of talk about putting blinkers on the closer today but that was compromised by the fact that three scratches had ALL been speed types. Certainly he'd be close up today, right? Joel Rosario took him straight to the back and followed glacial splits. I literally was shaking my head the entire time as they approached the far turn, knowing I was up against it. I kept holding on to the thought that Rosario is well known for his uncanny ability to judge the pace and the ride, especially on the turf. He asked Gufo as he hit the far turn and quickly began picking off horses. Had to swing five wide into the lane but easily inhaled the field and edged clear late. He drifted in at mid-stretch which led to a brief INQUIRY and OBJECTION but it seemed to be a consensus of opinion that there would be no change. And there wasn't. I'd tripled the bet on my second winner on the day.

In the eighth it was the 103rd running of the Grade 3 Dwyer for three-year-olds and the buzz was all about Shug McGaughey's lightly raced and unbeaten First Captain. The two Beyer figures he'd earned - a 94 & 95 - were open lengths faster than anyone else's best number. And since they were "paired" figures he stood a good chance to improve yet again. He was the heavy favorite but was fifth inside on the far turn. Jockey Jose Ortiz asked him to run as he got him into the clear and he easily ran by them all to give me my second stakes win and with a prime time investment.

I had to wait until later in the evening for the eighth at Los Alamitos, but Bob Baffert was sending out Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champion Gamine and she looked imposing. That Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez flew from New York to ride - for the first time at Los Al - convinced me that they were serious about their intent. Right to the front - a couple of fillies tried to hang with the champ but that was futile. Into the lane Johnny V let her go and she crushed the field. I'd originally intended to play just $20 to win, but decided to "go for it." In for a full $50 and collected a "free $10" from Los Al as the crowd let her float up to a more-than-fair 1/5 at post time.