As mid-week rolled around, and we were in the midst of our Stanley Cup Playoff first round battle between the Washington Capitals and our very own Florida Panthers, I said to myself regarding the racing..."you know, it doesn't have to be a Grade 1 championship event to be a good race and pay off!" And so I looked through the schedule and decided that Thursday would be a good day to kick off the week. Why? Because BOTH Belmont and Churchill Downs had "Twilight Cards" on the schedule. The races in New York didn't start until a 3 pm post time and the Louisiville first post was even later with a 5 pm post time. So I handicapped both those cards and found some interesting races.
First up was Belmont and a Wesley Ward / Irad Ortiz 2yo went off at 1/2 and was outfinished to be second to begin the day. In the third was a starter allowance that required a start for $50K or less. But the entire field showed their best races in the $25-$20K price tag range. Brilliant Brooks was the even money program choice and deservedly so. He'd buried a group of $25K and was claimed away. Moved into a listed stakes event and ran a good fourth. He'd won four of eleven career starts, and hit the board in eight out of nine. Was a likely winner but I wasn't willing to raise the bet. Pressed the pace while three wide through the far turn then drove clear to score for my first winner on the day.
Came right back in the fourth, a maiden claimer going six furlongs. I backed Merger of Equals as much for the connections as what was in the Form. The $185K colt had debuted in a MSW turf sprint for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables, moderately bet at 6/1. Pressed the pace for a half mile and faded away. Now immediately in for a $25K tag? That can't feel good as an owner who laid out that kind of cash! Sent off as the prohibitive 3/5 favorite he was third along the rail into the turn, dropped back then rallied wide and edged clear through the final furlong.
I passed FOUR races sandwiched around a never in the hunt fifth at 8/5 in the second at Churchill before I got my next winner which turned out to be the "DAY-CHANGER" play of the day. The seventh at Belmont was a second level optional-allowance event going six furlongs on the turf. This time last year, Maxwell Esquire came off a nearly identical layoff as he had today, and ran in a second level allowance, exactly like today, on the turf at six furlongs, yes...exactly like today! Irad Ortiz rode for Christophe Clement and he won as the 6/5 favorite. Same connections...same race....same pattern.... uh oh. Irad had him near the back through a wicked pace, collared the 3/5 favorite (what were THEY thinking....quackity quack along the railroad track - sis, boom, bah!) and edged to the front in the final 16th of a mile. Best part....he was 3/1 and I cashed for forty beans! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO.
My pick was 8/1 in the 4th in Louisville - ran like it (7th) before I hit again at Belmont. It was hard to look past Chad Brown's lightly raced Key Point, even at a short price. He'd won his debut at Saratoga with a strong 82 Beyer figure. Wasn't seen again until last month when second beaten a nose at this entry level allowance level earning an even bigger 95 Beyer. You had to figure he'd improve with a start under his belt. Tracked the leaders in fourth to the turn, then blitzed by four wide and drew off with ease. My fourth winner of the day!
Less than ten minutes later at Churchill Downs we were going the elongated nine furlongs on the turf under "beaten" claiming conditions. Mike Maker's Kygo had won two of four with a second in his native France before arriving here. His four starts state-side all produced efforts that would win today except when over his head in a Grade 2. He was well, WELL back as the field approached the far turn. Tyler G gave him the "GO" sign and he swept up in a flash, blew by and drew off with authority to seal a winning day for me! Missed with to minimum bets later in the day which both ran third.
Saturday promised to be a F-U-L-L day of racing! And that was because I was playing at Monmouth today which had a 12:15 first post, as well as Pimlico, Belmont, and finally Churchill Downs which was running a "Downs After Dark" program with the final race going off at 11:15 pm! WOW - nearly twelve full hours of racing action! My races for the most part were spaced out and I enjoyed the day, along with the breaks between multiple spots where I had a "PASS" or a scratch. The first three plays of the day were all odds on, and all failed to deliver..... 3rd at 1/1, 2nd at 2/1 and a dismal 6th at 1/1. We were now an hour and a half into the day and the horses were going to post for Race 2 at Belmont. It was a nw3L claiming sprint on the turf and Ring of Fire looked like he'd run well off the bench for trainer Rob Atras who wins with nearly 30% of those. His first seven starts were in MSW company on the dirt, and they produced nothing. Moved to the Atras barn and he put the runner on the grass while dropping him for a tag - BINGO, winner. Came back to be 2nd in a starter allowance turf sprint, then won a similar event. Off the shelf, drops for a first time tag - like the maiden move - hard to go past. Sat the perfect pocket trip in fourth to the stretch...split rivals and ran down the leader to score as the betting choice.
Right back in the third at Pimlico. It was a maiden special for 3yo around two turns and I honestly did not have a lot of confidence in Serifos looking at the Daily Racing Form. But DRF analyst Dan Illman wrote that trainer Graham Motion was 6-for-11 (55%) with dirt routers third off a layoff, like this one was today. His last two were a 7f try, then a one turn mile. The crowd made him the 8/5 favorite. He waited patiently through the far turn and when the rail opened he shot through and drew off easily.
JUST missed in the co-feature at Monmouth with Dean's List in the Long Branch - which had been rescheduled from last Saturday's washed out card. Then it was time for the co-BEST Bet of the Day at Belmont in the first of their multiple graded stakes. The third in New York was the Grade 3 Vagrancy going six and a half furlongs. The ONLY argument against likely odds-on choice Bella Sofia was that (a) she was coming off a layoff and/or (b) it's horse racing, so you never know. She was 3-for-4 at Belmont, had three bullet works, and was exiting a fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Oh. She pressed the 7/1 front runner to the top of the lane, took over and looked ready to take off when collared by the second choice. The two of the dueled in a thrilling stretch run before Bella Sofia was just, JUST up on the wire. WHEW! Not how you figure 1/5 favorites will win, but it was another "W" with the prime time play on board.
I had four passes and a scratch making the time lag over an hour before I lost the next three; another pass and FINALLY got back in the winner's circle two hours after the Vagrancy. This time with the co-feature at Monmouth, the Spruce Fir Handicap going six panels. The one thing I had a question about regarding Alta Velocita was her off the pace style because Monmouth, like Gulfstream is typically speed favoring. The inside three runners all looked to set the table for her late run and it was a positive that she'd won the NJ Breeders' Stakes here at this same distance last summer. Stalked the pace from mid-pack to the turn under Paco Lopez, shot thru on the rail turning for home and drove to the wire as an open lengths winner!
I'd tripled the bet on my fourth winner of the day. Nearly got the "big one" when Masked Marauder was 6/1 in the seventh at Belmont and was oh-so-close before settling for second. Had a scratch and a pass before it was time for the Grade 1 Man O'War going a mile and a half on the Belmont turf. The question was WHICH favorite, Yibir - winner of the Jockey Club Invitational here last year and the Gr 1 Breeders' Cup Turf - or Gufo, a multiple graded stakes winner, would win. Well, no one figured on the double digit winner who held off both the favorite through the stretch run. Three pass races and another scratch took us to 90 minutes later and under the lights at Churchill Downs. I was enjoying watching "my girl," hottie handicapper / newlywed Acacia Courtney-Clement analyze the races as I scored with three of the first five plays under the Twin Spires. Each bet was bigger than the previous as Dunvegan Doll scored in a maiden claiming with a minimum play, then I upped the bet on Sonic City who ran away with a 2-lifetime claiming route before I tripled the bet and won with Quick To Blame in a maiden claimer going a one-turn mile.
This brought us to the featured Mamzelle Stakes for 3yo fillies going five furlongs on the turf and it was my BET of the Day! Last fall as a two-year-old Wesley Ward's filly Twilight Gleaming won her second start and first on the grass at Belmont. Shipped to Royal Ascot and was second in a Group 2. Stayed overseas to win a stakes at Deauville Race Course in France before returning to win the Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, beating the boys. She'd made her return this spring winning the Palisades Stakes at Keeneland and unless that zapped her she looked to be an open lengths winner here. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione rocketed to the front right out of the gate and turned for home with a commanding open length lead. But as the wire approached the closers were flying fast......OH SO CLOSE, but a winner again!
In the finale I had the 8/5 favorite in a Maiden Special turf mile event, but Beachfront Bid had been beaten three consecutive times as the post time favorite. Looked to be making the winning move, only to be outfinished and run second. BUT this was one of three races Twin Spires was offering a money back special, so I "WIN!"
Sunday I had six races at Monmouth and won with two of them to close out the week 16-for-40, a sharp 40% win average!
Social Media This Week.....
Our girl Karl Barnett posted she was hosting an awards event for high school broadcasters....
While the Panthers were battling through overtime on Monday I exchanged messages with Panthers sideline reporter Katie Gaus
The next day my favorite weekday news anchor and gal-pal Lauren Pastrana did a piece on the Florida Panthers and their heart-pounding overtime win.
Two days later Lauren did yet another piece about our Panthers after they'd rallied, at home, from a 0-3 deficit to take control of the series 3 games to 2 with a 5-3 victory.
This week Lauren has worn several outfits that were green that for what ever reason just seemed to pop, so I complimented her and her continued coverage of the Cats.
On Wednesday night as the Panthers were trying to rally, gal-pal Katie Gaus tweeted out she'd put her hair up into a pony; then on Friday she showed she had it back up for the series-clinching game in Washington!
Saturday night I spent the evening with hottie-handicapper Acicia Courtney-Clement as she hosted a light night edition of "America's Day at the Races" on the Fox Network.
Finally, Saturday night, Karli Barnett held her nearly weekly live chat so I chimed in....
And on Sunday I felt I had to write a note to Karli who'd kicked off the chat with some sad news about a mass shooting, because it was breaking news, but skillfully guided the conversation back into areas where people could enjoy the "gathering." I got the sweetest note back :)
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