May 25 - 30
The racing began for me on Wednesday evening from Canterbury Park in Minnesota (dontchaknow) and finished late Monday evening with special Memorial Day holiday racing. And with the conclusion of racing Monday it marked the end of the first two months of the Triple Crown/Spring Racing Season. Here's how it played out from start to finish.
I was disappointed when I tuned in Wednesday at Canterbury that it was a wet night and the turf races were off the turf....the whole point of Northern Stars Preview Night were the three stakes on the turf. My first thought was to opt out, but then I thought.....if the trainer keeps them in the race, and there's some betting action, then I'm playing. I'm "here" anyway, so let's play. After I missed on my first selection (and had a scratch) it was time for the three stakes events. Missed with the first off -the-turf event where I stuck with my top choice at 3/2 (3rd). In the Brooks Field Stakes my top choice was scratched my another runner I had looked at was being played, so I went with Tut's Revenge on the off going. Pressed the pace to the top of the stretch then drew off as the 3/5 chalk.
Missed in the third stakes where my "Best Bet" had been the MTO but despite being moved to the main he scratched. Go figure. In the finale, which went to post a little after ten o'clock, I really liked the favorite in a maiden special sprint who was shipping in off solid tries at bigger track Oaklawn. Tonka Warrior tracked the pace in third to the top of the stretch, split rivals and wore down the leaders late to give the jockey, a local native, his 1000th career win.
Thursday it was Twilight racing at Churchill Downs and much like in Minnesota the races came off the turf leaving me with three picks. The most likely winner came in the fifth, a maiden special sprint where Little Mombo looked very tough. On her own pp's she was sketchy at best but it was all about the comparison and she ran like a Breeders' Cup Champ to win going away.
Saturday I didn't have a lot of picks because (a) there were not any big races - what with holiday racing on Monday - and (b) I was in Orlando visiting the grandson so I didn't want to be at it all day. I won back to back races with completely opposite kinds of payouts. The third at Belmont saw Secret Rules leave the gate as a prohibitive favorite. While only 2-for-13 with six runner-up finishes he faced a soft nw2L field here AND had a best of 107 bullet work. Took mild pressure but was in hand to the top of the lane and then ran off as tons the best with my triple investment.
Right back at Churchill Downs in a turf sprint where TO ME Totally Boss looked very logical. He was a Grade 3 winner facing allowance foes and there was a wealth of speed, I mean multiple runners who would put up :21 and change early fractions to set the table for him. Could not have scripted it better as they cooked each other into the stretch. Totally Boss was last turning for home saving ground, but would up while sliding outside for clear run and blew by. But the best part.....somehow the crowd let him go off at 7/2 odds and I cashed for $45! Thank you Louisville bettors :)
Although I only missed twice in the interim, my next win came two hours later at Churchill, again on the turf. Eyes On Target had run very well in his races here at Churchill Downs, but not so well in New York, so if you were willing to draw a line through those, I thought he was a legitimate play in this entry level allowance on the grass. He pressed the pace to the top of the lane and then was very difficult to keep on a straight line, but the rider worked hard to keep him going and he edged to the front and once clear pulled away to win.
Over the next 90 minutes I picked up a win at Santa Anita in a MSW with first timer Fun To Dream who was facing a very mediocre group the second in a thrilling photo finish duel between my top two choices, both Chad Brown runners. And then I got into the winner's circle with my lone win at Monmouth on the day. Interesting, to me at least, that perennial leading rider Paco Lopez has not been on the top of his game and on this day where he looked to be live on a multitude of mounts, he could only find the winner's circle once with the 2/5 favorite here, Raise The Rent. But one of the two highlight races was on tap next, the mile and a half turf marathon, the Keertana Stakes from Churchill Downs. Temple City Terror won this event last year and he looked as good or better to defend the title. One angle that I really liked here was that under the Twin Spires 'Terror boasted a 4/3-1-0 record.....at all other venues, a woeful 19/1-1-4, yikes! The stretch runner trailed through the first mile to the far turn behind a pretty moderate pace, which had me somewhat concerned. The rider asked and he immediately blitzed by the field to engage the leader into the final furlong. That one fought for a sixteenth of a mile before giving way as I scored my first stakes of the afternoon.
After three misses - two of which were even money and cost me what WOULD have been a big profit on the day - I scored with the last bet of the day in Santa Anita's Fran's Valentine Stakes. This was DRF analyst Brad Free's Best Bet and he proved right. Alice Marble left the gate of this turf mile stakes as the 1-2 choice but into the far turn could find no where to go and had been shuffled back multiple spots at least once. But with a furlong to go a seam opened and she blew by to win in the final fifty yards, my eighth win from twenty selections.....I'll take the 40% win rate any day of the week!
Memorial Day came and I had selections from five venues with the first post a little after noon and the last race going off at 9 pm EST. It would be a wild ride for sure. I was very happy that when I told my youngest son, Brad, before we left their house Sunday about the big day of racing that he not only wanted to play with me today, but also wanted to join a betting platform on his own. We had nine wins on the day, had a lot of fun with a lot of ups and downs. But the theme of the day was just how many, how VERY MANY times we were edged out on or near the wire! There were a total of EIGHTEEN times we ran 2nd or 3rd (ten runner-up finishes) and these six in particular would have added almost $175 in returns....even half of these five photos go our way and it's a BIG DAY at the track. Oh you gotta love it......
But let's move on to what DID happen in our favor....after starting the day an amazing 0-for-7 over the first two and half hours finally got a winner when Jelly Nougat wired the fifth at Churchill at 3/1, and after another third on the Jersey Shore I got my first win at Lone Star when Lady Ave was MUCH the best as the short priced favorite. Thought we were on our way but lost four more in a row - wow. Then over the next hour and a half we scored on four of six to get back in the game. Sterling Silver blew by the 4/5 favorite in the Bouwerie Stakes for 3yo at Belmont, and at a big 3/1 price so we collected nearly $50.
The feature at Churchill was the Grade 3 Winning Colors and Sconsin looked so much the best. The only concern was (a) the layoff and (b) the short price. I made her the BET of the Weekend. Tracked the pace to the top of the stretch and then rolled on by. I thought it was interesting that in the post race interview jockey Tyler Gaffalione said he never got her out of second gear - and she won in a sizzling final time of 1:08 and change!
Right back at Belmont in the Mike Lee for 3yo. I particularly enjoyed watching Rotknee wire the field for two reasons.....first, the "America's Day At The Races" analysts - in particular "grumpy old man" Andy Serling INSISTED that Rotknee would NEVER make the front uncontested - which he did as I anticipated; and second, he paid a whopping $9.60 so we cashed for nearly $50 again.
Missed on two and then scored with Smash Ticket at Lone Star in a two-lifetime allowance sprint. My next two wins came in Lone Star Park Stakes races and they were rewarding! In the Chamberlain Bridge Turf Sprint - named for one of my all time favorite runners, Chamberlain Bridge who won the 2010 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint for me as I stood along the rail with 20+ family & friends - looked to me to be a perfect set-up race for Excess Magic. He got a good pace ahead of him but at the furlong marker was still multiple lengths behind. Hit a whole other gear and surged to the front in the shadow of the wire. The triple investment got me back over $30.
Missed in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile when Smooth Like Strait towered over the field on class and speed figures but ran to his usual "I'll settle for 2nd or 3rd" form as the 4/5 choice. But then it was the Memorial Day Sprint at Lone Star. When I handicapped the race I thought, "Well THIS is a slam dunk, and Kalypso will be the short priced favorite, but he'll win." This guy was a multiple graded stakes winner, including a Grade 1 and here he was in a listed event at Lone Star, hello....duh. As they left the gate he was well in hand pressing the leader. Turning for home he was asked to run and drew off as a decisive winner. No surprise. And he was my "Lone Star BEST" bet....what WAS a surprise was he was NOT the favorite, what were the Texas fans thinking? He was let go at more than 2/1 so I cashed for over $60 ..... WHOOOO HOOOOO!
Concluded the day with a winner at Santa Anita in a race where on her own merits you'd NEVER bet the 8x maiden Warren's Queen Bee, but with this group was a standout. Three seconds and two thirds sealed the day, but still, a great time at the races from the Sunrise Simulcast Center!
Memorial Day Weekend Highlights
Social Media Interactions......
Monday was what turned out to be the end of the hockey season as our Panthers were eliminated from the playoffs. But I posted to gal-pals Karli & Lauren that I took the blame for the Sunday loss with my success at the races. And Karli wrote back to me :)
Hottie WPLG morning anchor Jayce Birch looked sizzling in a gold outfit which warranted commenting, and she appreciated the shout out.
Saturday evening my CBS weekend anchor gal-pal Karli had her regular live Facebook chat with her weather gal-pal Jennifer. We interacted together, and the later I told her how much I appreciated her opening up on a regular basis.
Former student and now adult friend, my "Disney Girl" Amanda and I were on the same page about trying to hook up soon....
I also reached out to former student and fellow Miami Redskin alum Jen this week....
Monday's holiday racing saw me "spend the day" with former Gulfstream hottie handicapper Acacia Courtney-Clement...
And on Tuesday evening as I began recapping the week's racing at the end of a mostly cloudy day, gal-pal Lauren Pastrana brightened the evening with her pretty smile and sunshine yellow dress. I complimented her and got a reply back - note the time stamps that she did this, as per usual, WHILE ON THE AIR :)
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