October 14

 Jilly's Weekend

So you're probably wondering, and rightfully so, why is this week's journal "dedicated" to our "adopted daughter" Jillian who's pictured on the big screen TV at the Sunrise Simulcast Center.  To find out the answer to that question, you'll need to keep reading :)  After back-to-back weekends since our return from the most amazing trip to Ancient Egypt & the Nile River Cruise saw me score at nearly 50% I wondered if the same kind of results would follow today.  It certainly seemed that way as I cashed on three of the first five bets on my sheet.  Following a fading 10th at 5/1 at Laurel I had my first bet at the soggy Belmont at Aqueduct course in a 2yo maiden claiming event carrying a big $50K price tag.  The question here however was had trainer Todd Pletcher and ownership partners Michael Repole & St. Elias Thoroughbreds given up on $300K sales purchase Antenna?  Debuted at Monmouth which typically means they are the "second team" from the Pletcher barn and she was a just-miss 2nd.  This was encouraging enough to send her to Saratoga where she was completely outrun.  OK, maybe not as good as we thought - BUT the winner of that race was Just FYI who returned to win the Grade 1 Frizette and is headed to the Breeders' Cup.  So why after those two are we dropping all the way down and in for a tag?  Broke sharply and went right to the front, taking pressure all the way.  Put that pace rival away only to be confronted by the second choice, but Antenna would not let her by.

Well beaten in the first of the Laurel added money events before the first at Keeneland was at the post.  This was "one of those about seven furlongs" event - which is always curious to me because they DO card "just 7f" races.  This one was a non-winners of two-lifetime with a $30K price tag in the conditions.  As I noted in my analysis, when handicapping it's NOT just about your horse, but about your horse IN COMPARISON to the field.  So I was willing to look past the 1-for-14 resume that Stand For Freedom brought to the table because she was the only one who'd raced at or above the par for this level.  Add in that the others in here who'd run close to par had done so last time out in a maiden win, so I felt they would NOT run back to that figure.  And finally, it was worth noting that the lifetime best Beyer earned by 'Freedom had come HERE that was double digits faster than par in an OPEN race.  Last time out was in a much richer $75K nw2L at Churchill.  Sat mid-pack through the opening quarter mile then made a sharp middle move up the rail to reach contention approaching the far turn.  Moved three wide into the clear turning for home and opened up to win convincingly.  AND at a generous $9.32 payoff.

Kudos to Belmont and the racing office as not only did they card the featured Grade 2 Sands Point early in the card (Race 2) but despite the steady rain they ran it on the grass to hold the graded status.  Unlike Gulfstream management which is uber-quick to pull the trigger and move races from the grass to the all-weather.  Supposedly the "new and improved" Belmont - currently under renovation, thus running at Aqueduct - may have a synthetic track as well.  Will be interesting to see if they too move races quickly to the fake dirt when the weather breaks.  At any rate, this race - restricted to 3yo fillies - looked to me to be between Todd Pletcher's Soviet Excess and Euro invader Eternal Hope.  The Pletcher filly had run two races in her last two starts that beat all 72 figures posted by the rest of the field.  And she would be closer to the front than Eternal Hope - who certainly was the "class play" - who'd won the Grade 3 Jockey Club Oaks going further when rallying from the back some two dozen lengths out of it.  But with the weather, 'Soviet scratched.  OK, in a smaller field I'll gamble that 'Hope won't have traffic issues.  Well that concern was immediately a non-factor as the rider got her out of the gate quickly and into a stalking position just a couple lengths off the leader into the first turn.  Between runners all the way to the top of the lane she accelerated to the front, dueled for a sixteenth of a mile and edged clear late with my "late change bet" on board and I'm standing at 3-for-5 on the day!

Vying for the "story of the day" came in Keeneland's second race which I did NOT win and didn't even hit the board.  But it IS why you see our girl Jillian on the banner.  It's not completely uncommon that I'll see a horse bearing a name of someone I know but in this race, a maiden special sprint for two year olds, Wesley Ward was sending his first time starting filly out against the boys and she had several sharp works.  I probably would have just watched because Ward's two-year-olds do the most damage in the spring here, not the fall.  BUT the name "Jilly's West," which bears the nickname we've given "our girl Jillian" made her too hard to resist.  I messaged our hot looking "step daughter" and shared the pick to which she reacted enthusiastically.  Pounded down to even money I thought MAYBE she was the real deal.  Set the pace into the lane and I thought maybe she'd kick clear, but at about the furlong pole she tossed in the towel and faded to fifth.  Still, a good story!

The fourth in New York was another turf stakes but by now the weather had worsened and it was taken off the turf.  Again my top choice scratched and we were left with a field of four.  Listening to the NYRA analysts and looking at the board it seemed that Scottish Star would have little trouble scoring here, and she didn't have any issues at a short price, making her my second "audible" of the day to score.

I had decided to play Gulfstream today as I seem to do well there despite the lesser quality this time of year and the many races on the all-weather which I have not had the best of luck on over the winter.  Last week I scored with a Saffie Joseph first time starter in a MSW race where none of those with experience looked formidable.  Such was the case again with Beastly Speed.  The early DRF line of double digits was way off I was sure.  Right again Mark-O.....went off at 6/5 as he stalked the pace into the turn then drew off as easily best.

Battle Cry was my "best bet" at Gulfstream in a starter optional claimer going two turns on the all weather.  She was the prototype of the "NOW Horse" having won three of her last four......seven wins showing on the page, and a 4/3-1-0 resume on the sythetic.  Certainly Chick's Shadow was the class of the field but she was coming off a layoff and I thought she'd be "short" today facing a hot horse.  Battle Cry saved ground all the way through the far turn but was walled off by five horses in a line turning for home.  No where to go until approaching the furlong marker she finally angled out three wide, kicked into high gear and surged past late.  WHEW, close but she was best.  Cashed for nearly $50 on the bet.

Dornoch looked to be a potential two-year-old star in the making at Keeneland.  A sharp second in a Saratoga sprint led to him being the favorite - as a maiden - in Monmouth's Sapling Stakes going a two turn mile.  Second but NINE clear of the show colt he was going two turns with maidens here today.  I thought his only rival was posted wide in the 12-hole.  But when that one scratched I upped the bet.  Right to the front, took pressure while being confidently ridden, and took off emphatically through the short stretch for the win, my seventh on the day.  

At this point I was still nearly .500 on the day (7-for-16) but then I skidded through the late afternoon going 9/0-3-1.  Had just a couple of those four on the board runners scored it would have been a good day.  But I ended the day on a high note when the "BEST Bet of the Day" scored in the finale at Keeneland.  First Mission had won the Grade 3 Lexington last spring but had not been out since.  But a sharp bullet work told me he would handle the break in this allowance test.  Much like Battle Cry earlier he was screaming for somewhere to go through the far turn but did not have a seam.  Finally got outside into the clear, surged and J-U-S-T up to win.  AND I'd upped the bet from $20 to WIN to $30!  Finished the day with "fair numbers"...... AND with the TwinSpires "Keeneland Bonus" promotion I added nearly $15 to the bankroll to cut into the small loss for the day :)

Social Media this week.....

Multiple "interactions" this week with several of my online pals.  Evening news anchor Lauren Pastrana and I had three such connections.  First, early in the week the future weather forecast called for a cold front to pass through late Sunday and drop the Monday and Tuesday morning temps into the 60's and even 50's.  Lauren and I have a "coffee thing" that we've chatted about previously and she once told me she likes having her hot coffee on the porch in the morning, in a hoodie regardless of the temperatures here in So Florida.  So when that forecast was announced I reached out and asked "who's ready' for hot coffee in a hoodie in the morning....and she quickly (note the time stamps) replied!  Then on Thursday she was sporting her "wavy hair look" and I commented, adding it was opening night for the hockey season.  And finally she looked "pretty in pink" on Friday in honor of her being the MC for a walk for breast cancer on Saturday morning.  She not only liked that pic & post but retweeted it out on her own page :)

I will be interested to see over the next week or two if I share any "conversations" with my new gal-pal Petra.  From the first day we agreed to be Facebook friends on board the Viking Osiris through the middle of last week we exchanged messages every day.  And let me say, I get it.....she works long hours every day serving the guests on board with never a break between guests.  And who am I, an older fellow who she spent a couple of days with and now we're thousands of miles apart and with a seven hour time difference.  BUT, that being said we DID have "conversations" every day and suddenly over the last several days......no replies, not even a "like" for my comments which I got on all of them previously.  So we'll see.....hoping it's just that she's really tired and/or busy and not that she's sick or that she's reconsidered our friendship.  But early in the week we did have two conversations.

Early in the week I was on a walk and I saw a school bus.  For what ever reason it made me think of my gal-pal from Cypress Bay, "Cookie" (Jennifer Cook).  She has hung on to the idea I gave her to retire and be my track assistant for years.  So I texted her asking how her last year before her long awaited retirement would arrive this coming summer.  And she immediately replied that she may retire early, and note how she AGAIN refers to becoming my track assistant.  I'd love to have a track pal, especially a gal-pal :)

Former "Coach Kelly" from Oasis High posted a pic of her out with a girl friend and both sporting, in her description a "hot red dress."  She is such a cute girl and I'm appreciative that we've stayed pals since going our separate ways.

A new "news girl" that's become a favorite of mine is CBS-Miami weather gal KC Sherman.  Twice this week we exchanged interactions :)

KC's sidekick on the weekend morning news is anchor Teri Hornstein who is also new to my friends list.  She reacted to my morning shout out.

Karli Barnett's usual Saturday Facebook Live chat was moved to Sunday and I only had time to jump on for a minute.  The early conversation was about the cold front sweeping through the country and down into Florida.  I greeted her and mentioned the upcoming home opener for our Panthers - she remarked how exciting that was.

Finally, my long-time and most favorite gal-pal Kimmy and I continued to exchange messages, though not daily like during the Egypt trip.  And when she posted new pics of she and her kids (and husband) I commented and nearly immediately got a reaction.  That little girl is JUST adorable, like her Mom!

\