Final Fall Weekend

 November 6 - 9

Because there were not a lot of "big" races on the weekend, and it being the final week of the Fall Season (for me), I opted to play the week day cards at Churchill on Wednesday thru Friday before playing three tracks on Saturday.  On Wednesday I had the best day of the week-day racing.  Passed the opener and ran 2nd at 3/5 in the next.  But in R3, a maiden claimer, I thought Rando might be a fair price.  He'd only been out twice and was off the board in both.  But his Beyers were as good as anyone else's and with the first time tagged today I thought he could run well.  Dueled early then smartly took back into the turn.  Launched a rally in the stretch and drew off late at a nice $9.40 payoff for the first win of the week!

My pick in R5 was 3/1 and in contention into the far turn before pulling up and not finishing the race.  But R6 was a solid pick in Benedetta.  Her last two figures beat 61 of the 62 career numbers of the rest of the field, but she was exiting a win against entry level allowance rivals and moving into a tougher, 2nd level allowance race today.  She was the pick, but what about a wagering amount?  Looked at the public handicappers and she was the top choice across the board making her the "Consensus Best of the Day."  Went with a double investment.  But when she took a lot of money I followed along.  She tracked a trio of leaders through the far turn then swung four-wide into the lane to catch them.  Edged clear late to give me another win, this one with a triple investment so I collected nearly $30.

Passed the next two before scoring with Brad Cox's Liberal Arts who as a 2yo had won the Grade 3 Street Sense over this track.  Would he be ready to fire off the layoff?  Most Cox horses are.  Tracked the leaders, swung into the clear and took command.  Inside the final 16th he was tiring, but the wire came first and I had my third winner of the day, and cashed for over $30.  Missed on the finale, but still a 3-for-6 day with a clear profit was an excellent start to the week!

Thursday I only had four bets, spread out over four hours.  Started fifth at 2/1 odds and then had no bets in races 2-3-4.  In the fifth I liked Mr. Wireless should the race come off the turf, but it did not.  The "best" pick on the grass was Brad Cox's Wadsworth, but he was coming back off a long layoff, having not run since 2023 (when he ran 1-2 in four races).  He was being well bet and I went with him.  Took the lead in the lane by daylight and looked gone, but not quite in full condition and he was nailed in the final strides.  No bet in the 6th but then ran 6th at 8/5 in the 7th.....wow.  One last chance to score, in the 9th and finale....a maiden special for 2yo's going a one-turn mile.  Admiral Dennis had been checked at the start, then had traffic trouble and still ran third.  Looked pretty formidable in here.  Tracked the dueling leaders three-wide into the turn, then cruised by to take command.  Battle with a longshot to the 1/8th pole and cleared off to score.

Friday was much the same as Thursday.  Five of the nine races found me without being able to find anyone with an angle to bet on.  In the 2nd and 4th I ran 4th at 2/1 and 2nd as the prohibitive 3/5 favorite.  The fifth was a non-winners of two lifetime turf route for 2yo's.  Giocoso had finished second first time around two turns then drew off by half a dozen.  That led to back-to-back graded stakes tries.  Now the drop into a restricted allowance I thought he would find these rivals very manageable.  Mid-pack to the turn, then split rivals into the lane....surged late and was JUST up in time!  Finished the day by running third at 9/5 in the 7th.  But the good news was that through three days I had won at nearly 40% and still had a clear profit.

Saturday I had not only the selections from Churchill Downs, but I'd also looked at both Aqueduct and Laurel which both had stakes races on the menu.  Missed the NY opener but in the second I doubled the bet on Illuminaire in what would be, for those who follow me, a surprising pick.  I'm nearly always a big fan of the Beyer figures and while I don't think they are the end-all, if a runner is not one of the top Beyer figure runners it's rare he'll get my bet.  But in this case the lightly raced Todd Pletcher colt looked to be the class of the field and I believed his numbers, post race, would reflect that.  In a textbook "how to ride a racehorse" trip, he tracked the leader into the far turn, all the while saving ground on the rail.  Swung into the clear, collared the leader and ran home as a daylight winner.

After second at 9/5 with my first bet in Maryland it was time for the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes for 3yo colts on the turf in New York.  As I noted in my analysis, one of the problems in this spot was that despite it's graded status, all the top tier 3yo turf runners were no shows after having run at Keeneland or the Breeders' Cup.  But I did believe that Christophe Clement's Deterministic who'd won a dirt stakes in the spring on the early Derby trail, but his future seemed to lie on the grass.  He had a nearly identical resume to his main rival, except that one was exiting a dismal try and Deterministic was dropping out of a good 4th vs. Gr 1 company.  In a near identical race to the first winner, Deterministic was close to the pace while tracking inside.  Swung out into the clear turning for home, collared the leader, pushed by and gradually edged clear for the win.  

After missing in the first of the Laurel stakes, I had my first winner in Louisville.  Brad Cox had two in the lineup but jockey Florent Geroux stuck with Instant Replay who was making his third start.  While at this time of the year there's not a lot of difference between a high-priced $150K maiden event and today's $100K maiden claimer, it IS a drop.  And he was exiting a best of the rest second behind a runaway winner in his second career start.  Kept in the clear four-wide throughout he stalked the leaders to the turn and when asked blew by for a decisive win.

Missed at Aqueduct, and scored my first winner at Laurel with She Is Wisky who was the 6/5 favorite before hitting the skids on five straight picks.  Snapped out of it though......

Vinobella edged clear in the final 100 yards at Churchill and then minutes later I scored in a Laurel Stakes, the Thirty-Eight Go Go when Foxy Junior was way too good for his rivals.  

The national "feature" was the Grade 2 Red Smith, a marathon turf race at Aqueduct.  I'd seen Shug McGaughey's Integration run in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf and on THAT day I thought he was overrated as a co-favorite (didn't hit the board).  But today - in my mind - would be different.  Why?  First of all, in his nine career starts he'd gone winless in four Grade 1 races.  In the other five he'd won FOUR of them, and was 4th over the quirky Kentucky Downs turf course.  But what sealed the deal was that top rider Flavian Prat agreed to ride for the first time.  In fourth while saving ground thru the far turn, he found a seam and got clear in the lane.  But for about 16th of a mile he just seemed to be "running on."  Suddenly he switched gears and in the blink of an eye he blew by to win going away.  I closed out the day with another win at Churchill Downs when Kinetic was a 3/1 winner to give me my eighth win on the day and a profit of nearly $30.

With the end of the Fall Racing Season I put together my numbers and is almost always the case in the fall, I did very well!  I've often wondered how I'd do throughout the year if I was as "picky" about my selections at the Gulfstream winter meet and over the summer.  But to be fair - since Florida Derby Day I've bet over 950 races....won with nearly 40% of them and show a flat bet profit.  Can't ask for much better than that!

I'll be taking next week off to gear up for the winter, and then have a weekend of "pre-season" racing when the Fair Grounds opens in two weeks.  Gulfstream's Opening Day is Thanksgiving Day!

Monday was the launch of the Viking TV episode I'd filmed in late August on the Viking Neptune anchored in the Thames River in London.  It was such a slick presentation and I got a lot of positive feedback.  You can read the story behind the episode and watch the video replay on my "Viking TV 2" web page HERE.

Social Media this week......

CBS-Miami anchors Teri Hornstein & Lauren Pastrana provided the few social interactions of the week.  Teri, in our usual weekend morning coffee exchange "talked" about my upcoming Viking TV episode, the creamers we use in our coffee and she was enthusiastic about wanting to follow my next trip.

Lauren and I exchanged comments about the election and I shared my good news about my eye injections.

Breeders' Cup Weekend 2024

 November 1 - 2

It was a really good Breeders' Cup weekend for me!  And for more than one reason!  First and foremost, I hit a sharp 44% for the weekend AND made a profit.  But what made it even cooler for me was that on Saturday I had my "Bet of the Weekend" fail to hit the board.  That's almost always guarantees a losing day.  But because of my other wins and the TwinSpires Bonus on two other races I came out a clear winner for the weekend!  The first day, Future Stars Friday saw me with ten selections - all from Del Mar.  The opener was an entry level AOC and I had mixed feelings about Red Flag.  Typically in races like this I do NOT like to take veteran racers who exit high priced claiming events.  But after being off for a year he came back to wire a high-priced $40K sprint and was claimed.  Then won in an entry level spot like this, running for the optional tag with a "paired" figure - both of which would win for fun here.  That gave him four career wins - more than anyone else in the field, and his two recent figures would beat everything on the page.  I decided to play the minimum.  Was near the back into the far turn, then suddenly blitzed by the field to collar the leader in the lane and draw off through the final furlong.

Race 2 was the first of the M-A-N-Y stakes at Del Mar this weekend, this one being the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes going five furlongs on the turf.  Twirling Queen had the right stalk & finish style to take advantage of the multiple front runners I thought.  Had only been on the turf twice, but won both of them.  The race played out almost exactly as I'd thought.....tracked in fourth behind horses to the top of the lane, shot through to the front up the rail and opened up by daylight.  All of this I expected.  But as they got to the final 200 yards the closers were coming.....oh so close, but I held on, WHEW!

Missed in the next three 2yo stakes before it was time for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.  The winner here would become an early favorite for the first Friday in May's Gr 1 Kentucky Oaks.  I've said many times that "the rule" in handicapping is there ARE NO RULES.  And so I listened to my own advice here because I next to never like the 2yo winner of the NY preps for the BC as both the Gr 1 Champagne and Gr 1 Frizette go a one turn mile.  So not only do these two-year-olds have to face other accomplished runners, and always have to ship out of town.  BUT they also must go two turns for the first time.  In spite of this I thought Brad Cox's Immersive was the one to beat.  What made this NY winner my choice was after she won the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga - coming from off the pace, Cox cleverly sent her to Keeneland for the Grade 1 Alcibiades which, unlike the Frizette, IS around two turns.  She'd come from a stalking trip to draw off impressively and that was enough for me.  Tracked the leaders in 4th and 5th through the far turn, launched a three-wide rally into the stretch and got to the front runners at the furlong pole.  Found another gear and drew off as easily best.  AND she was my first "added money" play of the day - though not quite "prime time."

The next race, the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf DID have a "prime time" bet, and Aidan O'Brien's Lake Victoria was my BET of the Day for "Future Stars Friday."  You always have to take into account some conflicting factors with Euros like this.  In addition to this race also being for lightly raced juveniles, the Euros will be going the "wrong way" around the track AND having to negotiate turns as typically European races go right to left on a straightaway course.  But also, Europeans are almost always a higher quality runner on the grass.  Lake Victoria is the daughter of superstar Frankel so the bloodlines are there for stardom, and her last two wins had produced TimeForm figures that when converted to Beyers would beat all but one North American figure on the page.  That both had been earned in Group 1 stakes - probably more competitive than any NA race made her the top choice.  Add in international star jockey Ryan Moore and it was a done deal.  Fifth riding the rails and saving ground into the far turn, Moore found a seam at the top of the lane.  Burst through and shot to a daylight lead before drawing off convincingly!  WHOOOO HOOOO.  Missed on the last two BC stakes, but these two BC wins made me 4-for-10 for the day with a clean profit!

As Championship Saturday dawned, I had selections from both Belmont and Del Mar to keep me occupied.  In addition, like yesterday, the Florida Panthers had an early puck drop from Finland AND with it being a Saturday in the fall, there was college football on the menu.  I passed the late morning kick off race in New York before running 2nd as the 4/5 favorite in the Nashua Stakes.  My next pick scratched so the second bet of the day came in the Artie Schiller Stakes going a mile on the grass.  It looked to me like Running Bee would be very difficult to defeat.  Four of his last six starts had produced Beyers of 96 or higher and won two of his last four, including a Gr 3 at Monmouth.  Add in a sharp fourth beaten just over two lengths last time out in a Grade 1 and he seemed obvious.  But that's the great thing about racing, you have to actually run the race!  He tracked the 5/2 second choice out of the far turn and then the leader floated him even wider into the lane.  Kicked in and the two of them went one head up and one head down to the final strides before Running Bee got his nose down on the wire, carrying my triple investment for the first win on Saturday.

Didn't like anyone in the Del Mar opener so my next bet came in a $12K claiming sprint at Belmont.  Initially I had some concerns about Valenzan Day who had rattled off three straight by a combined 30 plus lengths.  Why?  Because you DID have to wonder about trainer Linda Rice DROPPING him first off the claim out of a daylight win for $16K back to this level.  But, in my mind, if they won they would collect $15K in prize money, and if claimed for $12K they would essentially double their money with only one start.  Right to the front, pressured into the lane before he opened up.  But the closers were coming.....too late my friends as I cashed again for the second winner in a row.

Next on the selection sheet was the first stakes from San Diego, the Grade 3 Bayakoa going a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.  Bob Baffert's Hope Road had run two nondescript races before moving into the Baffert barn.  First time for the Hall of Famer had produced a daylight score.  Right back against allowance foes and she aired again.  Baffert stretched her to a mile in the Grade 3 Torey Pines and she tracked the leaders to the stretch then drew off in hand.  Would have to negotiate another 16th of a mile today, but she looked just too good for these.  She shot to the front and set very quick fractions of :22 and change and :45 and change.  Could she last?  Baffert's go-to rider Juan Hernandez had not moved a muscle and Hope Road appeared to have plenty left.  The field closed in through the turn, but then Hernandez gave her the cue and she spurted away to another convincing win.  THREE in a row!

The third at Del Mar was the Grade 3 Goldikova, named for the three-time BC Mile winner who I had in all three of her historic wins.  Unlike those races where the champion was the clear choice, this race appeared to be a real toss-up.  I thought that the "likely" winner was one of the Europeans, but I found it oh-so-curious that Raqiya was listed at a 6/1 morning line price after having finished 2nd in front of today's morning line choice.  In addition, Raqiya had already notched four wins from just seven starts and the favorite only had a maiden win to her credit.  I thought it was well worth a minimum play.  She was a healthy price throughout the betting but came down a couple notches to 5/1 as they left the gate.  Legendary rider Frankie Dettori took her right to the front.  He was able to back the pace down through the opening half mile by running the second quarter in a pedestrian :25 seconds.  Kicked away into the lane and won in a classic front end theft.  But the payoff of $12.20 enabled me to cash for over $30 on my fourth win in a row.

The seventh at Belmont was a 2yo maiden special dash going the extended seven furlongs.  My top pick scratched and before crossing off the race I read through my analysis.  I had written that National Identity appeared to be the main danger after rallying from a wide post eleven to miss by less than a length in his debut.  I noted that he was part of an entry that was being very well bet so I added him to the list.  Was part of a four-way pace duel on the front end through the opening quarter, but he cleared off to lead them on a merry chase to the wire for my FIFTH win in a row.  YOWZA.

The rest of the bets on my selection sheet were all stakes events, including the NINE Breeders' Cup races.  I knew I wouldn't win ALL the races so when I ran 5th and 3rd with my next two bets I was still feeling pretty good about myself.  The Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint featured "the fastest horse in the world" in the odds-on favorite Cogburn.  He looked easily best in here and he was the odds on choice.  Right to the front and clear by daylight.  But as analyst and Hall of Fame rider Jerry Bailey pointed out in the post-race commentary, why Irad Ortiz asked him to run on the turn instead of waiting until they were at least in the stretch or at the furlong pole probably cost him the race.  He was already in complete control and had no need to open up.  My guess he thought he'd win it right there.  Instead, inside the final sixteenth he was swallowed up by not on but four closers, including the $69 winner, a European invader.  BOOOOO to the Bet of the Day going down in flames.  But kudos to me for "sticking with the program" and going "prime time" on the 3yo filly Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff.  At first glance you could say, well what's so special about going all in on the favorite?  I'll tell you what was......two back she'd run the race of her life when missing by a neck in the Grade 1 Travers against the colts where the winner was Fierceness, the moderate favorite for today's $7 Million Classic.  She'd "bounced" out of that with a narrow win in the Grade 1 Cotillion with a lower than usual Beyer figure.  AND she was facing older today.  Hmmmm.  As WWE star personality The Rock would say,  IT DOESN'T MATTER!"  Bounced out of the gate and took control.  The stalkers were making their move through the far turn but jockey Brian Hernandez sat motionless until heads were turned for home.  Gave the superstar filly the cue and she immediately shifted into high gear and left the field in her wake.  EASILY best and a solid choice for "Horse of the Year" honors!

Ten minutes after the Distaff, the second of the 2yo stakes at Belmont went to post.  I'd started the day running 2nd at 4/5 in the Nashua Stakes for the colts, and here I had planned to play the minimum on Stunner to win this one-turn mile event.  The reason was that BOTH of the best figures on the page belonged to last out maiden winners.  And I am NOT a fan of playing those kind of big figure maiden winners first time against winners, especially in a stakes, and at a new distance.  But in this case, Stunner had earned a big figure on debut when second behind a very promising filly who'd earned a 94 Beyer in victory.  Stunner came back as the prohibitive choice and earned a big 86 in her maiden win.  As a daughter of Louisiana Derby winner Girvin she had the bloodlines to go longer.  When the betting was strong in her support I decided to up the wager.  She burst out of the gate and cleared the field in hand.  Got a bit of a breather on the turn and opened up turning for home, lengthening her stride to score as much the best.!

In November of 2022 on Breeders' Cup weekend Kim and I were sailing to Antarctica with Viking Expeditions.  That day I liked Rebel's Romance to win the turf and he came roaring home at nearly 6/1 odds to add to my winnings that day.  Following that big effort he went on a three race skid, including two dull efforts in New York, so the connections opted not to try the World Championships.  But this season he returned to form, winning four of five starts (with a 3rd at Royal Ascot two back) - and three of those wins were in Group 1 company.  His TimeForm figures were nearly the same as in 2022 and I loved that the connections prepped with the same Group 1 in Germany this year as he'd used in 2022.  I knew he would not be the "other European" which has often led me to price scores in the Turf, but I also thought he was a very likely winner.  Pressed the 50/1 front runner to mid-turn, took over willingly and opened up to apparently be long gone.  But in the final 16th the closers were quickly making up ground....but the wire came first and I had my eighth winner on the day.  

The final five Breeders' Cup events only produced a second and a third - both of which meant I'd get my money back thanks to the TwinSpires "Bet Back" promotion.  So for the weekend my totals looked like this:

Wednesday, while in Ohio I'd written to my friends at Viking TV and asked if my episode I'd filmed on the Viking Neptune at the end of August was still on for November 11th.  I got an email back first that this was the case, then Thursday about an hour before I left my Mom's I got an email with the "final cut" of the episode and a 'teaser" clip which I was allowed to post online to show all my friends and family that have followed our adventures.  Here's that clip......

Viking TV "Teaser"

Social Media this week......

Typically the only "human contact" I have each week other than with my wife at home is online, and as I've said before, I'm so grateful to my social media pals.....nearly all girls, go figure.  But this past week while in Ohio I not only saw my Mom, sister, & niece each day but also got to visit with our good friends Mary Pat & Tom, and went to lunch with high school gal pal Gayla.  So it was a LOT of social interaction for this fellow - and I thoroughly enjoyed it all.  Amanda reached out to me on Halloween - she is such a huge Disney fan :)

I also had a few exchanges with gal-pal / country DJ Chloe while in Ohio......

Once I posted the "teaser" / preview of my Viking TV episode I sent the short video to my favorite three gal-pals (Amanda, Kimmy & Chloe) and all were duly impressed :)

CBS weekend anchor Teri and I had several exchanges this week.  When she shared she was going to Washington DC (to see her fiancé I'm pretty sure) I sent her a photo of Kim and I on top the Capitol Dome when we were there and got an exclusive tour.  I also shared a photo of me with my morning coffee at Sheetz, the Columbus morning coffee place.  I really liked this pic of me and thought it would be good to share one of me as a change-up to always sending pics to Teri of herself.  The final photo below is from Sunday when she was back on the morning anchor desk and we exchanged our "usual coffee pic" and I told her about the Viking TV "teaser."

As is typical with my pal Lauren Pastrana, most of the "conversations" are me reaching out to her and her "liking" what I've shared.  When she posted about voting I shared I too had voted.  I also shared the morning coffee pic, which she liked.  And I wrote to her about how unique she is as an anchor after she did a short bit on a rainbow....makes her so "real" and believable in my opinion.  Lauren wrote back to me in regards to her posting about the amazing number of candies they expected to give out on Trick Or Treat night, and I got a big smile when she commented on the "teaser" I sent her.  She was the first I shared it with as she had emailed me some tips & suggestions for filming the episode.  Finally, I loved her print dress she wore on Friday, and you'll note she wrote back to me when I said we'd be going to the FAU game.

Empire Showcase Weekend

 October 26 - 27 - Empire Showcase Weekend In NY

Closing Day at Keeneland / Opening Day at Churchill

On Thursday I flew to Ohio for a week visiting friends and family.  I had handicapped the Saturday card, where it was Closing Day at Keeneland and there were some stakes races in New York prior to leaving.  The kicked off with the opener in New York featuring 2yo's in a maiden special sprint.  I noted that it was a case of what we DID know about likely favorite Rookie Card vs. what we did not know about first time starter Graffiti Writer.  When the latter took no money at all, I was "all in" on the 2x runner-up at odds-on and he proved easily best today.

I ran second in the next race at BAQ before in in the Keeneland opener, All Class was much the best at a very short price in rich, "beaten" claiming sprint.  Struggled through six straight losses with only one second and two thirds before we got to the Keeneland feature, the Grade 2 Fayette.  Brad Cox's Hit Show was almost certain to win IF he ran his race.  After a mediocre 6/1-1-1 resume for 2023, he'd posted three wins from four starts this year, including back-to-back graded stakes.  But you did have to consider his three-back "no show" drubbing as the favorite.  I was willing to look past that.  Wasn't all that keen to see him near the back into the far turn, but when he got rolling he mowed them all down to give me my third win on the day.

The highlight of the day came in the Grade 2 Mother Goose in New York for 3yo fillies.  Certainly Gun Song is talented, and I'd had her in the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan.  But I've seen her run several times and she's just a cut below the better 3yo's.  So the question for me was, where does Tarifa fall on that scale.  On the upside she swept the final two legs of the 3yo filly series at the Fair Grounds last winter and looked to be a Kentucky Oaks threat for trainer Brad Cox.  But she was well beaten.  Off the bench she was nailed late in an Ellis Park 7f stakes - maybe a touch short, then improved to be third behind division leader Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx.  Improving with each start I thought she'd take another step forward today.  I did note that Gun Song was a just-miss 2nd in the Cotillion and if the two ran the same race I'd be second best.  But I felt I had a better shot at improvement than betting on Gun Song being consistently good again.  They dueled the length of the stretch with Tarifa just getting her nose down in front of Gun Song.  But the best part, she paid $6.10 and I'd tripled the bet, so I cashed for over $45 to bring me back to nearly even on the day!

Saturday:  For the races on Empire Showcase Day / Opening Day at Churchill Downs, I'd completed the handicapping for New York before leaving for Ohio, and then finished the Louisville card at my Mom's on Friday morning before setting out for Cincinnati.  As Sunday's racing began I was hopeful that I'd have an improved result from today's races after just failing to break even on Saturday.  Oh I was SOOOOOO pleased with the day's results!  Started off with the Churchill opener where Flash Wear proved best in a MSW sprint.  That she drew off impressively was noteworthy for me.  In R2 at Churchill, it was a starter allowance where all the juveniles only had a maiden win.  But Book'em had defeated Flash Wear, despite that one coming into that race with a best-of-133 bullet work.  She SHOULD have been really primed for that effort, and my logic was if Flash Wear ran back to that kind of effort, that would solidify the effort Book'em had run.  So I took Book'em off the "maybe bet" list and invested in her.  Tracked the leaders into the lane, took control and in spite of drifting to the rail and not running a straight line thru the final furlong she was a daylight winner. 

After finishing 2nd in the first of the Empire Showcase Stakes in NY in the Sleepy Hollow, I scored with the very talented With the Angels in the 2yo filly stakes, the Maid of the Mist.  She'd won both starts impressively in wire-to-wire fashion but today she would be going a one-turn mile.  Could she handle the distance and perhaps pace pressure?  I upped the bet when she was hammered at the windows.  Broke sharply quickly clearing the field and it was all over but the shouting as she wired the field in a very impressive performance.

Won my second in a row when Flying Mohawk was a decisive winner on the grass in a maiden event under the Twin Spires.  Then, in a thrilling stretch duel, Venti Valentine outdueled the odds-on favorite to win the Empire Distaff in New York.  Not only was it a great stretch duel, but the last four jumps the lead changed hands.  One jump back and one jump ahead of exactly where the wire was and I'd have lost the bet.  But as it was 'Valentine paid a very generous $9.90 and I cashed for almost $25.

At this point I was smiling with five wins from seven bets.  But then I hit a slow stretch where I missed on four straight.  When it was time for the Ticonderoga Stakes in New York I knew it was time to find out exactly what kind of day I'd have.  That was because in this race and the next in NY, as well as the next bet at Churchill, I was "all in" with two "prime time" bets and a triple investment.  I liked Moonage Daydream in the Ticonderoga because with the rail draw I thought she'd go right to the front and steal it.  But when jockey Joel Rosario was intent on taking the lead with the second choice from post six, my rider - Flavian Prat - settled behind her and saved all the ground to the top of the lane.  Tipped into the clear when splitting rivals and accelerated past the dueling leaders to edge clear in the final strides.  And lucky for me, she went off at better than 5/2 odds so I cashed for almost $75!

Unlike the Ticonderoga, Spirit of St. Louis in the Mohawk was 1/9 in the early betting.  OK, you did have to wonder about his two back miss at odds-on against a few of today's rivals.  But his overall record here (4-for-4 locally, 8-of-12 overall) and the fact he was dropping out of a good effort in a Grade 1 at Keeneland SHOULD see him return to form today.  At the top of the stretch he switched into the clear and began gaining with every stride in a well-timed ride to get to the front in the fifty yards.  And I was delighted when his price floated up to better than 3/5 odds.

Two-for-two on big bets, now just needed to finish off the "trifecta of stakes" with Good Cheer in the Rags To Riches at Churchill - an early Kentucky Oaks prep for 2yo's.  She was a dazzling maiden winner for Brad Cox, and last time out against winners at today's two-turn distance she drew off by an astounding 17 lengths.  Both she looked good again today when she blitzed from fourth to first on the turn and opened up to a daylight win.  She'll be one to watch in New Orleans this winter.

Missed with the last bet in NY before Render Judgement surged to the front in mid-stretch in the Louisville night-cap to give me my NINTH winner on the day.

Twin Spires was running a 15% bonus promotion on all winners at Churchill and since I'd cashed five times there, I collected an additional $12 and change to pad my profits.  But I'd won a whopping 56% of my bets today for nearly $100 in profits.  Putting the two days together I accumulated over 45% winners for the weekend and a profit of more than $85.  What a great way to head into next weekend's Breeders' Cup World Championships!

Social Media this week......

I arrived in Columbus about 5pm on Thursday and Friday morning I was up with coffee enjoying crisp temperatures and fall leaves.  Drove to Cincinnati to visit our friends Mary Pat & Tom whom we'd met on our Viking Portugal cruise some five years ago.  We went to a winery, passing all kinds of fall leaves and then back to their house for dinner on their deck with an amazing sunset.

I shared our Direct TV story with my gal-pal Kimmy who messaged me back - it's always good to keep in touch with her......

.....and another former student, Michelle, posted about her latest marathon run.  Good for her - and she liked that I taken note of her accomplishment.

On Tuesday night Kim and I went to the Panthers game against Minnesota, which is where former Oasis gal-pal Coach Kelly and I worked together is from.  So I texted her and she wrote back within minutes.  She's such a sweet girl - we all had such a good time working together there.

My gal-pal Chloe and I exchanged messages via text about her morning radio show and then out of the blue she became a "follower" on Instagram :)

CBS-Miami weekend anchor and gal-pal Teri and I exchanged messages after I shared our "usual" coffee in the morning photo from my Mom's house on both Saturday and Sunday.  On Sunday Teri reached out to me and initiated a "long" conversation about this year's election.  And then on Monday I reached out to her after seeing her on the week day anchor desk and we "chatted" again about travel, coffee and the weather.

My most favorite social media girl......friend Lauren Pastrana and I exchanged messages every day of the week.  First about her going to the Taylor Swift concert, then about her doing the solo 7pm anchor each night.  When she did a story on the TV show "Yellowstone" she agreed that the prequel "1883" is a most amazing show.  Once I was in Ohio she wished me well and enjoyed the photos of the winery and the sunset.