Keeneland Week 3: April 18-19
My filly, Seismic Beauty ROMPS In Santa Anita's 6th on Friday
Last week I knew it would happen, but like all things in racing......even when YOU KNOW, you really never know! I'm talking about how my racing results always balance out to around 35% wins and a near $2.01 ROI. After last weekend's "so close" series of results with few wins, this weekend I hit far above average to "balance out" the spring average. I did my handicapping early in the week because our plan was to drive to Orlando to spend an extended weekend with our youngest son Brad and his family. Can't tell you how wonderful it is to just be with him (and his family), and I miss having him around all the time. Of course the highlight of any time spent with his family is our grandson who is eight going on 21 :) And especially for me, it's "our thing" to go to Wawa in the morning together for coffee and then sit on the porch together. Friday arrived and I had five selections on the ten race program. But in one of the races my pick scratched so I was left with only four picks from Keeneland. Missed in the opener as trainer Wesley Ward continues to struggle. Then in R2 he sent out 2yo Victoria's Shances and she delivered taking control early and drawing off impressively thru the lane.
That WOULD have been the end of the wins on the day as I missed in a nw2x allowance and ran 3rd in the featured Gr 3 Doubledogdare (won by a 33/1 longshot.....ironically trained by Ward). But I had one more race to watch and that was when MY horse Seismic Beauty ran in Santa Anita's sixth in an entry level allowance. When she was offered the description read, ".....This was a filly on our list that we just had to come away with from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling sale. She's an imposing filly with plenty of size and scope to her in addition to a deep shoulder and lots of leg that have us thinking of Classic distance races in her future......" I purchased two shares at a little over $100 each and was excited to hopefully see her win some important dirt route stakes. I was surprised when she debuted in a sprint - and just missed. Then even more surprised when she came back in another sprint, and won convincingly. I thought we were ready to stretch her out for sure, but instead ran in back-to-back entry level sprints, running a just-miss 2nd and an even 3rd. When the rider was intervied after the last he said he thought she'd be much better around two turns. YOU THINK? So today she was going a two-turn mile and I was excited to see just how good she was. Watching on Jeff & Trista's big screen in the living room she went right to the front and was pressured into the turn before she took off and widened by more than a pole (see banner at top of the page). Jogged home the final 16th of a mile. ULTRA-IMPRESSIVE! And the Beyer she eanred was a whopping 95. To put that into context, the winner of the Grade 3 Doulbedogdare earlier in the day earned a 96 and last Saturday, 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna earned a 93 winning the Grade 1 Apple Blossom. OK....let's not get overly excited as the competition today wasn't anywhere as deep as those two events, but still.......and she earned that big figure jogging home! Very excited to see what the future has to hold for her!
Saturday was spent at Brad's and the big event was that evening (1) the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs were starting, and (2) it was the first night of "Wrestlemania" which Oliver was over the top excited about. Two of Brad's buddies came over and all the boys watched the entire event with Oliver putting together a scoresheet of all our picks for the winners of the matches and tabulating the points (he & his Dad were tied at the end of the night). But before all that, I had races from both Keeneland and Oaklawn. In the first bet of the day, Todd Pletcher's 2nd time starter, Crudo, looked much the best. He'd been the 4/5 favorite on debut and then completely missed the start. Today, no problem. Broke sharply, assumed command and drew off convincingly through the Keeneland stretch.
Over the next hour I had a "PASS" and ran 4th as the prohibitive 2/5 favorite - fortunately I'd thought the horse was only worth a minimum bet. In R4 from Keeneland, an entry level allowance going a marathon nine & a half furlongs on the turf, I thought Fixin to Bee was a legitimate 8/5 favorite as posted by the early DRF morning line. She'd been fifth in a turf sprint then was 4th behind a quality runner - Ramsey Pond, who won for me last week - and then broke her maiden over THIS turf course. Tested the Kentucky Oaks waters by running in the Gr 2 Golden Rod chasing current Oaks prohibitive favorite home, Good Cheer. Back to the turf when beaten less than five lengths by multiple graded stakes winner Nitrogen in Gulfstream's Ginger Brew Stakes. Then was fourth behind recent runner-up in the Gr 2 Appalachian, Vixen and Ramsey Pond again in the Sweetest Chant Stakes at Gulfstream. Back to an allowance event on a course she was proven over. I was watching a video with Brad when I looked over my shoulder and they were spinning out of the turn. Fixin to Bee split rivals and had multiple lengths to close on the front runner, but found another gear and was JUST up in time. The best part......with my double investment on board, somehow the crowd not only did NOT make her the favorite but let her go at more than 5/1 odds. The payout of $12.06 meant I'd be collecting over $60! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO.
The very next race from Keeneland was a 2-lifetime sprint where Top Gun Rocket looked to have a big edge. Of the combined 82 races run by his rivals ONE figure would beat his LAST SIX Beyers. In looking back I probably would have been smart to up the wager, but his13/1-5-2 resume was sketchy so I was only in for the minimum. Mid-pack early, quickly moved to third on the turn and then went to the front as they came out of the turn. Passed by a 16/1 runner on the outside he came roaring back and drew off handily as the 4/5 favorite. Three-for-four to start the day!
The 6th at Oaklawn was the Bath House Row Stakes, and it was my first bet of the day from Hot Springs. In 2017 on our second visit there for the Arkansas Derby Kim and I had visited the "Bath House Row" and enjoyed a spa treatment :) In the race today I thought Instant Replay was clearly the horse to beat and I made him a "prime time" bet. The colt had earned Beyers of 76 and 75 in his first two starts as a 2yo and those compared favorably with the recent figures of his rivals. But in his last two starts as a now 3yo he earned a 92 and 95. Those would win by daylight here. Tracked from well off the pace then rallied five wide into the lane. With a furlong left he looked to be running evenly and was dead in the water. But at the 16th pole he found another gear, accelerated and flew home to be JUST up in time! Four-for-five on the day!!!!
Less than ten minutes after Instant Replay crossed the finish line in Hot Springs they were lining up in the gate at Keeneland for Race 7, a conditioned allowance going five and a half furlongs on the turf. The conditions restricted runners who'd won recently, but Pipsy looked like a legitimate favorite to me. She had won two of three in her native Ireland and had raced in four stakes, three of them graded here in the US. Toss the two-turn experiment of the Tepin at Churchill and you were left with three sharp tries, including a win off the layoff - like today - in the Grade 3 Soaring Softly in New York. I thought she'd be close to the front under Joel Rosario and sure enough, after breaking sharply she settled just off the 12/1 outsider who was determined to get the lead. Collared that one at the furlong pole and drew off to a daylight score at a generous 5/2 price allowing me to cash for over $35 on my fifth win from six selections. Oh my I'm having a good day.
The eighth at Keeneland was another "prime time" investment for me on Just A Touch in a second level allowance event going the extended nine furlongs on the main track. This 4yo had kicked off the year with a runaway score over lesser with a huge 102 Beyer. And as a 3yo he had earned a similar big figure when getting a 96 for running second in the Grade 1 Blue Grass here. Pressed a longshot leader to the turn, took the lead while not being asked for his best. As the stalkers and closers began to move in approaching the top of the lane he was let out a notch and drew off convincingly for my SIXTH WIN in seven selections on the day. I thought at the time that even if I didn't win another race today it was a great day. Unfortunately it finished that way as I did indeed miss on the next six. Still it was a profitable day and when added to the Friday totals the weekend played out like this:
Seismic Beauty Replay
Social Media this week.....
Didn't "need" a lot of social interaction online this week since we spent from Wednesday to Sunday morning with our youngest son Brad, his wife Lauren, and our grandson Oliver. And had the nice evening on Friday with Jeff, his wife Trista, and our daughter Julie. But still had some interactions. During the week, on Facebook I got an alert that it was the seven-year anniversary of my friendship with sweet gal-pal Chloe, daughter of my great friend, former asst. principal Jeff Nelson. And she replied back.
On Sunday my gal-pal Nancy who my niece Khloe and I met on our Christmas Markets cruise (along with Nancy's friend Amy) reached out to me wishing me a Happy Easter and asked how November would be for a visit from the two of them. We'd talked about this previously but wasn't sure if she was actually serious about it. On Monday Khloe chipped in that she would come down for the reunion.
My long time best former, Amanda reached out on Friday, sending me a photo and asked did I know where she was. Well, duh, at my old stomping grounds at Cypress Bay where here oldest was having his first wrestling match.
Finally, had some interactions, as is always the case with gal-pal Lauren Pastrana. Felt like, during the week that we were not nearly as active in our exchanges, but in looking back we had five interactions :) The two "conversations" were about her cute outfit and I expressed "concern" about her being cold - as she's talked about how cold the studio is - and when she and I chatted about travel plans.
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