Saturday March 28
Kim and I woke up Friday morning, March 27th in Warsaw, Poland at about 3 am in anticipation of leaving our hotel at 4am for the airport for our flight back home after a wonderful 17-day Viking adventure which started with two nights in Paris, seven nights sailing through Germany, two nights in Prague and then finishing with five nights in Poland. Twenty-three and a half hours later we walked in the door at home around 8:30pm Friday night. We were up, dressed and out the door by 10am to head to Gulfstream Park where I had a dozen tickets on the finish line for the biggest day of the winter meet. It had been a challenge to prepare as a handicapper as we were still in the midst of our trip, but fortunately over the last five days of the trip, while in Poland, we were off the ship and with one exception only had a single excursion each day. I was able to get the past performances early in the week so after three days time I had all the selections. My impression was that with the big Louisiana Derby Day last Saturday, the rich Arkansas Derby Day on this same Saturday and then next weekend featuring the Blue Grass card at Keeneland, the Santa Anita Derby card our west, and the Wood Memorial Day in New York that this year's Florida Derby card had few really big stars. And so of the fourteen races I only had a single "prime time" betting selection and one other that I thought was a pretty solid choice. From the first post at 11:30 until about 3:30 our box was bathed in the warm South Florida sun. Fortunately there was a gentle breeze throughout most of that time, but it was still hot. As soon as we arrived I went to the Silks Simulcast desk and met up with the staff worker who I'd talked with a month ago about getting print tickets. He recognized me right away and printed them off for me, which made it oh-so-much easier to distribute to everyone once they arrived. We met up with the first four guests in the breezeway and smiled as all four gentlemen were dressed in the same purple motif that Kim and I had coordinated! We then made our way to the grandstand where I found "my ticket girl" Darlene. I re-introduced her to Kim and then she took our photo.
It was interesting to me that three years ago when Kim and I coordinated in pink and last year in white that our photo post on Facebook had generated a ton of reaction, but this year our equally fashionable, at least I thought so, generated only a little over a dozen social media hits. Go figure :) As post time for the opener approached I went to make my first bets. And right away I needed to make a handicapping choice. Not only was my top choice scratched in the opener but my second as well. Went with the third choice, only because we were here and it IS Derby Day. Ran 4th at 2/1 behind an $18 upset winner. In the second I went with a Todd Pletcher first time starter. Was cool on the board at 5/1 and ran like it, finishing mid-pack while the winner - who was NOT in my top three went off at 3/1. Race 3 was the first of the stakes races, the Cutler Bay going seven and a half furlongs on the grass. I narrowed it down to a pair of Brendon Walsh sophomores and landed on Immortalized. After a debut sprinting on the grass he went to the shelf and returned around two turns here to break his maiden in January, then came back the next month to take down entry level rivals. He was bet down late to be the 3/2 favorite. He tracked the leader in third to the top of the stretch, rallied and was JUST up in time - had my first winner!
I came right back in the fourth race, the Appleton going a mile on the turf for older with Quatracento. He was my first added money selection of the day. Several of his main rivals looked to be better going a longer distance of ground and were probably prepping for stakes at Keeneland next month. But what I liked most was his early speed. Jockey Julian Leparoux is an excellent front end rider, and coming off of a wire to wire win in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay on the west coast seemed to set him up as the lone speed. Cleared immediately and slowed the fractions down. I felt pretty confident heading into the first turn, but at the top of the lane the field was closing in, crunch time! Lepraroux let out another notch and he opened up and drew off handily. WHOOOO HOOOO, two in a row :)
Missed on both the next two where the winners paid $43.80 and $65.80. Neither one would have gotten even a cursory glance from me. The seventh was the first of the graded events, the Grade 3 Ghostzapper which was a mile and a sixteenth on the main track, running to the first finish line. I thought Todd Pletcher's lightly raced Grande. He'd won twice impressively here last year before trying the Grade 2 Wood Memorial where he was second. Had not been seen again until a month ago when he was a narrow winner but with a huge 105 Beyer. I thought he'd be one of the shortest prices of the day, and he was leaving the gate at a prohibitive 1/9. Heading into the lane he looked every bit of the short price but in the final 16th a late runner nearly got to him. But too bad, the wire came first and I had another winner!
With our good friends Melissa and Ben
I had the 8/5 favorite in the Grade 3 Orchid going a mile and a half but after she made a strong bid on the turn she backed up to finish 6th. In the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, Todd Pletcher's She Be Smooth looked the part of a very legitimate favorite. I noted in my analysis that last weekend at the Fair Grounds it had been a similar situation and the filly that the favorite had beaten soundly turned the tables on her. Much to my disappointment my second choice did the same thing as I finished 3rd as the 4/5 favorite while the winner paid over $8. I decided it was a good time to get the signature cocktail of the day, the Gulfstream Breeze with the souvenir glass. And that was a wise decision as I was no where to be found in either of the next two races. To be fair, I even said to Kim during this stretch that had it not been Derby Day I would probably never bet either of these horses.
Race 12 was the Sand Springs and we were back on the grass for this one. Brian Lynch sent out Sweet Rebecca and I thought she'd be a short priced favorite. In her seven career starts she'd run "OK" in two of three graded tries, but in the other four....she'd WON THEM ALL. The three allowance wins were on par with this listed event I thought. Let go at a generous 8/5 price she sat just behind the leaders through the far turn and it looked like jockey Tyler Gaffalione had a lot of horse. He sat patiently as three leaders fanned across the track and floated off the rail. He shot through, cleared off and held them safe under a hand ride. Finally, back in the winner's circle!
The next to last race of the day was my BEST BET. The Grade 3 Pan American was the second marathon event, going a mile and a half around three turns on the grass. Trainer Miguel Clement was sending out his multiple Grade 1 winner Far Bridge to defend his title, having won this race off a layoff last year, as he was trying to do today. As a multiple Grade 1 winner he was the class of the field AND as an added bonus he was a perfect 4-for-4 over the Gulfstream lawn. Top national rider Flavian Prat had him perfectly positioned throughout the race, saving ground through the far turn. He split rivals, got into the clear and set sail for the leaders through the final furlong. I felt pretty confident although on the wire it was VERY close. But as I said to Kim immediately after, he almost always is a narrow winner, just has a nose for the wire :)
In the finale, the Grade 1 Florida Derby I narrowed it down to Todd Pletcher's Nearly and the winner of the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, Commandment - who had been my top pick that day. I looked in perfect position on the far turn but just stopped. Meanwhile Commandment was flying through the lane and hit the wire in a near dead-heat with the winner of the Tampa Bay Derby who was 7/1 today. I honestly thought Commandment ran 2nd but the photo proved otherwise. Normally Kim and I stay for dinner at the track to let the traffic clear, but during the day she'd decided that despite the long travel day Friday and the long day at the track today she was getting up early to go visit our grandson and son in Orlando on Sunday morning. So when they said it was a 40 minute wait at the restaurant - which would have been a "short" wait in any other year, and because it was just the two of us we headed for home and had a sub from Publix. After watching a TV show with her I pulled up the replay of the $1 Million Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and watched Todd Pletcher's Renegade blow by the field and win impressively as my top choice.
Derby Day was a fun day but to be honest, it was the first time in 16 years that none of our really close friends were there. I really enjoyed the people we shared the day with, especially Melissa who we had worked with at Cypress Bay High, and we've been good online pals ever since, but we don't see them nearly as regularly as the people who are usually at the Derby with us. But a good time was had by all and I was most appreciative of my adorable wife for not only going after the long travel day, but also for opting to wear the outfit I preferred of the two she'd picked.
Florida Derby Day Highlights
Sunday: Florida Cup Day
Tampa Bay Downs is smart in that after running their Derby Day three weeks ago they have a big state-bred stakes event this weekend. But rather than compete with the Florida Derby they traditionally run the added money races on Sunday. I decided to handicap the races and see how Florida Derby Day went before deciding whether to end my winter season at Gulfstream or play one additional day. As a buffer I also told myself that if I played I'd use the money in my TwinSpires account rather than the Xpressbet account I used all winter. So having had a good day Saturday and especially with Kim leaving for Orlando in the morning playing Tampa during the afternoon was an excellent way to pass the time. I didn't like anyone in either of the first two races. The third race was a second level allowance on the grass and Chad Brown was sending out City Girl for her second US start. She'd been a solid third off a nearly two year layoff in early February here and I thought she'd run big second off the bench under top national jockey Flavian Prat. Sat well off the pace to the far turn, then hit high gear as she circled the field and drew off as an easy winner. Missed at 6/5 in the first of the stakes races before taking the Ocala Sophomore Stakes. I was a little reluctant to take George Weaver's Maykamotion as he'd just won his maiden last time out in just his second start. But his Beyer had skyrocketed off his debut and if he ran to anything like that he was a big time win contender I thought. I liked also that from the rail he appeared to be the lone speed. In the early betting he was being hammered to odds on so I upped the bet to a double investment. His odds floated up to a "fair" 4/5 price by post time. He broke on top and when the field started to close in at the top of the stretch, Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez let out a notch and he was long gone.
Missed in the next, the Sophomore Turf when I went with a 4/1 price play (7th) before I close out the day with a rush. The eighth race was the NYRA Bets Sprint and trainer Bill Mott was sending out Damon's Mound who looked to be a very short price. He'd won the Grade 3 Bold Ruler last fall and the Sunshine Sprint at Gulfstream in January before breaking poorly and finishing 2nd in the Gulfstream Park Sprint last time out. He only had to break cleanly I thought. Junior Alvarado got him away sharply but he faced pace pressure all the way to the final fifty yards before edging away as the first of my two "prime time" plays.
In the Distaff Turf I wasn't nearly as confident Souper Zonda, but top GP rider Irad Ortiz was on board for trainer Mark Casse and he won the stretch long battle to edge clear and give me my fourth winner on the day. The final stakes of the day was the Sophomore Fillies and Gulfstream's leader trainer Saffie Joseph shipped his star filly Tessellate here where she figured to be a short priced favorite. In November she'd won the Juvenile Fillies Sprint at GP by more than a dozen then won the Gasparilla Stakes here to kick off her 3yo campaign. She tried the Grade 2 Forward Gal a month ago, but that competition was too deep. The drop from graded company to a listed, state-bred gave her a huge class edge. Tracked throughout three wide under a snug hold from Irad Ortiz and blew by in the lane without ever being asked. In the finale I doubled the bet on a Chad Brown Euro shipper and she won for fun to close out an impressive 6-for-8 day to end the winter racing season!
No telling what's going to happen at Gulfstream as there's been a lot of talk about management selling the track for it's massive real estate value. But I'm hopeful that next December I'll still have a local venue to go to the races at. If not, my plan is to once a month head out to other tracks like Tampa, Oaklawn and the Fair Grounds to highlight my winter racing. We'll see you next winter! You can follow my spring-summer-fall racing adventures on my "Handicapper's Corner" web page - CLICK HERE.
Social media on Derby Day.....
As I said earlier, I was surprised at the small amount of "interest" in our picture on FB. But two of my most favorite gal-pals, who've been to the Florida Derby with us did react. Two years ago I was delighted when our great friends Jeff & Gina were accompanied by their adorable daughter Chloe to the Derby. It was her first time at the track and so I treated her to a Derby Breeze on the promise she made that she'd buy mine the following year. Well she's had to miss the last two years, maybe next year I'll get my drink :)
And of course, my most favorite former and close adult gal-pal friend Kimmy reacted to our image when I sent it to her. I suggested that she and her husband should stay with us next year, get a baby-sitter for their two kids and come to the races. Maybe :) But I have he pics from the two times Kimmy was here at the Derby to reflect on :)
