January 19
The 17th running of the Sunshine Millions was a good day for me and I really enjoyed being on track for the day. I thought Amnesty, a Pletcher firster who'd drawn $650K at the sales auction was a big time play in the opener. But I didn't want to immediately be in a big hole after one race so I tripled the bet instead of going all in. Away last, made up some ground at 3/5 to be a disappointing fifth. The opener at Aqueduct was a MSW for sophomores as well and I thought it looked pretty wide open. But, Fangirl had posted back-to-back blazing bullet moves and that was enough for me to double the bet. Stretch duel, PHOTO FINISH!
I'm a winner and cashed for over $25! Next up was the third from Gulfstream and it was a claiming event going 6 1/2 furlongs. If Body High was "right" he was your winner. He'd rattled off a series of wins here last summer at prohibitive odds against far tougher. But this was the Championship Meet and he had a new trainer. I didn't like the program favorite who'd won last time out for me two weeks ago. Moved from a 1-for-60 barn to an 0-for-30 barn. Yikes. Body High went right to the front, led into the turn then surrendered the advantage and was third into the lane. But she re-rallied - very unusual in thoroughbred racing and the duel was on through the final 16th.....PHOTO FINISH!
Two photo wins in a row! WHOOOO HOOOO. The BET of the Day at Gulfstream came in the first of the four Sunshine Million Stakes, the Sprint. XY Jet is one of the best sprinters in the world and the connections had openly stated they wanted to go to Dubai and win the Group 1 $2 Million Golden Shaheen after XY Jet had twice been out-photoed on the wire. He'd used this race as a warm-up and had proven best each of the last two years. He'd been away, but he typically ran sparingly AND he had a big bullet work. There looked to be other speed, but he was REAL speed and I was sure he'd out sprint the cheap challengers. Right out of the gate he was challenged. And they dueled through a :21 and change quarter. He seemed to get a head in front through the turn and I thought here he goes. But the challenger would not give in. It was XY Jet who yielded, tiring to fourth while the "cheap speed" held for 2nd when a LONG shot blew by from the back. A win here and I'm a winner for the day. Now I've got some ground to make up! In the opener at the Fair Grounds Flashy Brew went right to the front and never looked back. Fifth at GP in a 3yo maiden claiming event at 2/1 and third at 9/5 at Aqueduct. Next up was the Sunshine Millions Turf. Trainer Michael Maker had cross-entered Big Changes here and in one of the stakes races at the Fair Grounds where Big Changes was based. But the weather in New Orleans was forecast to be thunderstorms and high winds with the chances of staying on the grass slim at best. So I thought 'Changes would show up here. On paper he looked much the best with the only question being his off-the-pace style. One of my favorite speedsters, Class and Cash looked to be the one to catch. Sure enough, that one sat just off the cheap front runner to the far turn, then glided to the front under restraint. Meanwhile Javier Castellano had give the "GO" cue to Big Changes who was picking off horses one by one. Before they got to the furlong pole you could tell he would not be denied. Opened up and held a safe lead to the wire!
My double investment returned nearly $20 on my fourth win of the day, and second on track. Second at 9/2 at the Fair Grounds and then third as the 3/2 favorite in Aqueduct's featured Grade 3 Toboggan. The sixth at Tampa was a Maiden Special event for three-year-olds going a mile on the turf. No one stood out, but on the outside was a Chad Brown first time starter, Digital Age. He was owned by the powerful Klaravich Stables. All that adds up to WINNER! But wait.....why is Digital Age running at Tampa when obviously there are many 3yo MSW turf races here at his home base? And throw in the wide post.....hmmmm. No, he's got to have some ability and in this field that should be enough. But then he had one of the WORST trips I've ever seen. He didn't break with the field, and when he did go he hopped in the air first. Now in stride into the stretch he veered outward and was then caught four or five wide around the turn and down the backside. Still he was within range and the rider moved between horses on the far turn to save some ground. Then he was squeezed and checked hard turning for home. The jockey made a near 90 right turn to get into the clear and then WOW what a kick as he blew by the field to win going away. Mark this one down for next time, he looks to have some talent!
Not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE straight runner-up finishes followed. My comments read...... (3/2) stalked, led, caught / (8/5) very wide on turn into short stretch, (5/2) saved ground, led in the stretch, no match for the winner; (2/1) dueled, led briefly, (3/5) had the rail, swung at least 4-wide, gaining, just missed.....OBJECTION against the winner for interference - disallowed. Sigh.... what a sequence over a time frame of an hour and a half. We now reached the tenth at Gulfstream, the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf. At first glance I liked Starship Jubilee. But wait a minute, she'd been my choice at odds-on in the Claiming Crown Tiara on Opening Day. Maybe she's a play against. But then as I scanned down her past performances it came back to me - this happened last year. In fact, last year she'd run in a graded stakes at Woodbine and run well without winning; came to Gulfstream and disappointed in the Tiara at short odds; then won the SSM F & M Turf. This year she'd lost a close graded stakes at Woodbine, came here and disappointed in the Tiara and now..... OK, I'm on board and tripled the bet. She was asked early to gain position from post thirteen and tracked the leaders in third to the far turn. Opened up at will and ran away as much, MUCH the best! Horray!
Cashed for over $30 and I'm back in the winner's circle! Missed in the SSM Classic when fifth at 6/1 then fourth in a Santa Anita maiden event on the turf. I was staying for the finale at Gulfstream before heading home to watch the Panthers on TV and watch my last few races via replay. The 9th at the Fair Grounds was the Louisiana Handicap and how could you go against Honorable Duty? He was coming off a layoff and EVERY time he'd done this in his pp's he'd won! Here at the FG he had compiled a record of 5 wins and a second from six starts! AND at this 8 1/2 furlong distance he was a perfect 3-for-3! BIG TIME! Rallied on the turn at 8/5 and into the lane.......nothing. WOW. That and the XY Jet loss sealed the no big profit for you day. But still, one more live race to watch. The 12th and finale was a claiming event going a mile and a sixteenth over the inner turf. Mission Driven had shown an immediate reversal of form when taken over by Jorge Navarro at Monmouth last summer after running the first half of the year in Southern California. He'd won twice for a $16K price tag. Toss the last when rained on the dirt. Toss the two back when he tried nine furlongs and LED after 8 1/2 furlongs. Back to the right distance and in for a tag of wait for it......that's right $16K! How could he be 5/1 in the program! He was mid-pack to the far turn, swung out into the clear but by mid-stretch was still seventh and at least half a dozen lengths behind. But he caught the eye and I turned on the camera.....surging.......UP IN TIME!
And the best part, he went off at better than 7/2 so I cashed for almost $50! NICE! As I headed to the car I counted up the results. Twenty races - seven wins with four tickets in my pocket. To maintain the 30% plus winning average I needed to get at least two of the final picks home. The 7th at Santa Anita was a MSW sprint for three-year-olds and there was not one but two high-priced Bob Baffert sophomores. Scalper had looked really good on paper on opening day and granted he did have a little trouble at the start. But still his even sixth did NOT impress, but he'd worked well since. Dessman was a debuting colt who'd drawn a $750 sales bid from his connections and he too had been working sharply. That's where I went. He was off a beat slowly but got in gear to be third before they hit the far turn. Swept up under a hand ride and drew off impressively. Uh oh, another good looking 3yo for Baffert!
Missed in the Silverbulletday Stakes at the Fair Grounds - the first step towards the Fair Grounds Oaks and hopefully the Kentucky Oaks. But then I had two BIG plays to close out the day. In the featured Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita, two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Roy H was kicking off his 2019 year with an eye towards the Group 1 Golden Shaheen - where he'd run third behind XY Jet last March. He'd won this race as a prep at 1/5 handily and it looked to be a repeat for the champ. EASY - Paco Lopez only had to be sure not to fall off as he never, ever asked him to run.
My second winner at Santa Anita :) The last play was my BET of the Day at the Fair Grounds. Wynn Time figured to be odds-on in the DF Kenner Stakes going six furlongs. He was 7-for-10 in his career and two of those losses came to multiple graded stakes sprinter Whitmore at his home track in Arkansas. He was 5/4-1-0 locally and 6-for-9 at today's distance. He was sent off as the prohibitive 2/5 favorite but he wasn't nearly as impressive as Roy H. He had to work hard to get to the front and had to work hard through the final furlong, but he won and I cashed for the tenth time.
It was a VERY good day!
It's hard NOT to pay attention when Acacia makes her picks
I'm a winner and cashed for over $25! Next up was the third from Gulfstream and it was a claiming event going 6 1/2 furlongs. If Body High was "right" he was your winner. He'd rattled off a series of wins here last summer at prohibitive odds against far tougher. But this was the Championship Meet and he had a new trainer. I didn't like the program favorite who'd won last time out for me two weeks ago. Moved from a 1-for-60 barn to an 0-for-30 barn. Yikes. Body High went right to the front, led into the turn then surrendered the advantage and was third into the lane. But she re-rallied - very unusual in thoroughbred racing and the duel was on through the final 16th.....PHOTO FINISH!
Two photo wins in a row! WHOOOO HOOOO. The BET of the Day at Gulfstream came in the first of the four Sunshine Million Stakes, the Sprint. XY Jet is one of the best sprinters in the world and the connections had openly stated they wanted to go to Dubai and win the Group 1 $2 Million Golden Shaheen after XY Jet had twice been out-photoed on the wire. He'd used this race as a warm-up and had proven best each of the last two years. He'd been away, but he typically ran sparingly AND he had a big bullet work. There looked to be other speed, but he was REAL speed and I was sure he'd out sprint the cheap challengers. Right out of the gate he was challenged. And they dueled through a :21 and change quarter. He seemed to get a head in front through the turn and I thought here he goes. But the challenger would not give in. It was XY Jet who yielded, tiring to fourth while the "cheap speed" held for 2nd when a LONG shot blew by from the back. A win here and I'm a winner for the day. Now I've got some ground to make up! In the opener at the Fair Grounds Flashy Brew went right to the front and never looked back. Fifth at GP in a 3yo maiden claiming event at 2/1 and third at 9/5 at Aqueduct. Next up was the Sunshine Millions Turf. Trainer Michael Maker had cross-entered Big Changes here and in one of the stakes races at the Fair Grounds where Big Changes was based. But the weather in New Orleans was forecast to be thunderstorms and high winds with the chances of staying on the grass slim at best. So I thought 'Changes would show up here. On paper he looked much the best with the only question being his off-the-pace style. One of my favorite speedsters, Class and Cash looked to be the one to catch. Sure enough, that one sat just off the cheap front runner to the far turn, then glided to the front under restraint. Meanwhile Javier Castellano had give the "GO" cue to Big Changes who was picking off horses one by one. Before they got to the furlong pole you could tell he would not be denied. Opened up and held a safe lead to the wire!
My double investment returned nearly $20 on my fourth win of the day, and second on track. Second at 9/2 at the Fair Grounds and then third as the 3/2 favorite in Aqueduct's featured Grade 3 Toboggan. The sixth at Tampa was a Maiden Special event for three-year-olds going a mile on the turf. No one stood out, but on the outside was a Chad Brown first time starter, Digital Age. He was owned by the powerful Klaravich Stables. All that adds up to WINNER! But wait.....why is Digital Age running at Tampa when obviously there are many 3yo MSW turf races here at his home base? And throw in the wide post.....hmmmm. No, he's got to have some ability and in this field that should be enough. But then he had one of the WORST trips I've ever seen. He didn't break with the field, and when he did go he hopped in the air first. Now in stride into the stretch he veered outward and was then caught four or five wide around the turn and down the backside. Still he was within range and the rider moved between horses on the far turn to save some ground. Then he was squeezed and checked hard turning for home. The jockey made a near 90 right turn to get into the clear and then WOW what a kick as he blew by the field to win going away. Mark this one down for next time, he looks to have some talent!
Not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE straight runner-up finishes followed. My comments read...... (3/2) stalked, led, caught / (8/5) very wide on turn into short stretch, (5/2) saved ground, led in the stretch, no match for the winner; (2/1) dueled, led briefly, (3/5) had the rail, swung at least 4-wide, gaining, just missed.....OBJECTION against the winner for interference - disallowed. Sigh.... what a sequence over a time frame of an hour and a half. We now reached the tenth at Gulfstream, the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf. At first glance I liked Starship Jubilee. But wait a minute, she'd been my choice at odds-on in the Claiming Crown Tiara on Opening Day. Maybe she's a play against. But then as I scanned down her past performances it came back to me - this happened last year. In fact, last year she'd run in a graded stakes at Woodbine and run well without winning; came to Gulfstream and disappointed in the Tiara at short odds; then won the SSM F & M Turf. This year she'd lost a close graded stakes at Woodbine, came here and disappointed in the Tiara and now..... OK, I'm on board and tripled the bet. She was asked early to gain position from post thirteen and tracked the leaders in third to the far turn. Opened up at will and ran away as much, MUCH the best! Horray!
Cashed for over $30 and I'm back in the winner's circle! Missed in the SSM Classic when fifth at 6/1 then fourth in a Santa Anita maiden event on the turf. I was staying for the finale at Gulfstream before heading home to watch the Panthers on TV and watch my last few races via replay. The 9th at the Fair Grounds was the Louisiana Handicap and how could you go against Honorable Duty? He was coming off a layoff and EVERY time he'd done this in his pp's he'd won! Here at the FG he had compiled a record of 5 wins and a second from six starts! AND at this 8 1/2 furlong distance he was a perfect 3-for-3! BIG TIME! Rallied on the turn at 8/5 and into the lane.......nothing. WOW. That and the XY Jet loss sealed the no big profit for you day. But still, one more live race to watch. The 12th and finale was a claiming event going a mile and a sixteenth over the inner turf. Mission Driven had shown an immediate reversal of form when taken over by Jorge Navarro at Monmouth last summer after running the first half of the year in Southern California. He'd won twice for a $16K price tag. Toss the last when rained on the dirt. Toss the two back when he tried nine furlongs and LED after 8 1/2 furlongs. Back to the right distance and in for a tag of wait for it......that's right $16K! How could he be 5/1 in the program! He was mid-pack to the far turn, swung out into the clear but by mid-stretch was still seventh and at least half a dozen lengths behind. But he caught the eye and I turned on the camera.....surging.......UP IN TIME!
Missed in the Silverbulletday Stakes at the Fair Grounds - the first step towards the Fair Grounds Oaks and hopefully the Kentucky Oaks. But then I had two BIG plays to close out the day. In the featured Grade 2 Palos Verdes at Santa Anita, two-time Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Roy H was kicking off his 2019 year with an eye towards the Group 1 Golden Shaheen - where he'd run third behind XY Jet last March. He'd won this race as a prep at 1/5 handily and it looked to be a repeat for the champ. EASY - Paco Lopez only had to be sure not to fall off as he never, ever asked him to run.
My second winner at Santa Anita :) The last play was my BET of the Day at the Fair Grounds. Wynn Time figured to be odds-on in the DF Kenner Stakes going six furlongs. He was 7-for-10 in his career and two of those losses came to multiple graded stakes sprinter Whitmore at his home track in Arkansas. He was 5/4-1-0 locally and 6-for-9 at today's distance. He was sent off as the prohibitive 2/5 favorite but he wasn't nearly as impressive as Roy H. He had to work hard to get to the front and had to work hard through the final furlong, but he won and I cashed for the tenth time.
It's hard NOT to pay attention when Acacia makes her picks
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