Three takeaways from today's big day at Gulfstream Park. First, it was great to see one of my all time most favorite former students and now adult friend Tatitana. Way too long between face to face visits; Two, it was so cool to see her enjoy what I am so passionate about - thoroughbred racing! And third, I had a good day of handicapping with 38% winners for the day. But the most important lesson to be learned today was that at the end of the day we NO more about who the best 3yo filly is or more importantly the best 3yo colt as we point towards next month's Florida Derby and Gulfstream Park Oaks. Here's how today unfolded.....
The first race of the day was also the BET of the Day in the Group 1 Chipping Norton from Randwick Race Course in Sydney, Australia. With Kim away (she FINALLY comes home tomorrow!) I watched four episodes of a new BBC series I've discovered which took me up to almost 11:30 pm and post time was at 11:40 pm eastern. Winx had won her 30th in a row two weeks ago in the Group 2 Apollo and IF you were going to get her, it should have been then when coming off a layoff and going shorter than she likes. But if it's even possible the consensus was she was even better to start of 2019 than she's ever been. That didn't bode well for tonight's rivals. One such was the multiple Group winner Happy Clapper who's been trying the mare for three years now. But to his credit he always tries and doesn't duck her starts. His running style is similar to hers - be patient and make a strong late bid. So why not try something new today? He was sent to the front and quickly had a daylight lead. As heads turned for home he was four in front and I have to say my anxiety was building. Here's a very talented horse, loose on the lead with multiple lengths to spare and Winx is just getting going.....but in deep stretch she blew by without having to be asked for her absolute best! So EXCITING!
The first post at Gulfstream was set for 11: 30 am so I planned to arrive about 10:45 to get our tickets and wait for Tatiana. I heard from her early on and she said she was running a little late, so I settled in to watch the first couple of races. The way the opener looked to play out was that the two favorites would duel each other into submission and someone would come from off the pace. I liked Stellamattutina who was bet down to 5/2. But moments before they loaded she became a late scratch. Well, I WILL be cashing this ticket :) The winner did indeed come from off the pace as the two favorites DID indeed duel themselves into the ground - the payoff was over $12. In the second race it was a maiden claiming event going a one-turn mile. Trainer Ken McPeek has two in here in an uncoupled entry and High Rolling Dude looked to be a decisive winner on paper if he ran back to his last. That had been his debut effort at this level and distance and he'd just missed in a photo finish, second beaten a neck and over eight lengths back to the rest of the field. I doubled the bet. Made a decisive move on the turn and ran home as much the best!
In the third I had the 7/5 favorite who dueled into the stretch before weakening to be a close fourth. Right after the race I got the text that Tatiana was here. Soon found her on the apron in front of the finish line and we connected with a big hug. We decided to go have our picture taken and then have some lunch while we caught up on what's been going on over the last seven years.
I had already made my bets for the next hour or so and we found ourselves able to sit immediately despite a big crowd at The Yardhouse by taking to stools at the bar. We both had the Mac & Cheese which is delicious here, prepared with bacon & mushrooms, yummmy. While there the fourth race went to the post - the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf for 3yo colts. I always start the process of handicapping a race by identifying who the likely favorite is and deciding if he's vulnerable. 'A Thread Of Blue had won two stakes in a row here and looked tough to go past. I thought Louder Than Bombs had a good chance as did Casa Creed, but if A Thread Of Blue ran even a "B-" race he was the winner. Looked to get an ideal trip either loose on the lead or sitting in the catbird's seat just off the speed. It was the latter trip and when he made his move I thought I had the winner. But Casa Creed made his move simultaneously and for a furlong through the stretch they were inseparable. But in the final 100 yards 'Blue drew away and I had my third winner of today and first of the stakes events at Gulfstream Park.
I thought Breaking The Rules had an even better chance in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf next up, but he was second best, losing by a head bob. The race unfolded exactly as I'd thought with Siem Reap taking the lead and Krampus and Breaking the Rules close in tow. Krampus moved first, I followed and just couldn't quite get by. We had finished lunch and now I was about to introduce Tati to gambling! Or, a way to pay off her medical bills! As we headed into the Silks simulcast center I explained this is where I hang out in the summer, she was amazed by all the TV's everywhere. And I explained the betting process and that a $2 bet was the minimum. She replied she was ready to bet more, how much was I betting? When I answered I was betting $10 she wanted to do the same. I introduced her to "my twins" Kimberly and Karin who are tellers at Gulfstream and told Kimberly that this was Tati's first EVER bet, let's make it a winning one! We both went with Recruiting Ready in the six furlong Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint. I told her as they went in the gate that much like the first race we'd watched I thought he'd go to the front and lead all the way. But when he broke slowly and she was a bit alarmed, I explained he HAD won from a tracking spot before. He cruised up to the lead on the turn and the two of them dueled for a furlong - very exciting. But in the final sixteenth he pulled clear and drew off. If you watch the video you can hear the cheers of excitement from my partner today :) I just had to video this moment when Tatiana made her first bet and it was a winning one!
We went back down and bet the next race, only the minimum on Danceland in the Grade 3 Very One going a marathon distance on the grass. As we headed back upstairs we were able to see more closely the photo we'd had taken and it wasn't the most ideal of pictures so the gal who does the tickets in our section was more than happy to take another and it turned out much better!
Danceland was never more than five lengths behind, but never made a winning bid - fifth. I had made bets for the next couple and Tatiana was content to watch the next one. This was the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride for 3yo fillies going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. As we waited for the race to start we were chatting and for me personally it was "the highlight" of the day. I was telling Tatiana how much I'd missed Kim recently and she was telling me how much her Dad has to be with her Mom. Then she said she'd cried at her Dad's recent birthday, why I asked. Because she said, he'd turned 60 and now he's "old." I replied, "Oh I know how that is!" And she looked at me curiously and said, "Well how old are you Coach Love?" I said, "How old do you THINK I am?" She replied "56 or 57?" I said, "And THAT is why I love you so much :) - I'm actually 64!" Ahhhh to be considered younger is a good thing, eh? LOL. They were approaching the gate now for the eighth and my pick Cambier Parc was the betting favorite. Originally I had liked Belle Laura, but I changed my mind after I'd begun typing my analysis - was hoping I would regret this. I had liked Cambier Parc from the Chad Brown barn but thought maybe I'd get a better price on Bella Laura. When I noted that EVERYONE liked Cambier Parc, no mixed opinions and she was the DRF BEST of the day I reworked the analysis. She sat near the front, made a big move turning for home and ran away as much, MUCH the best! I had my fourth win at Gulfstream today and third stakes win!
I took Tati to the gift shop and introduced her to my pal Barry that runs the place. Explained she was my all-time fav and I wanted a t-shirt for her to remember today. He was very nice to us and we soon had our souvenir for the day. We both bet on Todd Pletcher's Prosperite in the 9th, a MSW for 3yo. I related my many adventures with Todd Pletcher and how I'd wavered in my support only to be burned in back-to-back races on two consecutive days at a $14 and $19 payoff that would have netted me over $175 and then I told her how yesterday I went against him and he made me pay with a $20 winner. Sigh......Prosperite was a generous 9/2 but was only second best. I walked Tatiana out to the parking lot and we promised to stay in touch and not make it so long before the next visit together. One last hug and off she went and I returned for the "serious" races of the afternoon!
Next up was the Grade 3 Honey Fox going a mile. And I recalled how I've often had a lot of success in this race in previous years. I had made Chad Brown's Pericruse my co-best of the day. You COULD look to try and beat her because she'd not been seen since August, but these were the facts: Chad Brown is the preeminent turf conditioner in North America and it's one of his specialties to have turf horses ready to roll off a break - officially 26% off this kind of layoff but I bet if you filter out the dirt layoff horses you'd have a much higher number on the grass; the Beyer she earned in her last, a 95, was a field best number; third, that came in her first try off a layoff AND shipping to North America. In Europe she'd built a 7/2-4-0 resume including a win a Group 1. She clearly, CLEARLY was the class of the race. Next, in her North American debut, second beaten a neck, she'd lost to a stablemate, Uni who exited that race to win a Grade 3 in New York then ship to Del Mar and win a Grade 1! And finally, perhaps it was significant, or not. But Javier Castellano had last ridden Pericruise and he'd ridden the top win rival today, Bellavais who'd won two of her most recent three starts, and Castellano was on Precieuse. She saved all the ground to the far turn, swung out into the clear and mowed down the opposition to score!
The $30 WIN ticket resulted in collecting $60 for my FIFTH win on the Gulfstream card and sixth of the day. The end of the Gulfstream day was disappointing, but couldn't take away from how fabulous the day had been overall. In the Grade 2 Davona Dale for 3yo fillies pointing for the GP Oaks and on to the Kentucky Oaks, multiple Grade 1 winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly champion Jaywalk was primed to debut and was 1/5 at post time. Didn't take the lead like I thought she would, but sat comfortably just off the longshot leader to the turn. Was asked to move, began making a bid on the turn the stopped. Was lucky to get 4th as the photo finish showed a 50/1 winner over a 13/1 runner-up resulting in a $105.20 payoff to win and a $1,025 $2 exacta payout. Next was the Fountain of Youth and everyone was hoping Hidden Scroll would fulfill the promise he'd shown on Pegasus Day when he romped to a Beyer 104 speed figure. But jockey Joel Rosario gunned to the front in sprint times - :22 and change and :45 and change which would be fast in a six furlong sprint, much less in a two-turn mile and a sixteenth event. Obviously faded late to be fourth at 4/5. And in a side note, the winner was Code of Honor. He'd last been seen on January 5th when I brought the family out and made him my BEST BET in the Mucho Macho Man. He ran poorly that day, so I tossed him today - he won and paid over $20. Sigh......
I had handicapped a few other tracks with a very discerning eye on horses that looked VERY logical, but so far I'd run 5th at Laurel, 2nd at Laurel, 5th at Oaklawn, 3rd at Laurel, and 7th at Aqueduct. So much for "solid" plays! But in the 7th at Oaklawn multiple stakes winning Mitole was taking on an allowance group for his first start of 2019. If he ran even a "B" effort he would be gone. The crowd made him a prohibitive 2/5 favorite.
Minutes later it was the first of just two races I was playing at Santa Anita. The fifth was a maiden special going an extended nine furlongs on the main track. Bold Mongolian appeared to be worth every penny of the short-priced 4/5 offered in the program. Would either be loose on the easiest of leads or track a cheap speedster before running away as tons the best. It was the latter trip and he won for fun, my eighth winner on the day.
The final winner on the day also came from Oaklawn in their feature, the Springfever Stakes. A month ago Oaklawn had offered a sprint stakes for fillies and mares and it came down to one of my favorite fillies, Amy's Challenge - who'd broken her maiden AND won her first stakes at Canterbury Park - vs. Vertical Oak who was a multiple graded stakes winner. As much as I wanted to bet Amy, I went with Vertical Oak. Amy's Challenge ran away as much the best. So today without Vertical Oak I knew she was a likely winner. How the crowd let her go off at 4/5 I'll never know but she pressed the leader to the far turn while under stout restraint and then opened up to as announcer Vic Stauffer called it, "....she's just running up the score now...." BIG TIME with my triple investment and I closed the day with a 38% win rate overall.
Next Saturday we will be in Orlando for Tampa Bay Derby Day, so I'll be playing online. The following two weekends we will be in Europe on our Viking Oceans Mediterranean Odyssey adventure with our best friends Sue & Dan Reynolds. We return from that cruise on March 26 which is the Tuesday before Florida Derby Day!
The first race of the day was also the BET of the Day in the Group 1 Chipping Norton from Randwick Race Course in Sydney, Australia. With Kim away (she FINALLY comes home tomorrow!) I watched four episodes of a new BBC series I've discovered which took me up to almost 11:30 pm and post time was at 11:40 pm eastern. Winx had won her 30th in a row two weeks ago in the Group 2 Apollo and IF you were going to get her, it should have been then when coming off a layoff and going shorter than she likes. But if it's even possible the consensus was she was even better to start of 2019 than she's ever been. That didn't bode well for tonight's rivals. One such was the multiple Group winner Happy Clapper who's been trying the mare for three years now. But to his credit he always tries and doesn't duck her starts. His running style is similar to hers - be patient and make a strong late bid. So why not try something new today? He was sent to the front and quickly had a daylight lead. As heads turned for home he was four in front and I have to say my anxiety was building. Here's a very talented horse, loose on the lead with multiple lengths to spare and Winx is just getting going.....but in deep stretch she blew by without having to be asked for her absolute best! So EXCITING!
In the third I had the 7/5 favorite who dueled into the stretch before weakening to be a close fourth. Right after the race I got the text that Tatiana was here. Soon found her on the apron in front of the finish line and we connected with a big hug. We decided to go have our picture taken and then have some lunch while we caught up on what's been going on over the last seven years.
I thought Breaking The Rules had an even better chance in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf next up, but he was second best, losing by a head bob. The race unfolded exactly as I'd thought with Siem Reap taking the lead and Krampus and Breaking the Rules close in tow. Krampus moved first, I followed and just couldn't quite get by. We had finished lunch and now I was about to introduce Tati to gambling! Or, a way to pay off her medical bills! As we headed into the Silks simulcast center I explained this is where I hang out in the summer, she was amazed by all the TV's everywhere. And I explained the betting process and that a $2 bet was the minimum. She replied she was ready to bet more, how much was I betting? When I answered I was betting $10 she wanted to do the same. I introduced her to "my twins" Kimberly and Karin who are tellers at Gulfstream and told Kimberly that this was Tati's first EVER bet, let's make it a winning one! We both went with Recruiting Ready in the six furlong Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Sprint. I told her as they went in the gate that much like the first race we'd watched I thought he'd go to the front and lead all the way. But when he broke slowly and she was a bit alarmed, I explained he HAD won from a tracking spot before. He cruised up to the lead on the turn and the two of them dueled for a furlong - very exciting. But in the final sixteenth he pulled clear and drew off. If you watch the video you can hear the cheers of excitement from my partner today :) I just had to video this moment when Tatiana made her first bet and it was a winning one!
Danceland was never more than five lengths behind, but never made a winning bid - fifth. I had made bets for the next couple and Tatiana was content to watch the next one. This was the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride for 3yo fillies going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. As we waited for the race to start we were chatting and for me personally it was "the highlight" of the day. I was telling Tatiana how much I'd missed Kim recently and she was telling me how much her Dad has to be with her Mom. Then she said she'd cried at her Dad's recent birthday, why I asked. Because she said, he'd turned 60 and now he's "old." I replied, "Oh I know how that is!" And she looked at me curiously and said, "Well how old are you Coach Love?" I said, "How old do you THINK I am?" She replied "56 or 57?" I said, "And THAT is why I love you so much :) - I'm actually 64!" Ahhhh to be considered younger is a good thing, eh? LOL. They were approaching the gate now for the eighth and my pick Cambier Parc was the betting favorite. Originally I had liked Belle Laura, but I changed my mind after I'd begun typing my analysis - was hoping I would regret this. I had liked Cambier Parc from the Chad Brown barn but thought maybe I'd get a better price on Bella Laura. When I noted that EVERYONE liked Cambier Parc, no mixed opinions and she was the DRF BEST of the day I reworked the analysis. She sat near the front, made a big move turning for home and ran away as much, MUCH the best! I had my fourth win at Gulfstream today and third stakes win!
I took Tati to the gift shop and introduced her to my pal Barry that runs the place. Explained she was my all-time fav and I wanted a t-shirt for her to remember today. He was very nice to us and we soon had our souvenir for the day. We both bet on Todd Pletcher's Prosperite in the 9th, a MSW for 3yo. I related my many adventures with Todd Pletcher and how I'd wavered in my support only to be burned in back-to-back races on two consecutive days at a $14 and $19 payoff that would have netted me over $175 and then I told her how yesterday I went against him and he made me pay with a $20 winner. Sigh......Prosperite was a generous 9/2 but was only second best. I walked Tatiana out to the parking lot and we promised to stay in touch and not make it so long before the next visit together. One last hug and off she went and I returned for the "serious" races of the afternoon!
Next up was the Grade 3 Honey Fox going a mile. And I recalled how I've often had a lot of success in this race in previous years. I had made Chad Brown's Pericruse my co-best of the day. You COULD look to try and beat her because she'd not been seen since August, but these were the facts: Chad Brown is the preeminent turf conditioner in North America and it's one of his specialties to have turf horses ready to roll off a break - officially 26% off this kind of layoff but I bet if you filter out the dirt layoff horses you'd have a much higher number on the grass; the Beyer she earned in her last, a 95, was a field best number; third, that came in her first try off a layoff AND shipping to North America. In Europe she'd built a 7/2-4-0 resume including a win a Group 1. She clearly, CLEARLY was the class of the race. Next, in her North American debut, second beaten a neck, she'd lost to a stablemate, Uni who exited that race to win a Grade 3 in New York then ship to Del Mar and win a Grade 1! And finally, perhaps it was significant, or not. But Javier Castellano had last ridden Pericruise and he'd ridden the top win rival today, Bellavais who'd won two of her most recent three starts, and Castellano was on Precieuse. She saved all the ground to the far turn, swung out into the clear and mowed down the opposition to score!
The $30 WIN ticket resulted in collecting $60 for my FIFTH win on the Gulfstream card and sixth of the day. The end of the Gulfstream day was disappointing, but couldn't take away from how fabulous the day had been overall. In the Grade 2 Davona Dale for 3yo fillies pointing for the GP Oaks and on to the Kentucky Oaks, multiple Grade 1 winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly champion Jaywalk was primed to debut and was 1/5 at post time. Didn't take the lead like I thought she would, but sat comfortably just off the longshot leader to the turn. Was asked to move, began making a bid on the turn the stopped. Was lucky to get 4th as the photo finish showed a 50/1 winner over a 13/1 runner-up resulting in a $105.20 payoff to win and a $1,025 $2 exacta payout. Next was the Fountain of Youth and everyone was hoping Hidden Scroll would fulfill the promise he'd shown on Pegasus Day when he romped to a Beyer 104 speed figure. But jockey Joel Rosario gunned to the front in sprint times - :22 and change and :45 and change which would be fast in a six furlong sprint, much less in a two-turn mile and a sixteenth event. Obviously faded late to be fourth at 4/5. And in a side note, the winner was Code of Honor. He'd last been seen on January 5th when I brought the family out and made him my BEST BET in the Mucho Macho Man. He ran poorly that day, so I tossed him today - he won and paid over $20. Sigh......
I had handicapped a few other tracks with a very discerning eye on horses that looked VERY logical, but so far I'd run 5th at Laurel, 2nd at Laurel, 5th at Oaklawn, 3rd at Laurel, and 7th at Aqueduct. So much for "solid" plays! But in the 7th at Oaklawn multiple stakes winning Mitole was taking on an allowance group for his first start of 2019. If he ran even a "B" effort he would be gone. The crowd made him a prohibitive 2/5 favorite.
Minutes later it was the first of just two races I was playing at Santa Anita. The fifth was a maiden special going an extended nine furlongs on the main track. Bold Mongolian appeared to be worth every penny of the short-priced 4/5 offered in the program. Would either be loose on the easiest of leads or track a cheap speedster before running away as tons the best. It was the latter trip and he won for fun, my eighth winner on the day.
Next Saturday we will be in Orlando for Tampa Bay Derby Day, so I'll be playing online. The following two weekends we will be in Europe on our Viking Oceans Mediterranean Odyssey adventure with our best friends Sue & Dan Reynolds. We return from that cruise on March 26 which is the Tuesday before Florida Derby Day!
Mediterranean Odyssey: March 13-26, 2019
Fountain of Youth Day Highlights
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