Well, the first half of the week was GREAT; and on Saturday I had a GREAT day in Maryland. But that's about all the positives for the week. So here's how the week played out.....
Wednesday January 13
I was smart to pass the wide-open first race won by a 10/1 runner. Then ran 5th at 2/1, 3rd at 6/5, scratched out of the fifth, 2nd at 7/2, a dismal eighth at 8/5 then missed my bet in the 8th when all of our Internet Wifi went down and even my phone app wouldn't work. Came back up in time for me to get my bet in for the finale (passed on the 9th) where it was a claiming event for turf sprinters. The question was simply this, "will Mai Ty One On run his race or not." He'd beat multiple stakes winning and Horse for the Course Pay Any Price here last May and was a 3x winner over the course. And ALL of those were against better than these moderate $35K claimers. THAT my friends was the rub.....he'd not been seen in six months and today dropped in for a first time tag. Gives one pause. As I said, at least you got top rider Luis Saez on the Jane Cibelli runner. He staked the pace along the inside, then the rail opened like a parting of the Red Sea. He scooted through, opened up and held off the closers. The generous $6.20, so I cashed for $31 to close out the day.
Thursday January 14
It had rained overnight so three of the five turf events were off, which led to losing three of my selections on the day. I had a procedure around lunch time (where they took out a chunk behind my knee about the size of a fifty cent piece and trust me....it was NOT pleasant, and trying to move around through the weekend was an interesting at best experience!). So before I left I plugged in my first bet on Elliereeseaston in the fifth. When I posted the wager I even thought "out loud" to remember how on December 24th I had an eye appointment, made a bet then when I got home I re-made the bet. Fortunately I won and it went from a double investment to a "prime time." So I reminded myself to remember I'd made the bet. Got home in plenty of time for the race and watched as 'Ellie was bet down from 3/1 to 6/5 but the Saffie Joseph class dropper looked strong on paper. Tracked in third on the rail, moved into the clear and wore down the leader before edging away to score.
It was then that I checked the payout that I saw I'd done it again.....made the bet twice and scored a "prime time" bet. WHOOOO HOOOOO. The eighth race was an entry level Allowance-Optional Claiming event. And over the years I've learned how very important it is to read the conditions. So check out what the conditions were and how that made me look at Don't Get Khozy....
Tracked the leaders in third while up close and under confident handling. Split horses at the top of the stretch and drove clear to score for fun! As Announcer Pete said, "that was E-A-S-Y MONEY!!!" Missed in the final selection of the day, but it was a GOOD day with two wins from three picks for a profit of over $30.
Friday January 15
The BEST day of the week came on Friday. In the opener, a six furlong maiden event the top choice wired the field at 5/2 odds....but I didn't bet it. Sigh..... In the second I liked Todd Pletcher's Gimme Some Mo who looked to EITHER be much the best, or a runner that it was time to dump off on a lesser trainer. Right to the front and controlled the race from the get-go. My double investment netted almost $20 on the return.
The third, I stated, went strictly through your opinion of Bacchanalia who had stopped BADLY in her last. If you tossed that event, the previous five were all top quality races that would win for fun. I thought that today the Chad Brown filly would return to form. Irad Ortiz had her ideally placed in third into the turn, took off and drew off by daylight. And the best thing about it....the price!
Oh my! I'll take over $50 beans thank you very much :) Passed races four and five and that took us to one of "those" maiden special events that makes Gulfstream so cool. Not one but TWO Todd Pletcher runners to choose from and a Chad Brown runner. Bold Agenda was a $700K sales grad who looked primed for a big effort from the rail. He was the pick, but wait, there's the other Pletcher, Nocturnal. He'd run a big 93 Beyer in his debut last winter and the winner, Dr. Post - another Pletcher colt - had come back to win the Unbridled Stakes in his next start, then ran 2nd in the Grade 1 Belmont. Two others from that maiden event had since won as well. I took him under Luis Saez. He was favored in the wagering until near post time.....broke sharply and wired the field for fun. But the price had floated up....
Oh my, another big winner for me :) Missed on the final play of the day but was very happy with the way my Friday went, and through the first three days of racing I was a BIG TIME 6-for-12 with a tidy profit in my account.
Saturday January 16: Sunshine Millions Day
LOTS of big races today, not the least of which was a collection of stakes on the Sunshine Millions card at Gulfstream. I always look forward to that day and generally do very well. But not today.....on the GP card I ran 2nd, and 4th; then WON in the sixth in a race where I thought Rockstar Ro towered over the rest of the field going five furlongs on the turf. When she was well bet I doubled the bet she took over in the stretch and held on for the win as the even money favorite.
I was 2nd best in the 7th before the big stakes action. In the SSM Filly & Mare Turf I sat at the back, but when asked had no response....7th at 7/2. In the Classic I had dead aim on the front runner, but sat too far back and waited too long to make a run...2nd at 6/5. In the Sprint I was MUCH the best, took over willingly at the top of the lane. But Tyler Gaffalione who is usually top notch, did not ask for Extravagant Kid to finish. By the time he saw the 14/1 closer coming and he asked, it was too late. Caught inside the final twenty yards - 2nd at 3/2. In the Turf I went for a price play speed ball. He got loose like I thought, but the rider let him travel :22 and :45 through the opening half mile going a mile and a sixteenth. Leading at the 1/8th pole he was swallowed up by four closers. And in the day's finale locally I was a dead last tenth as the 2/1 choice. NOT the kind of day I envisioned at Gulfstream.
Perhaps the most interesting story of the day came at about 1:15 as I was only three races into my betting. Suddenly the Xpressbet video stopped working. Then the program feature wouldn't work and finally the wagering pad wouldn't work. Uh oh. That's ok, I'll play on my phone. Nope, the app would not work. And at this point I'm about 15 minutes from my BET of the Day. Oooohhhh you can't mess with Mark Love my friends. Oh no, and why not you ask? Because Mr. Mark not only has an Xpressbet account, but also has a Twin Spires account. Oh YEAH baby. Flipped over and played the rest of the day there. I found it very interesting that no one at Gulfstream - who are always promoting "play with us on the 1st Bet/Xpress Bet app" made any mention of the technical problems.
Fortunately I had M-U-C-H better luck at Laurel where it was their Winter Carnival Stakes Day. The action kicked off in the third with the Geisha Stakes. Gale looked to be odds on and a deserving favorite, but I wasn't sure about how much she would be at short odds. Still I liked the fact that she'd aired in wins on both turf and dirt and that she was flying on the front end in one victory but had closed from off the pace to run well in a couple others. That she'd been the favorite last time out in a Gr 3 made her the obvious choice. As the 1/-2 favorite Gale (my triple investment choice) wired the field. Missed in the fourth when caught on the lead (2nd) at 2/1 and then was a nondescript 7th at 5/1. But in the 6th, the What A Summer Stakes, I'd made Hello Beautiful my BET of the Day. Of the combined 111 races of her rivals ONE and one only Beyer figure would best her last two figures. But while that was enough to make her the Best Bet, but in her six starts locally she WON ALL SIX and by a combined FORTY-TWO LENGTHS - oh my. The closest anyone had come to her on the wire at Laurel was three lengths, and just for the record, four of the local wins came in added money stakes. Right to the front, looked like she was going to be challenged turning for home but the rider had not asked her yet. Gave her the cue and it was all over, even though a late runner did close some ground to make it somewhat interesting. Came right back in the 7th when the Xtra Heat for 3yo fillies looked to go strictly through Street Lute. She'd won all but one of her starts and in her last - as my top choice - she'd been life and death to hold on. I thought MAYBE today was the day to go against her. But I really couldn't find anyone in the field who made any sense as a challenger. She romped handily as the 2/5 favorite. Closed the day with my "price play special" on Kenny Had A Notion (made me think of my buddy, Kenny Kellner from Oasis High Football). There were two horses who seemed almost dead even but trainer Dale Capuano had run up a 7-for-9 record with his last nine dirt runners on first time Lasix like 'Kenny. Right to the front where he dueled immediately with the favorite. Head up and head down the entire seven furlongs but Kenny prevailed in one of the most exciting events of the day! WHOOO HOOOO.
I also had two wins at the Fair Grounds on their "Kickoff to the Derby" card. I thought the card was a difficult one and I wasn't really surprised I didn't have a big day there. In the 2nd, a Maiden Special event, Li'l Tootsie scored as much the best at 4/5 odds. Missed in the DF Kenner, a 6f sprint stakes when I dueled from the outset and weakened to third late; missed with three maiden events and ran 3rd, 4th, and 5th in three of the four stakes. The on win came in the Marie G. Krantz where I thought Secret Message could take advantage of the pace flow and the long Fair Grounds stretch. Was absolutely flying while some seven or eight wide to be up in time.
Finally, at Santa Anita I won two races. The first was in a maiden turf event. While it wasn't a big draw, the fact that hottie handicapper Christina Blacker of TVG was married to the trainer DID give me a lean towards Burnin Turf who took over in the stretch and edged clear.
And got my only stakes win of the day in the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint where I thought Leggs Galore was an easy pick as THE lone speed. At 4/1 in the program I was hoping for a nice score. In retrospect I should have upped the wager. Still, had doubled the bet and watched her roll for fun gate to wire at a more than fair $7.60 so I cashed for almost $40.
On the day I had nine winners and just a couple the second place finishes I had would have made for a big difference in the bottom line.
Sunday January 17
After the fast start to the week and then the "ok" results on Saturday I really thought I'd have a couple wins on the Sunday card. Disappointment galore as I had one third, two fourths, two fifths and an eighth. Ugg. Oh well.....better luck next week. And speaking of next week, it's Pegasus World Cup Week and I'll be able to actually GO to the track!
Speaking of THAT.....as the "global pandemic rages on" as they say on the news, I am MOST fortunate in that I was able to coach high school football, enjoy meals out - and again this past Saturday night - and then on Sunday night Kim and I went to the Florida Panthers Opening Night to the NHL season. Of the thirty franchises playing, only TWO currently have fans that are allowed to go - as long as you wear masks and practice social distancing - and we were one of them. Sooooooo appreciated the opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed the 5-2 rousing victory!
Week 7 Highlights
The News Girls....
I know it means little to others, but I continue to think it's cool that I can "talk" to the local news cast anchors and they not only look at my message on air, but recognize and/or reply. First it was evening news anchor Lauren Pastrana who has been "in touch" with me many times....
Then, the new star on the horizon, Brooke Shafer who's now sometimes on the weekend anchor desk. Note in particular the time stamps on the Sunday "conversation." :)
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