Tropical Park Derby/Oaks Weekend

 December 12-15:  Christmas Markets Weekend

As we headed into the third week of the Championship Meet I was preparing to take off for Europe for an eight-day adventure with Viking River Cruises to sail the Danube River with my niece Khloe and explore the Christmas Markets in five different countries.  The racing week started Thursday, filled with "you've got to be kidding me" races as through the six races I wagered on I ran second FOUR times and third once.  Had the lead and got caught.....closing fast, couldn't get there, and every other way to miss.  Sigh....oh the racing game can humble you quickly!  Finally on Friday got a couple of wins.  In the second race on Friday the 13th (YIKES) War Beat tracked the leaders in a three-lifetime claiming event to score over the all-weather surface.  Paid a nice $6.00 so I cashed for 30 beans :)

When I opened the Racing For to R6 and saw it was a 2yo MSW going a one-turn mile I immediately thought, "This would be an ideal spot for a Todd Pletcher maiden" runner.  Sure enough, there was Ruth in the entries.  The daughter of Uncle Mo had a dozen well-spaced works and Irad Ortiz on board.  Duh.  Should have upped the bet but there was a Bill Mott firster that also looked talented.  Ruth was shuffled back to fifth, but found her stride in mid-stretch and blew by under a hand ride as easily best.

Saturday was the BIG Day in several different aspects.....first and foremost, it was departure day for Khloe and I as we headed out from Fort Lauderdale International at 2:30pm for Newark....connecting to Frankfort overnight.....and then finally an hour and a half on to Budapest.  I enjoyed a final cup of Wawa coffee as I awaited our Uber ride which I'd scheduled for a noon pick-up.

A little after 11am I logged into my account and made the wagers on the twelve races from Gulfstream and the Fair Grounds for the day and was hoping I'd be able to watch the replays before we headed out on our international flight, seven-and-a-half hours from Newark to Frankfort.  I was able to see the first race - a good third at 8/1 - from FLL as we awaited our initial flight.  We landed in Newark about 5:30 and made the trek from Terminal A to Terminal C, long walk and bus ride, followed by a long walk again to our departure gate.  But once we were settled in I had about 40 minutes before boarding and I pulled up the replays.  After another miss at Gulfstream my BET of the Day came in the Louisiana Champions Classic where Touchuponastar looked formidable.  In his last seven starts against La-breds he was unbeaten AND today he looked like the lone speed.  That he paid $2.40 for handily leading them on a merry chase was "FREE MONEY" in my opinion.

Missed two more before winning three in a row.  The first of those was in the Gulfstream Park Oaks where I thought the field was very evenly matched.  But I did think that Christophe Clement's See You Around held a slight edge as a Euro import.  Tracked the 6/5 favorite into the stretch, switched outside into the clear and suddenly burst by with a quick turn of foot to score at a nice 9/2 price.

Came right back in the La Champions Juvenile with Smoke Wicked, in another race that looked pretty evenly matched.  But he had run well against open, graded company at Saratoga and was coming off a big-figure win in an open $100K AOC race at Churchill.  Any of those three races would win here.  Tracked in the clear three-wide in third to the lane then took command and drew off.

Topped off the trifecta of wins with Vassimo in the 9th at Gulfstream.  I had noted to watch how Todd Pletcher Majorca ran in the fifth as a guideline for this race, but since I'd made all my bets up front that didn't impact my wagering.  Good thing because that one was a non-threatening fifth while Vassimo gamely held on to win at a generous $6 payout.  Many has been the time I've shaken my head and asked how I let a Todd Pletcher first time maiden at the Gulfstream Championship Meet with the top rider on board win and pay $6.  Not very often any more as those are nearly an automatic play!

Got my final win of the day in the Tropical Park Derby.  Unlike the Oaks I had a strong opinion here.  Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey sent out the talented Cugino and got Irad Ortiz to ride.  He'd already won a similar stakes, the Audubon at Ellis Park, but more importantly he'd run second in three other stakes including both a Grade 3 and a Grade 2.  His best made him the clear choice.  Mid-pack through the far turn he shot through an opening between horses into the clear and rallied to be up in time for the score with my triple investment on board.

Once we'd arrived in Budapest aboard the Viking Embla Sunday, I checked my phone and computer.  Often the case in Europe, none of my betting platforms are available.  So I'd arranged with my son Brad to cover my bets using my account.  Checked the results later and only had one win, Saffie Joseph's Mish looked on paper much the best.  I considered making him a "prime time" play but his last out dismal effort that earned a "7" on the Beyer scale was just a lot to dismiss.  Ran as anticipated and got me the lone victory on the day.

As I write this week's wrap up we are on our third day of the Christmas Markets Cruise and it's been great so far.  We spent the first two days in Budapest and today we are sailing the Danube, heading to Slovakia where we will enjoy the Christmas Market in Bratislava.  Racing this next week.....we'll see how much "free time" I have and if I've got interest in handicapping and betting while enjoying my 18th Viking cruise adventure!

Social Media this week.....

I am just so proud of my wife Kim who is so strong, so brave - much more than I would be on either count as she goes through this double knee replacement.  This week was a big day as the surgeon met her for the post-op evaluation.  He was just giddy with her progress and when the nurse removed the bandages Kim was all smiles.  Her walking improves with each day and slowly but surely her sleep is improving.

Last Christmas I'd sent a Christmas card to gal-pal, news anchor Lauren Pastrana and she had seemed genuinely appreciative.  So this season I decided I would add my long-time gal-pal Karli Barnett to my Christmas card list.  I was so excited when she sent me a message via Instagram with a photo of her holding my Christmas card, thanking me for the gesture :)

Shortly after arriving in Europe it was my Derby gal-pal Chloe Nelson's birthday so I sent her my best from atop the Viking Longship and she was very appreciative.

The week continued to give me warm fuzzies so to speak via my social media pals when long time most favorite former student Kimmy responded to me.  But what made me smile so much was for one of the very rare times, she sent a photo.  Her daughter Livvy is so adorable, just like her Mom.

Finally, gal-pal and regular Instagram message exchanger Lauren Pastrana exchanged several messages this week.  So very appreciative that she enjoys following along on our trips.  Felt badly for her when she missed some time from work with a scratched cornea - ouch!