Risen Star Stakes Weekend
Happy Valentine's Day!
The week started out fine at the track, though I was missing my wife who headed out to the west coast to visit with her Mom and have a "Girls' Weekend" with her gal pals, leaving Keith and I behind here at the house. But I was petty smart, and a good husband when knowing that she'd be gone over Valentine's Day I bought her Valentine's flowers a week in advance so she could enjoy them....and took her to dinner before she left so we could have a Valentine's Day celebration, even if it wasn't on the real holiday. I won two races on Thursday. In an unusual day, for me on a Thursday, Friday or Sunday I actually found six horses that I liked enough to invest in. After running third with the third I got my first score of the day in Race 6 with Prom Queen in a 3yo MSW going a mile and a sixteenth to the first finish line. Three weeks prior Brad Cox had seen his filly finish a best-of-the-rest second behind a Todd Pletcher winner going a one-turn mile. This distance seemed ideal for her second start. She got shuffled back down the backside but the rider seemed to still have a firm hold on her. When asked she swung three wide into the clear and drew off by more than half a dozen as easily best. Impressive.
Missed on the next three (3rd, 4th, and 6th) before closing the day in Race 10, a claiming event going a mile and a sixteenth on the turf. Saratoga Flash was a Saffie Joseph 8yo with seven wins on the grass. What sealed it for me was a best-of-79 bullet work which is a favorite angle of mine. Had to wait behind horses into the lane. Got into the clear at the furlong pole and accelerated to the front inside the final sixteenth of a mile.
Friday found me with only four selections. Ran 2nd twice after finishing off the board to start the day. But in the 9th and featured one-turn mile conditioned allowance, the 2025 Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks winner, Five G made her return to the races. While the layoff and first time against older were concerns, and knowing that big graded stakes were being circled for later in the season, STILL I thought she'd win handily. Pressed the early leader, took over at the half mile pole and drew off as easy as you please with my triple investment wager on board.
Saturday was Valentine's Day and in the morning I posted the photo of the flowers I'd bought for Kim and a Disney "LOVE" logo on it. I'm just a Hallmark kind of guy, truly :) Keith and I headed out to spend the day at Gulfstream a little before eleven am and we arrived in plenty of time before the first bet in New York. My "ticket girl," Darlene, greeted us and immediately opened her phone to show me the link I'd given her last week to my book, explaining it wouldn't work. I tapped it and immediately the online book appeared. Her eyes widened and she chuckled saying she'd tried it several times just before I arrived. She told me she was anxious to read the book. And it was very rewarding that several times during the day she would stop me and tell me she had started the book and that it was "soo good, and "so sweet."
It's a funny thing about the track, sometimes things happen that are a negative event and the day seems to spiral after that....or the reverse. After losing the first at the Big A it was time for their second race. I watched as the favorite, #3, waited for room, shot up the rail and scored. I took a picture of my ticket and filled in the details on my selection sheet. I went to my girl Kimberly to bet and handed over my ticket. She paused, pulled it out and said, "Sorry this isn't a winner." I took it and looked at the ticket, it read $5 WIN #1. Wait, what? I looked at my sheet, yes I'd picked the 1. Read my analysis and noted I liked the eventual winner, as my second choice. Sigh....hoping this isn't a sign. Well, for what it's worth from noon until a little after 2pm I won with only a single selection from my first seven bets. I did NOT have a good feeling. Even worse, I had been planning to text my favorite former student Kimmy about my success today because I'd told her she needed to wish me luck, like she did last week to keep the magic going. And I did not want to have to tell her that it was a one-and-done thing. Finally in the fourth at Aqueduct it was time for the seven furlong Damon Runyon Stakes. Arctic Beast looked to be a legitimate favorite. Cleared immediately and was long gone.
Ran 4th and second in the next two before the first of the multiple stakes on the Fair Grounds program came up, the Colonel Power going five furlongs on the turf. Usually Wrong had won the prep, the DF Kenner and I typically don't like to bet horses to repeat. But after looking up and down the pp's it was pretty clear to me he'd be loose on the lead and long gone again. Right to the front, daylight lead into the lane. But at the furlong pole, on literally the longest stretch in North America the gap started to narrow. Where's the wire!!!! Came just in time :) WHEW!
Missed at Laurel and then on my sheet the fourth at the Fair Grounds was full of promising 3yo's most without any experience. I'd noted that if someone took a lot of money I'd be interested. Sure enough a Brad Cox 3yo, Goodall was being heavily bet. I put $5 to win on him. Took the lead, was headed briefly at the top of the lane but battled back and edge clear late for my third win on the day.
Next was the best race of the day and double irony.....one, it was one of the few races at Gulfstream, and two, it was my BEST BET of the Day. Brande was making his 4yo career debut off the layoff and I've seen Todd Pletcher do this so many times. Young talented horse gets put away for months, shows up in the winter at GP and is long gone. The $300K son of champion Curlin had been last seen testing the waters of the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in just his fourth career start and ran a best-of-the-rest 2nd. Today he was the early 1/5 favorite but at post time his odds had floated significantly upward. Right to the front....took pressure, was headed and inside the 1/8th pole he fell a full head and neck, if not more behind. Discouraged but not willing to give up I kept hoping. Suddenly surged and shot to the front. Instinctively I raised my arms and shouted WHOOOOO HOOOOO. That he went off at 7/5 was such a "gift" as I cashed for nearly $50.
Maximum Bourbon
National Identity
Run Tzu
Hit Show
Bella Ballerina
Paladin
Sunday
No Other Like You
Eclatant
Social Media this week......
It was of particular importance to me without Kim being home to have some social interaction and my peeps came through for me. When I was coaching at Oasis High in Cape Coral several seasons ago our Athletic trainer was a sweet girl right out of college. Kelly and I became FB friends and I see her from time to time online. She's taken to marathon runs and she posted about one this past week. I congratulated her and she reacted shortly there after.
I've told Teri Hornstein before and it's true.....when we would "chat" more frequently the subject of Wawa coffee would often enter the conversation. Last week I discovered she's a chocolate fan so now not only when I get my Irish Cream creamer in my coffee, but if I to the chocolate blend I think of her. Had one and sent her an image and got a message in return :)
Another former new anchor and now long time social media gal-pal, Karli Barnett posted about taking her Mom to a Backstreet Boys concert. She looked so adorable and I commented and got a message back. While we don't interact as often, she almost always will eventually "talk" to me when I reach out to her.
Lissette Gonzalez has been the morning weather girl for at least twenty years I believe. She joined the new FB craze of creating a ChatGPT AI image of herself and I reached out to her and got noticed.
I never cease to be amazed at how as an educator I touched students and didn't know. Last Sunday evening on Super Bowl Sunday my "Disney Girl" Amanda texted me as she does every Super Bowl Sunday because she remembers how we used to evaluate the Super Bowl commercials in class during a study of advertising. This past Sunday however the conversation turned to her time in my senior Advanced Placement Econ class. I'd forgotten but she reminded me of how I invited her over to our house to work on her project for class and she remarked how grown up I made her feel and that she'd never forgotten that. That touched me because while I did recall it somewhat when she mentioned it, this certainly wasn't something I'd thought of in a long time, but clearly that gesture had meant a great deal to Mandy. :)
I had interactions with gal-pal Lauren Pastrana multiple times through the week and a couple of things stood out this week. First, one day as she signed off from her "Solo at Six" broadcast she had a live shot of the sunset over the airport which matched her orange dress nearly perfectly - even more so through my camera lens. The second thing was at one point during the week for what ever reason, several of my messages to her were not seen, then suddenly on Thursday my phone lit up multiple times in a row as she "found" them and liked them all one at a time. Twice we exchanged comments. On Monday I messaged her how seeing a reel of her and her husband at a Bad Bunny concert, enjoying themselves made me appreciate the Super Bowl half time show more and she messaged me back about being a long time fan. And finally, two nights in a row Lauren had on a cute sleeveless outfit. On the second night I messaged her that I'd noticed this and was reminded how she'd once told me how cold it was in the studio. Minutes later she replied telling me she kept her jacket just off camera and put it on every commercial break. It's those kind of small human exchanges that we have that make me appreciate her friendship.
Two exchanges with my all-time best former Kimmy rounded out the week. On Friday I reached out and reminded her that she "had to" wish or think a wish of good luck for me at the track since her well wishes last weekend had resulted in a big day. Minutes later the message came back, "Good Luck!!" :) And earlier in the week it just struck me randomly that we've talked on several occasions about talking on the phone so I reached out to her. She replied she was flying back from London that day and would check her schedule. Knowing how busy she is I don't really expect it to happen, but that in that moment she was agreeable to it made me smile.
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