After taking the weekend off from racing, I headed out to Gulfstream for a special Monday holiday card of racing with my best pal Keith (who's down for the summer). I handicapped eight tracks and originally had 40 selections on my sheet as we settled into the Silks Simulcast center at our own desk with personal monitor. I missed on three of the first four when the first two picks didn't fire and I was second at Pimlico. But the first win of the day came at Gulfstream with Dreaming of Neno. He was sent out in this claiming sprint by owner Frank Calabrese and trainer Michael Petro for a first-time tag since at least 2013 (off his pp's). He'd paired recent figures and that, I thought might be the sign that he was ready to run back to his huge figures from last May through November. He burst out of the gate and set sizzling fractions of :21 and change and :44 and change will in front by nearly half a dozen lengths. I thought he might have gone too fast, but he never slowed down and everyone else was running for second money. Cashed for nearly $20. After the second at Pimlico I scored in back-to-back races. The second at Monmouth was a claiming route race where I fell back on last summer's Monmouth Handicapping Project for the winning angle. Last summer I cashed a bunch of tickets when trainer Edward Bromme gave a leg up to top rider Paco Lopez - a Monmouth 40% Club play. Such was the case with Allstar in this spot. He saved ground into the stretch, shot through a narrow opening on the rail and was clear late. And at a nice $6 for a $30 payoff! Right back at Belmont where I was on the odds-on favorite, Todd Pletcher's One Sided in this maiden special sprint. He'd failed to score twice already, but today looked to be his day. He pressed to the turn, challenged for the lead, and dueled to the furlong marker. The outside runner got his head in front and that's nearly always the sign of an impending loss. But he would not go away and surged on the wire, PHOTO FINISH!
He won-oh so narrowly, but a winner is a winner! I'd doubled the bet so I collected nearly $15. At Gulfstream Devilish Kitten - a 2-year-old filly - was absolutely flying on the outside and just missed when second in a MSW for juveniles. But I came right back to score in the third on the Jersey Shore with Lookingoutforyou. This one was dropping out of open company into this 3-lifetime spot. The only time this miss had seen conditioned company it was a win - and for $35K. Today's race was for a lowly $10K. She broke behind the field, which seemed to be a consistent theme today, but rallied up the rail going away handily for my fourth win on the day. In the first of the NY state-bred stakes, the Mount Vernon, Old Harbor was a disappointing third at 7/2 over the Belmont turf. But then I scored with my "BET of the Day" in Maryland. It was quite an unusual pick because while I often say that you don't have to be betting a Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Championship race to have a "best bet," it is pretty unusual to find such a horse in a Maiden Claiming event for any price, much less for a bottom-of-the-barrel $7K! But such was the case with I'myoursugardaddy. This three-year-old gelding was send out by a 40% barn that had a rider winning at 27% with a $2.38 ROI for the outfit. The last two races were turf routes and this trainer was a 35% winner with surface changes and 30% with turn back runners. Even better was the fact that the COMBINED record of the other trainers in here was 13-for-141, YIKES! Trainer Kieron Magee, who trained I'myoursugardaddy, was 16-for-40! He dueled into the stretch while looking to be under wraps and when the rider asked he burst away from the field. It was humorous that his odds were a very generous 7/5 as they were loading into the gate. Keith got up to bet and as he walked back the odds plummeted to 1/5. I'm not saying how much he bet, I'm just telling you what happened! It wasn't so much the near $30 I collected, but that I'd been right, and in a big way!
Missed at Pimlico in their 4th when The Camden Comet took the lead, but was caught late, second, at a fair 2/1 price. But I scored in the fifth at Monmouth when Tashreeh took this maiden special weight field on a merry chase from gate-to-wire at 3/2 odds. And so I turned the page with six wins already from twelve selections. It had the makings for a good day!
For the first time on the day I missed three in a row and went back to make my next sequence of bets without a ticket to cash. Meghan's Faith was a fading sixth at 5/2 at Arlington in their second race; Discreet Duke rallied over the Monmouth turf at 7/5, but was well behind the winner while clearly second best. And in Arlington's third Autumn Dreams stopped as the turned for home at 4/1, when crossing the wire 8th. In the fifth at Belmont it was The Mike Lee Stakes and I really liked Todd Pletcher's Ostrolenka. He had won his second start as a juvenile and come right back to win the state-bred Sleepy Hollow Stakes. Both of those at a one-turn mile, very similar to today's seven furlong configuration. After finding graded company too much for him he was second best off the shelf and then wired an 8 1/2 furlong allowance last out. Third off the shelf today and turning back to a better distance while boasting a perfect 2-for-2 record at Belmont cinched the deal. He stalked into the lane and then opened up as TONS the best.
I cashed for nearly $40! WHOOO HOOOO! Second best in Gulfstream's featured mile and a half Raymond Earl over the turf but came back to score an easy win at Lone Star with Get In Da House who ran his winning streak to four in a row. Keith and I remarked at this point in the afternoon that I was hitting at a good clip for the day and I told him I'd found that I seemed to find winners easier since I wasn't pressured to win today, I knew there would always be "another day at the races" and so I was hitting consistently. Then I remarked that even with the short prices I was always in good shape, I just couldn't go through a long streak without winning.
Should have kept my mouth shut. When Get In Da House scored in the third at Lone Star it was about 3:30. The next thirteen, yes THIRTEEN races over the next two hours I had no wins while running second four times and third four times. If just two or three of those horses would have won the day would have been fine, especially when I ran second at 5/1 in the feature at Monmouth, second with my "best" at Arlington at 6/5, and King Kreesa was loose on the lead in Belmont's Kingston Stakes with a prime time bet at 7/2 before weakening late. Those three would have added over $175 to the pot for the day and certainly I would have felt a L-O-T better about the bottom line on the day. We headed out as Keith had shot his bankroll for the day. I scored twice more with late races. The 7th at Lone Star came off the turf when they were rain delayed, twice, for nearly two hours. Prospect Knight was my "main track only" pick and he dueled into the lane before drawing off with authority at 1/2 odds. Curlin's Fox was the best price play of the day as it turned out in Santa Anita's sixth race. It was a turf sprint down the hill and she was one of the few with experience down the unique course. She dueled on the inside until they got to the main track crossover and then accelerated to the wire with a convincing winning effort. The $80 pay out means I'll cash on that ticket alone for $40 on my next visit. The last two bets were in graded stakes. I really thought today was the day for Tapiture. He'd not shown a lot in either start at Oaklawn, but today it was third off the layoff and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap looked ripe for the picking. I truly believe he was the best horse, but when the gates opened he was squeezed back and spotted the field about four lengths. He made a monster move to rally, but was third, beaten two lengths......he SHOULD have won. And in the last race on my sheet, the Grade 1 Gamely from Santa Anita I went against the lone Grade 1 winner in the field to back Chad Brown's Danza Cavallo. She'd run sharply in her US debut in a graded stakes, and then scored convincingly in an allowance last time out. I didn't think that top NY jockey Irad Ortiz would give up all his mounts on the big stakes card in NY to ride a last-out allowance winner in a Grade 1 if she didn't have a big chance. I was disappointed she was bet down from 4/1 program odds to 3/2 favoritism, but she rallied boldly into the stretch, only to hang through the final 16th and finish 5th. For the day I'd cashed 10 of 37 tickets, nearly 30%. And while today wasn't a good day it closed out the second month of the "Road to the Breeders' Cup" summer/fall project, and when I did the numbers it showed I'm having a great summer to date!
Today was a long day, but a WONDERFUL day! I left for Pimlico at 8:30 am - bags packed and loaded in the car, checked out of the hotel - and arrived at the Tilghman Island Inn on Chesapeake Bay about 10 pm after a two hour drive from Pimlico after a full day of racing. But what happened in between was amazing! Let's get to it....... I figured that today's traffic would be heavier, but conversely with it being Saturday I believed that I would not have a bad drive. Also, unlike yesterday where I wanted time to explore the facility and purchase my shirts, etc., today I knew the lay of the land and had no plans to buy anything else. Sure enough the drive there was without incident and I probably arrived about ten minutes quicker. But this worked to my advantage as my parking spot in the Clubhouse Lot was in the second row. Knowing I wanted to get out as quickly as possible for the long drive to the inn, this was excellent! I followed the same plan as yesterday, in fact I utilized the same usher on the second floor to take my Preakness photo. I was smart enough to have him put the jumbotron over my shoulder so that the background would be different today :) I did a little wandering but it seemed like no time before it was time for the 10:30 am opening race.
Today's first race today was a five-furlong maiden special event, but here was the twist....it was for two-year-olds! My first thought when I'd begun handicapping was that this would be an "obvious" pass with the juveniles just starting their careers at this early point of the year. But lo and behold I found a horse I liked. Finnegan had debuted for Wesley Ward as the 9/5 favorite - his 2yo are nearly always well bet, especially at the Keeneland spring meet - but he had a troubled start. He was still able to run well and finish second AND was nearly NINE lengths clear of the show runner! Today he moved onto the turf. But all the Ward stats were good: 2nd time starters at 27%, blinkers off at 27%, turf sprinters at 29%. The runner I anticipated to be the main threat scratched out of the race and as the betting opened Finnegan was being HAMMERED at 3/5. So I made my first "power move" of the day and doubled the bet. Finnegan broke sharply from post 8 and just as they completed the opening quarter he'd worked his way down to the rail and was now clear of the field. He burst clear of the field with a quick turn of acceleration and was L-O-N-G gone! I had my first win of the day an it wasn't even 11 am yet!
I didn't care that he was the odds-on choice at 1/2, I was cashing for $15 to start the day! The second was the Deputed Testimony Starter Handicap. I thought that Fish Whistler made pull off the mild upset over likely favorite Stolen Love. The Fish was being sent out by a local barn that was winning at a huge 40% and the leading rider - Trevor McCarthy (who's birthday was today by the way); and McCarthy was winning at a 39% rate for a $2.20 ROI. These good numbers were hard to go past....and then there was this fact: The race required that you had run for $7.5K or less, and the only time Fish Whistler had run that low, he drawn off by nine widening lengths. I was on board! When I saw Stolen Love was scratched I anticipated I'd probably be the favorite. But the crowd poured their money on an entry that had not even drawn a second glance from me. Fish Whistler broke on top and took them into the far turn. He was collared by a 33-1 longshot who actually put his nose in front as they turned for home. But McCarthy had something left and Fish Whistler drew off to win by daylight! WOW, two-for-two!
And the best news? He'd left the gate at 7/2 odds....paid $9.60 and I was collecting nearly $25 on a minimum bet! The third race was a maiden special for sophomores. It was a turf route and I went with a son of Kitten's Joy - who love the turf. I knew that Chiropractor would NEVER be 50/1 as listed in the DRF. He was sent out by Tom Proctor for Glen Hills Farm - and you may recall this combination had won for me yesterday with Conscience. I was right about the odds, he left the gate at 2/1, but wrong about the result. He was carried very wide into the first turn. He rated off the pace, made a bid on the far turn but flattened out to be fourth while the winner was a big price payoff of $21.20. The fourth we were again on the turf, and this was the first of the stakes races. The James Murphy for three-year-olds was a one-mile event. I really liked Force The Pass. This lightly raced colt had begun his career by breaking dead last from an outside post at Gulfstream but was flying late to only be beaten a length and a half while second. He scored in his second start and in his last start he won the Cutler Bay Stakes. The two Beyers he had earned in those last two were among the best in the field and he projected to sit a nice stalking trip. He left the gate at 2/1 but chased the 7/2 winner - who incidentally my track buddy from Friday had mentioned he liked, but then failed to bet him! Speaking of the guy sharing the box with me, the other two guys showed up today.....one from New York and the other locally, who were friends. And those guys were just like the guy from Friday - just "regular track guys" who had the same opinion and passion for racing as I did. I had such a great day all day Saturday talking with all three of them. It really made what was already a great weekend of racing even a notch better! The fourth was the second stakes of the day, but the first graded stakes: The Gr 3 Maryland Sprint. There looked to be a lot of speed, and the most likely speed of the speed, Happy My Way, was an "obvious" play against for me. He'd been one of my best bets on this day last year and had wired the field at odds on. But I'd seen him on Sunshine Millions Day at Gulfstream. My buddy from Friday remarked to me that this race was strictly going to go through Happy My Way. I told him, you bet how you like, but I saw him on Millions Day, and I pointed the race out in the program. His remark, "Wow, he just quit there." And I told him, he'd been TONS the best and was loose on the lead before he folded up his tent without any excuse. I added that he just was not the same this year, I'd seen him twice in Florida. I was all against. I went with Coup de Grace who was from the Larry Jones barn. This guy had won the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga last year - that spoke to his talent. And he had three sharp works for today, including back-to-back bullets. He left the gate as the co-favorite at 9/5, but was away slowly and made a wide rally to earn a non-threatening fourth place finish. Back-to-back losses with triple investments after losing the Chiropractor race put me on a three-race losing skid. It was time to do SOMETHING! So, I got myself the signature drink of the Preakness, a Black-Eyed Susan in a signature glass. I wanted the moment on film so I asked a security girl at the top of the stairs to take my photo, and the result is at the left. The sixth was an allowance race, a five furlong turf race. Over half the field had raced for a claiming tag, and all of those were in conditioned non-winners of two LIFETIME events. Nearly all the others were recent maiden winners - not the strongest allowance field assembled in recent memory! But one horse stood out to me - Hooligan. He was being sent out by Wesley Ward - who if you remember excels in turf sprints. But here was what caught my eye.....he'd debuted in a Saratoga dirt sprint and ran poorly. For his second start he was put in a state-bred STAKES race, on the turf. Not only did he WIN the stakes, as a maiden remember, but he left the gates at 1/5! Think somebody knew something? Duh! The problem was that came last summer. Still, John Velazquez on board and the lesser company today I thought he would be a good bet. I also guessed he'd be at least a fair price, not anything close to the 20/1 odds listed in the DRF. He was bet down early, but his odds floated up by post time. He broke cleanly and was battling on the lead from the start. But once the field turned for home he began to edge clear and he won by a solid length and a half - not overpowering, but a win!
And trust me, after three straight I was loving the winner's circle. Ironically I'd texted Kim a photo of me with my drink and told her I was "celebrating" the three losses, and she texted back that she would "send me good vibes" - and I won! :) Because he'd been bet down so much early, I'd decided to up the bet and doubled the bet. Hooligan floated all the way up to 2/1 at post time, so I was collecting a cool $30 for the win! NICE! The 7th was another stakes race. This was the Sir Barton Stakes for three-year-olds. This race is basically set up for those colts who are stakes runners, but just not quite good enough for the Preakness. As I looked over the field my first impression was that this was a VERY good collection of runners that would most likely gather their share of black type over the course of the rest of the year. But several factors led me to settle on what I thought was a solid play, Fame and Power. First he was out of the Bob Baffert barn - this guy is the west coast version of Todd Pletcher.....he's loaded with talent! Second, the Juddmonte Farm runner had earned back-to-back 93 Beyer figures which were better than every LIFETIME figure earned in the field, with one exception. Third, while he'd weakened to be third last time out, but that was easily forgiven......he was trying two turns for the first time, he had shipped from So Cal to Keeneland, AND he was running in the Grade 3 Lexington. The race looked to have some real quality to it because the winner from that race, Divining Rod was considered a viable upset contender in today's $1.5 million Grade 1 Preakness! But the facts were even stronger - since that effort in Lexington, Baffert had kept this guy in Kentucky at his Churchill base. Fame and Power had put in not one, not two, but THREE sub-one minute five furlong bullet works - YOWZA! He looked locked and loaded for a big effort on those works alone. But considering he had paired Beyers, often a sign of an impending break-out race, he would probably move forward today. And finally, he had the rail and looked to be the LONE SPEED! Somehow in pite of all this the crowd let him leave the gate at a remarkable 2/1! He broke sharply and was clear on the lead. The first quarter was pretty quick, :23 and change; but the half mile split of :46.3 was REALLY quick. The guy to my right (the new friend, the one from the Baltimore area) said after the half mile - "you can cash your tickets, this guy is GONE." I thought that was a bit premature considering how fast Fame and Power was going, but I was sure hoping he was right. And he was. L-O-N-G gone, even pulling away through the stretch. Impressive! It was my fourth win on the day. The lines had begun to draw out so I'd made both the bet on Hooligan and Fame and Power prior to the 6th race. And I can't explain why I didn't take a "Win #3" photo, since I'd already done separate #1 and #2 pics, but I didn't. So I took my two winning tickets and went to our friendly usher at the bottom of the stairs. She'd been keeping up with my scores since the beginning of Friday you see. So I asked if she would do the honors of photographing me with today's Win #3 and Win #4. See at right the result! But wait, I haven't even told you the best part.....in the Grade 3 Lexington after Fame and Power weakened, he was not only run down by the winner but he'd also been caught by a colt named Donworth. This guy was running again today. I thought it was oh-so-obvious that he would NOT catch Fame and Power today......second time route, and those sizzling works? That alone should have sold you on the fact that Fame and Power was long gone from Dunworth. But knowing he had the rail AND was the lone speed? Well duh. But instead the crowd had really gone down on Donworth, making him the 1/2 favorite in the Sir Barton. All the more money for me to collect as Fame and Power left the gate at a remarkable 2/1 price! I was cashing for my second consecutive $30 win ticket. Wow - what a day!
The 8th was on the turf, but I thought it was a real toss-up. I didn't like ANY of the turf runners, but I was willin to bet Lunar Rock if it came off the turf. And there HAD been a lot of talk about rain for today. But, the "experts" were calling for the rain to come a little after 6 pm. The good news - the day's races would be under good racing conditions and all the turf races would have firm going. The bad news - that was RIGHT before post time of the Preakness. And let me add that the forecast was NOT for rain, oh no.....it was for severe thunderstorms! The race stayed on the turf and the turf horse I'd considered did not fire - another good "no play" decision.
The 9th was the Grade 2 Gallorette going 8 1/2 furlongs on the turf. Two interesting items on this race - first, I saw that Watsdachances was in the field. She'd won early in her 2yo campaign for me and I'd chased her for several races thereafter and she'd never won again - she was a play against. Second, one of my favorite angles in turf stakes is the "first-time European" angle. That had worked for me on Florida Derby Day when Beauty Parlor was a "day-maker" paying $14.60 with my prime-time bet earning me back nearly $150. In here was Mango Diva, a Euro first-timer in North America. She was a multiple Group stakes winner with Gary Stevens. I doubled the bet, but she was a distant 7th at 6//1. And get this.....Watsdachances won, paid $6.80. Good for her, but I'd still not bet her! In the 10th it was the Grade 3 Chick Lang - a six furlong sprint for 3yo colts. I thought this was one of the toughest races on the card. I liked Blame Jim, just enough to bet him, but just the minimum. He got my attention by running a good second behind Stanford, who nearly pulled off the 8/1 upset of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. The crowd agreed with my assessment and was the 3/1 second choice at post time. But he was outrun and was fortunate to finish fourth I thought. On to the 11th race, a turf sprint stakes, The Very One. Last year I'd won this race when Ageless rallied up the rail, getting a very lucky trip when the rail opened for her. But in spite of the large field, I saw a LOT of speed signed on here and I thought she was clearly the best of the closers. A couple of other factors were very intriguing to me. After winning this race last year she'd gone on to run in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint....not only was that at 6 1/2 furlongs instead of five, it was down the hillside course AND across the country. And remember, this race is a listed stakes, that's a Grade 1! She'd run a good 4th, beaten only 1 1/2 lengths. Her past performances show that she does NOT like give in the ground, but last time out she had run over a yielding course and was a good second. She should move forward off that....and add in the fact that the race was the Giant's Causeway Stakes, the SAME RACE she'd used as a prep to win this last year. All of this made me believe she had a really good chance. My only reluctance was jockey Julian Leparoux who seems to always give MY horses a less than quality ride, but I seem to have won with him several times in the last few months. The crowd bet Ageless down to 6/5 at post time. She sat a little closer to the lead as the field sped into the far turn. As the leaders came out of the turn Leparoux eased her outside of runners and she burst to the front and was a comfortable winner - my fifth win on the day. MAN I'm having a good day, again!
The pay-off was $4.60, so with my double investment I was going to collect close to $25. The twelfth was the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes on the turf. Another open event, but I'd settled on my Florida Derby Day "Best" - War Correspondent. But he was a scratch this morning, so now I had no play. I looked for an alternative and even wrote one on my sheet. But the closer it got to post time the less inclined I was to play him and decided the prudent move was to pass. My "pick" wasn't even close, so I was glad that I made another smart decision. I did the math in round numbers and could tell that for today I was "winning" for the day, but I wasn't having a "big" day. So with my upcoming bet on American Pharoah the outcome of the day - profit or loss - would ride on his back.
Analyzing The Preakness
Following the Derby I had said that I needed to see how he came out of the race before thinking about making him the bet and how much to make the bet. I had thought he would win the Derby for fun in a dominating fashion, but after getting a wide - but confident - trip, he'd had to work hard to earn his 1 length win over Firing Line, who surprised me by running that well. But since the Derby he'd seemed to bounce out as good as new and the more I looked at the race the more I thought we'd see the "REAL" American Pharoah today. I read an article by a DRF writer late last week where he put forth a theory that when I read it I said to myself, "THAT is what I think." Here's what he put forth - first, consider that prior to beginning the 2015 season he had last run in late September; so he was off for six months before making his sophomore debut in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. That race he was ultra impressive and wired field in hand, drawing the comments that it appeared he was "running downhill" the whole way; then in the Arkansas Derby, when we were there, he again drew off without ever being asked in a sensational performance. So the DRF writer said if you look at it, since September he'd really only had two "paid workouts." The Derby on the other hand made him work, and that race probably NOW has him race fit for a BIG effort in the Preakness. That made a lot of sense to me. Of course the other side of the coin was put forth by some that said the Derby would zap him and he'd regress. I doubted this. Then the past performances came out and American Pharoah earned identical 105 speed figures for the Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby. When horses "pair up" figures they nearly always move forward in their next start. So combine the conditioning theory with the numbers and I was convinced he was going to put on a dazzling display today. There was no doubt in my mind he would win, and win convincingly. Now the question became how much to wager. Prior to the Derby I talked a lot with my son Jeff and we were in agreement that Derby Day was the one and only chance to get a price on him and IF you thought he was the horse then that was the day to strike. That led to me putting $100 to win and allowed me to score BIG with a $390 pay day. But today, in the Preakness, even money would be a huge payout, so this was NOT the day to strike big. Again this week Jeff and I talked about wagering strategies. I told him that for me the one thing I KNEW was that American Pharoah would win, and at less than even money. It was not going to be a money making race. I also said that I thought you could throw out BOTH the Derby runner-up and show horse, who most felt were clearly not only the biggest threat to beat American Pharoah but nearly certain to fill out the exacta and/or trifecta. I explained to Jeff that I thought there was at least a 50-50 chance they'd miss the board, and that was your money making chance. But, as I explained to him, considering I believed there was just a good a chance of them missing as hitting, I didn't think it was a good idea to bet that way. The more we talked about strategies I finally said to Jeff, there are three options here: (1) bet American Pharoah strictly to win and be happy to get what ever you get and enjoy having a chance to see a Triple Crown winner in action. (2) bet the two other Derby horses to run out of the money for a score, but be willing to accept you have the winner, but don't cash a ticket......or bet them TO hit the board, again accepting that if they DO miss, you had the winner but don't cash; or (3) to play the race with American Pharoah to win, with the longshots to run second, AND the other two Derby horses to run second and vary the bets. I laid out a plan to Jeff that if you had a $20 exacta with the two Derby favorites, those would probably get back a little more than $125; and a $10 exacta with Danzig Moon and Divining Rod, which would pay about $150 as they would be the 3rd and 4th choices; then play a $5 exacta "saver" with the other three, that would probably pay $75 or so, and you'd get back $150-$175.....so for $75 you'd collect between $125 and $200 for a profit of about $100. But, as I told him, that was a "safe" way to play and not a "money making" strategy. In the end Jeff was convinced the other Derby horses would run second - one of them for sure, and on the off chance an outsider was second, then one of the two Derby also-rans would certainly fill out the trifecta. I told him those were good bets for making money, but you ran the risk of missing completely if neither hits the board. I told him I would never make that bet because I was CERTAIN that Firing Line was a certain off-the-board horse. He'd always had a minimum of six weeks between races and now he was back on two races. AND he'd just run the race of his life....a classic case of a bounce candidate to me.
The Race
In the early betting, Friday and all day Saturday, American Pharoah had hovered at 4/5. I thought that was a fair and considering I thought he was going to dazzle today a good price. So my plan was to go $50 to win. Brad had asked me about my betting and told me he wanted to match my bet. My Mom wanted $10 to win from her Derby winnings. Well, there was some added drama in that American Pharoah had drawn the rail and many handicappers had made a big deal of this - I didn't think it mattered. But then the worst case scenario began to play out.......remember at the beginning of this entry I talked about the weather? Well, following the win by Ageless in the 11th race, The Very One Stakes, I had gone upstairs and stood in line to cash my ticket and then make the Preakness bet. It took me about 20 minutes or so, including having my picture taken for my fifth win, and then I headed back down to my seat. As I sat down I looked out and the track was wet! Not only that but the sky was now a dark gray and lightning was evident in the distance. WOW what a change. The four of us talked about how if the race were run in the normal time frame of less than 30 minutes from the finish of the Dixie they would have a fast track; but with the near hour before the race it looked like a storm was a near certainty. Sure enough, just as the horses came onto the turf course to saddle in the open the monsoons opened up. It was a driving rain with winds that were whipping the infield tents around and led to management telling everyone to evacuate the infield! When the Navy women's glee club performed the signature song, "Maryland, My Maryland" it was hurricane-like conditions and you could not even see the backstretch any more! But with about ten minutes to post the weather subsided and it was "just raining." But the "damage" was done....the crowd, those brave enough - and there were a lot of them - to stay outside were soaked, and the horses & jockeys were drenched. I read later that Gary Stevens, jockey for Firing Line said his equipment added at least 35 pounds to his assigned weight, and jockey Victor Espinoza of American Pharoah said his boots were full of water - he even dumped water out on camera for everyone! As the last two horses loaded in the gate a terrific lighting bolt cracked in the distance! Wow, what a setting!
The four of us had discussed - as had Jeff and I - about what would be American Pharoah's strategy. I had a couple of scenarios in mind prior to the storm, but now it seemed clear to me that he would be gunned to the front and take them on a merry chase. As I told the one fella, even if they try to run with him none of these horses can go that fast. Sure enough he was hustled to the lead and pressed through a wicked :22.4 opening quarter and a :46.2 half mile. Mr. Z was the longshot challenger but he was cooked by the far turn. As the field began to close the gap heading into and through the turn Victor Espinoza opened him up again, and as you can see & hear in the video, the thunderous and delighted roar of the crowd was very exciting. He drew off in a DAZZLING display, just as I'd thought.
What a great experience! I had my Friday pal film me and then the usher at the bottom of the stairs take my photo as everyone was abuzz with the excitement. The mutual prices came up and American Pharoah paid a more-than-fair $3.80; with my $50 bet I would be cashing for $95, as would Brad. My Mom would collect almost $20. It wasn't until then that I even thought about who else had hit the board. I was just certain that neither of the two Derby horses had run second. I wasn't sure, but I thought his trifecta tickets were also no good because I KNEW Firing Line had been distanced badly. Dortmund had run with the leaders into the lane, but I was pretty sure he was outfinished. It was then that my Friday pal, as he looked through his tickets, said...."What were the numbers?" The three of us looked at the board and called out, "1-5-7-2" and I could tell from his expression he could not believe it, "Why?" I asked. He looked up with a stunned expression and said, "My wife hit the superfecta!" We all looked at the board and the guy to my right was the first to see it. He said, "For a $1 that pays $1,900! You are cashing for nearly one thousand dollars!" Then the Friday pal said, "No, she has TWO 50 cent tickets, I get the entire $1900!" I congratulated him and then he flashed two more tickets, "I have the exacta AND the trifecta as well!" Oh my I said, you need your photo taken, so I snapped the pic at left quickly of him. He had to be cashing for nearly $2000, because the runner-up was the one horse that nearly everyone - including two national broadcasters - had said was the "1-9 favorite to run last!" Ironically his trainer has hit the board nearly every year with the second or third place horse in the Derby at huge odds, just like this. And the payoffs were keyed by the fact that the two Derby horses were out of the top three. Dortmund (#2) had managed fourth - so close for Jeff, although it was over seven lengths from third to fourth, so really not that close.
I headed upstairs to cash my ticket and shoot my wrap-up video. I started to leave my notebook but then thought better of it because I didn't know if the guys would be there when I got back, but I left my souvenir glass under my chair. After cashing and doing the video I came down to the emptying boxes and saw the last of my pals leaving and he had picked up my glass. I called out to him and got his attention. He apologized, but I told him no worries I would have picked up the glass had he left it and I thought he was gone for the day. We talked about one day getting together at the Belmont where he has 18 seats in his name. So for the day I finished with SIX wins from eleven selections and a profit of more than $75. That made for a weekend total of 11-for-22 .... an amazing 50% hit rate.....and nearly $100 in profit for the weekend. It could not have gone much better. What if I'd won even one of the two "best" bets on Friday? :))
Some final thoughts on the weekend at Pimlico......Friday had been a huge day for Pimlico. The final attendance was set at almost 43,000 with a handle of $18.5 million on the day. That compared to attendance of 35,000 last year and the handle was the best in ten years. For Saturday, considering how smoothly the betting went and the ease of movement, at least in the areas the facility I was in, it was amazing to me that they set an all-time record for attendance with 131,680 fans on track! It "figures" because both Kentucky Derbies I went to each set a new attendance record! Something about when I go :) And the betting for Preakness Day was over $85 million - wow. It beat last year's total by almost $2 million. The weekend was a smashing success for not only me personally, the racing industry as a whole, but for Pimlico. So cool to have been there for all of this!
Below the highlight video are some fashion pictures from the day. And the story continues below that ...... the trip to the Eastern Shore, and some highlights of my stay on Tilghman Island. Keep following......
May 16 - Preakness Day Highlight Video
Preakness Fashion Photos
Tilghman Island Inn on the Chesapeake Bay Saturday May 16/Sunday May 17
One of the side benefits to the storm was that the final race of the day was moved off the turf, obviously. And my pick was now no longer a play. This enabled me to leave early and head to the car for the drive to the Tilghman Island Inn. Luckily my sister's birthday gift of a portable charger would give me plenty of juice for the GPS after using the phone a lot during the day. I was down to about 50% battery, even though I'd had the phone off and on all day. I got to my car and was quickly in the lane to exit. Mild panic attack as the phone could not get any signal to get the map/directions/GPS signal. But by the time I'd hit the main street as we crawled along I had the directions. Two hours and change I was told. I had noted on my watch that it was about 7 pm when I walked out of Pimlico. And I noted the time again at 7:40 pm when I was on the Interstate out of Baltimore....what great time. It rained nearly the entire trip, up until the final half hour, and not a steady rain, but enough of a rain to make for difficult seeing on the trip, especially with the headlights from the opposite direction. But, I was able to find the Inn by 9:45 and when I walked in they were waiting on me. I was checked in and got into my room within minutes. I tried to call Kim but the room had next to no signal so I went out to the car and talked for a short while. I then texted with Jeff, and he and I had exchanged several during the drive as he lamented his decision to bet the way he did. Though he did say that he most regretted that he had to make the bet ahead of time - if he'd been on track he'd have bet straight to win; and I was sure he would have. But as I reminded him, we had this discussion ahead of time that if he bet for value he had to be willing to accept the fact he might not cash anything. Back in the room I worked on downloading the pictures and videos from my new Nikon camera and getting photos of the stakes winners off the Internet. Finally about 11:30 pm I was able to be unwound enough to get to bed.
I was up early and worked for a bit on the computer then went out to explore. The view down the dock onto the Chespeake Bay was well worth the drive, and I could now see the Inn and it was as advertised!
I got some coffee, worked on my web page for the weekend's racing and headed down to breakfast. I had a delicious breakfast of Crab Benedict, an obvious Maryland Eastern Shore twist on Eggs Benedict, and not only was it delicious, but the bacon was cooked EXACTLY how I like it - soft and chewy. Right after breakfast I got into "my room" - which was a deluxe room on the second floor with a balcony and had windows looking in two directions over the water.
I had originally planned to go sailing on this day. A couple of years ago I had planned a sailing adventure in Philadelphia on Pennsylvania Derby weekend, but it got cancelled at the last minute. So I had called two months ago and arranged for today's trip. I had asked to buy a ticket, but the captain's son told me they would certainly have plenty of room for just one more person. With the weather up in the air I called them after breakfast to ask which cruise they recommended - the 11-to-1 pm or the evening cruise from 6 to 8 pm. The gal who answered the phone told me the ship was being refurbished and there would be no cruises at all today. Sigh......But honestly, I had debated about wanting to go on the adventure last night because I was tired. I was glad the decision was out of my hands because I would have regretted MY making the decision to not go; now with no choice in the matter I could enjoy a relaxing day on the island. I had asked the girl at the main desk for a recommendation for a light lunch and she said to drive 10 minutes back towards Baltimore to the small town of St. Michael's - they would have lots of options and shops to explore. By the time lunch rolled around - I spent the rest of the morning enjoying my view and reading - I felt like just ice cream. I found this at an ice cream parlor and then had a nice facetime chat with Kim. I spent the afternoon relaxing and then headed to dinner at the Inn where I enjoyed a small steak, a sweet potato au gratin dish, and vegetables. Then topped it off with a unique amaretto bread pudding. I took a nice photo of the sunset and was ready for an early bedtime as I needed to be up and out the door by 4:30 am to drive to the Baltimore airport and my 8:45 flight home.
That trip was smooth and the fantastic weekend came to a close when I touched down at 11:15 am. Now, we'll look forward to three weeks and the Belmont Stakes where American Pharoah will try to become the first Triple Crown winner in over thirty years! How cool would it be if he can do it that I was able to see him run TWICE in his run to the crown? Awesome!
This morning I began my Preakness weekend adventure. My plan was a simple one for the first day.....the flight out of Fort Lauderdale was leaving at 10:35 and was a direct flight to Baltimore, landing at 1:15. I had looked up on mapquest the travel times, and saw that it was about 25 minutes to my hotel, and another 30 minutes to Pimlico. So, with a 3 pm check-in time I decided it made the most sense to drive directly to the races, check out the facility and buy my Preakness "stuff," then head to the hotel. Seemed like a good plan, but like all good plans, that wasn't what happened. I arrived at the gate and had just taken a seat when the guy at the counter announces, "Passengers at Gate 9 for the flight to Baltimore....we have just now received word that your plane is delayed due to a repair issue. We anticipate a departure at 11:35." Ugh....an hour. But, it's not like I have any big plans, so I waited. About 11 am the followed this with an announcement that now the flight was anticipated to leave a noon; and then it became 12:30. The plane was here, at the gate and you could see the guy "working" on the underside of the wing. Now I don't pretend to know anything about mechanical repairs but I CAN tell you he did a LOT of looking at the wing, cocking his head to one side or the other, reaching for a tool, fiddling for less than 30 seconds and looking again. That cannot be a good sign! Finally about noon he appeared to be done. We began boarding about 12:25 and were in the air around 12:45. The landing came at 3:45. I quickly checked post times for the Thursday card and saw that the last race went off at 4:55; then I checked the directions & time to travel - a little over an hour to get to the races. So, by the time I got my luggage and the car I'll miss the last race. No need to rush to the track. So happy I did not handicap for the day! It's now well past check-in time so I changed plans - hotel first (only a 25 minute drive) and then the races. I arrived at the hotel and I would describe it as "fine." Was not all that inspired by the surrounding area, and like I'd discovered online, there appeared to be very little restaurants around. As I checked in I asked about this and two fellas in the lobby both highly recommended a place called Rosarios which was less than 10 minutes away. PERFECT. It was now close to 5 pm so I called Kim and said I was heading to dinner and then maybe I'd visit the track. The meal was superb - a nice steak with a crab cake (have to have crab if you are in Baltimore!) on top! It was a little after 6 pm so I headed to the races. The traffic was slow and I began to become concerned about running out of battery for my GPS to get back to the hotel, so I switched it off. When I arrived at Pimlico it became very quickly apparent that there was no simulcasting going on as the facility seemed closed as they prepped for the weekend's big event. But the Clubhouse parking lot was open and the doors were open so I went out to the track and took a look and a photo.
I was struck by (a) how narrow the track appeared and (b) how crowded the infield looked. It seemed like there was hardly any room for the racing to take place! The stands were also right on top of the track as you can tell (count the rows of chairs on the apron, only about a dozen rows from the bottom of the grandstand to the rail). Looks like even if you could get down to the rail there would be no room to stand without having front row seats. I headed back to the room - the battery lasted! And settled in for the evening - tomorrow is the first big day of racing!
Friday May 15: Black-Eyed Susan Day
Honestly, it was a slow morning. I was struck with the thought that I'd so much more enjoyed the morning if I were in a nice bed & breakfast, like for the Arkansas Derby adventure. But I made do by looking at the races, checking out online analysis and finally getting ready for the day. The first race was at noon, and I figured there would be a good crowd, not a gigantic one. And since I had not been able to buy anything yesterday (which would have enabled me to be package-free on the racing day) I planned to buy my stuff and take it to the car. This would take up some of the early time while I beat the crowd to the track. I'd then check out the facility as I had not been able to do that yesterday. All went to the plan at first. Traffic was not bad, and the GPS going directly from the hotel was a better route than the one I took from the restaurant the previous day. I had pre-paid for parking in the Clubhouse lot and it was a nice spot - also nice to not have to worry about paying for parking today. As I went in I asked the guy who scanned my ticket if it would be ok to take my packages back to the car. He replied, "Sure, but double-check inside." Who to ask I inquired. He pointed to the program counter. So I bought my program and asked. Her reply, "Sure, just be sure to tell them at the gate you are returning." So I walked in and began looking over what they had to offer. I asked the girl if there were other sales booths with shirts, etc. today and she said they were all over. Which has the best selection I asked and she said that by far they had the most to offer. So I bought a shirt, hat, and pin and headed to the car. I stopped as I started out the gate and told the security woman that I was taking this to the car and had been told to check in with her. She replied she was sorry, but there was NO RE-ENTRY! But.....she apologized for the bad information I'd been given, but if I left I would have to buy a new ticket, to the tune of $10! No thanks, I'll carry the bag for ten dollars! I headed for the door to the apron and was going to ask someone to take my photo on the rail. But security stopped me. I showed them my ticket and said I was only wanting a quick picture, but she said they could not allow anyone out on the apron without the proper ticket. So I headed to my area, on the second level and when I got there I asked a security guy if it would be ok to step out on the balcony level and have a photo taken, and would he take it. He was more than happy to take my photo (at right). Well as it turned out my seat was in a box and it appeared the package would be safe. The usher assured me it would be. And the view from my seat - could not have asked for a better spot!
I then went first down a level and then up a level to check out the area around me. As I wandered around the second level I found the "Female Handicapper's Challenge - Bet Like A Girl" Seminar about to start. I "know" all these gals and took a snapshot of the best ladies in the biz at making picks:
From left to right: Donna Baron (NBC Sports), Christina Bossinakis (Gulfstream), Jill Byrne (Churchill Downs), Jeannine Edwards (ESPN), Maggy Wolfendale (NYRA), Caton Bredar (HRTV), and Gabby Gaudet (Pimlico). Their selections and how they were playing their mythical $1000 bankroll for the day was in the program, and I checked out their selections prior to the day's racing - and I was especially intrigued by their "BEST" bets of the day. More on that below. I was sharing my box seats with a fella from New York - can't remember his name - and he and I hit it off right away. We had four seats in our box, and a private TV. The other two people did not show today so we had plenty of room to enjoy the day. And finally, it was time for the actual racing! The opener was a five furlong turf sprint, a maiden special event for three-year-olds and up. Last time out the three top fillies had all seen each other: Dunne Hall, Pool Winner, and Spring Equinox. Dunne Hall had been in her first turf event AND had broken last, then just failed to catch Pool Winner, who had been the favorite. I went with her. Pool Winner was again the chalk and she went right to the front and never looked back as Dunne Hall stalked the pace and was a clear best-of-the-rest second. The next race was an 8 1/2 furlong entry level allowance and all the main contenders were exiting recent maiden wins. Samantha Nicole was a $700K purchase and had nothing but trouble early in her career. She had scored with authority last time out and appeared to have turned the corner. She was the 9/5 favorite, but passed tiring horses with a belated rally to be third. The third race was another entry level allowance, a turf sprint for 3-year-olds. My pick was Conscience. His turf try down the hill at Santa Anita and his Del Mar synthetic win were double-digit figures better than his dirt efforts. He was sent out by trainer Tom Proctor for Glen Hill Farms - always a good combo, and I planned to double the bet. I was encouraged that of the ten races the ladies were picking, this was Jill Byrne's BEST. He pressed the leader to midstretch and then drew off handily - my first win live at Pimlico!
The fourth was another MSW, a dirt route and the likely winner looked to be Tiz Emily and Jill, the favorite. But the rider was 0-for-32 at the meet. I can't take that. Wired the field at 3/2. A good "no bet." The fifth was the first of the many stakes races over the weekend, The Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies going 8 1/2 furlongs on the turf. I really liked Miss Temple City. First she'd debuted with a turf sprint win. Then she'd won a turf route off a layoff at Gulfstream. She made her next start in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant and was a game third behind a next-out stakes winner. In her most recent, the Grade 3 Appalachian at Keeneland she beat the other five fillies home, but was second best behind what most believe to be the most talented 3yo filly in the country, Lady Eli. All of that made her solid in my eyes. But what really caught my eye was local 23-year-old Gabby Gaudet (who is very attractive by the way) named her as the "BEST" on her handicapping challenge picks. Most interesting was how she structured her $1000 bets. While the other gals were laying down $20-to-$100 per race, Gabby bet only $2 on seven of the ten races. In two races she bet $100 and $143 to win, but on Miss Temple City she bet $550 to win! Talk about your "BEST" of the day! As the field moved down the backstretch the 4/1 third choice opened up nearly six lengths while running way too fast. Miss Temple City was in second, biding her time. The field closed the gap as they approached the far turn and then Miss Temple City just blew by and drew off as MUCH the best! WHOOO HOOOOO. My second win in a row!
She paid $4.40 and I had tripled the bet, cashing for over $30. I did a quick calculation and I thought this win might just seal the deal for Miss Gabby to take down the handicapping prize! When you watch the recap video below you'll note the few clips of me post-race and they are all in different spots. I found it very difficult to find a place to take a video clip or a still photo....unless I was willing to ask someone to do it for me. The sixth race was another allowance, this one a sprint. There appeared to be several who wanted the front, so it SHOULD set up for a closer. But I could not rule out one of the speedsters would be the speed of the speed. Too many questions, passed. Sure enough one of the price horses stole it to the tune of a $27 mutual. Good decision to pass. The seventh was an allowance going a route of ground over the turf. One thing that struck me in the handicapping of this race was that nearly every one of the horses had run multiple times in nw2L company. A pretty weak allowance field. But Charm City Girl was NOT like this. She had started her career with three non-descript dirt tries, all earned upper 40 Beyers. Then she was moved to the turf where she exploded to win her maiden with a big leap on the speed figure scale to 75!. I love horses like this when they move to the turf. She was a good second in her first try against winners, rally 4-wide to be second with another big Beyer of 76. Then she was sent to stakes company in the Desert Vixen at Monmouth where she was second beaten only 1/2 length with a career best 80 Beyer. On class she towered over this field. The problem was she had not been out since that stakes try, and that was last July! But I had confidence in trainer Graham Motion - he had trained Animal Kingdome to nearly beat two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan in the Breeders' Cup Mile off a nearly 8 month layoff. So I knew Charm City Girl would be ready, and I figured she'd be a fair price. I doubled the bet. She sat mid-pack to the turn, made her bid and was immediately collared by the 9/5 favorite who had dominated a maiden special field last out, HERE. It was a stirring stretch duel with heads bobbing on every stride! PHOTO FINISH! I thought from where I stood, and watching the slow-motion replay that Charm City Girl, on the inside, had gotten her nose down on the wire. The result came up, I WIN! And the price was a generous $6.00 - I'm cashing for $30 on my third win in a row!
The 8th was one of my best bets, in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness. I really liked Miss Ella, but she scratched. Sigh. Looked over the field and it seemed like another spot where a closer SHOULD win, but again I was unsure so I passed. The one horse, a closer, who I was very close to betting, ran by the field and won at a nice $12 - wish I would have bet that one.
The ninth was the race I was most excited to watch. For many years I have been a HUGE fan of the now-nine-year-old Ben's Cat. He had compiled an amazing 28 wins from 46 starts, with over 20 of these being stakes wins! He loves the Pimlico course where he is 9/5-1--0. AND fourteen of his 28 wins have come at this distance. He so dominates Maryland turf sprints that he has won fourteen of his 28 races at this distance. On this day last year he was my "BET of the Day" and I wagered $100 on him. The winning mutual was a paltry $2.80. But today was going to be different. Though he had won this race, The Jim McKay Turf Sprint three times already, this season he had come off the layoff and LOST last time out. To many it appeared he had lost a step. But I had read prior to that race that his trainer felt he was a work or two short of his best.......he still felt he'd win, but that day they were facing a LONE speed rival and he might not be fit enough to run that one down. I also noted, that day, that he had made his seasonal debut the past two years in state-bred company but that day he was in OPEN company. All of that worked against him and he was second best behind that lone speed winner. So I thought he had multiple excuses to dismiss that result and anticipate a big effort today. And IF I were right and the crowd was wrong, I might get a nice price. I planned to go "prime time" on him. I was disappointed in the early betting as the field made their way to the gate he was the 3/2 favorite. But then the late money came in on the front runner who had beat him last time. I knew this guy and he was not only far from consistent, but also looked to have company on the lead today. Ben's Cat broke sharply but his rider took him back to come from off the pace, where he does his best running. As they field hit the far turn that front-runner looked to be long gone, but Ben's Cat was moving on the outside! As they straightened away it looked to me from where I was standing (on the outside balcony) that he didn't have that late kick today. But then the leader veered out and the rail opened up. Luckily I had NOT filming and you could see the heart of a winning horse burst open as Ben's Cat dove inside and surged to the wire JUST IN TIME! I turned to a guy standing next to me with the video rolling and asked him to just hold it while I commented on the win - I wasn't going to miss this moment! He was more than happy to oblige and I got my video clip for a nice score on one of my very favorite runners.
Then I noted the price - somehow the crowd had allowed Ben's Cat to float to an incredible 2/1! Instead of last year's $2.80 I was going to get a juicy $6.20. And because I had gone "prime time," I had just made the score of the day as I cashed for $62! WHOOOO HOOOOOO! And that runs my winning streak to FOUR in a row after losing the first two races. Man, what a great day.....and in my first visit to Pimlico! Next up was the Grade 3 DuPont Distaff. Last year in the Black-Eyed Susan I had made a nice score on Todd Pletcher's Stopchargingmaria who did not look to be the fastest filly, but had the class over the field. Well, she looked MUCH the same here. The field had a combined two graded wins - a Grade 2 and a Grade 3 while 'Maria had five graded wins - THREE in GRADE 1 races! Her speed figures were not the best, but she towered over her rivals in class. And I loved the fact that she was 4/3-1-0 at this nine furlong distance. My plan was to double the bet. She was hammered in the early betting, so I tripled the bet. Her price floated from 1/5 to 3/5 at post time. She sat comfortably just off the pace and then blew by as TONS the best - my FIFTH win in a row. WOW what a day! I was cashing for nearly $25. I did a quick calculation and determined I would win for the day no matter what and I still had my two "best" bets to go! Next up was the featured, Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. I thought it was a wide-open race, but on speed figures Bob Baffert's Luminance was a standout. She'd run second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, but had tired in that, her first route try. I did not like that, but I did like that Baffert was quoted as saying he was pointing her for the Grade 1 Mother Goose. That and the speed figure edge made me plan a $20 win bet. But two days before the race I got a bad feeling when I read that Baffert said, "we are going to TRY her in a route again......" Not the kind of confidence I am looking for, but I thought she'd get an easy lead and be long gone. Sadly the rider tried to rate her and she ran evenly at 6/5 to finish fifth. The 12th was my BET of the Day in the Skipat Stakes. Lady Sabelia had rattled off five straight wins prior to trying Grade 1 company last out. She set the pace for a half mile in the Gr 1 Madison at Keeneland before tiring. Two bullet works, the early speed/class drop from Grade 1 to listed stakes and a 9/5-1-2 record at the distance made her a standout. Right to the front, EASILY. She looked a certain easy winner turning for home on a daylight lead. But that was the way the rider apparently saw it as he was not pushing her to the wire. The second choice was flying on the outside and he didn't see her until she was right at his filly's neck....too late to re-rally and she was second best on the wire - sigh. That win would have been a nice profit boost. The 13th was a turf sprint with no speed and I thought 12/1 Velvet Tie would have a chance to steal it. She was bet down to 9/2 at post time. The crowd had thinned out so I went to the private boxes area and took a seat. Who was sitting two rows in front of me? None other than Bob Baffert - trainer of American Pharoah with his wife Jill and their son Bode!
Velvet Tie, like Luminance, didn't try for the lead and was an even fifth. I took it as an omen of good luck that I was right behind Baffert as I liked his Cat Burglar in the finale of the day, the Grade 3 Pimlico Special. The favorite was certain to be Todd Pletcher's Commissioner, but I have just never been a fan and all his wins have been photo finishes. It was not meant to be - Commissioner won and Cat Burglar was a rallying third. For the day I was 5-for-11, an excellent day of handicapping and showed a flat-bet profit. Here's hoping this was just a good warm-up for a big day tomorrow! Below the video recap for today, check out the fashion photos from Black-Eyed Susan Day!
Should have kept my mouth shut. When Get In Da House scored in the third at Lone Star it was about 3:30. The next thirteen, yes THIRTEEN races over the next two hours I had no wins while running second four times and third four times. If just two or three of those horses would have won the day would have been fine, especially when I ran second at 5/1 in the feature at Monmouth, second with my "best" at Arlington at 6/5, and King Kreesa was loose on the lead in Belmont's Kingston Stakes with a prime time bet at 7/2 before weakening late. Those three would have added over $175 to the pot for the day and certainly I would have felt a L-O-T better about the bottom line on the day. We headed out as Keith had shot his bankroll for the day. I scored twice more with late races. The 7th at Lone Star came off the turf when they were rain delayed, twice, for nearly two hours. Prospect Knight was my "main track only" pick and he dueled into the lane before drawing off with authority at 1/2 odds. Curlin's Fox was the best price play of the day as it turned out in Santa Anita's sixth race. It was a turf sprint down the hill and she was one of the few with experience down the unique course. She dueled on the inside until they got to the main track crossover and then accelerated to the wire with a convincing winning effort. The $80 pay out means I'll cash on that ticket alone for $40 on my next visit. The last two bets were in graded stakes. I really thought today was the day for Tapiture. He'd not shown a lot in either start at Oaklawn, but today it was third off the layoff and the Grade 3 Lone Star Park Handicap looked ripe for the picking. I truly believe he was the best horse, but when the gates opened he was squeezed back and spotted the field about four lengths. He made a monster move to rally, but was third, beaten two lengths......he SHOULD have won. And in the last race on my sheet, the Grade 1 Gamely from Santa Anita I went against the lone Grade 1 winner in the field to back Chad Brown's Danza Cavallo. She'd run sharply in her US debut in a graded stakes, and then scored convincingly in an allowance last time out. I didn't think that top NY jockey Irad Ortiz would give up all his mounts on the big stakes card in NY to ride a last-out allowance winner in a Grade 1 if she didn't have a big chance. I was disappointed she was bet down from 4/1 program odds to 3/2 favoritism, but she rallied boldly into the stretch, only to hang through the final 16th and finish 5th. For the day I'd cashed 10 of 37 tickets, nearly 30%. And while today wasn't a good day it closed out the second month of the "Road to the Breeders' Cup" summer/fall project, and when I did the numbers it showed I'm having a great summer to date!
