August 14

ANOTHER Big Day At Woodbine

Sooooo Close to a HUGE Day

A day of mixed news......the good news, it was a great day at Woodbine; the bad news, I COULD have had a huge day if my runners leading into the stretch had held on; the mixed reviews news - I should have been at Saratoga today, but instead I was home in Ft. Lauderdale!  Let's start with the latter story......For two months I've anticipated spending Arlington Million Day at Saratoga while Kim is away on a reunion in Pennsylvania.  So at 4 am this morning I was up and headed to Ft. Lauderdale International.  I checked in and was sitting at the gate about 40 minutes before boarding.  I had bought the paper and I read it; then I checked e-mail and Facebook on my phone and was waiting for the boarding process to begin.  I was board with about 15 minutes before we began boarding so I pulled out my phone and even though I was pretty certain the Bed & Breakfast I was staying at in Glen Falls was on the way from the airport to Saratoga, I decided to double-check.  I opened Google on my phone and typed in, "Buffalo Airport to Glenn Falls, NY."  The first thing I noticed was that apparently Glen Falls has only one "n" but I looked at the map anyway.  It was a big odd that the map showed I'd be traveling west-to-east and not north to south, but maybe it's the way the map is displayed and I dismissed that.  I did not see Saratoga on the map and then the most "interesting" thing was the description said that it would be a 4 hours and 47 minute trip.  Now I KNEW that wasn't possible because it's only about 40 minutes tops from the airport to the track and I know the B & B was only about a half an hour away.  So I figured either something was badly wrong here, or more likely, I had the wrong "Glen Falls."  So I re-typed in the search "Buffalo Airport to Saratoga Race Track."  Now I was certain there was a problem.  The highlighted route was again west-to-east, and worse, the time to drive was listed as 5 hours and 27 minutes.  WHAT is going on?  Then it occurred to me - the airport close to Saratoga is Albany, not Buffalo!  Wait - am I thinking that I'm going to Buffalo and I'm really going to Albany, or worse.....oh no, did I book the wrong trip?  I was hesitant to look, but I pulled out my second boarding pass......sigh - Buffalo.  So, I'll land at 11:45 and by the time I drive to Saratoga it's 6 pm and the races are over for the day?  I COULD do this.  Then the really bad news - my return flight leaves at 5:45 am on Sunday, to make the trip on time I'd have to leave BEFORE midnight!  OK, that won't work.  I paused and then told myself, you know this is a bust, time to head home.  As I started walking I remembered that Southwest allowed you to re-book using your funds if you cancelled, but you had to cancel.  So I went to the desk and simply said, "I'm scheduled to leave in about twenty minutes but need to cancel my flight, can I do this?  And can I rebook at a later date?"  The two guys working the desk, said they were sorry I had to cancel, sure they could do that, and they hoped everything was ok.  I said thanks, it was, thinking all the while how stupid I am.  When I got back home I called Expedia and the auto-recording to my cancellation request for the Bed & Breakfast was that it was too late, I was out the more than $300.  So I got a "live person" and they told me they would talk to the manager of the place and work for me.  Later in the afternoon I talked with "Ann" of Expedia and she convinced the manager of the B & B to refund the full amount.  It was ironic because on the way to the airport I was thinking that I had just been travelling three weeks ago and it seemed like I didn't "need" to be on another trip so soon.  But I then thought, no - you'll enjoy being there and afterwards you'll be glad you went.  So I wasn't nearly as disappointed about not making the trip as I was that the problem/fault had been all mine.  My first truly "senior moment" I guess.

 

So I spent the day at home and played the races on the computer.  It was a great day at Woodbine as I won with two of the six selections and both were juicy payoffs.  In the opener I had 3/2 favorite Conquest Streetkid.  He dueled with the co-favorite into the lane, and then that one ran away to win - second.  In the second  liked Dancing Ashley.  None of the Woodbine public handicappers seemed to agree with me so I got a generous 5/2 price.  She sat behind four dueling leaders until the top of the lane, swung out wide to be in the clear and blew by to score going away! 

 

The $2 payoff was $7.60 so I cashed for nearly $40!  Nice way to start the winning off!  In the third at Woodbine I had Conquest Soprano in a 2yo MSW event.  Event money favorite she stalked the leader under a confident ride, just cruised to the front like a good thing.  But then here came a rallying runner from off the pace and she had no response....second again.  I picked up my first win of the day at Saratoga in the third, a non-winners of three lifetime sprint with In Haste.  Two runners were dropping in class, but I liked David Jacobson's horse. I've seen many times horses for him do this.....claimed for $35K and then moved up to a $50K 3L spot.  Ran a good fourth, today he dropped the horse into a $20K 3-lifetime event with winning on his mind.  She was 2/1 on the board when the gates sprung open and immediately she was squeezed between horses, had to take up and was last.  Really?  But as the leaders dueled through the far turn I could see jockey Cornelio Velasquez asking for run and Dancing Ashley was picking off horses.  Into the lane five wide she had all the momentum and blew by in mid-stretch to WIN!  The payout was $6.90 so I would be collecting nearly $20 on my second win of the day!  I passed the 4th at Woodbine and was third at 2/1 at Saratoga in the 4th when my second choice wired the field and I could not catch the winner.  The fifth at Woodbine was a non-winners of three lifetime sprint going 6 1/2 furlongs.  Ezzthetic was a Woodbine 40% Club play because trainer Norman McKnight shows a 44% win rate over the last two seasons when he gets Luis Contreras to ride.  In looking at the way the race set up it looked like there were four who would want the lead.  I thought with the outside draw Ezzthetic would be able to sit just off the leaders and have the best trip, then with the Club angle have enough left to hold off the closers.  Well, he was being ignored by the bettors throughout the wagering, so I was hoping my Woodbine Handicapper "inside information" would lead to a price play.  In the pre-race analysis, the studio analyst for Woodbine talked how Ezzthetic had been a front runner, but that a few races back they had put blinkers on and since then he'd been an off-the-pace runner.  He continued by saying he felt he had to be given a chance to run down the dueling front runners today.  I thought, so much the better for me!  They loaded into the gate, and as the gates sprung opened Ezzthetic BURST out of the gate and in the first two jumps was clear on the lead by two lengths.....so much for rating off the leaders!  Right to the front, and what I like to see best from an early leader, the rider was not asking for any run, the horse was completely relaxed.  As they headed down the backstretch to the far turn he was chased by a 16/1 longshot; in third was another price horse, and then outside of him was the odds-on favorite.  I'm in a good spot, let's see how this plays out on the turn I thought.  I've said many times, the key to a front-running victory is three-fold:  (1) obviously you have to get the lead; (2) through the turn you have to maintain the advantage without asking for any run from your horse; and (3) you have to have a burst into the stretch to distance yourself from the closers.  As they moved midway on the turn Contreras STILL was not asking for Ezzthetic to kick on with it, and more importantly I could see that the rider of the favorite had already gone to the whip and they were NOT making up ground.  Uh oh, looking GOOD!  They turned for home, and after about a 16th of a mile Contreras asked and Ezzthetic gave him a burst to separate away from the field.  Inside the final furlong the closers were making up ground, but they were too late - I WIN!!!!!!! 

 

The final odds were a big 9/2 on the board and the payoff was a cool $11.  With my double investment I was cashing for $55 and I am having a very good day!  But the rest of the day at Woodbine did not yield any winners.  In the sixth I passed.  In the seventh Best Country was FLYING down the lane and it was a head-bobbing finish.  At first glance I was sure I'd lost.  In the first slow-motion angle I wasn't so sure, but I thought maybe I'd lost.  In the second slow-motion angle I thought maybe, just maybe I might have won, or at least dead-heated for the win.  Then the official photo came up, see it on the left.  SOOOO close.  That would have brought home close to $20 more.  In the 8th I had no bet. And in the finale I had Jacks Escarpment.  He was 10/1 early on, but left the gate at 7/2.  Much like Ezzthetic he went right to the front, clear into the lane, had the burst, looked home free....here came the late runners....just not enough to hold on, so close.  So for the day at Woodbine I was 2-for-6, a nice 33% and I had collected $93 on $45 bet, a BIG Day!  But what cost me were my picks at Saratoga and my lone play at Arlington.  Let's start with the Chicago race.  I had picked Nevrmesswithrichie to wire the opener there and thought I might get a good price as he was listed at 10/1 in the official program.  But I wrote in my analysis that I thought he would be lower at post time and if he was well-bet I'd up the bet.  Then I checked out the Brisnet picks for the day.  It's been my experience this summer that when they list their two "BEST BETS" of the day, especially when I also like them, they nearly always win.  There it was, the first "BEST" of the day, Nevermesswithrichie.  He was hammered at the window, but went off at a fair even-money price.  Right to the front, coasting into the stretch....nailed late.  Sigh.  The one that hurt the most was with MY "Best" of the day, the featured Grade 2 Lake Placid from Saratoga for 3yo fillies on the turf.  Miss Temple City had run a sharp race against champion Lady Eli four back, then had been an emphatic winner for me on the Black-Eyed Susans undercard.  Off that she went to Royal Ascot in Great Britain and was only beaten two lengths by the best fillies in Europe.  I had read her trainer Graham Motion said she was "doing great" and I thought she was a good  class play in a short field, especially at the 4/1 program odds.  As they spun out of the turn she was a juicy 3/1 and she cruised to the lead.  I did not like the favorite, who was a closer, and now she started her move.  But I had the jump and was in front by daylight.  Led into the final sixteenth, but just couldn't last - second again.  That one hurt.  On the day I had not one, not two, not three, but FOUR runners who led into the lane and got caught, finishing second. 

 

You add up the $150 I missed with those four and the nearly $20 I missed with Bear Country and I COULD have could have had a GIGANTIC day at the races.  If even two of the leaders held on it would have been a nice winning day.  Ahhhh, the races.  Gotta love it.  I'll be at Gulfstream for the Million Day card tomorrow instead of Saratoga - wow.