August 8

Day 5

Whitney Handicap Day / FSS Day / La Cup Day

Today was a day that (a) I enjoyed being back at Gulfstream as I'd not been to the races since July 4, but (b) it was easily a day I'd just as soon forget based on the results.  At the end of the day I'd hit on ten winners, which normally is pretty good.  But today it was out of 46 overall selections, not the kind of winning percentage I'm used to.  Rather than going through the entire day's results, I'll hit some of the highlights, especially from the seven stakes winners.  Let's start with the "bad news" to start off, and finish up with all of the good stories.  My selections started at 12:50 and when I turned the first page of my picks, I'd only won twice.  Ok, I thought, a slow start, but I know I'll get my fair share.  When I turned to the third page at 4:15 pm I STILL only had two wins and the prohibitive favorite in the Gulfstream BET of the DAY had run third at 1/5.  Not the way I saw this day going!  Still, with the ten wins if I'd been able to get these three KEY wins it would have been a completely different day.......

 

In the 4th at Saratoga, the Lure Stakes, Charming Kitten was dropping out of graded company for this listed stakes and had a best of 30 bullet work.  The problem was that the #6 was the lone speed.  Jockey John Velazquez put 'Kitten into the race early and hounded to leader into the lane.  In mid-stretch she went by, but was nailed on the wire.  She was better than 2/1 and I had a prime time $20 bill on her.  Late in the day, at Del Mar in their sixth race as the field moved out of the turn I was smiling because I knew I'd nailed a longshot in Chiropractor.  She was 7/1 and in front by daylight in mid-stretch, but was nailed on the wire - and what made me say out loud, "C'mon!" was that the winner was 42/1!  Sigh.  Finally, late in the Arlington card I picked Super Soldier to wire the Black Tie Affair.  Loose on the lead he was clear by four into the lane, but you can never feel safe on either surface at Arlington and he was caught by two closers in the shadow of the wire at 7/2 odds with my triple investment.  All in all those three losses cost me over $175 in winnings.

 

The Winners

Early in the day, the third at Gulfstream I won The Jackson Bend Stakes when  doubled the bet on Catalina Red.  I noted on my analysis sheet that one of my favorite two-year-olds to sweep the old Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder was Jackson Bend.  Catalina Red had been away since January when he'd run around two turns in Tampa's Grade 3 Sam Davis.  That prep for the Tampa Bay Derby had been preceded by two wins in two sprint stakes.  So if he could run back to those races I thought he looked much the best. Catalina Red sat off the pace to mid-turn and then swung out wide and inhaled the leaders, edging clear to win by daylight!  

 

In the eighth at Saratoga, it was the co-featured Grade 1 Test for 3yo fillies.  I have had great success over the years in picking the winner of this race and I thought I had a solid choice today in Cavorting.  I knew that the field was wide-open and many would back the returning 2yo champion Take Charge Brandi.  But to me, she was NOT a one-turn sprinter and I thought that she would have company on the lead.  All the better for me because Cavorting is an off-the-pace runner.  As they were headed towards the gate I was delighted that Cavorting was at 9/2 odds....but as they approached the gate each click of the odds she dropped.  First to 4/1, then 7/2, then 3/1.....c'mon, get in the gate!  Finally at post time she had plunged to 5/2, but still I thought those were MORE than fair odds.  In her three dirt sprints she was a perfect 3-for-3 which included a win HERE as a two-year-old in the Grade 2 Adirondack.  The gates opened and suddenly champion 'Brandi was all alone on the lead.  Even sprinting I thought she would be dangerous with that kind of trip - used to going much farther, if she was allowed to set moderate fractions she'd be tough to reel in.  But as they were mid-way on the turn the pressers had amped up the pressure on the leader and Cavorting was making her move.  By the furlong pole she was in the clear down the middle of the lane and picking off horses.  Briefly the emerging leader looked to maybe have gotten away, but Cavorting was in high gear now and was easily able to rocket by to win! 

 

And the best news was her odds had been well over 5/2 AND I had bet her "prime time" - $20 to win and so I was cashing for over $75!  WHOOO HOOOOO!  The highlight of the racing wins at Louisiana Downs was the featured Louisiana Cup Turf Classic which was my "BET of the Night" at this track.  The consistent String King has won many times for me, and not only on the grass but on the main track as well.  If he ran anything close to his "A" game he would be a convincing winner tonight.  The crowd sent him off at 3/5 odds, which I thought was a fair price.....he was probably a legitimate 2/5 or lower base on his comparative talent.  He sat in mid-pack to the turn and then he was asked to run.  There was a wall of horses in front of him as they spun out of the far turn, but the rider was patient and a seam opened.  String King split horses, collared the leader and then blew on by to win comfortably. 

 

I had $30 to win so I cashed for almost $50!  The last several races were picks that I made from Del Mar.  I loved our trip to San Diego and I'm very much looking forward to the 2017 Breeders' Cup which will be at this place where ".....the surf meets the turf!"  In the 5th, the co-featured Grade 2 Best Pal for 2yo colts, Nyquist looked best to me.  He appeared to have some really talent based on the way he battled through sizzling fractions from gate to wire in his debut and drew clear, while the runner-up was seven clear of the rest of the field.  Today he showed he could rate as he sat behind the leaders.  When he circled up to challenge it looked to be a dandy of a race, but then he hit another gear and without being asked for a full-out effort he was quickly in front by daylight as he galloped home MUCH the best!  In the eighth, the other graded event, the Grade 2 John C. Mabee older horses were going on the turf a full nine furlongs.  I did not like the favorite, Fanticola.  I went for a price play with Elektrum who was 6/1 in the program.  Triple Crown winning rider Victor Espinoza was riding for perennial top So Cal trainer John Sadler on this Euro import.  In her first two races in this country she'd gone a mile, which appeared too short to me.  When allowed to go nine furlongs in her third start she won in allowance company.  Then last time out she got the same distance, but in a Grade 1 event.  She ran her race and was a good fourth, beaten only 2 1/2 lengths.  I thought with this Grade 2 crowd that kind of effort would win.  A lot of handicappers apparently had similar thoughts because she was bet down to 3/1, which was still a good number, but had I known this before betting (I made the bet before leaving for home) I probably would have upped the ante instead of just a minimum play.  As they hit the far turn the favorite, Fanticola (6/5) was in control on the lead, but within five jumps suddenly about eight horses were within three lengths of the lead and at the top of the stretch it was a cavalry charge to the wire with the winner looking for the lucky trip.  Espinoza found a small seam between runners and when four of them were across the track at the furlong marker, he was right there in the mix.  All of them came home quickly, but Elektrum had the best late punch and she edged clear just in front of the wire!  The $8.60 payoff will net me over $20 when I head back to Gulfstream.

 

 

 

August 8 Video Highlights

 

 

Next weekend I will be back at the races, but I've booked a flight to Saratoga and I'll be at the Spa for both the Friday and Saturday cards before flying home early Sunday morning!