Pennsylvania Derby Day
In 2012 I flew to Philadelphia for a racing adventure at Parx Race Course for Pennsylvania Derby Day and had a great time. In 2013 I had an excellent day at Calder on Pa Derby Day, and then last year I had yet another great day on this stakes event day. So I had high hopes for the racing picks I printed out. I had debated going out to Gulfstream but a couple of factors worked against my being on track. First of all, the weather. It had poured down rain nearly every day this week and I just wasn't interested in (a) standing inside while it poured, and (b) watching most of my local selections scratch due to the surface switch. The next factor was that today was a College Football Saturday and I'd missed out on the games last Saturday as I was travelling to Toronto for the Woodbine Mile experience. Finally, my "blood clot condition" sealed my decision. Not that I've felt bad, but I cannot say that I've felt 100%. Good enough to spend the day at the races, but standing, and in particular going up and down the stairs at Gulfstream all afternoon did not sound like a good plan considering the other factors. So I handicapped the Woodbine card, the Charles Town card (with eight stakes from ten races), the Churchill Downs card for their "Downs After Dark" program, the Gulfstream card - figuring if they came off the turf I was comfortable at home, obviously the Parx Pa Derby card, and finally I used the Brisnet program to download stakes races from multiple tracks across the country. When I was done handicapping I had three pages of selections, over thirty in all. I wasn't surprised when I missed with my first three selections because they were all juicy prices. And in fact all three of them were right there into the turn leading me to think that maybe, just maybe.......But Sadie faded to 7th at 7/1 in the Parx opener; Magnetic Girl dropped out of it to sixth at a huge 15/1 price in the second at Parx, and Gayego's Law was second midway on the turn only to fade to 8th at 5/1 in the Woodbine opener. Finally got my first win - at Woodbine - when the odds-on Ralph Biamonte entry of Pure Purity and Kate's Whistle ran 1-2. It was somewhat rewarding in that I preferred Pure Purity and that was the winner! 
The third at Woodbine was one of those races where most "pros" would play against my top choice Urban Forester. In his most recent he was running in a state-bred stakes, but today was plummeting all the way down to a $7K claiming spot. Even if the seven-year-old had lost a step or two, I could not look past his 14-for-32 in the exacta record and that if he ran to any of his big figs from the couple of claiming races (for much bigger prices) today, he'd be a clear winner. Also, the thought that most would avoid him and lead to a fair price was tempting. He did go off at an inflated 6/5 price and he swooped up four wide as they spun out of the turn. He went to the front and held on gamely through the final 16th of a mile for the win. I had doubled the bet so I was rewarded with over $20 in winnings. T
hat was a little before two pm. It wasn't until five pm that I'd cash my next ticket - that's a span of twelve races, and if I'd been on track it would have made for a miserable afternoon. Instead I was occupied counting up the coins from our "coin jar" and enjoying college football. Yes, it was frustrating, but I just knew I'd eventually come out of the slump. Still, so many losses when I was right there. 2nd at a big 5/1 in the 4th at Parx with Crafty Concorde; Up With The Birds disappointed in Laurel's Grade 2 Commonwealth when trying to rally into a slow pace, 4th at 9/5. Roadhog showed little late try when 6th at 4/1 n Parx's Alphabet Soup Stakes on the turf. Good thirds at Gulfstream and Woodbine with Always A Catch on the Hallandale turf and City Flyer at Woodbine going 7 panels on the main. Freestyler disappointed at 4th when 5/2 in the Parx Bayern Stakes, and then Grade 1 winner Kitten's Dumpling was a non-threatening fifth at 2/1 in the listed One Dreamer at Kentucky Downs. A HUGE surprise when 4/5 favorite Limousine General was second at 4/5 in the Grade 3 Gallant Bob at Parx to a 20/1 wire-to-wire winner.....I never seem to be able to win that race. I'm Already Sexy led the Ladies' Turf field at Kentucky Downs into the stretch before being caught late, second at 8/5. Kingsport stopped at the top of the stretch in Woodbine's Overskate at 7/5 next. I really thought I was going to make up all the losses in Belmont's Grade 3 Noble Damsel when Euro import Crowley's Law was rallying at 5/1 with my "prime time" ticket on her, but she was a close third. And at Parx in the $1 million Grade 1 Cotillion I tried to get cute and beat I'm A Chatterbox who was my favorite. But So Cal invader Tara's Tango was 6th at 4/1 while 'Chatterbox won decisively at a fair 5/2 price. WOW.
Finally I was able to cash a ticket in the opener at Charles Town. When I first clicked to the tote board Navy Ribbon was 1/9, which I wasn't surprised at sine she was a perfect 3-for-3, all over this race track. AND she'd shown the ability to win on the lead or from a stalking spot. I tripled the bet and was delighted when she floated up to 6/5 at post time in this short field. She tracked the pace and had dead aim on the leader through the tight far turn, but as she turned for home she blew the turn and floated out into the five path losing ground on the leader. She re-rallied and was JUST up in time. Collected nearly $35 for the first win in over four hours! I was fifth with a Todd Pletcher runner at Gulfstream - you have to know the Championship Meet is close when those show up! I then made the second mistake of the day (the first being to pass on I'm A Chatterbox). Typically at a race track with an artificial surface I stick with my bet if a turf race goes to the main track, figuring that the two surfaces play similarly and if the trainer leaves the runner in then they must expect a good effort. So when Passion For Action was my top choice in Woodbine's 9th - and my biggest bet of the day - I normally would have stuck with it. But, because I was playing along and betting as I went, instead of betting early and watching replays, I know saw that all turf racing was canceled when the rains hit around 3:30. I saw Passion was in the race still, but maybe because I was in that 0-for-12 run, I canceled the play. Duh, she won at 9/5...would have profited nearly $30 :( I was surprised and disappointed in the Grade 2 Commonwealth Derby at Laurel when heavy 2/5 favorite Force The Pass showed little try and was an even third. But I scored again at Charles Town. The 2nd was an overnight handicap and I thought Russell Road, a multiple stakes winner, looked much the best. It was a big plus that Lucy's Bob Boy was running in an added money event later because in Russell's last seven starts he'd chased that one home FOUR times! The other three he'd won two stakes and was second, beaten a head at Mountaineer over muddy going. He was 2/5 when the gates sprung open and he went right to the front and never looked back as he notched his career 30th victory! The feature at Gulfstream stayed on the turf, a five furlong sprint, The Treasure Coast. I liked Successful Naïve who was a tepid 2/1 favorite. The crowd was right to question her - trailed all the way in 7th. In the Pennsylvania Derby I was "cute" again when I decided that I would go against who I thought was the likely winner, Frosted. I went with Gimme Da Lute from the Baffert barn. Well, the good news is that he scratched so I didn't lose the bet. The bad news is that Frosted won, with authority much like I'm A Chatterbox. Sigh.....My "Bet of the Day" at Gulfstream was in their finale. I knew that Ralph Nicks' debut runner Barbarenda with top jockey Tyler Gafflione would be odds on, but his numbers with 2yo runners was too good to pass up. I wrote in my analysis that maybe a lot of the crowd would be looking to "get even" on the last race and play against this likely winner. I was stunned with ten minutes to post time she was 5/1! I was thinking I was going to get back all my losses in a hurry here. She took some late money and was nearly 3/1 at post time, but I was dead-on with my handicapping. Right to the front and never in danger as she scored by daylight.
The juicy payoff of $7.60 meant I'd be cashing for $75 and now I'm heading in the right direction. The 3rd at Churchill was on the turf and two of the six scratched leaving a short field of four. St. Borealis was a six-time winner on the grass and the rest of the field had a combined five wins. The short field was a concern because he came from off the pace but normally class tells on grass. Not tonight as the winner coasted on an easy lead and St. Borealis couldn't make up enough ground to even get second at 4/5. I lost an overnight handicap at Charles Tow in their fifth at 3/5 when Chrome Mine was third. But it was at about this point in the day that my Florida Gators were coming on ESPN and so I made my last set of bets, turned the computer off and watched the game. The evening turned out to be wonderful as the Gators held on to beat favored Kentucky, running their winning streak over the Wildcats to 29 years in a row! And when I watched the last of the races I won with SIX of my last eight selections to bring my final winning percentage up over 50%! In Churchill Downs' 4th Ahh CHocolate dropped out of stakes company to coast home in an allowance event. The only bad news was that she had been floating between 3/5 and 4/5 until post time when someone pounded her down to 1/5. But with the way the day had gone, I'd take any winner at any price! I lost with another odds-on runner at Charles Town when 1/5 when RC's Daisyduke was a rallying third, but could not get to the winner. But I got right back on track with my lone selection from Los Alamitos in their Debutante Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Just Google me had two things I really liked. First, she'd won her career debut on this race track and secondly she'd done so when rating professionally off the pace to finish strongly - and I've found that's the most effective profile for winning here. She was the most accomplished of the runners with two strong stakes tries at Del Mar and the crowd bet her to 4/5 favoritism. She was off the pace again as they hit the turn, but when asked she responded and blew right by the field like nobody's business to win with authority. I had tripled the bet here and scored a nice return of nearly $30. 
Scored right back in another race under the Twin Spires in Louisville with Ken & Sarah Ramsey's first-time starting filly, Legendofthekitten. Trainer Michael Maker was winning at a big 36% with jockey Julian Leparoux - and if you read my journals you know that this guy is NOT my favorite rider! I was very pleased when the crowd let her go off at odds of 5/2, but was concerned when she was still mid-pack on the turn. Then she unleashed her late kick and she began gobbling up the ground. Leparoux seemed unworried about the fact that they were running out of ground, but he had it well measured and she was a handy winner once they crossed the wire. The payoff of $7 even returned a handsome $35 to my winnings on the day. In the 9th at Charles Town, the Pink RIbbon Flattering Bea ws the likely favorite. The last five times she'd gone seven furlongs - all here - she'd won five of them and was a best of the rest second in this event last year behind multiple graded stakes winning Geeky Gorgeous. She looked much the best on paper and was a 6/5 favorite at post time. She rated nicely to the far turn, and then......and then......and then nothing. Evenly to the wire to collect show money. But in the tenth, my "BEST" of the night at Charles Town, I really liked multiple graded stakes winner Pants On Fire. That jockey Paco Lopez had ridden at Parx this afternoon and flew to Charles Town to ride here was a plus. The pace was quick for this two-turn seven furlong test and Lopez had Pants On Fire near the back to the far turn. He gradually began picking off horses and it looked like he might have waited too long. But much like Legendofthekitten, he seemed to have it all under control. As they approached the final 100 yards he caught the leader and was edging clear crossing the wire. I'd gone "prime time" with the investment and the $4.20 payoff led to a collection of over $40! My last win of the day came in the feature under the lights at Churchill Downs, the Grade 3 Dogwood for three-year-old fillies. I thought Super Majesty was a standout. She had been on the track three times with two wins and anose defeat whe she tried a two-turn mile at Del Mar and dueled gate to wire. BUT the three career Beyers she'd earned - 91-101-91 were ALL THREE better than any LIFETIME figure earned by any of her rivals in their combined NINETY starts! Regular rider Alex Solis came across the country to ride AND she had a smoking bullet work at Santa Anita on September 14 in a blistering :59.2 for five furlongs. I thought her even-money odds were very generous and she burst to the front on the opening stride and never looked back as she won impressively. I los the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks when 6th as the 3/2 favorite. But the 6-for-8 run had netted me a profit of over $30 and I'd finished the night 10-for-33 with eleven other in-the-money finishes....that's a 30%+ win average I'll have you know! Far better than I would have imagined at 7:30 when I'd gone 4-for-25 to that point!
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