September 25

Houston Trip Continues

A SOLID Day At Woodbine

Today we continued our visit with Cameron and his mom & dad.  Jeff was able to leave earlier today from the office so we all went over to the Sugar Land downtown plaza for dinner at a pizza place and to let Cameron run around.  Here's a photo of me and my grandson at HBU when we visited the bookstore. 

 

After dinner Jeff & Nettie went to a movie so Kim and I took Cameron home.  After his bedtime I checked out my races from earlier in the day.  In the opener I liked Courtville, who was a Woodbine 40% Club play for trainer Norman McKnight with jockey Luis Contreras.  He was dropping in class today and I thought he'd enjoy the turn back to seven furlongs.  He was unhurried in mid-pack to the far turn, but when asked to run he had no response.  Sixth as the 2/1 favorite.  I passed the second - the only horse I mentioned, a 14-time maiden, won the race at 2/1.  In the third it was another Woodbine 40% Club play.  Top rider Eurico Rosa DaSilva makes trainer Nicholas Gonzalez a club member when they team up.  He was on Victory Salute in this juvenile maiden claimer.  The filly was debuting today off a series of five works.  She settled in mid-pack, was asked to run on the turn and she ran for about two hundred yards before flattening out, distanced at 3/1....and I mean DISTANCED far, far back.  Sigh.  The fourth was another 2yo event, a maiden special turf race going a one-turn mile over the expansive grass course.  Conscription was my top choice.  His trainer was Malcom Pierce and nearly every stat that applied here was a 30% or better win angle.  As I wrote, if there were such a thing as the 30% Club, he'd be a charter member!  With debut runners like Conscription, 34% with a $2.87 ROI; with first-time turf, 33%; with 2yo runners, 30%; also, 33% with debut runners going a mile or longer; and finally with top rider DaSilva he's a 31% winner at $2.63 ROI.  DaSilva took her right to the front and was hand riding her at the furlong marker well clear of the field at 6/5.  But then the second choice came FLYING from the back and inhaled her in the final fifty yards, second.  I was actually ready to add up the winnings I was so confident.  0-for-3 to start the day......In the fifth I had picked 8/1 Bear's Reflection in a non-winners of two lifetime race carded at seven furlongs.  She was the ONLY runner in the field who was dropping for a first time tag and had not seen this condition before.  Trainer Reade Baker had sent her into stakes company for two starts after breaking her maiden at this difficult distance.  Last time out she was going a route of ground n the turf in open allowance.  Today was the day - back to the main track, turn back to seven panels, and switch to top rider DaSilva.  I thought it was a nice price play.  Well, apparently so did the crowd who sent her off as the 9/5 favorite.  She was settled off the leaders into the far turn when DaSilva swung her into the three path turning for home.  She responded immediately and blew by.  At the furlong marker it was only a question of by how much.  If I'd been watching live I'd probably have upped the bet, but I'd bet this morning so I collected only a click less than $15 with my minimum bet. 

 

In the sixth I had what I thought was another nice price pick.  It was MSW for older going a mile and a sixteenth on the grass.  I thought Belle Chloe looked strong against this group of proven losers.  She was a $470K sales purchase and was coming off her best yet when second at 1/5 odds, ouch, behind a runaway winner while well clear of the show filly.  I considered doubling the play, but after losing at odds-on I was leery.  She was well back as they hit the far turn, and though not distanced, she was fifth turning home and not showing any reason to get excited.  But she hit a different gear when heads turned for home and she was flying down the middle of the lane.  The rider looked like he knew it all the way, but even with 100 yards to go I wasn't sure he had enough ground to catch the late leader.  But he did, and the price was fair on this one.  She paid $7.60 so I collected nearly $20. 

 

As is so often the case the profit/loss for the day would ride on my final pick.  And it was my "best" of the day.  The featured 8th this afternoon was a seven furlong turf sprint for entry level runners.  Chic Thrill had debuted with a sensational win back in late July going 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf after pressing a sizzling :44 flat half mile call and 1:08 for six furlongs before drawing off by four widening lengths for Malcom Pierce and Eurico DaSilva.  Today she was trying winners for the first time, but the daughter of Smart Strike had signaled her readiness with a near bullet work in a swift :59.3 around the dogs on the turf course.  I liked that DaSilva and Pierce were winning at better than 30%.  The gates popped and Chic Thrill was clear on the lead immediately.  Typically speed is not the best way to go here in Toronto on either course, but when I saw the pace call at :46 and change I was very comfortable being on the lead.  As the field turned for home the pressers were closing in and the late runners were winding up.  We'd find out now if Chic Thrill could step up and beat winners first time......DaSilva sat patiently on her to the furlong marker and then asked her to sprint for home, and she did to score by daylight! 

 

So I close the day with three straight wins, finish 50% on the day and with a black line total for the day!  One last item that was of interest.  Around 3:30 I was sitting in the living room handicapping for Saturday when my phone rang.  I looked at the number and it was a 954 area code, but no caller ID.  Typically I don't answer, but I did.  The voice said, "Mark? Hi, this is Rosemary!"  My former student, now a top jockey (she's the third leading female rider of ALL TIME!).  She was calling to chat and tell me there was a live longshot in Arlington's eighth race today.  How sweet!  We made tentative plans to see each other during the Tampa winter meet and after we hung up I went online to check out her tip.  The horse looked good, but was scratched :(  BOOOOO.  Still, it was another fine day in Houston and for my Woodbine Handicapping Project.