April 19 - 20

The month of April was a transition month for me between the Winter Season at Gulfstream, and the opening of the Summer Season at Churchill Downs, where I'll begin my summer handicapping project.  I had some thoughts about heading to the track for the weekend, but I just wanted to continue the "slow" month and not get into a "full day" of racing and handicapping.  So I bought the Daily Racing Form and handicapped only the multiple stakes races around the country.  I came up with seven races I liked on Saturday and one on Sunday.  So while I watched some NHL playoff hockey and caught up on some shows I'd missed during the week, I played online.  The first of the seven was the Grade 3 Miami Mile at Calder.  I told Kim that I was hopeful that the predicted showers would stay away because (a) Calder had not run a turf race for nearly two months, and (b) the Miami Mile turf field was a quality event.  Sure enough, it was sunny and or partly cloudy nearly every day through the end of the week.....and when I saw that the main track was fast I knew we were in business.  No, Calder management, in yet ANOTHER poorly considered move took the race off the grass.  There just is not any way that course could not have been suitable to a single stakes race Saturday.  Boooooo.  Luckily I had a play in the event that it came off the turf in Horse-for-the-Course Csaba.  He had nine wins from twelve starts locally and outclassed his opponents today.  But when he was allowed to go off at a big 4/1 I knew that somebody must have known something.  Well, turns out they didn't because the winner was a 15/1 longshot, and Csaba had a tough trip - squeezed on the first turn and floated wide, then four wide through the final turn.....only third. 

Next up was the Giant's Causeway at Keeneland, a five furlong turf sprint.  For a super-sprint like this it was very odd that there was little if an speed.  This seemed to give Believe In Charlie, for Javier Castellano a huge advantage.  And right to the front he went, under comfortable fractions.  But when the real running started he stopped like he was shot and was 9th as the tepid 2/1 favorite.  Newsdad did not run back to his win in the Pan American on Florida Derby Day and was fourth at 7/2 in the Grade 2 Fayette over the Keeneland main synthetic track.  At Aqueduct, Kauai Katie was my pick to take down the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap.  She'd been a super juvenile and sophomore sprinter.  Her last three were uncharacteristically poor, but you could draw a line through all of them.  Two routes - she doesn't want two turn events, and a poor start (stumbled) explained them away.  Off since early summer was not a problem as trainer Todd Pletcher knows how to get them ready to fire off workouts.  She had a perfect outside draw to stalk the speed.  Which she did, but could never get to the runaway winner.....second best. 

The next race on my sheet was the Grade 2 Illinois Derby and I thought Midnight Hawk would be a short-priced favorite and most likely winner.  I made him my co-best of the day.  His sophomore rivals today had never, not a single one of them, ever earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 90 or better, while he had earned figures of 94 or better in his LAST THREE!  That is hard to go against.  He completely outclassed these guys and looked to be long gone on an easy lead.  He was pressed by a 10/1 shot - who Mike Beer of the DRF had said that IF Midnight Hawk lost, this was the only one who made any sense.  But as they turned for home 'Hawk put that guy away and opened up a length.  That runner had been on the rail, and he now swung outside of Midnight Hawk and began to re-rally.  Still, I knew I would hold on, and I did, until the actual bob on the wire.....the bob before or after, I win.....but not ON the wire......second, again. 

Later, the featured race at Santa Anita had one of my favorites, Enterprising.  She was ridden by Gary Stevens for Tom Proctor and Glen Hill Farm - a 40% win combination.  She stalked the pace, made a move inside and hung at 6/5.....third.  Finally, a little after 10:30 pm it was my "BEST" of the day when Game On Dude looked to repeat in the Charles Town Classic.  He'd won this last year and was simply the best horse in the field.  I knew he'd take some early pressure from returning Moreno, but that guy would never stay with him the full nine furlongs.  Sure enough, they battled to the backstretch before the Dude opened up.  But as heads turned for home, here came a longshot closer......surely Dude would outfinish this guy.......sigh, second again. 

So that meant I went 0-for-7 on Saturday.  WOW.  On Sunday I thought Beholder, who'd won the Eclipse for top three-year-old, and had won the Breeders' Cup Distaff over older rivals (while I watched from the Santa Anita rail!), was just TONS the best in a listed $75K stakes.  I was planning a big $50 play.  But then I read Brad Free's comments and while he picked her and said she was WAY the horse to beat, he pointed out that in her only three starts when coming off a layoff, like today, she'd run her three WORST races and lowest speed figures, but had bounced back with career efforts in her SECOND start off the layoff.  So I hesitated.  I waited all day, until about 45 minutes before post time and decided she was a "Prime Time" play, but not a full $50.  She went right to the front and literally jogged around the track while drawing off by five widening lengths.  FINALLY!  A WIN!  Not the spring I'd anticipated, but I'll look forward to next Saturday and the start of the Churchill Downs meet!