Jun 14

DOWNS AFTER DARK

White Party!

Another Excellent Day!

Today was the final full day of our Houston visit.  Kim and I had spent the night so that Jeff and Antoinette could sleep in while we took care of Cameron after their late-night birthday celebrating.  We had a great morning with the little man; had lunch at the house; and then around 3 pm we headed south to Galveston, right on the coast, for a festival.  It was a good road trip and certainly any and all time with the family is enjoyable.  The highlight of the day came while waiting in the lobby of a restaurant to eat dinner - ironically they were understaffed and we didn't stay! - where they had three horses (had once been on a merry-go-round).  Cameron, and I of course, enjoyed playing on them and had one of the best photos of the trip taken (see at the bottom of this entry!).  First post was not until 6 pm at Churchill Downs so when we got home around 9:30 Jeff wanted to watch some of the races.  We watched first the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile from Santa Anita where I thought, in spite of what most felt would be a speed duel, that Obviously was the speed of the speed and would wire the field.  He cleared the field, but when the splits came up for the half mile in :44 and change, Jeff said, "too fast?"  And I replied, probably so, but I've seen him run sizzling splits similar to that going a mile and hang on.  Sure enough, in spite of a blazing 1:08 and change for three quarters he was still two lengths clear on the wire! 

EXCELLENT!  He paid $3.40 so my double investment netted me over $15 to start the day.  On to Louisville.....in the 2nd my pick, Athens was sent off as the 3/5 favorite.  He was four wide on the turn and faded badly to be 4th.  In the next race we were on the grass in a nw2x allowance.  I liked Marine Patrol who was lightly raced.  He was beaten less than a length in his most recent, and that was a THREE-other-than allowance, so this was a "hidden drop" if you didn't read the conditions carefully.  He was well back early, was sent up six wide, challenged for the lead at the furlong marker and wore down the leaders late to score!  Cashed for $13 on that one.  In the sixth it was the first of four graded events on the "Downs After Dark" card.  This was the Grade 3 Matt Winn for sophomores.  I had won this race last year and I thought I had a big chance tonight with Tapiture.  He had run every well in the Derby prep races at Oaklawn, but had troubled trips in his last two starts there and again found trouble in the Kentucky Derby.  Dropping from that 20-horse Grade 1 to this six horse Grade 3 I thought he looked really good.  The fact that Rosie Naravnik was riding for Steve Asmussen made him a Churchill 40% Club play (they click at 48%!).  He stalked the leaders to the turn and ten when Rosie said "GO!" he accelerated right to the front and ran away in the stretch!  WHOOOO HOOOO! 

With my triple investment I collected $30 on my second winner under the Twin Spires (3rd overall). I was very disappointed in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis Handicap when On Fire Baby just didn't fire....she was the 6/5 favorite and my "best" of the night.  But she just didn't look comfortable when tracking the leaders into the turn.  Still the pace was not too fast and I hoped she'd accelerate through the lane, but instead she faded badly to fifth.  In the Grade 1 Stephen Foster I thought Revolutionary was the one to beat.  I especially did NOT like the likely, and post-time favorite Will Take Charge.  I liked Revolutionary even more when I read earlier today that trainer Todd Pletcher said he's show more speed tonight instead of being 30 lengths off the lead like he was when flying late to win the Grade 3 Pimlico Special.  But when the field came out of the first turn he was some 15-to-20 lengths back.  WAY too far back tonight.  His mild rally got only sixth.  Nettie had already gone to bed and Kim was falling asleep so we headed back to the hotel.  I opened up the twinspires replays and went on to the last of the four graded stakes, the Grade 3 Regret for sophomore fillies over the turf, going nine furlongs.  My upset pick was Aurelia's Belle.  She had huge Tomlinson numbers for the grass and was the daughter of top turf sire Lemon Drop Kid, and granddaughter to grass champion Kingmambo.  She'd never been on grass, but she had run well over synthetics and had been second and third behind top sophomore filly, the ill fated Onlyforyou at Gulfstream.  AND she had a best of 29 bullet work in a sizzling :59.4 for tonight's graded event.  She was in a good tracking spot down the backside, made a four wide move into the turn and had clear sailing on the outside as heads turned for home.  The favorite, A Little Bit Sassy squeezed through horses in mid-stretch and was desperate to hold my horse off and they hit the wire nearly simultaneously.  The angle wasn't perfect, but I thought I was second best.  They kept running the replay over and over and each time I was more sure I had just missed, and at a juicy 3/1.  But, there was a slight chance that maybe there'd be an objection. Through the lane someone was in tight on the rail, and while this didn't affect me, I thought maybe the winner had caused the problem.  Well first, the bad news.....the photo revealed I truly was second :(  Then the bad news, A Little Bit Sassy did NOT interfere with the rail runner.....then came the announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please hold all tickets; in addition to the Steward's Inquiry there is a claim of foul by the rider of the unofficial second-place finisher, #6 Aurelia's Belle, jockey John Velazquez against the unofficial winner, #4 A Little Bit Sassy."  WHAT?????? Then they showed the head-on replay..... 

Oh yeah, she's coming down I thought.  But then the replay kept going back and forth from head-on to side view and I kept thinking, what are they looking at?  She obviously comes WAY out from the two path to about the six path and forces me from the five path to about the eight path.  I re-rally and just miss?  DUH....take her down.  Then the camera, which is focused on the toteboard shows all the numbers go out as the "INQUIRY" sign goes down.  "Ladies and Gentlemen, there has been a disqualification......'   Y - E - S !!!!!!!! 

When the #6 showed up as the official winner and the price of $8.80 came up, I knew I was cashing for nearly $45 and now I would make a clear profit on the day!  WHOOOO HOOOOO!  In the final race I ran 4th.  So for the day - including the win in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, I had won with four of eight selections, and made a profit of nearly $30!  What a great day......again!