July 19

CLEARLY, The B-E-S-T Day Of The Summer Racing Season!

No, this was not the day were I won the most races, nor the most money, but because the racing day experience was shared with both of my boys at my side all day.  As a Dad, who's a big racing fan, it just doesn't get any better than that.......period!  We headed out to the track a little before noon and as we approached the track I told both of the boys they were about to see the BIGGEST fountain in the UNIVERSE - not the state of Florida, not the US, not North America, not the planet, but the entire universe.  Brad, of course said several times over, "....pretty sure it's not the biggest fountain in the universe....." but then we rounded the corner an saw the "Flying Pegasus" fountain at Gulfstream which is still under construction.  The first words out of Brad's mouth were, "Oh my, I think that just MAY BE the biggest fountain in the universe!"  Dads....they always know best :) 

Flying Pegasus Under Construction

Flying Pegasus Artist's Rendering of Finished Fountain

We went outside to the rail and had one of the Gulfstream workers take our photo (see top of page).  Then we took the obligatory "selfie" of ourselves, to which the girls at home replied with their own "selfie." 

But now it was time to be serious and start the racing action!  The first race we had on our sheet was the opener at Saratoga.  It was a Maiden Special on the turf for two-year-olds.  The "automatic play" at Saratoga with 2yo is Todd Pletcher.  He's not nearly as effective with turf route maidens, but everyone knows this and so the price is always higher.....trust me, I have the stats, it's a profitable play!  The problem was there were TWO Todd Pletcher runners.  Either would have been "the play" if running alone, but they were not coupled so I had to pick.  I looked at every angle and in the end, even though Javier Castellano was "the go-to jockey at Gulfstream" and had won the riding title at Saratoga last summer, in both of those instances the former #1 man, John Velazquez had spent part of the meet injured.  The jockey-trainer win stats were higher with Velazquez AND his mount Mr. Discreet was the ONLY colt who had run over the Saratoga turf course, and he had three local works.  He was a healthy 4/1 and made a middle move, then faded to sixth.  The winner, of course, the "other" Pletcher colt and he paid over $11!  Wow.  All three of us lost.  Next up was the opener at Gulfstream, and I doubled the bet on English Bank over the grass.  He was sent off as the 3/5 favorite and went right to the front.....led to mid-stretch and faded to fourth.  Sigh.......Finally in the third play of the day Skirt Skate pressed the pace of the second on the Jersey Shore then drew off in hand in this maiden two-year-old sprint.  He was the 6/5 favorite, but I was happy to cash. 

I turned to Brad, who usually doesn't play every race - and I knew he'd played both the first and second races - and I said, "Please tell me you played that race also!"  And he nodded with a big smile on his face.  I asked, why did you play, and he replied, "I know you almost always win 33%, so when you lost the first two I thought you were due!"  As it turned out his plan was to play ALL 30+ races on the sheet.  No pressure on me to produce winners for the boys!  We ran third in the third race at Monmouth, then fifth at 5/2 after breaking poorly at Saratoga before it was time for the third race at Gulfstream. 

Orlyana Queen was my pick in this turf sprint.  She had nearly pulled off the 15/1 upset last time when nipped on the wire.  That day she had broken poorly and rushed to the front.  I figured a clean break and she'd be long gone.  She was a nice 9/2 when she did indeed break cleanly from the gate.  She was in front by daylight turning for home, but here came the favorite closing with every stride.....oh so close, PHOTO FINISH!  Yes, that is us on the OUTSIDE, #2, second.  Sigh....that would have been a nice score.  No worries, however as we made out way back inside for the 4th at Monmouth.  My pick was Distinctive Affair who was trained by Jorge Navarro.  Distinctive Affair was turning back from three route races to this six furlong distance.  He's won with 30% of those moves and with 56% of his runners with jockey Trevor McCarthy up.  Still, as 'Affair was fourth into the turn, I did not think we had a great chance.  The odds-on leader seemed long gone a they turned for home, but now we had the momentum.  We were nearly even at the furlong marker, and then the conditioning edge - from having run in those route races - paid off and we blew by! 

The best part, he was 7/2 at post time so my double up bet resulted in a pay off of nearly $50!  Our second win on the Jersey Shore!  The second at Arlington was our next and Piralu was 5/1 when he left the gate.....right to the front and clear turning for home.  The favorite was closing.....where's the wire!   Caught inside the final twenty yards, man!  But we bounced back in the 4th at Saratoga.  It was a two-year-old Maiden Special main track sprint.  I thought Blame Jim, a Todd Pletcher first time starter looked like the real deal, and he was being bet like it - 4/5 at post time.  I decided to up my play from a double investment to a triple!  I turned to Brad as they loaded in the gate and said, "he goes right to the front and never looks back!"  Jeff moved to a different monitor, he was not going to let the "other" Pletcher runner beat him (yes, just like the first race at Saratoga).  The race went just as I said, as Blame Jim wired the field!  Whoooo hooooo.  In the fifth at Monmouth we broke poorly and were checked into the stretch - fifth at 5/2.  At Arlington Hoodwinked stalked the leaders in a turf sprint, took over and was clear into the lane......only to be caught on the wire, AGAIN!  That's the third photo finish we've been involved in, and lost them all!  The fifth at Gulfstream drew us outside into the grandstands.  Our pick, #8 Saturday's For Fun was Ron Nicoletti's Best of the day.  He went off as the 4/5 favorite.  Stalked the leaders into the lane, surged past to be clear in mid-stretch.......and there came not one but two closers!  WHERE'S THE WIRE!  PHOTO finish.  Want to guess which one is ours, yes, the inside horse (photo at right) who was SECOND, AGAIN!  The sixth at Monmouth was the first Monmouth 40% Club play of the day.  The Louisiana Kid was coming back in eight days and trainer David Jacobson was a 40% winner with runners coming back in 15 days or less.  He stalked in fourth, found a seam up the rail into the lane, then looked like he'd lost his momentum at the furlong pole, but responded to the jockey's urging and kicked it into high gear to WIN! 

I had tripled the bet on my THIRD winner at Monmouth, but Jeff had gone in with a $50 investment.....that's my boy!  Next the sixth at Gulfstream and I tripled the bet on Another Big Cat.  He'd been a short-priced favorite the last time out, and I'd tripled the bet that day, and he led to the stretch and gave up the lead.  I was uneasy about picking him again, but his last THREE Byers were identical 60's and NO ONE in the field had ever run better than a 45 - you had to pick him.  So I tripled the bet.  He stalked the leader, saving energy for the stretch, moved easily to the front turning for home, opened up by daylight, and then......got caught again at 2/5 odds.  Wow.  At Arlington I tripled the bet on Line On You and he went off at 7/2.  Had to wait behind horses on the turn, split runners but wasn't good enough, and was third.  The Grade 3 Sanford Stakes for two-year-old colts was next at Saratoga and I wrote in my analysis that it SHOULD come down to Todd Pletcher's debut winner against three time winner Cinco Charlie, who'd won the Grade 3 Bashford Manor at Churchill last time out.  The two went at it through torrid splits from mid-turn to mid-stretch and then they were inhaled by TWO closers and he was third.  The 8th at Monmouth was next and I liked Here Comes Sal.  He'd won his debut on dirt, but then went three straight races in turf sprints.  Though competitive he was winless since that maiden win, here.  He was back on the dirt, got top rider Paco Lopez today and all three of us were on board!  He dueled to the top of the lane, and then.........handily in front to the wire!  HORRRAY! 

Our fourth win at Monmouth was even money, but my double investment led to a $20 payoff.  Missed at Gulfstream, again, and then came the best part of the afternoon.  We were on board for Lord Nelson's rallying win in the opener at Del Mar.  I'd doubled the bet on him and his payoff of $7 led to a $35 payoff!  The feature at Arlington was coming up on the monitors next, the Grade 3 Arlington Park Oaks.  Aurelia's Belle had been my top pick in the Grade 3 Regret last time out over the Churchill Downs turf.  She was flying late, interfered with by the winner in mid-stretch, and barely missed.  She was put up by DQ.  But she was a clear class play here, despite the fact it was on the main track.  But Arlington's synthetic surface often is kind to turf runners.  She stalked the pace to the turn, moved confidently to the lead and ran away through the lane!  WHOO HOOOO! 

Cashed for over $20 again!  Two in a row, and on to Saratoga where Pyrite Mountain was a Pletcher starter - first time after moving into his barn, they always run well.  A healthy 7/2 when they left the gate - he was three wide into the stretch and was flying to the wire trying to catch the leader.....PHOTO, AGAIN!  Yes, that's us on the outside (at left), in second again!  But less than ten minutes later we were watching them leave the gate at Monmouth.  Catch My Drift was my top pick.  He was a Monmouth Park 40% Club play coming out of the Chad Brown barn.  Brown doesn't run many horses at Monmouth, especially at this time of the year when he's based at Saratoga.  But over the last two summers he'd won runners off a 31-to-60 day layoff at a 42% rate.  Catch My Drift had last run, in his debut at Parx forty-one days ago, so it was a match.  Always tough to win first time against winners, but the "Club" angle was strong.  Then when I was handicapping I noted another Brown 40% Club angle.....when Chad Brown sent a runner into a dirt route he'd scored at an amazing 67% - that my friend's is impressive! I doubled the bet.  Jeff, feeling the surge we were on decided to play $20 to win.  As they moved down the backstretch the 3/5 favorite was loose on the lead and seemed to be running comfortably.  The problem - to me - with that guy was while he'd run a huge 82 figure in breaking his maiden last time out, but all his other numbers were in the 60s.  But he looked to be just cruising along turning for home, but then Catch my drift hit his best stride.  He accelerated and just B-L-E-W by the favorite!  Our FIFTH win at Monmouth! 

And the best part, he'd left the gate at an amazing 5/1!  The payoff of $12.60 led to a return of $63 to me and over $125 to Jeff.  We'd no longer high-fived each other on this BIG win than turned to head outside as the runners were moving close to the gate for the ninth at Gulfstream.  I doubled the bet on 9-Strongbow.  He was bet down to 8/5 favoritism and was mid-pack into the far turn before the jockey hit the "GO" button and Strongbow accelerated with dead aim on the leaders.  By the furlong marker he'd made the lead and was opening up.  Here came the late runners but they were too late!  Brad was jubilant - he'd won the 9th race with the #9 horse and sat in box seat number 9 :) 

I'd doubled the bet so I cashed for nearly $30.  And Jeff was most excited as he showed off a $50 win ticket!  We went out to the paddock and showed our winning tickets as we culminated a 4-out-of-5 streak.  What a great day! 

At Arlington we had the 8/5 favorite, Include the Aussie - fourth.  Then my "best" of the day was Alterite in the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga.  I made her a "prime time" bet because I knew she'd be the best price I'd get this summer since she'd not run since being third in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf behind the best two European female turf runners.  Was she fit enough?  She made a strong move into the lane, but then ran out of steam and faded to 8th.  Sigh...... We left at this point to meet the rest of the family for steaks at Tropical Acres.  I'd cashed with 9-of-25, so the boys had had a good day.  But all three of his put money down on the remaining TWELVE races and looked forward to watching the replays after dinner once we got back to the house.  The first race we watched once we got home was the feature from Monmouth, The Desert Vixen Stakes going 8 1/2 furlongs on the turf.  My pick was Patsy's Holiday.  One of the great things about handicapping is that finding the winner is so different in every race.  Sometimes the key is very subtle and it's an "art" to interpret all the data, then other times - like this feature race - it just seems to be so simple.  The nine fillies scheduled to face the starter today were made up of seven who had one win, or none, on the turf.  The other two had multiple wins, but only Patsy's Holiday had beaten winners multiple times......Patsy's Holiday.  She was trained by he best trainer in the country in Todd Pletcher AND she was two-for-three at today's distance.....duh.  She sat four or five off the leader into the turn, moved five wide and set sail for the wire.  she was getting to the leaders late and had all the momentum.  Pretty sure we were the winner though it was closer on the wire than I'd thought it would be, but we won!  The best part, again, was that for some reason the crowd dismissed her at 3/1. 

The $8.00 payoff meant I would cash for $40 and we're off to a good start on the late races!  We were a flat 5th at 3/1 in the Skip Trial at Gulfstream, but scored decisively in the 11th at Saratoga when All Included surged late to score as the 4/5 favorite. 

When we left the track and the boys were talking about how we might do in the late races I told them that there were many days like today where I'd had a good day, but then the late races were a series of disappointments; but there were other days where the winning continued, you just never knew!  So with two wins in our first three late bets I had high hopes.  But at Del Mar, our misfortune with photo finishes continued.......

We lost three more tight races to run the final total for the day to SEVEN photo finish losses.  For me, those losses meant a loss of a potential $150 in winnings!  It would have been one of the most glorious days of the summer on all fronts had those come in - oh so close.  We did win one more late race in the finale at Del Mar when our pick over the turf course, Burning Arch outfinished the favorite to score at a nice price of $8.20, getting me $41 and securing a winning day.  For the day, at Monmouth we were an amazing 6 wins from 8 selections for a profit (me) of over $140.  Overall I was 12-for-37, over 30% and made a flat bet profit of $9.25 :)  It was a great day .... just the boys hangin' together!