July 25

It's Paco Lopez Day!

WOW - what a day Paco Lopez had!  He's running away with the riding title this summer, but today he put on a real show.  Fortunately for me I had him on four of my five selections today.  This was by far one of the VERY BEST days at the Jersey Shore track since I began my handicapping project on the 4th of July weekend, and I am hoping it is a precursor to the way the weekend will go when I am on track!  In the opener I doubled the bet on Longing for Quiet.  In this first race of the week, Longing was the first Monmouth Park 40% Club play of the day and week.  The trainer was Edwin Broome, and he's a club member with one angle and one angle only......when Paco Lopez rides.  So I doubled the bet.  As the betting opened up the crowd was pounding a horse down to 3/5 odds.  Who is this guy?  I checked my analysis, and he didn't even make my top three!  I looked at the Racing Form I'd downloaded and I still didn't see it.  This is one of the benefits of the "Monmouth Handicapper" compiled by Jim Mazur.  I might have passed the race because Longing for Quiet wasn't a standout on any handicapping angle EXCEPT the club play.  The 3/5 favorite went to the front as they went into the clubhouse turn.  But Paco had Longing for Quiet in perfect striking position.  As they hit the turn the favorite was being hard ridden but Lopez shook the reins and it was all over!  Longing for Quiet drew off with authority under a hand ride!  WHOOO HOOO! 

The nice payoff of $7.00 meant I was $35 to the good after just one race!  I think it's going to be a good day!  In the second I went against Lopez.  My pick was Charlie Bull and he was well backed, leaving the gate as the 1/1 favorite.  Right to the front, but he ran way too fast I thought, even as another MTH 40% Club play (first off the claim for Jorge Navarro - 52%!).  Into the lane a 7/1 runner caught him, but they dueled to deep stretch before the pace caught up with Charlie who was a courageous second.  The jockey of the winner - yep, Lopez and at a nice $16 payoff.  Sigh.....Right back in the third I liked Scatter Joy.  he looked like the clear speed of the race.  Typically he would put up sub-:22 quarters and :44 and change half miles.  Those numbers would make him L-O-N-G gone here.  He was the favorite but a mild one at 9/5.  Right to the front where he clicked off a :21.4 quarter and a :44.3 half.  When he crossed the line confidently in front under, yes, you guessed it, Paco Lopez again, he stopped the teletimer at a remarkable 1:08.1 - that's stakes quality time! 

The payoff of $5.60 again was generous I thought considering he looked like much the speed of the race.  No play in the 4th, but I was back into action in the 5th, a five furlong turf sprint.  Lucky Rascal was the play for me.  In retrospect I might have considered upping the bet.  The field was full of runners with no turf experience, Lucky Rascal (who was 20/1 in the DRF morning line, but left the gate at 2/1.....go figure, it's always that way) had the fact that he had the best connections - leading trainer Eddie Plesa, and leading jock, Lopez.  Right to the front and never looked back!  WOW, this was Lopez's fourth win from five mounts! 

The $6.00 mutual payoff meant I'd be cashing for another $15.  Passed both the 6th and the 7th before the last play on my sheet was the 8th.  We were going a mile on the dirt track in an Optional Claiming event.  Stand Proud, I thought was the perfect fit from a pace scenario.  There looked to be several speedsters in here and 'Proud probably was going to stalk the leader and get the jump on the closers.  Both the Monmouth analysts picked Bling's Express to wire the field.  After I heard their comments before race 1 I went back and re-examined the Form.  I just didn't think he'd get a clear lead.  So I made Stand Proud my "best" of the day by tripling the bet.  The race went just as I thought it would.....three of them dueled through the first turn, down the backstretch, and into the far turn.  Stand Proud sat a chilly fourth and advanced up the rail on the turn.  Bling's Express won the battle for the lead and poked a head in front entering the stretch.  Paco Lopez swung Stand Proud five wide by making a sharp right hand turn to get clear running and then he began to wear down the leader.  Caught him inside the final 100 yards and was edging clear late.  WHOOO HOOO. 

Not only was this great for me, but for Lopez who'd just won his SIXTH race from the first eight scheduled races on the Friday card.  WOW.  The pay off was a REMARKABLE $7.60 so with my triple investment I cashed for nearly $60!  WHAT A DAY!  Check out my numbers....... 

80% winners and over $75 in PROFIT!  It just goes to show you, as I've discovered over and over again since I began handicapping on a regular basis these past ten years.  You never know when you're going to have a big day.  It could be a day where you've handicapped half a dozen tracks and you're betting for six or seven hours on a major stakes day, or maybe - like today - it's just a Friday card and you only have five selections!  I am so hoping this momentum carries me through the weekend!  I leave tomorrow morning at 10:30 and am hoping to spend the second half of the day at Monmouth playing the races.  Then ALL DAY SUNDAY I will be in my new purple & black vest with bow tie sporting my fashion as I am on track for the fourteen race program of the 47th running of the Haskell Invitational!