June 28

A Winning Day! FIVE Stakes WINS!

Now today was more like it!  I got into the winner's circle early in the day when my first pick of the day was at The Curragh in Ireland in the Group 1 Irish Derby.  I had been reading online about Australia, who you may remember was my pick in the Epsom Derby back on Preakness Day.  How he matched up with the competition was a question mark to me as I didn't know much about him.  So I went online and watched a few videos and read some articles, all of which seemed to say the same thing......Australia should be TONS the best with these.  He was listed as the 3/5 favorite in the morning line so I went in "Prime Time" on him.  He was sent off as the odds on favorite when they left the gate to start their 1 1/2 mile journey over the Irish grass course.  Australia was just galloping along in fourth, in no hurry as they went around the course, up the hill into the final three furlongs heading for home before the rider shook the reins.  Man, he started eating up the ground without taking a deep breath and blew right by the leaders.  The closers were being implored for all they were worth while my jockey just looked around for competition and never asked for his best.  Australia won cantering across the line as MUCH the best.  Horray!  Off to a great start to the day! 

It was a couple of hours before my next race so I worked on packing for our trip home from Hiawassee.  The opener at Churchill saw my pick, Miz Minnie Moon, set sail on the lead as they sprinted 6 1/2 furlongs in a maiden claiming event.  But, like both Thursday and Friday's front runners, she stopped after a half mile and finished a tired 6th.  Two races later it was the first six furlong test for two-year-olds and I went with Hottap who was from the same connections as super filly Untapable who was running later today at Belmont.  Hottap was sent off as the 3/5 favorite.  He was third in a good stalking position, which I liked at this new "longer" distance, but when asked to run on the turn he had nothing and ran evenly through the lane to finish fourth.  In the fourth I liked Rankhasitsprivileges who's only other dirt routes had been in graded company.  I thought he had a lot more upside than older runner Golden Soul who after running second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby last year had failed to win in seven subsequent starts, getting beat by a combined 115 lengths over that period of time.  Rank tracked the leader at 4/1 into the turn, but could not catch him as he drew off as the lone speed.  Now it was time for my BET of the DAY!  On Kentucky Oaks Day I had made Untapable my "BEST" and had gone back and forth about how much to bet on her before making her the biggest bet I'd made in at least five years if not longer.  She scored with my four fifty dollar win tickets on her that day.  Today she made her first start since then in Belmont's Grade 1 Mother Goose.  On paper she was a virtual standout.  My only concern on paper was that her three straight triple Beyers would have been peak performances and she might regress today.  But even if she did so by ten points or more she still "should" win.  There were other "issues" to consider......regular rider Rosie Napravnik had been injured a few weeks ago and would not be on board today, but her replacement of top rider John Velazquez satisfied me.  Still, you never know the chemistry that might be between those two.  More important to me was that instead of going two turns today, she'd be going a one-turn 8 1/2 furlongs.  With Velazquez on board I knew he'd ration her and ask at the right times, but it was a new trip for the filly.  So, I knew I wanted to bet her, and I knew she was much the best....but how much?  A "prime time" bet of $20?  Or more?  I am typically very, VERY reluctant to bet more than $20 online and usually will top out at $30 with a very rare $50 bet.  But today, the more I thought about it I just believed she was THAT good and I bet the full $100 to win!  She was in post two and broke cleanly, but before they had gone a quarter of a mile the leader dropped down to the rail and Velazquez had to check her hard!  While the loss of ground wasn't so much an issue, the fact that she'd lost all momentum was a concern.....would she get going again or just stop running as so many thoroughbreds do when they are stopped suddenly.  Not the case for the champion!  She pressed the pace outside, glided up three wide and then put on a real show drawing away under a tight hold as TONS the best!  While she didn't pay much, it was very exciting to see her demonstrate how very good she was and to have been proven correct - not so much that I'd picked her to win, but how much confidence my investment had been was also right.  WHOOO HOOOO! 

My top selection in the Grade 3 Bashford Manors for two-year-olds was Governmentshutdown who had won in spite of a lot of trouble on the Preakness undercard from off the pace.  I thought this was an ideal set-up for him here.  But he never picked up his feet and was fifth.  Next on my selection sheet were the two feature races on the Churchill card, the final two stakes races of the meeting.  The first was the seven furlong Kelly's Landing stakes.  I REALLY liked Good Lord.  First I liked the fact that he was a four-time winner at this seven furlong distance; and second I liked the fact that he had already won three times over the Louisville surface.  But most of all I liked the fact that he was the LONE speed of the race.  In his last he'd set a :44.3 pace before drawing off and the comment in the DRF read, "....cleared, unchallenged...." which was how I saw today's race being run.  The post-time favorite was Pass the Dice who had nearly won a Grade 3 - as my top choice - at Arlington at this distance after running second to graded winner Departing early in the meet.  But he was an off-the-pace runner and I thought he'd never have a chance.  How handicappers allowed Good Lord to go off at better than 5/2 was beyond me, but he did.  And the race went exactly as I'd seen it!  Good Lord broke sharply, was loose on the lead, cruising through an easy :45 and change half mile and then being clear by daylight the length of the stretch! 

WHOOO HOOOO!  My third big-bet win of the day!  The $7.20 payoff meant I'd cash for nearly $75 - just AWESOME!  The next race was the Grade 2 Firecracker and after Wise Dan had won the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve on Derby Day, this had been his next target, just like last year. But, the 2x Horse of the Year had come down with an illness and taken out of training so today's race looked ripe for an upset.  The horse to beat was the likely favorite, Silver Max.  He had in fact been the only horse in two years to BEAT Wise Dan!  The problem was he was a confirmed front runner and there was at least one if not two others who would insist on the lead.  But after I looked at the race I didn't like any others in here.  My logic was there were three logical scenarios:  he was the speed of the speed and would be in front; he could rate off the cheap speed and "lead" the field into the turn; or he would duel and give way.....so two of my three scenarios had him winning!  I backed off the investment and just doubled down on him.  I was right, again!  He shot right to the front and his quality speed put him alone on the lead.  As they hit the turn the pressers and closers made their move......but he was just too good and courageously held his spot to win by a little more than a length......my FOURTH win of the day! 

He paid a fair $4.60 and I collected over $20.  I thought I was going to finish the Churchill meet with a win in the last race of the meeting when Engaginglee sat in third saving ground on the turf and shot through a seam on the hedge, but she was out finished by an 8/1 long shot who was flying down the middle of the course.....second.  I had two picks left from around the country.  At Gulfstream Park their feature race was the Quality Road Stakes and it marked the return of Wildcat Red.  He'd won the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth and was narrowly beaten in the Grade 1 Florida Derby by my top pick, Constitution.  He had gone on and ran credibly in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby but suffered through a troubled trip.  The drop out of three straight graded events to this $75K spot made him the obvious choice.  But, had the Triple Crown trail taken it's toll?  The crowd thought not and made him the 1/5 favorite.  I thought he was clearly the best, but had my concerns that today would be his top effort, so I only put a double investment on him.  When he had to duel to get the lead through the opening half mile I was glad I had not wagered more.  But as he opened up turning for home under a hand ride and was drawing off by nearly double-digit lengths I was wishing I'd bet more! 

This stakes score marked my fifth win from ten selections on the day!  My last selection on the day was in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita where I liked Game On Dude.  Much like Silver Max he looked to have company today, but I thought he was the speed of the speed as well.  I had originally planned on a $50 bet on Untapable and $20 on Game On Dude.  Well, as you now know I upped the bet on the former, but here I just had a suspicion he might not fire or get a chance to run his race so I backed off to just $10 to win.  The Dude sat second down the backstretch and when asked to run he gave it an honest effort, but not his best.  He was a fair fourth, but didn't come close to winning.  For the day I was an excellent five-for-eleven and a double-digit profit line.....something I had not seen for many racing days.  I'll take it!  This fantastic day was topped off by a boat ride to a restaurant on the lake in Hiawassee with all our pals who'd moved away from us as we had now been joined by Joanie, Kevin and Caryl.  You couldn't have asked for a much better day in my opinion!