What a SUPERB day at the track! It was destined to be a great day as I was on track with my "track buddy" and best friend Keith. We go back YEARS as friends and fellow racing enthusiasts. The one thing I'd change about my retirement / racing adventures if I had the power to do so would be that Keith lived in South Florida still and he was with me at the races like the old days........
The day started off with a bang when I scored immediately out of the gate in the opener at Gulfstream with Conquesta. Typically I will NEVER bet a maiden after five or six losses, but like all things in racing - "never say never!" Today Conquesta was claimed by Marty Wolfson for $25K two back and he put her in $50K company where she missed in a photo. Today was 2nd-time-Wolfson and dropped back to $25K maiden claimers.....easily!
I KNEW not to bet the opener at Tampa, but couldn't get past the fact that multiple stakes winner It's Me Mom was the lone speed....even though I was nearly certain she couldn't carry it 6 1/2 furlongs, and off a layoff. But I bet anyway.....8th....sigh. But I scored right back in the second at Gulfstream when Sonja's Angel was MUCH the best. She was 2nd off the claim for Peter Walder - a Gulfstream Park 40% Club angle (over the last two years he's won with 60% of those!).
Following that win I was 3rd, off-the-board, and 2nd in three races before scoring at Tampa in their 5th. It was an allowance race for 3-year-olds on the turf and what figured to be the odds-on choice was Noble Tune. He had debuted for Chad Brown last fall with an emphatic win going two-turns over the turf, then dominated in the Grade 3 Pilgrim in his second start. In his third and final start of the year he was a fast-closing second in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. He just laid over this field and I anticipated him launching his big kick from mid-pack when entering the final turn. But as Keith and I watched it, he was LAST as the leaders spun out of the turn into the stretch. He had been 1/9 and then 1/5 when I bet and they entered the gate. Keith said to me, "He just didn't fire today..." and just then you saw a burst and it was without question the MOST AMAZING stretch run in allowance company I've ever seen.....from dead last to WIN! Though it was a blanket finish, I knew he'd won - see the photo:
And even better, his odds had floated up to 1-2, so my triple investment yielded a return of well over $20. I gave Todd Pletcher's Oistin's Town one last chance (lost with him twice already) and he let me down again, but at a tempting 6/1 price. Then it was back to Tampa for the 6th. It was so similar to the 5th.....this was a dirt sprint at 6 1/2 furlongs and somehow the crowd let Jarrod's Commando go off at 7/2. First, he was trained by Jamie Ness for powerful Midwest Thoroughbreds, and that is a 40% winning combination all over the country, but especially at Tampa when top rider Daniel Centeno is on board. For the last several years those guys team up and it's always odds-on. The most effective angle with those two is when the runner is first off the claim, like today! The horse seemed to break slowly, but I immediately thought Centeno wanted to get off the rail and rally. But as they hit the far turn, much like Noble Promise he was WAY back. No chance at the 1/8th pole, but then, like Noble Tune he came surging late....it was going to be close, but with 100 yards to run I couldn't believe what I was watching.....Centeno was just hand riding him - he knew he had the momentum to win and he did! He paid a stellar $9.20 and I cashed for nearly $50! AWESOME!
But, I then went on the longest run of the day without a winner - over an hour and five races. As Keith and I stood inside the simulcast area waiting for the 6th at the Fair Grounds I remarked to him - "I'd like to get back on the winning track here, and then in the next ten races or so I have a LOT of confidence in at least six of them!" Propelleroneway was my pick at the Fair Grounds on the turf and he rallied W-A-Y out in the middle of the course, and ran through the stretch about ten wide off the rail! But he was an easy winner.....here we go!
Less than ten minutes later we were in our reserved seats watching as Todd Pletcher's Red River was debuting in Maiden Special company. That's an automatic play at Gulfstream, and he supported my confidence by drawing off to an easy score! Couldn't believe I was able to cash for nearly $30 on a Pletcher 3-year-old....wow!
I was surprised when Forces of Darkness did NOT win in the Grade 3 Hillsborough Stakes at Tampa on the turf - as it turned out it was the only race of the day that John Velazquez did NOT win on the super Tampa Bay Derby stakes-laden card. Then it was time for my "BET OF THE DAY" - it was at the Fair Grounds and it was the $150K New Orleans Ladies Stakes. Believe You Can was going to be odds on, I knew that. She was a multiple graded stakes winner, winner of the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks last spring, and had beat a field like this - not a single foe had even FACED graded company - by ten widening lengths a month ago while never taking a deep breath. But here was the amazing thing.....with two minutes to post time none, NONE of the other five horses had a single dollar bet on them to win! The entire pool was on Believe You Can! Some fools finally bet a couple of the others, but that was obviously in vain as she cruised to an statsitic-padding win for me :))
After missing in the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn I was right back in the winner's circle with one of my all-time favorite horses, Hyper. I'd won with him on many occasions, but he is nearly unbeatable here at Gulfstream. In fact, he was 4-for-4 here until a month ago when he made his first start off a long layoff for Chad Brown. He'd spent over a month in Europe AND he broke slowly that day on his return, leaving him with too much to do. He was a good third. So I was willing to give him that one. With Todd Pletcher's Finale in the field I figured to get a fair price, but never figured on 5/2. Especially since after I'd had Finale in a high priced claimer he had failed in allowance company, so I was pretty sure he was not the winner here. Though close on the wire, Finale was chasing Hyper through the length of the stretch and I was certain I'd win.....and I did. But I was amazed and delighted that he paid a big $7.20, so I cashed for over $50 on my triple investment! WHOOO HOOOOO!
We walked inside and it was the premier event of the day.....THE TAMPA BAY DERBY! I had cashed on Todd Pletcher's Verrazano in his debut on New Year's Day debut and his dazzling win going a one-turn mile in allowance company a month ago. I remarked to Kim at the time that "this could be my Derby horse!" But I was amazed that with just two career starts, never having gone two turns, never facing stakes company, he was on most handicapper's Kentucky Derby list.....AS THEIR TOP CHOICE! He had a lot to prove today, and it was probably the "smart thing" to bet against him. But I thought he really was the best three-year-old in the country. When I read in the Racing Form how excited Pletcher was, and then saw on HRTV jockey John Velazquez say the only horse he'd ever ridden that was this exciting was the ultra-talented Uncle Mo....I knew I was right. He stumbled out of the gate a little, then had to be steadied as Velazquez got him outside of a front-runner determined to go to the lead from an outside post on the first turn. But then it was all over as Velazquez never asked him. He was so dominant - and never really asked for his best. As the HRTV analysts remarked - he had a bit of trouble, got some dirt in his face and overcame all of it to be dazzling again. WOW.
My next was at Santa Anita, in another Maiden Special for 3-year-olds. What made this unique was that my top pick, Red Tesla had not raced in A FULL YEAR! But Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has just silly-good statistics with extended layoffs like this and Red Tesla won by open lengths while TONS the best.....another $20+ return on my double-down bet! And to finish off my sizzling streak of wins, it was time for the feature at Gulfstream, the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap. It was my "BEST" of the Day here....and I did NOT like the defending Breeders' Cup Classic champion Fort Larned who left the gate as the odds-on favorite! First, today was a one-turn mile, and he is a classic-distance runner; second he had not been out since November in the Breeders' Cup; third, I know he's got bigger targets down the line so I figured he would not be cranked up all the way; and I'd read as much in the Racing Form from his trainer. I also did NOT like the fact that horse he beat in a thrilling photo for the championship was Mucho Macho Man who I think is HIGHLY overrated, had come back to run here in the Donn Handicap and failed miserably....and this is the only track where he typically runs his best! I told Keith, "If Fort Larned wins, it's because he's just way too talented for these...." and then I pointed out in the Racing Form - this time last year he kicked off his championship season when he LOST in a starter handicap, that's right, not even a stakes race....AT TAMPA! All that added up to me a real chance to beat the champ today. I thought a real viable alternative was Todd Pletcher's very talented Discreet Dancer. He had set a track record in his debut here last winter; then dazzled in his one-turn mile allowance test. Then he was a tiring third behind future Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags in the Fountain of Youth. Off for nearly a year he returned to WIN here, as my best of the day when on track with my Mom in February. Add all this up, he was my "BEST" Well, it was made ultra easy for me because on the second jump out of the gate Fort Larned went to his knees and tossed his regular rider, who'd flown in to ride today just for this mount! It was all over but the amount Discreet Dancer would win by! I'm not sure how good Fort Larned would have run, he actually led the entire race - of course he didn't have a jockey on board.....
But it didn't matter because the official winner was Discreet Dancer and I collected nearly $60 on my "BEST" at Gulfstream - a Todd Pletcher horse no less :) And I'd cashed on back-to-back "BEST BETS" - and had already cashed on my "BET of the DAY!" I'm having a VERY good day!
I still had two winners on my sheet as it turned out.....I lost in a four-way photo at Tampa in my last bet there (John Velazquez wins again!) and then in my co-best at the Fair Grounds I was all over Delauney in the Duncan Kenner Stakes. Though it was an ungraded event and he'd beat these guys in their last three outings, his Beyers - and even "experts" were saying - were Breeders' Cup-like. He was the easiest of winners! I had $30 to win and got back nearly $40. Interestingly I had considered betting what would have been a chalky "Bet-3" with Believe You Can - ALL - Delauney. With seven horses that would have cost $14. The payoff - $9.40 :) Smart guy to pass on that bet!
I closed out the live day of racing with two losses and made my final two bets before Keith and I headed to Outback for steak to celebrate our winning days! And yes, we both had big days. As we left I was up about $50 and Keith, after "firing away" all day had been $15 ahead going into the final race at Gulfstream. He put $100 to show on a 5/1 horse ridden by Javier Castellano, who'd had a big day with five wins. The horse ran second and the show payout was a nice $5.80....he cashed for $290 so he netted for the day just over $200! YAY KEITH! When we got home from a great dinner - thank you my friend - I turned on the HRTV recording to watch my last two plays. In the Grade 3 Razorback Horse-for-the-Course Alternation was a disappointing fifth at Oaklawn. My final bet was my UPSET OF THE DAY! It was in the feature at Santa Anita, the Grade 3 San Felipe - their last major prep for the Santa Anita Derby. The "big horse" out there was Flashback for Hall of Famer trainer Bob Baffert. But, I wasn't a fan....he'd only been out twice and had run easy loose-on-the-lead races so far in just two career starts. The second choice was Goldencents, who I'd had in his last. He too was a loose-on-the-lead runner, but in his last, a win in the Grade 3 Sham, he'd shown an ability to sit just off the front-runner. He'd only lost once, to the juvenile champion Shanghai Bobby last year, and he didn't "NEED the lead." But when he'd won the Sham, instead of drawing away from his overmatched rivals he just grinded away to win by about two lengths leaving me unimpressed. Then on Friday I saw that HRTV analyst Jeff Seigle listed Hear the Ghost in his top fifteen Kentucky Derby list.....and he had never been two turns or in a stakes, but had excellent breeding and apparently some talent. He commented that's who he liked in the San Felipe. When I looked at the race I thought the two favorites could possibly duel each other into submission, and who ever survived would be vulnerable to a late runner, like Hear the Ghost. Could not have been more spot-on. Flashback won the battle and at the furlong marker was in front, but here came Hear the Ghost with a full head of steam......and he nailed him inside the final fifty yards. He'd been bet down lower than I thought he would, to 5/1, but still paid $13.80. My double investment means I'll cash on my next visit to the track to the tune of nearly $70! And now my big day became a HUGE day with over $100 in profits! What an AWESOME day!
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