Week 4

Wednesday - Thursday

December 21 - 22

Obviously the best news was that my oldest son and his family were in town, and I cannot begin to explain just how great it was that my oldest grandson, Cameron, was just beside himself with excitement to be at the races.  He clung to me and had a million questions and cheered like there was no tomorrow.  Made the two days results much easier to accept as I went winless.  To be "fair" the cards this week are HARDLY "Gulfstream-worthy" as they are so reminiscent of Calder mid-week race cards.  Still I found picks in six of them and a second and three thirds to show for it.

Friday December 23

But I FINALLY got a winner with my "best" of the day on Friday when Grateful rallied for trainer Todd Pletcher and was JUST up in the final strides in a 2yo MSW on the turf on Friday.  One for three on the day with two off-the-board finishes (at 4/5 and 6/1).  No racing over Christmas weekend, but there is a special holiday card on Monday the 26th and I'll have some picks then.

Monday December 26 - Opening Day at Santa Anita

Well, the way I'll remember this day is that I hit my BET of the Day, which was my featured race at Santa Anita; I hit the featured stakes race at the Fair Grounds; and scored with a Gulfstream 40% Club runner who "didn't figure" on paper or form; and enjoyed a gorgeous day in the warm winter weather at Gulfstream.  The bad news was I had seventeen selections from the three tracks and had only four winning runners, and one of those was disqualified :(  NOT the kind of handicapping results I was thinking I'd have today.  And to add to the "downside" of this is that I was at Gulfstream for four races and only scored with one (the only win of the day locally).  At Gulfstream I knew I was going against logical favorites in the first two races.  In the opener I didn't like the odds-on favorite who was DRF's Mike Welsch's best - and he ran off the board.  In the 2nd a Pletcher runner, my second choice scored in the opener at 2/1.  I didn't like that he was moving from conditioned company to open claiming company.  I was third there at 7/2.  In the third my pick was Over the Limit who was a Gulfstream 40% Club selection on several angles for trainer Jorge Navarro.  But his overall record was 21/1-3-4 - ouch.  But he broke right on top and coasted home easily without ever being asked.

In the fourth, and the final race I would see live, I thought Navarro's Defer Heaven looked easily, EASILY best.  Coming off a win in the Claiming Crown Express with a big 94 Beyer he laid over this Starter Optional field.  Dueled for a half mile then spit it up to be fifth at 1/2 odds with a prime time bet for me.  Disappointing.  I made the rest of my bets and headed for home; and within an hour we were on the road to O-Town.  Later in the evening I watched the replays.  Off the board in four straight, three at Gulfstream (3/1, 9/5 and 8/5 - wow).  In the third at Santa Anita I opened the replays and the "Show results" window was open and I saw that the $21 winner was #2.  I was #9.  I watched the race anyway and my pick, 9-Dabster, from the Bob Baffert barn was pressing the leaders into the lane.  I thought, he looks like a winner to me.  And as he moved to mid-stretch he was having to fight off the closers, but he dug in and fought hard to the wire....PHOTO finish!  The "Show results" must have been for another race I thought.  The slow-motion replay showed him winning!  HORRAY!  Then the "Objection" and "INQUIRY" signs went up.  I watched the head on and to be honest I've seen "infractions" like this come down, but I've also seen runners who drift out like this stay up.  Could have gone either way, but with the way my results have been going, I wasn't surprised that he came down.  But even with the minimum investment, Dabster was 4/1 and I'd have cashed for $25 or more.  Sigh.....Next up was the featured Tiffany Lass Stakes from the Fair Grounds.  I wrote in my analysis that there were two questions here......would Danzatrice - from the Steve Asmussen barn - run back to her form and/or did the program favorite, Include Betty, simply have too much class for these.  I thought Danzatrice had bounced off a huge effort off a layoff of fifteen months two back, and with today being third off the shelf.  As for the favorite, she had a ton of class but she showed a single victory since September 2015 with both graded wins on her resume against questionable company....and at big prices.  Danzatrice looked like a winner throughout and when asked at the top of the lane to run, she exploded to a daylight score without being pushed for her best.  Include Betty made her late run, but only second best.

And the price - a juicy 3/1 so that the $8.40 payoff will result in a $42.00 return to me when I'm next at Gulfstream Park!  WHOOO HOOO!  I was 2nd at a big 6/1 in the Gulfstream feature, the Margate Stakes.  Sidenote - today was supposed to be the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector, but only five entered and three of them were Navarro runners so the race was postponed to later in the meet.  The rest of the runners didn't produce - two thirds and three 7th place finishes  - and in there was an even money pick, a 9/5 and an 8/5.  Just not my day I guess.  But my BET of the Day came in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile.  I had been a fan of Conquest Enforcer when he was running this summer at Woodbine and thought he had a bright future.  But, this fall Conquest Stables dispersed their runners and Conquest Enforcer was purchased for $758K by his new west coast connections.  His last work for this was a best of 120 bullet move.  He was Brad Free's best bet and I thought he would truly show his best today.  He went right to the front but faced pressure through legitimate fractions all the way through the far turn.  I was hoping he had the talent to fight off the challenge but if I'd been asked I would have told you it was likely he'd be run down late.  Instead at the furlong pole he found another gear and opened up - scored with authority!  AMAZING!

The fine 9/5 payoff led to a return of nearly $85 and brought me within range of a minimum loss for the day.  At this point, I'll take it considering I was only cashing on three of seventeen for the day.  Back at it in two days!  As you can see by the photo of me - the weather, to die for....especially if you live up north in the frigid temps and mountains of snow :)