Day 4

Claiming Crown Day

 

I walked away at the end of the day feeling pretty good about the day in spite of not having a profit for the day.  The day started off with a bang as I scored with my first two selections.  The first at Aqueduct was admittedly a "statistic pick" since I was certain that Flores Island would be odds-on and offer no value what so ever.  But she looked like an easy winner on paper AND was Dave Liftin's "Best" of the day.  She broke sharply, stalked the leaders, moved up wide, then was inside the surviving threat.  They dueled through the stretch to the 16th pole before drawing off handily.  The payoff of $2.40 netted me a profit of two bucks.  Right back with the opener at Calder where I liked Southern Dunn.  This was another Team Calabrese runner for 50% trainer Kirk Ziadie with top local rider Edgar Zayas who was winning with a huge 52% for the barn.  But as they turned for home Southern Dunn was dead last and being hard ridden.  I thought it was all over, but when heads turned for home he found another gear and ran right by them all!  He'd been better than 2/1 in the early betting but was hammered down to 2/5 at post time. I cashed for a little less than $15, but was off to a perfect 2-for-2 start. 

The next seven races brought me zilch as I was off the board in all but one of them, including the first three races at Gulfstream.  The only notes of interest over this span of selections was that in Calder's 2nd I thought I was a sure winner as Celtic Arch came to the front runner and they battled to the wire, only to finish second in a photo finish.  And the other items was that the first three winners at Gulfstream paid $15, $36, and $82!  I finally got back into the winner's circle with my first Claiming Crown Stakes win in the seven furlong Glass Slipper.  I thought local conditioner Marty Wolfson looked strong with two entries, uncoupled, but it appeared to me that Centrique was an obvious short-priced winner.  She had run in five straight stakes races, including two graded events before dropping into an allowance spot two back where she romped by ten widening lengths.  That looked to be the kind of field she was facing here.  She sat just off the leader to the far turn, moved easily to the front and sprinted home to the wire.  The uncoupled entry mate was the only one within shouting distance as she scored at 4/5.  I had doubled the investment and cashed for almost $20. 

I missed at Tampa with a Pletcher debut runner going long on the turf before I scored with the first of three "BEST" bets.  Last winter trainer Jason Servis had claimed Ribo Bobo for $62.5K and since that claim he had rattled off NINE straight wins, including stakes wins heading into his latest, the Fabulous Strike Stakes where he ran into the win machine, Ben's Cat.  They dueled to the wire before Ben edged clear late to snap the win streak.  Today Bobo was in against far, FAR inferior runners to what he'd seen through the last half of that winning skein, but my issue was the rail draw and the brief ten day break between races.  I thought if he ran even close to 80% of his ability he was a handy winner, but was afraid he would break a step slow and/or have to duel.  No worries.....after breaking maybe a half step slow he was quickly in front and wired the field under wraps.  My "Prime Time" investment netted me $30 and I had won back-to-back stakes races on the local card! 

Disappointment over the next hour as I was second twice and a very close third in three straight stakes.  In the Sandpiper at Tampa, two-year-old filly Enquete was the 3/5 favorite based on her 2-for-2 unbeaten record and the fact she was out of the Todd Pletcher barn.  She had shown high early speed and looked to stalk the pace comfortably from her outside draw.  But after the first quarter she was about four off the lead.  She made a big run to the leader, but after the first quarter she found her self wide and five off the lead.  She moved strongly spinning out of the turn and seemed to have dead aim on the leader, but the rider ad left her with too much to do.  The close third came in the first of three graded stakes at Calder, the Grade 3 Tropical Turf Handicap.  I liked horse-for-the-course Bad Debt, and had been briefly intrigued by Speaking of Which who had been my top selection when second in the 2012 Twilight Derby on the Breeders' Cup undercard.  But he'd failed to win since coming to North America, so I went with the proven runner.  Bad Debt stalked the lead, moved to the front in mid stretch but was outfinished by, yes, Speaking of Which.  Then in the Rapid Transit Stakes here at Gulfsteam Ghost Is Clear was bet down from his 10/1 morning line to 2/1 favoritism.  He forged to the lead a furlong out, but was outfinished to be second.  Sigh........

I turned the page, literally, and went on a real run.  First it was the Grade 3 Fred Hooper Handicap at Calder.  Local favorite Csaba had proven himself at the distance, at the class level, and most especially over the Calder strip.  After running sub-par at Saratoga this summer he'd returned to Calder and dominated an allowance field as a prep for this.  The plan, I'd read, was to either take the lead or press the leader.  But right out of the gate FOUR others dead sprinted to the front and former top Calder jockey, now national top rider Luis Saez sat smartly behind them.  On the far turn he made his move and looked like he was going to go right by, but the 9/2 third choice on the rail would not go away until the final yards. Still, I'd scored with my second "BEST" of the day!  WHOOOO HOOOO! 

I cashed for over $40 on Csaba and went out to my seat in Section 101 for a prime view of the stretch run on the turf in the Tiara Stakes.  My top selection and near-"best" bet was Ken & Sarah Ramsey's Deanallen'skitten.  She looked to sit mid-pack for top trainer Chad Brown with leading rider Javier Castellano and then blow by them in the lane.  But as the field hit the far turn she wasn't in mid-pack, she was well back of the field and had only one option, to go very wide.  But Castellano knew what he had underneath me and 'kitten began gobbling up ground with every stride.  By the 16th pole she was in front and had plenty left to hold on.  WHOOOO HOOOOO!  My THIRD Claiming Crown Stakes WIN of the day!  I was going to cash for nearly $30 on this one. 

Less than nine minutes later and it was the feature at Aqueduct.  The Garland of Roses looked to be loaded with speed on the front end and conventional wisdom would be to go with a finisher.  But I thought Ullapool looked to have the best early speed, and I envisioned her as the speed-of-the-speed to clear the field early and take them gate to wire.  Apparently that was a popular line of thought as she was bet down to 3/2 favoritism; but I was dead on.  She was in front in the first two jumps and never looked back.....LONG GONE! 

I went outside and filmed my back-to-back-to-back trifecta of stakes wins, then cashed the three tickets for nearly $100 and invested in the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa.  Much like the Garland of Roses this juvenile stakes was LOADED with early speed.  I thought Cool Cowboy was the best horse, but with his post eight draw I thought he'd have a tough time getting to the front, which was a good thing because Tampa is generally unkind to front runners.  But that meant he'd have to rate for the first time in his career.  So I only doubled the bet.  He broke a step slowly, but the rider was intent on the front end.  I thought this was a huge mistake, and in spite of turning into the lane in front I kept waiting for a late runner to reel him in, but no way.....he too was LONG GONE! 

My FOURTH STRAIGHT stakes win!  I am having a very, VERY good day!  It was right after this that I saw Ken Ramsey, North America's leading owner and near-certain Eclipse Award winner, inside the Silks Simulcast Center.  I approached him and stuck out my hand. He shook my hand and I told him I just wanted to congratulate him on a phenomenal year.  He replied it had been a wonderful year.  I said, ".....if it's a turf stakes race, then it's a Ramsey horse that wins!"  He chuckled, thanked me and said, "Let me give you one of our pins."  I was so thankful.  

The day finished in a run of disappointing seconds.....in the Grade 3 My Charmer at Calder, the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet and Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap, both at Hollywood.  Still, for the day I finished with nine wins from 30 selections, for a 30% win rate and scored on all but one of my "BEST" bets on the day.  A good day.