Day 17

Happy New Year!

With the start of 2014 Gulfstream is moving to the more familiar five-day racing week!  I had six selections from the nine race card, and after calculating my 2013 totals where I won with 33% of 1,885 races it came as little surprise that I won with 33% of my selections today!  In the opener I liked Todd Pletcher's Clever Story who fit on several Gulfstream 40% Club angles.  The crowd was along for the ride and hammered him down to 1/2 favoritism.  But he broke slowly and never made any move.....sixth.  I came right back with another Pletcher runner who was not only coming back off a 31-60 day layoff (45% winning angle) but was dropping in class, a 47% winning angle.  While Pletcher is at his "weakest" in turf routes like this one that Rumblefortheroses was in, you have to consider that with a grain of salt because his winning average is "ONLY" 35%!  He stalked the pace to the stretch and was game enough to win......whooo hoooo!  The first winner of the new year! 

The holidays were spent with my in-laws Ed & Peggy here, along with an extended visit from our son Brad, his fiancé Lauren and our "grand-puppy" Vader; and then our daughter Julie came on the 27th.  It was a houseful, but made for a festive holiday, especially on those days when there was no racing!  I didn't have anything until the fifth where I tabbed Madd Exchange.  He was a debuting 3yo for Pletcher, who leads all trainers with debut winners by a HUGE margin over the last two years.  No surprise the crowd was also all over this one.  But much like Clever Story he broke slowly as the 9/5 favorite and could only offer a belated rally to be fourth.  In the 6th we were back on the turf with non-winners of two lifetime claimers.  My pick, Cairo Six had run four numbers in his last four turf tries (77-81-79-82) that would win here in allowance company, but considering he was dropping into a claimer for the first time, and a conditioned claimer at that he seemed an obvious pick.  The crowd left him go off at 3/1, which I was delighted with until the gates popped.  And AGAIN my horse broke behind the field.....late running, but non-threatening third.  Really? 

Finally it was time for my BEST BET of the day, "The Voodoo Dancer" on the turf.  Last winter Tapicat had been unbeaten through her first three turf starts....two here and then a Grade 3 at Tampa.  Trainer Bill Mott gave her from February to July off and was probably anticipating a big fall campaign.  But she'd been winless in graded company and just missed in a $100K feature behind two graded winners.  The drop into this listed stake; the return to a course she was unbeaten over; and the return to rider Joel Rosario, who was aboard all winter all pointed her out.  I was surprised Rosario took her off the pace, as she does her best running on the lead, but she was a narrow, but confidently ridden winner.  HORRAY! 



I had one last pick, in the Gulfstream Park Derby.  I thought Best Plan Yet had a good chance to be this year's version of Itsmyluckyday - the local runner who rattled off three straight wins here in the 3yo stakes before running second to eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Florida Derby.  But today, my pick was a very distant ninth.