Day 18

50% WINS!

But Julian Leparoux Blows It .... AGAIN

First, the very best news.......HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our grandson Cameron as he celebrates his first birthday.....wow, where did the time go?

The racing day....yes, what could have been a B-I-G day for me was turned into a high winning percentage day with a minimal loss thanks to my jockey nemesis.  But let's back up to the beginning of the day......in the opener Dixiedoodledandy looked like a solid short priced winner.  He was a Gulfstream 40% Club play for trainer Eddie Kenneally who has won with 41% of his runners over the last two winters when Jose Lezcano gets on board.  He was sent off at 8/5, but much like yesterday he broke behind the field and was an even fourth on the wire.  Sigh........  But, I came right back with the highly regarded Penwith in the second race.  She was last seen running third in her first start against winners in the Gr 2 Demoiselle where she gave multiple stakes winner Stopchargingmaria all she could handle.  She was well bet and I decided to up the investment from a double to a triple investment.  She had a tough trip, especially through the lane where she was between horses and battling all the way, but in the end she had her nose in front to win.....not the way you typically see a 2/5 runner win! 

Nothing until the 7th, but it turned out to be another win!  The distance was the unique seven furlongs and we were in a starter optional claimer.  JB's Unc rattled off four straight wins before trying multiple stakes winner Ribo Bobo in the Claiming Crown Express last out.  His solid third in that spot indicated he should be a low-priced favorite here.  And the fact he was 2-for-3 at the unique distance didn't hurt matters; nor did the fact that the barn was off to a 4-for-10 start to the meet.  But just like Penwith he was in an all-out drive up the rail to JUST get up in time!  WHEW.....but hey, a win is a win, and I'm 2-for-3 on the day with what looked to be a near-certain "BET OF THE DAY" victory still to come. 

The eighth saw me run a good 4th at a nice 9/2, but I never really was a win threat.  And then it was time for the featured 9th, a starter optional claimer.  My pick, the obvious choice was Major Marvel.  Check out his past performances.......

His last SEVEN Beyer speed figures were better than any LIFETIME figure earned by any of his rivals today.  He was on a seven-race win streak, including two $100K stakes races.  Just as a comparison of what he was facing, take a look at Hey Leroy....

Note his speed figures, not even an 80!... And now look at the career boxes of these two. 

A slam dunk, right?  The only thing that could possibly, even remotely go wrong, is that jockey Julian Leparoux is on board.  He is WELL KNOWN (to me, and many others) for his terrible ride on what should have been a Triple Crown winner, Union Rags - first in the Florida Derby and then in the Kentucky Derby.  And many, many other runners I've supported.  He just seems to have a knack for putting his horses in compromising positions.  Either he gets them trapped in traffic, wide on the turn; moves too soon or moves too late.  But with the kind of numbers here, even he couldn't screw it up.....could he?  When they broke out of the gate, and I'll give you Major Marvel did have a difficult post on the far outside.  But quickly he was in stalking position before they hit the first turn.  Leparoux had him in perfect position, pressing moderate fractions, just waiting for the "GO" sign.  But, instead of waiting to the stretch, he made his move on the turn forcing Major Marvel to run faster than his pace rival to just keep even, much less move by him.  But still - even as I thought, "he's moving too soon," he was quickly clear in the lane and apparently long gone.  But the premature move........

WOW!  THAT my friends has to be one of the WORST rides I've ever seen.  How, HOW could a runner than had never run within ten points on Major Marvel's WORST day beat him?  Go figure.....thoroughbred racing - NOTHING is ever a "given."  Luckily I had one more winner on my list, and it was a big win to recapture most of the dollars lost on this race.  The finale was a maiden claiming event for sophomores.  Yes, just like yesterday with my Pletcher turf winner I was hoping that the crowd would let Raging Atlantic go off at a fair price.  They did, he was well above 5/2 when they left the gate.  And he was a decisive winner!  I tripled the bet, so the $7.60 payoff netted me nearly $60 and brought me almost back to even on the day........Leparoux.....grrrrrrr.