Day 74

Inside Information Day

Thirteen WINS!

 

The original plan for today was to head out to Gulfstream for a full day of racing and simulcasting selections.  But then the weather forecast came out indicating a 60% chance of thunderstorms, and when I looked at the future-cast radar it showed a big thunderstorm cell moving over Gulfstream between 1 and 2 pm and another one hitting around 3 pm and lasting for more than an hour.  As I checked that online it started to pour here.  Add in that my #1 ranked Florida Gators were playing at 12:25 pm in the 3rd round of the NCAA March Madness Tournament and I made the decision to stay home and play online while I watched basketball.  I was afraid that if I went there would be a lot of changes not only here, but at other tracks and I'd end up sitting around a lot as well.  Well, as it turned out it never did rain at Gulfstream....they were cloudy some of the day, and mostly sunny most of the day.  And from my original list of 33 selections there were only two scratches!  And it was a big 42% winning day for me! 

The winning started right away with the first race on my sheet, the opener at Tampa where I thought King Rock looked much the best as the favorite.  He'd won three of his last four, all here with the leading rider on board for all three wins.  In fact the only race he did not ride in that stretch was the loss.  King Rock was much the best and I cashed for a quick $15.  It was over an hour before my next race, the second at Gulfstream.  Exclusive Ute dropped from $65K to $35K in his last and was down to the bottom today.  But he was only second best at 2/1.  Right back into the winner's circle with Bings Express at Calder where he too looked like a much-the-best favorite.  Four of his last five Beyers towered over his rivals today and he ran to those numbers going virtually wire-to-wire.  Cashed for nearly $15 again.  Another miss at Gulfstream when Lovely was sent off at even money sprinting five furlongs on the turf.  But he broke slowly and was swung wide late to get third.  The next race on my sheet was my "BEST" in New York.  Tiger Tank was second in his last start in a Maiden Special at Gulfstream.  The winner that day, Social Inclusion ran a 103 Beyer and came right back in allowance company to run a 111, breaking the track record for the distance and defeating Kentucky Derby favorite, graded stakes winning Honor Code.  Social Inclusion is slated to start next out in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial.  Everyone was on board and Tiger Tank left the gate at 1/5, which I thought was a fair price.  Stalked the leader to the turn and then took off, long gone for my third win on the day.  Missed at the Fair Grounds when I dueled to the stretch then faded to 4th and then was second at Calder after trailing by SIXTEEN lengths down the backstretch.....close, but not close enough.  But then it was back-to-back-to-back WINS!  Returned to New York where Bay of Plenty was easily best going wire to wire under wraps - cashed or nearly $30; Tampa was next.  I'd bet Press Baron in his last and he disappointed, but today he made no mistakes at 4/5 and I scored for nearly $20 more.  Topped the "trifecta" when Master's Degree dueled to mid-stretch and edged clear in a Fair Grounds maiden sprint.  A string of six misses dulled the "thrill of victory" - including a win by the Gators who pulled clear late to draw off by fifteen points.  But around 4 pm I five out of seven, including my first stakes score.

At the Fair Grounds, Bump Bump rallied from just off the pace when sprinting on the turf.  Trainer Tom Amos was 50% with maiden specials dropping in for a tag and 36% with his turn back runners.  Paid a healthy $8.40 leading to a $20 payout.  Right back with my "best" at Calder with Unseen Visitor.  Trainer Marty Wolfson has been stabled at Calder for years, but their meager winter program has led him to run nearly all his horses at Gulfstream.  But the three who had run here had ALL WON!  add in that jockey Edgar Zayas was scoring at a big 53% for Wolfson and I thought the post-time odds of 6/5 were a gift.  EASILY!  WHOOO HOOOO!  Cashed for over $30.  The second at Santa Anita was a turf sprint down the hillside - love those races!  The DRF's Brad Free had made La Sorella his "Best" of the day.  He wrote in his analysis that this particular trainer was winning 44% with his favorites sprinting down the hill.  Chalk up another as La Sorella wired the field under Mike Smith without ever taking a deep breath!  ANOTHER $30 plus!  After a close second at Aqueduct I got my lone winner of the day at Gulfstream when top rider Javier Castellano put Chad Brown's Madaket Millie on the lead and she never looked back. 

The only surprise.....she paid $10.20!  WHOOOO HOOOOO!  The fifth win in the sequence was in Aqueduct's feature, the Grade 3 Excelsior.  Long River was the obvious choice having won back to back stakes with top figures.  Had a sharp work for a 42% jockey-trainer team as well.  Long River made his move on the turn, and dueled with the leader to deep stretch.....but couldn't get by!  NO WORRIES!  The winner was his entry-mate!  Ha ha ha!  Whoop whoop.....winning without picking the winner! 

Two stakes disappointments followed - Vagabond Shoes was the favorite in Santa Anita's Grade 2 San Luis Rey and was making his move down the backstretch when he broke down.  Sad :(  Then in Gulfstream's featured Grade 2 Inside Information trainer Marty Wolfson entered three.  One figured to be late running to get a piece, but not the win; the other two were a toss-up.  Heart Stealer had won the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl but Centrique was a perfect 3-for-3 over the course and was 4/2-0-1 at today's seven furlong distance.  DRF's Mike Beer liked Heart Stealer as she would be the best price of the three, but for me it was significant that top jockey Javier Castellano had ridden both of these fillies in their last win here and he went with Centrique.  Good enough for me.....sure enough she was the 7/5 favorite, but Heart Stealer won the race and paid double-digits....sigh.  No time to cry over spilled milk as my "Best" of the day in New Orleans was up next in their featured Red Camellia Stakes.  I Dazzle was breaking from post ten but had a rallying style so I wasn't worried.  She moved on the turn, collared the leader as heads turned for home and then literally "dazzled" to score as MUCH the best! 

And the final win of the day came with my "BEST" of the day at Santa Anita in their co-feature, the Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on the turf.  Jockey Gary Stevens for trainer Tom Proctor for Glen Hills Farms....duh!  And add in that this colt was a perfect 2-for-2 at this distance, over this course with one of those being a stakes win!  Stevens had him perfectly placed tracking the leaders and began moving entering the turn, but was stopped when he clipped heels and nearly went down.  But the Hall of Fame jockey got him back in rhythm and he moved three wide to the front and looked to be a winner drawing off when a closer with all the momentum came flying.....oh, so close......but on the wire Enterprising had his nose down first!  The 7/5 odds led t nearly $50 on my last winning ticket!