Days 14 - 15

Big Win On Friday's BET of the DAY!

Tuesday, December 23 was disappointing as I ran third in four of six races and lost with what looked like the obvious "BEST" of the day in the finale.  Bellamy Chief in the opener was the 8/5 favorite and set the pace (a wicked :45 and change for a one-turn mile) before weakening to be third.  In the third race Viramundo was bet down to 5/2 from 8/1 in the program but trailed to mid-stretch before making a belated rally to close for the show money.  In the 7th Todd Pletcher's Journey Proud was eased at 9/1.  In the eighth Empress Maker was wide throughout finishing third in a marathon turf event.  And the "Best" of the Day in the finale was Wild Swava who had been third in the Claiming Crown Tiara for Michael Maker, as the favorite, was dropping in for a starter optional claiming tag.  Tracked to the far turn and looked to have PLENTY of run to blow by the field, but hung through the stretch, lucky to finish fourth.  The only good news from the day was that I was able to get all of my Florida Derby tickets put together into a block of 23 seats in "our section,"  Section 101! 

Friday December 26  No racing on Christmas Eve Day or Christmas Day, but today not only did I have six plays at Gulfstream, but today was Opening Day at "The Great Race Place" - Santa Anita.  So I had handicapped the full card, which featured three graded stakes, the highlight of which was the Grade 1 Malibu.  The star of the show was formerly unbeaten Shared Belief who had his undefeated mark blemished with a rough, and unfair trip in the Breeders' Cup Classic.  But first, to the racing in Hallandale.  It was an overcast day and while it was drizzling in Sunrise it came down pretty heavy at Gulfstream.  Fortunately we were NOT at Calder racecourse where the mere threat of rain would have taken us off the turf......here at Gulfstream in spite of the steady rain it was a "firm turf" and all races stayed on with the exception of the finale.  In the opener I thought I had the easiest of winners when Todd Pletcher's Bully Proof broke slowly but quickly went to the front and was well in command with a sixteenth to go.  Then he shortened stride an was caught in the final twenty yards.....second.  Certainly this would NOT be another day like Tuesday!  In the third I pick Calm Water to upset the marathon maiden special turf event.  In the program at 8/1 he was slightly bet down to 6/1.  He coasted on an easy lead (:25 - :50 - 1:16) and I thought I had something. But when the field began to run approaching the far turn he was swallowed up an finished 8th and last. 

Of the six selections on the day I thought three of them were nearly "prime-time" plays.  The first came up in the 4th where Centrique was running for Marty Wolfson.  Centrique had captured the Claiming Crown Tiara last year and then shipped to Laurel for the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie.  In fact, since that 2013 Opening Day win she'd seen nothing but stakes races.  She had seemed primed for a big effort last out in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl off a bullet work, but stumbled badly at he start and lost all chance.  She'd worked another bullet and was dropping into this starter optional claimer at her favorite seven furlong distance.  Typically she's an off-the-pace runner, but today (with blinkers off) she broke slowly out of the gate and rushed to the front.  She wired the field handily to win by daylight!  FINALLY a winner!  First one since last Sunday. 

In the 6th Grand Rapport looked as good as Centrique on paper.  He was a seven-time turf winner and the crowd realized this as he left the gate at 4/5.  Was stalking in mid-pack before suddenly pulling up down the backside :(  In the eighth was my final big bet of the day.  Melville had moved to early when making up eleven lengths to take the lead two back, then was caught late.  Then he pressed the pace and was second in front of a next-out maiden winner.  These facts alone would have made him the favorite, but this field looked average at best.  Still, the 4/5 price was more than fair I thought.  He saved all the ground on the rail into the final turn and seemed to have run, but no where to go.  A seam opened briefly and he made up ground, but was reluctant to accelerate.  Jockey Javier Castellano moved him between horses, then switched outside at the sixteenth pole - would he have enough time to rally?  JUST UP IN TIME!  Whoooo hooooo! 

Vicuna in the 9th was another Pletcher runner, and he had a best-of-32 bullet work for his comeback today - he'd won two straight last spring.  He pressed in second as the top two were well clear of the field and looked ready to run away to victory when he just stopped....finished 8th and last.  This race was no sooner official than it was approaching post time of the fourth at Santa Anita where the first of five selections was ready to run.  I liked Bob Baffert's Wabel.  Even HRTV analyst Christina Blacker remarked several times how well he'd run when second last out in his debut behind a promising colt and couldn't understand why he was such a nice price.  At 7/2 I thought I might have the "day maker" here.  He dueled on the lead and shook free as they spun out of the turn, but the first-time starter who'd been bet heavily came roaring by to be a clear winner, while Wabel held second.  In the fifth I liked Bench Light.  He was dropping out of three straight Grade 2 events.  If he ran back to his dominating win at Del Mar earlier this year, which I thought he might with the drop back into allowance company, he would win.  As the field spun into the far turn he was making up ground then had to CHECK!  And then check AGAIN!  Oh no.  He was floated very wide out of the turn but man he was gobbling up ground and was JUST up in time to score!  The $8.80 payoff netted me $22!  The sixth was the Grade 1 La Brea for sophomore fillies.  I liked Taris.  She had the rail and in spite of an abundance of speed signed on I thought she was clearly the speed of the speed.  As I watched the HRTV telecast I was encouraged when the analysts remarked they had thought she would have won the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint if she'd run there.  She was coming off a dynamite performance in the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland.  I did NOT make her a prime time bet only because I thought she might survive the pace war but not last to the wire.  I was right on every thing I thought.....she went right to the front, and she set sizzling fractions for a seven furlong event:  :43.4 for he half and when she stopped the teletimer at 1:08 for six furlongs she was three in front and appeared home free.  But in the final 100 yards she began to shorten stride, but still looked to have enough until right in front of the wire......caught!  Second :(  Glad I did not go "all in" on the investment.  So close again in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile where I thought there was a ton of pace.  The favorite figured to be Heart to Heart who had wired back-to-back graded stakes at Churchill Downs.  But not only did he figure to face pressure today, but I just KNEW jockey Julian Leparoux would not ride a smart race.  I figured he'd try to duel and that would be his undoing.  I liked closer Home Run Kitten.  Again, I was spot on......Leparoux let the inside runner go through the first turn and I thought maybe he would ride a smart race.  But no, as they straightened down the backstretch he pushed his colt and they dueled to the far turn.  He's done I thought, and he was.  Then here I came flying on the outside while a 9/1 shot split horses and got the jump on me.  Home Run Kitten looked to have all the momentum but just couldn't get by....the PHOTO finish showed me second by a nose :( 

But now it was time for not only the feature of the day at Santa Anita, but the national feature.....the Grade 1 Malibu.  Shared Belief had been unbeaten as a two-year-old and won the Eclipse for best juvenile.  He'd come back last winter, but his training was stalled with foot issues.  But through the summer he'd continued his unbeaten streak while stretching out, moving to dirt, and then by beating Grade 1 older horses in both the Pacific Classic and the Awesome Again.  He was the best horse and the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic.  I thought he'd score big again but he was wiped out at the break by the eventual winner and was steadied twice through the stretch.  So today I thought he'd run well in spite of the turn back from a mile & a quarter to this seven furlong sprint distance.  He was the prohibitive 1/5 favorite with five minutes to post time and I thought I would only make a miserly $10 on my big $50 "BET of the Day."  But luckily some "value" players began spreading their money away and he floated up to a very, very generous 1/2 at post time.  He tracked the dueling Bob Baffert sprinters in fourth to the far turn.  He looked to right where he always has been before he just blows by the field, but today the top two, and the third place runner all had their running shoes on and Shared Belief had to be asked for his best run by Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith.  He was all heart and all class as he wore them down in the final sixteenth and I cashed for $75! 

Shared Belief's win closed the day for me at 4-for-11, a solid 36%!  Whooop whoop.  Tomorrow we are driving to Orlando to spend the day & night with Brad & Lauren, but I still have bets at Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Tampa, and the Fair Grounds!  Hoping to continue the winning as we close out the 2014 racing year.