Slow Start To Extended Week
This week we are racing for six days with a special holiday program on Monday. And the week did not get off to a flying start. In the first race I had a selection in, the second, my top choice Centella went right to the front and I thought looked ready to wire the field. But as they crossed over to the main track leaving the one-turn mile chute she bolted and tossed the rider! The fourth race winner paid $91.60 - no, not my pick as I was 7th at 6/1. The 6th I had picked Lemon Up if this sprint came off the turf, it stayed on the grass. Contemplated sticking with the speedster making her turf debut, but in the end stayed away. Good thing, she was second at odds on. In the 7th Candy Man Can was third at 5/1 on the grass. The winner paid $76.20! Then the biggest disappointment of the day when General A Rod made his return to the races in an allowance spot. He'd won the Gulfstream Park Derby and was graded placed in the Derby preps before running in all three Triple Crown Races. Towered over these on class.....was off slowly and seemed to have to be pushed from the beginning to run. Was lucky to get fourth while the winner paid $55.40. Finally got on the board when Leveraged Loan won the finale. He stalked the pace to the top of the stretch and drew off with ease. Though he was the 3/2 favorite, the $25 in winnings was enough to make the day's losses "manageable" considering I was only 1-for-5.
Thursday: Strong Bounce Back Day! WHOOO HOOO
On the second day of racing I came out guns blazing! The first race of the day was also my first bet. My pick in this mid-level claiming sprint was Dad'z Laugh. This time last year he was running in stakes races and when he finally got his black type score in early summer it was my 4,900th win. Then he went off form and so his connections dropped him in for a claiming tag last time out to boost his confidence. He responded with a rousing win. It was OBVIOUS, duh, at least to me that he was rounding back in form. So with him still in for a claiming tag I thought he'd be odds on. The crowd made him a tepid 2/1 favorite. Top jockey Javier Castellano went right to the front despite the outside draw and the race was all but over already. Coasted on the lead to the wire and I'm off to a $30 collection at he windows!
In the third I ran second with a minimum investment runner. Then the BEST of the day was in the fifth. Todd Pletcher was bringing back his filly, Got Lucky. She dominated one-turn mile maidens HERE last winter and then went on a steady diet of stakes races facing Untapable, My Miss Sophia, Stopcharginmaria, an Don't Tell Sophia - all multiple graded stakes winners. She was dropping out of the Grade 1 Spinster to face nw2x allowance foes and just seemed to TOWER over these. I considered upping the bet to $50 to win, but when I recalled how General A Rod had faltered yesterday under similar circumstances I kept the wager at "prime time $20." She was in prime position throughout and when asked to run she collared the leader in mid-stretch, then edged clear late. It was not a dominant, breath-taking win, but it was a WIN and I was cashing for another $40!
In ended up only having one more selection on a day where so many races were puzzling because after running 5th in the 9th race my triple investment on Purely Boy on the turf went down the drain as he was a late scratch just minutes before post time at 6/5. So for the day I was super 2-for-4 an had won nearly all the money back from yesterday. Ironically for the week I'm now at 3-for-10.....always right around 30% or a little better!
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