Day 54

THREE WINS To Kick-Off Short Week

This is the week I've been waiting for since the holidays at least, and you could say all the way back to last March!  For the past several years the Louisiana Derby has been run on the same day as the Florida Derby.  So this past spring I mentioned to our friends that go to the Florida Derby with us - since they all come from out of town save one - "Why don't we go to New Orleans for the Louisiana Derby next year!?"  The response was a deafening silence.....finally our good friend Dan said with a sorrowful look in his eyes, "So, we wouldn't go to the Florida Derby?"  I got the message quickly!  So I told Kim that there wasn't any reason we couldn't have a getaway weekend to New Orleans, we'd just go for their Louisiana Derby Preview Day, which is this upcoming Saturday.  So we have tickets to fly out Friday afternoon and have booked a bed & breakfast as well as tours on Sunday.  Can't wait!  But, first let's get to this week's racing, which - because of the holiday card this past Monday - is a short week:  Thursday February 19 - Sunday February 22.

In the opener on today I doubled the bet on Chllin Dylan who was a GP 40% Club play for Tamar Levy.  He was a huge 9/1 at post time and rallied well to be fourth.  My next selection was in the 4th where we were sending maiden three-year-old special weights seven furlongs.  Royal Squeeze was my choice who was making his career sixth start, but was turning back in a "classic karma move" from 8 1/2 furlongs around two turns to today's elongated sprint.  She was also dropping out of a stakes race at the Ocala Breeders' Sales event for Chad Brown AND was getting Javier Castellano.  Interesting stat displayed in the DRF below Royal Squeeze's past performances was that Brown was scoring at a HUGE 56% with runner going from a route to a sprint!  I tripled the bet.  As they hit the far turn she was three wide around the bend and moving on the leader, but was joined on the outside by the 5/2 second choice.  They dueled for a 16th of a mile then that one put a head in front of Royal Squeeze!  Now typically once a horse is headed, especially in the stretch, and MOST especially when on the inside, it's all over.  But Royal Squeeze would not quit and on the wire it was a head bob.........

I WIN!  The triple investment meant that I'd be cashing for nearly $30.  Nice.  In the 5th it was my "best" of the day.  Wild Swava was a Gulfstream 40% Club play for Michael Maker.  He had Javier Castellano on board.  In the twelve past performances showing, Wild Swava had been the post time favorite in TEN of them; odds-on in FIVE!  The good news was she'd won seven of those races.  The bad news is that after third as the favorite in the $125K Claiming Crown Tiara on Opening Day she was a dull fourth at this level in her next at even money.  But today was a rider change to the top jock and looking down the pp's you could see that Castellano had only ridden her twice - and BOTH were WINS!  Have to like the local record (4/2-0-1) and her resume at today's 7 1/2 furlong distance (3/2-1-0).  She was sent off at 3/5 and after pressing the leader to the top of the lane she just ran away in hand! 

WHOOOO HOOOO!  Collected over $25 on that one.  In the 7th Probably was the even money favorite and dueled to mid-stretch then stopped, fading to 6th.  Ouch.  In the eighth race Hereditary held a huge edge over his fellow Maiden Special Weight rivals.  In his last he'd won by daylight going a one-turn mile at Laurel.  But the stewards took his number down.  Today the classic Phipps silks of black & cherry red would be worn by Javier Castellano for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.  As heads turned for home he was still fourth with work to do, but once he was pointed for home he accelerated down the middle of the stretch and surged past late to give me my third win of the day.....and make it a profitable one at that!