BIG Day Thursday!
After a winless (0-for-9) and hugely disappointing day of handicapping on Wednesday I bounced back with a solid if not outstanding Thursday. The opener was on the turf going a mile for three-year-olds and I liked Thirtysilverpieces. There were two ways to look at 'Thirty - because he was dropping from open allowance and graded stakes company into a $25K optional claiming event.....did he standout on class so much that he was deserving of short-price favoritism as a likely winner, or was he a firesale, a sucker bet just waiting to take your money? I preferred the former. He had won his maiden at Saratoga, and that speaks to some level of quality. He then took a 2-lifetime allowance event before being sent into a Grade 3. I thought that his early pace and fade effort off the shelf here in December was enough to make him the play. He tracked the pace comfortably in fifth in a pocket, then glided up to engage the leader as they spun out of the turn, but the front-runner had more left and quickly spurted clear by two. You have to watch the weekly replay to appreciate the kick this horse had because if you were watching the replay with me now and I stopped the race at the 16th pole you would not take my ticket if I gave it to you. Thirtypiecesofsilver was still two off the leader and spinning his wheels, but suddenly he just BURST by the leader to be up in time!
Too bad he was sent off as the favorite. Still, the $4.20 payoff netted me over $10. In the second my pick - a GP 40% Club play - trailed throughout. In the 3rd I was the 6/5 favorite with another GP 40% Club play and he trailed throughout as well. But the fourth brought me back into he winner's circle. Victoriana Rose was first off the claim for Michael Maker in this claiming, nw3L event. The fact that he'd claimed her for the Ramseys was a plus. The race was for less that $40K so that made her a Gulfstream Park 40% Club play. I really liked the fact that last out she was over two clear of the show horse who was 9+ clear of the field - often an indicator of a strong race is when they are strung out like that. I doubled the bet. Right to the front and never looked back, drawing off by twelve at least under wraps!
The $2.80 was paltry, but a win's a win! Another GP 40% Club play faltered when Trigger Finger moved from 4th to the lead down the backstretch in a turf route in the 7th race, but weakened through the lane. Then I scored in back-to-back races. In the 8th Miss Lech was making her seventh start in MSW company and that is usually too many for me to take a chance on. But the field looked weak and Javier Castellano was the leading rider; and Chad Brown's barn seems to have found their stride now that the new year has turned. Doubled down......right to the front and L-O-N-G gone! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO!
The $4.60 payoff was fair I thought, and I took the nearly $25 payout. MY last win in the day came with my "best" of the day. The 9th was a starter optional claiming event with JB's Unc the obvious favorite. He'd won the $100K Claiming Crown Rapid Transit last out and by dropping in class today for Jorge Navarro it was another Gulfstream Park 40% Club play! He rated on the rail, looked to have the leader measured, but it was a stretch duel to the wire......PHOTO FINISH! But I never doubted I'd won.....
He was the 4/5 favorite so I cashed for almost $30 on my triple investment. I trailed throughout in the 11th so for the day I'd cashed on four of eight! That's better and I'm sneaking back up towards that 30% target for the week!
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