Day 64

One Nice Win, Disappointment Otherwise

Not once but twice I was disappointed with Todd Pletcher runners - usually my most consistent win producer of the Gulfstream meet.  But I did score on a horse where I recognized the ability ahead of the crowd.  The feature race today was in the third, the Isolamorada Handicap for three-year-olds.  And while there WERE others in the field, this seemed like a match race between two last-out Pletcher colts who were both stretching out from sprints to today's nine furlong distance with an eye on maybe taking a shot at the spring classics.  If only one of them were in the field they would have been a top play, but with two I had to make a choice.  Materiality had won in his debut earlier in the meet and looked to have promise; today would be his first start against winners.  But Stanford had debuted with a win at Saratoga, then disappointed in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.  Then in his 2015 debut here, he'd won in allowance company.  AND, top rider Javier Castellano was on board.  That sealed the deal in a close call.  Sure enough, as they turned for home it was the two Pletcher runners dueling and multiple lengths clear of the field.  But by the furlong pole Materiality easily distanced his stablemate.  Sigh......Later in the day, Pletcher sent out one of his star fillies, Feathered, in an entry-level allowance.  After drawing off by nine widening lengths in her maiden breaker she went in her first try against winners in the Grade 1 Frizette.  Third in a god try.  Then she was fourth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, after being second within less than a length in mid-stretch.  She closed out her two-year-old season by just missing to Eclipse-award winning filly Take Charge Brandi in the Grade 1 Starlet.  She was a prohibitive 2/5 favorite in this allowance field after running so well in three straight Grade 1 events.  Flat all the way and never picked up her feet - fourth.  Huge disappointment. 

But the win that salvaged the day came in the 6th, an optional-allowance event that carried a $100K price tag option.  The field was very deep with many already having black type on their resumes.  But for me, the choice was Chad Brown's Pleuven.  I'd seen him make his 2015 debut earlier in the meet after not having run in more than a year.  That day he displayed a devastating acceleration into the lane to run away from the field that drew the description from me that I was sure he was bound for stakes company.  Instead he showed up here.....and it was a stakes-quality field for sure.  With all those already proven in stakes I knew I'd get at least a "fair" price and I did.  Jockey John Velazquez had him saving all the ground through the far turn, then he swung off the rail as heads turned for home and burst away - just as he had earlier in the meet. 

The generous $7.40 payoff, coupled with my triple investment led to a payoff of over $50!  WHOOOO HOOOOO!