Opening Day at Gulfstream HAS to be considered a success, and that was even before I added up all the results for the day! Why? For several reasons.......first, this is CLEARLY my most favorite time of the racing calendar when all the big names of the sport - both human and equine - are featured at my local racing venue. Secondly, the weather today was spectacular. Third, the racing experience itself was great - a big crowd, many "beautiful" people (see a few select pics below), and the roar of the crowd as the field turned for home made for a most exciting day! And at the end of the day I'd won with four of ten Gulfstream selections and made nearly $30 on the day. It is hard to judge that kind of afternoon anything but successful. The ONLY thing I'd have changed would be if I'd been able to share the afternoon with my lovely wife Kimberly who for years we made Opening Day our anniversary outing - but to be fair that's when Gulfstream didn't open until January; still we typically make the trip out together and enjoy the day and lunch at our favorite restaurant just off the paddock, the Yard House.
I'd considered handicapping half a dozen tracks, but in the end decided to focus my attention on Gulfstream. So I handicapped locally, did my usual Fair Grounds analysis as I continue to work towards my January trip there, and added Tampa and Aqueduct. I arrived about 11:20, forty minutes before first post of the meet and had plenty of time to pick up my seat ticket and cash my left over tickets from my last visit to the live races then head upstairs to settle in for the opener. A new "ticket lady" greeted me and was kind enough to take the excellent "Opening Day Photo" above. The Gulfstream card featured two Maiden Specials on the grass for two-year-olds and the nine Claiming Crown Stakes, worth a collective total of $1.1 Million. In the opener I went with the Christophe Clement filly Really Proud who was the popular 7/5 favorite. Tracked the leaders to the far turn before weakening. As a reminder as to just how challenging the Gulfstream winter meet is, the winner drew off by a POLE at odds of 60/1! WOW, welcome back to Gulfstream my friends! I missed at Aqueduct, which I watched on my phone via xpressbet.com, as I awaited the start of the first of the Claiming Crown Stakes, the Glass Slipper. This was a one-turn mile contest and I thought that Mended looked much, MUCH the best. Of the 427 career races run by the thirteen rivals lining up to face her today, N-O-N-E of those races earned a Beyer speed figure that would beat any of the LAST THREE earned by Mended. WOW. But, she was a speedster who looked to have company early AND was going a one-turn mile for the first time. The long straightaway before reaching the far turn has done in many an inexperienced runner trying this unique configuration. But, in addition to the huge Beyer advantage, the fact that she had been shipped from her home base at Golden Gates Fields in San Francisco for this race AND had brought along her regular rider told me that the connections were dead serious about winning. Mended broke sharply, pressed the pace to the far turn and then set sail for the wire, drawing off as EASILY BEST! That's what I'm talking about!
The triple investment returned over $30 and I was on my way! My top pick in the third at Gulfstream was a Todd Pletcher colt which scratched. This was the other MSW on the turf and much like the first, the winner won by daylight and at 50/1! My next race was the third from Tampa and he too scratched. I ran second in New York in Aqueduct's fifth then was a dismal 13th in Gulfstreams Claiming Crown Express Stakes with The Great Lou at 5/2 odds. I was third at the Fair Grounds in their opener, a turf sprint. Ironically the winner was the 3/5 favorite with a rider that was 0-for-17 for the barn - I'd never have bet that horse! The fifth at Gulfstream was the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash for older fillies & mares sprinting five furlongs on the grass. The only thing I thought that was an "issue" for my top pick, Blue Bahia was the rail draw. Jockey Paco Lopez would have to be careful to not get caught up in a speed duel by going too fast early and would have to not get caught behind a wall of horses where he couldn't make the winning move. That she'd won seven of ten turf sprints and went for top turf sprint trainer Jason Servis were big plus factors for me. I had made a comparison chart for the day that showed all of my selections compared to those of the three "experts" at Gulfstream. Good looking former model turned handicapper Acacia Courtney had also liked Blue Bahia and I've found she's not only a pretty good racing analyst, but her selections often pay better than the favorites picked by the other two locals. Blue Bahia stalked the leaders in third to the top of the lane before Lopez eased her off the rail and into the clear. He's typically such a dominant rider at the summer Monmouth meet he's been accused of looking back "condescendingly" when he knows he's the winner as his mount sprints for the wire. When I see "that look" I know I'm in good shape. And as soon as Paco hit the front he gave "the look" drawing a big smile from me as I filmed the stretch run! WHOOO HOOO!
The $5.20 payoff led to my winning ticket being worth over $25 on my second stakes winner of the day at Gulfstream. Missed on the next four - back to back second place finishes at first Aqueduct and then Tampa before running off the board at the Fair Grounds and locally in the Claiming Crown Iron Horse Stakes. The sixth at Tampa saw my horse scratch and that brought us to the Claiming Crown Canterbury Stakes. This was the companion race to the Distaff Dash only this one was for the boys going the same five furlongs on the turf. I saw on a preview video that there were over 160 horses entered for today's Gulfstream's races and like most Gulfstream cards, I thought the races were very competitive. BUT of all the eleven races I thought that Pay Any Price in this spot was the standout of the day. Of the 350 career races run by his rivals THREE speed figures would be good enough to challenge only two of his last five - they'd be clearly second best if he ran any of the other three in a streak of Beyer figures that read 102-98-97-107-100. In addition he was the course record holder at this distance and had a local record of 9/7-1-0. He just looked way too good for these. Initially, because he - like Mended earlier - was a front runner that could be compromised by other front running types - I planned to only bet $30, which was the amount I'd made my "Bet of the Day" last year on Opening Day. But as the horses warmed up and I went to the windows to bet I just had this feeling that he was simply the best and was worth additional investment dollars. It didn't hurt that the other three handicappers had all put him on top as well. FIFTY to WIN please! He did indeed face early pressure, but opened up on the far turn and had a daylight lead turning for home. Then the fact that he'd not been out since July 1st began to take it's toll as the field began to narrow the margin. But it was too little, too late and I'd won my THIRD stakes of the day. Oh I'm having a very good day my friend!
My $50 WIN ticket was good for $75 and if you watch the highlight video you'll note the excitement as the camera does not seem to stay on Pay Any Price like any of the other races. Ahhhh it's part of what make's it "real" and not professional, right? :) I missed on four more, all stakes races. Daisy led into the stretch in Aqueduct's Grade 2 Demoiselle for 2yo fillies before weakening to be fourth. Triple Chelsea was even money and third in the first division of the Fair Grounds' Richard Scherer Memorial Stakes; Shaft of Light was a huge disappointment as the 2/1 favorite when running 9th in the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit and Avery Island ran second in the Grade 2 Remsen for 2yo colts at Aqueduct. The next race on the sheet was the eighth from Tampa, and it became the first non-Gulfstream winner of the winter. It was hard to have real confidence in Jaunt who was a TEN time maiden running today at Tampa. But, she was owned by legendary Calumet Farms and trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey. The last three Beyer figures were better than any number the rest of the field had ever seen. Still, the six times running 2nd or third were worrisome. Third off the shelf meant she SHOULD run her best today....it was win today or maybe she just had no running ability. But today she blew by the field and ran away as easily the best. Cashed on a triple investment for nearly $30. The ninth at Gulfstream was the Claiming Crown Tiara and Starship Jubilee was the BEST BET for two of the local handicappers. Considering that she'd run figures in three of her last four that would out perform any lifetime speed figure I could see why. But there's that ONE figure that could see her beaten. And the fact that she'd won back-to-back graded stakes at Woodbine did seem to make her look awfully tough. Still....she'd been claimed for $16K out of a race here and maybe, just maybe those were such stiff races up north. I went prime time but couldn't see her as a better "BEST" than Pay Any Price had been. She tracked the leaders comfortably, glided to the front, opened up and looked home free into the stretch. But she shortened stride late and was passed but not one but two rivals as the 8/5 favorite. But there was little time to bemoan the loss as the one and only Grade 1 event on the national calendar was coming up in less than ten minutes. It was the Grade 1 Cigar Mile from Aqueduct. To me, I thought that multiple graded stakes winning Sharp Azteca looked formidable. He is especially good at these one-turn mile events and he'd proven himself when just failing to last in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile around two turns a month ago. While he didn't have a Grade 1 win on his resume, the rest of the field looked overmatched. As they entered the track I was stunned to see him on the board at 6/1 odds. Even checked the program online to make sure I'd not had a typo when making my selection sheet. Nope. But the closer it got to race time his odds drifted downward. Typically he's a loose-on-the-lead front runner, but today he allowed two others to duel up front as Javier Castellano took over the mount while Paco Lopez was having a big day here at Gulfstream (three wins on the day). As heads turned for home Sharp Azteca took off and while there looked to be a brief challenge from stretch-out sprinter Mind Your Biscuits (who'd beaten him by a nose in the Grade 1 Malibu going seven furlongs last December), there was no catching him today as he won handily by five plus.
HORRAY for me! I'd tripled the bet and my ticket would be worth more than $50 as somehow what I thought was an easy pick paid $5.50 to win. Two races left on the Gulfstream card and then I planned to head for home and watch the late college football games before checking the replays on the final three races from the Fair Grounds. In the tenth, the Emerald on the turf I had a price play, and in the 11th, the Jewel I liked Gigantic Breeze, but he'd never been on "real dirt" before so I had some concerns. I made all of my late bets and went to my seat to watch the two final live races. The Emerald looked to have a lot of speed and should set up for a closer I thought. There were several to choose from but I liked the fact that Special Ops had won two in a row prior to his most recent where finishing behind a horse named Shining Copper and that one exited that event to win a Grade 3 stakes at Churchill Downs last weekend. Worth a shot. As they moved midway on the turn the GP announcer called that "Special Ops was on the move widest of all....." I had filmed all the live races today and I had my camera ready, but unlike the other races where I really thought I had a chance I was sitting back watching the stretch run. But like he'd been shot out of a cannot Special Ops came flying down the middle of the turn course to surge to the front in deep stretch and win going away! Not only that but he'd been a huge 7/1 at post time!
Oh I wished I'd bet more than the minimum, but still the $5 play returned over $40 to my bankroll. I am truly having a good time today! Gigantic Breeze went off as a mild 2/1 favorite but never picked up his feet finishing a bad 11th. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive home after such a great day with a four-for-ten resume locally and riding in my sports car with the windows down as the sun set on the horizon. Once home I watched Ohio State win the Big Ten Championship in a close game. At halftime I watched the replays of the final three races at the Fair Grounds. In the second division of the Richard Scherer Memorial - a five furlong turf sprint - I thought Rapid Rhythm looked, as I wrote in my analysis "a very likely winner" IF able to produce his best. I thought this a very likely occurrence since he was 7-for-13 in turf sprints and he'd won not one but two turf sprints here last winter. In addition I took note thanks to Jim Mazur's "Fair Grounds Handicapper" that trainer Michael Stidham produced most of his winners (59%) when they were coming off a layoff like Rapid Rhythm was doing today. He was mid-pack to the far turn when he launched his rally. Six wide into the lane he closed with a determined rush and WON! Not only did he win, but he paid a remarkable $9.60 ....... I'd tripled the bet so I would be cashing for nearly $75 on my final winner of the day!
W-O-W, what an ending to a fabulous day! Welcome back Gulfstream Park!
Opening Day 2017 In Pictures
The triple investment returned over $30 and I was on my way! My top pick in the third at Gulfstream was a Todd Pletcher colt which scratched. This was the other MSW on the turf and much like the first, the winner won by daylight and at 50/1! My next race was the third from Tampa and he too scratched. I ran second in New York in Aqueduct's fifth then was a dismal 13th in Gulfstreams Claiming Crown Express Stakes with The Great Lou at 5/2 odds. I was third at the Fair Grounds in their opener, a turf sprint. Ironically the winner was the 3/5 favorite with a rider that was 0-for-17 for the barn - I'd never have bet that horse! The fifth at Gulfstream was the Claiming Crown Distaff Dash for older fillies & mares sprinting five furlongs on the grass. The only thing I thought that was an "issue" for my top pick, Blue Bahia was the rail draw. Jockey Paco Lopez would have to be careful to not get caught up in a speed duel by going too fast early and would have to not get caught behind a wall of horses where he couldn't make the winning move. That she'd won seven of ten turf sprints and went for top turf sprint trainer Jason Servis were big plus factors for me. I had made a comparison chart for the day that showed all of my selections compared to those of the three "experts" at Gulfstream. Good looking former model turned handicapper Acacia Courtney had also liked Blue Bahia and I've found she's not only a pretty good racing analyst, but her selections often pay better than the favorites picked by the other two locals. Blue Bahia stalked the leaders in third to the top of the lane before Lopez eased her off the rail and into the clear. He's typically such a dominant rider at the summer Monmouth meet he's been accused of looking back "condescendingly" when he knows he's the winner as his mount sprints for the wire. When I see "that look" I know I'm in good shape. And as soon as Paco hit the front he gave "the look" drawing a big smile from me as I filmed the stretch run! WHOOO HOOO!
The $5.20 payoff led to my winning ticket being worth over $25 on my second stakes winner of the day at Gulfstream. Missed on the next four - back to back second place finishes at first Aqueduct and then Tampa before running off the board at the Fair Grounds and locally in the Claiming Crown Iron Horse Stakes. The sixth at Tampa saw my horse scratch and that brought us to the Claiming Crown Canterbury Stakes. This was the companion race to the Distaff Dash only this one was for the boys going the same five furlongs on the turf. I saw on a preview video that there were over 160 horses entered for today's Gulfstream's races and like most Gulfstream cards, I thought the races were very competitive. BUT of all the eleven races I thought that Pay Any Price in this spot was the standout of the day. Of the 350 career races run by his rivals THREE speed figures would be good enough to challenge only two of his last five - they'd be clearly second best if he ran any of the other three in a streak of Beyer figures that read 102-98-97-107-100. In addition he was the course record holder at this distance and had a local record of 9/7-1-0. He just looked way too good for these. Initially, because he - like Mended earlier - was a front runner that could be compromised by other front running types - I planned to only bet $30, which was the amount I'd made my "Bet of the Day" last year on Opening Day. But as the horses warmed up and I went to the windows to bet I just had this feeling that he was simply the best and was worth additional investment dollars. It didn't hurt that the other three handicappers had all put him on top as well. FIFTY to WIN please! He did indeed face early pressure, but opened up on the far turn and had a daylight lead turning for home. Then the fact that he'd not been out since July 1st began to take it's toll as the field began to narrow the margin. But it was too little, too late and I'd won my THIRD stakes of the day. Oh I'm having a very good day my friend!
My $50 WIN ticket was good for $75 and if you watch the highlight video you'll note the excitement as the camera does not seem to stay on Pay Any Price like any of the other races. Ahhhh it's part of what make's it "real" and not professional, right? :) I missed on four more, all stakes races. Daisy led into the stretch in Aqueduct's Grade 2 Demoiselle for 2yo fillies before weakening to be fourth. Triple Chelsea was even money and third in the first division of the Fair Grounds' Richard Scherer Memorial Stakes; Shaft of Light was a huge disappointment as the 2/1 favorite when running 9th in the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit and Avery Island ran second in the Grade 2 Remsen for 2yo colts at Aqueduct. The next race on the sheet was the eighth from Tampa, and it became the first non-Gulfstream winner of the winter. It was hard to have real confidence in Jaunt who was a TEN time maiden running today at Tampa. But, she was owned by legendary Calumet Farms and trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey. The last three Beyer figures were better than any number the rest of the field had ever seen. Still, the six times running 2nd or third were worrisome. Third off the shelf meant she SHOULD run her best today....it was win today or maybe she just had no running ability. But today she blew by the field and ran away as easily the best. Cashed on a triple investment for nearly $30. The ninth at Gulfstream was the Claiming Crown Tiara and Starship Jubilee was the BEST BET for two of the local handicappers. Considering that she'd run figures in three of her last four that would out perform any lifetime speed figure I could see why. But there's that ONE figure that could see her beaten. And the fact that she'd won back-to-back graded stakes at Woodbine did seem to make her look awfully tough. Still....she'd been claimed for $16K out of a race here and maybe, just maybe those were such stiff races up north. I went prime time but couldn't see her as a better "BEST" than Pay Any Price had been. She tracked the leaders comfortably, glided to the front, opened up and looked home free into the stretch. But she shortened stride late and was passed but not one but two rivals as the 8/5 favorite. But there was little time to bemoan the loss as the one and only Grade 1 event on the national calendar was coming up in less than ten minutes. It was the Grade 1 Cigar Mile from Aqueduct. To me, I thought that multiple graded stakes winning Sharp Azteca looked formidable. He is especially good at these one-turn mile events and he'd proven himself when just failing to last in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile around two turns a month ago. While he didn't have a Grade 1 win on his resume, the rest of the field looked overmatched. As they entered the track I was stunned to see him on the board at 6/1 odds. Even checked the program online to make sure I'd not had a typo when making my selection sheet. Nope. But the closer it got to race time his odds drifted downward. Typically he's a loose-on-the-lead front runner, but today he allowed two others to duel up front as Javier Castellano took over the mount while Paco Lopez was having a big day here at Gulfstream (three wins on the day). As heads turned for home Sharp Azteca took off and while there looked to be a brief challenge from stretch-out sprinter Mind Your Biscuits (who'd beaten him by a nose in the Grade 1 Malibu going seven furlongs last December), there was no catching him today as he won handily by five plus.
HORRAY for me! I'd tripled the bet and my ticket would be worth more than $50 as somehow what I thought was an easy pick paid $5.50 to win. Two races left on the Gulfstream card and then I planned to head for home and watch the late college football games before checking the replays on the final three races from the Fair Grounds. In the tenth, the Emerald on the turf I had a price play, and in the 11th, the Jewel I liked Gigantic Breeze, but he'd never been on "real dirt" before so I had some concerns. I made all of my late bets and went to my seat to watch the two final live races. The Emerald looked to have a lot of speed and should set up for a closer I thought. There were several to choose from but I liked the fact that Special Ops had won two in a row prior to his most recent where finishing behind a horse named Shining Copper and that one exited that event to win a Grade 3 stakes at Churchill Downs last weekend. Worth a shot. As they moved midway on the turn the GP announcer called that "Special Ops was on the move widest of all....." I had filmed all the live races today and I had my camera ready, but unlike the other races where I really thought I had a chance I was sitting back watching the stretch run. But like he'd been shot out of a cannot Special Ops came flying down the middle of the turn course to surge to the front in deep stretch and win going away! Not only that but he'd been a huge 7/1 at post time!
Oh I wished I'd bet more than the minimum, but still the $5 play returned over $40 to my bankroll. I am truly having a good time today! Gigantic Breeze went off as a mild 2/1 favorite but never picked up his feet finishing a bad 11th. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive home after such a great day with a four-for-ten resume locally and riding in my sports car with the windows down as the sun set on the horizon. Once home I watched Ohio State win the Big Ten Championship in a close game. At halftime I watched the replays of the final three races at the Fair Grounds. In the second division of the Richard Scherer Memorial - a five furlong turf sprint - I thought Rapid Rhythm looked, as I wrote in my analysis "a very likely winner" IF able to produce his best. I thought this a very likely occurrence since he was 7-for-13 in turf sprints and he'd won not one but two turf sprints here last winter. In addition I took note thanks to Jim Mazur's "Fair Grounds Handicapper" that trainer Michael Stidham produced most of his winners (59%) when they were coming off a layoff like Rapid Rhythm was doing today. He was mid-pack to the far turn when he launched his rally. Six wide into the lane he closed with a determined rush and WON! Not only did he win, but he paid a remarkable $9.60 ....... I'd tripled the bet so I would be cashing for nearly $75 on my final winner of the day!
W-O-W, what an ending to a fabulous day! Welcome back Gulfstream Park!
Gulfstream Park Opening Day Highlights
Opening Day 2017 In Pictures
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