Opening Day at Santa Anita
It was a special Tuesday racing card on this day after Christmas, I'm sure because sister track Santa Anita featured four graded stakes on their Opening Day Card. I handicapped both cards and planned on betting races from both. The Gulfstream card had a lot of difficult races to find a legitimate win candidate so I was "pleased" with myself to only bet three races where I thought I had a real chance to win. In the opener I only wrote a single sentence without listing any runners as I couldn't find anyone worthy of mentioning. I passed the second - my top choice won as the 3/2 favorite. The third was a Maiden Claiming for 2yo fillies carrying a $50K price tag. Typically I have never liked Todd Pletcher runners dropping in for a tag, but he's scored with a number of them already here. So Mo Shopping was an obvious choice for me, especially with John Velazquez on board for owner Michael Repole. I thought it was interesting Pletcher had debuted her over the Belmont turf last summer - where she showed nothing. She'd been working steadily on the dirt locally and just seemed obvious. She was bothered at the start and then was VERY wide through the run to the far turn. Johnny V moved her up to challenge in third then asked for run nearing the quarter pole. She forged to the front and then drew off through the lane as the easiest kind of winner. ANOTHER win at Gulfstream - ANOTHER win for Pletcher/Velazquez. WHOOO HOOOO.
My double investment returned nearly $20 to kick off the day. The fourth race featured a pretty strong win angle for Pletcher - first start of a newly acquired runner. You're To Blame was the 7/5 program favorite but his price floated up to 2/1 at post time in a short field of five. As they turned for home the top three betting choices dueled the length of the stretch, exchanging the lead with each head bob. In the end I was third beaten a nose and a head. Great race though!
No bet in either the fifth or the sixth, but the seventh was my final selection at Gulfstream and my "BEST" of the day. When I looked over the field for this entry level turf sprint it jumped off the page that the favorite was a REALLY legitimate play. Sunnysammi towered over the field on speed figures - she routinely ran mid-to-upper 80 figs and the rest of the field struggled to get an occasional 70 number. In addition those were earned in tough NYRA races. Trainer Jason Servis was winning turf sprints - his forte - at a 34% clip. She broke sharply from the wide post and pressed the pace into the far turn. She glided to the front and was asked to kick on. She briefly had to do battle with a 99/1 shot but kicked clear as easily best.
So for the day at Gulfstream I was a strong 2-for-3 with a photo finish third and had made more than $15. Just continuing to have great luck in Hallandale this winter! Just after the Sunnysami race my first pick at Santa Anita ran fifth. I had opened my phone to check the post time for the first of the graded stakes, the Grade 2 San Antonio and saw that we were only fifteen minutes from post time. I checked on the big-screen television and found the race being broadcast live on the TVG network, so I watched in HD. EVERYONE was singling Collected for Bob Baffert who had been a big 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Classic. If that wasn't enough he was a perfect 4-for-4 at Santa Anita and looked like he could be the lone speed if he wanted to. But I agreed with the TVG analysts that with the widest draw jockey Mike Smith would probably sit just off the pace to the far turn before running away to an easy win. The 1/5 favorite didn't break that sharply and quickly was dead last. This cannot be good. Sure enough, the one that DID get to the front went very slowly and easily and upset the field wire to wire while Collected finished a well beaten third. As my "BEST" of the day I figured I had very little chance to have a winning day - either at Santa Anita or overall. Sigh.....can't win them all. Spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the little man and enjoying having Brad and Lauren around. They left early in the evening and after watching one show on television I opened up the computer to watch the replays of the last four races at Santa Anita. The sixth was the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3yo and up on the turf. Clearly the most accomplished in the field was Big Score who in his last six had three wins and a close second with the only off-the-board finish in the BC Juvenile Turf. All six of those had been in Gr 1 or 2 events. My only concern was his penchant for running second and third. Sure enough, he made a belated bid but was only good enough to pick up another graded stakes show purse. In the seventh it was, for me at least, the most anticipated race of the day. I've been a H-U-G-E fan of Unique Bella since her second start and no one was more disappointed when she faded badly as the favorite in the Gr 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint as my "Bet of the Weekend." But I was willing to give her a pass (a) for it being the second start off nearly eight months on the bench, and (b) the upsets that ran wild all day long. But today she was facing arguably the other top 3yo on the west coast, Paradise Woods. In her two wins over this track she'd been sensational. And she had been a good third in the BC Distaff. My concern with her echoed those of DRF analyst Brad Free....all her best races came on easy leads going two turns. Certainly Unique Bella was quicker and would have the jump on Paradise Woods as they turned for home. But instead it was Paradise Woods who raced on the rail and up close while Unique Bella stalked near the back and on the outside. But when jockey Mike Smith asked 'Bella to run on the turn I knew that today was one of her "A" races and no one, not even Paradise Woods would keep up with her.
While she was the 6/5 favorite, that was the "biggest" price you could have cashed on Unique Bella E-V-E-R as she'd only been even money twice and odds on all the other times. I had tripled the bet and cashed for nearly $35. The eighth race was the Grade 1 Malibu, the colt version of the La Brea. I liked midwest shipper CZ Rocket for trainer Al Stall. I can't remember the last time he sent a runner to So Cal. The unbeaten runner was facing his stiffest competition yet, but he'd been working locally for several works, including a best-of-54 bullet move. He stalked while wide through the far turn, then weakened to finish sixth. The last race of the day at Santa Anita, and the last race for me was an entry level allowance on the turf. As I looked over the field a couple runners peaked my interest but nothing at first glance. I looked at Brad Free's analysis. For several years there were three public handicappers that if they made a horse their "BEST Bet" and I wasn't on board I typically would avoid the race; if I'd picked that horse, I upped the bet; and if I didn't have an opinion then this was the automatic play. Two have since retired from handicapping but Free continues to offer his analysis in the Daily Racing Form. Spanish Hombre - who was a luke-warm 5/2 program favorite - was his BET of the Day in this, the ninth race! That was plenty good enough for me, so I doubled the bet. Spanish Hombre stalked the leader in second to the far turn and I knew if he was only half as good as Free had indicated I had the winner.
He took off heading for home and drew off. Best of all he'd been a generous 5/2 price so I cashed for a flat $35. I was just delighted. I went into xpressbet's files to get my wagering totals for the day and much to my surprise, not only did I finish the day an excellent 4-for-9 (44%), but in spite of losing the best-bet on Collected I finished with nearly $20 profit for the day! Go me! What a great way to start off the new week of racing!
My double investment returned nearly $20 to kick off the day. The fourth race featured a pretty strong win angle for Pletcher - first start of a newly acquired runner. You're To Blame was the 7/5 program favorite but his price floated up to 2/1 at post time in a short field of five. As they turned for home the top three betting choices dueled the length of the stretch, exchanging the lead with each head bob. In the end I was third beaten a nose and a head. Great race though!
No bet in either the fifth or the sixth, but the seventh was my final selection at Gulfstream and my "BEST" of the day. When I looked over the field for this entry level turf sprint it jumped off the page that the favorite was a REALLY legitimate play. Sunnysammi towered over the field on speed figures - she routinely ran mid-to-upper 80 figs and the rest of the field struggled to get an occasional 70 number. In addition those were earned in tough NYRA races. Trainer Jason Servis was winning turf sprints - his forte - at a 34% clip. She broke sharply from the wide post and pressed the pace into the far turn. She glided to the front and was asked to kick on. She briefly had to do battle with a 99/1 shot but kicked clear as easily best.
So for the day at Gulfstream I was a strong 2-for-3 with a photo finish third and had made more than $15. Just continuing to have great luck in Hallandale this winter! Just after the Sunnysami race my first pick at Santa Anita ran fifth. I had opened my phone to check the post time for the first of the graded stakes, the Grade 2 San Antonio and saw that we were only fifteen minutes from post time. I checked on the big-screen television and found the race being broadcast live on the TVG network, so I watched in HD. EVERYONE was singling Collected for Bob Baffert who had been a big 2nd in the Breeders' Cup Classic. If that wasn't enough he was a perfect 4-for-4 at Santa Anita and looked like he could be the lone speed if he wanted to. But I agreed with the TVG analysts that with the widest draw jockey Mike Smith would probably sit just off the pace to the far turn before running away to an easy win. The 1/5 favorite didn't break that sharply and quickly was dead last. This cannot be good. Sure enough, the one that DID get to the front went very slowly and easily and upset the field wire to wire while Collected finished a well beaten third. As my "BEST" of the day I figured I had very little chance to have a winning day - either at Santa Anita or overall. Sigh.....can't win them all. Spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the little man and enjoying having Brad and Lauren around. They left early in the evening and after watching one show on television I opened up the computer to watch the replays of the last four races at Santa Anita. The sixth was the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3yo and up on the turf. Clearly the most accomplished in the field was Big Score who in his last six had three wins and a close second with the only off-the-board finish in the BC Juvenile Turf. All six of those had been in Gr 1 or 2 events. My only concern was his penchant for running second and third. Sure enough, he made a belated bid but was only good enough to pick up another graded stakes show purse. In the seventh it was, for me at least, the most anticipated race of the day. I've been a H-U-G-E fan of Unique Bella since her second start and no one was more disappointed when she faded badly as the favorite in the Gr 1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint as my "Bet of the Weekend." But I was willing to give her a pass (a) for it being the second start off nearly eight months on the bench, and (b) the upsets that ran wild all day long. But today she was facing arguably the other top 3yo on the west coast, Paradise Woods. In her two wins over this track she'd been sensational. And she had been a good third in the BC Distaff. My concern with her echoed those of DRF analyst Brad Free....all her best races came on easy leads going two turns. Certainly Unique Bella was quicker and would have the jump on Paradise Woods as they turned for home. But instead it was Paradise Woods who raced on the rail and up close while Unique Bella stalked near the back and on the outside. But when jockey Mike Smith asked 'Bella to run on the turn I knew that today was one of her "A" races and no one, not even Paradise Woods would keep up with her.
He took off heading for home and drew off. Best of all he'd been a generous 5/2 price so I cashed for a flat $35. I was just delighted. I went into xpressbet's files to get my wagering totals for the day and much to my surprise, not only did I finish the day an excellent 4-for-9 (44%), but in spite of losing the best-bet on Collected I finished with nearly $20 profit for the day! Go me! What a great way to start off the new week of racing!
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