Pegasus Week

January 24 - 28

Pegasus World Cup Week

Wednesday January 24
One of the biggest racing weeks of the season, and literally of the year began on Wednesday as Gulfstream Park readied for hosting the "World's Richest Race" - the Grade 1 $16 Million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Saturday.  My first selection of the week was in a maiden claimer where Somwhatoptimistic had been claimed off a troubled debut and looked to be a good price.  Dueled on the lead into the stretch at a big 8/1 price before weakening late to finish 3rd.  What's Inside left the gate at 5/2 in the sixth, a starter optional claiming sprint for sophomores.  Handled patiently just off the leaders and looked to be perfectly positioned, but when top rider Luis Saez let him go he got to the leader, but could not hold off the finish of the 12/1 upset winner - second.  The seventh was a non-winners of three lifetime event on the turf and I thought Appa was a generous price to be listed at 6/1.  You had to look carefully, but if you did you'd notice that CLEARLY his best speed figures were earned over this course last winter (75-78-79) and his record was 6/0-0-2 everywhere else, but a strong 5/2-1-1 here.  Top rider Saez was on and if Appa ran back to last winter's numbers, he was your winner.  Stalked the speed into the far turn then took over and drew off.  While he was the post time favorite, it was still a more-than-fair price of better than 2/1 and I cashed for well over $30!

In the eighth it was a maiden claimer for older runners, and as I wrote.....normally you'd be leery of a maiden who'd not been out since 2016, but this WAS the Championship Meet at Gulfstream and the trainer of Emporer John WAS Todd Pletcher.  He'd faced the eventual Gr 2 Swale winner in his "most recent" start and with Pletcher's numbers here, with layoff runners I made him the pick.  I upped the bet when I made the actual wager and he was a DECISIVE winner, drawing off by a widening seven plus lengths through the stretch.  Considering everything I thought 4/5 was more than generous on him.

My final bet was in the last race with a Chad Brown turf runner.  Jockey Irad Ortiz is generally one of the best riders on the turf but he kept Culture Carrier inside all the way and was trapped until mid-stretch and by then the winner was long gone, fortunate to get 3rd as the 9/5 favorite.

Thursday January 25
After running second with my first selection I had three third place finishes and a fifth - not a day I care to remember to be honest.

Friday January 26
It's Pegasus Eve and I worked quite a while on preparing a program for Keith and I - who had flown down for the weekend - while providing detailed analysis on all twelve races at Gulfstream, as well as a few stakes from both Laurel and Santa Anita.  But, I also had picks today.  Was hoping that today I'd have a bounce-back effort off the 0-for day yesterday and build some momentum for the big day!  The third was a maiden claiming event for three-year-olds and there was not a Todd Pletcher runner, but it was my BEST of the Day!  I have a "rule" that with maidens, unless there are some exceptional reasons, once a runner has had six chances and they are still winless I won't play them.  But, Galileo's Affair was one of those which I'd make an exception on.  Of his six starts two were miserable efforts on the turf, toss......one of the other four was a two-turn affair in a $400K stakes - yes, as a maiden - an obvious toss.  That left three dirt, sprint starts.  He'd been beaten only 1 1/4, 1 3/4, and a length in those starts, but more importantly his Beyer figures in his last two - 56 & 50 - wouldn't make him a threat to win a Breeders' Cup race, but the last race figure of his "rivals today were:  -0, 22, 32, 15, 37, and 33.  Looked M-U-C-H the best on paper.  Sat mid-pack to the far turn and then without being asked just BLEW by the field to draw off by a widening pole or more while under wraps and geared down.

Didn't pay much, but it's all about being right my friend!  In the eighth I had 13/1 Ekhlaas who ran a credible fourth and briefly, oh-so-briefly on the turn I thought maybe.......EVERYBODY, including me like Purely Boy in the 9th on the turf.  Too late, third.  The tenth was a race I was very interested in.  Why?  Because the top choice was a Todd Pletcher horse, No Sweat, who I'd bet a little over two weeks ago.  That day he was entered in a turf event, but the forecast was for rain.  I reasoned that day that if this Todd Pletcher colt got to run in a 7 furlong dirt sprint instead of a two-turn turf event he'd be tough to handle.  It all happened but he was a non-threatening third.  Several horses had exited races where they'd faced him and I used him as a negative gauge.  But today he was going two turns on the main track - AND, after all it was Todd Pletcher and top jockey Luis Saez.  A completely different animal today as No Sweat drew off to a decisive score.

The last race of the day I thought I might have something BIG and it was all because of one of my favorite and oh-so-cute former students, Christie Shade.  The finale was a maiden race where seven with experience had been beaten a combined 114 lengths.  The only one with experience who had "decent" form was coming off a second place finish, but he'd been second three times, had already lost six times and had a 3-for-59 rider.  Meanwhile Pretty Shea D - note the play on words, and her screen name is Sea Shadey.....had to be the one right?  And this filly was trained by Jason Servis who wins with 38% of his first time maiden claimers.  Went off at a huge 8/1 and came to that one runner who'd been second, again, on the turn.  I KNEW she'd go right by and the favorite would be content to run second, again.  But not today.  She held on to win and I was second best.  Oh, so close for my pretty Christie Shade!

Saturday January 27:  Pegasus World Cup Day

What a fabulous day!  Click HERE to read the separate journal on the BIG day!

Pegasus World Cup Day Highlights

Sunday January 28
I DO say this frequently, but again, what a great story to go along with the chronicles of the racing day!  So many times, especially at this time of the year I have a big day, like yesterday and some of the "glow" of the big day is dulled by a less than productive Sunday of handicapping.  And I cannot emphasize how very, VERY cool it was to be at the races to be there IN PERSON at an event that people from literally all over the world were saying, "I wish I were there!"  I began thinking before I went to bed and then all night - literally because I slept very little (go figure) - I debated about just passing on Sunday and starting the new week Wednesday.  But each time I came close to making that decision I thought about how I HAD already handicapped and I also had five stakes races from Sam Houston Park on my agenda.  Finally about mid-morning I decided I'd just go ahead and play the races, but I wouldn't spend the time watching.  That way if it was a less than successful day I'd only have the brief half hour or so of watching replays to "dull" the Saturday glow.  So I put my wagers in and was getting ready to watch the NHL All-Star game when I got a text from my buddy Jim Anderson in Minnesota (who often plays the races and uses my picks) and the text read, "You're still on fire!"  So I replied, "Sometimes they just jump off the page :)" but now I HAVE to go check, right?  In the Sunday opener it was a claiming event on the turf for a $16K price tag.  Six of the eight in here had already lost for this tag and one of the two class droppers was coming out of a $25K spot but was based in Woodbine and those just don't run well here.  The other class dropper was very intriguing - Shezaprado.  First it was interesting that she was based at the Fair Grounds and was brought here by Michael Maker who has a string of horses in both places.  Certainly there are turf races in New Orleans to run in.  Secondly, both her maiden win and her first win against winners had identical patterns - dropped in class from a $50K race into a $16K spot and won.  What was happening today?  Dropping out of a $30K race and dropping in for $16K (and the ship in).  Just too much to ignore.  Mid-pack into the stretch then was cut loose and she ran by the field with ease.  And the best part - she was a healthy $9 winner so I cashed for well over $25!

In the second it was a 3yo maiden claiming event - yes, there was a Todd Pletcher runner taking the "Pletcher Plunge" as the DRF coined it a week or so ago.  Huyanda debuted in a MSW two-turn turf event and was basically eased under the wire.  Today she plunges to the $25K level and goes turf to dirt and gets top rider Saez.  Even better was the fact that the top two rivals were an 0-for-8 Woodbine based maiden and another who'd been beaten by that invader.  Why I didn't bet more I can't say, other than I was thinking about it being the Sunday after Pegasus Saturday.  Pressed to the stretch and then took as as TONS the best. 

After passing the 3rd, 4th, and 5th I was on board with Barbados Kitten in the 6th, a maiden claiming event on the turf.  This one was a sharp second when first off the claim for Saffie Joseph who's produced several winners off the claim.  The runner-up finish was enhanced when noting that she was checked sharply in the stretch.  A clean trip today and she's your winner.  Ironic that Jose Ortiz was replaced by Irad Ortiz today - awkward.  Sent right to the front she wasn't asked until spinning out of the turn, and then a shake of the reins and the margin lengthened with each and every stride, the easiest kind of winner.  My THIRD WIN in a row to start the day......Jim was right, I AM still on fire!

The next pick was the first of five stakes races on the Sam Houston "Houston Racing Festival" card, the Groovy Stakes - a six furlong sprint for 3yo.  Direct Dial went for Steve Asmussen - fresh off training Gun Runner to win the Pegasus Cup yesterday - and this one was the prohibitive even money favorite.  But when he forged to the lead at the top of the lane a 44/1 longshot just blew by like he was standing still - second.  The sixth at Sam Houston was the Frontier Utilities Turf Sprint and the classy veteran Hogy stood out like a sore thumb.  Yes, it had been a while since his last win, but of the 216 combined starts by his rivals today only TWO races would be competitive with ONE of his LAST EIGHT starts!  A winner of over a million dollars he was the clear class of the field.  BUT in a five furlong turf sprint like this with a full field of eleven it would be all about pace and racing luck for a deep closer like him.  Honestly, watching the race it was like it had been scripted as he saved ground into the far turn and when asked to run he hugged the rail while one after another moved off the rail to open up a path into the stretch.  Ortiz shifted him outside of the one remaining challenger then head dead aim on the leader and blew by without ever taking a deep breath.  WHOOO HOOOO my first stakes win in Texas!

The ninth at Gulfstream was a maiden claimer and I liked the upset candidate, Attorney Al who was listed at 12/1 in the DRF morning line.  Second time Jorge Navarro with an apprentice rider up while dropping to the bottom of the claiming barrel you could bet this one would be on a "go as fast as you can as far as you can" mission.  Pressed the pace and held gamely to be a sharp third at nearly 9/1.  Next up was the Barra Lass for 3yo fillies at Sam Houston.  Only two figures were even in the same zip code as the two earned by odds-on filly She's Pretty Lucky.  And the bettors noted that sending her off as a prohibitive 1/9 favorite....an even third!  WOW.  As I mentioned at the beginning of today's journal, I'd hesitated to play today.  And when I did I "compromised" by thinking I'd bet and watch them all in replays.  But that had not worked out and I was watching the streaming live feed from both tracks.  The other compromise I made was that with my BEST of the Day in this upcoming 8th, the Grade 3 John Connally going a mile and a half on the turf with defending champion Bigger Picture was to cut the bet from a big $30 win bet down to $20.  When the betting was going on and he was the 5/2 second choice I looked at who was taking all the money and at the multi-race wagers.  Neither supported anyone but Bigger Picture who was a Grade 1 winner and was exiting the Breeders' Cup Turf.  He got a good trip, made his move on the turn and vaulted to the lead.  The other favorite who'd taken all the early money came running, but too little, too late!  My second stakes in Houston and my fifth winner of the day. 

The prime time play resulted in a return of nearly $40 and I was home free with a profit for the day regardless of what happened in the final two races on my selection sheet.  The 11th was one of the best price plays of the day as it turned out, and an example of good handicapping and gambling.  If you were willing to focus on the debut win for Storymeister then this filly was a standout in this starter optional claiming sprint for three-year-olds.  The concern for some was her big Beyer dropped significantly in her first try off that win.  But, and I wrote it was "sketchy" reasoning, but that had come at Gulfstream Park West which has a far more sandy track and that COULD have been a reason.  But it was also significant that the the winner had been SEVEN clear of the runner-up AND had since come right back to win; the runner-up was four clear of Storymeister and she was another five clear of the field.  When the top finishers are that spread out it's often indicative of a strong race.  Apparently not a lot of people took note of that because Storymeister went right to the front and the farther they went the wider the margin.  Under wraps past the wire she was a decisive winner and the price.....

Oh yeah baby, a big 3/1 price and paid $8.40 meaning I'd be cashing for over $40!  WHOOOO HOOOO!  The last race on the sheet was the Grade 3 Houston Ladies' Classic and my pick came roaring from the back to stick her neck in front with a sixteenth to go but was out-head-bobbed on the wire to be second in a photo.  So for the day a BIG 6-for-10 day with a profit of just fifty cents short of fifty dollars!  So, SO very glad I played today!

Pegasus World Cup Day

Saturday January 27

What a great, G-R-E-A-T day!  I was so, SO very glad that I did not let the price of the tickets dissuade me like it did last year.  Granted the prices were dropped this year, but let me tell you, to sit in the "cheap seats" - and I'd argue that our Florida Derby seats have the best view, even better than right on the finish line, but they are the least expensive grandstand ticket seats - was anything BUT cheap......

But I cannot explain to you, unless you are a true horse racing fan, just how cool it was to be RIGHT there watching them burst from the gate in the world's richest horse race, the $16 Million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup featuring Horse of the Year Gun Runner KNOWING that people from all over the world were watching and thinking, "Wouldn't that be cool to actually be there?" and WE WERE THERE!  Keith and I left the house about 9:30 am (gates had opened at 9 am and first post was at 11:30 am) and we arrived at about 10:15 am.  With our parking pass we drove right in, got the pass scanned and really parked fairly close to the facility, not far at all (maybe a row or two back) from where I'd typically park on a Saturday at the races.  We got through security and I was surprised, but not really, to see that the entire shopping facility was blocked off with gates, and a LOT of security.  The only drawback to this for me was that the area overlooking the paddock is where I like to do my video clips and it was inaccessible.  We walked out to the rail and had the obligatory "Day at the Races" picture, and then because Keith had called in "sick" at school in Illinois I had him take a photo of just me for posting on social media........

Walked around and took in the flavor of the big day and then settled in about 11 am for handicapping and playing the races for the day.  It's worthy of mentioning that I went back and forth about what to wear and finally decided on the compromise between "formal day at the races" attire and "casual day at the races attire" by wearing my Pegasus World Cup polo under a sports coat with a Pegasus pin.  A couple of times when I saw some of the other fans all decked out in Derby-esque attire I had the thought that I'd wished I'd worn the more fancy outfit, but I was ok with it overall.  You can see some of the styles in the photo shots at the bottom of the page.  So the racing......

I'd put together a guide and analysis sheet for both of us and I had told Keith that one lesson he should try to follow that I'd made a lot, A LOT of money with this winter was if it's a maiden 3yo race in particular, but any race generally and there is a Todd Pletcher runner, especially with John Velazquez riding, you almost HAVE to make the bet.  And as it turned out, in the opener that was the case.  There were twelve races on the card today and eight of them were stakes.  But four of the first five were maiden 3yo races and three of the four had a Pletcher entry.  Well duh.  The first was an overcrowded turf event going a mile and a sixteenth and Todd Pletcher's debuting colt Amertune had drawn the rail with John Velazquez.  On the upside, he was a $300K son of champion Tapit and was bred to love the lawn.  On the downside, especially in this big of a field there would be a real chance that anything but a sharp break - uncommon for a first time starter - and he could be left buried in the field.  Still, as I've said many times, you're either ALL IN on Pletcher or you're not.  Listed at 4/1 in the program he floated up to 5/1....then 6/1.....then 7/1.....and all I could think of was that if he were to win this, it would make for a great story!  He broke ok, and was mid-pack while saving ground through the clubhouse turn.  Johnny V got him within about half a dozen lengths while still on the rail to the far turn and then shifted into the clear as heads turned for home.  As I turned my camera on to video the stretch run he didn't look to be in position to win, but then he hit a whole new gear and blew by to hit the front in the final 100 yards and edge clear.  OH MY!  And the post time price of 8/1 led to a $2 payout of $19.20!  ON A TODD PLETCHER/JOHN VELAZQUEZ runner.  Seriously?

I, as is almost always the case with a Pletcher Gulfstream runner, had doubled the bet so I'd be cashing for nearly $100.  And this was so ironic because as the horses were in the post parade I was doing the math for the day.  I'd made all of my bets before the first so I wouldn't have to worry about lines/missing some of the sights and sounds of the day.  I'd had winning tickets from last Saturday and when I made all my bets I'd spent $145.  So I knew if I could collect $150 for the day I'd be a winner.  And BOOM in the FIRST RACE ALONE I cash for almost $100!  What a way to start the day!  But wait, the story of the first race is NOT over!  I went downstairs and climbed half way up the staircase to the second level to film the video for the race.  As I came down I saw this guy with credentials around his neck holding what looked like a lit-up halo on a pole and thought "wonder what that's all about?"  Just as I drew along side of him he stopped three gentlemen and explained his role today.  So I stopped to listen.  Turns out he was taking the "Official Pegasus Selfie" photo and it was free AND they'd email it to you on the spot.  I waited patiently while he took three shots for each of the three guys and then he turned to me and said, "Would you like one?"  Absolutely I would!  I asked if I could have the paddock in the background and I held up my winning ticket from the first race.  He smiled and said, "Oh that's good!"  Sent me the email and before I'd walked out to our seats I had it.......how great is this:

Just added to the many, many great stories of the day!  I could hardly believe it when in the second race Pletcher's Takechargedelilah went off at 8/1 and was flying at the end.....oh, so close second!  The third was the first stakes of the day and I was an even fourth at 5/1 with a minimum bet.  The fourth race was the third Pletcher maiden 3yo and despite the day being filled with stakes action, a lot of it graded, AND the Grade 1 Pegasus having the Horse of the Year, this race, this maiden race was my BET of the Day!  Life's A Parlay had debuted with what on the surface looked like an "ok" third here.  But the fine print showed the $725K son of champion Uncle Mo had hit the gate at the start and broke awkwardly putting him near the very back.  He'd recovered and rushed up into fifth but had to slam on the brakes when checked sharply and lost several lengths and momentum at the half mile pole.  Still, he rallied strongly and finished a solid third.  The DRF's Mike Welsch wrote in his analysis for today that he had to "....be on everyone's 'horses to watch list' after his effort on the compromising start and trip....."  But to be fair, he also was in post THIRTEEN today.  The only saving grace was that this was a one-turn mile with a long run from the gate to the far turn and John Velazquez figured to have ample time to get his colt into a winning position.  I shouldn't have worried because as the gate latch sprung, Velazquez immediately cleared the field and was in front.  An 8/1 longshot would NOT let him get away and they dueled into the stretch.  Just when it looked like he might give in Velazquez let him roll and he opened up a daylight lead.  He was beginning to tire in the final 100 yards but it was too late, he had scored as much the best!

My $30 WIN ticket allowed me to cash for another $60 and suddenly after four races, with just two wins I'd collected $156 and I'm guaranteed to be a winner on the day!  WOW!

I was second in the fifth, the last of the maiden races on a Shug McGaughey runner.  I was a good third in the Ladies' Turf Sprint at a big 10/1 on another Pletcher runner and then it was time for the Grade 3 Fred Hooper.  As soon as I saw the entries for this one-turn mile graded stakes I KNEW who the bet would be without any handicapping.  And it's one of the advantages of being a frequent handicapper, especially at Gulfstream.  While I will admit that one angle I follow nearly without fail is the Todd Pletcher angle here, sometimes there are races where his horse is the pick because of handicapping, not simply "you can't go wrong" with him.  Such was the case here.  Last winter I won this very race with Pletcher's Tommy Macho.  And THAT day I'd liked him because he was a "horse for the course" that always did his best running here, and at this one turn mile.  Again, I knew he'd be the pick based on that fact.  I didn't need any confirmation of it, but since that win last winter he'd been facing far, FAR tougher - the best miler in the world in the Grade 1 Cigar, Sharp Azteca; the biggest speed figure on dirt prior to the Breeders' Cup in the Grade 1 Met Mile, Mor Spirit; the winner of the Group 2 $2 Million Dubai Golden Shaheen, Mind Your Biscuits and Drefrong, the winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint.  ANY of those guys would have been 1/9 prohibitive favorites here today.  Tommy Macho had been competitive with all of them AND had a sharp bullet work for today.  Regular pilot Luis Saez, the leading jockey who's been red-hot as of late (SEVEN wins on Wednesday) had the mount.  Saez pressed the leader three wide into the turn, edged to the front and opened up to be a daylight winner!

I had doubled the bet so I cashed for over $30 on my THIRD win of the day - and this was, again, just bonus profit money thanks to the first two victories!  I was 4th at 7/2 odds in the Grade 3 WL McKnight going a mile and a half on the turf when Gold Shield was three-wide the entire trip.  Right after that it was time for the second of two Laurel stakes events I'd played, the Native Dancer going a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.  If you were willing to look at Afleet Willy's last race as simply a prep, you could draw a line through it and he'd be the obvious choice.  That last race had been a six furlong stakes and he'd been coming off a layoff.  Today's two-turn event fit his profile as in his last six starts at a mile or longer he'd won FIVE and was a photo-finish 2nd to a multiple graded stakes winner.  He was the betting favorite but took a lot of late money to drop down to even money.  Right to the front, wasn't asked until the stretch and drew off by easily a pole or more!

I tripled the bet so I'd cash for another $30!  My "Upset Special" was in Gulfstream's 9th, the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie going seven furlongs.  First, I've NEVER liked Curlin's Approval who figured to be the odds-on choice.  I have ALWAYS thought she was overrated, and while she did beat me once, I'd also seen her go down as the even money favorite last time out running 2nd to a Chad Brown layoff horse; 5th at 3/5 last winter and a beaten 1-2 favorite last year in the Gr 3 Rampart when I beat her with a Todd Pletcher $15 winner.  I liked Southern California invader Marley's Freedom who had Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith for trainer Bob Hess.  That this was his ONLY horse to run here for the weekend added to the appeal, as did the 10/1 program odds.  She was bet down to 3/1 but lost all chance when completely missing the break - checked in 6th.  The tenth at Gulfstream was the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint and it featured the world record holder at the distance Pay Any Price who was my BET of the Day on Opening Day and I'd cashed again when he was my BEST in Tampa's Turf Sprint.  But today it looked like there was a ton of speed to set it up for a closer and I went with one of my "old friends," Rainbow Heir who ran for trainer Jason Servis.  Didn't hurt the cause that Servis specializes in turf sprinters!  Rainbow Heir was as effective on dirt as turf, and had in fact won the Wolf Hill at Monmouth for me in back-to-back years when that race was rained off the grass BOTH times!  Handled patiently by jockey Irad Ortiz behind blazing early splits, Rainbow Heir swung out four wide into the stretch and just blew by to win going away!

The $8.60 payoff meant I'd cash for over $40 on my FOURTH big win of the day!  The last stakes before the "Main Event" was the South Beach Stakes going 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf.  Last year on Florida Derby Day, Grade 1 Celestine had been my BET of the Day in the one mile Grade 2 Honey Fox, and she'd won easily under rider Jose Ortiz.  She'd been off form since, but she looked to be working sharply and the drop into this listed event was just what the doctor ordered.  I hesitated briefly because she's won for me loose on the lead and post eleven did her no favors, especially with other speed to the inside.  But she had won pressing the pace and so I trusted Ortiz.  He rated her patiently after getting over to save ground and burst to the front at the furlong marker in mid-stretch, but in the final 100 yards she was caught by her deep-closing stablemate who was the second choice, second.

Now it was time for the featured Grade 1 $16 Million Pegasus World Cup Invitational!  You could feel the electricity in the air and it was a packed house who was anxious to see if Horse of the Year could make his final start before retirement a repeat, or dare we consider an improvement over his tour-de-force win in the $6 Million Breeders' Cup Classic two months ago.  Before the post position draw I'd thought he'd be easily the BET of the Day.  Then a couple weeks ago I read an article which quoted an opposing trainer who said when asked why he challenge Gun Runner, "For $16 Million I'm willing to give it a shot because, what if he draws the outside post - then he's vulnerable!"  And the statistics bore this out - since Gulfstream was re-figured eight years ago there have been 228 races run around two turns at a mile and a sixteenth or a mile and an eighth, today's distance.  From those 228 races, posts 9-and-out had produced ten winners, that's a 4% win average.  Then I read that Gun Runner's trainer Steve Asmussen had said that "....all year long we'd pointed for the Breeders' Cup Classic...." - so would he be in prime time condition with this "add on" race (hard to believe that a $16 Million race would be an "afterthought!").  I went back and forth with my thinking and finally determined I'd have to handicap the race like any other.  As soon as I scanned the past performances I knew.....of the 168 races run by his eleven rivals NONE had run a speed figure good enough to beat his last two!  The "Double Beyer Advantage" handicapping angle is one of the most reliable angles in any race, regardless of distance or class level.  The ONLY two who could challenge were Sharp Azteca who's only chance was to be loose on the lead, which wouldn't happen AND he'd never get the nine furlongs today as he's strictly a miler.  And then Bob Baffert's Collected had a Beyer that would challenge, but he'd earned that when second, three lengths behind GUN RUNNER in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and he would be dueling with Sharp Azteca it appeared.  As I told several people, the only way Gun Runner loses is if he just doesn't run his race.  The fact that they'd pointed for the BC all year was my lone concern and the only thing that kept him from being my BET of the Day.  So I listed him in my analysis as the definitive choice with a prime time play......

But then the day before the Pegasus I got an email with the above promotion.  I know it's a horse race and anything can happen, but in his ENTIRE CAREER Gun Runner has NEVER failed to hit the board.  So with the "Get Your Money Back" promotion I could double my own $20 WIN bet and if he did win, which I truly believed he would, I'd have a $40 WIN ticket on him with the guarantee that if he did not win, I really only had a $20 investment in the race.  A no-brainer I thought.  The crowd exploded as the gates opened and immediately I was 99% sure I had the winner and that it would be one of the most exciting moments I'd ever witnessed in racing.  Why?  First, Sharp Azteca did NOT get to the front and second, jockey Florent Geroux shot Gun Runner out of the gate and he was easily third, only two wide into the first turn.  He glided up easily to front-running Collected as they turned into the backstretch and it became a replay of the Breeders' Cup Classic.  No one is catching him with this trip and he won't be outrun by this guy I thought!  On the turn he glided to the lead, dueled briefly when West Coast - the other Baffert runner - made his move, then when Geroux asked he ran away to the thunderous roar of the standing-room only crowd.  Gave me goose-bumps and you can feel that excitement when you listen to me cheer on the video as he came home.  TRULY a memorable moment!

I'd be remiss if I did not mention that sitting on the other side of me all day was the nicest lady, Kathy, who'd flown down from Indiana just to see the race and we enjoyed swapping racing stories and handicapping thoughts all day; and just past her another local couple who became my second and third "new best friends" of the day.  We all celebrated our wins together and gave condolences for the losses.  Made the day even more memorable!  Keith and I left and surprisingly the traffic was no issue what so ever.  Keith had had a big day, and profited enough to pay for his rental car and his ticket (which I did not expect as I'd promised him he only had to pay $50 if he wanted to go - thanks buddy!).  I'd won five-of-twelve on the day and over $150 in profits at Gulfstream.  And good for my ego, I'd been tracking the three professional handicappers all day......

That's right, who's the pro!  When we got home Kim had cooked steaks and baked potatoes for us to enjoy as our celebratory dinner!  Delicious!  I had one last play from Santa Anita where it had been their "Sunshine Millions/Cal Cup Day" card.  It was the nine furlong turf event, the Unusual Heat Turf Classic and I went with Rye who would have a solid pace to close into.  He was the LONE multiple winner at this nine furlong distance and the barn was winning at a big 55%.  At the top of the lane he looked to be too far back AND too much traffic to negotiate but he found a way through and split horses in the shadow of the wire to be just up in time in a photo finish!

Cashed for $30 on my last bet of the day to close the day 7-for-18, that's 39% and a profit of $136 overall.  Be sure to scroll down to the photos of the day below the highlight video....what a day!

Pegasus World Cup Highlights

Snapshots from Pegasus Day 2018

Sunshine Millions Day

Saturday January 20

I headed out to Gulfstream on Saturday for Sunshine Millions Day, the first in a string of super Saturday racing cards that highlight the winter's Championship Meeting.  My father-in-law Ed and brother-in-law Tim were along and both played the Gulfstream races.  I had handicapped not only the Millions Day card but had made selections at Tampa, Laurel, and the Fair Grounds; and I had one prime time play in Oaklawn's featured stakes race.  The first three hours of the day were fair slow with only eight races and six of those were at Gulfstream!  But one of them, in Race 2 was my BEST of the DAY at Gulfstream Park.  I've said and/or written this several times.....one of the best things about thoroughbred handicapping is that it does NOT need to be a big stakes race where you find your best bet of the day.  And here was a case in point.....four big stakes on the Gulfstream program and my "BEST BET" came in the second, a cheap maiden claiming event for older sprinters!  As I scanned down the past performances the first time I was thinking what a woeful field this was!  Eight of the first nine runners had already lost for this cheap maiden tag multiple times - or vs. cheaper - and were beaten a combined 118 lengths in their last start.  OUCH!  The other runner in the top nine was a first time starter listed at 20/1 with little to offer.  But then you came to Let Me Flatter You in post position ten.  He had been out four times, all vs. $25K or better maidens on the Southern California circuit, and had finished third in three of those four starts.  She got hot riding Irad Ortiz today and her last So Cal race had already produced two next out winners.  She was 1/9 in the early betting and I thought she was probably all of that, but then the "value" bettors decided to take a shot elsewhere and his odds ballooned up to a very, very generous 3/5.  He pressed the pace to the far turn, took over at will and galloped home as much, MUCH the best.  

My prime time play netted me over $30 with my first winner!  From the noon first post through the 3:00 pm post of the sixth at Laurel (this covers Races 1-through-7 at Gulfstream) I managed four third place finishes, two fourth place finishes, a second, and one off the board runner.  Struggling here, but I kept the faith and told my companions to be patient!

But the "story of the day" came during this time frame when I didn't have a pick in Gulfstream's sixth.  I stopped by the Gift Shop where I "know" the guy who runs it.  I have stopped in several times and while looking at polo shirts I always ask if he's got lapel pins - for either Gulfstream in general, the Florida Derby, or Pegasus Day.  So I stopped by, we chatted as I looked at shirts then I went to the counter and said, "Do you have any Pegasus World Cup pins?"  The gal working with him exclaimed, "Oh my, we have only ONE left!"  As she said that he pulled it out from under the counter, held it up and said, "I've been saving it JUST for you!"  We had a nice chuckle and were chit chatting as he rang me up.  Then just as he gave me the receipt he said, "Let me ask you something....do you ever have an occasional drink?  And if you do, do you maybe have some hors d'oeuvres like cheese, or crackers?"  I said I did.  He reached down on to the counter display and picked up a miniature cutting board with the Gulfstream logo emblazoned on it and said, "This is for you then, from me to you!"  How nice and generous was that!

The seventh at Tampa was a Maiden Special sprint for three-year-olds.  Too bad Todd Pletcher doesn't run here...wait a tic, who's the trainer of #8 Gleason, a first time starter?  None other than Mr. Pletcher and he's got NY rider Manny Franco who's in town for the stakes races, to ride.  Well duh!  Made Gleason my BEST of the Day at Tampa.  He pressed the pace to the far turn and cruised to the front easily.  As they turned for home Franco looked under in right arm, then his left and gave the mildest of encouragements to the favorite as he galloped home as M-U-C-H the best!

I came right back less than ten minutes later when I correctly named Reckless Ransom as the winner of a first level allowance at the Fair Grounds.  He won for the winningest trainer in North America last year, Karl Broberg, and in spite of that paid a generous $9.60!  My misses continued at Gulfstream when Noble Drama was fifth at 2/1 in the 9th, a MSW for 3yo (without a Todd Pletcher runner!)  But I bounced right back in the second of the Laurel featured stakes events.  I had a pick in the Fire Plug at Laurel, the first of the two sprint events, but he scratched.  I really liked Miss Locust Point in the What A Summer.  She figured to be odds on after winning four of her first five starts, the only miss being in the Grade 2 Forward Gal last winter at Gulfstream.  Her back-to-back bullet works said she was ready for today.  My plan was to make her a triple investment play, but throughout the early betting she was a prohibitive 1/9.  That, and the fact one of the contenders scratched out led me to up the ante.  She tracked the leaders to the far turn, took over willingly and was never challenged.  MUCH the best.

Certainly didn't get rich on the play, but the added investment netted me almost $30!  Missed on two off-site picks, one side-note...in the Tampa miss I had the 5/2 second choice who was tracking the 88/1 front-runner.  Went to make my move and nope, that one kept on going and paid a whopping $179.40 for a $2 bet! WOW!  As I said to Ed & Tim, "Now it's time to get serious" here at Gulfstream.  The Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf was next up in Race 10.  I thought Starship Jubilee was a standout.  And under "normal" circumstances I probably would have made her a "best bet."  But she'd looked much the best on Opening Day as a two-time Grade 2 winner dropping into that event, but she was caught in a photo finish as the favorite.  If she ran back to her graded stakes efforts she would prove hard to beat, something like the Claiming Crown effort and she was simply the better horse but not an overwhelming favorite.  She tracked a hot pace, made her move on the turn and proved best while holding the rest of the field safe through the run to the wire!

The triple investment returned $30 and all three of us cashed tickets!  As I was waiting for the prices to be posted I was watching the 6th from the Fair Grounds on xpressbet.com on my smart phone.  This race was an entry level allowance and lightly raced Harlan Strong was the choice.  He'd run four of five turf figures in the 80s and that would require a lifetime best from the rest to beat him.  He drew clear late, paid a nice $6.20 and I was set to collect another $30 and change!  The final bet we stayed to watch live was far and away the "featured attraction" - the Sunshine Millions Sprint featuring multiple graded stakes winner X Y Jet.  He'd come back off knee surgery and being off for more than a year in his most recent when he wired the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector.  The question was this - was he not fully cranked for that or did that take the punch out of him off the layoff.  Because if that was a less than 100% effort, then he'd crush these rivals.  If that had been the ultimate effort, then a regression here COULD make him vulnerable.  That question was the only thing that kept me from making HIM a prime time play.  Right to the front and was well in hand while never being threatened!  Obviously brought his "A" game today!

Cashed out for almost $30 again!  Once we got home I quickly opened up my computer - ignoring the pizza for dinner laid out! - and went to watch the replay of the Dixie Belle Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Oaklawn.  Last summer I played Canterbury Downs in Minnesota quite a bit because I was planning to visit my buddy Jim Anderson there.  I read in the Daily Racing Form in mid-December when handicapping for Woodbine Mile Day (Sept 16) that the featured sprint at Canterbury featured Amy's Challenge who had broken her maiden by beating the colts by a dazzling sixteen plus lengths and had earned the best Beyer figure for any two-year-old, colt or filly!  And she won that small stakes, again beating the boys.  So today while getting ready for the big day of racing I'd checked Oaklawn's page to see what their feature was and there was a headline that Amy's Challenge was taking on another highly regarded filly.  Well, I KNOW Amy and made her a prime time bet.  The two hooked up at the top of the far turn and raced head up and head down to the sixteenth pole.  Then the other filly got her head ever so slightly in front.  Not to be denied Amy's Challenged surged....

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!  The generous 7/5 odds and my prime time play means I'll cash for almost $50 when I take the ticket to the window on my next visit to Gulfstream!  Amy's Challenge was my eighth win of the day, from 23 selections (38%) and made my fourth stakes winner!

Sunshine Millions Day Highlights

The rest of the week provided little to right home about....

Wednesday January 17
I only had four selections on the Wednesday card as we kicked off Sunshine Millions Week.  I sandwiched a third between two fifth place finishes before heading into the 9th race.  This was the "West Point Thoroughbred's Race of the Day" and it was a seven furlong sprint for three-year-olds that featured Todd Pletcher's Impact Player.  He'd been one of my FIVE wins when I was at Gulfstream on a Wednesday afternoon in December, but that had been in a tight photo finish.  STILL, it was more than ten lengths back to the show runner and like on that day, I was drawn to the fact that he had been a best-of-the-rest 2nd to Engage in his Saratoga debut....and that colt came right back to win the Futurity Stakes.  My plan was to triple the bet, but EVERYONE and his brother was betting Impact Player.  Since I was watching live I decided to up the bet to a $25 WIN bet.  MUCH the best!

Thursday January 18
I had contemplated going out to the races on Wednesday, but first when I saw the weather would be a bit chilly on Thursday and second, when I saw Todd Pletcher's Grade 2 winner Malagacy was running in the fifth race Thursday I decided to go for that segment of races.  As it turned out I DID win 40% of the picks and DID have a big-time winner with Pletcher, but NOT with Malagacy.  I got there in time to see my first pick run 7th at 3/1.  Then I picked trainer Scooter Dickey's Solve in the fourth race.  Dickey had hit the board with nearly half his runners at the meet (7-for-17) but was yet to win one.  Uh oh.  But Solve looked easily best in this claiming event.  And he was the best with my double investment on board!

The fourth was the "no conditions" allowance that saw a short field of six.  My big hesitation was that Javier Castellano was riding.  But certainly, CERTAINLY with a Gr 2 winner for Pletcher, off the layoff he'd win, right?  And Malagacy was 2-for-2 here before he'd shipped to Arkansas to win the Grade 2 Rebel-all with Castellano on board.  I'm not saying he'd have won for sure as the winner was a 26/1 - $54.20 shot, but Castellano got him away a beat slowly, then rated.  I was ok with that.  Then he moved up three wide, and again I was ok with that.  Then he let him drop back to the inside to save ground and he never got going again until in mid-stretch when his class carried him to a second place finish.  The eighth was a Maiden Special for three-year-olds and Pletcher's Driven To Compete had not one but FIVE bullet works for his return to the races.  It carried a lot of weight to me that he'd been third in his Saratoga debut behind stablemate Always Dreaming who won the Florida Derby AND the Kentucky Derby!  Before I left I made a "prime time" bet on him.  He drew off by nearly the length of the stretch in an ultra impressive victory!

Friday January 19 - Sunday January 21
I was winless on both days.  On Friday Pletcher's returning filly Nonna Bella disappointed with a third place run at 4/5 and on Sunday (only had four picks, three minimum bets, one for a double investment) I THREE TIMES had the lead in deep stretch, only to be caught by a longshot.  The other time I ran second behind a Chad Brown filly who had been my BEST on that December Wednesday at odds-on.  Today she paid 6/1 odds.  Go figure.

Next week.....Pegasus World Cup!