On an absolutely beautiful Saturday over 33,000 came out to old spa for a dreadful race card. Six maiden races and two NW1 capped off by the most embarrassing race ever run in the history of NYRA.
The 1th race would have been ugly on a Tuesday at Finger Lakes. Maiden NY bred 20 claimers on a Saturday for the last leg of a $ 672,000 pick 4 pool. The track definitely played a bit slow and dull yesterday but this entire race completely collapsed after a 27 second 2nd quarter !!! They all stopped running, the sea parted and a 66/1 shot runs down the middle of the track to win by 4 widening lengths in 1:27 for 7 furlongs ?
The first 3 races produced a $ 19.00 double and a $ 39.00 pick 3 which kept the tourists in line collecting enough said on that matter.
Rye Bread lost a tough stretch battle in the 4th costing the author 2 pick 3\'s and the pick 4. TGAB had an opinion on Surf King at 36/1 and he didn\'t run much.
Pletcher put a for sale sign on Bobby Flay\'s 100 k cripple for 20 and Linda Rice took him.
In the 5th a nice score was almost taken down as Alan had a big opinion on Santo Galo at 20/1. Kent felt like riding here and he looked like a clear 2nd until Shug\'s charge came out of the turn 5W and ran him down. Alan took down a nice paying $ 352.00 tri of a $ 22.00 exacta with him running 3rd. This sharp guy keyed him 1st & 2nd in exacta\'s, tri,s and the super with the 2,3,4,6. OUCHIE !!!!!
The 6th saw Chad Brown strike back to back, he is hot and an ignored mystery text in the morning on Right to Vote. Good pick by drbillym who was scheduled to come down from Vermont but couldn\'t make it.
In the 7th a wire job by the Assmussen horse from the rail killed another round of pick 3\'s with a 2nd and a 3rd on the logical horses.
In the 8th a very worried about his reputation TGAB let out a huge sigh of relief and we both cashed a nice exacta on a cold seminar pick.Linda Rice & Chad Brown for a $ 53.00 exacta on the grass ! Rice is inexplicably cold at this meet 3 for 20 something ?
Nothing much in the 9th a big opinion on the Trombetta 10 horse who never fired, did keep the pick 3 & 4 going though.
The Sword Dancer almost was another major money maker, the story of the meet.
Old Winchester came running late and survived an objection lodged by the 1 for 40 something Alan Garcia. TGAB gave out and cashed a nice $ 48.00 exacta but all who can read a sheet wanted Rahy to hang on. It would have made the day.
I\'ll say no more about the last race and the all button is the only way this pick 4 could have been taken down.
A more than respectable showing by TGAB with 2 nice exacta\'s, a nice run by a 20/1 shot that produced a $ 352.00 tri.
The million dollar question however is that enough to keep Richiebee and Jimbo off his case ? Those guy\'s are greedy !!!!
As Always thanks to Steve Byk and his hospitality at the Carolina BBQ, especially for the peanut butter pie !!! Awesome.
Frank D.
Frank:
Thanks as always for the recap.
Looking back, I guess the biggest positive for me from yesterday\'s card is that
Rahy\'s Attorney was NOT put up. If he had been put up I would have been alive
to 4 in the P4 (including the second place finisher) in the finale and then
gotten abused by Pancho.
(DRF reports RA was vanned off, Doc Bramlage saying nothing outwardly wrong
with him)
Might try Del Mar today...
Regarding yesterday\'s finale, I can\'t recall ever seeing a 7F race in which the half-mile fraction went in under :46 and the six-furlong split was 1:13 or higher. Not only did this race \"fall apart\". It fell apart well prior to the point when most \"fall-apart races\" fall apart.
Had Ess Shape to win in the last, on the theory that the rest had already showed how bad they were,while he had improved quite a bit off his first race and might have another move in him and the trainer was running him back pretty quick. Obviously just a flyer, not something I was waiting for or anticipating.
If any of you had seen TGAB at 10 or so on Fridy night you would have known that he would have a great day on Saturday. Enjoyed the seminar Alan. Sorry about the erroneous \"second gelding\" info on Hot Pursuit in the third. Computer glitch.
Frank,
TGAB gets proper credit for the selections this SAturday!
However, as TGJB likes to say \"short term results that may be anomalies can\'t change long term patterns\".
And over the long term, there are three angles that you must always pay attention to :
1. First time lasix
2. First time blinkers
3. Benewitz off
And not necessarily in that order.. :)
Don\'t think I had any of those this weekend although I didn\'t use Ouchy Night in the last (Sar 5) here and as the English say shite.