Jan
20
Double Blog Bog
Filed Under Uncategorized
Sometimes in this business, the workload overwhelms you. There is really no end to the amount of work one can do: tapes, charts, workout analysis, pedigree profiles, etc. In order to stay of sound mind and body, cuts have to be made. So for the last two days, the daily blog postings were forgone in order to catch up on other things, including a USC-Arizona basketball game on Thursday night.
So let’s review:
On Friday, with a $100,000 Pick Six carryover (seventh of the meet) to shoot at, there were two winning tickets worth $242,000 each. And that was with the day’s only favorite, TALKING TO DEVON, winning the finale. Had the runner-up gotten there, we would have had a huge double carryover into today’s very difficult card.
Richard Migliore is definitely making an impression, winning three races yesterday to move up to fourth in the rider standings. He also has landed the mount on BORDONARO for next week’s Sunshine Millions Sprint.
Not to belabor the point, but after watching Alex Solis over the past few months, I predicted to some press box colleagues that he would not be in the top 10 at this meet. So far I’m right. Solis has fallen out of the standings (five winners) and has very limited business.
Pick 4 tough beat: Yesterday I put together a suggested $32 late Pick 4 play on my Premium Play selection sheet. After missing the first leg (POWER SHIFT ran second and LAINIES LION never had a chance to run in the stretch–he’s a bet-back next time) I had the next three winners, including IGRAINE ($17.60) in a race where I doubled with heavy odds-on favorite INDY’S WINDY. Had players come back in the late Pick 3 (for just $8), the return was a hefty $167. After all, isn’t that what the late Pick 3 is for? In case you’re blown out of the Pick 3? Then there is always the late DD just in case…
Back to INDY’S WINDY. After losing twice previously as the favorite, the public hammered her again yesterday. I said on my weekly Friday (11:45-noon) segment on HRTV that she was NOT a P6 “single”. She washed out badly coming on to the track and was life-and-death to hold third with more than $100,000 bet on her in the show pool. Had she blown, there would have been some huge show payoffs on the board. IGRAINE was an impressive winner of the race and appears to have a nice future for David Hofmans in the 3-year-old filly division.
DECLAN’S MOON ships north to run at Golden Gate today. If he can’t beat this field it would seem time to think about retiring the gelded former juvenile champion.
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On Thursday, six double-digit winners as the favorites got blanked. Three winners for Garrett Gomez, which put him back on a clear lead in the rider standings. Training wins by Sean McCarthy (first-time starter LEMON CHIFFON) and Pletcher assistant Michael “Whitey” McCarthy (FOREST CODE). No relation between the two. Could Whitey be related to anyone?
Great post-race interview by Kurt Hoover with former Dodger centerfielder Willie Davis (known as the 3-Dog in his playing days), along with former teammates Tommy Davis and “Sweet” Lou Johnson. Hoover is the best in the business: knowledgeable, informed, great memory, good questioner and easy to listen to. And I’m not just saying that because he’s one of my best friends at the track and an avid reader of this Blog. ESPN sorely misses him on their racing telecasts.
To view Free Samples of Premium Plays from last two days, click on the links below: Premium Plays for Jan. 19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Premium Plays for Jan. 18
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