Oct
27
Welcome to Joisey
Filed Under Uncategorized
Arrived late Wednesday afternoon to clouds and drizzle and nothing has changed in 48 hours. It’s dark and gloomy and the Monmouth track is a quagmire. Too bad, because this track is full of charm and history. It reminds me a lot of the old Gulfstream track, before its multi-million makeover turned it into a much less appealing environment to most that I know. This Jersey shore track has a three-level open-air grandstand, plenty of nooks and crannies, and what I would imagine to be a very festive atmosphere when running during its normal summer months.
However, the weather has really put a damper on festivities. The track is extremely wet and the turf is yielding. Who knows which horses are going to handle it? Today, in the Filly and Mare Sprint, speed collapsed and SoCal-connected MARYFIELD rolled up on the outside to score the 8-1 upset for trainer Doug O’Neill. Her half-length victory in 1:09.4 (after early fractions of 21.29, 44.19) over longshot MIRACULOUS MISS surely was aided by the condition of the track. A look at her wet-track record showed three wins from four previous starts.
In the Juvenile Turf, the lead changed hands a number of times before NOWNOWNOW ($27.20) got the best of favored Euro invader ACHILL ISLAND. Well-regarded PRUSSIAN set the pace but wilted and the horse I liked, GIO PONTI, was blocked hopelessly through the final 100 yards and might have been right there with a clean trip. He is worth playing back next time—hopefully in the Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park during the Turf Festival.
In the Dirt Mile, CORINTHIAN dominated under Kent Desormeaux. What a difference a year makes. I’m not sure how many mounts KJ had in last year’s BC, but he rides eight of the 11 races this year. The winner ran past pacesetter (and my choice) GOTCHA GOLD, who finished eight lengths clear of the third horse in what amounted to a two-horse procession. Another tough beat on the Best Plays, since I keyed the runner-up on a pair of tri tickets but threw out overbet DISCREET CAT (3/2 odds), who mananged to nose out WANDERIN BOY for the distant show.
It’s supposed to continue to rain until about 1:00 (Eastern) tomorrow afternoon, just about post time for the Juvenile. The strip can’t help but be anything but sloppy, with another yielding turf course. Remarkably, horseplayers poured it in, with over $30 million bet ($5 million on track, with an announced crowd of 27,803) on the card. On the three BC races alone, nearly $20 was wagered. What would those numbers have soared to had the conditions been ideal?
NOTE: Late scratches for Saturday’s BC card: SLEW’S TIZNOW in the Juvenile and WAIT A WHILE in the Filly and Mare Turf…don’t be surprised if AFTER MARKET joins them.
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