First Post: Saturday, September 22, 2012

Birth of a notion! Starting today, inclusion of a new feature for your “First Post”. It’s called “Today’s Stakes Pageantry”. Going forward, it appears in each “First Post” post, regardless of any actual stakes activity. Expect heavy weekend action for this new feature; and on weekdays it could morph into something unseemly. Tyvm!

Free ones: Rundown…

Belmont 5 (Bonkers Box), 7, 9, 10
Calder 2, 6, 11
Pomona Fair 4, 10, 12

Pay-side: Today…

Monmouth 4, 5, 8, 9
Laurel 3, 8, 11
Woodbine 4, 7, 10
Turfway 1, 10, 11
Arlington 4, 7, 9, 10, 11
Louisiana 5, 6, 8, 10

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: As threatened in this morning’s editions of the ol’ Short Line, Penna. has a big day today. Before that, though, check out a selection for Race 9 at Belmont, the Grade II Gallant Bloom. You’ll find it on the Pick of the Day page — gratis!

Over at the Calder, the 10th is the Stage Door Betty. In it, obvious choice #4 Angelica Zapata looks too strong.

Another seemingly prohibitive shot emerges in Race 4 at Louisiana, the Stallion; #4 Palmy Bay can’t help but do well. On the other hoof there, a mild upset could be in store for #2 Cape Town Bride to take the ninth, the Elge Rasberry (really? that was someone’s name?).

More chalk in store for the eighth at Woodbine, the Overskate. #3 Jenna’s Wabbit could very well run to that billing. Likewise in Race 6 at Suffolk, the African Prince, in which #5 Adahai has the edge.

Price-seekers will have better prospects in Race 8 at Chas. Town, the Miss Shenandoah; upset potential from #2 Gallant Performer. Even wilder in the next race, the Pink Ribbon, in which we expect #3 T. M.’s Treasure and #4 Sweet Content to outperform their fantastical 20-1 morning-line odds.

Stockton has a contentious event in its eighth, the Harvest. Reap the wild wind via #5 Chukchi Sunrise. Yeah!

As for the greatest day in Penna. racing history, it’s hard to get excited about the four-horse 10th, the Grade I Cotillion. But in the Grade II Penna. Darby, the 11th, we should probably try to exclude #6 Golden Ticket and play stronger with #4 Alpha and #7 Csaba.

WMF Report:

Speed
Arlington 6f
Belmont 6f
Delpark 6f
Emerald 6f
Finger 6f
Hoosier 5½f (WMF 400)
Los Alamitos 4½f
Louisiana 6f
Mountain 6f
Monmouth 6f
Keystone 6f
Suffolk 6f
Thistle 6f
Turfway (!) 6f (WMF 154)

Rally
Presque 6½f (WMF 21)

Nocturnal Submission: Looks good in the third at Exhibition-Hastings (5:54 p.m. EDT / 2:54 p.m. PDT) for #3 Timely Flight and #11 Hugh Jackman Road to do better than most can give them credit for. …Additional British Columbia excitement in store about an hour later in the fifth there (6:53 / 3:53), and #3 Mazel Print and #6 Silver Ruler and #5 Silver City Sam are not out of it. …

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Bye-bye.