First Post: Sunday, February 3, 2013

No more left for us to think on our own. There’s five hours of foreplay before the kickoff. With that sort of buildup, how can you possibly glean your own wonder from the game? Everything’s already spelled out! Zooks!

Telestrators, commercials, analysis out the wazoo. A great catch is no longer just a work of ballet or art on its own. It has to be like, “Well, the Z-40 rocket screen fell apart in the gap, which was shot by the off-pulling tight guard who ran a deep route past the right end and the left center chock-blocked the inside-outside strong-weak-side linebacker, who then failed to pick up the check-49 option in the flat”.

Sometimes it just better to be mindful, and wonder, keep your own counsel. Trust your own powers of observation.

As for the commercials, it’s going to be all about the humor and being clever. Consumerism, writ large and writ funnie.

We buy stuff, but mostly stuff we need or that can help. It’s too hard to be that cool all the time. Sometimes you have to step off the treadmill and watch the rest of the world go by.

Free ones: Rundown…

Aqueduct 4, 8
Gulf 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Santa Anita 6, 8

Pay-side: Today…

Tampa 4, 7, 8, 9
Golden Gate 6, 7

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: One today at Santa Anita. No interest.

Yesterday’s Activity: Play enough contentious races, you should make out OK. It’s being able to choose which races are truly contentious that’s the key to the whole scheme. And it is a scheme!

A good example: Yesterday’s eighth at the Turfway Park, whereby the 12 horses entered were strongly led by a pair: the 2-1 actual fave bet-down from a 5-2 morning line, and the 5-2 second-choice bet-down from 4-1 on the morning line. Considering the size of the field and their bet-down status, the public gave these guys the lion’s share of the probabilities. For good measure, they also fancied the third-choice in the wagering, 3-1 in actual odds and in morning-line odds.

The rest of the field — nine other horseys — ranged from 8-1 to 75-1.

Did this race’s Big 3, per the public, make sense? Sure. At those scant odds? Not so sure.

V6 had it differently, with its Betting Line’s top pick starting at 3½-1 and its second- and third-picks each rated at Fair Odds of 5-1. No consensus! Share the wealth!

In sum: The public called it a three-hoss race; V6 said let’s be more inclusive.

In this particular Race 8 at Turfway, the pay-side dope-out presented four potential upsetters, and their actual odds were 8-1, 20-1, 34-1 and 33-1. That last one, the 33-1, was 50-1 on the morning line! Fitty! Most people run screaming from the trackside apron at 50-1 (fitty!) on the morning line! Yet I’m So Lucky (and how!), that very 50-1 (fitty!) on the morning line, won at a $69.20 mutuel.

The perfector was completed by a 60-1. Maybe this running of the race really was contentious! (Nope, didn’t include the runner-up in the reckoning. Boo! Boo! Those loudmouths on the Interwebsz fora were right! We are worthless…)

Other winners, all on the pay-side:

Tam 10, First Bonkersmate Revere’s Ride, $41.40, bet-up from 12-1 morning line.

GG 5, Bonkersmate Afternooon Sun, $37.80, bet-up from 10-1 morning line.

Selected runners-up:

Aqu 2, El Dreamer, runner-up at 12-1; winner was top LifeLiner, 6-1 on the morning line and bet-down to 2½-1, $82 insurance perfactor.

SA 5, Foxy Boss, Second Bonkersmate and also second in the race at 49-1; winner was second-top LifeLiner, 3-1 on the morning line and bet-down to 19-10, $220 saver exfecta.

SA 7, Diamondsdiplomat, runner-up at 16-1, bet-up from 8-1 on the morning line, no good read on your winner; regretsz.

TuP 4, Espresso Springs, 15-1 runner-up bet-up from 8-1 on the morning line, no good read on your winner; regretsz again.

Worst race of the day was certainly TuP 7, one we thought was destined for a crazy outcome. So crazy, in fact, that we pushed four issues in that one. Well, the fave won and the third-choice in the wagering was the runner-up at the wire. Not a single one of our four mentions could even make the top four. That’s talent!

Two races later, a bit of a redemption there on Bell Rd. Only two horseys were touted (touted!). They were Keno George and Tree Storm. Zongo! The former won at $9.80 with the latter, 30-1, completing your winning $241 Bonkers Exactor Box.

Keep playing!

WMF Report:

Early
Gulf 6f
Tampa 6f

Nocturnal Submission: Night off…

Thank you. Best wishes. Please join us again tomorrow for a potential publishing of the weekly minor hit “Monday Boxing”. If not, then certainly two days from today for the all-day extravaganza and other weekly minor hit “Tuesday Sniping”. Until either such time, it’s goodbye. Drive safely.