First Post: Saturday, March 23, 2013

Saturday morning. We pick more winners (oh, OK, some winners?) when the familiar Metropolitan Opera live broadcast comes over the airwaves, sponsored by Toll Bros., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brothers Koch. Not really on any of these counts, but yes to the opera sometimes. It keeps you honest. You get to hear something real and undoctored, music as was originally intended. Today brings an archival broadcast from 1977 featuring Leontyne Price and Placido Domingo. How can you not listen? Verdi was born 200 years ago this year. Who else will we be playing 200 years from now? Verdi? Of course. F-u-n-period, Gotye, Fred Mumford & Son? Ummmm…

Anyway, here’s a short film meant to entertain highbrow, lowbrow and, like us, nobrow alike. Kulture vulturesz 4-evah!

Free ones: Rundown…

Aqueduct 10
Gulf 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11
Santa Anita 6, 7, 9

Hallandale Beach again! One time!

Pay-side: Today…

Turfway 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Fair Grounds 5, 11
Hawthorne 2, 6
Oaklawn 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 10
Turf Paradise 4, 5
Golden Gate 2, 4, 6, 8

Sorry, Tampa. No good when it’s wet. Regretsz!

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Free ones are GP 10, the Grade II Pan American; and SA 7, the Grade III Tokyo City Cup.

Pay-side smorgasbord includes all three at Turfway.

Fair Grounds 10, the Red Camelia, seems contentious but #5 Ladyzarbridge might be a tad too good for them.

Rare to have a fourth-choice on the morning line be listed at 3½-1, but such is the case at Oaklawn for the ninth, the Hot Springs. In it, #1 Picko’s Pride can post the mild upset.

Extra for experts in Fonner 10: low-priced #1 Song of Humor.

Yesterday’s Activity: Hope you were playing the Gulf yesterday — finally!

In Race 1 there was the top-touted Pleiadian, the best of the experienceds in a maiden-claimer on turf. Those are never easy for any horsey, nevermind lukewarm 2½-1 faves without the requisite LifeLiner Speed Column score. So Pleiadian, 10-1 on the morning line and 8-1 actual, took over between calls and held sway at $18.80. Unfortunately, the two listed Bonkersmates ran to their higher odds, finishing thoroughly beaten. Runner-up was too low on the morning line to mention, but he also qualified on LifeLiner, with the $2 exacta returning $146.80.

Race 7 was your Big Kahuna Burger Hit of the Day. It’s always guessing when you have to tout five runners in a single race. Usually the five runners are like the makeweights in a five-for-one trade, the half a team you’d have to throw in to get one Koobie Brian or one Mike Trout. In other words, it looks impressive on paper, quantitatively, even though qualitatively the whole of them are way less than the sum of the parts. Or something like that.

Race 7, then. Top-touted Stormin Wildcat, 44-1. Next-touted Double Judge, 18-1. Next-touted Zip It Nance, 12-1. Next-touted On Appeal, 23-1. Next-touted Longer Terms Doug, 58-1. You get the idea. Except it was one-sided in favor of the nonsensical issues. On Appeal won straight at $48.80. Runner-up was Double Judge, and the $2 perfecta paid $615.40. With our compliments! How does this happen? Who’s giving away the store? Favored Pot of Gold was third, and of course qualified on LifeLiner, with your trizactor returning $1,803 for a buck. Ack! The fourth-placer was not in the reckoning.

Race 8 capped a $415 daily double when 5-1 In the Beat took it, way bet-down from 12-1 on the morning line.

Hawthorne 8 found Work All Week winning ($9.40) and getting much more support than his 12-1 morning-line odds.

Four touted in Oaklawn 8, and one of those four was Second Bonkersmate Speighter Man, 15-1 on the morning line at 13-1 at off-time. ’Speighter was a fighter, leading in deep stretch before yielding late to the 3½-1 winner. Yes, that winner was LifeLiner-approved, but unmentionable due to modest 4-1 odds on the morning line; the exacta returned $152 for $2. Third-placer was 4½-1, only 5-1 on the morning line, and was tops LifeLiner, with the triactor coming back 693-1. Fourth-placer another LifeLiner contender, and the super-duper was not a wagering option in the race. Maybe your friendly neighborhood Turf Accountant Nick the Fish was able to accommodate you there.

Race 9 at Oaklawn featured an Honourable Mention from Sweet Ruby Kate, 15-1 on the morning line and 20-1 in the real wagering. She was best of the rest but well-behind the winner. Hahahaha! The winner was your favourite, too, but LifeLiner shook its head. Boo! Hiss! Kill the Ump!

WMF Report:

Early
Aqueduct 6f
Beulah 6f
Fonner 6f
Gulf 6f
Hawthorne 6f
Los Alamitos 4½f
Laurel 6f
Mountain 6f
PennNat 1m
Keystone 6f
Santa Anita 6f
Sunland 6f
Tampa 1m40y
Turf Paradise 6f

Nocturnal Submission: Ripe for a surprise in Delta 5 (8:04 p.m. EDT / 5:04 p.m. PDT) via #2 Sherrylee’s Barbie. …Back for Race 10 (10:19 / 7:19): #8 Hot Argument. …

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