First Post: Sunday, September 29, 2013

Spun Salad, A Special Treat for a Special Day!

Man, those little forks are cold! Regretsz for the radio silence…

Friday was Opening Day at Santa Anita, but more than that it was a day on the Birthday Train with fellow-travelers (!) Michael Jack Schmidt (yay!), Gwyneth Paltrow (boo!), and the google (sorry, Eric Jack Schmidt, but switching to the DuckDuckGo has made all the difference!). However, unlike all those luminaries, we actually attempted to ingest a giant slab of bleeding-rare beef bigger than our head. No success there, not in one sitting, owing to the need to also put some Yorkshire Pudding (a k a popovers) down the gullet. To your health! Diamond Jim Brady lives!

Saturday, we had a genius post lined up, but the WordPress conspired against it. Thought AutoSave was on, thought AutoSave was Auto. Several hundred words, some of them freighted with meaning and potential financial gain for yourselves — poof! Thanks, WordPress! Thanks a lot!

Ah, hope you’ve enjoyed the longshot binge on the free page nonetheless.

P.S. Thank you for the solicitous service, Ms. Yager!

Free ones: Rundown…

Belmont 1, 3, 4, 6, 7
Calder / Gulf Calder 2, Gulf 1, Gulf 3
Santa Anita 1, 8, 10

Pay-side: Today…

Arlington 7, 8, 10
Churchill 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Remington 1, 2, 5, 6, 8
Woodbine 1, 2, 10
Zia 11

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: SA 8 on the free page.

RP 5, 6, 8 on the pay-side.

Nonfavoured duo in RP 4: #5 Ahsoburbank, #1 In the Band.

Could be OK for #4 Broadway Empire in RP 9, the Grade III Okla. Derby.

EmD 3 has #5 Chu and You looking legitimate.

Too bad. Yesterday was better. Thanks, WordPress! Thanks a lot!

Yesterday’s Activity: Yeah, how’s that Santa Anita going so far? How’s that Arcadia Action workin’ for ya, Sarah?

Before that, Belmont feature, the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup, had Bonkersmate Ron the Greek coming in at $44-even. The ’Greek was disregarded on the Fair Odds Betting Line (sixth-choice), but the LifeLiner threw a hissie-fit: 99 in the Speed Column. Contentious race-shape on the Betting Line, and damn near every horsey qualified on the LifeLiner.

The public could not figure it out either, with the co-faves tied at 2½-1 on the toteboard.

All four slots in the superfecta were in play: $222 exacta, $739 trifactor, $6,260 super-duper. All prices quoted for $2.

No Ned Reldem, Esq., in sight. It’s been a tense week of Va. Poly athletics for himself, and his beloved teams have acquitted themselves with justice. But he, Att. Ned Reldem, would have had this, certainly. He is a wild swinger.

Opener at Santa Anita was wild, too, populated with firsters in with a shout. One of those was Bonkersmate Versye, $28.20 winner. Another qualifying firster (10pc marks across the connections line in the Trainer/Jockey report) in this contentious race, yes, completed this exacta of $145-and-change for $2.

Wide-open in AP 5, and the touted duo — Bonkersmate Smokem Gray, top-touted Peteizum — ran in that order, $12.60 to win, $90 on the exacta (a pair of 5-1s in a 12-horse field). Later there, a King of the NetCapper Bulliesz special came via Bonkersmate Mavericking, $18.

Straight-up top-tout My Lil Virginia did the business in Laurel 7 at $39.20. No good on the exotics. Sorry.

You can’t keep them Kings of the NetCapper Bulliesz down! Last race at Remington, it was top-touted Perfect to Please prevailing at $29.60. No good again on the exotics.

King of the Openers at Woodbine via the bumped-up Ironwing, $24.90.

That makes for a good day, surely, just like the North London Arsenal atop the Premiership after six games, but there’s one last special for yourselves. It came at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Before that, though, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish, this time led by third Bonkersmate My Dear Regina, second-placed at 28-1 in the sixth at the Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Wide-open maiden sprint, and firster ’Regina had the requisite connection line in the Trainer/Jockey outputs: 16pc/13pc/33pc. Next time!

And the next time came in Race 10, King of the Almost-NetCapper Bulliesz: Sultry Warrior, the only horse touted. Sultry Warrior was sixth-top on the Betting Line, and one of four LifeLiner Speed Column qualifiers. Sultry Warrior was 30-1 on the morning line (30-1! that means an automatic elimination for some players!) and got away at 51-1 in real life. Result: $104.40 for the win.

Again, apologies for being unable to snag any lower exotics in this one.

Good to be back at the Champion’s Podium (a k a the standing-desk). Ned Reldem, we miss ya, buddie! We hope we are doing a good job in your absence. Moreover, we hope our return to the Champeen’s Podium does not in any way jinx the intensity or duration of this current longshot binge.

Admittedly, we do not know a lot about racing. However, we know just enough about identifying opportunities. We do not predict with any confidence or certainty, certainly without any Messianic fervor or red-faced bloviation. On the other hoof, we prefer to embrace the uncertainty, play the cards modestly if sanely, and let the results fall where they may. If we gauge the opportunities well enough (whether to favourite or longshot or some beast in-between), the names of the horseys and their numbers and anything else ascribed to those, will matter little. Thanks a lot, Nate Silverstein! Thanks a lot!

WMF Report:

Early
Belmont 6f
Churchill 6f
Emerald 6f, 6½f, 1m
Gulf 6f
Hastings 6½f
Los Alamitos 4½f
Mountain 6f
Monmouth 6f
Keystone 5½f, 6f
Portland 6f
Thistle 6f
Zia 6f

Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage. Report later, perhaps.

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Auf wiedersehen.