First Post: Sunday, October 27, 2013

Again…sometimes you just have to rock out…

Free ones: Rundown…

Belmont 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9
Calder / Gulf Calder 7, Gulf 1, Gulf 3, Gulf 5, Gulf 8
Santa Anita 4, 9

Pay-side: Today…

Churchill 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11
Golden Gate 6, 7, 8
Hawthorne 1, 5, 7, 9
Turf Paradise 6, 8
Woodbine 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
Zia 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Bel 6 & 8 on the free page. CD 9 on the pay-side. Likewise WO 8 and Zia 6-10.

Uh-oh. Vaunted Triple Threat Horsey status bestowed upon #4 Ride On Curlin in CD 5.

How to tackle SA 8, the Lure? A read headscratcher, this one! Your NBCSN Upset Alert Upset Alert involves the Quadruple Stumper of #5 Willyconker, #2 Sirocco Strike, #3 Huntsville, #6 El Commodore. Yooks!

As well, a Colonial Penn Stakes Double Stumper in WO 10, the Grade I Canadian International: #3 Lucayan, #11 Slumber.

And upset potential lurks in Zia 12, the N.M. Classic Cup Championship, sponsored by Los Pollos Hermanosz. The tricky trio: #10 Playin Tough, #2 Dueling Dom, #1 Spinning Touch.

Yesterday’s Activity: A couple at the Belmont, including top-touted Wicked Strong in the fourth.

Wicked Strong, third-ranked on the Betting Line with Fair Odds of 3½-1 and a much higher 8-1 on the morning line, went off at 4-1 in real life as the best LifeLiner Speed Column horsey in the race. He won square by 2 length and paid $10.20.

Then in the last race of the card there at Elmont, a patented King of the NetCapper Bulliesz special via Bonkersmate Precious Metal. Precious Metal, rated eighth on the Betting Line without any Fair Odds, was 15-1 on the morning line and was sent off at 10-1 when the gates opened. The Betting Line for the race was hella — is that the word the cool kids are using this week…hella? — hella contentious, and Precious Metal was in with the highest LifeLiner Speed Column rating in your 12-horse field.

This time, the dirty nose went our way, and Precious Metal paid $23.20 up top in the upset.

As always, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish, including Alasharchy in the fourth at the ’Gate. Alasharchy, 12-1 on the morning line and 11-1 in real life, was involved every step of the way and opened up after hanging tough all the way around. Yet he was overcome by the even-money chalk in the dying stages, and had to settle for second. Slight consolation via the saver exacta — even-money over 11-1 in a six-horse stakes race — which paid $29.40.

Another 11-1 nearly-was at the ’Gate, this time in Race 7. That was in the form of Mandala. Mandala, the top-rated experienced runner in the 10-horse field and the only LifeLiner qualifier present, was 8-1 on the morning line off a 10-month layoff.

Clearly the winner (if runners-up can be termed that) of The Runner-Up Finishes yesterday was found in the eighth at Keeneland. This was a horse named Braveman, but not quite brave enough.

Braveman, third-choice on the Betting Line but with no fair odds, did score sufficiently high on the LifeLiner Speed Column. Braveman, 20-1 on the morning line, went off at better than twice that: 10¢ shy of 46-1. Braveman was dogged on the lead almost all the way around, then got a breather up top late, giving it up late to finish second by 1 length. Good try, Braveman! You pretty much lived up to that billing!

Luckily, the winner, the 3-1 fave, was excellent on LifeLiner, and the fave-longshot exacta, 3-1 on top of 45-1 in a 12-horse field, paid $386.40, for $2. The show-horse was the second-public-choice, and another LifeLiner qualifier, with the trifecta returning $2,054, again for $2. Fourth-place runner also was OK on LifeLiner, with the super-duper coming back $9,071, as always, for $2.

All that for a runner-up finish! Sounds like it turned out OK nonetheless, maybe?

But if you are winner-oriented: $26-even for Bonkersmate Vigorous Titan in Ret 8; Bonkersmate Heykittykittykitty, $13.80 in RP 8; and $10.40 via Penny Ante Cat in the ninth at Zia.

WMF Report:

Early
Albuquerque 5½f, 7f
Belmont 6f
Mountain 5f
Keystone 6f
Portland 6f
Santa Anita 6f

Rally
Hawthorne 1 1/16m
Santa Anita @6½f (T)

Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. So long now.