First Post: Sunday, January 5, 2014

Better Than the Igglesz

The birds of Studio City. The cold-blooded can survive here.

Free ones: Rundown…

Aqueduct 6
Calder / Gulf Calder 5, Gulf 3, 4, 7, 11
Santa Anita 5, 6, 7, 9

Pay-side: Today…

Fair Grounds 6, 7, 8, 9
Golden Gate 2, 3, 8
Sunland 8, 10
Tampa 6, 7, 9
Turfway 1, 3, 9

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: If he comes back running, #2 Kindle can take Santa Anita’s eighth, the Grade II Monrovia, for the recently stricken Jeff Bezos.

Sun 10 is on the pay-side.

Yesterday’s Activity: King of The NetCapper Bulliesz special in the last race at Aqueduct, courtesy of top-touted Matching Skies.

Matching Skies, 20-1 on the morning line but bet down — way down — to 6-1 in real life, crushed the field by 8 and returned $14.60 up top. Bonkersmate Tidal Slam, 28-1, ran third for the heartbreaking one-three split exacta. Ever have one of those? The 3½-1 interloper was not a fit for our methods. What are you going to do?

As always, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish, this time led by 90-1 Charanga in the finale at Gulf. Charanga was one of 19 horseys listed for play in that race. Well, not 19, but not too many fewer than that, either! It was a complete lotto-ball hopper, which is why, of course, the 7-10 favorite won comfortably. Great touting there. Great.

Still, the saver perfecta paid $148.20. The best of a no-win situation, perhaps.

Second Bonkersmate Elusive Jazz Time won the ninth at Sunland at $23.20. Elusive Jazz Time, 10-1 on the morning line as well — who knew the morning-line makers in New Mexico were better than those in New York City? New York City?! — ran away by 6 lengths.

Not really an honourable mention, but sole-touted Prize Winner did complete the super-duper in the eighth at Turfway. No one had the super-duper, by the way, and they paid to the first three correct places. How come? It was 34-1 on top of 69-1 on top of 5-1 on top of Prize Winner. Prize Winner’s odds, you ask? Only 108-1. He did better than most could dream he’d do!

Finally at Fair Grounds, top-touted Seeking Ms Shelley held steady in the ninth at $23.40 straight. Third-choice on the V6 Betting Line at Fair Odds of 5-1, Seeking Ms Shelley, 10-1 on the morning line — who knew that morning-line makers in New Mexico AND Louisiana were better than their counterparts in New York City? New York City?! — was LifeLiner Speed Column-sanctioned, as was the runner-up, the 7-10 race fave. Their pairing in the exacta paid $66.40.

WMF Report:

Early
Los Alamitos 4½f
Portland 6f
Tampa 6f
Turfway 6½f

Rally
Golden Gate 1m

Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…

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