First Post: Friday, January 17, 2014

Dead lede, Part Deux.

Free ones: Rundown…

Aqueduct 6, 7, 8, 9
Calder / Gulf Calder 6, Gulf 5, 8
Santa Anita 6

Pay-side: Today…

Fair Grounds 4
Golden Gate 2
Sam Houston 10
Oaklawn 2, 7
Sunland 6, 7, 9, 10
Tampa 4, 5, 8
Turfway 1, 3

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Probably limited to the top two morning-line choices in Hou 7, the Yellow Rose.

Shooting for a single target in the next there, the Bara Lass. It’s #2 Bakken Baby. Remember Jim Bakken, straight-on (read: non-soccer-style) placekicker for the old St. Louis Cardinals? Just like Mark Moseley.

Open affair in Race 9, the San Jacinto. #6 Patty’s Pride is no worse than any of the others; no better, either, but at least the price should be palatable.

Yesterday’s Activity: As always, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish, this time led by sole-touted Carnival Kid in the fourth at Oaklawn.

Carnival Kid, 8-1 on the morning line but ignored all the way to 24-1 in real life, was up-close throughout before beating all but the winner; the margin of defeat was 1½ lengths. Carnival Kid was the second-best experienced runner in the field, LifeLiner Speed Column score of 84, but the winner was no-go on that measure. What are you going to do?

Also coming close, relative to the rest, was No Means No in Aqu 7. No Means No, 12-1 on the morning line and 60¢ shy of that when the bell rang, chased throughout while settling for second, 4 lengths back. Again, the winner was beyond us.

One winner: firster Anmaat in Gulf 10. He was 10-1 on the morning line but got heavy action to close at 5-1 in the public wagering. He had the requisite connections line of 25pc/13pc/28pc.

WMF Report:

Early
Santa Anita 6f
Turfway 6½f (WMF 328) (!)

Nocturnal Submission: Race 9 at PennNat (9:37 p.m. EST / 6:37 p.m. PST) is the place for your NBCSN Upset Alert Upset Alert of the Night, with #3 Divine Notion and #5 Born a Hero teaming for your Colonial Penn Double Stumper of the Evening, your dynamite dyad, your terrific twosome, your etc. etc. and so on and so forth.

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Later!