Man, plenty of action today. Plenty.
Free ones: Rundown…
Aqueduct 2, 4, 5, 6
Calder / Gulf Calder 6, 7, 8, Gulf 3, 6, 8
Santa Anita 2, 4, 6, 9
Pay-side: Today…
Fair Grounds 3, 8, 10, 11, 12
Golden Gate 1, 4, 6, 8
Sam Houston 3, 10
Laurel 2, 5, 8
Oaklawn 5, 6
Sunland 8
Tampa 4, 6, 8, 10
Turfway 4, 8
Today’s Stakes Pageantry: GP 6 & 8 on the free page. FG 8 on the pay-side, along with TP 8.
Going for the second-choice on the morning line in FG 7, the Silverbulletday: #6 Divine Beauty. Then in the ninth there, it’s #7 Vicar’s in Trouble for the mild upset.
Over to Golden Gate for the Calif. Dby., Race 7, and #2 Exit Stage Left is one of ’em Triple Threat Horseys. Heavens to Murgatroyd!
#1 Sweet N Discreet has an OK shot in GP 5, the Fla. Sunshine Millions Distaff. Chalky, though, in the ninth there: #3 Ribo Bobo. And it’s hard to look past #4 Mucho Macho Man in the 10th, the Millions Classic.
Also odds-on for #4 Triumph and Son in Hou 7. Next race there, it looks good for the nonfavored duo of #6 Texas Air, #7 Safe Range. And #7 Fly the Red Eye gets the nod in the race after that one.
SA 5 has #1 Gulsary appearing as a worthy morning-line fave. But wild times return in SA 8, the Grade II Strub, courtesy of the unfancied trio of #4 Zeewat, #3 Shakin It Up and #5 Govenor Charlie.
Excellent prospects for a price in Sun 10, the Royal Crown Cola. We shoot for #4 F M Forty One, #2 Dandy Don Who.
Hoo-boy. Exhale. Too much horseys. Sometimes.
Yesterday’s Activity: As always, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish, this time led by the sole-touted Big Tire in Race 6 at Santa Anita.
Big Tire, 15-1 on the morning line and more than twice that in real life, was the top of the experienced runners on the V6 Betting Line, Fair Odds of 3½-1. As well, Big Tire had the second-best LifeLiner Speeed Column rating in the field, 82.
Big Tire was not too far back throughout, then rallied like the champion he’s well on his way to becoming, picking up 3 lengths between the eighth-pole and the wire, getting beat by half a length at 35-1. Pity.
The 14-1 winner was lost on us. Ugh.
Elsewhere in Hotel California heartaches (everybody now, sing along with The Eagles: ‘There’s gonna be a heartache tonight, a heartache tonight, I know!’), over to Race 2 at the Golden Gate. In it, Handful of Pearls was the lone touted issue, 8-1 on the morning line. Handful of Pearls was second-ranked on the V6 Betting Line, Fair Odds of 3½-1 and the second-best LifeLiner Speed Column rating in the field, 93. Handful of Pearls somehow got away at 18-1 by the close of the public wagering — and finished second! Second, just like Big Tire! Half a length behind the winner, just like Big Tire. Handful of Pearls, meet Big Tire. You two have much in common!
In Handful of Pearls case, however, the horse who beat him, the 2-1 second-choice on the toteboard, was also the top-scoring horsey on the LifeLiner Speed Column numbers, 95. The saver exacta, 2-1 over 18-1 in a compact six-horse field, returned $78.
Next example, a half-length to the good this time, a winner. Tampa 4, sole-touted Armagnac, strong on the V6 Betting Line at a prohibitive 2-1 (the next rated Betting Line horsey was 6-1 Fair Odds) was 8-1 on the morning line and a good-enough 82 on LifeLiner Speed Column. Armagnac had hard pressure throughout to keep the 2½-1 race-favourite at bay. Armagnac paid $15.60 straight. That runner-up was the top LifeLiner Speed issue in the field — indeed, the top two finishers were the only LifeLiner Speed Column qualifiers in the lineup — and the longshot-on-top exacta paid $79.20.
Four horseys were touted in the Turfway Park opener, and one of those four ended up winning. Hey, it happens.
Second Bonkersmate Brother Stuart, Fair Odds of 6-1 on the V6 Betting Line and 15-1 on the morning line, got off at 17-1 and ran down the runaway leader to prevail by a widening 1¼ lengths at $36.60.
The 16-1 runner-up was OK on LifeLiner (though untoutable due to an insufficient 6-1 morning line), and this wild one-two finish paid $289.60 in an eminently makeable perfecta. Indeed, the first four finishers were LifeLiner Speed Column-eligible, and the trifecta paid $1,240 (for $2) and the super-duper paid $6,244 (again for $2).
Finally, the day’s payoff race came in the seventh at Oaklawn. Sole-touted Lenapah, 10th of 11 on the conventional V6 Betting Line — a Betting Line that started at 6-11 — nonetheless qualified for consideration because of his top score of 97 on the LifeLiner Speed Column.
Lenapah, 15-1 on the morning line, got away at better than twice that, at 31-1, and ran sufficiently fast late to win by 2¼ lengths at $64.80 up top.
At the other end of the day, at the opposite extreme of the price spectrum, a King of The NetCapper Bulliesz Special at Sam Houston Race Park: top-touted Miss Marietta, 10-1 on the morning line, got heavy, heavy, heavy play, down to 2-1, and did not disappoint all the bandwagoners, returning $6-even.
Probably better to have the $64 horse, though, no?
WMF Report:
Early
Laurel 6f
Oaklawn 6f
Keystone 6f
Santa Anita 6f
Turfway 6½f
Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…
Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Take care now.
race 6 at the fg. sat 18, AOI had the winner ex tri right on top…9-12-10 9/5 8-1 5/2