First Post: Saturday, February 1, 2014

Welcome to The Year of The Horsey! Giddyup!

Free ones: Rundown…

Aqueduct 5, 9
Calder / Gulf Gulf 2, 6, 8, 9, 10
Santa Anita 8, 9

Pay-side: Today…

Fair Grounds 4, 6, 8
Golden Gate 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Laurel 9
Oaklawn 3, 4
Sunland 7
Tampa 5, 6, 10, 11
Turfway 4, 5
Turf Paradise 5, 8

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: Aqu 9, GP 9 & 10, SA 8 on the free page.

On the pay-side: FG 8, Tam 10.

Shooting for the longshot #6 Dads Caps in Aqu 6, the Grade III Toboggan. Chalkier in the next race there, the Busher, via #9 Vero Amore, a Triple Threat Horsey.

Another Triple Threat Horsey emerges in Hou 8, the Tomball: #1 Vilao. Then one more — third-choice on the morning line, no less! — in OP 8, the Martha Washington: #7 Street Story. Likewise #2 Fashion Plate in SA 7, the Grade I Las Virgenes.

At a price, #3 Nesso is a Triple Threat Horsey in Tam 8, the Suncoast. Then in TP 8, the 96ROCK (deejay voice: ‘FLO-RENCE ROCKS!’), how about the tandem of #7 Artemus Coalmine and #6 Forfeit.

All right, all right, nighttime-stakes loversz! This is your big chance. Delta is having one of its megaexciting statebred-only evenings, and we begin in Race 4: #8 Closing Report.

In Race 9 there, looks good for the duo of #8 Sittin At the Bar and #9 Dolly Bonz — great spelling on the latter!

Wild-open (wild!) in the 10th: #1 Heavy On Themister is not as bad as most of the mopes project.

Back to the obvious for Race 11: #2 Bright Kylie.

Now, breathe out. Too much horseys. Sometimes.

Yesterday’s Activity: As always, Welcome to The Home of The Runner-Up Finish.

Case in point: Soggy Gulf, Race 10, off the turf and down to five runners over a sloppy main track. Bonkersmate Letshootpool, 20-1 on the morning line and 10¢ shy of 25-1 in real life in spite of the decimated field, seemed no worse than any of the others in the race — and that included the 7-10 fave, who ended up winning by 2 lengths over our almost-hero Letshootpool.

That fave was the top LifeLiner Speed Column horsey in the field, and the saver exacta came back $46.60 in the five-horse field.

Likewise the nearly-was Godzia, sole-touted horsey in Sam Houston 5. Godzia, 12-1 on the morning line but 50¢ shy (fitty!) of 40-1 (the big four-o) on the toteboard, finished second, 2 lengths back. The winner was the 2-5 fave, the only other horse besides Godzia to score a qualifying number in the LifeLiner Speed Column. This saver exacta paid only $31, though, not even as much as the $46-special in the five-horse Gulfstream example above.

After a raceday scratch, there was one touted horsey left for the Turfway Park card, and somehow he won. Denali Holy Bull was at the absolute bottom of the conventional V6 Betting Line, no Fair Odds obviously, and 10-1 on the morning line. He went off at 50¢ higher than that, and rallied like the champion $5,000-claimer he is, returning $23-even for his 2¼-length win. All three trizacta slots were accounted for by LifeLiner Speed Column qualifiers: $95.40 exacta, $368.60 trifecta.

WMF Report:

Early
Aqueduct 6f
Beulah 6f
Laurel 6f
Keystone 6f
Sunland 6f
Turf Paradise 6f

Rally
Santa Anita 6½f (T)

Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…

Thank you. Best wishes. Goodbye. Drive safely.