First Post: Friday, March 24, 2017

First Friday of Spring now. Before you know it, twilight weekend racing will be upon us! Sit tight, Rust Belt & Bible Belt & Beltway. Stay healthy!

Free ones: Rundown…

Aqueduct 1, 9
Gulfstream Park Proper 7, 11
Santa Anita 5, 8

Pay-side (Weekend/Weekday): Today…

Fair Grounds 7, 8, 9, 10
Golden Gate 6, 7
Hawthorne 2, 4
Laurel 6, 7
Mahoning 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Oaklawn 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9
Tampa 8, 9
Turfway 3, 5, 8

Today’s Stakes Pageantry: None today, but the U.S. Collegiate Hoopball Playoffs are down to 12 teams, two of which square-off this evening in Memphis: UCLA (Univ. of Calif., Los Angeles, 31-4, pronounced ‘yookluh’) vs. UKLA (Univ. of Ky., Lexington Area, 31-5, pronounced ‘yookluh’). Oh, doctor! We got a good one!

Yesterday’s Activity:

Track (Win Mutuels $20+ That Actually Occurred at That Track On That Day/Gettable Via Current Home-Office-Approved Guidelines) [H/T to P.A.T. in Ky. for suggesting this clarification.]

Chas. Town (1/0) — Berkeley Co. drug overdoses up.

Fair Grounds (0/0) — More people moving out of N.O. than moving in.

Golden Gate (0/0) — Host Giants trounced by Seattle, 9-2, in Cactus League Spring Training action from Scottsdale; Joe Panik went 1-for-3 with a run for S.F.

Gulf (0/0) — Host Panthers beat Ariz., 3-1; Jonathan Marchessault scored twice, his 24th and 25th goals of the season.

Oaklawn (2/2) — In the contentious opener, only High-Octane Chancers and Progressive-Minded Eggheads had the perspicacity to consider Acumen, a good 89 on the LifeLiner Speed Column analysis; she raced tail-to-wire anyway to win by 2¾ at $94.40 — better than AHCA Vote Day but only tied with Nat’l. Puppy Day. Good work. In the finale, not contentious, players of all stripes were in on the Phoebe Kudrow Hunch Play Smelly Cat, Fair Odds of 6-5 and a Dual Qualifier (99, 82) to boot; she rallied a little to win by 2 at $21-even. Good work.

PennNat (2/½) — Race 5 was contentious, and Old-School Champeens put a tiger in their tank with Princetonian, Fair Odds of 5-1; he went gate-to-wire to win by a clean half-length at $56.80 — better than AHCA Vote Day but not as good as Acumen or Nat’l. Puppy Day. Nonetheless, good work.

Santa Anita (0/0) — Host Kings beat Winn., 5-2; La-La Land’s Anze Kopitar and Jake Muzzin each had a goal and an assist.

Turfway (2/0) — NKY sheriff accused of stealing pain medication.

WMF Report:

Early
Chas. Town 4½f, 6½f, 7f
Los Alamitos 4½f
Laurel 6f
Mahoning 6f
Santa Anita 6f
Tampa 6½f
Turfway 6f

Rally
Gulf 1 1/16m (T)

Nocturnal Submission: Sifting through the wreckage…

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