Summer 2013

It Was A Good Start To The Week!

April 24

The first race of the first day of racing for the week was my "Best" of the day.  I had seen in the entries that Bernie the Maestro was slated to run in a starter allowance in Keeneland's opener.  It was an added bonus that he was running for the white-hot connections of owners Ken & Sarah Ramsey who have set a new Keeneland record for wins by an owner at the spring meet.....trained by Michael Maker who was closing in on a new Keeneland record for wins by a trainer at the Keeneland meet....and ridden by Joel Rosario who also was closing in on a new record for wins by a jockey at a Keeneland meet!  As I watched the pre-race analysis on TVG the analysts, who nearly never back a favorite, pointed out that while he had been the favorite in the Grade 3 Commonwealth last out, he had finished dead last and shown nothing.  But he looked to me like he laid over the field, even on an off day.  He was 1-9 early in the betting, then 1-5 for the longest time.  Even for me I thought this was a low price, but when he clicked up to 2-5 I thought he was a fair price.  I was delighted when they left the gate and he was an inflated 1-2.  He quickly took the lead, which was a bit of a concern because front-runners stuggle to hold on at Keeneland.  Still, as they turned for home he was in control by daylight.  But at the furlong marker here came a strong finisher with all the momentum.  It was closer than you would have liked, but it was a win!  Whooo Hooo! 

I had originally listed six selections on the nine race card.  But there was rain in Lexington and the turf races were moved to the synthetic main track, effectively cancelling two of my picks.  So as I sat there with my winning ticket on the opener, with my next listed pick in the third, I considered my summer philosophy of scaling back on my selections and betting only where I felt I had a strong edge.  Should I just be happy to have a 1-for-1 day with my "best" pick of the day.....or follow through with my four listed selections.  I debated with myself back and forth until about 15 minutes to post time of the third before I decided that I had handicapped the card, and I was going to play it out.  Ironically all four of my picks were Michael Maker-trained runners, and three of the four were ridden by Rosario.  In the 3rd I went with Smittenthekitten who was the 5/2 second choice.  Too far back, rallied to be third.  In the 7th it was DRF's Steve Klein's "best" of the day - #4 Fog Happens.  Second off the claim for Michael Maker and ridden by Alan Garcia.  TVG interviewed Michael Maker before the race, asking him how he felt about having the new trainer record (his reply, "....well, it's better than NOT having the record!...."  Then reporter Zoe Cadman asked which of his two uncouple entries he liked the best and his reply was "Ask me in a few minutes!"  It was interesting to me that while I was backing Maker's Fog Happens, I was against the other Maker horse which was being ridden by Joel Rosario and owned by the Ramseys!  As they came through the stretch it was an all-Maker exacta and the favorite was second while Fog Happens blew by the field to win motored down, paying $7.60!  I am guaranteed to be a winner on the day! 

I felt like of the "other three" picks on my sheet, Southern Joy in the finale was the most solid.  She looked to be the lone speed; was another Maker-Ramsey-Rosario runner; Rosario already had four wins on the day and Maker also had four wins.  Everyone on TVG said there was just no going past her - and remember they nearly never back the favorite.  Her odds at even money looked tempting to double my double investment.  But I didn't because I reflected that I thought Bernie the Maestro was the "best" of the day and it didn't make sense to make the same investment on a non-best bet.  Good thing. She was outrun to the turn - and she had shown the ability to rate, so no big worry - and then gradually dropped farther back into the field, finished a dismal 8th of 8 at odds of 4/5.  So my "wise" decision to NOT up the investment left me 2-for-4 and a profit for the day!