Summer 2013

Thursday April 25

Happy Birthday My Son

Today was my oldest son's birthday - he turned 30 today.....wow.  Hard to believe.  And now he has his own family and is a college football coach.  Where has the time gone? 

I had three selections today and honestly I felt very good about the first one, but I went with the other two largely because of what I'd read and viewed in handicapping videos.  I picked Judy the Beauty in the third at Keeneland as my "best" of the day.  She had run in multiple graded events, and though she had not won, she towered over the field.  I was led to pick her from an article in the DRF where here owner/trainer Wesley Ward had commented how they were looking for a big year from her, and that they felt lucky that this allowance spot had filled as it was a good spot to bring her back in a winning way.  Pretty confident stuff.  The crowd agreed, betting her down to odds-on and though you had to have a few anxious moment at the furlong marker, she drew clear late....yay! 

In the other two I should have stayed clear.  I had been really impressed with Gathering's debut run on Opening Day, she had been my "best" that day and it was, as one writer described, a "jaw dropping" performance.  Still today she moved not only into graded company but also to 12 furlongs.  Both proved too much for her as she disappointed at 2/1.  Today was also Opening Day at Hollywood Park.  The featured race was the Harry Henson on the turf, going six furlongs.  Mike Beer for DRF picked My Jealous because the trainer, Jeff Bonde has scored last year twice with big price horses fitting this same profile....I considered staying clear, but when I saw Brad Free also picked this horse (his second choice) I decided the big price warranted the investment.  He was right there to the turn but had travelled four wide from the get-go and tired at 11/1.  So for the first two days of the week I've compiled a 3-for-7 mark.  Live racing for back-to-back days as I'll head out on both Friday and Saturday.  I will look forward to doing the same next week when it will be Kentucky Oaks Day and Kentucky Derby Day!