Race 1 - Tad the Stud win $41.90, let us gogogo

Happy New Year, guys.....may you all have a ton of winners this year!


Gulfstream - Race 8

#6 Pikestar (12/1 ml)

Very interesting entrant for Michelle Nihei here. First-time starter comes into this two-turn grass race fresh off the heels of a heads-up turf drill with Regalo Mia, who just came out of that drill to win a similar two-turn grass race on Friday (with today's rider Castanon aboard) despite breaking from the 12-hole in a race that started right on the turn. And prior to that, Pikestar had worked heads-up on two occasions (both on grass, again) with Woodford Belle, who then came out of those drills to win an allowance race on grass last Monday. Looks extremely live here at a big price.

Pikerstar really got handicapped by the extremely slow start at the break. Hard to keep an eye on him down the backstretch because he was completely off the screen, but it looked like he turned into the stretch with tons of run and just had nowhere to go due to some serious traffic problems. I defenitely retain interest in this horse for next time, and he should be a huge price again (he went off @ 33/1 this time) after today's beaten margin.

Gulf Stream Rainbow Pk6:

going with All As, and As and 1B, so smaller ticket, and i can't hit it more than once, but just needed some action on a hungover Monday Holiday:

As

6) 1,4,6
7) 7
8) 9,10
9) 2,5
10) 9,10,11
11) 8

Bs

6) 5
7) 4,5,6,11
8) 3,4,5,8
9) 11,12
10) 3,6,8
11) 2,7,12,13

ends up being 7 tickets, totalling $48.

I'll probably play a caveman pk4 if I'm out by race 8...

gl and happy new year!

welp, I'm onto all of my A's after the first race. 1x2x2x3x1, fun....

This more a theory question--forest rather than trees so to speak. Do you guys think there is enough dumb money in the exotic pools to overcome the higher take out compared to the win pool? I have drifted pack to just playing straight win tickets instead of multiple exotic bets.

One, I hate betting against myself in the same pool and two, the increased take out in the exotic pool grates on me and I don't like giving up that much vig.

But I'm still a sucker for any carry over on a pick six or super high five. LOL me.

Sorry if this has already been discussed.

I am going to attempt to track the performances of all Washington bred horses that race outside of Washington for 2012, obviously the main tracks will be Portland Meadows,Golden Gate, and Turf Paradise, but I will be tracking all the other tracks just to make sure.

12/2 GG YoutheprizeandI ran a game third beaten by a neck, as the 4th betting choice in a field of 5,of a 30,000 Allowance Optional Claimer (she was the only horse in for a price) her first start of a 3 year old campaign looked promising, this horse was coming off a long layoff after winning a Restricted WA bred stakes race on July 4th. Look for her to improve into her next start.

Sti1gar or anyone else - did you happen to catch the 5th (i think) at PM on Monday the 2nd? Jackson's Honour had a huge spill. It was pretty strange - it looked like he whiffed landing on his front hoofs and face planted. Never seen anything like it. He wasn't tripped or anything. The jockey Rocco Bowen I think appeared to be in pretty bad shape. The horse behind Jackson's Honour was able to jump over him but the jockey - Shawna Whiteside I think is her name fell too, and was hurt pretty good, although in better shape than Bowen.

I didn't see it, But going over the Full chart on equibase, it read out to be one of the craziest things i've seen. Jackson's Honour was claimed as well....rough for everyone involved.

Imo, the easiest way to beat the takeout in gimmicks is to find 1 combo cold bets. For argument's sake think of how difficult it is to find a winner you can bet a full unit on that pays 42.00. Now think about how often it is you can find a cold exacta or cold double that pays the same. Go a little further and think about cold pick 3's too.

I look at doubles the most. 1st b/c they're easiest and 2nd b/c the probables let you know if it's a good bet. The mantra is: Parlay + 10. Anything less is pricing you back to the straights or forcing a pass.

22!!!!!

definitely was holding my breath in that stretch run. #1 gave rapid redux as big of a challenge as he's had. pressed him the whole race but just couldnt get passed him. that was a tough race. impressive by rapid redux to hold off that challenge. i think he (should) get a bit of a break here. cole/wells have handled him well so if he needs a break i think he'll get it.

O'prado Again off the derby trail with a fracture....... Just getting to the Derby has become quite the accomplishment for a runner these days.

Black Caviar trainer, Peter Moody:

"Everything is geared towards Royal Ascot in June but I haven't looked beyond the Futurity," Moody said.

Caviar v Frankel looks a goer.

Oh man! Going to be a good one !

Yeah doesn't come as a surprise.

The Longacres Mile First ran in 1935 Longacres Mile has been the premier race in the Northwest for over 75 years.

The link breaks down the race by decade, and provides a one page writeup on each race and features a results chart as well. Its a great look back at history.

I'm patiently waiting for EMD to release its schedule for the upcoming meet (likely to run Mid/late April to Late September) as well as the stakes schedule. Hopefully both will be out shortly (cross your fingers no dates are lost!).

Do American horse racing fans know who Frankel is?

I do follow racing quite closely here in the UK but I couldn't tell you who are the best American horses around. I only know of the Australian horse Black Caviar because they did a piece on him during Royal Ascot last year in anticipation of him racing there this year.

I still get goosebumps watching Frankel win that 2000 guineas race.

im a weirdo but the horses running in the wrong direction makes watching Aussie/UK racing unwatcheable for me; its so distracting. but yeah frankel did work in that race.

this is one of my favorite races. 2010 San Francisco Mile (Gr.II). Bold Chieftain does serious work in the last sixteenth.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...co-mile-s-gr-2

The big international horses get a fair bit of coverage here on the major N.A. racing websites, not sure how much of that transcribes over into the print editions or whats being talked about on air.

Furthermore the big race dates in Europe do get coverage, and that spreads word about some horses, especially as people want to know which horses might ship in for the Breeders Cup.

I couldn't sling off a bunch of international horses but I know of the....

Frankel
Circus de Aglies (spelling?)
Dunaden (spelling?)
Danedream
Buena Vista
Black Caviar
Victoria Piza

as well as some of the horses that came to race for BC day

St Nicholas Abbey
Byword
Sea Moon
Sarafina
Goldikova

I've no doubt Black Caviar will beat him. She hasn't even been ridden out in any race she has run and still won by a minimum of 5L.

Either way, i can't wait. The betting markets will be interesting to compare from here and in the UK.

Having looked at both horses (eye test only) and not at any stats or whatever I'd def give the edge to Black Caviar. I wonder who has ran against the better horses tho, that would be quite interesting to know. I hate Tom Queally on Frankel, he got so lucky at Royal Ascot when Frankel nearly lost, awful ride that day. He's been better since but I'd be more confident with someone like Ryan Moore on board.

Flat Out on turf in the Grade 3 Ft Lauderdale tomorrow. seems like an odd choice for a prep race leading up to the Donn H. in february. but, interested nonetheless to see how he does. I thought he was very meh both in the BC and then the Clark H. at the end of the year.

BOLD CHIEFTAIN...
He makes his 49th and final start of his career today in GGF3. He's 9 years old and has won 18 times, earning 1.6 mil. They're gonna parade him alone before the grandstand today. Might draw a few dozen extra fans like me into the joint. It'll be good to say thanks.

I'd talked a page ago about placing cold bets to beat the rake. Here's some I'll try at GGF. $20 pick 3.
Race 2 #5 Gemini RN at 3-1
Race 3 #2 Bold Chieftain at 8/5(bettin' w/my heart)
Race 4 #3 Funnycus at 3-1
If race 2 dies I'll play a $40 dd in races 3 & 4 demanding an 18.00 probable.

Race 7 If the 9 Heart's music goes off at 4-1 or better I'm betting her $40 win. If the double probable to the 6 Jim's Gold Pick in race 8 is 25.00 I'll also play a cold dub there.

Recap:
Race 2 $20 pick 3 5,2,3
Race 3 $40 double 2,3(if necessary/demanding an 18.00 probable)
Race 7 $40 win 9 demanding a 10.00 mutuel, $40 double demanding a 25.00 probable.

I'd love to know how they'll each approach the race. I think it'll be a carbon copy of the TJ Smith Stakes she won in Sydney. Frankel will take the running and she'll trail. Whether she catches him or whether Frankel holds on, i can't wait to find out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La0ALENYx9A