Post by peter Gross on May 4, 2010 4:50:28 GMT -5
I love going over the charts from important races. The Kentucky Derby had a 20-horse field and the win by Super Saver and jockey Calvin Borel made for a great story. But 20 horses, running in the mud in front of more than 150,000 often presents some challenges for the three year-olds and May 1st was certainly no exception.
Once again, the Run for the Roses was equal parts thoroughbred racing, NASCAR demolition and Roller Derby...As I gaze down the chart, I see no less than 14 horses who had compromised trips.
Looking At Lucky, the race favourite at 6.30-1 ( when have you ever seen that?) got stiffed with the rail and was severely munched twice in the first run through the stretch. ' Roughed twice early' is his chart line. In spite of that, Looking At Lucky, who was 18th at the three-quarters, raced bravely, passing a dozen horses in the last half of the race.
The runner-up, Ice Box did not have a clean trip -'steadied, blocked, steadied' says the chart. But there he was, storming fiercely down the stretch to grab second over Paddy O'Prado.
Make Music For Me came fourth, even though he was 'pinched back' and had to go 8 wide in the stretch.
Nobel's Promise ran a huge race, even if he did fade to fifth after taking the lead at the top of the stretch. This one was pushed inward after the break by Super Saver and that created the pinball effect that harmed Looking At Lucky the most.
The sixth place horse, Dublin was steadied in the opening strides. Stately Victor was 'forced in, bumped.' American Lion was ' steadied early'. Jackson Bend out of post 13 had to be steadied and was forced to 'alter course.'
Dean's Kitten had little to purr about after being crowded early. And Backtalk was bumped early enough to discourage that one into last place.
I certainly enjoyed the Derby. In this blog last Friday, Super Saver was the first horse I mentioned after stating that Looking At Lucky and Sidney's Candy couldn't win from their posts and that Stately Victor, Mission Impazible and Ice Box could not repeat their previous wins. I backed my opinion on Super Saver by betting him in the second half of the double at Churchill and thanks to an 8-1 winner in the first leg, I cashed $294. See that...two 8-1 shots produced a 147-1 double payoff. I was also pleased with the very strong races produced by Noble's Promise (5th) and Paddy O'Prado (3rd). In my doubles, I had Super Saver, Noble's Promise, Paddy O'Prado, Jackson Bend (12th) and Awesome Act (19th).
It was a great betting race - a favourite at 6-1, a second fave at 8-1. Not a single horse at more than 32-1. $47,944,683 bet in the win,place show on the race. And then there was the incredibly lucky - and astute - fan who won a contest that allowed him to bet $100,000 on any horse in the race. Glen Fullerton of Texas won the Churchill Downs 'Dream Bet contest and put the whole $100,000 on Super Saver. Fullerton probably considers Calvin Borel his best friend now. While much of the field smashed and body checked each other, Borel gave Super Saver a dream trip for the dream bet. Not only did Borel scoot his horse right to the rail in the opening furlong, but he somehow managed to keep a few lengths behind horses in front of him - this was critical, because the track was wet and muddy and horses in front tend to kick back crap at trailing horses. Only for a small portion of the race - perhaps when Borel came inside of Noble's Promise at head-stretch, did Super Saver get any significant mud on him.
Borel is great for horse racing. He's jubilant, uninhibited, emotional and expressive and after the race assured horse fans that Super Saver will win the Triple Crown. That's quite the boast..the last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978. Borel's prediction is promising an end to a 32 year slump.
Meanwhile, the 30th issue of Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper is in the hands of Mclaren's - our printer and will be at the tracks and various Champions betting theatres by the end of the week. As publisher/editor, it behooves me to say it's another great issue....but it is.
We have the Derby coverage and stories on Fort Erie (Perry Lefko) and Adena Springs ( Keith McCalmont). Every month we present both a thoroughbred and standardbred Owner of the Month, so imagine how delighted we were when both of our subjects scored big wins last Saturday. Donald Ross's sensational three year-old filly Resentless won the Fury Stakes and is now pointed at the Triple Tiara series for distaff. And Gord Irwin is the owner/trainer of the six year-old pacer Bigtime Ball, who just toyed with his opponents Saturday night in the $42,000 Open Pace at Woodbine, winning in 1:49.1, his second straight sub-1:50 mile.
Man, we sure can pick em, can't we?
Once again, the Run for the Roses was equal parts thoroughbred racing, NASCAR demolition and Roller Derby...As I gaze down the chart, I see no less than 14 horses who had compromised trips.
Looking At Lucky, the race favourite at 6.30-1 ( when have you ever seen that?) got stiffed with the rail and was severely munched twice in the first run through the stretch. ' Roughed twice early' is his chart line. In spite of that, Looking At Lucky, who was 18th at the three-quarters, raced bravely, passing a dozen horses in the last half of the race.
The runner-up, Ice Box did not have a clean trip -'steadied, blocked, steadied' says the chart. But there he was, storming fiercely down the stretch to grab second over Paddy O'Prado.
Make Music For Me came fourth, even though he was 'pinched back' and had to go 8 wide in the stretch.
Nobel's Promise ran a huge race, even if he did fade to fifth after taking the lead at the top of the stretch. This one was pushed inward after the break by Super Saver and that created the pinball effect that harmed Looking At Lucky the most.
The sixth place horse, Dublin was steadied in the opening strides. Stately Victor was 'forced in, bumped.' American Lion was ' steadied early'. Jackson Bend out of post 13 had to be steadied and was forced to 'alter course.'
Dean's Kitten had little to purr about after being crowded early. And Backtalk was bumped early enough to discourage that one into last place.
I certainly enjoyed the Derby. In this blog last Friday, Super Saver was the first horse I mentioned after stating that Looking At Lucky and Sidney's Candy couldn't win from their posts and that Stately Victor, Mission Impazible and Ice Box could not repeat their previous wins. I backed my opinion on Super Saver by betting him in the second half of the double at Churchill and thanks to an 8-1 winner in the first leg, I cashed $294. See that...two 8-1 shots produced a 147-1 double payoff. I was also pleased with the very strong races produced by Noble's Promise (5th) and Paddy O'Prado (3rd). In my doubles, I had Super Saver, Noble's Promise, Paddy O'Prado, Jackson Bend (12th) and Awesome Act (19th).
It was a great betting race - a favourite at 6-1, a second fave at 8-1. Not a single horse at more than 32-1. $47,944,683 bet in the win,place show on the race. And then there was the incredibly lucky - and astute - fan who won a contest that allowed him to bet $100,000 on any horse in the race. Glen Fullerton of Texas won the Churchill Downs 'Dream Bet contest and put the whole $100,000 on Super Saver. Fullerton probably considers Calvin Borel his best friend now. While much of the field smashed and body checked each other, Borel gave Super Saver a dream trip for the dream bet. Not only did Borel scoot his horse right to the rail in the opening furlong, but he somehow managed to keep a few lengths behind horses in front of him - this was critical, because the track was wet and muddy and horses in front tend to kick back crap at trailing horses. Only for a small portion of the race - perhaps when Borel came inside of Noble's Promise at head-stretch, did Super Saver get any significant mud on him.
Borel is great for horse racing. He's jubilant, uninhibited, emotional and expressive and after the race assured horse fans that Super Saver will win the Triple Crown. That's quite the boast..the last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978. Borel's prediction is promising an end to a 32 year slump.
Meanwhile, the 30th issue of Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper is in the hands of Mclaren's - our printer and will be at the tracks and various Champions betting theatres by the end of the week. As publisher/editor, it behooves me to say it's another great issue....but it is.
We have the Derby coverage and stories on Fort Erie (Perry Lefko) and Adena Springs ( Keith McCalmont). Every month we present both a thoroughbred and standardbred Owner of the Month, so imagine how delighted we were when both of our subjects scored big wins last Saturday. Donald Ross's sensational three year-old filly Resentless won the Fury Stakes and is now pointed at the Triple Tiara series for distaff. And Gord Irwin is the owner/trainer of the six year-old pacer Bigtime Ball, who just toyed with his opponents Saturday night in the $42,000 Open Pace at Woodbine, winning in 1:49.1, his second straight sub-1:50 mile.
Man, we sure can pick em, can't we?
