Charles Town

Shared Belief ventures out of Southern California for the first time. I think they picked a tough race for that. Although he is by far the best horse in the field, I think he is facing a tough matchup here. There is not a lot of speed for him to run against. So he will have to be a little closer to the front than normal to have a chance. I am uncomfortable betting horses that may be out of their comfort zone. Moreno should get the front end. However, he may be comprised by the poorly handled Vyjack. I have a lot of respect for Rudy Rodriguez and he is a friend of mine but as I told him in Saratoga last year, this horse should not be running further than a mile. Therefore if Shared Belief falters at all, I think that longshot Warrioroftheroses can pick up the pieces. Bet 1 unit on #8 to win and 1 unit on 4,8/2,4,6,8 in the exacta. Bet two units on 4,8 exacta box.

NYRA ticket policy

As those who have following this blog know, I have not been enamored of the NYRA ticket policy of late. As a credited member of the press, I should be able to purchase tickets without the need to purchase an unneeded admission. However, it is now been a month since I complained and I have yet to get a response to my email. I guess I should take to heart what I was told in an email last year. That is, the seats belong to NYRA and I should be thankful that I am allowed to purchase them at all. My response is that they are right but I do not need to purchase seats at all.

Fridays race will be the 7th at AQU. This race has only six horses but not a lot of speed. I think the #6 horse may very well be able to wire this field. Since the ML odds on the #6 are 6-1 he warrants a win bet. Bet a 3 unit exacta box of 2,3,6. and 2 units p/w exacta of 6/2,3,4and 1 unit exacta p/w of 2,3,4/6.

Thursday's race will be the 7th at Aqueduct. This is a seven horse claiming field. After eliminating the #3 and the #4, I am left with five horses. I prefer three horses here: #2, #5 and #6. The #2 and the #6 have faced each other twice and the #6 has won both ties. I see no reason why that should change today. Bet #6 to win. Bet a 6-2 exacta for 3 units, a 2-6 exacta for 2 units, a 6-5 exacta for 2 units and a 5-6 exacta for 1 unit.

So, lets try handicapping a race. Wednesday, April 8, 2015, AQU Race 4. This is a mile race with almost no speed.I think that the #1 horse will inherit the lead almost by default. What makes this interesting is that all of the horses except for number 4 are coming out of the same race back  on Feb 11. In that race, the #2 horse was the favorite and the #6 nearly wired the field with #1 a close third. I think the finish will be reversed today. Bet #1 to win and key it in exactas top and bottom with the #3 and the #6 horse.

For the third year in a row, I am having difficulty buying the tickets I want for Saratoga. Once again, I tried to purchase tickets for the entire meet. However, I was notified by NYRA that I can do that only if I also purchase admission to the track as part of the seat price. As many of you know, I am a handicapper for the Saratoga Special. As such, I have a press pass which allows me access to any part of the track I wish or need to go. But to get seats I still have to pay for an admission. Way to go NYRA. When will NYRA ever listen to its fans. It sure is doing its best to keep me from attending.

I stopped going to Aqueduct four years ago as NYRA made it plain it would rather not have fans there. For the three or four fans who continue to go, please be careful of the casino there. There was a massive brawl there on Good Friday nite as a new bar opened with free drinks.

As I am not really active in the breeding business anymore, I will turn the direction of this blog to head towards more handicapping and/or betting strategies. During the year, I will tend to post my thoughts on major stakes races and once Saratoga  opens I will post to links to the Saratoga Special. Since we only post our picks in that paper, I hope to be able to expound on the why of my picks instead of just listing them in the paper. For those of you who are not familiar with the Special, it is published every race day but Monday during the meeting by the Clancy brothers, Sean and Joe. It has a strong handicapping section and features eclipse award winning writing. Check it out--its free. The top Public handicapper for Saratoga last year is listed there.

Well, it has been a while since I posted anything. A lot has happened involving my horses. SkedaddletoSeattle was claimed away from Mike Ferraro by a low percentage trainer. He has won once since then and in most races is not competitive.

My other horse Dixie Sparkle which we cobred with Joe McMahon showed a very competive side on the NYRA Circle. He broke his maiden at Belmont and then won his next start also, his first at Saratoga. This was also my first win at Saratoga as a breeder. Friends of mine at the track made several hundred dollars betting. So it was a fun day all around. He then won a couple of races later at Aqueduct. He was claimed away from Gary Sciacca by Gary Gullo. The horse broke down and was euthanized on the track in his first start for Gullo.