In a greedy mood?
Churchill's Super Hi-5 $277,000; Belmont pick-6 $131,000
Even if the favourites finish in the top five in the Super Hi-5 in Churchill's ninth race at 4 p.m. (CT) this afternoon, the payoff is likely to be generous because of the huge carryover from Derby Day. The pool sits at $277,000 and should grow to at least $400,000. Here's the program page for your perusal. As you'll note it's only a 10-horse field. I'd start by eliminating three of them and figure a way to wheel the remaining horses to make it as economical as possible.
Look for horses that like the distance (7f) and horses that have been showing speed at route distances; that's a good angle in 7f races.
You have a chance for big bucks at Belmont, too, since the carryover in the pick-6 is $131,000 and is likely to double. The first two legs, beginning with race 4 at 1:26 p.m. (central), appear to have key horses: a Richard Dutrow trainee in race 4 and a Todd Pletcher trainee in race 5. There are two turf races and all races are decently classy which usually negates something goofy happening.
And, it that isn't enough greed for you, there are a couple pick-5s at other tracks with healthy carryovers: $63,000 at Pimlico and $32,000 at Louisiana.
New "serious" twist to Vegas tourney
You can now get into month-end tournament for free!
Earning a spot in the Las Vegas month-end trip-giveaway tournament has never been easier or better! The tournament is now dubbed the Get Serious Las Vegas Horseplayer Challenge.
The usual entry fee is $50 but you can get into the tournament free! Here's how: Every live race day except Sundays and holidays predict three winners on that day's card. Once you've done that correctly once, your entry fee is cut in half. But, each time you're correct after that, $5 more is taken off the entry fee. So, if you predict three winners six times during the month, you get into the tournament free of charge!
But there's more: If you have more correct entries during the month than anyone else, you receive $100 in wagering vouchers (divided up in the case of a tie).
THE TOURNAMENT ON SATURDAY, MAY 26: Using your own money, you bet $2 win/place on a horse in each race (likely eight races) and, of course, keep whatever you bet. Then, if you've accumulated more money than anyone else, you win a $3,500 trip for two to Las Vegas to participate in a $1 million tournament (includes airfare, hotel, $300 spending money and contest entry fee.) Additional bonus: The person who picks the longest-priced horse in the tournament wins a bonus of $50 in wagering vouchers. (divided up in the case of a tie).
Good reason to "get serious" every day, don't you think?
TRIVIA TEASER: What was the admission to get into the races 88 years ago (1924) at River Park? (a) 25-cents (b) 40-cents (c) 50-cents (d) $1 (e) $1.50 Answer at bottom of column.
Derby notes . . .
Derby winner and ASD horse have same moms
You've already heard that Kentucky Derby winner, I'll Have Another, has two Canadian connections: the owner, J. Paul Reddam, was born and raised in Windsor, Ont. and the
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I'll Have Another (winning Kentucky Derby) and Gray's When Willy Win have the
same mom |
jockey, Mario Guttierrez, was, until recently, racing mainly at Hastings Park in Vancouver. Well, now you can add a Manitoba connection, too: I'll Have Another has the same mother (Arch's Gal Edith) as When Willy Win, who's been racing for local trainer Clayton Gray after being claimed from Ardell Sayler last year. Their sires are different, however: I'll Have Another was fathered by Flower Alley and When Willy Win was fathered by Soto. Want more breathlessly important trivia? I'll Have Another was born the same day as Jon's Golden Run--April Fool's Day, 2009, but, like Jon, has shown he's nobody's fool.
WOODBINE APOLOGIZES FOR "ISSUES" THAT COST LOCAL PLAYER BIG: ASD horse owner and restaurateur John Ganas tried again and again Saturday afternoon to open his HPI account so he could bet a superfecta in the Kentucky Derby. He loved I'll Have Another, the ultimate winner, and had already made a $100 win/place bet on the horse and made other wagers, on which he made $4,500, he said. But, when he tried repeatedly to make $120 in superfecta bets, he couldn't. But, at the last moment, he said, he remembered he could phone the TAB line but, as luck would have it, it was too late to get all his numbers in. His numbers came in. The superfecta paid $85,000.
What is Woodbine's response? Here's what Greg Martin, director of wagering, is telling HPI users: "Unfortunately, some users experienced issues Saturday afternoon while using our systems due to the incredibly high volume. We are doing everything possible to ensure this doesn't happen again. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you."
WORKSHOP GROUP BLANKS IN SUPER SELECTION: Everyone at the final "I won big" workshop last Saturday morning gave their best shot analyzing the Kentucky Derby, endeavoring to select a superfecta ticket but the result was more bizarre than expected (that's why it paid $85,000). If I had it to do over again, I would have played pick-3's instead.
WINNER OF THE DERBY FUTURES CONTEST: Congrats to Don Bell. He predicted the winner of the Kentucky Oaks in future pool #2, Believe You Can, so gets the value of a $5 ticket on that future pool ($187) and a race night buffet for two. Three people including reigning Handicapper of the Year Ron Phelps, Joan Fraser and Joan Zaretsky were tied for the second and third positions with $114 for having predicted I'll Have Another. That means they
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Rob Atras (left) and Rob MacLennan (right) tie for zero psychic ability |
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share $228--which is $76 each. All prizes may be picked up at the VLT cage anytime between 9 a.m.and 2 a.m. Great predictions, guys! Now what horse is going to win the Preakness and Belmont Stakes?
ROB VS ROB: Trainer Rob Atras and whiz kid Rob MacLennan tied at zero correct predictions in the three future pools. That means a tie-breaker comes into play: Predict the winner and second-place finisher of the Preakness by 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19, guys. (Give your selections in the exact order to the mutuel supervisor.)
NOLAN WAS BANG-ON ABOUT HANSEN: At the horsemen's awards banquet the night before the Kentucky Derby, jockey Paul Nolan told me he saw Hansen the horse at Keeneland and described him as being "moody." If he doesn't get his way, he will sulk and not try, Nolan said. And that's exactly what happened. In fact, in a head-on view of the horses on the Churchill track after the horses left the gate in the Kentucky Derby, one observer wrote: "Hansen is sweating, his chest appears pink and he appears aggravated."
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "This group of 3-year-olds appears even worse than the weak crops of 2011, 2010, and 2009, with the notable exception of Bodemeister." -- Andy Beyer, writing in the Daily Racing Form after the Kentucky Derby.
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FINISH OF THE WEEK
IN FIVE SECONDS |
HOTTIES OF THE WEEK: Sunday
Hottest jock: Paul Nolan (2 wins)
Hottest trainers: Blair Miller, Gary Danelson, Chad Torevell, Shelley Brown, Ardell Sayler, Wade Rarick, Murray Duncan and Tom Gardipy, Jr. (one win each)
Biggest upset: Mosel River $35.60 (4th race)
Biggest 20-cent superfecta: $236 (4th race) 3-7-6-ALL
Have you checked out On Track with George, Rob & Bob?
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Hansen didn't get to show off his blue tail but the Blue Grass gals did |
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Quick bits . . .
Nolan sets tone for meet; bags two winners on opening day
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Nolan bags two winners on a muddy day at the office. |
Paul Nolan, the personable new jockey with the English accent, a predilection for talking to his horses and two jockey titles to his name (Canterbury in 2006 and Sam Houston in 2010), got off to the quickest start of the 2012 meet by bagging two winners during the eight races: Sir Sherman in the fifth ($5.50) and The Phenom in the sixth ($5.90). He was also right about Hansen in the Kentucky Derby (see above).
GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT THE PICK-4: As you've already read, the theme of this year's meet is "get serious and win" which means there will be no mickey-mouse three of four payout in the pick-4 if no-one has all four. Pick-4 will-pays were posted in error on TV monitors Sunday--an opening-day "whoops!"--and there are apologies for that. Now let's see you collect a share of tomorrow's pool which has a carryover of $5,169 and is likely to grow to well over $10,000. The 15 per cent takeout is among the lowest on the continent.
SURPRISING BLINKER REMOVAL: After I touted #5 Mygallovesgold in Sunday's first race in my Secrets Stage presentation because the horse had so much pace at Tampa Downs, I should have suggested to my audience to check to see if the horse were wearing blinkers as he did at Tampa Downs. Blinkers sharpen a horse's early speed. As I found out AFTER the horse finished last, blinkers were not on and this did not have to be noted in the program because this is a new jurisdiction. Well, learned my lesson there! Look for him to wear blinkers in his next race, likely, and that WILL be noted in the program.
