Handicapping Success & Race of the Week

My picks were right on the money last week. My “Play of the Day” on Saturday was Commentator. He got home for a return of $10.80 for a $2 win bet. I also keyed him first on a trifecta wager which returned $625 for a $2 bet. As if that weren’t enough I gave you the trifecta in the Bing Crosby COLD. While it was certainly no monster, paying $194, it was fairly easy to figure out. I also advertised a win bet on Street Boss in that race who returned a respectable $6.40. I also had the trifecta in the Vanderbilt, which paid a measly $135 or so. Alright, I’m done bragging now. Race of the Week is up, so check it out. This weeks race is the West Virginia Derby. You can find the Race of the Week on the red toolbar at the top of the page. Thanks for reading!

Heatseeker’s Time Comes Too Soon

Santa Anita Handicap winner Heatseeker has been retired due to injuring the medial branch of the suspensory ligament in his left foreleg. Heatseeker would require atleast 6 months off if they had decided to keep him in training. This saddening news comes just days after Heatseeker was unexpectedly scratched from the Hollywood Gold Cup. Heatseeker would’ve been one of the top choices in this years Breeders Cup Classic.

“We are extremely disappointed as we had our sights set on the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), where we figured to be one of the favorites based on Heatseeker’s dominance of his division this year,” said owner William de Burgh. “I am very grateful to Jerry and his stable team. We all had a lot of fun with Heatseeker, and I know it is a huge disappointment to them as well. Horses like him do not come around very often.” Courtesy of Blood-Horse.com

Heatseeker showed he was getting better every start by winning the Grade 2 Californian last time out. In a race that lacked pace, he voluntarily placed himself close to the pace, before drawing off in an emphatic victory. His retirement comes as a shock to everyone. In an older male division which already lacked depth, Heatseeker was one of the few bright spots. He was fun to watch, and I’m sure he will be remembered for his accomplishments on the track.

Dirty Deeds

Steve Asmussen, Rick Dutrow, and Jeremy Rose have really cast a shadow on horse racing this week. Asmussen, and Dutrow are both facing suspension because of illegal drugs that were present in their horses’ systems. In the defense of Dutrow his offense wasn’t nearly as severe as Asmussens. His filly, Timber Trick, had lidocaine present in her system. Lidocaine is a nerve blocker which prevented the filly from feeling pain. Dutrow’s horse had a legal medication which was applied too close to race day. This happened during “Big Brown Mania” so I believe it wasn’t intentional. Jockey Jeremy Rose has been suspended for 6 months for whipping a horse in the face. He is also required to take anger management classes.

All parties involved should really consider how much they care about horse racing. In a time where our sport is desperate for new fans and craving the attention it once had, incidents like these are turning people the other way. If they really believe that this behavior is acceptable then the game is better off without them. Their actions are acting as a catalyst for racings further decline.

I am also concerned with the spotty national media coverage which racing has received. I have seen several headlines on each of the people that I previously mentioned, along with stories on Big Brown’s quarter cracks and accusatory articles concerning Gabriel Saez’s role in the Eight Belles tragedy. What I have not seen is any coverage about Curlin winning the Foster Handicap, or Zenyetta’s rise to the top. Doing this, they are presenting the public with a deceiving image of what horse racing is all about. With the good comes the bad, and all sides of the story must be told.

I’d love to hear what everyone has to say about this.

P Val Is Back!

Racing legend Patrick Valenzuela is finally back, after overcoming a substance abuse problem. Patrick Valenzuela is possibly the best gate rider in the country, and one of the best of all time for that matter. He has been riding at a small track called SunRay in New Mexico, but should be back to the big time in no time! P Val rode 5 winners, 2 seconds, and a fourth from 8 mounts today. I’m glad to see he is back, he is one of my favorite riders.

P Val is known for his fiery temperament and aggressive riding tactics. He commonly gets into fights with other jockeys. Click here read a story of one of his tangles with Corey Nakatani in 2005.

Valenzueala’s list of accomplishments are endless. He has won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness one time, aboard Sunday Silence for both victories. P Val has 6 Breeders Cup victories. He also has wins in the Pacific Classic, Santa Anita Derby, Hollywood Gold Cup, Metropolitan Mile, and the Queen’s Plate. He is quickly approaching 4,000 careers wins. I’m sure he will have many more epic victories to come.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I heard someone earlier today say that jockeys from small tracks weren’t as good as jockeys from the bigger tracks. I happen to take exception to that statement. Hearing that quickly reminded me of a horse named Old Man Buck, and a jockey named Perry Wayne Ouzts. Last fall Ouzt’s was the regular rider for Ken McPeek’s 2 year old colt, Old Man Buck. Ouzts successfully won the Cradle Stakes aboard Old Man Buck at his local track, River Downs. Trainer Ken McPeek decided to head to the Grade 1 Lanes End Breeders Futurity next out. I can’t remember the exact odds, but Old Man Buck was sent off around 30-1. Ouzts got the horse home third, just missing for second. He proved once again, its not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’d like to take a moment to discuss Saturday’s races. Eclisse finished second in the All Along Stakes at the morning line odds of 20-1. I didn’t happen to see what she went off at, but she did end up paying 8.80 to place, so my guess would be around 9-1. I had a feeling she could get loose on the lead. I still haven’t got to watch the video, but I am pretty sure that’s how it went down. You could’ve boxed my top 3 choices in that race for a return of $197. Not a bad return huh?!

The Colonial Turf Cup didn’t go exactly the way I had anticipated. You could probably attribute that to the downpour that hit the track prior to the race. Sailor’s Cap ended up winning the race. In retrospect I should’ve given him more respect. He was improving, but I didn’t think he was good enough. Fabulous Strike won his comeback with the utmost ease. He will add more depth to an already tough sprint division. Keep an eye out for him. I’ll wrap up this post with a selection in tomorrow’s Queen Plate. I’m going to go with the filly, Ginger Brew at 4-1. She has been winning easily, and the fact that they have her in this spot tells me they are for real. Drop me a comment, and let me know what you think!

Phar Lap Mystery Solved

Phar Lap is undoubtedly the greatest race horse in the history of Australia. I recently found an article on Yahoo.com detailing the cause of his death. For years it has been a great mystery, but scientists determined on June 19 that Arsenic poisioning was the cause. You can find the article here.

Some of Phar Lap’s most notable wins came in the Melbourne Cup, which he won twice. Perhaps his greatest victory was in the long forgotten Agua Caliente Handicap. At the time it was the richest race in North America. Click here to read more about Phar Lap. The above is rare footage of Phar Lap winning the Agua Caliente Handicap!

Rankings

I’ve released my version of the “Watchmaker Watch”! You can find it by clicking on “Rankings” which is located on the red strip below the logo. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the list.

Here are my rankings of the Older Male Division:

1. Curlin- This colt is in a class of his own. Connections are pointing to the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs.
2. Divine Park- Amazing colt is coming into his own. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin says the Metropolitan Mile is likely his next start.
3. Go Between- Big win in the SunShine Millions Classic earlier this year. Followed that up with a second in the Santa Anita Handicap, and the Ben Ali Stakes.
4. Commentator- Lightly raced 7 year old gelding is still rolling. The Nick Zito trainee is 2 for 2 this year including a monstrous romp in an allowance company at Gulfstream Park, and a Grade II win.
5. Diamond Stripes
6. AP Arrow
7. Tiago
8. Student Council
9. Heatseeker
10. Well Armed

Make sure to check the rest out!

The Future

You may have noticed I have changed the theme of Gradedstakes.com since last week. I believe the new theme is better looking, and more flexible. However, I’m still figuring things out and it isn’t easy. I’ve got a friend helping me work it out, so expect a more full experience by next week.

I’ve got many things planned for this summer that most of you are going to like. I’m going to try and do more interviews with trainers, jockeys, and other relevant industry insiders. I’m also looking to create more history type articles such as “Almost Immortal I+II”. You can also look out for more ranking articles like “Top 5 Jockeys”. I’m also improving my handicapping skills by reading books such as “Bet with the Best” which is written by several of the nations top handicappers. Expect selections that are even better then the ones you are already getting! I’m also thinking of recording myself giving the picks, and uploading the video.

As far as Gradedstakes.com as a community goes, I am thinking about added a message board. I encourage everyone to comment, but this would allow for a better discussion between everyone. You can also expect a “poll” in the near future. The last addition I would like to mention would be handicapping contests. In the near future, I would like to begin have handicapping contests for small prizes, and small amounts of cash. Make you sure you check back so you test your skills against mine!

That’s about all I have to say for now. As always I thank you for reading. Make sure to keep checking back, and if you have any suggestions, or comments please email them to me at loyaluntildeath@yahoo.com. I’ll close with the following. Curlin forever, Big Brown never!

Big Bad Brown!

I don’t know if Big Brown could’ve won the Preakness with any more ease then he did. Coming down the stretch it looked like he was jogging. Nobody could get near this horse once he really started running. Albeit, the field was poor, and he should have won convincingly. I was glad to see Kent Desormeaux gear Big Brown down. He gave the horse a very heady ride.

The Belmont Stakes is shaping up to be Big Brown’s toughest challenge. Denis of Cork, who finished third in the Kentucky Derby will be back. He is a closer with a monster kick and will be looking to run down the pace. Casino Drive, winner of the Peter Pan Stakes will be Big Brown’s main challenger. The colt hails from Japan and is undefeated in two starts. He is ¾ brother to last years winner, Rags to Riches. Casino Drive is also ½ to the 2006 winner, Jazil.

Will Big Brown win the Triple Crown? I can’t say yes for sure. I just finished watching Smarty Jones win the Preakness in 2004 and he won easier and against a better field. I hope Big Brown can get it done. 30 years has certainly been long enough. Big Brown should be fresh and ready to go for the Belmont Stakes. While im hardly going out a limb here, I will make my prediction. The time has come. Big Brown will wear the crown.

I found an interesting article about trainer Rick Dutrow. Click here to check it out!

The Regular Guy

I had the pleasure of appearing on the “The Regular Guy” with John Engelhart today. I really enjoyed my first time on the camera. My only regret, is not picking many price horses. I had two winners ($3.80, $4.80), and in the last race I had the exacta backwards for $31, so hopefully someone boxed it. I was a bit nervous the night before but some good advice from TVG’s Nick Hines help to put me at ease. John was also very helpful. I have him to thank for getting my first picture in the winners circle, with a horse who just so happened to be my first winner on TV (TK’s Turn).

I met some interesting people including trainers George S. Bush, and Thomas Drury, along with jockeys Justin Vitek and Weldon Cloninger. Justin Vitek was a particularly interesting person. I can remember watching him ride as a little boy, and always counted him among the better jockeys at River Downs. Justin has been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, and anything you could do to help him out would be greatly appreciated! Below is an address where you can send any donations.

The Justin Vitek Fund
c/o JoLynn Johnston
5394 Taylor Mill Road, Taylor Mill, KY 41015

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