Saratoga Day 20 (Thursday)
Wednesday's results
Three winners, Astronomia ($16), Cliff Meadow ($4.50), and More Happy ($5), and the late Pick 4 ($205.75) -- fourth straight Pick 4. I'm back in the black for the first time since opening day. Total bet $333 with a return of $663.25 for a profit of $330.25.
Bankroll $2208.95 (initial bankroll was $2000)
Turnover $4126
Thursday's card is just awful (for Saratoga that is -- it is far superior to weekend racing at most other tracks). I plan to tread lightly but will make another stab at the Pick 4 to try to keep the streak alive.
Race 1: $50
$50 Win 6 Meneef
Ok so this probably is throwing money away since Meneef has not finished either of his hurdle races in the US. However Katherine McKenna is a good trainer - she is currently 5th in money won and 4th in race won on the NSA circuit (a very respectable 10 of 45 this year). Maneef ran in the barn of David Hayes in Australia. Hayes has been a top trainer in Australia and Hong Kong. He had little success with the well-bred Maneef on the flats, but he did saddle him for a win in a hurdle race at Strathalbyn in late April of 2006. Presumably he was privately purchased at that point by Calvin Houghland (a top ten owner) who ran him May 13th in the Grade I Iroquois at Percy Warner in Nashville. The Iroquois is one of the top events on the NSA spring calender and drew a top field so getting distanced is nothing to be ashamed, especially considering he was only given 16 days off after shipping halfway across the globe into a different barn. Clearly they thought he had some ability to make such a reckless move (or they are idiots). After a year freshening he ran poorly in an open allowance race at Percy Warner and has since run 1st in a training race at Fair Hill and 6th in a training race Saratoga (both non-purse non-hurdle events). He could easily be as good as these (certainly the two fields he faced in Nashville were stronger) and will be a big price.
So my biggest opinion on the card is a complete stab at a race over the jumps - maybe I should pass on tomorrow. I would but as Harvey Pack states in rule #13 from May the Horse Be With You, "A Day without betting is like a day without sunshine".
Race 6: $64
$1 Pick 4 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9/10/3/1,3,5 ($24)
$1 Pick 4 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9/10/3,5,7/5 ($24)
$1 Pick 4 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9/3,10/3/5 ($16)
Race 7: $18
$1 Pick 3 3,10/3,5,7/1,3,5 ($18)
Race 9: $54
$30 Win 5 Sabre Baby
$8 Exacta 5 Sabre Baby/1 Minnamana, 3 Buckeye Wonder ($16)
$4 Exacta 1 Minnamana, 3 Buckeye Wonder/5 Sabre Baby ($8)
Total Bet $186
Three winners, Astronomia ($16), Cliff Meadow ($4.50), and More Happy ($5), and the late Pick 4 ($205.75) -- fourth straight Pick 4. I'm back in the black for the first time since opening day. Total bet $333 with a return of $663.25 for a profit of $330.25.
Bankroll $2208.95 (initial bankroll was $2000)
Turnover $4126
Thursday's card is just awful (for Saratoga that is -- it is far superior to weekend racing at most other tracks). I plan to tread lightly but will make another stab at the Pick 4 to try to keep the streak alive.
Race 1: $50
$50 Win 6 Meneef
Ok so this probably is throwing money away since Meneef has not finished either of his hurdle races in the US. However Katherine McKenna is a good trainer - she is currently 5th in money won and 4th in race won on the NSA circuit (a very respectable 10 of 45 this year). Maneef ran in the barn of David Hayes in Australia. Hayes has been a top trainer in Australia and Hong Kong. He had little success with the well-bred Maneef on the flats, but he did saddle him for a win in a hurdle race at Strathalbyn in late April of 2006. Presumably he was privately purchased at that point by Calvin Houghland (a top ten owner) who ran him May 13th in the Grade I Iroquois at Percy Warner in Nashville. The Iroquois is one of the top events on the NSA spring calender and drew a top field so getting distanced is nothing to be ashamed, especially considering he was only given 16 days off after shipping halfway across the globe into a different barn. Clearly they thought he had some ability to make such a reckless move (or they are idiots). After a year freshening he ran poorly in an open allowance race at Percy Warner and has since run 1st in a training race at Fair Hill and 6th in a training race Saratoga (both non-purse non-hurdle events). He could easily be as good as these (certainly the two fields he faced in Nashville were stronger) and will be a big price.
So my biggest opinion on the card is a complete stab at a race over the jumps - maybe I should pass on tomorrow. I would but as Harvey Pack states in rule #13 from May the Horse Be With You, "A Day without betting is like a day without sunshine".
Race 6: $64
$1 Pick 4 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9/10/3/1,3,5 ($24)
$1 Pick 4 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9/10/3,5,7/5 ($24)
$1 Pick 4 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9/3,10/3/5 ($16)
Race 7: $18
$1 Pick 3 3,10/3,5,7/1,3,5 ($18)
Race 9: $54
$30 Win 5 Sabre Baby
$8 Exacta 5 Sabre Baby/1 Minnamana, 3 Buckeye Wonder ($16)
$4 Exacta 1 Minnamana, 3 Buckeye Wonder/5 Sabre Baby ($8)
Total Bet $186
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