Snow, Betting And Stealing Food

Today is the last day that Loveland Ski Resort is open for skiing...  Looking towards the mountains, I can see that Sugarloaf has no snow, the Indian Peaks are almost completely snow covered, and Mount Audubon still has a total snow covering.  It was in the mid-70s (F) here yesterday, and we had a thunderstorm about 2 in the afternoon - that happened on both Friday and Saturday.  So May is arriving with afternoon and evening thunderstorms, which is fine with me.
  I did not actually bet any monies on the Kentucky Oaks and the Derby this year, and it's a good thing.  My betting choices were awful this year, and since I'm trying to hang onto my dollars for my summer vacation, I'm glad I didn't place any.  Lovely Maria  is a beautifully bred filly, who didn't get the respect she deserved in the Kentucky Oaks.  I did not think that American Pharoah would live up to his racing history and obvious talent at Churchill Downs.  Boy, was I ever wrong.   I can only try to do better for the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, which means I'll have to release my dislike of betting favorites.
   If I'm extremely hungry, I'm lucky to be able to eat three pieces of a large pizza from Pizza Hut.  I ate two pieces yesterday, and closed the remainder (6 big slices) inside the box inside the wall oven in the kitchen.  I left the house for 25 minutes, to walk over to a house and feed and love a cat.  When I got back, Rosie looked guilty about something.  Then I realized the oven door was barely ajar - so I thought Rose had tried to reach, but not actually accessed, the pizza - especially since the box was still closed and the napkin was folded neatly along the front edge.  I was, therefore, very surprised when I opened the box an hour or so later, to have a third slice of pizza.  The box was completely empty.  I can't imagine why, but Rosie was up and down all night long, drinking lots of water, and needing to go outside and relieve herself.  My mistake.  From now on, I'll have to place the box inside the refrigerator, with a big chair propped under the door handle.  Sometimes Rosie is too smart for her own good.

BC3 Thoroughbreds

Let's see...  Boulder's high temperature yesterday was 40 degrees - and then the wind began.  We had gusts that ranged between 50 and 75 mph; highway 36 between Boulder and Estes Park was closed, as was Interstate 25, from Longmont to the Wyoming border.  Tractor trailers were being blown over, and anyone with a high-profile vehicle was warned not to leave their drive way.  It was the first day in eight straight that the temperature was above freezing.
   On the laminitis front:  St Nicholas Abbey is progressing well.  If his left fore continues to stay stable, then he will be able to follow plans to exercise and build up the strength in his broken right pastern, as well as being able to remove some of the strain from his left fore.  Jimmy, the half-brother of Black Caviar and purchased for $5 million as a yearling, is also showing guarded improvement.  He was bitten by a poisonous spider, and developed laminitis in both of his forefeet during a reaction to antibiotics administered for the toxin.  He is still be evaluated on a twice daily basis.
  The big news in Australian racing is that the BC3 Thoroughbreds syndicate, the group that purchased Jimmy and multiple other race horses, has not paid Inglis (the bloodstock agency that handled the sale) for the colt. Inglis Bloodstock holds a mortgage on eleven of the BC3 horses, including Jimmy.  Bill Vlahos, the spokesman for BC3 Thoroughbreds, has also been accused of mishandling  more than $190 million that belongs to an exclusive betting club.  There is supposed to be a bank account for the group, named The Edge, that should have a little over $194 million in it - the bettor's funds and winnings.  The bank says that the account does not exist.  Mr Vlahos told a court hearing on Friday that he had only learned that morning that the account did not exist - he stated that his Dubai-based business partner had been in charge of the betting monies.  Multiple entities are considering the possibility of suing Mr Vlahos.  In the meantime, Mr Vlahos was beaten at his home on Sunday night, and a car was torched in his driveway.  Vlahos was treated and released at the scene, while it took 4 fire engines to put out the blaze.
    Here in the Americas and in Europe and Asia, thoroughbred race horse owners, trainers, fans, and bettors are trying to make the game more open, transparent, and quite visibly honest.  Now we have a spoiler like Mr Vlahos and his multi-million dollar scams to disgrace the Sport of Kings, again....

Saturday's Breeders Cup Results

Well, I didn't win anywhere near as much as I did yesterday, but having started with $50, and finishing with $743.20 isn't too bad a record. My choices for today's races stank. I placed five $2 win bets on the first race; lost $10. I placed four $2 win and $2 place bets on the second race; lost $16. That meant I only had $24 of my stake left. On the third race, I placed four $2 place bets, spending $8. I got a return of $8.40. Fourth race, I made four $2 win bets, and a $1 trifecta that I felt Jeff would have bet. The trifecta paid $360.50. So you want to know how poorly I handicapped the races? Here goes:

  In the Juvenile Turf, I picked Balance the Books, who finished in third; Joha, who finished in eighth; Brown Almighty, who finished in ninth; and Know More, who finished 13th out of fourteen runners. (Minus $10, because I also bet on Gervinho.) George Vancouver (who is a descendant of *Forli) won; Noble Tune was second; and Balance the Books (also *Forli-bred) was third.

  In the Filly and Mare Sprint, my blog choices finished third (Switch), seventh (Turbulent Descent), ninth (Great Hot), and last (Strike the Moon). Groupie Doll, a gorgeous chestnut filly, won; she was the betting favorite. Dust and Diamonds, whose pedigree I liked, but didn't bet on, was second; and Switch was third. (Lost another $16. - Now down to $24 to bet on the rest of the day's races....)

  In the Dirt Mile, I just bet four separate horses to place; luckily, Rail Trip did run second. Jersey Town finished fifth; Shackleford was seventh, and Fed Biz was eighth. Tapizar won the race; Rail Trip was second; and Delegation was third. I had bet $8, and received $8.40 as my payback.

  The Turf Sprint had me cringing because the race seemed so wide open - I bet my blog picks to win, and then, just for the heck of it, I got a $1 trifecta ticket, betting on horses I felt Jeff would pick. I lost another $8 on my blog picks to win. Unbridled's Note finished second; Great Mills was fourth; Great Attack was fifth; and Corporate Jungle was sixth. But, playing my "husband hunch" I bet Mizdirection, Undridled's Note, and Reneesgotzip on the $1 trifecta slip. I received $360.50 back.

  Since I now had a little cushion, I bet a little more: I made four $2 place bets, and five $2 exacta bets for the Juvenile. I saw how superb Shanghai Bobby looked, and I used him in the win spot on the exacta bets. Shanghai Bobby won the race, with He's Had Enough in second, and Capo Bastone was third. I had bet He's Had Enough on a $2 exacta with Bobby, and I had also bet on him to place - so I garnered $103.40. My other picks finished fourth (Fortify), Speak Logistics was seventh; and Monument was last. Rosie Napravnik became the second ever female Breeders Cup winning jockey, following in Julie Krone's footsteps.

  In the Turf, I made five $2 win bets - four on the horses I liked, and one for Jeff - I lost, Jeff won. My picks, St. Nicholas Abbey, was third; Trailblazer was fourth; Treasure Beach was tenth; and Optimizer was eleventh of twelve. The winner was Little Mike (Jeff liked Unbridled's bloodlines, and all grey horses); Point of Entry finished second. I handed over $10, and got $36.60 back.

  I was completely blown away by Trinniberg's win in the Sprint. I bet the four horses I had named in my blog - $2 each to both win and place. The Lumber Guy finished second, so I got $6.40 back, having handed over $16. Not a great deal. My other three horses were disappointing: Coil was seventh; Hamazing Destiny was tenth; and Gantry finished in eleventh place.

  With only nine entries in the Mile Turf, I felt I could play some more, and spread the money around.... I was getting punch drunk, I think. I really didn't hand over that much at the window - $12 - four $2 win tickets, one $2 exacta, and one $2 trifecta. My horses did not win. I had bet on Obviously, who finished in third; Excelebration, who finished fourth; Suggestive Boy was seventh; and Moonlight Cloud was eighth of nine. I had made my exacta bet on Mr. Commons and Obviously (fifth and third). But, again, I made a Jeff bet - and hit it nicely with the trifecta: Wise Dan, Animal Kingdom, and Obviously. I was handed $249.40 for that choice. Wise Dan, the favorite, finished the one mile on turf in 1:31.78 to break the previous Santa Anita record of 1:31.89 set by Atticus in 1997.

  Then I blew my top when my local station pre-empted the first 30 minutes of the Classic coverage because Notre Dame and Penn State had run into three over-times. I called the station, I e-mailed the station, and I complained to NBC. Too bad - I just missed 30 minutes of "lead-in".... Game on Dude was the betting favorite as the horses entered the starting gate. I lost my mind while I was angry with the local station: I made a $10 win bet, then quickly made four other $2 win bets... The horses I made $2 bets on were: Ron the Greek, who finished in fourth place; Richard's Kid, who ran fifth; Nonios, who was sixth; and To Honor and Serve, who finished tenth in a field of twelve. Apparently my brain knew what it was doing, because I placed the $10 win bet on Fort Larned, who won. The big guy Mucho Macho Man finished in second; and Flat Out was third.

   I spent $117 on my bets - I cleared $693.20. My winnings from both days went into my grand-daughter's college savings account.

My Breeders Cup Betting Today...

OK, because I made a bet for my husband (because he can't), and because I changed my mind on my picks in one race, I started out with $30 to bet with, and ended up with $2,614+. I ended up bombing out on several races, but, overall, I'm pleased.

  The Juvenile Sprint was fun. I went with Hightail because of his breeding, and his looks, and, honestly, because D Wayne Lukas was training him. I placed a $10 bet on him to win, and placed several $2 trifecta bets. I included Merit Man on the trifecta bets, because he was the favorite. There were two scratches in this race; Super Ninety Nine was cast in his stall this morning, and the track stewards and veterinarian scratched South Floyd after his warm-up on the track. So there were five horses in the race.... Hightail won; Merit Man was second; Sweet Shirley Mae came in third. The six furlongs were run in 1.09.75; the race had a purse of $500,000. I bet $18 of my $30 on this starting race; my payback was $285.80. So I had money to play with...

  There were thirteen starters in the $500,000 Marathon. Calidoscopio won the 1 3/4 mile race in 2.57.50; he was an import from Argentina, and I had no information on him. I made 4 bets on this race, spending $17. I made three win only bets of $5, and, in memory of my husband, I made a $2 exacta that I'm sure he would have made, on Calidoscopio over Grassy. That $2 bet paid $505, while I also lost $15... Calidoscopio ran first; Grassy was second, and Atigun was third. I had chosen Fame and Glory and Sense of Purpose, both of whom were eased and did not finish the race, along with Balladry, who finished 6th, and Jaycito, who was last of the finishers. Bad choices on my part...

  In the Juvenile Filly Turf, I had no info on Flotilla or The Gold Cheongsam. As soon as I saw film of Flotilla this afternoon, I switched her onto my betting list. Flotilla won the $1 million race in 1.34.64. My other two choices were Watsdachances and Summer of Fun, who finished second and third. I had also placed a 5 $1 exacta bets and 5 $1 trifecta bets... I spent $25 in bets; my return was $1,853.50. My picks from Thursday's Blog finished second and third; with Sustained scratched by the veterinarian, Moonwalk was 7th, and Infanta Branca was 11th.

  The Juvenile Filly was a bust for me - Beholder won the $2 million race in 1.43.68. Second was Executiveprivilege, and third was Dreaming of Julia. I was now betting soft - only to win, and only on the horses I named in the Blog... Dreaming of Julia placed third; Kauai Katie was fourth; Spring in the Air was fifth; and Almost an Angel was last... I lost $20 in bets....

  The Filly and Mare Turf was for $2 million, and Zagora won it in 1.59.70. (Again, being a squirrel, and wanting to save most of what I'd already won, I only placed bets to win...) I placed $5 win bets on Marketing Mix, who finished in second; The Fugue, who placed third; Ridasiyna finished fourth, and I'm a Dreamer , who was sixth. At least some of my picks finished in the money, even though I didn't bet that way... (So another $20 gone.)

  The Ladies Classic was the last Breeders Cup race of today. I didn't pick the winner here, either - but I'm very happy that Mike Smith won his 15th BC race. Undefeated Royal Delta was the betting favorite, and she stayed undefeated, winning the $2 million race in 1.48.80. Questing, who was expected to shoot to the front of the race, never wanted to run, and was eased well before the finish. The vets could not find anything wrong with her immediately. My Blog picks were My Miss Aurelia, who finished second; Include Me Out, who was third; Awesome Feather was 6th; and Class Included was 7th.

   All in all, I spent $120 on my bets. I ended up with $2,644.30, counting the $30 I started with. Not too bad, actually....  I'll start out with $50 in hand tomorrow.

My Saturday Breeders Cup Picks

First: Today's Breeder Cup race scratches: Worth Repeating has been scratched from the Marathon, and Sustained has been scratched from the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

  Tomorrow's Breeders Cup races are nine in number. Two are restricted to 2-year-old boys; one is restricted to girls of any age. The other six races are open to either sex, ages three years and up. There are still several horses that I haven't seen a photo of, and a few that I have no information on whatever... But here goes:

  First tomorrow is the Juvenile Turf, going 1 mile, with each 2-year-old boy carrying 122 pounds. There are 14 colts and 1 ridgling entered in this race. Gervinho and Noble Tune are both undefeated; Dry Summer (post 11) is the ridgling. I have no information on Rising Legend, other than he was bred in England. Seven of the entrants are descended from *Forli, so I like them; Noble Tune has Unbridled on the top of his pedigree and Storm Cat on the bottom. I like the way both Noble Tune and Gervinho look, but they will probably be the betting favorites. I like the pedigree of Lines of Battle. I'll bet on Brown Almighty, Balance the Books, Joha, and Know More....

  The Filly and Mare Sprint is the next race; it covers 7 furlongs, and all the entries (ten) are 4 or 5 years of age and they all carry 124 pounds. For pedigree, I like Belle of the Hall, Dust and Diamonds, Rumor, and Switch. By looks, I prefer Strike the Moon, Turbulent Descent, Great Hot and Musical Romance. I'll go with Turbulent Descent, Great Hot, and Switch.

  The (Dirt) Mile follows the ladies. It's weight for age; three 3-year-olds carry 123 pounds racing against six older horses who carry 126 pounds. Of the 9 entries, Rail Trip, Delegation, John Scott, and Second City are geldings. Delegation, Fed Biz, and Second City are 3-year-olds. Shackleford, last year's winner of the Preakness looks good shortening up. I like John Scott's pedigree. I'll bet on Jersey Town, Fed Biz, and Rail Trip, with Shackleford as my wild card.

  The Turf Sprint has a route of 6.5 furlongs, and weight carried is assigned by age and sex. Thirteen of the 16 entries carry 126 pounds; the exceptions are Reneesgotzip, a 3-year-old filly, who carries 121 pounds; Mizdirection, a grey 4-year-old filly, who backs 123 pounds; and Undbridled's Note, a 3-year-old colt, who is assigned 124 pounds. The horses range in age from 8 years (California Flag) to the two 3-year-olds. In this race, I'll back Great Mills, Great Attack, Corporate Jungle, and Unbridled's Note. I also like Starspangled Heat. My husband would be betting on California Flag, Starspangledbanner and Mizdirection.

  Two-year-old boys vie in the Juvenile; all carry 122 pounds over a distance of 1 and 1/16 miles. There are 9 entries, and I've seen 7 of them. I like the pedigrees of Title Contender, Speak Logistics, He's Had Enough and Fortify. I like the looks of Shanghai Bobby (probably the betting favorite), Monument, and Fortify. I'll put money on Speak Logistics, He's Had Enough, Monument and Fortify.

  In the Turf race, eleven boys and one girl will travel 1 and 1/2 miles. It's a weight for age and sex race; eight horses carry 126 pounds; Shareta, a 4-year-old filly, carries 123 pounds; the 3-year-old boys (Cogito, Dullahan, and Optimizer) carry 122 pounds. I like the breeding of St. Nicholas Abbey, Shareta, Little Mike, and Trailblazer (a grandson of Sunday Silence). Betting on looks and breeding, I'll bet on St. Nicholas Abbey, Treasure Beach, Optimizer, and Trailblazer.

  The Sprint! I used to make huge money on the Sprint; then I hit a period where i could not pick a winner at all. All entries, fourteen, in this race are colts; all carry 126 pounds, with the exception of the four 3-year-olds (Sum of the Parts, Jimmy Creed, The Lumber Guy, and Trinniberg) who carry 124 pounds. Amazombie is trying to get a repeat win, and might be the betting favorite. My husband would choose Justin Phillip, The Lumber Man, and Capital Account. Based on looks and pedigree, I'll choose Gantry, Coil, The Lumber Guy, and Hamazing Destiny.

  The Mile (Turf) has 9 entries. The eight males carry 126 pounds, while the lone girl, Moonlight Cloud totes 123. Animal Kingdom and/or Wise Dan will probably be the bettors' choice. I like the breeding of Mr. Commons and Jeranimo. I'll place my bucks on Obviously, Excelebration, Suggestive Boy, and Moonlight Cloud.

  The Classic has a purse of $5 million, and NBC is going to show this race in prime time tomorrow night. There are 12 runners, aged 7 to 3 years. They will run the United States' classic distance of 1 and 1/4 miles on the main track. Three 3-year-old colts are challenging the older boys. The older males will carry 126, while Alpha, Nonios, and Handsome Mike have 122 pounds on their backs. I like the breeding of Pool Play, Flat Out, Alpha, Brilliant Speed,and Mucho Macho Man. I will bet on looks and breeding - Fort Larned (a grandson of Bayakoa), Nonios (with Pleasant Colony and Affirmed on top, with Touch Gold on the bottom), Richard's Kid (Lemon Drop Kid on top Broad Brush on bottom), Ron the Greek (A P Indy on top, Dixieland Band on the bottom), and To Honor and Serve (A P Indy on top, Deputy Minister on the bottom) - but most of all, with John Velasquez in the irons!

***WARNING - I am just picking horses by my own criteria. Do NOT place bets solely based on my choice. If you do bet, please do so responsibly. You are responsible for winning money or losing money, not me. ***