Last Look, Strange Track, Big Balloons

'it's not over until it's over.'  After a   cursory review of pps yielded only suspect movers, at Keeneland. I decided to seek my fortunes at a track I normally avoid. The lesser of two evils was Pimlico (Hate Calder).

An initial review of Pimlico races, yielded only a short priced move winner  in the third.  With Keeneland hosting the Joel Rosario parade (he won 5), I quickly lost interest in the day and took a forty-minute break.  But experience spurred me to take one last shot at the  pp''s. 

And, there it was. In Pimlico's 7th,  Zabarajad (ire) boasted one of the cleanest moves I have ever seen. How i missed it in the first place is a puzzle. 

Obviously a turf horse, Z showed the qualifying  running line in its last race on dirt at six furlongs. Today's return to a favorite surface would be guided by the very capable jock H. Karamanos.  

For me, it was an easy decision. $10 across,, exacta boxes with the logicals.  Z was the easiest kind of winner.

Just look at those prices. No longer a ho-hum day.  The 'move' is a monster when it hits.  

One, Done on Sun

It's no secret that I don't like most Sunday racing cards.  Seems like they are often thrown together with disregard for the average fan.  My  opinion. So be it.  Yesterday, I found several moves at both Keeneland and Aqueduct.  Only one gave me justification to wager.  And, one was enough.

Pegasus Diamond had only 1 win in 24 starts.  The horse showed a  last-race 'move' line where he was competitive in 1:11 at a six-and-a-half furlongs.  Trainer Chris Englehart had scheduled jock David Cohen to ride.  Stats for the combination were impressive.  Then it was announced that Cohen was off his mounts for the day.  The replacement?  Rajiv Maragh--a favorite of mine,  who understands the nature of  NYRA tracks.  In this case, it was speed-favoring.

Maragh took Diamond right to the front, battled the length of the stretch and prevailed. No disrespect to Cohen.  But, not sure he would have read the track as accurately as Rajiv.  

Rosie, Rosie, Rosie

It doesn't get much better than this.  A solid move horse trained by the venerable George Arnold III, dropping from a 'move' performance in a grade 2 race to a grade 3, where early pace was questionable. Oh, the cherry on top of this sundae:  Rosie Napravnik, jockey par excellence, was riding Ice Cream Silence.  Odds, 8-1.

With all the evidence, I already had the horse back-wheeled in the  previous race double.  I couldn't resist making a healthy across the board wager.  Then, for good measure, I played a few doubles--to satisfy my greed quotient.  At this writing, the doubles have yet to run.

Once Rosie put Ice on the lead, and slowed the pace, the result was never in doubt.  For dramatic purposes, she permitted a challenge at the top of the stretch before pulling away  for a comfortable score.  Thanks, Rosie.

1+1=2G P3

They say 'great minds think alike.  Don't know if it applies to artificial intelligence.  But, I'm using the phrase in this example. 

Determined to maintain control of my new fondness for DRF ticketmaker, I keep my multi-race bets at $1 per, and one sequence  per day. Luckily, i started with Aqueduct's  first, yesterday, where I hated, the 4-5 favorite.  My interest in the wager had to do with movers in the second and third.   

I handed my selections over to Ticketmaker for a $32 bet.  Then, as a saver, I back-keyed Zito 'mover' He Has Charm (race 3) with 'mover' Pocket Cowboys and the favorite in the second race. i relied on the 'all button' in fhe first.  A $12 bet,

A fantastic ride by Rajiv Maragh set things up with the $67 in race 1.  When all was done, my third race mover brought me home a 'bonanza.'  My saver wager won and good ol' ticketmaker had the right combination, as well. I collected the full $2 payoff  of  $2,154.

Ah, now I remember…

I knew there was a reason, in my 30 year plus wagering history, why I abandoned pursuit of the multi-race wager.  It's the noses, necks, heads and bobs.   The (lost) photos are killing me.  

With my recent addition of  DRF ticketmaker to my menu, comes a renewed frustration at the near misses to great fortune. Being a long-shot player, I am inevitably sitting on a middle or final leg pick-three that will cause me to visit the IRS window.   In the last four days, I have conservatively just--missed about $16,000--according to the will-pay board.  Difficult, for me, to take.  Sure, I've won some. Still I am unnerved.

Oh, I have made money on these long-shots.  But rarely do they connect the dots for a super monstrous payoff. With that in mind, I am restricting my multi-race play, again.  It beats spending extra money to reach super-dollar-land.

It's Over (Confirmation)

The second-place finish of  Seal Team Four at a ridiculous 95-1 confirms my previous post. Nuff said.

It's Over (I think)

The following 'monster move' win  of Why Broadway at the Big A, yesterday, officially signifies the end of my slump. Key to the selection was my familiarity with the trainer and jockey.  Stay tuned.

A Match Made in $$$

After four weeks I'd like to forget, it seems I've found a love match between the Monster Move and Ticketmaker.  Don't want to be too optimistic, but the results have brought me back close to even money  before the start of the now- famous slump.

Surprisingly my success, today, is at the Big A which usually does not support profitable results for 'the move.  By adding multi-race bets (guided by the DRF tool) to my longer-priced selections i have found a new wagering life. OK.  I'm sold on, permanently,adding these bets to my menu.  The profits (and, near profits) have been spectacular.  I was one neck –and a long nose–away  from bringing down the house like never before. Still, who can complain about a $2000 day?

Highlighted, below are the movers who ran well at the Big A.

Rosario joins my 'automatic' select few

Ii am old enough to remember premier jocks Angel Cordero and Jorge Velasquez.  Both were favorites of mine.  In recent years, I have remained a fan of John Velasquez--the only jock I give an automatic chance to on anything he rides. At Parx,  Victor Molina and Kendrick Carmouche qualify. Now, I have elevated Joel Rosario to automatic status.

I can't imagine anyone having the kind of riding success that he has displayed over the last three months.  He truly has a clock in his head.  Welcome, Joel.

DRF TicketMaker helps turn the tide 

I ,won't go so far as to say the slump is completely over.  But adding multi-race bets to my normal wagering regimen  has profited  for me in the last few days.  My new tool is the unbelievable DRF Ticketmaker. At least it's stopped the bleeding.

 Twice i have collected pick-3's on tickets I never would have played on my own.  In both cases, a 'move' horse was key to a larger than average payoff. Hmm!  Thanks, DRF.