Wow, Churchill Downs is a paved highway today
 

..it has been hot and dry here in Louisville the last few days and will be in the upper 90s again today....after watching the first race where maiden claimers just went fast all the way around the track and finished a mile in 1:36, we could see some seriously fast times produced today, especially with horses like Slider and Don't Get Mad running....Don't Get Mad ran 1:36 when he won the Derby Trial last year at CD and the track seems to be as fast-looking as it has been in a while....not much kick-back on the dirt when you watch it...it almost appears like they are running on powder because a little smoke-like spray is what comes up when they travle over it....track does seem to be playing fair though...

Have to agree with that!!!!

It has been affirmed....maiden claimers in the second race just went six furlongs in 1:09 and 3....

Its like Keeneland with the twin spires!!

Yep, Slider just went 22.40, 44.40, 1:08.60 and 1:21.40 for seven furlongs in wire-to-wire fashion....FAAASSSTTTT! - especially for starter nickel horses...Wow!

No way I can take DGM on this track.I mean, that gray was looking to give it up,and the track just said to keep stumblin' n bumblin' and you will be surprised the riches you shall see.Got to pass on the 9th race,or try to get the Metro to keep rollin' along up front.

Again, cheap horses running fast at CD....nickel claimers just went 1:09.60...Wow...fast as hell out there today....As for DGM, I just think that Metro will get enough pressure from a fresh Buddy Gill and others to set it up for Don't Get Mad, who should exude his class here...Plus, Metro doesn't give the impression he wants to go that far anyway...we'll see!

It's a sizzlefest, that's for sure. Whoever wins that race stands a pretty good chance of breaking the track record of 1:28.0. Also looking forward to the 8th ... looks like the Senior Tour... a couple 7 yo's a couple of 9 yo's, even the 11 yo Gretchen's Star is in. Interesting couple of races....

But it's fair. Haiaccept was the best horse in the fifth race but he needed to come from off the pace. And he did it quite professionally. Of course, a time of 1:09.72 is a bit faster than he has run before.

I hope Mad isnt ready. ALive in the pik-4 with 4 horses(including Mad) but would rather see a better price. Here is hoping hes not tight or resents a track surface that resembles the surfaces he despised in California. That went through my head when I decided to spread out here as opposed to singling Mad as I was originally going to do.

Well,they were able to catch the cheap speed in the 7th,and Bejarano just won a race.So,Mad will probably get up.I have him live to the 3 horse in the last for the p4.Want Metro to win it(live to 2,3,4,5,6,11 in the last ..for p4.)I've been slumpin'.So,it will probably be Mad(or somebody else other than Metro,)and then somebody other than the 3 in the last.

I've been waiting all day to bet the 5 in the last. The horse who beat him in his first on the turf won the Arlington Classic on Saturday, not just an N1X next out.

It's so sad to see a grand old campaigner like Lucky Baldwin falling down the claiming ladder; he won for $20K as recently as last fall. He's won nearly $250K in his career, so he owes nobody nothing. He needs somebody to be looking for his second career.

Oh come on.F'N COME ON.SHT ON ME.

Yep, new track record... 1:27.97.

Stud alive for major scores with two horses in the pik-4 here. Need the 2 or the 3, root me home brother.

I can understand him having a great day,and upsetting.I just don't understand how Greater Good dusts me on the backstretch(going into the turn.)Wow.Racing has a new way of f'n ya each day.

THEY WENT IN 23? GUIDRY let him go by him running 23? Oh thanks Guid.Lot of help you were.

hope you used gg in the 9th...ans the bomb play the 8..in the 10th ill have 1/4 of my days winning on the 8plc show..langfur .stall.jacinto on fire..

Did Greater Good really win that race?

How in the hell did that happen? I didn't get to see it.

good luck oracle. real solid shots. i don't care for Pletcher here, but the 5 is possible. Chased Kingship home and 3 lengths clear. 2 and 3 do look good. No will pays here... $2k for $1 I'd guess. Good luck!

I don't know.They saw he was gunna be a price,and tried some special sauce.Horse was full of run on the backstretch,and dusted them GOING INTO THE TURN.As if he was ANEW.This horse that every guy with a keyboard has always says was so slow,just dusted them.I could understand him picking up the pieces for a win,but this was a dominant go to the front..adios ...Happy Holiday...Surprise!!,Surprise!!! ...type of win.He was the horse with the most run from the time they opened the gate.Huge.

hooves. 16-1 with 10 mtp. looks like he should be 40-1. Jacinto on fire? He win a few over the weekend? drf says 4 for 137 wins at CD. TONS of 2nds and 3rds, though.

Damn, I went jogging and the freakin' race had just run when I walked in the house....what the hell happened? How did DGM run? Did he have any excuse for being off the board?

I knew the track was uncharacteristically fast when I watched the first race...LOL..that is hilarious they set a track record in that all/opt. claimer.....I'm sure Butch Laird is pissed he yielded a track record to a bust like Greater Good at the prestigious CD, but I suppose there was nothing he could do about it because they aren't used to this hot of weather in early July without any significant rain, and it is even really windy today....Plus, it has been run on for an extended weekend since CD normally doesn't run on Mondays and 'm sure that screwed up their plans of working the surface like they would normally do on Monday afternoon....I thought I was going to die on my jog and I'm from a worse climate in Louisiana :D ....that track is crazy tight and dry right now...

Joel the race was very weirdly run. Metro broke like a shot but he appeared to have been "overrated" to me running the 1st quarter in 23. He really should have taken advantage of his tactical edge and opened up lengths. MCKee attacked early after glancing over his shoulder to see that everyone else was taking a hold of their horse. He sent GG to engage Metro and after they tussled for quite a while(always with GG in front on his outside) GG pulled away to a convincing win. DGM didnt like the sheet rock you guys layed down today and Buddy wasn't any good. I wouldnt use the race as much of an indicator for the future on any of these horses. BUt I was very happy that GG won as he was huge price in the pik-4. Sweating bullets now waiting for the last race to go off.

All I want to know is if Guid let him go by him in 23 flat.That is simply unaccepatable fecal matter if he did that.That horse had one chance today,and it wasn't going 23 flat,and letting somebody run with you.Guy has some questions to answer about that ride.That horse better be hurt,or there is something up with that race he rode.

Stud the 2 has the best turf numbers and Dollase's horses debuted in a decent field running a sneaky good 4th with some trouble(being ridden by a "non go" jock Martin) and switches to the bug boy and grass. Just let one of em win, please!

Warning:

Purely Wild is major Clocker steam for Wally Dollace FYI...If you thik that Wild Again's can turf than he is probably the way to go because he'll love the stretchout.....Chuck Simon has always liked Ben's League and I love Cape Town's on the grass, so he is very live in here.....Vig makes sense being out ofd a Danzig mare, but he'll be overbet because of pletcher and is not rock solid here.....Uffizi had a nice last race but it wasd against a soft group IMO, but he picks up Bejarano...

I AM THE MAN!!!!!!!! 5 DOLLAR PIK-4!!!!! 2-3 to the wire without an anxious moment!!!! Happy 4th of July to EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

nice hit Mike

one for the atta boy file... $1520 fer 8 bits. Way to go!

That finish wasn't unexpected....2nd off the layoff with Bejarano for this El Prado horse....Pletcher's horse doesn't look very talented and I really think Purely Classic will be a play when he runs back going long on the dirt...He is by a Dynaformer mare but I just don't care for Wild Again's on the grass and if you watch him run he looks like a grinding dirt horse and doersn't have the action or biomechanics to be very effective on the grass IMO...he's a big, heavy horse and I think whoever is a stable mail/spot player needs to put Purely Wild in their SM and wait for him to hopefully return going two turns on the dirt...I'm doing it now...

Well, it's a good thing I can cook, since I certainly can't depend on my handicapping. Horse I was waiting for ran 4th. A bizarre sort of race, with the 4 trying to live up to his name (Fortyfivenchange).

note on tonights menu.... dinner will not come in a red and white bucket. good job.

Nice hit.....

Thanks guys.
The Pletcher was my last toss because Bejarano is locked in to ride everything he runs and he was on the 2. To be released they couldnt have thought much of the horse. He did put in a run but ran like a short horse which is probably what they thought he was.
Time to eat dinner and start on tomorrows banner day and the last of a 7 day marathon for major tracks that comes but once a year and only when 4th falls on a Tuesday at that.

And to be honest with Joel helped me with this without knowing it. His thread title got me to thinking about my argument last year that many East Coast horses just don't perform well on the sheet rock out west when I was defending DGM. The title of the thread got me to thinking that DGM might hate teh track today since it was like the ones out West that he despised. Thanks Joel.