2/6: GP (5th-11th); SA (Cancelled)
 

WINTER OF DISCONTENT: I live in Upstate New York and spent 10 years in Montreal, but I don't think I'd have been able to 'weather' the surprisingly tough series of winter storms the Mid-Atlatic region has faced this year. A second pile of snow will KO most of the seaboard's racing today, including a second cancellation of the Magna 5 because of Laurel. (Maybe I'm being overly critical, but you might have thought that MEC would have anticipated this scenario and used a 2nd Santa Anita race in the wager instead of the Laurel race, considering that the storm has been expected since Monday.) Aqueduct looks to have been spared from the storm's wrath, which will certainly please Gary Contessa and Co. who hope to stay on track towards the Gotham with slick Eightyfiveinafifty who looks like an unbettable dominator in today's Whirlaway. (And by the way, this is a perfect opportunity to sign up for NYRA's new text alert system that will let you know about cancellations, P6 carryovers and more..)

GULFSTREAM/SANTA ANITA WITH GREAT CARDS: I know it's more fun and fashionable to gripe about small fields and how terrible racing is in general, but even Debbie Downer would be hard-pressed to complain about today's Gulfstream and Santa Anita cards. In addition to the Donn, GP Turf H. and crazy Suwannee, Hallandale hosts 3 terrific ALW's and 2 sophomore MSW's. ATR regular Rick Hammerle gives Santa Anita fans a stakes-laden treat today that received the enhancement of carryovers with $85k in the P6 and $41k in the Super High 5 as well. And Sunday's Super Bowl lead-up slates are also solid, with the Hallandale Beach S. in So. FL and the San Antonio at Arcadia. My looks at GP and SA below.

THAT CHARLES CELLA? The Charles Cella that is being hailed as racing's greatest showman and promoter ever.. an equine Barnum as it were.. is he the same Charles Cella that in the early 90's vindictively undermined the American Championship Racing Series single-handed? Same guy, right?


GULFSTREAM PARK


PRE-SCRATCHES


5th: MSW, 3yo, 1m-Outer Turf (P3, DD, Super)

Solid group and Kerouac, who should move up on lawn, particularly interesting at big number. Zito notoriously dreadful with grass debuters though, so tread lightly. El Kingdom, similarly likely to benefit from move to sod, another value option in good race. Note AE #14 Person of Interest (4-1) becomes a runner of interest should he get in..

Most Likely: #11 Lonesome Street 7-2 WON
Best Value: #5 Beau Choix 6-1 2nd
Next Best: #4 Sea of Sea 4-1 4th
Super Add: #3 Kerouac 12-1 7th


6th: MSW, 3yo, 7f (P6, P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #10 Pow Wow 4-1 3rd
Best Value: #1 Day of Destiny 5-1 WON
Next Best: #8 Nadal 3-1 4th
Super Add: #4 Sun Dance Moon 8-1 9th


7th: ALW/N2X, 4+, 1m-Outer Turf (P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #10 Boots Ahead 4-1 WON
Best Value: #6 Sincero 10-1 2nd
Next Best: #4 Sleepless Knight 3-1 3rd
Super Add: #5 A. P. Ridge 12-1 7th

$1 Exacta (10-6) Paid $44.20
$1 Trifecta (10-6-4) Paid $132.20


8th: ALW/N1X, 3yo, 1m (P4, P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #1 Wildcat Frankie 9-5 WON
Best Value: #8 Tuvia's Force 8-1 3rd
Next Best: #4 Overcommunication 3-1 8th
Super Add: #6 Bank the Eight 6-1 2nd


9th: 25th GP Turf H. (G1), 4+, 9f-Outer Turf (P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #3 Court Vision 8-5 WON (Via DQ)
Best Value: #1 Le Grand Cru 12-1 3rd
Next Best: #4 Never On Sunday 2-1 2nd


10th: 52nd Donn H. (G1), 4+, 9f (DD, Super)

Most Likely: #4 Quality Road 7-5 WON
Best Value: #6 Past the Point 10-1 6th
Next Best: #8 Mambo Meister 6-1 4th
Super Add: #3 Duke of Mischief 5-1 8th


11th: 63rd Suwannee River (G3), F&M-4+, 9f-Outer Turf (Super)

Best Value: #7 Indigo North 12-1 6th
Most Likely: #5 Cable 6-1 2nd
Next Best: #8 SCR
Super Add: #12 SCR


<$75 P4 Play:

8: 1-8
9: 1-3-4
10: 4-6-8
11: 5-7-8/SCR-10-11-12/SCR

2x3x3x4 = 72 x .50 = $36

$.50 Pick 4 (1-3-4-11) Paid $26.95


Press:

8: 1
9: 3
10: 4
11: 5-7-8/SCR-10-11-12/SCR

1x1x1x4 = 4 x $3 = $12

$1 Pick 4 (1-3-4-11) Paid $53.90 x 3 = $162.70


Good luck!
Steve

I'm a big Josie Carroll fan, but that's a tough spot to debut. Ontario-bred is going to have rely on the Dynaformer (broodmare sire) for turf aptitude because it won't come from Chapel Royal. Dam herself was 0 for 2 and never got try lawn. One concern is siblings (curiously all sisters, by City Zip, Hussonet and Victory Gallop) haven't been much and have done little successful running on grass.

If you're looking for hidden value, it's #7 El Kingdom from Plesa at 12-1, by El Prado and also out of a Dynaformer mare.

For the 1st time Tony Montana is not part of the PK6 carryover in Cali, he ran yesterday. Hey, Scarface (Caracortado) runs today in the G2 RB Lewis. The connections were denied his original name (Scarface) and then went with the spanish version. Properly named after a laceration to his face as a youngster.

Are you going to GP today?

Yes.. :o


Is a freddymo sighting imminent????

I'm a huge fan of Kerouac in the 5th, but obviously Zito's grass numbers don't inspire confidence. This is a big, good looking son of Rock Hard Ten that should move way up on grass.

Zito would have to win 5 First Turf races in a row just to reach Very Bad First Turf status.;)

I need to go down to Boca in a few weeks.. Central Jersey 10" of snow NYC (40 miiles away) none?

Part of one of the coolest races seen this summer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz-HKPYAB3E

Santa Anita has canceled today guys....

Absolutely......however I think he has quite a shot to win his 1st in a while today!

Steve, I'm not familiar with this... what's the cliffnote's version of this story. thanks.

Keep knockin' em, Steve.

Congrats again Steve, completely unconscious day.

Thanks!

Barry Weisbord, (Successful and innovative Breeder-Owner; Safely Kept; Thoroughbred Daily News; Trakus; many other successful ventures; generally the smartest guy in any room), conceived and developed the American Championship Racing Series which commenced in 1991 and lasted till 1993. The idea was to use the handicap division races from Spring to Fall as a point-earning 'season' leading up to the BC. He worked tirelessly with ABC and the tracks creating the concept, getting TV coverage commitments and sponsors. 20 years ago, he basically crafted the EXACT thing the Breeders Cup says they now need for season-long continuity and to improve the familiarity of the public with the ultimate Cup participants...

Here's a blurb from Andy Beyer's 1993 piece about the ACRS:

Weisbord's idea was an innovative one: tie together some of the nation's top stakes races as part of a series and give a lucrative bonus award to the horses who performed best throughout the year. He wanted to foster rivalries that would make horse racing more interesting for television. He wanted to stimulate fans' interest in races from far-flung parts of the country. And the idea worked.

The idea worked and may have been on its' way toward becoming a BC-like institution until Cella, resentful of the meddling of an ethnic New York interloper and dragged into participation by the other major tracks to begin with, began working to undermine the concept. It unraveled as California began its' provincial concerns about horses leaving the state when they could race year-round on the SA-HOL-DMR circuit and ultimately withdrew, and ABC began to annoyed when they couldn't wrestle the BC contract away from NBC. But Cella, the great promoter of racing, was largely responsible for 'poisoning the well' of the whole program.

Thanks for the history lesson Steve.

.......and the continued good work with the program and 'capping.