9/9: Belmont Park ($40k C/O)
 

Fun, eclectic day of racing Saturday with wide variety of stakes action providing a number of interesting results. Arguably the most important performance of the day came from Groupie Doll who returned in the G2 Presque Isle Masters and could not have looked better in a facile win over 10 others. Buff and Fred Bradley's bruising Bowman's Band filly launched her rally midway on the backstretch and smoothly inhailed half a dozen foes before confronting It's Me Mom at the top of the stretch and drawing off to a 3+ length win in a sharp 1:16.1 over the Erie Tapeta. She earned a 95 Beyer for the comeback effort and after a stop at Keeneland, should be perfectly tuned for a Breeders' Cup F&M Sprint or down the hill Turf Sprint try. Considering that the top 3 finishers were 7th-9th-8th after the opening quarter and 5th-8th-6th after a half, It's Me Mom ran some race to be 4th beaten 2 long necks for 2nd.

Meanwhile, results of the day's P4 action was wholly unproductive with various manner of miscues derailing the plays. The summer's quixotic Saratoga results invaded opening day at Belmont with some tough to find winners producing a $40k carryover for Sunday. Highlights of the day at Elmont included Sean Avery returning a winner of the overnight Affiliate S., Air Support taking the Bowling Green under a tactful John Velazquez and Tizracer dusting the anticipated MSW while earning a 92 Beyer.

At Arlington and Louisiana Downs, whiffs in single legs -- the Unbridled at LaD and Lassie at AP -- prevented quad bingos. Bourbon Courage gave Kellyn Gorder the first graded stakes win of his training career with a thoroughly dominating performance in the Super Derby that earned a 94 Beyer. Gorder, whose previous top stakes performer had been MSP Travel Advisory, has done nice work converting Bourbon Courage, a $15k F-T July yearling by Lion Heart, away from being a one dimensional speedball.

The Empire-bred Hettinger (Hessonite v. Gitchee Goomee!) and Ashley Cole anchor the solid sequence at Belmont and note a $63k C/O at Fairplex. Hope you did OK Saturday...


BELMONT PARK


POST-SCRATCHES


5th/10th OFF THE TURF; 'SOFT' GOING FOR 6th-8th


5th: MDN CLM, 3+, 6f-OFF THE TURF (P6, P3, DD)

$40k P6 C/O starts here..

Best Value: #11 Tricky Guy 6-1 7th
Next Best: #12 Stormy Acre 2-1 2nd
Exotics Use: #8 Here Comes Drz 5-2 5th
Super Add: #3 Back Room Deal 5-1 4th


6th: 4th John Hettinger-NY, F&M-3+, 9f-IT (G/S, P3, DD)

Most Likely: #3 Hessonite 6-5 WON ($3.20)
Best Value: #5 Inimitable Romanee 6-1 3rd
Next Best: #7 Gitchee Goomee 9-5 4th
Exotics Use: #4 Freedom Rings 15-1 2nd


7th: MSW, 2yo-F, 7f-T (P4, P3, DD)

Good looking group based on pages with sib and sire power from several. Siding with those that have had starts with top pair particularly employable getting over to lawn..

Most Likely: #12 Girluphigh 4-1 10th
Best Value: #11 Pink Traffic 6-1 8th
Next Best: #5 Jonata 8-1 12th
Exotics Use: #2 Jane of All Trades 3-1 3rd


8th: 37th Ashley T. Cole-NY, 3+, 9f-IT (P3, DD)

Familiar foes with top betting choices having exchanged blows any number of times. Several here have successfully negotiated squishy footing and note Abilio -- who will likely set pace -- owns a 'soft' course win. Difficult to eliminate players for your P6..

Most Likely: #1 Street Game 4-1 3rd
Next Best: #6 Compliance Officer 5-2 2nd
Exotics Use: #4 Lubash 2-1 WON ($6.60)
Super Add: #8 Abilio 12-1 8th


9th: CLM, F&M-3+, 6f (DD)

Most Likely: #5 Salvar 3-1 10th
Best Value: #7 Theatre Queen 6-1 4th
Next Best: #3 Mess in a Dress 7-2 7th
Exotics Use: #10 Dear Elizabeth 8-1 2nd


10th: MSW-NY, F&M-3+, 7f-OFF THE TURF

Yes Nine Loves ran a big race in her debut, but Dominic Galluscio wouldn't have run her at the bottom if she was any kind of horse. The added fact that she sat out all of July off the claim and subsequently returned with a decidedly shoddy worktab spells trouble to me. Englehart eminently capable, but I have my doubts about the 9-5 ML fave..

SCR NOTE: Islarama DOES NOT go which changes approach..

Most Likely: #1 Drinksonthehouse 3-1 WON ($7.60)
Next Best: #14 Nine Loves 9-5 2nd
Best Value: #11 Going Going Gone 8-1 4th
Exotics Use: #7 Ms. True Way 20-1 3rd


<$150 P6 Play:

5: 11-12
6: 3
7: 11-12
8: 1-4-6
9: 3-5-7
10: 1-14

2x1x2x3x3x2 = 72 x $2 = $144


<$75 P4 Play:

7: 2-5-11-12
8: 1-4-6-8
9: 3-5-7
10: 1-11-14

4x4x3x3 = 144 x .50 = $72


Good luck!
Steve

Are you betting any of these to win? Would you play a pik 6 and be OK having 5 right going into the last and tossing Nine loves? What would you do going into the last with 5 right and not have the 1st or 2nd betting choice, bet a few thousand to win on the fav to hedge?

There's no horse screaming at me as a win bet in the sequence. Will be interested to see the board in the 7th. To me, Nine Loves is a 'B' or 'C' horse as you can't let her prevent you from hitting the P6. I'm pretty ambivalent on last leg hedging. Depends on the will pays, coverage and field size. I've tried it a variety of ways and have no set opinion, making judgement at the time.

Islarama a SCR, so Nine Loves moves up by default..

For what it's worth, Bourbon Courage's win yesterday was not Kellyn Gorder's first graded stake. He trained Grammarian when he won the 2002 Sunset Handicap at Hollywood.

Wow... Grammarian. That's amazing. He had just a handful of starters in his first incantation as a trainer before the WinStar gig.

I asked him immediately after the race and he reminded me of Grammarian. I would have never guessed it and assumed that Bourbon Courage and Travel Advisory were his best horses.

i miss saratoga mondays already