What an enjoyable two days of racing, with some great performances. I thought that the TV coverage was very good, other than the network decision to treat the final two races as stepchildren and relegate them to the Fan Duel channel.
I wanted to set down a couple of thoughts while they are still fresh in my mind, before turning the page and moving on.
(1) I managed to hit the all Dirt Pick 4 and still lost money in the process. That's what happens when you think that the final two legs (Classic and Sprint) will be contentious and the favorite wins each one. Never played one of the "gimmick" pick 4's before and didn't know what to expect.
(2) I made the mistake to upgrading the chances of a number of hyped California horses and wasted a lot of money/picks in the process. I erroneously thought that there might be a slight "home court advantage" for the Cali group, and that just didn't work out. Baffert horses in particular and Cali horses in general just didn't show much. That especially let me go 5 deep in the Sprint, when Speed Boat Beach, Dr. Schivel and The Chosen Vron didn't do much running. Adare Manor, Arabian Knight and Prince of Monaco also were disappointments and bankroll busters.
(3) Like many others, I got caught up in the hype surrounding the top rated runners from Japan. I leaned too heavily on both Songline and Ushbe Tesoro and paid the price. On the other hand, in the Classic I had completely ignored Derma Sotogake, thinking that the layoff between the Ky Derby and the BC Classic was not the ideal way to prepare for a $6 million race. Yet he ran a very strong race, sort of what I expected Ushbe to do.
(4) If there was any doubt about it (and there probably shouldn't have been), let me go on record to say that Ryan Moore and William Buick can flat out ride the turf. Moore's decisions on Auguste Rodin were simply flawless and made the difference in the outcome.
(5) Nobals ran a very nice race in the Turf Sprint and his owners should be proud of him. As a gelding we will probably see him again next year. I wondered once more how in the world his name application got through the Jockey Club's filters. He is too good a horse to deserve such an atrocious name.
I'm handicapped out and probably need some time away, perhaps to deal with the piles of leaves that have accumulated. That might be good mental therapy for me for the next couple of weeks.
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