[blackthroatedwind]

As many of you know, Andy Beyer went to South America this winter to take a stab at South American racing. He spent hours making figs for their races and was unfortunately faced with a huge takeout and miniscule pools that made real wagering virtually impossible. But, while it was a great exercise and a fun time, until today it was also a financial waste of time.

While riding the train out to Belmont today I got a call from Andy telling me he was making a huge bet at Belmont. Now, this is the time that I would usually be smart to hang up and tell him I lost service, but recklessly I allowed him to go further. In the second race, an extraordinarily weak maiden race, Andy told me that #4 Emotival was his huge bet. Three races back in Argentina Emotival had finished a close third and Andy had given him a figure of 77 which towered over today's field. Two back when he finished fifth at 1 1/8 miles ( today's race was a mile ) the horse had been right there in midstretch and last time when he faltered badly at 1 1/4 miles he had been scorched in a torrid speed duel. He said he was fully confident in the 77 figure and considering today's field he was sending it in. That was good enough for me and I followed suit.

Emotival, if you don't know, paid $21 after holding off the odds on favorite....and Beyer was repaid for his hours of work in preparation for his South American adventure. At a time when having an edge using speed figures is virtually non-existant, Andy Beyer did the near impossible, and for a few minutes turned back the clock.