Unfortunately, I did not get to write nearly as many Breeder's Cup Previews as I would have hoped. Between work and traveling to the Breeder's Cup, there simply was not enough time. Next year, I hope to be able to complete more.
With that said, I think it's important for anyone who handicaps a horse race to review their opinions after the race is run; you can learn a lot from reviewing what you thought compared to what actually happened.
Even more importantly, I think anyone who makes their picks available for any kind of public viewing needs to own those picks after the fact.
People love to gloat about what they got right, but hate to admit, or even acknowledge, what they got wrong. This is a huge pet peeve of mine, HUGE.
Furthermore, I find it quite entertaining to review what I thought about a winner before it ran it's winning race. With that said, let's see what I had to say about this year's Juvenile Sprint winner:
Hightail: Sire - Mineshaft (AP Indy) Dam - Stormy Renee (Storm Cat)
Hightail is a 2YO colt that is 0 for his life. Not that this needs any
more explanation, but for further perspective, consider the following:
Alex Rodriguez batted .120 this postseason, he was 3 for 25.
Horrendous, right? He practically got booed out of New York.
Hightail's batting average is .000.
Now that I've given this colt the ARod treatment, let me say that he
hasn't run horribly in his 8 attempts. He's been aggressively placed in
one Grade III, two Grade II's, and one Grade I. He's also come close
to winning a few Maiden Special Weights finishing 2nd by a head, 3rd by
4+ lenghts, and 3rd by 1+ lengths. His 6th place effort last out in the
Grade I Breeders Futurity at Keenland was admirable.
I'm not sure what D. Wayne Lukas is doing with Hightail. I'm not sure
what D. Wayne Lukas is doing in general these days as the placement of
his horses is often confounding. Hightail might be a decent horse, but
he's been over his head time and time again. Sounds like the perfect
time to go from routing to sprinting and enter him in a Breeder's Cup
Race. That last sentence was a lie, I'm sorry I lied to you.
My take: The following makes more sense than Hightail in the BC and is also hilarious:
Lloyd:
That's a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?
Lady at bus stop:
Austria.
Lloyd:
Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!
Lady at bus stop:
Let's not.
Dumb and Dumber never fails to make me laugh. There always a scenario
where a horse can pick up the pieces for 3rd, maybe Hightail can do
that. He'll be off my tickets though as I think we're more likely to
see Hightail giving his number to a filly in the stands around post time
than hitting the board.
And if that wasn't enough, I had a little more to say about Senor Hightail:
Quick note: I really laid into
Hightail back there, sorry Hightail. I still don't think he'll hit the
board, but the connections of Hazardous might be more deserving of the
Dumb and Dumber scolding. There's nothing I can do about the ARod
comparison though, the horse is actually batting .000. I think there's
something about D. Wayne Lukas that loads my burrito with habanero sauce
from hell. Perhaps it's his hat. I like funny and unnecessary hats
though, so that can't be it...
Ahhhh, the beauty of horse racing. Even without Beholder and Kauai Kate running in this race, I still thought Hightail would get romped. I was wrong and I'm sure, somewhere, D. Wayne Lukas was laughing at what that burrito with habanero sauce from hell did to me after the fact.
On to the Breeder's Cup Marathon winner:
Calidoscopio (Arg): Sire - Luhuk (Forty Niner) Dam - Calderona *Arg (Lefty)
This a straight up, 9YO horse. This stallion's been around the block.
For some reason when I saw "B. h. 9" in the PP's, the first thing I
thought of was this: http://www.hark.com/clips/dwxzwqnhfy-im-a-man-im-40
Look up Mike Gundy on youtube if you want to see the whole thing, it's about 3:30 minutes long.
If Calidoscopio could speak English:
"I'm Calidoscopio, I'm a man, I'm 9! I'm not a colt, I've got whole page of PP's all to myself, come after me!"
On to his chances in the Marathon. He's going to be a price, and I like him.
He's got 2 wins in 3 starts in 2012, the first by 3/4 of a length at 1
1/2 on dirt in Argentina, the second by 2 lengths at 1 9/16 miles in a
Group 2 race on dirt in Argentina.
He'll be coming off of a 4 month layoff, which I don't love. But, the
PP's are showing American works dating back to September which means
he's getting ready for this.
My take: He's
bred to go long, he's proven he can go long, and he's proven on the
dirt. Yes, he's 9 and will be making his first start in America. Like I
said, I'll only be betting this race as a part of multi-race wagers.
But, if you wanted my top choice, this 9YO is it. He'll be on my ticket
and I'm guessing we'll get at least 20-1 on him.
I picked the right Twix bar.
Boom, boom, boom. Now let me hear you say Wayo...WAYOOOOOOOOO!
Boom Boom Boom Video
This was what came into my head as Calidioscopio galloped on home for an easy victory. It was basically me and the Argentinian contingent, out at Santa Anita, acting like fools.
My thoughts on public displays of elation at the horse track:
I don't like them very much. If you actually own the horse or are somehow associated with the connections, get naked. Go for it. That's got to be an awesome feeling and you deserve to do whatever the moment dictates. But if you bet on a horse and won, don't gloat in front of your fellow horse players, must of whom probably just lost.
So, when I said I acted foolish after Calidoscopio's victory, I did. But, it involved some fist pumping and air humping behind one of the bathrooms located on the Santa Anita infield.
If your win brings in 5 digits or more, go crazy, otherwise find yourself a secluded spot and do your dance there.
So, I did end up betting on Calidoscopio to win and had him in the 1st and 2nd leg of two separate Pick 3's. And, despite all my distaste for Hightail, I hit the all button to start that Pick 3 (Hightail did blow up all of my other multi-race wagers).
Primed and ready to win pretty big, right? I've beat a 4-5 horse in the first leg with the longest shot on the board and just hit a 17-1 horse in a full field, just need to have the winner of the Juvenile Fillies Turf:
Flotilla (Fr): Sire - Mizzen Mast (Cozzene) Dam - Louvain *IRE (Sindaar *IRE)
Lacked room to run in her Group I attempt last out, finished 1+ length back in 4th.
Her name makes me think of a floating tortilla.
The firm turf, especially at Santa Anita, figures to be a big question
mark here. Flotilla has also yet to win going a mile or against Group
company.
My take: In such a wide open
field, there are others I like more. Just like the Marathon, I doubt
I'll be playing any exacta's, trifecta's, or superfecta's here, I'm only
looking for winners; The floating tortilla is not on my list.
Oh no. Oh no. Not the floating tortilla. Please, not the floating tortilla.
Oh yes, the floating tortilla.
Not much else to say here. I didn't like her and she beat me...to the tune of $3,495.40. Ouchie.
Heck of a race by Flotilla, she was much the best.
On to the winner of the last race I managed to preview, the Breeder's Cup Ladies Classic:
Hahahahaha, wow, this is embarrassing. As I look back at the preview now, Royal Delta got cut off. She's not anywhere to be found. I have no idea where she disappeared to. Hmmmmmmm?
Well, you'll just have to trust me when I say she was my second choice. I liked Awesome Feather better, but Royal Delta really brought the noise.
Great ride by Mike Smith realizing the speed bias and taking her straight to the lead. The way she ran, I'm guessing she would have won the Classic on Saturday as well, she's one heck of a horse.
A fun Breeder's Cup, that is for sure. I can't wait as we begin to gear up for another Triple Crown season and eventually make our way back to Santa Anita next year.
Quick thought:
I get the arguments about bringing the Breeder's Cup back to New York and the arguments that hate on Santa Anita for getting it 4 out of the last 6 years. However, the weather matters. It just does. On your biggest day of racing, you want the conditions to be perfect.
Santa Anita gives you the best shot at having perfect racing conditions. New York or Kentucky might have great weather in early November, but the odds favor California every single year.
I live in Chicago. Getting to Kentucky is a simple drive. It costs less than flying to California. I don't make a lot of money. I still like the Breeder's Cup at Santa Anita. Maybe not every year, but I'd have no problem if the pattern of 2 years on, 2 years off continued.
Happy horzing everyone.
