Down by the beach
I covered the Pacific Classic at Del Mar yesterday, which by the way was a wonderful race. Well Armed ran too well to lose, but Go Between is a freak on synthetic surfaces. If he stays healthy, he's going to be one tough sonofagun in the Breeders' Cup Classic over Santa Anita's new Pro-Ride surface. I can't imagine jockey Garrett Gomez, who also has the mount on Travers winner Colonel John, would choose anyone other than Go Between to ride in the Classic on Oct. 25. We'll see.
So I stayed over till today, much too beautiful down here to go home quite yet, and there are two horses running that I think I'll put a couple of dollars down on -- Souvenir Slew in the fourth and I Am Game in the fifth.
Souvenir Slew is going way up in class, from $12,500 to $20,000, but he showed he can run against better when he finished third in $50,000 company at Hollywood Park in June. He's got the tactical speed to sit just behind the leaders and then pounce in the stretch. He gets a seven-pound break and always beware of a horse that just got beat but ran well and is being stepped up in class. The trainer, in this case Craig Dollase, thinks the horse is sharp and can stand the raise. In this instance, I agree with Dollase.
I Am Game is the top bet of the day as far as I'm concerned. His 10-1 morning-line odds are way out of line. I dream I get 10-1 on this guy, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets bet in half.
Good luck!!!
I Am Game ran too good to lose day. Tough beat.
Yes, he ran a big race. What it shows is that even when you have a live horse, you need racing luck as well. I bet three horses Monday -- Ava D at 65-1 in the first, Souvenir Slew at 7-2 in the fourth and, of course, I Am Game at 6-1 in the fifth. I didn't give out Ava D because she was a risky play and I only like to give out solid plays on my blog, but if you go back and watch the replay of the first, Ava D was coming on late and finished a strong fourth. I thought Souvenir Slew had won the fourth when I watched it live, but Frankelstein got the best of the head bob at the wire and the two ended up dead-heating. Oh well, that's horse racing.