December 2008 Archives

Eclatante finished fourth as a decent price long shot in the sixth on Wednesday, but we didn't get 20-1 or more on either of our horses in the nightcap. We lost $4 there when our $2 exacta box coupling Fortunate Victory and Kerzner failed to click. There are better days ahead.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1
1st -- $20 to win on Kneeling's Pride
4th -- $20 to win on Parko
5th -- $20 to win on Winning Vow
6th -- $20 to win on Joan Kardoo
7th -- $40 to win on Regal Coyote at 5-2 or higher
8th -- $20 to win on Meetingwithdestiny
9th -- $20 to win on Shermeen
10th -- $20 to win on Bonita Birdie

WEDNESDAY -- Minus $24
OVERALL -- Minus $56
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,944

Good luck today!!

It wasn't from a lack of a great effort, but Eclipse Award-winning jockey Garrett Gomez fell $10,610 shy of breaking Jerry Bailey's single-season earnings record.

Gomez, who was involved in a scary spill last Saturday at Santa Anita, surprisingly returned to ride Monday after missing only one day of action, riding two winners and finishing fourth wth another mount to pull within $79,082 of Bailey's record $23,354,960 established in 2003.

Three horses that Gomez was scheduled to ride won Sunday, meaning the record likely would be his now if he hadn't been injured in the Eddie Logan Stakes.

On Wednesday, Gomez won with his first three mounts and would have broken Bailey's record anyway with a victory in the $70,000 Kalookan Queen Handicap. But his mount Baroness Thatcher finished third and Gomez wound up the season with $23,344,351.

It was a game effort. Gomez, who lost three front teeth in the accident, said he didn't return so quickly just so he could break Bailey's record.

"Winning period is a motivation," Gomez said. "It was the start of a brand new meet, and the record is still attainable if we get lucky enough. More important, I wanted to continue, because out of sight is out of mind. I wanted to get back into action. Thursday is a brand new year and I didn't want to miss any time if I didn't have to, money record or no."

Garrett Gomez, in pursuit of Jerry Bailey's single-season earnings mark, has won with both his mounts Wednesday at Santa Anita and can still catch Bailey. He needs to win with his final two mounts -- the featured Kalookan Queen Handicap aboard Baroness Thatcher, and with his mount in the sixth race. If anyone can do it, he can.

Our Storm got us off to a good start in Monday's second race, rallying from far back under Alonzo Quinonez and winning to return $7.40. But our next four wagers blanked, including Flashing Forward, who was leading before she broke down approaching the far turn and had to be euthanized. Let's end the year on a high note today.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31
6th -- $20 to win on Eclatante
8th -- $20 to win on Fortunate Victory, Kerzner and Olympic Stripes at 20-1 or higher. A $2 exacta box including Fortunate Victory, Kerzner and Olympic Stripes no matter what the odds.

MONDAY -- Minus $26
OVERALL -- Minus $32
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,968

Good luck today!!

Four horses have broken down on the synthetic Pro-Ride surface in the first four days of Santa Anita's 2008-09 meet, and two had to be euthanized. Santa Anita president Ron Charles told The Thoroughbred Times this week he is very concerned about the matter, so much so that the surface was power harrowed by workers Tuesday and tests were run on the track.

"We did some work on the track this morning, and it's something we're taking seriously," Charles told The Thoroughbred Times. "We're looking for consistency--power harrowing it to see exactly how tight it is. They're doing a lot of tests.

"Most of the riders say it's a very forgiving surface and the track seems to have a good bounce to it, so we're not exactly sure why this is happening. We went almost a month without picking one horse up in the morning, literally thousands of horses working. The confidence level was extremely high coming into the meet."

To me, it's just more evidence that horses are going to break down no matter what type of surface. You have these big, strong animals running on those spindly legs, and when they come down wrong, well, bad things are going to happen.

So who's going to win the 2009 Kentucky Derby, huh? I know, silly question considering the winner may not have even made his or her first career start. But hey, it's never too early to speculate, right?

You can start right here at home when talking about some of the contenders. Bob Baffert is mighty high on CashCall Futurity winner Pioneerof the Nile, and rightfully so. Ron Ellis, who's never won a Derby, has a couple of nice 2-year-olds in Believe in Hope and Rail Trip. Doug O'Neill has Square Eddie, who ran well on Breeders' Cup day.

Then, of course, there's Vineyard Haven -- a lot of folks' top pick for next May's Run for the Roses after victories in the Champagne and Hopeful stakes back east. He's now in Dubai, property of Godolphin Stable. Midshipman, Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, is also in Dubai.

So who do you like? Who's your early Derby pick? I'd pick Midshipman if he wasn't going to try to win the Derby by prepping in Dubai. I don't like that route. My opinion is that the Derby winner isn't even on the radar yet. Remember Big Brown? Last year at this time few knew about the future Derby and Preakness winner.

Amazingly, Garrett Gomez returned to action Monday, less than 48 hours after that scary spill he was involved in Saturday during the Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita. He rode four horses, earning $29,560 for two wins, a fourth and a last-place finish. His fifth scheduled mount in the seventh race was scratched.

He goes into Wednesday's final card of 2008 just $79,454 shy of Jerry Bailey's North American record for single-season earnings. Problem is, he's got only four mounts to pick up the necessary purse money. In order to pass Bailey, he needs to win the $70,000 Kalookan Queen Handicap aboard Baroness Thatcher and a $56,000 allowance race in which he rides Kyniska. He then must finish at least second in a $25,000 starter allowance or third in the starter allowance and at least second in the $10,000 claimer he'll ride in. Not impossible, and the courageous manner in which Gomez came back so soon after a scary fall makes you want to root for him to do it.

I think he'll come up short, but all bets are off for 2009. With a little luck, he'll be back threatening the record again and just might get it.

Ron Anderson, Garrett Gomez's agent, told me Saturday night that his client was pretty banged up after a serious spill earlier in the day and that he figured Gomez would have to take a couple of days off. Well, after taking Sunday off, Gomez was still listed on all five of his scheduled mounts for Monday.

"Garrett told me not to turn anything (potential mounts) loose," Anderson told Santa Anita official Ed Golden on Sunday morning. "I feel very optimistic. There's better than a good chance he could ride (Monday). Amazing as it seems, there was even a small chance he could have ridden (Sunday). He's tougher than I don't-know-what."

Gomez was injured in Saturday's seventh race, the Eddie Logan Stakes, when his mount, Back At You, veered in during the stretch run and unseated the jockey, who turns 37 on New Year's Day. Taken to Arcadia Methodist Hospital, he had only a swollen left hand, a gash on his left knee and three missing front teeth. He was very, very fortunate.

There's still an outside chance Gomez could break Jerry Bailey's North American record for single-season earnings. He's $109,014 shy of the mark, set in 2003 when Anderson was Bailey's agent. He could get there, but even if he returns today, he's got only two days (Wednesday is the final racing day of 2008) to surpass Bailey's record of $23,354,960.

"In the realm of everything," Anderson said, "at this point, who cares (about the record)? I think we dodged a bullet and I feel very fortunate that Garrett's going to be OK."

We broke out of our mini-drought Sunday, collecting $194 for a $20 win bet on Wild Diplomat in the sixth race. He returned $19.40 for substitute jockey Joe Talamo. We dropped $40 on Raise the River, who threatened at the head of the stretch but lacked the needed closing punch in the last eighth of a mile.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 29
2nd -- $20 to win on Our Storm
4th -- $20 to win on Sovine
6th -- $20 to win on Candy's Pride
7th -- $20 to win on Flashing Forward
9th -- $20 to win on Warren's Adventure

SUNDAY -- Plus $134
OVERALL -- Minus $6
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,994

Good luck today!!

Our very own Ray Nelson, whose picks appear daily on our horse-racing page, tabbed the late pick four cold Sunday, correctly selecting Wild Diplomat ($19.40), Unusual Spirit ($15.20), Proudinsky ($4.60) and Dolly Daggers ($8.60) on top in the final four races for a payoff of $860.10. He also had the next-to-last pick three and the final pick three of the afternoon with $1 tickets, returning $142.70 and $88.80, respectively. So, for a $3 investment, you'd have made a $1,091.57 proft by following Nelson's picks.

Ray, in my opinion, is the best long-shot handicapper in the business. Last year during the Santa Anita winter-spring meet, he captured the money-won portion of the Allan Malamud public handicappers' contest and showed a flat-bet profit of about $100, which is extremely difficult to do when you're forced to pick winners in every race, even if you don't like the race that much. He won a similar contest at the 2007 Oak Tree meet.

Through the first three days of this 84-day Santa Anita meet, Nelson's eight wins have totaled $62.20 -- an average of $7.76. He's showing a flat-bet profit of $8.20 so far. The way he selects long-shot winners, I'm guessing the average will be closer to $10 by season's end. If you're at the track and see one of Nelson's top selections at 10-1 or higher, put some money on it. He goes out on a limb, and often times the bettors are rewarded.

We blanked with two horses Saturday. Both Seth the Candeyman and Rochelle's Jimmy ran off the board. We're off to a slow start out of the gate, but I'm confident we'll hit our stride. There are a couple of strong bets today, although no long shots of 20-1 or higher that I like a lot.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28
5th -- $40 to win on Raise the River at 5-2 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Wild Diplomat

SATURDAY -- Minus $60
OVERALL -- Minus $140
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,860

Good luck today!!

We blanked yesterday, although Indian Weaver ran third at 31-1 and could have threatened the winner with a stronger ride. The horse drifted out badly on the turn for home and lost a ton of ground.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27
1st -- $20 to win on Seth the Candeyman at 20-1 or higher
2nd -- $20 to win on Mama Lor
3rd -- $20 to win on Cajun Gent at 5-2 or higher
6th -- $40 to win on Rochelle's Jimmy at 2-1 or higher

FRIDAY -- Minus $80
OVERALL -- Minus $80
BANKROLL REMAINING -- $1,920

Good luck today!!

Bob Black Jack's victory in the $250,000 Malibu Stakes on Friday at Santa Anita was only the second Grade I win for a Cal-bred in 2008. Cost of Freedom won the Grade I Ancient Title during the Oak Tree meet.

There's a $171,220.28 pick-six carryover heading into the first Saturday card of the 84-day meet. There were no huge upsets Friday, just a number of 6-1 and 7-1 outsiders to give the pick-six players fits.

Garrett Gomez, 2007 Eclipse Award winner as the nation's top jockey, has a shot to break Jerry Bailey's single-year record for earnings by a North American jockey with four days left in the 2008 racing season. After earning $118,560 with his mounts Friday, including $60,000 for his win aboard Gio Ponti in the $100,000 Sir Beaufort Stakes, Gomez has $23,137,979 compared to Bailey's record of $23,354,960 established in 2003.

David Flores, who won all three opening-day stakes at Santa Anita a year ago with Johnny Eves in the Malibu, Monterey Jazz in the Sir Beaufort and Bob Black Jack in the California Breeders' Champion Stakes, made it back-to-back Malibus aboard Bob Black Jack and finished second in the California Breeders' Champion Stakes with 3-1 favorite Feisty Suances. He didn't have a mount in this year's Sir Beaufort.

Rafael Bejarano, who recently joined Chris McCarron (1983) and Patrick Valenzuela (2003) as the only riders to sweep the five major meets in Southern California in one year, Gomez and Mike Smith all had riding doubles Friday.

Triphon B. Dahl, a 44-year-old Fairplex Park-based trainer, scored the first stakes victory of his career when All Saint came charging home through the stretch to win the California Breeders' Champion Stakes at 7-1 under Bejarano. Dahl has eight horses in his barn, all for owner Eduardo Gamez, a Pomona resident.

Opening day today. Santa Anita kicks off its 72nd winter-spring meet with a tremendous card, including the $250,000 Malibu Stakes. Three Grade I winners in the field, and I like Colonel John, who I believe is the class of the class in the seven-horse field. I'm surprised he's not the morning-line favorite. Into Mischief is 2-1 and Colonel John is 5-2. I think Colonel John will go postward as the favorite.

Today we're going to begin a daily rundown of bettable races and track how we do during the 84-day meet. Remember, I'm a long-shot player. I won't bet a lot of the horses I think have a shot unless they are 20-1 or higher. Send me your picks daily, who you like, and let's see who can finish with the highest mythical bankroll on closing day, April 19.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26

1st -- $20 to win on Halo's Highway at 20-1 or higher.
4th -- $40 to win on Luhuk's Dancer
5th -- $20 to win on Indian Weaver at 20-1 or higher
9th -- $20 to win on Warren's Cat Time at 20-1 or higher

We'll start with a mythical bankroll of $2,000 and see how we do.

Good luck today!!

I just did a quick check of the entries for opening day Friday at Santa Anita, and much to my delight we have BOTH full fields and quality races. I don't know about you, but there's nothing that irritates me more than a mess of five- and six-horse fields. I keep saying, we have too much racing in Southern California.

Opening day, which begins at noon, includes a nine-race card with full fields in six of the nine. Unbelievable. And there are nine in the third and 10 in the fifth. The big stakes of the afternoon, the Grade I Malibu, shapes up as a super race. There are only seven entered, but it's a quality seven, including Grade I winners Colonel John, Into Mischief and Georgie Boy.

I'm looking forward to opening day!

Cocoa Beach (pictured), winner of the $500,000 Matriarch during the Turf Festival, was voted top horse of Hollywood Park's 40-day autumn meet, which concluded Sunday.

Cocoa Beach, owned by Godolphin Stable and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, was a unanimous winner in voting by the media. She defeated defending Matriarch champion Precious Kitten by a half-length in her first turf race since her career debut in Chile in January 2007.

Pioneerof the Nile, winner of Saturday's $750,000 CashCall Futurity, was a unanimous pick as 2-year-old and 2-year-old male of the year. Pioneerof the Nile beat I Want Revenge by a nose in the Grade I Futurity.

Other winners:
2-year-old filly: Laragh (unanimous)
3-year-old: Court Vision (unanimous)
3-year-old male: Court Vision
3-year-old filly: Briecat
Older male: Slew's Tizzy
Turf Horse: Hyperbaric
Claiming horse: Soupy
Sprinter: Johnny Eves, in a 5-4 vote over California Flag
Trainer: Doug O'Neill (unanimous)
Jockey: Rafael Bejarano (unanimous)
Apprentice jockey: Pedro Arambula

Looking for an early daily double wheel horse or single in the early pick four? Take a look at Exotic Story in the second race. The 3-year-old gelding ran a strong third last out and Aaron Gryder sticks with him in this starter allowance event. He's 4-1 on the morning line and looks really live in this spot.

After getting blanked by short prices and even smaller fields Thursday, we had a nice day Friday, delivering a couple of nice wins -- KHUN DAN at $25.60 and MAT THE MAITER'D at $27.20. Let's try again today. There are a few good plays at Hollywood Park on CashCall Futurity Day, but I don't know as if we'll get any 11-1 or 12-1 shots.

1st -- BONJOUR, WESTERLY MAGIC and MAN TO MAN all have shots here. Don't let the 15-1 morning-line price on Man to Man scare you. He's got a shot.

2nd -- BROOKER is a Ted West-trained gelding who just missed at $12,500 and is being raised to $16,000. You have to love that move up in class.

4th -- BE REALISTIC and BAD BIG AL should both be closing in the stretch.

7th -- I love TOMMYS LUCK in this spot. He drops back into a sprint and is dipped in class. Martin Garcia wins 24 percent of the time when he rides for Jeff Mullins. This guy is my best bet of the day.

9th -- MR. CHAIRMAN and ISIPINGO both have big shots in this $80,000 optional claimer.

10th -- Tread very lightly, but I got a hunch that this is going to finally be the day that PINK POLKADOTS gets her picture taken. Mike Mitchell drops her back to the level he claimed her at. If she doesn't win today, a move up to Golden Gate Fields might be in order. If you're looking for an upsetter, try LIL LEGAL LINDA, a first-timer for Doug O'Neill.

Good luck today!!

To me, there is nothing worse in horse racing than short prices and even shorter fields, both of which were in abundance Thursday at Hollywood Park. Let's hope things are different today.

2nd -- KHUN DAN has one quality that is important for winning these days over this track -- speed. Don't get sucked into too low a number with this guy because he's 1 for 16 lifetime, but if you can get 4-1 or better, I think he's worth a wager.

4th -- MOONLIGHT TIZZY raced wide in her last but showed improvement. She'll be tough in this maiden special weight for California breds.

5th -- My best best of the day, SCHILL, may go postward at only 2-1, but she's a great single in the pick six and late pick four. She's won 4 of 12 and I think she's going to be very, very tough here.

6th -- MAT THE MAITER'D hopped in the air in his debut at 76-1 and still got beat only 3 3/4 lengths in a 13-horse field. You'll get a real nice price on this guy and I think he's worth an across-the-board play.

Hollywood Park was not the place to be Thursday if you were looking for value. Tough to get value when all you're doing is playing five- and six-horse fields. I thought synthetic tracks were supposed to lead to a higher horse population and bigger fields.

Four of the eight races consisted of five horses. FIVE!!! Three had six horses and the finale included a whopping seven.

The pick six paid $155.20, quite a life-changing experience, and it was puncuated by horses that returned $4, $6.40, $3.60, $4, $4.80 and $3.60. Yeah, it beats the heck out of a return you'll get from a Bank of America savings account these days, but when the biggest long shot of the day is $8.60, courtesy of Stormy Racer and the hottest jockey on the planet, Joel Rosario, well, that kind of sums up the day.

Well, we had one $15 winner Wednesday, but we expect better. I was really disappointed by how poorly Warren's A P Strike ran in the seventh.

Here's who I like today:
1st -- TURBO CALL and TAHOE KID are two good wheel horses in the early double, though I like Tahoe Kid the better of the two. I think John Sadler breaks out of his mini-slump here.
2nd -- PERFECT CAST is a nice long-shot play with Aaron Gryder aboard. She raced wide last time and drops a couple of pegs today.
3rd -- BRIDLED QUEST is my best bet of the day at 4-1 on the morning line. I think you'll get 5-1 or 6-1 on this guy and he'll be closing. PORTUGA is the long shot play here.
4th -- REAL LIFT got claimed for $10,000 by Jeff Mullins (29 percent off the claim) and is being raised two levels here, but she can take the upgrade.
5th -- ALWAYS PRETTY, IRISH TORRENT and MICHAEL'S ROSE are all live in this race that will most likely be switched to the main track. I particularly like the fact that Michael's Rose is trying two turns for the first time and adding blinkers.
6th -- SCOTTY JONES is an across-the-board long shot bet at 20-1 or higher.
7th -- LITTLE WING should be set to fire his best effort after a prep on Nov. 28 at Golden Gate Fields.
8th -- UTA'S BEAUTY held her speed to the stretch for the first time last out, and that's always a good sign. She'll be tough in here. WINNINGDANCER has tactical early speed that could prove dangerous.

Good luck today!!

Can we build on the momentum of last week, when we had $17.40 and $33 winners? I sure hope so. I need some extra cash for the holidays.

2nd -- ORIENTATION HALL and KIELBASA are good wheel horses in the early double. I'd include 'em both in early pick fours as well.

7th -- WARREN'S A P STRIKE stays the same level and, with the injury to Tyler Baze, gets the services of Joe Talamo today. I think he'll be rolling late and has a good shot to find the winner's circle. An across-the-board play.

8th -- BARTOK'S MAGIC finished fourth, beaten seven lengths in his debut, and has every right to improve today. Talamo rides. Can he sweep the late double?

Good luck today!!

Richard Shapiro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board, has resigned his post. Shapiro has been a controversial figure since mandating the installment of artificial surfaces at all thoroughbred race tracks in California.

I'm sure glad the pro-synthetic folks told us one of the benefits of the artificial surfaces was that we'd have bigger fields.
Hmmmm, let's see ... Thursday's card at Hollywood Park offers five-horse fields in the first and third races and six-horse fields in the second and fourth. Only two of the eight races on the card have more than eight horses.
It's not much better on Wednesday, when three of the eight races have six-horse fields and the rest include eight runners. And this is before any scratches. How many four- and five-horse fields will we end up with during the two days?
Tough to get excited about those two cards.

Here are a few horses I like on today's card at Hollywood Park. Slow day yesterday, but you can't have big winners like Always in Style ($17.40 on Thursday) and Sweetsinginanita ($33 on Friday) everyday. I wish we could.

2nd -- FREE BEER ran evenly in his debut here on Nov. 26 and the Medaglia d'Oro colt is ready to fire in his second start.

3rd -- Mike Mitchell employs the comebacking Corey Nakatani on SUNSET TIJUANA in this $10,000 claimer, and he should be tough here. I also like MARQZ MELODY, but why is he dropping through the roof after missing by just a head against $32,000 claimers at Oak Tree? That scares me.

4th -- I played MASSIVE ATTACK on Nov. 12 when he came charging home first and paid $74.80 and I think he'll show the same type of life today. You won't get 36-1, however. SEA RASCAL is another one to watch here.

5th -- MR. HOT STUFF is my best bet of the day. He's ready to stretch out to two turns after a pair of sprints and, with Garrett Gomez still out of town, he gets the services of leading rider Rafael Bejarano.

6th -- A three-horse grab bag here. A SONG AT TWILIGHT has the speed to wire the field if she breaks out on top. JUSTABOUTPERFECT can stalk just off the pace and pounce in the stretch, and GLITTERMAN'S FANCY won't be far back but can also close late. Exacta box anyone?

7th -- NO PRODIGAL can go gate to wire here, although speed has been holding better on the main track than on turf. HIS SISTERS MISTER and CUT will be amongst the closers. Interesting that Bejarano switches to His Sisters Mister.

8th -- I like PARTYWITHLARRYZ, DANCING IN SILKS, LIT'SGOODLOOKNGRAY and NIKKI'SGOLDENSTEED in the $75,000 On Trust Handicap. I think any of the four could win the 7 1/2-furlong race for Cal-breds.

9th -- WARREN'S BUDDY puts blinkers on here and could show more speed than in his debut at Fairplex Park. If he wins, there will likely be a pick-six carryover on Wednesday, but hey, there are no Secretariats in here.

Good luck today!!

I'm going to play a small pick six at Hollywood Park, what with there being an $86,000 carryover. Here's what I'm looking at:

5th -- Single CAJUN CORREDOR, who is dropping and moving back to Rafael Bejarano for white-hot trainer Doug O'Neill.
6th -- Kiss DUBAI RAINBOW good-bye. Unless one of the first-timers proves quick out of the gate, this 2-year-old colt will wire the field.
7th -- KING CITY KITTY can give trainer Ted H. West his eighth win of the meet from just 16 starters. Another win for Bejarano.
8th -- TOMMY'S LUCK, SQUALLCREEK, CEE BARGARA and SANQUINE can all win this wide-open event.
9th -- LARAGH tried to go gate-to-wire in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and finished third. Trainer John Terranova didn't fly the daugher of Tapit out here and employ the services of East Coast jockey Edgar Prado to finish second.
10th -- MONICA'S EDGE gets up in time to win the nightcap.

That's an $8 ticket. Hey, the horses are live and I have a shot.

Others to watch today:
2nd -- SNOOTY GAL can wire this bunch off the layoff.
3rd -- MISS DOW JONES has been popular at the claim box lately, and she's going to get her picture taken today.

Good luck today!!

I like a few long shots on today's eight-race card at Hollywood Park. I hope some of you cashed in on our selection in the second race yesterday, Always in Style, that returned $17.40. That one was too good to pass up.

4th -- SWEETSINGINANITA has won only once in 17 tries, but she's dropping into a spot where she can contend. If she can handle the 1 1/16-mile distance on turf, she's a player here with Chantal Sutherland aboard. She's an across-the-board play.

6th -- I like an exacta box of FOXY GAMES, MISSOULA and NO KA OI in this $32,000 claimer on grass. I'll play any of the three to win at 10-1 or higher.

7th -- INFORMED is the chalk play here, and I like the chances of long shot BELO PURSE, making only his second start in the U.S. He was a Group I winner in Brazil.

8th -- CUBS MOLINA figures to be charging late in this six-furlong maiden claiming event, and BECKETT has some interesting early speed. Either could win the nightcap.

Good luck today!!

About three hours after I wrote my column for today's editions, dealing with free Fridays at the upcoming Santa Anita meet, upcoming staff reductions and the strong possibility of purse cuts, the Daily Racing Form reported that Santa Anita has cut overnight purses about 10 percent.

Allowance and maiden special weight races will be cut less than maiden claiming and straight claiming events. Del Mar had to cut purses during its summer meet, and Hollywood Park has cut purses three times during its current autumn meet -- twice because of the economy.

Charlie Hayward, CEO of the New York Racing Association, told a panel that included Del Mar president Joe Harper that the NYRA is considering new turf courses for the state's tracks but no synthetic surfaces. Like many, he questions whether artificial tracks really do cut down the number of fatalities. He also stated it's impossible to get an accurate picture on how many horses really are affected by soft-tissue injuries that many trainers claim are a result of synthetic tracks. The debate rages on.

Hayward also said that once slot machines are in place at the New York tracks, they are looking at a 27 percent increase in purses, or $32 million more.

A pick-six carryover of more than $146,000 is up for grabs at Hollywood Park today, and here's a ticket I'm going to play. I'm taking a chance on a few singles, but I think all of them have solid shots.

3rd -- EXCEEDING is a tough old guy, having won 12 of his 33 starts, including five of 15 over synthetics. He'll be tough to beat in this spot and is one of my singles. If you want to add a second horse here, take a look at ROGUE SCHOLAR. Always beware of horses that lost a photo finish in their last start and are being raised in class. It's a sign that the trainer thinks they're sharp.
4th -- This is an open race, and I'm going to take three horses here -- CANDILEJAS, MALUSITA and PRIDE. Martin Garcia is getting off the unbeaten Joe'sgirlisgolden and sticking with Candilejas. Good sign.
5th -- FASTONGRASS just missed in his last for Julio Canani and Alex Solis stays aboard. I'm going to single the 2-year-old daughter of Forest Wildcat. If you want to take another in this maiden special weight on the grass, try CORACAO BEIJO, who lost a three-horse photo in the same race as Fastongrass and retains the services of Brice Blanc, an excellent turf rider.
6th -- BODACAT just one for this price and gets the services of Victor Espinoza, who is enjoying a strong meet. TWIN TURBO is dropping off a win for John Sadler, a move that signals the gelding's camp is going for the win. If you want to play a long shot here to try and take home all the pick-six marbles for yourself, take a good look at HOT CONTEST and jockey Pedro Arambula. He got beat only 4 1/4 lengths last out and is dropping a peg today. He could pull a surprise at huge odds.
7th -- FRANK THE BARBER and DELTA STORM are my plays in this $100,000 optional claimer on the turf. Frank the Barber is 2 for 4 on the Hollypark grass and Delta Storm ran third to California Flag in the Grade III Hollywood Turf Express over Turf Festival weekend.
8th -- DIXIELAND POP is the only one of the eight fillies who is dropping into a maiden claimer for the first time. Tim Yakteen gets his first win of the meet here with the daughter of Dixieland Band.

That's a $24 ticket, and I think I got a decent shot. All you can ask is to have live horses, and I think I'm at least live in all six.

If you're playing early doubles and an early pick four, I think PINK POLKADOTS, despite her dismal 17-0-2-5 line, is the horse to beat. PRINCESS PATTY B is the possible upsetter.
I think the second race is a four-way grab bag between AQUICKSTING, IT'S GOTTA BE US, SCOREWITHCATER and BEAU GRIS.

Good luck today!!

Count Jeff Mullins among the local trainers who are transferring a number of horses out of state to run for larger purses. It used to be horsemen would migrate to California because we had the biggest purses but, according to sources, Mullins is moving 20 horses elsewhere.

Del Mar cut its overnight purses during its summer meet, and Hollywood Park has slashed purses three times during its current autumn meet. No word yet whether there will be any cuts at Santa Anita, which opens its winter/spring meet Dec. 26.

I like a few horses at prices today, my favorite kind of plays. Nothing bugs me more than liking a bunch of 3-1 or 7-2 shots on a card. I don't like a lot today, but what I do like I think I might get some attractive odds.

2nd -- Warren's Adventure and Rebel Creek are my plays in this $10,000 claimer. Remember, when I bet long shots I only play at 20-1 or better.

6th -- No trainer on the circuit is hotter than Brian Koriner right now. He's got Flew First Class in this maiden claimer and he employs Rafael Bejarano. He's too low on the morning line for me to play separately, but I'd use in exotics, pick sixes and pick fours.

Good luck today!!

I thought it would be Rafael Bejarano who would enjoy a big day at Hollywood Park, but Joel Rosario has won four races on the card so far, including three nice prices. He swept the early daily double, which paid $66.60.

Heading into the nightcap, Bejarano has blanked with seven mounts but has finished in the money with six of them. He lost a pair of photos. Live horses, all of them, but you also have to get some breaks.

Rosario can have a five-win day if he wins with Devive in the ninth.

Hollywood Park's leading rider, Rafael Bejarano, has mounts in eight of today's nine races and he's live in all eight. Yes, this could be a huge day for the jockey who is on the verge of becoming only the third rider -- joining Chris McCarron and Patrick Valenzuela -- as the only jockeys to sweep the Southland's five major meets in one year.

Bejarano looks particularly tough in the third with Burna Dette, the fourth with Tevez the Tiger, the seventh with Wild Diplomat, the eighth with Church Service and the nightcap aboard Squire Trelawny.

His other mounts:
2nd -- Anytime you ride a Mike Mitchell runner that has the best career Beyer figure in the race, you're live. Bejarano's first mount of the day, Let'spickupthepace, could be a winning one.
5th -- Any of the six runners can win this turf claimer, including Bejarano's Dadsalittleunusual, another Mitchell trainee.
6th -- Bejarano rides Past the Point in the Grade III Native Diver, another mount with the top career Beyer. This 4-year-old finished second to Curlin in the Grade I Woodward at Saratoga on Aug. 30.

The nightcap, a $25,000 maiden claimer, is an interesting race. Yes, Squire Trelawny is live, but he's had eight chances and has finished second twice and third three times against similar. He's not the most reliable, especially when you consider he's going to go postward at 3-1 or less. But he's worth using in exactas along with Premier Issue (12-1 on the morning line), Royal Albert (6-1) and Fortunate Victory (12-1). I'll bet Premier Issue and/or Fortunate Victory separate if they go off at 20-1 or more.

Good luck today!!

Trainer John Sadler is going for his fourth consecutive Southland training title at this Hollywood Park autumn meet after winning the Hollywood Park spring-summer, Del Mar and Oak Tree meets. Doug O'Neill won seven straight and 8 of 9 in 2006-07 and he almost became the first trainer to sweep the Southland's five major meets before finishing second to Sadler at last year's Hollywood Park autumn meet.

Who holds the record for most consecutive Southern California training titles? How about a guy named William Molter, who won 10 straight in 1946-49 and 11 of 12 when the only meets around were Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar. Oak Tree didn't debut until 1969, and the first Hollywood Park autumn meet was 1981.

Farrell Jones won nine consecutive from 1969-71 and he swept the four major meets in 1970. Bobby Frankel (pictured) swept the four major meets in 1977 and won 14 of 19 titles from 1973-77.

The records for most wins in a single season and most consecutive training titles at each of our three race tracks follow:

SANTA ANITA
Most wins -- O'Neill, 56 in 2006-07
Most consecutive titles -- Bob Baffert, 7, 1997-2003
Oak Tree meet
Most wins -- O'Neill, 22 in 2003
Most consecutive titles -- Baffert, 3, 1997-99

HOLLYWOOD PARK
Most wins -- Frankel, 60 in 1972
Most consecutive titles -- Frankel, 6, 1972-77
Autumn meet
Most wins -- O'Neill, 24 in 2006
Most consecutive titles -- Mel Stute, 2, 1984-85

DEL MAR
Most wins -- R.H. "Red" McDaniel, 47 in 1954
Most consecutive titles -- Baffert, 7, 1997-2003; and Jones, 7, 1960-66

Trainer Brian Koriner, who's won with 25 percent of his starters at this Hollywood Park meet, has a couple of live horses today in the fourth and eighth races -- A Flicker of Light and Kearns Prints. Both will be ridden by Joe Talamo, who has been riding all of Koriner's top horses of late.

A Flicker of Light has the type of tactical speed where the 3-year-old daughter of Flying Continental should be close to the pace and then pounce on the leaders in the stretch. She went postward at 5-1 on Nov. 8 here when she finished third against similar, and she's 6-1 on the morning line today. She's a solid win-place play.

In the nightcap, Kearns Prints has the early zip to take this field of $25,000 maiden claimers gate to wire. The 3-year-colt disappointed last time at 3-1 but Talamo will have him gunning from the rail today, and if he can get clear with reasonable splits, he'll be gone. He's 7-2 on the morning line.

Others I like today:
2nd -- Rumba Along is my top choice in this turf claimer, but you can't leave out Rhetorically in early doubles and pick fours.

3rd -- Rapid Goose is a money eater, having finished second three times and third three times in 12 races. But I like that he's going back to Joel Rosario and he'll be tough in this starter allowance race.

5th -- Protectorofallevil has finished third in his past three efforts, all against similar $12,500 claimers, but he stumbled at the start last out here on Nov. 12 and I think he's better than these.

7th -- I'm going to include Secret Shuttle and Easy On The Eye in my pick six and late pick four, and I'll have win money down if either goes postward at 20-1 or higher. They're both 12-1 on the morning line.

Good luck today!!

When at Hollywood Park, do as the track bias tells you to do. Right now, speed is holding up very well over the Cushion Track, so rather than fight it and continue to play come-from-behinders who are often times finishing only second or third, this is the time when we have to take an even closer look at speed. You can't beat what you can't catch.

So, on today's card we have a horse in the fourth race, Liz's Broom, who figures to break on top of her opposition and keep going. She's the fastest of the nine 2-year-old maiden fillies in the race and a nice 4-1 on the morning line. She doesn't figure to get bet all that much, so you're likely to get at least 3-1 and probably better odds on the daughter of Tapit.
If she does falter late, Grace Gryder will be along in time to pick up the pieces.

Others to watch today:
2nd -- Intermission is the chalky play in this spot, and Oh How Nice is the horse to play if you're looking for a price.

5th -- Delaware Doe is a nice 10-1 on the morning line and he's got a real shot against these $80,000 optional claimers on the grass.

Good luck today!!

Hmm, let's see ... I like a horse in the third race a lot today at Hollywood Park and another in the fourth, so I think I'm going to break out my huge bankroll of pennies and spring for a pick four.

My two singles:
3rd -- Thunder and Ice should be long gone in this spot. There's really nothing to go with him and it could be a repeat of Sunday's finale when the winner broke on top and didn't stop running. Trainer Brian Koriner is having a nice meet (5 for 20) and he and Joe Talamo are winning at a 25 percent clip when they team up. I think he's a solid single in early pick fours and the pick six.

4th -- Epic Power, the old warrior, resurfaces after running seventh in the Cal Cup Mile at Oak Tree on Oct. 5. He had a wide trip in that race and retains the services of Martin Garcia, who has gotten to know the 7-year-old gelding well since March. His last victory was by a nose over the Hollywood Park turf on June 5, and although he likes to finish second and third a lot, he's got enough moxie left to beat this allowance field.

In the first, I'm going to take all but Warren's Payoff. Despite Stormin Story being 7-5 on the morning line, I think it's a wide-open race where any of the top five in the program could win.

I like Lucky No. Thirteen and James Prior in the second. The former is stretching out for the first time after running sixth for the same price as today's $40,000 maiden tag and he figures to get better with a race under his belt. James Prior switches from Martin Pedroza to Rafael Bejarano and drops in for a tag after an eighth-place finish in a maiden special weight on the turf in September at Oak Tree.

Others to watch today:
6th -- Drama Cat was off slowly in his debut on Oct. 31 and raced wide while closing a ton of ground in the stretch. He goes from $25,000 maiden claimers to $40,000 today, but he also goes from Danny Sorenson to Bejarano, so that's a telling sign. Perfect Vintage has had 12 chances, with three seconds and three thirds, but David Flores sticks with the 3-year-old daughter of Bertrando and she could make start No. 13 a lucky one.

8th -- I think four horses could win this $8,000 claimer -- Axiom, Rhodine's Kid, Familiar Stranger or Get Off the Sugar, the latter of whom is my best long-shot play of the day at 20-1 on the morning line. Rhodine's Kid drops from $25,000 to $8,000 and I think they are trying to win and don't care if they lose the horse. If he's in one piece, he'll be tough. Familiar Stranger has the speed to wire this field, and Get Off the Sugar has the kind of tactical speed that makes him dangerous. He could lay close to the speed and pounce in the stretch, or if there is no pace, he could inherit the lead and just keep right on running.

Good luck today!!

After a Thanksgiving break, let's update our jockey ratings going into the sixth week of the Hollywood Park autumn meet. As explained previously, I give a jockey a point for each win, award a bonus point for each long-shot win (10-1 or higher) and each photo-finish win (neck or less), and deduct a point for each loss on a post-time favorite. The result is a fairly good look at the strengths and weaknesses of the local riders, which can help us figure out who fits which horses or types of races.

Here are the leaders:

Overall: Tyler Baze (+16 points), Martin Garcia (+14), Rafael Bejarano (+11), Michael Baze (+10).

Main-track sprints: Garcia (+10), T. Baze (+8), Martin Pedroza (+7), Clinton Potts (+7).

Main-track routes: Jon Court (+5), Bejarano (+4), T. Baze (+3), M. Baze (+3), Garcia (+3).

Turf: Bejarano (+11), Joel Rosario (+6), T. Baze (+5), Victor Espinoza (+5).

Speed: T. Baze has 11 wire-to-wire wins, which is more than twice as many as anyone else.

Closers: Bejarano has 13 wins on horses who rallied from the back half of the field, Garrett Gomez 11.

Long shots: Garcia has four wins paying 10-1 or more, Court three, Valdivia three.

Wow, what a concept. XpressBet, one of the four licensed account-wagering companies in California along with Youbet, TVG and Twinspires.com, upgraded the quality of their video streaming for account holders at NO EXTRA COST.

If you are betting the horses on XpressBet, you can bet for free and watch for free. That's not the case with TVG and Youbet, which charges its customers to place a bet and then watch to see how the horse runs.

Kind of like if you walked up to play a hand of blackjack in Vegas and when you sat down, the dealer asked for 25 cents before he dealt the cards. Then, if you want to see how your hand plays out, you have to fork over another 25 cents.

I don't understand why anyone would play with those two companies, unless they're betting hundreds of dollars, in which case any charges they incurred for betting and/or watching via video streaming is refunded.

Well, I don't know about you, but I don't quite have enough extra dough around the house to be betting hundreds of dollars, and I KNOW the average father of a family of four doesn't, either. Especially in these times.

Racing fans are in for a treat next year with two talented fillies, Zenyatta and Cocoa Beach (pictured in the paddock before the Breeders' Cup), returning for their 5-year-old campaigns.

Zenyatta, in a heated Horse of the Year battle with reigning champion Curlin, will remain on the West Coast and may make her 2009 debut sometime during the upcoming Santa Anita season. She may even race again in the Apple Blossom Handicap in April at Oaklawn Park, a race she won so convincingly last year on dirt that she dispelled any notion that she's a synthetic-track wonder.

Cocoa Beach, second to Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic, looked ultra-impressive while winning the $500,000 Grade I Matriarch by three-quarters of a length Sunday at Hollywood Park. Afterward, trainer Saeed bin Suroor said the daughter of Doneraile Court will be shipped to Kentucky and make her 2009 debut sometime in the spring, perhaps in May.

It's highly possible these two talented distaffers might not meet again until next year's Ladies' Classic. If that's the case, we just have to keep our fingers crossed that they stay healthy until the end of the year. They are both big, strong fillies, the likes of which don't come along too often.

My money is still on Zenyatta, but who do you like in a rematch?