January 2009 Archives

Even Bobby Frankel, who trained the 2007 Eclipse Award-winning filly Ginger Punch, couldn't believe she received two votes for the 2008 top older female after losing to eventual winner Zenyatta by a combined 15 1/2 lengths in their two meetings -- one on dirt and the other on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface.

"That don't make any sense," he said Saturday in the winner's circle after Ventura returned to the races following a 14-week layoff to win the $300,000 Santa Monica Handicap at Santa Anita. Ventura was racing for the first time since her Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint victory.

Frankel didn't have a problem with Indian Blessing winning the Eclipse as top female sprinter, even after Ventura ran her down in the Breeders' Cup.

"I was disappointed with myself because I didn't run Country Star against Indian Blessing in the La Brea," he said. "If she had beat her, maybe I would have had a chance. But going in and talking to the press, (Indian Blessing) had a whole year and a lot of good races."

On Curlin winning the Horse of the Year vote over the unbeaten Zenyatta, Frankel said: "That was OK. You could have gone either way."

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
4th -- $20 to win on The Legal Blonde at 5-1 or higher
5th -- $20 to win on Valkyrie Missile at 5-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Soda Pop Kid at 5-1 or higher
9th -- $20 to win on Brinson

FRIDAY -- Plus $42
OVERALL -- Minus $770
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,230

Good luck today!!

With Indian Blessing a no-go in Saturday's $300,000 Santa Monica Handicap for older fillies and mares, Ventura looks like she's got too much class for this field that will travel 7 furlongs on Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface.

The 5-year-old Chester House mare beat Eclipse Award-winning female sprinter Indian Blessing by four lengths last October in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and there are no Indian Blessings in this field. Not even close.

Ventura has won four of seven in the U.S. since debuting in this country with a two-length allowance victory at Santa Anita last March 6. She hasn't been off the board in this country and jockey Garrett Gomez, who's ridden Ventura in all of her U.S. races, thinks she could be undefeated here with a little more racing luck. Trainer Bobby Frankel says she doesn't have to run as well as she did on Breeders' Cup Day to beat this bunch.

A look back at her scintillating Breeders' Cup victory:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
1st -- $20 to win on Warren's Peanut at 20-1 or higher; $2 exacta boxes keying Warren's Peanut to Defying Logic and Capt. Pike
3rd -- $20 to win on Snow Fighter at 5-1 or higher
4th -- $40 to win on Wild Apart at 3-1 or higher
5th -- $20 to win on You Is What You Is at 5-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on Barber and Talk of a Cat at 20-1 or higher
8th -- $20 to win on Solo Performance; $5 exacta box coupling Solo Performance and Army Officer

THURSDAY -- Minus $80
OVERALL -- Minus $812
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,188

Good luck today!!

Santa Anita's Web site had the carryover as $155,407 minutes after the final race ended but it's been corrected to show the correct amount. Still, not a bad chunk of change to shoot for on Free Fridays.

Jesus Rios, 26-year-old jockey from Puerto Rico, scored his first career victory at Santa Anita on Thursday when he rode 24-1 long shot Seven Below to a victory in the sixth race. The horse returned $51.20. Rios is represented by Tony Matos, who has been the agent for many top Southland jockeys over the years, including the legendary Laffit Pincay, Jr.

The jockey race has turned into a three-way free-for-all between leader Rafael Bejarano (31 wins), who's shooting for his sixth consecutive SoCal riding title, and Joel Rosario (30) and Garrett Gomez (29). I think that's going to be a battle we're all going to want to watch the rest of the way. My money is still on Bejarano.

There's a $155,407 pick six carryover Friday -- the fifth Free Friday's program of the 84-day meet. So far they've been well-received.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
1st -- $20 to win on Righteously at 5-1 or higher
4th -- $20 to win on Love Our Grandkids and White Angel at 10-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Stray Cat at 5-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on Poker Dave at 5-1 or higher
8th -- $20 to win on Grey Babe at 20-1 or higher

WEDNESDAY -- Minus $120
OVERALL -- Minus $732
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,268

Good luck today!!

I spoke with an industry official this week who has serious questions whether Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface will hold up during the course of an 84-day meet.

"Everyone loves the Pro-Ride for 12 weeks," said the official, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized by the track to speak on the subject. "They're good tracks for 12 weeks.

"The thing is, you gallop 1,000 horses on it every day, after a few weeks it's going to get firm. You get half a ton horse going over it, it's going to get firm. Surprise, surprise. But (Ian Pearse) doesn't like them to work it, so the next question is why doesn't he like them to work it? Because everytime you work it, it just falls apart.

"This track will fall apart before April. I don't think it will last to the Breeders' Cup because the stuff they put in doesn't tolerate sun. After 500 hours of sun, it changes. After 1,000 hours of sun, it's just not there. It all evaporates."

Interesting stuff from a guy who does know what he's talking about. If he's right, Santa Anita could be in a jam come the next two or three months.

Quite a few bets today at Santa Anita, and some have great long-shot capabilities. We'll see if we can keep our recent winning ways going after a terrible start.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
1st -- $20 to win on Crazy Wager at 5-1 or higher
2nd -- $20 to win on Opal Haze and Super Nana at 5-1 or higher
3rd -- $20 to win on Only Be Cause at 3-1 or higher
4th -- $20 to win on A Sassy Fusaichi
5th -- $20 to win Ice Veins at 5-1 or higher; $20 to win on Abstract Fact at 20-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Bright Abyss and Glow Girl Go

SUNDAY -- Plus $86
OVERALL -- Minus $612
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,388

Good luck today!!

I thought overall the voters -- comprised of members of the Daily Racing Form, National Turf Writers Association and National Thoroughbred Racing Association -- did a fine job selecting the various winners, though I disagreed with a couple of the choices:

(1) As mentioned before, I'd have gone with Zenyatta as Horse of the Year over Curlin, who lost twice in 2008, because the filly was unbeaten and dominated her division more than any other racehorse during the year. I think the majority of voters gave Curlin the nod because he was undefeated on dirt. That's not right.
(2) I thought Midnight Lute's victory -- while his only win of the year -- in the Breeders' Cup Sprint trumped anything Benny the Bull accomplished in 2008. Midnight Lute's win was so powerful and made him the first back to back winner of the Sprint. If there was a category for best one-race training job, Bob Baffert would have won it hands down.
(3) IEAH Stables should have been named Owner of the Year rather than Stronach Stables. IEAH won a nation-high 11 Grade I races and had two Eclipse winners -- Big Brown and Benny the Bull. Stronach Stables had no Eclipse winners. Bad choice.

I saved the best for last. Zenyatta's choice as Top Older Female was expected to be unanimous, but two voters -- TWO!! -- cast their ballots for Ginger Punch, the defending champion who met Zenyatta on the track twice in 2008 and was soundly beaten by the John Shirreffs-trained daughter of Street Cry both times. Just incredibel. You sometimes wonder what goes through the minds of some people.

Overall, a good show, although some of the speeches ran a little long and that meant the ceremony went about 30 minutes long. It's back in Beverly Hills in 2010.

Am I alone on an island on this? Am I the only observer who believes Zenyatta deserves Horse of the Year over Curlin? The announcement will be made tomorrow night at about 6:30 p.m. during the Eclipse Awards ceremony in Miami. TVG will televise, beginning at 4 p.m.

Last I saw, it doesn't say anything in the Eclipse bylaws that distaffers have to beat males in order to be named Horse of the Year. Azeri didn't do it in 2002, and she was named top horse of the year. In my mind, the award should go to the horse that dominates his or her division the most. When you look at the mediocre fields Curlin beat up on, sans the Dubai World Cup, and then look at how Zenyatta had to beat the likes of Ginger Punch and Cocoa Beach on Breeders' Cup day to remain undefeated, that says it all to me.

And don't give me this lame stuff about Curlin getting beat in the Breeders' Cup because he didn't like the synthetic track. Great horses win on all surfaces. End of story.

Joel Rosario and Garrett Gomez have each won once today at Santa Anita through the first three races, and it's now a three-way tie atop the leaderboard between Rosario, Gomez and reigning champion Rafael Bejarano with 26 victories apiece.

It was at this meeting a year ago that Bejarano began his streak of five consecutive SoCal riding titles and if he's to make it six, he's going to have to beat a white-hot Rosario and the ultra-consistent, big-race rider Gomez to do it.

Rosario has a big shot to take over the lead in the fourth race. He's aboard a live long shot in the Doug O'Neill-trained One Chin Again, who is 7-1 as the horses leave the paddock and head out onto the track.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
1st -- $1 early pick four (Air Fair and Panorama Ridge in the first; Squeeze Now and Mr. Elroy in the second; Machismo, Johnny Eves, Six Pack Abs and Devoted Magic in the third; and One Chin Again in the fourth) that costs $16
4th -- $20 to win on One Chin Again at 5-1 or higher
5th -- $20 to win on the Emerald King at 5-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Cause
9th -- $20 to win on Silent Trick and Vague Notion at 5-1 or higher

SATURDAY -- No bets
OVERALL -- Minus $698
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,302

Good luck today!!

Curlin appears to be the favorite to be named Horse of the Year on Monday night in Miami, but each time I watch the replay of last April's Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park, when Zenyatta just inhaled a field that included defending Distaff Eclipse winner Ginger Punch, I am more convinced that no horse dominated its division like Zenyatta did the distaffers in 2008. She's undefeated, folks, and Curlin lost twice, once on Breeders' Cup day when Zenyatta ran her year's record to 7-0 and lifetime mark to 9-0.

What's scary is that she's won 8 of her 9 races on synthetics. The Apple Blossom was on dirt, and it was arguably her most impressive effort to date. She's not just a synthetic freak, and consider this -- she might even be better on dirt. She should be Horse of the Year.

Joel Rosario has won three of the first five races at Santa Anita today, pulling into a second-place tie with Garrett Gomez in the rider standings with 24 victories -- one behind Rafael Bejarano, who has won all five major SoCal meets since moving west in late 2007.

Rosario, who changed agents after a slow start at the Hollywood Park autumn meet, is the real deal. He enjoyed a banner 2008 and is off to a great start during the 2008-09 Santa Anita winter-spring meet. Vic Staufer, Hollywood Park's announcer, is now booking mounts for Rosario.

If Bejarano is going to keep his streak alive, he's going to have to earn it. Both Gomez, the favorite to win a second consecutive Eclipse Award as the nation's top jockey in Miami on Monday night, and Rosario figure to be on his heels all the way.

The results are in for the day's first Sunshine Millions race, the $250,000 Dash at Gulfstream Park, and the results were not surprising. Florida-breds swept the first three spots -- 1. This Ones for Phil, 2. You Luckie Mann, and 3. Kelly Leak. There were only two Cal-breds in the 11-horse field, and Florida-breds hold a sizable edge overall in the eight races. There were 59 Florida-breds scheduled to run today as opposed to only 34 of their California counterparts.

Cal-breds have never won the points race in the six previous runnings of the Sunshine Millions, which awards five for a first, three for second and one for third. Only once, in 2006, have Cal-breds won more races. They held a 5-3 edge that year. I don't think the Florida-breds' dominance is going to end anytime soon.

Equidaily.com surveyed 10 Eclipse Award voters this week and nine of the 10 said they cast their Horse of the Year vote for reigning champion Curlin. The Eclipse Awards ceremony is Monday night in Miami. TVG will televise the event, beginning at 4 p.m. The Horse of the Year announcement is expected around 6:30.

My pick is Zenyatta. I think the fact she went 7-0 and won on Breeders' Cup day against a high-class field trumps anything Curlin accomplished in 2008. Granted, he won the Dubai World Cup, but his other wins came against suspect competition. Zenyatta thoroughly defeated reigning Distaff champion Ginger Punch twice last year and also had to dispose of the talented Cocoa Beach in the Ladies' Classic on Breeders' Cup day. She wasn't just a synthetic track specialist, either. Arguably her most powerful victory came on the dirt at Oaklawn Park in April when she toyed with

Does the East Coast bias still exist? I think so. It's alive and well and about to help Curlin, a horse that lost twice in 2008, win Horse of the Year over a mare that is undefeated and dominated her division like no other horse.

For what will be one of the few times this meeting, there are no bettable horses today in our handicapping system. This is a day you just enjoy and wait for tomorrow.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24

FRIDAY -- Minus $20
OVERALL -- Minus $698
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,302

Good luck today!!

Not a whole lot running today fits our system. Nice to finally hit one of our big ones yesterday when Talktoomuch came rolling home and returned $69. I keep preaching patience, but it's really very true. It's the undisciplined bettor who panics and bets money he or she shouldn't that ends up losing in this sport. Pick your spots and be patient. I can't emphasize that enough.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23
6th -- $20 to win on Gary's Got Rhythm at 5-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on When We Met at 5-1 or higher
8th -- $20 to win on Sky Marni at 5-1 or higher

THURSDAY -- Plus $610
OVERALL -- Minus $678
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,322

Good luck today!!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22
2nd -- $20 to win on Dapper Gene at 3-1 or higher
4th -- $20 to win on Mrs. Rocha
5th -- $20 to win on Talktoomuch at 20-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Schill
8th -- $20 to win on Flash Dance

MONDAY -- Minus $60
OVERALL -- Minus $1,288
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $712

Good luck today!!

The eight-race Sunshine Millions, with four of the races at Santa Anita and four at Gulfstream Park in Florida, will be held Saturday. The event is the branchild of Frank Stronach, founder and chairman of Magna Entertainment Corp., Santa Anita's parent company, and has turned into one of the track's four major days, including opening day, Big 'Cap day and Santa Anita Derby day. This will be the seventh Sunshine Millions, which pits Cal-breds against their Florida counterparts, for purses totaling $3.6 million.

It's doubtful Santa Anita will match or surpass its Sunshine Millions record on-track crowd of 36,355 set in 2007, what with the ailing economy and the possibility of less than ideal weather. There is an 80 percent chance of rain Thursday, according to weather.com, and a 30 percent chance both Friday and Saturday.

In 2006, there was an on-track turnout of 32,116 at Santa Anita for the Millions, and 28,414 showed up last year. The inaugural event drew 17,537 in 2003 and its popularity has grown since.

It will be interesting to see what type of crowd shows up Saturday, considering Santa Anita's all-sources handle is down and management is mulling purse cuts for the second time this meet.

Artiste Royal put on an amazing show in the eighth race today at Santa Anita, taking the Grade II San Marcos Handicap with an amazing turn of foot under jockey Garrett Gomez. The 8-year-old son of Danehill was not even in the picture at the eighth pole, but he came charging home like shot out of a cannon.

As impressive as Artiste Royal's closing kick was, it doesn't compare to this one turned in by Donnaguska at Hawthorne Race Course last year. Take a look at this race and tell me how many times you would have torn up your ticket before the horse puts on a display that would have made Silky Sullivan proud.

MONDAY, JANUARY 19
1st -- $20 to win on Wharf Cat at 3-1 or higher
3rd -- $20 to win on Just Go Gusto at 10-1 or higher
4th -- $20 to win on Whizer at 20-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Men Only at 20-1 or higher
9th -- $20 to win on Suspect at 20-1 or higher

SUNDAY -- Minus $100
OVERALL -- Minus $1,228
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $772

Good luck today!!

Despite my slump during the first 19 days of this Santa Anita meet, I've got a huge urge to play the pick six today, what with there being a $141,431 carryover. I mean, like the rest of you, I can sure use some extra cash these days. What the heck, I'm going to go for it.

4th -- Whizer and Six Pack Man
5th -- Hype
6th -- Men Only and Held Up
7th -- Flashmans Papers
8th -- Artiste Royal and Spring House
9th -- Suspect, Rise Above and Hurley's Way

That's a $48 ticket. What the heck, I can blow that much just as quickly buying food for a Super Bowl party in two weeks.

A couple of notable items ...

Steve Asmusssen, a virtual cinch to be named Eclipse Award winner as top trainer for 2008 when the awards are handed out Monday night, Jan. 26, won six of the 10 races at the Fair Grounds on Saturday. The rich get richer, and Asmussen is the "now" trainer. He won a North American record 622 races in 2008 and also led all trainers in money earned.

Another horse had to be vanned off at Santa Anita on Saturday. This time it was the John Shirreffs-trained Madeo, who was running in the Grade II San Fernando Stakes and appeared to have injured his right foreleg, according to track stewards. No immediate word on the colt's condition.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18
1st -- $20 to win on Lightning Hit at 20-1 or higher
2nd -- $20 to win on Jack Flash at 20-1 or higher
5th -- $20 to win on Matuco at 3-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Blushing Bear Cat at 5-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on Candy Pull at 20-1 or higher
9th -- $20 to win on Warren's Walk and Informa

SATURDAY -- Plus $68
OVERALL -- Minus $1,128
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $872

Good luck!!

Taking advantage of a Pro-Ride surface that was favoring speed Saturday, the Julio Canani-trained The Pamplemousse went gate-to-wire to upset 3-5 favorite Square Eddie in the San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita -- the Southland's first major 3-year-old stakes of the year leading to the Kentucky Derby.

Ridden by Alex Solis, the son of Kafwain was in front by three lengths after a swift :45.97 half-mile and was never seriously threatened the rest of the way. Square Eddie, runner-up to Midshipman in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last October, made a move on the turn for home but never got closer than a length of the winner, who went postward at 5-2 and returned $7.20. He ran the one-mile distance in a nice 1:35.31.

So what do you think? Is The Pamplemousse a legit Kentucky Derby contender? Think he can carry his speed a mile and quarter? Who do you like right now to win the Derby? Is Pioneerof the Nile, whose recent workouts have some clockers raving about the Bob Baffert colt, the real deal? Give us your thoughts.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17
1st -- $20 to win on L.A. Boy, Fortunate Victory and Monomonac Playboy at 20-1 or higher; a $1 early pick four with L.A. Boy, Fortunate Victory and Monomonac Player in the first, Guns On the Table and Peace Chant in the second, Infernal, Thorondor and Meteore in the third and Colonel Courtney and Spot the Diplomat in the fourth ($36)
3rd -- $20 to win on Thorondor at 20-1 or higher
4th -- $20 to win on Colonel Courtney
5th -- $20 to win on Burg Berg at 5-1 or higher
9th -- $20 to win on Cayambe

FRIDAY -- Minus $60
OVERALL -- Minus $1,196
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $804

Good luck!!

Santa Anita officials had to be smiling when 6,026 turned out on track Friday, most likely lured in part by the big pick-six carryover. It was the third Free Fridays promotion of the meeting and all three have drawn bigger crowds than a normal Wednesday and Thursday.

But imagine for a second how many more fans might have shown up if there had been bigger fields.

The first race -- six horses
Second race -- five horses
Third race -- seven horses
Sixth race -- six horses
Seventh race -- six horses

The beat goes on with these short fields. I don't know about you, but there's nothing I dislike worse than trying to find value in a six-horse field. I'm waiting for these synthetic tracks to produce those full fields we were promised a while back.

Santa Anita, which already cut overnight purses about 10 percent before the start of its 84-day winter-spring meet, is considering a second cut, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not have authorization to speak on the subject, said track officials are in the process of deciding if they will cut purses or use part of the surplus in the purse fund to help combat what so far is about a 14-percent decline in all-sources handle through the first 14 days of the meet.

Del Mar cut purses once during its summer meet and Hollywood Park was forced to cut overnight purses three times during its autumn meet that concluded on Dec. 21.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16
4th -- $20 to win on Bear Mountain
5th -- $20 to win on Matinee and Likely a Star at 20-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Degreko
8th -- $20 to win on Stormy Runaway

WEDNESDAY -- Minus $100
OVERALL -- Minus $1,136
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $864

Good luck today!!

Who in heck wants to go to the races, pay to park, pay to get in, pay to buy a Racing Form and then be confronted with a mess of five-horse fields? Unbelievable.

Somehow, some way, racing officials have to come up with a solution to these short fields that I firmly believe are contributing to smaller on-track crowds. It's no wonder that all-sources handle is down double digits at this current Santa Anita meet when you look at Thursday's card.

First race -- five horses
Second race -- five horses
Third race -- five horses
Fifth race -- five horses

Now short fields might be understandable if we'd had bad weather or whatever and races were taken off the turf and run over the main track, but we're dealing with beautiful 80-degree temperatures, not to mention the fact that these synthetics are supposed to be all-weather and not affected by rain.

We've lost more than half our bankroll and we've had one winning day in the first 15 days of the meet. ONE!!! So, we back off our exactas and concentrate on win bets only. There are a few long shots that could click today and break us out of our horrendous slump.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15
2nd -- $20 to win on Super Nana
3rd -- $20 to win on Arrogant Carson
4th -- $20 to win on Hot n' Dusty and Lovehi at 20-1 or higher
7th -- $40 to win on Zilla
8th -- $20 to win on Fusaichi Dancer and Rockin the City at 20-1 or higher

WEDNESDAY -- Minus $110
OVERALL -- Minus $1,036
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $964

Good luck today!!

Sometimes the racing gods are just not with you, and the way this meet has started just makes me feel even stronger that better days lie ahead. We ran second with three horses Sunday -- Coronas At Delmar (5-1) in the first, Jan's Ruling Angel (12-1) in the third and Shawnie Ora (5-1) in the nightcap. Frustrating day, although my Steelers came through for me. I felt like the lone person on an island in the Harrah's Sports Book in Laughlin on Sunday, surrounded by Chargers fans. It was one of the only times I was successful during my trip, and I didn't have a penny on them.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
1st -- $20 to win on Khurt Harry
2nd -- $20 to win on Form a Posse and Overtime Victory at 5-1 or higher
3rd -- $20 to win on Ever So Pretty and Your Pleasure
6th -- $40 to win on Secret Potion at 5-2 or higher
8th -- $20 to win on Wolfgang; $5 exacta box with Mickey Rocks and Wolfgang

SUNDAY -- Minus $170
OVERALL -- Minus $926
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,074

Good luck today!!

Two more horses that broke down on Santa Anita's artificial Pro-Ride surface -- Indyanne and the maiden Dublin Creek -- had to be euthanized this week, bringing the meet total to five in the first 14 days of the meet.

Indyanne broke down at about the eighth pole during the 7-furlong La Brea Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Dec. 27, fracturing a sesamoid bone in her left front ankle. At first, the filly's connections were optimistic that they would be able to save her for a career as a broodmare, but complications arose and she had to be euthanized on Tuesday.

Dublin Creek, who raced once during the summer at Del Mar, was injured during a morning workout and was euthanized Sunday. Trainer Henry Moreno said the 3-year-old was diagnosed with an injured left front sesamoid.

In addition, the brilliant 3-year-old Point Encounter, who looked so impressive on opening day when he won at first asking, has been taken off the Kentucky Derby trail according to trainer Carla Gaines because he suffered some sort of soft tissue injury. Gaines did not know if the Point Given colt was injured during his race or in the mornings.

Definitely not a good start to the meet for Santa Anita officials, who are trying to show the racing world that their synthetic surface is one of the best around. So far, they'd have a tough time convincing folks that the track is safer than a high quality dirt surface.

Day 14 of the 84-day Santa Anita meet and the slump continues. Well, if you believe in a system strongly enough you don't deviate from it, so we press onward. I strongly like a couple of horses on today's card -- Trimaran and Elusive Pleasure, but they're 9-5 and 8-5, respectively on the morning line and I can't bet them straight at that price. But I think they're good singles in pick threes, pick fours and pick sixes. To me, Funny Me is the bet bet on the card. I believe he'll come closing strongly in the stretch and pick up the top prize. I'm taking a gamble putting an extra $20 on Job Boss in the fourth, but I think he'll run huge today.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11
1st -- $20 to win on Coronas At Delmar
2nd -- $40 to win on Trimaran at 2-1 or higher
3rd -- $20 to win on Jan's Ruling Angel
4th -- $40 to win on Job Boss
5th -- $40 to win on Elusive Pleasure at 2-1 or higher
7th -- $40 to win on Funny Me; $5 exacta boxes keying Funny Me with Soda Pop Kid, El Martillo and Chevin
9th -- $20 to win on Shawnie Ora

SATURDAY -- Minus $150
OVERALL -- Minus $756
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,244

Good luck today!!

I'm in Laughlin this weekend. No, I haven't skipped town because I have a gambling debt larger than Paul Bunyan. Granted, I'm off to a slow start this meet. Some of you by now might be using my picks as a way to eliminate horses in a race. Well, good for you. At least I can say I performed my civic duty and made it easier for fans to bet the races. But seriously, things have got to turn around soon.

I'm going to play a small pick six today, what with the $1.2 million carryover at Santa Anita, in addition to my normal plays. Here's the $24 ticket I'm going to put in:
4th -- Monarcho Polo and Storms of Life
5th -- Road to the Throne and Hold This
6th -- Amybelle
7th -- Defense King, Mark S the Cooler and Oscar Bound
8th -- Well Armed
9th -- Mamoonya

If nothing else, you can now eliminate all the above horses and your ticket has a better shot.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10
2nd -- $20 to win on Lake Meza
5th -- $20 to win on Road to the Throne and Hold This at 20-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on Anastasios and Defense King at 20-1 or higher. $5 exacta boxes keying Anastasios with Defense King, Herr Mozart, Mark S the Cooler and Oscar Bound; $5 exacta boxes keying Defense King with Herr Mozart, Mark S the Cooler and Oscar Bound
9th -- $20 to win on Mamoonya

FRIDAY -- Minus $80
OVERALL -- Minus $606
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,394

Good luck today!!

Horse racing, and especially horse-racing writers, lost a great friend when Joe Hirsch died Friday at age 80.

Hirsch was the sort of industry giant whom young writers could be nervous about approaching. But he was the sort of man who solved that problem by going out of his way to approach young writers first.

I was one of countless newcomers to the racing beat who received a sincere welcome from Hirsch -- and a copy of a vital equine guidebook, which Joe handed to me the first time we met. Joe cared enough about the sport and the turfwriting craft to want us all to do it right.

Hirsch, who retired a few years ago, had been the Daily Racing Form's heavyweight columnist for decades and had been the first president of the National Turf Writers Association. His final act of inspiration was simply showing up for major racing events for two decades despite a battle with Parkinson's that would have stopped a person with any less devotion to his profession.

Ian Pearse, founder of Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface, has taken a lot of heat from all corners this week during the flap over the track's artificial surface. But give the man credit, he's stepped forward and never backed down from questions.

Wednesday's meeting was not a CTT-sanctioned event and Pearse could have run and hidden from what amounted to a pretty angry crew of trainers. He didn't have to show up at that meeting, but he did and he deserves kudos for that. A lot of the trainers might not have liked what he had to say, but he was at least there to say it.

Let's hope the big carryover at Santa Anita today spurs us on to bigger and better things. I mean, I know that death, taxes and losing days at the track are the only three sure things in life, but this is getting ridiculous. We'll snap out of it.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9
3rd -- $20 to win on Ms. Lively
4th -- $20 to win on She's Our Ten at 5-2 or higher
5th -- $20 to win on Too Much Heat at 5-2 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Magic Mike and Lord in Command at 20-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on Radius
8th -- $20 to win on Snooty Gal

THURSDAY -- Minus $20
OVERALL -- Minus $526
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,474

Good luck today!!

OK, what's wrong with this scenario -- Santa Anita gets a new racing surface that has only been used for training tracks, there is no manual on what to do if something goes wrong and the weather is about to change?

Well, if I were the folks at Santa Anita or I had a stake in Pro-Ride, I would have insisted that Ian Pearse, the founder of the company, was here for the first two weeks of the meet to ensure nothing went wrong. They had to feel there was a good chance something might happen, or could happen, with temperatures dropping from the 90s the last time they raced here to the 50s, 40s and even 30s when the winter meet began.

These synthetic tracks are all still in their infancy. We're learning about them as we go along, and we're now discovering that worst-case scenarios must be anticipated to stay ahead of the curve. I mean, am I the only one here who thinks some of this mess could have been avoided with better foresight?

A few more bets today than Wednesday, but it's another card that doesn't offer much value within our system. We've lost about a quarter of our bankroll, but 10 days does not constitute an entire meeting. We've still got 74 days to get this ball rolling, and if results over the past 25 years mean anything, we will turn this around. Remember, patience is the key for any good horseplayer.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8
3rd -- $20 to win on Tuscan Princess at 3-1 or higher
6th -- $20 to win on Dances With Tigers at 3-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on Your Pleasure

WEDNESDAY -- Minus $20
OVERALL -- Minus $506
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,494

Good luck today!!

Only two horses fit our system today, and I'm almost certain we won't get the 20-1 or higher we need to bet Missoula in the sixth. If that's the case, the only play is the seventh race. One Chin Again's lone victory came at today's 6 1/2-furlong distance and jockey Corey Nakatani is beginning to find the winner's circle again after a slow start to his comeback from injury.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7
6th -- $20 to win on Missoula at 20-1 or higher
7th -- $20 to win on One Chin Again

SUNDAY -- Minus $70
OVERALL -- Minus $486
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,514

Good luck today!!

Jockey Jon Court will move his business to Oaklawn Park beginning Jan. 16, the Daily Racing Form reports. Court will return to Santa Anita for the Sunshine Millions -- a series of eight stakes races for Florida-breds and their California counterparts -- on Jan. 24 and then return to Arkansas and ride out the Oaklawn Park meeting. Court, 48, has family in the midwest and won many training titles there before migrating west in 2004.

"We do miss the Midwest," Court told the Racing Form. "We got out here, got comfortable, came with a five-year goal, and achieved that. This is something we've been discussing over a period of time."

Court will be missed. Not only is he a true professional, but he was one of the most underrated riders around.

Ian Pearse, founder of Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface that has come under fire so far this meeting for the number of breakdowns, was scheduled to arrive in town Monday to check out the problem.

Last week, workers power harrowed the track and conducted tests to try to determine the cause of four breakdowns in the first four days of the meet. Two of the horses had to be euthanized. Then on Wednesday, Boozin' Bear broke down in a maiden special weight and had to be euthanized.

There have been no breakdowns during the past four racing days, but the heat is still on and there were rumors floating around earlier this week that some trainers were considering a boycott of Santa Anita until the problem was resolved.

Stay tuned.

No, horse racing is not recession proof. Just looking at the December wagering numbers tells us that. All-sources wagering on U.S. races nose-dived 20.3 percent in December 2008 compared to December 2007. Overall for the year, wagering was down 7.16 percent. Purses dropped 13.43 percent in December but only 1.33 for the year. Number of race days in the U.S. dropped 9.59 percent for the month compared to the same time last year, but overall the number of racing days dipped only 1.18 percent.

I feel the large number of racing days is hurting the sport as a whole. There is an over saturation of horse racing, particularly in Southern California when the four-day break this past December between the end of the Hollywood Park autumn meet and the beginning of the Santa Anita meet constituted a major layoff. The horses need a break, we all need a break. Longtime racing fans might remember the anticipation in the air when we had a six-week break between Oak Tree and the start of Santa Anita. Fans were refreshed and eager to go again, and you know if the fans were refreshed, the jockeys and trainers had to be as well.

It all comes down to the all-mighty dollar. In this day, more is considered good because it often times leads to greater income. Money, money and more money. It's the root of all evil in this world today. Not surprisingly, horse racing is not immune to the problem.

Santa Anita reports a 4 percent increase in on-track attendance through the first nine days of its 2008-09 meet, according to The Racing Form. Overall handle, including satellite and account wagering, is down 8 or 9 percent, says track president Ron Charles. Out-of-state wagering is down 12 to 13 percent. Perhaps most disturbing, account wagering -- the one growing segment of the industry -- showed a 7 percent decline.

The numbers just mirror what's going on in the rest of the country. People don't have extra money to spend because ot the economic climate, particularly on a hobby such as horse racing. Food and gas money takes precedence over daily doubles and the late pick four.

But it has to be encouraging to Santa Anita officials that attendance is up. The first Free Fridays promotion of the meet last Friday drew an on-track crowd of 9,269 -- more a weekend figure than a weekday total. But many people might have had the day off because of a long holiday weekend. A truer picture should come this Friday.

The first big prep for the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap will be run Saturday when possibly seven horses go postward in the $150,000 San Pasqual Handicap. The Big 'Cap will be run Saturday, March 7.

Well Armed, one of the top older horses in training, is scheduled to headline a field that may include Magnum, Mostacolli Mort, Past the Point, Racketeer, Slew's Tizzy and Ferneley. The second big prep for the Big 'Cap is the $200,000 San Antonio Handicap, which will be run Feb. 8.

Tiago may wait to make his 2009 debut in that race, or he could go in a lesser stake or an allowance race. Another intriguing possibility for the Big 'Cap is Horse of the Year contender Zenyatta, who will soon head back into training.

Trainer John Shirreffs has hinted at the possibility of Zenyatta facing the boys at some point this year, but it's not a certainty. However, imagine the buzz on Big 'Cap day if Zenyatta, who's developed into one of the most popular horses in these parts in quite some time, was in the lineup. It could lure perhaps the biggest turnout for the Big 'Cap in a long time.

But it makes more sense for Zenyatta to return in the $300,000 Grade I Santa Margarita Invitational on March 14, or perhaps make a return appearance in a race she won last year -- the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park in early April. It would make sense that a date with the boys would come later in the year when she's at full throttle, like maybe the Breeders' Cup Classic in her own backyard on Nov. 7.

Whatever, speculation figures to be rampant all season about when and if the sensational, unbeaten mare will square off against the boys. Such talk is good for a sport that needs all the positive publicity it can get.

The only winner we had Saturday -- Mr. Gruff in the fourth -- we didn't play because we didn't get the 5-2 we needed. He won off by himself and returned $6.80. But to me, you have to be disciplined. Set a bankroll, the units (dollars) you can afford to bet on a horse, and set the price in your head you're willing to accept. If you don't get it, don't play the race. Remember, patience is a virtue, and a trait that a vast majority of horse players don't have.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4
2nd -- $20 to win on Bella Dancer at 20-1 or higher; $5 exacta box with A Sassy Fusaichi and Bella Dancer
3rd -- $20 to win on Mr. Elroy at 5-2 or higher
4th -- $20 to win on Belafonte
8th -- $20 to win on On the Virg at 20-1 or higher
9th -- $20 to win on Big Day Today

SATURDAY -- Minus $50
OVERALL -- Minus $416
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,584

Good luck today!!

Tyler Baze, sidelined since Dec. 6 because of three cracked ribs and a hairline fracture of his right shoulder suffered in a one-horse spill at Hollywood Park, is set to return to the races Wednesday at Santa Anita.

Baze and his agent, Ron Ebanks, originally had targeted opening day of Santa Anita for the 26-year-old jockey's return and then set the return date back to Jan. 1, but Ebanks said Baze's shoulder was still a little sore and they wanted to be safe and make sure he was 100 percent before returning.

Baze has only one mount Wednesday, riding Its in God's Hands for trainer Peter Miller in the featured seventh race, a 6 1/2-furlong allowance event over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface.

An on-track crowd of 9,269 showed up at Santa Anita for the first Free Fridays promotion of the 84-day meet. This season, all fans are granted free general admission on Fridays. Free reserved seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. One dollar hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks are also available.

So what does Friday's turnout mean? Well, the first weekend of the meeting drew crowds of 10,720 and 9,283 last Saturday and Sunday, respectively. On Monday, only 4,352 showed up, and there was a New Year's Eve crowd of 5,001 on Wednesday. Friday's turnout was like a weekend crowd, and that's a positive for Santa Anita management.

A very early sampling shows that this Free Fridays program could be a very good thing. If it proves successful the whole meet, track president Ron Charles has said management will consider expanding the promotion in 2009-10. That would be a very positive development, considering Southern California racing offcials need to be very creative in ways to lure new and exisiting fans to the races.

We're sinking faster than my 401k last year, but not to worry. We couldn't even get an 8-5 shot (Cat Brulay) home first in the sixth. I've started slowly like this in the past before catching fire with long-shot picks. The nice thing about a long-shot system is this -- you can fall $500 or $600 behind, then tab one 40-1 shot and suddenly be $200 in the black. Patience is the key here. If you have a system you believe in, more times than not it will eventually deliver.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3
4th -- $20 to win on Mr Gruff at 5-2 or higher
5th -- $20 to win on Utahn at 20-1 or higher; $5 exacta boxes, keying Utahn to Mr. Inn Zone and Utahn to Black Hills
9th -- $20 to win on Warrensgoodwarrior at 20-1 or higher; $5 exacta box with Warrensgoodwarrior and Lil Legal Linda

FRIDAY -- Minus $170
OVERALL -- Minus $366
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,634

Good luck today!!

Five breakdowns during the first six days of the meet over Santa Anita's synthetic Pro-Ride surface, and three of the five had to be euthanized. According to Jay Privman of the Racing Form, there have been no catastrophic breakdowns in the mornings, but one horse injured during workouts is scheduled to undergo surgery.

The track was power harrowed during a dark day on Tuesday, and tests were run on the Pro-Ride surface to try to determine the cause of the breakdowns. After last year's fiasco when a record number of racing dates had to be canceled when the old Cushion Track would not drain, this is the last thing Santa Anita president Ron Charles needs in 2009 -- an unsafe racing surface.

Hopefully, they'll get this straightened out. But once again it points out two problems with rushing to install artificial tracks --- (1) horses unfortunately are going to break down over any type of track when they land wrong, and (2) there should have been more study done on these surfaces before they were mandated by the California Horse Racing Board.

Some days taking a shot just doesn't work out. But other days, when your long shots click, you feel like you're king of the world. We're off to a slow start this Santa Anita meet, but one thing I've learned -- don't ever deviate from a system that you know works and has been good to you. We press on.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2
1st -- $20 to win on Rebel Creek
4th -- $20 to win on Time to Get Even at 20-1 or higher; $20 to win on Cayambe; $5 exacta box with Secret Shuttle, Cayambe and Time to Get Even
5th -- $20 to win on No Tip for You, Powerofvoodoo and Honnete at 20-1 or higher; $5 exacta box with No Tip for You, Powerofvoodoo and Honnete
8th -- $20 to win on Premier Issue; $5 exacta box with Premier Issue and Motorboat

Note -- Cat Brulay (sixth race) looks like a single to me in the pick six and late pick four. He's 8-5 on the morning line, too short a price for me to bet, but I think he looks extremely tough to beat in this spot.

THURSDAY -- Minus $140
OVERALL -- Minus $196
BANKROLL (started with $2,000) -- $1,804

Good luck today!!