Frank,
Seems wrong for me to debate this with you again on the board after we did it last night via text message, but it is a mildly interesting sequence at least, so why not.
By the way, out of friendship, I am going to pass on the soft ball toss of u playing a \"cave man\" ticket and how apropos that is.....
Race 2 - Gonna use 5-7-8. You correctly pointed out that the likely favorite, the 6, ran well first time dirt and got dropped into a claimer, a really negative trainer intent sign for sure (BBB???). then ran poorly to boot, albeit at a longer distance.
Race 3 - To me, this race became awful with the scratch of the 9, who I thought was easily the most likely horse to run well. I think the 5, the favorite, while slow on TG, is better than the TG figures have him looking. Of course the 3 figures. But with an inability to trust two \"out of town\" horses, it feels to me I need to throw a couple bombs in as \"B\" or \"C\" horses. Swivel has OK figures, but I don\'t think the cutback helps. I may use Manhattan Johnnie, with back figures last year and early speed, as well as Indian Nobility, with OK figues, as backups, just because I don\'t trust the two out of town horses.
Race 4 - I am boring here. I gave strong consideration to the 2 to speed pop the field, but watching the replays of the 6 has me chalking out. Gonna use everybody\'s pick-5 single, the 6 horse. (but if you are right Frank, the payouts could be quite good)
Race 5 - A spread race for sure. The 4 and 7 are firsters with some turf pedigree/family. I have to use them. 2 and 9 have a race under their belt and should run better second time out. I may use one more, but not sure who. I don\'t love firsters breaking from the rail and I am surprised at Linda starting a 450k purchase, bred for dirt, on the turf first out. She did this last year with a horse that was even more expensive, can\'t remember his name. Ran poor on the turf, got conditioning then whistled in a tough dirt race, wire to wire next time out (and moved up the conditions - A Pioneer of the Nile colt. Maybe Champion of the Nile or something like that. Pletcher gives me a headache on all accounts in all races, but this one looks more dirt, albeit with decent works. Hoping to read something on this string later that points me to a 5th horse, at a price.
Race 6 - 4 is super obvious. Ambivalent on the 1. Frank D makes a good point about being well meant first time out. Then again, \"well meant\" in a May race at Gulfstream? What does that actually mean? May/June at Gulf is awful racing. I do respect Nicks though. He will be a game time decision for me on inclusion. I hear you that the 2 is slow on TG. I don\'t care. I will use. Classic speed fade first time out, making the number worse than the actual race track performance. Then stretches out and gets a \"passenger only\" ride from Ortiz, doesn\'t leave the gate, doesn\'t get position, goes 5 wide on the turn. Moves to Castellano, a more aggressive gate jockey and cuts back to 7 furlongs. Expect him to run much better today, albeit at an underlaid price, as you pay the \"chad brown turf success\" premium on a Chad Brown dirt horse. Somebody has to hold a gun to my head to make me bet Albertrani, who somehow manages to keep getting good stock from the Middle East connections and does very little with it. As Board absentee Miff used to say, \"he has no signature, you never know when his horses will run\".
Good luck
Jim
