Author Topic: Back  (Read 765 times)

TGJB

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« on: April 18, 2005, 12:44:45 PM »
It\'s going to take a couple of days to get my feet back under me, so those of you who directed questions at me should try again later in the week. SC, save that question about Derby tops for next week-- that\'s a good subject to discuss as we get closer to the race.

Some thoughts--

I hadn\'t been to Keenland since they got a track announcer (over 20 years), and it was fun, despite getting my head handed to me at the windows. I have more trouble with that place than any other major league track, and when people ask me why, my answer is if I knew that I wouldn\'t be losing. Looks to me like a big angle place-- an awful lot of horses don\'t fire, a few jump out of their skin and run huge, and that schism shows up in beaten length gaps and when I make the figures, with Turfway-like distibutions of tops and \"x\"\'s. Some of the TP horses run at Kee, some don\'t. I got real antsy wearing a tie and shoes after two days and bailed on the fancy dining room, spending the final day with Frank\'s raunchy crew, minus Frank, who was headed back to Canada with what might be a broken foot suffered leaving the restaurant the night before. The waitress got a $200 tip that night, half for pain and suffering (hers, not Frank\'s), she earned it.

Good seeing Mall, Anderson, and NoCar Tony, who really looks like Brooklyn Tony. Scenery ain\'t bad at Keenland, by the way. Not Del Mar opening day, but what is. There don\'t seem to be a lot of horizontally challenged women in Lexington.

Derby preps-- You don\'t see a whole lot of major races where the winner runs at least 4 points better than anyone else, let alone FOUR of them in 8 days. Taking a fast look at the day it looks like Bandini ran negative, and I\'m not talking about breaking the race out, either. We\'ll see. Haven\'t looked at AA yet, that\'s going to be an interesting number. On Ritchey-- he did a great job if the Arkansas Derby was his ultimate target. Now all he has to do is get him back over there again in three weeks, then two weeks, then three again. Looking forward to more 46 works.

By the way, this past weekend\'s Thoroughbred Times (Free Ragozin numbers!!) says they gave Buzzard\'s Bay the same number as Greeley\'s Galaxy (Free hallucinagens on eleventh street!!). Even the Beyer Californiaphiles knew better than that.

This Board-- there are a couple of guys who\'s posts are in the end really always about themselves, and it\'s getting annoying. There are also others who (with some justification) are getting both annoyed and annoying. Everybody grow up and knock it off. The only one who gets to be a self-indulgent child here is me.

TGJB

Silver Charm

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« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2005, 01:46:02 PM »
This Derby is breaking all the rules and may be a Harvard MBA Level Handicapping Study.

All the discussion everyone can get is necessary.

Bull

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Re: Back
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2005, 03:48:01 PM »
Jerry,
I agree about Keeneland. I just seem to have trouble there. It appears to be your typical short \"class\" meet on steroids. The same few trainers gear up for it, making handicapping humans and workouts more important than looking at the horse\'s line. Value?? Don\'t count on it. I absolutely cannot stand the 2yo races, and wish I didnt have to wait an hour for the next bettable race if I decide to skip them. The inordinate amount of runaways are bothersome as well. It seems as if the winner of every race is 7-8 lengths clear at the wire. Short stretch? Bias? Who knows? I don\'t think I\'ve seen a stretch duel or a close race there since More Than Ready and High Yield in 2000. Pletcher vs. Lukas.....ahh the more things change.....!!!

Bull

NoCarolinaTony

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« Reply #3 on: April 19, 2005, 08:43:53 AM »
TGJB,

Likewise was a pleasure to meet you as well. I also had the same problem this weekend save the Makers Mark Mile super, I ended up giving it all back. To See both Clock Stopper and Wagon Limit both in the tri in the 7F sprint just blew me away (I could see G&B). I was wondering where the handicapping skills have gone. To give you another example on BG day my friend who was with us, decided to throw James Graham in a Pic4 early and middle on saturday, that I dismiss the horse on merit and he includes just because Graham is hot. Well you know the story. he hits both Pic4\'s and im a loser.....(I think it was the race we both liked the 9).  And..When the gates for the BG opened and I saw Bandini break well and drop, I knew i was done for, as I did not include that one with High Limit.

Anyway, your assessment of me as Brooklyn Tony is quite correct. I grew up in Queens and lived on LI until I went to College (Fordham) in the Bronx. I eneded up in NC about 1990 due to relo for job.

Anyway while I love the atmosphere at Keeneland, I much prefer NYRA  and FLA tracks to wager on, as I know what to expect