G3 Gravesend Handicap

[Rick B.]

Call me \"old school\", but when the track is muddy I start looking hard at recent form.
 
Grand Champion has a nice looking sheet, gets significant weight from the top two, and while he is a length or two slower than some of the others, he is more likely to run his very best today than the others, who have recency, bounce, or last race questions to answer.
 
The bad news is that everyone else can see this, so forget about the ML 6-1. I\'ll take 4-1 on the win end if I can get it, otherwise I\'ll shop the exactas.
 
Good luck today folks.

[Michael D.]

half the field is scratched Rick.

nice turf stakes race at FG (9th). Candy Ball looks competitive from the 1 hole. trainer good off the lay-off, pops at a price in these minor stakes. a ground saving run in the \'4\' range puts him in the tri at a price.

[P-Dub]

Michael,

Candy Ball was my main play in that race. Win bet, keyed in tris with the 2 eventual WP horses. Was the rail dead?  The top 2 were in the middle of the track down the lane.  The 1 cut the corner and just kind of plodded. Looked to have a real chance turning for home. Oh well.

[Michael D.]

P-Dub Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Michael,
>
> Candy Ball was my main play in that race. Win bet,
> keyed in tris with the 2 eventual WP horses. Was
> the rail dead?  The top 2 were in the middle of
> the track down the lane.  The 1 cut the corner and
> just kind of plodded. Looked to have a real chance
> turning for home. Oh well.


looked like she was running in quicksand, didn\'t it? holy sh.t.

I too was confident as they were turning for home.

she put up a 6.25 at this time last year over the FG course. after the \"did not fire\" 5 last, it was probably time to look elsewhere. tempting longshot at the ml of 12-1, iffy at 4-1.

Oh well is right. we\'ll get em next time.

[richiebee]

Glad to see that people are paying a little attention to FG, which features:

1) Old fashioned dirt racing;

2) Turf racing (weather permitting);

3) Runners coming from many different circuits-- Canada, KY, Chicago, Mid-
Atlantic, Texas, plus the runners from the Louisiana \"bush\" tracks (Delta and
Evangeline);

4) Well balanced jockey and trainer colonies with no dominant trainer
or jock which (my opinion) makes for a better pari- mutuel environment.

5) Wagering menu-- $.10 Supers and $.50 Pick Fours; \"Rolling\" doubles would be
a nice addition.

Knocks:(1) As with NY, there are too many legislatively mandated state bred
races. (2) The first 5 races of the day tend to be the cheaper races on the
card,making the early double and pick 4 challenging.

Horse to watch from FG: The winner of Friday\'s feature, Get Rich Quick, a nice
looking Pin Oak/Malcolm Pierce turfer. Ridden with the utmost confidence by
Mena, who was wide with 2 handfuls of horse for most of the race. GRQ is a half
brother to Pin Oak\'s multiple SW mare Bedanken.

Now to the Inner Tube:

(1)It looks like NYRA\'s new track super is learning that the most difficult
aspect of managing the Inner Course is not the bitter cold (which is what the
surface is designed for) but rather the freeze/thaw cycles such as we have been
having recently in NY, where the temperature is supposed to reach 65 degrees
today with wind but not much sun. Could be the 3rd straight day of an off track
where there has not been significant precip.

(2)Fabulous Strike gets my vote (actually I do not have one) for champion
sprinter. Two New York stake wins and a tough near miss in the GR 1 Vosburgh,
plus a stake win at Delaware. Seems relatively sound now (4 races in 4 months),
hope he\'s back next year.

(3)NYRA gets it right!(?). Near the finish line at AQ, there is signage for both
HRTV and TVG. Magna and CDSN, wake up and quit restricting your live TV feed.