Our collection of friends had the usual Derby Day party, unbelievable food and tons of booze, pooled our dough, I got tasked with coming up with the syndicate play. We skipped the preminaries when the track came up sloppy (none of us are mudders) and Covello\'s piece and Point of Entry scratched out of the turfer, leaving it unbettable vertically (none of us had time to look enough at the prior races to come up with a pick, which was fortunate because they all liked the Ramsey thing that won the filly race, I didn\'t, at all).
The TG mentality must have sunk in at this point because before I even bought the race I liked Orb, Normandy Invasion, and IMLD, though I felt shaky about the latter getting ten. Felt even better after reading the numners and TGJB\'s comments and keyed the three of them on top in tris over a bunch, heavier w/Orb and NI, unfortunately Golden Soul wasn\'t one of them. Early on I had considered him as I always try to throw one in underneath who makes no sense because this seems to happen often enough in this race, but tossed.
Pretty disappointed because I thought Revolutionary was a horrendous favorite (I got our plays in a little early and he was 5-1 fave when I did) and that the money he was taking made logical horses nice overlays. Our biggest play was good-sized exacta box w/NI and Orb and when NI swept to the lead at the 1/4 pole thought for a sec we might get everything. I was even more excited \'cuz NI\'s trainer hails from same (miniscule) hometown I do; when he hit the front I semi-drunkenly started screaming \"WE REPRESENTIN\' THE 6-6-4\" (back in the days of land lines, 664 was the front end of every phone number in town), much to the amusement of the assembled crowd. Alas, it was not meant to be, though I wonder what-if, had NI made the move a smidge later.
Party host, my best friend, refuses to bet win bets in syndicate situations; \"we can bet $40 to win on 6-1 shots 364 days a year,\" he says, and I suppose he has a point. I actually asked for permission to dutch $60 win bets on NI and Orb on my own account, and he said to go ahead, so I did, and I won about $5.80 on the race.
Given the potentially enervating effects of the track condition and the possibility that rider mis-timed move on NI, might be interested on betting him back next time out, which I presume will be the Belmont. Hopefully Orb wins in Balty and goes 4/5 in NYC which might make the proposition worthwhile.
Been a daily reader of this board for more than a dozen years, initially as kingpost and then as PapaChach. Around the time I started reading here, I also participated in a board on the Bloodhorse site. The latter got assasinated by assinity and I\'ve since marveled that this place has managed to avoid the same dismal fate as that place.
The last ten days or so may have been the first time in all those years that I started to think, yeah, I guess this place is finally going down the crapper, too.
I don\'t post here much, because I know enough to know I don\'t have that much to add; there are people here well more versed in figure handicapping, and/or more talented at writing, than I. Put me on a board dealing with current politics, colonial-era American history, or what they still sometimes call indie-rock and you couldn\'t shut me up, but around here, I remember what my father always told me: when you\'re around people who know more about what you\'re talking about that you do, shut the hell up and listen.
Far be it from me to tell anyone how to run their bidness, but for the love of god, the kids pissing in the pool the last few days was a little disconcerting. Hope things get back to normal now that the Big Dance is over.
