Congrats to the connections of California Chrome, a very nice horse who could not have won any easier.
Assmussen says virtually no chance of Untapable going in the Preakness, Social Inclusion has a foot bruise so it\'s up to Baffert to bring in the only legitimate fresh shooters for the Preakness in Bayern or Hoppertunity to challenge CC. There is no reason to think anything he beat yesterday can turn the tables in 2 weeks.
Who ever originally coined the phrase \"time only counts when you\'re in jail\" was spot on yesterday. A modest pace considering the amount of anticipated early foot that made the gate yesterday and CC being shut down 500 yards out did make the slowest winning Derby in quite awhile. All here know better and that insane argument is left for the old men that still clamour about the DRF\'s variant and times. Wind also played a fact yesterday no doubt, so TGJB\'s numbers will be very interesting.
The CHD track crew really needs to clean up their act; come on guy\'s. The week starts with a dead rail, dull as can be track and then Thursday after not a drop of rain it\'s sealed and becomes very speed friendly on Friday and much more so on Derby Day. Obviously they can do whatever they want to whenever they want to, severe weather aside.
The management of CHD displayed their arrogance and non concern for the daily players who spin the wheels on this game year round. An increase in take out for a reason of improving purses for the garbage they will run there until the end of the meet. Their hold up of simulcast outlets and shutting down the signal during Derby week is a despicable act to the major outlets they affected. There aren\'t 6 more races at that dump the rest of this meet that matter and if I\'m a decision maker at a simulcast outlet I would shut them down. see how they act if their signal does not go out anywhere outside of their network for all but one week of the year? The lack of business sense, arrogance and stupidity by the talking heads of this game continue to amaze daily. Let\'s see what Clueless Kay and his band of morons can do for Belmont Day and the Spa meet to top this!
After 4 days of doing virtually nothing but gambling, digesting figs and listening to self anointed experts who bet $10 a race, I\'m hung over. It\'s draining and I do refer to it as a gambling hangover but it\'s my passion in life and nothing out there has a chance to replace it, not even close.
Awesome job by the TG crew on data, analysis and strategy on both Friday and Saturday. The Oaks was crushed, if Milam wins the bob in Friday\'s 8th race its a massive score for anyone who knows how to decipher a TG sheet in horizontals; even more so if you had the analysis and saw her as a single as our host suggested.The same deal with Coffee Clique who won a photo yesterday keying a 3 x 1 x 2 pick 3 that paid $249 given out cold on the analysis.
A profitable week here but boy oh boy what could have been!!!! If I had Miff or Jimbo\'s passion for Cali Chrome I could have really crushed it yesterday. I felt he was a nice horse, in the mix number wise, was suspect of what he beat in Cali and felt he would not take to the CHD strip as he did to Santa Anita, add in 5/2 with that many questions and I only used him moderately with my key.
On to Pimlico and NYRA\'s grand experiment of a Belmont Day stakes rich card with a potential TC winner should be interesting and good for the game. Don\'t worry Clueless Kay you will have 3 weeks to raise prices between the Preakness and the Belmont.
Good luck,
Frank D.
