Was it just me, or was Saturday really weird? Hysterical Lady, Tiago and Daaher all throwing total clunkers, the continuing parade of California claimers stepping up their games, turf horses running on dirt and a horse who won his last on turf taking a dirt (well, synthetic) race. Add this from the NYC OTB site:
Wagering on Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields is unavailable today because the California Horsemen have withdrawn their consent to interstate simulcasting and wagering with the New York State Off-Track Betting Corporations.
We apologize for this interruption and are working to resolve the problem.
Swifty and I had both just lost on the Swale and were starting to think about the Robert B. Lewis, but we couldn’t find Santa Anita on our TV at “The Office”. The loud and annoying investment bankers sitting next to us started to grumble as well. Swifty asked one of the clerks at the window where the signal was and the answer was that the California jocks were on strike but the answer seemed vague enough to make to make it seem like there was no racing at Santa Anita.
I took a quick look around on my dedicated txting and horse racing news reading device and wasn’t able to find any information about what was going on. As a matter of fact, as of right now (4:20pm on Sunday), the paragraph quoted above is the ONLY thing I can find on the matter!
We eventually figured out that it was just that the signal was blocked as I could log-in in my Twinspires account on my phone and see that the races were indeed on. After the Donn we both busted out of there quickly so we could get to our respective apartments and play Santa Anita via Twinspires (i.e, continue my losing streak).
Fellow TBAers John and Valerie reported that their Twinspires accounts were useless for both the Donn and Robert B. Lewis due to heavy traffic but I didn’t have any trouble in the Strub and frankly was happy to have the account in this odd twist of signal war fate. However, you won’t hear an argument from me on the addressing some of the usability issues of Twinspires, but that’s another post entirely!
For the most part I feel good about Donn assessment as Daaher couldn’t stand up to pressure on the lead, but I also have to wonder with such a horrifying clunker if something isn’t wrong with him. Also, I have to wonder if Luzzi could have used some slightly better judgment given the distance. I thought my pick AP Arrow ran well and it looked like with a touch more distance he could have gotten there as he was closing hard.
But Spring at Last, way to go! On my first pass of the race I was planning on using him but eventually talked myself out of it thinking he had distance limitations, although he ran well in the Strub last year at the distance. Needless to say, I’m happy to see him step up and am hoping to see more good things from him and AP Arrow.
Speaking of the Strub, Tiago barely held on for place… Valerie, and I’m sure others, are starting to wonder to about him. My sentimental pick Slew’s Tizzy bombed horribly! I’m starting to wonder if he just can’t rate + perhaps it’s time to drop him in for a confidence builder (and/or permanently drop him in class). However, I think they should also try him on the turf again as he showed some signs of life there. I seriously expected him to do so much better on that surface. I don’t think it was a distance issue as it looked like it was over for him before he even go to the stretch. In watching the replay it also looks like he might have been a little rank in the stretch as well. It was nice to see Great Hunter improve on his 3 outting since last year’s Derby. Hopefully he’ll get back in the swing of things as well.
But Monterey Jazz, who I liked in the San Fernando before he scratched, is interesting in that there’s been a whole parade of former claimers stepping up in California and I believe they’ve all been early speed types as well. Zayat Stables has also had some speedy front runners making mild upsets on the early part of the Derby Trail with Z Fortune and Eaton’s Gift.
For the holidays I bought myself a bunch of DRF handicapping books that they smartly packaged as group. Given what’s been going on lately, I think I’ll start with Steve Klein’s The Power of Early Speed.
Posted by dana on Feb 03 2008
Filed Under: Wrap Up, Technology, TBA, 2008, Twinspires, Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita, OTB, Slew's Tizzy, That's Why They Call it Gambling, Tiago, Derby Trail, Great Hunter, Handicapping, Racing
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