Preakness

I just checked out the undercard & didn't find a horse I like until the 8th race.

Only 4,800 people will be allowed in the grandstands. WTF? They couldn't make better preparations for the fans @ Laurel? It's not like they just found out they were hosting the race. 

#9 Iron Honor the ML favorite has already been beaten by Napoleon Solo & Ocelli in the Wood Memorial when Iron Honor finished 7th. I watched the replay this morning & he looked like a tired colt down the stretch & Ocelli closed like a bat out of hell to grab 3rd & this guy is still a Maiden. Prat will ride Iron Honor for the 1st time bumping Manny Franco off the colt. Tyler gets another chance on Ocelli. 

BTW... the owners of Iron Honor also own Derby winner Golden Tempo.

Maryland based trainer Brittany Russell will try to be the 1st women trainer to win the Preakness with #1 Taj Mahal. Her hubby will ride the colt.

#3 Crupper may be worth a WPS play @ 30-1. Good to see Junior will be riding him again after winning his last. And the race before that he got steadied down the lane finishing 3rd. He broke his maiden in the previous race.

Let's talk about the Russell Family. 

They are top shelf in Maryland. Brittany Russell wins @ 28%. Her hubby, Sheldon wins @ 30%.

They are loaded on Friday's card with 11 chances in the 13 races. Sheldon has 6 mounts. Irad is on 2 & Jevian Toledo on the other 3. He wins @ 22% which is not bad at all IMO.

They cut back to 8 runners on Saturday & Sheldon is riding 4.

I'm thinking the best of their barn will be racing this weekend. They will have a significant "home field " advantage so to speak. All their horses have been on the grounds for weeks & hey they get to sleep in their own stalls. Hell, that's important .right?

Speaking of lady trainers, Cherie DeVaux has a colt in the 6th race Saturday in #7 Reagan's Honor. He's named after DeVaux daughter, Reagan. He ran a stinker in his last finishing 7th in the Bluegrass at Keeneland.

I've always loved broadcaster Donna Brothers & Saturday will be her final broadcast. Her haircut was made for that face. She'll be missed for her inside at the gate & running down the winner after they pass the finish line. BRAVO!

Jose Ortiz gets the chance to win the Derby & Preakness on 2 different horses. He's on #6 Chip Honcho. The last jockey to do that was Calvin Borel in 2009 on Mine That Bird in the Derby & Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. Ortiz was on this colt when he broke his maiden but didn't ride him again because of other commitments. He's glad to ride him again. I decided to take a closer look at his last race which was the Louisiana Derby at the Fair Grounds..

Emerging Market won the race, Pavolovian 2nd, 3rd was Golden Tempo, 4th was universe & 5th was Chop Honcho in a field of 9. Chip Honcho was actually 2nd betting choice in the race @ 2-1. Chip Honcho doesn't have to worry about any of those horses Saturday. Asmussen trains this guy & has Jose on all 5 of his Saturday runners. Obvious issue is how quickly he tired after fast fractions in his last race where Luis Saez kept him a little wide & just off the pace, He went for the lead but could never pass #1 Pavlovian on the lead. I'm thinking Ortiz won't make the same mistake.

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart has told jockey Ricardo Santana that he's gotta go right out of post 14 with Pretty Boy Miah which isn't exactly news but it's harder said than done.

Trainer Dallas Stewart has hit the board twice in the Preakness with longshots Macho Again finishing 2nd (39-1) & 2nd Tale of Verve (30-1). Saturday he has #11 Corona de Oro. Johnny V picks up the mount from Brian Hernandez.

We never got to see #13 Great White run in the Derby due too a late scratch. He was gelded not because he was a handful but because the owners wanted to stunt his growth. He was becoming to muscular & they decided to nip him. Maybe vetdm can allude to how common it is to geld a colt to stunt growth.

Getting blinkers on #3 Crupper paid dividends & it's great to see Junior staying with the mount. 

I got a "Stable Alert" for the 11th race tomorrow & I didn't catch it earlier because there was a big trainer change for #3 Lost and Found. I've been on this one when she was trained by William Walden of who I'm a big fan. Tomorrow Brittany Russell & her husband will try to keep her winning streak going.

Have no idea of why trainers were changed. Could it be some kind of licensing issue for Walden? Any guesses?

Anyway I'm on this girl tomorrow. ML is 3-1.

Gotta keep the field @ 9 with no scratches for a better price on this girl.

Shitty ride by Russell on my girl #3 Lost and Found. He was very indecisive & my girl was climbing in the stretch settling for 3rd.

Still don't understand the change in jockey & trainer here. 

Race 12 #7 Yo Daddy...trainer Linda Rice ships this guy to Maryland & her top jockey Jose Lezcano comes along. Currently 5/2

Quiet day but do have a play in the Black Eyed Susan. 

#1 Miss Fulton Gal picks up Johnny V which is a real screw job for Raul Mena her regular jock. It's a tough business.

#2 Ivy Girl has won 3 of 6 & the local trainer Green wins @25%.

#3 Holly's Holiday has won 2 in a row & attracts Prat.

#4 Savor It local jock/trainer angle here. She won her last, so who knows?

#5 Braken Poppa caught my eye with her winning 4 of 5 but they've all been at the Fair Grounds. 

#6 Haute Diva last 2 were dull. But it's the Asmussen barn

#7 Jumping the Gun has a 2 for 23 trainer

#8 Majestic Lucia ships in from Tampa & Junior takes the mount. This girl has won 2 of 3.

#9 A.P's Girl won 2 in a row at Tampa & Irad rides

#10 My Miss Mo Tyler & Saffie Joseph are always dangerous but this girl has run 2nd twice in a row.

BOXING 1-3-5-10

Great ride by Tyler on #10  My Miss Mo

It's always fun!

One of my best plays #7 Reagan's Honor in the 6th scratched. Not impressed with the undercard so it will be slim pickings.

In race 4 only 5 will go after the 5 & 6 scratched.

In race 6 with Reagan's honor scratched it leaves us with 6 & #4 Final Story for Irad/Cox will get all the money.

In race 7,#4 Obliteration should be tough.

In race 8, 2 scratches drops this field to 7.

In race 10, 2 scratches brings the field down to 5 & kills the odds on my selection #4 Fort Washington.

Race #11 might be the best race of the day. 

I'll be taking a few shots today but the small fields will negatively impact our chances to hit something nice.

Good luck to all.

Getting some practice swings in...

Race 5 #6 Synergism just missed in her last & isn't getting any respect here @ 12-1.

Small WPS play on #6 

Beautiful day in South Florida but it's a little too toasty for this time of the year.

Damn..#6 Synergism just missed by a length for 3rd @ 15-1 but had way too much ground to make up & came about 7 or 8 wide before she made her run.

She goes in the stable today.

Paid a tidy $7.60 for 3rd. 

In race 10, 2 scratches brings the field down to 5 & kills the odds on my selection #4 Fort Washington.

Junior kept a little bit left in the tank to hold off a closing #5. #4 Fort Washington has now banked over 1.5 million & is still running lights out at the age of 7.

Paid $7.80/$$3.80/$2.10; nice $46 exacta in a 5 horse field.

Ridiculous!!!!

48 Minutes to Post for Race 12

BOXING 1-4-8-11

Preakness doesn't go off until 7:01 

At least the PGA Championship looks like a good one.

4-8-4-8-4-8 & the 4 gets it by nostril

Exacta 4-8 $75.00

Missed the tri when #9 caught #1 for 3rd.

@Midnight1

 great bet...

Who you got for the Preakness?

@jhoss00

 I'm playing #2 Ocelli. The closing moves he made in his last 2 races wins today.

Love it! Thanks for posting, as always!

Was down to my last $3 on Friday on my Twin Spires app after putting down $200 Kentucky Derby time and pur it all on a nag at Fairmont park that won, (yes all three dollars of it!) and it paid $33 so I took that money and rolled it over on Napoleon solo 20 win 10 place and got back 227 in total and cashed out!

@justliketoplay

 Excellent!

Taking a shot in the 8th at Churchill today with #7 VELVET VORTEX. Currently 10-1 with Tyler & Brad Cox.