With closing weekend at Canterbury Park last week, I was a
little too overwhelmed to get a post up prior to last week’s Hello Race
Fane/Breeders’ Cup Fantasy ‘Capping Contest.
Turns out it was too bad because 1) I totally nailed it and 2) totally
wussed out on my wager.
To recap briefly before moving ahead to the Summer Stakes at
Woodbine, last week’s race was the Louisiana Super Derby for 3-year olds
contested at a mile and an eighth. I
thought there was a lot of speed in this race and that it was going to be tough
for the favored Blueskiesandrainbows to carry the field the entire way and
Bourbon Courage looked to be the most likely closer to be able to win. Sure enough, Hero of Order hooked up with
Blueskiesandrainbows and that was all she wrote…eventually. Bourbon Courage exploded in the stretch and
won by 5. Should have been a nice score
paying $7.20 – if I had the nads to bet him to win. After being blistered a bit early in the
contest, it turns out I should have had a shot of bourbon for some courage
before placing the wager. I made my
wager to place and it cost me 32 points and, while I moved into 4th
place, I would have edged Teresa Genaro and sat in 2nd had I the
courage of my convictions.
Ernie Munick still sits atop the leader board on the strength
of the 1st week exacta, Teresa is in second and Bobby Flay is in
third. I’m not shut out AND within
shouting distance. I really can’t ask
for more at this stage.
On to the Summer Stakes.
In my opinion, these 2-year old stakes are tough. There is a lot of improvement and development
that goes on through the 2 and 3-year old years and many times these races can
be decided on who has improved the most since last out.
Only Archer Hill has gone a mile or more (this race is at a
mile on the turf) and he did it splendidly, taking an overland trip in a mile
and a sixteenth maiden at Saratoga on August
2 to win under “hand urging.” Given
that performance it’s easy to see why he was installed as the 5/2 morning line
favorite.
Sentimentally I’m rooting for I’m Boundtoscore, an Even the
Score progeny who hasn’t seen longer than 5.5 furlongs yet. That said, other Even the Scores have had no
trouble with a piece of ground and he has competed at higher levels than the
others – and hasn’t missed the board in 4 career starts. I also like his proclivity to close. There are a lot of horses in this field that
want to be on or near the front end and, as in last week’s Super Derby, there
could be a pace battle up front that could fry several contenders. Unfortunately, Archer Hill doesn’t look to be
one of them.
Some of the speedsters have a lot to commend them: Indiano
Jones broke his maiden in impressive fashion after trouble in his opener; Mercenary
has had nothing but trouble but still has been able to score; Are You Kidding
Me has been able to win from slightly off the pace and been impressive moving
longer; and Bear’s Furr won at first asking on the engine while having trouble
in Monmouth’sColin Stakes last out, moving up to 3rd after being
bothered.
I would like to be able to split my wager into a $10 exacta
key with Archer Hill over Are You Kidding Me and I’m Boundtoscore but I can
only use an extacta box so I’m going with the more accomplished runner and hope
that he can get the distance.
WAGER: $10 Exacta Box – Archer Hill and I’m Boundtoscore
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