Breeders' Cup - Day 2

I whiffed on Day 1.  I got saddled with the donut.  Grabbed a bagel.  Name the cliché and I got it.  Zilch.  Bupkiss. In shooting for some value, I did manage to pick the 1st loser twice (Tapiture and Don't Tell Sophia) but that just don't get 'er done.

Both of my 2nd place horses made solid efforts.  I actually thought Tapiture was going to run Goldencents down but the Doug O'Neill Leandro Moro trainee just spun his wheels deep in the lane and Goldencents was simply not going to let him by.  It was a very impressive performance on the front end.  Untapable was also very impressive.  I think she is an absolutely remarkable filly.  At 7/5, she probably was a bargain.

Thanks to Maryjean whomping her field at Hawthorne for the Canterbury Racing Club, the day was not a total loss for me.  Heather continued her remarkable knack for tri and supers, hitting 2 tris and a super on the 4 Breeders' Cup races and doubling her stake heading into day 2. 

Here are my picks on Day 2 for Hello Race Fans.

Juvenile Fillies: Angela Renee.  There should be enough speed to run at here and Angela Renee ran nearly the perfect race last out to take the Grade 1 Chandelier at Belmont.  She appears to have improved going a bit longer and though I fear Conquest Eclipse running her down late or Cristina's Journey getting away with no pressure, I'm going to take Angela Renee, albeit tepidly.  Morning Line: 3-1.

Filly and Mare Turf: Just the Judge.  I love Stephanie's Kitten, I'll admit that up front.  She would have been another educated hunch play (shares a name with my sister...Stephanie, not Kitten) but this Euro appears to be in fine fettle coming into the race and her two American starts have been very strong, especially the prep at Woodbine in the Grade 1 EP Taylor. Morning Line: 5-1

Filly and Mare Sprint: Judy the Beauty.  The center of this field, Judy the Beauty, Leigh Court and Artemis Agrotera, all intrigue me. I think Judy gets the right trip and I'm hoping we can get a little more generous price than her morning line: 5/2

Turf Sprint: Silentio.  I admittedly was influenced by a conversation I heard on Steve Byk's radio show.  The topic was the downhill turf course and how pure sprinters can frequently give up the lead to closing types that are cutting back in distance and can pay a generous price.  If you look at Home Run Kitten, that race fits the profile perfectly.  The one in this race fitting that pattern is Silentio.  While Reneesgotzip appears to be the heir apparent to Mizdirection, I'm going with Silentio.  Morning Line: 8-1

Juvenile: Calculator.  I know he's still a maiden and that I hate maidens running in stakes races but hear me out.  American Pharoah was the lock of the weekend.  Who was clearly 2nd best in American Pharoah's last two races?  Calculator.  Does this necessarily make him the 2nd best 2YO in training?  Of course not, but I think he deserves a LOT more respect than 15-1.  His running style should be good for this race and with One Lucky Dane, Souper Colossal (who I also like quite a bit), Blue Dancer and perhaps even Daredevil wanting the front all the way around, Trujillo may be able to give him the perfect trip and give us a boxcar payoff.  Morning Line: 15-1

Calculator scratches with a sore foot so I move to Upstart.  Still a lot of speed in the race and now one less closer for him to get past.  Morning Line: 8-1

Turf: Main Sequence.  This one was tough for me.  I'm not great when it comes to analyzing the Euros.  I had Heather's help in getting to Just the Judge and last year I had a nice paying exacta with Magician and The Fugue with the help of our friend, Brit Peter Clancy.  This one came down to Telescope and Main Sequence for me.  I ended up on Main Sequence because although his last 3 wins were VERY narrow - collectively less than 1/2 a length - they were wins and that's the mark of a gutty horse.  Telescope's Racing Post Ratings are considerably higher than Main Sequence but the choice here has run this year in America while Telescope is coming in off a layoff with no works.  Morning Line: 6-1

Sprint: Rich Tapestry.  I had to swallow hard to pick a Euro against the home town team but after Goldencents' win yesterday, that nose victory over the Dirt Mile champion in his first out in the US looks all the more impressive.  There is more than enough speed to run at and jockey and trainer have settled into Santa Anita nicely.  Look for this one to be the first Hong Kong based horse to win a BC race.  Morning Line: 5-1

Mile: Tom's Tribute.  Now THIS is a race where I should be going with a Euro, yet I am not.  They may very well jump up and bite me in the butt but I'll take the local boy coming off two wins at Del Mar with Mike Smith aboard.  He should get a nice trip and be running at the end.  The question is going to be if he is good enough to be in front at the end.  Morning Line: 15-1

Classic: Shared Belief. I know, there is no value in here.  I know.  In the battle of the Romies v the Chromies, I don't think there is any battle at all.  I don't see California Chrome in the same league at Shared Belief.  Quite frankly I don't know if anyone is.  I looked hard to try an come up with scenarios to beat him: Bayern duplicating his Penn Derby run; Tonalist reliving the Jockey Club Gold Cup; Toast of New York living up to his buzz (though he lost to Shared Belief last out...go figure).  While I see each scenario as possible - Toast of New York less so - and if I really was going to try and beat Shared Belief I'd try and logically do it with Tonalist, I think this 3-year old is just better than his peers and the older horses he's up against.  If you wanted try and beat him at a good price, I would suggest finding one of the older horses that is to your liking.  It's tough for a 3-year old to beat older, though a bit easier as the season gets later, and one of the old war horses jumping up and teaching a kid a lesson at 15-1 or so is a possibility as well.  I'm just not going to bet on it.  Morning Line: 9-5