Notes - Jan 23

- I suppose at some point they want people to start to actually come to Gulfstream, right? Less than 10,000 turned out for the two weekend cards combined, less than what a single such card used to attract. More facilities are supposed to open for the Sunshine Millions program next weekend, and the crowds will presumably return. It was a pretty quiet weekend there, with only one stakes race, and that a Grade 3 sprint.

Bedford Falls, Darley’s $1.1 million ¾-brother to Harlan’s Holiday ran second as the 6-5 favorite on Saturday. He was wide on the turn and was no match for the second choice, Justa Streak, yet another winner from Todd Pletcher. This colt, adding yet another winner to the record of his sire More Than Ready, was another Pletcher horse winning his second time out of the gate. That’s a 34% category for the barn, and Justa Streak is the fifth such winner at this meet for the barn. (Another is Keyed Entry, a very impressive winner in his last; he worked a half in :47.80 at Palm Meadows. It was a bullet work out of 53 at the distance.)

On Sunday, Darley got into the winner’s circle with another expensive three-year old, this time a filly. Burmilla (Storm Cat) is a $850,000 yearling out of graded stakes winner Nannerl (Valid Appeal). She’s a full sister to graded winner Magicalmysterycat, and she was real impressive. She recovered after a bit of a shaky start, was 3-4 wide all around the turn, changed leads professionally and drew away in the stretch. The tote board told the story in this race; the winner was bet on the nose in the win pool. While watching the board on this race, I thought about what I wrote the other day about passing most races in which the odds don’t differ from what I would make them. That doesn’t always mean that I’m looking for horses higher than my projected odds. In a maiden race loaded with first-time starters, I’m actually often looking for horses bet below its morning line. Southern Stepper was 12-1 in the morning line, but was bet solidly from the start, finally drifting up a bit to 6-1. If she’d went off at 21-1, like Zito’s first timer Prism, 6-1 in the morning line, I’d never had paid any attention. But since she was bet down for a barn that in my experience has done well when the money shows, she became worthy of attention. Indeed, she ran third after hitting the gate and racing wide, and Prism ran tenth.

- As Walter mentioned, Frankel’s Latent Heat (Maria’s Mon) was extremely impressive crushing a maiden field at 3-10, and completing the seven furlongs in 1:23. He’s a half to a couple of stakes horses on the grass in France, and his dam True Flare won stakes on the turf as well. You figure he should love the grass, but he looked just fine on the dirt. Besides flattering Cindago, the winner of his second place debut, remember that the third horse was Point Determined, and that Point Given colt was quite impressive winning his subsequent start.