Notes - April 12

- I had a couple more winners on top at Keeneland, but I think my best moment of the day was when I wrote, in picking Street Sounds as the third selection in the G2 Stonerside Beaumont, that Michael Matz "could be ready to break out after a tough-luck Gulfstream meet". Not bad, eh? BUT DID I HAVE A BET ON EITHER OF THEM? The best time to get on board behind a hot trainer is early on, of course. Next time Matz has a horse making the turf-to-Poly switch that both Wood Be Willing ($24.00) and Street Sounds ($20.40) successfully executed, the odds won't be as generous. Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to bet a horse just because his trainer might have won a couple of recent races especially if the horse doesn't quite seem to fit. Both had been racing on the grass, and pretty well, but seemed more likely for perhaps the bottom half of tickets. Maybe if I was at the track, I would have bet the second one...or perhaps I would have figured that he was unlikely to win with two longshots in a row. Probably the latter.

I had the Super Tote up on my computer screen at work for the Beaumont, and knew from the odds that I was a loser with my Special pick of Baroness Thacher. She was the 2-1 morning line favorite for Biancone coming out of races against Rags to Riches. When I saw that she was solidly the second choice in the odds to Forever Together, the 3-1 second choice in the morning line who was coming out of a weak edition of the Forward Gal at Gulfstream, I knew I was loser. Baroness Thacher eventually went off at 2.20 to 1, yet to me she was totally dead on the board; and she ended up 5th.

Street Sounds is bred along very similar lines to Street Sense, who I believe will win the Blue Grass by six or seven lengths on Saturday. They're both by Street Cry, the leading first-year sire of 2006, out of Northern Dancer-line mares. This filly, who remember was making her first start in five months (as if that means anything anymore) battled for the lead through a first half of 45.51 (second quarter of 22.35!), continued to duel while wide on the turn, and actually hung on to win. It doesn't seem we see much of that on the Keeneland main track anymore.

- And yes, I just have to mention that the Rangers won their first playoff game in ten years - ten years! - surviving a frantic finish to beat Atlanta and take the first game of the series on the road. Ten years?!?