Discreet Picks

- DiscreetPicks.com is a subscriber-only selection site. OK, a paid tout site if you wanna put it that way. I wouldn't generally tout a tout site here. But the proprietor, who goes by the name of DiscreetCat, is a friend and a longtime LATG reader and commenter, under another name, who wishes to remain otherwise anonymous. And besides that, he's really good, as he's shown on the LVASports.com forum, generating a 40%+ flat-bet profit over a year of posting picks, mostly for the SoCal tracks. He should be well-familiar to readers of this site, and he's been conspicuous by his absence over the last few months as he's been working to get his site up and running.

So he sent me a complimentary login just the other day, and I went on and read this selection for Thursday's 7th race:

#4 Canteen (20/1 ml)

I'm not a big fan of this horse because he's always been an under-achiever, but he's clearly a leading contender here and that morning line is a joke. He's run very well in sprints throughout his career, most notably on this very same turf course vs. the flat-out monster Crossing the Line and the excellent turf-sprinter Fete. He also turned in an outstanding second behind the downhill specialist Soul City Slew in a race that just missed setting the course record. Should run another good one here, and at the price he's a definite overlay.

Canteen won by two and paid $55.40! And the Cat also had 6th race winner Seminole Native ($5.60), giving him two-of-three for the day. Nice. So, I suggested that a free trial period for LATG readers might be a good idea, and the Cat agreed. So please drop me an email, and I'll shoot back a login good for two free weeks, how about that?

What I particularly like about the Cat's picks is the simplicity of them, in line with the idea of trying to stick with the basics that I've discussed here recently. This was just basic handicapping, nothing fancy at all. I also like the fact that he doesn't feel the need to blab on and make specific cases against the horses he doesn't like. I always feel the need to do that, and in doing so, I make myself vulnerable to further humiliation when the horses I make a point of opposing go on to win, as Sinners n Saints did yesterday (though my selection scratched).

I've been trying to find a night to head out to the Meadowlands for some harness action. Besides the fact I haven't done so in a while and just miss it, I find that handicapping the trotters can be extremely helpful during these times of struggle. It forces me to focus on those basics that I tend to get away from - class, pace analysis, and form - simply because there ain't nothing else to go on, and has proven to be successfully therapeutic for me in the past. So I'll be doing that one night soon (probably without the Head Chef, who doesn't care for the sport largely because of the way the horses are whipped) and I'm going to leave the Penn National and Charles Town pp's at home.

- TVG's parent company, Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc, is being sold for $2.8 billion in cash and stock. The buyer, Macrovision, develops technology to prevent unauthorized copying and viewing of video, music and other content. [AP]

Macrovision wants to allow consumers to call up information about TV shows, view personal photos or access music libraries on a variety of electronic devices through a combination of its security software and GemStar-TV Guide's programming data.

TVG is clearly a business that is not core to Macrovision nor to their stated vision for their new acquisition. Whatsmore, Bloomberg reports that the buyer is spending more than double Macrovision's market value.

"Macrovision wasn't on the short list," said Mark Argento, an analyst at Minneapolis-based Craig-Hallum Capital Group. Gemstar stockholders were hoping for an all-cash deal, and Macrovision ``does not have the liquidity of a larger acquirer."

So, it would seem logical that Macrovision may very well want to shed TVG. Of course, HRTV's owner Magna Entertainment is not exactly in a buying mode at this time (Churchill owns a 50% share however). However, with both networks now in a possible, if not likely position to be sold, perhaps it's time for a look at Ron Geary's idea of a Centralized Betting Exchange, which he discussed at the University of Arizona symposium the other day.

- If you haven't seen it, the race-fixing trial of Kieren Fallon has come to an abrupt end, with the judge directing the jury to acquit all of the defendants. Fallon was immediately cleared to resume riding in Great Britain.

His employers at the Coolmore Stud in Ireland said they were delighted with the outcome, but added: "We find it extremely sad that he was denied the right to display his skills and earn a living on the racecourses of Britain while this case was pending.

"A jockey's riding career is a short one and Kieren was cruelly disadvantaged at the peak of his career. Kieren has been nothing less than superb in his riding of our horses - his record is there for all to see. [BBC Sport]

More reaction to this development as they come in over the weekend.