- Twilight racing starts at Belmont today, and it's about time!! One of the most popular features of the spring meeting, and we had to wait practically until summer.
In the third, Unbridled's Heart (8-5) makes his second career start, and first since he won by ten with a Beyer of 101 as one of the deadest-on-the-board debut runners winners one will ever see. The Darley boys obviously didn't know what they had, and the son of Unbridled's Song has been transferred to Godolphin. Now he pulls a Casino Drive and tries to win a modest stakes (albeit an ungraded one in this case) in his second start. And, like the now-departed Japanese wonder, he'll have to catch Mint Lane (5-2). Trained by the hot Jimmy Jerkens (10-30), this speedball continued on well after getting caught by Casino Drive in the Peter Pan, losing by 5 3/4. This is a sixteenth shorter, and do you think Unbridled's Heart is anywhere in the class of Casino Drive? If you do, then you'll probably single the Sheikh's runner; otherwise, you'll maintain some skepticism as I am.
In the 7th, Colors of Art (12-1) starts from the rail for trainer Randi Persaud. This barn is 30-6-6-7 here at Belmont, and has been in the money with live longshots on a consistent basis this meeting. Colors of Art got off to a bad start, but recovered to run an even 5th last month at 29-1 in his first race in over a year. He finished only a length behind Beneath the Crown, who could be a significantly shorter price here.
In the 8th, Akebono (3-1) drops in class and stretches back out after an even try sprinting in state-bred stakes company. This gelding has run in a fair amount of grassy sprints, but the fact is that his best races have been longer. He won at this very distance and class two back, beating Pennington, who has won twice since, including an open company win on Wednesday. Akebono is eligible here via his 30K optional claiming tag for trainer Mike Hushion.
Looking like some light posting for the next couple of days at least, as I'm off to the races today, and being forced by the Head Chef to go to Fire Island for the day tomorrow, yuck. Though I'm excited about the return of Curlin, I'm otherwise totally uninspired by the mediocre, if not downright crappy graded stakes on the Churchill Foster day card, so I'll be taking a pass on those. I don't get particularly excited about neither Hystericalady nor Dreaming of Anna, and how awful is that Northern Dancer stakes? I'm totally done with Pyro, and you can have him at 7-5, egads!
Anyway, good luck, and have a great day!!
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Friday, June 13, 2008
Belmont Friday
Posted by Alan Mann at 6:48 AM
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10 Comments:
Recapturetheglory had a monster work at Arlington 2 back and is going to run away with this. If you can get 3-1 or better on him then bombs away...
Alan, I hope you mean that Unbridled Heart was one of the more dead on the board debut horses that won. (Ignoring Big Brown's 14-1 romp his first time out.) Joe Aquilino sends out first time starters at 50-1 all the time, but the difference is they all stink.
el angelo - Thanks, correction noted!
Hey, Alan, Big Brown Shock! Check out the real reason behind BB's disastrous Belmont at this link posted on equidaily.com: dhttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/11/DDASMUSSENBR.DTL NY Times headline is almost as good.
/S/Green Mtn Punter
>>Hey, Alan, Big Brown Shock!
Here's the full link to the shocking Big Brown news. (I like the McCain headline too. "It was the lame one." lol)
In the 7th/
Looks like COLORS OF ART gets the ultimate equipment change also.Listed as Gelding at NYRA info.
7TH
Another perfect spot for Dutrow to push another one over.DAZZLING DEREK 1st on grass with a "Hidden Turf Sire" pedigree (Yankee Gentleman).Big field with mostly NY bred career losers not even close to par for this NW 1x.Main man Edgar aboard this time.8 works mostly at 5F.
Mint Lane looked sharp. And that's flattering for Casino Drive, too.
I agree on much of that CD card, but I think the Northern Dancer is an excellent race, certainly miles further ahead than that godawful Jefferson Cup field---kinda makes last week's Hill Prince look like an American 1000 Guineas by comparison. Don't think Pyro is much at 7-5, but I think there will eventually be some merit to the Derby field behind Big Brown; it just might take most of the summer to figure out just how decent a couple might turn out to be.
WNBC reports the State takeover of NYCOTB. Shocking news if true. It sounds like NYRA is taking over all of the OTB's in the State of NY.
http://tinyurl.com/5hvs4v
Plans call for moving the city OTB's headquarters from Times Square to the Aqueduct race track in Queens, which Paterson's office said would save $5 million per year in rent. The state also expects to save money by eliminating overlapping functions of the city OTB, five OTB branches around the state and the New York Racing Association.
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