Big A Sunday

Winter racing at the Big A is certainly a mixed bag these days. Sometimes we get days filled with competitive races that make it well worth the effort to open the Racing Form. Others, like today, not so - slim pickins here. I imagine I'll be peeking at Gulfstream and Fair Grounds today. That's one of the several odd aspects of the current business model in racing these days. Tracks present competing signals of product far superior to their own. It's like walking into an Islanders game (or a Fall Out Boy concert) and having the option of watching the Rangers (or Sonic Youth) on TV instead - and the host team gets a far smaller cut of the concessions purchased by those watching the imported signals. Doesn't make much sense, does it?

Well, here's a couple of thoughts on today's card anyway. In the second, Jacobson drops the 11-year old gelding Tour of the Cat (7-2) off the claim - from the 16K he took him for at Calder to bottom basement 7500's today. The barn won with its last two off-the-claim droppers here - both on Jan 2. That Calder effort was a poor one, but this venerable son of Tour d'Or won twice against better just this past summer and fall, and can bounce back against a lackluster field here. Por Favor (8-5) dropped in class off a win for Contessa in his last, a negative sign for this son of the same stallion. Eight of his l4 career wins, including that one two back, have come on off tracks, and I don't expect one today despite the light snow falling here this morning.

In the 7th, Joe Corrigan (5-1) shows some OK form for trainer Rodrigo Ubillo if you take out the turf and sealed main track races. He encountered some traffic in his last, swung out and finished gamely in an all-out duel for the show spot against Borrowing Limit, a horse who would have a good shot for the win spot in this race. Switches apprentices to Maylan Studart, who piloted this barn's Beequeone to the winner's circle on Thursday. Leap Day (5-2) has twice been little threat at 8-5 since graduating to this class; and Urban Flight (3-1) has burned his share of money at this level as well. Best of luck and have a great day.