3:00 pm: Not quite the start I'd hoped for in New York's first pick-six double-carryover since July: Show Me The Cash came up the rail late to run down my two A's as the $9.80 third choice and send me to the B list right away:
Translation: All the C's are dead and I need either 5 A's, or 4 A's and 1 B, the rest of the way.
Like the win-betting public, I simply thought that Show Me the Cash was third best to Saratoga Steve and Coronation when the three of them ran 2-3-4, just 1 1/2 lengths apart, in the 3rd at Saratoga Aug. 28. Coronation Day, who made his debut in that race, seemed to have the most room to improve, and Saratoga Steve picked up an entrymate in Paul's Ace, a $350k 2yo-in-training purchase. Paul's Ace made the lead, looked strong turning for home as Coronation Day made a run at him, but the two of them weakened and Show Me the Cash came right up inside of Paul's Ace to run him down.
Oh well. Now one of my two singles must win, either Can She Dance, currently 7-2 in the 5MTP 5th, or Omiyome in the 8th.
3:15 pm: Not my day, Can She Dance went wide while Crazy Cat Ladt slipped through inside, but Can She Dance had every chance to run down Crazy Cat Lady ($10.00) and just couldn't, falling a half-length short. A sequence that starts with a $9.80 and a $10 winner is the kind that people who didn't play it will look at and say, "Gee, any idiot could have had those two," and marvel when it pays a lot. Well, this idiot is dead.
If you're alive, good luck the rest of the way. If not, join me in rooting for a triple carry.
3:55 pm:When's the last time a Todd Pletcher first-time starter paid $37.00 to win? According to Formulator, it hasn't happened in the last five years until today, when Vindgary, a 3-year-old half-brother to Geri, wired the field in the 6th with a mile in 1:35.99. In fact, of Pletcher's 134(!) winning firsters since 9/11/03, only two went off at 10-1 or higher: My Golden Song at 11-1 at Belmont 10/28/05 and Mercurius at Gulfstream 1/4/06.
Vindgari completed a $1,001 pick-3 for the first half of the pick-6.
5:00 pm: Triple carryover! Let's Fly Away at $43.80 just wiped out the world in the 8th at Belmont, beating favored Omiyome by a neck. Let's Fly Away had races last year that would have made her one of the favorites in here, but was coming off three dismal 2008 performances that made her the 6th choice in a field of 8.
The smallest pick-4 is $36k,[update: Congrats to commenter Jeff Moss, I think!] and four of the runners in the finale would pay 3/4. Friday's pick-6 pool will start with $608,657 on account, and we'll be playing for well over a million.
Here's the lineup for tomorrow:
Race 4: 2FNY MdSpWt -- 6f-IT -- Field of 11; 2 entries; 8 firsters
Race 5: 3+ Clm35000N3L -- 8.5f-WT -- field of 10+3 AE's
Race 6: 3+ Clm16000N1Y -- 6f -- Field of 11 inc. entry
Race 7: 3+ StAlw c50+N1x -- 6f-IT -- field of 10 inc. entry
Race 8: 3+F A1x -- 8.5f-WT -- field of 10
Race 9: 3+ MdClm20000 -- 1m -- field of 11, no firsters
