Off to a decent if chalky start in the $152k Aqueduct double-carry, with a first-leg single and 6-1 A getting me through the first third of the sequence:
My position's slightly better than it looks because I put all three B's in the last three legs on the same ticket, so I'm good with either a 4A, 3A/1B, 3A/1C, 2A/2B or a 1A/3B the rest of the way.
I thought the trickiest race was the one with the smallest field, the five-horse featured 8th. It was tempting to single Songster, who would have been 2-5 against these in his prime, but he hasn't been out in a year and a half after a brief and failed stud career. Grand Champion is equally questionable, returning from a long layoff last time out with a stinker at 3-5 in the Maryland Million Sprint.
The upcoming 6th is the only race that was left on the grass and I just couldn't make a case for anyone but the three top-fig favorites, but the rain-softened course adds a wild card to the mix.
3:55 pm: Things broke about as well as I could have asked for to get me alive to 5 of the 7 runners in the finale. Here come the will-pays (my five in bold):
1-$13,395
2-carryover
3-$13,751
5-$31,409
6-$376,908
7-$376,908
9-$34,264
Who's the #7 I'm alive to for $376K? It's Jaimie's Gem, 0-for-20 and off since June but...his career-best fig did come on a muddy track and if Afleet Aya (#1) and Dove Nest (#5) duel each other into defeat and the race falls apart....
Guess I have to save with #6 Cat Radio (if #2 wins, there's a $376k carry and five consos at around $800 each is consolation enough,) but Cat Radio's only 6-1 at the moment.
4:15 pm: There was a fraction of a second when Jaimie's Gem launched a five-wide bid at the four leaders and I allowed myself to dream of $376k....but she was done a second later and the race chalked out. Afleet Aya took back today and it worked out well for her as she ran down Firsttodance, with Dove Nest third and Marian B fourth. I'll take the $13k....no wait, the payout somehow went down about $1500 to $12,395, I guess because Afleet Aya was the narrow post-time favorite and a few tickets scratched into her. Still, a good day at the office.
First person to point out I could have hit it for $72 by just playing the all-A ticket, instead of spending another $1620 on backups, is a rotten egg.
PS--I just flipped over to TVG, where they're running a somewhat misleading notice on the screen under a post parade from Hollywood: "Due to a decision by the TOC [Thoroughbred Owners of California], you will not be able to wager from home on this race if you live outside of California."
Not exactly. I live in New York and I can wager on the Hollywood races from home through my NYRA Rewards account. It's TVG and other non-racetrack ADW's that you can't use.
