Create Your DRF Account
New to DRF?
Everything you could possibly
need in one place
Register
Don't have an account? Register Here
DRF Logo
01/20/2008 11:48PM

Gone West

By Steven Crist
  • Print
Tweet
Email

Eclipse
BEVERLY (Hills, that is), Cal. -- Good thing that Santa Anita has an early noon post time Monday, or else there could have been a thorny conflict between the carryover-laden 10th at SA and the start of the Eclipse Awards cocktail hour here at the Beverly Wilshire.

Greygoose
Both are irresistible. You have to start drinking early to get through the Eclipses, a/k/a The Longest Night in American Racing, and the 10th race is not only the last leg of a pick six with a $129k carryover, but also a rare carryover Super High Five race, with $65k from Sunday seeding that pool. (Guess my colleague Mr. Free was right about the pick six carrying over more often.) Thanks to the early post, though, the 10th is slated for 4:37 p.m., a mere 23 minutes before first post at the bar.

So it's an unexpected-homework night and it's going to be a busy Monday here in the land of swimming pools and movie stars. The Turf Publicists of America's luncheon honoring Carl Nafzger as the Big Sport of Turfdom starts at 11 and the first leg of the pick six goes at 2:05. Full report on the day's festivities when they're all over.

--This may have been the thinnest graded-stakes weekend of 2008, with only two such races on the national calendar: Saturday's G3 Tuzla and G2 San Marcos at Santa Anita, where Champs Elysees was an easy winner at 2-5. The 4-year-old Danehill-Hasili colt is a full brother to fellow Juddmonte homebreds Banks Hill, Cacique and Intercontinental and a half to Heat Haze, all G1 winners. Frankel, who has trained most of them in their U.S. starts, thinks Champs Elysees will be even better at distances beyoind the San Marcos's 10 furlongs, and will race him lightly this winter with bigger summer and fall races in mind.

Why such a light weekend for stakes racing? Probably the biggest reason is next Saturday's Sunshine Millions, which since its inception has thinned out the graded-stakes schedule at Santa Anita and Gulfstream on surrounding weekends.

Unitas
--Congratulations to all the New York Giants fans out there for Sunday's stirring victory over Green Bay, but I root for the other Manning. Despite growing up in New York, I've been a Colts fan since childhood due to Johnny Unitas, an allegiance that spurred one of my first life lessons about betting on sure things.

In Super Bowl III, you may recall, the then-Baltimore Colts were 17-point favorites over the New York Jets. The concept of the point spread was lost on my junior-high classmates, who simply wanted to bet on their hometown Jets and Mr. Cool, Joe Namath. I goaded as many of them as I could into betting the game straight up, no points. Candy from babies. It was like getting even-money on a 1-to-10 shot.

As you may recall, the Jets won the game outright, 16-7. I still think it was a great value bet.

  • Print



Most Popular

  • Stories
  • DRF Products
  1. 1.
    Wondrwherecraigis takes them gate to wire in Fire Plug
    Posted 01/29/2022 04:45PM
  1. 1.
    10-Card Formulator PP Plan
  2. 2.
    10-Card Classic PP Plan
  3. 3.
    DRF Plus One-Month Subscription
  4. 4.
    DRF Digital Newspaper
  5. 5.
    DRF Clocker Reports
Syndicate content Subscribe to this blog

DRFLogoFooter
DRF.com News Search
  • Horse Racing Events
    • Saratoga Meet
    • Kentucky Derby
    • Fountain of Youth Stakes
    • Preakness Stakes
    • Belmont Stakes
    • Triple Crown
    • More
  • Horse Racing News
    • Race of the Day
    • Track News
    • Top Headlines
    • Race Previews
    • Race Recaps
    • More
  • Tracks
    • Churchill Downs
    • Gulfstream Park
    • Belmont Park
    • Aqueduct
    • Saratoga
    • More
  • Handicapping & PPs
    • DRF Classic PPs
    • Formulator PPs
    • TimeForm US PPs
    • Daily Racing Program
    • DRF Picks
    • More
Get our free Newsletter, DRF Morning Line

Free Race-of-the-Day video analysis & PPs,DRF Bets Gameplan Play-of-the-Day, all the latest racing news and more.

Sign Up for Newsletter
  • Bet Now
  • Purchase PPs
  • DRF Sports
  • About
  • Betting 101
  • Handicapping 101
  • Help Center
  • Advertising
  • Contact
  • Policies
  • Sitemap
© Daily Racing Form. All rights reserved
Download DRF Bets on your smartphone
Don't miss the break! Follow DRF
© Daily Racing Form. All rights reserved