Another Big Contender

Tweet I watched the Jackpot last night on Twinspires TV and Big Drama ($9.80) held off a closing West Side Bernie (my first two choices) at the wire to take home the $450K first place money and virtually assure him of a berth in the gate at Churchill Downs in May. Looks like we have another Big contender on our hand, and not the Big Truck version. Isn't it fitting that his last name is Drama, exactly what we need in our sport and it should make some good headlines! Terrain faded in the stretch and wrecked my predicted trifecta and finished a disappointing fifth as the favorite.

Happy Birthday to fellow Western New Yorker The Turk who should also be basking in the following news:

Congrats to the MAC Champion University at Buffalo Bulls. They pulled a monster upset last night on ESPN2 against 12th ranked (in the country and the BCS) Ball State Cardinals in the MAC championship game in Detroit. It's not too often the words Buffalo and championship are used in the same sentence. A couple defensive touchdowns sparked Turner Gill's boys to a major victory for a school and town that has been craving a winner, and rendered Coach Gill speechless post-game. I was trading some Facebook posts with Las Vegas Review-Journal handicapper Richard Eng (author of Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies) who was publicly touting laying the 16 points. I warned him that UB was for real, but to no avail. It appears UB will be headed to the International Bowl, just up the QEW in the Rogers Centre (f/k/a the SkyDome) where the Space Gal and I are headed tomorrow - yeah call us traitors - for the Dolphins game.

In TBA news, a belated welcome to new member The Thoroughmetrics Blog, where statistical research is king. We've also started to Twitter (see tab on left), a new phenomenon (not really, but it sounds good) where streams of consciousness can be shared via web or mobile device. A tab at the TBA homepage shows those of us who are tweeting and twittering....I'm a little late to the party, but will give it a shot, and if Shaq can do it, so can I.

Saturday stakes selections:

Display Stakes (Woodbine): Bear's Rocket (update, 4th)

My Charmer (Turfway): Kiss with a Twist (update: 1st, $6.40 win)

Tropical Turf (Calder): Spice Route (update: 1st, $8.00 win)

Native Diver (Hollywood): Past the Point (update: 2nd, $3.40 place)

Hollywood Turf Club (Hollywood): Church Service (update, 3rd, $3.40 show)

Have a great weekend....will be tweeting from the Rogers Centre and the Great White North tomorrow.