The Rich Girl Returns

Tweet After a long winter layoff, La Chica Rica takes to the track tonight under the lights at Mountaineer Race Track at 10:20pm in Race 9. Off since October, she goes in a $41,600 allowance for non-winners of two races since January 30th. She enters her 6yo campaign for Western NY-based Bella Cavello Stables, coming off a stellar 2008 where she was (11-6-2-2), winning over $230K. The Disco Rico mare is the morning line favorite at 5-2 over Big Lou, a 4yo filly, who is coming off a tough beat in a non-graded stakes where he placed fourth after leading until the final sixteenth. Also entered is Moonlight Dreamer coming off an 11 1/2 length win with a BRIS speed figure of 103. Moonlight Dreamer looms to be the other main contender for Chica. If you are not doing anything tonight tune into TVG to check out La Chica's return.

Back in the saddle after a weekend wedding sojourn to the Jersey shore. Plans to sneak over to Monmouth before the wedding were scuttled early Saturday morning, but I did happen to check out the first couple races from Dubai on TwinSpiresTV and make a few sheckles on the Big City Man -Indian Blessing exacta in the sprint race, I boxed those two with Diabolical in an exacta instead of a triple (which paid $72 for $1)...first you cash the ticket, than you complain, i know.

Being a twitterer paid off being out of the loop, so I could follow what was happening at Dubai and at Gulfstream. I did finally convince the bartender at 5:45pm to switch off the basketball game for 5 minutes to watch the Florida Derby on the awesome 52 inch HD screen they had at the country club bar (I'm a good tipper). Wow, horse racing is simply awesome to watch on HD. We even got some of the attendees interested in the switch over and there was more than one person attending that was cheering during the stretch run. I guess I wasn't the only one with some dough on Theregoesjojo (an unfortunate pinch that it was)...Selfishly, I'm hoping that if Dunkirk doesn't go to the Derby due to a graded earnings shortfall, that maybe Pletcher will put him in the Derby Trial Stakes on Churchill's opening day card (which I will be there for), but it's only a 7 1/2 furlong race so he may prep for the Preakness elsewhere (Withers at AQU - mile?).

I watched my guy, Big Drama, take a DQ in the Swale this morning via replay. It looked like a tremendous race and it's too bad that he had to be taken down (but I'll take the R2R Gomez points any way I can get 'em). I'm looking forward to his next challenge in the Preakness or Belmont.