Jackpot Contest Day Live Blog

Tweet It's Delta Downs Jackpot Day and we're hunkered down in the Space Cave trying our hand in TwinSpires Delta Downs Jackpot Challenge. The contest for TwinSpires members has attracted 686 horseplayers who will vie for 19 guaranteed seats at the 2011 Horseplayer World Series at the Orleans Hotel and Casino next February.

The contest consists of the last 10 races at Delta Downs today, which includes a number of graded and non-graded stakes, highlighted by the first post-BC race that has implications for next year's Kentucky Derby. The contest races are Races 2-11 and are the typical $2WP wagers (non-live bankroll).

We'll be live-blogging our day as it transpires...and if I start sucking, I'm sure the Space Gal will go into labor or something to interrupt our contest and blogging efforts!

1:54pm: First post at Delta is a non-contest race, but an interesting one nonetheless. We'll bet it for fun to see what foot our days gets off on. I like Miss Polly, 5-1ML who has snuck up to 10-1. We'll start with a little $2PS as the chalk, Bogalusa, looks pretty solid.

2:05pm: Well, is this how it's going to go. Bogalusa romps, Miss Polly finishes fourth out of the money at 8-1, but ran a solid race. We have our HRTV computer feed going as the TwinSpires TV feed seems kind of grainy today. Oh well...first contest race is approaching...

2:15pm: Wonder why TVG isn't carrying Delta today...would make my computer surfing much easier...not playing the chalk Grinder in the contest...leaning towards the #1 Tropical Winds, hoping the favorite links up with the #2 in a speed duel for my horse to pick up the pieces. Did I mention I had gumbo for lunch for good luck?

2:35pm: Grinder ($5.20, $2.80) at 8-5 wins with JD's Silverjet ($3.00 place) at 9-5 (my second choice) finishing second. No worries as it's early and chalky win to start the contest. My horse is off the board...Did you know it takes 4-5 days for a 20 lb turkey to de-thaw? I'm cooking turkey dinner Thursday for the Space Gal's family.....should be interesting. Will probably be throwing in some Turkey Day fun facts to spice up the live blog today and cover up the fact that I am a terrible contest player...

2:50pm: Good news from commenter NJDerek, it looks like TVG will be picking up Delta at 3:30pm EST. Whew. I like the #1 again in Race 3...the Afleet Alex colt Fast Alex and I hope the price stays up there at it's current 9-1, but I know it won't. Nacho Friend (7-5) is nacho friend in a contest at that price.....the other colt taking money is the #6 My Star Runner, solid horse. Trying to decide whether to stuff the turkey or go Stove Top...thoughts?

2:58pm: Did I mention my mother-in-law is showing up today to spend a week? The #4 just took a bunch of money, then floated back up...WTF? I hate contests.

3:01pm: Damn. The other horse I liked in the Sam's Town was the #5 TwoEx a horse for the course at 25-1....who finished second. To make matters worse I tried to make a $2 place bet on him in my ADW....and got shut out as I was watching my iPad feed which was time delayed. Time to walk Tanner Jones and get some fresh air. Fast Alex made a nice move but went about 40 wide on the turn....ugh.

3:19pm: Didn't make it outside for the dog walk...Space Kid meltdown, nothing chocolate milk and a cookie can't fix. Going with Briecat here to make sure we don't get goose-egged, don't think this is a race where there will be the inevitable bomb...of course, I've been wrong before......

3:45pm: Shutout averted. Mother-in-law is here. Coincidence?

3:59pm: $10.80 in the coffers puts me in striking distance at 198th place (sarcasm). Glad I didn't hop off him, but 5/2 was a decent price for him. Also played a 3x4x1x5 Pick Four (you know in case my picks tank I'll have something to blog about). The 5th race will be a game changer as I think we'll finally get a big price here...I'm on Harlan Street off of a layoff (trainer is 3/8 off layoff) to defend his title in the Delta Mile (currently 9/2). The #9 horse Fifteen Love is also on my radar....little more studying to do...

4:09pm: My first official switch of a pick. Going with Fifteen Love. Concerned with the layoff and the price is definitely an overlay on Fifteen Love (now 6-1 and still over ML of 4-1).

4:15pm: Meh. Well at least it was a 9-5 Z Humor and I had him in my Pick 4 which will pay about sixty cents if this keeps up as my single is up next. Still too early to panic, just gotta catch the right bomb....it'll come. Did you know it takes about 20 minutes of cook time for each pound of turkey? Me neither, but good to know.

4:30pm: Four down and six to go. Dropped 78 spots to 276th place, but still in top third (justification emphasized). Now what? Hot dogs! Nothing beats a dog in the middle of a race day. Oh yeah, my P4 single is Promise Me A Cat (not a cat fan by the way) so guess what my contest play is? Be right back...

4:40pm: Can't stay with 4/5 in the contest, just won't lose that much ground if the Cat wins. Switching over to Niji's Grand Girl (speed seems to be holding so far) who has a nice workout at Churchill and has drifted up from a 4-1 ML to a juicy 10-1....go big or go home has slipped into my vocabulary a little earlier than normal...c'mon Albarado!

4:46pm: Whoa. Good move to toss the chalk there. Nice run by Niji's and she gets me a place ($7.80). Shoot, I liked the Flower Alley winner ($21.20 & $9) last night and then threw her out of my exacta in favor of the undefeated Hoosier Downs horse. Kissing your sister race....P4 is dead, but picked up a few contest bucks....

5:05pm: Delta Jackpot feature up next. Bug Juice takin lots of dough. Picked up a few spots with the placing, currently 201st. Thinking about taking a big swing with Gourmet Dinner here. His sire, Trippi, won a few times in graded stakes at 7 furlongs......hmm. I have been talking about Turkey Day....omen?

5:10pm: Thought about Rush Now for a moment, but staying with last night's capping and Sweet Ducky. Hope Bravo wasn't in the French Quarter last night. The breeding and 3rd off the layoff sold me on him. Can't figure out why Classic Legacy is taking dough and Blue Laser isn't?

5:22pm: Are you freaking kidding me? 20-1....why don't I listen to myself...punches self in face.

5:28pm: In the All is Not Lost department, I did include Gourmet Dinner in the first leg of a Pick 3....and the Space Gal is making Ziti!!!!!

5:36pm: Well instead of being in 33rd place we've plummeted to 335th. Time to root home this Pick 3 ticket with 20-1 on top. Just realized I had the P4 if not for my single blowing up in the Princess...also had Decisive Moment in my P4 anchor....oh well....that's why they call it gambling. My P3 has 1,4,8,10 if you're following from home in the $250K Louisiana Jewel Stakes. Tensas Punch is my contest play (for now) first time Lasix and nice trainer/jock combo. Caton Bredar says she looks good....so there.

5:52pm: Labatts Blue Light! Pre-gaming for the Cuse game and maybe it'll get a little more entertaining over the final four races....

5:56pm: Delta Downs doesn't post will pays? What are they calculating with an abacus or something? Annoyed....aside from the Blue Light.

5:58pm: They do get an A+ for the music in between races however. Bon Jovi!

6:04pm: That's what I'm talkin about! Tensas Punch with a uppercut to the field at 7-1!!! Gonna grab some quick ziti...be right back....live to the 5 & 10 in the Pick 3...woo effing hoo.

6:20pm: Ok, 9MTP in the Louisiana Legacy. Go Unitas....haha. He's 19-1 and I will be making a hunch bet. However if the favorite or the #10 Ollie Baby win...Space Kid gets a new pair of shoes. Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turning! Delta Rocks! Contest pick (we're in 186th after that last winner and have positive ROI for the day) is the #10...gotta take chances with three to go...4/5 isn't going to get it done.

6:30pm: TVG is now showing Turf Paradise instead of the stakes fest at Delta....my goodness...the horror.

6:37pm: Game over. That blows. Lost a huge P3 in a photo? Ugh.

6:41pm: Well that was fun while it lasted...P3 pays $1K...of course it would've been less with Su Casa G Casa, the frustrating part is the #10 burned him out so he had nothing left in the stretch...ok two more races to try and finish respectably....228th at the moment. Unitas came in third and paid over $11.

6:57pm: Have to try and get into the top 19 so need a price horse here. Going with the #4 Saint Belinda at 12-1 over the #3 Thruthegardengate who will be challenged by the extra furlong. Belinda could get me into striking distance with a win. Best chance of the long shots in my opinion.

7:08pm: The Orangemen are on the U in 2 minutes! Last shot at the contest...need a bomb here (but so does probably everyone else) in the finale. Putting rock into slingshot.

7:18pm: Ahhhh...no horse will be long enough to get me in. We'll still try and move up the leaderboard. From the Woulda Coulda Shoulda Department...I'd be in 16th place if I had the nuts to play Gourmet Dinner (see 5:05pm entry) and would tentatively have one of those seats to Vegas.....arrrgh. I am favoring Ashe's Cat a bit, just nosed out in his last by TwoEx who ran well earlier in the card.

7:41pm: Cya Later Geno. I am sooooo dumb. Why not play the longest shot on the board (Cya Later Bert $37.60, $16.40) at 17-1. Huge learning experience today. Not that it would've got it done, but man a big move up the leaderboard (see 7:08pm). Melancon's horse Deputiformer finishes second, he sure did have a huge day. Final tally: 279th, $43.20 and 1,730 words.

Thanks for following along (or reading this far..haha)!