BC Friday - Big Balloons and One Fine Filly

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2012 Ladies' Classic Champion
Royal Delta

That's your repeat Ladies' Classic champion, Royal Delta, getting ready to head to the track with Mike Smith aboard. She rocked the race after setting some solid fractions of 22.69. 45.81 and 1:09.80 to bring home Bill Mott's third straight Ladies' Classic and record fifth victory in the race.

My recap of the day's events for The Buffalo News is here. It was a picture-perfect weather day at Santa Anita in which speed was holding on the main track all day long. I moved mostly between my seat past the finish line and the paddock most of the day. I was able to watch the third race won by 7-1 Basmati ($17.80), a Doug O'Neill trainee that lined the ADW account before the day's fleecing occurred.

Two races crushed me pretty much, Executiveprivilege's drift out in the late stretch versus Beholder in the Juvenile Fillies and the upset win of Hightail over Merit Man in the Juvenile Sprint pretty much cooked my plays. In the Wireplayers contest I went 1-3-2 for the six races, hitting the board in all six races. But seconds and thirds don't put money into your bankroll (at least not mine).

One highlight of the day was Bona Venture Stables' Summer of Fun taking third in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, paying a whopping $19.40 for a $2 show bet.

But tomorrow is a different day, you can check the Wireplayers spreadsheet for my top plays, but a couple horses I have a good feel for tomorrow are Jimmy Creed in the Sprint and Dundonnell in the Juvenile Turf. My Classic Advance in The Buffalo News can be found here.

Here are some pictures from BC Friday...

World Famous Clocker's Corner

Just past the top of the stretch - the San Gabriel
Mountains in the background

BC Juvenile Sprint winner Hightail ($32.80)
with Rajiv Maragh up

Argentinean Calidoscopio ($36.40)
upsets the BC Marathon field

Ramon Dominguez and George Weaver
talk strategy before the Juvy Fillies Turf

Donna Barton-Brothers gives the Space Man
a nod in the paddock.

Third Place finisher Summer of Fun ($19.40)
heads to the track

It was a quiet day for the Toddster

Flotilla ($26.40) cruises to a Juvy Fillies Turf victory

Beholder ($9.80) wires 'em in the Juvenile Fillies

Zagora ($20.40) wins impressively in the
Filly & Mare Turf

Steve Asmussen holds court while
TVG's Christina Oliveras looks on

Picture of gold an purple flowers, Questing or
NTRA prez Alex Waldrop?

Questing trainer Kiaran McLaughlin
(Oliveras photo-bombing me again)

Asmussen and Nakatani discuss strategy
on My Miss Aurelia or dinner plans?

Royal Delta wins back-to-back Ladies' Classics