EquiSpace: Castellano

Friday, July 20, 2012

Spa Opening Day: One for the Road

We made it on site this morning...and yes, we finally eclipsed the 3:59 mark, although the Saratoga Resident is already claiming foul and requesting an asterisk. I pulled into the Saratoga Race Course at 8:56 a.m. in an all-time record 3:57 time frame. We had clear sailing on the NYS Thruway, making it to Amsterdam in a scorching 3:13, but that's when it gets interesting. A truck in downtown Amsterdam slowed things down and Geyser Road was no picnic, but we still had 3 minutes to spare, so he can put whatever asterisk he wants on it. Put a fork in it.

Our advance in this morning's Buffalo News on the Saratoga meeting is up and we also handicapped the Coaching Club American Oaks where we're drinking the Pletcher kool-aid. Hey, it's Saratoga...

Speaking of handicapping, Toga Party V selections are all in and we have 18 contestants trying to take down the annual Toga title. Thanks to everyone for participating. The Space Gal resisted at first, saying she wanted to "go out on top" but I enticed her to try and go for the first ever repeat crown. You'll notice her picks did not change from last year's, though she basically won it with Stay Thirsty.

As for today's card, some horses that look interesting to me today include the filly, 5-Liberty Girl in the 3rd, a 2-year-old firster for Eoin Harty with Ramon up. She sports a couple of nice workouts and her dam has 9 winners from 11 starters (including 2 stakes winners). I'll take a shot with her over the favored Ward filly 2-Lignite (2-1). We'll be watching that one closely as she finished second to Pletcher colt Rose Junction who is running in the Sanford on Sunday.

Other than the wide post, I also like 10-Living My Dream (10-1) in the 7th, who puts the blinkers on for Mike Maker and has Javier Castellano on the turf. Maker is 27% first time blinkers and the other stats (Jockey on Turf - 26% and Jock with Trainer - 25%) make her interesting at those odds. [UPDATE 12:25pm: Living My Dream scratched -- back to the drawing board]

As for the Marvin, I favor 5-Pacific Ocean (although you can't throw out JB at the Spa) and 7-So Many Ways (first time lasix and some killer workouts) in the Schuylerville.

Good luck!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Belmont 2012: The Weekend in Pictures

Union Rags in the Post Parade

That's your 2012 Belmont Stakes champion, 3-Union Rags, who edged 9-Paynter at the wire on Saturday afternoon before over 85,000 hearty racing fans and a pretty healthy television audience (5.4 rating/13 share). It was a great weekend, despite the hollow news on Friday morning that I'll Have Another's date with destiny would take a back seat to a lower left tendon issue.

Despite the traffic difficulties we still arrived in time to catch the Jaipur and the Brooklyn and have the photos of both finishes of the two stakes held on Friday afternoon before 5,415 fans. The Space Gal actually asked me if they were racing on Friday as we entered the gate, she'd never been to Big Sandy on a non-Belmont Stakes Day.

My commentary for the TBN and wrap up can be found here. As for the wagering, I was looking good going into the finale in the $1M guaranteed Pick-4, which had a pool over $2.8M with the selections I provided in the previous blog, with 4-Atigun paying over $2,800 if he won. I took a stand against Union Rags, and if not for Mike Smith letting him through the rail, I'd be cashing a P-4 ticket on Paynter. Oh well, sometimes you have to go with your gut. He finished the race in a pedestrian 2:30.42, in case you missed the final time.

Here are some pictures from the weekend for your viewing enjoyment, most courtesy of Space Gal Enterprises (she even hooked up for a cameo with Joe Torre in the paddock, but wouldn't let me post the photo [boo] -- she loves to be Miss Celebrity Sighting):

Upgrade ($12.00) winning the Jaipur on Friday

Redeemed ($6.50) wins the Brooklyn in 2:28.89 (at a mile and a half)

I'll Have Another early Friday morning
(you can see O'Neill staring at the front left leg)

Hammerin' Hank taking in action early
in the Belmont card in the Clubhouse

Currency Swap in the paddock
before the Woody Stephens

Brian with Mario Gutierrez up
(he was pounding his heart to the fans)

Eventual Woody Stephens winner
Trinniberg with Willie Martinez in the irons

Trinniberg ($7.70) heads to the wire

Papaw Bodie with Rosie Napravnik
lost a photo in the Manhattan

Desert Blanc (GB) ($14.80) and Ramon Dominguez
in the Winner's Circle after the Manhattan

I'll Have Another heads from the paddock
to the winner's circle for retirement ceremony

Team O'Neill with a high-five
awaits IHA's arrival

The Champ Arrives

Mario Gutierrez hops aboard the champ
for the last time

Bob and Bodemeister

Baffert and Joe Torre

D. Wayne Lukas awaits Optimizer
in stall No. 10

Street Life and Jose Lezcano

Union Rags and Johnny V

Third Place finisher Atigun
and Julien Leparoux

Dullahan and Javier Castellano

Second place finisher Paynter
and Mike Smith

Gate load from the view
from the sixteenth pole

They're off in the Belmont Stakes

That's a wrap on the 2012 Triple Crown season. It's been a fun one, we almost had a historic one. I'm a firm believer I'll see a Triple Crown winner one of these days...

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Travers Day 2011: The Day in Pictures

The 142nd running of the Travers Stakes gave us all we could ask for with the gritty Stay Thirsty taking the laurels and reins of the 3-year-old division.

He thumped the Preakness, Belmont and Haskell winners in fine fashion under jockey Javier Castellano, who gave him a perfect ride.

The undercard was filled with excellent efforts, notably the 2-year old colt, Fire On Ice who scored an impressive victory in a maiden special weight, reminiscent of a colt who broke his maiden a year earlier who happened to be returning in the King's Bishop off a long layoff.

My three singles of the day, Good Prospect (4th), Fizzano (7th) and Cincinnati Kid (13th) kept me out of trouble at the windows, which enabled me to go deep in a Pick-3 with Hot Summer in the Victory Ride anchoring a nice payday. My Pick-4 blew up however when I tried to beat Hilda's Passion in the Ballerina, which proved to be not a good move.

I took my father for the second consecutive Travers and we had a fun day in the backyard with the Vattimo crew and later at Prime with the Saratoga Resident, the Puma and the Twins. Prime is a tremendous venue to hang out after the races and I'll be back to tackle the golf course at National on Thursday.

Oh, I had to work also, you can find my post-race commentary for The Buffalo News here.

The Toga Party contest has tightened.up and the Space Gal has evened up with yours truly at the top of the leaderboard as she was the only contestant out of 19 to select Stay Thirsty. dana from Hello Race Fans captured a couple points with Caleb's Posse and the $2 trifecta to get back into the hunt. It still is anybody's ball game.

Here's our day in pictures....