Z Train Saratoga Opening Weekend is the number one attraction for the summer racing events, and while I was excited with the rest of degenerate America, the Express has officially been derailed. After a hot start winning 4 out of 5 bets on Friday afternoon, I won 1 bet for the rest of the weekend, tanking all of the $25 I risked on Saturday, truly bottoming out. It’s a sad time, but it was still a heck of a race card. The Grade I Diana on Saturday, preceded by a Grade III and three total Grade III’s on Friday and Sunday made Saratoga’s Opening Weekend a smash with anyone fortunate enough to make it out there. The Grade III’s had pretty open fields that were taken by horses not nearly as favored as Lady Eli (barring the sparkling Abel Tasman (4-5)), which would’ve commanded quite the sum for an intelligent better (not Z).
Total Risked: $52 Total Won: $19.40 Total Payout: -$25.60 (-$.60 on Friday, -$25 on Saturday) Bets Won: 5 My success came in the first and second race of the weekend. I nailed Indycott (7-5) as a winner, Flash Trading (9-1) as a Show, and hit the 1-6 (Indycott-River Date (2-1)) Exacta that I boxed. This generated $12 of the $19.40 that I won on the day, and Beaux Arts (5-2) in the second race got me another $3.55 off a $1 Win. I was sorely mistaken thinking that luck would continue. I won a Place worth $3.85 total off of Dynamic War (9-2) in the final race of Friday, and then sank all of my money on Saturday, choosing countless scrubs over and over. Not blaming the experts, but I didn’t interpret anything properly. A really rough run of luck that may take the Z Train off of the Pony Express for a few weeks. As I lick my wounds, I’ll still be sure to keep going with all the horse racing analysis and make a triumphant return, like a phoenix from the ashes, at some point before this summer is over. As a recap, Lady Eli was the star of this show, winning Saturday’s Grade I Diana Stakes, the marquee event of the weekend, at 4-5 odds. A heavy favorite, Chad Brown’s horse rode a tremendous race, outlasting the German horse, Quidura. Lady Eli actually was suffering from laminitis (a painful inflammatory condition in horses’ hooves) last fall, but beat it and is back to her best. Usually I don’t bet against Chad Brown, but Antonoe and her jockey Javier Castellano won me some money in the past and I decided to stick with that combo. A poor bet in hindsight, but a strong Show result for Antonoe in a difficult Grade I race. A strong race from Quidura will also increase her value as the summer events continue, and will definitely be a horse to watch out for, but the true superstar was Lady Eli as the doors open to Saratoga. Other winners: G3 Schuylerville Stakes – Dream It is (9-2) G3 Lake George Stakes – Proctor’s Ledge (6-1) G3 Sanford Stakes – Firenze Fire (12-1) G3 Coaching Club American Oaks – Abel Tasman (4-5)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |