By John J. Shufon
Handicappers know the significance of a wide trip, especially in turf racing. A horse loses approximately one length for every path wide the horse is off the rail, so lost ground is critical in a game where winning is often decided by a nose or a head.
The stakes pickings are fairly slim this weekend, but for someone needing to make a hit for Christmas, what does that matter? The fields are big and deep in several stakes around the country, and as savvy horseplayers know, all it takes is one nice lick to earn the equivalent of a free shopping spree at Toys “R” Us.
The twin turf stakes at Gulfstream Park, the El Prado and South Beach, both harbor all kinds of possibilities, while the Grade 1 Starlet at Los Alamitos offers a chance to bet against Take Charge Brandi and D. Wayne Lukas, who go to the well perhaps a time too often.
Over the past 10 years, no trainer in North America has been more successful than Todd Pletcher. In seven of those 10 years (including 2014), his horses have amassed more than $20 million in earnings, and he was voted the Eclipse Award as top trainer in five of those years (and could very well win the award a sixth time in 2014).
HOLIDAY’S JEWEL
Trainer: Mitch Friedman
Last race: Dec. 3, 3rd
Finish: 2nd by 1 3/4
Beyer: 78
She encountered traffic along the inside entering the stretch, finished willingly between horses with little maneuvering room, and galloped out with good energy.
COMMENT: Tiz Midnight, dropping from Grade 1 stakes, stalked pacesetter Yahilwa, moved up to take the lead from that foe coming into the lane, looked beaten when Warren’s Veneda surged past but found another gear to get up for the narrow win. She set a track record. She figures to have the Santa Anita older distaff stakes on her radar in the coming months, such as the Grade 1 Santa Maria Feb. 15 and Grade 1 Santa Margarita March 14.
Day 2 of the Gulfstream Park Championship Meet is Sunday, and will put in a small Rainbow Pick Six ticket as well as target the featured event on the card, the $50,000 Aventura Handicap.
RACE 5
Not only does YES BLUE (4) own the highest last-out Beyer Speed Figure in the field, but she’s also the main speed. This horse figures to move forward in her second start off the layoff for Gustavo Delgado, and she will be a single for me in the first leg of the Rainbow Six sequence.
RACE 6
Sometimes you’d like to link two horses in a daily double, except they are not in consecutive races. What to do?
Well, since two fillies with some intrigue on Sunday’s card bookend the pick five, let’s fashion them into a double “sandwich” with a 15 percent takeout by singling them and spreading in the middle three legs.
The weatherman says rain is a sure thing, so we have to assume the inner track will be something other than fast Saturday.
One benefit of an exceptionally wet autumn is that many horses have established some form over the off-going.
Most of my betting action Saturday will be on the wild Claiming Crown card at Gulfstream, specifically the last half of it. But the late pick four sequence at Aqueduct, to be run on an inner track that might have seen as much as an inch of rain by the time this wager begins, is okay, too.
