She's a Handicapper now..and I'm saying "Champagne, Anyone?"

She's a Handicapper now..and I'm saying "Champagne, Anyone?"

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Friday Breeders Cup races and selections



FRIDAY BREEDERS CUP SELECTIONS

Five Breeders Cup races will be run Friday at Santa Anita.
I've checked the numbers and the entries and give you my picks for these five races. Good Luck and remember this is for entertainment purposes only.


MARATHON

I'm going with a price here...West Point Throughobred's Suns Out Guns Out. I like the jockey/trainer combination of Julian Leparoux and Dale Romans. It is Leparoux's only Breeders cup Friday mount...so he won't be holding anything back. I'll toss Cease, Commander and Ever Rider in any exacta, trifecta and Pick 3 combinations I attempt.

London Bridge...with Mike Smith aboard...could get a sizable amount of betting interest. I wouldn't be shocked if he bests these...but I'm not going to use this one.

This field is very strong. None of these are going to blow the others away and it should be an exciting stretch run.

JUVENILE TURF

A tough, evenly matched field here!
 
Bobby’s Kitten, (Kitten’s Joy and the Ramsey’s here) will be the favorite with a win in the GIII Pilgrim Stakes last out in Saturday’ $1,000,000, GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Stakes, for the 2yo boys, going 1 mile out on the Santa Anita turf!

Giovanni Boldini, is #2 on the M/L, is a son of War Front with an Irish Stakes win last out was 3rd in a Grp 1 race 2 back!

Outstrip, at 4/1, does own a Grp 2 title at Donchester this year and was a good 3rd loast out in a Grp 1 2yo turfer at Newmarket! Gets a Mike Smith ride in this 2yo turfer too!

Bashart at 6/1, was the winner in the GII With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga 2 back then came 2nd to Poker Player (who is 12/1 here) by a length in the GIII Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland last out!

Give me Poker Player on top, followed by Bashart, Giovanni Boldini and Bobby's Kitten. I'll use them and Outstrip in the Pick 3.

DIRT MILE

I've loved Verazzano since he's been a 2 yr. old and the mile is perfect for him. Johnny Velazquez and Todd Pletcher get it done around 3-1 or so.

Rick Pitino's GoldenCents will challenge. Doug O'Neill finally got wise and put Rafael Bejarano on board. They'll be a close second. Longshot Centralintellegence needed his last one out at Santa Anita and gets show money here.
After that...tough to choose between Pants on Fire and Alpha. I'll use them all in the Pick 3 and wheel Verazzano with them in the exacta and trifecta.

JUVENILE FILLIES TURF


My Conquestadory gets a terrible outside post...but has wowed them in her only two starts. I'll take her with Al Thakhira, Vorda. Ready to Act and Tessa Rossi in any exacta, trifecta and Pick 3 wagers. I give My Conquestadory a slight nod.


Dancing House could surprise at a price...I'm not using her but she's a live longshot.


DISTAFF

Royal Delta, Prince of Sylmar and Beholder are very hard to seperate. I think Royal Delta shows up Friday and wins, though. Use 'em all in the exotics and if you need a "price" horse...look at Close Hatches.

Best of luck Friday and if you wager...do so responsibly!

-Paulie


Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Why Walter White had to die



I became a fan of the AMC series "Breaking Bad" from the beginning. It provided a look at what one man would do for his family (and himself) when he found out he had cancer and would be dead in a couple of years.

What would I do in the same circumstances? I've provided well for my wife if I should leave this orb before her. Not by Walter White means...but she won't want for anything after my passing. Which I hope is a very long time from today.

Paul Sykes will die. We all will. Walter White had to die. He had become "the cancer". He was an evil man...but I still liked him...because of the basic premise he operated on...

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one

Sure, he went about it in a god-awful way. Mistakes, murders, things gone very bad. Betraying, double-crossing and the murder of Hank...which still pisses me off. I don't exactly blame Walter for Hank's murder....he did try to call off "Uncle Jack" and the Nazi boys...and offered $80 million in pay-off money for his life...but his call set a whole wild set of wheels in motion.

Walter White had to die. His exile, you knew, would be temporary. He had to set things right....in his own twisted yet brilliant way. Money to the family, the elimination of the evil empire Todd and the criminals had built. A final determination on Jesse. Cleaning up the mess he created. Then...acceptance and disappearance.

We talked about the ending. Dying in a meth lab. I proposed a different ending. Jesse, after getting in the car...backing up...next to Walt and saying...

"Mr White. Get in. You saved my life. We're going to the hospital"

And them driving off. Future unknown. The two together again...just like they were in the beginning.

Closure. A glimmer of hope for a possible movie down the road or sequel.

It was fun and horrific at times, BREAKING BAD. Maybe we'll see Walt reappear as a "walker" in THE WAALKING DEAD. That would be awesome. Maybe Jessie gets his wood-shop and devotes his life to helping drug addicts. Maybe Walt Jr. uses the money he receives at age 18 or 21 to help those in need.

Bye Walter White. You were a complex, complicated and cunning man. In a shady, slimy world of meth addicition...you somehow made it seem almost respectable...since you were going to great risks to provide for a family after you were gone...but ultimately destroying that family in more ways than the dollars you made making the blue stuff.

Oh...Lydia, Lydia...have you seen Lydia?

....