Churchill Downs Results 5/17/20

It was a rough and trying day for handicapping and wagering success at Churchill Downs second day of the Spring/Summer Meet for yours truly until the end of the card. 

I caught a break at the end. We'll get to that. Here's how it went: 

RACES 1&2: 

I tried an opening daily double wager. I took three horses in Race One and five horses in Race Two. A #1 Daily Double that cost $15. I had success, running first and second in Race One with Common Courtesy winning and Orb's Soul coming in second. $4.20 was the winning payout for Common Courtesy. Johnny Velazquez was the winning jockey. In Race Two, Hefty G crossed the line first, one of the five i picked. A payout of $8.80 to win, with Genardo Corrales on board. The Daily Double paid $15.50 on the $1 ticket. 

I'm ahead .50 cents. I guess it's better than losing, right? 

RACE 3

In a wide open affair, I thought I'd try a .50 cent trifecta box with five horses and a cost of $30. That didn't work so well. Just one of my runners "hit the board" -- #3 Deep Sea -- who ran second at a nice price ($15.20 & $10.00) The race went to #11 P.R Radio Star, who paid $11 to win. The trifecta paid $2015.00, with a running order of 11,3,4. David Cohen piloted the winner. 

I'm now down -$29.50 on the day. 

RACE 4

This race was an attempt to hit a simple $1 exacta box with four horses. I got the second place (Flabbergasted) and third place (Luck Money) finishers, but did not have the winner -- #10 Cat's Pajamas. A huge win payout of $57.00 on this horse and a nice exacta payout of $290.10 on the $1 exacta payout. Johnny V with his second win in three races. 

I see my success rate drop to -$41.50 for the day. 

RACES 5,6,7 

My first attempt at a Pick 3 on the day. A .50 cent variety, with four horses in each race, for a total cost of $32. It started out well. 

Dean Martini won the fifth race and I had him in the sequence. He won very easily at 4/5 odds and  Joel Rosario was the winning jockey. Survive and advance ! 

Mississippi took the sixth race. He's been a favoeite of mine for some time and I included him. He went off at 6-1 odds and paid $14.20. A nice, pulling away win for trainer Ron Moquett (a great guy) and "Jockey Joe" Talamo. Two-for-two now in the Pick 3. 

I stumbled in Race 7. Temple City Terror came flying down the stretch to pass them all and get the win. and paid $17.40. A nice stretch move by jockey Joel Rosario, he does those soooo...well, for trainer Brendan Walsh. I ran third, forth, fifth and tenth with my four selections. The .50 cent Pick 3 paid a nice $81.90. To use an old horseplayer's lament..."Why didn't I use that one?" 

I now sit sullenly as a -$73.50 participant for the day. 

RACE 8 

I decided to go back to a $1 exacta box here, with four horses. It was ruined when  #6 Compelling Style won. he knocked off my favorite in the race (Blinkers) and won at 8-1  odds. He paid $18.60 for the win. Tyler Baze was on board for the win and the exacta of 6-7 paid $38.10.

Another "swing and miss" for me and I look at a deficit on the day of $-85.50. It was looking to be "one of those days".  Ar least I didn't go after a Pick 4 and early elimination from it. 

RACES 9,10,11

Time for the final venture of the day for me. A .50 cent Pick 3. I originally look at it as going with four runners in Race 9, three runners in Race 10 and eight runners in Race 11. I changed that. I remebered an old horseplayers axiom: 

" If you're going to use eight horses, why not use them all?" 

The cost was just an additional $24 and I was assured of winning if I could get through the first two legs. It made sense to me so I made the 4x3x12 bet for $72. 

Race 9 belonged to me. I finished first, second and third. The winner, #10 Art Collector, went off at 7-1 odds and got a well-timed ride from  Brian Hernandez, Jr to hold off second place finisher Toledo by about two lengths. I really needed the next race...

Race 10 !  Ues, Race 10 !!  One of my three choices -- #11 Chimney Rock -- laid off the early pace and pulled off the "head bob" at the wire. A magnificent ride from Jose Ortiz, to finally catch and pass (in the final jump) big long-shot  #Jack and Noah. I didn't have Jack and Noah and sweated out the photo finish. A nice payout of $13.80, too -- as odds-on favorite Four Wheel Drive broke slowly, poorly and never was a factor. 

I had the Pick 3 with the "all" button in Race 11. The only question was who would win and how much would the sequence pay. 

A big surprise when #6 Prince Jersey Town finished first. Honestly, I went back over the racing form after the race and couldn't have ever picked him. He wasn't even in my original eight for the race. He had been recently gelded, and horses sometimes run well after that event. His past perfomances were pitiful, but journeyman jockey John McKee got him there by a nose over #3 Toshio...who I had really liked in my first handicapping analysis. An exciting, close battle between those two in the stretch. 

Prince Jersey Town went off at a huge price of 24-1 and paid $49.20 to win.

The .50 cent Pick Three returned $758.25 with the numbers 10-11-6. 

I went from a $-85.00 hole to a profit of $ +673.00  for the day. Color me happy.  

That, my friends, is horse racing. You jut never know. Photo finishes, odds-on favorites losing and the sudden turn of fortunes. I got lucky at the end. I'll accept the luck after a day of mot having much of it.  This may sound cliche, but "don't give up, don't ever give up." 

I'll see you Saturday.


paulie
xxxxx