The cold and flu season

So...once again, I return to the personal pages to pontificate. I really don't get over here as much as I intend to. Life gets in the way.

Does your day follow a certain routine and does illness affect it?  I have found that I don't sleep past 7 a.m. anymore...but have no trouble laying back down and getting a few more hours in on weekends around noon or so. I wish i COULD nap out for a few hours during the week sometimes...work would probably frown on that.

Today is one of those days. Up early at 5:30...the morning ritual of teeth brushing, lavatory visit, coffee making and hitting the internet, e-mail and web site to see what's happening. All made extremely more difficult with a runny nose and cough.

Yes...a winter cold has invaded the P-Man. It'll lead to a upper respiratory infection most likely...it usually does. I used to get several of these a year. Now it seems it just hits once a year...anywhere from November to March. It's a viral thing, not bacteria-related...so antibiotics don't help. Chest congestion stuff, a few hot toddies and a box of kleenex are my companions.

And rest.

I'm thinking of calling in sick to work today. I probably won't,,,but the thoughts are there about crawling back in the crib, shooing Sonja out of my spot (she always invades it after I get up..) and telling the world to basically pass me by today...I'm not feeling well.

It would be easy to do.

With runny nose, cough and that stuffy feeling...life doesn't seem that important today.

Paulie

My saddest racing story...

My saddest racing story happened 40 years ago. Back in the day when there were actually three horse-racing tracks in Louisville. Churchill Downs, of course and then
off Poplar Level Road, there was harness racing at Louisville Downs. This story took place at the third track....Commonwealth Race Course (previously Miles Park) in the west end of Louisville. 

It was the place for me and my crew to go on Friday summer nights in 1974. Night racing! Beer vendors that didn't check ID's. A wide assortment of all different types of people and the chance to turn our weekly summertime job paychecks to more money. We actually started going in 1972...but the summer nights of 1974 were special. Me, Big Ed, Baby Bobby Brody, Little Stan and Crazy George would pile into my 1969 Chevelle Malibu or Ed's 1968 Chevy Van and hit the track on Friday nights. Saturday nights were Date Night. Friday nights were "Guys Night Out". 

We followed the horses out there...because back then, it wasn't uncommon for the low level claimers out there to run once a week. On the night in question, I noticed that TOOLITTLETOOLATE was running on the card. This old claimer had been a disappointment of late...getting punished in six or seven furlong affairs after getting to an early lead.

The owner and trainer had entered him in a 4 1/2 furlong that evening. Shorter distance. The betting crowd, however, didn't think he would be a contender. I was convinced he would be. I ponied up $25 of my hard earned cash and stuck it on his nose to win at 25-1 odds. The crew also backed him in varying dollar amounts. 

They broke from the gate. As usual, TOOLITTLETOOLATE sprinted to the lead. As they took the turn and headed down the short Commonwealth stretch...he was increasing that lead...with a furlong to go, he was up by five lengths. We were ecstatic beyond belief.

Then, it happened...

With a sickening thud, he fell to the dirt. The jockey dismounted and rolled to the rail to avoid getting run over by the rest of the field. They passed TOOLITTLETOOLATE left and right, no collisions fortunately...while he laid motionless on his side.

The van came out after the race and the track guys literally drug him inside and took off.

We were stunned. Wordless. Our sure thing...100 yards away from the finish line. Then, nothing. 

I found out later from a trainer that TOOLITTLETOOLATE apparently had a massive heart attack and died almost instantly. 

I'd like to think that the veteran old runner's last thoughts were something like..."Hey, it doesn't get any better than this...I'm the champ today"...and he died with those positive thoughts in his brain as he drew his last breath.  

On that evening TOOLITTLETOOLATE was "more than enough" but just couldn't make the final 100 yards. I kept that losing ticket for quite some time...as a reminder that things can suddenly, rapidly change in life. During my several location moves and packings over the years, it got misplaced. Lost. The memory still remains, though.

Somewhere, I hope there is a horse heaven...and TOOLITTLETOOLATE is getting those final 100 yards and winning by 5 lengths...

-paulie

Saturday Breeders Cup Picks

NINE RACES ON BREEDERS CUP SATURDAY


(You can see Friday's picks and results on Friday's entry)


BREEDERS CUP JUVENILE FILLIES - RACE 4

 By The Moon on top here and will also consider Angela Renee, Conquest and Top Decile underneath. 

Recap:  We got shut out here. The bomb Take Charge Brandy wasn't in our wheelhouse. Top Decile ran 2nd.

FILLY AND MARE TURF - RACE 5

Stephanie's Kitten is my selection for the sprint. I'll also use Secret Gesture, Dank and Dayatthespa in vertical and horizontal wagers.

Recap: A nice exacta with DayattheSpa and Stephanie's Kitten and a profit on across the board on Stephanie's Kitten. One in on the Pick 3, too

FILLY AND MARE SPRINT - RACE 6

Artemis Agrotera should finish on top in this highly competitive race. I'll also use Judy The Beauty, Sweet Reason and Thank You Marylou in the gimmicks. 

Recap: Judy the Beauty wins and keeps us alive in the Pick 3. Thank You Marylou a nice longshot price for third. 

TURF SPRINT - RACE 7

No Nay Never gets a slight edge here. Home Run Kitten, Bobby's Kitten and Undrafted will be right there also and if Za Approval draws in as an also-eligible...I'll include him.

Recap: We catch the Pick 3 with Bobby's Kitten and exacta plus huge trifecta with No Nay Never running second for a nice across the board profit and Undrafted getting third.  



JUVENILE - RACE 8

Carpe Diem was impressive at Keeneland and draws my attention. Daredevil, Mr Z and Upstart are usable and will fill out the wagering exotics. 

Recap: Texas Red knocks us out of the Pick 3 we had going. Our pick Carpe Diem gets us a little across the board money back and Upstart ran third. 

TURF - RACE 9

We're going for a price here and looking for Chicquita to outlast Telescope, Main Sequence and Flintshire in another hard-to-decide race. 

Main Sequence gets the final Pick 4 off to a successful start and we catch another exacta with Flintshire running second.

SPRINT - RACE 10


Awfully tough to decide between Indianapolis and Secret

Circle in this dash. I'll play both on top and also figure Rich Tapestry, Fast Anna and Work All Week to factor in. 
hot
Recap: Work All Week gets us a huge win and Secret Circle running 2nd gives us a very nice exacta. Still alive in the Pick 3 and 4 !! 

MILE - RACE 11

Solidly behind Toronado here. To fill the exacta and other multi-horse wagers...I'm looking at Mustajeeb, Tom's Thumb and Seek Again.

Recap:  Longshot Karakonite wipes us out of everything! Drat! We got dusted in this race. No top 3 finishers. 

CLASSIC - RACE 12

Bayern is my winner for the Classic and my best bet of the day. Martin Garcia and Bob Baffert should prevail over Shared Belief, Tonalist, Cigar Street and the very dangerous California Chrome.

Recap: Bayern survives the Stewards Inquiry and gives us a very nice end to Breeders Cup Saturday. My partner in wagering Tommy Boy also suggested a $2 exacta wheel with Bayern on top and "all" underneath..which also scored well for us. 

The results: 

We wagered a whopping $726 on the day's card. Here's what we got back:

Race 5 - $8 on Stephanie's Kitten and $27 on the exacta
Race 7 - $9 on No Nay Never, $351 on the Pick Three, $54 on the exacta and $647 on the trifecta.
Race 8 - $3 on Carpe Diem
Race 9 - $32 on the exacta
Race 10 - $122 on the exacta
Race 12 - $278 on across the board on Bayern. ($20 across)
and the $2 Exacta $250

Money won...$1581 - money wagered $726 = $855 profit. With the $109 profit from Friday..a two day score = $964.

We hope you were along for the ride...


paulie
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FRIDAY breeders cup picks

FRIDAY BREEDERS CUP OFFERS FOUR TOUGH RACES

The Friday edition of the 2014 Breeders' Cup offers four very challenging races. Nevertheless, Paulie has run the numbers and has his selections for you. Sonja has opted out this year for Friday...she'll come up with a few Saturday Selections, however. 

OK. Here we go.

JUVENILE TURF


A very tough race with a bunch of babies involved. After careful scrutiny, I've come up with my picks. I'm taking Hootenanny as my top pick...but would not be overly surprised if Imperia, Conquest Typhoon or Akfabantay get to the winner's circle. I'll box the four in an exacta and trifecta and also include them in any Pick 3 or 4 wagering I attempt. Hootenanny will get an across the board bet, too.

( Post race analysis...Well, we called it correctly. Hootenanny charging strongly to win at the wire. Akfabantay scratched and we passed on the exotics because of that. We're still alive in the Pick 3 and 4, though...and got a solid price across the board on Hootenanny at $14.00   $7.80 and $5.60. The Brits are 1 for 1. )  

DIRT MILE

Goldencents absolutely loves Santa Anita and is my top selection here. I'm also going with Golden Ticket, Pants On Fire and Tapiture for the gimmicks. I've always loved Tapiture since the 2 yr. old campaign and he'll get an across the board wager along with Goldencents. These two will also be in any multi-race wagers. 

( Post race analysis...Goldencents took them wire to wire...holding off Tapiture. We're alive in the Pick 3 and 4 and got a profit in our across the board wagers. The exacta was disappointing though..we lost a few dollars and the trifecta didn't happen. ) 


JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

Another hard-to-handicap affair...but Sunset Glow is the horse to beat...in my opinion. We'll toss in Lady Eli, Quality and Lady Zuzu for exacta and trifecta consideration and put all four in the mix for the Pick 3 and 4. Sunset Glow will get an across the board nod, too. 

(Post race analysis:  Lady Eli blew by Sunset Glow in the stretch and wins for Chad Brown and Irad Ortiz, Jr. Keep us alive in the Pick 4 and we hit the Pick 3 for $65.80...plus another consolation Pick 3 for $15.30 since Lady Zuzu scratched at the gate. Sunset Glow got 2nd and paid us $5.20 and $3.40. The exacta was ours also...for $17.50 but we did lose the trifecta. One to go...)

DISTAFF

I'll be chasing a probable price here with Ria Antonia. Underneath we'll structure my second choice Untapable along with Close Hatches and Don't Tell Sophia. This one promises to be a great race and if Ria Antonia can unleash that powerful run of hers late...my across the board on her should be a nice profit. Untapable will join her in my multi-pick race wagers. After all...she's undeniable, unquestioned, unbeatable and Untapable...

(Post race recap...

Untapable wins. Our Ria Antonia ran a hard pressed fourth. Give us the Pick 4...a modest payout though at $78.85 and we caught that twice...and the exacta was ours also. We failed on the trifecta again and may have to adjust trifecta strategy for tomorrow. A late superfecta that cost us $9 yielded over $60. ) 

Here's a recap of the Twin Spires wagering for the day. We did a little better than what you'll see below...with our on-site wagers at Churchill.

completed 2014-10-31 19:55:29

Status	Track	R#	Wager	Runner(s)	Conditions	Bet Amt	Return Amt	Won/Lost
					Total (accepted wagers):	$ 75.80	$ 225.57	+ $ 109.77
					Pending Wagers:	$ 0.00
	SA	#9	$0.10 Superfecta	10,​WT,9,​WT,7,​WT,11	none	$ 0.10	$ 0.00	- $ 0.10
	SA	#9	$0.10 Superfecta	9,​WT,10,​WT,7,​WT,11	none	$ 0.10	$ 0.00	- $ 0.10
	SA	#9	$0.10 Superfecta	9,10,​WT,7,9,10,11,​WT,3,5,7,9,10,11,​WT,2,3,5,7,9,10,11	none	$ 9.60	$ 60.77	+ $ 51.17
	SA	#7	$1 Exacta	BX,1,6,9	none	$ 6.00	$ 7.10	+ $ 1.10
					none			- $ 40.00
	SA	#6	$0.50 Pick-4	3,5,6,9,11,​WT,1,6,9,​WT,2,3,4,9,​WT,9,10	none	$ 60.00	$ 157.70	+ $ 97.70

Good luck, wager responsibly and come back tomorrow for a look at the Saturday Breeders' Cup picks.

paulie
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OK...I realize that i haven't been over to my personal website in awhile to comment and pontificate.

Life gets in the way sometimes. To catch up? Well, it could take awhile...so grab a cup of coffee, find a comfy chair and hang on. This could take awhile.

COLONOSCOPIES ARE CRAPPY


Literally. You should have one once you reach 50. Men AND women. The day of preparation for a colonoscopy procedure is living hell. I recently had one. You make no plans for that prep day, you do not venture far from the "loo" and you drink tons of water and Gatorade...just to surrender it all back in a most egregious and stinking fashion.

Compounded to the misery of "let's roll to the bowl" syndrome...my right IT tendon has been acting up again...which slowed me down in terms of making the brisk walk to make a deposit.

I have found a alternative solution to the act of colon cleansing. Have four White Castles, an order of Onion rings and six spicy buffalo wings. Same result, for me, next morning, as taking the prep medication.

The procedure itself was a snap...compared to the pre-game. My doctor, however, jumped my frame and said that I had polyps. They were tested, they were benign...but there were enough of them for him to insist I come back in for a visit next year. There's also a tear in my colon wall. That's being dealt with much faster.

I had the chance to talk "shop" about colonoscopies with a friend at 80 Under 80 before the Saturday football game against NC State. I have no idea how we got on the subject...maybe it was because I was bar-tending and that's a real shitty job at the club....but he relayed his experiences of the multiple ones he had and how he almost died from colon cancer.

Go get it checked out, kids.

 End of the Dr. Paul segment.

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One of the hardest things for me to do over at my other site...CARDINAL COUPLE...is ask readers and listeners for donations. When I set the site up several years back...the intent was to provide an independent website for UofL women's athletics. As a 501 C non-profit.

The site is going well and the readership increases every month...but the monthly costs associated with doing it effectively have been a drain on our personal finances. We tried advertising as a way to create income. It failed. Being a veteran of the advertising game, I know full well the reluctance of businesses to spend money on advertising. The pressures and demands of advertisers in exchange for accepting money from them is something I hated dealing with.

So, we go with the donation aspect.

We do it as a break-even, cover costs scenario. I recently outlined to a reader the monthly costs involved in maintaining the site on a monthly basis. Most months, we are "in the red" and the funds still come out of my pocket. We recently ran a sponsor campaign to create income over at CARDINAL COUPLE and it gleaned enough gratefully appreciated contributions to give us a four-month "cushion" to pay the bills.

I dream of one well-backed financier coming to me someday...laying down a couple of thousand dollars and saying..."I hope this helps."

I haven't run across that individual yet.

It's the guys and gals who drop us a $20, or buy t-shirts that sustain us. I'm sure people get tired of seeing me plead for money over at CARDINAL COUPLE. I don't enjoy doing it. But, we keep in mind that we want to provide the best coverage we can as an independent website for UofL women's sports and rest assured that the monies we receive go to keep that mission statement and dream alive.

Consider helping us out.

paulie
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Collmus headed to New York

Larry Collmus, we barely knew you.

After replacing the ubiquitous Brit Mark Johnson in the announcer's booth at Churchill Downs in the spring of 2014...Collmus is packing his tack and headed to New York for 2015. 

In race track parlance, he has pulled up on the first turn and been eased.  

The lure of calling racing at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga for the NYRA and replacing the legend Tom Durkin proved to be a strong siren song for Collmus.

Several friends and I discussed the possibility of Collmus bolting from the gate when Durkin announced he was going to retire. It has come to fruition. 

Who will Churchill bring in to do the stretch calls? 

I'll offer a few options here.

1)  NO MORE guys with English, Australian or South Africa accents. That experiment failed and that boat has sailed.

2) Someone as colorful and exciting as the late Luke Krutybosch. His call of a race was exciting, not mechanical.

3) Kurt Becker. He does the Keeneland meets. He did Churchill for a year before taking on more auto racing announcer gigs. Time to throw an obscene amount of money at him and woo him back. His 'call' is excellent. 

4) John C. Dooley also calls a great race. Easy to understand and gives a clear picture of what is going on.
Besides calling the races at Arlington Park, Dooley spends the winters doing the same at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

5) John Asher. He has declined to be part of any consideration in a pre-emptive strike...but if Churchill loosen up the purse strings and covered John in "C-Notes"...it might put him in the chair.

6) How about a gal? Jill Byrne and Donna Barton Brothers are eloquent and knowledgeable. Jeanine Edwards knows the routine...

Whichever way Churchill goes after the fall meet...I hope they keep in mind that the average race fan just wants to hear where their bet/horse is in a race and who won. The rest is all fluff and filler. They took Luke from relative obscurity (Turf Meadows) and he shone. Is it time to give a similar small-time track race caller a break?  


paulie

Results from Churchill 9th on June 29th

Centella broke slow and unhurried from the gate and settled into last place of eight  runners after a furlong in the six furlong race. Way back as they reached the turn, she was angled to the rail by jockey Corey Lanerie and made some progress in passing tiring horses but finished sixth...14 1/2 lengths back of the winner.

Allowance company can be tough when facing it the first time. Centella went off at odds of 5-1 but was no match for the top four finishers.

It will be interesting to see the next move Angel Montano, Sr. makes with the horse. Ellis Park? A rest until Churchill's September meet? Arlington or either of the Indiana tracks?

One thing for sure...there was nothing there today.

It was a good spring Churchill meet for Paulie, though. Did some tracking through Twinspires.com, my wagering venue of choice when I am not at Churchill.

Showed a profit of $812.00 on races bet at Churchill.

That's not counting the money won at the track. I estimate another $1800 there in profit.

Summer brings Saratoga and the best racing in the states. I got beat up pretty good in handicapping there in 2013.

Hope springs eternal, though and I'm anxious to implement the recent handicapping/wagering strategy I've been using on the upstate New York track. It did pretty well at Belmont and I also showed a profit at Keeneland this spring when I first started using it.

They're at the post!

paulie