Do you believe in omens? I'll admit I've had my fair share of "coincidental" winners over the years, the most recent occuring this afternoon. I was puttering around my house, listening to Philly Park's live racing on the television, when I happened to look at the screen and saw the current future-book odds for a long list of Derby contenders. I said to myself, "I should plunk two bucks down on one of the longest shots available," and my eyes stopped at a horse that was 77-1. That horse's name was Dominican, and I thought, 'jeez, it would probably be like throwing money away to play him.' Little more than 2 hours later the name Dominican became pretty well-known, because the chestnut gelding gained a nose victory in the Blue Grass Stakes over heavily-favored Street Sense.
I wonder what Dominican's closing future-odds will be tomorrow night; probably nowhere near this afternoon's 77-1.
Well, what to make of the Blue Grass? I wrote yesterday I didn't much care who won, and I really don't, but here's an observation: Street Sense has had back-to-back gut-busters, and you want a horse to enter the Derby fairly fresh and exiting useful, not demanding, prep races. In both the Tampa Bay Derby and the Blue Grass, Street Sense had to fight most of the way, and it's made me not want to include him in my wagers on Derby Day. Of course, he could be a superhorse and prove me wrong, but that's what I think right now.
One final thought: Keep Curlin in your Derby betting plans. How good is this sucker? He really hasn't been challenged in his career, and won today's Arkansas Derby by the largest margin ever. Remember, Smarty Jones kept his undefeated status intact after annexing the Arkansas Derby and then the Kentucky Derby ... Curlin may be just as good.
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2 comments:
Love your blog. I have a question you can probably help me with. My wife and I are attending her sister's wedding on May 5. We will be driving from Lawrenceville to Elizabeth (07202)for the wedding at 1:00 pm, and then from there to Scotch Plains for the reception at 2:30. Is there a convenient OTB site we could stop at to place a bet on the Derby? (The bride and groom do intend to make an announcement at post time so everyone can go downstairs to the bar to watch the race.)
Unfortunately, the closest place to put a bet down on the Derby for you would be the Meadowlands (exit 16W on the NJ Turnpike) or the next closest would be Monmouth Park. Do you have a Phonebet account? Someday, there will be an OTB in Woodbridge, but the wheels are moving very slowly getting the Jersey OTB sites up and running. Good luck on Saturday.
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